Cauze - It Aint

This is a video I shot and directed for Cauze, an artist out of Miami by way of the Bahamas and now living in LA. I'll get more in-depth about the experience and all that stuff later when I have some time and energy. For now, just check it out. Pass it along if you don't mind. I think lifelong Goodie Mobb/Outkast fans will appreciate the inspiration in the hook.

"It Aint" from CAUZE on Vimeo

You can check Cauze's debut album, Supplication, here and his blog here. ... Good dude. Hit him up. Tell him I sent you.

Stussy - J Dilla Documentary Prt 1-3

This is so lovely, bittersweet but lovely, good storytelling. Watch this over breakfast. Happy Monday.

On Saturday Febuary 13th, 2010 Stussy celebrated the life of brilliant hip hop producer and rapper James "J Dilla" Yancey, by releasing a limited edition tee shirt produced in conjunction with Stones Throw and the Dilla Estate. stussy.com for more details.

Stussy - J Dilla Documentary Prt 1 (of 3) from Stussy on Vimeo.

Stussy - J Dilla Documentary Prt 2 (of 3) from Stussy on Vimeo.

Stussy - J Dilla Documentary Prt3 (of 3) from Stussy on Vimeo.

Todd Rundgren - Time for the Music Industry to Evolve (Video, Pt. 1-3)

No idea is original, and everything that seems so new and innovative has probably been around for over 20 years.





Pretty much.

48 - Buenos Aires (Video)

I've been feeling a bit more international than I normally do (which is a lot). I've had a lot of global cities (Barcelona, Tokyo, London, Madrid, San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York to name a few) on my mind as of late. I decided to post a video about Buenos Aires, Argentina. I don't know if it was the fact that I ate at an Argentinian restaurant this weekend. ...

Gaucho Grill (Santa Monica, CA)
- Food - B-/C+
- Service - A

Starters:
- Bread with chimichurri - Could've used more churri in the chimi.
- Chorizo w/ chick pea salad - Decent.
- Sweet bread - Surprise! It wasn't sweet. It wasn't bread.
- Sauteed mushrooms - In butter and white wine, best sauteed mushrooms I've ever had, and the main reason I decided to stick a restaurant review in the middle of a post for a video. ... Dreamt about them the entire following day.

Main course:
- Churrasco (Skirt steak) - A bit overcooked, lacked flavor. Don't you know where I'm from?. You can't fool me on a good churrasco, but thank you for teaching me that's it's also called, "Entraña."
- Mashed potatoes - Bland, thank god for those mushrooms.
- Grilled zucchini - I'm just bored at this point.

Dessert:
- Espresso - A nice, needed touch.

I'd come back for the mushrooms, a side of rice and a Quilmes

Where was I? Oh yeah, crawl out of that bubble you call a life, and spend 48 hours in Buenos Aires with Australian journalist, Amanda Palmer and her guide, journalist, Macarena, in "48" on Al Jazeera English*. I've never been to Bs As; so I can't say how accurate this depiction of the city is, but there's some interesting stuff going on, and it moves pretty well.




*It's like Al Jazeera, but in English.

Every Child is Born a Poet: The Life and Work of Piri Thomas (Video)

For the record, before I begin, watching this made me want to add more value to my life, do and promote things with even more substance.

Piri Thomas (Born Juan Pedro Tomás) is a writer and poet born in New York City to a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father. Piri's been there and done that, saw the mistakes he made in life, decided to write poems and short stories to help rehabilitate himself and later began to spread a message of positivity among youth in the states, Central and Latin America and Europe.

Piri is also known for penning the best-selling, autobiographical, "Down These Mean Streets," a look into the Spanish Harlem neighborhood that molded him. Good, bad and ugly, the book is embraced for its honest portrayal of the life of a young man who was smacked around by life and smacked back.

Honestly, the film started off a little bit slow for me. When I noticed the PBS logo at the bottom, left-hand corner and the playful tone of some the poetry I thought this was going to be, "Sesame-Street-meets-Def-Poetry." However, I'm really glad I stuck with it until the end. It's like a gum-filled lollipop, sandwich cookie or a FAMU football game; it doesn't really get good until the middle.

Identity issues facing Hispanics of all shades, violence, drug use and good old-fashioned Nuyoricanisms all combine to make this an interesting pot of habichuelas (beans).

I'd like to meet Mr. Thomas one day, and get some knowledge and maybe a good story or two over a plate of fricase de conejo or some mofongo and finish with un chispito de Barrilito.*

In hindsight, "Sesame-Street-meets-Def-Poetry," might not be so bad. ... Kids need teaching.

Respeto. Punto.



*Stewed rabbit, refried plantains and a little bit of Barrilito rum. Now you know.

Check Piri out here.

Michael Jackson's 911 Call

If you think you might be offended by this, just hit the back button. Thank you.

Before the Music Dies - Documentary

If you have an hour and a half to spare, I highly recommend this.

"This documentary explores the reason why so few companies currently control the music played on the radio and for sale at retail stores, and whether corporations really have the power to silence musical innovation."

Here are a just few things you will encounter watching this documentary:

- How Clear Channel was born
- Erykah Badu's easy-to-follow-steps to super-stardom for girls
- Why Wynton Marsalis' music students are full of crap
- Why Sunday should be important to you if you're a musician
- Some great musicians you've probably never heard of

This is good stuff right here. Enjoy.

Barack & Curtis: Manhood, Power & Respect

I thought this was pretty interesting. I found this over at HipHopdx.

McCain Refuses to Shake Obama's Hand After Debate

Don't even get mad. Just keep it moving. If O does become the president, this is just one more thing he'll have to deal with. However, I think the number of political leaders worldwide who would stand in line to shake O's hand would balance things out. 

(Sorry if the text looks a little, "off." Get mad at Blogger.)

Q-Tip Rap City Freestyle

For the record, before I begin, Q-Tip is my favorite emcee of all time, and Midnight Marauders is my favorite album of all time. Enjoy.

YouTube in 1985

I'm still waiting on my "Tight Bootyshakers" video.

Stephen Colbert's Speech at the White House Correspondent's Dinner pt. 1-3

I ran into this somehow and remembered how brave (read: gangsta) this cat had to be to pull this off . Comedian, Stephen Colbert basically gave the finger to the U.S. government and made them laugh while doing it, right in front of the President. This was history in the making to me. Plus I love stand-up. This is old, but I figured I'd put it up. If you're even semi-aware of what is going on in the world and have something resembling a vocabulary (I'll just assume you do) you'll appreciate this.

Balls? Spheres is more like it. I salute you Mr. Colbert.

In case you weren't aware, Stephen Colbert is more gangsta than any rapper ever. ... Any. ... Ever.

Chris Brown/Wrigley's Gum Commercial (shot by Michael Dallatorre)

Watching Chris Brown play with gum isn't high on my to-do list. It's right before "Buy pack of Wrigley's Doublemint gum, SLIM PACK ONLY!" and "Learn how to dance so I can star in TV commercial."

The only reason I'm posting this is because it was shot by a very talented, up-and coming cinematographer named Michael Dallatorre.

As much as I enjoy the minty fresh sensation of Wrigley's Doublemint gum, not to mention the fact that it is now available in the time-stopping slim pack, I put this up, because I've worked with Mike on several projects, and I'm proud of him. This is his first national commercial, and it looks amazing.

He also did some second camera unit on the film, Hancock and has shot videos for Ziggy Marley, Mario Winans, Blu & Exile and Miss Prissy among others. Check him out here. You'll see he's top-notch and deserves the shine.

You can also check out a much better, hi-res version of the commercial here.