Nineteen Ninety Never

One of the reasons I think that The Firm might be one of my all time favorite albums is this song, Phone Tap.

While a lot of rappers like to casually drop rhymes about how they be textin’ they honeys and gettin’ pages from they boyz, The Firm knows that the reality is that anyone can be listening into these conversations.

This track is basically a phone conversation between what sounds like two drug dealers, and the listener is able to hear both their conversation the radio traffic of the  authorities tapping their phones.

With lines like “I hit you right back because the static is thick” they constantly remind you that they’re on cell phones, talk of their kids is interspersed with the chorus letting you know that their phones are tapped. The whole thing sends chills down my spine, and this feeling is reinforced further with foreshadowing when one of the guys on the phones tells the other that it is “all good” but that he shouldn’t use the phone tomorrow.

Truly a track ahead of its time.

The Firm - Phone Tap

Image above from a movie poster for the classic Hackman flick The Conversation. Watch it to see Harrison Ford’s greatest role ever.

In order: my desk at the school where I worked (note the bottle of Pocari Sweat), a typical school lunch (bagged udon, processed squid-rolls, milk) and a bizarre building in my neighbourhood in Okegawa (Saitama Prefecture, just outside of Tokyo).

Just take a second and look at that last picture: what the hell is that structure on top of the building with the stairs leading to it? It can’t be an elevator mechanical room -that building is only a few stories tall, and I don’t think it had an elevator. Did someone live up there? If so, awesome apartment.

Anyways, here are some more sugary-sweet J-tunes from Pizzicato Five. I don’t actually think they are all that popular in Japan, but have a listen anyways.

Pizzicato Five - Nonstop To Tokyo

Pizzicato Five - It’s A Beautiful Day

And as a bonus:

SUITE CHIC - Good Life feat. FirstKlas

You gotta respect the amount of neon green on Pizzicato Five’s Myspace page

I just copped this new K-Os track from Claudio’s new blog. As he says, it is indeed looking for a remix and I’m sure will pop up before the album comes out.

K-Os - Zambony

Anyways, since K-Os is from the T-dot and we’re getting weather in the minus thirties today enjoy this track and the this icy picture of Toronto that I took and be glad you aren’t here.

East of LA has another K-Os track from the new album here.

You just have to listen to this absolute banger, straight outta the ghettos of Switzerland, from a group of guys calling themselves Subdelux.

Subdelux - Paparazzi (the video for it isn’t too bad either)

Also, just because 199x loves the Disco Villains right now, here’s their little treatment of N*E*R*D’s Rock Star. I thought it went well with the Subdelux track. You know, thematically.

N*E*R*D - Rock Star (Disco Villains)

Subdelux on MySpace

Discovillains on MySpace

Let’s all celebrate the end of 2008 with some club-banging remixes courtesy of the Disco Villains.

50 Cent - In Da Club (Disco Villains Remix)

Ludacris- Move Bitch (Disco Villains Remix)

Word is that back in the day the CIA distributed a booklet to Nicaraguan citizens about how to upset the government. You can check it out here, or look at some pictures from it below.

These totally make me want to start bringing a dry, compressed sponge to parties.

I also like the idea that a government can be toppled with false hotel reservations.

On a related note, Taliesin is distributing a pretty wicked mix that I’m sure will upset someone. (I guess he’s part of Dutty Artz, whatever that means). Full track list is below.

Taliesin mix

NGUZUNGUZU - HATE2WAIT (Kingdom Refix)
“?????” - Kubo Remix
Dev79 - In Ya Face
CardoPusher - Low End Legacy
Vybz Kartel - Empire Army
Dead Prez - Politrikkks
Wisp - Whisper
Thark - Apatia
BD-1982 - Seeing Orange
Connor- Belles
Aleister Crowley - Gnostic Mass
Duran Duran Duran - Unholy Dracula Vagina Alien
Flying Lo - RobertaFlack (feat. Dolly)
David Banner - Shawty Say (feat. Weezy)
Saigon - Come on Baby (Inst.)Bi
Mali - Pale Twop
Shit Mat - Big Ben’s Big Remix
Jahdan Blakkamoore - Bus it Pon Dem
Small Professor - Kelis

I added that picture of BJ Penn turning Joe Stevenson into a murder scene because The Persian Prince sent me a couple of tracks and wrote me an email about MMA last week:

“Remember when we used to spend an inordinate amount of time watching big knockouts? Perhaps the most satisfying of which was watching over-rated Kimbo Slice getting his ass handed to him in 14 seconds from a washed up ex-UFC fighter. Not sure whether he loves big knockouts as much as us, but Praverb references the aforementioned KO in this new track, “Blessed with the Gift”, produced by Teddy Roxpin.

I don’t much care for Kanye the rapper (let alone Kanye the robo-voice singer)….but Kanye the producer?  Pretty much never misses.  Case in point: the new Jay-Z track with the fantastic Santogold sample.”

Praverb - Blessed with the Gift

Jay-Z - Brooklyn Go Hard

I love Penn because he’s from HI, and I’m stoked to see him and GSP go at it in January.

I didn’t know what Body Rollin’ was until I saw this video, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.

This new Crookers vid also has some good body-rollin’ action

Thanks to First Up and Trash Menagerie for the vids.

From the photocopy room to the server room, this shiznit is taking over.

Check out more white collar beats here and here.

Check out this wicked vid about Hip-Hop in the former communist East Germany (via Hurt You Bad) then listen to Li’l Kim “put it down in German” by covering Biggie’s Hypnotize with some German fella at her side.

“My first diary notes ‘84: I am really making progress doing the electric boogie.”

You cannot make that shit up. Nor can you make up the name for themselves: Automatic Freaszy Crew. Even they admit that ‘freaszy’ isn’t a word.

Expect to see it a lot in upcoming posts from 199X.

Lil Kim (TOMEKK and Trooper) - KIMNOTYZE