MeccaGodZilla - All Love (Rap Music Video x Tokyo x Japan x NYC)

Ghost in the soul

It was the mention of Negadon: The Monster From Mars in an e-mail to a buddy in the UK earlier today that caused me to remember the 2011 teaser for Soul Man. But I had no memory of the film's title. All I could think to Google was "french animated blaxploitation" and -- SHAZAM! -- the main character was there before me in all her afro-haired glory.

"Set in an alternate world built on two levels, 'Soul Man' turns on a former Polish detective entangled in a shady multi-billion-dollar biotech deal -- the key to which is a baby girl the detective is asked to look after."

According to the original 2011 posts, this gorgeous-looking project from French animator Guillaume Ivernel and his Paris-based production house, Blacklight Movies, was originally slated for 2014 release date. Well, it's now 2014 and it will really make my "soul glow" if it does come out this year.

Moonshine Burrito – The sweetest hangover

Remember those old candy commercials where the one klutz snacking on peanut butter always somehow managed to crash into the other klutz munching on a chocolate bar? And remember the happy expressions on their faces when each bit down to discover the new taste that came from the blending of those two very different flavors? Well, now picture a rap song with country music guitar licks mixed with a slow, pimp struttin’ hip-hop beat. On the surface that mixture sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? But, like peanut butter cups, it somehow works! And when laced with rhymes by Moonshine Burrito -- and a funky Kenny Rogers sample -- the end result is a full-fledged sugar rush. The guitar-twanging...banger in question, "Roads Are Rough (Holdin' Up)", is featured on South By Southwest, the new ten-track album from SpaceLAB Recordings label mates Jake Palumbo and Ciphurphace. Together these longtime pals combine to form Moonshine Burrito and, as the name probably suggests, the music made by this dynamic duo is all about unholy unions and unlikely combinations. For a finger-lickin’ taste test of South By Southwest, sample "Roads Are Rough (Holdin' Up)" and "Diesel (Feelin' Lovely)" for free-ninety-nine by clicking on the links below. And be sure to drop by iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay or Bandcamp to get a full serving of South By Southwest. Woo-hah! – SP

Moonshine Burrito – Diesel (Feelin' Lovely)
Moonshine Burrito – Roads Are Rough (Holdin' Up)

Poster Child

 [Click to enlarge]

It's been mentioned that I have fairly cool collection of old school hip-hop paraphernalia. Next to my treasured original copy of Breaking and the New York City Breakers (1984), the poster shown above has probably been the second-most treasured item in the archive. At this late date its difficult to recall what year or from which magazine the poster was removed. But it most likely came from the centerfold of Right On! or Word Up!, as the artists within the poster's borders predate all those who after '87 came to dominate the pages of rap-focused mags--And the Adidas Stockholm jersey worn by DJ Red Alert (#21) kinda' has 1987 written all over it, as far as provenance goes. For such a major assemblage of rappers and deejays, the magazine got major cool points in my book. It also kinda' got the gas face too, though, for not getting MC Shan's (#4) name and actually going to print with a misnomer in the legend. But you gotta' love Run's seemingly irritated expression (#11), the cold weather sportswear -- including Dapper Dan jackets worn by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- and the classic fat gold chains.

Beat Fighter II – RUN-DMC vs. SNSD

In the early days of hip-hop parties, before any actual rap records were produced, the ten-second intro of Bob James' jazz-fusion masterpiece "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" was a party starting staple-- not that it ever had to be played at the beginning of a party, per se. But it was likely that at some point during a jam those valued ten seconds would be hyper-extended by a deejay who'd bounce between double copies twirling on parallel turntables. For the many of us who were exposed to hip-hop in the era of actual rap records, the first time the "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" intro was ever heard was most likely by way of "Piper Piper", the smash second single from Run-DMC's 1986 album, Raising Hell. Now three decades later (Four, actually, since its original 1975 incarnation!), the South Korean pop group Girl's Generation, aka SNSD, has breathed sexy new life into James' finely-aged jazz-fusion jam with the late 2013 release of the K-Pop hit, "Lips."

Press play 'n' enjoy.

[Press-N-Play®] Run-DMC – Peter Piper
[Press-N-Play®] Girl's Generation – Lips