Movies, Music, and More

Kanye vs. 50 Cent

The 2nd Tuesday of September brings new cds from two of rap music’s biggest stars of the last several years.

Kanye West’s Graduation Day features more of the rapper/producers inventive samples, this time featuring everything from Daft Punk, on the first single called “Stronger� to Steely Dan.

50 Cent’s Curtis also showcases guest stars ranging from a wide variety of rappers to Pussycat Doll Nicole Sherzinger.

The hype and surrounding stories are getting as much of the press as the music, however. First, 50 Cent offered to quit solo music if Kanye outsold him.

Now there are rumors that the 2 may actually do a televised debate.

Right now Kanye looks to have a bit of a lead, as he is #1 on the British singles chart and #2 on iTunes.

Let’s see who Harford County chooses! Currently, Kanye is beating 50 Cent here at the library... the Kanye CD has 8 holds, while the 50 cent CD has only one. Who do you like better??

Labels: 50 cent, Daft Punk, Graduation Day, iTunes, Kanye West, Nicole Sherzinger

This Month’s Commercial Interruption

Each time I hear the opening guitar riffs of that computer manufacturer’s ad for their colorful laptops, my ears perk up and I can’t help but watch the commercial, which is bright and fun to watch as well. The catchy tune is by The Flaming Lips, and it’s called “The W.A.N.D. the will always negates defeat.� (The Flaming Lips are known for, among other things, their long and basically nonsensical song titles.) It’s from their 2006 cd At War with the Mystics.

The Flaming Lips were formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, where they are still based. Though they’ve undergone some lineup changes, for nearly 25 years they’ve put out the some of the most consistently original music around, ranging from an almost hit (1993’s “She Don’t Use Jelly�) to experimental Zaireeka, which featured 4 discs that needed to be played simultaneously, to the Grammy Award winning At War with the Mystics.

Their live shows are as vibrant and colorful as the ad that caught my attention – check them out if you ever get a chance!

You can watch the commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_4c4v452TM