Reblog: As Promised, Pure Hip Hop!

Here is the follow-up post aka final product of Philms' work with Phene. Its already in circulation on your favorite one-stop hip-hop spots (onsmash, etc.) Best work I've seen so far from the homie Steve. Really loved the ol skool emphasis in this vid. Shouts to Phene and DJ Dub Floyd

via Stephenphilms.com

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After doing a radio interview at 93.1FM in North Georgia, the High Off Life fam stopped by The Boiler Room, where Dub Floyd creates all of his magic. While vibing to a collection of Pete Rock instrumentals, we made the most of the moment & we filmed a tribute video. Completely unscripted, fun hip-hop.

ReBlog: Pure Hip Hop, Phene & DJ Dub Floyd Tribute to Pete Rock (Preview)

via the bossman Stephen Philms at stephenphilms.com

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After doing a radio interview at 93.1FM in North Georgia, the High Off Life fam stopped by The Boiler Room, where Dub Floyd creates all of his magic. While vibing to a collection of Pete Rock instrumentals, we made the most of the moment & we filmed a tribute video. Completely unscripted, fun hip-hop. Phene on the rhymes, Dub Floyd on the 1s & 2s and Yours Truly on the visuals… The full video is coming soon….below is some Behind The Scenes footage of Dub Floyd tearing up the turntables.....by the way, the behind the scenes footage was shot on my new HTC EVO! PRETTY DOPE!

DJ Dub Floyd & Stephen Philms Behind the Scenes from Stephen Philms on Vimeo.

Fantasy football...its kind of a big deal

*waits for the commish to send league invites...*

Sampling Samples!

Wassup world?! I must admit, I've been itching to blog this entry...so it deserves the background story. Bear with me, won't take long at all...

So I'm riding with L a few weeks back and I hear the new Jazmine Sullivan single and in my mind I'm like "Ok, this is some DJ blending, right?!" WRONG! That dope ass beat is the actual track! Its a mix of "Affirmative action" by The Firm, "Impeach the President" by the Honeydrippers (The first group is a gimme, the second one...not so much), and a few others I'm not too familiar with. The song is old news sure...HOWEVER it prompted a very interesting thought...

Here's the track btw...

...ok now back to the blog

Ever wonder why some hip-hop tracks are almost nostalgic from the very first time you hear them??? There are some tracks that just "get you" and then some that are "....meh" Well I've had an epiphany of sorts...Alot of these tracks stick to us immediately simply because its NOT the first time we've heard them. In fact, we probably heard them years ago as fetuses in our mom's wombs. Hip-hop is the perfect blend of samples of multiple genres; namely jazz, blues, funk, and of course, rock-n-roll. You name the track, no matter what genre: It's been sampled. "Top Billin'" for instance, a personal favorite, is a drum beat sample from a popular rock song that was accidentally recorded backwards, thus that particularly unique and distinguishable arrangement. So in all likelihood, I heard that track, as a rock song, multiple times while just chillin in my moms stomach and ultimately when I heard it as a young boy in its alternate and re-arranged form (aka a hip-hop track) it struck me like lightning. Simple.

But hey...dont take my word for it. I've spent X amount of hours just googling away every hit/classic hip-hop song I could think of and checking for the samples, if any. And boy oh boy....this list.....this list is LONG! Enjoy the music!

Boadicea - Enya => Ready or Not - The Fugees

Fun - Brick => Put it in your mouth - Akinyele; Video - India Arie (Props to Ms. Arie for tryin to 'clean up' that track lol)

Innocent 'til Proven Guilty - Honey Cone => Testify - Common

You Can't Turn Me Away - Sylvia Striplin => Get Money - Junior M.A.F.I.A.

There's Nothing in This World That Can Stop Me From Loving You - Tom Brock => Girls Girls Girls - Jay-Z

Through The Fire - Chaka Khan => Through The Wire - Kanye West

I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over - David Porter (4:45) => Who Shot Ya? - Notorious B.I.G.

The Edge - David McCallum => Next Episode - Dr Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Kurrupt, and Nate Dogg

Darkest Light - Lafayette Afro Rock Band => Show me what you got - Jay-Z

In The Space - Janko Nilovic & Dave Sucky => D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune) - Jay-Z

Spirit in the Dark - Aretha Franklin => School Spirit - Kanye West

Mother Nature - Albert Jones => Be (Intro) - Common

Distant Lover (live) - Marvin Gaye => Spaceship - Kanye West

Why You Treat Me So Bad - Club Nouveau => I Got 5 On It - Luniz; Satisfy You - Puffy feat R. Kelly (The intro to this track is SOOOO familiar...can't remember where I've heard it though...smh)

Never Gonna Stop - Linda Clifford => Street Dreams - Nas; All Eyez On Me - 2Pac

Space Dust - The Galactic Force Band => I wanna Rock - Snoop Dogg

Inside You - Eddie Henderson => Coming of Age - Jay-Z feat. Memph Bleek

Love On a Two Way Street - The Moments => Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys

Holy Thursday - David Axelrod => Dr. Carter - Lil' Wayne

Pigs Go Home - Ronald Stein => Guilty Conscience - Eminem ft. Dr. Dre

We're in love - Ruben Wilson => Memory Lane (Sittin in da park) - Nas

Excerpt from 'Smilin' Billy Suite' - The Heath Bros => One Love - Nas

Islands in the Stream - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton => Ghetto Superstar - Pras ft. Mya and O.D.B.

Footsteps in the dark - Iseley Bros => It was a good day - Ice Cube

I want do something freaky to you - Leon Haywood => Nothin But a G Thang - Dr Dre

Rise - Herb Alpert => Hypnotize - Notorious B.I.G.

I Cant Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles => Can't Stand the Rain - Missy Elliot

Sweet Green Fields - Seals and Crofts => Put Your Hands where my Eyes can see - Busta Rhymes

Daydreaming in blue - I Monster => Daydream - Lupe Fiasco ft. Jill Scott

Are You My Woman - The Chi-lites => Crazy in Love - Beyonce ft. Jay-Z

Ready or Not - Delphonics => Ready or Not - The Fugees (the other song used to sample at top of page)

Today - Tom Scott (1:39) => T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You) - Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Summer Madness - Kool and the Gang => Summer Time - DJ Jazzy Jeff ft. Will Smith

Aint no love in the heart of the city - Bobby Bland => Aint no love - Jay-Z

A Little Bit of Love - Brenda Russell => Still not a Playa - Big Pun ft. Joe

Memory Band - Rotary Connection => Killin Me Softly - The Fugees; Benita Applebum - A Tribe Called Quest

Talkin Heads - Sugar on My Tongue (3:15 mark forward) => Sugar Gimme Some - Trick Daddy ft. Ludacris, Ceelo, and Lil Kim

Prove My Love to You - Main Ingredient => You Dont Know my Name - Alicia Keys

Open Your Eyes - Bobby Caldwell => The Light - Common

Bolero Medley - Celeste Legaspi => Kick, Push - Lupe Fiasco

I'm Glad You're Mine - Al Green => Dead Wrong - Notorious B.I.G. ft. Eminem

A House is Not a Home - Luther Vandross => Slow Jamz - Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx

Khusara Khusara - Hossam Ramzy & His Egyptian Ensemble => Big Pimpin' - Jay-Z ft. UGK

Impeach The President - Roy C & The Honey Drippers => Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes; LL Cool J - Around The Way Girl; Nas - I Can; Audio Two - Top Billin'; Big Daddy Kane - Smooth Operator; Shabba Ranks - Mr. Loverman

Ooh Boy - Rose Royce => Luv Me, Luv Me - Shaggy ft Janet Jackson (Note: the beat above is ALSO sampled in..crazy)

I'm Not to Blame - Bobby Byrd => You Don't Know - Jay-Z

I Get High - Freda Payne => Good Times (I get high) - Styles P

Straight to Hell - The Clash => Paper Planes - M.I.A.; Swagger like us - T.I. ft. Kanye West and Jay-Z (A sample within a sample...Inception for music!)

I Can't See Myself Without You - Creative Source(check the hook)=> What We Do - Freeway ft. Beanie Sigel & Jay-Z

Sinnerman - Nina Simone (4:48 mark forward) => Get by - Talib Kwali

Shape of My Heart - Sting => The Message - Nas; Break You Off - The Roots ft. Musiq

And SSSOOOOOO much more...I may add a few here and there. I'm done for now though...whew

ALOT has been going on

Work...work...work. But I'll post more about that later on. For now, I'll play catch-up as best I can. Alot has been going on in music, entertainment, sports, politics, etc...the end of the summer has been pretty interesting to say the least. I'll dibble and dabble in particular topics as the days go by. But for now, I wanted to share, hands down, the best trailer of the summer. (Yes, even better than the one for Inception...which is STILL trending on twitter btw). If this movie sucks, what a waste of a story that would be. Ambition and talent are always welcomed here at pro-art and I personally believe in great risk/reward so I really dig the story. Btw, damn good selection for the trailer's score... intense, dramatic, plus a nice twist with the choir-medley-based cover.

Que Thom Yorke's "Ruuuuuu-uuuuuuuuu-uunnnn....Ruuuuuuu-uuuuu-uuuuu-uuunnnnnn"



ABOUT

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications. From director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin comes The Social Network, a film that proves you don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, and Ceán Chaffin and based on the book "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Mezrich

No reliable internet access (nor acces point...smh) for about 5 weeks now...finally got it back! updates coming soon!

Real talk: Dan Gilbert vs Lebron James vs Jesse Jackson

Bomani Jones hit the nail on the head on this one...I shared the exact same thoughts when the story went viral/global

Pro-art presents "The Cut" (cover and info)

Steve and I have been cooking up some heat for a few week now. Granted a 9-5 slows down the creative and ambitous processes required, we are making strides in gathering a plethora of different indie artists and genres of what we feel is unquestionably DOPE! Be on the lookout for it because this will be one of the best non-mixed (DJ-wise), but mixed (genre, styles, and artist-wise) you will have ever heard!

Shouts to the lil bro Laurence for the album art

Re-Blog: Phene "Writing on the Wall" Official Music Video (Shout out to the 717!!)

"Waddup Waddup!"

Sup everyone? Its been a MINUTE...I got a job a few weeks ago and I've been grinding 6 days a week ever since. Out the door around 8 every morning and I get back in after 10 every night. More details on that later though...

This entry is about my dudes Steve and Phene and the video they shot up in York City, Pennsylvania. I'm STILL kinda upset that I could't go...next time fellas!

Via Stephenphilms.com

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Central PA with Phene to shoot a few music videos and get some documentary footage. What makes this so significant is that its the first official video he's been able to shoot that showcases where he's from. This video is really like a yearbook and a who's who of those from his city. I had a great time meeting new people, the city really showed us some great love. So here it is, Phene "Writing on the Wall." Enjoy.

His project "God on a Greyhound" is due out in September.

S.Philms
PEACE

Eyes on Talent: pro-art prospects (vol. 1)

Shout out to aaiiman of deviantArt for the graphic

Welcome to the first installment of "Eyes on Talent: pro-art propspects." Our aim here at pro-art is simple: aspire to inspire. All forms of art are forms of expression and art is most influential when its aimed to inspire others to do something. In these segments, I will provide some form of art; music, fashion, graphics, etc, that I feel are representative of what it means to be pro-art

In this first segment, we start off with two singers (Everyone else featured in the vids were pretty good. Shouts to them and I hope they keep up the good work. I haven't gotten a chance to go through all of their music, however, Jasmine is the sister of a pretty talented guy who performed with a guy who was on American Idol...just sayin lol)

Kris Collins(featured guy in both vids):
http://www.youtube.com/user/skuby08
http://twitter.com/kriswak

Joelle James(Blondie on the right in the second):
http://twitter.com/joellejames
http://www.youtube.com/joellejames
http://www.myspace.com/officialjoellejames

Major Lazer's "Guide to Daggering"

Been there, done that. But one day...I'm going to do the 'Jump Off.' The crew can hold me to that.

Artest's post-game interview

Ron Artest at his best...lol

"Keep it Classic" - Wednesday Nights at Inferno (Pt. 1)

Waz Hannenin?

Just got in about 20 minutes ago from "Keep it Classic," a weekly event at Inferno that showcases up-and-coming talent, mainly indie artists, in the area. All in all, a decent night. There were just over a handful of performances tonight despite the thin crowd. Phene stood out...EASILY the best performer of the night. In my opinion he's a cut above the rest, no disrespect to the other artists. According to Steve, I'm the new jinx for all the events we attend (the ladies where everywhere but there tonight). No ratings or anything, but I'll comment on what I found to be funny or interesting based on pictures taken (Shouts to L)

...No particular order btw...


Hardest flow of the night on that acapella...



Apparently, these guys have a rather strange diet...in their minds, vagina and frozen milk desserts are one in the same. The craziest part is that this was their ONLY selection, despite there being no more than 20 women in the building. What if pro-art were on an A&R level?...smh



I'm still dosing off from this guy. Vocals got better as he went along and it may have been tough for him with the crowd soooo disengaged (talking, texting, etc).He claimed that his selections were neo-soul....:-\....word?




Hybrid kinda artist...think a thugged-out Drake with braids and not a lite-brite. Second song was kinda catchy...all in all though....meh




Don't know the DJ's name, but he did a nice job. Good mixing and blending of classic hip-hop tracks of the 90s. His mix of "Hot Thing" by Kwali >>>>>>>




Detroit cat that recently moved down here. Funny, based on his style, I couldn't tell...but off-that. Overall pretty nice performance and his second track was pretty catchy. Radio-ready. I'm not nearly as harsh as L though..."I was kinda disappointed...him being from Detroit and all"





These guys were cool. The only things noteworthy really had nothing to do with their performances (or lack thereof).
1. Dude with the LA fitted had some chick there with him....can anybody say owwwwwwwwwww! (Steve: "Brah, if she walk past me ONE mo time!")
2. Said dude with fitted refused to pull up his pants...c'mon son! NOBODY wants to see that shit!





Phene did his this thing...as usual. The entire crowd seemed to be into his performances. Can't wait for the video shoots in PA!

Overall an enjoyable, but forgettable night of performances. Hopefully next time it will be a much better set and better crowd as well. Shouts to all the artists and I hope they all keep doing their thing. E, signin out...

Get him a bib!

For those of you who missed it...Big Baby drools, literally. This series is REALLY entertaining so far.

Gangstalicious' shorts for thugs

So I'm browsing the net and checking out the latest summer fashions and whatnot and stumbled onto this (I wish I hadn't...but hey, at least now when I see some guy wearing them, I'll know he really did find it in the men's section, making him slightly less metrosexual...or worse) Apparently, Someone at Marc Jacobs thought it was a pretty good idea to folow through with that Boondocks episode....behold

Cartoon...


REAL LIFE!


$130

http://www.ssense.com/men/product/marc_by_marc_jacobs/bright_nylon_swim_trunks/23779


SMFH


This post is a little too suspect...here's a lil somethin to offset it.




...ahhh....that's better.

Crocodile tears

First off, I HATE Derek Fisher (Yea...I'm a Spurs fan)..but off that...

I dont know how to feel about this...a bit too early imo...but we'll see

UPDATE: iPhone 4 vs. the smartphone elite: EVO 4G, N8, Pre Plus, and HD2

My apologies for the previous post. As pointed out by Dwight, its extremely biased and the smartphones deserve better representation. Click the pic for the details.

iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo vs. Droid Incredible

Compare and contrast image done by the good folks at Mashable...iPhone 4 seems to take the cake in the features dept, but apple products are infamous for being gased up. Regardless of who wins though, what a summer it will be for the cell phone companies!

Apple iPhone 4 promotional video

The WWDC kicked off today and it's been the #1 trending topic since mid-day and will probably continue to be until midnight. It really depends what TV shows are on tonight (I know Grey's anatomy is over and I think 24 is as well...gotta double-check) Anyhow, needless to say, this phone is kind of a big deal. I'm not a huge fan of apple products. To me, alot of the features/apps are more aesthetic than useful/practical. However, I think they may have won me over with this one. Of all the improvements and new features (only one 'new feature' in actuality), I believe 'FaceTime' is the next big thing in mobile technology (see vid below for compressed recap). Shouts to the folks at engadget.com for providing full play-by-play commentary of the event and Jobs' presentation of the new devive.



"The iPhone 4, available June 24 in the United States, will cost $199 for a 16-gigabyte version, and $299 for a 32 GB model, with a two-year contract with AT&T, the exclusive provider of the iPhone in the U.S."

I'd cop.

"The Truth" via Phene, Dub Floyd, and Stephen Philms

Wassup blogheads? It's been a minute....school's out and I'm in need of a 9-5 for the meantime and in-between time. I have some great news that has everyone of pro-art pretty exciting. Moves are being made and the blog will get an official un-official re-launch in the near future with some DOPE material. No leakage on that just yet though. For now, just enjoy the new layout...

In other news, Steve has been working with Phene and Dub Floyd (the Boondocks DJ) recently and they shot a video for the single "The Truth" on Phene's upcoming album God on a Greyhound. Commentary done by Steve on StephenPhilms.com (be sure to check him out and all the other peeps in the Affiliates widget in the side panel)

Via-
http://www.stephenphilms.com/2010/05/dope-video-shoot-with-phene-dub-floyd.html

This past weekend was eventful to say the least! I got up with Phene & DJ Dub Floyd and Tino Conquest to shoot a music for a song called "The Truth" which will be on Phene's upcoming project God on a Greyhound. The song is very visual and I plan on bringing that out in the video. So you can count on that being another dope collabo! I'm not going to give too many details but this one should be a Classic! A big shout out to the the PRO-ART homie Laurence Reed for coming through and helping out on set! Overall it was great day just vibing out and being creative! Also, its great having people in the city that support artist and their efforts, so a big thank you goes to Lily from Criminal Records for letting us shoot a scene for the video in the store on such short notice. CLUTCH! Lastly, Phene asked me a question that really struck me, he asked "Hey man are you ready to do this everyday?" Of course I quickly answered "YEA!" But after thinking about it I realized how close we all are to making our dreams a reality! Its a great feeling and I'm truly excited about the endless possibilities. Here are a few pics from the shoot!

S.Philms
PEACE

The Swagger Wagon + Meet the Parents

"I got the pride in my ride in the swagger wagon...yeah, the swagger wagon"



Funny but kidna cool at the same time. The 'parents' in the video provide more comedy gold in the other segments featured on the official youtube page. Here's one of my favorites

Baddest. Jam. PERIOD!

Got the radio waves going crazy! Its been a while since an authentic reggae track/artist has busted onto the scene. Reminds me of an article Dwight sent me earlier this week (posting soon...this summer is going to be ridiculous for reggae/dancehall lovers. The mixtapes are crazy!)...that said, I really like Gyptian's music and hopefully there is more to come.



...oh, and if you like the "Barbie" version...kill yourself.

My Line Following Robot...

...aka the bane of my existence during the final 6-7 weeks of the semester. There are lots of details I could go into but if a picture says a thousand words, imagine what a video, or two, can do...

Boondocks Season 3 PREMIER!!!

So I peeled away from studying to watch it and lets just say 30 minutes well spent...here's a clip of a music video scene from the first episode (leaked a few weeks back btw) Riley is back at it...("Real niggas don't follow instructions" ROFL)..but Huey is "retired"...:-( Nothing philosophical or insightful...just....eh. I hope its not a sign of things to come...

Kobe fans...smh

Uhhh.....weird?

For your viewing pleasure...

(If there ever was a track laced with inuendo...lol...)

If I had celeb crushes...Rhiana and Ciara would be 1a and 1b. I've watched this vid a few times and I still don't know the words...I mostly watch it on mute anyways (j/k...or am I?...)

Dunk of the Play-offs (so far)

For Dwight and Steve...

...who are INSANE enough to believe that the Eastern conf. is better than the West conf.

Source





You can match-up play-off seeds and/or non play-off seeds...West > East

That is all.

d|^_^|b...

Three dope hip-hop tracks with three dope videos to match. Shad with another track that requires 5 replays to catch all the 'subtleties' and LB calling it quits. Last but not least, shouts to Tanya Morgan for getting vixen/model 'Mizz DR' (aka Diana Escoto) in that video...surprised they kept it so PG in comparison to what kinda videos she's usually featured in as well as the type of track it is....go figure

More radio-friendly/commercial set coming a little later

6 Degrees of Separation

This is random...but it goes to show how small the world we live in is, ESPECIALLY in the Caribbean.

Via Wikipedia: "Six degrees of separation (also referred to as the 'Human Web') refers to the idea that everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, 'a friend of a friend' statements can be made to connect any two people in six steps or less."


So the song Replay has been a radio hit and club banger for months now and I for one really enjoy the track. Just this week I found out the name of the guy who sings on the track, I.Y.A.Z., and as customary, I youtube'd (is that even a word? lol...) the guy to see what other tracks he has. First thing I notice in the video is a biga** British Virgin Islands flag as well as a U.S. Virgin Islands flag waving in the background. So now I'm thinking to myself, "damn dude...you really need to get out of those programming books more often." Second thing I notice is that the producer is J.R. Rotem (will make sense later). Anyway, needless to say, he hails from the V.I....but as I'm watching the video I say to myself, "WAIT WAIT WAIT...DAS KEIDRAN?!?!...NO MAN! STOP PLAYIN!"...smh...small world. If anybody shoulda seen this coming, it was me. I.Y.A.Z. is the cousin of my great friend from childhood (4 years old to be exact). A few years back he was messaging me on msn and was like "Yow, you remember my cuz Keidran right? Who we used to hoop with?...Yeah, he doin the music thing dread...got this track with Dipset..."

...and the rest is history

The Takeoff: Fovea Fashion Launch Event

Cue Marvin Gaye's 'What's going on'

Way before my time, I know. But I digress...

Pro-art will be out and about next weekend in conjunction and networking with Fovea apparel for their Spring/Summer line release at Thrive (details attached to flyer). Steve has been in talks with their designer and, although he hasn't given too many details, I for one am really excited to see what they have come up with (I'm a HUGE fan of creative tees). Everyone's been pretty busy all semester (I know I have...sighs) but hopefully the entire pro-art family will be able to attend and represent to the fullest.

I'm raw dawg...ya'll safe sex

Laurence doesn't care for him too much...ill beat, nice rhymes, dope video.

Fovea Apparel Fashion Show *TEASER VIDEO*

Wassup everybody? Just woke up from a loooong nap. Definitely the nap of the semester (still tired though....crazy...smh). School got wild and its getting wilder. Nonetheless, I'm currently peeling away from the kitchen and re-blogging some work done by Steve. Most of the information about the shoot and the company is in Steve's commentary/info-bytes so just check it out there. PRO-ART!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From StephenPhilms.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've always had an interest in fashion and any opportunity I get to collaborate with anyone in fashion industry I take full advantage of it! I was able to meet up with the folks at Fovea Apparel (don't you just love twitter!) and now I'm going to produce a mini-documentary based on the whole process of preparing for their upcoming fashion show. They have been great to work with so far and I look forward to great things in future. So here is a sneak peek at some of the behind scenes action! I have a lot of footage and I just had to share something! The exposure to this side of the industry has really motivated me to work harder to get my fashion line off the ground! Its great to see other business minded individuals!
S.Philms
PEACE

...and in case you didnt know my boy Mello Dramatic produced the beat in this video

Fovea Apparel Behind the Scenes *Teaser Video* from Stephen Philms on Vimeo.

Btw...

...this video kinda sucks. Just wasted 5 minutes of my life watching it. Only right I spend another 5 blogging on how over-hyped it is. I guess anything with Beyonce and Lady Gaga in it will be heavily promoted though. On another note, how many guys other than J you know have gotten to feature in a video with B? Lady Gaga should feel special....lol (j/k...I hope)

The CGI was cool..but nothin to lose your mind over. However, In the words of my man Riley from Boondocks...."That beat is AAIGHT!"

The World's Hardest Riddle?

So I stumbled onto this a few minutes ago. To my knowledge its a pretty old riddle (4+ years?). That said, the most interesting fact was this: "97% of Harvard graduates can not figure this riddle out, but 84% of kindergarten students were able to figure this out in 6 minutes or less." So if you haven't heard it before, enjoy. If you have...then you know how funny this is. Lol...

I turn polar bears white

and I will make you cry.

I make guys have to pee

and girls comb their hair.

I make celebrities look stupid

and normal people look like celebrities.

I turn pancakes brown

and make your champane bubble.

If you sqeeze me, I'll pop.

If you look at me, you'll pop.

Can you guess the riddle?

And the answer is...No

No point in bursting your brain over an old, useless riddle. However, the 'rhyme and reason' behind it is simple; You can be too smart for your own good. Think about it. Humility and acceptance of one's knowledge is what lead the group of kindergarten students to the answer and, and the lack thereof, led Harvard students further and further away from it. After reading that riddle, a 5 year old focuses on the last line: "Can you guess the riddle?" There is no "Can you guess what I am?" or "What is the answer to the riddle?" statement, which is really the key to the riddle. To arrive at the correct answer, one must understand what is being asked...a rather important life lesson in itself. A Harvard student, or any other person with some level of education, would most likely search for more cognitive clues and some word play, thereby insisting that there must be some link between all the clues, when there really isn't (Although you will see a lot of wild theories such as air, pressure, etc.) nor is a link between the clues even requested.

I must admit...pretty interesting

URL: http://able2know.org/topic/73046-1

URL: http://able2know.org/topic/73046-1

If you haven't heard...STOP SNITCHIN'!!!

I saw this clip a while ago and shared it with Laurence. Just stumbled on it while organizing some bookmarks. All that to say, DO NOT, I repeat...DO NOT talk to the police. Under ANY circumstances. Its crazy how they can manipulate a case with a simple conversation.

d|^_^|b...

I should be sleeping.....but DAMN, this shit right here, this shit right here, this shit, right here....

(Click Title for download)

Jimi Hendrix: Valleys of Neptune

This brand-new, completely unreleased studio album features 12 previously unreleased studio recordings totalling over 60 minutes of unheard Jimi Hendrix. Ten of these recordings were made between February and May, 1969, as the Jimi Hendrix Experience set out to create the sequel to their groundbreaking 1968 double-album Electric Ladyland. The album features “Valleys Of Neptune,” one of the most sought after of all of Hendrix’s commercially unavailable recordings, and includes exciting 1969 arrangements of the classic signature songs “Red House,” “Fire,” and “Stone Free.” Also includes unheard studio versions of Hendrix’s inspired interpretations of “Bleeding Heart” (Elmore James) and Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love.” Mixed by Eddie Kramer, the engineer for all of Hendrix’s albums throughout the guitarist’s lifetime. Produced by Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, and John McDermott, the team behind all of the acclaimed Jimi Hendrix CD and DVD releases since 1996.

Label: Sony
Genre:
Quality: VBR kbps
Time: 62:02 min
Size: 85,9 MB

Tracklist:
01 03:47 Stone Free
02 04:04 Valleys Of Neptune
03 06:23 Bleeding Heart
04 07:32 Hear My Train A Comin
05 02:58 Mr. Bad Luck
06 06:47 Sunshine Of Your Love
07 04:18 Lover Man
08 05:52 Ships Passing Through The Night
09 03:12 Fire
10 08:23 Red House
11 03:49 Lullaby For The Summer
12 04:57 Crying Blue Rain

So far...I've only established 3 tracks as 'goodness gracious' (I've been back and forth doing thing while listening) but I know most will be fire. The Sunshine of Your Love and Fire covers are pretty good as well. I'll update sometime tomorrowIf you aren't much of a rock n' roll person, you'll still appreciate this collection of unreleased tracks.

p.s. The chords in the guitar solos of Red House are...

Update: Hear My Train A comin and Ships Passing Through the Night added to 'goodness gracious' list

BHM: The Facts (Recap)

"The leader must aim high, see big, judge widely, thus setting himself apart form the ordinary people who debate in narrow confines."

- Charles de Gaulle

If you best describe that statement as elitist, maybe you're not into leadership...:-/ just sayin...

But off that...

I decided to blog the entire series of the BHM facts just to have them all in one place for any and everyone to visit at their leisure I wont post 101-1, but I will provide links to each post...so basically this is a hub-thread of sorts. I've already discused my displeasure in the celebration being forgetten in the the rigamarole that is February. Between V-day, Obama's health care proposals, Tiger Woods, and the Winter Olympics there just wasn't effort put towards promoting the month properly. And it wasn't a money issue; 'corporations' KNOW how to use anyone and anything to increase their own financial gain. Ironically, thats pretty much what Black History Month is all about. But I digress...there are still more black males in prison/dead than in college, and, sadly, the HIV numbers are still increasing. Al Sharpton and Tavis Smiley were supposed to do something together but...well, lets just say not even Rodney King could have been a successful mediator between these two. At least they still "love" each other though...(See audio clip below)

Smh...those two are something else

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The BHM-Hub

Part 1 - "The Firsts"

Part 2 - "Little Known"

Part 3 - "Record Breakers"

Part 4 - "Inventions and Discoveries"

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So that's that....enjoy

Btw, Spring Break for me begins tomorrow (classes cancelled Friday). So far, most of my profs have been significantly more agitated on a daily basis and somewhat unreasonable with assignments and grading. With that in mind, all I'm hoping for is that the wives/girlfriends/significant others of my professors really handle things and take care of business over the week...

...lol

Thats all for tonight people...E signing out.

My inspiration?

Well at least he would be if I didn't have to start job hunting in a month...

This clip is toooo funny...I'm tempted to quote some lines and spoil it. But nah, I'll relax.

101 Black History Facts (Part 4) - Final chapter

Wassup everyone? Hope all is well and everyone is blessed. First off, my apologies for the tardiness. I was supposed to post this yesterday but my schedule and workload conflicted. On the bright side, it was not in vain. Struggled through a project for the past week and finally got it all together today. A rather nice "W" for me along the way....but off that...

Welcome to part 4 of "Learn Your History," the final part of the BHM series. We're already in March, but we're going to drop this anyway. During my fact-finding mission to gather material for this series, I found out the origin of February being the selected month. According to The history Channel, "Black History Month began as 'Negro History Week,' which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln."

Pretty interesting fact. Not knocking Honest Abe, but he was more pro-union than he was anti-slavery...as was nearly all those who supported the abolishionist movement. In actuality, the union feared that the South's power, via the slave trade, would put them in a position to..........um, let's address that another day...

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101 Facts: 26-1

"Inventions and Discoveries" aka The Most-Known Unknowns

Fact #26

David Crosthwait Jr. (1898 - 1979) an expert on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, holds 39 U.S. patents and 80 international patents pertaining to heating, refrigeration and temperature regulating systems. Crosthwait created the heating system for New York City's Radio City Music Hall.

Fact #25

Henry Blair (1807 - 1860), the second African-American to receive a patent, invented a corn seed planter in 1834 and a cotton planter in 1836. Blair could not read or write and signed his patent with an X.

Fact #24

Joseph Lee (1849 - 1905) invented a bread-making machine that mixed the ingredients and kneaded the dough in 1895.

Fact #23

Henry Brown created what is now known as a "strongbox", a metal container to store money and important papers that could be locked with a key in 1886.

Fact #22

L.P. Ray invented the dustpan in 1897.

Fact #21

C.B. Brooks invented the street sweeper in 1896. It was a truck equipped with brooms.

Fact #20

Sarah E. Goode (1850 - ? ) invented a bed that folded up into a cabinet in 1885. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first African-American woman to receive a patent, but the second.

Fact #19

John Love invented the pencil sharpener in 1897.

Fact #18

Andrew Jackson Beard (1849 - 1921) invented the "Jenny Coupler" which allowed train cars to hook themselves together when they are bumped into one another. The device is still used today.

Fact #17

Alexander Miles of Duluth, Minnesota patented an electric elevator in 1887 with automatic doors that would close off the shaft way, thus making elevators safer.

Fact #16

Lonnie G. Johnson (1949 - ), an engineer who performed spacecraft system design for NASA, invented the Super Soaker water gun - the number one selling toy in America in 1991.

Fact #15

Joseph Winters invented a fire escape ladder in 1878.

Fact #14

Lewis Howard Latimer invented the carbon filament for light bulbs in 1881.

Fact #13

Jan Ernst Matzeliger (1852 - 1889) invented the Shoe Lasting machine, which connected the upper part of the shoe to the sole, a painstaking process that was usually done by hand. This invention revolutionized the shoe making industry.

Fact #12

Thomas J. Martin patented a fire extinguisher in 1872.

Fact #11

Dr. Charles Drew (1904 - 1950) discovered techniques to store blood and developed blood banks. (featured in left-side of heading picture)

Fact #10

Lewis Temple (1800 - 1854) revolutionized the whaling industry with his invention of the toggle harpoon in 1848.

Fact #9

Granville Woods (1856 - 1910) invented numerous devices relating to the railroad including a system of overhead electric conducting lines, air brakes and a telegraph system that allowed communication between moving trains. (Successfully sued Thomas Edison over patenting rights and was later offered a position in the company...hmm)

Fact #8

Frederick Jones (1892 - 1961) held over 60 patents with most of them pertaining to refrigeration. His portable air conditioner was used in World War II to preserve medicine and blood serum.

Fact #7

George T. Sampson invented a clothes dryer that used heat from a stove in 1892.

Fact #6

Mark Dean (1957 - ) along with his co-inventor Dennis Moelle created a microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices. This invention allows the use of computer plug-ins like disk drives, speakers, scanners, etc...

Fact #5

James West's (1931 - ) research in sound technology led to the development of foil-electret transducers used in 90% of all microphones built today and in most new telephones being manufactured. West holds 47 U.S. and more than 200 foreign patents on microphones and techniques for making polymer foil-electrets. He was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 1999.

Fact #4

George Carruthers (1939 - ) invented the far ultraviolet electrographic camera, used in the 1972 Apollo 16 mission. This invention revealed new features of Earth's far-outer atmosphere and deep-space objects from the perspective of the lunar surface. Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2003.

Fact #3

Otis Boykin (1920 -1982) invented electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers, and the control unit for a pacemaker.

Fact #2

Garrett Augustus Morgan (1877 - 1963) invented, among many other things, a 3-way automatic stop sign, which he sold to General Electric. It was used in the U.S. until the 3-light traffic sign was developed. (also invented the gas mask prototype, featured in right-side of heading picture)

Fact #1

Elijah McCoy (1843 - 1929) invented an automatic lubricator for oiling steam engines in 1872. The term "the real McCoy" is believed to be a reference about the reliability of Elijah McCoy's invention.

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This was a lot of fun and really informative, especially in this last post. I challenge everyone of black decent to make certain things a part of Black history and not the future. Unfortunately due to the powers that be, many perceptions as well as realities will never change. But there are others that can. In the past and in the present, so many contributions are made and have been made and we never hear about them...nonetheless, lets try to make history everyday, no matter what your skin color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, etc. At the end of the day....we're all one people.

"All good things come to an end; what better reason to aim for greatness"