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Pop Rock Nation

Author: GG

  • Friday Throwback – I Ain’t Mad At Cha

    Tupac Shakur died on September 13, 1996 and I figured it was fitting to showcase one of my favorite Tupac songs for Friday Throwback. It’s crazy to realize that it’s been now eleven years since he passed. Part of the reason I like this song so much is because of the timing. The video was released to MTV only two days after he died. And in the video, it shows him dying and partying in heaven. It was odd timing, but more coincidental than ironic. The video was filmed several months earlier. The song itself was on Pac’s All Eyez On Me and featured a sampling of DeBarge’s A Dream.

    • Where have you gone Bokeem Woodbine?
    • They can get a real actor like Bokeem, yet hire people off the street to play the one scene where there’s dialogue in the ambulance?
    • Redd Foxx greets you after you die?
    • I like the album version of the song much better than the video version.
    • Quick to approach a ghetto cutie with the same line? I remember them hollerin’ at hoochies with the same line.
    • Whatever happened to Danny Boy?
    • That was a broke ass Sammy Davis Jr. in there.
    • While he redid the song entirely for the video version, most of the first and second verses are similar and only changed because of the cursing. However, the third verse is entirely different.
    • Marvin Gaye was dancing like a mad man and Jimmy Hendrix was wearing some loud colors.

    Even though his works were probably a bit overrated lyric wise, there’s no arguing about his impact in hip hop. I still wear my Pac shirt today.

  • The Battle – Kanye vs. 50 Cent

    The numbers are in and it looks like the three of us (me, Mike and Dayo) were all low on our projections for Kanye. Dayo’s projection of 50 Cent’s record was a bit high, but not as high as originally thought.

    Here are the numbers (from Mike who works in the music industry):

    Kanye West’s Graduation: 957,000 units sold
    50 Cent’s Curtis: 691,000 units sold

    Here’s what Mike posted on The Epinions Music Source message board.

    Kanye sold 957,000 units of “Graduation”, making it easily the biggest debut of the year. Actually, if you take away 50 Cent and Eminem, the last album to debut with this strong a number was ‘N Sync’s “Celebrity” in 2001.

    50 Cent debuted at #2 with a still-impressive 691,000 units sold, making it the second biggest debut of the year, and for those interested, Kenny Chesney was a distant third place with 387K sold, a number which looks lame next to Kanye’s and 50’s, but would have been the #1 record of the week for about 80% of the year so far.

    (more…)

  • 2007 Video Music Awards (VMAs) Random Thoughts

    Right now, I have no cable until tomorrow. So what I’m actually doing is searching through YouTube to find the entire show. Just kidding. I taped it at the house and I’m watching it on delay. Except, I have to go on MTVs website to find Britney’s performance. But my sister already text messaged me to say how horrible it was. I don’t have high hopes.

    • Wait, she even had to lip sync her own laugh?
    • It kind of looks like she’s even lip synching the wrong lyrics.
    • Is Britney brave or dumb to come out in her underwear while in less than Britney in underwear shape?
    • Even 50 Cent looked appalled at her performance.
    • Rihanna was like, “Yesterday’s newspaper …”
    • They decided to hold the VMAs in the same Palms hotel that the horrendous “Real World Las Vegas” reunion show was held. This isn’t looking good.
    • When Sarah Silverman’s 15 minutes of fame is up sometime next year, who is going to make fun of her?
    • That’s what Mark Ronson looks like?
    • Hey Alicia Keys, there’s a piano over there. This hosting thing isn’t for everyone.
    • Rihanna just beat out about 20 nominees for the Monster Single of the Year. How about cutting it down to the top 5 next year?
    • Kanye can’t get much wronger rockin’ out in the Hef suite.
    • Justin Timberlake wins the Quadruple Threat Award, which is for people who do more than just make music. Wait, what else does Justin do again? Oh yah, Jessica made me watch Alpha Dogs.
    • Kanye and 50 Cent present Most Earth-Shattering Collaboration and simply give each other the stink eye. But Kanye gets the better of it because Beyonce (the winner with Shakira) gave him a kiss.
    • By the way, this just in. Beyonce is hot.
    • Adam Levine has a helluva voice. But dude should try something called eating. His arms are the size of pipe cleaners.
    • This just in. Chris Brown can dance.
    • Hmm, I wonder who he got his moves from?
    • He just showed us with his ode to Billy Jean.
    • Was that Kriss Kross rappin’ in Kanye’s suite? Oh, it was someone named Soulja Boy.
    • Shia Labeouf has a sweet porn stache.
    • Fergie wins Female Artist of the Year and Labeouf says Luda is going to accept the award for Fergie and Luda just laughs and leaves him hanging. Shia was sweatin’ a little.
    • Meagan looks like a Fox, but not better than Beyonce.
    • Alicia Keys just showed the rest of the singers how to leave it all on the stage.
    • Jamie Foxx outdoes LL Cool J’s 1993 awards show performance (14 Shots To The Dome) and drops the date of his new movie about 6 times (Sept. 28th if you missed it).
    • So that’s what Dr. Dre has been doing rather than working on Detox. The dude has been drinking his protein shakes. He looked like he had shoulder pads on underneath his sweater. Dre, you don’t need no more testosterone man.
    • With blond hair, Nelly Furtado looks like the spawn of Jessica Simpson and a young Madonna.
    • Ok, someone needs to give Timbo a piss test too. What’s up with these producers? Do you really need big arms and shoulders to play drum machines?
    • Britney might’ve received the most buzz, (well, Britney was probably the most buzzed) but Chris Brown and Alicia Keys stole the show.