SHORT VERSION:
Sadly, Lupe’s mainstream crossover will succeed mainly because anything promoted at a certain level will; e.g. Rebecca Black. On top of that he is actually talented, so the flash-in-the-pan pitfalls should be beyond his team’s concerns. Additionally, he has a legion of fans who essentially have liitle-to-no other choice; not a lot of emcees of his caliber for this generation. So though Atlantic Records is bafflingly horrible at business; Lasers will not usher in a new movement of commercial appeal AND talent. Atlantic’s turn at the helm did not fail. In fact, even if it had tanked, the label would blame Lupe. Fortunately for them, short of complete career suicide, nothing he did on/after this release would have caused its demise. Evident in the fact that he, hereto, has been highly antagonistic of the album and the process through which it came to be, yet Lasers continues to succeed.
The opposition makes sense though, successful corporations don’t take a brand that built itself on quality and spend more money to cheapen that quality. Fail. Unfortunately, Atlantic won’t suffer the capitalist punishment of losing the return on a bad investment because all of Lupe and his team’s work from the previous albums and self-promotion leading up to the album that Lasers was originally intended to be is finally paying off. Nothing that can be done about that now; Lupe already kicked and pushed so now he’s just going to coast.

“If The Cool was a success, I was supposed to get a bump in the budget for my next record,” Fiasco said. “When I went in to cash in on that, I was told The Cool wasn’t a success. I said, ‘Well, how do you gauge that? Even if you leave off the multiple Grammys, the accolades up the ass, the platinum singles, take out the subjective stuff. How many records actually sold?’ They said it wasn’t a success and we’re changing the game, we don’t go by that anymore. So I said, ‘Let’s not have any more meetings until we figure out what rules we’re playing by.”

“I was specifically told” — Fiasco chuckled — “‘Don’t rap too deep on this record.’” He laughed some more. “That was a specific order from the top. ‘You’re rapping too fast or too slow, or it’s too complex.’ … There are consequences and combat that comes from that process and the eventual compromise. With me, though, I’m not writing about someone else. I’m writing about me. This is my life. It’s very personal for me. So for somebody to kind of put their fingers in that and play with that, it becomes more damaging. I am a hostage. I gave them what they wanted. If I didn’t, at the end of the day, the album wasn’t coming out.”

Tell ‘Em Why You Mad

I wish I could say that I was thrilled that Lasers debuted at #1. I am a huge fan of Lupe Fiasco (something I rarely say about other artists). I have always wanted an album of his to achieve this type of success for a long time. In fact, I wanted Lasers to have this success, until I dug a little deeper. I picked it up expecting the same quality Lupe of which I have become a fan over the past two albums, only to find… a distinct difference.

This album was noticeably… underwhelming; seemingly intentionally so. Aside from “All Black Everything” there were no memorable tracks. Seriously, I can’t remember the name of any other track from the album that I would say “you need to hear this” or even “you should check this track out.” These are the things a champion of good music emphatically pressures on to his peers as adolescents would a misdeed. It seemed as if the “I flatly refused, I ain’t dumb down nothing” Lupe of The Cool abandoned his stance. When the emcee previously known as Lupe Fiasco was taking it easy, he still gave you “Paris, Tokyo”. When he phoned it in, you still jammed to “Gold Watch”. So listening (as in, actually paying attention) to Lasers, a fan couldn’t help but ask “what gives?”

The word going around is that Atlantic Records strong-armed Lupe into making Lasers vastly more commercial. Our friends at ICantBeFamous.com asked, “Under what circumstance would Lupe ever do a song with Trey Songz?” Specifically, a song in which Trey could ever utter the disgustingly cookie-cutter “girl, I want you to [blank]” phrase. You may not see a problem with that, but keep mind that Lupe is the cat that built millions of followers on the foundation that he is NOT the mainstream cut-and-paste artist. He is the outsider with major support. He was (and when Atlantic stops meddling will again be) great. We finally had an inside man. A representative that could bring our ideals and culture to the table with the intellect, finesse and wordplay befitting a master emcee. Remember, this guy shot to fame for a song about a skateboarder. Then won a Grammy on the same album for a song about a robot project building. A ROBOT PROJECT BUILDING!! And Atlantic thought it was a good business move to alienate his audience and go commercial.

To reiterate, what really sucks about this album debuting at #1 is that the success it’s achieving is actually the result of Lupe’s (team’s) grind and all the credibility he (with his team) has built up over the last two albums, promotions, interviews and overall artistry.

I mean I COULD argue that he could have put out anything and it would have gone to #1 but unfortunately Atlantic DID just that. Lasers sounds like an amalgamation of “anything Lupe” or, even worse, their idea of what he should be doing. So now the executives there can say “See, we were right. Don’t question us again,” when, in theory, he could have released something more uniquely Lupe (“Shining Down” and “I’m Beamin’” included) for the same result.

Granted, it is likely Atlantic wouldn’t have released the album but a convenient leak would still bless the fans. Who knows? Maybe Lupe is planning on doing what many do; put out the real content on mixtapes and just acquiesce to label demands on the official releases. That’s what all these mixtapes are, right? That’s why so many exist, correct? They aren’t just a hustle to siphon every last dollar from their fans hungry for artistic sustanance, or am I wrong? Else what is the actual meaning?

Alas, the success of Lasers was inevitable. I’m just mad that the two songs I listen to most from the album… didn’t make the album. Atlantic Fail.

Okay, I think we are all familiar with G.O.O.D. Music… now add Mos Def!!
I’ll give you a minute to collect the pieces of your cranium and recompose yourself because, like mine, your head might have just exploded. Take a few seconds to look for gray matter.

If you don’t know why you should be hopeful for the future of music consider the following. The three current stars of G.O.O.D. Music are Common, Kanye West and John Legend.

We would like to thank a YouTube patron fond of reflection for the following phrase that sums up the signing:

“Mos Def just signed to G.O.O.D. Music? They’re starting to be something like Young Money, except the rappers on G.O.O.D. Music can actually rap.” © iceberggrebeci

Source:Mos Def signs to G.O.O.D. Music

“Why do guys always approach her when she’s not looking so hot, but when she’s all dolled up and on point, none of the fine guys step to her, only the C-team.”

Here’s what The Gentleman had to say about it:

“It’s deep how you can be so shallow.” © Cee-Lo Green

Attention ladies:
You are not wearing make-up for guys. You are wearing make-up for yourself. Beyond that, you are wearing make-up for other girls. Now hopefully for many of you this is no shock, but some of you are perplexed. You can’t understand why men you might be interested in approach you when you aren’t wearing make-up as opposed to the subpar suitors that throw out pick-up lines when you are.

Think about that. Introspect the very reason you prepare yourself the way you do. Then break down your experiences of make-up vs no make-up again. We’ll come back to it.

We See You
For starters, make-up isn’t as magical as you think it is. In fact, it’s not fooling anybody of anything. We see you. You’re not “vanishing”, “masking”, “contouring”, “revitalizing”, “concealing” anything. WE SEE YOU. It’s almost insulting to act as if we can’t tell what you look like without makeup. It’s the equivalent of hiding behind your hands and breathily saying “I disappeared. Where did I go?!”. We might have been fooled when we were younger, but now… nope. Not only that, some of us have dated enough that we could give you some pointers.

Example: Properly applied lip gloss trumps any lipstick, any day for any desired look/effect/whatever for any desired bachelor/target etc. That’s a freebie. Enjoy.

Do you disagree? Do you think this is just one guy’s opinion. Well, if you don’t believe me, do a study. Ask the next guys you are attracted to and guys you aren’t attracted to which they prefer “lip gloss or lipstick”. Side note: I hope you know that as a female you can approach ANY dude at ANY time. In fact, guys LOVE it. So next time you are out, day or night, approach the most attractive person that you can find and say “I’m trying to settle a disagreement” and ask his preferences. Then get his name and number. If necessary, claim that it’s just in case you have to verify the preference for the opposing party in the wager.

Wave Your Flag
Every sensible/respectable guy can see trouble coming from a mile away. Make-up is like a warning flag; a flag literally written on your face. Thus to those who habitually wear it, thank you. You are telling us most of what we need to know without even talking to you. Well, some of us anyway.

It seems the quantity of make-up is usually directly proportionate to the issues of the wearer. The first and most obvious being self-image. Either she is insecure about her looks or too absorbed in her looks. Either way, it’s a bit too superficial; which is a shame because a number of you look better with a little moisturizer and some chapstick. You don’t landscape a beach. If you’re pretty, you’re pretty.

Personally, I’ve tried to be open-minded about this but the results follow a trend. Every time I’ve dated someone whom I’ve discovered wore a lot or make-up (meaning I approached her with little-to-no make-up and only discovered her cosmetic consumerism later) there were other issues that basically made “us” difficult. Makes sense though, some things in life just take a certain type of person. The person who can spend ten or more minutes doing their make-up… well…

Birds of a Feather
Similarly, it should be no surprise then that when wearing make-up you are approached by certain types as well. So, again, think about it. If you don’t like the guys that approach you when you are wearing make-up, then what is your make-up saying about you? Or what you want?

Example: If you make yourself look like a Barbie doll, of course cats are going to toy with you.

I’ll give you a cop out though, maybe you just applied it wrong. That way you can keep on wearing the warning flag and continue to let the rest of us know what we’re getting into.

It’s like National Geographic: “The female wards off desirable males with particular markings on her visage unaware of the signals she is sending.”

Meanwhile the girl with less make-up seems to have other priorities. Maybe she values other things about herself more than her appearance. Maybe she is just driven to focus on other aspects of her life. Maybe she’s laid-back and doesn’t care how others see her. Maybe she’s just that confident about her self-image that she feels she can rock the no make-up look. I wonder what she does with all the time and money she saves. All of these things I don’t know because I don’t get to judge this book by it’s cover. Gasp, I would have to talk to her to find out who she is AND/OR confirm my suspicions.

Now you may try to say that guys are intimidated by a woman who looks like she’s got it going on. That may be true. But in case it isn’t true, I hope you know the woman wearing the make-up is not the one who seems to have it together; it’s the other woman. She seems more confident, plus I can’t tell everything I need to know by looking at her. Hence why she gets approached. And why, when you aren’t wearing make-up, you get approached.

Most of the guys you would want to approach you aren’t fans of make-up. You know the types. The men who don’t play games. They have magnetic charisma, nice job, values, fun, etc. Those guys, they aren’t fans. Granted, if you are going somewhere extremely formal and/or important, it is understandable that maybe you want to even out your skin tone and accent this or that feature. Acknowledge the event. Hell, sometimes you just want to look nice to make yourself feel good. But seriously, calm down. Oh, and why would you want a guy who is less attracted to you without your make-up? Multiple faults there.

Lastly, when you don’t wear make up you are also more accessible. No lipstick, guys can kiss you without coming away wearing lipstick or tasting it. No make-up, we can hold you close and not get make up on our clothes. Essentially, if we don’t think you need to wear make-up, we definitely don’t want to wear it ourselves. Besides, you are beautiful, are you not? We think so. Especially when we get to see the real you. The you that we would ideally want to get to know, wake up next to, commit to. The real you. Why would you want to hide that from us?

Less is more.

Leave your thoughts below.

The Make-up Myth: The Introduction

The Genius’ Thoughts

The Prophet’s Thoughts

Dear Rappers,

1. How am I supposed to believe you are as rich as you say you are when you can’t afford a singer. Do-it-yourself projects never scream affluence. In fact the wealthiest people show off by doing as little for themselves as possible. Think Hakeem in Zamunda from Coming to America.

2. Auto-tune came and went so if u couldn’t do it then, what delusion are you espousing now? Why are you making that $3000 microphone sound like a drive thru order box? Hopefully you have the gift of gab because melody definitely illuded you.

3. There’s nothing gangster about singing. It directly contradicts the machismo rap boasts. Not only that, since you can’t actually hold a note you just sound even more emasculated. You might as well attempt your own back up dancing in your videos. Singing is a talent and a fine art. It requires the same finesse and care that a skilled lover would have but when you attempt to hold a note it seems, as Bruce Leroy would say, you ‘don’t even own a paintbrush.’

4. R&B is already a dying genre. So much so that I can’t even find a proper link to point to helping to define the style i’m talking about. Add on to that the rappers and weaker vocalists autotuning themselves and there is no room for a great voice. Essentially vocalists like Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, even Tank, Javier and Carl Thomas are regretfully a thing of the past. There are possibly two cats with the capacity to pull off a viable ballad and/or respectable vocal runs still heard in heavy rotation on the radio. (I’m stretching, it seems Trey Songz is the only cat even trying to carry the R&B flag still. Though some of us give him the Prince look at times.) Fortunately the soul singers don’t give much of a care about the spotlight, hence their promotion tactics (or lack thereof), so they’ll continue to mark their little niche. A small oasis for those who get tired of the mainstream to go hang out. As I’ve said before, Nas may have claimed Hip-Hop is dead, but really R&B kicked the bucket.

That said, aside from that lonely island of soul and the ever-increasing gentrification of R&B to manifest as pop music. There aren’t many places left for a R&B singer to do his/her thing. Maybe they should turn to rock music; the results could be interesting. I think I will go listen to some Jimi Hendrix and I feel a blues binge coming on.

With all the buzz going on about the latest smartphones to transcend being mere rumors, we’d like to present this comparison chart. We know which ones are our favorites, but we are sure there will be contention among the office soon. New phones pop up faster than you can say “Droid X?!”. ::gasp::

(Source: Android Central & The iPhone Blog)

Lewis Hamilton won his second grand prix in a row this weekend in Montreal. This win puts him atop the leader board with 109 points. There have been eight races in the series. Hamilton seemed to have a vigorous battle pushing his McLaren Mercedes past the field. His teammate Jenson Button, who finished the race second, sits three points behind Hamilton in the standings. Hamilton is the youngest Formula One World Champion in its history as of 2008.

What are YOU looking at?!

You have twenty-six minutes left to get to your destination and, of course, there is traffic. One accident you accounted for, no problem. That second accident less than a mile up the same stretch of road, however, is the perfect situational “screw you”  requisite for reassessing your good deeds over the last week. As you near the flashing lights you discover the bane of many motorist’s life; the accident isn’t even on your side of the road. On top of that, there is a barrier between your side and that side. Meaning at 75mph you still present no threat to the parties in said accident save maybe a strong gust of wind and one of the coolest effects in the aural realm (eeeeyyurrrrmmm). Keep it moving!

Why do people feel the need to slow down for an accident on the opposite side of the road? I see this and think: “This doesn’t involve you. What are you doing?! You going to hop out and help?! No? Then keep it moving. Of all the people in this city, do you really think you might know them? Go! You really that bored in life?! Go!! Ugh, now, watch you get in an accident while being nosy. Move! I wouldn’t slow down for you either. Move!! Word? Is this how you get your jollies, watching others pain/misery/suffering? That’s messed up. You got issues, but what you don’t have is somewhere to be. Pedal, metal, make it happen!”

Seriously though, this isn’t the movies. There really is nothing to see. By now, we’ve all seen enough accidents to know that. The car is not going to explode. Panthro is not going to hop out and tear open a door. Nothing spectacular happens in car crashes. If you want some amazing crashes (again at others’ detriment) hit up YouTube. The one time I saw a car on fire it was kinda anticlimactic. The time I saw a car flipped upside down I didn’t drop below 50mph. Maybe if Michael Bay had been involved it would have been off-the-chain but as a freestanding mishap, not worth the lag.

This is all contrary to my default belief in driving; which is the few minutes that you spare doing daredevil tactics to get to your final destination aren’t worth possibly getting to your final destination.

Let’s smarten up out there. Shoot, let’s smarten up in general.

You are dating someone and she tells you that she has siblings. Okay. Eventually she shows you pictures of them. Cool. One day you finally meet them and you get along great with them. Whew. Meet-and-greet nearly accomplished, everything is dandy until your date turns a certain way and now you notice something. She looks just like her brother. A resemblance -no matter how much you try to deny it- you see more than ever before.

Oh no. There is no ‘reset’ button either. You can’t remove the dots once the connection is made. They’re almost twins now! Oh, yeah, others might say they don’t really see it, good for them. But they aren’t you; you can’t ignore it. And it will probably become most poignant at the worst possible times too. In fact, the only thing that can top the ‘sister-mister’ is a father-daughter resemblance.

So what do you do? Also, is this an issue? What about when the genders are reversed?

if it’s 11:30pm and your kids are in the middle of the city streets unchaperoned howling (hopefully at the moon, if nothing else), you might be f*cking up.

Everyday, advocates for a license to have kids seem less and less crazy.  Do you think a bill would pass for a license to have more than one child?  Imagine the posters in support.  ”Kids:  the first one’s a gimme.”