IdleWILD Perspective

In the recent weeks it seems that everyone has an opinion about the new installment to the Outkast legacy called Idlewild.









I am referring to the movie and the album with this one. So I figured I might as well follow suit and chime in with everyone else who's paying attention. I went to see the movie on opening night this past Friday and went to purchase the album (after much deliberation) this past Monday and feel that I have let them both marinate enough to give a well developed opinion of both.

The Movie: Let me start by saying that this movie is a musical, which by no means implies whether it's good or bad, that's just a warning for those who plan to see it but don't realize that fact. I feel you should know this going in because my sister (who saw it with me) didn't know and was blindsided by it at first, instantly forming an opinion based on past experiences with musicals like "Carmen: A Hip Hopera" (which f*cking SUCKED!).
With that said I was happy to see that this wasn't the case with Idlewild. I was glad to see that the movie was actually entertaining to me. The dynamic of Big Boi and Andre being two totally different people held up on the screen unlike many other rap duo's (Red and Meth, Kid & Play, etc) who fall victum to losing themselves in the group when on film. Andre and Antwan had two separate stories going on that intertwined rather than one story that could've been played by 1 actor rather than 2 rappers. The most surprising thing to me was that Atwan a.k.a Big Boi was the alpha male in their relationship in the movie because for some reason I always feel like Andre is the dominant one. My favorite part of the movie is the fact that they incorporated music from Speakerboxx and The Love Below into the movie allowing some of those weird (Andre) songs to make some sense. BUT if you aren't a fan of those albums then you probably won't get much out of this one because the story leaves something to be desired...just a little too predictable.
Like I said, it's entertaining but just not something that's gonna have you in awe because of the story (I basically knew everything that was gonna happen just before it was gonna happen).

The Album: I have to say I like the album also....of course I am pretty open when it comes to music and I am a fan of the new and improved Andre 3000 (equipped with the pink mic and blouse. LOL). I was warned that it is out there when it first came out which is why it took me about a week to pick it up but now that I have made the purchase I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Every track on the CD that Big Boi did was on point for me. All but one of Andre's cuts are tight also...I just can't get into that"Idlewild Blue" joint for some reason. I'm also not feeling Macy Grey...never have, never will, so that track is a definite skip for me. Other than that it's a CD that I can let ride out and if you actually ingest what they are saying then it will give you something to wrap you thoughts around. For me that's a damn good combination and something that's missing in hiphop A LOT these days.

My reasoning for this post is to put out a perspective of someone who actually likes both the movie and album since I have heard some 'not so great' reviews here and there. Another thing I want to address is this whole Billboard top 10/Movie Box Office top 10 thing. I don't really see what all the fuss is for. The Album was #2 on Billboard and people are upset....how many albums have they had at #2 in the past? The movie is #8 in the box office this week and again people are upset.....WTF!!! Okay maybe my expectations were low but both of these ratings have exceeded what I would have bet on for Idlewild....Someone please tell me why you thought it would do any better?

Get back at me!

"I make dough but don't call me Doughboy"

This weekend I was blessed with the task of helping my cousin and his lovely wife move from her old apartment, that they were staying in, over to there new apartment about 30 minutes away. Now moving is a normal thing and I have either moved or helped someone else move 20+ times (NO BULL). So this task wasn't something that I was really worried about at all. So I get over to my cousins and at that time I have to face the harsh reality that it's gonna be just he and I on this move which pretty much HURT because he lived on the 4th floor. On top of that he had those steps that make the turn half way down on each flight. Needless to say this was a daunting task and by the time he and I filled the truck I was sucking wind like a fat child chasing an ice cream truck.



















Now with all these steps you would think that I have no reason to feel bad other than the fact that I'm only half way thru and he's moving into the 3rd floor of his new spot....F*CK!!!! (LOL) But when his wife moved in originally we had the same 2 people moving up those stairs to the 4th floor and I was straight. So this, in essence, was a huge indicator of what I have already know but am fighting....DANE YOU ARE RIDICULOUSLUY OUT OF SHAPE!!! I mean I am one of those people that says I am out of shape no matter what condition I'm in but just last year I was working out regularly and this move would have been a cake walk then. As of now I haven't hit the gym regularly since January. On top of that I am driving to work this morning and pass this jogger about 6 blocks away from the 7-11 I stop at each morning. Nothing particularly special to notice until I leave 7-11 and see him 2 blocks ahead of me now, on the ground doing crunches. Yeah I felt like some sh*t, cause this brother was mid to late 30's and I don't even make time to do crunches at the foot of my bed. This time last year I was a gym rat. Now I'm a fat rat...LOL. For real though, that dude inspired me (for like 5 minutes) but it was enough to let me know I need to get back into the gym if not just for health reasons. I'm trying to be alive and kicking once I have kids so I gotta start working on that now.
So today (well maybe tomorrow) I am gonna start anew. So hopefully by the end of the year I can avoid sweating like a 72 year old grandma chasing a 9 year old child with a switch. But only the future will tell...I'll try to keep ya'll posted. LOL

Oh yeah, let me not forget to shout out my man Bone for showing up on the second leg to help my cousin move in on Saturday. That brother may have saved my life...LOL.

Color Struck

You know for me I love my dark skin and love all black/brown skin whether you are light or dark. To quote my homegirl G I am "Six Feet 230 lbs of chocolatey goodness" (WHOA, I will never say that one again). But I am not so blind to know that at one time my people didn't have much self worth because of the way society treats us and in turn didn't appreciate our own dark and lovely skin colors. With the addage that light skindededed brothers were out, and the craze of natural hairdo's I assumed that those days were long gone. I wish I wasn't so wrong.....



I feel really strongly about this one and think that everyone should see this video. I really feel like we as a people need to start teaching our children to love themselves and not pass down these tired ideas that have been forced on us from generation to generation. Real Talk: I almost started crying when the kids were doing the doll test. This is just sad ya'll. Let me know what you think.

Big and Pac

A friend of mine came across this video and sent it to me. It's an old freestyle session with BIG and Tupac and surprisingly I had never heard it before. So I thought it only made sense to put it out there just incase I wasn't the only one. Enjoy!!





Joint made me wanna go write a verse and run over to sweatbox studios. Tell DJ Sei What to holla at me!!!! LOL.

Life ain't a Fantasy my A$$!!!!

Okay so sometimes things come and go into popularity and I somehow miss them completely. For some things the radar just doesn't go off and until this morning standing in line at 7-11 the same could be said about Fantasia, other than hearing her sing.
















Now I am not a big fan of Fantasia even though I do recognize that she can sing. The problem is that there is something about her that I just don't like. Can't put my finger on it but there is something. Probably the craine like jaw that scares me so much whenever she has her mouth open, or maybe it's the fact that I hate the way she got her career started through a popularity contest (still heated that LaToya London didn't win that year), or maybe cause I wasn't feeling that ignorant a$$ single "Baby Momma" that made all these little girls out here having kinds think "These days it's like a badge of honor to be a babies momma" (that line in that song pisses me off to no end).

But regardless of what it is that have prompted me to keep my distance from the craze my point was that I was in shock to see Fantasia on the cover of Jet with Loretta Devine and the mom from Antoine Fisher promoting her new movie. A movie that is based on her autobiography titled "The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale". WTF!!! I'm still in shock of this. Think I'm lying, check for yourself (http://www.jetmag.com/assembled/cover.html ).

Are we as consumers so enthralled by artists that we actually care about this sh!t. COME ON!!! I mean I heard the story about the rape and her surviving adversity but I also heard about the illiteracy too and correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't AUTObiography mean you wrote it yourself. So I don't even know if the story is legit to begin with. Life is not a fairy tale huh? Well it must be a fantasy then cause you got to be dreaming this sh*t up since you can't actually write it. LOL. And how the hell is an illiterate woman supposed to learn a movie script well enough to act it out! Even with it being her life she will still have to memorize lines to make sure the movie is done right ( I'm sure she has been taking classes but she's not 7, that sh*t don't come easy when you aren't as impressionable). I mean it wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't playing herself but as it stands right now everytime she opens her mouth I would have to look away. This sh*t is gonna give me nightmares.














Man I got way to much hate in my blood right now, I may need some counceling. LMAO!

I Always Wanted A Little Brother (part 3)

I’m still singing/ them dog tags on stage they still swinging/And even went they try to go hard at us I’m Joe Clark status, hat low still leaning/ the head ni99a in charge is still dreaming/ of an industry where hot sh!ts rewarded/ and dope sh!ts recorded/ and dumb sh!ts ignored/ and I sold my heart to the world, nobody bought it/ and everybody made a B-line/ quick to say that LB was on the decline/ HOLD UP, rewind/ wasn’t it a year or so ago that we was the same ni99a$ that everybody was behind/ but that’s the way it is when you dealing with the evil/ get a little status and they think you too regal/ that’s the nature of people/ why you think muphuckas like to feed pigeons but try to shoot eagles – Phonte, Separate but Equal









DJ Drama presents: Separate but Equal






Separate but Equal is produced by DJ Drama of Atlanta and is the second mixtape by LB. Once again Phonte and Big Pooh use there mixtape as the forum to showcase their lyrical skills with metaphors and simile flying left and right while still maintaining that content of all previous albums. This one is less like an album and more true to what you expect from a mixtape but they still have their comedic personalities incorporated into the album. There are a couple of songs on this album that contain some of their best verses yet presenting you with arguably their best content that’s not related to a personal matter (relationships/love, family). They are spitting about hip hop and if you listen to what they are saying you can’t help but agree with the real stuff they spit. The mixtape is blessed by guest appearances by Mos Def and Bun B.



We need to sit down, me and you have a chit chat/ Let's talk about friends and define that/ Let's talk about us never mind that/ Let's talk about trust where your mind at/ So you looking for a man, won't find that/ Had a good thing here let's rewind facts/ Believe me I know all about them other cats/ How they all played the game just to get to you/ Spitting all in my ear “which you like, who?”/ Tickled your fancy who you would invite to/ be yours, I penned verses, quote verses/ with purpose, so nervous/ I wrote urgence, I spoke shy, you spoke live, we spoke by/ up until this year when I saw you, you saw me, we walked by/ Till you found out I emceed, now you all up in my face like -- Big Pooh, The Listening







The Commercial Free EP






The Commercial Free EP is the only album in the collection that I have yet to pick up. The album is basically the live performances of some of their favorite tracks from the 4 previous LB album with a few new tracks added into the mix. Any true fan is of performances and LB will be sure to enjoy this one. I will be placing my order ASAP!


As far as I’m concerned Little Brother is the best group actively rapping these days and the only ones out that would be able to touch them is Outkast (if they would actually rap together again). This music is what hip hop is supposed to be all about and anyone who considers themselves a true fan of the art should jump on it.


Yo, the realest to do it, the illest maneuver and plan/ the business, you losers is killing the music, the man/ that’s known in every section they say the deadliest weapon is ‘Te chilling with the mic in the palm of his hand/ he saving rap from it’s hideous state/ he never gets rattled in the city of snakes/ when they say he don’t rhyme as much, I got the Midas touch, you Mineke ni99as should give it a BREAK/ I can relate to late nights rolling in a tinted Taurus/ with my man being exposed to the cities horrors/ going to open mic nights where the audience, they did ignore us/ but a lot of ill sh!t it had taught us/ like how to adapt to different people, different auras/ and bring messages that our forefathers taught us/ so even though I’m rapping now and got things/ I don’t rock chains, our ancestors did it for us -- Phonte, The Commercial Free EP

I Always Wanted a Little Brother (part 2)

I don't come out to play I head out to work/ I'm in the bidness of making ni99a$ heads jerk/I'm trying to move units, I wanna move hands/Yeah I comprehend the importance of having fans/But some fans just don't understand/walk that very thin line between being a Stan/Before all this rap sh*t I'm first a man/ I don't won't you all up in my space STANLEY JUST STOP IT/cause after some shows I ain't trying to chop it/and it's not hoes, ni99a$ out a pocket/can I live, have a moment to breath/ I just rocked for 2 hours and you still want more from me/ GOT DAMN! -- Big Pooh, Chittlin Circuit 1.5






The Minstrel Show






The Minstrel Show is the second album by Little Brother and also the piece of work that introduced me to LB. I personally think that this is the most complete piece of work they have done to date. It gives you mellow tracks and more up beats tracks as they continue to give you a personal insight, involve there sense of humor, and provide that content with dope lyrics all while calling out a lot of the ignorant stuff that is just accepted in the hip hop world. No matter how hard it is to get past the title, once you actually take a listen to what they are saying you won't be able to deny the skill. It was introduced to me as the best album of 2005 and once I listened to it I never argued.







Foreign Exchange: Connected






Once LB dropped there first major label album with the Minstrel Show they decided to branch off and do solo joints (while still working together of course). This resulted in "Connected" from Phonte. Since he is easily one of the best lyricists I have heard in year it's no denying that he does his thing on this joint but the surprise from this one is that it's probably to most laid back album of the entire collection. Phonte definitely made a point in getting a producer who would smooth it out with more of an instrumental and almost Jazz feel with the beats on this one. So all those who love albums like Train of Thought by Talib Kweli and mellow joints like that will absolutely appreciate this one. And you can't help but get caught up in the boys lyrics.







Sleepers







This is Big Pooh's solo installment. As the least lyrically inclined member of LB it's easy to assume that if there was gonna be one album in there collection to fall under the standards they have set, this would be the one. Surprisingly I personally think this is one of the best albums in the collection. Big Pooh makes a point to show that just because he isn't better than Phonte doesn't mean he isn't someone worth your respect in his own right. This album has gotten as much play if not more than every other album in the collection and I have to say that Pooh has made a complete album with this one. And the funniest part to me is that Phonte is only on 1 track which is far from the case on "Connected". This album stays true to the normal LB formal (Dope Beats, Dope Rhymes, What More Do Ya'll Want--Phonte) and the only other album I can of to compare it to is a Common album ( I won't dare name a specific one). So in other words Big Pooh is all about his content on this joint.


I went from n!gga$ telling me I really shouldn't rhyme/to dropping a classic album muphuckas couldn't find/took my respect, took lessons, and took the time/and if you want a success story just take a look at mine/I was blessed with the right components, so precise/'cause I write so tight within the moment/and spit like my life depended on it/I target you herbs/ on some telepromter sh!t I got you watching your words/Tay rhymes are real life, yours are 'so for instance'/taxing you n!gga$ like no dependants/12 bar courtroom drama with no co-defendants/don't beat it off, come to your senses/ LITTLE NI99A! -- Phonte, The Minstrel Show

To be concluded....

I Always Wanted A Little Brother (part 1)

This one goes out to the hip hop group that I feel is the most overlooked and underrated in the industry.





Little Brother!!!





A rap group that originates in Durham NC which features Phonte (MC, left), Rapper Big Pooh (MC, right), and 9th Wonder (Producer extraodinare, back). These 3 dudes have single handedly restored my faith in my beloved rap music with there lyrics that incorporate heavy content (they are far from the money, cash, hoes nonsense we have grown accustome to with topics that add depth to every song), lyrical ability (the wordplay displayed by Phonte in almost every track I hear seems to be unmatched by most in todays rap world) and some of the best beats you will hear these days. So it is only right for me to give them the best shout out I can think of (not to try and out do my boy Bone) by sending out a roll call of there work.






The Listening






This is there first album release and can be found online thru amazon.com or in the music section of your favorite store on rare occasions. This album introduces you to LB with a laid back old school hip hop feel very reminiscent to A Tribe Called or De La Soul. When you listen to "The Listening" you can really tell where there influences come from and you gain a respect for their skill. This is just a taste of what they bring to the table but once you hear it you know that these dudes are for real and what they are about.







The Chittlin Circuit 1.5






Yeah I know it sounds country but this mixtape is where these country boys let loose and show you just how tight they can be lyrically. This one is not as mellow as the first album but even though it is labeled a mixtape it definitely plays just like an album. If you wanted to get started with LB from scratch this is probably where I would point you. The concepts of some of the songs alone is worth a couple of listens and a guest appearance by Big Daddy Kane pushes the album over the top. Easily a classic in my book with the remixes of a few songs from "The Listening".


To Be Continued....

It's A Political Issue

You know in my time in the professional world (just over 2 years) I have come across many diverse people and picked up a lot of new skills but the one thing that I have learned the most about is office politics. And I must say that I am just not for it at all. Every aspect of it is straight BS to me. I mean correct me if I'm wrong but when you are hired for a job you hope to be measured by how well you can do that job and not how much brown you can get on your nose while you're digging it up your managers @ss. Seriously, if I get everything required of me done WELL and on time then I really don't give a damn what you think of me personally I'm still an asset and should be treated as such. Why do I have to go to lunch with the team everyday just because that's always what they have done. I am new and I have always spent my lunch getting away from work to relax. So why is it that I am the outcast that no one wants to work with for wanting to go get Chipotle instead of brown bagging it next to the dude that smells like stale Doritos and spray starch?
I'm telling you the stuff is really getting to me cause ever since I have been in my current position (January 31, 2006) I have starting to become more and more militant blurting out ridiculous comments that are so unlike my usual laid back self. This probably culminated when it came time for the performance ratings a couple of months back. Now you'd think this was simple...the boss looks at performance and other factors, determines your rating, brings you in the office and tells you the rating, discusses raise, you fake like your happy and leave. What more could you ask for but OH NO if that wasn't already political enough they have found a way to make it worst. The managers no longer rate you...you rate yourself. WTF!!! Okay do they really think I'm that stupid, all this will do is give me more busy work to do for nothing. At best the manager already knows what he is gonna give you and you write up such a good rating of yourself they can't find anything wrong with you. Oh you still get the same rating but you proved you are exceptional at busy-work and you get to answer THE QUESTION...."How do you plan on improving this performance for the next assesment?" Which takes you right back to the brown nose. The other scenario for this type of self rating is that you try to be honest and admit that you aren't perfect but still make yourself look damn good. And they acknowledge that you did some good work but they now have the opportunity to slow screw you on your raise. Not because you didn't earn the raise but because you need to improve on whatever it is you said you would like to improve. You have simply given them fuel to fire you up with. The funny thing is that the rating is probably the same either way they are just trying to come up with creative ways to make you dance.
They got you shucking and jiving like Sandman at the Apollo, spinning on your head, pop locking, and tap dancing your @ss all the way to your cubical just for a 2% raise that can't help you with that big ass mortgage you have to pay. See my problem is I just don't do things that I can't do and this office politics thing is something I CAN'T DO. I'm the type to see something that I think is BS and say f*ck it so I tend to be the last to fall in line with "the game" in my office, which makes me stand out even more...LOL. I just laugh at it cause it doesn't bother me that I stand out because I get my job done. They can't say anything about that. But I swear these crazy a$$ crackers is trying to kill me (see what I mean about ridiculous statements LOL). Ya'll need to pray for me cause pretty soon I might start snapping on bamas or something...be in there looking like an old episode of the Chappelle show.....




But all in all I really don't have anything to complain about so don't get me wrong (LOL!). I just needed a moment to vent.

My First Time

What's up everyone? I am not really a virgin to this Blog thing since I have been frequenting my man Mike's (http://mcarroll4716.blogspot.com/) joint for the last year or more as well as writing in Myspace for about 4 months. But for some reason I always seem to be the last to jump onto the next big thing. But with a little encouragement from my boy Mike I am finally here with my "real" Blog. Nothing much more to say right now other than, if you read something that offends you or makes me look like a complete ass….I'M JOKING!!!! LOL.
And with that said I guess I just want to give a shout out to the dude who made this and EVERY Blog possible. I like to call him "The Originator" you may call him "the creator". Ya'll know who I'm talking about, that' right……Doogie Howser, M. D.
Laugh if you want but tell me he wasn't Blogging at the end of every episode when he was typing up his thoughts on the computer. That's all we are doing, don't fake! Somebody just got slick with it and started adding pictures and videos.
So here's to "The Originator"…..This Blog's for you pimpin'.




LMAO!!! I'm gonna have fun with this sh*t!

Just Me (Profile Image)