DeLaWho? DeLaWhat? DeLaWhere?

from NY Daily News

McHip-hop name-drop

Chain wants rappers to mention Big Mac

BY OREN YANIV and LAURA WILLIAMS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

With names like Big Pooh, Big Daddy Kane, Big Rich Tha Don and Notorious B.I.G., "big" is already huge for rappers.

Now, McDonald's reportedly hopes to lure hip-hop artists to drop references to Big Macs into their rhymes.

Though it's not offering money upfront, the fast-food giant is willing to pay rappers $1 to $5 each time songs with the plug hit the radio, according to today's Advertising Age. McDonald's hopes to have its signature sandwich in several songs by summer, the mag says.

And it looks like the plan just might boost sales, some McDonald's customers said yesterday.

"If 50 Cent says so, they're gonna buy so many Big Macs," predicted Kai Davis, 27, a customer service rep and Jay-Z fan from the Bronx. "[Rappers] have a big influence."

"Anything they say, people are going to do," added 16-year-old Benji Lusena of Harlem.

But others said they weren't so easily led. "I usually don't use stuff just because somebody else uses it," said Pedro Rojas, 20, of Jersey City. "If you like the food, then that's about it."

Rappers have been pushing products gratis since Run DMC revived a flagging sneaker brand with its 1986 smash "My Adidas." Hip-hop artists have famously rapped about high-end brands like Cartier, Versace and Dom Perignon.

Sales of one French cognac went through the roof thanks to Busta Rhymes' "Pass the Courvoisier."

McDonald's isn't the only company now paying to break through to the hard-to-reach youth market. The marketing firm Maven Strategies, which McDonald's hired for the Big Mac project, got Seagram's gin mentioned - for a fee - in five raps last year, Ad Age says.

McDonald's has final approval over the Big Mac mentions, so perhaps the company won't want oversized pitchmen like Fat Joe. Decades ago, McDonald's dumped chubby Willard Scott as Ronald McDonald in favor of a leaner clown. Dem Franchise Boyz, on the other hand, might be the perfect spokesgroup for the 30,000-outlet chain.

After parking my car in the parking garage at Easton, me and a friend were walking through the mall to go to P.F. Chang's for Easter dinner. As noted before, I was dressed quite well (if I do say so myself), and apparently I was dressed well enough to be offered a job. A Polish businessman, who himself was dressed to the nines, approached us and commented that I was looking very sharp and asked if I was going to school. We were a little bewildered by the whole thing. He went on to ask me if I had free time to do a little work during the school year. I respectfully denied his offer and went off to dinner. The odd thing is, he never said what the job entailed and what industry he was involved in. Makes one wonder...

becoming a man, by tying my own tie. With the guidance and help of one of my roommates, I made long strides towards becoming a self-sufficient man. I got up early to prepare my clothes for the Easter lunch/dinner with his parents, so I could get a little homework done before we went and I realized that I had a untied tie in my possession. At first, I consulted necktie.com's knot page (yeah, I tried to tie my tie using online instructions)...but I was befuddled by their diagrams and instructions. So, I wandered over into the other room of the suite and found my roommate getting ready for church. With a little instruction, I was able to pick up the sequence and went back into my room to perfect it. I sit here now, with a tie fitted tightly around my neck...a tie that I wont untie for fear that I will lose it's perfect dimensions.

I am granting myself a late pass on this one...podcasting. With some things, I tend to browse and overlook important details like the joys of listening rare and out-of-print soul, funk, and hip-hop albums. Here are some that I came across yesterday: VinylPodcast.com, Can I Bring My Gat?, Funk You, Ear Fuzz, Combo Plates, and Soul Sides. Give them a listen.

Warning: the following post has hints of sarcasm

I have let my blog sit for extended periods of time over the past semester and as a result, it's quality may have dropped a bit...no longer do I post daily and many times I simply link to other pages...this is not the case for one Darko the Dark One of Pertinent Verge fame. No, this exceptional father has blogged consistently and has brought his blog to semi-stardom. Being his creative self, he has nuzzled himself into a web of net activity garnering him an impressive 122 visits a day. For a while, both blog's of family Orsic recieved a similar number of visitors (I have kept a steady dose of 26 visits a day), but with a few clicks of the mouse and the help of the number one Google image search for "iceland" my father's site has rocketed into the bright lights of 100+ visits a day. All the while, my blog has been relatively silent. I might be suffering a bit of blog envy, but no longer am I listed at the top of his links to blogs...he has alphabatized them and left by blog wedged between the C's and the E's. In a recent post, he mentioned a couple of blogs which he considers daily reads and I was not blessed with the honor of being on the list. Then, it hit me...I have to earn the number one spot...because he is hitting the big time now, and he can't be linking to a subpar, panty-waste of a blog...This blog must earn it's spot on top...maybe I will link the picture of Iceland too.

Just last week Curtis Mayfield Remixed was released, last year, the Isley Brothers were remixed, now on May 24th, Motown is going to be remixed. I am really looking forward to hearing Questlove's of The Roots fame (Randy Watson Project) remix of Gladys Knight and the Pips version of "I Heard It Throught the Grapevine". from Allhiphop.com

Motown Releasing Remix CD Of Classics
By Nolan Strong
Date: 3/21/2005 9:00 pm


A variety of Hip-Hop artists will help re-introduce Motown’s “Sound of Young America” to a new Hip-Hop audience via a compilation, Motown Remixed.

Some of Hip-Hop most well respected producers took part in the remix project for the legendary label that boasted such talent as The Temptations, The Supremes, Jackson 5, The Commodores, Rick James and numerous others.

Motown executives gave each producer access to a master recording, with permission to create new versions of the original song.

Producers such as Green Lantern, Jazzy Jeff, Saalam Remi, Easy Mo Bee and The Bomb Squad’s Hank Shocklee reworked such hits as The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” The Supreme’s “My World Is Empty Without You,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and others.

Hank Shocklee, who as a member of The Bomb Squad, helped produce Public Enemy’s sonic marvels, Yo Bum Rush The Show and It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, seized the opportunity to recreate one of his favorite songs.

Shocklee was granted permission to re-work The Undisputed Truth’s hit, “Smiling Faces Sometimes,” which was originally an R&B hit in 1971.

“Working on this project was a dream come true,” Shocklee told AllHipHop.com. “Working with the Undisputed Truth track was great, because I felt that we [the Bomb Squad] have a similar production style. I’ve always been a fan of [producer] Norman Whitfield. On my song I stripped it down and really went after making the song have a Hip-Hop feel to it.”

The project will also be released on limited edition vinyl singles that include 10 of the album’s 15 remixed songs.

Additionally, DJ Smash will embark on a Motown Remixed Tour.

The tour will feature Smash showcasing the remixes and other songs from the Motown catalog in 10 cities during the month of May and June, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Atlanta, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and a city to be announced.

Motown Remixed is slated to hit stores May 24, 2005. Below is the track listing:

1. "I Want You Back"/JACKSON 5
"Z-TRIP REMIX"

2. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"/GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS
"THE RANDY WATSON EXPERIENCE SYMPATHY FOR THE GRAPES MIX "

3. "Let's Get It On"/MARVIN GAYE
"DA PRODUCERS MPG GROOVE MIX"

4. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"/STEVIE WONDER
"DJ SMASH ESSENTIAL FUNK REMIX"

5. "ABC"/JACKSON 5
"SALAAM REMI CRUNK-A-DELIC PARTY MIX"

6. "I Just Want To Celebrate"/RARE EARTH
"MOCEAN WORKER REMIX "

7. "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"/THE TEMPTATIONS
"DJ JAZZY JEFF & PETE KUZMA SOLEFULL MIX "

8. "Quiet Storm"/SMOKEY ROBINSON
"GROOVE BOUTIQUE REMIX," featuring guest soloist ROY AYERS

9. "My World Is Empty Without You"/DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
"TRANZITION REMIX"

10. "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)"/THE TEMPTATIONS
"EASY MO BEE REMIX"

11. "Smiling Faces Sometimes"/UNDISPUTED TRUTH
"FUTURESHOCK ENTERTAINMENT MAIN INGREDIENT MIX"

12. "The Tears Of A Clown"/SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES
"HOTSNAX REMIX"

13. "Keep On Truckin'"/EDDIE KENDRICKS
"DJ SPINNA REMIX"

14. "War"/EDWIN STARR
"KING BRITT MIX"

Bonus Cut
15. "Mary Jane"/RICK JAMES
"DJ GREEN LANTERN EVIL GENIUS MIX"

Flavor Flav on the VH1 reality show "Strange Love", in which Flav and Bridgett Nielsen are "in love". Flav's role in the show goes against Public Enemy's entire message and presentation. It portrays him as a gimmick (Spell Check please) and a simple minded character...Well I will let Chuck D do the talkin...(from Allhiphop.com

Chuck D Comments On Flav’s Surreal Life On “Strange Love”
By Houston Williams
Date: 3/23/2005 1:43 pm

Chuck D, lead rapper of Public Enemy, has issued a statement regarding group member Flavor Flav and his actions on “Strange Love,” a show televised on VH1.
“We'd like to offer an apology for some of the actions that many considered offensive to Black people, and especially Black women and children, by our brother Flavor Flav as portrayed on the VH1 television show "Strange Love," Chuck said in a statement to AllHipHop.com. “Like I said, Flav is our brother but we cannot begin to agree with what the rest of us consider inappropriate behavior and unfair actions towards his family and to himself.”
The show is built on the premise that Flavor Flav woos Brigitte Nielsen, who is engaged to be married. In the process, there are a number of cultural conflicts that arise. In some episodes, Flavor Flav reacted angrily towards the group and members of his own family over a number of instances.
“What is offensive is that his character and private issues are being trashed in front of millions for mere sake of profit and ratings. To showcase the troubling conflict between his kids and ex was uncalled for and we can't stand by it.”
Public Enemy remains one of the most popular and powerful groups with its unique mixture of message oriented music and hard beats. Chuck stated that the recent televised developments haven’t necessarily added to the legacy.
“[The show’s imagery] has been harmful to Flav's standing and legacy of being our brother, regardless of what he got paid, fame, infamy, ratings... but at what price?” the rapper queried. “It is this Flavploitation by the "Strange Love" executive producers Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego, production companies Mindless Entertainment and 51 Minds, VH1 and yes, even Flav and his manager.” According to Chuck D, the entire series was taped over three weeks in Oct. 2004.
“Let's keep in mind that television - no matter how much 'reality' they put in front of the word - is not real,” he stated.
Ultimately, Chuck D explained that his rapping partner was his own man and not bound by any formal doctrine.
“Public Enemy is not a fraternity, nor a political or religious organization, and thus everyone has their own individual personal agendas. But together we make music and are dedicated to spreading the good word around the planet,” he said. “I would be lying if I said that the side of Flav shown on ‘Strange Love’ doesn't affect what I've wanted our collective to stand for, because it does and many have told us how deeply they are bothered by this.”
Rapper Paris, who will produce PE’s next album, said, “While Flavor Flav is a grown man and responsible for his own actions, it's worthy to note that VH1 (and its sister station, MTV) have a history of not supporting message-oriented music, even though they openly embrace corporate-chosen artists who damage our communities with negative images and messages. The "Strange Love" show is little more than an attempt to indirectly discredit the one group most relevant to the Black Experience in hip-hop.”
At press time, Flavor Flav and his manager didn’t respond to inquiries by AllHipHop.com.

No, not the NCAA tournament...but Spring Break Shark Attack. While watching most of this weekend's games, CBS has been shamelessly plugging many of its programs...make that most watched programs. CSI, Without A Trace, Everybody Loves Raymond...and B-minus movie "Spring Break Shark Attack". Frankly, I am surprised that CBS...who dealt with the FCC in regards to one infamous halftime show would even think about showing this disaster of a movie. It doesnt look to be a high-class production. Here is a brief description from the website:

Kathy Baker ("Picket Fences"), Bryan Brown
("The Thorn Birds"), Shannon Lucio (“The O.C.”) and Riley Smith ("New York Minute") star in this thriller about the invasion of a group of killer sharks on the Florida coast as a beach full of college co-eds enjoy their spring break from school.

College girl Danielle (Lucio) lies to her parents about her spring break plans and sneaks away to the fun-filled beaches of Florida with her two best friends. Soon after arriving, she falls for Shane (Smith), a handsome young blue-collar local working to raise college money.
While on vacation, Danielle seeks out her brother, Charlie (Wayne Thornley), a graduate student at the Florida Maritime Institute, whose thesis is on tiger sharks. Charlie cautions his sister to stay out of the water. He suspects that a large number of sharks are in the area due to a new artificial reef that was built to attract tourism.

Caught up in spring break fun, Danielle forgets her brother's warning. However, on an overnight boat trip she and her friends are viciously attacked by a group of sharks. As they find their way to safety on an islet, the reality of the danger hits them even harder when the body of a friend washes ashore.

Sounds tasty...maybe I will tune in for the hilarity.

For my Environemental Geology class, we took a little trip to Waste Management's Suburban Landfill in Glenford, OH. This impressive engineered mound of garbage provides Construction & Demolition Debris Disposal, Contaminated Soil Remediation, Liquid Waste Disposal, Municipal Solid Waste Disposal, Special Waste Disposal, and Transportation of Special Waste for central Ohio. This twelve year old facility was managed by a relatively young man who gave us a two hour tour of the mountain of waste, which hasa an elevation of 1100 feet and is by far the highest point in Licking County. He showed us how the solidify liquid waste, how they seal the landfill, how they manage the land and how they manage the waste. It was an impressive operation that combined high technology with brute mechanical strength. Other than a construction site, it would be a 6 year old's favorite place with large dump trucks whose tires were taller than my 6'2'' frame. This trip gave me perspective as to the amount of waste we produce daily as the Suburban Landfill accepts 2600 tons of waste a day. The manager stressed the importance of recycling, not only so he could make more money, but also because cans, bottles, and paper are relatively light and take up valuable air space in the mounds-o-trash. I began to think about my daily consumption and the amount of waste that I produce and how I can cut down on such things. I think it is valuable for one to take a trip to one's local landfills, if not for the lovely views and fresh air, then for a little perspecitive.

Here is, (this time the link included for the Verger), John Legend's new video "Ordinary People" also directed by Kanye West. I really like Kanye's vision on both "Ordinary People" and "the Corner". At first the arguing families in the video may take you by surprise and take away from the song, but it all pieces together in the end.

new video directed by Kanye West for Common's "The Corner" feat. the Last Poets. The camera work is amazing and I heard someone say that this video makes Chicago look like Rome. The combination of the Last Poets and the end of the video gave me the chills.