Okay, how hyped am I right now? Very! It’s not everyday that 4 of my favorite rappers end up on one track! Timeless, this truly is a classic!

For those of you who missed the MTV VMA’s you missed one of the best award shows I’ve ever seen despite another bland performance from host Russell Brand (whom I normally think is very funny) and one of the most shocking interruptions in award show history. All that to go along with Lady Gaga’s bizarre but oh so attention-grabbing theatrics followed by Pink’s Cirque Du Soleil inspired acrobatics. Then add maybe the best rock performance at the VMA’s since Nirvana’s Kurt and Dave tore apart the stage while Krist stumbled around after hitting himself in the head with his bass guitar was Green Day.

The night did end on two amazingly cool notes, the first being Beyonce calling Taylor Swift back on stage to let her finish the acceptance speech that was cut short. It was a very classy moment that drew a standing ovation for the packed house. Then came the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys duo to cap off a night full of very memorable moments. Speaking of which did I mention the Michael Jackson tribute? There was that too.

If you didn’t happen to catch this years VMA’s don’t worry, I’m sure it’s being repeated on MTV even as you read this.

What a night!

When Jay-Z started recording the Black Album he began by hand picking the best beat makers in the business including Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Timbaland, DJ Quick, and Rick Rubin. The Black Album went on to sell over 3 million copies in the US alone. Rick Rubin’s contribution 99 Problems was the third single released off the album and is considered by many an instant classic.

The video was directed by Mark Romanek who has helmed some of the most memorable and controversial music videos ever made. His credits include the Nine Inch Nails classics Closer and Perfect Drug (one of my all time favorites), the unforgettable Johnny Cash cover of Hurt, En Vogue’s Free You Mind, Beck’s Devils Hair Cut, Criminal by Fiona Apple and on and on.

As controversial as this video was at the time of its release, it still managed four nominations and three MVPA awards. It also cleaned up at the MTV Video Awards winning Best Rap Video, Best Editing and Best Director while also being nominated for Best Male Video and Video of the Year.

The video it’s self is simple and very straight forward yet still manages to leave a lasting impression. I’m not sure if it’s the images of dog fighting, county lockup or Jay being shot to death by an unseen gun man, but this video manages to stick with you. Sometimes less is more and Romanek managed to include both more and less. Ultimately it comes down to this video being a piece of art.

Like all art the video is open to interpretation, and that is what I believe makes this a great video. At the time of its release The Black Album was supposed to be Jay’s final album. The imagery of him being shot, was it meant to signify the death of an area or perhaps something else? Please decide for you’re self.

Please do enjoy.

I love how at the end of every year all the critics, entertainment magazines and websites release their “best of” list. Top ten best films of the year, songs, biggest news stories, or whatever, you think of it there’s a list. This is why we have the Oscars, Golden Globes, Billboard awards, heck; we even have the Razzies for the worst films. MTV has their Video awards and I’m sure VH1 and Fuse do as well.

All that to say I’ve decided to compile a couple of top ten lists myself and share them with you over the next couple of months. I’ll be counting these list down and as I do I’d love to get some feed back from you letting me know what you think I’ve missed and also maybe share any “best of” you may have.

So here we go!

I’ve decided to start with my top ten favorite hip-hop music videos.

Number 10

Jesus Walks by Kanye West.

I’m not even sure that this is my favorite KW video but it’s undeniably a great song and an excellent video. Even though I believe that many of his later efforts surpass this one in creativity and ingenuity, I can’t help but love it. Flashing Lights and All Fall Down Both come to mind as well as Heartless when discussing his best visual work. Stronger, Amazing and Love Lockdown would also have be be up there. Wow, all this from one artist in less than a decade. Even though Amazing is laced with irony you can’t argue it.
Okay, so maybe Jesus Walks is not his best song or video but it was the video that introduced me to Mr. West and for that reason it comes in at number 10.

Again Kanye West is so good. I really like this song and the video!

I’m going to be honest with ya, I’m not a fan of movie remakes. I mean there are plenty of examples of good prequels or sequels but when you take a movie that was already made and then remake it, well it just seems tired. So why is it, that when it comes to songs, I love covers so much? I mean I really, really love a good cover and there’s a ton of examples. So here’s a quick look at some of my all time favorite covers.

The Smashing Pumpkins covered Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide to perfection then later killed it when they remade the Cars You’re All I’ve Got Tonight. Pearl Jam reached all the way back to the 50’s to cover Last Kiss and Tori Amos turned Nirvana’s grunge classic Smells Like Teen Spirit into a ballad so beautiful it was almost haunting.
Then in the late 90’s a new fad emerged when rock stars suddenly ran out of rock songs to cover so they decided it was time to move onto hip-hop. The ska/punk band Less Than Jake played an insanely cool live cover of the House of Pain’s Jump Around. It had all the energy of the HP’s version times ten. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes made a career out of covering other peoples music and Ghoit Hook’s only good album was called Songs We Didn’t Write.

Dynamite Hack (at least to my knowledge) was the first rock band to actually record a hip-hop cover when they playfully made an acoustic cover of Boys in Da Hood. Ben Folds later followed suit with an equally funny cover of Dr. Dre’s B****es Aint S***.
Whenever I see an unknown band live for the first time or happen to catch some singer-song-writer at a coffee shop, I always hope for at least one cover song. Something I know that I can sing along to. My favorite new artist (Emily Wells) first caught my ear with her cover of The Notorious B.I.G song Juicy. Our good friends Centrevol have several covers that they mix into their excellent live sets giving first time listeners some familiar songs.
I guess what it comes down to, at least for me, is that it’s always interesting to see one artist’s take on another performer’s song. To hear a great song in a new way can almost be like hearing it for the first time, a rediscovery of sorts. And isn’t that what a good song is all about…discovering something that stirs emotion within us?