Benjamin Meadows-Ingram

Boss on Deck

The Notorious BMI: Ain't always pretty, but it's always real.

Tape Worm

Posted 08/10/2007 at 11:57 PM | Comment?

Three videos hit worth talking about this week. Let's start with this one:

Fif finally delivers a semblance of a hit after a bunch of really lukewarm records this spring. Can't say I'm really into his performance - hearing him over this simply serves as a stark reminder of how well T.I. fit into the Justin/Timbo mold - but it's clear this record will win enough for Curtis to finally come out. There's money behind this video and track, it will get radio play and it will become a popular record whether folks like it or not. I will say this, the other thing that strikes me about this track is just how great of a team Justin and Timbaland make. It's a 2007 MJ and Qunicy. Impressive stuff. Oh, and I ain't mad at the women (got a hard spot for long-legged ritzy chicks in stockings - and for those taking notes, no pause neccessary).

One of the biggest records of the summer finally gets a video. Say what you wanna say about Soulja Boy, this record, and the South as a whole, but this is one of the most hip hop videos I've seen in awhile. What I realized watching this today was that instead of hating on all the snap music coming out of the A, what folks need to do is rethink the whole situation: translate this whole scene to the East Coast and all these kids would be b-boys, b-girls and old school call and response DJs, it just so happens that "Crank That" is a million times more accessible than a break record. And thank God for that. (And for the record, I'm not really checking for a whole Soulja Boy album, but I'm psyched that this dude is out there, making records, and that there are folks who are that excited about an artist and a dance rooted in rap. Folks, hip hop lives in the South. The kid's got his name written on his sunglasses - aka, what's more hip hop than that?!?)