WU-TANG CLAN AIN'T NUTTIN' TO %*()@ WITH

your neighborhood method man
The story goes like this: for the February 1994 issue of Rap Pages, Cheo Coker profiled the Wu-Tang Clan. This was one of the first major features done on the Wu in a national magazine and the group wasn't very well known outside of NYC yet.

Coker's story was uniformly positive but I guess either Rap Pages was unable or unwilling to spring money for a proper photo shoot (probably the latter given their relatively slim pockets back then) and so, they commissioned an illustrator - who clearly knew NOTHING about the group - to draw cartoons of each of the eight main Wu members. I didn't want to republish the whole damn thing so I cropped and combined the cartoons here:

(click for full size pic)
(for fun, match the Wu member to the cartoon)

Keep in mind: Coker had NOTHING to do with the illustrations. Writers almost never, ever have a say in art direction in a magazine (unless of course, it's Kronick where the writer is also the editor, photographer, art director, distributor, publisher, etc.). But the Wu, not really understanding the intricacies of the magazine world decided Coker was to blame and at first opportunity, punched him in the face, thus making Coker the first one of the first journalists to get physically assaulted by an angry rapper (he would not be the last. Talk to Jeru 'bout that).

I forget how this got resolved, i.e. whether Coker filed charges or sued. If someone out there knows, holla.

--O.W.

GET YOUR HUSTLE ON

stacking chips against the gov't
Juvenile's "Hustle" video. (Thanks: Hua)

--O.W.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #48

Devastating each listen: "Why? (The King of Love is Dead)"

This Week's Question:

What is the saddest song ever?

--Junichi

GOOD NEWS: CIVIL WAR IN IRAQ!

I realize criticizing Fox News for its content is like criticizing Pol Pot for being too violent.

But suggesting that "All-Out Civil War in Iraq" = "a good thing"? Bananas. If it were Opposite Day, I would award Neil Cavuto a Pulitzer.

Also, what could that scroll item about "...ng the Sheep Off in a Garabage Can" possibly be about?

--Junichi

FLASHBACK

hip-hop's dismantler?
I'm doing research for an essay I'm prepping and I'm reading this Jan 1991 issue of The Source. Some tidbits to share:

1) Funda-mental Hip-hop
by Bill Stephney

(This was an essay on how commercialism in hip-hop was threatening the music/culture. Just goes to show: things go in cycles.)

"Most of America sees Bill Biv Devoe, Hammer, and Vanilla Ice as the future of rap music. Hip-hop with a 'pop feel appeal' may be the worst threat rap music has faced thus far.

Is rap now too commercial for longtime fans of hip-hop?

Bobby Brown was Stage One in the Dismantling of Rap Domination. Stage Two was the importation of that musical drug of 1989: the Soul II Soul 'Club Classics Vol. 1' album.

As we go into 1991, it's important that we all take some time, and truly analyze where this music is going. With idiot record label execs still throwing money at a music they will never understand, we will see even more artists that continue to mean nothing, and continue to push rap/hip-hop closer to the 'disco purgatory' that seems to be its destiny."

2) The Mind Squad's Top 10 (1990)

Albums:
1) Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most
2) LL Cool J: Mama Said Knock You Out
3) ATCQ: People's Instinctive Travels
4) BDP: Edutainment
5) Kool G Rap: Wanted Dead or Alive
6) Eric B and Rakim: Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em
7) PRT: Holy Intellect
8) Three TImes Dope: Live From Acknikulous Land
9) Nice and smooth: Nice and Smooth
10) X-Clan: To The East Blackwards

Singles:
1) PE: Brothers Gonna Work It Out
2) Kool G Rap: Streets of NY
3) Main Source: Lookin at the Front Door
4) ATCQ: Bonita Applebaum (Hootie Mix)
5) King Tee: Ruff Rhyme
6) LL Cool J: Jinglin Baby
7) BDP: Love's Gonna Get 'Cha
8) DU: Humpty Dance
9) 3rd Bass: Gas Face
10) De La soul: Buddy (remix)

(How dated do I feel that most of those singles are in my "party crate" for records I bring with me when I spin out?)

3) Record/singles reviews

(I just want to note, in this issue, there were 11 single reviews but only 4 album reviews. Remember those days?)

---

Next, I'm reading through a Feb 1994 issue of Rap Pages and in their review section, the lead review goes to...Nefertiti's L.I.F.E. (it got a 4/5). In the #2 position? Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang which netted a 5/5, aka "Oh, Yeah!...A Rap Masterpiece." I appreciate the reviewer's enthusiasm in the following opening graf but seriously, exclamation points in a rap review are never a great look:

"This Wu-Tang joint is the whip! They comin' at cha straight from the swamps like shell-shicked Vietnam Vets. It's mo' heads in the Wu than they gots lettuce at the produce stand (it's about eight of dem muthaphukkas!). I ain't gon' front, when I first heard they name, I wasn't sure what was gon' be happ'nin'. But, low [sic] and behold, these Gods are all in. This is a crazy def tape, mad original on all levels, each one of the tunes (and MCs) standing on they own."

(I just realized, this was also the Rap Pages issue with the infamous Wu-Tang article with the bad cartoon representations of the Wu members that got author Cheo Coker (who had nothing to do with the artwork) a beatdown from the Clan.)

--O.W.

FUN WITH FLICKR

(Check out Spell With Flickr. Source: Wired.com)

--O.W.

REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE

Writing an innocuous text message or watching Buffy the Vampire Layer?

According to the latest issue of New Scientist magazine, the cell phone is on its way to becoming the platform of choice for downloading pornography. Researchers analyzed a million Google searches and found that 20% of cellphone searches were for adult material, while only 8.5% of desktop PC searches were seeking out the nasty.

In other news, I support banning the use of cell phones while driving.

Can you hear me now, perv?

--Junichi

THE MORE INTERESTING OLYMPICS

The Bode Miller of Punjab

I tried watching the Winter Olympics but found myself more riveted by reruns of The Golden Girls on Lifetime (especially after downloading an entire album worth of songs sung by the Golden Girls).

The only Winter Olympic event that comes close to being entertaining are the contests that involve shooting guns while skiing (a.k.a. Dick Cheney on ice).

I would tune in religiously, however, if NBC instead aired the Rural Olympics which just finished in Kila Raipur, India.

From what I can gather from the photos, the event includes fascinating games such as:

• car-pulling competition using your teeth
  
• a race where you ride two horses at the same time
• a contest to balance a bike in the air using only your mouth
• a competition that involves tractors running over your body
  
• a bike race where you ride one bike and hold on to two others
• some contest involving orange speedos and gigantic wooden popsicles
  
• and chariot races where a man stands on a cart pulled by a pair of bulls

The featured event was apparently a cow that jumps over bikes and tractors (moon was unavailable.)

This amazing heifer above would be udderly fascinating to watch live, unlike this year's opening ceremonies, which reminded me of an extended "Torrance Community Dance Group" routine from Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" video.

--Junichi

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #47

Birdshot-gun weddings

This Week's Question:

If you believe that all consenting adults should be able to marry, why aren't you upset that none of the 50 states recognize voluntary polygamous marriages?


P.S. Is anybody else looking forward to HBO's Big Love?

--Junichi

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #46

May I end this sentence with a proposition?

This Week's Question:

What is the least efffective pick-up line you can imagine?

--Junichi

CHENEY'S GOT A GUN

Not to my surprise, the Vice President hunts humans.

"Accidentally," my ass. (The victim was a lawyer, after all.)

(And he tried to keep in on the DL!)

--Junichi

JAY DEE: R.I.P.

A Soul-Sides Appreciation.

--O.W.

SPY vs. SPY

The Chickens Come Home to Roost

At a House Republican retreat, President Bush made a few public statements before reporters and then asked the press to scoot, so he could privately discuss and defend his National Security Agency eavesdropping/domestic spying program to fellow GOP leaders.

But after reporters exited, Bush's microphones remained on, allowing the journalists outside to eavesdrop on the president, who himself was defending the right to eavesdrop.

What beautiful irony.

Sadly, the press didn't discover any juicy secrets.

(Or they were killed and we'll never know what they heard.)

--Junichi

OUR DEVELOPMENT IS NO LONGER ARRESTED

Tonight may be the series finale -- a.k.a. the death -- of Arrested Development, as Fox airs the final four episodes of the season.

If America had my tastes, tonight's ratings would surpass the final episodes of M*A*S*H and Seinfeld, and we'd all be eating nachos for breakfast.

But sadly, 99% of the world has never watched the greatest show in the history of television. Plus, Fox dumped these final episodes into one night -- with little fanfare -- to air against NBC's opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.

Let us AD fans use the comments of this thread to mourn and comfort each other in our time of loss (until Showtime or ABC decides to come to our rescue).

--Junichi

BROKEBACK TO THE FUTURE

I wish I knew how to quit you, McFly.

Click picture above to watch some editing genius. (Credit: Chocolatecakecity.com)

* * *

Also, Larry David's NYT op-ed on why he's not going to watch Brokeback is a great read.

--Junichi

A FUNERAL FIT FOR A KING

The President doubles the number of black people he's side-hugged.

Coretta Scott King's funeral turned out to be both a fitting memorial and an amazing political event, with all the presidents from Carter to Bush II present. There were many moving moments, but here are the most jaw-dropping notables:

1. With President Bush sitting behind him, Reverend Joseph Lowery ripped the President a new one, noting that Coretta Scott King "deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. ... We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew, and we knew, that there are weapons of misdirection right down here."


2. After Rev. Lowery finished speaking, Bush joined the crowd in giving him a standing ovation. The LA Times reports that he even "pull[ed] the civil rights leader in for a bear hug."


3. At least the elder President Bush is honest about how out of touch he is with the black community. Comparing the event to his Episcopalian upbringing, he admitted, "I haven't seen anything like this in my life."


4. President Carter made a most poignant observation, recounting how the federal government considered Dr. King an enemy of the state and spied on him, in obvious reference to Bush's warrantless domestic wiretapping program. Carter noted, "It was difficult for them personally — with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretapping, other surveillance, and as you know, harassment from the FBI."


5. Michael Bolton was invited to sing.
   

One side note: CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel all carried the funeral live. BET, however, chose to play Nelly videos in order to "offer a different kind of experience for BET viewers." Nice.

--Junichi

REVENGE OF THE OTAKU

Maid in Manhattan Tokyo

The AP recently reported on the growing popularity and numbers of the Japanese "otaku," which can be roughly translated as "geek" or "nerd." (My relatives call me Otaku, however, because, they tell me, it also means "hella cool.")

Long considered misfits, the sterotypical otaku are overweight, unshaven, bespectacled men who play with computers and obsessively fantasize about anime girls. They've existed for years, but now, they are becoming more socially accepted in Japan.

Indeed, there is a growing interest among some Japanese women for these otaku, who already have fanatical fetishes themselves, further solidfying the fact that the Japanese are the weirdest people in the universe.

The rise of the otaku can be attributed to the popularity of a Japanese book, film, and TV series called Train Man, which chronicles the budding romance between a beautiful woman and the nerd she met on a train. Apparently, Train Man did for Japanese geeks what Rain Man did for the autistic. Sort of. Ok, not really.

While I appreciate any appreciation of nerds and nerd culture, it's hard for me to applaud any group whose manga fanaticism and sexual fetishes are one and the same.

I mean, don't get me wrong, Luann is hot, but I've never fantastized about her (except for that one time I did a kegstand with a bottle of Nyquil).

Whereas this Japanese man apparently lives with a lifesize doll of his favorite anime character.

The emergence and growth of the otaku also explains the rise of "Maid Cafes" in the Akihabara district of Japan, a growing mecca of otaku culture. At these cafes, young cartoonish 20-something women dress as maids and serve customers with greetings like "Welcome home, Master." The inspiration? Right here ...

At one of these Maid Cafes, customers can apparently follow up a meal with grooming services that include -- wait for it -- ear cleanings. (Take note, Olive Garden!)

If you ask me, the otaku sound "hentai," or perverted.

And for those looking for a handy guide to Japanese slang terminology, you're welcome.

--Junichi

PAPA'S GOT A BRAND NEW GIG

My very first professional writing gig was doing a column for Asian Week back in 1994. At the time, I was working in downtown Oakland, on 13th St., right down the block from the Oakland Tribune building. As it turns out, 12 years later, I've landed a monthly music column for the paper; surprisingly, my very first assignment ever for a daily newspaper.

My first piece was on our beloved martyr, Kanye West (he made it too easy). Next month's will be on the Bay Area's hip-hop scene seen through the eyes of E-40, Keak the Sneak and others.

The Trib also ran a small interview with me last week to help introduce the column.

Ok, self-promotion over.

--O.W.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #45

Officer Kupke

This Week's Question:

Who is more culpable for the rising (and alarming) number of women getting plastic surgery: men or women?


I realize that this question forces you to make broad generalizations and risks over-simplifying complex factors. But I've been surprised to hear a few friends answer this question by arguing that it's entirely the fault of one side or the other. So, hey, I thought I'd ask it here.

FYI - I realize that the popularity of plastic surgery is nothing new, but I find it shocking that according to this report there was a 49% increase in the total number of women who underwent cosmetic procedures in the United States from 2003 to 2004. In 2004, the top five surgical cosmetic procedures in 2004 were: liposuction (478,251 Americans, up 24%); breast augmentation (334,052, up 19%); eyelid surgery (290,343, up 8%); rhinoplasty (166,187, down 4%); and facelift (157,061, up 25%). Women receive 90% of the total number of cosmetic procedures performed.

--Junichi

ASK A FREELANCER PT. 6

Some questions by Waylan:

1) On interviews and approaching interviewees: Should an affiliation be a prerequisite? How much does representing a publication (known or obscure) help in getting someone to sit down?

Some artists might be willing to grant you an interview with no assignment or publication attached to it but it's not very common. I generally counsel writers NOT to approach a subject for an interview until you actually have an assignment in hand. Even if the publication is obscure, the very fact that it is a publication is usually enough to help get a foot through the door.

2) Is there an etiquette involved in the approach?

Being persistent but not pushy is, in general, a good approach to take to any approach to freelancing: from pitching, to scheduling, to making sure you get paid.

3) Where do you distinguish an 'interview' from a 'conversation'? Or are they one and the same?

Not necessarily but an ideal interview tends to feel more like a conversation, meaning that it flows naturally, can go into tangents, and is enjoyable for both parties. Sometimes, you may not have time to allow for the conversation to develop but generally, you want both you and the interviewee to feel relaxed, comfortable (and hopefully, candid).
 
4) On pitching...how do you get good at it?

It depends on what kind of pitching you're talking about. The most common pitch a freelancer has to make is simply to get an assignment from an editor. In that case, here's my basic advice on approaching an editor for the first time:

A good pitch is succinct and to the point: it shouldn't be longer than three paragraphs. The first paragraph identifies who you are, explains what you want to pitch within one sentence. The rest of the first graf should be to give more background on who you are, where you've written, why you think you'd be a good person to write this assignment. Again: think short. The worst thing you can do is send someone a friggin' essay on your first pitch.

Second graf explains why you think the publication should run a story on whatever your pitch is. Again, a few sentences should do. Third graf lays out your contact info, a few pleasantries and that's it. Don't overstay your welcome. There's other things you might want to include in a pitch letter (clips for example) but those are the basics. Seriously, it's not as complicated as it may sound.

5) If you're approaching a publication for the first time, do you submit a story for consideration? Or ask to submit?

There may be exceptions to this rule but I counsel people to almost never pitch a finished piece. You should be pitching for assignments but in many cases, a publication is not going to want to finished piece because they'll feel like they were never part of the editorial process. To be honest, you could finish an assignment then pitch the idea, without revealing that you've already written the piece and then submit it later, as if you wrote it after the fact. But if you do that, you better make sure your submission meets the editorial expectations of the publication in theme, concept, angle, etc.

6) What are the differences between print and webmags?

The space between the two is shrinking but my feel is that print mags, in general, still have a better reputation and status over most web publications. It depends on the publication though: someplace like Slate.com is more prestigious than many print publications but the number of well-respected web publications, I think, still is smaller than the number of comparable print mags.

The main benefit that webmags tend to offer is greater word count (since it's not as crucial that pieces have to fit within a strict word count online vs. in the print world). On the other hand, some sites tend to have a really lax editorial approach which doesn't really help a young writer step up their craft. Rubber-stamping might seem to make things easier but you're not doing yourself big favors in avoiding getting meaningful feedback and critique.

7: How did you get over fears about writing, if any?

This one is easy: you just jump out and do it. The single best way to learn how to write - and this includes mastering freelancing - is simply to do it. It's not a "trial by fire" by any stretch of the imagination, even if it feels like a struggle. But it's not like skydiving: you can make mistakes and still try again.

--O.W.

APPLE SUED OVER HEARING LOSS

warning label needed?
For months now, people have been warning about the possibility of hearing loss that comes with excessive use of loud music over ear-bud style headphones. Not to be cynical, but it was probably only a matter of time before someone who had experienced damage to their hearing was going to sue over this (this is America, after all). Well, that time has arrived.

Digital Music News is reporting that Louisiana resident John Patterson has filed a "product liability suit" against Apple on the grounds that the iPod has damaged his hearing. Patterson is seeking class action status which would allow other users with similar complaints to join with his lawsuit. There are no dollar figures being mentioned yet but Patterson is suing for compensation for his hearing loss plus a demand that Apple re-engineer the iPod to make it safer.

So, just to float the obvious question here but: is there any liability involved? Last time we checked, iPods came with this feature called "volume control." What does it mean to make the iPod safer? Put in a prescribed limit on how loud you can play music? Isn't that for the listener to decide? Not like I'm not sympathetic to Patterson's situation, but there's some common sense that should be taken into consideration when it comes to how loud one listens to music. Unless of course, Patterson can prove that the ear-buds that ship with every iPod were engineered to maximize damage even at "normal" volume levels.

Anyone know what has to be proven in a liability suit of this kind?

--O.W.

PAZZ AND JOP RUNDOWN

kanye rules everything around him
The annual Village Voice Pazz and Jop Poll came out today and the #1 album and single belong to ... Kanye West. Just to refresh memories: Pazz and Jop puts together the top album and single picks from hundreds of music critics across the country; it's the closest thing to a "consensus" you can come to but ff course, P&J is also one of the primary pieces of evidence that people introduce when they want to suggest how pitifully out of touch critics are with what people actually listen to: of the top 40 albums on Pazz and Jop, only Kanye West's CD was on the top 10 of best-selling albums for 2005.

This said, it's remarkable (though not surprising) that Kanye, for the second year in a row, is both a critical and commercial darling. This said, he had a slim margin of victory in the album dept. over the #2 artist, M.I.A. I think had Arular dropped in the fall and not the spring, the album might easily have overtaken Kanye's but then again, I also thought the hype around that CD didn't quite match the actual quality of it. In my mind, in a year's time (if not already), M.I.A.'s flash in the pan popularity will seem, um, flash in the pan.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING...


Anyways, here's the Top 10:

1. Kanye West: Late Registration
2. M.I.A.: Arular
3. Surfjan Stevens: Illinois
4. Sleater-Kinney: The Woods
5. Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine
6. The White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan
7. Antony and the Johnsons: I Am a Bird Now
8. The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday
9. The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema
10. Z: My Morning Jacket

As usual, I've only actually listened to about 3 of the albums on here: Kanye, M.I.A., and parts of Sleater-Kinney and parts of The White Stripes. Not like my tastes are hella populist either (I didn't, for example, listen to Mariah's album and 50 Cent's The Massacre wasn't coming anywhere near my top 10), but I'm seriously disconnected from the indie rock streets even more.

Other notable albums:

15. Common: Be
I really don't mean to hate but I just don't get this. I really don't...except to say that people must be desperate for some "positivity" in hip-hop to think this was as good as was billed. I liked this album in moments but not as a whole.
21. Gorillaz: Demon Days
Surprised this didn't go higher.
34. Danger Doom: The Mouse and the Mask
Ditto and I wasn't even a huge fan of the CD.
39. Young Jeezy: Let's Get It On
Crack rap might be big but not big enough.
55. The Clipse: We Got It For Cheap Vol. 2
The only mixtape to make the Top 100. Pretty remarkable, all things considered. How hungry are we for Hell Hath No Fury?

The singles chart was far, far more in line with popular tastes (which makes sense). Here's the Top 10 for that:

1. Kanye West: Gold Digger
2. Amerie: 1 Thing
3. Kelly Clarkson: Since U Been Gone
4. Gorillaz/De La Soul: Feel Good Inc
5. Damian Marley: Welcome to Jamrock
5. Gwen Stefani: Hollaback Girl
7. Franz Ferdinand: Do You Want To
7. Madonna: Hung Up
9. The White Stripes: My Doorbell
10: Three 6 Mafia Featuring Young Buck & Eightball & MJG: Stay Fly

Personally, I'm surprised #10 wasn't a lot higher but it might be that "Stay Fly" came out too late in the year to have made the same overall impact as something like "1 Thing" which was already in heavy rotation back in January. Also, I never thought "Gold Digger" was that great a single. I liked it fine but overall, I thought both Amerie and Kelly Clarkson had much better pop singles on their hands. I guess the Kanye juggernaught is not to be stopped.

Other notable singles action:

11. The Game: Love It or Hate It
I heartily approve of this but I think people were rewarding the hook and beat more than anything else. Not that there's anything wrong with that - see Kelly Clarkson.
13. Mike Jones, Slim Thug, Paul Wall: Still Tippin'
This song came out in 2003 but just goes to show the power of a long burn.
16. The Legendary K.O.: George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People
Awesome to see a fuggin' MP3 rank this high. I think it would have been higher had more people heard it.
18. Ying Yang Twins: Wait
Guilty pleasure of the year?
20. Common: The Corner
21. R. Kelly: Trapped In the Closet
I like "The Corner" but there's something wrong with this order.

Like most other music critics who aren't too proud to indulge in the occasional clusterf---, the Comments sections are some of our favorite reads, mostly because it's basically a competition for us to out-clever-ize our colleagues with either the most succinctly profound (or snarky) statements we can come up with. Here's some of my favorites:

The government left an entire stadium full of black people to die. And it was broadcast on national TV so we could all watch. And we only get one rap song? And it's an MP3? (Christopher Weingarten)



Kanye doing "Jesus Walks" (and bearing down hard on "victims of welfare living in hell here, hell yeah") worked; his triumphant "Touch the Sky" on the next telethon not so much. When David Banner played a Katrina benefit, he reached back to Mississippi: The Album, maybe the most relevant album of 2005. But nothing captured the problem better than the Game performing "Dreams" on the same broadcast: I can't imagine all the homeless in Houston and here in Memphis and scattered all over the region were much interested in his desire to "fuck an r&b bitch." (Chris Herrington)

2005 was the year when popism finally trickled down to the indie kids. When young critics talked about how great the first half of the year was, they not only mean Separation Sunday and Arular, but "Since U Been Gone," "Mr. Brightside," and "Wait (The Whisper Song)." (Alfred Soto)

Kanye West's outburst during the Katrina telethon was the pop mo ment of the year because within the flow of heavily manipulated reality shows, highly choreographed live performances, and strategized blockbusters that make up the mainstream, it was an unscripted assertion of self. Kanye stood in for all of us whose brains were on overdrive as New Orleans fell, unleashing his own flood of guilt, shock, helplessness, and rage. "George Bush doesn't care about black people" may not be a totally true or responsible thing to say, but it's not spin. (Ann Powers)

The most interesting thing about 50 is that like voodoo's Baron Samedi he's the laughing face of death incarnate, a zombie incubus with a sardonic overbite who really did destroy his enemies Supreme and Murder Inc. with the most laconic of spells, chants, and verses. (Greg Tate)
I didn't like this album yet Tate's comments here make me want to go back and listen to it again.

Who cares if the lyrics advocate pussy beating—the track is bangin'. Who cares if the track is bangin'—it advocates pussy beating. (Kevin John)

You know a song is nasty when it has sex terminology you don't understand. How exactly do you "throw it like a boomerang"? I think I need to learn to throw it like a Frisbee first and then maybe I can step my game up to Foxy Brown's level. (Jalylah Burrell)
Pure awesomeness. I saw Burrell give a great paper at EMP last year and I look forward to seeing what she does as a writer and a scholar.

Rap music has slipped through New York's snow-numb fingers. Apart from 50 Cent, and he doesn't count for reasons of mercenary approach to pop, no rap record of national significance came from the five boroughs this year. Juelz and Jim Jones might complain, but Dip Set is about as relevant on Houston's north side as Neil Diamond. AZ is old. Papoose? Maino? They might as well be from Dutchess County. We've been reduced to the category us hard-liners used to viciously malign—regional rap. Everywhere else, they're pointing and making fun. (Jon Caramanica)

The most shocking thing about Kanye's "George Bush doesn't care about black people" is that it was actual political commentary spoken by a prominent hip-hop performer. The silence from the rest of the community typified hip-hop's current strategy: act all tough, but for the love of god, don't dare piss off anybody. (Tim Grierson)

Kelly Clarkson may be viewed as a guilty pleasure, but I don't feel guilty about singing along until she hits that high C. Then, unfortunately, I have to stop. Except that one time at the lesbian karaoke bar. (Trish Bendix)

On May 28, the Billboard Modern Rock Top 20 singles chart included the following bands: Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Beck, Oasis, Audioslave, and the Offspring. Garbage, Korn, 311, and the Bloodhound Gang all also had hits this year. And people wonder why modern rock radio is dying! Hello, your top artists all peaked a decade ago. Would you sell more ads if you just changed the format to Greatest Hits or Depressed '90s White People? (Amy Phillips)

Weirdest ad campaign: those Hennessy "Never Blend In" billboards with Marvin Gaye, who could not be here today to collect his royalty check, as he was shot to death by his alcoholic dad. It's like sticking Brian Jones into an ad for swimming pools. (Rob Sheffield)

I started a blog this year. It's been a pretty good experience, though I must say I hardly ever write about music. I find music-critic blogs, even by my friends, to be quite ego-promotional and argumentative in a way that's always made me uncomfortable – that "hipper than thou" way. Instead, I take as my model the world of women's blogs – thinking people's personal explorations of big and small questions from the inside out. Also, I like to post recipes. Unlike opinions about the latest indie release, they have a tangible use. (Ann Powers)

Unless you're functioning on the British model of immediacy, transcendence, and evanescence, then criticism requires an element of rigor: Not just What-does-this-sound-like?, but Who-are-these-people? And blogging is usually an act of immediate consideration, founded more in sensation than sense, and more likely to assume a polar position for the sake of rhetorical commotion and page hits. Plenty of good bloggers are bad writers and worse critics. (Rob Tannenbaum)

I heard a lot of music critics complaining all year about 2005 was the worst year for music since 1986 or whenever, but I don't agree. I do think that 2005 was the worst year for music criticism that I can remember. When did we all turn into this fakey glib putdown artists? I feel like we're all jumping into the same three or four boats, doing our best to punch holes in the bottom, and then bitching about getting wet. I blame the Internet, or Republicans, or something. The crisis is heightened by the fact that many important music venues (coughVILLAGEVOICEcough) have cut space down to haiku size, where all you can do is toss off some amusing bon semi-mots without actually talking about the record. It's almost enough to make a fellow start blogging again. (Matt Cibula)

I had some extended thoughts on a handful of posts:

Kanye West is hip-hop's textbook example of a reduced black public intellectual and that's why the media worships him. He produces an album by longtime homophobe Common in the same year he admonishes hip-hop homophobia on MTV. Then he lambastes George W. for dropping the ball on Katrina, but leaves it to the Legendary K.O. to show what a genius Kanye could be if he actually had an ideological platform. (Jason King)
Not that we shouldn't demand more from our pop stars, but this probably demands too much and it's not like I don't have a lot of issues with Kanye as a pop figure too. If Kanye didn't work with homophobic rappers, he'd pretty much not work for anyone and I'm not saying that as an excuse but as reality. One could call that hypocrisy but given the choice between having someone like Kanye say, "homophobia is wrong" in a public forum and have him work with a homophobe (and seriously, Common isn't a great example to use anymore since he's taken great strides to repudiate his homophobia in the past), vs. not saying anything at all, I'll take the "two steps forward, one step back" option over the "no steps at all." And while I'm sympathetic to the desire for Kanye to have a greater ideological platform (or for all rappers to do so), I think it seems myopic to blast him for not doing more when he seemed like one of the few cats who did anything. Maybe I'm settling but sometimes,you need to after the battles you can win in the short-run while you're busy settling in for the long haul.

The year in trap rap: A bunch of grown adults are genuinely impressed by drug dealer talk. Post-collegiate bloggers argue over what's the funniest way to say "I sell drugs." (Chris Weingarten)
I agree with what Chris is putting across here to a certain extent but I'd also pause and suggest that what makes hip-hop great - stylistically - has very rarely ever been the content. I mean, is bragging about " I sell drugs" in a compelling way any better or worse than bragging about "I rap better than you" in a compelling way? I agree that trap rap's moral failings deserve some discussion (and jesus, the Voice has had THREE essays on this in the last month already) but is it so crazy to understand why anyone (bloggers and non-bloggers included) would find a song like "Go Crazy" or "Oh Yes" a worthy listen in its own right?

M.I.A. was a flop for a major label. No one has ever spun Annie at a high school dance. Hot 97 would play Cowboy Troy before they play grime. How are blogs tastemakers again? (Chris Weingarten)
Fair enough but go back and see my comment above about comparing the Pazz and Jop Top 40 with the Billboard Year-End Top 10. Non-blogging music critics apparently aren't tastemakers either. Except when it comes to Kanye aka The Great Exception.

When are critics going to realize they've become press bitches who traded responsibility for ADD and "I was first!" cred? (Nick Sylvester)
Not that I disagree with the sentiment here either but that happened a lot earlier than 2005. Or 1995. Or...you get the picture.

I love the way Maya Arulpragasam maintains an undercurrent of tunefulness in her raps, as well as her technique of introducing a rhythmic motif and then doubling it up, thus intensifying its impact. A pity that much of the press ignored this, instead focusing on her politics and back story. (J.D. Considine)
From what I saw, Maya was happy playing up those politics and back story as anyone. Sure, the press took the bait, but who was floating it out there to begin with?

At the end of 2005, my favorite used-record store closed its doors after 40 years. Snide online posters gloated that they were glad the store was disappearing because of all the "rude" and "stuck-up" teenagers who worked there. As I saw it, those teenagers were some of the only human beings I knew who actually gave a shit about music. (Tim Grierson)
I assume Tim's talking about the closing of Aron's in Los Angeles. I know many a serious music lover who's endured some shitty ass treatment by staff there who make the Comic Book Guy look like the Dalai Lama. It's fine to mourn the loss of the institution but lionizing a bunch of snotty power trippers is giving too much credit to those who don't deserve it.

--O.W.

STATE OF THE UNION

"[M]any of our fellow citizens have felt excluded from the promise of our country."

Yesterday, I wrote:

If I were Coretta Scott King and had heard that Samuel Alito was given a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, I probably would have died too.

I wrote this quickly without articulating my point. I meant to be neither funny nor disrespectful, and I apologize to those I offended.

After hearing the news about Coretta Scott King's passing, I found my sadness transforming into bitterness and then rage upon reading President Bush's statements about her, which were closely followed by his statements about Justice Alito's confirmation, which were then preceded by his unabashedly hypocritical State of the Union speech.

Yesterday, Bush and other Republican leaders publicly celebrated the life of Mrs. King (and her husband), who dedicated their lives to peace, civil rights, and ending poverty.

Yet, neither Bush nor most commentators saw any irony or felt difficulty praising Mrs. King while continuing to defend the war on Iraq or applauding the nomination of Justice Alito, who has been steadfastly opposed to increasing the numbers of people of color at the nation's top universities. President Bush, in his State of the Union speech, could have been inspired by Mrs. King's life and death to announce actual policies intended to reverse the trend of the widening racial gap in this country. (Most notably, the fact that poverty within the African African community rose from 22.7 percent in 2001 to 24.7 percent in 2004.) But he didn't.

It's one thing if Mrs. King had passed away at a moment in history in which we were all working to reach that mountaintop, of which Dr. King spoke. It's another for her to pass while those in power continue to push people down the mountain or ignore those suffering to climb.

While I am not utterly hopeless or despondent about this situation, it can be challenging, these days, to muster optimism, and I can only imagine what Mrs. King thought, for example, when our government continued to deny the role of race or poverty in the tragedy of Katrina.

Needless to say, I hope Coretta Scott King is resting in peace.

--Junichi