"I'll chill like Pacino, kill like DeNiro Black Gambino, die like a hero..."

Hey Hey, hope y'all enjoyed my last post, still recovering from how crazy that shit was...apparently she hasn't tried to contact Bob since the "what happened last night?" message...shes gone and lets hope she stays gone.

I finally saw the film Juice last night for the first time, picked it up at Target (which i pronounce Tarjay like a snooty muthafucka) for 5 dollas a few days ago. I know its most dishonorable and disgraceful of me to not have seen it before considering it features the almighty Pac and was directed by Ernest Dickerson, who happens to be my favorite director's (SPIKE!) director of photography on such illustrious projects as Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. I remember wanting to see that movie when i saw at the video store when i first disocered 2pac back in the 6th grade, but my rents wouldn't let me rent it on grounds that it was "too violent"... Better later than never...

I honestly really dug the film a lot. the beginning had a true Spike Lee feel to it, it was energetic, amusing and light. Then one event changes the entire feel of the film ,and it becomes a lot darker than i had imagined or felt it would. Loved Mr. Shakur's performance, he always does play a good crazy dude (which probably stems from his real life "fuck the world" personality). A young Omar Epps plays a good role too, as aspiring scratch DJ Gee Q. The film had to great early 90's black film feel to it without delving into the cliche. And of course the cinematography was dope (thanks Ernie!).

The music is off the heezy, what is probably my favorite Eric B. and Rakim song of all time graces the soundtrack, as well as a healthy dose of such classics as Big Daddy Kane and EPMD, strictly New York. Anyways, below im hittin y'all with a short clip from the movie, as well as the music video for "Know The Ledge".

I will be travelin to NYC in the AM, so don't expect any posts for a couple days. Got an interview with a media company for an internship (wish me luck!). Will be stayin with my boy MJ and of course there will be lots of RIDIN! Will also be recording the new episode of Fresh Like Green Tea Radio, so expect a delicious audio treat in the very near future. On the subject of movies, make sure you check out my boy JJ in Pari's movie review blog Lightness of Being (which is also on my side links permanently). He was my "partner in crime" (thanks for the shout out homie!) for 3 years in the City of Light, we made movies together, watched movies together (a lot...remember summer school dog? HA) and of course, drank and partied a LOT together. So, check out my aspiring Jewrab director's site for some quality insight on some films. He looks at movies the same way i compulsively check sites like Nah Right and 2 Dopeboyz all day...So, ill be back with you after what is looking to be a promising weekend, TOPPED OFF BY THE POSSIBLE 6 MONTh REUNION OF KNUTZ AND H-MAN! Knutz be flyin in at 7 p.m tomorrow evening, being picked up at La Guardia with his lady friend Pantera. So, until then, take it easy peezy lemon squeezy peoples.

Storytime With H-Man!

Yoooo. I know i promised y'all Mos Def pics, but unfortunately thats gonna have to be put on hold for a lil bit, took all the pics with my sisters camera and she forgot the cord in Montreal...so gimme about a week andi promise they'll be up. In other news, finally broke and joined Twitter, dunno why i was so reluctant to join, its actually really dope. Check me out my profile right HURRRR, my screen name is SwervinIrvin (H-Man was already taken...blah).

So, storytime begins...this is a recollection of events that transpired last Saturday night. After reluctantly agreeing to a night on the town due to peer pressurer Sona's implorations, we headed to this spot we go to regularly called Marvin (14th and U St., check it out sometime, large heated patio!). We were meeting up with some friends outside the place, (names have been changed for reasons that will seem obvious later!). So Bob and Sally met up with us, along with a female "client" of Bob's (HAHA!) that none of us had met, let's just call her Lauren. Let's also just say that Bob was interested in this client, which is why she was there, though they had never been out together before. She was dressed in a very California casual way, with a slightly obscene amount of glitter pixie dust powder around her eyes, and had sorta crazy eyes (you know what i mean? Hinting at instability?) Sally, who had made her acquaintance on the ride over (as Bob and Sally has picked her up on the way out) had already made up her mind about her and told me that she sucked, apparently partly based on the fact that the first thing this girl had told then upon entering their vehicule was that her father had locked her out last time because he thought she was a prostitute...which seems like a reasonable reason for some hate. Me, attempting to not be the judgmental haterade sippin mothafucka that I usually am decided to give her a chance, and despite definitely catching a very weird vibe from her had not made my mind up about what i thought just quite yet.



Crazy Eyes!


After a couple minutes and hollerin at the homie Collins workin the door, we made our way inside, and proceeded to get some dranks. I happened to not be drinking that night. I got annihilated the night before and somehow had gotten a huge nosebleed earlier that day (i think i might have a problem? MJ and SoS know what im talkin' bout...), so i wasn't about to thin my blood and risk another nasal incident. We're standing in a huddle smokin some Newports (not my cig of choice, those things tear my dman throat out)and I felt sorta bad for Lauren cuz everyone was talkin about things that she obviously wasn't it on. I initiated a conversation with her, and she was way too strange to maintain the conversation with, she had very odd switches been high and low pitched voices and was just too intense for my sober ass to deal with. I somehow publicly admitted that the reson i wasn't drinking wasn't because i wanted to detox, but becasue i didn't want to bleed. Upon hearing this information ,the at-this-point-im-starting-to-think-is-completley CRAZY girl starts cackling and yelling "BLEED BITCH! BLEED", at least 5 times, making me feel extremely comfortable and honestly kind of scared...

Next was a re-up on the drinks, and even by trying to put some distance between Lauren and myself, she somehow always ends up right close, and seems to be losing her motor skills at an alarming rate considering that she's only one drink deep, bumping into people rigth and left with apparently no realization of what she was doing. It all finally got to be to much when after disappearing for a few minutes, she returns with a stunned look on her face and tells me that i should go "kick his ass" vaguely pointing to a table behind me. When i asked her what happened, all she did was stare blankly ahead and lightly sway from side to side. At this point, I'm basically just stepping away, and everyone is saying the same thing ; "This bitch needs to leave." After refusing to give up her drink to any of us and looking as if she was about to fall over, we get one of the security guards to escort her away, at which point she actually FALLS on the deck.

At thsi point, Bob decides that he has to get a handle on the situation, and brings Sally with him to help. It turns out she has not been kicked out, she is being watched over by security. Sally brings her to the bathroom to attempt to have her throw up, but instead Laurel tries to get into a fight a smashes a bunch of glasses. At this point, the executive decision has been made that shes outta there. She proceeds to FALL DOWN THE STAIRS. Bob and Sally get her not a cab (apparently she doesn't even know her dress..haha), but not before she get out of it and SLAPS SALLY ACROSS THE FACE. Eventually she is forced into the cab by Bob and drives away into the night...the next day, Bob gets a text message; "What happened last night? I blacked out" and "I forgot, mixing medication and alcohol = bad news"...all I can say is that SHE is bad news, and for all our sakes hope Bob never replied.


AHHHH!



So what is the moral of this story you might ask? Its ever so simple. Never bring a girl you don't know around your friends without testing the waters out first. You never know when someone might drink on medication, start fights, and be an all around crazy bitch. As for the moral for me, stick to judging people! Look what happened when i tried to be "open-minded"... So this concludes story time with H-Man. H-Man swervin' out!

THE END

"Call me a hipster, as long as you're a listener..."

Fuckin FINALLY! Been waiting for a MINUTE for this video to drop, glad that it's not disturbing like Royce's last video (which is an understatement...click HERE to see it...at your own risk!) and i KNOW its my second Cudi post in like...3 days, BUT I can't help but love that dude...Man on the Moon: The Guardian coming soon...

UPDATE- This seemed relevant...

"Blame it one the black star..."

In case you all haven't been paying attention to the music industry as a whole (byond the scope of rap, which I know for some of you is UNIMAGINABLE, it almost is to me sometimes...) Radiohead has long been a MONSTER on the global scene. Kanye is a self admitted fan, and much of their production and stage performing has influenced a number of hip-hop artists and producers. So..i'm gonna skip to the chase, and hook you up with some Radiohead remixes (or songs where a Radiohaed song has been used as a sample that I have been compiling for quite some time, theyre all really dope and really different from each other, o i suggest you get ALL OF THEM. I swear...you wont regret it. There a little of everything, some Pac, Kanye, Amp Live (Zion I's producer), Jus Ske/Pharell, Foreign Beggars, and Jaydiohead (you should be able to figure that one out...)


Wrong Prayer - Jaydiohead
Video Tapez (ft. Del The Funk Homosapien) - Amp Live
Reckoner Lockdown - Dj Earworm vs. Kanye West
Fucked UP (Hurricane Mix ft. Thom Yorke)- 2Pac
Scratch Perverts vs. Foreign Beggars
Reckonerz (ft. Charli2na) - Amp Live
An Airbag Saved My Best Friend (ft. Pharell) - Jus Ske
Us Placers - CRS (Kanye West, Pharell and Lupe Fiasco)

"Have you ever heard of some shit so real ? Beyond from the heart, from the soul you can feel?"

I know Cudi's been gettin some serious hype for a WHILE now. I had decided that A Kid Named Cudi, his critically acclaimed mixtape presented by streetwear label 10 Deep which featured arguably one of the biggest songs of last year ( "Day N Nite"), was on my top 5 mixtapes of 2008. Friday night however, driving back from Baltimore to DC after the Talib and Jean Grae show, it moved STRAIGHT to NUMBER 1. Listening to it early early in the a.m in a mellower mood than i usually am in made me appreciate it even more. There have been some reports that Cudi may have been tasered and arrested by the police this weekend in Phoenix (get the full report HERE), all because of a scuffle erupting due to his refusal to take off his Jordans for a Reebok sponsored performance (which i congratulate!). His unique blend of electro influenced hip-hop and "sing songy" rap makes his album, tentatively titled Man on the Moon the release i am looking forward to the most in 2009 (Wale's is a close second though...). His album is supposed to drop this summer, and he has plans to release a collaboration album with fellow Cleveland artist Chip The Ripper. Cudi is the hottest thing to come out of Ohio since Bone Thugs,and in celebration of my rediscovery of what a true gem this tape is, COP HIS MIXTAPE BELOW IF YOU DON"T HAVE IT! I also attached a few songs on other people's mixtapes featuring Cudi that are hot as hellfire, so make H-Man happy and cop them too!




Kid Cudi Mixtape - A Kid Named Cudi

BONUS TRACKS

Buggin Out 2009 Tribute - J. Period ft. Consequence & Kid Cudi

Sky High - The Kickdrums ft. Kid Cudi

Wasting My Minutes - 88 Keys ft. Kid Cudi


Can I Be - Kid Cudi (Prod. by Ryan Leslie)

Rollin (Remix) - Jackie Chain ft. Kid Cudi


UPDATE - NEW KANYE WEST "WELCOME TO HEARTBREAK" VIDEO FT. KID CUDI!


KANYE WEST "Welcome To Heartbreak" Directed by Nabil from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

"What's with the melodrama? Fellas wanna hover in my cypher like a helicopter..."

And he's back...I know i promised photos on Saturday but much ridin has been done this weekdend, as well as a little frender bender (4 days after i got my fuckin license...but I wasn't at fault, THANK GOD). The Talib show on Friday at Sonar in Baltimore was dope, as i knew it would be of course. It was a very pleasant surprise that instead of having Jean open for him (though he didn't show up until 12:30, doors opened at 9, may have not even been an option anymore...) he did a joint show with him. Got to hear a few tracks i had never heard before live, including "Say Something". Got to hear a little preview of some new Talib and Hi-Tek track, seriously holding my breath with anticipation for that one, as Train of Thought is my favorite of his albums. Got to hear some classics, including "Get By", "Respiration", "Move Somethin", and "Re-Definition". Jean was a hella good, had so much attitude and was difintely enjoying interacting with the crowd. Much less manly than she used to be too...Will be going to see might Mos next monday, so stay tuned for pictures of that as well. Peace ladies and gentlemen!

"Dance Motherfucker!"

H-Man and Sona

Talib

Miss Jean


A Kwelity Performer

"You mean Talib, lyrics stick to your ribs?"

Whatuuup. So tomorrow is a big day for H-Man, gonna see Kweli live for the 4TH TIME in as many years in Baltimore with my homegirl Sona . Saw him twice in Paris and once in the District until Bodymore in the manana. I'm super psyched, Jean Grae is opening for him as well, heard shes real intense live. Always been a huge fan of the man (Talib, not Jean, though i could understand if there's some confusion, haha), ill hit y'all up with pictures when i upload them with a massive hangover on Saturday (hopefully!). In the meanwhile, I'll hit you with a few of my favorites of his songs ( had to pick a few, after all its so hard to choose...), most of which are on mixtapes, but ALL of you should know one of them... I know I run the risk of offending all you Black Star lovers (not that i don't LOVE Black Star) out there, but i think he did his best work with Hi-Tek...personal opinion so don't hate on me too much!

" Cuz no one knows for whose shell toes the bell tolls for..."

Its finally here! After making a video for nearly all the videos on the Layover EP, Evidence has finally graced us with the vid for my favrite cut off the album, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", ft. Phonte, Blu and Will.i.am. Unfortunately, i cannot embed the fuckin tihg on this page as it has only appeard on MTV U and im ont technically proficient enough to figure out how to do it (it aint easy like Youtube vids!). However, you can watch it HERE. It's a really great video too, simply but well directed with some nice visuals and cinematography. Goes very well with the theme and messages of the song. Here are also two videos shot behind the scene of this shoot. EV talks about he's known Will forever and a day, something i already knew from the wonderful freestyle over Kanye's "Let the Beat Build" instrumental he did for Weezy called "Celeb Reality". I highly recommend it, as Mr. Slow Flow's flow fits the beat perfectly, and it's mad funny to find out some the big names that he went to high school with. Im get nostalgic over this post! As you can remember, my FIRST post on Fresh Like Green Tea was about Evidence! Hope you all have been enjoying this as much as I have.





DOWNLOAD - Evidence - Celeb Reality

"When I raise 'em in the sky, shine so bright, it'll blind your eyes"...R.I.P J Dilla!

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the death of the beloved J. Dilla, who died tragically from complications of lupus. Originally a member of Slum Village, Jay Dee is almost singlehandedly responsible for the emergence of neo-soul sound in hip-hop, through his buttery deceptively simple beats. The Detroit native is known as a producer's producer (much like NaS is "your favorite rapper's rapper"), and influenced the way that people view hip-hop production, mostly through his work with prestigious MCs such as Common (he produced the classic "The Light") ,?uestlove, and Busta Rhymes. I highly recommend you pick up Donuts and The Shining, as well as his collab album with Madlib, Jaylib. Appropriately, today was the drop date of the Dilla X Busta Rhymes mixtape, Dillagence, so click on the title to acquire this gem! Based on the article I read in Vibe last month (the Yeezy cover one), there have been some serious disputes regarding the late J. Dilla's estate, and apparently somehow his mother and children are not allowed to use him for any commercial purposes only. To support his fam, and help them get by, you can pick up this t-shirt . I ordered one yesterday, it's only 30 bucks, and it looks dooooope. From everyone at Fresh Like Green Tea, REST IN PEACE J DILLA! YOU CONTINUE TO LIVE ON THROUGH YOUR MUSIC!

Hudson Highway

I was mad impressed by the release of these audio tapes... On the one hand we got traffic control sounding like Peter Griffin getting a bit nervous down there vs. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger of Danville, Cali. A true G down all the way down to the water... Respekt.

(There are many versions out there... I thought this one was kinda cool.)

"Oh it can't be G.O.O.D music my Grammy family..."

You knew it was comin...H-Man's take on the Grammys this year... I Know the photo is from last year's awards, but i wanted to gt this shit hot off the press and that picture is my favorite Grammy picture ever ( i mean, does it get any better? A damn shame the album title finally got changed...) SO, all that being said, let me get to some ranting. First off, M.I.A got GYPPED! As much as I love and respect Robert Plant, how one earth did it beat out Paper Planes for record of the year?! And HOW THE FUCK did "Raising Sand" get best album?!!! BIG UP to MIA for even being there, massively pregnant as she is, as apparently here due date was TODAY! Really enjoyed the performance of "Swagger Like Us" (which did pick up a Grammy for best rap collab), seein all four of those dudes on stage at the same time is crazy. Kanye killed it in his silver suit with Estelle. Coldplay picked up a few awards and it was nice to see Jay-Z join Chris Martin for the "Lost" remix Thank God the Jonas Brothers didn't win anything, i have no patience or love for those no talent ass clown Mickey Mouse "musicians". Loved the Wayne performance and New Orleans homage, "Tie My Hands" was one of my favorite track off Carter 3. Weezy picked up best rap album and best rap song (there were a few other worthy contestants for rap album, including Lupe and NaS) and i gotta say he deserved it. He made us wait for Carter III, but it was damn well worth the wait. So...overall...a pretty mediocre Grammy night (aren't they always), let's wish T.I. the best of luck in prison, though let's hope that his last performance before he starts his bid wasn't with Justin Timberlake...

"It ain't hard to tell, we can't all be NaS, the truth really is, we can't all be stars, but I'll be goddamned if I settle for Pras...EVER!"

Clipse x Kaws-ReUp Gang Blog 4 from ReUpGangRecords.net on Vimeo.

Maybe it's cuz I'm from Virginia (VA reprezeeent), but every time i see one of these little Clipse webisodes i get more and more excited for the album! The last mixtape year was definitely on my top 5 mixtapes of 2008. In this video Pusha does all the talking (Malice is in the background fuckin with the piano and making funny faces...) and sounds and looks about as strung out as he was when i met him back in December. Good news that street artist KAWS will be ding the cover art. There's some heavy hitter producers lined up for the album, including Cool & Dre and DJ Khalil. There is also a mystery big name collab on a track supposedly called "Kind of A Big Deal". I have a sneaking suspicion that it may be Mr. West himself, as the title of the track is an Anchorman reference, and Ye happens to be an enormous self-admitted Will Ferrell fan...Re-Up gang have had an amount of record releasing, so let's hope the casker DOESN'T drop on this record... And in case you guys missed it, here's the link to the aforementioned mixtape.

The Clipse - Road To Til The Casket Drop Mixtape

Swirvin' Irvin Caught On TAPE!!!

haha I was laughing so hard on this... H-man on tape lol

but in the end man... this shit is ridiculous... these cops are like machines, unpersonal, unhuman, simply a joke. And I know that B**** lady cop in the end was thinking "Ha! I gotcha..." fuckin wack typical US cops bullshit. BULLSHIT! Should be puttin this on Attakk!

" I'm a gangsta...gangstas don't ask questions."

I know every other blog on the planet has this posted today but this was too good to pass up on. I have watched this at least 4 times today, all i can say is WOW. I dunno whether to laugh or cry, all i can say is that Weezy has LOST HIS FUCKIN MIND. Definitely one of the oddest and most entertaining interviews i have seen in my time. I am excited that it looks like he'll be performing "Tie My Hands" at the Grammys (K West on the beaaaaaat) Hopefully seeing this may prompt him to reexamine the particular musical direction he appears to be taking and that Rebirth will never come out...

"Check the Rhyme..."

Yoooo. If y'all weren't aware, before your (and my!) beloved Fresh Like Green Tea, H-Man was residing in Paris, and had a different online radio show there, Cuts and Rhymez. Thought I'd hook you guys up with a few of the shows from last year (2007 and 2008). You wil notice that i have been ALL ABOUT Wale for while now, didn't just hop the bandwagon after that Source cover hit...hope you guys pump this shit, and i wanna give a shout out to my partners in crime who are just as responsible for these past shows as i was. They're still keeping the show goin on a streaming capacity every week, tune in at aupradio.org . Big up and love to Morty McFly, Dj Bis, and EQ, miss you guys like Wu-Tang misses Meth on tour...

Cuts and Rhymez Vol.1

1. Pete Rock and CL Smooth – T.R.O.Y
2. Swollen Members – Long Way Down
3. Talib Kweli ft. Justin Timberlake – The Nature
4. Lupe Fiasco – Superstar
5. Living Legends – Never Falling Down
6. Jay-Z – ROC Boys
7. People Under The Stairs – Keepin’ It Live
8. Lil’ Wayne – Something You Forgot
9. Murs – Yesterday
10. T.I. – Tell Em I Said That
11. Wale – Nike Boots
12. Kanye West – Hey Mama

Cuts and Rhymez Vol.2

1. Eric B and Rakim – Don’t Sweat the Technique
2. Gangstarr fr. Big Shug and Freddie Foxxx – The Militia
3. Looptroop- Get Ready
4. Common ft. Kanye West – Start the Show
5. Dilated Peoples ft. Kanye West – This Way
6. Nas – Can’t Forget About You
7. Outkast ft. Goodie Mob – Slump
8. Zion I –Let Me Holla
9. NTM – Seine St. Denis Style
10. Zedbazi – Tabestoon Kootahe
11. The Roots – Guns Are Drawn
12. Wale – W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E
13. Ill Eagle – I am Jack’s Destroyed Liver

Cuts and Rhymez Vol.3

1. Hieroglyphics –Miles to the Sun
2. Blue Scholars – The Inkwell (Crashed Cop Car Remix)
3. Heiruspecs – Heartsprings
4. Ghostface Killah – Be Easy
5. Comfortable – Lil’ Wayne
6. Hi Tek ft. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah – My Piano
7. 9th Wonder – Almost Genuine ft. Phonte
8. Beastie Boys – Paul Revere
9. Jedi Mind Tricks – Into The Arms of Angels
10. The Game – The Documentary
11. Cunninlynguists ft. Tonedeff – The Gates
12. Lupe Fiasco – The Cool
13. Jay-Z – Pray
14. Papoose – Victory Freestyle

Cuts and Rhymez Vol.4
1. De La Soul – Ring Ring
2. Foreign Beggars – Beatflow Freakshow
3. Big Boi ft. Andre 3000 and Raekwon – Royal Flush
4. Skyzoo ft. Wale – Lyrically Inclined
5. The Roots ft. Wale and Chrisette Michelle – Rising Up
6. Wu-Tang Clan ft. George Clinton – Wolves
7. Atmosphere- Always Coming Back Home To You
8. Talib Kweli – More or Less
9. Zion I – Breathin Slow
10. Looptroop – The Building
11. Fat Joe ft. Lil’ Wayne – Crackhouse
12. Kanye West – A Million and One Questions
13. Tonedeff – Porcelain


H-Man and Morty Mc Fly


H-Man and DJ Bis


H-Man and EQ

"Le Plus Important C'est Pa La Chute, C'est L'Atterrissage..."

Bonjour friends and fam. So since my last post happened to be on a film pertaining to hip-hop, ill hit you with another film. Just to start off, this film is one of my favorites of all time. Relseased in 1995, "La Haine" (translated from French means "The Hate"), is shot entirely in black and white, directed my Mathieu Kassovitz. The only famous actor (who wasn't so at the time) is Vincent Cassel, who you might know as the LUCKY man married to that beautiful and voluptuous Monica Bellucci. The film's title comes from a French expression ,where if one is pissed off at the world or overly aggressive one says that he has "la haine". The film follows a day in the life of three friends from the Paris suburbs (the equivalent of inner cities there) during some serious riots in the early 90's. The reason its so incredible (besides for the stunning 35 mm cinematography) is that it really captures the reality that these disadvantaged surburban youth (consisting of mostly minorities) that they live and the pitfalls that they attempt to navigate away from, often unseuccessfully. Here are two scenes, one of which gives you a feel for the movie, and another featuring legendary Paris DJ Cut Killer, who used to roll with French hip-hop gods NTM. Its a doooope scene with an amazing helicopter traveling shot. I have also attached the mp3 of the track that hes mixing in the scene, short but oh so sweet. You gotta see this film (and YES, it is available with subtitles...)







Cut Killer - La Haine Mix