"LLAMA LLAMA RED PAJAMA FREESTYLE" X MIGOS

     Quavo, Takeoff, Offset have been one of the hottest musical acts for most of 2017.  They've been on everything from Calvin Harris singles to Katy Perry to DJ Khaled and Justin Bieber to releasing their own "For The Culture" album.  There's no slowing down in sight, as Quavo continues to carve out his own solo stardom and Migos continues to put out new music and collaborate.

     This video showcases a little of what makes Migos so likeable in that they're just being themselves and truly enjoy being Migos.  While on the The Cruz Show on Power106 in LA, they're asked to read the children's bedtime book, Llama Llama Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdney, over their own Bad & Boujee beat.  The rest is pure genius as they freestyle with the book words and then continue with their own freestyles.  The adlibs throughout are just as good too.  Migos gives Llama Llama Red Pajama a completely new meaning and a true gem.  ♚

"I GOT THE KEYS" DJ KHALED X JAY-Z X FUTURE

"Birthday Song" 2 Chainz X Kanye West

     I've become a big fan of Tity Boi aka 2Chainz after hating on him for quite a while.  His low calibur lyrics and silly analogies took some getting used to.   Like a lot of things in life, if you want something bad enough and put in the work, you can achieve success.  If you've listened to hip hop and R&B in the last five years, you don't go too long without hearing 2Chainz on the track.  Either his own albums or mixtapes, to his countless guest appearances, he was pretty much on everywhere.  Add that to a live show that doesn't disappoint in the least, tons of energy, and a catalog of hits, 2Chainz is as good live and worth the price of admission.  His Instagram @HairweaveKiller is usually entertaining and also shows the family side of Mr. Chainz.  Respect.
     If you actually watch the video, you can find something new to laugh at every time.  Kanye is Kanye and this banger is basically my current mood right now.

Adele X James Corden Car Ride Karaoke

     If you have fifteen minutes to kill and who doesn't, check the video of Adelle's car ride in London with late night host, James Corden.  He drives while they talk very informally but at the same time, he asks good questions, but even more entertaining, they sing their favorite songs.  Adelle is a great sport as she genuinely sings her own classics along with some of her new releases.  She discusses the Spice Girls as being one of her all time favorites and sparking her dreams, but also she has a knack for spitting a few bars.   That's what originally drew my attention to the clip, as she kills Niki Minaj's verse from Kanye's "Monster" song.  Go to the 10:30 point for that gem.  She also discusses getting reservations and a hype man for her shows.   I've posted other video's of stars in their more human moments and this goes in line with those as she looks beautiful and has a lot of fun singing her favorite songs.  Enjoy...

"Hello" Ken Jeong x Rob Riddle

     Fox Sports won with this great parody featuring Rob Riddle and Ken Jeong, two of Hollywoods favorite comedic actors.  If you're a fan of any of the teams in the NFC East this year, you clearly have watched some of the worst professional football ever witnessed.  The Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, and Skins have all showed the rest of the world how not to play, but all the while allowing each of them to have "hope" that they can win the division and still selvedge a season to forget about.  What better way than to make light of the ugly situation by parodying the super popular Adele ballad, "Hello".  The lyrics are great and the vocals from Lindsay Harper make this the only thing worth smiling about when it comes to the NFC Least.  Let's see how the season shapes up, but consider this the 2015 highlight for all 4 teams.

"White Iverson" x Post Malone

     Allen Iverson is one of the most dynamic athletes of all time.  I had the pleasure to watch him live for many years and put on performances for the ages.  As he seems to have been back in the public eye the past few years, his persona continues to be as big as it was during his playing days in the early part of the millennium. Fast forward to 2015 and we're coming across music where genres are crossed more than ever or maybe it's just that stereotypes of who can perform what genre is out the window.  In this case, a 19 year old Post Malone sings an ode to his and my favorite athlete, Iverson. In the likes of Spooky Black, PartyNextDoor, The Weeknd, singing, rapping, R&B, the sound is familiar but different.  This video goes hand in hand with the song to showcase the reason why The Answer is one of the best ever.  Familiar highlights of AI crossing Jordan over along with many body contorting layups and shots.  It also gives interest into what Post Malone's music will amount to.

"Heartless" x Kanye West - 808's & Heartbreak

     Early on the Throwback Thursday or your Flashback Friday...but as we cleared the Valentines Day season, no better time to view and listen to "Heartless".  Mr. West's biggest single from his emotional diary of "808's & Heartbreak" album that almost created it's own genre.  The artistic cartoon effect that resembles the 80's, Stay On Me, but the current method was called Optiflavor, which used real life movement and was converted to animation.  More importantly, the video was directed by Hip Hop's Video Moses, Hype Williams, in 2008.  Hype actually paid tribute to Ralph Bashki, as the same animation was used for the video as was Ralph's movie from 1981.   That animation used live action footage and then animators drew over top of the video.  This became one of Kanye's most popular singles and paved a way for a genre that really didn't have a lane previously.  Him and NO I.D were the producers.

"Me and U" x Cassie

     Not too many men I come across where you mention the name "Cassie" and instantly, you're all on the same page.  Yeah..... it's proven fact.  Casandra Elizabeth Ventura is one of the most attractive females on the planet, there's no denying that and you add that she can sing, dance, model, act and well, she's close to perfect.  She still looks exactly the same as she did in this video from 2006 and it's not surprising that she's been Diddy's muse since then. This is where it started..

"Number One" Pharrell x Kanye

     Hard to read an article, turn on the television, or look at social media without seeing something about these two superstars, Pharrell and Kanye.  They've both managed to turn their careers into an ongoing creative process where they've kept themselves as relevant as ever within pop culture.  Music, fashion, art, seem to be constantly influenced by both and with two very different attitudes, but with the same results.  I've been listening to some of the earlier work by both, given Pharrell has his second solo album releasing this month and we just passed the ten year anniversary for College Dropout.  Very interesting to see and reflect how far they've come but also just as interesting as to where they'll go next.   This song and video seems very appropriate for both of these icons as everything is Number 1 in their lives, even when it originally was released eight years ago.  Styling in this video was flawless, what else would you expect.  The king of videos, Hype Williams, directs it and gives it his usual signature look.

RZA x Montreality

Montreality has the art of the interview down to a science or even better, mathematics.  Who better to represent those mathematics than the almighty RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.  It's no secret that he's probably my all time favorite artist, hence my moniker and the love for the W for the past almost twenty years.  This interview gives tremendous insight as to why I'm a fan and a student of the Abbott.  You can also see why and how the brand is as relevant today as it was when it started in the early 90's and has influenced even todays biggest musical stars.  Drake, who is arguably music's most popular artist, has the Wu flag representing all over his latest album.  Goes to show that RZA's values and dedication to his art and product is as genuine as anything else and will last the generations.  Education, hard work, humility, and leadership are all virtues that man should live by and he's proof of that.  Enjoy the interview and remember, Wu-Tang is for the children and is Forever.

Go KD, Go Dasher, Go Breezy...

     It wouldn't be Christmas without the NBA putting on a showcase of it's best players throughout the day as we open gifts and eat more food.  As they did last year, the NBA rolls out their Christmas commercial in promotion of their holiday jerseys as your leagues finest will rock the solid color tee's.
D. Rose, Durantula, Steph Curry, Nash, Harden, and the oop to the King are featured in the promo.
As much as these commercials feel like they'll really just shooting hoops making it sound like a real song, the holidays aren't the holidays without a little make believe...regardless I still get a kick out of it.

"Philly Is Ugly" x Nathaniel Dodson

     Having never lived more than an hour away from the City of Brotherly Love, it has obviously given me an affinity for one of the first cities in this country.  The long chronicled history has been told many times and is embedded in the city's culture and personality.  Philadelphia has served as the metropolitan cityscape for the South Jersey, Delaware,  and Eastern Pennsylvania region since inception.  It's easy to get overlooked when you're in between the city that never sleeps and the nation's capital but there is no doubt that Philly has it's personality and can hold it's own amongst the best cities in the world.  Although some outside perceptions of Philly has been the opposite..
     Local Philadelphia photographer Nathaniel Dodson put together a short film, using stop motion photography, to dispel the myth of the city's aesthetics.  The title "Philly is Ugly"  pokes fun at that idea as he gives everyone a really wonderful view of the city we've grown to love.  It also gives you a different view of the things we see every day and take for granted or don't think much of.  A building here, a road there…
     A great original soundtrack, provided by @shelteredturtle, accompanies the visuals as well.  Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did and feel a little sense of pride for "our" city.  
     You can follow Nathaniel on Twitter @EndyPhoto for more information and behind the scenes footage.



Philly Is Ugly from Nathaniel Dodson on Vimeo.
View in full screen!

"Work" x Iggy Azalea

Iggy Azalea has been on my radar for quite a while now, but why wouldn't she be.  A bombshell blonde from Australia that spits rhymes.  Sure, why not.  She's been signed to T.I.'s Grand Hustle label for the last few years and is releasing her second album this fall.  This single and video should bring enough attention to it and for all the right reasons.  She's up for best new artist at this Sunday's MTV awards.

"Get Lucky" x Daft Punk x Pharrell x Nile Rogers

     I'm dancing just writing this right now, hard not to.  Daft Punk's newest single "Get Lucky", is from their long awaited new album Random Access Memory.  The French robotic duo has highly influenced many current artists and the EDM movement as a whole, but this critically acclaimed album is definitely a different sound than what you would expect.  Listened to the album a couple times and overall it's Fleetwood Mac and even Michael Jackson are referenced as a sound they were going for.
sound has a pretty slow tempo and almost all live instrumentation, which is a completely different contrast to their previous albums and electronic sound.  They said the 80's heavily influenced this album and you can definitely hear that throughout.  Steely Dan, The Cars, Eagles,
     This single has Skateboard P on vocals and guitarist Nigel Davis on guitar.  The video isn't anything special, but the song is a groove buster, perfect for the summer.

"Poetic Justice" Kendrick Lamar x Drake

     A little west coast and some up north flavor gives a great song a visual just in time for the spring and summer.  Kendrick's metaphors are translated into video with a spot from Drake that's basically a love ballad to the ladies, but none better than to deliver the message than these two.  Scoop Deville provides the soundtrack as I'm sure we'll be hearing and seeing this song all season.
     K.Dot is definitely showing an all black everything east coast look to the set, but clearly the Southern Cali roots are represented throughout the video.  It's been a meteoric rise for Lamar and I appreciate seeing him a couple years ago when he didn't have the stardom but he had the same energy as he does now.  You can tell he loves what he does…..but we also know that "Love Hurts".
     

GhostFace Killah x Montreality

     This is a fantastic interview from one of the most colorful entertainers and lyricists in hip-hop, GhostFace Killah.  As expected, he has a way with words and explanations that always amaze, but in reality, speaks more sense than most people would ever expect.  You have to be intelligent to stay relevant and successful in any genre of music and he's done more than that.  His lengthy catalog has solidified him as one of the best and probably has put out the most albums out of all of the members of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. 
     A lot of what Tony Starks speaks on can be applicable to almost every man, woman, and child.  Love is always the key to life and the fear of God to keep us disciplined.  Humanity is universal and regardless of whatever life or background you come from, we're all on the same journey and leave it to Ghost to remind us of that.  He's usually the flashy member of the group, known for his giant gold Eagle bracelet to the Versace robes and pendant as he created his own super hero comic persona, but this gives a candid look into the star's thoughts.
Let me not spoil the interview as it's an instant classic.  Be on the look for GFK's new album that should be out in a couple months and peep what he says about Wu's 20th Anniversary celebration.
Major Kudos to Montreality for doing the interview, more from them here.
#WuTangForever

"Coexist" x The XX

     One of the best albums of 2012 that flew under the radar was "Coexist" by The XX.  The English band has really impressed me with their last two albums being absolutely enjoyable to listen to.  Both albums sound very similar as if it could be one album, as their distinct sound is very consistent.  This album seems to be a smudge more uptempo in a few of the songs, with an almost dubstep tempo to them.  Makes them sound all that much better.  I really enjoy listening to a full album without having to skip through them (especially since I'm a commuter).  Almost like a book with different chapters, a good record brings different emotions, up and down and tells a story.  Some songs are betters than others, you'll have your favorites, but as a whole, it really makes for enjoyable listening.
     Get both records, have some wine and relax...The XX might end up your favorite as well.

Ohio State Live Arcade

     One of the more impressive things I've seen when it comes to live spectacles, the Ohio State Marching Band put on a halftime show for the ages...video game ages.  The hours of practice, coordination, planning, the fact they're playing instruments, and you have hundreds of kids all moving at the same time, it's quite an astounding feat.
     It's great to see representations of some of the all time best video games come to life on the gridiron. See if you can figure out all of them.....great stuff.  Thanks to Rosco for the heads up.
This was the halftime show they performed against Nebraska this past October.

NBA Wishes You A Merry Christmas

     Nothing beats good holiday marketing as it plays with our emotions and drives us to go spend money we don't have on stuff we don't need….but it sure does feel good, doesn't it.  The NBA is as much part of Christmas day as it ever was, as we always look forward to primetime matchups all day pitting the leagues best players against each other.  Lately, the trend has been seeing what special holiday make ups are on the players feet as special Christmas editions have graced Lebron, Kobe, Melo , CP3, and Kevin Durant's feet on that day.  This year, the NBA and Adidas have rolled out solid color holiday jerseys that will be showcased on Christmas as well.  To get ready for the holiday, they rolled out this commercial with Dwight Howard, Melo, Joe Johnson, Russ Westbrook, and D. Wade dribbling a familiar tune while wearing these Christmas Day jerseys.  Pretty cool stuff none the less.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer x DMX

     Tis the season for Christmas music and we're no strangers to hearing our favorite artists cover the holiday classics.  Well add DMX to the list as he gives good ole Rudolph some new street cred with his rendition.  Fantastic stuff from the Darkman, come on come on!