Cosmo Baker and my Top Ten

I haven't posted anything on this stupid blog for like two weeks and it's mostly because I'm going crazy and I'm pretending to be busy and other stuff. But, my wonderful homeboy, DJ extraordinare Cosmo Baker was kind enough to invite me to post a Top Ten on his weekly newsletter. Here is the top ten and you can click right hurrr if you'd like to peep the newsletter in its entirety (which I recommend you do).

Thanks, Cos!

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TOP TEN LIST

This week's TOP TEN is brought to you by EMYND, one of the most talented and genuine individuals I know. A scholar, a connosueur of fine hip-hop, a dope producer, this brother knows how to work all the angles. He recently released a song on Equinox Record's "Welcome to the Neo Golden Age" EP (www.equinoxrecords.com) and his West Coast Underground mix has been getting rave reviews. To hear that mix and more rantings from hip-hop's own "Schizophrenic Tenant Number One" check EMYND's blog
at http://emynd.blogspot.com/

EMYND'S TOP TEN

1. Jim Jones featuring Juelz Santana and Cam'ron "Crunk Musik"
This is hands down my favorite song of 2004 and it's not just because Diplo swears I look like Jim Jones. The up-swinging synth stabs are equal parts harrowing and triumphant while Santana, Jones, and Killa Cam ride the beat effortlessly. From "Santana's Town" to"Dipset Anthem" to this shit, the Dips consistently make the most violent and charismatic hip-hop music I've heard in years.

2. The Seattle Supersonics
I was born in Seattle and have always been first and foremost a Seattle sports fan. I had big hopes for the Seahawks this year, but nothing more needs to be said about that. As for the Sonics? Well, let me just say this: if they lose the next 60 games, they'd STILL have had a better season then I thought they were going to have. Re-sign Ray Allen already you idiots!

3. Reef the Lost Cauze "This Is My Life"
Fact: Reef is the best unsigned rapper in Philly and is light years better than anybody else in the city's underground circuit. Granted, the underground hip-hop scene in Philly is pretty fucking pathetic, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Reef isn't the truth. Anybody that's seen dude with a mic in his hand knows that he is one of those rare MCs that was blessed with the confidence and charisma that every
great rapper has had. In other words, when he's spitting, Reef doesn't just demand your attention, he grabs hold of it and doesn't let go till he's done rapping at you. This is like the most predictable thing I could possibly say but eff it - I'm telling you right now, dude's about to do big things once we finish up his new album. Look out.

4. Haribo Gummi Products
I dunno why I'm so obsessed with gummi things. Gummi bears, gummi worms, gummi cherries. I'll eat any sweet candy if its texture can most accurately be described as "gummi." If these things weren't fucking up my teeth so much, I'd probably ONLY eat gummi products.

5. Amerie "One Thing"
I bought this shit on the strength of Cosmo's praise for it and it most certainly doesn't disappoint. Apparently, I'm still a sucker for minimalistic beats that are nothing more then pounding, percussive breaks and energetic stabs, but let's not forget that Amerie's voice sounds so got damn beautiful on this thing. Occasionally I like to get really, overly elitist and say things like "If you don't like this song, you're an idiot" and this song is one of those moments, thus: if you don't like this song, you're an idiot.

6. Living with the 'rents
OK, yes, I've graduated from college and yes, I've almost got a Master's degree, and yes, I'm fucking unemployed and blah and blah and blah. But, I'm also not ashamed to say that, yes, I'm currently living with my parents. Why, you ask? Because it's the shit! No rent? That's what's up. Home cooked meals? That's what's up. A place that is actually big enough to store all my records? That's what's up! OK, yeah, yard work is weak and I can't really bring girls home but let's stop pretending that there's a chance that I might actually bring a girl home and look at this shit logically: I currently have no income (besides the $100 a week I make from DJing at the wackest bar in the world) and am living on saved-up money from a job I lucked into about a year ago. Girls certainly don't like it when I say "Uh, yeah, I'm 24 and live with my parents," but you know what? Eff 'em! This is really the most logical thing my unemployed ass could do and I don't mind over-rationalizing it in a top ten list to make me feel better about the fact that I'm a 24 year old little dude that lives with his parents. So, um, yeah, I live with my parents. Stop stressin' me already. We can have a facial hair competition if you really want to question my manliness.

7. Ms. Jade featuring Peedi Crack and Freeway "Pocket Full Of Bullets"
I've been enamored with Peedi Crack since "One For Peedi" and "Fall Back." I recently found out that my South Philly bol went to grade school with dude from like 3rd to 8th grade and has told me some funny stories about lil' Puerto Rican Pedro that include Peedi being the first dude to show a gun to my bol (by the way, don't ask me what lil' Pedro was doing in a South Philly school even though he reps North
Philly hard as fuck). Anyway, Peedi's voice and flow are so wonderfully unique and he kills the hook on this thing. I suppose this is what Cosmic Kev would call a "street banger" and I would agree with him.

8. Real Speak Monday's at Fluid
The best part about not having a job is being able to swing through to this shit without having to worry about waking up early. It's not crazy crowded yet, but if it isn't in a few weeks then people are much stupider than I thought. This shit is fun every single week and no matter who is on the decks-- Cosmo, Low Budget, Brendan, or Kenny Meez-- dudes are killing it. The best part about this shit is that it's really
not a cool, scenester thing to do yet so the bols are just rocking fun stuff that they want to be rocking for the peoples that are really down to be down for it. In other words: shit is just a good ass time for the DJs as well as the folks in the crowd. It's a bit annoying that it takes place at Fluid since I don't really fucks with that place, but I must admit that it has a completely different vibe when my bols are up in that wierd little DJ booth thingermerbobber. I must confess, however, that I have yet to witness Casi G's weekly 15 minutes of fame. In other news, I'm a big fan of Cosmo's hair, too (pause).

9. Scott Matelic "Ring Finger"
DJ Shadow pretty much invented the instrumental hip-hop song and every white boy with an MPC and a record collection since then has been casually trying to emulate Josh's josh-ness since they discovered "Entroducing." Well, most of the shit by these emulative white folks is sucky and so completely derivative that they've made "instrumental hip-hop" synonomous with adjectives like "outdated" and "boring." To be honest, to me, most of the Bully 7"s fall into that aforementioned realm of outdated"-ness and "boring"-ness but I'll be damned if this 7" isn't some truly invigorating, exciting stuff. Scott Matelic's "Ring Finger" 7" single-handedly proves that just because something is primarily comprised of breakbeats and loops doesn't necessarily mean that it has damned itself into an anachronistic hell of "outdated boringness." By the way, if you're wondering where all the Kevin Odegards went, Scott's got 'em.

10. Hip-Hop Music
I think Cosmo originally invited me to do a top ten list so I could shout out a record of mine that came out recently, but I'd rather skip that narcissistic "dude, speak loudly in one's direction at my record" shit and focus on how much I love hip-hop music right now. There's so much wonderful hip-hop music to listen to right now that I'm over-whelmed and over-joyed (and other adjectives that begin with the prefix "over-"). Fuck the haters and nostalgia-addicts. Rap music is healthier and more exciting than it's been in years (ever?) and even though I can't find a got damn job and my personal life is pretty much in shambles (as per usual), hip-hop music still makes me feel like everything's going to be alright. Actually, that's a lie. It
doesn't make me feel like everything's going to be alright. It kinda just makes me care less that everything's NOT going to be alright. Oh well.

-e