I’m sure at one point in our lives, most of us have heard the infamous I Corinthians 13:4-7. This is a pretty uplifting definition of love isn’t it? But what happens when what we perceive to be love isn’t anything near patience or kindness? When it strays from positive elements into negative ones such as jealousy, envy, or resentment – would you still call it love?
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Download: Al Green – “What A Wonderful Thing Love Is”
Wayne is pretty exceptional at talking shit, but he’s often at his best when he’s talking from personal experience. “Single” like say, “Something You Forgot” catches Wayne describing the kind of relationship problems many of us are too familiar with. Fights, trust issues. That type of shit. Set to a woozy backdrop of reversed guitars, this is one of the strangest, but also one of the more interesting tracks on the mixtape. An ode to being “single for the night”. Oh, and just to cover all the bases, you can download the full, official version of No Ceilings here, complete with the four new tracks and higher quality audio. Personally I’m riding with “Wasted” as the hardest track. Ariel’s on the “Swag Surfin” though, and Camila fucks with “Wayne on Me”. Anybody else got a favorite?
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Download: Lil’ Wayne – “Single”
As album openers go, “Sometimes” is pretty official. Haunting reversed vocals fade in from nowhere, stop abruptly, and give way to acoustic guitar, setting the tone for lead singer Shingai Shoniwa’s sultry vocals. The Noisettes built their reputation on punk-tinged indie rock, but with Wild Young Hearts, their latest offering, it seems like they’ve taken a more pop-soul approach. Shingai laces this one with some beautiful melody, and poetry to match. A song about going solo for a while. Self-empowerment I suppose. Cop the album here, and don’t miss the video for “Don’t Upset the Rhythm”.
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Download: The Noisettes – “Sometimes”
Sometimes off initial glance, you can tell there’s more to someone than meets the eye. Sometimes it’s attraction, other times it might just be a hint of curiosity. Regardless, the first time I saw Luisa I knew she had some shit to say. Born in the Bay with periodical stints in Los Angeles, Luisa’s experienced much of what California has to offer. Recently I had the chance to pick her brain as we discussed some of the similarities and differences between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. In addition to her thoughts, featured here are photos taken from Luisa. A true artist, her photography captures the essence of her environment, visually articulating anything that catches her eye. Read on for a glimpse into the mind of Luisa Popovic. It’s so bad yet so good, because we’re really just getting started…
The indie hype machine is cool, simply for the fact that a band can come out of nowhere and shock the blog world just by making one great song. “Change of Heart” is the kind of song that forces you to pay attention to an artist. I was sleeping pretty hard myself. El Perro is the pseudonym of Swedish singer/songwriter Sarah Assbring, whose short album Love is Not Pop dropped in April. Some kick back and smoke on a rainy day type of music. Oh, and her name means “The Dog of The Sea”. Which is pretty dope too.
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Download: El Perro Del Mar – “Change of Heart”
“The difference between sex and love? I would say sex is an art form. Love is the caring for the person that you’re performing the art with. How’s that?”
Richard dropping some knowledge for us. One of the best simply because his comedy is rooted in reality. It’s easy to relate. Quincy Jones put it pretty real when he stated, “I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, ‘Ain’t that the truth!” I’d have to agree. Here’s Pryor from his timeless performance on Sunset Strip. The suit is just vicious. Richard Pryor at his best.
“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect – you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break – her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there.”
Pretty amazing. John Legend is a master of articulating the processes of relationships. He describes this piece as his sequel to She Don’t Have to Know. I don’t know if I could take a girl to a John Legend show though, she might choose up, and fall in love.
How’d the double standard become so real? I can only imagine the pain you feel. It’s like you gotta live on eggshells. When you just wanna have fun. That’s what Cindy said. But you have to choose wisely. And I’m sorry. When I can do you and you, and all it does is make me cool. But not for you. But not for you. You kiss me, you kiss him, and you become one of them. A false label, but one that burns. Don’t you hope the tables turn? I can’t front, I’m guilty too. But I do recognize. There are worse things you can do.
I woke up this morning. When I opened my eyes the first thought that crossed my mind was, “Yesss.” Not like, “Yesss I’m doing it.. etc. etc.” But Yess like I get to live another day. Ever since I saw Ishmael Beah speak I’ve had a greater appreciation for this thing we call life. Ishmael spoke about the fact that some nights he didn’t know if he would wake up in the morning. He would go to sleep scared. The uncertainty plaguing every pleasant thought his mind could muster. When I woke up this morning I said, Yesss I will eat some food. Talk to my friends and maybe even see some (Ben holler at me). I can breathe through both nostrils, I can run, and jump, dance, and sing. That’s more than enough to be happy about. So I say thank you, or thank him, or thank her, or thank it to whoever granted this beautiful beautiful life.
