The Hip Hop Holiday Classic: "Christmas Rappin" by Kurtis Blow

This is an all-time holiday fav of mine, right along side "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt, "Merry Christmas Baby" by Charles Brown and "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway.

I can remember when this song came out. I can tell you all the details including what I got for Christmas that year - 1979. Good times. I am particularly fond of the extended version, but I'll take what I can get.



So to celebrate the season, here is a different version of the song, but nice to see Kurtis Blow delivering the lines. I could listen to this song year round.

Interestingly enough, I could not locate the lyrics for this song which are so fun and boastful. We should all do our part and post up a section.

Happy holidays hip hoppers. kfox.

Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar", "The Cool" and David Letterman

It's true that I have sort of lost my musical focus, hence, my infrequent posting on this here blog. However, I did receive Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool" as a Christmas gift (somebody got it right).

I've listened to and I like it, but I'm at a loss for giving any more details - again a lack of focus. Oh, but I did see Lupe perforn on David Letterman last week (on Letterman's first show since he returned from the strike). The performance was okay - Matthew Santos was with him and they did "Superstar". I really like the music on "Superstar" because it is so unlike hip hop - no blaring beats and crazy bass.

Here's the clip from Letterman:

The Brit is officially in the building!

Earlier this year, I mentioned Amy Winehouse. Well, the british sensation has officially arrived on the U.S. music radar.

I came to know Winehouse via The Roots' ?uestlove (not personally, but he had been tauting her on his blog and what not), so I thought I'll give it a try. I thought that she was okay, but I really thought that my sister would enjoy it. So I ponyed up the Euros to get the disk prior to the U.S. release. And yeah, it did cost about $17 for nearly 30 minutes of music. To Winehouse's credit, the project (her second) is chock full of fresh profanity and upbeat, Motown-esque songs; it is both likeable and loveable.

So I ask my sis a few days after Christmas how she like the album and she says "I have not listened to it yet..." Are you kidding me; you better get grateful and pump that on your iPod (that I also invested in ...; spoiled little sisters). Point is the girl is now hooked and is singing the Winehouse praise to anyone who will listen.

We are now seeking some tix to one of Winehouse's sparse U.S. gigs. Until then, we at least have Winehouse's recent appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.

2007 Hip Hip intake = 0

...I know that your face is on the floor. But I have been music-less for the past few days. Just not listening to music (except for a little bit of radio in the car). It's still early though and classes (i.e. work) have not yet resumed.

I did download the ?uestlove hyped Amy Winehouse. I got it as a backup Christmas gift for my sis. Since the project is not avail in the states, I ventured to an international site and got the joint in Euros. It still only came to about $15. Only eight tracks though. I like it. Oh, but it is NOT, I repeat NOT hip hop. I read somewhere that she's like a Joss Stone - interesting compairson since they are both caucasian female vocalists. Conclusion - I like them both!

That's all I got at the moment ... more in the next few days; give me a coupla days, yall!

Slow movin in the '07 ... kfox