New Ghostface “Baby” Video

Ghostface Killah’s upcoming Hip-Hop R&B hybrid album, The Wizard of Poetry promises to be a classic. While I plan on copping both Wizard of Poetry and the long-awaited OB4CL2, I can’t believe how long overdue an album like this is, especially from Ghost-Deini himself!

A long-time trendsetter of combining soul (samples and vocals) and  musings about love with his colorful raps, Pretty Tony’s had the “rap love song” pretty much down to a science since Ironman.

Never one to mince his words, Ghost always keeps it raw, is unafraid to show his male vulnerability and still shows respect for love, whether good, bad or ugly.

 My Top Ten Ghostface “Love” Songs include:

1. “Back Like That”, Fishscale-Ghost catches his main girl cheating to even the playing field due to his past indiscretions but Toney ain’t havin’ it. Ne-Yo assists on the hook.
2. “Never Be the Same Again” (feat. Carl Thomas and Raekwon), Bulletproof Wallets-Sexy actress LisaRaye plays Ghost’s cheating ex in the video, which features cameos by crooner Carl Thomas and Ghost’s infamous gold eagle cuff bracelet.
3. “Camay” (feat. Cappdonna and Raekwon),Ironman-The grown and sexy sequel to Raekwon’s “Ice Cream.”
4. “Wildflower”, Ironman- A bass-thumping, scathing ode to a cheating ex (see a pattern here, lol) produced by RZA.
5. “Tooken Back” (feat. Jackie O), Pretty Toney-Miami rapper Jackie O and Ghost make an unlikely pairing on paper but this battle of the sexes shows Jacki is a decent rhymer and features Ghost telling it like it is.
6. “Save Me Dear”, Pretty Toney-A shout-out to all the ’round-the-way girls who hold their men down, particularly a light-skinned girl named Kim from Shaolin.
7. “Love” (feat. Musiq), Pretty Toney-Over Musiq’s gospel-tinged vocals Ghosts gets introspective on using love to uplift man, woman and child.
8. “Jellyfish”(feat. Trife and Cappadonna), Fishscale-An overlooked gem produced by MF Doom, Ghost muses about fly girl named Dawn who has an affinity for Versace robes, cinnamon candles and ratchets.
9. “Momma”, Fishscale-A cautionary yet loving tale, where Ghost soothes struggling women that love still exists among heartache. Over moody strings and dark piano keys he assures, “I’m not ashamed to sport you, floss you or gloss you out/Fat,skinny,outta shape, I’ll Dior you out.”
10. “Last Night (skit)”, Pretty Toney-Over Esther Williams  “Last Night Changed It All”, Tone rants about a chick who can’t keep her legs closed but whom he can’t stop calling.

 Visit hiphopblips.dailyradar.com for new Ghostface video “Baby“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the meanwhile, check out the video for his first single, “Baby”, off Wizard of Poetry.

Brooklyn Dessert Alert: Red velvet!

Instead of having to trek to Fort Greene’s Cake Man Raven or any of Magnolia Bakery’s locations to satisfy my craving for red velvet cake, I enjoyed the tastiest red velvet cupcake without leaving my BK ’hood at  Desserts by Michael Allen in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

The quaint shop sits between Putnam and Classon avenues on Fulton Street across from popular neighborhood brunch spot Outpost. Reminiscent of an old-school confectionary with its assortment of homemade cookies, macaroons , tarts and cakes on display as well as its airy white decor, I felt compelled to enter and satisfy my sweet tooth.

As soon I entered, I was greeted warmly from the owner who didn’t mind making small talk. Tempted by my top three choices ( homemade ice cream cone, a lemon tart or a red velvet cupcake), I settled on the cupcake. From the creamy buttercream frosting topped artfully with red velvet cake crumbs to the cute, graphic cupcake wrapper, the sweet was too cute to eat! But eat that cupcake is exactly what I did and all that was missing was a glass of milk.

Light, fluffy batter and not-too-thick yet creamy frosting made for a tasty treat on my daily walk. Desserts by Michael Allen might be the reason I have to hit the treadmill a little longer but for that cupcake and the friendly customer service, I shall return!

 

http://michaelallendesserts.com/

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/desserts-michael-allen/

http://www.yelp.com/biz/desserts-by-michael-allen-brooklyn-2

Facebook or Fakebook? Hiding Behind Status Updates and other stuff

By now you’ve read tons of articles on how Myspace, Facebook and Twitter have replaced human social interaction as we once knew it. Rules of social engagement, whether we like it or not, have changed. But what I’m trying to understand is why we as Facebook/Myspace/Twitters users feel the need to ”hide” behind our web personas, using social networking as a tool to mask who we really are and what we really feel. As human beings, we’ve all been guilty of being dishonest to some extent in our physical interactions with others, way before social networking began.  Many times we say or do unfair/unethical things in social situations to save face or be polite. For example, accepting  someone’s  number that you’re not interested in calling to prevent from hurting his or her feelings is now the equivalent to “friending” someone online that you don’t want to get to know just so you won’t hurt his or her feelings.  This keeps the peace, but for how long? And just because it keeps the peace with the other person, are we really at peace with ourselves?

More than ever, social networkers, bloggers and ‘Net users tend to say and do things further outside of our normal personas (ie: overly outrageous status updates, subliminal online disses aimed at others, salacious photos). Nobody’s perfect and it’s all in good fun, but is there really a need for all of this attention? In the real world, much of what some people say and do could be perceived by others as foul and have the potential to erupt into an argument or “beef.”  Is safety from behind our computer screen the reason why some of us act out of character online?  We all know an online tongue-lashing is about the harshest punishment you can offer on the web; you can’t give or catch a beatdown from a PC (at least virtual beat-downs haven’t been invented yet, LOL). Maybe getting our frustrations out online is best to prevent a potential situation from festering. But is this passive-aggressive online behavior healthy? And at what point does it become dangerous to ourselves or others?

Is it always necessary to comment or respond to every single thing we are exposed to online?

Is having an “air of mystery” corny nowadays or just lost with onslaught of new technology? 

Have you ever had a fall-out/beef/misunderstanding (personal or professional) that stemmed from something online?

Did you regret the outcome?

Has the ‘Net definitely stopped people from telling the truth about who they really are? Have social networking sites made us more interested in impressing others rather than being ourselves? Or were we never really keeping it real in the first place?

What do you think?

OB4CL2 Sampler Online Now

OB4CL2 Sampler Online for Wu-Tang Fans as Anticipation Builds

 With only two weeks left before Raekwon’s long-awaited Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 drops, the sampler of the sought-after album has hit websites.

 The sampler, which includes the entire 21 songs, was first posted www.Defsounds.com and then on www.planetill.com.  Guest appearances include Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Jadakiss and Beanie Siegel. Producers are not listed but many Hip-Hop heads will be able to discern who made each song, especially if you’re already familiar with Raekwon’s previous work and musical affiliations. RZA, Pete Rock and Dr. Dre have all been mentioned as producers who contributed to OB4CL2.

 In a live interview for Noisemakers Session hosted by Pete Rosenberg (Hot 97) last month, Raekwon treated fans to a sneak preview of his “House of Flying Daggers” track, produced by the late J Dilla. Today Raekwon debuts the official video for “House of Flying Daggers” on AllHipHop.com.

 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 has been in the making for over a decade. Since its buzz, fans of Raekwon have been treated to a series of mix-tapes, including his acclaimed, “Blood on the Chef’s Apron”, hosted by Queens’ DJ Absolut (WQHT-FM/Hot 97, Addicted for Life). The mix-tape featured appearances by AZ, The Game, Twista, and B-Real of Cypress Hill.