What Would Phil Jackson Do?

IknowUknow being down 3-2 in a seven game series is not good (especially when you could have won game 4).  They say the likelihood of coming back after being down 3-1 is impossible (see SportCenter). Commentators keep stating that every team that has been down 3-1 in a series has gone on to lose that series….yada, yada, yada.  Well believe it or not, the Lakers still have a chance of winning the championship.  As odd as it may seem, the Lakers can still win 2 in a row.  That record of 29 or 28 teams winning after leading a series 3-1 means nothing.  It only takes one team to change that record and the Lakers can be that team.  If I were Phil Jackson I would have my team watch and study  films of the miraculous comeback of the 2004 Red Sox on the New York Yankees.  Yea baseball is a different sport, but the drive to win within athletes is the same.  Do you think the Red Sox were listening to everybody when commentators said they had no chance of winning after being down 3-0.  All it takes is one game at a time, and there are two more to go, besides this is the best way to win a championship; when your backs against the wall, your the underdog, and no one thinks its possible.  To Phil, get those tapes and show your team what a comeback truly is.  I believe a comeback is possible, what do you think?

Sooooo much music has dropped these past 2 weeks……

Letting everyone know that my reviews for the Lil Wayne and N.E.R.D. album will be delayed due to the releases of numerous Cd’s.  Young Jeezy (crazy artist) released a mixtape “The Prime Minister“, to set up for the release of his new album.  This mixtape sounds crazy, and I will post some tracks for you.  Asher Roth dropped his new mixtape “The Greenhouse Effect” and you know I have been talking about him for awhile.  Haven’t had a chance to hear anything off of this besides the songs posted on his myspace page (and they have been good).  I also had the chance to buy an alternative album, “We Started Nothing“ from this group called The Ting Tings. They are from England and their music is energetic.  Hopefully I will get a chance to review these ablums sometime next week, but you should all definitely check them out.

Creativity in Music is Back Again!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IknowUknow wants to announce that last Tuesday marked a great day in music.  Not only did we get to hear an unbelievable album from Lil Wayne, but we also got to hear a dope album album from N.E.R.D.

I have a question.  Why is everyone complaining about the state of hip hop when one of the most creative albums within the past couple of years has just dropped?  This album is proof that creativity still sells (423,000 copies first day) within a industry hurting from sales.  I don’t understand how people cannot respect a artist who strives to be the best lyricist in a genre were lyrics are barely being mentioned in the mainstream.  While a lot of artist’s are putting out the regular soft song about a girl, or drug tirade song; Lil Wayne takes a chance and drops a song that normally would never get steady radio play.   “A Millie” doesn’t even fit the criteria of a radio play list song and it still managed to peak at 29 on the BillBoard Hot 100 .  The song has No Chorus, just straight rapping the whole way through; basically a freestyle (should’ve kept Corey Gunz on there BTW).  Yea, maybe some of the song doesn’t make any sense, but people are forgetting the fact the he is stressing lyrics the WHOLE song.  Who else could or would do that?  I don’t any artist would have this song for a single or could’ve gotten away with this (check all the remixes, only ones worth it are Corey Gunz, Lil Mama, and Chris Brown…yea Chris Brown). All you so called Hip Hop purist should support the effort the effort that Wayne puts into his music. 

All in all I just want to say that it feels good to see that creativity is back in hip hop; and it’s good to see people supporting it.  Maybe this album will inspire other artist to step up their music game.  This is also a message to the labels; SPEND TIME, MONEY, AND BELIEVE in quality artists and you too can reap the benfits….and please check out the N.E.R.D. (GOOD FUCKIN MUSIC)……….some time next week I’m going to review both albums…… 

Finally Friday!!!! It’s getting too DAMN hot over here….

IknowUknow it’s Finally Friday!  Driving to work this week made me spend even more on the expensive ass gas in New Jersey because i had to use the AC.  It was sooooo hot on the East Coast.  I think temperatures reached 150 degrees in some parts….So to celebrate the hot week over here, I am recommending the Miami Vice, because it damn near felt like Miami.  Enjoy this drink and love the weekend.  Go out and do something fun.  I might head down to Philly if my friends flight from Florida arrives on time.  Let me know what you do.

Miami Vice Ingrediets                                                                                                                                                           5 oz Bacardi® 151 rum
1 package frozen pina colada mix
1 package frozen daiquiri mix

Miami Vice Recipe

1. Mix pina colada with 2.5 oz. of rum w/ ice. Set aside.

2. Mix daiquiri with 2.5 oz. of rum w/ ice.

3. While frozen, add pina colada mix to a cocktail glass. Add the daiquiri mix on top, keeping it seperated from the pina colada mix. 

Enjoy                                                                                                                               

 

Asher Roth…AGAIN!..this kid is nice

I had to post something about this guy again.  Every time I hear material from him, I keep getting amazed…Mark my words, everyone will know his name soon.  Waiting to see how his singles or other songs turn out.  A collab with Lupe or Dre 3000 would be crazy. I wanted to post this verse he did over Mr. Me Too…all I can say is WWWOOOWWWW! I thought the Clipse did the beat justice, then I heard him spit over it. Lyricist!

Yea he is nice. Be on the lookout for him.

June 10 and Music is Good!

N.E.R.D. and Lil Wayne just dropped their new albums yesterday,”Seeing Sounds” and “Carter III“, and so far they have been definitly worth the wait.  It’s crazy how Lil Wayne went and got BabyFace on his album…..while everyone is getting T Pain, Akon, Chris Brown…ect, Wayne went left and brought a legend back to the scene. I will be positng reviews of each album next week, but I just wanted to let you know that they have been worth the money so far….Tracks I heard already that I htink will be big singles  include

“SPAZ”

“Comfortable” (This will be big)

Pick these albums up!

America’s Best Dance Crew…What’s going on with the East?

ABDC finally kicked off the second season with live auditions this weekend. After viewing the first season, I thought that there was no way to possibly top that talent. The talent of the first season was ridiculous; you had the Jabbawockeez, Fish n Chicks, and Kabba Modern, so I wasn’t expecting much from the new crews this year. Tuning into the show, I was quite amazed at how bad the east was (no energy). I’m from the east and I was quite embarrassed by who is representing us. In my opinion, only one team from the east should have made it (boogie bots). Hey Randy, is it possible to scrap the east and pick up one of the crews you dropped from the other regions? I mean, we get two bad teams onto the show while regions better than us only get two, matter of fact you should allow all 4 teams from the west in!

It seems that this season is also starting off with a little controversy with Soul Supreme saying they beat Jabba’s in a battle. I personally don’t think that I have ever seen a better GROUP than the Jabba’s before. Yeah, individually other people may be better, but when it comes time put together a show with choreography, no one has done it like them. It was hard to judge Soul Supreme because I hadn’t seen anything that they’ve done besides their audition run….(which was good)…but then I found this video online with some of their members of the crew on TV….

It seems like this season will be better than I thought. SS seems like they have some tricks up their sleeves and seem they are capable to surprise a lot of people. Better than the Jabba’s, I don’t think so, but hey we could be surprised…..also look out for Super Cr3w, Boogie Bots, A.S.I.I.D., SoReal Crew …….

Nas a…….”Hero”

IknowUknow Nas has a new single out. “Hero” is supposed to be the new lead single from Nas’ soon to be released untitled album. The song is produced by Polow da Don and features Keri Hilson on the hook. I think it’s good to finally see Nas branch out to other producers and try a different sound. The beat is built around a stuttering synth, a heavy bass drum, and smooth hi hats to give it that official bounce. There is a switch up in the middle that adds more flavor to the beat, which definitely caught me by surprise. The chorus to the song is big, as a heavy synth comes in as Keri echoes Nas in the background. Nas is definitely flowing on the song as he talks about himself and why we need him. This song hits hard and it is definitely the single that Nas needed to start off his album (even though other songs have leaked). Nas is definitely doing his thing for New York rap on this song.  He never forgets to come with solid lyrics topped with a grimey New York flow…………………  Rating 4.5/5      

 

Finally Friday…Why are the weeks so long?

IknowUknow it’s Finally Friday after that long week of work. This weekend, it’s supposed to be hot over here on the east coast (let me know what it’s like where you are). Since the weather is starting to actually match the season we decided to post a two drink special. The first drink is a Caipirinha…….This is a smooth drink, and you know I’ll be sipping on one of these this weekend. It consists of:

Recipe for the Caipirinha

· 1 lime, quartered (or 8 lime slices)

· 2 tsp fine sugar

· 2 oz cachaca

Preparation

1. Place the lime wedges and sugar into an old-fashioned glass.

2. Muddle well to create a paste.

3. Fill the glass with ice cubes.

4. Pour in the cachaca.

5. Stir well.

For the next drink you either go hard or go home….its called Walk the Plank

Walk the Plank Recipe

1/3 oz Captain Morgan® spiced rum
1/3 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1/3 oz Captain Morgan® Parrot Bay coconut rum
1 splash pineapple juice

Preparation

Mix Equal parts Captain Morgan’s, Blue Curacao, and Parrot Bay with a splash of Pineapple Juice in a shaker with ice.

Let me know what you think of these….and be sure to have a good weekend, because once Monday hits, its another 4 days of work. O yea, this weekend I’ll be going to New York’s Puerto Rican day parade, maybe you will see me there….HAVE FUN

Def Jam keeps it’s run going……

IknowUknow Def Jam has finally found someone to replace Jay-z’s old position. Shakir Stewart has been promoted to Vice President of Def Jam. This man was responsible for signing Beyonce to Hitco Publishing, finding Ciara, and signing Young Jeezy and Rick Ross (Bawwsss) to Def Jam. Not only that, but he also A&R’d a very underrated album by Christina Milian, “So Amazing” (go pick up that album if you haven’t heard it). In my opinion, Def Jam has been putting out the most solid material for the past couple of years. So I think, what better man to run the label than the guy who has been putting in a lot work on some of the most solid albums. Def Jam is home to the biggest artists in Hip Hop and Pop; including Rihanna, Kanye West, Jeezy, Ricky Ross, Ludacris, Ghostface, The Roots, and Neyo; to name a few. They have constantly put out solid albums (not singles); Graduation, American Gangster, The Inspiration, Trilla, Good Girl Gone Bad, Love/ Hate (pick this up if you haven’t heard it), and Fishscale. Every album they put out is worth buying. So to Shakir: Please continue the work that magic you are doing, and keep dropping solid ALBUMS from Def Jam.