Music Monday 121 :: Kanye West's "Power (Remix)"

Music Monday 121 :: Kanye West's "Power (Remix)"

With the Grammy Awards fast approaching, thought I'd highlight one of the nominees.

I know that Kanye is not highly regarded by some. Meanwhile he continues to be one of the most nominated artists annually at the Grammys. This year Kanye's the top nominated artist for the third consecutive year.

Whether you cringe or congratulate, his music, continues to stretch the boundaries of the hip hop genre. This song, "Power (Remix)," has some punch to it. It's one of the ultimate workout songs.

One of my fav lyrics is "I've seen people abuse power, use power, misusin' and lose power ..." That's ironic; cliche and profound.

Seems hard, though, to locate the 'official' video.

Kanye West - Power (Remix) feat Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz (Official Video) #eLijTV

And Just Like That I'm An Apple Girl

And Just Like That I'm An Apple Girl


My brother's been using Apple products since I can remember. It might be true that he's only had two Apple computers in his 40+ years. I'll try to confirm that later.

I, on the other hand, have had a subtle dislike for Apple for some time. Ever since learning that they used proprietary audio files. That's when I first discovered that Windows Media Audio don't play well w/Macs and Mac files don't play well w/others either. That, my friends, was a long time ago.

My nice and shiny new Macbook Pro. (Dec. 2011)

A lot has changed over the years and to make a long story short, I broke down and purchased a Macbook Pro over the Christmas holiday. Now this is after I'd been working on a Mac in my office on campus. I remember when I arrived at AUC in Egypt in 2009 and they asked if I wanted a Mac or a PC. "I'll have a Mac," I recall saying. But I'd never paid much attention to Macs and I didn't even know how to turn the damn thing on. Still, often in my office, I'm frustrated at how to do simple things on the Mac like jump to the bottom of the page or jump to the end of a sentence.

Last Christmas I broke down and bought an iPad. Now that was a worthwhile purchase. I don't think a day has gone by when I haven't used that device.

Add to that the fact that I lost my mobile phone traveling from Washington, DC to Cleveland, Ohio at the airport in Philadelphia. I know, why was there a layover in Philly anyway. Whatever. Point is, I lost my phone and was 'eligible' for an upgrade. And into my life walks "Siri."

It looks so pretty in the box. (Dec. 2011)

Of course, now I'm sucked into the expansive and expensive world of Apple:

• Apple Care ... enough said!
• With three devices tethered to each other, I need more storage from Apple (ching ching)
• I'm considering iTunes Match (ching ching)
• I bought some iTunes gift cards for Christmas (ching ching)
• Additional devices and accoutrements (protective shell, hard drives, mic, bluetooth devices, etc)
• Those irresistible iPad apps (ching ching ching ching ching ching)

But after that briefer at the Apple store in my hometown, I'm all full of knowledge, ready to conquer the world and even ready jump to the bottom of the page.

Cairo Life :: The Big Mosque

Going to and from the AUC campus on the bus, it's hard to miss this large mosque near the 6th of October flyover. I don't know the name of the mosque, so let me know. Captured this pic in December, 2011.

Music Monday 120 :: Madcon's "Beggin"

Music Monday 120 :: Madcon's "Beggin"(2008)

Today, I'm sort of recycling blog posts. I originally blogged about Madcon's "Beggin" in March of last year on my Indy Hip Hop World Blog.

Lately, I've been playing the song non-stop; I built a playlist that includes nothing but this song (I can't seem to figure out how to loop a song in iTunes). Love the tempo and the energy! Great for a workout too.

Okay, so w/all my history working in Black radio, I should be ashamed to mention that I didn't know that Madcon's "Beggin" was a remake of the same classic from the Four Seasons. Yeah, take me down a notch but I'm being up front about the situation. The Four Seasons track was released in 1967. I love that every old is new again.

Oh, and the video is quite nice.

Madcon's "Beggin"

Music Monday 119 :: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Music Monday 119 :: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - The Memorial

I went to the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument in 2009 when it was just a marker. So much has changed since then ...

Martin Luther King, Jr. marker in Washington, DC in 2009 (Taken Jan. 2009).

For me the change is quite pronounced ... I no longer live in US.

What started out as 9 months in Cairo has turned into 3 years living in Egypt and traveling extensively. Awesome.

The controversial inscription on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Taken on Wed., Jan. 4, 2012 

And now this ... the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. It's stellar but has come under some controversy.

Change is good when embraced!

Sunset in Washington, DC near the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Taken on Wed., Jan. 4, 2012

Oh, and as for the 'music' component of this blog post, check out DJ Matt Werner's Martin Luther King, Jr. Mix Tape. It's a FREE download w/some of Dr. King's speeches set to music.
 

Music Monday 118 :: 8tracks

Music Monday 118 :: 8tracks

Just a little something for this Monday. Something I just discovered a few days ago: 8tracks. Mixtapes galore. Love that. Music curated by people who love music - like you. Since I just found out about 8tracks, I haven't added to the 'mix' - yet. Oh, but I'm thinking of something real nice ... you guys will be the first to know about my 8tracks mixtape.

Meanwhile there's a lot to keep me busy for a while.

Music Monday 117 :: The Roots LIVE at The Fillmore

Music Monday 117 :: The Roots LIVE at The Fillmore

My return home from Cairo has been pleasant. But so far the highlight has been seeing The Roots perform at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD.

 The Roots perform at The Fillmore on Fri., Dec. 30, 2011. Taken by Kim Fox.

The Roots are my favorite band. They're a true reflection of what music is and should be. They're true musicians and know music.

They did "Proceed (1995)" and at the bridge then threw in some go-go music. It was crazy cool. The Roots guitarist Capn Kirk continues to be a beast and rocked out the scene on Friday. Of course Questlove and Black Thought, probably the most well known members of The Roots, did their thing; they strong represent their artforms - percussion and lyrics respectively. Bilal was in the house and so was Dice Raw.

Capn Kirk (standing on the drums) goes toe-to-toe w/drummer Questlove. Taken by Kim Fox. 2011.

They did some of their old joints like "You Got Me (1999)," "The Seed (2002)" (for the encore); they threw in some Kool and the Gang, some blues and some rock; they just put it down.

The Roots drummer Questlove gets the spotlight to show off a little bit. Taken by Kim Fox. 2011.

We went up for the drum stick toss from Questlove at the end of the show. I wasn't hopeful because we weren't quite close enough. You see, I've been to numerous Roots shows and I've never been fortunate enough to catch the coveted Questlove signed drum stick. However, my friend has a virtual collection of signed drum sticks from Questlove. Point is, the drum toss went quick and we both came out empty handed. But it's all good because The Roots show did not disappoint.