Friday, November 25, 2011

i am the 99 by michael ayers

Song by Michael Ayers, which I am helping to push be the theme song for the Occupy movement. Please listen and share with as many people as possible. You can listen and download for free at Soundcloud:
I Am The 99

occupy movement video

ever since the beginning of the occupy movement, i have called myself the 99%. this video of student activists during one of the demonstrations at uc davis is very powerful and emotional. after watching this, i am more of a believer in nonviolence and a believer in the human microphone.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

my music of 2011

it's that time of year again! time to recap all of my favorites in music (even some of the stuff i thought was horrible), and also the revelation of my album of the year (which most of you already know). here it goes. my album of the year goes to:

adele - 21
i have played this album a lot! adele topped her success from her last album, 19, with a diverse mix of musical influences from american country and folk and alternative. it's very cohesive and i consider it to be another breakthrough in the british invasion. i will be very mad if this album does not win album of the year at the grammys. it is the most deserving because it has had a huge impact critically and commerically. if you follow me on facebook and twitter, you notice that i root for this woman and her music a lot! i want her to stop smoking so that her voice can have longevity!

the others that made my list are:

bjork - biophilia
a wonderful experimental and avant-garde trek!

coldplay - mylo xyloto
one of my favorite alternative rock bands hit the nail again.

femi kuti - africa for africa
this afro-beat legend had me jammin'!

fitz and the tantrums - pickin' up the pieces
unique modern soul music!

jay-z & kanye west - watch the throne
this was a great collaboration of two hip-hop greats.

jill scott - the light of the sun
jilly from philly came back hard!

justice - audio, video, disco
mostly instrumental, but i love it!

Greyscale image of a bike against a black background. The bike has a blond woman's head at its front, whose right hand stretches out to the front tires of the bike. The words "Born This Way" is embossed above the image.
lady gaga - born this way
this was monumental for gaga, a very socially conscious and musically diverse set.

lenny kravitz - black and white america
lenny had one of the best rock albums of the year and it's a very happy themed disc! i <3 him! hey baby daddy!

liza minnelli - confessions
y'all don't know a damn thing about this woman! pop standards, baby!

marsha ambrosius - late nights & early mornings
raw r&b. she's riding a new wave of fresh creativity since she was a part of floetry.

mary j. blige - my life ii: the journey continues (act i)
besides an iffy duet with beyonce and appearances by drake and rick ross, the album still makes a mark.

meshell ndegeocello - weather
another heap of gumbo from this chameleon. why hasn't she won a grammy??

miguel - all i want is you
miguel is the musical godson of prince. and he's beautiful. he debuted strongly and i would have many quickies with him!

 
rupaul - glamazon
rupaul always does it with the heavy dance music. my gay genes were happy!

saul williams - volcanic sunlight
one of my favorite spoken word artists released something new in music and it's very indie! :)

seal - soul 2
seal is amazing at covers. good thing i have this album and it's prequel side by side in my ipod!

ziggy marley - wild and free
another great addition to my hippie travels. he is a beam of light of his father's memory.

some of my favorite songs of the year:

maroon 5 - moves like jagger
lmfao - party rock anthem
jennifer lopez - on the floor
rihanna - s&m & we found love
britney spears - till the world ends
beyonce - end of time

now... these are the albums that i want to acknowledge that did not sit well with me this year, and out of all the crappy mainstream music that is being played on the radio, i think these two albums are not of good quality (and these are the two that i kept skipping songs with)

 
beyonce and rihanna are two of the headlining artists of today's music industry and i was not fond of their releases. both actually had only one song that i liked from each. i'm probably going to get heat from both beyonce and rihanna stans, but i really don't care because i know what my ear hears and if i don't like it, i don't like it. simple as that. both of them work too hard and i hear so much catchiness in these works, and they sound like they were rushed. both beyonce and rihanna need to take a break, a real break. beyonce is overrated and overexposed and this is rihanna's 6th album in 6 years. i have a pint of respect for both of them, but i do admire that beyonce defended her work and didn't want to change anything about it when it leaked. i would never tell another artist that they need to change something on their album when it has already been put out in the public, since i am another artist. i admire that rihanna knows how to reinvent herself. not too many current artists do that. however, these works are art and art is up to interpretation. i spent so much energy on this part of the blog because i have an intelligent argument when it comes to music.

this is MY 2011 in music.
FIN.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

verdict for conrad murray



in the living room yesterday, i watched as the verdict was read in the conrad murray trial in the death of michael jackson, and i applauded the jury's decision. guilty for manslaughter. finally, an end to this chapter of 2 years and 4 months.


i felt the charge was appropriate and i am looking forward to the sentencing on november 29. however, dr. murray didn't act alone in this whole tragedy. i don't think that he did this with malice or evil, but he messed up and this is something that he was not supposed to do as a medical professional. you do not administer painkillers or prescription drugs to someone who  is an addicted to them, no matter how much they beg for it. wrong is wrong, and that is what he did.


there are others who are involved in this, even some people who were in the making of the 'this is it' tour that mj was set to be on. fact: there are no winners here. dr. murray will be serving a prison term and the king of pop remains dead. a justice has been done, but there is nothing to party about really. i have given my applause on the verdict and left it alone. 


who is really responsible? anonymous persons who probably feel some guilt right now, dr. murray, and michael jackson himself. here's why.


don't get me wrong. i am a huge mj fan, always have been and always will, but it is not an illusion that he had a problem. it is fact that he was addicted to painkillers and prescription drugs for over 20 years. he kept on pushing his limits to going bigger and bigger with his celebrity status and with trying to retain his king of pop title. his family attempted to intervene several times and were unsuccessful. even one of his nurses warned him that if he kept using the drugs, he would go to sleep and never wake up. he knew the risks. yes, he was the biggest music megastar on the planet,  but he was still a human being and he had problems. many of his fans are in denial about that, like he was perfect and didn't fuck up himself.


yes, michael jackson was a king, a music king, but he was still a human being.


so now, i hope that all of us can finally move on. let him take his eternal peace and let's listen to the wonderful music he left behind. i wonder how dr. murray is doing today. y'all, isn't that picture funny? i snapped it and as soon as it went click, he made that pose. priceless. :)


come on... you have to laugh at something in this whole matter. lol