"Fear Of God"

     I don't need to change the title when it's as much of an emotional state of awareness as it is one of the hottest mixtapes to hit the internet in a minute.  The public has been waiting for one half of the Clipse, Push a Ton,  to release his highly anticipated solo mixtape.  He signed to Kanye's record label, G.O.O.D. Music, last year and was a main staple of Ye's free song of the week, Good Fridays, where he dropped gem verses to validate his status as one of the top lyricists of all time.....yes, I said it.  This
FREE mixtape has original music as well as freestyle's over some current bangers and unexpected ones.  One thing I do recommend if you appreciate lyrics is to listen more than a handful of times as Pusha T does not leave any word, metaphor, sound, simile, verbal gift unturned.  This is intelligent rap people even though the content is the usual Push powder flow.  His topic has always been about the illegal and the mental/spiritual aspect of immoral behavior balanced with monetary success that pays the bills along with living a life of luxury.

    Rick Ross, Mr. West, Skateboard P, 50-Cent, Re-Up Gang Captain Ab-Liva, all provide guest spots even though some leave more to be desired....ugh um, Ye...but as I've done, just put this on repeat and you'll hear something you didn't before every time.  Again, I've mentioned numerous times how major artists continue to promote themselves by giving free music and doing what they need to do to stay relevant in the uber competitive world of music.  The Clipse has always been one of my all time favorites and he continues to validate that.  This is supposed to be the warm up to Mr. T's official solo album and if it ends up being anything close to this, it will be a success.  Even if it doesn't scan units, Pusha will always be appreciated as one of the most underrated rappers to ever have existed.  Study the resume and I think you might agree...somewhat.  Download "Fear Of God" from his site here.  Updated with the video's for Blow, My God, Alone in Las Vegas, Can I Live and Open Your Eyes.

Here's the video for "Cook It Down" from the mixtape.

Pusha T - Cook It Down from Illusive Media on Vimeo.

Jimmer!!

     Sports Illustrated had this great picture of Mr. Freddette showing his vertical.  My NCAA March Madness tribute pic of the white boy that "can" jump and has the coolest name west of the Mississippi...

On To The Next One...

     Been busy lately, but had to get back to E-Smart and let's start it back up with this video from Kings in the game, Hov and Swizzle.  Two of my favorites since the late 90's and they provide a progessive video that is the last thing you expect for a "Hip Hop" video but it does more than work.  J and Swizz have been known for their cultural and artistic interests and they show their affinity for the abstract with Sam Brown directing this video.

Lego My Death Star

     Lego's are a timeless classic and so is Star Wars, so it's no secret how popular the combined toys are across all ages.  Here's an awesome time lapse video of @vipstylecars building the Lego Death Star.  Kudos to John on using Gang Starr's Above the Clouds as the soundtrack.  A+ choice.

All Of The Lights

     King of music video's, Hype Williams, and Kanye West, combine to give the world the video for the single "All of the Lights" off of Ye's latest album, MBDTF.  It's an epic song with a beautiful intro provided by Elton John but this song really includes over 11 other artists contributing their vocals to it.  You won't be able to tell since they're layered over each other, but Drake, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, Fergie, John Legend, The Dream, Ryan Leslie, and others all provided their voices for the song, most notably, Rihanna, who does the chorus and also appears in the video....oh yes, she does.
Hype and Mr. West have worked together before many times.  Gold Digger, Amazing, Heartless, Stronger and others.  Hype's resume is basically a who's who's and what's what's of hip/hop and R&B music videos and of my all time favorites.   There is an influence from Gaspar Noe's 2009 film Enter the Void in the video as well.
I love when hip hop transcends the norm and shows a true artistic quality.  The horns, vocals, percussion, orchestration and now the visual all come together to provide something fantastic for everyone to enjoy.  Ashy to classy....Enjoy the video and the song.

Best. Goal. Ever.?

     I rather let the video do the talking and show off this beautiful masterpiece.  If you don't pay attention to soccer, this is like the pinnacle of an individual performance that you could have.  It's a piece of art...a feat of defying physics....a virtuoso acrobatic display.   Adding to the drama is that it is the Manchester Derby (meaning a local city rival game = Giants vs. Eagles) and this goal puts United up a goal with only a dozen minutes left in the game.  Wayne Rooney has also been mentioned as one of the best players in the world but has been slowed down by injuries the past year....could this be his comeback statement.
Video courtesy of Fox Soccer.

All-Time Classics..

     There is something to be said of images of events and people that last the test of time and don't lose any of the emotion that was captured.  If anything, the legacy and meaning continues to grow into legendary status, almost mythical.  GQ has a great article in this month's magazine that captures this with words and pictures of who they consider the all-time coolest athletes.  I was pretty hyped to see  a young Jordan (and corresponding Air Jordan VII's)  grace the cover when I received my copy in the mail. Even happier to know that I got this one out of the many issued based on the different athletes.  Thank God.
These athletes cover the globe and different sports, but all embody "cool" and we all know that feeling of growing up, watching these people on tv, pretending we were them in the backyard, hoping to grow up and be just like them.
Take a look for yourself at this link and after the jump.