Metal Lungies

Tonight, Diddy makes us sorry we’ve neglected his youtube blogs for a while. He is twittering like crazy, dropping videos of P TwittyTV like clockwork, ML IS NOT GOING TO SLEEP PEOPLE.

TwittyTV Episode 1:

Diddy shows us why he is the hypest dude in the game! You feel like you should be doing aerobics just to get your heart rate up at a proper enough level to watch. We were almost tempted to run out in sub zero weather to grab the ingredients for the OG Diddy, consider our shopping lists updated. But who has Grape Juice AND Lemonade on stock? Nevermind the Ciroc, we have more of that than water or OJ.. combined.

TwittyTV Episode 2:

ADHD tour of Daddy’s House folks! Diddy recording in one studio, Cassie in some booth in another (not feeling the turtleneck), Day 26 in some random office… Aasim quietly sitting in a corner (is that where he has been hiding/being hidden?).. Daddy’s House is madness.

TwittyTV Episode 3:

With mysterious smoke at the start, Diddy talks some more, showing very little signs of fatigue. Goes on to show off gold plated macbook pro, colorful strobe lights going off in the background.

TwittyTV Episode 4:

Diddy pretty much tells you to go to bed..we shouldn’t have IVed those Red Bulls.

TwittyTV Episode 5:

We woke up to this- Diddy testing out whether Popeye or KFC is better. He did recorded this at 6am (while ML gave in and slept).. is that considered breakfast? ML Personally supports Popeyes.. the Kernel has us shook every time we try to get a bucket.

Also here are Diddy’s confessions on Twitter:

1)”The 1st time me heart was broken I was 7.”

2) “I cried when Cochise died in Cooly High )”

ML is honna keep this updated as much as Diddy updates…stay tuned..

As promised, The Brothers Rosenthal get got. Sidebar: Nore needs to release some tapes teaching spanish, I’d buy em. ML x CNN coming oh so soon!

I dug Matisyahu performing live at the Virgin Fesitval a few years back, at the same time, The Dub Trio is a dope band that I’ve been checking for a few years & has collaborated with Mike Patton in the past. With that said, It’s only right that I posted this. Thanks to C Rayz Walz.

More from Co$$. This time around, the Co$$ drops metaphor heavy abstract lyrics over an unobtrusive beat from production team The Knowbodies. Co$$’s album, Before I Awoke comes out this year.

Download: Co$$ – Somersaults

via Up On Thingz

(image source)

L. Boogie shuts down London with the assistance of a live band circa February 14th, 1999. Lauryn remains among my all-time favorite female rappers and undoubtedly the crown jewel on The Fugees’ classic album, The Score. Also, I included the original for you smart dumb cats*.

*still don’t know what that means

Download: Lauryn Hill – Lost Ones (Live in London, ’99)

via All The Way Live

Download: Lauryn Hill – Lost Ones

Bonus: The Fugees Freestyle for Funkmaster Flex, ’96

via GRANDGOOD

Every once a while, something hits the inbox that’s actually good. “Nightlife” plays like a poppy dance track, complete with a catchy repetitive hook, but H.O.P.E.’s flow is dynamic and satisfying.The beat, by Van Clayton & N/A, is two-steppable, but it doesn’t knock hard enough for the clubs. This song is the first single to H.O.P.E.’s upcoming project, Follow the Leader.

Download: H.O.P.E. – Nightlife

(Image Source)

My Favorite DC  story since like.. forever comes via DCist.

The Examiner’s Scott McCabe provides the details in today’s strangest crime story. D.C. police officer Tyrone Hardy was dressed up as the iconic McGruff the Crime Dog on Saturday afternoon, interacting with a group of children at the corner of 14th Street and Spring Road NW, when a Metrobus driver allegedly stopped his bus, got out of the vehicle, walked over to McGruff and punched the mascot in the face. No kidding.

McGruff staggered, children screamed and the crime dog’s attacker jumped back into the bus and drove off, police said. A call of an assault on a police officer went out over the police radio while passengers on the bus yelled at Brim.

The bus driver, 38-year-old Shawn Brim, later said that he was trying “to be funny.” Funny or not, Brim has been charged with simple assault, and Metro, who has employed him since 2003, has placed him under administrative review.

Of note: McCabe also reports that Brim has a history of arrests, though no convictions, including one for prostitution in 2006, possession of PCP in 1994 and possession of a gun in 1990.

How much do you want to bet WMATA will decide to “take a bite out of crime” themselves and give Brim the boot?

What can I say? How can an alleged Crime Dog allow itself to get so disrespected? ML is from now riding out with Smokey the Bear & Sparky the Fire Dog as our role models.

By the way, dear ML reader, thank me for not making a Baha Men reference.

“Guess Who’s Back” is a 1997 single by Rakim from his ’97 solo debut The 18th Letter. Clark Kent produces the beat, employing hard, stilted drums  combined with a slowed-down keyboard loop from Bob James’ “Shamboozie”. Kent scratches Chuck D from “Bring The Noise” and Rakim for the intro to set the mood:

[Chuck D]: Back once again, it’s the incredible/[Rakim]: Rakim Allah

“Guess Who’s Back” also received a strange music video, featuring Rakim doing some poor acting in a orange robe.

DITC producer Buckwild remixed “Guess Who’s Back” for a 12′ of remixes of the track. Buck starts the remix with a slowed-down scratch of the same Chuck D sample from the OG, then lets the beat drop. Buck’s remix captures a more mellow, contemplative mood, using an subtle string loop and a three-bar piano. Buck switches the drums up, using a mix of crisp snares and shuffling hi-hats. remix. The beat switches up for the second verse. Buck pulls out the main loop, and lets the drums ride out with the occasional appearance from a creepy piano loop.

This is one of the few times where I’d give the original the edge over the remix. Buckwild’s beat sounds like it was intended for another song; it’s an undeniable head-nodder but it doesn’t fit the mood of the track. Clark Kent’s track sounds like a triumphant comeback, and suits Ra’s lyrics and flow better.

DOWNLOAD: Rakim – Guess Who’s Back

DOWNLOAD: Rakim – Guess Who’s Back (Buckwild Remix)

I’ve covered several Buckwild remixes for Remix Tuesdays over the past few months. Catch up:

Beastie Boys

Artifacts

Tha Alkaholiks

Feedback Time: I’m considering changing the title of Remix Tuesdays so that I can post the feature on days besides Tuesdays. Any suggestions? What do you guys think?

Fonzworth Bentley is known for a lot of things including being a butler, a recording artist, and an umbrella line owner. Not the least of these things is his hosting his own MTV show From G’s to Gents which has just started it’s 2nd season. We talked to Mr. Bentley a few weeks back (on his Birthday none the less) and he spoke on his whole experience with the show up to this point. Also being a former Ralph Lauren employee, we get his take on who is the best collector in his opinion (hint: it’s an ML friend).  We only began to scratch the surface, so expect a Pt.2 where you find out more about, Mr. Bentley the person, coming soon.

Metal Lungies: With it being your Birthday, what do you have lined up to celebrate?

Fonzworth Bentley: I usually have a bit of the birthday screws first thing in the morning, my girlfriend understands that, so…. What she does is she kind of helps out and plans accordingly. A good friend of mine has a restaurant, actually we were colleagues back in the restaurant business back when I worked from 1998 through 2001, it’s called Braeburn, it’s downtown. Really really nice restaurant, [the] menu’s exciting.  So about 25, maybe 30 folks total are gonna go down there and have a really good dinner. But other than that, I think it’s pretty cool that my birthday starts off Fashion Week.

ML: So you are going to have a nice big gourmet cake?

FB: Yeah, now the cake, I’m a red velvet fan. Any form of red velvet. My woman’s surprising me, so I don’t know. I heard the other day, [someone told me] about a red velvet cheesecake and I’ve never had that.

ML: Let’s get into some questions about the show- How do you feel season 1 of the show turned out?

FB: Season 1 of the show was a tremendous success, because first of all my goal going in was to get the gentlemen on the show to feel that it was more important for them to learn these lessons than it was for them to win the money. Ultimately, when it boiled down to those final guys, they really got it and they understood what these different tools mean and how they can help them to move forward and reach those dreams and aspirations they have. It was real transformational for them. One of the the things I didn’t know, but I found out after moving around, that it was transformational for the audience from the other side of the coin. So many people who came to me and said “Hey, now I see folks with the pants below their behind, with grills in their month, and instead of judging this individual, I see there is a real person with real dreams and aspirations who probably didn’t grown up with the same type of nourishment and community that I did, and you don’t know what you don’t know”, and that’s actually OK. But it’s about you understanding that and you wanting to fundamentally move forward to be a better you. These people are now saying when they see folks like that instead of judging the individual they think “Hey, let me drop a gem on them, let me say something or speak something into their lives”, so that’s a huge win. Obviously the ratings are fantastic , it’s in 30 countries right now. So those are the really big wins for me, and that’s what’s really exciting.

ML: You said it’s in 30 countries, do they have versions where they dub you voice over?

FB: Oh yeah, you ought to hear it, it’s kinda funny.

ML: What’s your favorite dubbing?

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll be honest- I haven’t played a Midnight Club racing game (or any other kinds for that matter) in about 4 years. But when I had MC2 on xbox, It was kind of addicting & fun. With that being said, the 4 year drought might be coming to an end since this caught my eye. The landscape looks really dope, kinda like the previous GTA (which I didn’t play much of either *ducks*).  This downloadable content comes out March 12 on Xbox 360 & Playstaiton 3. Also, Statik let us know via twitter that the song in the trailer is Kali Ft. Glasses Malone & Termanology and is produced by him.