I Blog It Like It's Hot

Hot video – Evidence “Falling Down”

Tha Blog is Hot favorite Evidence teams up with Todd Angkasuwan again for the “Falling Down” music video from Cats & Dogs. Ev and Todd are quite the team; I also enjoyed their videos for “You” (ranking it on my top music video list of 2011) and “It Wasn’t Me.”

Anyway, TSS described the video as “It’s the Twilight Zone meets a Frank Miller vision meets the tornado scene from The Wizard of Oz,” and that’s way more trill than what I would have said. Nonetheless, I love the dark, murky, almost ethereal feel of the video between the rain and the Frank Miller-esque special effects.

Oh, so this is what your campaign contributions for Mitt Romney are going toward

See, Republicans can be cool!!!!

When I watched A$AP Rocky’s video on Youtube the other day for #TrapTuesdays, I closed the ad as soon as I could, but not before glimpsing some political type ad. Fortunately, some kindred soul over at Vanity Fair noticed that said ad was for Mitt Romney’s Presidential Campaign and screen captured it since it does not appear to grace ASAP Rocky’s nsfw music video.

Maybe Mitt is the newest addition to the A$AP Mob? A$AP Romney? Yes? That has a nice ring to it, just like A$AP Julie.

Do political ads on youtube videos work? The Romney campaign has some interesting advertising techniques, including Youtube and Twitter, promoting his twitter handle to get more followers. While I doubt those aren’t avenues than the Obama reelection campaign has gone down, I would be annoyed to find out that my monetary campaign contribution went to that.

XXL Magazine

Hot song – Tyga ft. Wale, Meek Mill, Fabolous, Jeezy, & T.I. “Rack City (Remix)”

“Rack City” is the best worst song in a hot minute, although the inclusion of Wale on it definitely pushes it more toward ‘worst’ than ‘best.’ Nah, I’m just kidding. I like him over this ignorant shit. This is actually a nice remix. Young Jeezy and T.I. are always a good look, Wale sounds fine, I don’t feel like I’m being yelled at when Meek Milli raps his verse, and I’m confused as to why Fabolous tries, and succeeds, in sounding identical to Tyga. Isn’t the point of bringing new voices to a remix just that, to have new voices? I never understood that one.

I love “Rack City.” But more than the song, I love saying shit like, “I’m going to Rack City now, bye,” or if someone asks something, I’ll answer “Rack City” even if it doesn’t relate to anything. Rack City, bitch! Rack Rack City! I need some hunnits, please.

Also, if you didn’t know, “Rack City” is a nickname for Las Vegas. Just to clarify and all.

Download from HHU

Drake wants to be President Obama

Sometimes, the stories just write themselves, and that’s almost always the case with Drake.

I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him. That’s the goal. I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel, I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice. If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m pretty good at impressions. I’ve been reading scripts for a while. I want to do something great. I want to do something for my culture: the younger people who are still in tune with everything going on. I’m actually writing with my friends right now.

I forget that Drake used to be Wheelchair Jimmy, but then again, he was in a show with Shanae Grimes, who I see sucking at acting every week on 90210, so I don’t know how to feel about the fact that not changing the television channel or being pretty good at impersonations is a qualifying factor. Like, I’m pretty good at impersonations, too, especially of Drake. All I need to do is purse my lips and wave my hand around all wild.

I wonder if he shares the same reverence for Obama that he does for The Queen.

HipHopDX

Hot song – Chase N. Cashe “Wavy Navy”

I want to join the “Wavy Navy.” Or, I would really, really like it if Crooks N Castles made that “Wavy” sweatshirt in women’s sizes. I’d rather have the sweatshirt than join a fictional Wavy Navy.

Chase N. Cashe seems like he has it pretty good, what with the “Trill Living 1.0,” “Trill Living 2.0,” and “Trill Living 4.0,” and now he’s rapping about the “Wavy Navy,” employing my new favorite word wavy. I couldn’t not blog about this given my current fascination with all things wavy…or more accurately, describing all wavy things as wavy.

Spotted at The Dopehouse

Hot song – Gucci Mane ft. 2 Chainz “Get It Back”

Mike WiLL Made It introduced the trap to Tetris, one of the few videogames I don’t mind, and used Gucci Mane and 2 Chainz as the spokestrappers. Let’s be real. It wouldn’t be right if Trap Tuesday went by without my posting something from at least one of the most notable purveyors of the trap movement. In this case, a sample of the Tetris theme is the backdrop for both of them.

Download “Get It Back”

Spotted at DGB

Hot video – ASAP Rocky “Wassup”

Is ASAP Rocky considered trap? All the wavy trap blogs that I keep on my Google reader posted this video, so by extension, I’ll post it mostly due to the fact that I feel compelled to post something for #TrapTuesdays.

I’m going to be honest when I say that I do not understand the ASAP Rocky phenomenon at all. Sure, Clams Casino’s production is great, and aesthetically, it doesn’t get much better than what’s in ASAP Rocky’s video for “Wassup.” I love all the pretty colors and shit. I’ve tried to understand, and if someone could enlighten me as to what’s so great about him, I would appreciate it. I’m starting to like “Peso,” albeit a good 8 months late or whatever, but on the whole, I’m starting to feel more confused than V-Nasty looked in the music video for “Let’s Get Faded” with Gucci Mane.

However, it seems like all he ever raps about is being a pretty mutherfucker from Harlem. Don’t get me wrong, I like saying that, probably as much and as frequently as he does, but it never seems like he says anything of substance. Take for instance, “Wassup,” a song where all I hear is “wassup.” His music reminds me of a Barack Obama speech; all the fluff makes it sounds pretty, but it isn’t substantive and he isn’t saying much.

Drake’s new mansion has an ATM inside it

Drake put up his two Miami condos for sale a couple weeks back, and has since moved into a new house in Beverly Hills. According to Becole Bitchie, it is a $9 million mansion that he’s renting for $45k a month. Personally, I’d much rather buy than rent, same with cars, but hey, that’s just me. It’s not like my current crib has an ATM in it, either.

I was really surprised at the traditional style of this house, verses Drake the rapper, but then I remembered that he likes to wear those grandpa-looking sweaters so I guess it’s a pretty good match, after all. I can definitely see him sitting in his library, with Ray-Ban glasses on, reading a book.

Even if there is a grotto, the style of the house looks like it’s catered toward an older demographic, like a 120 year old such as Hugh Hefner. It’s really traditional, except for that jungle mural painted on the wall above that would be great for kids.

Some more features, besides that ATM, include six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a wine cellar, tennis court, volleyball court, 24-seat theater, and pool with a waterfall oasis that includes a wet bar, an on-site, five-stall horse facility with a riding area. A nice, big house for Drake to record maybe five follow-ups to “Marvin’s Room,” since he has six bedrooms. Perhaps he’ll make a “Marvin’s Room” series like R. Kelly did a “Trapped in the Closet” series.

Spotted at Necole Bitchie

On Swizz Beatz, MegaUpload, Anonymous, and the Federal Government proving SOPA isn’t necessary

Really, this is a long, weirdass story that really starts with that bizarro music video endorsement by a bunch of celebrities for MegaUpload. I blogged about it back in December, and I was so confused that so many musicians like Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Will.I.Am, and Chris Brown would endorse a website that is known for illegal file sharing. I was also confused why Kim Kardashian would be in the video, too, but that’s neither here nor there.

On January 17th, various news outlets began reporting that Swizz Beatz, per the MegaUpload.com “About” page, was actually the CEO of MegaUpload.com. Okay, sure–that explains how all those famous artists were in the video supporting MegaUpload.com, but it still doesn’t explain why they appeared in the singing endorsement video.

Swizzy was only identified as the CEO of MegaUpload after Universal Music Group is alleging that they should take down the MegaUpload video because artists like Diddy, Kanye, and Will.I.Am didn’t have the permission from the label to be appearing in that promotional video to begin with. MegaUpload, on the other hand, alleges that the artists said that they could appear in the videos. So, Swizzy was in a little hot water over that. (SOHH)

The next day, Wednesday the 18th, was the worldwide internet strike against the SOPA and PIPA bills (I know what you’re thinking, fortunately that didn’t fall on Trap Tuesday). The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was the House version and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) was the Senate version of the bill that critics thought would lead to unintended consequences of censorship and loss of freedom on the internet. Many sites like Wikipedia, Craigslist, Google, and ThaBlogisHot.com shut down for the day in protest, and as a result, both bills are dead (for now), after many politicians either withdrew their support or came out against it. (PC World)

So, the very next day, the FBI shut down MegaUpload.com, indicting 7 people, and arresting 4 of them in New Zealand. The Daily Mail likened MegaUpload.com founder Kim Dotcom to James Bond with how the arrests went down that you can read here. The indictment was filed in Virginia, and is a mere 72 pages long (!!!), which you can read here. It describes MegaUpload.com as “a worldwide criminal organization whose members engaged in criminal copyright infringement and money laundering on a massive scale,” costing copyright holders over $500 million in lost profits, while themselves earning over $175 million. (WSJ)

The government takes down #Megaupload? 15 minutes later #Anonymous takes down government & record label sites. #ExpectUs

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) January 19, 2012

But, this is the point of the long, convoluted story where it got the most interesting to me. After MegaUpload.com was taken down, hacktivist group Anonymous went on a mega siege (ha ha), taking down tons of sites. ‘The FBI gonna shut down MegaUpload.com? Well, we’re gonna shut down the FBI,’ is basically how it went down.

As the Anonymous twitter account said that it was going to be a lulzy night, and all I could do was incredulously watch the updates. The 9,000 members of Anonymous set their sights on government, music industry, and film industry websites, as the film and recording industries are pushing for the passage of SOPA and PIPA.

Anonymous released a statement claiming responsibility for shutting down the following sites:

justice.gov
universalmusic.com
riaa.org
mpaa.org
copyright.gov
hadopi.fr
wmg.com
usdoj.gov
bmi.com
fbi.gov
Anti-piracy.be/nl/
ChrisDodd.com
Vivendi.fr
Whitehouse.gov

Admittedly, I didn’t quite understand why Anonymous members were in such an upheaval about MegaUpload.com being taken down at first, other than the government intruding and shutting down a website, blah blah blah. I was very amused, watching each twitter update announcing that another site was down, as they went through government websites like the White House, FBI, and Department of Justice. If anything, Anonymous’ actions prove that SOPA and PIPA are necessary.

Ironically, the government shutdown of MegaUpload.com proved that bills like SOPA and PIPA aren’t even needed for the government to seize websites, so what’s the point of them, anyway? Clearly, it was no coincidence that the FBI specifically chose to indite the MegaUpload.com people the day after SOPA and PIPA went up in smoke. (PC World)

And where is Swizz Beatz in all of this? Who knows. Probably designing Reebok shoes or producing songs with the same drum pattern. He certainly wasn’t among the seven indicted conspiracy to commit racketeering, criminal copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Supposedly, he was never officially the CEO…yet, although he still very much wants to be involved in the company, so says some anonymous source to MTV. It’s all very sketchy, and Swizz Beatz seems like a generally sketchy individual, so I’m surprised by nothing that I’ve read. (Aceshowbiz)

In other semi related news, isn’t it more fun to call Swizz Beatz “Swizz Cheese?”

Hot song – The-Dream “Pieces”

We all know how I feel about The-Dream, one of my all-time favorite artists. Out of all the clutter found in my Google Reader–boy, is there a lot–”Pieces” stood out like a brilliant ray of sunlight. I luhhh The-Dream, and the angsty, lovesick vocals over the always-stellar production. Why is Terius is great?!

According to UHTN, “Pieces” is incomplete. Obviously, it sounds great to me because I’m hopelessly biased, but I wonder who would drop a verse on here? I recall him saying that he would be working with Big Sean more, so that’s my guess.

Download “Pieces” via UHTN