Reflection Eternal return

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, hopefully this new banger from the Reflection Eternal clan will fill the void. Link after the jump.

Reflection Eternal feat. Jay Electronica, J. Cole & Mos Def - Just Begun
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Rage Against The Machine vs Joe McElderry: Fight!

Following a Facebook campaign to usurp this year's X-Factor finalist from the coveted Xmas number-one, it seems that RATM are going to take the Christmas top-spot. All round cheers and general congratulations for those who spent 79p (or whatever an iTunes download costs; you wouldn't catch me actually paying for music) on this pathetic campaign to win a useless accolade.

Savvy commentators have pointed out that both RATM and McElderry are both part of the Sony behemoth, totally missing the point that virtually all music on iTunes is owned by Warner, EMI, Sony or Universal - with Apple taking a substantial cut of every download sold. Despite earlier claims by these juggernauts that the internet would bust their businesses wide open, we have yet to see any major in-roads made by smaller companies. The 'big four' simply have too much money to spend on marketing, despite the fact that the growth of digital distribution should have, theoretically, made it easier than ever for smaller labels to turn a profit.

Presumably those who were involved in this campaign felt they were 'sticking it to the man', and taking a stand against formulated pop. After all, Rage's contender is a winner of a reality TV show singing a song by fucking Miley Cyrus. What these folk may have failed to understand is that by engaging and giving value to the Xmas number-one race (currently number one? Peter-fucking-Kay), they are merely helping to prop up the bloated shit-fuck of a dinosaur that is the music industry. By the time that Apple and Sony have taken their cut, there is little left to give to the grizzled bunch of musicians whose last worthwhile contribution to recorded music was 17 years ago. So when Tom Morello says that the chart battle has injected 'a little dose of anarchy for the holidays', his cry rings hollow.

Now a bunch of self-satisfied tossers (over 150,000 of them), can congratulate themselves on being 'so fucking real'. I tell you what would be really anarchic - bombing Sony. Or Universal. Or even learning a fucking instrument, recording a decent track, and selling it independently. Not buying some old rock fossil's crap single from a multinational website. Does anyone even honestly like Rage Against The Machine anymore? They're like skateboarding or wanking over Razzle - fun when you're 13 but pretty pathetic when you're 30 years old. Me, I'm listening to MGMT and watching quality bootlegged internet porn. Now THAT'S sticking it to the man!

Surely those buying Killing in the Name Of's main motivation is to topple McElderry's single - not that they actually like RATM. Couldn't they use their hard-earned cash more wisely? To say, go and see a band they actually like? One they like NOW, not 17 years ago? The whole thing is wildly adolescent. And if we want to be totally adolescent, why not buy something with a title that couldn't even be printed or spoken of in the mainstream media? Like Black Vagina Finda by Onyx or Bitches and Niggaz by Snoop Dogg? Now there's some good music for dat ass, and it would have been much funnier. What would Simon Cowell say to that?

As a matter of general principle I have bought fifteen copies of McElderry's ear-wank, and charged it to the company. You can all stand in line to kiss my ass, and thank me for it later. (read more)

iPod Battle Royale Part Deux

One of the nights I DJ at is the iPod Battle Royale, next happening on the 11th December at the Hive Bar in Brixton. Essentially, teams go head-to-head and song-for-song in an all-out iPod-battle for supremacy. Sign up is before the night, you can contact me via the 'email me' link on this blog if you're interested in taking part. I will be joined on the night by the highly talented DJ Nicky D, and in honour of the night we have slammed a little mix together for your listening pleasure. This one's pretty eclectic, there's something for everyone. Tracklisting and download link after the jump. Holla!

DJ Nicky D & Akuma present iPod Battle Royale Mix 2

Akuma's Intro
Jan Hammer - Crockett's Theme
The Game - Higher
Busta Rhymes ft Swizz Beatz - Watch Ya Mouth
Nore ft Pharrell - Nothin'
Spandau Ballet - True
Bill Withers - Lovely Day
Naughty By Nature - OPP
Onyx - Slam
Kid Cudi ft Kanye West & Common - Make Her Say
The Trammps - Rubber Band
The Game ft 50 Cent - Hate It Or Love It
MGMT - Time To Pretend
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Suck My Kiss
Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump
Ol' Dirty Bastard ft Kelis - Got Your Money
Apathy & Celph Titled ft J-Zone - Nut Reception
Dolly Parton - 9 To 5
Fabolous ft Pharrell - Holla Back
Snap - The Power (Dub)
Foreign Beggars & Noisia - Contact
Hall & Oats - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
Busta Rhymes Ft Pharrell - Kill Dem
Stone Roses - Fool's Gold
Nicky D's Intro
Kansas - Dust In The Wind
Jay-Z - Jockin' Jay-Z (Travis Barker Remix)
Oasis - Wonderwall
Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady
Beyonce - Work It Out
Marley Marl ft MC Shan - Marley Marl Scratch
Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
Freeway ft Peedi Crakk - Flipside
Jamie Foxx - Blame It On Tequila
Warren G & Nate Dogg - Regulate (Keep Regulating Mix)
Lynard Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
Run DMC - King Of Rock
AC/DC - Back In Black
Queen - We Will Rock You
Wayne Wonder - No Letting Go
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - I Love Rock n' Roll
Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul
Billy Squier - Big Beat
Dizzee Raskal - Fix Up Look Sharp
Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire (Team Canada Remix)
Eve - Tambourine ft Swizz Beatz
Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air
Amerie - One Thing
Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
DJ Shadow - Organ Donor
Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats
Jay-Z - Encore
Justice - Genesis
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Outro (read more)

Skream vs Chromeo

And you thought the La Roux remix went hard.... Link after the jump.

Chromeo - Night by Night (Skream Remix) (read more)

Stupid rapper names

Rappers just love calling themselves stupid names. It’s always amusing when you find out that rapper’s real names are wonderfully pedestrian. Here’s to you Dennis (aka Ghostface Killah) and Calvin (Snoop). Below is a little list of stupid rapper names that spring to mind. Enjoy.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard

He should have just called himself ‘Huge Fat Rapist’ and been done with it.

C Murder

The No Limit soldier doesn’t have the silliest of names out there - but his moniker comes into its own when you take into account his life imprisonment for…. murder. The trial must have been a barrel of laughs (with all due respect to the victim’s family).

Judge: How do you, Mr C Murder, plead to the charge of murder?
C Murder: Guilty. I mean, innocent. Damn, I dunno. I’m C Murder bitches!

Uncle Murda

East New York shooter and general badass, who may well find himself in the same position as C Murder. It can’t be a good idea to boast about being a murderer, it must look terrible in court. I wonder if he has any nieces and nephews, and if they call him Murda? That’d be cute.

Snoop Doggy Dogg

Now known by the abbreviated ‘Snoop Dogg’, because Snoop Doggy Dogg just sounds stupid. He’s been around so long it doesn’t even seem silly anymore. But it is. Totally.

Swollen Members

I mean, seriously. Naming your group after two or more engorged penises (no homo von Kanye) is just plain nasty, and way homo.

Puff Daddy aka P Diddy, aka Diddy

I don’t really think this needs any explanation. Dangerously close to ‘Poof Daddy’ – which instantly conjures up an image of a dodgy relative who can’t be left alone with the kids at Christmas.

Shorty Shit Stain

One of the late great Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s weed carriers, as featured on Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, and the king of silly rapper names. Who would dream of calling themselves Shorty Shit Stain? Unless of course it’s his government name, which I very much doubt. Can you imagine his parent’s ante-natal conversations?

Dad: I was thinking Robert or Jonathan if it’s a boy.
Mom: Really? I quite like Shit Stain.

Free advice for aspiring rappers

Don’t name yourself after:

• a trademark which you WILL get sued for,
• some shit super-hero that no-one likes,
• faeces,
• a rapist, dictator, or other criminal.
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Just how racist is it?

The UK press and public are this week up in arms over Anton Du Beke calling Laila Rouass a ‘paki’ (note use of quotes, that shows I’m not racist too) on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing show. Earlier this year the BBC sacked the famous racist Carol Thatcher from The One Show for calling some tennis star or other a golliwog, so now people are wondering why Du Beke isn’t getting it in the neck. The BBC claim that, as Du Beke made a full apology, unlike Thatcher, he can continue to foul our airwaves with his racist filth. I suspect, however, that the bottom line is:

A. Du Beke is a sounder commercial prospect than Thatcher, so they just don’t want to ditch him, and

B. Paki is seen as less racist a term than golliwog.

It’s the second point that got me thinking. Just how racist are certain words? Would it be possible to, say, rate them out of ten? Using the ‘racism rating’, we can formulate an equation for just how sackable the term’s usage is, when multiplied by the speaker’s commercial clout. The following information could come in handy for media bosses and closet racists. Don’t get caught out on the air-waves people, follow my handy guide. Without further ado, let’s get rating!

GOLLIWOG

This is quite racist, but also slightly amusing in a way (admit it). It makes me think of Tintin in the Congo, and other quaint, old-school racism. It’s just not in usage like it once was. You can put it in mainstream media coverage of Carol Thatcher’s tea gatherings (in quotes, natch) and it’s ok. It even passes Microsoft Word’s spell-check, unlike paki. Big up Enid Blyton and 1950’s tea sets.
OFFENSIVENESS RATING: 6/10

PAKI
I’ve heard reports that in America this is ok, feel free to chime in via the comments section below. Over here it’s guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows. It may not end polite conversation, but boy does it come close. Use it in conjunction with a comment about corner shops to score a bonus point.
OFFENSIVENESS RATING: 8/10

CHEESE-EATING SURRENDER MONKEY
You can say this one pretty much everywhere, because most people hate the French. Plus they’re wildly racist themselves - so if they do complain, it’s like the pot calling the kettle black (and minority ethnic). Even people who vote for the Green Party and don’t eat meat might laugh.
OFFENSIVENESS RATING: 2/10

CHINK
Don’t drop this one on a prime-time TV show, you’re asking for trouble. About as bad a word as you can get when it comes to Chinese people, but probably still not as offensive as paki – mainly because it’s just not used as much and so hasn’t had time to gain shock-factor. Also, Chinese people are really clever, so it seems silly to take the piss. They’ll probably have your job in a year. Then who’s laughing?
OFFENSIVENESS RATING: 7/10

SPIC
In the USA this will get you into trouble, but over here in Blighty it just doesn’t have the same impact. Why might that be? Answer - there are way fewer Latinos. This of course highlights the irony of broadcasters rating the offensiveness of these terms by how offended the general viewing public (read: majority white) will be, rather than how hurtful it is to the minority in question. Once again whitey wins.
OFFENSIVENESS RATING: 6/10 (or 8/10 for our American friends)

CRACKER
Originally this meant a stupid whitey from the southern states, now it’s a bit more general purpose. Shockingly, many people in the UK don’t even know what it means – which deadens the impact somewhat. How can minorities be racist if The Man doesn’t even know what it means? I’m pleading with the UK massive to step their anti-white racism game up, for everybody's sake.
OFFENSIVENESS RATING: 3/10 (whitey rules the world, and we don’t give a fuck)

YID
This one kinda loses out, at least in the UK, because it’s also used to describe supporters of Tottenham Hotspur FC. Still, don’t go shouting this one out in Hampstead Garden Suburb on Shabbat. If you want to make sure you’re going to offend your Jewish friends, role with ‘kike’ instead and watch the fun unfold!
OFFENSIVENESS RATING: 6/10

N****R
This one is so racist that, as a white person, I can’t even type it without instantly unleashing the wrath of liberals everywhere. When people say it on TV it instantly gets reported as ‘the N word’ – dropping the full n-bomb is akin to raping a child, or shitting on a disabled person. Try it at your next dinner party (the n-bomb, not shitting on a disabled person), and watch the polite conversation end. Even black folk get told off for using it (I see you Nas) – it truly is the king of all racist words.
OFFENSIVENESS RATING: 10/10 (but numbers alone can’t sum up its amazing power)

In conclusion, don’t say anything at a level 6 or above, unless your contract is worth Jonathan Ross money. It’s just going to end in tears. And while we’re here, check out Wikipedia’s awesome list of racial slurs – it’s bound to come in handy during Scrabble games.
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Cormega - Make It Clear

Awesome new track from Cormega, produced by DJ Premier. Taken from the forthcoming LP Born and Raised. Support it when it drops on 20/10/2009.

Cormega - Make It Clear (read more)