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Aaaaaand we got it! This joint is finally here! After around 8 months from the start of the producer competition to the release of the final product on the same release date as the original, Kevin Nottingham.com's 'Mama Said Knock You Out' LL Cool J tribute album has dropped, and shit is fire! The line up is dope as hell; and y'all KNOW The Movement Fam are in effect, this time with the homie MegaRan aka Random on the remake of "Eat Em Up". I really enjoyed the tribute, and it was nothing short of a pleasure to be involved. So hit the jump and download this baby!
Download Kevin Nottingham.com's Mama Said Knock You Out LL Cool J Tribute Album
Today there was so much shit going on that I thought it'd be simpler to wrap it all up in one special Hectic Friday post. First up, the decision on the recent Oscar Grant murder trial was made today. Long story short, a white policeman shot a young black man point blank in front of a crowd at an Oakland BART station, and the cop got off on a couple years for 'involuntary manslaughter'. This case had serious race overtones, hence the uproar.
The worst part was that it happened on the same day as the Lebron announcement (see below) so half my Twitter feed was about a cop getting off for murdering a human, and the other was about an athlete deciding where to earn his billionth dollar.
Oscar Grant murder/verdict
And this Lebron shit has been wild. I'm not even really a huge sports fan but it was all over Twitter today so I couldn't avoid it.
My two cents: Players leave teams and get traded EVERY FUCKING YEAR. Yeah, the Cavs lost Lebron, but so what? Shit happens. Mike retired, too. Get over it. Good on him.
Lebron decision
That said, majority owner Dan Gilbert wrote a scathing public letter about Lebron's decision, saying such sore loser bullshit like "I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE" and "You can take it to the bank." Wow. What a tool.
Majority owner Dan Gilbert's reaction
And to wrap up all this seriousness with some awesomeness, check out this video (if you haven't already seen it). Never seen a human so excited about a rainbow. And aside from the video hilarity, the description reads "It was rainbowing for at least an hour on January 8th 2010." I had no idea 'rainbowing' was an adjective.
Double Rainbow
Wow. This is just some incredible stuff. I don't even want to know how long this took to make, but I'm glad somebody took the time.
BIG BAG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
I haven't watched this yet but this is riiiiight up our alley (pause).
For any artists out there who utilise samples in their music, this could be extremely useful information. Check the details:
Alex Kreit, Nancy Prager, Andre Smith, and DJ Spooky discuss the curious case of how Girl Talk has successfully utilized over 300 uncleared samples and somehow managed to avoid being sued by the copyright holders. A really interesting discussion for anyone involved in the creation of sample based music.
This is amazing. Wow. It reminds me of Tommy Gunnz' phone reading out his text messages.
"Now my goddamn cat is homeless. I am dead."
I think I mentioned recently the fact that I'm not one for taking the piss of Hip Hop. Usually it's corny and stupid as fuck, and it shits me. However, this lil joint, courtesy of misscoca, is classic.
Dude is hilariously awesome. Apparently the boss heard him rapping and told him he could make videos to promote the company. And now he's a mini internet celebrity. Bangskis.
The President of Russia.
Ergonomic desk chair.
I've been copping a LOT of shit from the homies lately for my adoption of skinny jeans. It ain't really a reflection of fashion for me, it sorta came to be due to my burgeoning taste in music. But for some reason, it just ain't that accepted in Hip Hop.
Check out Cipha Sounds going shopping in Harlem for his own pair of skinny jeans. lol @ Snooki!
We don't usually post too much stuff about gear and whatnot on here, but I caught this today and it looks pretty sweet. Feelin' the oversized zipper, dunno about the thongs (flip flops) though.
Normally any piss-take of Hip Hop makes me cringe. I fucking hate it, always have. I guess as a Caucasian dude from Australia, I kinda copped it growing up for my love of the culture (yup, I need a tissue), so I'm a tad sensitive to this type of shit.
The Rapping Weatherman, however, entertained the hell outta me. Dude spits a 2 minute verse over Young Money's 'Roger That' beat for the Austin, TX local Fox station. Can't front - it's corny yet clever, and it's clear they're taking the piss outta themselves too. Word to his 'posse' and getting the news anchors involved too. Gold.
So the ladies are finna be jealous and the guys are gonna feel for me.
Check the above trailer. Lucky me got to see this fucking film twice in the space of a week. Yup.
It's late night Friday and I thought I'd share my pain. I work for a film distributor and got to check out the flick last week at a work screening, part of the job. All good. Then I got offered premiere tickets. So I took it due to the jealousy factor from broads, plus the free piss.
However, my boss and Ryan from YouTube took us out at 4pm for beers at Bridie O'Reilley's and got me fucking smashed before hitting the premiere, which was awesome, but then I damn near fell asleep. It was worse the second time around.
Anyway, I'm home, I'm drunk as hell still, and tired as shit. And this is about as interesting as I'ma get right now. Night folks.
So this is some messed up footage, but I think an important point is made here.
I'm a little behind on general shit that happens due to my lack of interest in mainstream media. So this might be old news, so please forgive me if that is the case.
However, for those who ain't already know, a bullfighter in Madrid, Spain was murked in the throat during a recent fight (check the link for full details), as is bound to happen when you taunt a bull with a red flag and stab the poor beast. Now this was a particularly horrific one, as you're about to see. Not only did the bull's horn go through dude's throat but it came out of his mouth. Word.
So what was the first reaction? Rush the dude to hospital. Of course. But what of the 6 or so bulls that are killed mercilessly each fight?
Look, I fucks with Spanish/Latin culture. But this shit is as archaic as religion and saving it for marriage. What the fuck do you expect to happen when you do this shit? Seriously. And then folks trip out when dudes get banged up. Fuckouttahere.
Let's break it down...
Dude loses his footing...
...bull murks him...
...then lets him go...
...and here's a nice close up for ya (awesome photography by the way).
Now check the video below and let us know your thoughts...
Thanks to Bekah, Entourage has been my favourite TV show since the first season. The last couple seasons were cool but not quite as dope as the earlier ones, so here's hoping the fellas come back with some heat this time around.
Check out the above trailer for season 7. Kinda corny but it still gets me vibed for it. Boom!
Social media enthusiasts may well be familiar with www.MissCoca.com, a relatively new marketing, fashion, pop culture, lifestyle, beauty and social media blog that is really making some waves on the interwebs.
So Lauren Ridgway, the founder of www.MissCoca.com, kindly contacted me to make me the May interviewee for 'Stars in the Blogosphere', which was the first interview I'd ever done that wasn't exclusively about music; it was more Craig than Cee. And it was really refreshing, and fun, to put more of me out there than my music persona.
So check out the interview, and while you're there, take a squizz around the blog. Folks in Melbourne and Sydney will love the weekly JobOps post, which is getting crazy hits.
On behalf of TheMovementFam.com, and of course myself, I'd like to warmly thank Lauren for the great interview and kind words. Check it out, folks!
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
The point of no return. Once past, nothing can fit the image/idea/sense of what it used to be any longer. At this point that I read this book. Batman was represented by Adam West, zany plotlines and BAM, POW and BANG!!! flashing on the on the screen during the fight scenes. Before that, It was the Super friends adventures and stuff like that. Batman was a “Good guy” in every sense of the word. I had seen the Tim Burton take on batman before but even the darkness there wasn’t enough to erase the image in my mind of who Batman was. When I turned 11 years old and I came across a copy of this in the local Giant store, I bought and read it. That was the moment I first experienced what a mind fuck was. Nah Nobody had even explained the concept to me at that point I just knew that something in my mind had been altered by this book, never to return to it’s original shape.
Frank Miller ( God bless him ) had deconstructed the Batman mythology so intensely in this book that over 20 years after it’s inception it still informs much of the versions of Batman seen today. ( Including the aforementioned Tim Burton movie ) This was the book that turned Batman into the grim, brooding hero he is today. Matter fact I would say that the wave of grimy superheroes from “Spawn” to the new volumes of “X force” owe their dark overtones to this book. Batman as a character has always been as crazy as the people he hunts. ( Picture CNN running a story about a real life millionaire that dresses up as a giant bat to beat up thugs. Seriously, picture what you would think of such a man if he was flesh and blood like you and me ) This book really showed how tragic, dark and ( most of all ) INSANE he really was. It also crowned the Joker as the Yin to Batman’s Yang. A relationship that showed that despite their Polar opposition of each other they were linked as one.
The artwork is stunning and the cinematic aspects of the drawings make you believe that you are watching a movie that you were not supposed to watch as a kid. The violence and sexual innuendos were intense but not gratuitous. Anything lighter would have lessened the impact of the book. But like I said it is INTENSE. Children get killed, eyes get stabbed, suicide and battered women all pop up in the story.
The plot itself is simple. Batman has a midlife crisis and after 10 years of retirement comes to show a new generation of scum that certain things don’t change. Simple right. Now add in the craziness of Batman’s world and what this turns into is a masterpiece of emotions. He faces off against Two Face, The Joker, The Mutants ( Gotham City’s newest generation of degenerates ) and crazily enough Superman. His gritty disposition is enhanced by the fact he is a much older man. Cranky, irritable but still a viciously skilled fighter and peerless strategist. Alfred is present but Robin is re imagined as a girl named Carrie. Which gives the story a cool twist. It doesn’t take away or enhance the plot as Robin has always been a sidekick but it’s just kinda cool that Frank took that turn.
I cant recommend this book enough. A must read for Batman fans. The line that a cop in the story says to his younger partner when Batman is about to be seen in full costume by the reader for the first time sums it all up “were in for a show kid”
Tokyo Cigar
Y'all might have caught our recent post on the new doco on Banksy (and street art in general), 'Exit Through The Gift Shop', and now for some Banksy news closer to home...
Dude has agreed to paint the cover of the next issue of Time Out magazine, but this time it's the Sydney (Australian) edition. The last two he's done for Time Out were for London and New York (below), so it's a fairly big deal, especially seeing how reclusive he is. Apparently the file has been sent but the mag haven't released it as yet.
Check out the vids below of some recent exhibitions he held in London. Definitely need this type of action out here.
Wow. This is some cool ass shit. It's apparently a new sport called Liquid Mountaineering, which is essentially utilising the angle of your feet to, well, walk on water. Just watch the video, very damn impressive.
Last night, one of my childhood dreams came true: I got to see Slash live. Ever since my folks got me a guitar at the age of 9, Slash has been my idol. The dude just fucking drips cool (or 'swag' as we rappers like to say), and even though I would have loved to catch him 20 years ago, in 2010, dude hasn't lost his appeal.
So due to my wicked ass job and dope connect at MTV, I scored a VIP ticket to the launch of the new MTV Classic channel at Palace last night. As soon as we walked in the door, we realised it was sponsored by Jagermeister and shots/bombs were downed immediately. The rest of the night was a tad blurry from then on, but I have enough video on my camera to help jog my memory.
As the Becks and Jager did their thing in my bloodstream, and to the bloodstream of my work colleagues, the vibe was incredible. There were shaggy wigs and top hats everywhere, as well as the ubiquitous flannel (I was reppin', trust). When comedian Adam Hills intro'd the night, the crowd got wild. And when Slash hit the stage, it was like 1992 again. I swear, that Gibson guitar is the sexiest fucking thing on earth.
And Slash didn't disappoint. Being drunk and asking a colleague's boyfriend 'Oi what song is this again?' every 5 minutes, I don't really remember the set but I know that the Velvet Revolver lineup was there, and I was told it was Scott Weiland on vocals but then I read he left in 2008. Can anyone help (check out the pics)? He murked it though. After doing a shitload of songs I didn't know, Slash was killin' a solo and all of a sudden the unmistakable melody from 'Sweet Child O' Mine' was belted out and it was fucking ON.
A lot of drunken singing was going on, and the awesomeness was tangible. Next up was 'Paradise City', which was just as rad. I have no idea what happened after that, really.
Shouts to CJ for the hook up! The after party was live though, got to shake hands with Kirk Pengilly from INXS in the bathroom and prop him for shagging Deni Hines, which was cool. A great night all round, the only issue being this wicked hangover and the 3 hours sleep prior to a 9 hour work day. Slash is a god.
This one looks amazing. Most folks are familiar with Banksy's work, and this doco should hopefully shed a bit of light on the man. Check the wrap up below:
"Exit Through the Gift Shop, the first film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, became the hottest ticket at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it made its world debut. Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post—hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results. The film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the worlds most infamous graffiti artists at work, on walls and in interview. As Banksy describes it, Its basically the story of how one man set out to film the un—filmable. And failed."
Part 2
Immaculate beauty. That is what one scene in this movie captures unlike any other attempt before or after it in my memory.
I’ll get to that moment when I get to it. Like I said in my last review, Quentin Tarantino skillfully crafted an intricate simple movie. Linked by strands of old cinema and guerilla style edge, he touched upon a million classic Kung fu references mixed with anime styled excess. In this part of the movie the eastern influences play a more background role to the western themed final showdown between the Bride and Bill. The Bride still has her Hanzo sword but rather than get the feeling you got when you KNEW Bruce Lee was about to give 20 dudes a beat down, it feels more like Eastwood about to face an enemy at high noon.
The switch in themes is not the only opposite to the first film at play here. The simplistic dialog that gave the first one it’s playful charm is replaced with dialogue that proves why Tarantino is as respected as he is. Pulp Fiction’s “Royale with cheese” exchanged is topped by Bill’s fantastic deconstruction of the classic Superman character’s egotistical view of humanity. ( I swear I never looked at Superman the same way again, What an asshole ) The only place for the type of old school Kung Fu flick talk prevalent in the first part is during The Bride’s training with Pai Mei ( that’s my dude right there. Son don’t play ) and that is mainly done in Chinese with subtitles. This is a movie where insight into the characters is really shown by what they say. Often funny but very deep in certain parts. Seriously there are so many quotable in this movie it’s not even funny.
The tradition of compelling characters is still intact in this movie. From Bill’s surrogate father Esteban, Bill’s brother Budd and Elle ( who to me was the ultimate villain in the movie ) to the random characters that pop in and out. ( Budd’s strip club boss that said he was as useless as an asshole on the elbow was funny as hell ) Out of all of them though, the ultimate addition to the cast is Bill. ( RIP David Carradine ) You know those bad guys that are so cool you actually don’t want to see them die. That’s Bill. Dude is just so damn down to earth it doesn’t make sense. The fact that the daughter he raised requested her bedtime movie be “Shogun Assassin” ( trust me Wu tang fans were foaming at the mouth when the “Liquid Swords” intro started playing ) is a testament to his quirky but seasoned and wise killer vibe. After you saw what he did to the Bride you still expect him to get what’s coming to him but a part of you is like “damn. I wish they could work it out somehow” cause dude brings such a fly element to the movie. Rather than see him as just a cold blooded killer ( Like Elle ) you see him as a father and a man that was hurt by a woman he loved. But don’t get it twisted, he still always let’s you know what he’s capable of.
Now. On to the whole immaculate beauty thing. I gotta keep it real with y’all. I saw this movie on bootleg for the first time. My man hit me off with the DVD and I rocked it out for like 2 weeks straight. Seriously I would literally play this movie everyday. When it ended I would start over. For 2 weeks straight. The reason I bring this up is because there was one scene I kept on rewinding like a dope Big pun verse. It was the part where the Bride was walking through the desert on her way to kill Bud. As the song “sunny road to Selina” ( Check my remix of “My 1st song” on my Jay-Z remix album to see how much I love this song ) played in the background the image mixed with the music just hypnotized me unlike any other movie ever did. Seriously, this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I rewound that part a million times just staring at the screen and listening to the music. It’s not a major part in the plot at all but IT JUST WORKS. Any other song in that place would not have had the same effect. The music was as important to the scene as the image was and they combined to make immaculate beauty. This movie is full of things like that. Moments that hit you in the heart more than the funny bone. You saw the Bride cut through the Crazy 88’s in the first one. Here you see her train to get that good. Pai Mei is no picnic so when you see her earn his respect you feel for her even more. Even though this movie is the end piece to the saga in many ways it’s a prequel as you get to really see the inner workings of the characters you caught glimpses of in the first one and fully realize the dynamics of the Brides world.
That’s why “Kill Bill” as a whole is my favorite movie of all time. All the references come together flawlessly and the execution is blessed with that special coat of divinity that mark’s all true artistic genius. Hate it or love it, I don’t really care. To me “Kill Bill” is a masterpiece on all levels and solidified more than ever Tarantino’s place in cinematic history.
Peace