I divorced Hip-Hop about two years ago. I was just fed up with being inundated with nonsensical words and the decrease of artistic expression. But like many divorcees, I often returned to check what Hip-Hop was up to…I needed it to still be okay after my exit. The interludes were brief, the conversation short, the listening sporadic. Yet I still held out hope that one day, it would return to the form I fell in love with.

Watch the Throne embraces everything I love about Hip-Hop. It is brash and witty, consistent and engaging, and the words enter your brain begging you to hear it. It is not loose rhymes over tight beats; Watch the Throne is an experience from beginning to end. Do I even have to say that I am a fan of Jay and Kanye? Even as a fan, or because of it, I am most critical of these two artists. I expect excellence, and when they don’t deliver it, I am disappointed. ‘Ye redeemed himself with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the CD that was my favorite of last year. I’ve been relying, however, on old Jay-Z CDs to keep him inside my circle of favorites. I get the whole “I’m retired” thing; but if you are going to continue to rhyme, make it good. That’s all I ask as a fan.

Listening to Watch the Throne, I realized something: Jay and Kanye don’t have to be what we want them to be. They are quite fine just the way they are. Two very rich and very big Hip-Hop stars who hold the world in their hands. The argument that they do not introduce ideas and situations that the every day person can relate to is bullshit. If your dream is not bigger than you, then you need to get another dream…I think Deion Sanders said this during his Hall of Fame induction. And that is the absolute truth. Watch the Throne is about a life that we may not know, but it is so interesting, so compelling, that we should want to know what that life is like. Watch the Throne is about dreams, and achieving them, and dealing with the repercussions of that achievement.

My only gripe with Watch the Throne is the song New Day. Nina Simone should never be auto-tuned…ever. I don’t care if the world was ending and the only way to save it was to put that beautiful voice on auto-tune to sing to the world. It is blasphemous to wreck Ms. Nina’s voice with a vocoder that takes away from the sheer beauty of hearing her honey around the words she sings. New Day has an excellent idea and the words are poignant; I wish they would’ve just left Ms. Nina alone.

All in all, Watch the Throne meets my expectations, even exceeds them. It won’t get me and Hip-Hop back together again, but maybe it will push me to stay in touch more often.

I just want my racks (racks on racks on racks),

~ M

5 – Which God Do They Serve?

Because the God that I serve does not promote the use of his name towards such hatred. On Saturday, as her friends and family gather to lay Elizabeth Edwards to rest, this church group will stage a protest. There is a vile, hate-filled flyer that the church released that attempts to explain their reasoning behind such a hurtful and abhorrent display; I will not display it here (Google it). It makes me angry that this group of people deem themselves to be judge and jury over the lives of people that they have decided are not worthy of respect. Of course, this is not the first time the church has staged this kind of protest; sadly, it also will not be the last. You can read the article here.

4 – Drink of the Week

I’m a fiend for martinis. I don’t like the basic martinis; I like my martinis fruity…that fruit holds off the vodka. I once put down more than 5 martinis in one night. I don’t remember much, but I do remember that they were absolutely delicious. Good times.

My drink of the week is the Strawberry Martini. My favorite variation comes from The Cheesecake Factory. When I try to recreate it at home, it’s alright, but doesn’t come close. Here’s my recipe:

• 1 oz. cranberry juice
• 1 oz. vodka (vanilla flavored if you’ve got it)
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• fresh strawberry

Shake w/ ice and pour into martini glass and garnish with strawberry…voila!

3 – Bill Is Still a Boss

When President Bill Clinton took over the podium during President Obama’s press conference last week, I felt a twinge of nostalgia. I am still in support of President Obama (although he is stretching my support wa-aa-ay out of shape), but Bill Clinton was the reason I started voting in the first place. He was served from 1993 – 2001; I was 22 when he went into office. All of this politics stuff was new to me, although I took the customary car drive with my mother when she voted. But voting for Bill Clinton became personal to me…it was almost like I couldn’t wait to say that I voted for him. And I did…proudly, the same way that I did for President Obama.

2 – Oprah

I can’t say enough about how much I love Oprah. She is the ultimate, and she has always been, since her introduction to my television 25 years ago. I’ve been to her show, I’ve purchased all the books (even those book club books that I wanted to throw back at the television and scream, “What are you thinking?!), I have the DVDs, etc. etc. etc.

I had an epiphany while watching Oprah and Barbara. All that material shit means nothing if I haven’t changed my life for the better. I think I have, but there is so much more I could do.

1 – Lost In The World

I’ve been playing this Kanye CD non-stop. NON. STOP. I’ve finally identified a favorite (at least for today) and it is Lost in the World. I put on my headphones and let the music take me there. I hear something new every time I listen to it. This YouTube version does nothing for it…I dare you to sit in a quiet place and listen. It will steal your heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tLb8QTBBEM

video credit: originally uploaded to YouTube on November 14, 2010 by KanyeDarkFantasy

Eric Benet – Lost In Time

“Where on earth did the sexy go?”

Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday

“Proof that marketing is a growing field.”

El DeBarge – Second Chance

“Completely safe and comfortable re-entry to music.”

Chrisette Michele – Let Freedom Reign

“Her voice simply shines on every track.”

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

“Assholes must hold the key to brilliance…”

I leave you with some of my favorite Kanye tracks. Have a great week everyone!

Right now, I only have four stations (Jill, Common, Ye, and Pac), but they are most certainly fulfilling the need. It’s one of those things that you can just put on and let it play. Good background music. Particularly, last night I was on the Ye station and it was rotating through some good stuff! I was pleasantly surprised.

So yeah, I’m on Pandora. I think I’ll stay awhile.