Ataraxia
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Posts posted by Ataraxia
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Haha, good find ;)
Don't forget to click 'Recommend'!
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Most people don't know that Will's wife is in a heavy metal band, but they're not really as bad as you might first think. After being booed off Ozzfest, people have slowly started to come round, realizing the band have a lot of talent. I like them.
Check out the videos:
Website:
http://www.wickedwisdom.net/
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Cheers, dude.
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My review of Da Brakes' album Clean But Still Street, from my website www.andycarrington.co.uk:
It's refreshing to hear a rapper spit about the everyman's lifestyle, rather than the typical obnoxious ramblings of Gangsta Rap in today's musical market. But that's what London-based rapper 'Da Brakes' (real name Ewan Alman) is developing a well-respected reputation for with his third official album release Clean But Still Street. Characterised in form by spoken word lyricism and party inspiring production, Brakes demonstrates a talent for creating positive, thought-provocative Hip-Hop in a pleasingly unforced quality.
Immediately from the opening track 'Hip-Hop Loving', Brakes boasts that he's gonna take the music back to its essence. Admittedly, I felt a little cynical at first, considering that I've been disappointed a number of times by a majority of emcees using such a line, in a bid to enhance their already tarnished statuses as music artists.
There is, however, a definite old-school feel (circa 1979–1984) to the entirety of Clean But Still Street that really makes you remember why you fell in love with the culture in the first place. The simple rhyme scheme means that the verses are easy to recite after a couple of listens; add to that some smooth Funk and R'n'B-based production, and you've got yourself an album that you wouldn't be ashamed of bumping in front of your mates.
The diversity in subject matter and innovation in the execution feels so fresh that it makes the music great fun to listen to. Even if you don't class yourself as a 'Hip-Hop lover', lines such as "You know me, my skills go deeper than a knife to slice," ('Rhymes & Music') will make the ignorant think twice about the culture's negative, aggressive stereotype.
Brakes, himself, will no doubt admit to a definite Will Smith influence here. Voicing his experience of relationship break-ups, family relations, and the process of creating music, he has managed to create a serious album that will gain respect from the true Hip-Hop heads; though fuelled with a kinetic, pop energy that will also appeal to the mainstream masses.
Definitely recommended.
© Andy Carrington, 2009.
www.andycarrington.co.uk/music
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Cheers. Will do.
Just out of interest, is this your second official LP? I was checking through your website, and gathered that 'Business as Usual' was your first? Just need to clarify before I do a write up.
Listening now, seems great so far :)
Keep UK reppin'!
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Brakes, would you appreciate a free review from a freelance writer looking to get his name [and yours] out there?
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That just sums up 50 Cent's fanbase.
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I went a bit crazy with my student loan at uni and bought all of the figures from series I-VI, then I realised I had no bloody place to put them all! So I sold the majority of them and kept just the first series (the most sought after).
Rocky rules!
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tell me man, do the girls dig those rocky action figures?
No, but **** em. They have no concept of what is cool :P
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A recent pic of me:
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I wish Will would have shown the world his real talent as a rapper..
But then he wouldn't be so popular, would he? The man knows he audience, and exploits it. Fair game to him.
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They switch sides often...they loved 50 when he came out with 'In Da Club' and then hated him when The Game came out wit his diss record. Then love 50 again when he came out wit Candy Shop. As long as radio DJs, MTV and BET gave the go ahead that its was alright to listen to it...they did it. Basically its okay to love him as an actor but not as a emcee. Cause everybody I know who doesnt like him as an emcee sure do love Bad Boys 1 & 2.
People are hypocrites.
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well usualy people laugh if you tell them you listen to hip hop
That's true, too, with the standard of commercial Hip-Hop these days.
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I'm just curious to hear other people's stories.
Thing is, I remember my years back at school and college when many people would ask me what Hip-Hop artists I was into. I'd say Will Smith, among others, and they'd laugh. I'll always remember the comment "You know, if you told some guy in the hood that you like Will Smith, he'd laugh he's ass off."
Is this common reaction an English thing, or is it the same the world over?
Not that if ever bothered me; I've always thought Hip-Hop to be diverse, and Will Smith was one of the leading contenders in the commercial scene that always caught my eye.
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Well, the link words. Hmm :/
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Haha! Awesome!
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"Unfortunately, things didn't turn our so well for Will Smith's career: a forgettable sitcom and some box-office bombs."
If he's gonna try and be funny he could at least checked for typos :/
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With gangsta rap, u are basically stuck on the following topics....weed, drinking, drugs, guns, and sex. 2 stay there in your music is immature, stupid, repetitive, and uninspiring. There is no second story in the house of gangsta rap.
I once heard the phrase "Gangsta Rap is wack"....and i agree.
Which is why I said it's a no win situation.
But I wouldn't agree that "Gangsta Rap is wack." I admit that it gets a little repetitive with all this young [fake] rappers coming out, aspiring to be bad boy emcees. I like JJFP, obviously, but I also admire the greats of Gangsta Rap, such as Kool G Rap, Ice-T, Ice Cube, etc. for what they've done for Hip-Hop.
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^ That's the thing with Gangsta Rap. It's a bit of a no win situation. You can start out living in the ghetto, spitting the ghetto lifestyle, and getting respected. But when you start making money, you move out of the hood, into a nice mansion with the family and kids. So then do you keep spittin' the ghetto lifestyle to make people think you're still 'real', or do you start making positive, uplifting Hip-Hop music, reflecting the current lifestyle?
I guess, you could stay in the ghetto, but as Ice-T put it "No one wants to live there."
It's pretty damn difficult to keep it real within the eye of the media.
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Dre is as fake as they come. I like his beats, but he should stay the hell away from the mic.
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No, he's not the best, but the guy holds his own pretty well.
I particularly like the one of Will beatboxing live, in his yellow adidas top, with Jazzy jeff.
Nice video, dude.
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Oh ****, I almost forgot about "Da Butta". That song is dynamite.
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Y'all named some great songs there, "I Loved You" is such a deep song, "Y'all Know" and "Yes Yes Y'all" got such incredible lyricism, "The Rain" has such real lyrics just like "Tell Me Why", I really like "Afro Angel" too which tells inspiring stories, "Block Party" is a summer anthem, and lately I've been playing "Nothin' On My Mind" a lot, it's such a cool song to groove to
Do people really listen to Will Smith for "deep songs" like 'I Loved You' though? (This is a rhetorical question, by the way).
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I'm thinking mainly of his solo work here, but feel free to throw some JJFP tracks in.
How about, 'Y'all Know'? Some Fantastic lyrics:
"Im back attackin the mic
Hype like a viking
Strikin like a python
Blaze like jon
A hip-hop icon, mc radical
Back on track from my rap/act sabatacle
Nine-point-six on the richter
Kicked her, hands so slickta
Chicks quickta flip tha
Bright glance and the tight pants
For the slight chance, big willie can we get one dance?"
Same with 'Yes, Yes, Y'all':
"Parades and accolades all shades and ages
Me the outrageous
My zeal contagious
The smile inspirator
Aspen to Grenada
One of the only emcees to say cheese with Schwarzenegger."
And 'I Loved You'- one of Will Smith's deeper tracks. You can just here his emotion kicking in towards the end. Classic.
Web sites you usually visit?
in Caught in the Middle
Posted
http://www.andycarrington.co.uk (Poetry, Short Stories, Film and Music Reviews, & More -- My Website, after all ;) )
http://z6.invisionfree.com/The_Frog (Forum concerning music, art, politics, films, video games, etc.)
http://www.alienexperienc.com (Everything Alien and Predator)
http://www.totaljobs.com (I need a ****in' job, dammit!)
http://www.filmcritic.com (One of my favourite film critique sites)