THE OFFICIAL VIDEO

the horrific images...what are you trying to do Ye? New "Thriller" of our time? Shock value? Keep your artsy side in tact? I don't really know what's artsy about beheaded women and necrophilia but to each his own.



*EDIT* And inevitably it has been taken down, so here's Nicki Minaj as Miss Piggy to make us all feel better:

Making Beautiful Music Together

My all-time favorite female singer Alicia Keys behind the scenes working with producer husband Swizz Beatz. I mostly just love seeing her work, he can stfu.



Also, I wish kids like this were in my classes (student impresses Lupe):

So Misunderstood, but what's a world without enigma?

Lil Wayne's performance of "6'7"" on Saturday Night Live. This is one of the most sober performances I think I've ever seen him. The whites of his eyes are clear, his skin looks great, and he seems really sharp. Here's to sobriety! (maybe) Either way, it's a great performance. And he even says "thank you" at the end. That's nice, some appreciation.



Speaking of sobriety, Eminem looks and sounds great here as well. If you ask me, it's the perfect holiday performance to have for SNL, bringing Haddaway's "What is Love" come full circle since its claim to fame started with the Roxbury Guys and now bringing the two recoverers Lil Wayne and Eminem together right on the SNL stage, right in time for Christmas. Awww.

LOOK WHO'S BACK...

me! (after my Thanksgiving & finals hiatus) and *drumroll please* DR.DRE!!

Looking his age, Dr. Dre is BACK with a song about GUESS WHAT?! WEED! Not looking his age, Snoop Dogg is on the track of course, with Akon....all these men are so old! But this song is catchy as f$#% and is one of those songs that I know I would get more out of if I smoked.

Also...*TREND ALERT* When T-Pain did it, it was unique and trendsetting, when Dr. Dre does it, you know it's the next cool thing. I love this freeze frame trend going on! And when Soulja Boy does it, you know the trend is over.

Enjoy with this chill piano riff and catchy chorus.

The History of the Last 10 Years of Rap

can be found in this T-Pain feat. Rick Ross video. He makes references to 50 Cent, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross (of course), and Lil Wayne just to name a few. The visuals in this video are sick, I love the stop-action stuff. Everything you would ever want to know in the party rap genre is pretty much covered here:

Shout Out to All the Pretty Girls

So Keri Hilson. She's not the best live singer. She's not the most original. She kinda looks like she's a Beyonce wannabe in this video, I'm not gonna lie, but Beyonce didn't come out with this song, Keri did. So I'm giving Keri her props for coming out with a pro-girl song, girl power, and all that Spice Girl stuff. I like the concept with the decades, Keri looks hot, but we all know Beyonce would be hotter........but this song is below Beyonce. Go 'head Keri, know your place, I appreciate pro-girl songs, rare, few and far between.

So I'm featuring this song, it's just nice and refreshing to have a pro-girl song every now and then.

Even if Keri is really working her light skin, blonde look. Not the most original, but I'm just appreciative for the song amongst all the other ignorant music out right now (see Waka Flocka Flame, Soulja Boi, even Usher's new stuff). Feel me?



Also, check out Kanye's touch on this track...always makes tracks better:

Keri Hilson – “Pretty Girl Rock Remix” (ft. Kanye West)

THIS. IS. talent.

Kanye West and Pusha T freestyling on Hot 97. I love these behind the scenes videos, it's like watching magic being made. No special lighting, no special effects, no editing, no hooks, no 808s, just raw material. So refreshing. No gimmicks. Gotta love that. So much respect.



PS- Love those veins coming out of Kanye's head. So intense.

Also BONUS video of Kanye making "Late Registration". Genius at work.

CH - KW from CaCHooKa Man on Vimeo.

Shoutout to Pocketfullofpaper.com

I May or May Not Have Just J*zzed My Musical Pants

KANYE'S "ALL OF THE LIGHTS" WAS RELEASED TODAY

It is magical....you had me at the horn ensemble hook...followed by Rihanna's catchy hook...followed by Kanye's verse containing a couple of lines about MJ (RIP)...ending with modern piano... ... !!!!!!!!!!!

Found here (sorry I can't embed it and you have to copy and paste it): http://www.rap-up.com/2010/11/03/new-music-kanye-west-all-of-the-lights/


Not to mention this song features Elton John, Fergie, John Legend, The-Dream, Ryan Leslie, Tony Williams, Charlie Wilson, La Roux’s Elly Jackson, Alicia Keys, and Kid Cudi.

Oh you know, just a few of my FAVORITE ARTISTS of ALL TIME. Sure it's somewhat repetitive, but so is "Bohemian Rhapsody".

And also when I hear those horns, I immediately visualize Kanye's "Runaway" video where he and the Phoenix are admiring fireworks. Signs of true genius.

I'm already in love with this album...I was so excited I had to share with you all! Thanks for reading and listening! :)

Two Big Hooty-Hoos for This One

According to Urbandictionary.com, hooty-hoo:
Generally, an acknowledgement or acceptance of terms.
"We going to Guthrie's for lunch today?"
"Hooty-hoo, motherfucker."

Therefore, I give this new Big Boi (feat. T.I., Khujo Goodie) track two big hooty-hoos:



The remix with Fabolous, Rick Ross, and Bun B came out today, found here:

http://hiphopleak.net/audio/2377-big-boi-ft-fabolous-rick-ross-a-bun-b-tangerine-remix

But I don't like it as much.

With a solid beat, minor tonalities, (oh god I sound like Pandora), and repetitive, catchy rhythms, I dig this track. It's mellow and kinda spooky sounding, making this a little more unique than all the other hip hop out there (despite lyrics about head, booty shakin, same ol same ol), making me appreciate Big Boi, at least for his creative beat/vocal making, and also making me miss Outkast like no other.

A Positive Example of Nicki Minaj's Talent

So Nicki Minaj just dropped a new track with Eminem. It blows. Hard. I hate it. Usually, I find something positive about songs, but for this...nothing, not even Eminem could save this trash. I don't want to knock on it for the entirety of this post, I would like to keep things positive, so I will leave you with an example of Nicki Minaj KILLIN this track, as well as Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver, and of course, Kanye, found here:



I read some blabble online about people hatin on Rick Ross's part, but I like it. Kanye's verse is the best, Nicki's next, and so on and so on. I love this song, and that's all I really have to say about its infectious beat and flow...but if you compare this verse of Nicki's to her rhymes in "Roman's Revenge", you can clearly see her inconsistencies. She claims in this song not to be fake, but if you can go from genius lines to that sh*t she had in "Roman's", it makes one wonder about her credibility. Who REALLY writes her stuff??? (I refuse to post that piece of trash on my blog, but it's blowing up the web, so listen to it at your own risk)

Also, this song is faster than the original since the original has been banned from illegal listens on YouTube.

My 13 Year Old Self

In 2002, I was 13 years old. This song played every morning when I set my TV to automatically come on at 7am on MTV:



Clipse, the Virginia Beach brothers with the heartwarming names of Malice and Pusha T, have had a few well-known hits (with the help of Pharrell and the Neptunes), including this song, but this song will forever be embedded in my freshmen year high school self. I don't know what it is specifically about this song that has stuck with me for all of these years now, the catchy loop in the back or the smooth, simple rhythm of the rhymes, or especially Pharrell's chorus, but don't be surprised if I bust this out at a party. That's all I'm sayin.

It did catch me by surprise, however, that Pusha T says he hates this track now. How can he hate this track when I love it so much?!?! At least Malice has some sense.

Watch here for the blasphemy:

The Clipse x LA Leakers: When The Last Time from LaLeakers on Vimeo.

Although he may hate it, this song will forever take me back to my freshmen self, getting ready to go to school. And now that I think about it, this song is also probably the reason why my morning mixes to get ready in the morning are so crunk. I think I just had an epiphany.



Citations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Last_Time

The Only Girl in the World with that Hair Color

Rihanna's smash, "Only Girl (In The World)" has blown up all over the internet, as expected, with her new song. Taking the refound techno beat with her strong vocals, Rihanna does it again. Beautiful scenery, vivid colors (including the hair), another example of her powerful passionate facial expressions when singing, this video is a treat to see. Directed by Anthony Mandler, who has done 13 other Rihanna videos, carries the dramatic passionate Rihanna visuals (that if you really pay attention, really bring out her music-video-legit acting skills)

Bottom Line: I dig it, and I think his work, as well as Rihanna's songs, are refreshing to see in the mainstream pop/hip hop music video scene.



Citation (yeah, I'm a UVA student, gotta do it) : http://hellobeautiful.com/gossip-news/hellobeautifulstaff2/rihannas-only-girl-video-director-lashes-out-at-her-fans/

Kanye=god?

So Twitter's 140 characters just didn't do it for me (to see for yourself, check out www.twitter.com/ilovewasians. There's so much I need to say about certain things. Like Kanye West's "Runaway" short length film for example.

Running with the theme of gods and goddesses from ancient Roman/Greek times, first with "Power" and now this, Kanye is really trying to establish himself as a god of hip hop. And he does an amazing job. Selita Banks (Nick Cannon's ex-girlfriend, Victoria's Secret model) actually does an impressive job with her little phoenix bird mannerisms, not even mentioning her bangin body. I believe this is well-executed, and does a sufficient job of gettin me SO HYPE for his album to drop November 22nd.



Also check out for the god/goddesses reference: http://www.vevo.com/watch/kanye-west/power/USUV71001422

New Format - Welcome to My Spot

So this blog was originally for sharing all my crazy adventures on my voyage with Semester at Sea summer. FAIL to say the least. Now, I have re-realized my passion/obsession for finding new music, and would like to share my finds with the world, and my thoughts about them. I find I always have something critical to say about what kind of lovable garbage the music industry is putting out these days, so now the rest of the world can be critical with me. I hate sometimes, but I hate with love, or else I wouldn't even bother giving the music a try.

So here is one of my current finds, it's smooth Lil Wayne + Justin Timberlake + Def Jam poetry = best apocalypse ever:

Halifax: Day 2

So full day number two in Halifax was lovely and well and good with all of the walking around and sightseeing.

First, my mom and I went "whale watching". Now, on the brochure of this "whale watching" is a huge whale doing a backflip with its tail sticking out of the water. Then on the inside of the brochure, it has this cute picture of a whale. Seems promising right? The brochure also goes on to mention something about other wildlife and something about a lobster demonstration and bird feeding and blah blah blah but OMG IT'S WHALE WATCHING!!! So I was pretty pumped. We hop on the boat (see Facebook pictures) and head down the bay, past Georges Island and McNabb island (no relation to Donovan McNabb, promise) and go into the nice, bright, ocean waters of the Atlantic. It's FREEZING and we see the occasional seabird, and I think I see splashes in the water of some sort of oceanic wildlife creature, but alas, nothing emerges from the water. Along the way, the tour guide (whose voice...*shudder* think Fran Drescher meets high pitched girly girl) pulls a (legal) lobster trap out of the water and promptly begins fondling the thing. Her first mate (some lanky white dude) bands its claws so it doesn't try to snap at her, and she continues talking about how to determine whether or not the lobster is male or female. She pulls out this pointy thing from its torso and says "SEE?! IT'S A MISTER LOBSTER!" and the poor thing just sits there and takes it.

The rest of the whale watching trip was relaxing and nice, but as the boat turns around, it dawns on me that no one on this boat has seen any type of exotic wildlife. NO. WHALES. I mean, it was okay since it was a beautiful day out and it was really relaxing, so I wasn't that pissed, but I mean...there were NO WHALES. Or seals. Or any other animal that they talked about.



But on the way back to dock, the little girls (wearing booty shorts...[pause] these girls are around 8 and it is FREEZING up here, wtf moms) throw bread pieces (idk where they got the bread from) and start throwing them up in the air, to which the seagulls swarm down to the boat and swoop up the food and circle the boat before repeating the same action. It was kinda scary but I got some good pics out of it so all was good.

The rest of the day was filled with walking around yada yada yada but then, after the sun set, Mom and I go to the nearest bar/pub/restaurant without a cover charge and sit at the bar. I order a Stella and my mom orders some of the Pale Ale on tap. Luckily, we didn't have to pay the $5 cover charge, cuz this singer/band playing SUCKED. Okay, maybe that's a little harsh but hear me out. First of all, this woman singer lady is in her mid-50s I'd say, dyed blonde hair, and looks like everyone's Aunt Peggy. She just LOOKS like an aunt. Then, once I make it past her face, she's wearing a leopard dress, stopping mid-thigh. [gag] And stealing a line from Sex and the City 2 I'm like, "Isn't that dress a little young for her?" I'm not one to judge older ladies trynna do their thang, but...seriously. I was confused. Especially since the rest of her band looked like grandpas trynna stay hip. I'm expecting her to do some jazz or Enya or some shit, but she starts singing STEVIE WONDER and SMOKEY ROBINSON. [forreal pause] I look at my mom and I'm like WHAAAT THE EFF. I was so turned off. She gravels her voice and lowers her octave, and I'm just....confused, and hating it. Sort of offended too. I mean, her voice was okay for a Canadian white lady, but there was just no way her voice/performing style would do Stevie and Smokey any justice.

Good thing the Argentina vs. Nigeria game was on. I'm not a soccer follower, we all know that. But, I was glued to the bar TV that night. GO ARGENTINA!

And there were no black people or any sort of minorities in this place, so needless to say, I was real uncomfortable. But my beer was good so everything sort of evened out.

Moral of the Day: Whales and black people are rarities up in this place. :(

Halifax: Day 1

After the 2 hour flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia, we pick up our luggage, walk outside, and immediately get holla-ed at by "limo" (aka sedan/taxi) drivers. This shaved head, Caucausian fellow said he'll give us the taxi rate and takes our (my mom and my) luggage, throws it in the trunk and proceeds to take us to our hotel in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. During our 40 minute cab ride from the airport to our hotel, I learned the following things:

1. Our driver's name was Suleyman. [pause] Now, what kind of name is Suleyman? [keep reading to find out]

2. Suleyman was listening to NPR. Not that weird, but he was listening to a gardening show. [pause] What kind of man listens to a gardening show?

3. We're in a residential part of who-knows-where stopped at a stop sign, he points to the left out the window and asks my mom, "what kind of flowers are those?" We both look at the pink flowered bush, and my mom answers, "those are hydrangeas." "Hydrangeas?" "Yeah, they like acidic soil. "Ooooh okay, I've always wanted those. I just didn't know what they were called." "Yeah, hydrangeas."

[pause]

First of all, why does my mother know so much about hydrangeas? She can't even keep basil alive in our backyard! Second of all, why in the world does Suleyman the Limo Driver like Hydrangeas???

4. So our drive continues and ask him if he knows of any good bars around and what young people do for fun around here. He's like..."uhh bars I guess", and I said, "do you know any particular places?" And he remains silent. (awk)

After we pay our taxi dues and check in, my mom says, "you know he was Muslim right? A familyman, too. You know he probably has 6 kids running around his garden." Awk. Def didn't pick up on that, hence, why it was so awkward for me to ask about alcohol, because my mom was like, "yeah, definitely a familyman, devout Muslim." Oops. Cultural No-No #1.

Now, Dartmouth is a hop, skip and a ferry trip across the water from Halifax. We arrive at our hotel expecting a rundown place, since in America, if we stayed at this particular hotel, we would probably find seamen [sic] and bugs everywhere, but this place didn't smell, the people were very nice, and actually seemed pretty clean! Win!

When we arrived to check-in, we ask the friendly hotel lady where she recommends we eat. She names this place around the corner and go. I order Donairs (If you don't know what they are, IT'S AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS, order it!!) and my mom orders Fish&Chips. Our order comes out, and the fried fish look like uncircumsized penises. ...

...

...

And if you know me and have eaten out with me, you know I always take pictures of my food before I eat it, so if you ever wanna see what an uncircumsized penis looks like in food form, I'll be sure to post it for ya. You're welcome.

Then, we take the ferry over to Halifax, which we needed exact Canadian change for, which we didn't have. So the nice, older Canadian police/ferry attendant lady let us cross and described where the closest bank was located once we got over there. We find the bank and the first thing my mom and I notice is that all the bank tellers are wearing matching t-shirts and jeans. Weird. What kind of bank is this?? It's our turn and Gillian (the nice bank teller lady with a British accent and a pixie haircut and an anorexic frame (esp how her clothes looked real baggy on her)) explains the whole exchange process and is very nice and has to make phone calls regarding our American-ness for security purposes, meanwhile I ask her where she's from ("Liverpool, Beatle country") and the dress code ("it's BlueWater day" (whatever that means)). When she finished our transaction, she gave us this nice little coin holder for the beach fo free and wishes us well. She was nice. I liked her. Nice people, these Canadians. Even when we held up the line

for a good 10 minutes, people still smiled and remained patient.

Up the hill at the exit of the bank is the Halifax citadel, a hilly overlook with the town clock that overlooks the entire cityscape/water. Very beautiful. The historic, educational part cost upwards of $80, so needless to say HELL NO we didn't see all that. But, we did see the Beefeater guarding the entrance. And of course I awkwardly stood in front of him and took a picture:

We then walked a few more blocks to Halifax's Public Gardens, and if you ever visit Halifax, you MUST. GO. TO. THE. PUBLIC. GARDENS. Beautiful!! It's free and pretty and romantic (if you're into that) and just a nice, clean family-oriented landmark. I loved it!!

We explored some more, many, many shops and restaurants, and walked downhill toward Barrington Street. By this point, I have only been in Halifax for maybe 3-4 hours, but I had noticed a lot of guys walking side by side...closely (but no holding hands/other PDA) and many...butch looking women also walking side by side...closely. But since there was no PDA, I couldn't fosho determine what was up.

Until we walked Barrington Street. Obviously, THIS is where the young'uns hang out and party. A sex shop, a bong shop, a store called "The Black Market", and a few nightclubs later (esp one that featured a drag show), it was clear that THIS is where the Housewives of Halifax party. Except when I say Housewives, I mean the gays. Lots of well-kept men around here. Not necessarily good looking, but well-kept. Fashion isn't big around these parts from what I've seen.

After walking all around town and seeing a lot for 5 hours, and being up since 4am to catch our flight, we were quite tired and returned to our hotel in quiet, not-as-exciting Dartmouth.

And I watched 106&Park while my mom slept.

It was a good first day :)

(still not at the Semester at Sea trip yet though)

More to come!

NYC

I haven't began my Semester at Sea journey yet, but I did just return from New York City, from visiting my aunt. We always eat at these really nice places, well, they're nice to me because I'm used to McDonalds, and they remind me of Charlottesville restaurants, which I consider a lot of them to be really nice. Anyways, we ate at this place called "1492". They have sangria specials from 5-8pm everyday and serve authentic Spanish tapas at a modest price. They have a lovely outdoor section that's reminiscent of a vineyard/garden, even with the playground/blacktop that's just beyond the fence to which I was sitting.

I had pinkeye in my left eye, so I would turn my head to see the left side of the table clearly, and I could tell this woman sitting at the table diagonally in front of me was staring at my lazy eye. That was awesome. She and her bf were also complaining about their table at the same time, and I had to turn my head to see that she was staring at me, but then I would wink with my good eye and continue drinking out of the pitcher of sangria.

Then, my mom says, "Isn't it weird that you'll be in Barcelona at this time next month doing this FORREAL?!" loudly enough so the butch-looking Spanish busgirl stops and looks. She grins and walks away, and I thought, it IS weird, and this whole trip isn't even real yet!

I still have to pack. Ugh. But I'm so excited for this trip!

(PS-Don't judge me for abruptly ending posts. There's no good point to some of my stories. Don't hate.)

[photo: thanks to my mom's new iPhone, a picture of me (with my pinkeye) and my aunt drinking the delicious sangria)