In honor of his upcoming album Finding Forever, I'll be upping Common-exclusive Sample & Example posts 'til the release date July 31st (day before my b-day) ;-D
To the right of each candidate I gave a number of points (given out pretty liberally, no pun intended) as well as a "grade". Don't analyze my process too deeply. ;-D
Note: Keep in mind my scoring was kept as unbiased as possible (I'm endorsing Obama, and as you'll soon see, he didn't do as well as I had hoped).
Race in the 21st Century: Hillary Clinton /// B+ (“footsoldiers to the revolution”? wow!) Joe Biden // B Bill Richardson / B- John Edwards //// B+ Barack Obama /// B+ Dennis Kucinich ///// A- Mike Gravel /// B Chris Dodd /// B+
Winner: Dennis Kucinich
Poverty in America/Education: Joe Biden // B Bill Richardson //// A- (“how you gonna pay for (education)? No one asks how we’re gonna pay for the war?”) John Edwards //// A- Barack Obama ///// A Dennis Kucinich //// A- Mike Gravel /// B+ (this guy’s angry!) Chris Dodd /// B+ Hillary Clinton //// A-
Winner: Barack Obama
AIDS & Teens/AIDS Epidemic: Bill Richardson //// B- John Edwards ///// A- Barack Obama //// B (+ Bonus towards Biden comment) Dennis Kucinich //// B+ Mike Gravel /// B+ Chris Dodd /// B (+ Bonus) Hillary Clinton ///// A- Joe Biden /// A- (was that an Obama diss?)
Winners: Edwards & Clinton
Economic Disparity: John Edwards /// B+ Barack Obama /// B+ Dennis Kucinich /// B Mike Gravel // B (WTF?) Chris Dodd /// B Hillary Clinton // B Joe Biden // B Bill Richardson // B
Winners: Edwards & Obama
Crime & Punishment: Barack Obama // B Dennis Kucinich //// A Mike Gravel // B+ (WTF!?!?) Chris Dodd /// B Hillary Clinton /// B+ Joe Biden / B- Bill Richardson // B- John Edwards // B+
Winners: Clinton & Edwards
Katrina – Right to Return: Dennis Kucinich //// A- Mike Gravel / C+ Chris Dodd // B- Hillary Clinton /// B+ Joe Biden // B+ Bill Richardson // B John Edwards /// A- Barack Obama // B+
Winners: Kucinich & Edwards
Outsourcing Jobs: Mike Gravel C- (this guy’s crazy) Chris Dodd // B- Hillary Clinton /// B Joe Biden C Bill Richardson // B- John Edwards /// B+ Barack Obama // B Dennis Kucinich /// A-
Winner: Kucinich & Edwards
Crisis in Darfur: Chris Dodd // B- Hillary Clinton // B+ Joe Biden /// B+ Bill Richardson //// B+ John Edwards /// B Barack Obama // B Dennis Kucinich /// A+ Mike Gravel / C (needs to stop actin’ like such a bitch)
Winner: Kucinich
Total Points/Average Grade Recap: Dennis Kucinich: 30 A- John Edwards: 27 B+/A- Hillary Clinton: 25 B+ Barack Obama: 23 B+/B Bill Richardson: 21 B/B- Chris Dodd: 21 B/B- Joe Biden: 15 B Mike Gravel: 15 B-/B
Katie Allen, media business correspondent Friday June 29, 2007 The Guardian
The eagerly awaited new album by Prince is being launched as a free CD with a national Sunday newspaper in a move that has drawn widespread criticism from music retailers.
The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that the 10-track Planet Earth CD will be available with an "imminent" edition, making it the first place in the world to get the album. Planet Earth will go on sale on July 24.
"It's all about giving music for the masses and he believes in spreading the music he produces to as many people as possible," said Mail on Sunday managing director Stephen Miron. "This is the biggest innovation in newspaper promotions in recent times."
The paper, which sells more than 2m copies a week, will be ramping up its print run in anticipation of a huge spike in circulation but would not reveal how much the deal with Prince would cost.
One music store executive described the plan as "madness" while others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fierce competition from supermarkets and online stores. Prince's label has cut its ties with the album in the UK to try to appease music stores.
The Entertainment Retailers Association said the giveaway "beggars belief". "It would be an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," ERA co-chairman Paul Quirk told a music conference. "It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music.
"The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behaviour like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores. And I say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally with the Mail on Sunday."
High street music giant HMV was similarly scathing about the plans. Speaking before rumours of a giveaway were confirmed, HMV chief executive Simon Fox said: "I think it would be absolutely nuts. I can't believe the music industry would do it to itself. I simply can't believe it would happen; it would be absolute madness."
Prince, whose Purple Rain sold more than 11m copies, also plans to give away a free copy of his latest album with tickets for his forthcoming concerts in London. The singer had signed a global deal for the promotion and distribution of Planet Earth in partnership with Columbia Records, a division of music company Sony BMG. A spokesman for the group said last night that the UK arm of Sony BMG had withdrawn from Prince's global deal and would not distribute the album to UK stores.
Big ups to Prince for pleasing his fans and ensuring that they won't have to be suckered in by the music industry's bloated sales prices, i.e. the root of their downfall. Capitalism has ruined popular music, no doubt it... On to the cover of Prince's album, if you ask me, it looks like Prince is about to do something dirty to our planet. ;-D
About forty minutes into Sicko, Michael Moore's excellent, frustrating new documentary about the American healthcare industry, Ronald Reagan makes his first and only appearance. It's surprising, if only because, unlike in his previous film Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore focuses relatively little attention on the villains in his story, choosing instead simply to allow their victims to tell their tales. It's a montage of hard luck and innocence. But after introducing us to the horror stories all too typical among even the 250 million Americans fortunate enough to have health insurance, Moore takes a few moments for a brief history lesson. How, he asks, did we get here? And it's in this time warp that we encounter the Gipper. This is not Gipper the Governor or Gipper the President or even Gipper the B-list actor. This is Gipper, silver-tongued shill for the interests of capital.
It's a little-studied chapter of Reagan's career, but perhaps the most formative. As chronicled in Thomas Evans's The Education of Ronald Reagan: The General Electric Years and the Untold Story of His Conversion to Conservatism, Reagan was employed by GE first as a spokesman and later as a kind of employer-to-employee ambassador. With management facing a restive labor force, an obscure PR guru named Lemuel Boulware hatched the idea of using the emerging techniques of public relations to turn factory-line workers against their own unions. Reagan would be the vessel for this message, and it was in the hours he spent propagandizing the working class about the benefits of free markets that he forged the distinctive Reagan appeal: hard-right economics delivered in the sunny cadence of an amiable uncle.
So as momentum for national, universal healthcare built during the Truman Administration, foes such as the American Medical Association sought to build grassroots opposition. In an ingenious stroke, as Moore reports in Sicko, it organized thousands of coffee klatches across the country where suburban housewives could sip coffee, gossip and listen to a special recorded message about the evils of socialized medicine, a message delivered by the one and only Ronald Reagan.
WASHINGTON - President Bush, moving toward a constitutional showdown with Congress, asserted executive privilege Thursday and rejected lawmakers' demands for documents that could shed light on the firings of federal prosecutors.
Bush's attorney told Congress the White House would not turn over subpoenaed documents for former presidential counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor. Congressional panels want the documents for their investigations of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' stewardship of the Justice Department, including complaints of undue political influence.
The Democratic chairmen of the two committees seeking the documents accused Bush of stonewalling and disdain for the law, and said they would press forward with enforcing the subpoenas.
"With respect, it is with much regret that we are forced down this unfortunate path which we sought to avoid by finding grounds for mutual accommodation," White House counsel Fred Fielding said in a letter to the chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. "We had hoped this matter could conclude with your committees receiving information in lieu of having to invoke executive privilege. Instead, we are at this conclusion."
Thursday was the deadline for surrendering the documents. The White House also made clear that Miers and Taylor would not testify next month, as directed by the subpoenas, which were issued June 13. The stalemate could end up with House and Senate contempt citations and a battle in federal court over separation of powers.
"Increasingly, the president and vice president feel they are above the law," said Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. He portrayed the president's actions as "Nixonian stonewalling."
His House counterpart, Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., said Bush's assertion of executive privilege was "unprecedented in its breadth and scope" and displayed "an appalling disregard for the right of the people to know what is going on in their government."
In his letter, Fielding said Bush had "attempted to chart a course of cooperation" by releasing more than 8,500 pages of documents and sending Gonzales and other senior officials to testify before Congress. The White House also had offered a compromise in which Miers, Taylor, White House political strategist Karl Rove and their deputies would be interviewed by Judiciary Committee aides in closed-door sessions, without transcripts.
Leahy and Conyers rejected that offer. Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said the Democrats should have accepted it.
"We would be much farther ahead in finding out whether there's any real impropriety here or not," said Hatch, a former chairman of the committee. He also said presidents have legitimate reasons to protect the confidentiality of the advice they get.
In his letter, Fielding explained Bush's position on executive privilege this way: "For the President to perform his constitutional duties, it is imperative that he receive candid and unfettered advice and that free and open discussions and deliberations occur among his advisors and between those advisors and others within and outside the Executive Branch."
This "bedrock presidential prerogative" exists, in part, to protect the president from being compelled to disclose such communications to Congress, Fielding argued. And he questioned whether the documents and testimony the committees seeking are critically important to their investigations.
It was the second time in his administration that Bush has exerted executive privilege, said White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto. The first instance was in December, 2001, to rebuff Congress' demands for Clinton administration documents.
Tensions between the administration and the Democratic-run Congress have been building for months as the House and Senate Judiciary panels have sought to probe the firings of eight federal prosecutors and the administration's program of warrantless eavesdropping. The investigations are part of the Democrats' efforts to hold the administration to account for the way it has conducted the war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Democrats say the firings of the prosecutors over the winter was an example of improper political influence. The White House says U.S. attorneys are political appointees who can be hired and fired for almost any reason.
Democrats and even some key Republicans have said that Gonzales should resign over the U.S. attorney dismissals, but he has steadfastly held his ground and Bush has backed him.
Just Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office, demanding documents pertaining to terrorism-era warrant-free eavesdropping. "It's an outrageous request," White House press secretary Tony Snow said.
"It's pretty clear that again members of Congress are engaged in an attempt ... to try to do what they can to make life more difficult for the White House," Snow said. "It also explains why this is the least popular Congress in decades, because you do have what appears to be a strategy of destruction rather than cooperation."
Separately, the Senate Judiciary Committee also is summoning Gonzales to discuss the program and an array of other matters — including the prosecutor firings — that have cost a half-dozen top Justice Department officials their jobs.
The Judiciary panels also subpoenaed the National Security Council. Leahy said that, like Conyers, he would consider pursuing contempt citations against those who refuse.
___
Associated Press Writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this story.
In honor of his upcoming album Finding Forever, I'll be upping Common-exclusive Sample & Example posts 'til the release date July 31st (day before my b-day) ;-D
Track-by-track review of T.I.'s 2007 release 'T.I. vs T.I.P.'
1. Act I (T.I.P.) - As I always say, an appropriate intro track is an excellent way to kick off an album (I'm not a big fan of hip-hop albums beginning with a full song, particularly a single). This one's pretty good and seems fitting for the rest of the album. The track discusses the tactics of the music industry and the difficulties artists are put through. Highlight of the track: a trash-talking Lyor Cohen impersonato. 3.5/5
2. Big Shit Poppin' - It's got the same swagger and swing present in previous bangers like 'What You Know' and 'U Don't Know', yet lacks the same energy. Unlike his previous neck-breakers, this one's more of a laid-back head-bopper. 3/5
3. Raw - Produced by Lil' C (a fellow 19-year-old) a Grand Hustle member/beat maker, this track features both decent board-skills and lyrical delivery. Still though, the beat doesn't really seem to accompany T.I.'s flow and style too well. 2.5/5
4. You Know What It Is(featuring Wyclef Jean) - Another head-bopper featuring the Caribbean influence(s) of emcee and producer Wyclef Jean, this smart single choice is pretty hot. Another non-typical T.I. track though, this one might alienate the crunksters. 3.5/5
5. Da Dopeman - This one samples N.W.A.'s 'Dopeman (Remix)' in which Ice Cube spits: "From a ki' to a G, it's all about money." Featuring production by Mannie Fresh, this one's got the Southern fried touch we've been waiting for with a moderately reflective feel and perspective. While this one's a single-worthy track, it's still lacks the amped up feel of previous T.I. hits. 5 tracks down and no bangers... 3.5/5
6. Watch What You Say to Me (featuring Jay-Z) - Everything goes wrong for T.I. on this one. For starters, his overly-shoddy chorus is infuriatingly annoying "betta wha whuh chu seh ta meh..." If that wasn't bad enough, his two verses are dwarfed by Jay-Z middle verse presence. While Hov's verse is nearly-perfect (receiving a 4.5/5 from me) with plenty of subliminal dissage to be analyzed and dissected. T.I.P.'s inability to hold his own on this track further brings down it's rating as it would have at least been a decent 2.5 or 3 star track without Jay's verse. 2/5
7. Hurt (featuring Alfa Mega & Busta Rhymes) - Produced by Timbo's ghost-producer Danja, this drum-heavy beat definitely knocks! With a (finally) energetic flow, T.I. rides the beat well. The verses provided by Alfa Mega (who?) and Bussa Buss (hype-man emcee extraordinaire) compliment the feel of the track. This one's definitely single-worthy. 4/5
8. Act II (T.I.) - A parallel to Act I (track 1), this song speaks from the perspective of T.I., the hungry up-and-coming emcee. While the rest of the album doesn't seem to share anything in common with this 'opposing forces'/'two sides of a story' theme, it's still an interesting attempt. 3.5/5
9. Help is Coming - I'll admit: at first this Just Blaze production made me raise my eyebrows in confusion as if to say: "WTF is Justin doing?" A futuristic, synth-heavy track, this one didn't seem too appealing to me, especially since I didn't feel Tip would sound good on it. Giving it a few extra spins, I kinda got it. For one, it picks up on the lack of energy on the first half of the album. T.I. flows viciously with rhymes full of braggadocio and swag. 3.5/5
10. My Swag (featuring Wyclef Jean) - Another Wyclef track, this one's kinda got an 80's feel (Toto comes to mind) as I can imagine Tony Montana and Manolo bumpin' this one in their convertible. While it's a pretty catchy track, it's nothing ground-breaking. 3.5/5
11. We Do This - Now I love The Runners, but WTF is this? I'm not feeling this one at all! The urgency in the beat is felt on the chorus, but not on the verses: weak (not to mention T.I.'s lyrics). 2/5
12. Show It To Me (featuring Nelly) - Now this is what I'm talking about! A certified club-banger (give it a month or two), this one's kind of like a slowed down clone to Jigga's "Show Me What You Got" (even has a similar title...go figure). The horns sound great (reminding me a bit of Big Boi's "I Like the Way You Move") as T.I. & Nelly drop that typical pimp-talk. 4/5
13. Don't You Wanna Be High - Okay, The Runners redeem themselves on this soulful magic-carpet-ride of a track. Another possible club track, T.I. spits with sincerity and swagger over pleasant horns, claps and a smooth bass line. A great track! 4/5
14. Touchdown (featuring Eminem) - Just when you thought Marshall Mathers' bland streak of post-'Eminem Show' tracks would start slowing down comes this one... Now I know Eminem is originally from Missouri. Still, it doesn't warrant this pseudo-Southern drawl. Even T.I. kinda overdoes it as well. In all sincerity, both Em & Tip sound like they're sedated on this one. 1.5/5
15. Act III (T.I. vs T.I.P.) - T.I.P. confronts T.I. (aka Mr. Hollywood) on this final act. While I could appreciate the previous two acts in which each side was represented, this one has a different effect. On Act III, T.I.P. & T.I. go back and forth insulting each other. So basically what we've got here is a diss track: a self-diss track. T.I.P. proceeds to call his opponent a "fake-ass-n***a" while T.I. responds with "I'm done talking with you man...fuck it." As a listener, I'm thinking: "who should I be rooting for?" 2/5
16. Tell 'Em I Said That - Danja's muffled drums and frenzied details make their return on this track as T.I. rips haters and suckers. "You n****s ain't cool...you n****s ain't true...you n****s ain't G...you n****s ain't rich...you n****s ain't sh*t." The typical "I made it, so now my homies ain't sh*t" track, this one has an interesting effect as once again, he's dissing himself. Maybe I'm mistaken, but it comes off as if T.I. is shunning his upbringing and where he comes from on this track. Now who's the "n***a" that "ain't true"? 3/5
17. Respect This Hustle - The title speaks for itself: just another stereotypical track. Unfrotunately, it's not a "good" stereotypical track as the chorus consists of T.I. chanting "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." Odds are, Aretha Franklin is out there somewhere calling her lawyer. 2.5/5
18. My Type - Another stereotypical rap track often found at the ends of albums. This one consists of such topics as: "I'm the last of a dying breed...", "I sacrificed for...", "If I die tonight..." (cough, Tupac, cough), "Just remember me...", "Reminiscing about dead homies...", "Momma...". T.I.'s most heartfelt track, this closes out the album well (enough). 3.5/5
Comments: All in all, this has to be T.I.'s worst album to date. With no hype-making single out (yet at least), this one will almost certainly fail to rise above previous albums Urban Legend or KING. With that being said, I better not hear any whining from Tip come next year when he doesn't win the Grammy for Best Rap Album....
^ took me a 'lil while to make...I call it 'MC Kombat' ;-D
The premise: pick two emcees who have never rhymed together on the same track (remixes and blends do not count). The trick is to think of a pair of emcees that would compliment each other well in the booth. I came up with a quick ten:
1: Lupe Fiasco & Common I'm surprised they (still) haven't done anything yet. Only time will tell, as these two planets are bound to collide.
2: Joe Budden & Nas Current labelmates, it'd be great to see these emcees cypher up. Both emcees possess lyrical dexterity and for the most part have a shared "scene" of fans for which to please, myself included.
3: Guilty Simpson & Beanie Sigel Two laid back cats with menacing voices and a dominant presence, this would be a great duo for just about any kind of song, soulful or heavy.
4: Planet Asia & Sly Boogy Two of Cali's finest, to my knowledge the two have never collabed (I'd like to be proven wrong). There's nothing much to say about this pair, as each one is considered a staple in underground hip-hop out here on the West.
5: GZA & Talib Kweli Two of Brooklyn's finest and brightest emcees, GZA (known as "The Genius) and Talib Kweli (which means "student of truth") are bound to swap verses one day. Ah, one day...
6: Ras Kass & Immortal Technique A pair of emcees that are just as street-oriented as they are conscious, Kass-Tech would murder just about any track thrown their way.
7: Brother Ali & Krondon At first glance, sure, this one's just for laughs, but when it comes down to it, both of these cats can spit: serious! Hip-hop's reigning albinos, Ali & 'don WILL work together one day! (please)
8: Xzibit & DMX Another first-glancer that seems simple: "Oh, they both have an 'X' in their name." It's more than that. Both emcees epitomize ear-friendly hardcore hip-hop and would be compliment each other well with their strong studio presence. Can I get a Dos Equis?
9: Jay-Z & Guru (mandatory: DJ Premier on the boards) This one's a no-brainer. Jay-Z, heralded by most as the greatest emcee of all time, alongside Guru, one of the most underrated as well as influential emcees of all time. The pair's varied flows would compliment each other quite well, in my opinion. Add Premo to the mix and it's a rap!
10: Eminem & Nas "Eminem murdered you on your own track!" The words of Nas towards Jay-Z in regards to Hov and Em's collabo "Renagade" from The Blueprint album. A friend once told me he thought Nas would never collab with Eminem simply for the fear that his words might bite him back. Who cares!?!? I wanna see and hear these two in the booth! PLEASE!
Comments and suggestions are welcomed! Also, feel free to leave some of your own "what ifs"!
In honor of his upcoming album Finding Forever, I'll be upping Common-exclusive Sample & Example posts 'til the release date July 31st (day before my b-day) ;-D
In case you haven't caught on to the buzz by now, here's the original clip from Japanese television:
With a 'Snakes on a Plane'-like nature, inevitably, crazy internet fad-freaks (myself included if I knew how to do video editing) would have some fun. Enjoy:
