Farewell compact disc, I shall miss thee...

For most girls things like purses, shoes, and other such items hold a very special place in their hearts. Some like these items probably way more than they should even to the point where it might not be healthy (trust me, I've seen it before.) Well, I'm not like most girls. Don't get me wrong I count purses and jewelry as some of my vices. But there's one item in this world I can say I'm truly addicted to. It's a little piece of technology we like to call a compact disc. It all started when I was around eight. In fact, I can tell you the first cd I ever got my hands on: SWV's debut album. To say I was amazed is an understatement. After spending my few years dealing with tapes (remember those?!), I had grown tired of all the rewinding and fast forwarding involved. It was just a hassle. So when cds came into my life I felt like I was really doing something. The ability to skip to your favorite track with one push of the button you are freaking kidding me?! This is better than sliced bread!

This amazement quickly progressed into a full blown addiction. When something new came out, whether I really wanted it or not, I had to have it. Not just eventually, but the same day it came out. Hell, for the most part it's still like that. My mom was kind enough (or that much of an enabler) to take me to the music store anytime I wanted to go before I could drive. Once I got that license though it was over with. I went to great lengths to expand my cd collection and even surrounded myself with other addicts. Our lovely podcast contributor Candice has often accompanied me on these trips. Like me, she too has a problem. A prime example of how bad things got is how I came to own Kanye West's Late Registration. This release happened to coincide with one of the worst natural disasters in history: Hurricane Katrina. While the damage pales in comparison to that of New Orleans, Birmingham got its ass handed to it. Well, after coming to school only to find that classes were canceled (which for UAB can be compared to an Elvis sighting) Candice and I decided this was the perfect time to cop that new Kanye. So we traveled all the way to the other side of town through downed power lines and no working traffic lights till we found an open music store. We might have been in danger and so what we didn't have electricity at the house. We had some good music to listen to when the lights came back on!

We've even been known to scheme to get cds including lying to the people at Walmart about traveling from another city to pick up a copy of Beyonce's Bday at 2 a.m. Don't judge us because it worked (both times)! My love affair with the compact disc has been one wild and crazy ride. So you can imagine my sadness now that it's dying.

Yeah I know folks have been saying that for a while but I've been in denial. That was until I got my hands on the devil's instrument: the iPod. Now don't get me wrong, I love my slice of mp3 heaven. It gives one great freedom to know their entire music collection is available at any time and anywhere. But this invention is slowly fading out my beloved cds and that's not cool. There's a sort of ritual that comes with buying cds. First, there is the anticipation involved in waiting on it to hit the shelves. Then, there's the liner notes. I love being able to read who produced the track, where it was recorded, what it samples and the thank you notes. Its one of my favorite things about owning cds. My major gripe with iTunes and other online music stores is that you lose that. Even with the drawbacks, I find myself relying on iTunes to fulfill my music buying needs. It's certainly more convenient than waiting on a store to open up and driving there to pick it up. They never sell out which is a big plus. But it still makes me sad because I feel like I'm losing an old friend or something. But I guess everything changes with the times. It's going to feel mighty funny trying to explain to my future children what a cd was.

"Swagger Like Us" T.I., Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Kanye West (Yes you read that correctly)

Let's see how long this link lasts.

T.I. featuring Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West--"Swagger Like Us"

One in a million truly

Today marks the seventh year anniversary of the death of Aaliyah. The hip-hop community has had a few tragic deaths in its history, but this one marks me as truly shocking. She wasn't embroiled in beef or doing something she shouldn't have been. She was simply living her dream and doing her life's work when she was tragicallly killed in a plane crash. I read somewhere on the internet today that Aaliyah fans, or just music fans in general, could remember exactly where they were when they heard the news. I know I do. It was the beginning of my junior year of high school on Saturday August 25 and I had just come back home from hanging with my friends when one of them called me and told me the news. I didn't want to believe it, partly because my mom had mixed up her name with Brandy while trying to give me the message, but I was shocked when I learned the news. My friends and I stayed on the phone until early in the morning trying to find out if it was true. It was really strange because I remember that day specifically being on an Aaliyah kick. Her third album Aaliyah had just come out that summer and after giving it a break I decided for some reason to put it back into rotation that day.

Now listening to that album I see just how before her time she actually was. Aaliyah was so refreshing when it came out. Maybe it was because she hadn't put out a full album since 1996, but it still feels new even seven years after its release. It was just something about her. She had beauty, swagger, style, relatability and talent to boot. What is especially tragic is that she was just beginning to take off. Sure the urban audience knew who she was and she was already a super star in our eyes, but with all the big budget movies and the new music she had on deck you could tell she was getting ready to reach a completely new stratosphere. She was a pioneer for all the new R&B chanteuses of our day. Without her there would definitely be no Ciaras, Cassies, Rihannas or the like. Her death affected all us from the fans, her family and the people who worked closely with her. No one can deny that after her passing Timbaland, Missy and the Superfriends crew as a whole all lost a little of their swag. Sometimes I wonder just how big she would have gotten had it not been for her tragic departure. I guess it's best to just remember as the phenomenal talent that she was in her short lifetime. Rest in peace, Babygirl.

Self destruction? Hell yeah

I ran across this on Friday on Crunk & Disorderly. Meet Detroit's finest, ladies and gentlemen. It's so much wrong with this foolishness it's not even funny. First of all, all that cussing, talk of murking people, and bangin totally contradicts the message. Then there's the backup singers/folks with nothing else to do with their time. Homegirl in the crop jacket is dancing waaaaayyyy off the beat. And shouldn't that little boy be doing some type of homework? Lastly, apparently Tbaby took a page from the Silkk the Shocker book of off beat rhyming. Let's not even go into the pictures at the end. Everybody involved in this needs to be shamed. Real shamed. This project = EPIC FAIL. This is our future y'all and if you know like I know you'd be trying to holla at some property on that space station. Because if this is even a small representation of who's gonna be running the joint down here, we're all screwed.

What's Worse: Pop, Lock, and Drop It

So I've come up with a new feature to the blog, and this is one where you readers can get involved. Every now and then I will post up two related things, and you comment and tell me which one you think is more ridiculous, more of a shame, more unattractive or whatever criteria you decide; and why. So let's try this out.

What's Worse?

This white boy Pop Locking and Dropping it?



Or This 3 year old Pop Locking and Dropping it?



I don't think either of these are very appropriate, but you decide What's Worse!

Omar Gooding drops a Rap Album?

Yes, that man holding the huge Cuban cigar with the photoshopped smoke is none other than actor Omar Gooding.

Younger children, and older adults only know him as Cuba Gooding Jr.'s little brother. But us eighties babies practically grew up watching this man.

Over a decade ago we watched a thirteen-year old Omar Gooding on Nickelodeon's Wild and Crazy Kids. Later we saw him on Hanging with Mr. Cooper and Smart Guy, and he had solidified his image as a clean-cut family-oriented actor. He played a much more mature role as "Sweetpea" in John Singleton's street film Baby Boy, an unprecedented switch that indicated that Gooding was ready for more adult endeavors.

Soon after, we saw him in more mature parts on shows such as CSI: Miami and the short-lived ESPN drama Playmakers.

But even playing a thug in Baby Boy didn't prepare us for this--Omar Gooding, or "Big O" is releasing an album with West Coast gangsta rapper, C-Bo. Now it wouldn't be as shocking if he were releasing an album with someone like, say, Will Smith or Rev Run. It wouldn't even be that bad if it were someone like Ja Rule or Jay-Z. But C-Bo? The guy who writes lyrics like "I'm a mobster/killin' make my dick hard" is creating an album with Stuart from Ghost Dad.

I haven't heard any tracks yet, but I'll let you know what I think when I do.

I guess we all grow up, but could "Big-O" have possibly found a rapper whose lyrics weren't so horrific they got him arrested?

Hip-Hop (and music in general) needs a legitimate awards show

In my quest to finally figure out why mainstream hip-hop and music in general has gone down the shitter, I stumbled upon an interesting theory.

While the mainstream entertainment industry as a whole generally amounts to a huge cluster-fuck of bankable cliches, there are always the exceptions.

That is, in film and television there are. In music the only exceptions are, quite generally, the people who don't get any airplay. In film and television, however, these exceptions are noted by major players in the respective fields, put on a pedestal, and nominated for prestigious awards, like Emmys, Oscars, or Golden Globes.

You may be saying, "Well, what about the Grammys? That's the most prestigious music award there is, right?!"

Well, it is, but only by default; especially when referring to hip-hop. The Grammys, unlike the AMA's or Billboard Awards--whose winners are chosen based on their popularity--are awarded to those deemed worthy by a panel of old white dudes. Even so, the hip-hop/r&b playing field among all three events is generally populated with the same names. You know, the regulars: Justin, Beyonce, Usher, etc. Not to say that any of these three are untalented or uncreative, but they are definitely not the best in their field by any measure except popularity.

What about the BET awards?
Now I've really got to hand it to BET. A hugely bootleg television network has managed to produce a series of surprisingly un-bootleg awards ceremonies. But be honest, is that award really worth anything? At most, the music section of the BET awards is just a expanded version of the "urban" sections of the Billboard Awards (albeit with the respectable addition of a "Gospel" category).

Quite sadly, if we really look at it, the closest thing we have ever had to a pure hip-hop award's show is the Source Awards; and do I really need to get started on that shit?

Unlike musicians and record executives; filmmakers, theatre and television producers, and actors actually have a motivation other than money: the prestige of being recognized by critics, fans, enthusiasts, and experts as "the best" for that year. Not "the most popular" or "the most successful", but "the best". That phrase actually means something in film, theatre, and television. Perhaps this is part of the reason why hip-hop has become so dry and predictable.

It's just a guess, but maybe we need a prestigious hip-hop awards ceremony. How about the Can I Kick it Awards...? What do you think Mia? Hey we're not the Oscars but it's a start.

Yet another reason why Outkast is pretty much better than everybody

The members of Outkast are what I like to refer as the O.G.'s of Southern hip-hop. Sure, there are other groups that might fit the description better. They may have been around longer or even been more influential, but none did what Outkast managed to do in my book. With Big Boi's forthcoming solo effort and Andre 3000 popping up randomly with no album in sight, it leaves me reminiscing on a time when it wasn't an earth shattering event to see both members in the same place and on the same stage.

Now, they've consistently put out hits since their debut but there is something you absolutely have to understand about this group. It doesn't end and begin with songs like "Hey, Ya!" Some of their best works were never singles. Their sound is distinctly southern with a twist: catchy, fun but far more cerebral than songs that ask you to simply lean and rock with it.

The best example I can think of is the song "Liberation" off of their Aquemini album (a classic that every hip-hop lover needs to own, no excuses.) I'll always remember the first time I heard it. I was in middle school and my older cousin brought over a tape and told me to listen to it. Now I may sound a little dramatic, but this song changed how I viewed music as a whole. I can honestly say I had never heard any other rap song like it. In fact, the most unique thing about it is that there's no rapping in it. It's one part confessional, two parts gospel and an equal part opera and spoken word. Basically everything the typical rap song isn't.

It features some of the Dungeon Family's shining stars like Ceel-lo and Big Rube along with Erykah Badu and tackles everything from the drawbacks of fame to family issues. It's probably one of the most thought provoking pieces of music I've ever heard in my life. Imagine that coming from the South. Don't believe me, I implore you to take a listen:

Talent Schmalent. They're hitmakers!

I would never make it as a music industry executive. I just don't have the knack for finding the next big hit or the next big artists. You'd think it'd be an easy task, right? Just find the person who's the best at what they do and give 'em a record contract. But it's not so simple. You see, talent is a sufficient condition for a successful artist, but it is in no way a necessary one. We've witnessed in recent years, in hip-hop/R&B alone; musical acts that defy logic by smashing the charts wide-open despite haven been forsaken in the talent department. I'm not hating, I'm just marveling at the irony.

Rihanna

Source: http://www.camacho.com.mx/

Rihanna is the direct inverse of a one-hit-wonder. So much so, that I think she utterly lacks the ability to not make a hit record. Despite the fact that her performances leave something to be desired; and that, when singing, she sounds like she's mimicking Tarzan, each one of her records seems to top the charts.

T-Pain

Photo by: Richard Alexander Caraballo

On the rare occasion that T-Pain decides (for whatever strange reason) not to remedy his tone-deafness with pitch-adjustment software, his singing is just slightly better than squeaky chalk. Nevertheless, the man (in whose presence, according to Kanye West, we should be honored to be) was involved in over half of the biggest hits of the last few decades. I just made that statistic up, but it's probably true. T-Pain has made himself the go-to guy for instant hit status.


Plies

When Plies raps, he sounds incredibly similar to a mentally handicapped person. I'm serious, go listen to one of his tracks. He's got an overly extended "deh deh deh" drawl. It's a stretch, even, to call it "rapping", as he's mainly just shouting sentences over a beat. Even more unusual is Plies's insistence to juxtapose his barely-comprehendible sex talk alongside other artists, such as Jamie Foxx, Ne-Yo, and Keyshia Cole; who are actually easy on the ears. Fans have proven to love his Southern swagger, however, and have made his album sales and radio plays absolutely skyrocket.


Trina

Trina is a special case in that she doesn't even have to keep herself in the spotlight to remain relevant. All she has to do is come out with an album, even if it's been three years since the last one. Trina's albums are all 2 or 3 years apart, and they've all been hits. Fans don't seem to mind her lack of skill as a rapper or lyricist. Perhaps it's her confidence. Whatever it is, it's working.

Some will say it's a good thing, some will disagree, but whether or not you find any of these artists to be particularly talented at the technial aspects of their trade, we call agree that they all definitely share one talent: hit making.

Since I have nothing to say today...

For the first time in my life I'm sort of speechless. But because I want to keep things rolling around this joint, I'll leave you with something funny to get you through the day.



And just for the hell of it here's an oldie but goody:

Can I Kick It endorses Barack Obama! This is serious business!

Let's take a break from hip-hop and talk politics.

In case anyone was wondering who the folks down at Can I Kick It endorse for the upcoming Presidential election, we'd like to make it perfectly clear that the answer to that inquiry is unequivocally Barack Obama. It's quite simple. It's not because he's black, or because he's "different." It's because there are two candidates to choose from and one is leagues ahead of the other in pretty much every category.

Dubya has been in office for two terms and even for people who don't have a clue about politics or economics, its obvious that someone in that administration missed something somewhere. The economy is in shambles, even to the point of being called a "recession", gas prices are roughly the price of the car you're putting the gas in (meanwhile all of the oil companies are recording 11 billion dollar profits), the national debt is so high it sounds like a made up number, and thousands of Americans are losing their lives overseas in a war that lacks a forseeable end, not to mention a logical purpose. Yeah, someone fucked up.

It is the duty of the American voters to make sure this shit doesn't continue, and McCain has continuously shown himself to be, in many important (though not every) ways, a clone of the man who let all this dumb shit happen in this country.

Even in spite of the fact that Obama is clearly more likeable, if you break down each candidate's basic policies, the choice is a no-brainer for anyone who isn't a douchebag (or rich, but in that case you'd still be kind of a douchebag because you're being selfish).

The list of positions that make Obama a superior candidate to McCain is incredibly exhaustive, but let's point out a few things.

Foreign Policy
John McCain has been quoted as saying "We nations of like values and principles and belief in democracy and freedom should make efforts to modify the behavior of other nations."

What does this even mean? Who are we to tell other leaders how to run their countries? This is heavily reminiscent of 1800s era "manifest destiny", McCain and the Republican camp think they have found some ultimate truth about "freedom" and subsequently have the God-given right to go around the world on a political missionary trip. It wouldn't be half as bad if we didn't know that McCain's method of "making and effort to modify behavior" likely involves tanks and bombs.

Barack Obama, while still relatively hawkish when it comes to foreign policy (by comparison to many Democrats) has a much more practical and less violent position. Obama wants to end uncecessary wars, such as the one in Iraq. He states that he will direct his attention to people who have actually shown themselves to be enemies of America, like Al Qaeda. (Remember them?) Instead of randomly attacking nations who don't agree with the American way of life, Obama will, instead, focus on nations that are actually posing a threat, nuclear or otherwise. And in most cases, Obama has strongly supported diplomatic meetings with the leaders of other countries, and not the juvenile, stubborn turn-your-nose-up indignation John McCain advocates.

Health Care
This category is really simple. One guy (Obama) wants every single citizen of the United States to have access to health care, and the other guy doesn't mind if a few million Americans are left behind. It makes no sense whatsoever that every working American is taxed for health programs, yet still about 1/8th of the population is uninsured.

Taxes
In 2004, McCain voted against Bush's ridiculous tax cuts, stating "I voted against the tax cuts because of the disproportional amount that went to the wealthiest Americans. I would clearly support not extending those tax cuts in order to help address the deficit." Score +1 for McCain? Nope, just two years later he changed his mind and voted to extend Bush's tax cuts, and has stated that he wants to make them permanent. The tax cuts...for the rich. Firstly, it's clear and obvious bullshit that the more money you make the less taxes you have to pay relatively. Help me out here, am I the only one that think that's ridiculous? Secondly, that's a terrible economic strategy. Giving tax cuts to a group of people encourages them to spend more money. When people spend more money, the economy thrives. The total number of low to middle income families in America far outweighs the number of high-income families. Therefore, more low and middle class people are spending money in America. So it would make sense, then, TO GIVE THEM THE TAX CUTS!

Obama realizes this and proposes a tax cut specifically for low and middle income families. On top of them he want to repeal the retarded tax cuts for the rich. So I imagine, if you are rich, you might like McCain's tax plan, but in that case you're somewhat of an asshole.


This list can go on and on, but it boggles the mind how McCain has so much support. The only possible reason that I can fathom for how a person could think McCain is the better candidate is if they don't give a shit about the economy, the environment, or their fellow Americans; or they just don't understand any of those three things. You have got to either be ignorant or an asshole.
Unfortunately this world is full of people who have both of those qualities.

I know I sound really harsh, but this is serious business. There are lots of things at stake here, the economy, the environment, civil rights, and even lives. I'm not skirting around this issue or trying to be nice. We at Can I Kick It implore you, the six people who read this blog, with all of our very inner beings to make the vote for Barack Obama this November.

Now, back to your regular scheduled hip-hop programming.