RIFF MARKET

I WOKE UP

Was not expecting American Gangster to hit so hard. The obvious stuff, beats rhymes and life, your usual suspects have already run down in the usual spots ad nauseam, no need to belabor the obvious here (ie when Jay's on there's few better). "Ignorant Shit" hit me this morning finally, especially Bean's verse, the line about all-you-want edits though the curse will remain, the Scarface The Movie vs. The Rapper stuff--just how we take it as a given things can and will (and maybe even should) be censored musically, that at least TV adaptations have the benefit of the uncut in the theater debut. Is shorty a ten, or the shit? Big difference. Beyond that my guess is we're going to see a lot more of these "I remember when..." framed rap albums, not unlike what Nas did for Street Disciple, everything piped through as decade-old nostalgia, not brags in medias res but on the beat they carry the same punch. It's how old talented rappers can and will navigate a hip-hop landscape that wants nothing to do with old people or talented rappers. The extension here is Soulja Boy fifteen years from now. Will he remember for us how he cranked that?

THEN I WENT DOWNTOWN TO LOOK FOR A JOB



Trying to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. If he actually thinks the motorcycles (or the furniture, or the tele, or the carpet, which the audience so misleadingly coos for, like carpets are housewife diamonds or something, or maybe I just don't have respect for carpets, post Kawasaki's Disease, look it up) run six figures... I mean maybe he's been out to sea that long, forgets how much things cost, I don't know. My guess is he misconstrued "the entire showcase" as "everything that has been to this very second won or at least offered as a prize on today's episode of The Price Is Right," in which case you can't fault him for being so fucking amped. But then there's that recantation, a quarter of his original bid--so he still thinks the motorcycles/furniture/carpet/television are in the $60K range. The woman irks me. I know she's smart to bid a buck and seal the deal shit-in-facewise for Jose--who could resist, but it strikes me cruel. Jose clearly wanted those motorcycles.

THEN I HUNG OUT IN FRONT OF THE DRUG STORE

Money-wise this vacation will be awful in the "can't buy an iPhone next week, back to eating Quaker Oats one-minute" sense, but hey I'm a survivor, and hey I have a secret rap side project I can return to, and hey perhaps you want to know if I am Spiderfang?

THEN I GOT A JOB, KEEPING PEOPLE FROM HANGING AROUND IN FRONT OF THE DRUG STORE



Strongly recommending Excepter's new 'Burgers 12"--the apostrophe is most operative.

86 RIFFS

Labels: brooklyn, excepter, hip-hop, vacation