EVERYBODY'S CRAZY...

ODB (The only crazy that's acceptable)

Seems that some real strange goings-on have been occurring of late. The Hip Hop world and the world in general for that matter, just seems to be going crazy. Wyclef could be running for President of Haiti, Jay-Z thinks he's cracked the triple entendre, Drake has no concept of the English language, Nas reads to many books and that 'Wocka Floka wtf was I thinking' guy says there are too many dictionary rappers in the atmosphere.

I heard through the grape vinery that Wyclef may be running for President of Haiti. Say what!? Why in the hell would he think he could do that. Is he that obnoxious to think he, a popstar with fame and fortune, could have the answer to Haiti's problems?
Everyone can be a politician from the comfort of home, yes Bush was a dummy and Tony Blair made mistakes. But to actually get up and give it a go for yourself, as a complete novice, in a country as torn apart as Haiti....boy that one's on you. What's that I hear you say? 'The Terminator' is currently Mayor of C.A. Yes he is. Yes he has a University degree, unlike Wyclef, but that doesn't really matter, don't bring me that crap coz Cali's fucked up right now anyway! However, Clef is clearly passionate about his homeland, in a recent Daily Mirror interview he stated:

"Haiti still needs our help -- more than ever. People around
the world made lots of promises, and we want those promises to be kept.
My wife Claudinette and I are passionate about rebuilding Haiti. We've seen the situation with our own eyes, and we've been listening to others.

Rebuilding has been delayed by land disputes, bureaucratic roadblocks, customs problems, differences of opinion about strategy and even delays in getting the actual pledged money to Haiti. I'm a warrior and can't stand by quietly while promises aren't kept. I won't ever surrender."

Fair enough, but he was also quoted as saying, "N G O s. Alone will not Rebuild Haiti, We need Business and Private investment." Right....so turning Haiti in to a money hungry capitalist machine whereby every banker and investor fights for himself will surely turn things around. Coz I mean, it's not like those same attitudes weren't what sucked America and the rest of the western world in to this black hole of a depression.

- Jay's triple entendre woes.

In all honesty, I don't have to speak much on this topic. Google it for yourself and you'll quickly see the slight embarrassment Jigga managed to bring upon himself. Infact, let me provide you with some linkage,
http://blog.grownmantv.com/2010/06/04/jay-zs-triple-entendre-explained-from-drakes-light-up/
http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2010/06/jay-zs-triple-entendre

Here's the line from Drake's 'Light It Up,' that had literary 'in-the-know' folks scratching their heads and then chuckling:
“OWww, hoes turn they heads like, OWls/I’m the man of the hOur/Triple entendre, don’t even ask me hOW”

Hmmm, words that sound the same but differ in meaning....isn't that a homophone?
As opposed to a single phrase being understood in 3 different ways e.g a double or triple entendre.
But in the words of my good friend Demitri on the state side of things, 'Damn you'd think the nigga was rappin' in binary the way ya'll try to decipher some of his shit.' It's true! I may just have to dedicate a whole post to the Jay-Z stans that view Bp3 as his best effort, or at least close to. It seems they lost the meaning of intelligent rap somewhere between the words witty and pun. Fail of epic proportions Shawn, but what do you care when you earn more dead presidents than most have ever even seen.

- Drakes lack of understanding summed up below...

- 50, 'you had a spark when you started but now you're just garbage.'

'Nas is a really smart guy. He reads books constantly. We were around him on the Nastradamus tour. He was almost weirder than me ’cause we would go to breakfast and he’d be there reading a book....He’s feeding you too much information in the music and they don’t actually want it. He’s like a teacher.' - 50 cent

That XXL quote may be a little old, but it shows the direction I'm going in here. It's funny what he's saying (50) coz, most of Nas' fans will tell you that he actually dumbed it down a lot post 'It Was Written' and possibly 'Stillmatic.' If anything 50 should of spoken on how Nas used to kick wisdom through metaphorical and abstract methods. Since all he does know is straight forwardly say what he wants to get across. I like the Distant Relative album, but it's a perfect example of how Nasir now feels he has to talk blunt and direct in order to make people understand. The 90's Nas would never have released a song, or maybe dropped a line, like 'Africa Must Wake Up.' No, if he was going to do something like that he would have flipped it in an obscure metaphor or with some other poetic technique or concept, much like Lupe does today. So in once sense, 50's almost right. But he needs to fuck outta here with that crap about reading too much.

- Woka

'People don't wanna hear that dictionary rap..." says southern rapper Wocka Floka Flame in a recent interview.'

Prince Ea already roasted him on this one so I don't have much to say. Hip Hop was always all about intelligent, lyrically motivated songs with real cultural and sociological substance behind them. But, it was also about 'feel good' party music. There's a time and place for club music that this sorry excuse for an emcee (Flocka) clearly can't comprehend. Some people just don't want to try and recreate the club scene with it's gimmicky, repetitive dance hooks and phrases (perfectly suitable for the club), in the comfort of their own home or whilst driving.

Check out that Prince Ea video and expect some reverberations of that Jay-Z topic in posts to come.
I challenge you to put aside a couple of hours in search of new music from your favourite genre. Delve in to the blogosphere and various forums, it's easy to get sucked in onces you get going and one link leads to the next. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the talent you never heard about before but would always have loved. Please don't just sit there and let MTV and the likes tell you what you should be listening to.

(It's bad that I continue relate post titles and meaning to Nas songs, go figure).

Peace

L-BOOGIE...

I feel I should probably speak on that newly released Lauryn Hill song that dropped this Monday just gone. If only for the reasons stated in the post below.



Now no one's really sure if this is a new track from Lauryn, or just one that was previously unreleased. From the whole 'Miseducation'-era type vibe I'm getting from it, it seems like the later maybe be true. However for music's sake lets hope not. Lauryn is on somewhat of a comeback this year after a God knows how long hiatus from the game, only popping by to stick her head around the corner every now and then. She's performing at the Rock the Bells concerts and rumours are circulating of a possible forthcoming album.
Yes Ms. Hill went a little psycho with the make-up in more recently released images of herself. She better resembled a clown than the undisputed Hip Hop Queen emcee that we all know and love. However I don't believe it true for one minute that she had the psychological issues suggested. Just because someone chooses to relieve them self of the spotlight, does that make them crazy. Dave Chappelle's running away to Africa and then coming back to explain on 'Inside The Actor's Studio' is probably the best example out there.
Anywho, after robbing us of more sure-to-be classic material post-'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,' lets hope she's back to stay. This track is dope.

Lauryn Hill - Repercussions

IT BOTHERS ME / YOU'RE LATE....

For some reason, it really bugs me when people are late on all things music. Unless it's one of those odd times that you sleep on an artist or you purposefully avoid them because their whole aura just seems wack, there's no excuse. If you're passionate about music, which I'm sure you claim to be, why shouldn't you know who say, J.Cole is?

What's even more annoying is when I persistently tell someone to listen to a certain artist, yet they still let him slip on by. In fact, that's not actually the most annoying part in this whole, repetitive predicament. What's even more annoying, is when that same person, a year or two later comes along, be it on their facebook status or just in life generally, and hollers that artist or group's name from the rooftops. First and foremost let me say this, YOU'RE LATE.

Secondly, let me make a little comment about why you're an idiot for being late. This music thing (in my case Hip Hop, but any other genre as well) is a movement, culture and passion. It's lame to be late, and even lamer to be late when you've missed out on one of the best artists in the game right now. When i know you're someone that gets excited over gimmicky music, re-cycled beats and an auto-tune voice changer (T-pain bullshit), don't come at me stating that, ' You know what, this blu (or J.cole or any other dope new artist) guy is pretty good, much better than Drake or Lil Wayne, or gucci man or wocka flocka wtf kinda name is this.'
YES, this is what i told you....*configures numbers in head*....645764547468065 years ago!
Is it any coincidence the rappers you stated my guy to be better than have a fan base that consists solely 12 year old girls?
Is it also any coincidence that you're favourite artist most likely sounds horrible live?

Thirdly, at least give the music it's respect. If you claim to love music so much, how come you know nothing of the up and coling artists or albums to be released? How come you spew out false facts on your status', bbm's and facebook walls? No that wasn't his first album, it wasn't even his first mixtape, he hasn't even released an album yet you retard. What's some of the mixtapes are see you bumping are fan made, people on forums put those compilations together, it's not even an official mix.

Step it up people. I make a point of not just sitting here posting new music, there's plenty of other blogs you can go to for that. Blogs that are more exclusive and have industry connects which gains them access to leaked music. I'd rather actually give more detailed facts and opinion, journalism. Don't make me have to revert to those ways i just mentioned in order to keep your slow asses up- to-date. Lauryn dropped a nice new little tune a couple of days back, expect me to talk on that in a day or two.

'If i don't like it I don't like it, it don't mean that i'm hatin'.' - Common 'Sixth Sense'

TO ADD TO THAT...

I wasted my opportunity to take a ton of photos on the subject of football in Rio De Janeiro. Everywhere I went on a bus or in a taxi, I spotted perfect examples of small street football courts and promised myself I would venture back to find. This pathetic excuse of inauthentic imagery you're about see will tell you that I never got around to doing that.
But, in continuation of the last post, hopefully these photos go some way to explaining what I tried to in my eventual conclusion.
When courts and tiny homemade goals like those below are being played on across the globe.....


....is it any wonder these kids grow up to dominate when what they have to aim at, eventually becomes this...


I witnessed small homemade wooden goal frames (like the ones seen in picture 2) all over South America. Perhaps it's time we think about bringing them to the UK.

THE U19 EUROPEAN CHAMPS....

First of all let me begin by revealing how annoyed at myself i am. I was rather oblivious to the start of this tournament and as a result have missed most of the games up to this point. The last U19 Euro's and youth World Cups all held me captivated not only as great matches ensued, but as the stars of the future exposed their talents and - perhaps more in importantly in this day and age of consumerism - names to the world.

Before i go on, let me quickly mention that if you missed Calvente's penalty against Italy, do yourself a favour and give this piece of genius and confidence the attention it deserves.

Now then, England. England, England, England.
This post comes as a response to my homelands well deserved 3-1 loss against a silky smooth Spanish side.
Yes the year group competing in this years competition is actually my own. I know a few of the players in the team on a local level. Therefore i also know that this group of players is, to be blunt, nothing special. It's years like these that make me rue the fact that I quit the beautiful game. I was a technical player who literally grew up with a ball at his feet. Alas, i lost confidence at a crucial age so I have no one to blame but myself really. What can i say, maybe i should have attended a continental academy such as Lille or various other Spanish and French centers because it seems that, to grow up in England as a technician of the game, is virtually impossible.

Anyway this isn't about me. This is about England's lack of ability to produce a quality team and great players. I was one of the loudest voices post-World Cup in suggesting that there are fundamental problems in England's coaching and academy system. Problems that are halting the Junior, and more importantly Senior teams from lifting the World Cup once again. The 'get your foot in' and 'long ball culture' that has become ingrained in England's attitude towards the game is really beginning to expose us as a talentless nation. Especially i hasten to add, in a day and age when the speed of the game has increased to a rapid rate. The one touch football, quick feet and speedy counter-attacking school of thought perfected by Barcelona, seems to be the general direction the game is heading in. After all, it is the superior tactic, be it a tactic that requires much technical ability and intelligence. Slower less skillful teams and Nations are being left behind, unable to compare when it comes to actually getting the ball down and playing. Speed and strength will never out-do creativity, intelligence and skill. Skill that can only be learnt from playing the game at a very early age, all day everyday.

To relate back to the title and theme of this post, Spain's U19's really gave England's team of the same age a masterclass in how the beautiful game should be played. What's more, the second goal scored was a good shout for one of the best goals witnessed this year. This being a World Cup year, that's saying a lot.

The inspiration for me to make this post came in the form of a quote from The Guardian Newspaper's website. Perfectly depicting the game and England's lack of 'game' in general, Owen Scrivens had this to say:

"All game I've just been thinking that the English have picked a squad
of athletes and roughly organised them into a football team. In comparison
the Spanish are not especially big, strong or fast, but they look like they
have been playing football all their lives. In fact this sums up the problems
in the English league's youth systems, scouts favour pace, strength and organisation
flair and technique."

Re-read that quote, but this time bear in mind that English press actually hyped this team up as a possible surprise bet to redeem the efforts of the Senior team earlier this Summer. Ridiculous.

I grew up playing alongside a young man named Anthony Edgar. I say that not as a name drop, but to give credibility to what i'm about to say. Anthony is in the West Ham Reserve team. For a skinny short kid, that's further than most his size could ever achieve in the English system, even if they do happen to be cousin to Tottenham player and England International, Jermaine Defoe.
From the age of 6/7 it was already clear that Anthony was ahead of the game. He could do more kick-ups than any other kid his age and dribble past a whole team with ease. It seemed as if he could do no wrong.
I actually recall one time as 7 year olds we were 5-0 down at half time. Anthony arrived late, came straight on in the second half and banged 5 goals in one after the other. He quickly drew the attention of West Ham who snapped him up that same year. Having the pleasure of playing against him years down the line at various school matches and trials for England's youth team, i was able to witness the progression in him as a player. Not standing for his greed on the ball, West Ham forced him to pass or face not playing. Eventually, he managed to evolve in to one of the best passers of the ball i've ever seen. His game had matured. At 16 he was looking like a young Fabregas with vision surpassing any other of his age.

What I'm trying to get at here is, why the hell is our National team not packed with players like Ant? As opposed to these fumbling idiots who look like they've only been playing the game a few years, if that. Any decent footballer can tell how experienced another man is with the game within seconds of seeing him play. The majority of the current England U19 squad control the ball with a hesitation and uncomfortable nature that betrays their lack of playing years. The elite players; the Ronaldo's, Messi's and Zidane's all had a ball at their feet virtually since they could stand on their own two, and it shows. Rarely, if ever, will you see a Spanish or Brasilian player tripping over the ball or getting caught in possession with the ball trapped under his feet. Their technique and touch is such that they create time and space for themselves through their fundamentals.

The solution. Well in my opinion that comes in the form of culture and training. Watching a few of the World Cup matches with my friend's 'typically English' family, it's easy to see that the English attitude of calls to 'hoof it!' or 'kick it keeper!' need to change. In England the 7 a-side game is played until the age of 11 at which point the youngsters move to the standard 11 a-side pitch. This needs to change. In most continental and Latin countries football is played in the streets on small 2 a-side goals, and in the school and club systems 7 a-side is played until the ages of 16 in some cases. This teaches quick feet and short passing in a small confined spaces with limited time availability. This system and culture aids in greatly advancing a player's technical ability.
Football needs to be played more widely on a street, local level. Everywhere i went in Brasil, the nation was obssessed with fiddling around with a ball at their feet. If we could turn football in to a city game like basketball is in the States, increasing the number of PowerLeague and other specialised football courts dotted around, then we're in business. A culture of street football will, eventually, breed a culture of fast paced technical players. This, i think is the solution, not their hair brained government schemes, constantly given air time on the BBC, about increasing competition in school sports. That can and most likely will, work for sports such as Athletics. Increased inter-school competition and school pride out on the track will give birth to more interest in track events. The proof there is in Jamaica. Though with a sport so culture orientated as Football whereby, the best teams are more likely club teams than school, increasing competition in school will do little to increase quality outside of school.

That's just my humble piece of opinion on the quality and nature of football being played in England at the moment. I may have to come back and add to this ramble as and when i see fit.

Feel free to comment about anything football related.

GIBBS!

It has to be said, artists such as Blu, J.cole and Lupe were the newcomes who really wet my Hip Hop-attuned taste buds last decade in terms of musicianship and straight lyrics. Though it was Freddie Gibbs at the end of the 00's that got me most excited for reasons i'm about to explain.
In this current age of watered down Hip Hop, recycled beats and the emergence of college rappers, a firm 90's head like me needs some hard beats, street talk and dope lyrics every now and then.
When trying to fulfil this daily quota of aggression or at least street politics, i turn to Freddie Gibbs.

Call me a dreamer but i hope the day comes when Freddie really blows up and gives the industry a piece of his mind. I wouldn't blame him for doing so, but he seems like the kind of character that will never switch up his style in the name of making paper like say B.O.B has done to great effect.

The reason i made this post on our guy in Gary (since i already made a post on him) is to showcase his latest video and his new EP.
The HD camera is lookin' so fresh and the concept is ill. Not to mention the beat is too hard and his slow lethargic flow is just off the hook.



Download the EP HERE.

THE FATHERLAND

So an arrangement was rather hastily made for me to go visit the pops in North Africa. Tunisia to be precise. This all happened rather quickly so give me a little time to formulate some post material and in a few days info on the local peoples and customs should be vast. My camera decided to tag along for the journey so expect masses of visuals. I'm here for a Month so the experience should be dope.

To be continued....

O BRASIL

My love for the beautiful country of Brasil has become unwavering over the past year or so. What was originally a casual interest in the nation from the early days of my youth involved in football and watching the cult classic 'Ciadade De Deus' (The City of God), has developed in to a blossoming relationship. Maybe i'm personifying the country a little too much but if anything, that should display my compassion for the land that columbus called a 'paradise' when he first ventured there.

Without travelling there yourself it's hard to imagine and to put across just how idyllic this land appears to me. Sure it does have vast amounts of people living below the poverty line and possible inclinations of racism in the upper eshelons of politics. But show me a nation more racially harmonious than Brasil and i'll eat my 100% cotton white tee right this moment!
I would delve in to the ins 'n' outs of why Brasilians are so at one with themselves and eachother racially, but i don't want to bore you to death (i'm sure one day i will venture in to such a topic, be prepared for a full 5 page spread!) All reasons date back to slavery and the interracial breeding that was encouraged between the Portuguese, Indeginous natives and of course the African slaves. Throw in some huge migration from the Japanese and few other nations and what do you have....beautiful women, AND.....the best culture and society you could possibly hope to be raised in.





To be quite frank, i've just this moment decided to do a Brasil special. This was a post originally intended to be about Brasilian football so i could showcase one of my favourite docs ever produced on the subject of the beautiful game. So therefore i'll just wrap this up real quick and get to providing the link. Anyone with even a vague passing interest in the game make sure you peep the video at the bottom of this post.

I actually made something on this documentary a few years back in high school, here's the intro i wrote (covering my ass incase what you're about to read sounds copy n pasted or just overall wack):

Coming from the makers of the 'City of God' and the 'City of Men', ginga provides an in depth look in to the the lives of various Brasilian youngsters all of whom have differing dreams that include the same means, 'futebol.'
The doc is a refreshing look at the lives of rich and poor. Many sports and activities claim to break racial and social barriers, however over the years such caims have been exposed not to be true. Class divides are prevalant in cities all over the world. Yet within Brasil, and 'Ginga', there does seem to be a genuine bond and common goal between the rich and the poor alike. Paulo, one of the wealthier characters lights up the camaera not only through his skills with a football but also through his passion for life. A passion that is shared by Romarinho who, despite living in squaler conditions within the notorious Rio favela Rocinha, seems perfectly happy so long as he is able to play the beautiful game. I visited Rocinha early this year and i have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life. The people were ultra friendly compared to those met on the Copacabana strip or any other heavily tourist populated/wealthy area. More to come on this story in the next part of this Brasil series.

Overall a great doc that any football fan, Brasil fanatic, or simply anyone with an hour to spare, should watch!


This doc has an absolutely bangin' soundtrack, expect more on that and other Brasilian music in following parts to this series.

Much props goes to Catherine for some of these images, oops! I didn't ask but i'm sure she won't mind as long as drop a link to her blog.
http://www.caterpillarpen.blogspot.com/

Peace.

CURREN$Y

This one should be interesting. Rarely do i choose to write about any emcee before I've actually shoved his tape in the deck. It's an even rarer occurrence for me to do so without hearing any previous work be it even a snippet. I've become excited to the point of picking up a pen in the middle of the night and writing my opinion on debuts such as Fashawn's 'Boy Meets World,' but that was a always a spur of the moment, 'Damn this kids good!' type thing.

No, the reasoning for this latest post is quite simply the hype. Yes Flav told us not to believe in any such business, but Hip Hop heads across the globe have been banging on about this kid for a while. I've been aware of the hype over this guy on the blogosphere for a long time now but always seemed to avoid videos and links much the same as i am currently do with Theophilus London (he's frickin everywhere!). Underground heads have a rep for amping new comers that don't deserve the attention. Yet for any of you who know of a hardcore head or are one yourselves, you'll also know that we are notoriously hard headed. We're a close-knit community and we like it that way. We stick to our tried and trusted artists and only allow others in, upon the recommendation of tried and trusted friends, or through that odd night in the month when you scoure the net in search of an obscure dope emcee.(Don't you just hate it when that friend that always thinks he has your style of music taste down, attempts to recommend wack ass songs to you!? Overloading your inbox or 'wall' with links.) So yes, only with a recommendation from someone that keeps as high a standard as I, when it comes to this Hip Hop ish, did i sit up and pay attention. His exact words were 'Are you serious?..Everything this kids touches is dope!' And from a Hip Hop nerd who views Illmatic on par with words from God himself....that's about as good a 'put on' you're gonna get.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned before but yes, I am an avid Nas and 90's Hip Hop fan. I made some mistakes in the past of limiting myself to only that east coat hardcore,dry style of rap. I no longer expect every emcee to sound like Nas, Az, Mobb Deep and the likes. However i do expect a similar level of skill, wittiness, depth and substance. I loved 90's beats, soul samples were my jam, were THEE jam! But I've realised times are changing, getting creative with it can be a great thing, yet i still believe heading too far in the other direction is what led to auto-tune and the electro/techno type production we are seeing all over the gaff today. Don't even get me started on certain Kanye and Usher (recent) songs. I think I'll always have love for emcees that spit as if telling it from their project window. I can handle gangster rap, i can stand braggado in songs (also known as, the ability to listen to any given Jay-Z album) and i can just about take the odd obnoxious statement here and there. But what i dam near can't stand is an emcee who acts too involved. It's a well known fact that real gansgters/hustlers don't rap. They don't have the time to. Yes some insiders knowledge and perspective is good (see the Clipse,) though, you spending the best part of a 4 minute song trying to convince me you're the undiscovered Pablo Esobar just aint gon cut it. No, me, I much prefer the intellectual approach of depicting the sociological, economic and street politics that take place in the area at hand. Taking it back to Illmatic, Nas does this with such ease. Almost without meaning to he makes social statements in quick snap phrases or with few words such as 'black rats trapped,' this short but elegant metaphor perfectly depicts the predicament of the African American population residing in Queensbridge and greater America.

Moving hastily on before i go off like Charles Dickens on a tangent. I could give you a nice little piece of background information on our man in question here, but as i said above, i no nothing, so lets get on. The first track hit me with a little surprise. The heavily synthesized sounds, baseline and strings gave the essence of a comeback track, an intro to a comeback 'fuck the world' type album. Curren$y enters the track with an abstract approach similar to that of Mos Def, listing words and thoughts sporadically. The track eventually gains more direction and if this was a sign of things to come, it was definitely a good one.
Listening to this album for roughly the 3rd time, as i type i am again pleasantly surprised, this time at the sugary smooth vibe to Curren$y. He manages to encapsulate that west coast flow whilst remaining true to his section (ok so i know a little, he's from the south!)
'Chilled Coughee' and the recruiting of Devin the Dude only serves to add to the smoothness and laid back feel to the album thus far. As well as being good background music Curren$y proves that he can capture our attention with good humour and funky beats that would feel at home on any Outkast lp.

This kid can seriously mix things up. We've all had our fair share of shots at the South somewhat unfairly in most cases. But what is totally undeniable (i just won't stand for anyone who thinks otherwise,) is the knack our peoples down there have of producing some of the hottest, catchiest beats ever to bless the pinewood of my speakers and the fibre in those ridiculously over-priced headphones we all seem to wanna rock. Growing up in E11 to E5 LON (that's basically East London for those that aint hip to it,) steel pans have been an ever present sound. Notting Hill carnival and the abundance of Caribbean peoples in Hackney and Brixton made these instruments literally impossible to miss. My own sister can even bang on them there pans pretty good. Therefore when a beat like the one on 'Audio Dope II' drops, I can't help but bang my head in appreciation for the producers effort. The perfect soundtrack to some sort of Caribbean street scene, one word, Gully. So gully he even takes a shot at one of the greats since he's 'Came a long way but i don't got time to be, sittin' at the dock of the bay'...dope. I was kidding with the 'shot' thing though. Peep the shout out to Hines Gregory also.






'Audio Dope II' -


The track 'Seat ft Snoop Dogg' does bring light to a weakness evident in a few other tracks. That being that Curren$y's flow is lacking on occasion, i know the track is fairly laid back and slow yet a better emcee may take that chance to produce something much smoother and poetic. A broken up flow can be a technique, well if it is, it's not one i like all too much. The rhythm of songs should not be sacrificed unless for the most exceptional of all lyrics. After all, this is music and we are talking songs.

However lyrics are what we are blessed with on the track named 'Breakfast featuring Mossy Mos's vocals and production (not even worth a 'feat.' really.) I don't like to give away too much on lyrics. There's no point in me breaking them down when an album has just been released. That's for you to do and for us to discuss later. I think we all agree things are more satisfying when achieved through our own minds. I'll come back to this one with a breakdown and points to raise. However it is this track that seems to be catching most attention in Hip Hop circles and forums across the web. What we have here are some beautiful horns, laced over an exquisite flow that not only enlightens us on Curren$y's views towards certain aspects of the industry but provides some witty lines in the manner of good 'ole braggado rap.

As i mentioned previously this album does well as background music though i can't see it getting massive amounts of replay from yours truly. A consistent laid back vibe is continued throughout the album with 'Skybourne' and 'Hangover' however one wouldn't be to wrong to state tracks like these are the 'fillers' that every album seems to be packing nowadays. Also instantly noticeable is the featuring artists on 8 of 13 tracks. Being very much a fan of artists performing solo the majority of their album, after all it is their album, it's hard to approve of this. I hate to stan on Nas even more but to me, he did it perfectly with Illmatic. If you have to have a featuring artist make sure he/she is something spectacular. Bring something new to the table. Too many today, feature artists in order to promote their album. Notice how everyone wants to be on a track with Drake at the moment? Is that because Drake has an astounding voice and lyrics Rakim himself couldn't write? I highly, yes highly, doubt it. Don't allow me to portray Nas as some Godsend though, he's done it too on later albums (Wayne stepped it up on Distant Relative though!) That being said, the featuring artists don't overshadow Curren$y in anyway. Nor do they change the atmosphere and vibe of an album that isn't theirs to do so.
I would have been pleased to see only the two artists featuring in the last song. Jay Elec just reminded me of why i have become the biggest advocator of his music this side of the pond. That being his flow is just too ridiculous. I can't get enough of it, and you know when it's about to go off too! He has this way of of carrying sentences further than they're supposed to go if you catch my drift. The proper literary technique for those that care is 'enjabment' (said with a french accent, en-JARRB-ment). The bar is coming to an end, his breath is too, yet he manages to ride it over to the next bar with a smoothness of gab that can only come when short of breath. Words just roll of this guys tongue, and we aren't even getting started on his disgustingly ill lyics, neither are we going to.

This is a ill effort from $y (we're calling him that from now on to give my fingers a rest). The only thing that concerns me is; as ever has been the case in Hip Hop, a first album is more often than not an emcees greatest attempt. It's when he's at his rawest and most passionate. Fresh ideas are flowing and he brings something new to the game. Therefore with this album falling on the 3.5 to 4 mic scale of things in my eyes, are we likely to witness $y improve in albums to come? I sure hope so. Lesser rappers have proved it possible, so let's just kick back and enjoy this joint in anticipation for what $y produces in the future.

Did i mention his obsession with weed?
Or the overly nang (gotta bust the London words from time to time) album artwork by David Barnett that i have just witnessed in the booklet? Go cop.

THE DREAM IS OVER...

I was almost fighting back the tears last night when the realisation began to hit me...
The World Cup was coming to an end. Yes, as many have been stating already in newspapers, blogs and digital magazines, it hasn't been the best World Cup ever, infact it hasn't even come close. South Africa put on a great show, provided a great atmosphere (despite the sometimes annoying vuvuzelas), I just feel slight disappointment that the players couldn't provide the world and South Africa the entertainment and quality they deserved.
The tournament has always held a special place in my heart and never ceases to fill me with nostalgia every 4 years when it blesses our screens. For me, the greatest show on Earth takes me back to a time when my father was at home and my love for football was unmatched. A time when some of the greatest players ever to touch a ball were in their prime. Ronaldo was re-inventing the meaning of No.9, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos were tearing it up in their own their own right whilst Zdiane was fast establishing himself as the greatest midfielder of all time. Not to mention the up and coming talents of Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and a whole host of midfield and forward talents. Watching the 98 World cup with my father and sister is one of my happiest memories although i doubt they know this and would most likely not believe it if i told them.

That was back in the day when i didn't even focus that hard on the games, i would begin watching Italy, Germany, Brazil and quickly become inspired to start kicking my soft, spongy house football around the living room. One thing is for sure i know my mother is pretty glad that phase of my life has passed because an estimate can surely not be made on the number of ornaments and pictures frames i smashed.

The World Cup is what gave me that inspiration and love for the game. However sometimes i ponder over whether it be nostalgia that ties me so much to International football in the 90's. A post i'm about to make in the near future explores the possible implication that nostalgia is what causes everyone to say Hip Hop was better 'back in the day'. Because after all, everything was better back in the day.....wasn't it?

Maybe my excitement as a youth and a faded memory (from those times) as now a young adult deceives me in believing football was so much more magical back in those times. Players and nations seemed to mean so much more. My Father worked abroad a lot, therefore he always brought cultural knowledge and understanding to teams like France, Germany and Italy. He knew of the rivalries, local customs, the way each country liked to play etc..This gave everything so much more substance. I began to become a fan of the beautiful game without caring who was playing. Friends i have today expose this difference in our upbringings and attitudes towards football by immediately switching off once England are eliminated from the tournament. Going in to this tournament, i knew England had little chance of winning, therefore it was somewhat of a relief once they were finally knocked out as i could now focus firmly on enjoying the football that was being played. My mixed heritage as well as my family's and my own expansive travel also allows for a neutral mentality not found in many East London kids. Most have rarely left East London and if they have it will only have been on family holidays to Spain or Booze holidays to Napa, Ibiza, Magaluf, Malia and the likes. Though i fell in love with the artsy, sofisticated arhitecture and set up of cities like Paris, Rome and Barcelone long before the kids of London's art school became fascinated with the art culture in such cities. The image of mediterranean kids playing street football on cobbled, narrow meandering Italian alleys/street was my idea of football heaven. That stereotypical image, with the clotheslines hanging from side to side (yes you know the one i mean) and a 'Mama' shouting from the balcony for her son to come in for dinner or to stop smashing up the neighbours windows...playing in courtyards...ah so much nostalgic imagery. I know there was a car or credit card ad that was set a that kind of setting, dang, if i find it i'll be sure to post it.



So anyway, before i digress you in to a deep sleep (i may have done that already) lets get back to this current World Cup. The Brazilian samba was not in effect, the French and Italians as many predicted, were none existent. So this left the door open for many of the worlds mediocre teams to progress to heights never achieved before or in the case of Uraguay, for many years. Despite most saying the talent of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo didn't turn up on this occasion i have to disagree. Messi created numerous chances for himself and others, sure he wasn't completely on top of his game but he still entertained me. As for Ronaldo, I'm the first to say straight up i don't like the man, he dives, he asks for others to be carded and has an over inflated image of himself and his role in any team. However, on this occasion i do feel he was hard done by. Trapped inside a team thats only real concern was protecting their goal, Ronaldo found no help when attacking and was stuck with a coach intent on defending to win games. This tactic was successful in getting them out of the groups, however it became obvious when the time came to play a really good team such as Spain, they would faulter.

Rooney, is overrated anyway so i have nothing to say there.

No there were no real stand-out players (if my opinion were more respected Iniesta would certainly be up there, but alas....) But there was a selection of good players who made this World Cup enjoyable. They include; Forlan, Iniesta and Xavi, Suarez, Klose, Oezil, Mueller to name a few.
Germany certainly played exciting football (for a change,) shedding their ever present tag shared with the Italians of most defensive boring teams ever! They played efficent football, almost one touch play up the pitch to a one touch finish. This style contrasted patient style of Spain who preferred, sometimes to their detrement, to wait for the perfect opening to be exposed. Nobody really backed Germany during the run-up to this World Cup, classified as too young and inexperienced people should have known better, that a German team will always come with organisation and committment (unlike a certain England team i know.) After the group stages everyone was questioning whether Germany could take this emphatic style to a higher seeded team. They answered back with a resounding yes, they certainly could. Exposing the weaknesses in Argentina's defense and simply making England look like school boys.

However even from Spain's first match loss to Switzerland, it became clear in my mind that they could go the whole way if they could just find more attacking prowess up front.
They pass the ball better than any other team i've seen with the exception of Barcelona who, for those that don't know, contain most of the spanish internationals anyway. Xavi and Inesta is the best midfield partnership possibly ever witnessed, Allen Hansen will back me up on that one. Iniesta can sometimes be said to be the Steve Nash of football. He has so much talent when it comes to passing, that's obvious, but what is becoming more and more apparent is his astounding dribbling ability and quickness of feet. Sometimes he could just go it alone and bang in goals galore. Though a few times his hesitation to just go for it has hurt him. A few times in that final game he could have scored had he just been willing to use his left foot or just take one last man on.
Yet after their first game, the media had a ball. Writing Spain off and slating individual players was on the menu for tabloids across the Globe. The media have a knack for doing such things. Though it has to be understood that they do it to sell papers rather than to paint a realistic picture and portray an actual opinion. To exaggerate Spain's faults to reflect the score rather than to touch on their obvious positives was typical. Not surprisingly also, the football pundits and commentators followed suit. Most not wanting to appear stupid by tipping Spain to still go on and win it when they could have infact tumbled out at the group stages.

As for Holland, well, I have a couple of Dutch friends who share probably as much knowledge on football as i do. They agreed that Holland performed badly in all of their games leading up to the final with the exception being the second half against Brazil. Despite their constant praising of Sneijder as the saviour of the Tournament, i think they knew deep down, the dutch weren't on top of their game and for a team to win the world cup without any convincing performances, would be bad for football. Robben was the only player with a spark of creativity about him and i always knew the likes of Van Persie and Van Bommel would resort to typical dirty dutch tactics when faced against Spain. Not being able to get the ball back is one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a footballer, especially one that performs better with the ball at his feet. A team that should have received as many red cards as Holland in that final, do not deserve to win.

The last thing i have to say on the topic of the final is, if Spain had more active Strikers who made more energetic and creative runs we surely would have seen nothing but goals from them. Xavi and Iniesta (Alonso also) can thread a pass through the eye of a needle and see movement that even the replays can't catch so, the possibilities would have been endless. People complained of an anticlimactic final but in all honesty, what do you expect. It's such a tense match, nobody wants to make the mistake of costing their nation the World Cup. The pressure is enormous. But, that being said, i still thoroughly enjoyed the tension of the game and movement of Spain. Thinking back to recent past finals, when have they ever been as good as certain group games. 98 was tainted by Ronaldo's bad health and his teams worry for him. 02 was an easy win for Brazil though i found that tourney real entertaining. 06 was tainted by Italy being crap and Zidane's headbutt (he became even more legendary for that one in my eyes).
Anyone that has played football at a high level would have loved watching the offside line in anticipation for through balls and runs in this particular final. It's what's happening off the ball often that is most riveting. It was definitely a game for the purists if not for the ages.


See you in one of my other homelands in 4 years time.
Brasil, i'm coming baby!