#he listens to jay-z in several episodes | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

paradisetemporarilymisplaced · 3 years

Text

So I was being a basic bitch the other day and listening to my true crime podcasts when it occurred to me just how suspicious Nile’s “death” would look to everyone not in the Guard, leading me to a train of thought that, 2200 words later, absolutely got away from me but I can’t let go so I’m inflicting it on all of you!

To set the stage, we know the movie takes place over approximately a week. Here’s what happens to Nile from the military’s point of view:

She dies is very seriously injured

She heals without a scratch

Just before she’s supposed to be shipped out to Germany, she vanishes, leaving two men concussed (and presumably reporting being knocked out by a woman with short hair wearing civilian clothes)

She goes AWOL for several days

They get word from the CIA that she is to be reported killed in action (details unclear)

So, at the beginning of this very weird week, the USMC has to tell Nile’s family of her death critical injury. What her family was told depends on how long she was dead – a Google search tells me that family will be notified in person within 8 hours of a soldier’s death, but we don’t know how long her first death lasted. For an injury, however, they’d get a phone call to notify them and the unit would arrange for them to visit as soon as the soldier is transferred out of a combat zone. Like I remember when I was in high school, a guy from my church who was a Marine was really seriously injured in a helicopter crash in Iraq and from what I could tell, his parents were told immediately and were flown out to Germany to see him, so it stands to reason that Nile’s family would have been informed relatively quickly after her throat was slashed, one way or another.

And then, she goes AWOL. Her family would be notified while the USMC tried to figure out where she went, not least because the military would want to know if she’s contacted them. (And it’s possible that her family may have been on the way to Germany to see her since we know that’s where she was supposed to go!) So for several days:

Nile’s mom and brother have no idea where she is

They know she was seriously injured and most certainly should not have been moving around on her own

They can’t get a hold of her

The military can’t tell them anything

And the next thing they know for sure is that she was “killed in action.” After being injured and vanishing into thin air. And they presumably cannot produce her body or any concrete evidence of her death. In any case, something sketchy is going on, so they’re like. SMELLS LIKE A MILITARY COVERUP.

In a surprise to probably no one, there is a well-documented legacy of mysterious US military deaths, particularly of women of color (TW for sexual assault in these links). The cases of LaVena Johnson and Vanessa Guillenin particular have made national news because of their families’ persistence in seeking justice. Likewise, Nile is a Black woman, and her mom and brother are most certainly hypercognizant of (a) state violence against Black people and (b) these high-profile cases of suspicious military deaths. So her family are seriously side-eyeing the situation, knowing that (a) the military has a serious incentive (and a documented history) of covering up things that make them look bad and (b) nothing about Nile’s disappearance and supposed death are adding up.

And Andy’s right. Nile does come from warriors. And you know who else does? Her brother.

Don’t get me wrong. Nile’s mom would absolutely not back down. She’d know something was up and want to get to the bottom of it. But based on what I know about Gen X parents (mine), they’re not the most technologically savvy. Like they can use the internet, but they didn’t grow up with it the way we young millennials and Gen Z did. So Nile’s brother takes the lead. And what do zillennials do best?

Social media.

Nile’s brother starts going hard on any site he can, trying to get the word out to see if anyone knows what happened to his sister. He starts a Reddit thread. He starts a Facebook group. He reaches out to the media and true crime bloggers and podcasters à la Sarah Turney, getting loud and being a general nuisance in hopes of getting some answers. He gets his friends and Nile’s friends involved. Maybe eventually Dizzy, Jay, and others from Nile’s unit hear about it and reach out, telling him what they saw and how weird it all was. He’s drumming up interest, and soon “Nile Freeman” becomes a household name (at least among the true crime fans).

Copley is, of course, trying his best, but at this point there is just so much that it’s impossible for him to scrub everything. Sure, he can erase new footage of Nile and the Guard, but what can he do about Reddit threads and podcast episodes that are speculating something weird has happened? Maybe he could hack the sites and shut those things down, but honestly, that’s the last thing he’d want to do, because that only adds weight to the theory that Nile’s disappearance is a military coverup. So eventually he has to tell Andy what’s going on.

Andy, obviously, does not take the news well. However, she is also completely computer illiterate, because that’s Booker’s job and he’s the only one who ever bothered to learn what the internet is in any meaningful way. (She probably calls Booker for advice, and for the record, I think Booker would have no qualms about shutting down conspiracy threads, tinhats be damned, but Copley is too concerned about the consequences. He’s ex-CIA for crying out loud, he knows how it’ll look if they scrub every mention of Nile’s name from the internet.) Maybe she confers with Joe and Nicky but, let’s be honest, they’d be equally unhelpful. So at this point, she knows they have to bring in Nile.

But the thing about Nile is that she, too, knows how to use the internet (duh). Aside from her being a young millennial/digital native, we know from the cave scene where she’s giving Booker suggestions on how to track Copley that she clearly is even more computer savvy than the average person. And for that reason she almost definitely took over the day-to-day tech stuff after Booker’s exile. So I think it would be foolish to expect her to be unaware of what’s happening. She’s not contacting her family or posting on the message boards or anything, but she knows what’s up. So Copley and the team probably sit her down to “break the news,” but we know the girl does not have a poker face (see: literally shooting herself in the foot and not being able to play it cool whatsoever) and cracks immediately, telling them she’s seen everything about her case – she’s not interacting with any of it, she certainly didn’t instigate anything, but she knows. (And she is so goddamn proud of her brother.)

At this point, I’d like to pause and consider Nile’s role in the overall narrative of this movie. She’s set up as a foil to Andy, obviously, but she’s also a foil to Booker. Booker, who, like Andy, is a serious pessimist, but who, unlike Andy, still has very fresh memories and trauma associated with being the new kid, which have destroyed him. In his mind (and Andy’s), if Nile communicates with her family, she’ll become just like him in a century or two – bitter, alone, and stuck with her grief and memories of watching her family die and knowing they died resenting her. It’s a small sample size, but this is the only experience they have to go off of.

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

There’s been a lot of discussion of TOG being a fundamentally queer movie – a group of people brought together because of something inherent about themselves that is different, that must be hidden, that causes others to hate, fear, and reject them. Booker’s backstory is the archetypal traumatic “coming out” story – his family learns who he is, hate him for it, and attempt to cast him out of their lives. He’s stuck with his trauma, his pain, his loss, and it consumes him.

But what if Nile’s family would be the opposite? What if her “coming out” to them as immortal is met with acceptance, love, celebration? What if her family is just overjoyed to have her back, and they don’t care what the circumstances are? I'm reminded of this incredible post from @shitty-old-guard-deaths a while back, where Nile’s mother hits Booker with a frying pan because “my baby let me believe she was dead for FIVE YEARS based on your bad advice???” (which may or may not have inspired this whole tangent). Nile takes the advice of someone who did the same thing she wants to do because she doesn’t want to risk her family’s rejection. She wants the good memories with her family and is afraid that showing them her true self will bring her unbearable pain, forever replacing those memories. But, with high risk comes high reward.

Anyway. Nile and the team are trying to come up with a plan for how to handle this whole thing, but she’s not really participating because she’s too afraid to hope. Until finally, quickly, so she doesn’t lose her nerve, she suggests she reach out to them, knowing that, realistically, that’s the only solution before things snowball even further out of control. The team is shocked, but realize that she has a point. They decide that Copley should actually be the first point of contact, posing as a US government official to talk with them and test the waters.

So Copley goes to Nile’s family’s house to talk with her mom and brother. They’re probably distrustful and apprehensive, but nonetheless secretly ecstatic that their work has paid off. They talk and review all of the information that they’ve collected, including testimonials from the people on Nile’s base and recent sightings (along with photos) of Nile (with the same three people) over the last few years that people have sent them but they haven’t posted publicly. At this point, Copley’s like, yeah this is about to blow up, we gotta put our cards on the table. He convinces them to come with him to some safe house/black site/whatever he can get that is technologically impenetrable (I’m picturing them in like, an interrogation room at a police station kind of deal), takes their phones, locks the doors, and brings in Nile.

What follows is the most delightful reunion scene of all time, bringing Joe, Nicky, and even Andy to tears as they watch and listen from outside the room. With Copley’s help, Nile tells her mom and brother about her immortality and what’s been going on since she died (within reason, of course), and they are thrilled. They don’t understand why (because no one does) but they don’t question it and they see it as a gift from God – she’s been resurrected, she will live, and she has a purpose. Her mother and brother are so happy to see her again and are willing to agree with pretty much anything to stay in her life as long as they can.

So. They set up some complicated agreement (they bring in the other three for support/intimidation as needed) setting the terms of their relationship. They swear Nile’s family to secrecy, maybe bringing up the lab to show how high the stakes are, and they readily agree. They come up with some cover story for Nile’s brother to share on the message boards (maybe that the government has opened an investigation but because it’s an open case he has to shut it all down? Tells people to direct their tips somewhere else? Something to that effect). There’s still speculation, of course, but without Nile’s brother at the helm providing the energy, the hype dies down as news stories are wont to do without any movement. And Nile’s family goes to work for the team. The experience has taught them that Copley can’t possibly do everything himself, especially when it comes to social media, so Nile’s brother takes the lead on the day-to-day tracking/social media while Copley and her mom focus on finding jobs and scrubbing their traces afterward.

So there you have it: Nile gets to integrate her biological family into her found family and spend the rest of their lives with them as it should be, Copley gets some badly needed help managing the reality of social media, the team finally has a positive narrative surrounding outsiders Knowing About Them AND about interacting with people from their previous life, and the audience gets the happy ending to this very lovely and very queer story to counteract the pain associated with Booker’s family.

Plus, you know, I’m a sucker for both a good government conspiracy theory and for Nile getting every good thing she deserves.

#the old guard #tog #tog fanfiction #tog meta #immortal family #nile freeman #mine #damn look at me contributing to a fandom! that’s new #pls reblog if you like this my self esteem could really use it #I just love nile so much and I’m being the nile-centric content I want to see in the world #it is just genuinely nuts to think abt how this situation would be perceived by anyone outside the narrative #she just mysteriously heals from a fatal injury and then VANISHES!!! this should be national fuckin news #also I do think there’s a major hole in the story when you think abt social media #like the only time it’s even hinted at is right at the very beginning when Andy erases that girl’s selfie #and the concept of fuckin Reddit is not even brought up despite Copley’s stalker board being analog Reddit #there’s just a lot of places one could go with this which is very much what we got here #1k

3K notes · View notes

iffeelscouldkill · 3 years

Text

this is the place that they pull you to

A/N: I would say “my hand slipped” but this actually took me like a week to write xD

This is a post-season 2 episode 1 fic, so, here be spoilers! Basically I was talking to @dragonsthough101 about how I was expecting more emotional fallout on McCabe’s end from all of the conflict and tensions in episode 1 and the putdowns from Arkady, and while I’m sure we will get that in the podcast, it also occurred to me that I could... write that :D and thus *flourishes hands*

Title is taken from Wires by Savlonic, because I was listening to it and I realised it’s actually a very good song for RJ, both under the Regime and after. And now I earworm myself whenever I work on this fic xD

---

Once the door to RJ’s room on the Iris II has slid shut behind them and the red ‘lock’ light has engaged, they let out a shaky breath.

Then, only then, do they allow their lower lip to tremble.

RJ shuffles over to the bed – more like a cot really, but that’s long-haul space travel for you – and drops down onto it. Park’s words from earlier are looping inside their head. “I hope you’re right. But honestly, in this moment, McCabe? I’m glad we don’t have to find out.”

RJ lets out another shaky breath that’s closer to a sob, and blinks back the tears that are forming in their eyes. It doesn’t completely work, and a couple escape and track down their cheeks. RJ smears them away with the palm of their hand. “Get a grip, McCabe,” they mutter angrily to themself. Sure, they might be alone in their room right now, but they know better than to feel like it’s safe to relax or let go. Someone could be by any minute to check on them, or there might be a situation that requires all crew members to come to the mess hall, or the cockpit, and then how will RJ explain their red eyes and wrung-out demeanour?

It’s not safe to let their guard down. It hasn’t been for weeks. Even around Park, the one person on this vessel RJ knows they can trust, RJ feels – off-kilter, like they’re lagging a step behind everything. RJ is still trying to get used to not addressing him as “Agent”, to figure out what they can and can’t say now, to navigate their new relationship. As friends – but are they friends? Does Park even like RJ, outside of the context of them working together under the Republic?

It seems uncharitable to think, and RJ and Park had always had a good relationship as colleagues – they hadn’t been close, and Park had seemed pretty inscrutable to RJ at first, but then they’d got used to his way of working and communicating. Figured out how to make him crack a smile. Drawn some praise from him, even, and realised that underneath everything he was a caring person, and a good boss.

But RJ had also thought – been sure – that Park was loyal to the Republic, so how well did they really know him? Know this Park? And Park has been treating them… warily, especially these past few days. Not coldly or poorly, but a little bit at arm’s length. Like he isn’t sure what they might do. Like he doesn’t trust them, even though RJ trusts Park totally – to the point where they were willing to throw over their whole career, everything they’d worked so hard for, and follow him onto the Iris II.

Granted, they also hadn’t had a lot of other options at that time, but RJ still isn’t sure they would have made the same decision if Park hadn’t been there.

And yet here they both are, and Park is already a fixture in the cockpit, watching the controls when Tripat- when Sana or Krejjh needs a break, having apparently built up some experience as a co-pilot for long-haul transports after serving in the military (yet another thing that RJ didn’t know about him). And he’s comfortable enough with the crew to be on bantering terms with them, to suggest plans involving decommissioned government satellites. Whereas RJ…

“Cram it, McCabe!”

RJ’s lip trembles again, this time in earnest. And RJ would like to pretend that these are angry tears, or frustrated or indignant tears, but they’re really not. RJ wants to be angry, to stand their ground and fire back and give as good as they get and somehow manage to verbally earn the others’ respect; to be seen as a person instead of a suspect or a liability. But they’ve struck the wrong chord every time. RJ is sick of the awkward tension every time they’re in the room; sick of Arkady’s prickly snappishness and Sana’s increasingly weary peacemaking; sick of the unspoken communication between the crew that they can’t parse.

It doesn’t help to realise that the crew must have got practiced at that during the weeks they spent evading the IGR’s scrutiny before they made landing on New Jupiter. At least Park could say he hadn’t been there by that point. But McCabe had, headphones on, straining to parse something from every off-handed comment, every loaded silence.

Park wasn’t there because he was being tortured in Zone Z, McCabe thinks, and abruptly feels sick. Sick at the thought, and sick of themself for – not thinking, for even considering for a split second that Park might be somehow better off. After being imprisoned, cut off from his friends and family, tortured and maimed by a government he’d spent years of his life serving.

The same government that he believes RJ was thinking of selling them out to.

This realisation steals the breath from RJ’s lungs with a whoosh, and all of a sudden they don’t feel sick, or indignant, or hurt – they just feel cold.

RJ hadn’t been able to explain to Park in the moment exactly what they’d been thinking by withholding the information about the Fowleys being bugged and monitored (because of course they were). When the ‘offer’ from Jay Fowley had first come through, the crew hadn’t been desperate enough to seriously consider it, and by the time they were… well, they’d been on the verge of figuring things out anyway. And RJ had been feeling angry, and vindictive, and not in the mood to volunteer anything that would aid the crew; not when doing that had got them into this mess in the first place.

And maybe in the back of their mind, a voice had been whispering that they should keep their options open. It’s a voice that gets louder in the dark, when RJ is lying awake on their bunk, unable to sleep for replaying those moments in the corridor, the way that it felt like the ground was falling out from under them as Goodman denounced them and Park as defectors. It gets louder whenever RJ clashes with Arkady, whenever they catch uncertain glances from the other crew members, whenever RJ wanders the corridors of this godforsaken claustrophobic ship and realises that this is it now. This is their whole life.

But they never thought about how that might look to Park. It’s like in RJ’s head there are somehow two Republics: the one that would be capable of doing such horrible things to Park – to any person, much less one who hadn’t been demonstrably proven guilty – and the one that RJ had dedicated their career to serving, that they had believed was just and good and right.

RJ wants to find him and apologise, to try and explain, to share some of the fears and secret thoughts that have been curdling on the back of their tongue these past weeks.

But Park told them to get some rest, and RJ has enough awareness to realise that there’s a much higher chance of the conversation turning out well if they sleep a while first. So, reluctantly, RJ toes off their shoes and shrugs off their vest, and wriggles underneath the taut blanket attached to the bunk.

Either they’ve reached some kind of peace with themself or they’re more exhausted than they realised, because sleep overtakes them in minutes.

---

RJ is woken by a knocking at the door: light and tentative at first, and then firmer and louder. As always, it takes a moment for their brain to catch up with their surroundings: the hard bunk beneath them, followed by the bare walls of their room, still unadorned (RJ wasn’t exactly carrying any personal belongings when they fled CUI Headquarters, and the ship hadn’t made any stops since. Not that RJ knows what they would put in their room anyway. There hadn’t been much to leave behind on New Jupiter). RJ sits up and rubs an arm across their eyes, then goes to answer the door.

It’s Violet. RJ clamps down on the reflexive urge to say something like, ‘Did you draw the short straw?’, or maybe, ‘Did they send you to manage me?’ Violet doesn’t look like she’s here under duress, and to RJ’s memory, she’s not a particularly good actor.

“Hi,” they say instead.

“Hi,” Violet replies with a little smile. There’s always a weird dissonance – though RJ would never, ever bring this up – that comes from hearing the voices of the Rumor crew come out of the mouths of actual people instead of a recording. “How did you sleep?”

“Uh…” RJ thinks back, and is surprised to find that the answer is ‘well’. They actually feel… slightly refreshed. “Fine.” Belatedly, they tack on, “Thank you.”

“That’s good to hear.” Violet smiles again. She’s never been unfriendly to RJ, but these past several days, she’s seemed more on edge, more prone to sarcastic retorts, less willing to make peace between them and Patel- Arkady. RJ had believed that her patience was slowly fraying, that like the rest of the crew, she was only willing to put up with the new additions to the ship for a certain amount of time and that she’d stop pretending before long. But now, taking in Violet’s looser posture, the way some of the lines around her eyes and mouth have eased, RJ realises it had never had anything to do with them. Violet had been worried about the supplies. About her… medical emergency.

Speaking of supplies… “Did Park tell you what we wanted to add to the list?” RJ asks, figuring they’d better add a bit of verisimilitude to the excuse that Park had used to speak to RJ alone.

Violet’s smile widens. “He did. I definitely agree about replenishing our coffee supplies – though, I don’t know what kind of quality you’re used to, because I should warn you that the black market kind – the affordable black market kind, anyway – is pretty bad. We get non-freeze-dried coffee whenever we can, but out here…” Violet shrugs as if to say, ‘Beggars can’t be choosers’.

RJ manages to suppress a wince at the term “black market”. This is your life, now, RJ, they remind themself for the thousandth time. “That’s okay. The stuff in the IGR breakrooms was basically dreck. I can drink pretty much anything.” RJ is no coffee lover, but they drink it for the caffeine. Pretty much everyone in the Republic has a caffeine addiction or develops one at some point – no way to get through eighteen-hour shifts without it.

Violet chuckles a little. “It was always the same at my lab internships. I guess bad breakroom coffee is pretty universal.”

RJ recognises that she’s trying to bond with them by referencing shared experiences of working for the Republic. It’s not the first time she’s done it. But RJ still has trouble seeing their circumstances as equivalent.

Violet is – had been – a scientist, not an Agent; not one of the IGR’s most loyal, tasked with the defence of the Republic. She’d never had access to classified briefings; hadn’t dedicated her life to tracking down and apprehending insurgent forces. And given that the Rumor crew had deceived her into entering the cryo chamber, she could argue that she’d been duped – and had only co-operated in order to save her own life. Well, the argument would hold water up until Elion, anyway.

It wasn’t the same.

The silence hangs for a few moments, before RJ prompts her, “Did you want to… ask me something?”

“Sorry, yes – I came to tell you that dinner’s ready and uh, we’re about to eat in the mess hall if you’d like to join us.” Violet smiles again, with a touch of nervousness this time. No doubt she’s expecting a caustic brush-off.

“Is it veggie stew?” RJ can’t help asking, with a slight nose wrinkle. They’re expecting a rebuke from Violet, some kind of warning about being grateful for what they have, but instead she laughs.

“Unfortunately. On the bright side, though, it’s only for a couple more days and then we’ll be able to have actual flavourings again.”

RJ almost smiles, and is surprised when they catch themself. And – they were going to decline, make an excuse about continuing their nap, because they’re still feeling off-kilter and they doubt that Arkady will be thrilled to be spending time in close quarters with them so soon, but – they think about Park’s talk with them in the hallway. About how they’ve spent the past few weeks dodging any kind of connection with the rest of the crew, anything that will put them past, in RJ’s mind, the point of no return – and where exactly that’s got them.

“Sure,” says RJ. “Just let me, uh…”

They put a hand up to their hair, realising that it must be sticking up in all directions after their nap. Short hair is gratifyingly easy to take care of, but it sure does have interesting ideas about gravity.

“I have a comb you can borrow, if you need it?” Violet offers.

“It’s fine,” RJ declines automatically. “Park-”

They catch themself, wondering why it feels like such a concession to accept even this tiny piece of help from someone other than Park. They think about their bare room, empty of any personal possessions.

“I’m okay right now,” they say slowly. “But… is it too late to add something to the shopping list?”

Violet blinks, clearly surprised, and then smiles brightly. “Not at all.”

---

Five minutes later, hair tamed and clothes straightened, RJ makes their way towards the mess hall, which adjoins the kitchen. They haven’t spent much time in here so far – there’d been a couple of communal dinners at first, which quickly gave way to the reality of shifts ending at disparate times and the need to simply grab food however and whenever people could, something RJ had been grateful for.

Once, on their way to the kitchen, they’d walked in on Violet and Arkady having what looked like a picnic at the table in the centre of the room, just the two of them. That had been awkward for everyone. Since then, RJ has taken to finding their food and snacks at times when they know most of the crew are otherwise occupied.

Everyone else is already there and making more noise than you would think a group of six people could generate. Brian is in the kitchen, ladling bland servings of stew into the uniform polypropylene bowls that they’d found stacked inside the cupboards. Krejjh stands next to him, loudly enthusing about the virtues of the stew to anyone within earshot. Violet and Sana are waiting to be served, while Arkady – who has just been handed a full bowl by Brian – rolls her eyes and makes sarcastic comments as she carries it through to the mess hall. There, Park is sitting in one of the bolted-down chairs, watching the whole scene with a slightly raised eyebrow and waiting, if RJ had to guess, for the general hubbub to die down before he goes to get his food.

RJ pads over and slides into the chair on the same side as Park’s good eye. Park turns his head slightly, giving them a quick once-over, almost too brief to catch. “Hi,” he says quietly. “How was your nap?”

RJ hesitates over what to say. “It helped,” they reply. “Park, can we… talk? After dinner?”

The tiniest of frowns creases Park’s forehead. “Sure,” he says. “Everything all right?”

RJ nods, drumming their fingers on the tabletop and meeting Violet’s gaze as she comes over to sit next to Arkady, giving RJ a friendly smile. They don’t quite return it, but… it’s not as unwelcome as it would have been, before.

“Yeah,” they say to Park. “It’s fine.”

#TSCOSI #The Strange Case of Starship Iris #TSCOSI spoilers #RJ McCabe #Jin Seon Park #Violet Liu #Starship Iris Season 2 #ficlet #did I write *another* fic about RJ adjusting to life on the Iris II without a hint of irony?#yes yes I did #but I swear I haven't forgotten about the original! Chapter 5 is coming!#I have not abandoned it even though I am apparently writing two coda ficlets for every episode that comes out #also I need to write fic for TSCOSI week *sweats*#and I just signed up for the Podcast Big Bang #this is fine #anyway it was interesting exploring the differences between this RJ and the RJ I characterise in Adjusting #because obviously they're very different and I hope that came across #but in both iterations I do think Violet would be the one to reach out first #because despite what McCabe thinks she *can* relate #I did ponder having Sana be the one to come to RJ's room and I think she would also do that #but I'm just here banging my little Violet & RJ friendship drum #I feel like Arkady came off a little badly in this but it's just RJ's perspective #they obviously don't get along right now but I am confident they will be best frenemies later #and have badass team-ups in the field

33 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

Django Unchained, Halloween III and Clerks II Are Streaming Free on Plex This Month

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This story is presented by Plex

Streaming is getting expensive. What started as the cheap alternative to let you watch all of your favorite content and cut the cord on your cable subscription has ballooned into an arms race where one must shell out cash to several different providers just to watch their favorite movies or shows. Thankfully, Plex TV is here to entertain you and provide some relief to your wallet.

Plex is a globally available one-stop-shop streaming media service offering thousands of free movies and TV shows and hundreds of free-to-stream live TV channels, from the biggest names in entertainment, including Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Lionsgate, Legendary, AMC, A+E, Crackle, and Reuters. Plex is the only streaming service that lets users manage their personal media alongside a continuously growing library of free third-party entertainment spanning all genres, interests, and mediums including podcasts, music, and more. With a highly customizable interface and smart recommendations based on the media you enjoy, Plex brings its users the best media experience on the planet from any device, anywhere.

Plex releases brand new and beloved titles to its platform monthly and we’ll be here to help you identify the cream of the crop. View Plex TV now for the best free entertainment streaming and check back each month for Den of Geek Critics’ picks!

DEN OF GEEK CRITICS PICKS

Django Unchained

The second of Quentin Tarantino’s revisionist history lessons, Django Unchained is a provocative, post-modern Western film that mixes the widescreen sensibilities of Sergio Leone with Tarantino’s own gonzo impulses to create something hyper-violent, subversively funny, and more than a bit uncomfortable. Jamie Foxx stars as a slave freed by a German bounty hunter played by Christoph Waltz. Waltz won an Oscar for his performance as the kind German that takes in the stoic but savvy Django as his partner. Together, they travel the pre-Civil War South, killing slavers and savage men. Eventually, they embark on a more personal mission, as Django intends to free his beloved wife from a sadistic plantation owner played by a scenery-chewing Leonardo DiCaprio. With anachronistic needle-drops, hands-over-eyes horrors, and more blood than a donation bank, Django Unchained is an epic, entertaining revenge fantasy for the ages.

Silver Linings Playbook

From director David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook is a screwball romantic comedy for the modern age. Despite inviting, yet livewire lead performances from Jennifer Lawerence and Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook really shines as an ensemble: Robert DeNiro, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker and Anupam Kher bring fully-realized characters to life in just a handful of scenes. Based on Matthew Quick’s novel of the same name, Silver Linings Playbook finds Bradley Cooper as a man who has been released from a psychiatric hospital a bit too soon. He’s frantically trying to prove that he’s bettered himself in an effort to win back his wife, but when he meets the equally unstable and filterless character played by Jennifer Lawerence, unusual sparks fly. Combining the familiar tropes of a sports film with unorthodox romantic leads, Silver Linings Playbook is a crowd-pleasing watch that creates harmony out of dysfunction.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

It never mattered where Anthony Bourdain was going, we just wanted to be along for the ride. We lost the soulful, iconoclastic bad-boy of the culinary world far too soon, but he left behind a treasure trove of rewarding travelogues that tackled culture, social dynamics, and most importantly, food. Whether he was weighing in on a world-famous culinary hotspot or peeling back the curtain on a hole-in-wall gem, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations was always thoughtful, fearless, and never less than authentic. It’s the rare show that is as educational as it is entertaining, hosted by a candid host who knew how to travel, knew where to eat, but most crucially, knew how to connect with people. Reality TV doesn’t get realer than this.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Following the mind-boggling success of the original Halloween, director John Carpenter had a clever idea. Instead of churning out sequels starring Michael Meyers, Halloween would become an anthology series, with each new film telling a spooky tale centered on the October holiday. The concept was inevitably scrapped, but Halloween III: Season of the Witch suggests that maybe Carpenter and co. should have stuck to their guns. Taking inspiration from Invasion of the Body Snatchers and working off a concept that Carpenter described as “witchcraft meets the computer age,” Halloween III: Season of the Witch finds a doctor and the daughter of a toy maker trying to uncover the horrifying truth behind the town of Santa Mara, home to Silver Shamrock, the world’s largest manufacturer of Halloween masks. Intelligent, surprising, and disturbing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is due for a critical reevaluation that heralds it as one of the most ambitious horror movies of the ‘80s

Clerks II

With the recent announcement that Clerks III has started production, it’s the perfect time to revisit Kevin Smith’s first-sequel to his independent film phenomenon, Clerks. Clerks II picks up with our titular clerks Dante and Randall 10 years after the events of the first film. The Quick Stop has gone up in flames and been replaced with a Mooby’s fast food restaurant. Dante and Randall toil the day away with their sheltered co-worker Elias and too-cool for minimum wage manager Becky. While the film tackles adult male friendships and middle age complacency, it’s main appeal is still sitting around, shooting the shit with your pals and listening to their expletive-filled rants about Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or whatever pop culture fascination that they’re hung up on. Come for the surprisingly poignant story about Dante deciding to leave his friend behind, stay for Jay, Silent Bob, and a donkey.

New on Plex in August – Full List of Titles

Army of One

Dark Tide

Deadfall

Django Unchained

Escape from Alcatraz

Feast

Ismael’s Ghost

Kickboxer

Lucky Number Sleven

The Naked Gun 2-1/2: The Smell of Fear

The Naked Gun 33-1/3: The Final Insult

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

Pulse

Redemption

Seabiscuit

Silver Linings Playbook

Skyfire

Wind River

Still streaming on Plex:

2:22

The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

22 Bullets

24 Hours to Live

3rd Rock from the Sun

6 Bullets

99 Homes

A Little Bit of Heaven

A Walk in the Woods

Aeon Flux

After.Life

Afternoon Delight

The Air I Breathe

Alan Partridge

ALF

Alone in the Dark

Amelie

Answer Man

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

Arthur and the Invisibles

Battle Royale

Bel Canto

Bernie

Better Watch Out

Black Books

Black Christmas

Black Death

Black Sheep (2006)

Blitz

Blood and Bone

Bobby

Bronson

The Brothers Bloom

The Burning Plain

Cagefighter

Cake

Candy

Cashback

Catch .44

Cell

Chain of Command

Child 44

The Choice

Clerks II

Coherence

The Collector

Congo

Cooties

Cops and Robbers

The Core

The Cotton Club

Critical Condition

Crossing Lines

Croupier

Cube

Cube 2

Cube Zero

Deadfall

The Death and Life of Bobby Z

Death and the Maiden

Death Proof

The Deep Blue Sea

Deep Red

Derailed

The Descent Part 2

Detachment

The Devils’ Rejects

Diary of the Dead

Distorted

District B13

DOA: Dead or Alive

Dragged Across Concrete

Eden Lake

Edison

Europa Resort

Falcon Rising

The Fall

Fido

The Fighting Temptations

Filth

Find Me Guilty

Fire in the Sky

Fire with Fire

Flirting with Disaster

Flowers of War

Flyboys

Force Majeure

Formula 51

Four Lions

Frailty

Frank

Freeway

The Frozen Ground

Getting to Know You

Ghost in the Shell

The Ghost Writer

Ginger Snaps

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

God Bless America

Goon

Goya’s Ghosts

Grand Isle

Grave Encounters

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints

Halloween II

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Hannibal Rising

Happythankyoumoreplease

Hard Candy

Hell’s Kitchen

Hester

High Rise

Highlander

Hobo with a Shotgun

The Homesman

The Horseman

The Host

House of 1000 Corpses

House of the Rising Sun

How I Live Now

The Humanity Bureau

The Hunter

I Give it a Year

I Saw the Devil

I See You

I Spit on Your Grave

Ida

If Only

The Illusionist

In Hell

In the Blood

In Too Deep

The Infiltrator

Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

It’s a Boy Girl Thing

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Jo Nesbo’s Headhunters

Joe

John Dies at the End

The Joneses

Juliet, Naked

Just Getting Started

Kevin Hart: Cold as Balls

King of New York

Kinky Boots

The Kite Runner

Knight of Cups

The Last Days on Mars

The Lazarus Project

Leaves of Grass

The Legend of Hercules

Lethal Eviction

The Limey

Lionheart

A Little Bit of Heaven

A Long Way Down

Love Story

Maggie

The Maiden Heist

A Man Called Ove

The Man from Earth

The Man from Nowhere

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

The Matador

Mesrine Killer: Instinct

The Messenger

Middle Men

Midsomer Murders

Misconduct

Miss Potter

Monster

Monsters

Mother

Mr. Church

Murdoch Mysteries

National Lampoon’s Van Wilder

Never Back Down: No Surrender

Noah

The Oxford Murders

The Paperboy

Paycheck

Personal Effects

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The post Django Unchained, Halloween III and Clerks II Are Streaming Free on Plex This Month appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3CEncLN

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

1 note · View note

dorightdesign · 6 years

Text

The Dawning of the Preppy Resurgence

My personal style is hugely informed by my upbringing & my background isn’t that common in the States. I attended private school all of my life yet was a full-blown city kid growing up in the hood so I’ve always sat somewhere at the intersection of street/urban culture & preppy culture. By the time I reached high school, matching my Nike SBs with my oxford shirt & tie was second nature to me. Young, Black & just as passionate about cardigans as I was the latest Lil’ Wayne mixtape.

I might have eventually gotten into the preppy, American classic aesthetic anyway but I was always passionate about personal style and I had to wear uniforms everyday so I had to adapt. During my high school & early college years there was also a crazy resurgence of the preppy trend. GQ was exposing me to brands like Trovata & Band of Outsiders, blogs like Unabashedly Prep were in their heyday, RL Rugby (R.I.P.) was so hard to find in St. Louis and brothers listened to Jay-Z when he told them to put on a suit and get it tapered up. Prep fashion had a mean run for several years then it kind of fizzled out with the rise of streetwear but it’s looking like it’s making a comeback.

On the latest episode of Highsbobiety’s “Dropcast” show they talked about the resurgence of the preppy look in this upcoming F/W 2018 season. They made a decent argument for the fact that prep never really “fell off” & I definitely agree. We’ve been bombarded with so much streetwear these last few years that we’ve forgotten our roots. Before the rise of hip-hop, skate & punk, the preppy look was the standard. That “Classic Man” mantra wasn’t just for Jidenna and the bastard children of Street Etiquette... that was really how we dressed. Miles Davis, the ambassador of cool, got arrested and beaten by the police in one of the cleanest looks I’d ever seen (not to mention the arm candy he had with him).

Proper tailored blazer. Pants with no pleats. Button-down shirt. This was the standard before the rise of sneakers & streetwear. This is how our fathers & grandfathers dressed. Fuck James Dean! I was a fan of Sidney Poitier. Remember Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate? Fit. GOALS. Granted I love a good leather jacket but a navy blazer makes way more sense to me.

Classic, clean and looking like you come to handle business. Even to this day it looks good. Ralph Lauren is known as THE quintessential American fashion brand- some would argue even America’s first true house! RL perfected that classic, preppy, All-American look and so many fashion brands over here started because of Ralph. This is America’s Louis Vuitton.

Now I’m not always suited up personally but as I get older I’m starting to really reflect on my roots & the way I was raised. I’m craving more oxfords & lace-ups. A certain aspirational-yet-refined look that embodies the American Dream with style as the medium of expression. Do Right Design is just as influenced by prep style and culture as it is hip-hop and street culture & it’s time we blur those lines even more.

#Do Right Design #Mind Of Mars #prep #fashion #style #America #Ralph Lauren

1 note · View note

livesets-dj-mixes-edm-podcasts · 3 years

Photo

Download Pfirter - MindTrip Podcast 058 - Border One for free now!

Artist: Pfirter Show: Pfirter – MindTrip Podcast 058 – Border One Quality: 320 Kbps 48000 Khz Genre: Techno Source: RSS

Discover more Pfirter live sets & radioshows HERE | Listen or download more MindTrip Podcast episodes HERE

Pfirter – MindTrip Podcast 058 – Border One Tracklist

MindTrip Podcast episode 58th welcomes Steven Petit aka Border One for his debut mix. The Belgian artist has amassed an irrefutable reputation in his home country and beyond since the release of his first 12-inch record in 2015. SInce then he released several EPs on labels such as Knowledge Imprint, Setaoc Mass’ SK-eleven, Freddy K’s KEY vinyl imprint, the infamous Token Records as well as his own Border One Records. In his 80min mix he is showcasing his signature sound as a DJ featuring tracks from the likes of Planetary Assault Systems, Rene Wise, Kr!z, Translate, Desroi and more.

This mix can easily be considered the definition of Trippiness so make sure you enjoy responsibly.

This is MindTrip!

01.Nørbak – Genese [Warm Up] 02.Desroi – Vessel [Voltage[ 03.Translate – Usat Major [Edit Select] 04.Border One – Catalyst [KEY] 05.Rene Wise – Hollow [SK_eleven] 06.Skjöld – Infinitum [Edit Select] 07.Staffan Linzatti – Revolving worlds [Modularz] 08.Planetary Assault Systems – Kamani [Ostgut Ton] 09.Planetary Assault Systems – Bang Wap [Token] 10.Pfirter, Oliver Rosemann – Beta 01 [Stockholm LTD] 11.Staffan Linzatti – The Simplifying man [Modularz] 12.Yant – Contravention [SK_eleven] 13.Diego Alberto – Myelin Sheath 14.Linkan Ray – Ground Test [Be As One Imprint] 15.Troy – Gloaming [KEY] 16.Robert Hood – Obey [M-Plant] 17.Kr!z – unreleased 18.Pfirter – Visions of Eternity [Paralelo] 19.Planetary Assault Systems – Say It Loud [Token] 20.Steve Bicknell – Space [Fabric] 21.Deniro – Egalize [Trip] 22.Jay Zoney – Gohst [Dead Cert] 23.Intelligence Service – Self Mode 24.Kaiser – 26 Hours, 26 Minutes [Mood] 25.TWR72 – Zero [Float] 26.PTTRN – Disappear 4 (Mike Parker Remix) [Token] 27.Yant – Electronic Space Storm [SK_eleven] 28.Rhyw – Spoiler [Avian] 29.Irazu – After Beaten [30D records] 30.Albert Van Abbe – Nullpunkt [System Revival]

The podcast Pfirter – MindTrip Podcast is embedded on this page from an open RSS feed. All files, descriptions, artwork and other metadata from the RSS-feed is the property of the podcast owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by EDMliveset.com.

#MindTrip Podcast #Podcasts &amp; Radio Shows

0 notes

mass-and-volume · 7 years

Audio

EPISODE 24 | THE WORK (with Joycelyn Wilson)

The summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school, I went to a summer program called the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP). Basically, if you were particularly good at a subject (ranging from traditional subjects like Language Arts and Science to offerings like French, Fine Art, an instrument, or Dance), you lived on campus at Valdosta State University for 6 months with 600 other highly-passionate nerds. I was there for Math (probably the least passionate and most nerdy sub-group), but nearly all of my memories that summer come from some place other than the 6-8 hours each day I spent learning about new kinds of mathematics. Most of what I remember is from the two guys I spent the most time with on my hall: my roommate, Dallas, and my best friend that summer, Colby. Each had a lasting impression on me in a distinctly different way. And every single thing we did that summer was soundtracked to hip-hop.

When I walked into my room for the very first time, Dallas was blasting Biggie. Life After Death had just come out, and Dallas was all about it. I was more of a lighthearted listener of hip-hop - OutKast was my group, I knew all the words to “Regulate,” and I had some favorites off E. 1999 Eternal, but I had no real exposure to and New York or LA rap. Dallas made sure to learn me. He played a steady dose of Biggie and Tupac, explaining to me the history of both coasts, the sampling techniques, the rivalries. While we were at Nerd Camp, No Way Out and The Art of War both released, and I’d later go home and buy them for myself. Dallas’ biggest contribution to my life - one that still lives on today - is introducing me to “Mo Money Mo Problems” (sidenote, what a glorious video. So weird, though, that Puffy’s caddy didn’t pull the pin for him), one of the top songs of my life and the one that will always make me break conversation and beeline to the dancefloor.

Colby’s sensibilities were drastically different. He was also a Math major, but the type of kid who scared me: loud, brash, inappropriate, and disrespectful to authority. At the time, I didn’t know how those qualities could co-exist with an affinity for mathematics. I’m not sure why he paid me any attention, but we found ourselves in conversation on the first night of GHP and were close to inseparable for the rest of the summer. One of us mentioned OutKast at some point - it’s difficult to believe there was a pre-Aquemini world, but this was… somehow pre-Aquemini. And even though we were in Georgia and it would have been weirder for someone to not know OutKast than to love them, this connection was the keystone for our friendship. It opened up the world for our summer in Valdosta: sitting in hallways, cafeterias, or laundry rooms, playing Spades as ATLiens blasted, front-to-back, from the AIWA boombox I’d brought. Colby turning me onto Pete Rock and CL Smooth while we worked on a math project. Debating whether or not the next album should be Goodie Mob or The Roots.

That summer changed my life in a lot of ways, but the one thing I’ll never forget is how it sounded. And how it bounced. And because I was taking in so many new experiences (first or new definitions of independence and romance and connection), the values I underscored for each were shaped by the stories I heard day and night. Hip-hop became one of the primary lenses through which I see the world, and it remains the form of art or media that excites me most to consume, absorb, investigate, and understand.

After that summer, my path traveled through Bad Boy and Bone Thugs, 2Pac's Greatest Hits, and The Roots' catalog in between OutKast releases every 2 years. After Stankonia, I drifted more into the crossover and/or R&B side of rap (thank you, TRL): Nelly and Murder Inc. and Aftermath and Snoop and basically anything Neptunes-produced along with a lot of stuff from the South: Cash Money, Ludacris, T.I., Jeezy, and others. Around the time I moved to LA, it was all Kanye and The Black Album all the time. And then Drake. So much Drake. Still here for all the Drake.

And it's with this backdrop that I now see the dilemma.

It's an easy listening path from Nostalgia, Ultra to Kaleidoscope Dream to House of Balloons to Late Nights to I Am Not A Human Being to anything-DJ-Mustard-produced... and in what is a very natural sonic progression, the messaging of romance goes from "here are the ways I want to love you, if only I could" to "I'm going to do x with y and you’re gonna z," the variables substituted for words that make most folks (but not the President) very uncomfortable. For pretty much my entire life, I had no interest in finding that line of demarcation.

The song I reference in the podcast is 6LACK's PRBLMS. It occurred to me that I can't stand up the way I want to stand up in the world while fully embracing certain messaging in music, film, television, or otherwise. And while lyrics and storytelling are open to interpretation and speak to that artist's experience, language, or expression, I have to draw my lines. As Dr. Joyce said, that's the work. But I see now that the art of storytellin’ that drew me in and built so much of my world led, years later, to a collection of music I enjoy but doesn’t present the art nor the storytelling I want to present to the world.

As part of an experiment, I thought I'd share a handful of some (previously) favorite tracks by some of my favorite artists. These are artists (or songs) I listen to weekly, if not daily, and have appeared on many a playlist I've made and shared. Some of them have issues because of the year in which they were written, others because of the genre they fall in, others because of the writing itself. But, regardless:

HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC SONGS I USED TO LOVE

Ray Charles - “I Got A Woman”

She's there to love me both day and night

Never grumbles or fusses, always treats me right

Never runnin' in the streets, and leavin' me alone

She knows a woman's place is right there now in her home

Yikes, Ray. And yet debatably less problematic than the anthem it inspired.

Dean Martin - “I’ll Buy That Dream”

Imagine you in a gown white and flowery

And me thanking Dad for your dowry

[Later]

Imagine me on our first anniversary

With someone like you in the nursery

Sounds like Dean’s got all the roles scoped.

OutKast - “Jazzy Belle”

In this dog-eat-dog world

Kitty cats be scratching on my furry coat to curl

Up with me and my bowl of kibbles and bits

I want to earl cause most of the girls that we was liking in high school

Now they dyking…

This one breaks my heart, as this was my first favorite Kast track. I guess for every Sasha Thumper there’s a Suzy Skrew, for every Ms. Jackson, there’s a Hootie Hoo.

Drake - “Shot for Me”

I'm the man, yeah I said it

Bitch, I'm the man, don't you forget it

The way you walk, that's me

The way you talk, that's me

The way you've got your hair up, did you forget that's me?

And the voice in your speaker right now that's me

That's me, and the voice in your ear

That's me, can't you see

That I made it? Yeah, I made it

First I made you who you are and then I made it

Another one that cuts deep. This was a longtime favorite for several choice lines in the 2nd verse.

Jay-Z - “Bitches and Sisters”

Sisters get respect, bitches get what they deserve

Sisters work hard, bitches work your nerves

Sisters hold you down, bitches hold you up

Sisters help you progress, bitches will slow you up

Sisters cook up a meal, play their role with the kids

Bitches in street with their nose in your biz

I mean, the entire conceit of the song is trouble. But in the second verse, after a sample says, “Say Jay-Z, why you gotta go and disrespect the women for, huh?” this is how he defends his point.

In the words of Dr. Joyce on the podcast, “Who wants a sexist social activist?” That’s the work.

-Scotty

Subscribe to Mass + Volume on iTunes. Check out our new website and visit our Patreon page if you feel so inclined.

Show notes:

Dr. Joyce (website | twitter | instagram)

Four-Four Beat Project / Hip-Hop 2020 (website)

Bring The Noize by Dr. Joycelyn Wilson (Bitter Southerner)

In this episode, we referenced:

Big Gipp Details Future's Dungeon Family Background; Rapper Was Known As Meathead (HipHopDX)

Future Describes Dungeon Family Ties And Purposely "Dumbing Down" His Music (HipHopDX)

The Art of Organized Noize documentary (Trailer on YouTube | Watch on Netflix)

Blues People: Negro Music in White America by Leroi Jones (Amazon)

The Making of OutKast's Aquemini (Creative Loafing)

Bad and Boujee Civil War lesson (AJC | youtube)

Migos Rapped A Children's Book. It's Funny, But It Makes Perfect Sense (NPR)

Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Amazon)

Why Is My Life So Hard (Freakonomics podcast)

Music

“SpottieOttieDopalicious” by OutKast (YouTube)

“Synthesizer” - OutKast (YouTube)

“It’s Okay” - Slimm Calhoun feat. Andre 3000 (YouTube)

“She Lives In My Lap” - Andre 3000 (YouTube)

“Coldest Winter” - Kanye West (YouTube)

“Street Lights” - Kanye West (YouTube)

“Made of Glass” - Lil Yachty (YouTube)

“Pretty” - Lil Yachty (YouTube)

“Belly of the Beast” - Da Connect (YouTube)

“March Madness” on Saturday Night Live - Future (YouTube)

“Mask Off” Remix - Future feat. Kendrick Lamar (YouTube)

Soul Music - Tr380 the Future (SoundCloud)

“I’m The One” - DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, and Lil Wayne (YouTube)

4 notes · View notes

concertour · 7 years

Photo

Yo Black Concert is Center Stage, a new concert has been added on http://www.concertour.com/atlanta/black-concert-john-legend-live-in-atlanta-friday-5-19/

Black Concert: John Legend Live in Atlanta Friday 5-19!

[tabs] [tab title=”Date: “]Fri, 05/19/17 08:00 PM[/tab] [tab title=”Venue: “]Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA[/tab] [tab title=”Tickets: “] $83.30 [/tab] [tab title=”Bio: “]John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He has won ten Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe Award, and one Academy Award. In 2007, Legend received the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Prior to the release of Legend’s debut album, his career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with already established artists. At various points in his career, Legend has sung in Magnetic Man’s “Getting Nowhere,” Kanye West’s “All of the Lights,” on Slum Village’s “Selfish,” and Dilated Peoples’ “This Way”. Other collaborative appearances include Jay Z’s “Encore”, backing vocals on Alicia Keys’ 2003 song “You Don’t Know My Name,” the Kanye West remix of Britney Spears’ “Me Against the Music,” and Fort Minor’s “High Road”.

Legend played piano on Lauryn Hill’s “Everything Is Everything”. For his solo work, he earned a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single with “All of Me” in 2013. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2015 for writing the song “Glory” from the film Selma.

In 2001, Devo Springsteen introduced Legend to then up-and-coming hip-hop artist Kanye West; Legend was hired to sing during the hooks of West’s music. After signing to West’s label, he chose his stage name from an idea that was given to him by poet J. Ivy, due to what he perceived as an “old-school sound”. J. Ivy stated, “I heard your music and it reminds me of that music from the old school. You sound like one of the legends. As a matter of fact, that’s what I’m going to call you from now on! I’m going to call you John Legend.” After J. Ivy continued to call him by the new moniker “John Legend,” others quickly caught on, including Kanye West. Despite Legend’s reluctance to change his stage name, he eventually announced his new artist name as John Legend.

Legend released his debut album, Get Lifted, on GOOD Music in December 2004. It featured production by Kanye West, Dave Tozer, and will.i.am, and debuted at number 7 on the US Billboard 200, selling 116,000 copies in its first week. It went on to sell 540,300 copies in the United States and was certified gold by the RIAA. An international success, Get Lifted also reached number one of the Norwegian Albums Chart and peaked within the top ten in the Netherlands and Sweden, resulting in worldwide sales of 850,000 copies.

Critically acclaimed, it won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, and earned Legend another two nominal awards for Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Altogether, the album produced four singles, including debut single “Used to Love U,” which entered the top 30 of the New Zealand and UK Singles Chart, and Grammy Award-winning “Ordinary People” which peaked at 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. John Legend also co-wrote Janet Jackson’s “I Want You”, which was certified platinum and received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

A highly sought after collaborator, Legend was featured on several records the following years. He appeared on albums by Fort Minor, Sérgio Mendes, Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, The Black Eyed Peas, Stephen Colbert, Rich Boy, MSTRKRFT, Chemistry, and Fergie, among others. Legend also tentatively worked with Michael Jackson on a future album for which he had written one song.

In October 2006, Legend’s second album, Once Again, was released. Legend co-wrote and co-produced the bulk of the album, which saw him reteaming with West and will.i.am but also spawned production from Raphael Saadiq, Craig Street, Sa-Ra, Eric Hudson, Devo Springsteen, Dave Tozer and Avenue. Released to major commercial success, it reached number three on the Billboard 200 and debuted on top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA, and reached gold status in Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

At the 2007 Grammy Awards ceremony, the song “Heaven” was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, while lead single “Save Room” received a nod in the Best Male Pop Vocal category. Legend won a second Grammy that year for “Family Affair,” a collaboration with Sly & The Family Stone, Joss Stone and Van Hunt, for the former’s Different Strokes by Different Folks album.[/tab] [tab title=”Photos: “]

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

John Legend

View Picture

section #huge_it_gallery12 padding: 28px !important; min-width: 100%; width: 100%; min-height: 100%; text-align: center; margin: 0; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: #333333; box-shadow: 0 0 10px; #huge_it_gallery12 .huge_it_big_li overflow:hidden; width: 100%; max-width: 242px; height: 152px; margin: 1px -1px !important; border-radius: 5px; padding:0 !important; border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid #444444; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; display: inline-block; #huge_it_gallery12 li img width: 100%; max-width: 240px; height: 150px; margin:0 !important; border-radius: 0px; section #huge_it_gallery12 li .overLayer ul li h2, section #huge_it_gallery12 li .infoLayer ul li h2 font-size: 16px; color: #FFFFFF; section #huge_it_gallery12 li .infoLayer ul li p color: #FFFFFF; section #huge_it_gallery12 li .overLayer, section #huge_it_gallery12 li .infoLayer -webkit-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -moz-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -ms-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -o-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; transition: opacity 0.3s linear; width: 100%; max-width: 242px; height: 152px; position: absolute; text-align: center; opacity: 0; top: 0; left: 0; z-index: 4; max-height: 100%; border-radius: 0px; section #huge_it_gallery12 li a position: absolute; display: block; width: 100%; max-width: 242px; height: 152px; top: 0; left: 0; z-index: 6; max-height: 100%; li#fullPreview list-style: none; .load_more3 margin: 10px 0; position:relative; text-align:center; width:100%; .load_more_button3 border-radius: 10px; display:inline-block; padding:5px 15px; font-size:19px !important;; color:#CCCCCC !important;; background:#333333 !important; cursor:pointer; .load_more_button3:hover color:#D9D9D9 !important; background:#8F827C !important; .loading3 display:none; .paginate3 font-size:22px !important; color:#0A0202 !important; text-align: center; .paginate3 a border-bottom: none !important; .icon-style3 font-size: 22px !important; color:#333333 !important; .clear clear:both; section #huge_it_gallery12 li:hover .overLayer -webkit-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -moz-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -ms-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -o-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; transition: opacity 0.3s linear; opacity: 0.801; display: block; background: #CCCCCC; section #huge_it_gallery12 li:hover .infoLayer -webkit-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -moz-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -ms-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; -o-transition: opacity 0.3s linear; transition: opacity 0.3s linear; opacity: 1; display: block; section #huge_it_gallery12 p text-align:center;

[/tab]

[tab title=”Reviews: “]coming soon[/tab] [tab title=”Setlist: “]Made to Love

Hard Times P Alright / I’ve Been Watching You (Mover Your Sexy Body) (Parliament cover)

Tonight (Best You Ever Had)

Used to Love U

Love in the Future (intro)

The Beginning…

Save the Night

Save Room

Ordinary People

Green Light

Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield cover)

Who Do We Think We Are

Caught Up

Lay Me Down

You & I (Nobody in the World)

What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye cover)

All of Me

Glory[/tab] [tab title=”Tours: “] Darkness and Light Tour 2017[/tab] [tab title=”Discog: “]Get Lifted (2004)

Once Again (2006)

Evolver (2008)

Love in the Future (2013)

Darkness and Light (2016)

Collaborations:

Wake Up! (with The Roots) (2010)[/tab] [tab title=”Film: “]

Television Year Title Role Notes 2006 Sesame Street Himself 2007 Curb Your Enthusiasm Himself/Performer Season 6 finale, “The Bat Mitzvah” Las Vegas Himself/Performer Season 4 Episode 11, “Wagers of Sin” 2008 A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All Forest Ranger Christmas Special 2009 The People Speak Himself Documentary 2010 Dancing with the Stars Himself/Performer 2011 Royal Pains Himself/Performer “Listen to the Music” 2015 The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Himself/Performer Performed with Meghan Trainor Lip Sync Battle Himself/Contestant April 2, 2015 Hollywood Game Night Himself/Contestant Season 3 Episode 1 2016–present Underground Producer Film Year Title Role Notes 2008 Sesame Street: Elmo Loves You! Himself Soul Men Marcus Hooks 2016 Southside with You Producer La La Land Keith

[/tab] [tab title=”Merch:”][/tab] [/tabs]

#Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta GA #john legend #$60.01 &amp; Over #Atlanta #Friday #R &amp; B/ SOUL

4 notes · View notes

womenofcolor15 · 4 years

Text

Presidential Hopeful Kanye West 'Upsets' His Kardashian Family After 'Problematic' Rally Revealing Kim Contemplated Abortion, Divorce Talk & Harriet Tubman NOT Freeing Slaves

Kanye West is seemingly going through another episode and he’s allegedly pissing off the Kardashian Klan and a couple of celebs who were brave enough to speak up. Over the weekend, 'Ye made a campaign appearance in South Carolina where he talked about his wife contemplating abortion, how she might divorce him and made problematic claims about abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

While some folks are asking "Whose mans is this?," others are pleading with friends and family of Kanye to come get him and give him the mental health care they believe he needs.

Kanye West is back in the headlines for making controversial statements about slavery yet AGAIN! Last night, the Jesus is King rapper hosted a political campaign rally in South Carolina (for registered guests only), following his 4th of July announcement that he was running for president this November. Ye is looking to qualify for the ballot in S.C. as an independent candidate via the “Birthday Party.”

Kanye walked in the Exquis Event Center in North Charleston like a walking billboard with “2020” shaved into his head and he rocked a flak jacket (body armor) that said “SECURITY” on it.

While speaking before potential supporters, the 43-year-old revealed he and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, seriously considered terminating their first pregnancy. He first talked about how his mother, Donda West, "saved his life" after his father wanted to abort him.

Kanye West gets emotional while speaking about abortion in South Carolina:

"My Mom saved my life. My Dad wanted to abort me... There would have been no Kanye West."

"I almost killed my daughter." pic.twitter.com/jiGuODxAno

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 19, 2020

”My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would have been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy,” he told the crowd.

”I almost killed my daughter,” he screamed while fighting back tears, opening up about how he and Kim thought about aborting their first pregnancy.

Peep the clip above.

'Ye said abortion should be legal and that there should be financial incentives to help struggling mothers to discourage the practice.

“Everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars,” he said as an example.

This statement wasn't the only reason so many are calling and pleading for him to get help.

Kanye shared a message from God changed their minds and they ended up welcoming their first child, North West, in 2013. After sharing the story, he mentioned his wife could possibly be so upset with him for revealing “his truth” that she may want to divorce him.

"So even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn't want to," the Chi-town rapper said. "She stood up, and she protected that child."

So he revealed this extremely personal medical information of hers without her blessing? Oh.

And that’s not even the most...interesting...part of his appearance. This man had the audacity to say abolitionist Harriet Tubman didn’t actually FREE slaves.

”Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves. She just had the slaves go work for other white people,” he said. Sounds like when he said 400 years of slavery was a CHOICE two years ago.

Check it:

View this post on Instagram

Naw but forreal. This was honestly my reaction to #Kanye take on #harriettubman ... “y’all we LEAVING”.

A post shared by @ toi_island on Jul 19, 2020 at 7:16pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @toi_island on Jul 19, 2020 at 6:25pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

Are you excited??? Tshirt link in bio blvinsomething.com

A post shared by @ toi_island on Jul 19, 2020 at 5:43pm PDT

Ye's "political rally" is pissing folks off - reportedly - especially his wife and her family.

As always, "sources" have hit up TMZ about Kanye and here's what they had to say:

Our sources say those around him believe Kanye is in desperate need of professional help and is in the middle of a serious bipolar episode, but he won't listen to them.

Suffice it to say ... we're told the family is upset that Kanye talked about Kim's first pregnancy and how they discussed abortion, something he says he wanted. Then he blurted out that Kim might divorce him for saying that, but even if she does, he'd thank her for having North.

The "source" went on to say they believe Kanye is hurting his own businesses with comments like the Harriet tubman one, but Kim's won't be because she has distinguished her brand from his so thoroughly.

We see where certain folks' priorities lie.

Rapper T.I., R&B singer Trey Songz and photog Mel D. Cole shared their thoughts about Ye's rally:

View this post on Instagram

Nahhhh WE Can't let you do that Ye'.... What WE NOT gon do is slander nor disrespect the legacy of our heroic Queen Harriet Tubman by telling falsities in an attempt to discredit the contributions she made to LIBERATE OUR PEOPLE‼️ Cuzz U BUGGIN‼️ THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TOO FAR‼️ I truly hope you either have a logical explanation for all this... or get the medical attention you so desperately need Bro. I say this with love and sincerity.

A post shared by TIP (@troubleman31) on Jul 20, 2020 at 9:14am PDT

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) on Jul 20, 2020 at 4:18am PDT

Disability activist @crutches_and_spice broke down the difference between a disability and a chosen behavior, targeting Kanye's antics:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) on Jul 20, 2020 at 4:57am PDT

Oh, and get this....

Kanye said he would like to have Jay-Z as his running mate. During an interview with local Z93 Jamz radio host Kris Kaylin, Kanye said he came to a revelation that Jay, whom he has had a broken relationship with for years, should be his Vice President.

He explained his current running mate Michelle Tidball - a Wyoming preacher - would happily take another position in his cabinet if he found another running mate. Ye mentioned he hadn't spoken to Hov in a long time, but considers it a good thing because it proves he and Jay are actually brothers and bonded for life....

Take a listen below:

youtube

By the way, Kanye announced he's releasing a new album July 24th, so this easily could be PR stunts (in addition to MANY other things) to get album sales:

View this post on Instagram

“New album DONDA coming JULY 24 #2020VISION” #KanyeTweeted (now a deleted tweet)

A post shared by TeamKanyeDaily (@teamkanyedaily) on Jul 18, 2020 at 3:31pm PDT

It's important we point out the WHY and the motives behind certain actions, since he has a large enough cult following - who are already co-signing his every word and ready to write him in on the Presidential ballot - to actually sway the election in Trump or Biden's favor. That's a problem.

The presidential hopeful already appears on Oklahoma's presidential ballot, but he missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in several other states.

Hi guys please sign up to put me on the ballot in South Carolina at any of these locations You can also sign up at the websitehttps://t.co/ZURvTEW9ee pic.twitter.com/3rV5ujExPm

— ye (@kanyewest) July 18, 2020

The PABLO rapper needed 10,000 signatures by noon Monday to appear on the South Carolina ballot, but he didn't make the cut. According to TMZ, the State Election Commission hasn't heard anything from Ye or his campaign before the deadline.

Photo: Lauren Petracca Ipetracca/The Post And Courier via AP/Tinseltown/Shutterstock.com

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/07/20/kanye-wests-pisses-off-the-kardashians-after-ranting-about-kim-getting-an-abortion-divorc

0 notes

richmegavideo · 5 years

Text

De La Soul Are Fighting To Own The Music They Created (Video)

In the last two weeks, the three members of De La Soul have been at the center of a discussion surrounding ownership of catalog and the fairness of record label contracts. That discourse stems from the trio of Dave, Maseo, and Posdnuos notifying fans on social media that they are unhappy with former label, Tommy Boy Music. The home of De La Soul from the late 1980s into the early 2000s planned to release the trio's first six albums digitally, for the first time.

That celebratory news was marred with dissatisfaction from the group. The artists alleged that they were told that they would receive 10% of the royalties from streams and digital sales. Several <a href="https://ift.tt/2HtRW86" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media posts</a>, along with <a href="https://ift.tt/2HcAfuk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a revealing Sway In The Morning interview</a> rallied peers and fans. JAY-Z, Nas, Questlove, Jarobi White, and Masta Ace are just some of the artists who called for action against the nearly 40-year-old label. <a href="https://ift.tt/2HyT7D4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tidal responded by declining to host the six albums</a> until a satisfying contract was in place. Subsequently, <a href="https://ift.tt/2HyT7D4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tommy Boy responded by postponing its plans, in hopes to reach such an agreement</a>.

<a title="Permanent Link to Joe Budden Breaks Down In Tears Discussing De La Soul’s Economic Plight (Video)" href="https://ift.tt/2Hey35B" target="_blank" rel="bookmark noopener">Joe Budden Breaks Down In Tears Discussing De La Soul’s Economic Plight (Video)</a>

As of March 9, no settlement has been reached. 1989's <a href="https://ift.tt/2HtRXca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3 Feet High And Rising</a>, 1991’s <a href="https://ift.tt/2HgIJAP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">De La Soul Is Dead</a>, 1993’s <a href="https://ift.tt/2Hs4s81" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buhloone-Mindstate</a>, 1996’s <a href="https://ift.tt/2Hg2M2f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stakes Is High</a>, 2000’s <a href="https://ift.tt/2HyT8a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump</a>, and 2001’s <a href="https://ift.tt/2HfBB7G" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AOI: Bionix</a> all remain off of digital retailers and streaming platforms.

However, all three members of De La Soul appeared on Drink Champs to discuss the matters with hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. Notably, N.O.R.E. has firsthand experience with Tommy Boy and its namesake founder, Tom Silverman. In a partnership with Penalty Records, Tommy Boy released Capone-N-Noreaga's seminal debut, 1997's <a href="https://ift.tt/2Hy3ZS1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The War Report</a> as well as the host's solo debut, 1998's <a href="https://ift.tt/2HeCJsn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">N.O.R.E. </a>Both efforts are certified gold. However, N.O.R.E. alleges that he was always told that neither album recouped from its budget. Last month, <a href="https://ift.tt/2HcAfuk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">De La Soul spoke about a "phantom $2 million debt"</a> that their former label has cited. Like De La, N.O.R.E. said that he unsuccessfully tried to buy back his early releases in years past.

<a title="Permanent Link to Tommy Boy Has Agreed To Negotiate Better Terms With De La Soul For Their Music" href="https://ift.tt/2HyT7D4" target="_blank" rel="bookmark noopener">Tommy Boy Has Agreed To Negotiate Better Terms With De La Soul For Their Music</a>

In an exclusive segment of De La's Drink Champs episode, the group spoke about where they are right now. Together, two former Tommy Boy acts discuss the renewed focus of ownership in 2019.

"We had a few record exec people reach out behind the scenes," Posdnuos reveals, surrounding the status of De La Soul's Tommy Boy catalog. "Big up to Steve Stoute; he reached out," Maseo adds ahead of the 7:00 mark, referring to <a href="https://ift.tt/2HuDY5O" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a veteran manager and UnitedMasters founder</a> whose career is closely tied to Nas, JAY-Z, and Will Smith.

<a title="Permanent Link to De La Soul Speak In Detail About What Went Wrong With Their Record Company" href="https://ift.tt/2HcAfuk" target="_blank" rel="bookmark noopener">De La Soul Speak In Detail About What Went Wrong With Their Record Company</a>

N.O.R.E. responds, "It's kinda fly now to own your masters. Like back [when we signed our first contracts], we wasn't really thinkin' like that. I'm speaking for myself, not you guys—like I was thinking about an advance, gettin' some jewelry [and other material goods]. Now, it's fly to actually own your material because we want to leave something to [our] children. You ever seen a person that lives in the projects for 30 years? They don't own [the apartment], but it's their house! That's what it feels like!" The group affirms the statement as N.O.R.E. says he has family members who can relate to that declaration. "A good thing for [the housing authority] to do is to say, 'You know what? You should own that.' Tom Silverman, if you're listening—'cause I know you are—this is the best time for you to lead the pack! You lead the way and say, you know what, I'm gonna stop doin' business in this way. You could take this, Tom, and you could flip this whole sh*t, and you could be the winner! You could say, you know what? I'ma give them 50% of their sh*t so everybody [can make money]." N.O.R.E. adds that other former acts from Tommy Boy's legendary run such as Queen Latifah, Naughty By Nature could benefit and celebrate. Maseo responds claiming that he wants to give people the opportunity to "change because we have been given the opportunity to change."

"I think he has an opportunity to lead the way," N.O.R.E. echoes at 27:00. "'Cause there's a lot of people who need these albums—beyond wanting, need these albums. That is a part of Hip-Hop [and this] is a piece missing in Hip-Hop. You can't tell the story of Hip-Hop and then not have that there," the host charges. "There's dual value; The value is in the culture and the history, as well as your pocket. And if you've only got a concept of one [idea], that's where the problem lies," Dave responds.

<a title="Permanent Link to T.I. Joins Roc Nation, Announces Part Ownership In Tidal" href="https://ift.tt/2HfRqLO" target="_blank" rel="bookmark noopener">T.I. Joins Roc Nation, Announces Part Ownership In Tidal</a>

While N.O.R.E. suggests a 50% partnership, the group says, in no uncertain terms, that they seek ownership. The host asks the Native Tongues co-founders, "what is your [desired] end result?" At 11:30, Plug 3 says, "At this point, ownership. Owning my catalog, that would make a world of difference. That'd make it easy to show up for work and do what we need to do." N.O.R.E. embraces the DJ/producer as the live studio audience applauds. The Queens, New York MC-turned-host proclaims, "It's time to make that right. I feel y'all so much." Maseo adds that since 2002, De La Soul has exclusively done partnerships. That includes releases with Sanctuary Urban, Nike, a crowd-sourced album, and <a href="https://ift.tt/2HrBwNv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an upcoming DJ Premier and Pete Rock-produced release</a> in conjunction with Nas' Mass Appeal Records imprint.

Maseo adds that following a Super Bowl Halftime performance, he understands that Missy Elliott sold more than a million downloads of catalog hit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjIvu7e6Wq8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Work It."</a> Thus, he feels that following <a href="https://ift.tt/2HhuviV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Obama's 2016 personal request to perform on The White House lawn</a>, De La Soul could have made significant revenue from the now-30-year-old <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8-9mY-JACM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Me, Myself & I."</a> However, the song was digitally unavailable. Despite hurdles such as this, 3 Feet High... has reached The Library Of Congress archives and achieved other esteemed feats.

<a title="Permanent Link to Xzibit Explains Why Pimp My Ride Was Profitable For Everyone But Him" href="https://ift.tt/2Hq7kCi" target="_blank" rel="bookmark noopener">Xzibit Explains Why Pimp My Ride Was Profitable For Everyone But Him</a>

At 13:30, the interview broaches what De La Soul seeks in negotiation. "What can the fans do?" DJ EFN asks the Grammy Award-winning trio. "I would sincerely ask in support of the fans and the culture, yo, don't press play. If [the catalog] actually comes up online, don't press play until we give it a go—'til we actually say, 'Yo, we're happy. Thumbs up, guys. Let's rock. We kissed; we made up.' Until we say [that], do not press play. If anything, you can get <a href="https://ift.tt/2Hg6o4a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Grind Date</a> [as well as] <a href="https://ift.tt/2Cc0E7l" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and the Anonymous Nobody...</a>; you can get those two [albums]." DJ EFN suggests that fans are still hungry to hear the music. "At the end of the day, it's your choice," responds Mase'. "I want [fans] to have it; I really do. But sh*t ain't right. Period. So let's get it right. And if you want to support, don't press play."

N.O.R.E. likens the fans' struggle with the NFL boycott <a href="https://ift.tt/2UyVF8a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surrounding Colin Kaepernick's protests</a>. Maseo, whose son, Tre Mason, was in the NFL for several years, agrees. "Absolutely. Because you're a fan of players out there, you know people out there that's playin', you're connected to the game your whole life, it's America's thing. Just like Hip-Hop. It's America's thing, the world's thing, an international thing. Yeah, and we ain't really still playin' it fair."

<a href="https://ift.tt/2HuDY5O" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Man Who Guided Nas’ Career Has $70 Million To Help Hip-Hop Artists Keep Their Masters</a>

At 26:30, N.O.R.E. reveals that through a third-party, Tom Silverman was invited to participate in the episode discussion. Silverman, who founded his label in the early 1980s, reportedly declined in effort to progress with negotiations. "That's all we're trying to do: We just want to find a happy place with all this, man" Dave notes, after acknowledging that reported decision. Pos' adds that many people have had a constructive dialogue with the group during the last two weeks. He suggests people that know Tom Silverman and the label staff do the same in hopes of reaching an agreement or understanding.

N.O.R.E. speaks about his former employer near the close of the clip. "It's his chance to say, you know what? These are kids that I signed, these are kids that I was part of their career, and now they're grown men. Let me do business with them as such." The group harmonizes the last two words in the statement with the Drink Champs host. "This is your turn to do that, and you can lead the way." DJ EFN adds that such a move would "revamp the way business is done." N.O.R.E. interjects, "You can rectify the situation and say, [let us] be business partners from here on out. 'Partners' is the keyword." The host asserts that in addition to De La Soul and Tommy Boy, Hip-Hop is now at the negotiation table.

<a title="Permanent Link to Kendrick Lamar Is Now A Part Owner Of His Record Company" href="https://ift.tt/2Cg9dhv" target="_blank" rel="bookmark noopener">Kendrick Lamar Is Now A Part Owner Of His Record Company</a>

The full De La Soul Drink Champs episode premieres on March 28 on Revolt and March 29 digitally.

</div> </div>

The post De La Soul Are Fighting To Own The Music They Created (Video) appeared first on .

from WordPress http://www.richmegavideo.com/de-la-soul-are-fighting-to-own-the-music-they-created-video/

#Hip Hop

0 notes

theworstbob · 7 years

Text

the thing journal, 7.2.2017 - 7.8.2017

capsule review-like entries about the things i saw or heard last week. in this post: lord steppington, the golden hour, the last man on earth, souled out, splasher, le jour se leve, creed, a 14 ans, 4:44, singles, heart beats

1) Lord Steppington, by The Step Brothers: I wrote a brief paean to Rhymesayers last week, and I do stand by it, I'm just not thinking about this album specifically when thinking about the label. It's a decent album, it's very Midwest in spirit what with the soul samples and whatnot, but it's also thoroughly whelming Midwest rap. And that's not a bad thing, not every album is destined to be the best album ever! And "this album is OK" isn't that great a criticism, like oh no, how dare something not instill a fire within me, and we didn't make it five sentences into this album before I wrote about writing. Tomorrow will come.

2) The Golden Hour, by Kimbra: So real talk, I sort of thought this album was gonna be the biggest waste of time of all the 2014 joints I added to the library. I only knew her from the Gotye song, she was described as "dream pop" which doesn't sound like anything which could capitavate me, I'm not 110% into the Gotye song if I'm being perfectly honest, it seemed like a bad time from the second I hit "add." But wouldn't you know it, while there was a lot of indie bullshit (man "90s music" is such a predictable bummer), there were actually two (2) disco-y tracks that went hard as hell and made me pay attention. I sort of expected this entire album to move at 3 MPH for 50 minutes, and while I recognize it's not fair to weigh an album against one's expectations (0/2! nailing it this week!), the dance tracks themselves were actually great, and knowing Kimbra was capable of doing more than whisper plaintively made me pay attention to the rest of the album, and there was some really cool stuff in there. Not my cup of tea, but not something I'd refuse if it was what a host had on offer.

3) The Last Man on Earth s3, cr. Will Forte: Definitely the best season so far. The episode where Tandy takes Kenneth Choi to his home in Seattle while Carol tries to get Gail to adopt her is so good, it feels like something the series had to do at some point, acknowledge that these characters had lives before the virus that they are thinking about all the time, and the Kirsten Wiig episode was gold, like, half that episode is just Kristen Wiig yelling at a dog, and that's the better half of the episode. I also really love the version of Tandy who expresses his self-centeredness by trying to be the nicest most helpful boy alive. The show is just so nice and so great and I'm so excited to see where they take s4 in however many months.

4) Souled Out, by Jhene Aiko: One day I'm going to admit to myself that I don't like this kind of music as much as I want to. Like, greatness transcends, I can hear Blood Orange or Solange or SZA and know what I'm listening to is a miracle, but stuff like this or Syd or Smino, like, I want to be where these albums are, but I just can't get to that place. And part of this is just the way I treat music, I know, I'm trying to get the full experience with just one listen on a bus ride home and that's not doing it right, but with albums like this, which are so very subtle and so very understated, what I would get out of the full experience isn't worth the effort it would take to sink into it. I'm sure it's very good, but I'm just never going to be this into mid-tier alt-R&B, and I'm okay with admitting that. Like, I'm about to rave about a colorful platformer video game where you play as a spiky-haired child who bounces off special paint, I'm not quiet R&B introspective jam person.

5) Splasher, dev. Romain Claude: I'm actually writing this like six levels deep into this game because I am absolutely in love. If there's one genre of game I love, it's indie platformer (I like VVVVVV and Runbow, I'm not an afficionado or anything), and this hits a thousand of my buttons. Like, I plunked money on an actual controller for this game, because I tried it for like ten minutes with my keyboard and was like "Nope, nope, this will never work" and set it down (did I write about my first ten minutes in here? Not sure I did. Ah, well!) and now I have a controller and my gosh the movement. This is a game that wants you to move through it quickly, but it never feels like you're out of control at any point, the little orange dude whose name probably doesn't matter is always responding to what you're telling him to do. Like, the air controls! He floats just enough that moving him around is still a skill to be mastered, but not so much so to make it tedious, they struck a really fine balance there. So the game hasn't felt unfair as of yet, all the (many) deaths I have suffered (many, many deaths) have been 100% my fault and have not felt frustrating in any way. And every level with the golden bouncy paint has been absolutely delightful. I'm not sure what later levels have in store for me, I'm sure I'm gonna hit a difficulty curve, but my gosh, what a wonderful little treat!

6) Le Jour Se Leve, dir. Marcel Carne: yes hello hi welcome to post i am reviewing a colorful video game about a bouncing parkour child an 80-year-old french film So I mean I don't have anything to say about this film, but it's just so nuts to consider that films used to look like this and feel like this. Like, the idea of this film wouldn't have been out of place in the dark anti-hero TV drama boom of the 21st century, but cinema had only progressed so far in the '30s, so it's a dark anti-hero drama being told with the cinematic language that had been developed to that point. You can see the first steps being taken to Breaking Bad, but it's several decades away from actually getting there. But the film is also telling its own story, it's not just a marker on the chart of evolutionary progression, it's absolutely worth watching on its own merit, but the entire time, I was just thinking, oh hey I've seen that executed more completely in recent years, that's cool to see the idea before it was fully developed.

7) Creed, dir. Ryan Coogler: The most impressive thing this film did was be a film that worked for someone that had never seen a Rocky movie. It does assume you know some moments from the Rocky series, but only the iconic ones you've seen parodied in other pop culture events. You hear the Rocky theme, you see the steps Rocky walked up, the main character is the son of the most famous adversary, it doesn't traffic in advanced Rocky esoterica, it is just a film that carries the Rocky branding. And I love the way it dealt with legacy. Every single character was trying to do something before life took the opportunity away, and it felt honest while still feeling sort of like meta-commentary, like Creed knew it was going to be judged against Rocky and wanted to prove it was Creed before people called it Rocky in the same way Adonis needed to prove he was Adonis before people started calling him Apollo's son. That's me reading way too much into the movie, though. It was dope. Hey guys did you know that movies a bunch of other people also have seen,,, are good? Sometimes things in the mainstream are OK, too! Anyway here's another French film.

8) A 14 ans, dir. Helene Zimmer: I don't think I've ever seen a film that allowed teenage girls to be the assholes they are in this film. Like, movies like Mean Girls or Easy A or what-have-you are about how teens can hurt each other, but the teens' assholishness is heightened for comedic effect, and the teens all learn lessons in the end. This presents an unvarnished look at how teen girls can absolutely fuck up everyone's lives, and I thought that was fairly admirable. Yet while it was doing that thing, it never lost sight of the fact that its characters were still developing as people, that they weren't necessarily aware they were doing monstrous things they were just kids who don't know any better who were fucking up in ways they might never be able to understand, so the film wasn't this dark look at The Dangers of Teening, it was a sympathetic portrayal of young women figuring out who they wanna be. It’s not a coming-of-age story, it’s a being-of-age story. This is an accurate descriptor of the portrait of young women being painted by this film, and also a joke about how nothing actually like happens in this movie, yeah hello hi it me I like songs that go everywhere and movies that go nowhere.

9) 4:44, by Jay-Z: Everything everyone is saying about this album is correct. I initially balked at the concept of a response album to Lemonade, but I never considered that the word "response" was being used as shorthand for "detail of Jay-Z's emotional response." It's not just that it's a rapper going through his life and loves and considering how he failed, it's that it's Jay-Z, who has spent the last five years rapping about how many yachts he owns. (And it's also just that any rapper this side of Rhymesayers is being this introspective. Like damnit man this is our thing, how dare you be better at this than us.) And just like Lemonade, this is a really fucking good album, and even if it deals with difficult topics, it doesn't handle them in a difficult way, this is an album I'm excited to return to.

10) Singles, by Future Islands: Maybe I'm just not remembering The Far Field well enough, but this man was doing some things with his voice I don't remember doing on The Far Field. There are moments where he dips into this soft growl that are so out-of-place in the middle of these dreamy synthpop tracks yet don't feel jarring, always sort of feel logical. (One would assume the band knows how to structure songs around the things the dude wants to do with his voice. It's weird how bands that are good know how to write songs!) And, gosh, the world has been saying this for a thousand years, but "Seasons (Waiting on You)" is just such an absolutely perfect song.

11) Heart Beat, by Dami Im: Let's go back to Souled Out for a little bit, because if I'm going to listen to something mid-tier, I'd rather listen to something overdramatic than understated. Something like this is what I can get into, All The Singing over the most trashy pop production, not vibing over droning electronic beats. This isn't to suggest that this album is better than Souled Out, Souled Out is probably better on an objective basis, just that this is the sort of thing which more easily draws me in. I am always going to be into a young woman singing joyously about how super a certain emotion (in this case, Love) is. This was a fun 35 minutes or so. I prefer having fun sometimes!

0 notes

shaymehr · 9 years

Text

Music’s Manic Episode Over Digitization

Nestled on the side of the California coast breathing in salty air and luring in young audiophiles is Sound Spectrum, a record shop that’s been right where it’s sitting since 1967.

Wave Baker, a 15-year employee of Sound Spectrum, believes that in music we have “the best of all worlds for us today”.

Baker, a self proclaimed “student of sound,” says that for him the digitization of music has led to music becoming more convenient in “packaged tiny bites” and a growing appreciation of all live sound growing from concerts to the wind.

Baker makes the shift of music into the digital age seem expected and natural, but not everyone agrees with this sentiment.

In the last decade music has shifted more and more from something owned to something borrowed as listeners have shifted from purchasing physical copies of an artist’s work to streaming them online using a variety of platforms.

And regardless of where their loyalties lie, almost every music lover you meet has dipped their toes in the piracy pool if not cannon balled in.

Even music giant, Apple, which has dominated MP3 sales for over a decade is now joining the streaming business with Apple Music.

Streaming services for the first time had generated more sales than CDs in 2014 according to a report released by the Recording Industry Association of America as quoted

It’s safe to say that the battle is over and streaming has come out on top, with a bevy of companies such as Pandora, Spotify, Apple Radio, Google, Tidal and others, now flood the streaming market.

As technology out grows the copyright laws in place, several problems have arisen. Artists complain that they aren’t paid the royalties they are owed with streams of their work. Streaming services struggle to stay afloat or turn a profit, as royalties and licensing fees are too high. And somewhere in between, 20 to possibly 50 percent of the fees are lost to a “black box” of middlemen according to the Berklee College of Music’s Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship as quoted by NPR. Industry insiders refer to this as a black box because the money is not traced back to the writer or artist, but is lost someone along the chain of companies used to pay labels and artists.

But there isn’t even agreement on who is to blame and the finger is pointed in several directions.

Ted Coe, Development Coordinator at KCSB FM, doesn’t think the finger should be pointed at any one entity but the system. He says, “Capitalism has always been a problem for art…it rips at the fabric of doing things because you’re passionate.”

Coe quoted Boots Riley, an artist, saying, “ it’s going to be a different economy for musicians”. He feels that musicians now have to make a choice whether to be viable and lose autonomy or follow their passion and scrape by.

A slew of critics from all corners of the music industry have suggested amendments to law and some other more creative solutions to try to appease all members of the industry.

According to RollingStone, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the music industry’s U.N., decided that one solution to music piracy would be to standardize music release dates. They have been backed by the Music Business Association, which represents many U.S. retailers including Spotify.

In the U.S. before July 10th music was released on Tuesdays, while in other countries the release dates varied. So if one country received a release before another there was incentive to leak the album illegally to virgin ears.

The IFPI announced that the new worldwide release date would be Friday after music consumers were surveyed on their preferences. It is their hope that this will reduce the urge to leak unreleased content and therefore reduce revenue loss for artists and labels.

James H. Richardson, a UCLA law and management scholar, devoted his dissertation to how appropriately changing the compulsory licensing scheme could save the music industry. He suggests changing the foundation with a multi-part amendment to copyright law.

His solution involves tying licensing fees distributors pay to labels to distributor’s revenue. This would prevent distributors from going into deficits or out of business entirely.

Next it involves setting a minimum royalty rate so that distributors would still have to pay artists something even if they were making little to no revenue. This is key in the fledgling phases of more platforms.

And lastly Richardson’s solution involves putting a tax on the licensing fees. This would have the impact of music content being offered at market value, diversity in labels competing and funding for copyright governance boards to function autonomously.

Coe, of KCSB FM, states that industry members he respects are now backing copyright law changes to compensate performers as well causing him to lean in this direction as well.

Hip-hop artist Jay Z came up with a unique solution after trying to collaborate with several streaming platforms, according to NPR. He decided independence was key to artist control and he purchased his own service, named Tidal. With the backing of celebrities like Beyoncé, Daft Punk, Kanye West, Madonna and several other big names, he hopes to focus on giving the largest shares to artists and audio quality. Audio quality is one of the only gripes of users of streaming services. Jay Z hopes to provide uncompressed file options that promise high sound quality to avid audiophiles at a higher price tag. Tidal will have no free version like Pandora or Spotify, which should evade it falling into a deficit early on.

Stephen Masnyj, a long time audiophile and KUCI’s promotions director, believes that large labels are stifling artists. When artists don’t get paid sufficiently they can’t eat or live let alone create.

He proposes a reinstatement of a type of patron system, much like a tech start up. “Like Angel investors, investors would hold a five percent stake in an artist’s work leaving the other ninety five percent to the artist. The five percent would be enough to cover the cost of recording, producing and distribution,” says Masnyj. Angel investors are people who are not interested in being refunded or making interest.

He’s not alone in viewing this path as a solution. It seems to be an up and coming idea in the youngest generation of music industry hopefuls.

One form of this patron system already exists in the crowd-funding site, Kickstarter. Artists encourage fans to donate in order to fund their projects, usually albums, in exchange for gifts of CDs, vinyl, shirts and other merchandise.

Artists like the band, Crook and the Bluff launched their Kickstarter in May 2014 and by June had raised $5,680, which was enough to record and distribute their album both physically and digitally.

In merely two months they had raised enough to produce their art and do so autonomously.

Kenny Oravetz, general manager at KCSB FM and producer of “The Roadtrip”, agrees with the idea of patronage to support and fund artists. He says, “If I was rich and really loved an artist I would make sure they could continue to produce work.”

Another possible solution he offered was one in which labels and artists would change their focus from the store to the experience.

Oravetz believes listeners expect music to be free in a world where everything is instantly available online.

Baker, of Sound Spectrum, goes so far as to say, the “laws of nature are supportive of music being shared” to support this idea.

Labels should focus on the “live experience” and sell tickets, merchandise like shirts, CDs, and vinyl when artists tour. Oravetz states that ticket prices have gone up passed the inflation rate so maybe labels are in fact catching on.

Artists also tour much longer than they have in the past, often longer than a calendar year. This is likely due to the higher revenue stream from performing than producing the album and banking on sales.

Spencer Vonhershman, coordinator of an all ages venue known as Funzone and soon to be radio disc jockey, thinks it’s a little blurrier than simply directing all focus to touring and ticket sales for every band.

He believes that artists loosely fit into three tiers. The lowest tier is composed of “hobby musicians” that would be happy to move up but will take any opportunity. The middle tier is artists that require album sales to keep making music and “scrape through with tours”. And the top tier is artists whose livelihoods provide more than their own income and need album sales to remain at the top.

Essentially album sales are still vitally important to all artists.

However, Vonhershman thinks tying merchandise to albums sales at shows is a creative compromise.

“People want to be able to show their friends they went to the show,” says Vonhershman. He’s referring to when items are packaged with digital downloads. Nowadays vinyl comes with a digital download so that the new wave of young audiophiles can be fully satisfied. They’re not just stuck with this large impractical though rich sounding piece of plastic, but have their portable bite sized MP3s for convenience too.

Strangely enough despite the grand scale shift from physical to digital ownership, digital piracy, and then borrowing through streaming services, vinyl has had a comeback of sorts. It can be found in every hip shopping mall and record stores that are now frequented by a much younger demographic then before.

Vinyl sales are the only physical media that is increasing in revenue. Vinyl sales soared to 9.2 million copies last year, according to Nielsen music as quoted by Stereogum. The average vinyl sold at $23.84, which is up 40% even when adjusting for inflation. So you have an old medium with rising prices and sales.

While the push back of vinyl is far from balancing out the revenue loss from streaming, it is an interesting phenomenon worth exploring since it might contain a truly viable solution.

Wave Baker believes that the draws of vinyl for young people are it’s “warmer and deeper” tones, which “most authentically reproduce the live music experience”.

With digital music the compression means that something’s missing; that the sound waves are crunched together.

It may seem paradoxical that while the mainstream music consumer is shedding their weigh in physical media and “extraneous” sound waves, there’s a growing niche circling back to a largely impractical vinyl.

But the fact is that the market is simply reacting to consumer demands for, as Baker said it, “the best of all worlds”. Vinyl is something physical that can be provided as merchandise at shows, can come with a digital download code for convenience, sells an album, and ultimately results in more of the payment getting to the actual artist.

So it seems that this solution of accommodating the industry by weighing heavier on the live experience is already naturally occurring, at least with vinyl, and is the most viable step in the right direction for the industry.

References

Stephen, Masnyj, promotions director, KUCI.

Kenny, Oravetz, general manager, KCSB FM.

Ted, Coe, developmental coordinator, KCSB FM.

Spencer, Vonhershman, venue owner, Funzone.

Wave Baker, employee, Sound Spectrum.

Geslani, Michelle. “Streaming Music Services Made More Money Than CD Sales For The First Time Ever” [electronic source]. (2015). Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 28, 2015, from consequenceofsound.net.

Grow, Kory. “Music Industry Sets Friday As Global Release Day” [electronic source]. (2015). Rollingstone. Retrieved July 20, 2015, from Rollingstone.com

Hogan, Marc. “Have We Reached Peak Vinyl?” [electronic source]. (2015). Stereogum. Retrieved July 28, 2015, from Stereogum.com

Hogan, Marc. “Is Transparency the Music Industry’s Next Battle?” [electronic source]. (2015). NPR music. Retrieved July 23, 2015, from npr.org.

Hogan, Marc. “Streaming Utopia: Imagining Digital Music’s Perfect World” [electronic source]. (2015). NPR music. Retrieved July 23, 2015, from npr.org.

Richardson, James H. (2014) The Spotify Paradox: how the Creation of a Compulsory License Scheme for Streaming On-Demand Music Services Can Save the Music Industry. SSRN, 1-45.

Sanders, Sam. “Jay Z’s Music Service, Tidal, Arrives With a Splash, And Questions Follow” [electronic source]. (2015). NPR Music. Retrieved July 20, 2015, from npr.org.

#noise #words

0 notes

airadam · 4 years

Text

Episode 126 : None More Black

"These evil streets don't sleep..."

- Pharoahe

Here's an idea I've been holding for a while - an episode showcasing Hip-Hop tracks that took a rock sample or influence! I thought it'd be an interesting one to select and mix without reaching for the most obvious standby picks, and we've got tracks spanning almost thirty years at the extreme ends. Don't worry, the guitars come along with plenty of bars and beats!

Links for the month... Michelle Grace Hunder - wicked music photographer!

The Flyest Xmas party on Dec 20th, featuring The Soul Twins

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Ice-T ft. Jello Biafra : Shut Up, Be Happy

One of those tracks that seems more relevant now than ever, this was the opener on Ice-T's underrated 1989 album "The Iceberg". A great marrying of elements, as Jello Biafra of the punk band Dead Kennedys delivers a totalitarian announcement (based on his own "Message From Our Sponsor" over a Black Sabbath loop. I couldn't put this anywhere but as the intro to the episode!

Camp Lo : 82 Afros

Kicking the pace up a touch, we move straight into a killer Camp Lo cut from the "Black Hollywood" LP, with Ski cooking up a banging rock-based beat. The kick and snare are straight boom-bap, but the toms add an unexpected extra element on top of the distorted guitar and vocal sample. Cheeba and Geechi might be known for their smooth styles, but this is just one demonstration of the fact that they can get busy over any kind of beat.

J-Zone : Moonwalk / Gel N' Weave Remix (Instrumental)

I was struggling to find just the right instrumental for this spot, but went back to "The Headband Years" to find this beat from a producer who could make a beat our of almost anything. He's full-time on his funk drumming now, but has a great catalogue of Hip-Hop that can't be fronted on.

Kobaine : Ko.Bain

This is an artist I know very little about, as as far as I'm aware this is his only release to date, a nice little contribution to the 2002 "Subway Series Vol.1" compilation on Major League Entertainment. I got this on digital release which had no credits included, so I'm not sure who produced it - I can imagine it being a Nick Wiz or Tribeca track though.

Agallah : Ag Season

Brownsville's Agallah has often channelled the rockstar vibes in his career, and this woozy-guitared track from "Bo : The Legend of the Water Dragon" sounds entirely natural for him. Self-produced as always, it's short, rock solid, and to the point.

Fabolous : Breathe

Fifteen years old, already? This was a huge single for Fabolous, taken from his "Real Talk" album, and is one of his best-known tracks even after all these years. Just Blaze laced him with a beat based around Supertramp's "Crime of the Century", and got a surprise when Fab told him he'd written his lyrics around the "breathe" vocal sample on the track...because that's not what it said! However, on hearing the bars, Just went back and made some changes to align the audio with what Fab thought he heard!

Ras Kass ft. Killah Priest : Milli Vanilli

Ras Kass' "Quarterly" was collection of tracks he released once a week, finally brought together in late 2009 - and there are some great cuts in there. Here's one, with Veterano's beat sounding like a cybernetic heavy metal group trying to destroy the speaker stack! Ras cuts through it regardless, and special guest Killah Priest (fellow member of THE HRSMN) matches him bar for bar as always. The hook of course channels the then-recent Lil Wayne track "A Milli", which was a heavily-used beat for freestyles around this time.

Body Count : C-Note

This was one of the shorter and gentler tracks on the debut Body Count album, but was always one of my favourites - Ernie C makes that guitar cry for real. Ice-T's metal project was waved off by some doubters in the beginning, but the music was solid from their first appearance on the "OG: Original Gangster" album and they're still killing it to this day.

Bumpy Knuckles : Swazzee

This one is so aggro, you have to love it. Seriously, you'd better. Bumpy Knuckles is in fine form on this guaranteed weight-training motivational track from "Konexion", taking out sucker MCs, snitches, haters, and pretty much everyone else. The hook is reminiscent of an old Sly Stone cut, and Knockout's beat is ferocious - precise, measured drums with the harsh guitar over the top. Bumpy might be the king of the third verse but a track like this lets you know he can handle the first two just fine!

Public Enemy : Go Cat Go

The "He Got Game" soundtrack was unfairly overlooked by too many heads, but is an absolutely worthy entry in Public Enemy's long and storied discography. Chuck D's political awareness and love of sports (he actually wanted to be a sportscaster at one point) combined for a really interesting listen. Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto and Danny Saber of Black Grape cover this one in heavy guitars which would drown out most MCs, but not Chuck! As the album subtitle says, this one is about the game behind the game...

Boogie Down Productions : Ya Slippin

It's hard to think now of BDP being a crew with a future in doubt, but this is how it was back in 1988 as "By All Means Necessary" was released, not long after the murder of founding DJ Scott La Rock. KRS might be young here but he rhymes with the confidence of someone who left home as a child to become an MC, survived homelessness, and achieved his goal. He scolds weak MCs like "The Teacha" he is, and gets down on the production too - the rock heads will recognise this guitar sample a mile off!

Pharoahe Monch : Got You

Shout out to Vicky T for reminding me of this tune! The lead single from the "Training Day" soundtrack is one where I think the radio version (as heard here) surpasses the original. Monch perfectly encapsulates the essence of Denzel Washington's character, who is one of the classic movie villains of modern times - and strikingly, is based on real police.

[J-Zone] Boss Hog Barbarians : Celph Destruction (Instrumental)

Zone again, and while it one didn't come to mind immediately, the aggressive sonics of this instrumental get it the nod here. The Boss Hog Barbarians (J-Zone and Celph Titled) album is an absolute tribute to ignorance (intentionally), but if you can deal with that then it's an excellent addition to your collection.

LL Cool J : Go Cut Creator Go

Another 80s classic hard rocking track, from LL's "Bigger And Deffer" album. It's the kind of track we don't get now - the MC just bigging up the DJ. DJ Cut Creator was with LL from the very beginning, and was the one who actually helped him to get him name known, so it's nice to hear the appreciation. The scratches still stand up today and cut through even the loudest of the guitar samples on the track!

Sly Boogy : Fatal Mistake

Sly may not have put anything out for a while, but the San Bernadino native did drop a few nice tracks in the early 2000s. This one has him totally disregarding the common standards of Hip-Hop song structure, opening up with a thirty-two bar first verse just to show he's not playing. DJ Revolution provides the cuts, and production is courtesy of a then-emerging Jake One. This actually doesn't have a rock influence, but is here because of how well it goes with the next instrumental...

[Rick Rubin] Jay-Z : 99 Problems (Instrumental)

The combination of this and "Fatal Mistake" is one I discovered while doing a mix years and years ago, and wanted to bring out again when the opportunity arose! You probably all know the vocal version of this track, which appeared on Jay-Z's "The Black Album". While working with the legendary Def Jam co-founder and producer Rubin, Jay said he wanted something like the flavour he used to give to the Beastie Boys and this was the result - a meshing of several ideas that came together perfectly.

Public Enemy : She Watch Channel Zero?!

Let's be real - the sexism is heavy on this track! It'd be entirely reasonable to argue that spending all day watching sports on TV isn't any better than soap operas, but that's just my opinion :) 1988's "...Nation of Millions..." yields this song which had an interesting connection - sampling the group Slayer, who were produced by Def Jam founder and major PE supporter Rick Rubin.

Lacuna Coil : The Game

Going pure rock on this selection from this veteran Milanese gothic metal band! I actually learned about this group from "Guitar Hero" of all places, and "Our Truth" led me to the 2006 "Karmacode" album that included this track. It always reminded me a little of "Channel Zero", and while the guitar riffs are definitely fire and the drums bang, it's the combined and contrasting vocals of Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro that can't fail to grab your ear.

RJD2 : Exotic Talk

Prog rock meets Hip-Hop sensibilities as RJD2 twists and turns, chilling things out in parts before bringing the thunder crashing back in. Definite standout from 2004's "Since We Last Spoke".

Z-Trip : Rockstar

We close with a standout track from the "Return of the DJ, Volume II" compilation, with Phoenix's Z-Trip putting together a masterpiece of DJ/producer song construction. The sample list is long, and since I don't know what was and wasn't cleared, I won't give anything away here!

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

0 notes

andrewmrudd79 · 7 years

Text

3 Tiny Shifts That Made a Huge Difference in My Business

In one of my all-time favorite books, The One Thing, authors Gary Kellar and Jay Papasan describe the domino effect, which is what happens when you focus on the small task or project you should be doing that’ll have the biggest impact on everything else that happens ahead of it.

Because a domino can knock over another one that’s double its size, the effect is massive over a relatively short period of time. If you started with a two-inch domino, for example, the one seventy-three dominoes later would reach from the earth to the moon!

In my experience, sometimes it’s the smallest tweaks or shifts that can make the most dramatic difference in my business over time. Here are three tiny shifts I’ve made that have had a major impact on where I am now.

1. Planning Our Editorial Calendar

No longer are the days where I open up a document to begin writing and ask myself, “What am I going to write about today?” As I mentioned in SPI Podcast Session #215, planning ahead in my editorial calendar has had a massive effect on my productivity and business.

The first benefit is that the hour or two per month to plan ahead is all I need to completely annihilate the wasted time and the frustrations that pop up when I’m in “what am I doing now” mode.

Secondly, the bird’s eye perspective on the calendar allows me to understand the bigger picture. Posts aren’t random anymore. They have a purpose and often tee up bigger things, such as book launches, events, and other promotions. The ROI on planning ahead editorially is incredible, and so if you aren’t planning ahead more than a week or two with the content that you create, I highly recommend you do so.

How far ahead should you plan? Well, it’s up to you. For Team Flynn, we’re already into August and September of this year in terms of where we want to go and what content we want to publish. This allows us, for example, to establish relationships now with potential podcast guests. We can get resources and people in place for some of the bigger ticket items down the road. And, of course, it’s motivating to see all of the amazing stuff that will happen later this year.

2. “I’m Not a Businessman, I’m a Business, Man.”

What a difference a comma makes.

This is a quote from Jay-Z in one of his songs that has stuck with me ever since I heard it. To me, it’s about the difference between someone who is working in a business, and someone who knows they are the business.

There was a point in 2010 when I shared a list of about a dozen new business ideas with Jeremy Frandsen, a mentor at the time from Internet Business Mastery. What he said in response was life changing.

After looking over the list he said, “Pat, these are good ideas, but there’s one thing missing from all of them that’s kind of important.”

“What’s that?” I replied.

“You.”

I didn’t really understand what he meant by that, but after looking puzzled, he kept going:

“The reason Smart Passive Income is so successful is because of you. Your experiences and the personality you put into the brand. It makes all the difference.”

He went on about how I had this superpower to make real connections with people online, and that the list of ideas I had did not allow me to utilize this power.

And he was right.

It was after this conversation with Jeremy that I started to really understand how important it was that I put my personality into my brand at Smart Passive Income. That’s when I started to share more personal information about who I was.

It was also the reason why, in July 2010 when I started my podcast, I decided to have my voiceover guy read a random, fun little fact about me at the top of every episode. That has gone on to become one of the things people talk about the most when I meet listeners in person—they all bring up the one or two they remember that sticks with them most.

This idea of putting more of myself into my brand has allowed me to scale up the relationship building process, and allow others on the other end—the readers, subscribers, listeners and viewers—really get to know, like, and trust me more.

Smart Passive Income isn’t the business. I’m the business, man.

3. “Just-in-Time Learning”

This one I also picked up from Jeremy Frandsen: Just-in-Time Learning.

And this is the small tweak that has made the biggest difference of all.

Back when I started my online business, all the way through 2013, I was a content junkie. I subscribed to dozens of blogs, several dozen newsletters, and about ten different podcasts. I also read a ton of books and watched a lot of YouTube videos on the topic of online business.

I loved to hear about all of the new strategies and tactics I could implement in my business. I loved hearing all of the success stories. I dove into all of the emails I received from my subscriptions looking for examples of how to sell well.

Eventually, I found that I was taking in so much great information, but I was hardly getting anything done with my business. Yes, I made progress in my business because I did block time out for implementation, but when I consider the hours and hours of time spent learnings things I’ve never implemented or didn’t even need to know, it makes me cringe a bit.

When I heard about Just-in-Time Learning, it blew me away. It made so much sense. Here’s how it works. It’s quite simple:

Only allow yourself to consume information about the task and project you’re working on right now. That’s it!

Some of you may be where I was at back then, consuming a ton of information about all different kinds of things that aren’t actually relevant to what your next task is and what’s important right now. When you time-shift your learning to only what’s important for now, you get more done. Period.

The hard part about this is that there’s so much amazing content getting pumped into our attention stream right now. Every social media feed is full of articles we want to read, videos we want to watch, inspiring people we want to online stalk. We don’t want to miss out on it. We have a fear that maybe we’ll never see it again.

Well, that’s where one of my favorite tools, Evernote Web Clipper, comes into play. Instead of missing out on the great information that isn’t relevant to me right now, I save it for later! When I see an article that seems to have gained a lot of momentum on a topic that isn’t relevant to me right now, I use the web clipper to save it for later into a topic-specific folder in Evernote.

So, for example, when I finally decide to create my own event one day, I’ll have a folder in Evernote ready for me so I don’t have to go searching for it later. But, I haven’t read those posts yet, and there’s no need for me to worry about them right now. They aren’t related to what I’m doing.

This strategy has, like I said, opened up several hours of my time for me to dedicate elsewhere, including the implementation of topics that I’m working on right now. Plus, because I’m not getting my attention pulled into topics that aren’t relevant yet, I’m more focused on the work I’m doing, and am able to have better quality and complete tasks even faster.

This small “domino,” along with the other two, have been amazingly beneficial for me, as you can see.

So my challenge to you is this:

What’s one small tweak that you could implement right now that might have a major impact on where you’re headed?

Perhaps it’s one similar to my own, or something completely different. Leave your thoughts below, I’m interested in hearing what you have planned or what you’ve already started doing and how that’s building something much bigger for you.

Cheers, and thanks as always for being here!

3 Tiny Shifts That Made a Huge Difference in My Business originally posted at Homer’s Blog

0 notes

williamjharwick · 7 years

Text

3 Tiny Shifts That Made a Huge Difference in My Business

1. Planning Our Editorial Calendar

The first benefit is that the hour or two per month to plan ahead is all I need to completely annihilate the wasted time and the frustrations that pop up when I’m in “what am I doing now” mode.

2. “I’m Not a Businessman, I’m a Business, Man.”

What a difference a comma makes.

After looking over the list he said, “Pat, these are good ideas, but there’s one thing missing from all of them that’s kind of important.”

“What’s that?” I replied.

“You.”

I didn’t really understand what he meant by that, but after looking puzzled, he kept going:

“The reason Smart Passive Income is so successful is because of you. Your experiences and the personality you put into the brand. It makes all the difference.”

He went on about how I had this superpower to make real connections with people online, and that the list of ideas I had did not allow me to utilize this power.

And he was right.

Smart Passive Income isn’t the business. I’m the business, man.

3. “Just-in-Time Learning”

This one I also picked up from Jeremy Frandsen: Just-in-Time Learning.

And this is the small tweak that has made the biggest difference of all.

When I heard about Just-in-Time Learning, it blew me away. It made so much sense. Here’s how it works. It’s quite simple:

Only allow yourself to consume information about the task and project you’re working on right now. That’s it!

This small “domino,” along with the other two, have been amazingly beneficial for me, as you can see.

So my challenge to you is this:

What’s one small tweak that you could implement right now that might have a major impact on where you’re headed?

Cheers, and thanks as always for being here!

3 Tiny Shifts That Made a Huge Difference in My Business shared from David Homer’s Blog

0 notes

judithghernandez87 · 7 years

Text

3 Tiny Shifts That Made a Huge Difference in My Business

1. Planning Our Editorial Calendar

The first benefit is that the hour or two per month to plan ahead is all I need to completely annihilate the wasted time and the frustrations that pop up when I’m in “what am I doing now” mode.

2. “I’m Not a Businessman, I’m a Business, Man.”

What a difference a comma makes.

After looking over the list he said, “Pat, these are good ideas, but there’s one thing missing from all of them that’s kind of important.”

“What’s that?” I replied.

“You.”

I didn’t really understand what he meant by that, but after looking puzzled, he kept going:

“The reason Smart Passive Income is so successful is because of you. Your experiences and the personality you put into the brand. It makes all the difference.”

He went on about how I had this superpower to make real connections with people online, and that the list of ideas I had did not allow me to utilize this power.

And he was right.

Smart Passive Income isn’t the business. I’m the business, man.

3. “Just-in-Time Learning”

This one I also picked up from Jeremy Frandsen: Just-in-Time Learning.

And this is the small tweak that has made the biggest difference of all.

When I heard about Just-in-Time Learning, it blew me away. It made so much sense. Here’s how it works. It’s quite simple:

Only allow yourself to consume information about the task and project you’re working on right now. That’s it!

This small “domino,” along with the other two, have been amazingly beneficial for me, as you can see.

So my challenge to you is this:

What’s one small tweak that you could implement right now that might have a major impact on where you’re headed?

Cheers, and thanks as always for being here!

3 Tiny Shifts That Made a Huge Difference in My Business originally posted at Dave’s Blog

0 notes