Continuing (starting?) starting the tradition started last year, here goes 30 minutes of funk and soul courtesy DJ Nice Rec.

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First off, I hope you are enjoying Anything But Rap #1. Ross Reilly really threw me off guard when he sent me the sets, I was expecting something in the vein of what Rob Hart did last year (more indie punk-ish), but this is better than I could have imagined! Me and my arrow…

I have always prided the J. Pitts Show in being able to keep things diverse, and Anything But Rap #2 is no different. Ross will probably get angry for saying this, but the episode felt very “hippie-ish.” I think I could play this for my Father and he would nod his head in the same way that I nod my head anytime I hear new Blu or Royce!

With that said, our next real episode will be No Limit Records. Yes folks, we are going from Madlib to Master P in one fell swoop. Remember what I said about being diverse? We are even going to release an exhaustive gallery of cover art for you to marvel at (Big Bear is just ridiculous).

However, before the No Limit episode we are going to continue our tradition of releasing our Bonus Tur-Funk-En episode. On Thanksgiving you’ll be able to logon to this site and download approximately 30 minutes of DJ Nice Rec spun funk and soul. For those that don’t like our talking, you’ll can skip right past the first few minutes and get right to the music.

As for the rest of the year, we have a few things cooked up. Of course, we have our end of the year Casey Kasem style countdown, but we are also hoping to have a live podcast from a bar sometime next month. You will get to see just how Nice Rec gets down for live crowds. Also, be on the lookout for out next regular episode, which will contain a Binkis Records set, celebrating the music of frontman Jax who died recently. If you’ve never heard of Binkis, just listen, we’ll do them justice, we have been fans for years.

Oh yeah, episode 75 is the Def Squad. Any Redman fans out there?

We decided to put down the hip hop for a week and let our boy Ross Reilly do the work for us. Peep game and broaden your horizons with us.

The Free Design – Bubbles

Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra – Silver Fingertips
Chad & Jeremy – You are She
Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart – Sometimes She’s A Little Girl
Harry Nilsson – Me and My Arrow

Scott Walker – The Old Man’s Back Again
Ruby and the Romantics – Our Time Will Come
Chantal Goya – Tu M’as Trop Menti
Caetano Veloso – Irene

Beach Boys – Never Learn Not to Love

Discuss on the forum

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I am going to get around to uploading Episode 69 – Anything But Rap in a few seconds here, but in the meantime, check out the Freestyle Madness blog, which has a post offering 62 madlib joints you may not have heard before. As if our Man of the Hour part 1 and part 2 wasn’t enough.

Freestyle Madness posts a lot of dope older albums you may or may not have heard before. The only gripe I have is that they use rapidshare, which puts a cap on how much you can download in one day.

62 Madlib joints you may not have heard before.

As we previously blogged about here, Jim Jones’ musical, Hip Hop Monologues: Inside the Life and Mind of Jim Jones debuted last night. Miss Info posted some footage over at her site.

It looks pretty hilarious. I might need to get the clique to take a road trip down to NYC to peep.

This regular episode features the return of Slim Wilkins, who moved away a couple of months ago. If you were at Scribble Jam, he is the one that handed you a J. Pitts Show sticker. Check it check it out!

Playlist:

Obie Trice – Well Known Asshole

Arsonists – Geembo’s Theme
Large Professor – In the Ghetto
DJ Revolution – School f/ Planet Asia
Royce da 5’9″ – Jockin’ My Flesh

Jay Electronica – Exhibit A (Transformations)
D.I.T.C. – Experience
Little Brother – Lovin’ It f/ Joe Scudda
Robin Thicke – Magic Remix (f/ Wale and Mary J. Blige)

Freddie Foxx – How to Rob 2008

Click to discuss on the forum

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Streaming:

Wow, a good day for Allhiphop news…

Allhiphop reports that Will Smith is set to star in a Steven Spielberg directed remake of Oldboy, while his son will star in a remake of the Karate Kid. Oh, those Smith’s and their affinity for remakes of martial arts movies. By the way, is that “the thing now? We already have the Last Dragon getting remade, are we going to see a trend of classic martial arts movies remade starring African-American actors? Will Terrence Dashon Howard take over for Jean Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport? Or how about Sinbad and Nick Cannon in a remake of Sidekicks?

Haha!

I loved both the original Karate Kid and Oldboy.  I watched The Karate Kid and its sequels (well, minus the one with Hillary Swank) so many times as a youth that I was able to quote EVERY SINGLE WORD from the movie at one point. I can thank a large part of that to my brother Chris. I even geeked out when I saw this music video featuring the old cast (sans Pat Morita R.I.P.) reprising their roles. As a disclaimer, the actual song in that video is terrible.

Oldboy was a netflix rental a couple of years ago that I enjoyed. I wasn’t particularly happy with the literally incestuous ending, but it was an entertaining movie nonetheless. I haven’t had the opportunity to catch any of the sequels, are they any good?

With that said, I am cautiously optimistic about movies. I don’t know anything about Will’s son, but I do know that while Will Smith is an actor with a very very limited range of emotions, he does pick great movies to star in. I loved I Am Legend and Hitch, and I don’t think Oldboy will require too much of a challenge for him acting wise.

What’s next? Jada Pinkett-Smith starring in a remake of Wing Chun?

A trend in recent years has been for famous rappers enforcers to drop albums. These “rappers,” in the post-50 Cent era, must hope that their street cred will overshadow their lack of actual song-writing skills and lead to sales because every single one of them is garbage. Let’s take a look at the players: 50 Cent has Tony Yayo, Cam’Ron has Hell Rell, Lil’ Kim has Maino (?), and now Eminem has Trick Trick. Trick Trick must be a force to be reckoned with out in Detroit, because that serious place to do dirt, as evidenced when top 40 rapper Yung Berg recently made a trip to the Motor City.

The problem I have with Trick Trick is that he is not satisfied with just having high hopes for his album, only to have his five best friends buy it and then fade back into obscurity. No instead, he has used the release of his album to spit vitriol against the gay community:

“I’ma go on the record right now with this. Homosexuals are probably not gonna like this album,” Trick revealed to AllHipHop.com. “I don’t want your f**got money any goddamn way. I don’t like it [homosexuality]. Carry that s**t somewhere else.”

This man actually has songs that go on the offensive against known gays like Rosie O’Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres (see the self-titled song, Trick Trick). This is far beyond the childish “no homo” utterings of annoying Dipset fans. This is straight up unabashed homophobia!

The problem with hip hop, and music in general, is that being talented musically does not translate to actual intelligence, but many artists still use their art as a platform to convey their often ignorant views. Even rappers considered conscious have homophobic, misogynist and even racist views. Sure, we can say that these men are simply products of their environment and are simply one symptom of a larger problem, but at what point do we say enough is enough? At what point do we say that we are not satisfied with ignorance as the status quo?

As a fan of hip hop, I have rolled with the punches. Some of my favorite rappers are guilty of reciting some very ignorant lyrics. Does that make me homophobic/misogynist/racist? That’s all relative to a person’s individual opinion. I love rap music, but I wish that rappers would be responsible with their lyrics.

I guess, in maybe 40-50 years time, hip hop will be lumped in with the likes of shows such as Amos and Andy, products of a time long past, looked down upon but still admired in a way because they are a reminder of how the way things used to be.

“This ain’t rappin, this is Street-Hop
Now get up off your ass like your seat’s hot.” – Nas

Real quick, top rappers in the game right now: Royce da 5’9″, Blu, and T.I. All three of these dudes are true lyricists that know how to make songs. Hiphopsite.com reports that Royce will be dropping Street Hop in the first quarter of 2009. The album will be executive produced by DJ Premier. We played the first single “Shake This” on Episode 67 and it’s a cot damn banger. I really think this goes beyond anticipation. It’s more like, give me the album right now, before I hurt somebody!

I’ll admit, I was late to jump on the Royce bandwagon. I mean, I loved the Bad Meets Evil joints, and the singles with Premier are classics (“Boom,” “Friend,” etc. etc.) but I never thought much of his solo albums. Maybe he was spitting pretty hard on those albums, but the production was lacking if my memory serves me correctly. However, my new found obsession with Royce began when I first heard “Motown 25,” a collaboration with fellow Detroit MC, Elzhi (who can spit flames if didn’t know already). Ever since then, it seems like everything I hear from Royce is absolute FIRE!

It seems that Royce is always near some beef no matters what he does. Remember how he got kicked off Dr. Dre’s 2001 back in the day? Or his beef with Eminem and D12? Or most recently, what about the exchange of words between him and Joe Budden? By the way, Joe Budden doesn’t hold a candle to Royce. Have you ever heard Budden’s beat selection? His beats are terrible rock rap style bullshit!

Anyways, on paper, Street Hop sounds like it could already be a contender for album of 2009!

Oh wait, this is blog is called The J. Pitts Show, right? Not the The J. Pitts Hip Hop Show, and since I am a big fan of the Knickerbockers (the only NY sports team I still rep), every so often a post on this blog will be dedicated to the team I hate to love.

I have been a fan since the Bulls/Knicks rivalry. The days when Pat Riley would tell his boys to run down the court and beat on MJ and friends until they couldn’t take it anymore, only to be out-finessed in the end by number 23. Good lord I hate Michael Jordan. I even cheered for Charles Barkley one year when they made the finals, only to watch that fool John Paxon pull up for the three and make it. Then once Jordan retired, the Knicks get to the finals only to see Starks get fouled in game 6:

Fuck what any of yall say, HE WAS FOULED! He touched him after the shot! Game seven of that series was even more of a nightmare. The next year, Reggie Miller fouled half the damn team when he scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds in game 1 of the conference finals and went onto win. Oh, and I’m not going to post footage of that heartbreaking debacle.

Ever since then, there have been a few highs, like when Chris Childs hit Kobe in his NECK!

The still of him getting his was Neg. Props’ wallpaper on his computer for YEARS!

And of course, they got to the finals in that one strike shortened year but ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

Nowadays, there isn’t much to look forward to. I swear, I think Isiah Thomas was an insurgent employed by the Pacers in an elaborate plan to make a mockery of the Knicks. Jesus they sucked last season. And now, with a team salary that is over the cap, and nearly not enough talent to be respectable, it’s safe to say that the Knicks probably won’t be doing much this year. I have faith in new coach Mike D’Antoni to eventually turn things around, and if Knicks fans are anything, we are patient.

Maybe the best decision D’Antoni made thus far is to bench that fool Stephon Marbury. Stephon Marbury is the plague, stay away from him like small pox and typhoid fever. He will NEVER start on a team that will do anything serious. He is a ball hog, turnover prone, and a whiner who can’t get along with people who play him millions of dollars to do what he loves! Anyways, I have disliked him ever since he left Garnett in Minnesota. I cannot wait until he gets traded, although that won’t be for awhile.