Monday, September 20, 2010
In Retrospective: Common - BE
Can we go back to 2005, shall we?
Common released his sixth album, "BE" in May 2005 under Kanye West's record label, GOOD Music. Kanye basically revived Common's career with this album. The production on BE is nothing short of excellent. It brought a soulful, poetic feel to the mainstream. This album is a classic. Besides Late Registration, this is Kanye West's best work as a producer.
BE did fairly well selling just about 800,000 copies collectively and received 4 Grammy nominations. XXL magazine even gave it a perfect rating. I speak for most people when I say that this is Common's best album to date.
The Corner
Chi-City
The Food (feat. Kanye West)
Common released his sixth album, "BE" in May 2005 under Kanye West's record label, GOOD Music. Kanye basically revived Common's career with this album. The production on BE is nothing short of excellent. It brought a soulful, poetic feel to the mainstream. This album is a classic. Besides Late Registration, this is Kanye West's best work as a producer.
BE did fairly well selling just about 800,000 copies collectively and received 4 Grammy nominations. XXL magazine even gave it a perfect rating. I speak for most people when I say that this is Common's best album to date.
The Corner
Chi-City
The Food (feat. Kanye West)
Remember This?: LL Cool J - Luv U Better
Luv U Better was the shit back in 2002. I was in love the beat more than the song itself. The song was produced by the legendary duo "The Neptunes". This is probably one of my favorite beats by the Neptunes (besides Frontin & Hollaback Girl). The first single off of LL Cool J's ninth album, "10" reached top 5 on the Billboard 100 in 2002. I consider this a classic.
Enjoy.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Fall Brings Films: Five to talk about... or not.
Mark my words, this movie will be groundbreaking. It profiles the rise of facebook and its creator, Mike Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). Their are many struggles and trials Zuckerberg faces, but in the end (obviously) he prevails. This movie is going to be talked about throughout awards season.
127 Hours Nov. 5
127 Hours is directed by the man who brought you Slumdog Millionaire Director, Danny Boyle. It is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralstons (played by James Franco). Franco finds himself in a load of trouble when his arm is immovably trapped beneath a boulder. Over the next five days, or 127 hours he recalls times in his life and significant events, etc. I see this being James Francos Time to shine. I believe he is underrated and will prove himself in his scenes by himself.
Due Date Nov. 5
The plot's simple. An expectant father(Robert Downey Jr.) is trying to race home from a business trip to witness the birth of his child. But their is a twist: The planes are not flying. Now he must hitch a ride with an aspiring actor (Zach Galfianakis), and the chaos ensues. Galfianakis always brings heat, no questions asked.
Tron Legacy Dec. 17
I may be alone, but I'n not buying this. Based on the 1982 video game, Tron focuses on entering the video game world, paving the way for the Matrix and other sci-fi pandemics. The only reason I would (probably) watch is to see Jeff Bridges back as Flynn and his digital avatar Clu.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Pt. 1 Nov. 19
Not going to comment on them splitting it in two. No words. The end is near.
Unheard Voices: The Homeless
The greatest country in the world..The country that God blessed. Most of us cannot even understand, or comprehend the struggles the homeless in america go through. Most of us don't even have the decency to offer the change in our pocket we say we don't have. I have always wanted to offer their life, their pain, and their day to day run ins with society to you. Noctum will be doing a video series starting soon on the struggles faced by the Homeless in Atlanta.
Nikki Jean: The Show
The Chocolate Bar happened to be the second stop for Nikki Jean during her Living Room Tour when it happened to reach Atlanta. The previous night was a success at Agnes Scott College, and I hoped this one would be as well. Showtime was 9, and we were all waiting in patience.
The DJ provided a mixture of tunes throughout the wonderful night, there was not one spot of music that was not touched on the wiki wiki. He set the mood of the night with the first few sounds heard from the speakers being smooth soulful tunes...Happened to give the whole night a nice, calm setting. Much love.
The first performer happened to be a talented poet that had strong words to share with the crowd. He seemed to capture the crowd more, and more as the words came out. With the last line, the crowd showed their appreciation towards him as everyone applauded.
Next up happened to be the much talented Zamir Green. He happened to provide comic relief, and not to be outdone by the poet before him, his own thoughts to share with the crowd.
The talent continued to flow throughout the night with a Junior from MoreHouse whose weapon of choice happened to be the guitar, and his voice. The story of choice for me happened to be the song he wrote about his ex, loved every word.
Things seemed to start moving slowly when Nikki Jean took the podium. I expected to hear melodies, but was surprised to hear her induce the crowd with each word she chose to speak. I witnessed one more talent that Nikki Jean happened to have.
As she took a seat, and started interacting with the crowd, magic was produced. Nikki Jean shared the song that caught the attention of many people, Hip-Hop Saved My Life. Every song had a special story that was shared along with it for the audience to enjoy. With each song passing, and story told, I caught the feeling that we were watching her journey as an artist & a song writer from start...to the finishing of her record. The center of attention of the night was Nikki Jean...and she stole the hearts of many with each melody. I walked out of the concert feeling as if I owed her so much after her performance, thinking.... I have to buy at least 20 copies, and the unique "Pennies In A Jar" T-Shirt. It is really hard not to love Nikki Jean.
Cole Haan Fall 2010 Shoe Collection.
I've always appreciated what Cole Haan has had to offer, it's always been the standard "Sunday Morning Service" shoe (when i did actually attend church haha.) Now that I'm older and fashion can be more appreciated, their newest collection/campaign for fall and winter is a complete package of dress shoes, boots, and sneakers (all soles are made by Nike air).
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Cover Grace's: Kid Cudi
Cudi covers Complex magazine for their October issue. In the article Cudi opens up about cocaine use, the night he spent in jail and his highly anticipated sophomore album, Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. Mr. Rager is believed to be Cudi's alter ego, the "bad" in him. The article is cool and the outfits are even better.
Read the article and see the pictures on www.complex.com
Friday, September 17, 2010
Noctum Friday Music Drop: Damien Aidoo & Key-It Might Rain.
From our family at Pilot Music with another amazing hit. Dame and Key's #RoseGold is coming......Pilot Music!!!!Download Here.
Twitter: @DamienAidoo
@Keydolo
(Cover Cred: @GraysonJS)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Atlanta Originals: Pastor Troy
Man.. Pastor Troy...PT Cruiser.. I still remember hearing I declare war, and listening to no mo play in ga for the first time.. I made the beat, you beat ya meat..yeah punk you touch yo self. Shit like that, and the passion used to describe his emotions through words has always set pastor troy apart. I can't think of no one who represented Georgia better in the last 12 years. I always checked on his music, with face off being one of my favorite albums ever, Saddam Hussein brought back many memories for me. Hope to hear much more from the Pastor in the near future.
Kanye West "Runaway" Movie Teaser
I mean I'm in awe just from the trailer. Kanye's mind is a powerful tool for epic creations. It seems he has done it again by directing his own short-film. I'm ready for it to drop whenever it does i wish i could tell you more about it but this info i don't even know it myself. Thank You Yeezy.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Cover Grace's: Kanye West
The coveted XXL Mag has chosen Kanye West to grace the cover of the October issue. This will be a Special Collectors Issue, so buying 2 is the shit to do when it comes to these. 'Ye touched on the 2009 VMA's , and how the outburst served him more good, than harm when the day ended. With the countless amount of bad press received, this gave Kanye the chance to actually focus on his music again as he wanted to.The October issue also features Kid Cudi, the GOOD music family, and other interesting pieces. Much love to XXL & Kanye
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
GAGA: THE BUTCHER
“…If We Don’t Stand Up For What We Believe In And If We Don’t Fight For Our Rights, Pretty Soon We’re Going To Have As Much Rights As The Meat On Our Own Bones. And I Am Not A Piece Of Meat.”
Lady Gaga did not only go home with 8 VMA Awards, but also alot of controversy about her choice of wardrobe.I seriously have to disagree with her. This is not only offensive, but wasteful. That was approximately $45 worth of meat! No cause is more important than another. When I say this I mean, the fight for animal rights are as important as her causes, them being Prop 8 or anything else she believes. PETAs response was a bit irrelevant. "Meat is the decomposing flesh of an abused animal who didn't want to die, and after being under the TV lights it would smell like the rotting flesh that it is and likely be crawling with maggots. Not too attractive, really." Its not about the level of appeal, but about the principle, PETA. Okay, back to the music.
Monday, September 13, 2010
NOCTUM Today In Style: Supreme x Vans Drop 9-16-10.
Supreme and Vans have done it again. Another amazing collab. Time after time they have come together and given us swagged concepts. (I own the last drop myself) This time they have the Suede and Leather Old Skool's and Half-Cabs. These are expected to drop online and in-store on Septemeber 16th, 2010 and will release at the Japan locations Septemeber 18th, 2010.
The Fallen Great
I miss a man that I never met.
To be honest.. I am a bit afraid to write this article. A greater than life person while he was alive, and even through his death. I compare the death of Tupac Shakur to that of the great Martin Luther King Jr. It isn't fair to just label Tupac just as a "rapper," a son, an activist,an actor, a leader, a poet, an autor, and so much more than we can possibly understand. It is hard to name another person that has done so much through out his death. Shit.. I know as a kid, no one could tell me shit about Tupac, I would of took that bullet for pac with no problem.
Its hard to take a mans whole catalog, and try to pick out the best... but I gues NOCTUM can try.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
BOO Spring '11 RTW LB (redo)
Alot of acronyms, but this is the Band Of Outsiders Spring 2011 lookbook. Every two seasons, I look forward to seeing there new styles. The garments themselves encompass a wide assortment of styles. The designers use a lot of patchwork. They did a good job layering with thin fabrics so its not too hot for the Spring/Summer seasons. Check it out...
Generation: Hype Beast
Generation: HYPEBEAST
By: Zeek
As I stand in a crowd of people at the CW Lofts in Atlanta, at the Wiz Khalifa show last April, I look to my right then to my left. Stuck in the middle of two teenage guys I notice two things: both guys are smoking a blunt and both similarly dressed with: Chuck Taylors and Levis jeans, with designer tee shirts. I look down at myself and I realize I am wearing the same thing, just in a female form. Nicely dressed in a 10 deep tee, skinny Levis jeans, and Chuck Taylors. It didn’t bother me that I was wearing something like them, cause most of the crowd had on the same thing; worn in different ways.
A hypebeast is a person who follows a trend to be cool or in style, or a person who wears or does what is hyped up. Lets cut to the chase; most of our friends and us included are hypebeasts. Its not that we are set out to be one, we want to do what’s cool to our peers so we imitate what they do subconsciously. To call someone a hypebeast, you should take a close look at yourself first cause you most likely are one. As a generation we follow each other without noticing that we are really doing the exact same thing. It has nothing to do with race, age or gender. None of us are really “original” either. We all try to be different but end up looking the same. I’ve been called a hypebeast before, but I didn’t care at first but now it strikes a nerve with me. I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t wear anything trendy or not in style. Someone who is a hundred percent original, who doesn’t do what’s considered “cool” now-a-days. If we could just accept each other for who we are, and not what society, culture, and our peers wants us to be, the term hypebeast would fail to exist.
PAINTING IN WATER BY MARK MAWSON
All of these photos were taken by Mark Maws, who is originally from Sydney, Australia. The simplicity of this shoot interested me from the beginning. How simple the materials were used and the amount of beauty that came from it is great as you can see above.
The Feature: Jay-Zs Renegade
When I think of this song, I think of Jay-Z's opening line "Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?" Which most people, most people do not listen to the substance of the music, and just bop their head to shit that sounds nice. The second thing that comes to mind when i think of this song is Nas putting emphasis that eminem murdered Jay-Z on his own shit. Funny line honestly. Did eminem really murder jay-z on his own shit or did he just provide a better flow for the beat?
Well...to me, eminem came with a better flow for the beat, just as jigga stated on Clap For Em. I am probably being called a dumb fuck by the reader right now, but it is ok. When you look at the shit that was said between both, both stayed on topic with their choice of shit to speak on. That is where it ends, line for line, bar for bar, jigga shitted on eminem. Shit is sad though, even most fans of "lyricists" do not break the shit down, of course eminem stole the song with his presence, but realistically what else did he honestly do? Nothing.
Again, just my view on one of the better songs on a classic CD.
The Stupid Box Generation.
If you stop, and think about shit for a second. Would you do the things you like to do, or even chase the dream you are after if the TV did not influence you at an early age? Probably not. As kids, up untill we can do what we want to do as people id say, we probably spent more time watching TV than just about doing any other activity. Kids spend 38 hours a week watching TV. That shit is crazy to me.
Would the appeal for rap even be there for you if you never grew up tuning the channel to BET right after you came home from school? Probably not. Would you want to be a model if you weren't influenced by what you watched as a kid? Probably not. The stupid box has turned us into impulsive people, rarely can we see people that can actually think for themselves in every situation that arises. You are taught what is stylish, what is beautiful, what is cool, shit, even what to do. The shit depicted years of broadcasting to your eyes, and influenced you more than your parents, or school ever could.
The best thing we can do at this point folks, is to turn that shit off, and shoot it with a big ass gun.
Stussy Deluxe Fall Collection 2010
Photographer Ari Marcopoulus captured some great shots of Stussy Deluxe Fall Collection. Enjoy.
Chasing History: The Silver Arrow's
The Auto Union D-Type, better known as the Silver Arrow, happens to be the last of the greats. With the start of the Second World War, the greatest era of Grand Prix racing came to a sad end. A little dip into history, and you find out that the Silver Arrow was the victor of the French Grand Prix in 1939, the last great race exhibition. The Silver Arrow dominated through out the 1930's, with no competition insight.
The Silver Arrows were the brain child of Adolf Hitler. Mercedes Benz, and Audi were ordered by Hitler to construct a racing team that could crush the British Bentley. He even promised a cash prize if this happened. The Silver Arrows held world records that took decades to break. Auto Union produced 4 GP cars, with the D-Type having the richest racing history.. As cliche as the expression may be, they were ahead of their time.
You are probably wondering why does the Auto Union's emblem happen to be that of the Audi? Auto Union was a Union of four companies structured together when The Great Depression occured. Volkswagen purchased Auto Union, and brought back the Audi name in 1965.
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