Ok, so maybe we all spoke too soon regarding Adam Lambert’s cover art because SWEET MERCIFUL CHRIST LOOK AT CHRIS BROWN’S! It’s not enough, apparently, to suit up in second-skin Matrix cast-offs, just add a few wacky colorful creatures (haters?) in the corner to let us know that, in your heart of hearts, you are still a fun-loving kid. Is that what this is, Chris Brown? No, seriously, explain the extraneous cartoon fucks. Do they live in your head? Should we expect a duet with MC Skat Cat?
A little something for everyone this week…
With The NovaJava Blend, my goal is to complete a ton of unfinished blends on my hard drive and deliver them to you on a (fairly) weekly basis. They will cover a range of sounds and approaches-R&B/Soul, House, Hip-Hop, Pop, commercial, underground, new, old, fresh and forgotten. There will be occasions when a blend is anchored by something brand new, but the goal of the project isn’t indiscriminately dropping new shit for GP. Enjoy, and feel free to send suggestions and tracks to novaslim@gmail.com.
NOVAJAVABLEND #4 [10.29.09] (subscribe)
Every now and then someone will ever so gently remind me that I have tastemaking duties to uphold, since when I’m not bagging on rappers I actually listen to–and even often buy–music. With that in mind, I’ve decided that I’ll regularly point you to 9 joints that have the full support of my iPod, starting with
1. Diamond District: “Something For Y’all”
In The Ruff easily merks higher profile rap releases in 2009, and I’m not just saying that because Diamond District hails from DC like Yours Truly. No no no. Some bad Hip-Hop has come out of DC and will continue to, but there’s also a contingent of acts that actually know what they’re doing and consistently produce quality shit, namely those of the Low Budget crew. Kev Brown, who never fails to rep DC with his cadence and jargon, produces and guests on “Something For Ya’ll”, a new track off the official release of In The Ruff. It’s the perfect bonus track to what was already a refreshing release.
Let me first start off by saying I do not watch American Idol, ever. But I do know who Adam Lambert is and how everyone wanted him to win and the shitstorm that ensued when he did not. He was recently featured heteroing it up for the cover of Details (the meta-irony in that is so tremendous the universe has yet to recover) in advance of his album debut For Your Entertainment. Now would you look at this album cover! A commenter over at Idolator so keenly observed “Looks like the folks who used to design covers for No Limit Records have branched out into emo pop.” Ha! Couldn’t agree more. Jesus. Who approved this hot Jerrica Benton mess?
Imagine being Chris Brown. You have to do quite a bit to endear yourself to the masses all over again, which means lots and lots of special effects. Special effects are good at distracting people, as is Lil’ Wayne. So, it’s fitting that Chris Brown’s new song and video “Transform Ya” employs a motif from one of the loudest, most obnoxious, pandering film franchises in recent memory, movies so visually stunning that you suddenly forget that you have been hoodwinked because of all the pretty colors and sparklies. Such is the trajectory of Chris Brown’s career.