CRS - Us Placers Video

A little late to the party in posting this. But it seemed like a perfect way to wrap up the year in music - bringing together the mixtape scene, the emergence of mashups and the biggest musicians of the year.

CRS (hip hop supergroup consisting of Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell Williams) drop rhymes over 'The Eraser' by Thom Yorke of Radiohead.



Download: Child Rebel Stars - Us Placers

Download: Kanye West - Can't Tell Me Nothin Mixtape (link in comments)

Happy Xmas !

This song was written by John Lennon almost 40 years ago but the message still resonates today.


Download: John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

More Censorship Fuckery

Sri Lankan artist M.I.A. sent a passionate ALL CAPS open letter to her fans in response to the version of her video for Paper Planes that is now playing on MTV, which censors out the sound of gunshots.

LOOK I KNOW THERE ARE HATERS OUT THERE, I DEAL WITH IT EVERYDAY THATS NO FUCKING BIG DEAL AND IVE DEALT WITH WORSE IN MY LIFE, A FEW PEOPLE TALKING SHIT DONT MATTER TO ME, BUT TWISTING TRUTH ISNT THE LESSON I WANNA LEARN IN MY TIME IN MUSIC, SO WHO EVER THAT IS DOING IT , I WANNA SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

1, I ORIGINALLY WANTED TO SHOOT THE VIDEO IN A FACTORY ON THE BORDER OF
EQUADOR, BUT COULDNT. I WAS TOURING THE U.S, I COULDA BEEN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD RIGHT THEN BUT THERE I WAS IN AMERICA, IN NYC, IN BROOKLYN, IN BEDSTUY , I WAS TORN BETWEEN SCRAPIN SHOWS IN AMERICA AND MEETING AMERICAN FANS OR SHOOTING IN NYC ON MY ONLY DAY OFF I'D HAD IN 4 MONTHS AND GETTING ON WITH IT.

2, SO THAT WAS THAT! I NEVER MADE A VIDEO IN AMERICA AND HEY ITS STILL A PART OF WHAT I DO AND SAY, ITS WAS STILL VALID, SO I WAS READY TO ROLL WITH IT.

3, YOU ALL KNOW HOW THE SONG SOUNDS, THATS WHY WHEN U GO ON YOUTUBE 400, 000 PEOPLE WOULD RATHER LISTEN THE SONG AS IT IS AND STARE AT SOME PICTURE THEN TO ACTUALLY WATCH A VIDEO

4, WHEN LETTERMAN CENSORD ME IT WAS WAC OF COURSE!!!!!! , AND YES I FELT SOOOOOO BAD FOR WHAT THEY DID TO MY SOUND. I WAS ABEL TO SOUND CHECK FOR THAT SHOW AND THEY LET ME SOUND CHECK FINE, THEN ON THE ACTUAL TAPING MY SOUND WAS SOOO DIFFERENT FROM WHAT ID AGREED, AS SOON AS I OPENED MY MOUTH THE DIFFERENCE BLEW ME AWAY, I FELT I WAS GETTING BULLIED ON NATIONAL TELEVISON, AND I COULDNT EVEN REACH OUT TO MY LABELS OR MY MANAGEMENT TO HELP, SINCE THEY ARE NEW TO WHAT HAPPENS TO AN ARTIST LIKE ME IN MAINSTEAM AMERICAN CULTURE.


SO THEY TRIED TO SHUT ME DOWN AGAIN. I MADE THE PAPER PLANES VIDEO. I MADE IT HOW THEY WANTED. NO VIOLENCE. AMBIGUOUS. MTV - FRIENDLY. NOW TODAY, I CHECK YOUTUBE AND SEE THE LEAKED MTV PAPER PLANES VIDEO UP FOR THE FIRST TIME. I CLICKED ON IT AND OUT COMES THIS FUCKED UP MESS WITH DOUBLE-TRACKED BULLSHIT MESS

WHO THE THE FUCK IS DOING THIS TO ME?????

THE VIDEO WAS SABOTAGED FOR WHATEVER REASON AND IM DISAPPOINTED THAT MTV HAS HAD SUCH A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS. THE BLOGGERS WHO ARE LAZY ENOUGH TO FOLLOW THE MTV LINK AND POST UP AND COMMENT ON THE SOUND WHEN THAT HASNT BEEN COMPROMISED AND THE GUNSHOT ARENT REPLACED AND EDITED MAKES ME SAD. I DID FIGHT FOR THE SOUND , BECAUSE PUTTING MEANINGS IN YOUR VIDEOS, IN MY OPINION IS A DYING ART. I CAN FILM MY SELF ANYWHERE ANYTIME AND LET YOU KNOW THE TRUTH , BUT THE SONG IS WHAT I WANTED TO PRESERVE IN THIS CASE.

TO ALL MY FANS, LOOK, ITS LIKE THIS,
IM LEARNING THINGS ABOUT THIS WORLD WITH YOU, I WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME , I WANT YOU TO SEE HOW PEOPLE WILL SIT AND SPEND ALL SUNDAY TEARIN ME DOWN FOR SOMETHING I DIDNT EVEN MAKE OR PUT OUT, SO PEOPLE WELCOME TO MODERN DAY PROPAGANDA MESSAGE MANGLING.

IN 2007, AN OUTSIDER OPINION WILL BE CONFRONTED THIS WAY , AND THIS IS HOW THE BATTLE GOES, MY MESSAGES AND IDEAS AND MEANING WILL ALWAYS BE BROUGHT TO YOU WITH SLIGHTLY TAINTED CHANNELS. IF YOU SUPPORT ME BE SMART, AND KNOW THAT.

I LOVE YOU, U KEEP ME GOING.
XXXXXX
MAYA

HERE IS THE REAL AMERICAN VERSION WITH GUN SHOTS!



THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN "APPROVED CENSORD VERSION" OF PAPER PLANES!

Whatever you think of her politics and her music, you can't deny that the girl is raw as hell and is not afraid to speak her mind. In attempting to tailor her video to meet FCC standards, MTV has drawn more attention to a much more important issue.

The problem with such a blanket censorship policy is that no room is left for parody or any commentary to take place on real life issues. Whether or not MTV wants you to hear gunshots in your music, the truth is that violence is a real issue in our world. Just turn on the evening news. Nevermind the explosions-as-entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer/50 Cent type of violence, we live in a worldwide war zone, divided by religion, politics and money. M.I.A. addresses these issues in a way that is confrontational and makes some uncomfortable. But like a true revolutionary, she raises awareness of the issues and may have sparked the conversation that leads to change.

Download: Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

Year in Review : Top 10 Albums

I was tortured by making this list, changing it around daily for the past two weeks. I even considered just throwing out ten albums with no numbers, but that takes all of the fun out of a list. So here it goes, not a perfect list by any means but 10 albums that are definitely worth picking up.

Kid Che sez:
t1. Radiohead - In Rainbows
t1. Antibalas - Security
3. Pharoahe Monch - Desire
4. J Dilla (Jay Dee) - Ruff Draft
5. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
6. M.I.A. - Kala
7. Blockhead - Uncle Tony's Coloring Book
8. The Heliocentrics - Out There
9. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
10. Talib Kweli & Madlib - Liberation

HM: Manu Chao, Blu & Exile, Koop, Mark Ronson, Little Brother, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

Like Ringo said, I got a little help from my friends hoping that their lists would help with some variety or a consensus.

Eclectic Extraordinaire Diana W sez:
1. Radiohead - In Rainbows
2. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
3. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
4. Gui Boratto - Chromophobia
5. Blu and Exile - Below the Heavens
6. The Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
7. Trentemoller - the Last Resort
8. Brother Ali - the Undisputed Truth
9. Datarock - Datarock Datarock
10. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Slap Johnson sez:
1. Radiohead - In Rainbows
2. Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
4. M.I.A. - Kala
5. Pharoahe Monch - Desire
6. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
7. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
8. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
9. Feist - The Reminder
10. The National - Boxer

Furious George sez:
1. Tegan and Sara - The Con
2. Justice - Cross
3. Blonde Redhead - 23
4. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
5. Menomena - Friend or Foe
6. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
7. !!! - Myth Takes
8. Radiohead - In Rainbows
9. Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things
t10. Metric - Grow Up and Blow Away
t10. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Some interesting patterns did emerge. Radiohead killed it in 2007. Arcade Fire, M.I.A., Sharon Jones and LCD Soundsystem got some major love. While Kanye West, Justice and Amy Winehouse did not quite get the love that I expected. Blu & Exile and Pharoahe Monch are severely slept on by most mainstream critics. And no one else thought Antibalas dropped one of the best albums of the year? Really?

Download: The Beatles - With a Little Help From My Friends

Broken Glass Everywhere ...

Welcome Home LA, a public art project initiated by USC students, uses LED lights to create windows along the bleak streets of Skid Row.

"We want to utilize public art and the reproduction and documentation of public art to bring attention to marginalized urban space," the Welcome Home LA website explains. "These images, which allude to homes, human presence, security and comfort, will be juxtaposed with the urban spaces and bring attention to the lack of all of these qualities in these spaces. The symbol of windows also alludes to research which reveals that areas with a high crime rate have more broken windows."



Photo: taken from the Welcome Home LA website

Download: Mick Boogie & Busta Rhymes (feat. Q-Tip & Talib Kweli) - Lightworks