[Childish Gambino | The Switch | New Mixtape Tracks]

[Esperanza Spalding]

Maybe I should start by saying that two nights ago I was extremely privileged to have been able to attend an Esperanza Spalding concert at the University of Buffalo Center for the Arts, kicking off her Radio Music Society Tour. It was an exhilarating performance and I loved every moment of it. There were moments during her performance where I realized I had slipped into a trance of emotion evoked by the music.

Nevertheless, Esperanza is universally a true goddess in her own right, based on her talent, beauty and character. Even though I was unable to find anyone to take with me (as hard as that might be to believe) I really enjoyed myself. I was able to take a couple snapshots as well as some video footage of some her song performances (thanks to my new 32gb memory card). And to top the night off I was able to briefly meet and talk to Esperanza after the show as well as get her to autograph my copy of her Radio Music Society Album. as cheesy at it may sound, that experience filled my spirit with enough joy to last a couple weeks and help me to finish off my last stressful semester of college.

The only other female artist that I truly adore to an extremely high extent would be Sade, so being able to add another female artist to my short list of musical icons feels really good. I now place this experience into my Top 3 of Best Concerts that I have ever been to along side a Childish Gambino Concert and a Lauryn Hill concert that I attended (which obviously brings to light that I was never able to attend a Michael Jackson Concert *sad face*).

I read tons of reviews saying that Esperanza’s live performances were an extraordinary experience and watched dozens of videos online, but being able to truly get a first hand taste of her art was breath taking. At the concerts closing I felt completely satisfied with what had transpired and left that concert hall a little better of a person. Whilst waiting behind the venue after the concert was over, I had the chance to chat with other fans of Esperanza and share stories, experiences and opinions. The entire thing was overall a very pleasant, soulful, and enlightening experiences from the show opening to me making my way back home carefully holding my autographed album copy.

[Will Smith - Tavis Smiley Interview]

Maybe I should start by saying that Will Smith is one of the (very few) celebrities that I actually look up to in a sense. A lot of what he explains in this video interview really hits home and sparks a motivational light within myself to always keep working hard in every aspect of life deemed important.

[Childish Gambino x Donald Glover]

Maybe I should start by saying that I have a pretty eclectic taste of music, however, I almost never listen to rap and/or hip-hop (or much of mainstream pop and other music), but one artist/rapper who contradicts my oath of never listening to rap would be Childish Gambino (Donald Glover). I randomly came across one of this songs which was posted on another blog site that I follow. After listening to the song I thought to myself, “Hmm…Interesting…this guy seems different from most rappers, especially those of whom are mainstream…”

So I hopped over to YouTube and searched for more of his songs. I found myself going from one to the next being more and more impressed as I listened further. The next few hours of that night were spent scouring the internet to find and download any music of his that I could possibly find. Later that weekend I watched the entire first season of the show Community (which Donald co-stars in) and a Derrick Comedy film “Mystery Team“ which he also co-stars in. It is safe to say that this combination of events gave birth to a new fan of Donald Glover and his alias Childish Gambino.

To prevent this post from becoming a rant on how he possibly changed my life or perspective on music, rap, and what it means to be yourself, I will keep things simple by saying that he is now one of my favorite artists. After having followed almost every aspect of his life, from his acting and writing career to his fashion sense and music, and after having met him in person at the end of one of his concerts, I can honestly say without shame that I would consider him someone who I look up to in life. His expressions and ideas on what it means to be a “Black Nerd“, him bridging the gaps and socially constructed confines of hipster, hood, and classy society, his addressing of issues on black and white cultural stereotypes and experiences, and a host of other things have helped me to strip away any fear I may have had on true and free expression of one’s self.

Some of his experiences touched on in his music seemed to paint a picture of my life and the ones that I couldn’t relate to still provided a sense of meaningfulness and understanding. I’ve changed the way that I look at my past, who I see myself as now, and want I want to achieve in the future, and I owe much of that to Donald Glover and his music and acting.

[Childish Gambino - CAMP - In-Studio]

I always love seeing behind the scenes footage of musicians, actors, and artists as it gives a more appreciated and deeper sense of meaning to their work (whilst giving you a one-up on fun facts). Ever since Michael Jackson’s “The Making of Thriller“, I have forever cherished behind the scenes footage.

Being the true fan that I am, I bought both a hard and digital copy of his album “CAMP“ on the day of release and have been bumping to it for weeks. His word play, wide array of references, and articulate story telling had me shaking my head in awe at how good the album was. Listening to an artist sing or rap about things that you can directly relate to always brings about a greater connection to the music and that artist themselves, and I always get that feeling when rotating through a playlist of Gambino’s songs on my iPod.

References to Black girls with natural hair on Tumblr, Hipsters in Brooklyn, and childhood summer camp crushes paint a vivid picture of his life and the lives of those who can relate to things as such through similar experiences. And when stopping to think about the whole idea of connecting with an audiences, it makes me wonder how artists who rap or sing about things that people cannot relate to gain so much stardom. Never the less, I look forward to seeing him grow as an artist and also seeing how I grow as an individual from what I have taken from him.

[BONFIRE]

Donald has over the past few years begun to build a buzz and huge fan base following whilst also getting critics rolling with less then stellar reviews on his work. He was featured in a Mostly Junkfood Article, took part in the Gap Want Ad Campaign, did a 4 part video interview with Hardknock TV and hosted the 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards.

[Best of Hard Knock TV: Childish Gambino]

If interested, you can check out more stuff related to Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) on his website IAMDONALD.com.

[Video Games...]

Maybe I should start by saying how not only cool and awesome this animation is, but also how appreciative I was of the fact that Musclebeaver featured Guybrush Threepwood, Lechuck and other characters from the classic Monkey Island series; one of my favorite and most enjoyed game series of all time (which was recently revived).

Other gaming titles and characters such as Super Mario Bros, Doom, Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft, Pong, Pac Man, and Space Invaders are featured in the animation as well. Check out the video below…

[Video Games...]

MSLBVR 2008 (c): “This animation we did was planned and animated for the prologue of a documentary. (That explains the absurd, unfinished seeming, ending.That is where the actual documentary starts…. ) The briefing was to show an evolution of computer games. The documentary itself is about different people, based here in germany, showing their everyday life, and their addiction to the same specific, famous MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game):”WoW..”. Every game character in this prologue was reinterpreted, redrawn (…one pixel at a time), and animated frame by frame.

Animation: musclebeaver.com
Sound by: nichtvonpappe-platten.de

“I think I fall in love with at least 3 strangers everyday…” – Kev

[Michael Jackson Beatboxing: Master at Work]

Maybe I should start by saying that Michael Jackson is not only the King of Pop and the Greatest Music Legend of All Time, but has always also been a great innovator in how he created his music through passion, feeling and inspiration from above. Check out the following clip containing a compilation of rare footage of Michael Jackson Beat Boxing on a few occasions…His talent was truly amazing…

[Michael Jackson Beatboxing]

“I think I fall in love with at least 3 strangers everyday…” – Kev

[Michael Jackson: Gone Too Soon]

Maybe I should start by saying that I wish I could see you Moonwalk one more time…Music will never be the same again…RIP Michael Jackson…The Great Music Legend of All Time…You will forever be missed, mourned and loved; and your the legacy that you have built will live on inside the hearts of each of us all……

A Legend, Icon, & Blessing…

No One Moves Like Michael Jackson…

“The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation……If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with…” – Michael Jackson

“RIP Michael Jackson…” – Kev

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS…!!!

Maybe I should start by saying that if you don’t already know, I am very eclectic and diverse in all of my interests, one of which happens to be Musical Comedy. I know it might seem a little strange being that Musical Comedy is an area more known to whites, and is highly embraced as a part of their “culture” if to call it (No Racial…LoL).

But one of the more interesting things about whites is that they deeply enjoy Musical Comedy and singing comedians. This particular style of humor incorporates an individual or group singing a song, but instead of singing about something in a serious or meaningful ton or mood, it has funny lyrics and a sarcastic ton. Simple as that. It is an ingenious idea because when you have  a set of jokes that really aren’t that funny and music that isn’t that spectacular, you can mash the two of them together and create something that will be sure to entertain. And white people can’t get enough of it with the breeding of the likes of Weird Al Yankovich, Tenacious D, Sarah Silverman, Dennis Leary, Adam Sandler and the headliners of this blogpost Flight of the Conchords.

I happened to come across Flight of the Conchords a long while back whilst skimming through YouTube videos. Flight of the Conchords is a Grammy Award-winning New Zealand comedy duo consisting of members Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement who label themselves as “Formerly New Zealand’s fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo”.

The duo also star in a television series for HBO, titled “Flight of the Conchords” (Who would have guessed…), which premiered in the United States in June 2007. The fictional series basically revolves around the pair as they try desperately to achieve success as a band in New York City and try to develop an American fan base with them hailing from New Zealand.

In all honesty, their style, charisma, sarcasm, musical talent and creativity are all highly appreciated by myself as well as their huge fan base. Each of there performances and songs that I’ve come across have really been hilarious and made my day each time. So know comes the time for you to be the judge…Check out the two videos below and of two of their performances one old and one fairly recent (depends on what you consider old and fairly recent).

Flight of the Conchords – The Humans are Dead

Flight of the Conchords – Business Time

“I think I fall in love with at least 3 strangers everyday…” – Kev

Twitter: What are you doing???

       Maybe I should start by touching on a new innovative internet craze that has been growing rapidly though out society; and that innovation is Twitter…I was unfortunately out of the loop for a while and throughout much of the growing stages and not to long ago was it that I fully learned what Twitter actually was, even though I had been hearing about it here and there. But for those of you who don’t know, Twitter “is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?“ (Twitter.com)

At first, I thought of Twitter to just be a stupid idea and was placed onto my list of ridiculous things that people do, like or associate themselves with. Especially with seeing many of my friends leaving Twitter like messages in their AIM Away Messages time and time again, to the point where an away message was transformed into a current status update or mood expression (Which I myself even started doing at times). So, long story short…I ended up creating a Twitter account and follow a bunch of friends and celebraties, as well as have a few (very few) followers for myself…(LoL)

But anyways…Here is a video that I came across on YouTube, that makes fun of Twitter. I found it to be somewhat amusing…But either way…You be the judge…LoL…Check it out…

Twouble with Twitters: SuperNews!

 

P.S. For any of you who may be interested in joining the Twitter of community or if you already have an existing account, feel free to follow me on Twitter – @KBaptiste.

 

“It took Pleasure to make me and Pain to give birth to me…” - Kev

Renascent Rants: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly…

 

     Maybe I should start by compiling my first official rant. I mean a lot of bloggers do it, so I figured I’d join the bunch since so much goes on in the world on a weekly basses that really catches my attention, whether it be positive or negative; little or big. So here goes nothing…      

The Good:

      For starters, I am extremely elated and content that Usain “Lightning” Bolt has won the 2008 Beijing Olympic Men’s 100 Meter Final with a New World Record Time of 9.69 seconds winning Jamaica it’s first Olympic Men’s 100 meter Gold Medal. Usain is an outstanding athlete and is a great inspiration to all sprinter alike. Whilst Bolt took the Gold Medal, Richard Thompson of Trinidad took the Silver Medal, and Walter Dix of the United States took the Bronze. Check out some pictures and a short “Unofficial” Video clip with more specific details below… 

Alan Abrahamson of NBC writes, “In the most outrageous display of speed to ever burn across the Olympic Games, Usain Bolt of Jamaica rocketed to gold in winning the men’s 100m dash in 9.69 seconds — not only a new world record but the first time in the history of human beings a man has run the distance under 9.7 seconds without a significant tailwind. 

Incredibly, Bolt, 21, could have gone faster. With a full seven strides to go, he dropped his arms and let them fall outstretched to his sides, appearing almost to run sideways as he played to the sold-out crowd of 91,000 at the Bird’s Nest.

Just before the finish line, he started high-stepping and, for good measure, executed a chest-thump. All that, and still — 9.69 seconds. Bolt simply ran away from the rest of the best of the world.“

      With Usain Bolt making history on the men’s side, the Jamaican women also made history as little-known Shelly-Ann Fraser won the 2008 Olympic Women’s 100 Meter Final running a 10.78, and was followed up by her fellow country mates Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart, who both finished in 10.98 and both collected silvers medals giving Jamaica the first sweep of medals in a women’s 100 by any nation at any Olympics or world championships.

“I was speechless yesterday for a while. Today I cried,” Jamaica’s minister of sport, Olivia Grange, said Sunday, after watching Fraser win. “Little Jamaica – our country is blessed with some of the best, if not the best, talent you can find.”

These outstanding and impressive displays of hard-work pose, determination, and athleticism gave Jamaica the first sweep of men’s and women’s 100 golds at any Olympics since 1988.

AP Sports writer Howard Fendrich reports that The United States protested the results in the women’s 100, asking that the race be reviewed because of a possible false start by American Torri Edwards – who wound up last. The appeal was swiftly rejected, and the biggest consequence was that the Jamaican women would have to wait until Monday to receive their medals at a postponed ceremony.

“Not that a ruling for the U.S. would have made much of a difference. The Jamaicans, particularly Fraser, were so much better that it’s hard to imagine the outcome being much different if the race were run again.” – Howard Fendrich

More Good…

      Secondly, over the past week I have seen numerous advertisements for some of televisions hottest and most intriguing shows (many of which happen to be my personal favorites) previewing their new up and coming seasons scheduled for this Fall and early 2009, and I am glad to say that I am very excited and can’t wait to see what’s in store. These are some of the shows that most certainly make television worth watching regularly in our day and age: LOST, House, Heroes, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 24, The Office, etc.

      I am particularly a big fan of the shows LOST, House M.D. and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and am slowly growing into a big fan of Heroes, and The Office, and not much of a big fan of 24 (though it is a great series). The only down side it that I  as well as other fans have to wait until January 2009 for the new season of LOST (which is my favorite), but will soon have some of my television show cravings filled by the new seasons of House M.D. and Heroes this September, and am currently satisfied and kept at bay with the current season of CSI (Season 7) which is definitely another great season thus far.

       With a whole new line up of seasons launching this coming Fall and in Early 2009, two brand new television shows will be introduced to the mix; NBC’s Crusoe and Fox’s Fringe. Both show previews really caught my attention and interests and I’m looking forward to seeing these two new shows and what they are all about; as they both look pretty interesting and seem to have fairly compelling story lines and structures and also seem to bring something new to the table.

Hopefully they live up to the high expectations and provide good quality viewing pleasures and add to the mix of great television shows. Check out the preview trailers for the new up and coming shows Fringe and Crusoe below…

FRINGE

When an unlikely trio uncovers a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events, they discover it may be part of a larger, disturbing pattern that blurs the line between science fiction and technology on FRINGE.

CRUSOE

Crusoe follows the novel and it’s treasured tale of adventure; this high-action, fast-paced, thirteen part series will combine for the first time the pace and energy of network television while remaining faithful to the authur’s original classic story.

The Bad:

I am extremely disappointed with NBC’s Olympic Coverage. They have in my mind without question displayed some of the most biased, selfish, and unfair broadcasts and coverage of the Olympics time and times again. For one thing, they act as if there aren’t other athletes and countries participating in the Olympics other than Americans. Yes, it is important and necessary that a country high light and focus on it’s own athletes and representatives, but it is also important to take given time to high light the accomplishments of other athletes and countries.

      The United States embodies a very braggadocio approach in almost every situation and in common fashion regularly down plays other country’s athletes and put their own athletes on a towering pedestal of supreme greatness. Yes, Michael Phelps is indeed an outstanding and great athlete and has performed the unthinkable on countless occasions, but there are numerous other athletes who have waited their entire lives to perform on the Olympic stage and deserve their rightful moment of fame and glory. It seem like every single time I turn on the television or log onto the net I am bombarded with Michael Phelps Media. Michael Phelps this, Michael Phelps that, Michael Phelps here, Michael Phelps there…It’s as if NBC and the media are trying to permanently brand Michael Phelps into the minds of viewers and have them only remember him and his accomplishments and no one elses……It is all honestly really starting to get extremely annoying and redundant (I bet even Michael Phelps himself is tired of all the hype and would like some breathing space).

      Secondly, the 2008 Olympic Games are taking place in Beijing, China which is 1 days times ahead of the United States, which then means that almost all of the Olympic Coverage we see on NBC (who owns the Olympic Broadcasting Rights) has already taken place, been recorded and then re-broadcasted here in the United States. So NBC purposely decides to show us what they want when they want and I find this to be highly unfair and inappropriate. How is it that NBC will have Live Coverage of a Swimming race that lasts 15 minutes long, but not show (at a respectable time of day) recorded Track & Field Events that last only a mer 10 seconds each…??? I waited all day to watch the Men’s 100 Meter Heats and Final, and along that wait I must have seen Michael Phelps at least 50 times both in broadcasts and commercials…I sat through entire medal ceremonies of Bronze Medal American Athletes (particularly swimming), saw cameras focused sharply on American Athletes who didn’t even win their events placing in third, fourth, fifth and below, or even qualify for final events (cough, Tyson Gay…) etc, etc. But couldn’t catch one glimpse of the Medal Ceremony for the World’s Fastest Man Usian Bolt, or many other events where the Unites States did not win. But NBC and a host of fans, athletes, representatives and supporters don’t see anything wrong with this…………..Who knows………Maybe it’s just me…………….

The Ugly:

      Some things just never change and it seems like the “Pants Hanging Below Butt” trend will never remove itself from our society. It is totally disgusting to see males of all ages and races walk around with their pants hanging below their butts in a bold fashion statement supposedly said to be considered as “cool”……(Shaking my head) It is really a sickening sight and very disappointing. 

      However, authorities (particularly those of Flint, Michigan, and places in Atlanta and New Jersey, etc.) have also been growing tired of this ridiculous disease like trend and have set new laws into place in hopes of cracking down upon and putting an end to sagging pants.

From: The Fashion eZine

TRENTON, N.J. – It’s a fashion that started in prison, and now the saggy pants craze has come full circle – low-slung street strutting in some cities may soon mean run-ins with the law, including a stint in jail.

Proposals to ban saggy pants are starting to ride up in several places. At the extreme end, wearing pants low enough to show boxers or bare buttocks in one small Louisiana town means six months in jail and a $500 (U.S.) fine. A crackdown also is being pushed in Atlanta. And in Trenton, N.J., getting caught with your pants down may soon result in not only a fine, but a city worker assessing where your life is headed.

“Are they employed? Do they have a high school diploma? It’s a wonderful way to redirect at that point,” said Trenton Councillor Annette Lartigue, who is drafting a law to outlaw saggy pants. “The message is clear: We don’t want to see your backside.”

The bare-your-britches fashion is believed to have started in prisons, where inmates aren’t given belts with their baggy uniform pants to prevent hangings and beatings. By the late 1980s, the trend had made it to gangster rap videos, then went on to skateboarders in the suburbs and high school hallways.

“For young people, it’s a form of rebellion and identity,” Adrian “Easy A.D.” Harris, 43, a member of the Bronx’s legendary rap group Cold Crush Brothers. “The young people think it’s fashionable. They don’t think it’s negative.”

But those who want to stop them see it as an indecent, sloppy trend that is a bad influence on children.

“It has the potential to catch on with elementary school kids,” said C.T. Martin, an Atlanta councillor. “Teachers have raised questions about what a distraction it is.”

In Atlanta, a law has been introduced to ban sagging and punishment could include small fines or community work – but no jail time, Martin said.

The penalty is stiffer in Delcambre, La., where in June the town council passed an ordinance that carries a fine of up to $500 or six months in jail for exposing underwear in public. Several other municipalities and parish governments in Louisiana have enacted similar laws in recent months.

At Trenton hip-hop clothing store Razor Sharp Clothing Shop 4 Ballers, shopper Mark Wise, 30, said his jeans sag for practical reasons.

“The reason I don’t wear tight pants is because it’s easier to get money out of my pocket this way,” Wise said. “It’s just more comfortable.”

Shop owner Mack Murray said Trenton’s proposed ordinance unfairly targets blacks.

“Are they going to go after construction workers and plumbers, because their pants sag, too?” Murray asked. “They’re stereotyping us.”

The American Civil Liberties Union agrees.

“In Atlanta, we see this as racial profiling,” said Benetta Standly of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. “It’s going to target African-American male youths. There’s a fear with people associating the way you dress with crimes being committed.” (The Fashion Ezine)

 

Ben Schmitt, Free Press Staff Writer says, “Flint Police Chief David Dicks has said he will not back down from his policy of filing disorderly conduct or indecent exposure charges against those whose saggy pants allow too much underwear or their bottoms to show on city streets (see diagram, above).”

 

 

“It took Pleasure to make me and Pain to give birth to me…” - Kev