Throwback Thursday: "Passin Me By" -- The Pharcyde

Pharcyde never got enough credit. I once popped a mix CD into my car stereo, and when this track came on my friend said, "I haven't heard this in a minute!" Before I could ask if he was a Pharcyde fan, though, he added, "Wait, isn't this that Joe song?"

*sigh*

New Dance: "The Ice Cream Truck"

This shit is funny as hell. Only 46 seconds so watch it until the end, it finishes with a bang.

The Disease of Fame is Contagious

In the first day of his recent—and hilarious—foray into the world of Twitter, Kanye West quickly picked up over 120,000 followers. And with tweets like, "Fur pillows are hard to actually sleep on", it's easy to see why. Until last Saturday, however, he himself did not follow any Tweeps. Announcing that he would choose one fan to follow, Kanye selected Steven Holmes, a teen from Britain. And then, for Holmes, all hell broke loose:

(From Stop The Presses)

In an exclusive interview with his hometown paper, the Coventry Telegraph, Holmes says he was immediately barraged through Twitter and his phone with requests from media organizations. He says he turned down interviews with the BBC, CNN, and New York Magazine, among others.

Since Saturday night, when the rap star chose to follow him on Twitter, Holmes began receiving messages from people desperate to get West's attention. People tried to send him film trailers and music demos, hoping to reach 33-year-old Kanye and his 400,000-plus followers. "I didn't want to talk to any of them," Holmes told the Telegraph. "Fame has never appealed to me. It's vacuous."

Yet another symptom of a society willing to strangle its own common sense in exchange for fame. If you really think harassing some kid in Britain is going to lead to Kanye putting you on, then you need a strong slap upside your head.

[And while I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of the subject, don't forget to follow your favorite Crooked Straight writers on Twitter (K Lew: @kevfocusgroup; The D.E.F.I.: @crkstr_defi).]

Download: Lil Wayne ft. Drake "Right Above It"

These dudes are just getting it in right now. Money fallin off the trees and sh*t for YM. This beat goes hard, as does the whole track.

"I been fly so long I fell asleep on the fuckin' plane..." Weezy

*updated with cd quality

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Yet Another Favre Pass Intercepted

If he decides to finally retire from the gridiron this year, Brett Favre will have at least one hobby to occupy his new-found free time: sexting.

Dead Spin's A.J. Daulerio has released one of those stories that, when it's one of the first things you read on a Wednesday morning, you just know it's going to be a good day.

Here's another reason Brett Favre should stay retired this time: Turns out The Daily Line's Jenn Sterger has kept a ridiculously disturbing (but HILARIOUS) secret about her interactions with The Gunslinger while they were both part of the Jets organization.

...The interactions were flirty and strange but she didn't think there wasn't anything that made her too uncomfortable. But then, one night, Sterger received a picture on her phone which was so shocking that she just tossed it across the room. It was his dick. Brett Favre's dick. And it happened multiple times. In fact, Sterger claims that, in one of the photos Favre allegedly sent her, he's masturbating — while wearing a pair of Crocs.

Which brings to mind a question: What's the worse offense? Sending a "coworker" an unsolicited picture of you in the midst of self-copulation, or wearing Crocs? Sounds like a tossup to me.

For many people who only know the media-friendly side of Favre, this story's probably a shock. I am not one of those people, however, thanks to TJ. An ardent Chicago Bears fan, TJ lived in Wisconsin for a few years during Favre's time there. If there's one thing a Bears fan hates, it's the Green Bay Packers. And if there's an example of the Anti-Christ here on Earth, Bears fans will tell you that it's Brett Favre. And so the investigative reporter in TJ was ready to listen when presented with any dirty secrets or salacious tales about No. 4. He once shared the following with me, as told to him by a Packers beat writer:

Favre was notorious for cruising the local bars with some of his offensive lineman, à la Ben Ruthlessraper. And on multiple occasions, the highlight of the night would come when Favre stationed himself in the mens room while his teammates wingmen stood guard at the door. Female bargoers would line up and, for a $5 cover fee, would be allowed to enter The Gunslinger's private party and give their neck muscles a workout.

It looks like his time in the Big Apple inspired Brett to try a more modern method of creepily trolling for strange. Teaching an old dog new tricks is never easy though, as Sterger spurned his advances.

I just want to make it clear I never met him, saw him, etc... because I don't roll that way. That way meaning old.. or married. Some big boobed hoes have morals and souls believe it or not.

President Clef

It's been rumored and speculated for a couple of weeks now, but it seems that Wyclef Jean is serious about his intentions to run for President of Haiti. CNN is now reporting that the Grammy Award-winning artist will officially declare his candidacy on Larry King Live this Thursday.

Personally, I applaud this move, which may be the first instance of a presidential candidate's motivations being completely pure and altruistic in quite some time. There is not much glory, money, or fame to be had by being elected president of Haiti—certainly not more than Wyclef has gained through his music career. He has always remained impassioned about his homeland, even appearing on 60 Minutes long before the devastating quake brought the impoverished nation onto the radar of the United States' collective consciousness.

A Slap to a Father's Face

This is Laurence Fishburne's hell.

As a proud father, a man can only hope to instill in his offspring the same values and positive character traits by which he, himself, has lived. That goes for any dad; but when you yourself have become rich and famous, you can't help but beam with pride in the opportunities that your hard work has not only produced for you, but for your child as well. And when you find out that your daughter wants to follow in your footsteps...well life just doesn't get much better, does it?

Fishburne, an acclaimed actor, has built a solid reputation for himself over his long career. He has starred in blockbuster films, and has become famous for numerous film, television, and stage roles; but he has never sold out in search of celebrity itself. So surely his 19 year old daughter, Montana, would do much the same in her burgeoning acting career, right?

Well...

In what surely has to be the press release most likely to make you start drinking before lunch today, Vivid Entertainment, the adult film company that gave us the notorious Kim Kardashian and Kendra Wilkinson tapes, explains Miss Fishburne's surprising foray into porn. "I view making this movie as an important first step in my career," she says. "I've watched how successful Kim Kardashian became and I think a lot of it was due to the release of her sex tape by Vivid. I'm hoping the same magic will work for me. I'm impatient about getting well-known and having more opportunities and this seemed like a great way to get started on it."

She's not joking, no matter how much her father wishes she was. And just how badly do you think Fishburne is wishing that he had one of those blue pills from The Matrix?

This story is a sad commentary on a generation of our society raised to value fame over the very trades which once earned this treasured commodity. People—like Laurence Fishburne—used to become actors because they loved theater and the art of being a true thespian; now acting isn't the destination itself, but instead a trifling means of merely being recognized at the Gucci store.

And what must all of the yet-to-be-discovered actresses out there think of this? The ones struggling, working as waitresses and Miller Lite girls to pay their bills while they pursue their dream of acting—how do they feel about Montana, at the seasoned age of 19, deciding her "career" isn't moving fast enough for her liking? What does it say about the trade they love when a teenager—who has had every opportunity and advantage you could dream of handed to her—is foregoing all of the years of paying dues, using a sextape to get herself to the top?

If I ever have the honor of meeting Mr. Fishburne, I'm buying him a drink. I think he's going to need it.

It's the Weekend

Time to put a ring on it...

Throwback Thursday: "Deep Cover '98" -- Big Pun ft. Fat Joe

"It's still 1-8-7 on an undercover cop..."

RIP Pun.

Real Talk for the Ladies

I think every man out there will agree with the truths being spoken by this angel of a woman, "Holly Hill" (I wish I could find out her real name; she deserves praise far beyond anything I can provide with a simple blog post). Ms. Hill is a former professional "other woman"; she made arrangements with several men who agreed to be her sugar daddies in return for her companionship. She has now written a book based on her experiences, and sat down with MSN for an interview about why men in relationships cheat. A few examples of her unfiltered and uncompromisingly accurate assessment of men, women, and infidelity:

"I would say 100 percent of men cannot be mentally monogamous, in that they are biologically programmed to assess the sexual attractiveness of every single woman they see."

"The introduction of sexual exclusivity to marriage was originally intended to ensure inheritances stay within families — given that the modern Will and Testament is more than adequate for this task, monogamy is no longer relevant."

"I suspect the most important thing to remember is that a man is probably only cheating [for sex] and it has absolutely nothing to do with you. Cheating men still love their wives — they just can't resist a second slice of chocolate cake. Also remember the other woman is probably very normal. We imagine other lovers to be prettier, or thinner or better dressed than us, but there aren't too many supermodels out there looking for sugar daddies. If [you find your man is cheating] and you can harness your jealousy, arrange to meet the woman — you might be able to work together to make your man the happiest guy in the world. What a wonderful thing to do for someone you love."

Ms. Hill, Crooked Straight salutes you. If you ever want to sit down for a one-on-one interview (maybe over a candlelit dinner), don't hesitate to call.

Kanye Don't Need a Beat (or a mic, or a stage...)

Some say the truest hip-hop comes in the form of freestyles and flows that kick off in a park, restaurant, parking lot, etc. Kanyeezy, it appears, would agree. So standing on top of a conference table while wearing a suit and tie, he debuted a verse from his new album while visiting the folks at Twitter (the title on the video is wrong; he wasn't at Facebook).

Youngins pay attention: You don't need a bunch of ice and chicks in bikinis to spit.

(From O.C. at KISS FM in Harrisburg)

Download: Bun B ft. Drake "Put it Down"

Someone is outshining someone else, but I'm not naming no names. Put it down.

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Best Goal Celebration Ever

Brandi Chastain's striptease has nothing on these guys. "So what I do is...I cast my reel...pull it out...fry it, dye it, lay it to the side...red beans and gravy—I ain't too lazy!"

Stand and Deliver: Kevin Hart

Two clips from his new Comedy Central one hour special, "Seriously Funny".

Jokes.com
Kevin Hart - Reasons Not to Fight
comedians.comedycentral.com
Futurama New Episodes It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Russell Simmons Stand-Up Comedy

Jokes.com
Kevin Hart - Say It With Your Chest
comedians.comedycentral.com
Futurama New Episodes It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Russell Simmons Stand-Up Comedy

Ogle Your Way to Good Health

German researchers have found that staring at titties is good for men's health.

According to Dr. Karen Weatherby, a gerontologist and author of the study, gawking at women’s breasts is a healthy practice, almost at par with an intense exercise regime, that prolongs the lifespan of a man by five years.

She added, "Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female, is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics work-out."

I wonder if my health insurance would cover weekly trips to the strip club? Or my subscription to Playboy?

And for all of you men out there who have slowly begun to suspect that your wife or girlfriend is trying to kill you: If she yells at you the next time you focus a little too intently on that girl walking past you at the beach, then you may have scientific proof to back up your suspicions. Run!

Download: Ice Cube "Drink the Kool-Aid"

Cube's new single... judge for yourself.

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Jordan Retro XIII Flint Blue

The classic Flint Air Jordan Retro XIII is set to return later this year. Through the Flint Air Jordan Retro XIII retroed five years back, many, many people have been anticipating its return. The 2010 Flint Air Jordan XIII is pretty faithful to the last retro with it's White, Blue, and Grey upper. The Blue on the upper, in these pics at least, does appear to be a shade darker than the last retro.

From KATC. The rumored date is November 26, 2010.

LeBron is Gone

Forgotten amid the turbulence left in the wake of LeBron's "Decision" is the fact that, for some time leading up to this summer, there were a lot of people who thought James would go to the Nets to play for his boy, Jay-Z. And now that LeBron's squashed that dream, Jay's got some thoughts on it all (with the help of John Mayer).



lmao. TJ with the assist.

Download: Capone-N-Noreaga "The War Report 2" (Album)

Early reviews are all positive..

1. Pain (Produced by The Alchemist) [video coming soon]
2. Bodega Stories (Feat. The L.O.X.) (Produced by Scram Jones)
3. Dutches vs. Phillies vs. Bamboo (Feat. Raekwon) (Produced by Scram Jones)
4. My Attribute (Produced by Dreddy)
5. Favor For A Favor (Produced by BT)
6. Hood Pride (Feat. Faith Evans) (Produced by Neo Da Matrix)
7. The Reserves (Feat. Raekwon) (Produced by Tha Bizness) | Video
8. With Me (Feat. Nas) (Produced by Buckwild)
9. Live On, Live Long Pt. 2 (Dedicated To Tragedy Khadafi) (Produced by SPK)
10. The Oath (Feat. Raekwon & Busta Rhymes) (Produced by Hazardis Soundz)
11. Brother From Another (Produced by Kyze)
12. Thug Planet (Feat. Imam T.H.U.G. & Musaliny) (Produced by Tony Heathcliff) | Video
13. Scarface (Produced by Araab Muzik)
14. The Corner (Feat. Avery Storm) (Produced by M3)
15. Obituary (Produced by DJ Green Lantern)

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Foxy Arrested (Again)

Seems like Foxy's gets arrested almost as often as most rappers put out new albums.

NEW YORK — Police say rapper Foxy Brown has been arrested in New York City for allegedly violating an order of protection.

A police spokesman said he had no details on the arrest Wednesday in Brooklyn, which is not Brown's first brush with the law.

It's also worth noting that Foxy is yet another female with a rap sheet longer than Rick Ross'. Just sayin'...