Just Cause it’s Different, Doesnt Mean it’s Good! (Maybe we’re Crazy!!!)

 

I was thinking about a purchase of an old album that I bought. I found myself wondering how the f*** did Gnarls Barkley first album, St. Elsewhere, receive such a great review (and I am a fan of Cee-lo and Danger).  I know that a lot of people complain about the status of music, with the over saturation and quantity of shitty artist, but I really wish that people would not praise the next big thing just because it’s different.  What ever happened to being honest?  BAD MUSIC IS BAD MUSIC; just because it’s different doesn’t mean it gets a put on a higher pedestal.

There are plenty of artist that are different, but at the same time they are GOOD (M.I.A., the Cool Kids, Justice).  Are we being too quick to jump on the next hot artist or sound just because it’s different?  I personally have no problem with atypical music, in fact I love it, but I do prefer the music to sound appeasing.   For an album to receive so much praise and only contain one good song (CRAZY-must admit this song is fiyahhh though) is beyond belief.

Did anyone even see the new commercial for Gnarls Barkley’s album on MTV, that 20 second ad had to be the weirdest thing that I have ever seen in my life; but then again maybe it’s just me?  Hey, I know I will not be purchasing their new album because they already stole my money when I bought their last one.  With that I leave you this……

 

 

 

 That’s how it’s done.

NO Blood, No Foul!

 

43-16! No, that’s not the score of a Patriots-Dolphins preseason game. That is the amount of free throws taken by the Lakers and the Jazz, respectively. When you see such a gigantic disparity, you assume either 1) the Lakers were extremely aggressive and the Jazz settled or 2) the referees were extremely aggressive and it left Utah unsettled. After watching the game, I subscribe to numero dos. Both teams played hard.  Both teams played great basketball. Both teams were very aggressive offensively. But neither team had a hand in determining the game. That, my friend, was the ref’s job last night. I watched Kobe, Pau, Odom, and Co. get call after call. But I also saw Deron Williams plow through a sea of purple and gold all night and not get any calls. I witnessed Paul Millsap scrapping like a chihuahua in the paint, on both ends of the floor, and not get any calls. Now don’t get me wrong, when you’re as aggressive as the Lakers were, you should get a lot of free throws. Personally, I’ve never saw Kobe spend so much time on the block.  I almost thought he was playing center! The Jazz were just as aggressive, but the game wasn’t called evenly; and That’s My Beef. The last thing people want to see in the playoffs are games tainted and/or decided by poor and uneven refereeing; its not like the refs in the NBA are perceived as the most honest in sports.

On again, Off again!

 

So…the Pistons lost by 25 points last night! OMG! OMG! The score indicates the Magic dished out a waxing that even Ralph Macchio would be proud of. Detroit was a mere shadow of the team that manhandled Orlando just a few days prior; back in the 3-1-3. But guess what? NO ONE IS SURPRISED! The on-again-off-again effort has become a staple of Deeeeetroit basketbaaall. They settled for bad shots, shooting 40% from the field, and they were outscored 46-26 in the paint; stats that highlight a lack of effort and aggression. In the previous two games, they outscored the Magic in the paint and forced more turnovers. Their problem is that once they know that they can beat a team, they get stuck in neutral. And getting stuck in neutral on the road to the NBA finals is bad news. You give your competitors more confidence and more opportunities to win. You end up playing more games and doing more traveling; which takes a toll on you, physically and mentally, in such a short time frame. I wonder what will happen when they meet a team that comes to ”hoop” (shout-out to Reggie Evans!) every single night and has handled their business throughout the playoffs?

T.I. a new man?

As incarceration time approaches, rapper T.I. has a lot to reflect upon in his life.  I’m pretty sure all of us have made some pretty bad decisions in life (I still regret buying Gnarls Barkley’s first album), but none as bad as T.I.’s.  A little more than a year ago, this millionaire almost had everything stripped from him.  In his interview with Sohh.com T.I. indicates new signs of growth in himself.  His new outlook on life is different than the perspective that he had 3 years ago.  He claims his new album is supposed to be toned down, but at the same time not limiting his freedom of expression.  He explains how his last album revisited parts of his past that he shouldn’t have dealt with (album was horrible might I add).  After hearing his new song from his yet to be released album Paper Trail, one can sense a change. 

            In all honesty you hear sincerity in his voice that you haven’t heard since Trap Muzik (even though the King album is dope).  With lyrics dealing with a very emotional time in his life, T.I. lets listeners know how he was feeling during the past months.  The first single is definitely a good start, and it has me looking forward to September.  Hopefully T.I.’s album will follow the direction that he said it is heading (more serious).  With a new outlook on life, I’m pretty sure T.I. will be dropping an album that hip hop hasn’t heard in a while, and who knows, maybe this will be that classic album that we have all been waiting for from T.I.