And now for our keynote speaker: master P

I’ve been trying to follow the path of righteousness lately. I’ve been staying away from pork, temptations of the flesh, and that old heathen devil brew known as the mojito. And I’ve been trying…I say I’ve been trying to keep my personal level of profanity down to its absolute minimum. Then I hear that the NAACP replaced Bill Clinton with master P as a the keynote youth speaker this year. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU BACKWARDS BULLSHIT NEGROES!? I swear on my moms I’m about drive over to Justin Timberlake’s house and give him my black card. I’ll be like “Dude, since everybody else seems to want to give you a ghetto pass, let me officially donate my Black card to you. Take it, you want to be black so bad. I’m sick of these Negroes!”
I’m not against Master P. I actually think the man is a brilliant marketing entrepreneur. But is he the one the youth need to hear from? With all the shit that’s going on for black people these days you pick a former rapper turned dancing under the stars man as your go to guy? What Malcolm Gladwell was too busy? Obama said No? Don Cheadle was off shooting another movie? Master Fucking P? No wonder enrollment numbers for the National association for the advancement of CERTAIN people is so low. Fuck it, next time ya’ll se me, don’t be surprised if I’m speaking Hindi trying to pass myself off as the only dark skinned bollywood star.

10 Questions

1. Don’t you miss Justice League Unlimited?
2. Even though the movie sucks, don’t you watch Dune every time it comes on?
3. Is Lauren Hill’s behavior just crazy, or is it a sign of genius to come?
4. Speaking of Ms. Hill, does the beginning of the Fugee’s Ready or Not still give you expectant chills?
5. Was Katt Williams’ The Pimp Chronicles this generation’s Raw?
6. Sticking with the comedian theme: Now that Dave Chappelle is off the air—and out of the public eye—is there any funny black folks on the scene?
7. Is A Vampire in Brooklyn really as bad as I think it is?
8. What haven’t you purchased TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain?
9. Is LA Haine really the French Do the Right Thing?
10.Maybe it's just me, but isn't enhanced melanin content a super power?

--Shawn

First the gun draws/then you know/something’s happening—uttered by a voice that is both threatening and mournful, Gun Draws is one of the most political songs of the summer, and an anchor track of one of the year’s hottest releases. Even though the joint was leaked some time ago, with the rise of gun violence during the summer months—especially here in the Bay Area of California—it (hopefully) will get the heavy rotation that it deserves.

And for all of the idiots, who believe that it is a pro-gun joint, pay attention to the lyrics. It is decidedly anti-gun.

Rotate it again and listen with better ears.

Pharoahe Monch’s Desire is the album that hip-hop fans should be back-flipping in celebration of its arrival. It is everything that hip-hop is: witty, dangerous, clichéd, political, frustrating, hypocritical, contradictory, metaphysical and just plain ill.

Pharoahe has always been one of those lyricists that people have said, “if only he had the right beat.” My man has the right beats. I also heard that he has put together a touring band, so expect the live shows to be off the skeleton.

The album swings from the gospel longing of the opening track, to the hip-hop-a-billy of Body Baby to a surprisingly effective retooling of Public Enemy’s Welcome to the Terrordome. This is my favorite track. While the original version was a window into the apocalypse, Monch flips it on some Sign ‘O’ the Times, state of the union shit. I was bouncing so hard in my car that I almost had an accident. It would have been worth it.

Run, not walk, to your music store of choice and cop it.
♠♠♠♠.5 (out of 5)

-Shawn