Hip Hop Blogs

Idi Amin's Hip-Hop Quotables

Who says rappers don't pay attention to world events? Before Forest Whitaker took a disturbing turn as the charismatic/crazy dictator, Idi Amin was being immortalized in hip-hop lyrics.

For instance, Keith Murray spit on the song Whut's Happenin':

"The most homicidal words to come out of a human being
Mind state sick like Idi Amin"

And Chino XL said on It's My World:

"Resurrect Idi Amin and Hitler
Then sit around exchanging war stories to show whose mind is sicker"

Nas and Sauce Money also name checked the mass murderer in their songs.

Mark Cuban, meet Tyler Perry

Mark Cuban, the owner of HDNetFilms is offering a job to anyone who can come up with a way for him to sweeten the tough economics of profiting upfront from a movie  while in the theaters. Cuban should set up a meeting with Tyler Perry, who Business Week gave an ROI award for making two successful films for under 5 million dollars each.

First, Perry would probably explain how he self-produced the films without using sex or violence to make it sell, a trick I'm still waiting for the powers in hip-hop to learn. Then he would go on to describe the guerilla marketing tactics he used to get churches to buy out blocks of seats in the theaters and bus people to the film. Lastly, I'm sure Cuban would be schooled on how the pirated versions of Perry's "Madea" plays helped surge his popularity more than any paid for advertising.

Andre 3000 is rapping again

Don't get me wrong, I really dug The Love Below, and respected the fact that an established rapper could go out of his way and produce and record a such a genre-bending experiment. 

But Andre 3000 needs to go back to his roots.  Back to the kid we saw wearing the fuzzy Kangol in the Players Ball video back in 94.  Hungry, unique, impossible to ignore.   He can't leave rap alone, the game needs him. 

Guess what - we got our wish.  Reports from the Fader indicate that Andre is rapping again. 

[via nah right]

Inside Man, a Spike Lee Joint

I was as surprised as the next man when I first saw the trailer for Inside Man.  Spike don't do genre flicks like that, I thought to myself.  A bank robbery plot?  Hardly subversive. 

Going into the theatre earlier tonight I was a little nervous for Spike, being that this film had the potential to either certify or soil his rep, at the same time curious to see what kind of swagger and attitude he could inject into the tired Hollywood suspense category. 

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but let's just say that Spike's beef with Fiddy isn't relegated to print (peep the latest Complex mag if you don't know what beef I'm talking about). 

In short- Inside Man is definitely worth the price of admission.  A certified Spike Lee joint.

A great man is gone

Ossie Davis is gone. One of the Finest man ever is resting.
Rest in Peace.
He talked the talk, walked the walk.
Here's to a great man.

I loved You

They Better Give Us Another One

Ok, so the nominations for the Only Special Ceremony Amercans Care 4 (The 77th Academy awards is the official name I think) have been given today and they filled me with incredible hope once again.
Even though I'm french and these things dont really matter here since no Black actors ever won any award for anything other than music, I'd like to see another black actor win the statue this year.
So as I was saying,  we seem extra-lucky this year. Check this out. First of all, Jamie Foxx (who just at least tripled his worth by the way) walks with two nominations, the first being for Best Actor in a leading Role (in Ray) and the secong for Best Supporting actor (in Collateral) and just enters a club where the last black actor to be let in was D.Dub.
Then we have the incredibly taleted Don Cheadle who rightfully gets it for his impressive portrayal of a hotel concierge in what should be called "our own personal Shoah" (Hotel Rwanda) and his nomination for Best Actor is actually great for actors who are only that. I mean he's not rapping on the side, nor is he a famous stand-up comedian. He's just a wonderfully talented brother who worked at his craft long enough to see the fruits of his labor (I dont know if anyone of you remembers The Goat manigault where his portrayal of that legend had my brothers and I crying for the last time in front of a movie screen).
In that same movie, the woman who plays his wife (Sophie Okonedo) is a british actress who impressed the hell outta me when I saw her character that is played all in restraint since the last time I saw her, she was in "Dirty Pretty Things" where she was playing an East London Hooker and not the good kind - if there ever was a good kind of hooker. So she gets a nomination for Best Supporting actress.
But the good surprise of this year's list is actually Morgan Freeman letting everybody know he's not going to wait for his Lifetime achievement award to get a statue from the Academy back to his fireplace. He snatches his first nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category since "Driving Miss Daisy". The Year he was supposed to get it for that movie, Denzel deserved it even more for Malcolm X and they Both got robbed.
For all the other actors that are nominated and that I do like (I have an infatuation with Laura Linney but she already got it once and will be nominated in two years again), they get half a bar :"Screw y'all partners" <==== That line was Hov's.
Really we need a leading man to take it without wearing platinum chains, playing a thug. We also need a Leading lady to take it without getting smashed in the movie or showing skin or even singing (that's why Latifah did not deserve it).

I may SEEM racist and prejudiced but don't get it twisted, I AM ALL THOSE THINGS.

peace, love and Root for the brothers.

The Geto Boys Know the Force

Perhaps I'm a little behind the times on this one, but it deserves another look even if you've seen it: MindTrix, the "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" video (the dirty version!) performed with Star Wars figures.

It's not a totally original idea (I have this weird German film that's basically a gory horror movie told with Star Wars figures), but damn, it's funny. The merry-go-round had me on the floor...

(via O)

My Big Phat Hip Hop Family!

Can't wait to see it!

Jay-Z's Fade To Black Worth Seeing in the Theater

Rio Rocket explains why Jay-Z's "Fade to Black" is worth every cent to see in the theater. I can't front...I may still just settle for the bootleg.