these guys are really good

If you have never listened to or heard of Black Star, you need to pull yourself together and make sure you check these guys out. Black Star is the combination of Mos Def (now rapper turned actor - I think many black folks should thank Will Smith for breaking a major barrier, I wanna compare him to Jackie Robinson) and Talib Kweli. Mos and Kweli started out underground and have become major, they made Black Star after doing some Soundbombing. After some Soundbombing for Rawkus, they got together and made their only official CD together. Check out their apperance on the Chappelle Show and their great classic song "Respiration" featuring another great rapper Common. It is always nice to hear rappers who have something decent to tell the world.

det jul det cool...

Nu hvor jule tamtam'en er ovre vil jeg sende denne forsinkede jule hilsen til jer alle - inden det bliver nytår. Det første jeg vil dele med jer er en "fætter-kusine sang" som Micahala, Alexander og jeg lavede til vores kusine Natascha til jul.



Det næste jeg har fundet er nogle spillere fra Detroit Pistons basketholds julehilsen, de er også gode til at synge.



Nu er der kun tilbage at ønske jer alle et godt nytår.

KNA Connected

Check out KNA Connected. One of the group members is Khalil, a great Bahá'í who happens to have a great flow to go along with nice rhymes - he is the tall light-skinned brotha. The three guys in KNA Connected are all residing in Denmark, they do a great live preformance to go with their music (Saw them at "Operaen" - right Chris?).



I was watching my favorite tv show (on MTV), top ten at ten, and then I saw KNA Connected. It was top ten danish bands, pretty impressing to see them there. Here is the video, the danish remix of their song "Fibs".



If you wanna hear the original in english and know more about them check out their homepage (link) or on their myspace.com site (link).

Holla!

casino royale

Now that I'm in the business of recommending things, I going to recommend going to the movies to watch the new Bond movie.


Not only because two of the actors in the movie are danish (Le Chiffre played by Mads Mikkelsen and Mr. White by Jesper Christensen), but because it is a good movie. I like the whole idea of telling the story of how Bond became Bond. Much like "Batman Begins", it is a great way to reintroduce it with a new actor to us younger fans. The movie is like your typical Bond movie: hot cars, hot girls and great action scenes. But Daniel Craig, much like the new Batman, brings a more rugged persona to James Bond - thereby making him more realistic. If you don't like action movies or Bond movies this movies is not for you. Casino Royale has the usual Bond plot, which actually has its charm, and it also has some twist you don't expect.


The movie is also banking on the poker craze that has hit the world the last couple of years. Hate it or love it...


Trailer on youtube


I can also recommend the movie "Layer Cake" with Daniel Craig in it, if you like movies like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels".

a few artist

This whole blog post of a list of artist I like, has grown from a wish to write a review of the Roots new CD "Game Theory" - so first is a short review "Game Theory"
For some reason I have been straying away from the CD shops lately and therefore haven't picked up the real CD. Instead I downloaded "Game Theory" on iTunes Musicstore. I have downloaded multiple full CDs through the Musicstore and I love it! It is great for a instant gratificationist (is that a word?) like me. iTunes Musicstore is an awesome addition to modern consumer culture, the internet has provided and continues to provide great ways for lazy people to stay up on everything and spending money without having to leave comfort zone being their (in my case) beloved computer. Now on to the review (in unprioritized bulletform):

• The Roots mix the CD with slower tracks and seriously speedy tracks - check the songs "Game Theory" "Here I Come", where they push the speed, some what like what they did in "Rolling with Heat" off Phrenology.
• They keep the good ol' Roots sound, jazzy beats mixed with melodic singing. The return of that makes the CD worthwhile. Thats one of the things that fans (myself included) missed from Phrenology. Some people say it is the effect of not having (now superproducer) Scott Storch onboard for the CD
• Black Thought is as thoughtful as ever in his rhymes. The mixture of songs seems not to bother him, but they really enhance his rhymes skills - he has skilz! Love his flow!
  
• I appreciate the tribute to J. Dilla, but the the end of the song is too long. It is a great beat, but they should make the rest a hidden track.
• One thing I have been missing from the "new" Roots is the homogenity the old CDs had, if you want to know why the Roots are among the best hip-hop bands of all time, purchase (or borrow them from me) the following Roots CDs from me: "Things Fall Apart" and "Do You Want More?!!!??!"

All in all, the CD recieves a 4/6 from me, they did well and continue to do well. But I'm still stuck in the old school.




Next is Nas an Jay-Z, two great rappers, they have the amazing gift that they are still alive - compared to the two who stole limelight form their early careers, Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.. Their debut albums are probably my two favorite albums ever and they have continued to keep the same high standards. Jigga has gone on to being, probably, the richest and most powerful rapper ever. Nas fell off, but kept his own when he was beefing with Jigga. For Nas' best listen to "Illmatic", and check out "Reasonable Doubt","Unplugged" (with the Roots as band)"The Blueprint"(the CD that established Kanye West as a producer) for Jay-Z' best. But both have been an integral part of defining newer hip-hop and rap.


Onto rock, the Strokes! These guys are awesome. My brother Omeed says "They probably have the best bass in rock." And I agree, they have created two great CDs and one very good one. Enough said! Listen to all 3 of their CDs, chronologically, if you like the indie rock type of music (my mom doesn't). This is music to get you going, I listen to this or AC/DC if i need extra energy for my morning bike ride. Also listen to Bloc Party, the Killers and Franz Ferdinand if you like that type of music.


Some danish rock artist that are very worthwhile, Kashmir, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy (and later Tim Christensen) and Mew. They are all good rock bands and I enjoy listening to them. Mew has a sound like probably no other band, so thats the one band you really should listen to. The other two are just classic bands, really thats all they are CLASSIC bands.


Listing all these artist makes me want to list more. But I will save this for another time. Hopefully this should make you want to check out some of the artist and buy their CDs or go to their shows. If this post could make you want never check my blog again, I understand you.

I will end the post with a shout-out to my former co-workers in Bahá'í World Center Kitchen, whose music has inspired me and expanded my musical universe - like Cocio, you gotta love them! Miss you Manu!