Top Albums of 2008

So everyone makes these lists... I enjoy reading them, but as I get older and older I realize that I don't recognize 80% of the albums on these lists as well as having less and less time to scour the interweb and flip thru music magazines for new music.

Also, about 95% of my friends all do the 9-5 so I don't really have anyone to talk music with.

With that said, here we are:
(keep in mind, some of these albums might've been released in 2007, but it's my list so shut the fuck up)

Hip-Hop Albums:
(this is rated by consistancy and how many times I was excited to hear the entire record over again)

1. Lil' Wayne - "Tha Carter III"
2. Kanye West - "808's and Heartbreak"
3. EMC - "The Show"
4. GZA/Genius - "Pro Tools"
5. Ludacris - "Theater of the Mind"

EP's:
(it's unfair to put these with the albums)
1. Oddisee & V/A - "Pete Rosenburg Presents: A Rosenburg Oddisee"
2. Alchemist - "The Alchemist's Cookbook"

Not Hip-Hop Albums:
1. Burial - "Untrue"
2. Black Kids - "Partie Traumatic"
3. Bon Iver - "For Emma, Forever Ago"
4. Vampire Weekend - "Vampire Weekend"
5. Santogold - "Santogold"
6. M83 - "Saturdays = Youth"
7. The Radio Dept - "Lesser Matters"

R&B Albums:
1. The Dream - "Love Hate"
2. Al Green - "Lay It Down"

Most Disappointing Albums:
(this is rated by how excited I was to hear the record vs how bad the record really was. some records I knew would suck, but I still kept some faith that the artist would make a comeback. So in short, if I knew the album would suck and it did suck, it didn't make the list, ie: Fat Joe - "Elephant in the Room")

1. Wu Tang Clan - "8 Diagrams"
2. Nas - "Untitled (aka: Nigger)"
3. Murs - "Murs for President"
4. Yak Ballz - "Scifentology 2"
5. RZA - "Bobby Digital: Digi Snacks"
6. Atmosphere - "When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold"
7. Tricky - "Knowle West Boy"
8. Portishead - "Third"
9. Q-Tip - "The Renaissance"
10. The Game - "L.A.X."
11. Nine Inch Nails - "The Slip"

Soundtrack of the Year:

1. The Wackness
(the soundtrack is actually 80% of the reason I bothered to go see this movie)

Albums that Surprised Me:
(this is rated by how crappy I thought the album would be, but actually turned out pretty enjoyable)
1. Common - "Universal Mind Control"
2. Ill Bill* - "The Hour of Reprisal"

*I'm generally not a big fan of anyone from this click, but the list of guests on this album MADE me HAVE to check it out: Raekwon, DJ Premier, Max Calvera (of Sepultura/Soulfly - wtf!!!), HR & Darryl Jennifer (of Bad Brains - wtf!!!), DJ Muggs, B-Real, Vinnie Paz, Immortal Technique & more

Musical Trends I Still Don't Understand: 1. Electro
2. Ed Banger Records
3. Noise
4. Gabber

Albums I'm Looking Forward to in 2009:
1. Cage - "Depart From Me"
2. Raekwon - "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2"
3. Dr. Dre - "Detox"
4. Eminem - not sure what it's called
5. Lil Wayne - "Tha Carter III" (same title but all new tracks)
6. 50 Cent - "Before I Self Destruct"
7. T-Wayne - "He Rap, He Sing"
8. OutKast - all 3 albums...

Albums I Discovered in 2008:
(but NOT released in 2008, in no particular order)
The Lox - Money Power Respect (1998)
MC Solaar - Prose Combat (1994)
Oscar Peterson - Fly Me To The Moon (retrospective - 2006)
Bad Brains - Quickness (1989)
Masta Ace - Sittin' On Chrome (1995)
Stars - Nightsongs (2001)
Bitty McLean - On Bond Street (2005)

CHOEGAL... and how i missed it

So David Choe dropped this wooden toy on the 23rd at the LA Giant Robot store.

Pretty awesome right?

But I flew out to Beijing that morning. Bummer.

It's going for about $50 on ebay right now... what do you think? I've also got an appartment full of useless/cool collectables I've accumulated over the past 8 years. I even have a Barbie in a wheelchair - Becky the School Photographer.



I did however get one of these in the mail. it's not the actual screenprint, but rather just one of the 18x24 Choebama posters David's brother Jimmy went around the country posting up pre-election.



Not bad, it was only $25. Unfortunately it won't be worth much in the future... but that isn't why I got it. I don't really even care about politics or Obama, but I think it's an awesome illustration that kicks the shit out of Shepard Fairey's design.

On a side note:
I personally think it's retarded they sell those shirts for $38.00 at places like Urban Outfitters... to me it makes the election seem like a joke, and who gives a fuck who you vote for? Maybe I'm getting old and judgemental but why do I care if a bunch of 18 year old kids decked out in overpriced 'streetwear' are wearing a presidential candidate's face on their chest?!?!

it's no different than wearing this shirt (also sold at Urban Outfitters), equally ridiculous.

...and what are you going to do with those shirts after the election? you'll have to wait another 15-20 years till they'll have a 'vintage' cool factor to them. In the words of the great Erik Brunetti (founder/designer for Fuct), "it's (streetwear) all just so disposable."

and if you're offended, well fuck you 'cause I didn't vote either.

I'm also Canadian.

update on my life

pretty fucking crazy can i say??!?!?!


well i'm currently laying in my parent's fold out couch/bed in their guest bedroom all the way in beijing, china.

school ended a week ago, bridgette and i threw a crazy end of term party (8 kegs, 5 gatorade things of jungle juice and about 300 peeps in a warehouse), my roommate moved out - i finally cleaned the entire apartment, bought a vaccume, saw rocknrolla, A$ came down to visit, saw lil wayne on the i am music tour, went 18+ clubbing, saw a fight break out (highschool nostalgicism), finally saw the new wu-tang dvd, nabbed a david choe print, got some more scholarship money, missed the dean's list by less than 0.1 and flew out to beijing...

and i just got back from the great wall about to have dinner with a friend

will post on everything above while i am here... along with doing something physical (like working out) every single day i am here.

talk to you soon.

Craziest Skateboard Trick Ever

Pure insanity!

Thanks to my boy Chris for showing me this.

Art School - Update

Soo.. it's finals time and shit is getting hectic.

4 books to do, and a few posters for final projects... fuck fuck fuck

Alteast I finished my Com Design final for next Monday.

I was very shocked my teacher liked it. His name is Sean Adams and is currently the President of the AIGA (a professional graphic designer association/cult thing), so he's kind of a big deal.

The assignment was to make a poster for the 2009 conference in Memphis based around either offensive imagery or eye candy, and I made my choice. I've gotten some requests for prints of this... I just did my initial sketches as a joke - or mainly to see how far I could push Sean over the edge with my concepts and according to his surprisingly and supportive positive feedback on my comps here is the final (above).

It was pretty hilarious because I got this printed at school. Just seeing the looks on the faces of people at the lab, I think I nailed it. Not to mention the looks of all the females in my class.

Sometimes, you just gotta lube up and go in. Enjoy.