Lamont's Lists

Jay-Z's "Empire State Of Mind" , featuring the vocal stylings of Alicia Keys is a big wet kiss shout out to New York City. Extolling all that is righteous about New York, Jay's occasionally clever punchlines save the track from itself when it threatens to go from anthemic to sappy. Seeing Jay-Z perform this song several times over the past few weeks got me to thinking about the many other rap songs that have been dedicated to rappers' love of the big city. Ever since the dawn of hip hop, MC's have felt the need to confess their love for the city that invented the art form. Jay-Z himself has dedicated a half-dozen or so songs and countless verses to his beloved Brooklyn. Verbally representing one's borough has become so ingrained in rap vernacular that we no longer even notice this peculiar form of civic pride. Why are all these rappers trying to one-up the next man on how oppressive and bleak their home towns are? Is this really something to be proud of? I...

via flickr.com Summer 09 was short but fun. Let's see what fall has in store. Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

lswittenberg loved it on September 16th : Chef Raekwon has cooked up the Wu Tang banger we've been promised for far too long. It's like 1995 all over again. And that's a good thing. » Review this album Comment on this review Tweet Edit review Delete review via musebin.com Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

lswittenberg liked it on September 11th : It's good, but BP3 falls short of classic. So what, I'm just glad Jay's still making music. Rather than nitpick I choose to simply enjoy it. » Review this album Comment on this review Tweet Edit review Delete review via musebin.com Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

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To offset the devastating news that Roxanne Shante made up the whole story about her having a PHD from Cornell I offer you this list of 10 Rappers whom I'm pretty sure are on the level. There are plenty of rappers who attended college but never graduated, including Diddy, Ludacris, Plies, and a ton of others. But I think this is a list of actual degree holders. Since this is the internet, I don't really have to check my sources or anything so I could be totally wrong here. There are a lot of rumors out there when it comes to rappers and college so don't hold me to this. If you can confirm any others, please do so. Enjoy. Lamont David Banner (I was as surprised as anybody. Dude also attended Grad School at UMD College Park) - S outhern University J-Live  - (One of the smartest rappers out there so this is quite believable) -  S UNY New York Pete Nice (Of 80's group 3rd Base, I used to point this bit of trivia out to people way back in the day)  - Columbia University ...

via us.bape.com A Bathing Ape Pirate Store Starts Thursday, 12pm; 286 Lafayette st, btw Prince and Houston; SoHo Starting tomorrow, the silverbacks of Japanese street wear are setting up shop for just five days, bringing with 'em discounts of 50-70% on select archived & factory second helpings of their frequently colorful polos, tees, buttondowns, jackets, and highly sought-after, oft-laminated leather kicks, though if your chums are all in this year's line of eye-catching Japanese threads, well then won't you feel like the monkey. Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

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via theroot.com The R-O-X-A-N-N-E gets hers. Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

Rate + Share Email Print Jay-Z announces benefit concert at Madison Square Garden August 24, 2009   Jay-Z announced plans Monday to unroll his "Blueprint 3" album with a special concert at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 11 to benefit the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund. The concert - on the same day as Jay's album, featuring the current single "Run This Town" with Kanye West and Rihanna, hits stores - will be broadcast live on Fuse as part of a special "Fuse Presents JAY-Z Live from Madison Square Garden: Answer the Call." Ticket prices and on-sale information haven't been set yet, but Citi's Private Pass members will be able to purchase tickets first. "This charity and concert encompass the true spirit of New York City," Jay-Z said in a statement. "We are asking everyone to 'answer the call' and support and honor the families of th...

It was curious, the sling encasing Joe Budden’s right arm on Wednesday night at the Canal Room — curious and uncommented upon. For a rapper so given to transmitting even the mundane details of his life to fans, the omission was notable. Skip to next paragraph Blog ArtsBeat The latest on the arts, coverage of live events, critical reviews, multimedia extravaganzas and much more. Join the discussion. More Arts News Less than a week earlier Mr. Budden had posted a video online in which he held a compress to his right temple. “My eye’s swollen,” he noted, and he complained about pain in his shoulder. The reason? He had just been attacked by Raekwon and his entourage, he said, the latest in a string of incidents in what had been until that point a war of words with various members of the Wu-Tang Clan . On Wednesday night both Mr. Budden and Raekwon performed in New York — Raekwon in a Staten Island park and Mr. Budden with his group...

Loso's Way by Fabolous Review lswittenberg wasn't impressed on August 13th : Rap's Chris Weber shows flashes of genius but again disappoints. Here Fab's superb flow is stifled by bland production and lukewarm cameos. Post new comment   via musebin.com Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

via mtv.com Further evidence that hip hop is dead. 50 Cent and Joe Budden? Seriously people? Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

via esquire.com In-N-Out Burger voted best fast food in America by guys who should know...chefs. I have to question the merits of any list like this that doesn't include Chick-fil-A. Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

via pixton.com Fun way to create comics if you have good writing but lack design skills. Posted via web from lswittenberg's posterous

Some mourn in silence, some celebrate by dancing to classic tunes. I write rap lists. Here is my List of the 10 Best Rap Songs to sample Michael Jackson. Enjoy. Lamont Lamont's Lists June 2009 The Top 10 Rap Songs That Sample Michael Jackson 1. Izzo - Jay-Z (From " I Want You Back " / Produced by Kanye West) - This is the song that ignited Kanye's career, setting off a string of hits where he would leverage sped up soul classics to great effect. Jay-Z matched Kanye's clever idea by bringing forth some of his most captivating rhymes: some outlandish ("Can't leave rap alone the game needs me"), some humble ("I do this for my culture") and surely his most unforgettable hook ever ("H to the Izzo"). 2. It Ain't Hard To Tell - Nas (From " Human Nature " / Produced by The Large Professor) - Nas got his start from a cameo appearance on "Live at the BBQ" from a Main Source album. So it's only fitting that the ...

Lamont’s Lists June 2009 What’s up peeps. Here is my attempt at capturing the 10 greatest lyrical performances of all time. This was really an impossible task. Clearly I have not heard every rap song ever recorded. So I am sure I have missed quite a few gems from lesser-known artists and from B-Sides material from some of my favorites MC’s. I also realize that this is a highly subjective exercise. What sounds fresh to one person may be absolutely grating to the next. But I am taking a stab nonetheless. Somebody has to do it, so why not me? There are a few important ground rules to note however: These are not the BEST SONGS ever made (that list would surely include “Nuthin’ But A G-Thang” and “Top Billin’) - These are just songs that contain the best lyrics These are SOLO PERFORMANCES – Group efforts and cameo appearances are excluded To avoid the “fallacy of recency” (I made that up). I have excluded songs that were released after 2006.  Remember what constitutes great ...

Lamont’s Lists May 2009 Keep Your Mouth Shut. And Other Etiquette Rules For New Jersey Transit Commuters The other day on my way home from work in Manhattan, a rather large guy squeezed in next to me as the fourth passenger in a four way seat (a flagrant violation of commuter etiquette). Sensing that he might be the chatty type, I quickly began fumbling around for some avoidance signals (started texting on my phone, pulled out my headphones, etc). Despite my efforts, he started yapping anyway (he opened with the old “how do you like that phone?” lead in as he eyed my latest smartphone). Much to my discomfort, he then proceeded to yammer all the way home, waxing poetic about a wide assortment of mundane topics. That painful ride got me to thinking about commuter train etiquette. New Jersey to Manhattan train commuters are some of the world’s most curmudgeonly and that is totally understandable. It’s a brutal existence, freezing in the winter, hellish in the summer, delayed year...

Lamont's Lists January 2009 The Top 10 Songs By The Notorious B.I.G. In recognition of the January 16, 2009 Release of “Notorious” I bring to you my “Top 10 Songs By the Notorious B.I.G.”. Truth be told, I should have done this a long time ago. As a massive Biggie fan, it’s something I’ve been meaning to do but never got around to. The hard part was narrowing his catalog down to my 10 favorites. I’ll let you decide if I’ve done it justice. Enjoy. Lamont 1. Hypnotize – The epitome of a timeless hip hop classic. That opening riff, backed by Biggie’s: “Aum, Aum… Hah, Sicker than your average…” first verse, never disappoints; electrifying parties and thrilling music lovers from Brooklyn to Bangladesh year after year. Choice punch lines and super-premium boasts flow like the Mississippi from end to end. My favorite: “Poppa been smooth since days of Underoos”. As good as it gets. 2. One More Chance (Remix) – Liquid smooth and deceptively intricate. Biggie gives a clinic on how to di...