T.R.A.I.N. "The Boarding Pass"

This is a really proud and happy day for me and I’m not just saying that because its Memorial Day. Today is the day that my brother, T.R.A.I.N., releases his very 1^st solo mixtape, “The Boarding Pass”. As an artist, T.R.A.I.N. is original, confident and honest. Although “real” is one of the most overused clichés in Hip-Hop, his music is certainly nothing but that. He’s not pretending to be something that he isn’t and his music conveys that. So with that said, you should make sure you check his music out at train2freedom.bandcamp.com, there’s free bonus tracks as well as the free mixtape which officially released today. Its been a work in progress, and I’ve seen the blood, sweat and tears that went into making this amazing project come to fruition. Even though I’m a couple thousand miles in Florida for school, I’m always there for my little brother wishing him the best and all the success in the world. This is the beginning of what will be a magnificent journey, get your boarding pass today, you wont regret it.

For The Birds...

I found this cool video created by composer, Jarbas Agnelli, entitled "Birds On A Wire." He saw a photo of the birds in a newspaper and wanted to see what they would sound like if they were musical notes. His really good idea turns out to be a pretty "fly" composition. Peep it and leave some feedback.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

R.I.P. Lena Horne

Over this Mother's Day weekend, we lost an entertainment legend. The incomparable Lena Horne was 92 when she passed. She was a singer, dancer, and actress winning 8 Grammy awards, an Emmy award, a Tony award, an ASCAP award, and receiving two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was blacklisted for her political views on the Civil Rights Movement, refusing to perform at the USO during WWII for segregated audiences. Ms. Horne had a long history in the entertainment industry, spanning nearly six decades and ranging from the Cotton Club to Sesame Street. One of my fondest memories of her will always be her role as Glinda in “The Wiz.” A talented, intelligent, classy and beautiful woman, Lena Horne was an incredible artist and person. God Bless and R.I.P.

Tru Statement - Pharcyde x Fantasia

This right here comes from my boy Casey over at TruStatement.com. He actually found out that the Pharcyde’s “Pack the Pipe” links up with Fantasia when he was kicking it with some friends. This is in the same vein as Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” matching up with The Wizard of Oz (If you haven’t tried it yet you’re missing out for real). This is pretty fresh and will change the way you think about the song forever. Check it out below and shoot over to trustatement.com and check out some of their new releases.

New Video: Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi "Tight Rope"

This is the new single from Janelle Monae featuring Sir Lucious Leftfoot aka Big Boi called Tightrope. I’m loving this track and the video is a perfect compliment. I love when you get a visual for a song that is creative and allows the artist to show listeners some new flavor. The video even has my girlfriend learning the new dance. I have to admit, I’ve been listening to this song for the last week because of the vibe it gives me, its straight up some “Feel Good” music. Check it below.

And for my twitter heads, follow Janelle Monae @JanelleMonae and make sure you #playtightrope

Short Film: Street Fighter Legacy

When I first heard there was going to be another Street Fighter film, I was upset. I was thinking, “Damn, haven’t they already TRIED to ruin this franchise enough!” Then I saw the trailers. I was actually excited that somebody was getting it “right”. Well now Street Fighter Legacy is here, this fan-made short film (and I do mean short) released on Friday, May 7, 2010. Its like actually watching Street Fighter the game, come to life. I hope these guys take this further in the future. You can check it below, along with the trailers and a behind the scenes featurette on the costumes. Enjoy

Racecar Mario Theme

Probably one of the most noticeable game theme’s EVER. I swear I randomly catch myself humming this song because its embedded in my brain from childhood. This takes me back to the days of OG Nintendo with the gun and the power pad! Me and my fam spent MAD hours side-scrolling, mushroom chasing, duck hunting, cartridge banging, and fighting over square joysticks. My boy DJ Bedo put me up on this and I had to throw it on the blog. If peeps got this creative with their beer bottles on a regular basis, the world would be a cooler place!

Mario Theme Played with RC Car and Bottles - Watch more Funny Videos

Cinco De Mayo "Machete" Trailer

Here is the *official* trailer for Robert Rodriguez's "Machete" starring Danny Trejo and an All-Star cast including Robert DeNiro, Cheech Marin, Jessica Alba, and Michelle Rodriguez . Its really cool that this film will be releasing in the near future since it has parallels to the Arizona immigration law fiasco. If you're not a Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez fan and didn't catch the Grindhouse double feature they did back in '07, there was actually a *fake* trailer for "Machete." I'm really diggin' the fact that it draws influence from "Desperado" and "Once Upon A Time In Mexico," two of my favorite Rodriguez flicks. The film is set to release in the U.S. September 3, 2010, check out the official trailer and the fake below

Official Trailer

Fake Trailer

New Music: Eminem, Jay-Z, & Jay Electronica

A couple new tracks surfaced in the last few days, that as an emcee myself, have me both impressed and inspired.

As far as Jay Electronica goes... he's gotta be ill, he's kickin' it with Erykah Badu right!?!?! J/K but dude IS ill, I'm really waiting on that debut album. He had me at Exhibit C. On "Ghost of Christopher Wallace" Jay Elec hooks up with Ciroc Obama himself and goes IN on this nice tribute to the Notorious one.

Jay Electronica "Ghost of Christopher Wallace"

As a native Detroiter, I'm always looking to hear something new from Eminem and this "Dispicable" freestyle does NOT disappoint. I can honestly say I wasn't SUPER impressed with Relapse but there is nobody in the rap game right now with wordplay on his level and he was most definitely missed.

Eminem "Dispicable Freestyle"

This is Jay-Z's "lost" verse for Maybach Music 2, as usual there's a few quotable lines filled with Jay’s trademark swagger. He even goes as far as to say, "On the initial Maybach, I was way too official they aint call Jay back”

Jay Z "Maybach Music 2 (Lost Verse)"