Author: dmilesburton

R.I.P. Biggie Smalls

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March 9th, 1997, 1:15 AM. Christopher George Latore Wallace lies in a hospital bed. He has four bullet wounds in his chest, and he is dead. In the coming hours and for years to follow, Wallace will be mourned by more than just his family and friends. Biggie Smalls, the face of east coast rap, has died, and rap music will never be the same.

Wallace was twenty four years old, and if you asked his mother the day he was born if she thought he was going to be one of the greatest rappers in history, she probably would have said no. A straight-A student at a private school, he later transfered to a state-funded school where Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes were also in attendance, where he began rapping.

Wallace released his first demo in 1992. It gathered almost no attention for him until he was featured in The Source’s Unsigned Hype column. He then was invited onto a mixtape that was reviewed by Sean “Diddy” Combs, who imedeately signed him to Uptown Records.

His first solo album was released in 1994, and it peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200. By the end of the year, he and Tupac Shakur were involved in one of the largest hip-hop feudes of all time .

Two years later, Shakur was shot in Las Vegas, Nevada. He died six days later due to complications from the bullet wounds. Before Shakur was pronounced dead, Wallace had already been blamed by multiple sources. A formal investigation was never conducted, but Wallace denied any relation to the shooting.

In 1997, Wallace released his second album, which ended up at #1 on the Billboard 200. He had gotten in a car accident that shattered his leg during the recording, and had decided “to focus on his ‘peace of mind’. ‘My mom… my son… my daughter… my family… my friends are what matters to me now'”

On March 8th, 1997, Wallace attended the Soul Train Music Awards. He left after the show was over with no idea that in 45 minutes, the world would lose one of its most prominent public figures, him.

R.I.P. Biggie Smalls

Lasers

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Lasers

In 2006, Lupe Fiasco released his first album, Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums.

In 2007, Lupe Fiasco released his second album, Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums as well.The CoolFood and Liquor

Lupe Fiasco then moved on to his next project, his third album. That was 2008. It’s been almost three years, and only recently (i.e. October 2010) did Atlantic announce a release date for Lupe Fiasco’s third album, Lasers.

Coming out on March 8th, 2011, Lasers has been an intense effort. Fans have created countless websites, signed petitions, and even demonstrated in front of Atlantic’s office’s to get the album released.

Now, Lupe is ready to reclaim the charts, and the world seems more than ready for his return.

Lil’ Wayne laments; “I Hate Love”

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Lil’ Wayne released a track this past week titled, “I Hate Love,” that is, for a comeback, quite dark. I’m not sure if anyone remembers 2008’s mild musical disaster, Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak, but when I heard this new style Weezy’s picked up, I immediately flashed on that. It’s dark, it’s passionate, and it’s auto tuned.

That’s really all there is to this track. Like 808’s, it’s very repetitive and not very catchy. Overall not a bad song, but when Lil’ Wayne is trying to come back from something like “Rebirth,” it’s gonna take more than just a song like this.

Lil’ Wayne is almost always upbeat and funny, so to see his music shift in this direction is quite a surprise. The only thing to do now is sit back and see how it pans out for the usually robust rapper and his up comeback album Carter IV.

The Death of Americas Most Beloved Hair (or so i thought)

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On Thursday, February 10th, 2011, Justin Bieber as the world knew him died. He shaved his head… or so we thought. Bieber, teen pop sensation and major promoter of having incredible hair, went on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and staged a segment in which host Jimmy Kimmel shaves the young singers head.

When I first heard the news, I have to admit, my heart was broken. “Why would he do it?” was all I could say. “Beiber’s hair is of the gods.” Then it struck me that I should at least look up a picture of his new hairstyle, or lack of one.

This is where I found out the truth. While Bieber did get a slight hair trim, his hair remains present. Again, I was heartbroken. “This means I still can’t claim to be better looking than him.” I moped for a bit, and then, again, decided to look up a picture of his new “trimmed” hair.

I wasn’t heartbroken. I was furious. It looked really good. I sat in front of my computer for a second longer, and then said to myself, “Well, at least he’s still Justin Bieber.” (i.e. a tool)

Even this thought, however, was only reassuring for a fraction of a minute. The sense of security rushed away when I realized that if I had the chance, I’d trade places with the Biebs. Well, maybe not that far, but I’d at least kick it with him.

Either way, I was ashamed of myself for even getting into this whole ordeal. In a matter of minutes, my manhood was destroyed, my looks were questioned, and all off it was done by my very own actions.

I’ve dug myself a hole that I don’t think I’ll be able to easily escape, but I don’t have the focus to write an alternative post to this one, so for now, I have to say, I’ve come down with Bieber fever, and it can only get more intense from here.

We Believe: A Look Back to The 2007 Golden State Warriors

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“…and at point guard, number 5, BAAAAAAAARON DAAAAAAAAVIS!!!!!!!!!!” that was the point at which you couldn’t hear anything save for the sound of over 20 thousand fans screaming their heads off, myself included. It was February 1st, 2007, and Oracle Arena, the home court of the Golden State Warriors, was literally full. I was twelve years old, and as I stood there screaming at the top of my lungs, I thought to myself, “this is so cool.” The warriors were having an incredible season, led by Baron Davis and backed by second season player and future star Monta Ellis, the warriors were having their best season in around twenty years.

The particular game I was at was against the Charlotte Bobcats. My parents had gotten tickets for the whole family, and my two siblings and I were ecstatic to be seeing “The Warriors” firsthand. The warriors went on to win the game 127-94, and after the game my family stuck around to chat with some friends of ours. I was sitting in my seat when I saw him walk onto the court. Baron Davis was standing maybe thirty yards away from me. I didn’t know what to do. The man who I practically worshiped was down on that court just talking to someone. I was dumbfounded.

I looked up at my brother, fourteen at the time, and said, “How do I get his autograph?” My brother stood me up, walked me down to the court, and told me, “Just ask for it.”

“Yo Baron!” He didn’t look. Probably because I was a twelve year old white boy yelling “Yo Baron!” to someone I had never met before in my life. My brother looked me in the eyes and said, “No, you call him ‘Mister Davis’ and you say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’” I nodded, took a moment, and then said, “excuse me Mr. Davis?” He looked over at me. My brother was right, it was working. “Could I please have your autograph” My voice was quieter than I wanted it to be, but I just I handed him my Warriors hat and a black sharpie.

I remember his reply as if it was happening all over again. He laughed and replied, “Sure thing, little man.” I watched in awe as he scribbled an oddly shaped B Davis onto the brim of the hat. “Thank you” I said as I practically flew up the stairs in sheer excitement.

I still have that hat, and, in case you were wondering, no, I haven’t actually worn it outside since.

Once upon a freestyle…

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Today I can honestly say I rapped the first freestyle of mine that I can fully appreciate. No “da da da’s,” no pointless phrases, just pure and utter beauty. When I was done with the first verse, I leaned back into my chair, looked up at my one man audience and waited for a reply. He looked at me and said, “Wow. that was good. I mean like I’d buy that song. I’m serious” When I heard that I smiled.

I’ve wanted to be a rapper for almost as long as I’ve liked rap music, which, as it would happen, is only a couple of years. Now I know, I know, everyone wants to be a rapper, but when you think about it, how many “aspiring rappers” will actually take the steps they need to in order to become one. If I had to guess, I’d say less than 15 percent. The rest, that less than 15%, have to have a lot of luck.

Well, I don’t know if actually becoming a rapper is in my cards, or if it’ll just sort of die off, but for the time being, it’s a real goal. Now I’m betting you’re wondering how spitting one good freestyle validates anything, and in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t. But for the moment, it’s proof that, yes, I can in fact create a song that I’m proud of.

Not to say this is my first song, because it isn’t in the slightest. Nor is it to say that I haven’t made verses that I’ve been proud of before (I’ve made at least a few that I would use in a song and be proud of). It’s more about the idea that this one’s for real, which basically means I’d put it on an album and feel confident showcasing it as a single.

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To Life! 126 Years of It

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On February 2, 2011, a Cuban woman turned what all her relatives are saying is the age of 126. Juana Bautista de la Candelaria Rodriguez was, according to her only birth record, born on February 2nd, 1885. The Guiness Book of World Records has not yet announced this to be an official record, but it seems to be accurate. The current “world’s oldest person” as stated by The Guiness Book of World Records is American Besse Cooper, at 114, making Rodriguez over a decade older than she is.

Juana Bautista de la Candelaria Rodriguez’s 125th birthday was celebrated last year and covered widely by Cuban local news, but again, The Guiness Book of World Records and Gerontology Research Group, which verifies all age related information for Guiness, did not recognize her as the oldest person ever then either, however, the evidence seems convincing.

The Music Behind The Superbowl

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By the time my editor gets to this, the Superbowl may have come and gone, and this story may seem extremely outdated. However, at the time of its conception and all the while that it was being written, it was extremely up to date, and by that I mean the day before the Superbowl. The story, which I have so elusively spoken of up to this point, is a story about a song that has come to define this 2010-2011 sports season. Steeler’s tribute “Black & Yellow.” The song by up and coming rapper Wiz Khalifa has received quite a lot of attention, peaking at number three on the billboard hot 100, going double platinum, and having nine remakes made about other sports teams alone (with countless other remakes and remixes done as well). Most predominately Lil’ Wayne’s newly released Packers tribute “Green and Yellow,” which marks the coming Superbowl (which, for those who don’t yet know, features both the Steelers and the Packers). The buzz these songs have caused has brought a new intensity to sport’s fans love of their hometown and its teams.

The style of these songs has changed the way people relate to sports, or, more accurately, broadened the way people relate to sports. The idea of using the influence of a musician to promote a cause of theirs is becoming a trend, and more and more people are catching on. When it comes to so many people using his song, Wiz doesn’t seem to be complaining. The extra press has only sent the song upwards on the charts as has the Steelers success this season. When interviewed by VIBE, he said, “People can’t box my sound in anymore… I’m just happy that my music reflects that.”

X Games 15: Git Some.

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Today I found out that the winter X Games just happened. Starting on January 27th and ending the 30th, they went down almost exactly as expected. Shaun White won the gold in men’s half pipe competition, with his worst run in the elimination round scoring five points higher than the second place Scotty Lago’s best run and being the only person to have any runs in that round that scored in the 90’s (both of his were in that range with run 1 scoring a 90.33 and run 2 scoring a 92.00). His second finals run scored him a 97.33, which tied the previous X Games record, also held by White, making this his fourth consecutive X Games gold.

The rest of the events were relatively similar, with an American winning a medal in almost every event and many athletes winning what they were predicted to win. The biggest surprise of the Games was when Norway’s Torstein Horgmo, with multiple broken ribs from an earlier crash, landed the first triple cork in X Games history. “It’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve done in my whole life,” he told ESPN after the jump. After landing the triple cork, he unstrapped from his board and removed his helmet, which he then punted into the crowd. With a score of 80 for the run, he won the gold, the only one this year for Norway.

The X Games remained a fun and exciting showcase of extreme winter sports, with Shaun White recently being rated the second most marketable athlete in the world after Peyton Manning, and Torstein Horgmo landing a trick never before done in the X Games. This was the kind of X Games you didn’t need to watch a lot of, but in the end, still had some parts that made the featured sports, well, extreme.

This Site Is Sick

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My brother is a college freshman. He acts like one too. He goes to classes, listens to dubstep and hip-hop, and tries desperately to get into frat parties. He, being the older of us two, has always been ahead of me in most aspects of pop culture, with me trying desperately to stay as cool as my big brother. Well, when it comes to music, he managed to beat me again. He showed me a website called thissongissick.com, and it makes sense he would know about it. It’s a website that dedicates itself to finding the newest songs from dubstep and hip-hop artists that are relatively unknown, or in some cases, just really good. Wiz Khalifa has been featured on there, as well as artists like Sam Adams and Skrillex. Well worth a look, “this song is sick” has become a standard in what a lot of college and high school kids listen to.