VMA's

what is it about the VMA's? it's like, if i had never had meatloaf before... and i tried it, thought it was digusting, was repulsed by it, and vowed to never eat it again - i wouldn't. but the VMA's are the meatloaf that i keep trying, even though i KNOW i won't like it, it'll make me sick, and i'll vow again to never eat it. so what is it about the VMA's then?? maybe they enlisted McDonalds in making sure that every consumer will find it just pleasing enough to try it again & again.

one of my favoriate artist's is this canadian singer-songwriter named Sarah Slean. she was once asked what she thought of today's pop music. her answer directly influenced my above food analogy:

"Pop music these days is like a bag of Doritos. It's strangely tasty and absolutely everywhere and it doesn't cost much and it's mass produced and it's got a shiny bag, but in reality, it's chemicals and fake cheese, it makes you feel like crap, can't fill you up, rots your belly and it only wants your $1.14."

word up sarah. word fucking up.

---WEX

Music You Will Like, Vol. 1

So yeah, i'm not the most technologically savvy person -- I still rock a Discman while clumsily holding 5 discs in my hand and just learned what Netflix was a little while ago -- but I just realized that you can "download" "songs" on "your" computer "." So being a music nerd, I will try to hep whoever is reading this to some good stuff. How do you know it's good? Well, you'll just have to trust me now, won't you? But I will assume you're a hip-hop fan and try to cater specifically to you without pandering. I will try not to get too nerd on you and just give you the basics. First off, Mulatu Astatke:

So Mulatu is an Ethiopian jazz cat who traveled to London, New York, and Brazil and soaked up all these different styles of funk, soul and latin rhythms in the late 60s/early 70s, which he incorporated into his music when he came back to Ethiopia. His music is a combination of snakecharmer melodies meets Roy Ayers-style jazz-funk meets Booker T. and the MGs soul. I got into him b/c his music is all over Broken Flowers, the new Bill Murray/Jim Jarmusch flick.

Until Wex shows me how to do this proper, trust me that the below link is Mulatu Astatke's "Yekatit."

http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1XC3LVIW8CF0H0QPDP7DHCW877


Next up is David Axelrod, who if you're a hip-hop fan and don't know, now's the time to educate thyself. If you like Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Mos Def or DJ Shadow, you like this orchestral jazz producer/arranger and just don't know it. Check out "The Warning Talk (Part II)" from his still-bugged-out-even-though-it's-30-years-old album Earth Rot and spot the sample from Mos Def's best song on Black on Both Sides.

http://s22.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=35F4S5LDRH0HU0J3NLPFTVKKFP

Finally, you want hip-hop? Fine. You probably know 9th Wonder from his work on Jay-Z's Black Album and his albums as part of Little Brother and with Murs, Jean Grae and Buckshot. Before any of that, he was remixing Nas's God's Son album into God's Stepson, one of the dopest albums he's put out. (Sorry, that Buckshot collabo was average.) Here be "Get Down." Yeah, I know you love the original beat that when it comes on in the club, you're like, "Ohhhh!!!" but 9th flips it into some smoothed-ass soul shit and it loses none of its hotness. If you don't feel this beat, I sorta feel sorry for your parents having to raise a deaf kid.

http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1PC0P6LG5RGX80U03MAC27HA4Z

Word. Feel free to post your comments somewhere. Probably in the "Comments" section if you're feeling any of these or not. Oh, and check out Allhiphop.com's review of Dangerdoom. It's a pretty solid review and I agree with almost all of it (mostly since I wrote it.)

http://www.allhiphop.com/reviews/?ID=644

Until next time,

J. New

Wex's Favoriate Ghostface Songs:

in no particular order:

Child's Play
Biscuits
The Watch
The Sun feat. Slick Rick
The Forrest
Goodtimes
Run
Maxine
One
We Made It
Winter Warz
Apollo Kids
Fish
Daytona 500
Malcolm
Wu Banga
Wildflower
Hilton
Buck 50
All That I Got Is You

Put the above on a cd (Ipod Playlist??) and you'll have yourself one helluva of summer mix.

WEX

The Gold Digga.

ladies & germs...

today i found a record for $6 that has the following biggie instrumentals on it:

- 10 Crack Commandments
- Sky's the Limit
- Kick in the Door

HOLLA.

these are all very hard to find and have been requested numerous times.

so there you go.

But that's not all. ALSO ADDED:

Arrested Developement's "People Everyday", "Mr. Wendal", and of course, "Tennessee".

AND Ghostface Killah's "Daytona 500" from the Ironman album.

----- WEX

upcoming shows

hey there folks...

although not HHK, here's some upcoming hiphop shows to check out:

8/30/05 - Ultramagnetic MCs & Ice-T @ SOB's
9/15/05 - Little Brother, J-Live, Rhymefest @ BB Kings
9/16/05 - Atmosphere, Blueprint, Brother Ali @ Irving Plaza
9/17/05 - Pete Rock, Cannibal Ox, C-Rayz Walz @ Rothko
9/22/05 - Arrested Development @ SOB's
9/22/05 - Big Daddy Kane (VH1 Hip Hop Honors after party) @ BB Kings
10/09/05 - Ghostface @ BB Kings

I'll be at most of these i think. so there's that.

---wex

went shoppin'

yesterday, jay and i went out and purchased a few new songs for HHK:

Method Man - Bring the Pain
MC Lyte - Paper Thin
Nas - Nas is Like
Da Brat - Funkdafied
Cypress Hill - Hand on the Pump
Dr. Dre - Keep Ya Heads Ringin'
Ludacris - Area Codes
Common - Bitch in Yoo
Redman - Da Goodness

so there's some new choices for ya!

actually, this might be a good opportunity to explain how the song list works...

we get tons of requests... and most of them are really good suggestions. however, we are completely at the mercy of what was pressed up and released as instrumental versions (instrumental versions = version of the song minus the vocals, so that you can perform over them yourself). these instrumentals are found typically found on the b-side of 12" vinyl singles. problem is, not every song that is released as a 12" single carries the instrumental version (see: mama said knock you out) and occasionally the inst. version DOES appear on the record, but does not match the original song in time or content (see: humpty dance, warm it up, kane, etc). another other issue is that many of these records that we're looking for are now out of print or extremely hard to find. and another another issue is that 12" records are typically the "singles" of the album, so album cuts (see: biggie's "the what") are hard to find inst. versions for as well.

with that said, we do our best to add at least 8-10 songs a month and literally spend hours searching (and paying for) new selections for the event... and hope to continue to match as many of your requests as we can.

it's raining... but that can't stop me... see ya at hiero!

---wex

blog hog reporting for duty!

i'd like to take a minute to address a few of J. Diggy's comments.

a) what are Switzers? sounds like a food... or maybe a cigar?
b) scenario remix. clearly.
c) i would have thought alyssa would've take all three titles. but what do i know?

ok, now that that's over -

i'm hung over. last night a good friend of mine was in town, Ari is his name, and upon having HHK explained to him... well, he was left speechless. he just kinda stared at me with this glassy look in his eye. i think he was truly stumped.

so i changed the subject. i mean, shit was weird.

HHK T-shirts. They're being worked on. I'm currently checking out different printing companies for them. Want to make sure they look, smell, and taste great.

HHK Pics from August. They're coming, I promise. Our photographer Rick has been swamped with life and work, but he'll have them ready soon. Thanks for the patience.

Weekend plans: Staying cool, record shopping, drinking w/ above mentioned friend, paying bills, making october's HHK flyer, sleeping, tivo'ing family guy, and going to see the HIEROGLYPHICS (w/ non phixion, oc, & boom bap project) at BB Kings on Sunday Night.

I'm not going because i saw him not that long ago, but METHOD MAN is also playing this weekend, also at BB Kings. so there's hip hop in town people. soak it up.

be easy.

---WEX

Random Thoughts

Being that I am typing this on a Commodore 64, and just got done playing RBI Baseball, you all will have to bear with me on what is my first ever blog post..Not really sure how this works, but I'll get the hang of it.

This is what is going on in my head at 1:47 in the morning :

- While I'm a die hard Yankees fan, I don't think they're making the playoffs this year..
- Why is "Leap Of Faith" with Steve Martin on my television now? And more importantly, why aren't I changing the channel?
- Is there a more satisying purchase than a 99 cent Arizona tall boy?
- I'm going on the record right now as saying Terrence Howard will be nominated for Best Actor (for his role in "Hustle and Flow").
- If the labels "Friend", "Wife", and "Mistress" had to be put on my 3 childhood crushes, who would be labeled what? I'm guessing Danica McKellar is "Friend", Alyssa Milano is "Wife", and Tiffany Amber-Thiessen is "Mistress".
- Why don't they make "Switzers" anymore?
- Which is a better posse cut? "The Symphony" or "Scenario Remix"? The kid in me says "Symphony", but the grown up in me breaks things when "Scenario Remix" comes on.

Alright. My eyes hurt.

Many, many, many thanks to all that have been supporting Hip Hop Karaoke. Don't be strangers.

Keep tearing that stage down piece by piece.

J. Digs

Wex is a Blog Hog

So given that I can be extremely lazy, Wex has been holding down the blog for a minute. But I figure I should put my two cents in just for some variety. It's a beautiful thing to have an idea in your head and be able to actualize it as we do every month. You can't ask for anything more than seeing the joy on peoples' faces when someone is killing (or butchering) a song. Oh to have a dime(bag) for every cat who told me they came to the show expecting one thing and walking out feeling totally different. I was expecting to at least occasionally hear boos but the crowd is always packed with cool cats who just want to have a good time. But this is only the beginning. A global empire...a New Word Order if you will...is being built as we live and breathe and it doesn't stop until 6 billion cats scream along to "Brooklyn Zoo" at the same time.

"Take it easy. And if you're already easy, take it twice." (That's so much smoother and more intelligible when Frankie Crocker says it than when I type it.)

- Jay

Twas Fun.

First of all, a big thank you to the good people at the Downtown for treating us so nicely. The whole experience was great (ok, well, except for the LIRR back to the city). The sound at the club was top notch - helped out by George the soundman, who was nothing short of amazing.

The performances were great too... topped off by long time HHK regular Goodwin, who came all the way from Brooklyn to support. We ended the night with a riot inciting version of "Ante Up".

Even with all of the above, what really got us excited?

WE GOT TO SHARE A MARQUEE WITH DUNCAN SHEIK!!!

(There's a chance that Jay might get mad at me about posting that pic, ha!!)

But seriously folks, we look forward to doing it again. Thanks to all who came out and rocked it with us!

---djwex

Hello Long Izzle...

Although I'm still in the process of waking up (case of the Mondays??) ... I'm all set to head to Farmingdale, Long Island tonight to debut HHK at The Downtown! We'll be hitting up the LIRR in a few hours to setup, soundcheck, and get the place set for what we hope to be a successful night of mic rockin.

So if you're in the area, or know anybody that is, stop by and say hello. Doors @ 8pm, show starts about 9pm.

---DjWex

Happy Friday

We got our Amsterdam flight info today and you could say that we're pretty fucking excited. I have high (get it!) hopes for a splendid time.

We've been kicking around the idea for some HHK t-shirts. It's in early discussions here, but I'd love to know what any of you think about it. And more importantly, if you'd perhaps buy one?

Tonight, am headed to the RJD2 & Diplo boat cruise. Hip Hop music, lots of booze, and the possibility of sea sickness... YAY. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Last night, went to check out a Paul Frank party at some giant loft / roof space on the west side. The room was filled with skinny models, free Sparks (and other assorted beverages), free ice cream, a photo shoot set, and last but not least, giant inflatable bananas. After an hour there filled with small talk and strong drinks, I headed over to Rothko for the Say Word Ent / 3rd Party show. Hired Gun, Darkside, and Farbeon always put on a solid show - if any of you ever get a chance to see them.

Also this weekend, I'm going to try and check out "Broken Flowers" - the new Bill "Ghostbustin ass" Murray & Jim Jarmusch flick. I've heard good things, and am a complete sucker for Murray. He's our generations finest comedic actor, imo.

Anyhow, be safe, enjoy this wonderful city we live in and get your ass's practicing for the next HHK edition.

---djWex

UPDATE!!

So the light went off in our collective HHK heads yesterday and we realized that our next HHK was scheduled on Labor Day. YIKES!!!

Can't do that...

So we've decided to move it to the following Friday night, September 9th. You'll be all rested up from your party weekend and will be ready to rip the mic once again.

It'll be a special edition "Amsterdam Send-Off" Party of sorts. We'll have some great new songs, lots of prizes, and our award winning glowing personalities!

ha.

Oooookay, consider yourself updated.

---DjWex

And Another One...

Thank you to all of you that came out to Rothko last night. Definitely appreciated. I know it was a sleepy August night and most of you might have thought about just staying in and spending some nice quality time with your couch & a/c. But no, you needed that fix. The inner desire to come up and have the crowd go bananas at your rendition of "Nuthin But A G Thang" was just too strong to stay home. And for that, we are grateful.

Highlights for me (apologies for butchered name spellings):

- Jerry and Claval and their above mentioned performance of "Nuthin But A G Thang"
- Suejean & Matt doing Scenario. Lots of energy - and Matt's Busta impression is fucking great.
- Van doing Paul Revere. The best we've seen it done. geah.
- Mahalia with Warning. HOT. Hello Amsterdam, see you in Sept!
- Goodwin murdering Da Art Of Storytelling, part 1 AND 2. Serious serious serious.

So check this out. We've been given the very very very wonderful opportunity to travel to Amsterdam to put on HHK at Paradiso. It's Sept 23, so if any of you know anybody there, have 'em stop by. Josh, Jay, and I are extremely excited about getting to head over the big pond to present our brand of HHK to the Dutch. Shit is going to be serious. I think I should video tape the whole thing. Yes, I think I shall.

In personal Wex news, I'll be heading over to see "The Aristocrats" flick tonight. It's a documentary about the worlds oldest and most dirty joke. It stars a crazy laundry list of comedians... but more importantly... has Sarah Silverman in it. Damn you Jimmy Kimmell - she will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine.

---DjWex