Video: Curren$y-So High

FRENCH MONTANA FEAT. CURREN$Y-SO HIGH (OFFICIAL VIDEO) from Mike D'Angelo on Vimeo.

When I started listening to rap, everything seemed really simple. First there were Eminem and Dr. Dre, and their 2000 albums, The Marshall Mathers LP, and 2001. Then, after enjoying those albums, I went back and got everything either of them had ever done (which obviously worked a little better for Dre) and everything anyone who collaborated with them had ever done. And from there, I just spread out, listening to the music I liked by the artists and producers I liked. And the cool thing was, I was naive enough to think that this was all just rap, no further categorization needed.

Things are different now. Gangster rap doesn't occupy the mainstream space it once did, and people like me who grew up on Gangster Rap 2.0 have a hard time figuring out what to listen to. Rap is about 25 years old now, and just like Rock N Roll right before it hit that scary third decade, it's splitting itself and multiplying, producing sub-genre on sub genre in an effort to to further define an original and unique sound.

This is bad for some music, but its terrific for others. Most notably, stoner-rap, one of those genres that's been around forever but that I failed to categorize, even after going back and listening to Devin the Dude's entire catalogue after hearing him on F**k You, on 2001. Stoner-Rap is strong right now, with rappers like Devin still going pretty strong (Suite 420 is not bad) and a new breed of rappers joining him, most notably Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y.

Curren$y is great. He's got a weird, slow flow which doesn't seem to adhere to the beat quite right, but somehow makes sense. What's more, he's got a great ear for beats, and an ability to make his co-stars sound as good as him (which probably has something to do with whatever he's sharing with them in the studio.) This is a long post to pretty much introduce this video for the Curren$y song So High, but I hadn't blogged for awhile, and wanted to get back into it a little bit. Anyway, this song exemplifies Curren$y's style, and the ladies in the video are extremely pretty.

Animal Collective: Brothersport Video

For some reason, people seem to believe that a hyped band is often a band not worth listening to, disregarding the opinions of thousands which is literally what hype is. Normally we see this attitude when holier-than-thous discuss pop music (which means that they're missing the most digestible, danceable, and viscerally appealing music that is put out) but occasionally, when the holier than the holier-than-thous get together, they discuss between themselves why bands like animal collective and phoenix are overrated. And that's ridiculous. Watch this video, and listen to the song, both are equally excellent and together they're dam* near undeniable.

Three very different videos, all of which are awesome

Ch-ch-ch-check it out. Wow. Ok. First one is Wu-tang on cribs in the single best cribs episode of all time. Stolen from Metal Lungies.



Next up, Conan shooting stuff with Hunter S. Thompson. Apparently Johnny Depp was not exaggerating anything in Fear and Loathing.




And finally a movie I have to see starring Sean Connery, which came out in 1974. This looks to be about the best movie ever. And almost every line in the preview should be sampled in some rap song. From Cracked.com



Alright let's hope those all worked. I'd recommend watching them all. Otherwise I wouldn't have posted them!! :)