Grandmama

"Everybody Knows Us"/Hundreds Holiday 08

Whoomp! There it is!

Stork versus Mongoose

Heroes, Season 3

The new season of Heroes premiered last Monday with a ridiculous three hour block on NBC. I know it's typical for a network to hype it's own success, but a red carpet special? I consider myself as enthusiastic a fan as anyone, but even I had to wonder what NBC was thinking. Still, network self-promotion isn't exactly news, so I didn't let the extra hour of masturbatory television scare me away from the premiere.

A few things have struck me as the show has moved into it's third season. One, is how bad the show is by conventional standards. I've already argued that comic book movies must be judged by their own criteria. Still, the melodrama, the predictable "twists" and the sub-par acting don't make for the best combination. And yet, I find myself enjoying the show, and eager to see what happens next.

Secondly was something I noticed after a conversation with a friend who criticized the spread of Claire's healing power to other characters, essentially making it impossible for anyone important to die. This may be true, but just like the poor overall quality of Heroes relative to "normal" shows, it doesn't matter. In fact, it makes the show stronger in a way, because of one broader point I've decided about the show.

Heroes isn't trying to be the best show on television (at least, I hope it's not). I don't think it's really trying to be a "show" at all in the traditional sense. Really, it's just a comic book made for television. When you think about it, Heroes lines up pretty perfectly with the make-up of an X-Men or Justice League comic. The plot line of a comic, for example, is basically predictable, with just enough surprises thrown in. Furthermore, nobody in a comic book, whether hero or villain, ever stays dead (see Superman, Jean Grey, et al).

Traditional comic books (as opposed to weightier graphic novels like Watchmen) have always indulged in melodramatic plots that require a large degree of faith. If you demanded an answer for every plot hole/loop in a comic book you couldn't ever fully enjoy the reading experience. Heroes demands the same of its viewers. Comic books and Heroes as extension serve mainly as allegories or fables. The plots are flawed, filled with ridiculously beautiful characters doing really awesome stuff, but they're nothing more than a vehicle for a deeper message. Now does Heroes contain such a message? That remains to be seen. But in the mean time I don't mind watching incredibly attractive people run around blowing my mind with special effects-created powers.

Griffey in '96

Streetwear for President '08

If you had to guess, I don't think it would be hard to figure which candidate the street scene supports overwhelmingly. Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the notorious viral art of Obey famously lent his support with his Hope poster.

Recently, Obama love is being felt even more fervently, showing up more and more often on one of my favorite streetwear blog's High Snobiety. First, Kidrobot released images of their Kidrobama '08 T. Even cooler was Jim Lasser's Obama Force One which features Obama on both soles, along with the phrase "A Black Man Runs And A Nation Is Behing Him" on the left sole. Upper Playground released a limited edition Obama T along with Digital Gravel as well.


My favorite by far though has to be Mighty Healthy's political design that features the slogan, "Obama Bumaye!" taken from the famous Rumble in the Jungle between Ali and Foreman. I wonder: Does Obama has an October "rope a dope" strategy of his own?

Hip Hop and Hiatus dot com

Be back soon...

Return of the Black Panther

If you think I wouldn't barter a pack of smokes to get this sweet retro Black Panther baseball cap from a Mexican day laborer, you're wrong.

GZA The Genius, Pro Tools

It's telling that GZA the Genius decided to name his latest effort, Pro Tools, after the software he used to produce the album. He loses the usual Shaolin elements of fantasy and samurai worship. Instead he sticks to what he does best: nothing flashy, just seemingly effortless flows strung over minimalist, but energetic beats. Where much of mainstream hip hop has been bogged down and bloated with excess, GZA and the members of the Wu-Tang Clan he enlists on the album keep things lean, mean and powerful.

There are no catchy hooks repeated ad nauseum. There are no retro tunes, revamped and amped for the club. What’s left are lyrics that stream seamlessly and belie true intellect and talent.

While examples abound on the album from start to finish, “0% Finance” is perhaps the best. Set against a ridiculously simple guitar and snare beat (with only intermittent interjections of sound effects) GZA flows on an automobile motif for more than four minutes seemingly nonstop.

On the album’s interlude GZA discusses how he once saw a fan sporting a Wu-Tang Clan face tattoo. While he admits its possible there exists another fan out there with G-Unit inked on his face, he doubts it. “I would say [the Wu-Tang] is sort of like a cult following.” Given the swath of aural wasteland hip hop fans are facing these days, it’s not surprising they would latch on to lyricists like GZA with almost spiritual fervor.

GZA isn’t above rapping about the usual material – hood life and hustlin’ – or continuing his beef with G-Unit. On “Paper Plate” he takes aim at 50 Cent, accusing him of being unoriginal: “I get it, you got rich robbing those in the industry/ Bite off this one, steal from your enemy,” and worse calling him out for his GQ cover shot:

“Never try to play the hottest one out ya camp
He might step off and take half the joules from ya amp
Enough to make ya Vogue on that cover of GQ
Only missing the sheer blouse, homey, you see-through.”

The G-Unit/Wu dispute hasn’t gotten much attention as of yet, but considering the talent differential it’s likely G-Unit would prefer it stays that way.

Perhaps hip hop isn’t yet dead. It still has a faint pulse. If you listen to it closely enough you can hear some of the remaining great MC’s, of whom GZA is one of the best.

Shwayze, Shwayze

If Jack Johnson cut a hip hop album it just might sound like Shwayze. The Malibu-based rapper's eponymous debut is filled with laid-back beach beats and party rhymes. The self-proclaimed "only black kid in Malibu" insists his trailer park upbringing (there are trailer parks in Malibu?) and gives him his hip hop bona fides. Given the content of his album, whether he's "hood" enough is probably moot.

Shwayze's producer is Cisco Adler, a guy probably better known for hooking up with Mischa Barton than his work as the frontman of Whitestarr. Adler provides the acoustic hooks for Shwayze's songs giving them their distinct beach party quality.

Shwayze's music occupies a somewhat awkward space in hip hop. It's easy to dismiss it given the MTV reality show, TRL appearance and celebrity jackass producer. But then again, he's not really being asked to be taken seriously. The Cali-style lack of self-importance helps soften the reality that Shwayze and Cisco were probably putting tracks together while Lindsey Lohan and Paris were blowing lines in the room next door.

It's hard to say if Shwayze's album is truly hip hop (probably not), but it's definitely more listenable than most of the other music sporting the same designation these days. Songs like Buzzin' and Corona and Lime may be more suited for the readers of Us Weekly than Vibe, but Shwayze still manages to demonstrate skill and creativity on more tracks than not. Like Jack Johnson, Shwayze's "talent" is debatable, but his enjoyability is not.

It's a bird, it's a plane...It's McCain!

In spite of the unprecedented attention being paid to this year's presidential election I still don't understand some of the attempts to capitalize on the enthusiasm. One of the worst examples is that Kevin Costner movie, which opened in 2,000+ theaters and grossed $6 mil opening weekend. Then comes the news that IDW Publishing, the company behind fan comics like Angel, Transformers and Star Trek, is releasing Presidential Material, two comics based on the biographies of McCain and Obama. Apparently the idea is the comics will introduce younger voters to the candidates' stories, but IDW might be reaching here. While the comics may be generating plenty of buzz in the MSM, it remains to be seen whether it'll translate into any success, either for IDW or the candidates.

Hat Tip to the CS Monitor Blog Chapter and Verse

The Mobama Dunk Low

Do you love change? Do you love rare Nike kicks? It's a good day to be you. Digital artist Virtual Mo has collaborated with Nike Innovation Kitchen to produce the ultra-rare Mobama Dunk Low 2008. As of now there are only two pairs, but there's a good chance a limited release will happen in the near future. According to his web site, Virtual Mo drew his inspiration from Shepard Fairey's (the artist behind OBEY) "HOPE" campaign poster. In addition, the blue, red and white kicks feature Obama's face digitized onto toe box. Sweet. And just for kicks (pun seriously unintended) check out the shirt Mo is rocking in this local news feature on a special Portland limited edition Nike he released in 2005. I guess when he's not designing sneakers Mo moonlights at the Roxbury.

Hat tip to High Snobiety.

Yung Berg, Look What You Made Me

I have to be honest. I think Yung Berg is typical of pretty much everything I dislike about commercial rap these days. His EP featured three versions of his hit single, "Sexy Lady". It's also presumably the foundation of his debut LP, Look What You Made Me along with the equally salacious "The Business" and "Do That There".

I'm not really surprised by what's happened to hip hop in recent years. Every musical genre that's risen to prominence whether it's arena rock or grunge, has eventually succumbed to crass commercialism and empty lyrics. Led Zeppelin gave way to Bon Jovi and now the genre responsible for Notorious B.I.G. is seeing "lyricists" like Yung Berg make their name off songs about bitches, hoes, chains and rims.

That being said, perhaps Yung Berg isn't the worst offender. In an article in MarketWatch he explains, "I titled the album "Look What You Made Me" as a tribute to everybody - my mother, my father, Jay-Z, DMX - all the rappers in the game, who have been a blessing to me whether I know them personally or their music has just touched me." That kind of modesty coupled with Yung Berg's get out the vote efforts hint that maybe something deeper lies behind the flashy, overproduced surface.

If something does, it's not on Look What You Made Me. Yung Berg's misguided to think he's a worthy successor to Biggie and Pac. Just because he technically produces the same kind of music doesn't mean he's their equal. He's hardly even operating in the same realm. More often than not he's regurgitating the same old, same old about "making it rain in the club" and being "a go getta."

If he really wants to profess that "hip hop isn't dead" as he does on "Look What You Made Me" he's going to have to do better than songs that are 50% hook and feature lyrics like "It's a Kodak moment, let me get my camera" and "We can have a little Sex in the City like/You can be Carrie/I'm a be Mr. Bigg/Cause you so fine". Seriously?

2Pac and Notorious weren't beyond preening and pimpin'. They were responsible for "Fuck You Tonight" and "I Get Around" as much as "Juicy" and "Trapped". But their music was about more than the cultivation of a persona. Ultimately that's the main difference between the truly great rappers and the new batch like Yung Berg. The greats promoted their over-the-top gangsta personalities and lifestyles to sell their records, not the other way around.

Mad Men: The Bandwagon Review

I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm usually pretty good at picking worthwhile TV. My addiction to A Shot of Love and Flavor of Love notwithstanding, I got into shows like The Wire and Deadwood at the ground floor and it gave me a certain sense of pride. But with Mad Men I took my time. I heard plenty of good buzz about it, but it wasn't until I was inundated by ads at every bus stop and subway station and I got a casual recommendation from a girl I was sharing drinks with that I finally took the leap.

In retrospect, it's fitting that a woman and booze got me into the show. The show draws it's inspiration from a bygone era - 1960 to be exact - when men were men, and by men I mean racist and chauvinist all the while passing off as suave. There's a strange appeal to the show that seems to combine nostalgia with voyeurism. When you're watching you find yourself asking, "Could it really be like this?" Laughing at the same jokes that make you thankful for things like the Civil Rights Act.

The men of the show pass the time drinking, smoking, making off-color comments and occasionally thinking of slogans for products good, evil and benign (Lucky Strikes, Nixon, the Relaxeciser). At first they seemed like caricatures, but over time their facades give way to reveal complexity. The women are repressed, but wield power (often sexual) over their husbands and bosses in strange ways. Sooner or later it becomes clear the men are just as repressed, just by different rules.

A scene from last Sunday's episode explains the setting of Mad Men better than anything:
A young man who is coming on to Betsy Draper looks at her and says, "You are so profoundly sad." She responds by saying, "No, it's just my people are Nordic."

The dialogue is brilliant. The series is often surreal and hilarious, but filled with a cast of characters harboring unfulfilled desires. I may be jumping on the series after everyone else has already decided how great it is, but hopefully it will be around for a while longer. That way I can still look smart for watching it now.

Mad Men airs Sundays at @ 10 pm on AMC

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Made it out of the city to Jersey for the All Points West music festival. One of the pleasant surprises for me was Mexico City guitar duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela. I'd heard of the two before, but seeing them live gave me new found appreciation for their music. Even though the rain was really coming down they managed to keep everyone up with a very energetic set. Unfortunately they were followed by Cat Power who made everyone want to slit their wrists. Well, the mood was fun while it lasted.

Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst

At its heart, Conor Oberst's new solo album is about escapism. It would seem unnecessary to most for Conor Oberst to release a "solo" project. He is undeniably the voice of Bright Eyes and the name most associated with the group. Nevertheless he released this self-titled album with Taylor Hollingsworth and Macey Taylor backing him up in place of Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott. Recorded outside of Mexico City it's clear this album wasn't made to indulge Oberst's ego so much as his wanderlust.

Conor Oberst provides a variety of sounds and a myriad of tributes to road-tripping and travel. From the opening, "Cape Canaveral" the listener gets a sense of Oberst's romantic restlessness. From there on it's a mixture of Kerouac, Dylan and twangs of country. All the while Oberst plays on the theme, explicitly stated on "Moab", that "there's nothing that the road can't heal."

As usual, Oberst walks the line between melancholy and cheer. Catchy hooks abound on tracks like "I Don't Want to Die (In the Hospital)" ("Help me get my boots on, help me get my boots on) and "NYC-Gone, Gone" ("Gone, gone from New York City, where you gonna go with a head that empty"). While "Lenders in the Temple" and "Milk Thistle" provide a more pure and mellow brand of angst, the rest of the album finds a balance somewhere in between.

In the end, Oberst has delivered a bittersweet ode to redemptive power of travel. On "Cape Canaveral" Oberst asks, "Hey, hey, hey mother interstate, Can you deliver me from evil?" Given Oberst's love affair with the road, it's hard to say if he found what he was looking for in Mexico. Regardless, he managed to produce a pretty damn good album along the way.

Do Not Give Way to Evil: Photographs of the South Bronx, 1979 - 1987

When you used to hear John Edwards talking about "two Americas" it always evoked Red and Blue states, poor hard-working Appalachians and fat cat oil execs. But if you really want to see evidence of two Americas there's probably no better place than New York City. Just walk your way up Central Park West, past the million dollar penthouses with views of the park, and eventually the street gives way to those who have less and less. and as it does Central Park West becomes Frederick Douglass. Continue North far enough and you'll eventually make it to the South Bronx. In the span of a few miles, a few zip codes, you've actually crossed the border between two separate countries. It's the America on the other side of this boundary that artist Lisa Kahane chronicles in her book Do Not Give Way to Evil: Photographs of the South Bronx, 1979 - 1987.

At the time Kahane took the photographs in Do Not Give Way to Evil the South Bronx could have just as easily been Vietnam. It was ravaged by gangs and riots, and abandoned to rot. In Kahane's essay she mentions that during the 70's the borough averaged 12,000 arson fires a year, more than 30 each day. The conflagration had mostly ended by the time she turned her lens to the neighborhoods of Mott Haven, Melrose, Morrisania, Hunts Point and Crotona Park East. But nobody had really bothered to pick up the pieces and rebuild.

It's tempting to simply describe the photographs as some sort of triumph - smiling faces are set against graffiti scrawled slum walls - or display of true beauty hidden beneath superficial ugliness. But it's hard to take that leap. Life will almost seem vibrant when captured in freeze frame, even more so when juxtaposed against ruins. And photography can often run the risk of telling a skewed anthropological narrative. As many words as a picture is worth, there's still a lot that gets left out.

Of course the text by Kahane and a coterie of other Bronx artists works to fill in those gaps. Their affection for the neighborhoods and the people who inhabit them, as well as their passion to tell the stories behind them is undeniable. At the same time, there seems to be a willingness to paint the destruction chronicled in Do Not Give Way to Evil as bygone, and to let it stay that way. But if you were to take that walk up from Manhattan to the South Bronx, you'd see that desolation is alive and well there. The images from Do Not Give Way to Evil are powerful, not just as reminders of a painful past, but also reminders of our tendency to ignore a painful present.

Do Not Give Way to Evil: Photographs of the South Bronx, powerHouse Books (Aug. 2008)

Obama for State Senate '96

Always working to provide something at the intersection of retro and relevant, Homage has released a new Obama for State Senate '96 T. It's perfect for the politically active with a sense of irony, and even better, a portion of the proceeds from the shirt will go to CARE, a humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting global poverty.

Feel Me Flow

It's a nice summer day. Just caught a Mets/Phillies game (sorry Charlie, guess you shouldn't have pitched to Carlos either). Life is good and my attitude can probably best be summed up by the following:

Dr. Dog, Fate

When people hear the name Dr. Dog they expect a hip hop artist. Considering this blog's name and the group's West Philly origins it's not an unreasonable assumption. But defying expectations is precisely how indie rockers Dr. Dog have created a name for themselves.

When you listen to Dr. Dog - their latest album, Fate, released yesterday is no exception - you can't help feeling surprised. This is indie rock? Then why does it sound so pop?

Dr. Dog have been compared to The Beach Boys and The Beatles in their early years. And with their uniquely exuberant style, replete with three part harmonies mixed with heavy guitar, it’s a valid comparison. But be careful before you try to pin them down so quickly.

Fate offers more of the upbeat, but eccentric sound that garnered Dr. Dog a lot of buzz (including a spot on Conan O'Brien that had to be cancelled) when they released We All Belong. But the album obviously incorporates more than just pop influences. Throughout the album there's hints of vaudeville (see "Old Days"), and a distinct modern blues influence on tracks such as "Army of Ancients" and "The Beach". If Jimmy Page, Conor Oberst and David Bowie had a musical menagé å trois, this album might very well be the love child.

On the band's web site they claim an interest in "three-part harmonies, the out-of-doors, hoagies, vegetables and diminished chords" while the influences listed on their Myspace page are R. Stevie Moore, Benjamin Franklin, Andy Kaufman. It's clear the band wants to avoid being labeled as anything other than original. And Fate is nothing if not original.

It's more than that though. It’s also a brilliant blend of sounds and a powerful follow-up to the success that was We All Belong.

A Life Sessions

My brother turned me on to A Life a while back, and even though I liked their style I could quite afford the price tag. A month or so back I realized just how heavy these guys are when I was forced to wait on line to get in the store for a clearance sale. Now it seems A Life is poised to go global with a series of special edition sneaker collaborations with some of the hottest names in hip hop. A Life is also rewarding its loyal (and rapidly expanding) following with special kick-off concerts by the artists in question. Last week it was Nas, this week Three 6 Mafia and coming August 1, ?uestlove. You know who's gonna be in line for that one, and this time I can be sure it'll be worth the wait.

Check the YouTube video of Three 6 Mafia:


Hat tip to High Snobiety

Be KANYE

Aw, viral marketing. Who doesn't love it? Aqua Teen Hunger Force sparked a panic with their viral campaign and Forgetting Sarah Marshall used it to appeal to angst-filled potential moviegoers. Now, it looks like Absolut and Kanye West are trying to get in the mix with a viral campaign called BeKanye that's sprouting up on NYC subways.

One such ad caught my eye on the 6 train today, and I couldn't really decide what to think. At their heart viral marketing is sort of a little engine that could enterprise. With heavyweights like Absolut and Kanye West teaming up on a viral campaign it feels like it probably feeds Kanye's supersized ego more than anything. Not that Judd Apatow or Adult Swim are starving artists, but I dunno, they seem kinda scrappy.

But who knows? Check out the web site and decide for yourself: brilliant or boorish?

Homage Clothing

As a Cali native now living in NYC, Ohio's not the first place that comes to mind for fashion. Fried foods, dubious political demographics and awesome college sports? Perhaps. Fashion? Not so much.

But having bought my second t-shirt from Ohio based Homage Clothing, I had to give these Midwesterners their due. Homage pulls images, phrases and people from the collective American consciousness and immortalizes them in cotton. Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign, Dr. J and Kriss Kross are just a few of the "eclectic moments and personalities" honored by Homage Clothing.

A t-shirt will run you $32 + $5 shipping, but it comes with a personal thank you and a pack of retro trading cards (so far I've gotten New Kids on the Block and American Gladiators). It's that attention to detail mixed with creativity and a retro appeal that's helping Homage create such a buzz. Check these guys out at HomageClothing.com

Terminator Salvation

One of the better trailers last night featured The Batman himself... as John Connor. I'm trying to decide how stoked to get for this movie. It's really a matter of what wins: Christian Bale's superb acting, or the influence of one McG, a man perhaps best known for directing the Charlie's Angels franchise and producing The O.C..

The Dark Knight: The 4am Review

There are a lot of reasons it’s hard to write a review of a movie you just got out of an hour ago. Not the least of which is that it’s tough coming up with original adjectives at 3:40 in the morning. But, luckily I’m not planning on coming up with any grand, innovate analysis of the movie. I can’t dispute much of the buzz already going on.

Heath Ledger turns in an intense and brilliant performance. Christopher Nolan has taken the comic book movie to new heights. Maggie Gyllenhaal is not suited for HD (or whatever type of cinematography they used). Overall, it was a thrilling experience.

What I realized about comic book movies while watching The Dark Knight, and maybe this is true of all incredibly hyped fantasy movies, don’t have to be perfect to be amazing. The dialogue can be filled with clichés. The plot can leave a lot of questions unanswered, or more often than not provide answers that are flimsy. But ultimately, none of this matters.

Movies like The Dark Knight are judged by a different, simpler set of criteria: 1) Does it stay true to the comic (if not the story than the spirit)? 2) Does it show imagination? The Dark Night definitely does both.

Ledger reincarnates The Joker as a rabid dog with a deranged sense of a higher purpose. While Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent/Two-Face is overshadowed, he’s nevertheless outstanding. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman each skillfully reprise their roles as the elder statesmen who seem to endlessly provide one-line wit and wisdom. Meanwhile, through special effects, new gadgets and great cinematography Nolan keeps the action going practically non-stop.

The Dark Knight meets the standards of a great comic book movie and then some. It may even be a great movie by any standards. But in the end, that’s not what matters. A movie like this only has be truly great the first time you watch it.

After what seems like years of hype and anticipation all The Dark Knight had to do was avoid disappointing. Luckily it did. It was truly entertaining. And that’s more than enough to make plenty of moviegoers, including myself, go back for more.

Frank Miller, Batman: Year One

When a summer blockbuster like The Dark Knight comes along you don't just buy a ticket and popcorn and sit your ass down in a some over-air conditioned movie theater. At least not when you've been anticipating a movie the way I have been waiting for this one. With that in mind I ordered Frank Miller's classic revamping of the Batman origin story, Batman: Year One.

The story behind Batman: Year One is simple enough. 50 years had gone by since DC had introduced the world to their caped crusader and they were looking to update the hero (along with Superman and Wonder Woman) in order to maintain his relevance. According to editor Denny O'Neil's introduction this was a tricky task, because Batman's origin story wasn't outdated. It was fine the way it was. So, instead of changing the story they decided to "add depth, complexity and a wider context."

Frank Miller, who wrote the graphic novel but relied on David Mazzucchelli for the artwork, certainly succeed at this goal. Year One retains all the elements of the original Batman story but bathes Gotham City in a fresh coat of grit, vice and corruption.

The result is a story that more realistic than Bob Kane's original vision, but at the same time leaves room for suspension of disbelief. Bruce Wayne punches through brick and kicks over a tree while training. Lt. Gordon cheats on his pregnant wife. The Batman story is made more human, without losing its superhuman qualities.

Batman has always had a very unique appeal as a superhero who has no super powers. Aside from ridiculous amounts of money, he's really just like you and me. Maybe his story didn't need to be redone the way Superman and Wonder Woman's did, but had it not, it's doubtful Christopher Nolan could have created the vision of Batman and Gotham he did in Batman Begins. After reading Year One I could see the traces of Frank Miller's work everywhere in Nolan's.

Now, having revisited Batman's beginnings, I'm ready more than ever for the next cinematic chapter.

Kehinde Wiley, The World Stage: Africa, Lagos - Dakar

In search of some culture I checked out Kehinde Wiley's exhibit The World Stage: Africa, Lagos - Dakar at The Studio Museum in Harlem. Wiley's art is both incredibly digestible and layered. Over time he has perfected a style of portraiture that combines 18th and 19th century European formality with Black, urban males. He played with this style recently by posing his models to mirror images taken from China's Cultural Revolution. His work from Senegal and Nigeria uses images from prominent local statues.

Wiley clearly combines and juxtaposes many ideas - modern and classical, street style and high society - and in doing so undermines conventional perceptions. In a video adjacent to the exhibit, Wiley also discusses the process of posing his subjects, which sometimes involved several wardrobe changes. In doing so, Wiley and his models created images that may appear photo-realistic, but have in fact existed. Wiley discussed the tendency to view people from other countries, particularly Third World nations, through an anthropological and scientific lens. By staging his subjects and setting them against floral, semi-Victorian backgrounds Wiley sought to undermine this impulse for authenticity.

Wiley's images are striking. The attention to detail and vibrant colors are fascinating, even more so once you've listened to him explain his artistic process. The next stop on his world tour is Brazil, a country that's sure to provide another thrilling set of colorful and complex images.

The World Stage: Africa, Lagos - Dakar is on exhibit at The Studio Museum in Harlem, 144 w. 125th St., www.studiomuseum.org

Nas's Untitled

Perhaps Nas has just reached the logical conclusion of his journey as a hip hop artist. 1994's Illmatic was a prototypical album, a template for the best rap could offer. Thereafter Nas spent some time in the wilderness of self-reference and bling, including an acting stint in Belly. He showed signs of life and perhaps maturity on 2001's Stillmatic, but even that devolved into a bit of cliche with the infamous Nas/Jay-Z dispute.

Five years and two albums (including a greatest hits) he emerged suddenly as a elder statesman of hip hop. He boldy declared Hip Hop is Dead and we were obliged to listen. So what's left for an artist to do after they've proclaimed their own medium irrelevant?

Nas's new album, Untitled, seeks to answer that question. Probably his most overtly controversial (the album was originally titled N****r) and political album, Nas attempts to drop some knowledge on his listeners on the state of hip hop, race and politics in America today.

From the first track, "Queens Get the Money", it's clear Nas hasn't lost his flow nor his love for his roots. But between "Makes the World Go Round", a track that features Chris Brown and The Game, and "Sly Fox", a disjointed tirade against Fox News and media bias in general set against a hard rock beat, the album lacks focus. Truth told, with the current political climate, it feels a bit late to be beating on Bill O'Reilly and Rupert Murdoch.

Ultimately, it’s the final track, a tribute to Barack Obama appropriate called “Black President” that comes across as the most genuine. “Black President” features a hook that combines words from 2Pac’s “Changes” and audio of Obama and expresses an earnest blend of idealism and trepidation.

Nas seeks to light quite a fire with his latest, an album with a cover featuring a giant N scarred into Nas’s back by whips. With tracks like “America” and “N.I.*.*.E.R. (The Slave and the Master)” it’s clear Nas had an ambitious message in mind for Untitled. Unfortunately it's not always clear who this message is intended for, or what that message is meant to be.

That's Stupid!

The Cool Kids, a Chicago based rap-duo have been slowly simmering, gathering hype and getting ready to blow up. They've been featured on NBA Live '08 and Entourage. By way of comparison they've attracted roughly 600,000 plays on last.fm while similar, but better-known artists Spank Rock and M.I.A. have 1 million and 8.8 million plays respectively. But with the group touring with Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def and other hip hop notables for the Rock the Bells Festival it's only a matter of time before these two are getting play in a Judd Apatow trailer of their own. If you need auditory proof these guys are the real deal check out their mixtape, "That's Stupid!" available for download off their myspace page.


Hat tip to highsnobiety.com

Classic