9th Floor...Housewares, Ladies Delicates, Corporate Rap

*Songs are throughout the text*

Okay, so now that I have rejoined the ranks of the sane/living, I'd again like to apologize to anyone who has lost a little bit of their funkiness over the past week and a half due to an extended absence by yours truly. But hopefully this week, we'll be pushing the overload button enough that it'll get your engines started again. So with that, let us begin...

I have been spending most of my time getting projects/presentations/papers done for my second to last semester in school (because as per usual, I waited til the last minute), and while doing so, I would take some mental breaks every now and then to peep out 24 (how crazy is this season???), CSI Miamuh, and some Wizards games (playoffs???). During the breaks, I've been noticing a recent increase in TV commercials that are using old school rap songs to push their goods. Now I know using rap to push product is nothing new but what the products are have gotten increasingly less "urban-market" related and more "WTF?-ish". Let me throw down two examples:

1. Huggies Diapers:

Okay, so you have a commercial for a new and improved diaper (apparently, it prevents leaks better or something...Keith, you know this stuff?) with a bunch of half naked toddlers running around (Side Note 1: why do they always have half naked babies in these things?) and you need some background music to sort of emphasize your point. All together? Okay. Let's see what we have in the catalog. Here's some Michael Bolton, some James Taylor, some Raffi/Yanni type stuff. You'd think they'd pick from those types and all, being that it's for babies. So what do they choose?, "I Got The Power" by Snap. Whaaaaaaaaaaa????? (Jon Stewart style!). Is that what I would want to use to emphasize this product? Are they trying to say that buy using this song, that babies are now empowered to doo-doo brown wherever they please, with little or no threat of consequence? I had to call Keith on this one...it was nuts.

2. Old Navy Tunics:

Old Navy is know for its quirky, sometimes unbearable TV spots featuring model types in extra small sizes lip synching to whatever cornball song they have so it's not a surprise to see the same formula used for their latest spot for their Women's Tunics line. But stop my heart for a millisecond, what's this? Is that the opening break from Young MC's "Bust A Move"? I do believe that it is...wait...wait...is that woman rapping something? Holy be-geebus she is. But what's this? That's not the lyrics from Young MC...holy crap (and I quote) she just said "Bust a Tunic"... How do you bust a tunic? Who signed off on this? Why am I still watching this commercial?

If you have not seen these two examples of the new corporate raiding of rap music, you will. They are on all the time now. They are also by no means the only two crazy examples of how far companies are willing to go to use rap as a marketing medium. I've seen a few from McDonald's (who pays rappers to mention their stuff in their rhymes if you had not heard that yet), that commercial for a woman's anti-gas pill that uses Gangstarr's opening from "Just To Get A Rep", the Bridgestone/Firestone Tire commercial with a 7 year late version of Murder Mase rhyming from the inside of a tire (shiney silver suit and all) and the one from Dannon Yogurt featuring a rack of kids sipping on some yogurt drink (Sizzurp style!) at a mansion that looks awefully familiar to that video for Biggie's "Sky's The Limit" complete with a DJ cutting it up proper like for the kids. (Side note 2: In this commercial, why are all of the little white girls doing the RMC "white girl" dance? Has it spread like a virus already?)

It's not like I'm against using rap music to push products, I just want it to be for a worthy product.

I Got The Power - Snap
Bust A Move - Young MC
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Myself and some of the other Brothers of Funk have been discussing the latest album from Common for a few days (somebody leaked it onto the Net). If you have not heard the album yet, I suggest trying to find it and listen to it. If you like it, go out and buy it when it comes out to support good music. Anyhow, we were discussing the merits of trying to please the breakdown of the fan bases that exist in today's musical landscape. The A/B/C teamers and whatnot. The A Teamers being the core fan base of an artist (those who will buy your shit regardless), the B Teamers (those who will check for your stuff if they hear good things about it), and the C Teamers (those who have no idea who you are or what you do). We discussed the difficulties that must exist with these major label artists who are torn between the art form and the Almighty Dollar. In a nutshell we figured out that artists who are trying to please all three fan bases are prolly better off just selling out and going for the easy money.

But we got in the subject of Common and his new LP and whether or not it would be a worthy pick up. Common's last LP was a strange/often unlistenable excursion into a neo-soul experiment that never really captured many listeners (minus Kozak) so I, like most, weren't expecting much from Com this time around. Sure, Kanye West/J-Dilla were doing all of the production on the LP. Sure, Erica wasn't in the picture any longer. But the taste of "Electric Circus" was very very bitter. Well, then came the first single "Corners" and like a dog smelling a fresh piece of beef, my ears peaked up and I began to get ancy. Mind you the last time I got amped for a release was the Rakim debacle "The 18th Letter" so I was careful this time. Well I got a copy of the new LP and let me just say that it's pretty dag gum good. As a whole LP, I am very impressed with both its direction and execution. It ranks right up there with the Little Brother LP/Pep Love's "Ascension"/MF Doom's "MM Food"/De La Soul's "Grind Date" as very good complete albums. Some folks have some reservations about the lovey-dovey nature of some tracks (wink-wink) but that's cool. So do yourself and your brain some service and find the LP and check it out. But like I said earlier, as with all artists you like, buy their shit when it comes out. This is their job/source of income and the good ones need our support.

It's Your World (Pop's Reprise) - Common
Go - Common

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Zak sent me a trailer to this DVD that had come out earlier this year, so I checked it out and orded the DVD off Amazon. Here is a pretty good synopsis of the film:

Venturing into uncharted territory, Soundz of Spirit draws connections between the creative freedom and the spiritual outlet that the hip hop culture provides for the current generation.

Capturing artists in their moments of inspiration and taking an in-depth look at their creative processes, this documentary highlights the positive values of the hip hop culture, boldly expressing perspectives on community, ethnicity, racism, creativity, spirituality and activism.

While most of the artists featured in Soundz of Spirit hail from the West Coast's underground scene, all of them are fiercely independent creative forces whose contributions to the social elevation of hip hop have been frequently and prominently portrayed in mainstream media. (Taken from Hip Hop Film Festival)

I thoroughly enjoyed this look into the minds/thoughts of some of my favorite artists and if you like real talk on Hip Hop and its positive values, I'd suggest getting this DVD. It comes with a bonus CD that features songs from Cee Lo, Zion I, Del, Pep Love, etc. Here are two tracks off that album:

Beautiful Fool - Cee Lo (The file is titled something else)
Borderline - Zion I

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The NFL Draft is coming up this next weekend and I'm getting amped already for it. At least 3 of my former 'Noles could be going in the first round with almost 4-5 going the first day for sure. The top two, Alex Barron (OT) & Travis Johnson (DT) are the best at their positions according to various reporting outlets (ESPN & the like). Corners Bryant McFadden & Leroy Smith, WRs Craphonso Thorpe, Chauncey Stovall, & Domonic Robinson, OT Ray Willis, QB Chris Rix, DEs Chauncy Davis & Eric Moore, SS Jerome Carter, & Ex -FSU QB's A.D. McPherson & Fabian Walker all are expected to be drafted this year. That would be a great boost for our draft numbers.

The Noles held thier spring game this past weekend with the D coming out on top, 20-10. It was a good gauge of where the D is but the Offense is sooooo battered up front that they had to run a walk-on Center with the first teamers. But like most things that happen in the spring football season, it doesn't mean jack until September. Deion was there with some of the other former Noles now in the Niffle. This is a picture of him with 2005 signees Michael Ray Garvin (DB) and Antone Smith(RB). Garvin is a friggin beast!!!!

Man it's getting close. I can smell the season already.

So that’s about it for Monday. We’re back on the regular schedule again and hopefully will be for a while so if you’ve written us off, break out the eraser you suckaaaassssss!

Later On,
Brother B