Saturday, March 28, 2009

"..can't wear skinny jeans cause my knots dont fit"

So due to many random things happening over the past month and a half I have not been up to date with pop culture...etc...And I unfortunately missed one of my favourite tv events..The Grammys...And apparently it seems that as bad luck would have it,this was one of the worst years for a hip hop fan to have missed it - perhaps the worst year (Lil Wayne and Robin Thicke, Coldplay and JayZ!).So I didnt even know about the 'Swagger Like Us' performance till I randomly visited a site that linked it about a week ago. And my goodness..can I just say..
wuuuuurrrrrrrrrrr!!!!>???
Ive only just watched it online and man...wow..how cool was that..?!I cant even imagine what it would have felt like to be there...Id have been "asthma attackin' " myself! The closest thing this cool at the Grammys I think was in 1999 when Kirk Franklin, Bono, Mary J, R.Kelly, Crystal Lewis and Kirks choir did 'Lean on me'...That was spectacular...and every Grammys I feel like they try and do duets or group performances to live up to it...but I dont think theyve ever really managed..Probably because its a rare gift to get a really great song where all the artists are basically at the top of their game at that particular time..and then to get them to do a performance together??!..So this...this lives up to that performance in my opinion..and that Kanye is part of it, Im not surprised...the man is showmanship defined..
And then theres just something about JayZ these days thats just basically legendary...'retiring' was the cleverest fake thing the man ever did...it has to have been one of the most forward thinking marketing scheme I think a musician has pulled in recent times (maybe matched only by Britneys break down..??)...I was really tired of seeing him at first(re. Blue Magic)..but now with Blueprint 3 and all the great appearances and remixes ("My President is Black" remix..'Rosa Parks sat...so all the children could fly")..I cant get enough..!I think it happened around the time Kanye released 'Big Brother'....so again Kanye is involved..I believe he is very instrumental to the creation of the HOV legendary status (Jay die-hard fan says 'no wayy!!')..of course including producing 'The Black Album'...Nas is great, been around about the same time as Jay with material as good, to me maybe better in the pre-2000...but he didnt have someone like Kanye powering up his limelight...And what made him relevant again...an allegiance with Jay...who is connected to Kanye....I tell you man if hip hop was ever dying, then Kanye was the guy holding the defibrillators!
Anyway, back to the performance...It was just too cool....the modern day rat pack....the Rap pack! The tuxes, the orchestra, M.I.A was pregnant and wearing a body sized stocking with polka dots covering the necessary areas.....man.....

So if you missed it like I did...you can it check out on one of these two links..

http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2009/02/topic/artists/jay-z/video-swagger-like-us-grammy-performance-plus-other-performances/

OR


http://www.dailymotion.com/related/x8bzl0/video/x8ba2g_ti-swagga-like-us-ft-mia-kanye-west_music




Enjoy !

peace and blessings ;-)

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