Creative Minds Art

Another artist whose creative mind and unique style of work inspires me is Belgian painter Rene Magritte. He was famous for creating detailed and thought-provoking paintings. The intention behind his style was to challenge the observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality and force the viewer to become more aware of their surroundings.

René François Ghislain Magritte (1898 – 1967) was an incredible surrealist artist. Little is known about his early life. His mother committed suicide by drowning herself in a river when he was 13 years old. When his mother was found, her dress was covering her face, an image that has been suggested as the source of several of Magritte's paintings in of people with cloth obscuring their faces, including famous piece Les Amants (The Lovers). 

Later in life his style was influenced by Futurism and Cubism which was popularized by French artist Jean Metzinger. He also began sculpting using a variety of mediums such as bronze and plaster. Posted below are some of his more colorful and eye catching pieces.  

 

 

 

Gamer's Playground

I don’t play video games as much as I used to but when I do play I do it BIG. I like action games that are fast paced with a good storyline and excellent graphics. Games like God of War, Devil May Cry, Tekken, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and GTA (Grand Theft Auto) are examples of my style of gaming.

I’m a PlayStation loyalist only cuz I never brought an Xbox and I stopped buying Nintendo after the 64 bit. I'll admit I've seen some games for the game cube that look interesting but I still won't buy it. On my last adventure to the gamer's playground aka the toy store, where all games and titles are tested, rated, reviewed and criticized. I was fortunate enough to play a few titles for the PS2 and PS3 systems that I think are dope.

Below are games Bioshock 2 (part 3 is on the way), Call of Duty series (some are for PS2 but recent additions like Black OPS are only for the PS3 console), Final Fantasy 7 (the whole series is dope) and Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi. If you like the show, you will love getting to play the characters. Check 'em out.

Dutch Hip-Hop

One of the benefits of living in Holland is I'm in the mecca of cultural diversity. I know allot of people would argue that New York is that place but the Netherlands used to own New York. Which is why NYC has cities named Harlem, Brooklyn, Rotterdam and Amsterdam because its origins are here.

Although Holland is a tiny country it has enormous talent! Dutch Hip-Hop is a mix of US and European influences blended and twisted into their own style. Most of the older rappers here spit in English because they grew up on US Hip-Hop. The younger generation tends to spit in their own language (Dutch) so their people can relate.

Over the years I've worked with numerous Dutch artists and have shot video clips for MC's DJ Nemo and Gekke C (Crazy C). You can watch their clips under the videos tab or go to youtube. Below I posted clips from a few artists spitting in both languages. SugaCane aka Redlight Boogie, Mr. Probz, Deams, K.V. (Kleine Viezerik which means little pervert in English) and the group Opgezwolle. All MC's with talent and their own unique style. Check 'em out!

Speaking in Tongues

For awhile rap was busy with people adding new slang words or making up their own language. I call it speaking in tongues. Das Efx is the group that popularized this style. They went on to record tracks with Ice Cube and other influential artists that appreciated their music. Once it became exceptable to bend the rules of the language groups like the Fu-Schnickens (which at the time had basketball player Shaquille O'Neal as a member) started coming out of the woodwork. 

Most of the groups were whack plain and simple. There were a few groups and individuals who have successfully spoke in tongues and went on to sell millions of records. Below are videos from E-40, Das Efx, Camp Lo, Lords of the Underground and Digable Planets.

The Super Group

In the 90’s labels weren’t offering many solo deals so then came the rise of the Super Group. Duck Down is the leader of the super group. They combined solo acts Smif N Wesson, OGC (Originoo Gunn Clappaz), Heltah Skeltah and Black Moon into a super group that went on to release several compilation projects. The Wu-Tang Clan was one of the first supergroups to have mainstream global success. The Wu-Tang is a collective of solo artists all signed to individual deals but part of the same group. At the time this was accomplished no other artist or group had done it, so it was a groundbreaking feat. Since then there have been numerous successful labels who have followed the same formula.

Master P and his No Limit Records imprint was very successful, followed by Cash Money Records signing a huge deal with Universal that basically propelled southern rap to the industry forefront. For awhile super groups faded in favor of catz making more money by going solo. Over the last few years and decline of album sales the industry has been forced to re-adopt the concept. Below I posted music by super groups from the past, present and future Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Special Teamz, SlaughterHouse, Diplomats, La Coka Nostra, Wu-Tang Clan, Check 'em out and tell a friend to tell a friend.

Graff Art

This post is dedicated to the most unappreciated element of Hip-Hop Graffiti. I love Graff Art! I was skilled with the pen and paint can long before I picked-up the mic. Graffiti is a general term and holds some negative connotations (closed minded people only associate graffiti with vandalism) which is why I use the term Graff art. It is art and while vandalism may be associated with graffiti it is NOT a part of the art form. Graff Art comes in various styles. There are murals like the type done by fine arts painters, also lettering, or abstract pieces. 

Mr. Cartoon started as a sick graff artist before taking his talents into the tattoo parlor. DJ Kay Slay used to be known as the artist Dezzy DEZ and was featured in the film Style Wars. Below are a few pieces of Graff art from artists Mears, Axis, Dash, Hex, Jest, Kofie, El Mac, Pimp, Such, Plex, Fresno, Sleep, Styles, Tyke, Risky, LadyPink, Siner, Spurn and Zombie. Check it out!

Next Generation

The next generation of rappers have been steadily making their mark in the industry. All four are from different parts of the map and spit with a unique style. Freddie Gibbs (Gary, IN), Kendrick Lamar (Compton, CA), Curren$y (New Orleans, LA) and  Termanology (Lawrence, MA).

Freddie Gibbs,  has a monster underground buzz cuz of his machine gun fire delivery and hard lyrics.(I like that catz flow) Kendrick Lamar, worked with Dr. Dre on detox. Curren$y, is a veteran who used to be signed to Cash Money back in 2005. He got released from their label started his own label and is finally getting some shine. Termanology, has been building a buzz on the underground since 2006 before hitting mainstream success. He recently released the project 1982 with DJ Statik Selektah. Check 'em out.

3D Printers

Normally the only way you would see me posting about a printer, is if it printed money or played Hip-Hop music. Three dimensional (3D) printers are not your typical printer!

They make fully functioning scale models out of plastic and other materials from whatever design is placed inside. This technology is being applied to science, medicine, snowboard design, and even space exploration. These are the printers of the future. I posted a few clips below...see for yourself.   

Album Reviews

Allot of music came out in 2010 some good some whack. I recently got to listen to several albums released during 2010 that might have gone unnoticed. I never review music that I don't like, cuz I don't believe in giving bad press. If you're familiar with my previous posts you know how I grade music. If you're unfamiliar here's the scoop. I rate in a five star system 5 being the highest 1 the lowest.  

The elements of a good album are production, dope rhymes, delivery, and overall message. That's four points and the last is a combination of the minor details. For example, If the album has to many interludes, to many features and not enough solo tracks, or if the artists image and music aren't congruent then the album loses value. With that said lets get it in. 

Lloyd Banks - Hunger For More 2  **** (4)

This former 50 cent prodigy has managed to break out of his mentors shadow and stake a claim for his own success. H.F.M.2 is a hard hitting hip-Hop album featuring some dope singles such as (Beamer, Benz, and Bentley) and collabos with artists, Raekwon, Styles P, Swizz Beats, Pusha-T, and others.

Capone-N-Noreaga (CNN) The War Report 2 *** (3.5)

 CNN rose to success in the 1990's with the original war report which featured sharp flows and grimy street tales. The War Report 2 is an attempt to capture that same manic energy. The project is good and it does have some stand out singles like Bodega Stories (Feat. The L.O.X.) and Dutches vs. Phillies vs. Bamboo (Feat. Raekwon). Although I still prefer the original War report, part 2 would make a nice addition to any CNN fans catalog.

Stat Quo  - Statlanta ***(3.75)

Its been several years since Stat Quo talked about the Statlanta album and its finally here. Stat Quo came to fame as part of Dr. Dre's Aftermath imprint, when he was looking for talent in Atlanta for one of his side projects. Stat Quo impressed Dre with his flow and began making music with him. The album was supposed to be released in 2003 but do to label issues it was released in 2010 and it was worth the wait. Stat Quo drops a variety of styles spitting with a southern twang over some head-nodding production. 

Talib Kweli – Gutter Rainbows ****(4.25) 

This album is dope...plain and simple. I've been a Talib Kweli fan since his days in Black Star with Mos Def, so this review is biased. To be fair I'll stick to the facts. This project has Talib Kweli showing lyrical diversity, talking on a variety of subjects over top quality production. The album is filled with singles like I’m On One, Palookas feat. Sean Price, Uh Oh feat. Jean Grae and collaborations with emcees, singers and musicians. If you're going to buy one CD this month...this is the album.