Bin Laden by Immortal Technique
have a nice day (LOL!)
-gM
Preorder "Spontaneous'!
the Urban Arts Festival was a big success! thanks again to the fam at ArtLoveMagic.com for makin' it blend, and props to each and every art afficianado in attendance!of course, ghettoManga was in the house, promoting the debut issue of
Spontaneous-
which will be ready September 22nd... and just like those lucky fools at the Festival, you can save five bucks by pre-orderin' this FULL COLOR 64 page monster for $35 (it will go up to $40 after the 22nd, or if you cop it in stores...) , just click the link below
instead of showing the cover here, i'm showing the table of contents, so you can know just what to expect... but basicly, it's 90% of the sketches/illustrations/designs from my blogs/websites and many joints never seen anywhere, homie! so cop that!
holla!!!
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
Hip Hop Education: Battle
since many of my readers are not into hip hop (samax, i just don't get it?), i'll take on the task of teachin'... where to start? oh, i know!
Battle (BAT uhl) n. competitive contest between two hip hop artists (usually rappers, but dancers, deejays and graf writers also battle), where ultimate victory is decided by applause. despite deriving its name from a term which denotes physical combat, battles usually (but not always) remain peaceful. to prevent anymosity (as words can get harsh in a battle, see also "Beef"), it is customary for opponents to give each other a handshake (see also "Dap") afterwards. (ex. "You gone get in that BATTLE on monday night at the Carribean Grill, right?")
v. to compete in a battle (ex. "this cat act like he wanna BATTLE me?")
here, Wordsworth (Lyricist Lounge) is battling a random dude on the street outside a taping...
stay tuned for more hip hop education, from your friends at ghettoManga!
peace.
samax.
Battle (BAT uhl) n. competitive contest between two hip hop artists (usually rappers, but dancers, deejays and graf writers also battle), where ultimate victory is decided by applause. despite deriving its name from a term which denotes physical combat, battles usually (but not always) remain peaceful. to prevent anymosity (as words can get harsh in a battle, see also "Beef"), it is customary for opponents to give each other a handshake (see also "Dap") afterwards. (ex. "You gone get in that BATTLE on monday night at the Carribean Grill, right?")
v. to compete in a battle (ex. "this cat act like he wanna BATTLE me?")
here, Wordsworth (Lyricist Lounge) is battling a random dude on the street outside a taping...
stay tuned for more hip hop education, from your friends at ghettoManga!
peace.
samax.
another video that doesn't suck...
carryin' the Cross
one of my favorite artists ever is ChrisCross. no, not the mack daddy and the daddy mack, i'm talkin' about the comic book artist probably best known for his jaw-dropping work on Captain Marvel (written by Peter David and colored beautifully by Chris Sotomayor) for Marvel, and Firestorm (with writer Dan Jolley and inker John Dell) for DC.I was first exposed to his work on Heroes (not the teevee show!), 
the short-lived spinoff of Shadow Cabinet published by Milestone Comics in the nineties. it was clear that he had a love of anime/manga storytelling techniques, and his energetic pencilling has only evolved over the years. not long after that, he did one of the influential books of my life in the opus-worthy XERO with Priest in the late Nineties. the title character is Coletrane "Train" Walker- a professional basketball player of Lebron-like proportions who is as controversial as Michael Vick for his general badassness, and who also just so happens to put on a white faced prosthetic mask and kill people as a costumed bionic-powered government operative who can walk on water, phase through walls, and pull your medical records just by looking you in the eye!
the short-lived spinoff of Shadow Cabinet published by Milestone Comics in the nineties. it was clear that he had a love of anime/manga storytelling techniques, and his energetic pencilling has only evolved over the years. not long after that, he did one of the influential books of my life in the opus-worthy XERO with Priest in the late Nineties. the title character is Coletrane "Train" Walker- a professional basketball player of Lebron-like proportions who is as controversial as Michael Vick for his general badassness, and who also just so happens to put on a white faced prosthetic mask and kill people as a costumed bionic-powered government operative who can walk on water, phase through walls, and pull your medical records just by looking you in the eye!
XERO is one of the best comics i've ever read. it should be reprinted and collected into trade, because it would have the kind of effect (on a lesser scale of course) as a Dark Knight Returns or Watchmen (for MY money, the best comic ever created), in that i believe it would really cause people to become interested in comics who currently don't care... Black people are terribly limited in what they can see of themselves in comics. if this book (which has several black people in it) was collected, blacks would likely give it a look at say a bookstore or something like that.anyways, ChrisCross, who Priest calls "one of the greatest comic book storytellers alive" has been up to a lot since then... there's a great interview with series ChrisCross on newserama.
read it, homie!
holla
samax.
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
HULK LIVES! by samax.
i got your Superwoman...
i don't review nearly as many comics i would like for a few reasons: for one thing, I really don't review anything i don't like. i mean, why draw attention to something WACK? wack stuff gets too much attention as it is... second, more often than not, people think a good idea excuses crappy art and worse writing! third, i don't like to write a review giving high praise to something if i think it's just okay...
every now and then, a book which started out as a good idea with not-so-great execution starts to catch up to its potential. 
Enter the poison pen of (my sketchBook All-Star brethren) Randolph "Pencilism" Williams... Pencilism has been on my Favorites list on every art message board and networking site i've ever been on, and if you give this book a look, you'll see why! Williams' characters actually act out the sharp, naturalistic script that Sales writes for them, and he shifts from action scenes to monologues and talking head sequences and back quick and effectively enough to snap that NECK, son!
A gifted illustrator, Williams had to flex different muscles drawing comics, where keeping the story straight for your reader is the primary job. he performs admirably here, finding special affinity for certain characters and expanding that confidence into other areas as he goes.
So anyways the point is i REALLY enoyed the most recent issue of Southside Nefertiti. if you are a purist, there are only two prior issues of the book out, but even if you can't/don't get them, check out the third issue (it has a preview that explains what you missed). if Sales and Williams can stick together for a while, they can really help each other (and miss Nefertiti...) gain some much-deserved noteriety.
every now and then, a book which started out as a good idea with not-so-great execution starts to catch up to its potential. Southside Nefertiti (Type Illy Press) is JUST such a book homie!! in its defense, i've been reading the adventures of single mom/college student/superhero Nefertiti Jones for some time now... and series creator Mike Sales is one hell of a great writer... but he also drew the book, which was holding his writing back. like many indie cats, his art was passionate and distinct, but not up to the level it would take to do his skillfull writing justice...
Enter the poison pen of (my sketchBook All-Star brethren) Randolph "Pencilism" Williams... Pencilism has been on my Favorites list on every art message board and networking site i've ever been on, and if you give this book a look, you'll see why! Williams' characters actually act out the sharp, naturalistic script that Sales writes for them, and he shifts from action scenes to monologues and talking head sequences and back quick and effectively enough to snap that NECK, son!
A gifted illustrator, Williams had to flex different muscles drawing comics, where keeping the story straight for your reader is the primary job. he performs admirably here, finding special affinity for certain characters and expanding that confidence into other areas as he goes.So anyways the point is i REALLY enoyed the most recent issue of Southside Nefertiti. if you are a purist, there are only two prior issues of the book out, but even if you can't/don't get them, check out the third issue (it has a preview that explains what you missed). if Sales and Williams can stick together for a while, they can really help each other (and miss Nefertiti...) gain some much-deserved noteriety. holla!
you know what time it is?
USE MONKEY POWER!!!
yes... there is a comic in the works by Robert Love (Chocolate Thunder) and David Walker (Bad Azz Mofo, Tokyo Tribes) called (i shit you not) The Blind Monkey Style. i could only speculate about the story, but from this pic, i'd say it's gonna kick lots and lots of ass! when i know more, so will you...that's all...
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
put this in your ear!
Brooklyn Emcee Talib Kweli (pronounced tah LIB quah-LEE) dropped his new joint Eardrum today in stores nationwide. In what the press release calls a "career-defining album" (Kweli's sixth studio joint), Kweli promises to mix "hard hitting beats with inventive rhymes that serve to not only entertain, but also to educate."Guest artists on the record include UGK, Norah Jones,Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, KRS-ONE, Blacksmith artist Jean Grae and Musiq Soulchild.
On Beats kweli enlists Kanye, Will.I.Am (of the BlackEyedPea's), frequent partner Hi-Tek (Blackstar, Reflection Eternal), Kwame (yeah, THAT Kwame) and MadLib. when i get a chance to hear it, i'll let ya'll know what i think...
peace.
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
Quote of the Day...
"If you are so Stupid/
to let folks buy out your movement/
for less than it's worth, that's what you get!
(if it's in your future, don't do it...)"
-Bavu Blakes aka Mr.Blakes, Breakdown
peace,
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
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to let folks buy out your movement/
for less than it's worth, that's what you get!
(if it's in your future, don't do it...)"
-Bavu Blakes aka Mr.Blakes, Breakdown
peace,
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
R.I.P. Mike Wieringo
Lights, Camera, cock back the Hammer...
"Thor" by samax. ballpoint pen and sharpies
as his comic gets a much-anticipated return to the comics racks, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation, The Mighty Thor looks set to get lifted up to the big screen as well. Easily one of marvel's most powerful heroes, the thunder god Thor (often referred to as "Marvel's Superman") has yet to get the real hollywood treatment. Marvel Studios is setting Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) to direct the screenplay by Mark Protosevich ("I Am Legend"). i did the drawing at left to celebrate the occasion... well, i was bored.
anyways, that's gonna take a million years to come out, so cop the comicbook version... the new book entitled simply Thor by J Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Rising Stars, Amazing Spiderman) and Olivier Coipel (Legion of Superheroes, Avengers, House of M) oughta be a decent place to jump in... Straczynski and Coipel are pacing things slowly, but I don't expect that to last.
as his comic gets a much-anticipated return to the comics racks, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation, The Mighty Thor looks set to get lifted up to the big screen as well. Easily one of marvel's most powerful heroes, the thunder god Thor (often referred to as "Marvel's Superman") has yet to get the real hollywood treatment. Marvel Studios is setting Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) to direct the screenplay by Mark Protosevich ("I Am Legend"). i did the drawing at left to celebrate the occasion... well, i was bored.
anyways, that's gonna take a million years to come out, so cop the comicbook version... the new book entitled simply Thor by J Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Rising Stars, Amazing Spiderman) and Olivier Coipel (Legion of Superheroes, Avengers, House of M) oughta be a decent place to jump in... Straczynski and Coipel are pacing things slowly, but I don't expect that to last.“The landscape of the Marvel Universe has changed radically in the past few years, and Thor now returns to a post-Civil War environment which has seen hero face off 
against hero, registration become law, and is, all in all, a remarkably different America from the one that he left,” explained series editor Warren Simons. “His first encounter with Iron Man is going to address some of these points, especially the question of what happens when you take a God’s genetic code without his permission.” Oh, did i mention that Thor died at the end of his old series (he did...), and that all the Asgardian gods were dead too (as heavenly doornails), or that the Marvel heroes had a violent conflict over registration laws (in the aptly titled Civil War crossover event), or that Iron man and Mr Fantastic made a clone of Thor that whooped up on the rebel heroes, brutally killing Bill Foster (the unimaginitively named Black Goliath)... Oh No They Didn't... well, yeah. they did. so that's why Thor has returned to give Iron Man his "don't let me catch you in the street" notice (see the cover to Thor #3 at left)!
against hero, registration become law, and is, all in all, a remarkably different America from the one that he left,” explained series editor Warren Simons. “His first encounter with Iron Man is going to address some of these points, especially the question of what happens when you take a God’s genetic code without his permission.” Oh, did i mention that Thor died at the end of his old series (he did...), and that all the Asgardian gods were dead too (as heavenly doornails), or that the Marvel heroes had a violent conflict over registration laws (in the aptly titled Civil War crossover event), or that Iron man and Mr Fantastic made a clone of Thor that whooped up on the rebel heroes, brutally killing Bill Foster (the unimaginitively named Black Goliath)... Oh No They Didn't... well, yeah. they did. so that's why Thor has returned to give Iron Man his "don't let me catch you in the street" notice (see the cover to Thor #3 at left)! new Ultimate Spiderman Artist
Stuart Immomen's (Ultimate X-men, Secret Identity, Nextwave) debut issue of Ultimate Spiderman will arrive in your friendly neighborhood comic shop this wednesday. after a whopping 111 consecutive issues by Mark Bagley (not including annuals and stuff), Immomen hits the ground running with issue 112. if you (like me) can't wait 'till then, preview the 1st 8 pages here
Fantastic Four, done Right...
the monster writer-artist team of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch (The Authority, The Ultimates) is taking the reigns to Marvel Comics' flagship book:"[Non-Fans] associate Marvel with Spidey, but as fans we know it all started with Fantastic Four!" explained the highly renowned writer at Wizard World Chicago.
Millar (who passed on taking over the X-titles with Hitch and two other artists) said of the Fantastic Four, "It was probably the most radical of all the Stan and Jack collaborations in that we had a superhero cohabiting with his equally super girlfriend, the world's ugliest superhero, a super-hedonist, and with no masks or secret identities. It was the book that broke all the rules, which is something we take for granted."
read more about Millar's plans for Marvel's First Family on CBR
holla!
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
is it just me...
or is the cover art to Kanye's highly anticipated new record Graduation looking better than the actual music?
for real, fam... the only thing wrong with this record cover is that I DIDN'T DRAW IT!!!
for real, fam... the only thing wrong with this record cover is that I DIDN'T DRAW IT!!!
you may now return to your regularly scheduled hating, already in progress...
samax.
www.ghettoManga.comsamax.
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
Black on Both Sides...
props to my man Khalid, who hipped me to this: Mos Def and Jack Black (get it? Mos' first solo joint was called Black On Both Sides, Jack's last name is "Black"...) have a new feel-good comedy comin' out called Be Kind, Rewind. it looks pretty freakin' funny too (i love Jack Black, though...). this is a must watch for me...
see y'all there when it comes out!
holla!
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
see y'all there when it comes out!
holla!
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
Quote of the Day...
"while the government Talk about a mission to Mars,
They leave the Hood stuck in a position to starve.
Capitalism's a Religion that makes Satan a god,
and teaches self-righteous people to embrace the facade"
-Immortal Technique
They leave the Hood stuck in a position to starve.
Capitalism's a Religion that makes Satan a god,
and teaches self-righteous people to embrace the facade"
-Immortal Technique
Jump Around!!!
Sam L Jackson (Afro Samurai, Star Wars prequels, Shaft, Pulp Fiction) and Hayden Christensen (Star Wars prequels, Life As A House) will be starring in a new film called Jumpers next year (based on the 1992 Steven Gould sci-fi novel) about a breed of mutant teleporters ("Jumpers"... get it?) and the sect of hunters who track and kill them ("Paladins"). since the movie website is trash, i'll recommend you to this blog instead for more info on the film.holla!
samax
Quote of the Day...
"I'm a King by blood, a Soldier by nature"
-Black Thought, of the Roots on "Duck Down"
-Black Thought, of the Roots on "Duck Down"
Angry Black Man On A Elevator
that nigga Rhymefest managed to get me straight head-knoddin' to a track by... Li'l Jon? don't hit the back button yet playa!!! i'm tellin' you, that mess is straight fire! this week's cut is called Angry Black Man On A Elevator, and you can hear it on the ghettoManga mySpace page... if you prefer to get yours from the horse's mouth, Rhymefest has a page too... otherwise, peep the "Makin' Of..." Documentary here:
learn somethin' more about Rhymefest here...
anyways, that's whassup.
peace.
samax.
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture.
Afrodisiac Iron On!!!
my clients are keeping me busy, so i haven't had time to blog much about comics...and i'm not gonna do it now either... HOWEVER, i just HAD to blog about this SWEET iron-on by indie phenom Jim Rugg of Afrodisiac, the blaxploitation super-hero, ladies man and all around bad mofo from Rugg's equally badass comic: Street Angel...
like i said:
SWEET!!! go harrass Jim (like I did!) so he will put these on the market, fam!
holla!
samax.
Ball Till You Fall
the Boston Celtics are on the brink of signing the best player they've had since Larry Bird...Kevin Garnett is more or less a lock to go to the Eastern Conference's most revered (yet lately, its most Irrelevant) franchise. but he don't come cheap; Boston GM (and former Celtic scrub) Danny Ainge had to deal FIVE players to get him away from (former Celtic great) Minnesota GM Kevin Mchale, including Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff and a future No. 1 draft pick.
assuming KayGee agrees to the contract extension Boston is requiring, he'll turn the Celtics into instant Conference Title contenders, alongside Paul "The Truth" Pierce and (newly acquired) Ray "He Got Game" Allen. 
as much as the Celtics (and struggling GM Ainge) needed this, the NBA needs it more... as if the soft serve Eastern Conference wasn't causing enough crying last year, the Top Two draft picks went to franchises in the northwest where they'll never be seen on national teevee, then that referee scandal was whoopin' the League's butt... so this news is welcome to B-Ball fans no matter WHO you cheer for...holla!
samax.
www.ghettoManga.comTony Stark Doesn't care about Black People!!!
robert downey jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
I just wanted to say that... so anyways, production has begun on Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr as the alcoholic Avenger. in case you haven't seen any, here are some pics from the set. before you get all fired up, keep in mind ol' Shellhead won't hit screens until may 2008.
peace,
I just wanted to say that... so anyways, production has begun on Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr as the alcoholic Avenger. in case you haven't seen any, here are some pics from the set. before you get all fired up, keep in mind ol' Shellhead won't hit screens until may 2008.
if there was ANY justice in the world, Wu-Tang Clan's brightest shining emcee Ghostface would be on the soundtrack, but this is marvel (no Method Man aka Johnny Blaze aka Johnny Storm on ghost rider or FF) so i won't hold my breath... anyhow, the film's director Jon Favreau is at comicon (i couldn't make it... sniff) this week. if you're there (why are you on my blog?), go check him out and tell 'im i said whassup...
samax.
This Weeks' Cut
in case you didn't know, Wise Intelligent from the legendary Jersey crew PoorRighteous Teachers has a new record out called The Talented Timothy Taylor, Back 2 School... and i'm sure it'll be good (i already like cuts Bam Bam, I'm Him, and The Genocide), but until i get my next check and cop it, i'm bumpin' the new OH NO-produced cut Set U Free.as usual, wise spits knowledge on some angry educated black man ish... over one'a them crazy indie rap beats. so far it seems Wise is goin' for the something for everybody style of album production, with mainstream, reggae-styled, and now indie wild-out beats all in the brew...
can't wait to hear the record, till then i'll bump the track, and you can too...
holla...
comics. hipHop. news. art. culture."One Mic" by Nas...
"One Mic" by nas, from Stillmatic. directed by Chris Robinson
one of the illest Rap Videos ever, "One Mic" represents Nas at his best. this joint's a mixture of raw (sometimes incomprehensible) lyricism, optimistic pseudo-religious proclamations, and revolution-inspiring gun-talk. in fact, the lyrics on the clean mtv version were even HARDER! and besides all that, Robinson throws together one'a the illest treatments i know of, with the the African uprising, Nas' one mic tee shirt (if you know where i can cop that tee, get at me...), and "I Am Tiger Woods" snippets of diverse people mouthin' the lyrics... one of nas' best joints ever...
holla!
samax
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture.
in case you care...
here's a new ghettoManga banner i made today for a webblogging site...fans of Champion of Children will recognize the drawing i did of series star Li'l Madd Skillz.
holla!
samax
Dave Chappelle news
ghettoManga Award-winning Comedian of the Year (2006) Dave Chappelle was in the Hospital for exhaustion. more details in the video...
prominent hipHop blogger, FloDirt has written a nice review of the new DVD collecting The Best of Chappelle's Show here. a comedian whose work embodies a frank, candid, unpretencious view of our world in all it's rediculousness, Chappelle is arguably the second-coming of Richard Pryor... so i, for one, am glad he's okay.
holla!
samax.
comics, hipHop, news, art, culture
hiLARious...
attention parents: this mess is not for kids.
i KNOW it's a cartoon. just TRUST ME on this...
i promise, it's not from Class of 3000. i don't know where it IS from, but it's NOT from cartoon network... well, it could'a been on adult Swim... but even if it was, your kids STILL shouldn't be watchin' it!
or maybe they should. the message is there, just, y'know... with lotsa cussin' an' stuff...
anyways, thanks to my friend Camisha J (i don't know if she reads this blog anymore... if so HOLLA!) for sharin' this with me... i laughed my face off!
peace, fam!
samax
www.ghettoManga.com
comics, hip hop, news, art, culture
i KNOW it's a cartoon. just TRUST ME on this...
i promise, it's not from Class of 3000. i don't know where it IS from, but it's NOT from cartoon network... well, it could'a been on adult Swim... but even if it was, your kids STILL shouldn't be watchin' it!
or maybe they should. the message is there, just, y'know... with lotsa cussin' an' stuff...
anyways, thanks to my friend Camisha J (i don't know if she reads this blog anymore... if so HOLLA!) for sharin' this with me... i laughed my face off!
peace, fam!
samax
www.ghettoManga.com
comics, hip hop, news, art, culture
"One more repetition, I'ma spot you..."
it's Official. as of right now, Pharoahe Monch is my favorite emcee...
i mean, not only does he write/spit the rhymes, produce the beat, and sing lead vocals for the hook on "Push" (from his new frisbee: Desire, in stores now kids!), but he rocks one hell of a mean Afro in the video!
this song is apparently on the soundtrack to NBA Homecourt (of course with the anti-Bush comment, reference to DVD bootleggin', and cuss words zigga'd out) because of his props to Manu from the Spurs...
anywho, i bow down to a true player, mon ami!
recognize the skills...
peace.
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics, hip hop, news, art, culture
i mean, not only does he write/spit the rhymes, produce the beat, and sing lead vocals for the hook on "Push" (from his new frisbee: Desire, in stores now kids!), but he rocks one hell of a mean Afro in the video!
this song is apparently on the soundtrack to NBA Homecourt (of course with the anti-Bush comment, reference to DVD bootleggin', and cuss words zigga'd out) because of his props to Manu from the Spurs...
anywho, i bow down to a true player, mon ami!
recognize the skills...
peace.
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com
comics, hip hop, news, art, culture
feelin Pay-triotic?if so, cop merch based off the new iteration of Gorgeous Destroyer i did on July 4th.
that's right soldier! "Gorgeous Destroyer: America" is available in the Ziontific store. as normal, you can cop tee shirts, coffee mugs, posters, and other assorted swag... we both know that disposable income of yours is burnin' a hole in your pocket! so pass on the mass-market mall stuff (just this once) and cop something that will get your people talkin'!
holla!
samax.
HallelOOyah, Pharoahe Monch'll DO ya!
Perhaps now corporate radio, MTV, BET and the other assorted hydra-heads of that thing we refer to affectionately as "The Industry" will finally recognize what niggas in the hipHop underground have been insisting for over eight years:
i copped the Mighty Pharoahe's new plate Desire- the LOOOOOOOOONG awaited follow-up to the unrealisticly dope, yet slept-on Internal Affairs- on June 26th, when it finally dropped after several push-backs... and this record was well worth the eight years time that has elapsed since his last full length. Pharoahe opens the record with a short gospel acapella quartet piece that states simply:
Pharoahe Monch is the muthaF*#kin' man.
i copped the Mighty Pharoahe's new plate Desire- the LOOOOOOOOONG awaited follow-up to the unrealisticly dope, yet slept-on Internal Affairs- on June 26th, when it finally dropped after several push-backs... and this record was well worth the eight years time that has elapsed since his last full length. Pharoahe opens the record with a short gospel acapella quartet piece that states simply: "oh-oh Freedom.
oh-oh Freedom.
oh-oh Freedom, for me.
and Before I'll Be a Slave/
i'll be buried in my grave/
and go home, to my God
and be free."
this unusual intro marks the spirit of "Desire": Revolutionary Artistic Freedom at any and all costs. it's this idea in fact, that explains Pharoahe Monch's absence from the forefront of hip hop since he helped put Rawkus Records on the map (my map, anyways). he's spent most of that time arm-wrestling his way out of an oppressive record contract. an artists' artist, Monch has since 
guested on various projects, solo and alongside rap luminaries like Mos Def, Kweli, Common, Kanye, and the Roots' Black Thought (click here to check out Pharoahe's verse on Guerilla Monsoon Rap from Kweli's record "Quality"). His rapid-fire delivery is ripped off so frequently that first time listeners will find themselves right at home with Pharoahe, whose style will be familiar if his name is not. in fact, Pharoahe has probably penned lyrics you bopped to, since he's a frequent go-to guy as a ghost writer...
guested on various projects, solo and alongside rap luminaries like Mos Def, Kweli, Common, Kanye, and the Roots' Black Thought (click here to check out Pharoahe's verse on Guerilla Monsoon Rap from Kweli's record "Quality"). His rapid-fire delivery is ripped off so frequently that first time listeners will find themselves right at home with Pharoahe, whose style will be familiar if his name is not. in fact, Pharoahe has probably penned lyrics you bopped to, since he's a frequent go-to guy as a ghost writer...in all fairness, i cannot review the record yet; although it hasn't left my ceedee player since i bought it, i can't get past the first half of the record. the intro alone could hold my attention for a minute, but it leads into "Free", the title track "Desire", and "Push"...then there's topical imaginative cuts like "What It Is" and "When The Gun Draws"... and did i mention there's a cover of Public Enemy's "Welcome To The Terrordome"? my favorite song right now is
"Let's Go":
sigh. that review may never get written.
sigh. that review may never get written.
please cop it, people! hip hop NEEDS this!
as for me, i already got it...
peace.
comics hiphop news art culture
Quote of the Day...
Cuando amor no es locura, no es amor.
(When love is not madness, it is not love.)
-anonymous (stolen from here)
peace, Love, etc.
samax
(When love is not madness, it is not love.)
-anonymous (stolen from here)
peace, Love, etc.
samax
One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall...
as unbelievable as it seems, they were able to turn the most beloved cartoon of my childhood into a live action/cgi feature film that had the same playful-then serious-then playful spirit of the original! in this case, "They" were producer Steven Spielberg and director Michael Bay (Armageddon, The Rock, Bad Boys), and "They" knocked it outta the park like dave justice.
for those who have no idea what i'm talking about (PHILLISTINES!), Transformers is the story of intelligent, shapeshifting robots from the planet Cybertron, crash-landed on Earth, embroilled in a centuries-long war, the outcome of which will determine the fate of the galaxy! There were the good, peaceful Autobots, and the evil, 
conquering Decepticons. like many concepts in movies today, Transformers had its humble beginnings in the pop paradise of the 1980's, first as a line of SWEET toys (like my favorite transformer, Starscream, seen here!) then as a series of blockbuster cartoon shows and comics.
of course, i wouldn't be much of a blogger if failed to mention the original big-screen appearance of the Robots In Disguise: 1986 animated smash Transformers: The Movie, starring such notable actors as Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek) as Galvetron (the ressurection of Megatron) and Orson Wells as the planet eating archvillain, Unicron. the film's mashing of pseudo-religious themes and colorful cast of new robots set against the thrusting of the cartoon into the future (2005 was the future back then, family!) helped make it an instant classic among faithful Transformers fans. the film shocked thousands (maybe millions) of young fans with an unpredictable and unbelievable plot twist: the brutally violent deaths of many popular characters (including fan-favorite Autobot leader Optimus Prime, below) in the first Act! i saw T:TM in the theater (rare for me as a child), and the audience was in saddened shock when Prime's light went out. Initially panned by critics and a financial disappointment, T:TM is now considered by some (including me) one of the best animated films ever made.
there is no need for new Transformers fans to see the cartoon show or film to get and appreciate the new Transformers film, which is packed with metric tons of action, effects, and laughs. "Good, ignorant fun!" as we like to say. while i wouldn't worry about taking kids to see it, Transformers is definately aimed at my generation: eighties kids that may have outgrown the chasing of new toys and other products associated with this franchise, but many of whom now have children that will serve as a conveniant excuse to dive back in. the PG-13 rating will bother a few parents, but the minimal references to sexual subjects, occasional cussing, and glorious abundance of cartoon violence won't bother most parents.in short, a great, great flick. i will let the purists debate the changes in plot and characters. any problems i had with the movie were minimal. i'd say overall, it was big fun!
holla!
samax.
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