April 2010
41 posts
“Well, it’s already being censored by YouTube in the United States, which makes sense, because in addition to the naked people having sex and the guy smoking drugs and the horrific police brutality, there is also a moment toward the end where a human steps on a landmine and just sort of blows up…NSFW isn’t exactly the word. More like art film? We can think of no goofier political allegory than the persecution, abuse, and murder of redheads, but then again, M.I.A.’s politics have never been of the kind you read about in the New York Times. Directed by Romain Gavras, the Costa Gavras-scion turned electro-house video auteur.”
—Zach Baron, my thoughts exactly. Unfair but pretty true.
“No longer just a spooky bedtime story that snooty film critics tell their children, the phantom sequel Bad Boys 3 has received an official “shit just got real” from star Martin Lawrence. Or rather, make that a far-less-catchy “it’s real realistic,” followed by a “We’re just waiting on Jerry Bruckheimer to let us know when it’s really real,” both of which Lawrence recently avowed to MTV when asked about re-teaming with Will Smith for another go-‘round of aw-hell-no-ing all over the criminals of L.A. How do we know it’s really real, with an extra dose of realness? Because Lawrence “got Big Willie to come down and see me about the movie. I felt special,” and certainly no one would ever pull out a “Big Willie” unless they planned to use it. According to Lawrence, “Any time you can get Big Willie to come out and talk about doing a third installment of a hot movie like Bad Boys, you have to take notice.” (He’s right! We did!) Also swaying the “Is It Real?” meter toward the “Really Real,” Lawrence says, “”I met with Michael Bay, and he said he’s onboard too—so it’s real.” We remain cautiously optimistic of its realness.”
—The AV Club’s Sean O’Neil’s report on Bad Boys 3 a.k.a. the funniest thing that I read all day. Kudos!
Listen
Wiz Khalifa feat. Johnny Juliano - Pedal to the Medal (off Kush and Orange Juice, 2010, Taylor Gang)
So, Kush and Orange Juice was a big deal on Twitter the other day or something, right? I only just got to sit down and listen to the whole thing away from the Twithype (or could be that I’m always late on stuff - I only just started banging that new Yelawolf today, really good by the way), and while it carries over some of the same problems that Burn After Rolling and How Fly had - namely Wiz being seemingly too stoned to rap more than two verses at a time, which in the latter mixtape’s case was just fucking annoying - it’s really promising stuff. He’s not quite there yet, but it’s fun listening to him “recounting endless tales of pot smoke and pretty women” (Simon at Entertainment Weekly, making nail meet head, pause).
And that’s essentially what this song is. It starts out like a song for the girls with its airy beat and Wiz’s raps: “vow to never break your heart or I promise/I got us/ain’t a showoff just being honest…” And yeah, there’s some stuff about how being Wiz’s boo is pretty sweet, but really he just forgets about the topic halfway through and just starts talking about planes, pina coladas and smoking kush, and then relating it to some girl every now and then. Regular business. Wiz’s tunnel vision is more endearing than irritating and it’s nice seeing how the song could easily be on the radio, given that it doesn’t sacrifice that tunnel vision for something boring.
Download Kush and Orange Juice here, and while that’s downloading, throw on “B.A.R.” which is the best thing dude has done up to this point.
Listen
Mos Def - Worker’s Comp. (off The Ecstatic, Downtown, 2009)
“Lighting is arguably the hardest and least appreciated part of shooting a film. If lighting was a neighbor, it would be the kind of neighbor that breaks into your garage and wanks on the windshield of your step mums car.”
—Rawlings, probably having learnt the hard way this week. Like all of us.
“I’m tryin’ to do it all tonight, I got plans.
I got a certain lust for life and as it stands,
Everything is going as right as it can
They tryin’ to shoot down my flight before it lands
Before it lands
But you could miss me with all that, diss me then crawl back,
I really wish ya’ll would fall back but gettin’ rich suppose to solve that
And these days women make offers and who the hell am I to say no no no?
My ex sendin’ late night text cause she dont know how to let go go go
She in love.
And as for the pretty light skinned models standin’ in the cold?
Ah yeah, they with us.
Let them girls in for a drink and I’m all in they ear
Saying she should be the one I see every time that I’m here but when am I really even here?
Black surburban wit’ the tent on it
Fresher than a pillow with a mint on it
The game got these old hand prints on it
But I’ma be the one to pour cement on it and start over
And show up in a Mars yellow tux, I don’t really give a fuck and we only getting older
So what I tend to do is to think of today as the past
It’s funny when you comin’ in first but you hope that you last
You just hope that it last” —It always makes sense for me to throw this on late at night when I’m supposed to be working. Probably my favourite album of last year on replay factor alone.
I got a certain lust for life and as it stands,
Everything is going as right as it can
They tryin’ to shoot down my flight before it lands
Before it lands
But you could miss me with all that, diss me then crawl back,
I really wish ya’ll would fall back but gettin’ rich suppose to solve that
And these days women make offers and who the hell am I to say no no no?
My ex sendin’ late night text cause she dont know how to let go go go
She in love.
And as for the pretty light skinned models standin’ in the cold?
Ah yeah, they with us.
Let them girls in for a drink and I’m all in they ear
Saying she should be the one I see every time that I’m here but when am I really even here?
Black surburban wit’ the tent on it
Fresher than a pillow with a mint on it
The game got these old hand prints on it
But I’ma be the one to pour cement on it and start over
And show up in a Mars yellow tux, I don’t really give a fuck and we only getting older
So what I tend to do is to think of today as the past
It’s funny when you comin’ in first but you hope that you last
You just hope that it last” —It always makes sense for me to throw this on late at night when I’m supposed to be working. Probably my favourite album of last year on replay factor alone.
Listen
Dennis Wilson - Holy Man (off Pacific Ocean Blue: Legacy Edition, Caribou, 2008)
