Lamont's Lists

" I'm Makaveli's offspring, I'm the king of New York / King of the Coast, one hand, I juggle them both" This might be one of those "where were you the day when..." moments for hip hop. To say that Kendrick had himself a quite a day is an understatement. What a firestorm he caused today when his VERSE on Big Sean's "Control"  hit the world wide web. My first text message came in at about 8AM this morning asking me if I had heard "The VERSE" and from there it was pure chaos. By early evening, even Phil Jackson himself (just one of many famous folks he named checked in "The VERSE") had responded on Twitter. I can't ever remember a rapper creating so much buzz so quickly. And to think it was actually because of his music, not for some off the field shenanigans. Let's hope his boomshot aimed at his fellow MC's leads to more inspired work in the coming weeks/months. For now we say kudos for Kendrick for steppi...

Had a blast at the Hoop Group Father / Son Skills Camp. Reese and I won the Hot Shot shooting contest for the second time in as many trips. The kid was on his game, making 14 shots in one minute, leaving me with only 9 to make to bring home the title (22 was the number to beat). Luckily I didn't choke, I made 9 shots with time to spare and even sank an insurance basket to get us to 24. Nobody was touching that! Can't wait until next year to go for a 3Peat.

I put dollars on mine, ask Columbine / When the Twin Towers dropped, I was the first in line. Donating proceeds off every ticket sold / When I was out on the road, that’s how you judge Hov, no? Jay-Z is taking quite a bashing these days over his recent dust up with civil rights legend Harry Belafonte, especially after his flippant “my presence is charity” remark in reaction to Belafonte’s request for a heart to heart with Hov to squash the beef. Well here’s my response on his behalf, going out to all of you armchair activist types taking shots at one of the greatest rappers to ever live: q uite simply, I think you all need to step off your high horses...

These little treats from Ali Graham's 99 Problems Tumblr just make my day. I hope he stretches this out to be more like 999 problems.

A mash up of A tribe called Quest and Outkast? Too good to be true you say? Nope, here is it in all its glory. With all praise due to Nappy DJ Needles. I wonder what other magical things this super human can mix together: oreos and bacon? Eva Mendes and Halle Berry? Christmas and July? I now truly believe that anything is possible.

My latest sneaker purchase is one of my favorites. These kicks combine everything I love about sneakers. A simple look, a classic silhouette, a venerable brand, pristine beauty.  They look so good, I want to show them off as a piece of art, more so than wear them around town. I can see why sneaker heads become so obsessed with their new wears. They certainly give me a warm fuzzy feeling all over, every time I look at them. At some point, I guess I am going to have to free them from their packaging and take them for a walk. 

Andre 3k is finally due to drop a new album in 2014. Until then, we have this ...

By that time I was in full Run-DMC mode. Wanting nothing more than to be a certified B-Boy. Hooked for life on hip hop -- blown away by the Kings from Queens, LL Cool J, Soul Sonic Force and the Beastie Boys. But one day when my boys weren't looking, and I had a moment to just chill, this young lady came along and managed to stop me in my tracks. Into the mix went You Give Good Love and there it stayed forever.

Indeed...

Questove and the Roots finally got their shine in 2011 I know this is a little more than a week late, but for those who care, below is my take on the top rap albums for 2011. To be honest, it took me a while because I had a hard time coming up with them. There were a few factors working against me. On the one hand, let's face it, there was not that much great material out there to work with. On the other hand, the sheer volume of crap, available from a dizzying array of sources, made it harder than ever for a working, middle-aged dad to keep up with what's going on and what's truly worth listening to. Anyway, I spent the last couple of weeks, digging back through my digital crates -- rap blogs, assorted email links, Rhapsody, Spotify, itunes, etc., to give a fair listen to as many albums as possible to compile the rankings you see below. Enjoy #10 Saigon - The Greatest Story Never Told I've been a Saigon fan ever since Turtle was trying to jumpstart his career on ...

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via youtube.com Two of my favorite things come together.

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About this project The Hip-Hop Word Count (HHWC) is a searchable ethnographic database built from the lyrics of over 40,000 Hip-Hop songs from 1979 to present day. The database is the heart of an online analysis tool that generates textual and quantified reports on searched phrases, syntax, memes and socio-political ideas. The idea to build the Hip-Hop Word Count came out of having hundreds of heated & passionate discussions about Rap music: Who was the best rapper of all time? Which rapper had the smartest songs? Which was the most popular champagne in Hip-Hop during 1999-2003? Which rapper uses the most clever metaphors? Which city's rap songs use the most monosyllabic words? Does living in higher altitudes create a natural proclivity for Gangster Rap? Tired of having these answers left up to conjecture or whoever had the loudest voice, I decided to build a tool that would help give answers by charting the culture described within Hip-Hop music. How can analyz...

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