Staycation + the SHOUTBOX!

Hello again people...I'm going to be out of town for the holidays, you know, visiting family, friends, the whole nine. And I work from a deskptop which means I'm not mobile. :-(...But in the meantime and in-between time, visitors as well as followers, HIT UP THE SHOUTBOX! It's extremely important to the content and material added to the page as well as what I will blog about aside from my own personal in-and-outs. Whatever comments and questions you have, post them because I will be checking them asap! Once again, Happy New Year's Eve and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

E signin out!

Dueces!







And oh yeah...come NYE...

...It's going down!

Congrats to the BIG HOMIE!

Congrats to my dude Dwight! He landed a LUCRATIVE job in Washington, D.C. not too long ago and will be working there upon graduation. Don't wanna expose too much of the details but he doing big things so gotta shout him out on the blog. Clearly, he's SO PRO-ART!

To all the fellas out there with ladies to impress...

...its easy to do, just follow these steps!




1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your junk in that box
3. Make her open the box

...And that's the way you do it!

Happy Holidays + Somes chunes...

Wassup people? First off, happy holidays to all! I hope the Christmas spirit is with everyone out there as you travel to/with your respected families and/or friends. Lets all remember that this is the season of giving, so make on oppurtunity to reach out to a friend/loved one or donate some coats, canned good, etc to a nearby shelter or salvation army. A little goes a long way for those who don't have anything. But moving on...

My birthday was a little over a week ago (the 12th) and as customary, it lands around finals time. So to keep me menatally alert/energized for both finals and running the streets, I get up on my dancehall music...and as typical, I found me some chunes!



http://www.zshare.net/download/703008086df1aca7/]Chinese



http://www.zshare.net/download/70300844a50f1d43/]DJ



http://www.zshare.net/download/7030087899467ab9/]DJ

RUN DE BLODDCAAT RIDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMM!!!

Stephen Philms and Phene collab again with the Angels MUSIC VIDEO Remix

OB4CL2 and District 9

Number 7 and 9 respectively for Times' Top 10 albums and movies of 2009

OB4CL2


District 9


To Steve and Laurence: "I TRIED to told ya!"

Times Top 10 of 2009- Full list HERE

The Bubble Calendar

Call me crazy but...I think I'm going to purchase this ASAP! Hopefully they re-stock soon :-(

https://bubblecalendar.com/index.htm

Clipse and Snoop deliver in the 4th

Two very solid albums to close out the year and each for different reasons. Clipse brought the raw and real as always...'the re-incarnation of Raekwon in an a-pron.' As for Snoop, he just ALWAYS manages a way to make hits...I dont know what it is. His album has great listenability. Anyway, of the two albums, I decided to pick out my favorite track for each. Enjoy...


"Follow my foosteps through tragedy and triumph
Through flows, I give you mein kampf
Kilos co-signed em, Do as I say like Simon
Then you too will diamond-blind hun, I'm on my Dylan...
Dillenger, flow just killin ya, ya wonder why the real aint fellin ya
...ya fraudin"




"I wanna rock right now...rock, rock...right now"

Phene: Angels FREESTYLE

Phene Murdered this track!!!
Phene got A LOT of his chest with this one! I must say we at pro-art agree with him wholeheartedly! Check it out! God on a Greyhound Coming Soon!!

The Cost of War

Now I know we all hear the cliches regarding the bountiful amount of useful information on the internet that is simply ignored...but this information puts it in an ENTIRELY new perspective.

I'm taking a Global issues course this semester and there were 3 sets of debates on current issues facing all life on the planet. The most heated one, naturally (this is the South), was military war to fight terrorism. I was on the side against using military/war as the main means of action to deal with terror. My ideaology behind my stance was simple:



1) Terrorism is an IDEA and no weapon can kill that. Sure, certain regions/countries are prone to harbor terrorist oraganizations, however, there are many right here in the US and being that nearly all 9/11 involvement is largely speculation, who's to say where the true organizers of the attacks are?

2) More importantly, financially, the US cannot continue to be at 'war' There are numerous charts and graphs depicting the lopsided contributions of the US compared to other countries also supposedly involved in the war on terror...but this site and counter really drives it home in a rather simple fashion



If that isn't shocking enough, let's take a look at the trade-offs...On the National Priorities Project official website you can break down the costs and trade-offs for the US, per state, per county, per city, and per PERSON and TAXPAYER. Each person and/or taxpayer in the US, aside from any other debts owed, is in $3,189 and $7,034 MINIMUM...and rising. But I digress...more stats.



Taxpayers in the United States will pay $915.1 billion for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

269,705,508 People with Health Care for One Year OR

947,364,311 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR

19,764,579 Public Safety Officers for One year OR

15,693,033 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR

141,481,138 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR

171,046,729 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR

7,118,476 Affordable Housing Units OR

403,332,085 Children with Health Care for One Year OR

125,579,800 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR

15,032,444 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR

13,221,600 Port Container Inspectors for One year

Wait...there's more

Taxpayers in the United States will pay $704.3 billion for Total Defense Spending in FY2010. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

207,588,064 People with Health Care for One Year OR

729,171,329 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR

15,212,484 Public Safety Officers for One year OR

12,078,680 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR

108,895,794 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR

131,651,962 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR

5,478,979 Affordable Housing Units OR

310,438,327 Children with Health Care for One Year OR

96,656,786 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR

11,570,234 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR

10,176,457 Port Container Inspectors for One year

And that's just 2 of the 6 categories...meaning there are billions more dollars going to "National defense"...sighs. The counter below reflects the same stats displayed above. My challenge to everyone who read this is to check the counter again on New Years' Day and see what the number is then

61 Free Desktop Applications, Webapps, and Tools We're Most Thankful For

61 Free Desktop Applications, Webapps, and Tools We're Most Thankful For (via Lifehacker)

As we prepare to stuff our faces with a bountiful Thanksgiving feast, we turn our Thanksgiving spirit to the gobs of free software we love to say thank you to the developers, and to give our computers a feast of their own.

Earlier this week we asked you to share the free apps you're most thankful for, and after rounding up thousands of your suggestions, considering our own favorites, and performing a little spreadsheet magic, we've cooked up our own cornucopia of excellent free software and webapps we're extremely thankful for. So whether you're an American celebrating the season or not, the selection of apps below is like gravy-drenched turkey and mashed potatoes for your computer. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

1. Firefox
2. VLC
3. CCleaner
4. Dropbox

5. 7-Zip
6. OpenOffice.orgs

7. Google Chrome
8. µTorrent
9. Notepad++
10. Gmail
11. GIMP
12. Paint.NET
13. Microsoft Security Essentials
14. Revo Uninstaller
15. Evernote
16. Thunderbird
17. Audacity
18. ImgBurn
19. Picasa
20. Skype
21. Pidgin
22. Ubuntu
23. iTunes
24. foobar2000
25. Foxit Reader

26. FileZilla
27. VirtualBox

28. TrueCrypt
29. Avast!
30. Defraggler
31. KeePass
32. Opera
33. AVG
34. Digsby

35. Google Reader

36. Winamp
37. Google Earth
38. TeraCopy
39. Launchy
40. Transmission
41. Eclipse IDE
42. SpyBot Search & Destroy
43. Adium
44. PuTTY
45. Songbird
46. Sumatra PDF
47. XBMC
48. Blender
49. CDBurnerXP
50. Everything
51. HandBrake
52. Rainmeter
53. AutoHotkey
54. Google Calendar
55. MediaMonkey
56. Quicksilver
57. WinSCP
58. Google Voice
59. Boxee
60. AdBlock Plus
61. Media Player Classic

The Toll Road to Gray Matter *PROMO COMMERCIAL*

Check out this promo video for the upcoming digibook from pro-art Publishing

Right vs Left

No, this is not about politics...lol

I recently stumbled onto an old and rather simple aptitude test I took in high school. Clearly, it's not that intense of a test but it can be a useful tool in identifying how your brain works. The brain will 'process' the rotations of this young lady below as either clockwise or counter-clockswise. Some people possess certain aspects of both the left and right side dominated brain and can view her both ways simply by looking away and returning seconds later. For others it changes based on the frame of mind (ie fresh out of a math/science lecture vs recently participating in a vigorous exchange of ideas over some Shakespearean piece). Theoretically, those that can view both directions are equally as effective in their daily activities regardless of the sphere necessary to complete the task. Great for well-roundedness, but can provide a rather "tangling" sense of being/existence when it comes to making certain decisions, even easy ones.



So now that you have determined which direction(s) she's turning in (based on your own brain's functionality), check out what it all means...


LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS - (Counter-clockwise)
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS - (Clockwise)
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

pro-art Publishing's DEBUT promo Image

pro-art Publishing PRESENTS-->The Toll Road to Gray Matter by Author I.Malone<--
The first installment from pro-art publishing is a ravishing one! This book takes you on a poetic journey of self discovery and new perspective. Author I.Malone's wordplay and literary excellence will leave readers satisfied yet craving for more. In the upcoming weeks pro-art will unveil the website where the book can be purchased via paypal so if you don't have an account set one up NOW! Rumors have it that book design scheme is on point with its intricate theme and the great part is when you purchase it the book will download straight to your computer.The Journey Begins this December! See you there!

Phene: LEAP OF FAITH

Straight out of Central PA Rapper Phene took his big Leap of Faith in the pursuit of following his dreams. He breaks down the meaning of his new heavily anticipated mixtape "god on a greyhound" which will be the prequel to his upcoming album. This exclusive feature comes from pro-art's own Stephen Philms! Check it out!

Review: This Is The PheneMix Vol.2 - Phene (DJ Dub Floyd)

Review: This Is The PheneMix Vol.2 - Phene (DJ Dub Floyd)


Wassup ya’ll. As promised a few weeks back, the in-depth review of Phene’s second installment of “This is the PheneMix.” It’s a mixtape so, in my humble opinion, no numerical value can really be applied since it’s not 100% original. However, I highlighted my favorites. No more foreplay…let’s get straight to it, RAW!

Intro – I liked this. The opening concept is a 90s vibe and Phene/Dub put a newer creative spin on it. Good way to start off a mix-tape by setting the premise via hip-hop ‘ingredients’ and ‘cooking’ in the kitchen with cuts, scratches, etc…and it doesn’t hurt that Phene reps Philly. Real classic hip-hop feel to it.

Heroic – Cool track. Sample was alright and the beat was as well. Phene’s flow really complemented it though. Switched it up a couple times and still maintained.

Dreamer – Another decent track. I’m not a big fan of the new hip-hop/RnB/techno sound. I like how Phene stuck to the track-name topic in his own way on the first verse. Going away from actually rapping and spittin so hard would have made the track a bit better, since it’s not tailored towards a ‘rapper’ to begin with. Still pretty good though.

Feel Free – Again, the more international sound: Vocoder vocalist on the hook and a few “OOOO-oooh”’s here and there. Phene was on point lyrically. The ‘Billups’ and 'Love Lockdown’ references were nice. (Won’t spoil it for those who haven’t gotten a chance to listen…this time)

Onslaught – I love the original track and if you’re going to do a remix to a track Slaughterhouse did, you gotta come correct. The sports references throughout gave it a nice touch and kept it relative to those who follow sports. Subject material was good and he came with the lyrics again...favorite line: “Hit the wrong red-bone, cats’ll snag your verizon and drag you to a dead zone. Somethin like a Spartan…I’m in the South, parked up, ante-ing(?) my weight like Cartman.”

Today – First off, ill hook/beat. I like the Piano ballad style. Not too fancy, but not boring either. Inspirational touch and an actual attempt to be on-tune and vocalize and it matched the beat perfectly. Most of all, it let Phene dominate in whatever way he chose. He painted a pretty solid picture of a day-to-day struggle: “I’m tired of this job, my money’s kinda tight, rent’s due by tomorrow, and the cable’s due tonight…” And this track is pretty versatile because it’s not entirely artist biased. Standout line: “And who am I to tell these children not to slang when my money situation makes me wanna do the same”

Hustlaz Muzik – Solid flows/beat. Content starts off a bit dark but nothing too gloomy. The beat adds to it too. Good track all-around. City Haze with the alley and Phene with the hoop.

Mellodramatic – Phene shouts out Philly and then goes in. Real uptempo beat, kinda reminds me of a Freeway track but Phene brings his own flow/style to it.

All My Life – I really like this track. First true ‘reminiscence’ track and he brought it from beginning to the end. Not so much a story track but a brief walk in Phene’s old J’s…the same one’s his old girled liked more than she did him…lol.

Gone – That beat = filthy! (Or should I say “Philthy”) And what better beat to lay out your ‘reppin’ verses on? Really dope piece of work and his attitude comes out big-time on this one. Illy bar: “’7’ is the number of God, ‘1’ is because we’re all one, ‘7-1-7’ where I’m from, ‘7-7-0’ where I run, this shit’s forever so you can never hear I’m done”

Saviors – The sample on this beat sounds really familiar. Can’t quite remember where it’s from…but I digress, the beat is really smooth with those horns and the 70s theme music feel to it. Good riding through the city vibe. Hot bar: “We on another level, plateau, higher than, rest in peace Aaliyah I gotta ‘Try Again’”

Runaway With Me – Back-to-back smooth/’70s feel’ tracks. This one, being slowed down a bit and about taking a lil mama away from her man and out the hood. Base guitar chords are nice too.

Love Hangover – I really dig this one. Beat is dope and Estelle dig her thing on the hook. The slight intermission after the first hook really sets it up before Phene sets it off. He really spit it well on this one. Lyrics were on point and the flow was flawless: “I get behind her behind and light that ass up like brake lights” Bang!

Chase – This seems to be the RnB artist’s (Tenile) track with Phene being featured…and he kills it. “Stop runnin from your past…you’re going nowhere fast”: He chimed in with that during her hooks and it fit nicely and matched the theme of course. I would insert a line/bar but its pretty dope throughout…give it a listen and pick your poison.

Ask Anybody – Another philthy track! Dope beat/sample. Real simple, Premier/Dilla-ish. Sorta reminds me of a beat on “The Boodocks.” Phene went in on this one; he really attacked it in all phases/aspects.

Much More – Now this sample I recognize! Beat reminds me a lot of “Why You Hate The Game” (by The Game ft. Nas and Marsha Ambrosia of Floetry.) Phil Nash and Phene go in HARD on this one. This might be the most lyrical track on this mixtape. The cuts and scratches bring it to life even more. Don’t want to give any away though lol. Kudos to the beat switch at the 1:42 mark…ill. Yummy Bingham does her thing on the hook as well.

Like a Champion – I like the Buju sample, reminds me of a Swizz beat production. Verses laced with swag, ass, and how you use either to get the other. Overall solid track.

Money, Power, Respect – Another classic beat/track. I liked this one too. He brought it lyrically in a short time-span with all the cuts/scratches (which were on point btw): “…bitches fightin til the end like Hilary…” lol.

Everybody Knows – I really like this track. Not everyone can do a story track and do it well and Phene does his thing on this one. And the subject material complements the original track very well even though Phene made this remix his own. It could very well be official. Niyah and Angel are two very real females…

Rescue You – The “Got to getcha” track. Phene has a nice chill flow on this one. Not too lengthy and not too lyrical, but solid nonetheless.

Holding Back – This is also a favorite beat of mines on this mix-tape. Really smooth and chill and the sample is on point. Perfect ride-out track/outro for a mixtape. It has an insightful and retrospective feel to it and the content throughout reflects just that.

Mello Dramatic says he's 100% Hip-Hop with his new mixtape Ipod Worthy!

Gang Violence ftml

Details to the story HERE




I'm still in shock after reading and watching this...Check out Nas' reaction

"Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong wars! Killing each other is definitely played out. Being hurt from the loss of a love one was never cool.

Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong war! I know that feeling, that frustration with life and needing to take it out on someone, anyone. But….

We chose the dumbest things to go the hardest for. I remember seeing deaths over 8 ball jackets, fila’s, and name plate chains. Deaths over “he say she say”!!!!! “I’m from This block or I’m from that block,” or “my moms n pops is f*cked up now the whole world gotta pay!!!”

I remember feeling like I was the hardest “n*gga” breathin. And I couldn’t wait to prove it. But let’s think. What r we really proving?? And proving what to who?? Everybody knows Chicago breeds the strongest of the strong but I just feel, me, being ya brother from another state, feel your pain as if I grew up with you in ya very own household.

You have the ability and mindpower to change the way we are looked at. Look who’s watching us young warriors, look who’s throwin us in jail constantly, look at the ignorance in the world. Look at the racist dogs who love to see us down. Lovin to bury us in the ground or in jail where we continue this worthless war on one another. Young warriors…. We are WASTING more and more time. We gotta get on our jobs and take over the world. Cuz this movie left the theaters years ago, Juice, Menace, Boys n the Hood, Blood n Blood Out, Belly!

When we see each other why do we see hatred? Why were we born in a storm, born soldiers, WARRIORS….and instead of building each other up we are at war with each other.. May the soul of this young person find peace with the Almighty. I’m with you young warriors. You’re me and I’m you. But trust me! You are fighting the wrong war.

This sh*t sucks !!

-Nas"

When 50 starts something...

...he just doesn't stop.

Stephen Philms Presents-Freedom of Speech: ONE WORD *SNEAK PEEK*

MAJOR shout outs to pro-art's very own Stephen Philms on this sneak peak into his upcoming documentary on the phrase 'Freedom of Speech'

Kanye Apologizes...

Kanye deserves his own Gatorade...dude is a G, straight up. I'm serious. NOBODY else could have gotten away with what he did at the VMAs last night. You can't stir up controversy any better than this. Whether or not this is just a publicity stunt will be a question, at least for now. Nonetheless, kudos to him for apologizing.

10 Producers who could've saved The Blueprint 3

Now THIS article I agree with whole-heartedly. The beats weren't that bad...but beats is only one phase/concept of production. Jigga decided to feature some new cats on the hooks/verses...might as well apply the same theory for the production.

------------------------------------------------------------------------



"10 Producers who could've saved 'The Blueprint 3'"
by Jerry Barrow




“N*ggas want my old shit, buy my old album/N*ggas stuck on stupid, I gotta keep it movin,…” Jay-Z “On To The Next One”

The Blueprint is dead, long live The Blueprint. Sometimes you just can’t go back. It’s a little counterproductive as fans and critics to wish Jay-Z would do “the original” Blueprint over. It was clear after the BP 2 that was never going to happen. Besides, it wasn’t simply the “soulful” samples of the original that made it pop, it’s that Hova had the testicular fortitude (ie balls) to hand the keys over to up-and-coming producers like Kanye West and Just Blaze. In fact, it’s been Jay-Z’s willingness to go outside the box and get producers like The Buchanans (“What More Can I Say”) and 9th Wonder (“Threats”) that helped make his recent work even more memorable.

In the past I have been among the flag wavers demanding more DJ Premier and Ski Beatz on Jay-Z songs and I’ve been told “Oh, he’s been there and done that.” He backs this up on “On To The Next.” However, how does he justify continuing to use all of his old buddies on The Blueprint 3? With the exception of Al Shux and The Incredibles every track is produced by either Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland or The Neptunes. The fundamental problem with that strategy is that all of them are artists who are not going to give him their best material anymore. Timbaland even admitted that “I didn’t give Jay my best material” because he’s saving it for his own Shock Value 2 project.

However, After listening to The Blueprint 3 I must concede that it’s not as horrible as many of my colleagues are saying. Jay-Z can still rhyme rings around the average rapper and there are many rewind worthy couplets sandwiched between the really bad hooks (ie the extended 9/11 metaphor on “Thank You” is ridic). I don’t think anyone let down by the BP3 is hating, we just expect more. It’s like watching Kobe Bryant play and he only drops 20. That’s a great game for the average player but after watching him drop 81 it’s like “meh.”

Anyway, since Hova insists that critics “never did it” I’m going to put on my A&R hat and say that these following producers could have made an average Jay-Z album something to really remember.

10) DJ Khalil, I don’t think Jay got his best work on Kingdom Comes’ “I Made it” as evidenced by the Clipse “ Kinda Like a Big Deal”


9) Nicolay
If Jay is thinking “global” this producer from The Netherlands has all of the melody and futuristic soul he can handle.


8 ) Black Milk
This Detroit MC/ Producer has the perfect balance of that hard, Detroit Rock with electronic synth sounds that got the kiddies going ringtone crazy.


7) K-Salaam and Beatnick With three albums under their belt this duo is quickly becoming one of the illest remixers in the game.


6) The Runners If Rick Ross’s “Hustlin” wasn’t enough “Lay Back” should have sealed the deal.


5) Tha Bizness Seeing has Jay was riding Jeezy’s “My President’s Black” so hard he should have gotten the producers who made it.


4) Play N Skillz From Chamilionaire (”Ridin Dirty”) to Hurricane Chris these siblings from Texas get it in. They even jack Hova for “Checkin My Fresh”


3) Bangladesh Lil Wayne’s “A Milli” was the most jacked beat of last year (including by Jay-Z) and Luda’s secret weapon would have laced Jigga.


2)The Dream and Tricky Stuart
If Jay wanted a “2009” sound he could have gone to these proven hitmakers to bring some oomph to some of those lackluster hooks.


1) Justice League
After lacing Rick Ross’ “Maybach Music” it should have been a no-brainer for Jay to tap this trio to give him some heat.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Was "The Blueprint 3" really that bad?

These guys make alota valid points, esp with the casio pop sound and the much ado about nothing features. I'm not as harsh in my judgement, but my main point stems from this track in comparison to every, single track on The Blueprint 3.

And honestly...arrogance without current works bothers me, especially in music. If Jay-Z wants to be off his 'old shit' and get on every other artist who hasn't 'grown', fine. But his new stuff isn't really new...he's been talkin about moving from the "corner to the corner office" for 3-4 albums now, and this album portrayed it in the most average fasion, by far. My rant would take forever...so I digress because of time restrictions. Its not a bad album...just not a great one, at all.

Note: Here's Casey Gene-Macalla's analysis of BP3....ouch

http://theurbandaily.com/music/leak-review-jay-zs-blueprint-for-failure/

This Is The PheneMix Vol 2 (w/ Dub Floyd)

Sup ya'll?...it's been a minute.

Not too long ago, I got put on to a promising upcomming artist out of Philly named Phene. His latest mixtape dropped back in May and I gave it a listen over the past few days. Not too much of an in-depth review, for now, but I will highlight the tracks I felt were dopest...Overall though, dude is solid and I really dig the production and mixing (No surprise here though, Dub Floyd is a persoanl favorite.) Ispy a Mellodramatic feature!

Here's the mixtape art/tracks/download:




Tracklisting
01. The Intro (Prod. by Djay Cas) w/ Dub Floyd
02. Heroic (Exclusive Screamixx) w/ Marvin Gaye
03. Dreamer (PheneMix) w/ Akon
04. Feel Free (PheneMix) w/ Ricky Blaze
05. Onslaught (Freeverse)
06. Today (PheneMix) w/ Dre (Cool -N- Dre)
07. Hustlaz Musik (Prod. by Risingson) w/ City Haze
08. Mellodramatic (Prod. by Mellodramatic)
09. All My Life (Freeverse)
10. Gone (Prod. by Marcus Davis)
11. Saviors w/ Big Skeem
12. Runaway With Me (PheneMix)
13. Love Hangover (PheneMix) w/ Estelle
14. Chase (Produced by Grand Larceny) w/ Tenille
15. Ask Anybody (Prod. by Infamous Crate Diggers) w/ Dub Floyd
16. Much More (PheneMix) w/ Phil Nash & Yummy Bingham
17. Like A Champion (Prod. by Mazik)
18. Money, Power, Respect (Freeverse)
19. Everybody Knows (PheneMix) w/ John Legend
20. Rescue You (PheneMix) w/ Ryan Leslie
21. Holding Back (Prod. by Pezey Krack)

Download Link

2009 Summer Playlist!!! (Reggae Pt.1)

Currently, there are about 100+ tracks...This mixtape tackles alot of them, but not all. Part 2 coming soon...

NOTE: Listening to the playlist on this webpage enables imeem's 30 sec preview feature. To listen to the full tracks click >>>>HERE<<<<

I wanted to use the flash player I used last time for the R&B playlist but 43 tracks is tedious to say the least. And for some odd reason, the tracks I uploaded wouldnt play...:-/ (FF ftl...again?)

/>

DJ Kenny Lover Rock 13

Spoof Time!!!

Two of the funniest spoofs I've seen in a minute!

As promised...2009 Summer Playlist! (R&B)

Wassup ya'll...I hope you guys didn't think I forgot about those summer playlists! The first week of classes was crazy with all the buying and selling and getting with this person and that person but things have settled down somewhat. Now there's just 16 weeks of schoolwork to do. Piece of cake...:-(

But anyway, I figured I'd start it off with the easiest list to compile...R&B. This is not an all-time favorite list. I tried to select songs that came out and/or got hot during my summer vacation that I liked or were relevant in some way. Now with that said, dont automatically assume this list is just aight just because it was easiest to compile: its actually pretty intense. I have a a special appreciattion for intoxicating music of any genre. At its best, music is suppose to be so face-flushing and spine-tingling that it captures you and has you completely frozen; where you identify with the emotions within the music so well that you go numb and feel nothing but the music...and for just those few minutes... you're completely consumed from head to toe. You get the music and it gets you. Rarely does it hit the spot quite like that in every scenario. Maybe it will be another song or maybe the same song at another point in your life. Regardless of the time/place, music has this effect on all of us at some point and thats the beauty of it.

Imeem requires a bit much and youtube is kinda inconvinient so I made my own playlist via macromedia flash. I'll try to drop a genre-specific play-list each season (Autumn/Winter Hip-Hop/Rap is already looking nice...Slaughterhouse FTW!) Unfortunately, there wont be a Rock/Punk play-list....this time :-)

Enjoy. Next up........you'll have to wait and see!

:-\

I've been pretty busy with H.W. today...kinda underestimated what had to be done but hey, thats what the first couple weeks are for. Nonetheless, I found a pretty intersting map. The H1N1 and swine flu cases have been going up. Coincidentally, I'm not feeling 100% either and seeing this map didn't help matters much...

on that note....time for more theraflu

But before I dip...one of the dopest hip-hop tracks out right now




I'm outta here!

$100,000

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, it takes an average U.S. citizen a shade under four years to earn $100,000.

Ever wonder how long it takes your favorite athlete to earn that much???




Alas...another reason to get your son into baseball

Full article here

One word: IRONY

"Robin Starr, the CEO of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says her 16-year-old blind and deaf dog, Louie, died after she accidentally left him in her hot car for four hours."

 

Source:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/116/2009/august/26/va-spca-execs-dog-dies-after-4-hours-in-hot-car.html
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Rush Limbaugh responds to Jay-Z

For those of you who haven't heard, Jay-Z's newest release, entitled "Off That," on his upcoming album, The Blueprint 3, has stirred up a bit on controversy as of late. Jigga takes a shot at both Bill O'Rielly and Rush Limbaugh and Limbaugh took it upon himself to answer back on his radio show:

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RUSH: I have been mentioned in a rap song by the rapper “Jay-Z.” He has a new song out there. What’s the name of the song? I don’t know what the name of the song is. New song out mentions me and the moderate Bill O’Reilly.

“This ain’t black versus white, my nigga, we off that. Please tell Bill O’Reilly to fall back. Tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls. It’s 2010 not 1864. Ah yeh we come so far … Ah, how’s that for a mix? Got a black president, got green presidents.”

RUSH: Does this, Snerdley, mark a new development in my career to be singled out in a rap song by the famous rapper Jay-Z? I guess it is. As far as I know I have never been mentioned in a rap song by anybody. I guess it means I’ve made it. I’m now in a rap tune by the famous rapper Jay-Z. “[T]ell Bill O Reilly to fall back. Tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls.” I would remind the rapper Jay-Z: Mr. Z, it is President Obama who wants to mandate circumcision. We had that story yesterday; and that means if we need to save our penises from anybody, it’s Obama. I did not know I was on anybody’s balls, either. I’m happy to know that they think I am, though! But I didn’t actually know that I was.

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Sarcastic gold in my opinion. Hopefully we get to see Jay-Z and Limbaugh talk it out on The O'Reilly Factor.

About the mandated circumcisions though...wow

E-FACTS interview!!!

Take a tour through my mind and see how the E-FACTS blog originated! Also I introduce the pro-art movement!



we're so pro-art...ARE YOU?!



FOLLOW THE BLOG! TELL A FRIEND TO TELL A FRIEND!

19.19?!?!?!?!?!

Usain Bolt is NOT human!

Men's 200

1. Usain Bolt 19.19

2. Alonso Edward 19.81

3. Wallace Spearmon 19.85

4. Shawn Crawford 19.89

5. Steve Mullings 19.98

6. Charles Clark 20.39

7. Ramil Guliyev 20.61

8. David Alerte 20.68

He/She?

Note: Part of this story broke yesterday and I really should've posted it but got caught up staring at Michelle's sexy legs...but moving on...This is a really interesting story to say the least. 18 yr-old, Olymic gold medalist, Caster Semenya of South Africa is facing a gender test by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) due to concerns on whether 'she' is a man or a woman. Speculation around the reason for the constant push for the test stems from the gold she won in the women's 800 at the world championships yesterday. Well, let me refrain, the speculation of both her sex and the increased push for the gender test supposedly arose from how badly the olympian women were beat in yesterday's world championships. The controversy surrounding her began when she posted a personal best (and world leading) time of 1 minute, 56.72 seconds, an eight second improvement on her time last year, to win gold at the African Junior Championships in Mauritius last month. That time is just 0.51 seconds slower than Kelly Holmes' career best. And then yesterday, she dominated from begining to end and posted a new personal best of 1 minute, 55.45 seconds, and needless to say, was well ahead of the rest. From an 18 yr-old? Likely. From an unknown South African 'girl' that looks like and has the build of a South African guy? Hmmmmm. Oddly enough, this isnt the first time an issue such as this one has surfaced (see Stella Walsh and Sarah Gronert). Semenya's mother, Dorcus Semenya, and grandmother, Maphuthi Sekgala, have gone on record to defend her. Dorcus Semenya stated from her home in the village of Seshego, near Polokwane in South Africa's Limpopo province:

"I am not even worried about that because I know who and what my child is. Mokgadi Caster is a girl and no one can change that. If you go at my home village and ask any of my neighbours, they would tell you that Mokgadi is a girl. They know because they helped raise her. People can say whatever they like but the truth will remain, which is that my child is a girl. I am not concerned about such things."



Sekgala also had a few things to say to the media. "She called me after the heats and told me that they think she's a man. What can I do when they call her a man, when she's really not a man? It is God who made her look that way. (As a yong child) If the teasing hurt her, she kept the hurt to herself and didn't show what she was feeling."

Michael Seme, Semenya's coach, referred to the timing of the media's attention to the issue as 'suspicious.' "I have been working with Caster since January and I can tell you now I have been training a girl, not a boy. It is very upsetting that she has to undergo all this just hours before the most important race of her career. This is psychologically disruptive."

Leonard Chuene, president of ASA (Athletics South Africa) has also vigorously defended the girl. "I will continue to defend the girl, I will continue to do anything, even if I am to be kicked out of Berlin, but I am not going to let that girl be humiliated in the manner that she was humiliated because she has not committed a crime whatsoever. Her crime was to be born the way she is born. I think what they should have done is to protect her until the results are out and then we sit and look at it."

The media circus on this one won't die down right now, but I must complement Semenya on her inner resolve to go out and not only win, but dominate despite the speculation. For the moment, I say celebrate her success and let the scientists working for IAAF take the necessary tests to verify 'her' gender.

Burres pleads guilty, set to serve 2-yr sentence

Best thing he could have done imo. This case has dragged on, and while justice must be served, he wasn't going to get off and pleading cut down his sentencing down and a half years. It's really a sad story more than anything. Guy was productive on the field (unfortunately for us Eagles' fans at times) and seemed to be a good guy in the locker room. But a myriad of poor decision-making led him to that moment in that night club that changed his life forever. Seemingly he's learned a lesson and just might get the life he lived off the field repaired in exchange for the one that was a well-oiled machine on the field. He may have physically shot himself in the leg in that night in that Manhattan night club, but he'll be really shooting himself in the foot if he doesnt survive this and bounce back one day.

"Aye you gyal ina de tight up shawts...

...ya speed up ten more beats to me heart?"

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Stories like this make journalism seem like a piece of cake...I'm actually feeling a little iffy about posting this. The story itself: far from news. The story actually makng headlines: NEWS! There are ALOT more important things going on (Jeez, this is SO hypocritical...I gotta make sure I post something newsworthy later on today)

We just be HYPERIZING

Rashard killed it...@ the jheri curl gumby!!!

This weekend's event!

The info below is from an invitation to an open-air business and social networking event at Cabana/The Opera on the 21st. (I'm in the process of adding an event caldendar widget to the blog so you guys can keep up with us...most are pretty regular though...*continues search*) This will be the first event that we, pro-art, attend as a group/business partners (keeps fingers crossed!) so needless to say I'm...well, just check the gif

Oh, and btw...Live tweets WILL be on deck!!!

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Thanks to the over 400 young professionals who joined us at on the rooftop of the W last month!

After an amazing outdoor/indoor event at Whiskey Blue last month, NetParty Atlanta is back on Friday, August 21, with another evening of open-air business and social networking at The Cabana, an outdoor Midtown oasis adjoining the opulent Opera nightclub. We've also reserved Opera's charming Venetian Room as a cool indoor alternative.

As seen in Forbes (Best of the Web), Cosmopolitan Magazine ("Top New Ways to Meet"), and most recently on CNet ("Top Professional Social Network that Takes on LinkedIn") NetParty Networking Events "combine business networking with social fun."We expect another amazing crowd to join us for:

• Great drink specials 6-8 pm (to be announced)


• Complimentary Passed Hors D'oeuvres (6-8 pm)


• Cool music played at a low volume to facilitate successful business and social networking until 8 pm


• DJ spinning great music and creating a fun atmosphere after 8 pm while allowing for continued conversation and interaction


• Making the acquaintance of hundreds of new, young, fun young professionals for business contacts and friendships like you can do nowhere else

Opera's $2.5 million renovation revitalized the unique historical character and stunning architectural details of the original building that in the 1920s served as an opera house for the Atlanta Women's Club. With elegant chandeliers, VIP booths that resemble opera boxes (each outfitted with a flat-screen TV), an art gallery, a retractable DJ booth and a even a pool and 20-foot waterfall at The Cabana, Opera is an "opulent kingdom" where "baroque never looked so sexy" (Access Atlanta).

For more info, to buy tickets or to RSVP please visit http://atlanta.netparty.com/!

We look forward to seeing you there!

http://atlanta.netparty.com/networking-events.html

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He's BAAA-AAACK!

The #1 diva in all of sports, is now out of retirement (again?): this time playing across the river for the NFC North rivals of his "beloved" Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings. The funny thing about this story though, is that a little over a week ago, Favre was retired and the Vikings were no longer pursuing him, or any other QB for that matter. Now, as the iron from the Michael Vick signing begins to cool, another sword has been cast into the fire and pounded into the media. With Favre, it's really a toss up between two things: either his competitive nature refrains him from walking away from the game...or he's simply an attention whore somewhat bound on beating the team that let him go...or both (check out the Venn diagram lol). Another question surfaces regarding just how beneficial this decision will be. Most sports analysts agree that Favre makes the Vikings a better team, and on paper, this is true. However, Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, both of whom have locker room support, have been lied to about the availability of the QB position and in sports, team chemistry trumps talent. I doubt Favre will receive any cold shoulders simply because of his likability in the public eye as well as his on the field accomplishments. But, if the soon-to-be 40-yr old goes down, there's no telling how willing the back-ups will be after being duped like this. The story doesn't come as much of a shocker though. For one, Jay Glazer broke it. Enough said. Secondly, if there was any doubt as to how efficient and accurate twitter is, its gone now. Vikings' players had been tweeting back and forth on the issue and the buzz never quite died.As I stated earlier, this is good for news, 50/50 for fans (or nothing depending on who you ask), but bad for the NFL's image as a business. At any rate, this should add to an already highly anticipated NFL season smothered with headlines...stay tuned!

On average...

the human body contains enough...

• iron to make a 3 inch nail
• sulfur to kill all fleas on an average dog
• carbon to make 900 pencils
• potassium to fire a toy cannon
• fat to make 7 bars of soap
• phosphorous to make 2,200 match heads
• water to fill a ten-gallon tank

9.58s...INTO a headwind...smh

Lghtning Bolt at it again. This is a report about what took place yesterday at the world championships. (Seriously...who SETS WORLD RECORDS running into a headwind...smh)

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/news/story?id=4402644



Note: Now I REALLY have to find see if my theory on living closer to the equator increases speed/athleticism (or at least the capacity for) in the human body. (It's just a hunch I've had for years based on the performance of indivuduals/teams who are located in warmer areas, the SEC being the main contributor to my hunch)

Well that didnt take long

In referral to this...

Jaws: Vick Poses threat for McNabb

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/moving_the_chains/Jaws_Vick_poses_threat_for_McNabb.html

Are you for or against the Eagles signing Michael Vick?

http://www.philly.com/philly/polls/53182717.html?results=y

Jaws' report comes as no surprise. Is Vick a big addition? Yes. Starting over a healthy McNabb? No. Although McNabb lobbied for Vick to come to Philly, somebody had to write an article like this, no matter how high it is on the "much ado about nothing" meter. His article reminds me of the last swiggle of juice in the box; its not substantial enough to satisfy/fill anyone or quench one's thirst, but the bottom line is that if you dont get to it, somebody else will. Can't really say I'm too shocked with the poll either...but with Philly fans, a few TDs should sway the opinion somewhat. Similarly though, a few INTs can have the same effect :-(.

This isn't a new finding...

But I thought it was interesting nonetheless...

"Pain from any injury or illness is always registered by the brain. Yet, curiously, the brain tissue itself is immune to pain; it contains none of the specialized receptor cells that sense pain in other parts of the body. Thus, the pain associated with brain tumors does not arise from brain cells but from the pressure created by a growing tumor or tissues outside the brain."

Another marvel of the human body

Sources: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/3d/, http://www.arcamax.com/trivia/s-142594-750125, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pain/PN00017, http://biology.about.com/od/humananatomybiology/a/anatomybrain.htm

So Michael Vick is an Eagle...

First off...The thought of Vick coming to Philadelphia has me ecstatic! (Yes...I'm an Eagles' fan) I'm not going to get into too much football jargon tonight but let's be clear and honest about one thing: A healthy Vick on the football field, taking snaps under center or not, is a tough task for any defense to handle as well as a head-scratcher for defensive coordinators. Even if he's had some athletic drop-off, he will still be able to make plays just because of his raw athleticism (not to mention the talent that is around him now). The Eagles' offense this season is already loaded with speed and elusiveness (McNabb, Westbrook, McCoy, Maclin, Jackson, Curtis) and adding Vick to the mix opens up endless possibilities, especially with the infamous wildcat formation that burst onto the scenes last season (This one's for Laurence...lol). Sports' writers nationwide are already all over this. I think alot of people forgot there were pre-season games on tonight amidst the breaking news (we lost a nail-biter...hopefully not Celek too). But the media circus and the speculation on McNabb's future should die down quickly with this. So that leaves one thing left: the public opinion, especially the passionate Eagles' fans.

A less-than-thrilled Dan Shannon, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, (PETA) released this statement earlier:

"PETA and millions of decent football fans around the world are disappointed that the Eagles decided to sign a guy who hung dogs from trees. He electrocuted them with jumper cables and held them under water. You have to wonder what sort of message this sends to young fans who care about animals and don't want them to be harmed."

Ouch! So Vick loses his job, every financial possession not completely paid for (houses, cars, etc.) all endorsements, does 18 months in Leavenworth, and has been active in educating and discouraging the urban youth on dogfighting and PETA isn't even partially satisfied? Attitudes like this don't end with animal rights' activists though. Many Eagles' fans are livid about the move.

"I am officially no longer an eagle fan
I can not believe this.I’ve been an eagle fan since 1981 and it’s over.Reprehensible"

"Obviously you have no kids..
As a parent AND a faithful Eagles fan, I would hope that you’d see how important for our players to be good role models for our kids. How many years at Leavenworth would it take for YOU to reconsider supporting him? He’s a felon. He’s a poor representation of the Eagles values and the Eagle’s fan’s good nature. I vote to get rid of him."

"Me too
I have been a fan since 1976. This disgusts me and Andy Reid clearly deserves to have the family problems that he has. There are very few things less important to me than an Eagles SB. I have always been proud that Andy supposedly only brought on high character guys. It was obviously a lie on his part. He may have paid his debt to society based on the law but he certainly cannot be perceived as a decent human being.
Throw out the moral argument that I know most of you disagree with, how does he even help this team? Does he play RT? LDE? Tight end?
Good bye Bleeding Green. It’s been great being a part of this but I refuse to do it now, no matter how hard it is."

"I hate the signing
And I hate Vick"

And the list goes on...

The above posts don't reflect the stance of every Eagles' fan, or even most (I think). But it goes to show just how touchy of a subject this was and still is now that he's on an NFL team. Many fans argue that dogfighting and hunting are one in the same. Others believe he's served his time. And even more realize that there are and have been much, MUCH worse crimes being committed by NFL players, few of which get this much publicity. Nonetheless, chances are he wont play a meaningful game until mid-season. I can't help but wonder though...Isn't this situation exactly what the rehabilitation system was initially designed for? For a criminal to go through one form of hell in hopes of avoiding the other, more ultimate one? At any rate, fan bases have the power to look past a players negative attributes and appreciate them for their contributions to their team; and if there's a city that can do that, its Philly. Will they? We'll see...