Danny Clinch was commissioned by Absolut Vodka to a documentary of Jay-Z leading up to his MSG performance in September 2009. From a cinematography perspective, it looks awesome. It will premiere on March 22nd on Facebook. Via RR
Taken from a Swedish? documentary, Jay-Z and the 45 King speak about the creation of “Hard Knock Life”. There’s a little cameo by Kid Capri as well. This was my first time ever seeing 45 King talk and spin in real life. Very cool interview. In related Jay-Z news, there is a vid of Jay and Bun B doing “Big Pimpin” on his BP3 tour stop in Houston. Pretty Cool. Via NR.
Read the rest of this entry »
Esquire recently dropped an interview where they profile Jay-Z as the “ultimate cool”. It seems to me that they were enamored that a Black man can be as cool as Frank Sinatra. My opinion is that it sounds like an article written by a white person to a want audience who wants to be more “hip” and “street” than the usual Esquire reader. I think its well-written but glamorizes him so much that it borders on exotic and fetish versus praise and applaud. That’s just me. Read it after the jump and let me know what you think.
The Clipse come through and represent with their classic, Grindin’. I think it can be argued that “Grindin’” is one the post hip-hop golden era classics for this generation. Grindin’, All About The Benjamins, You Got Me, Aint No N*gga, What We Do, Ante Up, etc. – those are just a few from me. Anyways, Black Thought (who’s on my top 10 MC list of all time) drops a hot 16 into the mix. If you look in the back, you can see the scary shadow of Questlove. Check out TSS for the “Popeye’s” performance w/ Tariq filling in for Cam’ron.
What better way to start Know The Ledge’s year off with than a Jay-Z video! Arguably the best track on Blueprint 3, “On to the Next One” continues series of black & white videos (minus, Death of Autotune) from the Blueprint 3 album. Directed by Sam Brown, I think this is a visually stunning video that incorporates messages of art criticism, defamation of cars not even released yet, and just weird imagery. Others are claiming Masonry and Illuminati references in there, too. Some people hate this video but I say… I’m going to avoid using the song title for the millionth time since 1/1/10. By the way, my 2 week hiatus is over, suckas! We are back in effect!
One of my fav DJs, Neil Armstrong, was followed by NeonGorilla for 24 hours to catch him while he made a stop in Toronto, CA. Some cool insight is dropped on what he loves to do as a DJ as well as his take on some Adidas kicks. Great to see any footage from this dude (II).
NR spotted an interview that SoulCulture.tv did w/ the Bay’s best, Souls of Mischief. While in London, they get on a very thoughtful and thorough discussion about who is the Greatest of All Time in regards to rappers and MCs. Although I disagree with what they say that Jay-Z brought nothing to Hip-Hop and their basic definition of what the “greatest” means, I respect their opinions and glad to see an intelligent discussion on the topic. Quite the opposite of what we see at MTV or BET.
Most KTL family don’t know who “Dirty Money” is. Basically, Diddy started a group with himself, Dawn from Danity Kane, and unknown chick #1. They have been my most recent guilty pleasure. Their “Love Come Down” has me doing Diddy dances in the DJ Booths on Sat Night. This song won me over w/ the Jay-Z sample and Biggie verse. Since I am not the only one digging them (What up, KHAL!), I thought I would post some of the remixes out. You’ll be surprised. Props to NR for these joints.
Dirty Money feat. Raekwon – Angels (Remix)
Dirty Money feat. Lupe Fiasco – Angels (Remix)
Dirty Money feat. Aasim – Angels (Remix)
Most of you know that Beanie Sigel has taken to the airwaves and internets to promote his issues with Jay-Z. I have had many discussions with friends online and in-person about this issue. Basically, I agree w/ Jay on 90% of his points. Don’t agree w/ his last request but you can tell me what you think for yourself.
Dame takes a moment to give a candid, almost sullen, interview about the dissolution of Roc-A-Fella and the Diplomats & his stance on Jim, Jay, and Beans. Its a real thoughtful interview and you can tell that Dame is still the honest guy he’s always been, just more self-reflective and less angry. I might even say he’s seems more disheartened – like a best friend or parent seeing that their hard work didn’t meet the expectations they hoped for their loved ones. I recommend this video and actually kinda cheering for Dame for taking a look at the big picture of his role in this Roc-A-Fella drama. YN had the vid.