I be that “Pretty Fucking Blogger”, London’s where I’m repping.
I’m in one big city full of LUSH biiiiiishes!
Yea as idyllic as that sounds it couldn’t be any less of a lie! I haven’t ventured out of ‘the ends’ whilst the suns been out but I can only guess that since everyone gets gassed and tried to get as near to being naked as possible, for every TOP BIRD there’s always a few sun burnt MUNTERS! Yea them fucking munters, the ‘butters beanies’ who should be confined to stay under the stairs and think it’s ok to get their tits, crack and other bits out in the hope that they’ll entice someone that’ll impregnate them in the sordid part of the public park that no one dares venture to…
The sun also brings out many cruffs and the stick thin monkey men who’ve spent five months in the gym trying to BULK up for summer. They’ve been hitting the gym religiously on a diet of Rick Ross -ironic right- and Lex Luger beats just so they can prance around in a vest or worse off without one. The funny thing about the stick thin monkey type turn gorilla dudes is that they end up looking like carrots, why? Because they’ve strained themselves to work out on the top half and left the bottom half of their body to the wolves. I really don’t understand how they can stand up because the upper part of their body is equivalent to the weight of an Acme Anvil stood on two matchsticks, it defies all logic.
The beautiful thing about the summer is the sunset, the romantic, idyllic sunset that makes you forget about the weeks of misery you endures whilst the rain had you trapped indoors wondering when the spate of SAD will end. All that’s missing from the sunset on the pier is the kiss and marriage proposal, no I’m not getting soppy at the mature end of my quarter life crisis, I’m what you call a romantic. I hate being out in the rain but I love how dramatic it looks from inside a cafe, sat by the window people watching.
Tips for the summer
Wake Up Earlier: The best part of the day for me is around 5:30/6am when the sun is fresh because you can go for a walk along the riverside, catch the refreshing breeze and admire the city without the crowds of tourists or ugly people that make you wish the sun was behind a cloud so they wouldn’t venture from beneath the stairs.
Drink Water: According to Wikipedia, 50-65% of the adult human body is made of water and according to the 2L bottle of Evian, this body water renews itself every 6 weeks. If you want clear skin, drink water, if you want to stay cool and don’t want to sweat, drink water.
Eat Healthy: No I’m not talking about salads, gluten and wheat free nonsense and super veg, I’m talking regular meals such as breakfast, lunch and supper because if you eat at regular times you’re less likely to snack on nonsense and gain weight or fill your body with too much toxins.
Work Out: I’m not talking about bulking up, I’d like to stay on the balanced area of my B.M.I thanks, but stay trim and healthy.
Don’t Get Gassed: Don’t be naked in public, drive safely, don’t cut someone else’s lawn, don’t over do the tan.
What can I actually say because if you weren’t there and you’re a fan of either Kanye and Jay-Z or both, you missed out on the worlds greatest show.
I said from waking up yesterday morning that I wouldn’t take pictures, tweet, record video, phone folks to show off that I’m at the concert or instagram anything because I didn’t pay my hard earned £££ for a ticket to share my moment with those who had no intention of making the pilgrimage.
No doubt they put on an EPIC show, no doubt it was great to see the rap god J-Hova and Yeezus Christ rocking the stage together as prophet and disciple, as master and apprentice, as sensei and student. It was also apparent to see that whilst Jay-Z had seen it all before, a younger and less experienced Kanye was entering his prime, Jay had done world tours and sold out shows his whole career and wasn’t as fired up as I were used to but Yeezy was full of flame. It was beautiful to see them have a moment where they sat on stage and reflected, performing New Day and Hard Knock Life, I wanted Jay-Z to perform Glory -I somehow knew that that was something I’d have to wait a few years to witness although when he performed Where I’m From I went line for line with him.
Kanye was on fire, words cannot describe how great it was to witness two of my biggest inspirations and role models on the same stage, rocking the same show. Who else can get a diverse crowd of all colours, creeds, races and faiths singing along to Jesus Walks? That was a special moment, it was inspiring in the sense that whilst I were there admiring them, I constantly had a desire to be on the stage beside them -who knows it may happen one day…
For most of us, the term ‘social network‘ means nothing more than the place where you spread the word about your latest article or the place where you connect with someone who could be useful if they were apart of your network of contacts. To the rest, the term ‘social networking‘ means extended family, cyber rants, self gratification, self loafing, the pursuit of praise and constant attention seeking. Everyone is guilty of at least one, everyone who has ever setup a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr account. I guess we’re all vying for a piece of attention, we’re all trying to shout over the next person to get our ten seconds of recognition, we’re all trying to get you to ascribe and connect with our way of thinking.
More likes, more reblogs, more comments equate to more recognition, more praise, more ‘web’ time but what happens when it gets sinister, what happens when you’ve posted so much pics of yourself, you’ve location tagged ever status update and tweet and let the world know your deepest and darkest thoughts?
What happens when seemingly out of nowhere, someone in your friends/follower/fan/subscriber list becomes your stalker, what happens when you think you’ve met the perfect person as they seem to be a totally compatible match when all they’ve done is study your social networking patterns?
All of this ‘user generated content‘ is a double edged sword because not everyone has the best intentions. Someone you’ve never met can know everything about you in a few clicks, someone with sinister intentions can know what makes you tick in an instant to work their way around you because they know what you’re interested in, what you like, what sort of people you associate with, where you’ve been and what you look like.
I find the prospect of these encounters quite frightening so I try to keep myself detached. You never know what I’m thinking, you hardly know what I’m into, you wouldn’t know who I associate with and what they look like, you can’t see me because there’s next to none floating about for you to see and notice me when I’m out and about.
I feel that whilst the interweb can be totally innocent with folks sharing information about themselves and often using it as a substitute for physical interaction, I also feel that it’s never great to reveal yourself in great depth because there are a lot of unsavoury and sinister folk with less than decent intentions who can use the information you disclose so trivially against you.
Be wise, be safe and be careful because there’s more to life than numbers and statistics that mean nothing outside of your IP connection…
It’s the 396th anniversary since Shakespeare’s passing so today shall be spent being dramatic and talking like a ShakespearianElizabethan. It also falls on the same day as St. George’s Day, which many of us know is the ‘English’ saint but according to research scholars the story of George and The Dragon goes back to Scandinavian folklore -we are an island in the midst of the French to the south, the Danes to the east, Germania to the south east and the Nordic peoples of the north so it’s no surprise that they’d often jump inside their war ships and venture to our shores.
Give me some music; music, moody food
Of us that trade in love. (Antony and Cleopatra, 2.5.1-2)
I’ve never celebrated St. George’s Day but I’d jump at the chance to honour Saint Shakespeare’s Day because this guy created the modern English language through creative writing, if that’s not someone who is an example of a creative writing wizard who can be aligned to the likes of Homer and Muhammad [Allah forgive me in this context] then I don’t know what you deem as an aspiration of creative writing prowess. Shakespeare laid the foundations for a beautiful language by writing plays, poetry, and interpreting history for the stage, by doing so, he not only displayed languages versatility but he also provided us with a demonstration on how language could be used and how we can use it to express ourselves. Before Shakespeare I can only guess the people of England were split between French -in the higher classes and nobility- and what we now know as English in the lower classes -an amalgamation of West Germanic, Anglo-Frisian and Old Saxon Dialects brought to Britain by settlers from Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands, acrolect Latin -acrolect meaning the most prestigious part or variety of a particular dialect/language, and Celtic language Brythonic -thought to be the native language of Britain in the time of Roman occupation.
I say celebrate Shakespeare because he brought language to the masses, he united all Elizabethan class, race and culture under one open top roof, -aptly named- The Globe Theatre, where all could understand and learn a new language being acted out. I’d say a trip to the theatre was more of a language lesson on how to ‘speaketh’ this new language rather that watch a play, The Globe was also somewhere people unconsciously learnt about contexts of the words, how wide a variety one could use one word or many for the same meaning, entendre, puns, similies [ecetera], Shakespeare revised the rules on self expression…
So I say this and this only, why do English citizens continue to honour George when we have a patron saint who kick started the English language, who made it most versatile, poetic and beautiful?
Why don’t we honour Shakespeare with a public holiday or at the very least acknowledgement on calendars?
Why isn’t Shakespeare honoured with a place on the Google homepage?
The answers are pretty simple, Shakespeare died on the same day that we celebrate St. George’s Day so unless we politely acknowledge that two great examples of fearless and intellectual Englishmen share the same day, we may forget what Shakespeare did for the hearts, minds, creativity and communication strength of the English people. Imagine if there were no Shakespeare, we’d probably be doing business in French -with all it’s poetic airy fairy romanticism or Chinese -with it’s bluntness and straight to the point nature where there’s no room to dance in it’s beautiful complex or simple intricacy. We need to give respect where it’s due, and Shakespeare deserves so much more than most, if not with a sainthood at least with calendar recognition -where there is space of course so we don’t upset the lovers of the Dragon slayer.
In a day and age where everyone and their nan have their own line of mediocre t-shirts, few actually have a deeper conceptual meaning, but many if not all use their produce as a means of raising awareness for their ‘brand’. Contrary to this mediocre movement within the apparel market, a seasoned ‘street’ artist, Alexander Hughes, has decided to launch the first phase of ‘Steady Pushing Dope’, a collection of T-Shirts and screen prints influenced by prominent role models that inspired Alexander’s artistry.
Malcolm X is a hero and role model to me. Never have I heard a greater story of change…
Malcolm X, May 19th 1925 – February 21st 1965, was an African American Muslim minister and a courageous human rights activist for the rights of African Americans at a time when racism, prejudice and segregation against blacks in the United States of America were the ‘norm’. Malcolm’s father and uncle were lynched by a brigade of White Supremacists from an infamous terrorist organisation, the Ku-Klux-Klan, after which he was placed into a string of foster homes after his mother was sectioned at age thirteen. In 1946, whilst serving a prison sentence for ‘breaking and entering’, at age 20 Malcolm embraced Islam, becoming a member of the Nation of Islam -then a controversial group- before departing in 1964. (wiki 2012)
After extensively travelling throughout Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East, he founded Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity to heighten both spiritual and political consciousness, and promote Pan Africanism -a movement that seeks to unify people living in Africa into one African community- in order to empower African Americans. Leaning more towards a ‘Global Perspective’ by identifying a direct connection between the domestic struggles of African American’s for equal rights and the liberation struggles of Third World Nations, Malcolm X’s beliefs changed over the years from black supremacy and the advocation of the separation of black and white Americans -until the African Americans could return to Africa, which was in direct contrast to the civil rights movement -who he often referred to as stooges for the white establishment, criticising their 1963 march on Washington because it was run by whites in front of a statue of a dead president who didn’t like nor respect the blacks whilst he was alive. Malcolm X soon become a sunni muslim and disavowed racism, expressing a willingness to work with civil rights leaders -previously prevented from doing so in the past at the hands of Elijah Muhammad- but still maintaining black self-determination and using any means necessary to defend themselves. Malcolm’s speeches had a profound affect on his audiences, especially those who were tired of waiting for freedom, justice, equality and respect because he articulated their struggle better than the civil rights leaders. (wiki 2012)
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Malcolm was not only an eloquent great orator but a man of great intellect, but inspired many with his passion and determination to make a change ‘By Any Means Necessary‘. These are four words which are applicable to all aspects of our lives, our daily aspirations, these four words ‘By Any Means Necessary’ make our dreams possible once implemented. It’s not quite as catchy or contemporary as ‘YOLO’ -Rapper/Singer Drake’s 2011 remix of ‘You Only Live Once’ had everyone ‘gassed’ by creating the acronym which leads people to do the stupidest things under the guise of a frivolous acronym, it’s not as classic and airy fairy as ‘Carpe Diem’ -seize the day in latin, but these four words are as blunt, powerful, and simple as a direct order can be. By Any Means Necessary, do what it takes to achieve your dreams, do what it takes to defend your position, to fight all injustice, discrimination, segregation. These four words are revolutionary, they’ve always resonated deep within to the point that I say ‘By All Means Necessary‘, why? Because whatever opportunity I spot, I’m taking the chance to roll that dice and advance forward. In February 1965, less than a year after leaving the NOI, he was assassinated by three of it’s members -rumoured to be at the hands of the CIA and every other etcetera type of global elite governmental oppression organisation.
Each T-shirt comes packaged in a limited edition ‘paper toy’ New York subway carriage. The toy is handmade, featuring exclusive artwork, with each print in the series coming with it’s own subway carriage collectible, covered in Alexander Hughes’ illustration and artwork. The significance of the ‘Subway Cart’ dubbed with ‘Tags and Burners’ is a direct reference to New York City Graffiti artistry in the mid to late 70s throughout the 80s when graffiti legends such as Dondi, Seen, Zephyr, Lady Pink, Futura, Duro, Cap, Skeme etc ruled the subway lines and metro network of NYC by employing guerrilla tactics to the NYPD and subway maintenance workers who’d stop at nothing to ensure these artists can’t distract commuters and the general public from their humdrum existences with colourful and vivid artworked snaking it’s way through the poverty stricken crevices of the big rotten apple.
Alexander was born and raised in South East London. I met him briefly whilst doing a stint at 6th Form but whilst I was into Beats, Rhymes, Graffiti and Blunts, I had no idea that Alex was cooking artwork up in the notepad. Fast forward ten years and he’s turnt sketches into a clothing line ‘New Crack City’, a toy manufacturer ‘Hip Hop Toy Shop’ and an active street artist who showcases his work at many exhibitions. Alexander Hughes is a self taught artist, teaching himself how to paint graffiti, tattoo and animate. Drawing inspiration from meditation, philosophy, renegades and the rise of the downtrodden to places of prominence, he has a passion for directing projects creatively as a means to materialise his imagination. I respect what he’s doing creatively because it’s not just an empty logo on a t-shirt, it’s something steeped in depth, it’s conceptual creativity.
My penchant for females in hip-hop has spiralled out of control over the past year. 2011 didn’t just see Nicki collaborating on loads of artist’s tracks or like, wrenching out Lil’ Kim’s dusty weave. We saw Kreayshawn’s Gucci Gucci video go viral (not to everyone’s taste and I’m not sure what I can say that is positive about V-Nasty), we saw Iggy Azalea sport most of American Apparel’s spandex range and her and A$AP hooking up. Harlem badass Azealia Banks signed with Universal (but sadly did not score it with Interpol front man Paul Banks after her cutesy cover of Slow Hands…). I think at some point some British girls did some cool stuff for rap (anyone…?) but all the while Brooklyn-dwelling K.Flay (real name Kristine Flaherty) was hanging out being awesome and rapping over a bunch of cool beats she’d produced in relative obscurity. But it’s very likely that 2012 Is going to be her year.
Over from the states to record her first full-length, we meet with K.Flay in Sarm Studios after navigating our way from Ladbroke Grove underground in the pissing, pouring rain. Arriving early we dry off in the reception area, awaiting our invitation to studio 4. Promptly we’re led up the spiral staircase and ushered in to meet K.Flay.
K’s petite and full of energy, welcoming us in with a smile. Dressed in leggings, a slouchy tee, high tops with the laces loose, her hair is shoulder-length, side-parted and a little disheveled; she spends the interview mussing it about intermittently in an animated fashion. She’s full of this sort of effervescence that’s bubbling under the whole time, and immediately totally engaged when we start chatting. While we set up, she bounces about the studio before flopping onto a sofa, momentarily glued to her iPhone, thumbs going light speed crazy. She explains her addiction; Scramble With Friends. I express my reluctance at downloading the game because of the pressure – I’m perfectly content ducking in and out of Words With Friends at a leisurely pace – but K is a bit more hardcore with her gaming habits, telling us about a particular girl she has a fierce rivalry with on Scramble. “Or I think she’s a girl, her name on it’s like, ‘lady-something’!” she laughs at the veritable battle of words she’s having with a total stranger.
Hailing from Wilmette, Illinois (just north of downtown Chicago), K relocated to Stanford University to pursue a double major in sociology and psychology in sunny California where there was a “really interesting hip hop scene in the San Francisco bay area, there was all this hyphy music, like E-40, Mistah F.A.B, Turf Talk and all those guys, so like really weird and playful and eccentric rap.” With no musical upbringing (“I could play guitar as a kid but that was about it”) her initial foray into recording came about in a rather unorthodox manner; “I was talking with a friend of mine about mainstream hip hop and rap at the time and how a lot of it felt really formulaic and we were just kind of going back and forth talking about it, and he was like, “well you should make a rap song” so I did, pretty much as a joke-“ she laughs, “and it was horrible!”
Of her prank, K muses “There was something really fun about the process, about making a beat, recording something, and then it, like, existing. One thing led to another and “I started getting into production and I got a keyboard, started making beats and started playing house and frat parties on campus but I was still super serious about school. It was actually a really cool release for me.” She goes on “It was something that had nothing to do with anything I was studying, and something I had no expectation at being good at, and nobody else had an expectation of me so it was like, this really liberating thing to do. Then I just sort of got more and more serious, a couple of people in the Bay area in San Francisco who are further along, like other artists took me under their wing a bit, and like, mentored me and after graduating I started playing a lot of shows in the area. ”
The music K grew up listening to does not instantly lend itself to hip hop, but as she reels off names it’s evident where she has taken inspiration from in her own recordings, “I listened to a lot of like, depressed female vocalists… A lot of Liz Phair, Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey, Garbage… So kind of that rock girl, pissed off, “I’m angry too!” kinda thing. One of my top albums ever is Metric’s second album ’Live It Out, I love Emily Hanes and I love Metric and I just like that they’re a band I feel has very interesting lyrical content with like, kinda cool but still very appealing music.” She grins “I was listening to it the other day walking to the studio!”
And for hip hop? “I’ve always been a huge Tribe [A Tribe Called Quest] fan and there is some stuff from that era that I kinda love. I think a lot of the Outkast stuff was pretty influential for me just because it’s weird and freaky… It has a very distinctive flavour even though that flavour is like, always changing, their albums are very different one to the next. ”
What female artists have influenced K? “I think Robyn’s a really interesting case study” wasn’t the answer I’d expected, but she goes on, “She’s sort of developed her own lane in a lot of respects, and she’s been doing music and been around for quite some time with just like, her.” Listening to some of the mixtapes K’s produced it’s actually not difficult to draw parallels between the two artists; K is absolutely doing her own thing and the way in which she combines cute synthy bits with lyrics about loneliness and confusing boys is very Robyn. “There’s something really compelling about her and her vibe, she’s just kind of a badass which I like and she’s just in her lane doing whatever, for the sake of the music and being creative and doing what she wants to do. I think that’s really cool, I’d love to be able to have that sort of energy.” The next evening K plays a show in Kensington’s Archangel; she really doesn’t have to fret about energy levels.
Describing her song writing process, she grins “I usually start a song with some kind of loop, usually like a sixteen bar drum loop, basic synth line, or little riff or whatever, that’s how I start, instead of with a lyric, and I kinda put it on repeat for like, a really long time.” At this point she laughs “It’s annoying for anyone around me… I just get a vibe. I think what’s nice about that, is because I’m creating the music to begin with it feels like it kind of co-evolves you know, as the lyrics change, I can be like, oh the beat shouldn’t be like that it should be this. I just kind of practice over and over again and try to find a rhythmic flow that sounds cool over it, and try to do something different I haven’t done before.”
Of her live set-up K explains “My live show, I run Ableton Live, we’re kind of looking at my live set-up now”, she gestures at the equipment in front of her “I use this Akai MPK 25 pretty much as my midi-controller for everything. I compose most of my stuff on [Apple] Logic and [M-Audio] ProTools, I like Logic for midi. I’m trying to get a little more into Ableton Live for production rather than just for the live show, but I feel a little crazy with it, and I just love it for on-the-fly kind of stuff, but I think it’s cool to add those little modulation things into a recording so that’s kind of what I am using it for.”
Before we have to leave for a further flurry of interviews K.Flay has penciled in for the day (and of course, recording), we speak briefly about her thoughts on being a female in the music industry. Does K feel a pressure to look, dress, act a certain way? “I think in pop music generally speaking there is this kind of hyper-sexualisation. I think for women, a lot, you either exist on one extreme end of the spectrum, like very hyper-sexualised or just totally not. I do think there’s a void somewhere in the middle, I feel like I want to fill that void. I know that for a lot of young girls, like I’m talking about growing up, talking about rock girls, there was that kind of aesthetic, you know, someone who was sort of a badass but wasn’t necessarily super sexualised. Even talking about Garbage or Shirley Manson, there’s a place for it in hip hop. She grins, “I do think there’s room for that, and for me it’s not a fabricated identity, it’s about who I am and what I’m about naturally. I don’t feel a tonne of pressure, I just would like for that to exist.”
K.Flay’s Eyes Shut EP is available for free download on her website KFLAY.COM and for other recommended listening, check out YouTube for her tracks Less Than Zero, Doctor Don’t Know and also her Gucci Gucci remix (she eats a lot of hamburgers in the video for the latter!).
When Jay-Z ‘signs’ someone to Roc Nation no one says anything but when Baby ‘signs’ someone to Cash Money, everyone’s got an opinion. Why is that?
It’s a lot to do with perception and presentation. For the most part Cash Money is a record label known for artists such as Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicky Minaj, and Hot Boys (Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, Baby, Turk, BG). Cash Money isn’t an independent entity from what I understand, it’s a joint venture subsidiary of sorts as Roc A Fella, Death Row, Ruff Ryders etc were in the 90s. Cash Money are renowned for their vulgarity: jewellery, flaunting their riches, hypersexual imagery.
Roc Nation on the other hand is an administration company. It boasts a whole lot of affiliates and members but there are only a few signees. Wale is signed up to a Roc Nation management deal but he’s signed to MMG, Rick Ross’ joint venture with a major record label. Roc Nation’s artist roster covers a wider artistic spectrum having acts as diverse as J. Cole, to Chase & Status and The Ting Tings. There’s also a songwriting and talent development division and booking agency.
Roc Nation is a new business model within the ever evolving music industry, it’s a partnership between Shawn Carter and Live Nation. It’s also a no brainer to cut out all of the bureaucracy surrounding the artistry, the major record label, resulting in a great slice out of the meatier side of an artist -creative content. If an artist parts ways with their record label, they’ll still be able to fall back and earn with Roc Nation. The artist will still be able to record new material, collaborate and go on tour to maintain a buzz whilst negotiating the right distribution deal elsewhere.
If we compare this to YMCMB, we begin to notice that Brian ‘Baby’ Williams’ record label is in the midst of transition, it’s trying to diversify in order to survive. A lot of people question YMCMB’s recent signees Christina Milian, Busta Rhymes and most recently Limp Bizkit, but they fail to focus on the bigger picture. All three have had major success; Christina Milian has written tracks for J-Lo whose track Play went to Number 1 in numerous countries worldwide, Limp Bizkit already has a core fanbase of followers who will buy any new releases and concert tickets when it’s tour time, and Busta Rhymes is the feature man of the moment who seems to disappear every few years and come back with a hit, a new flow and sound which goes straight to the top of the charts -Busta also has been in the industry for nearly 20 years and is well ‘respected’.
In the context of the bigger picture, YMCMB are simply signing artists who’ve already got a proven track record, artists who could have sold out tours, number 1 records and feature hype revenue in comparison to Roc Nation who focus is on developing new emerging artists and finding them distribution deals with major record labels but also look after the creme de la creme of touring entertainers such as their recent signee Shakira. The reason why people have an issue with YMCMB moreso than Roc Nation is that they feel YMCMB is trying to sign everyone to spin a profit, as I once thought they were doing. I have ignorantly compared it to the final hours of Roc A Fella Records when Damon Dash did the same thing. What I once deemed ‘trying to find Jay-Z’s replacement and potential cash cow’ was simply what Birdman is doing.
As much as I can find a reason to justify YMCMB’s actions, even if it’s just a theory which puts my ignorance to rest, I can’t help but feel that this plan of rebranding its services through diversification may fail in some respect. I also wonder how long Drake will stay around before he defects to Roc Nation after a long spell out in the administory wilderness when he finally airs his grievances about the amount of artists he has to share the roster with and financing the revival dead rappers’ careers and Nicki Minaj’s outlandish tryhardery to outdo and become the black Lady GaGa -but little does she know she’ll always be three steps behind…
If you’re going to rebrand and diversify, start afresh or as they say in Rap ‘Go hard or go home‘ because you need people to take you seriously. That’s exactly the difference between Jay-Z and Baby. One is perceived as a business man and the other as a someone you can’t really take seriously although his business survival and diversification acumen speak for themselves.
Rihanna seems to have gone a bit doolally lately, which comes as no surprise once I realised that she was just happy to be filling Beyonce’s place on the pop throne. When we say fill, or I rather, it simply means keeping it warm. I’m not one to throw darts at artists or performers but vocally Rihanna isn’t a patch on Bey but she sure will be great at playing dress up. Although when it comes to the karaoke part I really hope she’s miming along to Beyonce’s vocals rather than singing the parts herself.
Could you imagine the torture?
I hear US troops extract information out of Al Qaeda, Taliban and every other ‘insurgent’ considered a national threat, by playing Rihanna acapellas. A sad state of affairs…
What do you think?
Is Rihanna cheekily trying to fill Beyonce’s spot [prematurely] because the whole ‘bad sexy wild slut chick’ isn’t in fashion or has she and her team of svengali’s finally run out of ideas to hide the fact that she’s not that great of a singer. After all, the ‘urban-amalgamation-techno-pop’ trend is coming to the end of its cycle right?
Rightio!!! I’ve had my eye on this piece of machinery for a very very very long time. I watched all of the prototype videos and I also loved and respected the fact that the hardware was designed by someone from our culture.
This is tailor made for the culture in every single way, it’s ergonomic in the sense that the pads are laid out in an octave and unique in the sense that every button has a purpose, unlike other hardware manufacturers who overcomplicate the layout and functionality. I haven’t played with the product, just taken a look at the video demos, but the pads seem much more responsive and less likely to cause arthritis later in life from hitting them too hard.
This is fucking excellent!!! It can bus power your USB midi keyboard controller!!! Something you can’t do with NI Maschine, MPC etc and you’re also able to assign controls to parameters such as filtering etc.
It would make sense to trade in my NI Maschine and cop this because I’m travelling to the States in a few weeks. Apart of me questions whether its too good to be true but the other half realises that this is what I wanted way before the Maschine -the NI Maschine being the consolation prize because this was not available. Fair enough the price tag is pretty hefty but for what this piece of machinery is capable of, I can’t complain. I also love that it fits inside my rucksack and it doesn’t require mains power to operate. I better get to saving and finding a buyer for my Maschine.
Conclusion Update 10/03/2012
Stereotypically ‘urban’ if we’re talking about the name, brand font and general aesthetic BUT £799.00 for a standalone groove machine with this much capabilities is aiiight if it were say 2005 because the portability of the NI Maschine Mikro (£275) and Akai’s new MPC Studio (£399) offer portability, performance, versatility, efficiency and the added bonus of a proven manufacturers track record at a much lower price.
I should also add that in january the NI Maschine that I once wanted to sell began to make sense and now it’s my first port of call to get grooves down in seconds.
After all of the discussion surrounding yesterdays piece of kit, Novation SL MKII and Impulse, I stumbled across something even more special, cost efficient and most importantly portable. The MPK Mini is a culmination of the MPK Pad Mini and MPK Keyboard Mini, I won’t get into the tech but I will show you a video which will somehow give you an insight into why I’m so interested in this product.
When the SLMKII came out, I wanted it but it was way too expensive. The Impulse arrives and features a set of drumpads and I’m slyly onto but once again, I’m not sure about the price tag.
The Impulse contains all the features of the SLMKII without the slick metallic styling, blue LEDs, and fancy screen. The Impulse is much less than the SL MKII but contains many of the features of my NI Maschine. £256.42 is still pretty pricy but it seems to fare better than the MKII in the long run because it has the auto map capabilities and the drum pad arpeggio features. Probably best for me to hold out in the hope that it goes down a lil further because this double dip recession is no joke!
At the moment I’m sick, and I’m apart of the ‘broke graduate with £16k worth of student debt hanging over their head’ demographic. I am one of many who has just spent three years wandering through the promised land of academia -graduating with a 2:1 Bachelors degree- who is now faced with a vast open ocean, with no map to aid my navigation. I seek the Golden Fleece, the much sought after ‘well paid Graduate salary’. I have no ship, I sail on the humble raft of my certification -my academic credentials and with little or no industry experience nor connections, many of us shall perish out on the barren seas if the Gods on Mt. Olympusturn a blind eye to our suffering. Some graduates get caught in the dangerous, low paid, high pressure sector of retail where the plan to ‘earn some extra cash’ turns into a ten year managerial ordeal; living for the 31st of every month to get drunk and drown their sorrows in consumerist intoxication -gradually sliding down the greasy totem pole, going from ‘high end’ High Street store to ‘Pound Land’ whilst others do things ‘just to get by’, which have nothing to do with what they studied in the first place. It can be a cold and disheartening time, I myself have been very pensive as it’s all you can do when you’re sick and bed ridden. I created a playlist whilst I lay on my sick bed, laptop on duvet, worrying about my career and financial future whilst I should be nursing myself back to life…
Melodrama aside, enjoy…
My sentiments exactly.
Fellow graduates we’ve gotta stay positive and optimistic, we create our own futures so start yours today by creating your own opportunities and your own luck. It’s like my senior at Defected said ‘It’s up to you to judge how much your times worth’.
