January 20, 2008
You set me free.
Thank you.
December 18, 2007
Because we make moves like this when no one else has the guts.
[New Jersey becomes the first state in 40 years to abolish the death penalty]
October 21, 2007
New Blog: I Get Paid to Write This One
Posted by monkiwi under Latinidad, Media Biz, Shameless PlugNo Comments
Hope this explains my disappearing act…soon I’ll figure out how to balance two blogs. For now, peep the new one:
August 4, 2007
Rims in Park Slope - July 16, 2007
July 23, 2007
Just Come Out Already, Anderson Cooper!
Posted by monkiwi under Idolatry, Keeping It Real, VideoNo Comments
Oh, Anderson–I love you, but what’s with all the not-so-subtle hints at your sexuality? I get that you want privacy, journalistic integrity or what have you, and that’s fine by me. But don’t undermine that desire with all these wink-nudge moments in front of the camera!
July 13, 2007
Shameless Plug: Tales from the LAMC - Trading Sleep for Blogs
Posted by monkiwi under Audiophile, Idolatry, Latinidad, Media Biz, NYisms, Shameless PlugNo Comments
We’re halfway through! Check out the recap so far…and pray that I get some sleep sooner than later, por dios.
July 13, 2007
BREAKING: Crunk Goes Legit
Posted by monkiwi under Hip-Hop Hooray, Idolatry, Media Biz, WTF?!?1 Comment
Lil’ Jon made it hot, and now Merriam-Webster is recognizing its legitimate place in our vocabulary.
[Crunk Added To Webster's Dictionary] (via AllHipHop)
Some choice excerpts from this breaking news story:
Hip-Hop culture has once again contributed to American lexicon, as the word “crunk” has officially been added to the Merriam-Webster’s yearly list of words to be included in the dictionary. Other words that will be included in the update include Bollywood, DVR, ginormous, smackdown, snowboardcross and others.
Crunk, which is said to have originated in Memphis, soon spread to Atlanta and is reported to be a combination of the words “crazy” and “drunk,” although it refers to a persons state of mind when they become is extremely excited.
Chart topping rapper Lil’ Jon has built a number of profitable businesses using the word.
“I told yall “crunk aint dead,” Lil’ Jon told AllHipHop.com. “It’s amazing that the word has become that popular. We been saying ‘crunk’ in Atlanta [for] as long as I can remember. All I did was put it on a record and let the world know our lifestyle! We live to get crunk n the south and I guess Webster’s dictionary recognized that and how big the music has been in the last 10 years.”
Below is Merriam-Webster’s official listing for the word crunk:
Main Entry: crunk
Pronunciation: \ˈkrəŋk\
Function: noun
Etymology: crunk, word of fluctuating meaning used during the 1990s in lyrics of the rap groups OutKast and Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz
Date: 2000
: a style of Southern rap music featuring repetitive chants and rapid dance rhythms
Sound like the best news ever, but what I want to know is this — where can I find the story about “ginormous” being added that traces its etymology back to Will Ferrell’s classic motion picture, Elf?
UPDATE: Apparently the British army started using the word “ginormous” back in 1948…wtf?!
July 11, 2007
Shameless Plug: My Latin Alternative Music Conference Preview
Posted by monkiwi under Audiophile, Idolatry, Latinidad, Required Reading, Shameless PlugNo Comments
July 11, 2007
Lil Wayne Is the Best Rapper Alive: Reason #753
Posted by monkiwi under Audiophile, Hip-Hop Hooray, Idolatry, Reasons, VideoNo Comments
Below, four stupidly amazing new tracks by Lil Wayne, which were supposed to be on his upcoming disc, Tha Carter III, but instead were leaked from the recording sessions and as a result, landed on the mixtape, The Drought is Over 2: Tha Carter 3 Sessions.
While I’m sad that these leaks mean we have to wait till ‘08 to hear a complete album, the fact still remains–with songs like these, Weezy could seriously make a groupie out of me.
“La La La”
“The Sky Is The Limit”
“I Feel Like Dying”
“I’m Raw”
July 10, 2007
BREAKING: Funkmaster Flex Spins a Good Set
Posted by monkiwi under Audiophile, Hatorade, Hip-Hop Hooray, Idolatry, MP3, Takin' It BackNo Comments
M-Rod beat me to this one, so I’m giving him all the credit. Funkmaster Flex took a break from incessant bomb-dropping and intro-rewinding this past weekend to spin his illest set in years: a five hour ode to 90s hip hop (which I’m convinced will go down forever as the genre’s greatest era — 1991-1996, to be exact).
CLICK HERE to read M-Rod’s post, which links up to the man who was genius enough to get the whole set on mp3. Trust me, it’s worth every sec to download this.
