**Photo from MTV 24-Hr Coverage
Trey H's Almighty Blog
keep it funky fresh
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
FreeWeezy
**Photo from MTV 24-Hr Coverage
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Vibin' to Tribe
This past Friday and Saturday, Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) performed at Stubb's in downtown Austin. It is the only fall show for the group besides a set at the legendary Red Rock Amphitheater and a charity event in Georgia. From what I read online, expectations seemed to be high because this was the only show until New Year's in Denver (last year's acoustic set and resulting album on New Year's by STS9 is a personal favorite of mine). I had seen the group only a couple times before (with a good amount of other "tribers" seeing the group 20+ times), yet I was still very excited to see the group because I heard that their Halloween performance two years before at Stubb's was amazing.
The only bad part about the entire weekend involved Stubb's strict regulation with ending shows at 12 a.m. exactly. From reading a review of the show (http://headstash.com/boards/sts9/817?p=3750), a few songs actually were cut to make sure they were done by midnight. Personally this is totally ridiculous since surrounding bars are open til 2 away, causing me to ask what is another 15 or even 30 minutes going to hurt, especially if both artist(s) and viewers are literally screaming for it. Just saying, ending the show a bit past Halloween would have been pretty sweet. I am a bit bias though, I suppose.
-
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Kanye West's film, "Runaway"
As for the movie itself, I really enjoyed the visuals. I did think using a phoenix to symbolize himself and his downfall was kind of weak though. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly says that we are to take the phoenix as," A metaphor for how West feels about the acceptance of not necessarily his music, but his public behavior (epitomized by the West-Taylor Swift VMA moment)." Tucker feels as though the heavily symbolism in the film really means, "Roughly speaking, people aren’t open-minded; they don’t accept what they don’t immediately understand. The main reasoning behind this idea stems from the phoenix saying, “You know what I hate about your world? Anything that is different you try to change, you try to tear it down" right before she takes off into flight, with West chasing after her in the final scenes.
I for one am definitely a fan of this work. I feel that it is just another expression of himself, this time it is much more pleasant though because it definitely much more calm and artistic than in previous times. I do believe he is much more than just some hip-hop rapper; After seeing him in early '08, I knew he was an actual artist. This film, along with his business, fashion, and other endeavors, just seem to affirm my idea even more. I cannot wait until his album comes out on November 22nd. It will hopefully be another classic he can add to the wall along with his another great hits, like College Dropout and Graduation.
Watch the video below (embedded from West's website):
EW article:
http://watching-tv.ew.com/2010/10/23/kanye-west-runaway-mtv-bet/
*Photo found on Google Image Search.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Kid Cudi's Sophmore Album
This past week, Kid Cudi's cover art for his second album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, was finally released. It displays Cudi sitting down, holding a empty glass bottle, with a magnificent painting of some starry galaxy just behind him. Or perhaps it is suppose to be actually some sort of window (being the self-proclaimed "moon man"). Regardless, the picture has a very dark, negative tone with Cudi, face being half-blacken by darkness, sulking or starring off into the ground. The art also appears with fake, yet purposeful tears and rips all across it. It is very thought-provoking, as to what this cover could really stand for. What exactly is he so solemn about? What exactly was in that glass before he emptied it? And who exactly was Mr. Rager? Being an avid Cudi fan, I was very interested by his latest artist work.
I did a little digging and read a few recent articles discussing Cudi and his latest album. In a recent video interview with Complex magazine, Cudi says that this album came straight from the heart, just in much different place than the first album; Mr. Rager is, in fact, Cudi. He was in a darker time, a much "darker mindstate", therefore this album has a much darker feel. Personally, this is the exact reason I am such a huge Cudi follower; what he says is REAL. He is NOT just another wannabe rapper. To me, he is as poetic as you can get, while maintaining both a large hip-hop, underground following and being a major "mainstream" artist at the same time.
But back to the cover art...I'm going to take a small guess at what exactly it all means. Cudi is known for believing that his artistic, verbal abilities can often act as a "curse" (he even said he was going to retire after his 1st album), and often wishes he was just more of a regular joe. He went through a pretty crazy phase, involving daily use of cocaine and his widely publicized arrest for "liquid cocaine", that I believe was his lowest point (perhaps that is what is missing from his empty glass). Cudi's "Mr. Rager" persona seems as though it could have occured during this time. Yet I believe as time went on and his fan-base continued to grow, he began to realize how lucky he is to be so naturally talented. Now he has a much greater appreciation for himself, his music, and his fans. He also became a father within the past year, which of course helps him to put it all into a much clearer, less drug-induced perception. And although Cudi professes in the Complex interview that the party/psychedelic-feeling is still very much alive in this album just like in the first, I now believe the sophomore album's true feelings come from his "Mr. Rager" period. With his growth and maturation, he is now able to clearly express those deep emotions and the result...an album that I just cannot wait for. November 9th just cannot get any closer.
For more info on the Complex interview, check out:
http://www.complexvideo.com/Celebrities/Kid-Cudi-The-2010-Complex-Cover-Shoot
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Deadmau5 rocks ACL 2010
This past weekend was the 2010 ACL Music Festival in Austin, Texas. It was my third year in a row to go and I was excited as ever to see the acts coming to perform. The Strokes and MIA have been personal fav's of mine for quite awhile and it was incredible to see them. Yet, one of the best parts of the weekend was spent dancing to the sick nasty beats of Deadmau5. I have been a fan of his work for a year or so now, becoming ever more interested in his work and him personally as an artist. My ex-roommate and best friend, Dimitri, had told me that Deadmau5 truly was a one-of-a-kind "experience" and that I, "Just wouldn't understand until you see him perform his stuff live." So for Deadmau5 to finally make it to Austin was a real thrill for me.