Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein: 10 Years Later

2011 marks the 10 year anniversary of one of my favorite hip hop records of all time: Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein. The first major album of producer El-P's label Definitive Jux, The Cold Vein takes some of El-P's best work combined with the incredible talent of 2 unknown New York emcees Vast Aire and Vordul Mega.

The 2 emcees have entirely different styles that work flawlessly together. Vast Aire is deathly methodical and precise with his word play, while Vordul Mega rummages through the cluttered basement of his vocabulary for lines that paint dark emotions rather than a crisp picture. While Vast is the standout lyricist on The Cold Vein, it's hard to imagine this album without both sides of the duo. El-P, who got his start with Company Flow, provides lyrics on only one track (Ridiculoid), but creates the beats which truly power the album. El-P's production is truly unique and the 15 tracks he used for The Cold Vein are some of his best ever. The collective whole still sounds futuristic and fresh a full decade later.

Aside from Battle for Asgard (the weak link), it's really impossible to say one track is better than the others but here are some notables:

• Iron Galaxy - a fitting intro. Throws you into a futuristic NYC slum in outer space that will be your home for the next 15 tracks. "You were a still-born baby, mother didn't want you but you were still born" "What you figure? that chalky outline on the ground is a father figure?"

• The F-Word - a genuine hip hop love story. "She was in a love triangle, but it wasn't like my feelings weren't there to make it a square"

• A B-Boy's Alpha - the beat is the highlight on this one.

• Scream Phoenix - This track lifts the album out of the grimy NY sewers in search of something better "I'm not made of organics not even wires, just saw my body light up and heard the choir"

Hurr'cane Earl

Hurricane Earl graced the shores of North Carolina Friday. The Outer Banks braced for a heavy storm, but it didn't cause too much damage.

Earl DID bring some great surf, which I got in on yesterday (Sat) in Nags Head. I was supposed to work at Quiznos, but the manager decided last minute to close down for all of Labor Day weekend. I was a little upset cause I gotta pay the bills somehow, but they made up for it by putting me on the schedule every day next week (great).

So, with no ticket to the NCSU football game and nothing else to do, I went hurr'cane chasin. Nags Head looked like the best bet in the morning and let's just say the surf was worth the 6 hour round trip by car.

Pics speak louder than words:





This was the lineup at Jannettes Pier. Kind of crowded for OBX but manageable. If you want to see more pics, check out obxsurfinfo

New Direction

I've been neglecting my huge fan-base lately.. It's hard to update completely en espanol, so i'm putting that on the backburner for a while.

Here is a skate project that James "Bettis" Webber and I made recently. The main thing i learned from this process is that being out of shape correlates directly with terrible skating. Consequence: a lot of ollies and tricks on a bench. Consolation: classic Bettis quotes and the music goes hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny0HkfDfafg

While you're there, look at my other videos. These are mostly clips from my old skate crew.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ncp804

Life updates: This summer i've been on my grind. I'm working as an intern for the Treasury Dept, part-time for the Parks and Rec Dept, and at Quizno's. Parks and Rec isn't nearly as interesting as Amy Poehler and Aziz Ansari make it look on the NBC program of the same name. Speaking of which, that is my new favorite show. Mainly because of Aziz. You can watch all of season 1 and 2 on tvduck.com

I'm also moving into a new townhome tomorrow. It's at The Trails of North Hills and comes with a sweet pool and a newly remodeled interior. Come by and chill, I'll be in the pool.

MUSIC:

If you haven't heard it by now, give Drakes album Thank Me Later some immediate attention. It's easy to get into and, I believe, lives up to the hype. Only negatives: I really hate Swiss Beats.. also Drake's self-centered cries for attention can be a little absurd. At least he can be clever about his infatuation with himself.

Do you like The Streets? Then look up Jamie T's album "Kings and Queens." Never heard of The Streets but like British accents? Listen to Jamie T's album "Kings and Queens." Basically, listen to this album: it's an incredible breath of fresh air. He lets his style wander from hip-hop to folk ballads without missing a step. Don't believe me? Listen to BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/nbw6

My friend Tim Lovick bought himself a legitimate mic and set up a little recording studio in his house. He's been putting together some good lyrics over some great beats and it's great to see his progression. Check out his YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/timlovick87. Sidenote: he's also pursuing a football career in Europe. Baller.

Aqui tenemos grabaciones antiguas que nunca he usado. Fue grabado por un amigo mio en Raleigh. Disfrutalos tios.

Estare muy preocupado este semestre con la puta tarea escuela. Estoy preparando a graduar en dos semestres. Estudiando los ultimos sujetos de economicas: los que son los mas dificiles...

Yo no tenia tiempo para viajar recientemente, tenia clases y trabajo y estaba muy preocupado. Viaje a la isla Ocracoke para cojer olas durante un hurucan. Las olas fueron grandes y bastante perfectos. Pero, voy a tener tiempo la proxima mes para patinar y posiblemente para viajar. Un amigo patinador regresara a Raleigh, pues vamos a patinar juntos. Estoy muy listo para este tiempo libre, despues de un semestre ocupado.

Nueva York

nose manual


Esta ledge esta mas alta que mira.

Crook

El Unisphere

Times Square



La semana pasada fui a Nueva York para visitar mi novia Shelley y mi amigo Thompson. Ambos de ellos estan viviendo en NY por el verano, trabajando por internships. Llegue a NY el 16 de Julio y vivi en un hostel por 3 noches, luego con Thompson en su piso por 3 noches. Me encanta NY, esta lleno de comida riquisima, y todos tipos de sitios para hacer fiesta, tomar bebidas, patinar, y cualquiera te gusta hacer. Comi a restaurantes se llaman: Butter, Bocca, Mad for Chicken, Katz, Shake Shack, Lombardi's, Saigon, varios carritos por la calle, y otros que no puedo recuerdo. La unica cosa que no me gustaba sobre NY fue la puta sistema complicada del metro... Shelley y yo fuimos a la grabacion de la programa David Letterman en Times Square. La ultima dia que estuve alli, Shelley y yo cojimos el metro a Queens para patinar en algunas cosas famosas de la ciudad. Mira, aqui esta las fotos y videos, gracias a la bella y talentosa Shelley.



Aqui esta un video que hice con la grabacion de NY. La musica es Anything You Want by Spoon. Disfrutala tios.

Patin

Este es un post solamente en espanol. Necesito practicar, no quiero olvidar todo lo que he aprendido en espana. Yo patinaba frequentemente este verano con uno de mis amigos Ian de Raleigh. Esta noche, fuimos al centro de la ciudad Raleigh para patinar sin la molestia de la policia. Patinamos por dos horas, mas o menos, sin molestia. Durante el session, cojiamos el nuevo autobus por el centro de Raleigh. Este bus es gratis para todos y traduce por casi todo del centro. Muy bein la noche de patin, y habra mas en el futuro. Buenas.