Senator Obama on Hip Hop

"Hip hop is not just a mirror of what is, it should also be a reflection of what can be." - Barack Obama

More Fuckery : PoliTricks & Wiretaps

Eliot Spitzer, hit hard by allegations of patronizing a high-end prostitution ring, formally resigned as Governor of New York. The controversial story broke on Monday that Spitzer spent up to $80,000 over the past few years on prostitutes.

Interestingly, Spitzer was caught on a wiretap making arrangements to meet the prostitute. Apparently, the feds originally tapped Spitzer's phone calls and text messages thinking that Spitzer was tied to a blackmail scheme or to organized crime.

On a somewhat related note, The Wire wrapped up its fifth and final season on Sunday night. For those of you that have been keeping up, the overarching theme of this season was the relationship between the streets and the media. Series creator David Simon said that he wanted to show the sensationalism that runs deep in journalism and how the news media does not write about any of the stuff that actually matters.

While we're focused on the scandalous, what are we not talking about ... the plight of sex workers in this country, the special interest groups that benefit from Spitzer's removal from office (the Dow jumped a record high yesterday), attorney general Michael Mukasey's role in this case, Rudy Guiliani's potential play for New York governor.

I'm not saying that Eliot Spitzer should not be subject to criticism, $2500 for some head is just fucking stupid. But seriously people, do you give a rat's ass that the governor was spending money to get his jollies off?



If you love The Wire (like I do) check these two David Simon interviews, but only if you've watched the fifth season, there are some spoilers:

What's Alan Watching

Salon Interview

Arcade Fire Rocks for Barack

I spent Sunday afternoon making phone calls supporting Barack Obama and reminding people to get out and vote in Tuesday's potentially decisive primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The Arcade Fire spent their weekend in Ohio supporting Senator Obama's campaign as well, playing free shows supporting the Hopemonger (thanks Raheim Drinkwater) at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville last night and at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland tonight (March 3). Ahhhh ... celebrity gone right.

Vocalist, songwriter and overall bad mamma jamma Win Butler had this to say after watching Hillary's victory speech in New Hampshire:

I am watching Hillary Clinton in her victory speech in new Hampshire...they just threw a bunch of college kids behind her, and had her talk about student loans, and had her daughter come out for a long awkward hug...does anyone actually buy it? Surely young people are too media savvy to be fooled by this kind of shit.
do we live in a democracy so we can just keep electing the same families?
Barack is the first candidate in my lifetime to strip some of this bullshit away, and I just hope we don't blow this chance.
man if we miss this opportunity we don't deserve it...how bad does it have to get?

fuck!!!!!!!!!

Here's a live performance of "Wake Up" with David Bowie - probably my favorite Arcade Fire song and especially relevant today.

?uestlove Interprets Gnarls Barkley

I'm loving ?uestlove's unofficial video for "Who's Gonna Save My Soul Now," the second single off of Gnarls Barkley's upcoming album The Odd Couple. Stupid is what stupid does indeed:



In case you missed it, check the video for "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)" by The Roots and directed by Ric Cordero.



The Roots, Gnarls Barkley and Portishead (!!!) all set to release new albums this April. Good music doesn't die, it multiplies.