Seeing Sounds

So...this is my first time doing a note. It is also my first time reviewing an album.


Introduction
I know a lot of people have been anticipating N*E*R*D's third studio release as I have. I hope you enjoy the review. If it helps you make a decision or simply brightens your day, let me know, and I'll keep the reviews coming.

If you aren't familiar with N*E*R*D or just haven't been playing a lot of attention to their ever-so-unchanging feel-good formula, basically their songs all consist of the following:
1. Verse
2. Chorus
3. Verse
4. Chorus
5. Verse
6. Bridge
7. Chorus

"Time for Some Action!"
This first track incorporates an intro and a great starting track. It starts with Pharrell telling a quirky story about seeing sounds in the same vein as Busta Rhymes did on that old track "Gimme Some More" when he talked about 'bumping his f--king head' as a shorty. After the intro, the actual song is pretty nice. Not too deep...just a way to start you off and introduce you to the 'concept' of seeing sounds. THEY WANT YOU TO MOVE RIGHT FROM THE GET-GO!

"Everybody Nose"
If you have been living under some rock, and you haven't heard 'Everybody Nose', then you are in for a treat. This was the first song to leak from this album, and it is basically a party hit. I mean, it's no surprise that this has become a red, plastic cup anthem, but if you haven't already noticed, it is a song dedicated to cocaine addiction. Not that any of the artist involved do coke themselves. They just have a strange fetish for females that do. ACHOO!
*Amy Winehouse Style

"Windows"
Here is where this album gets impressive. I understand this song may not be your perfect reflection of N*E*R*D's earlier work, y'know. It isnt very heavily based on...well BASS...and it isn't very croony or soulful, but that is sorta the beauty of it. It shows so well the musical influence of this album and the versatility of this band who has flown under the radar despite its frontman being one of the biggest stars in modern music. Oh well... Anyways... this isn't my favorite N*E*R*D track by far...but if Pharrell & N*E*R*D don't remind you of Prince & the Revolution on this one...you must be the one doing drugs!

"Anti Matter"
So...this track is a bit different. You see, i understand that there needed to be a change of pace, but I don't have very much to say about this track. I don't really know what it means. It has good parts...but mostly the annoying redundant chorus. Simply isn't my thing. Props to old friend Missy for making the appearance. BUT WAIT!!!! The bridge saved this song in my opinion. The bridge is dope! So if you pop the cd in and initially don't like the track, watch for the bridge, brother!
*Those of you that have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder cover your ears, because you may be compelled to break some sh-t!

"Spaz"
You've heard this song.... You probably didn't want to. You probably were sitting at home watching some stupid show that people these days watch (doesn't matter what show...trust me...any and every show applies). Your regularly scheduled program was interrupted for commercials. You were greeted by a brand new Microsoft Zune commercial that played this odd piece of music in the background. You know what happened after that? IT CAME ON AGAIN! Yep...its that song. Don't cry...it'll be over in 3 minutes and 51 seconds. The sad part is, this is a great song...but the reality is, it was ruined by that commercial. You've probably never heard the full song before. You probably didn't even know who sings it, but you hear it in your sleep, don't you? Yeah...you do.

"Yeah You!"
This song is silky smoooooth. This one is for the "In Search of...' era N*E*R*D fans. Even Chad had a little fun on this one playing the sax. Pharrell just keeps proving how good of a song writer he is. His vocals are super-solid on this joint, too.

"Sooner or Later..."
This song is the stand out of this album. This song has the potential to be a number one hit in my mind. This song earns the guys from the other galaxy's pure rock stripes. This song is very much like the piano driven rock ballads we all know. (see Jet's "Look What You've Done" or John Lennon's entire catalog. Yep, I said it, "John LENNON". Pharrell told you he was the black John Lennon.) This is the song of the summer. Hopefully, it will be a proper single.
*Incredible guitar solo. EPIC! One gripe...this should've been the last song on the album.

"Happy"
This song reminds me of a lot of the early 90's, grunge-inspired pop bands. Not too hardcore, but still hard-edged. It is hard to pinpoint one band, because the 90's had so many one hit wonders that would fit. Would it be bold to say the Smashing Pumpkins? I don't know. You decide. The song is dope. Reminds me of the Adventures of Pete & Pete theme song for some reason. Remember that show? Eh...who am I kidding....probably not.

"Kill Joy"
This track is somewhat fast paced. It has a really nice groove. Party stuff. If you are bold enough to dance to it, then please do. I'm sure it would be dope to see live. In fact, I think this is the song Pharrell threw that kid off the stage to. Yep! That's the one.

"Love Bomb"
The album is starting to wrap up. This song starts nice and soft. With the lil' Corrine Bailey Rae guitar crooning...then it it explodes into a feel-good declaration for life's emancipation...then goes back down...(see "War in Me" by KENNA). Love Bomb goes hard!

"You Know What"
At first, I though P was gonna sing "Let Me Love You" by Mario...HAHA! This song is nice, smooth, buttery. This song isn't the most impressive on the album, but it helps bring the mood down towards the end of the disk. It has a bit of a Michael Jackson "Off the Wall" feel to it. It will definately make your head nod.

"Laugh About It"
*GIRLS ON THE FLOOR*....It's the last dance. This track sums up the album nice...nothing too much or overbearing. Just hang loose, have fun and Laugh About It!

Overall
This may just be N*E*R*D's best album. Don't get me wrong, In Search Of... is a classic, and a lot of the tracks on Fly or Die? go hard, but those two albums (three if you count both versions of In Search Of...) were the trial runs for N*E*R*D. You have to understand what this band was formed to do. N*E*R*D was supposed to showcase Pharrell and Chad's musical ability outside of their hip hop and pop contributions. This album their first pure rock album. The sound is less electronically inspired, therefore if you closed you eyes you could not only see sounds, but not see the Neptunes and some other guy that no one cares about. You will see a legitimate rock band...that happens to consist of the Neptunes...and that other guy.

Bottom Line: 8.75/10

Peace and Love People,
Jay B.

Interview with Mickey Factz

Jay B.: We are here today with the kid everyone on the block is talkin bout, Mickey Factz! How you doin', my man?

Mickey Factz: Aint shit, chilling promoting. Eating some bbq. Rocking some shit yall won't see till august. Light work

JB: That's hot! Now for everyone who has been sleeping, tell the readers a bit about yourself.

MF: I'm the absolute ruler of the universe. I give beats heart attacks. That's not really bass. Lol. Seriously tho I'm the king of the bx.

Mickey factz. The savior of hip hop. The freshest newest cat to grace your ears.

JB: Now we all know about you're last mixtape, In Search of the N.E.R.D., how it's blowing up all over the nation and most likely internationally. How did you come up with the concept of doing a mixtape with Neptune beats?

MF: My a&r steve-o came up with the idea. I was against it at first. But once I saw his vision, I took it and ran with it. We created a classic with that shit. Its something that has never been done. Its got acclaim from soooooo many outlets. I'm glad its done as well as its done.

JB: Sounds like he threw you a mad good look. So, just before, In Search Of, there was a lil buzz about you signing with Pharrell's label, Star Trak. What's up with that whole situation?

MF: I aint like that whole situation over there. Artists getting signed and dropped. Not my cup of tea. Rather just give the world a 'coulda' been mixtape. And people loved it

JB: True. So do you still keep in touch with any of the dudes up there are Star Track/Interscope?

MF: I talk to the ice cream skate team dudes. that's about it. But it is what it is

JB: Yeah, big up to the cats reppin' Conez n Bonez, Free TK, and all that good jazz! So way back when there was a little situation with Missy, would u like to elaborate on that?

MF: Back in 02 I had a situation with gold mine/elektra. Due to managorial problems, I couldn't sign with her. But she was in love with the kid back then. Met with mona scott, chris lighty, jose cruz all them dudes before they met 50 they was loving me. But it wasn't the right time.

JB: Wow! That's Major...So, this situation started over a mixtape she heard right....apparently you were buzzin around your way before, In Search Of. Around how many official mixtapes did you have before your last project?

MF: I put out 2 major mixtapes. Bottles up which had production from kanye, alchemist, omen and scram jones. And my cd before in search of which was kings of the bronx. Got alot of exposure from my spray paint record and extravaganza. It made mtv mixtapes of the week and all that

JB: Dope! So you've been on your recording gring for a long while now. How long have you been rapping?

MF: Been rapping since I was about 7 years old. Its been a mainstay since I heard big daddy kane

JB: Now I hear you ain't a rapper til' u can quote a Kane lyric. What's your favorite?

MF: Favorite song is aint no half stepping. " what you want hobbs? Dope or dog food" sheeeeesh

JB: HAHA! Kane, is the man! But back to the present! You have a new mixtape in the works. You wanna give the readers any info on that?

MF: Flashback dropping june 15th. The newest installment of the mickey factz saga. Basically recreating some of the dopest records from the 80's and the 90's. People gonna love this cd as much as they loved in search of. Shit is gonna be insane

JB: Sounds insane! What's next after, Flashback? Can we expect after this project?

MF: The next mixtape is going to be insaaaaaaaaaaaaane. That's all I can say. I can't disclose any info. All I can say its gonna be stupendous.

JB: Can we expect a full-length LP from Mr. Factz in the future?

MF: Album from mickey factz is dropping in 08. Its called itz mickey! Its gonna be even crazier than what I'm putting out now

JB: Now that's something to look forward to...independent or have you finally found a cosy home at a label?

MF: I got label attention but I'm weighing my options. I don't know right now. We wanna pick the best situation for the long run

JB: Now, we've spent a good bit of this interview on music, but I wanna touch on another one of your loves, streetwear. How long have you been a gearhead?

MF: I been a gearhead since I got outta highschool. Even in high school. When cats had avirex's I had vansons and prada's. Lol. That was way back then. Kicks now is just so much of our lifestyle, that people look out for us and send us shit

JB: Dig that! So what brands do you rock a lot these days.

MF: Lavie, l&d, belchez, mighty healthy, 13 month denim, star studded, dream cloth and live mechanics. Those are my dudes

JB: Hot! I'd like to thank you for kickin it wit me today, man! Do you have any last words for the readers

MF: GFC is coming to a cloud near you. Mickey aint a mouse he's a monster!

JB: Well said! Thanks again, Mick. I'm sure the reasders would agree with me when I say we'd love to ee you come thru again when flashback dropped to tell us more. Stay Posted

TK Interview with The Skateboard MAG

I REPEAT! TK Interview with The Skateboard MAG! NOT ME! I just posting get for my cats that cant shell three bucks to buy the issue! Enjoy!

Who shot ya?

Ah, I can’t make nobody famous. But some
niggas on the north side of Long Beach.
What was it about?
Just wrong place, wrong time.

Did the bullets have your name on them?

Nah, nah. They was just shooting at the crowd.
was in Long Beach at this college party, but I was real low-key. By the time came, I guess they shut it down ‘cause somebody got in a fight. So as I’m turned around to go out, the dudes who got into it outsmarted the other niggas and went back to the parking Pot and put their cars there so they blocked the entrance with their cars- They were standing there behind their car with guns. My
was closest to their car, to the exit. So as I’m going to
car, with the crowd, they just started letting oft shots. I
hit, a couple of other people got hit.

Where’d you get hit?

In the jaw, in the arm, and in the thigh,

Three bullets?

Yeah.

What does a bullet feel like?

What’s so funny was, when the shit happened,
went into shock. ‘Cause I seen [the shooters] already. When they shot, I seen every bullet that hit me- So
trying to dip, I get low, and they hit me in the arm, in the thigh. I just jumped in the car and drove to the hospital. I just went into shock, mainly. So I’m freaking out,
mad, I go to the hospital next door, but they couldn’t work on me. There was a hospital next door, right next to the college, but it was a VA [Veterans Administration] hospital, so they’re not allowed to work on outside patients. So I’m sifting in the hospital, about to fucking die, and they’re like, “Yeah, you got insurance? ‘Cause we’re VA, and we’re not allowed to touch you.” I’m like, “Man, we gotta do something!” I’m sitting there, trying
ta!k, with a bullet stuck in my fucking jaw, So I had to wait
the whole time for the ambulance to come, and they had to take me to the old hospital up the street from where
grew up. And they didn’t work on me until the next day. So it was pretty crazy.

Were you afraid you were going to die?

Yeah. Because it was just lodged in my jaw, and I can talk perfectly fine, but I’m panicking, like, “I’m about to die!” The bullet was literally sticking out of my jaw. They were Pike, “Stop panicking, you’re not gonna die!” I was like, “I got a bullet in my face, one in my arm! What the fuck you mean I ain’t going to die?” They were sitting there like, “We can’t do nothing until we get your informat!on’ And after all that they’re like, “We’re not allowed to work on you.” And a nigga went to jail the next day after that.

Why do you think there is that negativity inherent in the African American community? Why is it that when
one of its members start to rise up in the community,
people try to cut them down?

I don’t know! It’s so funny, because the day ! appeared on that “Bam” show, muthafuckas shot my house up that night. Ask Mike VI He came by my house the next day and there was bullet holes a!! through my door, top of my house, shot my screen door up. I don’t know, man. It’s just wild. (Forl no apparent reason. Like who am I? I’m a skateboarder. It ain’t like I’m a gangsta rapper, and it’s over some rap. Black people just can’t ... I don’t know.

Does it still feel like people are out to get you?

No. Not at all. You know what I learned from going through that? You bring around you what you put out. And at the time, that’s what! was putting out. I was putting out a gang of negativity, I’m carrying guns, I’m hanging around the wrong crowd. That’s why I was bringing that attention around me. Like Pharrell always tells me, it’s bad enough that people don’t like me regardless. But don’t never give nobody no reason [to not like you}. Doing that type ot shit gave people a reason, and that’s what he told me. He really helped me to learn that. The minute I started listening to him, and listening to Andrew, and listening to Atiba, and listening to people who really got my best interests, felt much better within myself. If I’m at the skatepark, if I’m at the movies with my girlfriend, then I don’t have to be involved with that shit. I don’t have to be around Long Beach, I don’t have to be around LA. was stuck in a phase, deliberately hanging out in Long Beach, when I had no reason to. I bad to learn the hard way, dude.

When you talk about losing your friend, are you talking about Black Mike?

Yeah. It was gnarly man. ‘Cause I know he lost his life over nothing. It was pure jealousy, man. Everybody in the city knew we were just skateboarding. We weren’t no threat. We were just skateboarding. [Someonel killed that dude deliberately. People seen his face, they knew who that dude was. tPeople] knew what he was about, they knew what we did. People try to say ‘Oh, it was the wrong place at the wrong time:’ but I don’t believe that. He wasn’t supposed to go right now. Somebody deliberately took his life. It hurt, man. I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink, but that shit threw me for a twist. I didn’t know how to cope. To me, his death was just wrong. Like, my mom passed away, and I was like, “All right:’‘Cause I knew what she was doing. She was doing drugs, she was out there ... But I can never cope with his death, to this day.

That’s a lot to deal with.

But I can’t be mad, dude. I’m so happy I’ve been through everything I’ve been through, because I’m such a better
person now. You fgotta respect everybody, and that’s what I learned dealing with Pharrell. Because you don’t know what nobody is going through. So you just respect people. The minute I took that into consideration, I was good. I respect people. I don’t act like I’m better than anybody I don’t have an attitude towards anybody ‘cause I don’t know what that person’s going through.

Why did you quit Baker to ride for Element?

At the time, Baker was lust starting. It wasn’t for me to have money in my pocket, I didn’t care. I’m only fifteen, sixteen years old, I don’t need money. It was my tamily, dude. It was at a crucial point. My mom was getting our county checks and using it all on drugs. I went to Baker and was like, “If y’all could just give me $400 ...“‘Cause rent at the time was only like $700. I was like, “You don’t even have to give me the money, you could just give it to my grandma or make it payable to the rent ‘cause my family is stressing, and it’s hurting
me. I m seeing my mom struggle on drugs, father am t around, grandma’s stressing ‘cause we got ten people we’re taking care ot, all living under one root. I went to Andrew panicking, because it my grandma died, I’m gonna lose it. At the time he was like, “Dude, our company is small, I can’t afford to do nothing right now:’ I respect that. And I’m cool with the kid Jeremiah jVance] at the time. He knew my problems, and I guess he told Element. They were like, “Damn, he’s going through shit, and we’ve been wanting to tuck with him, but we didn’t think he’d leave:’ I guess I just lucked out. I left for my family. It wasn’t about me. I don’t need no money at sixteen years old, just give me a bag of chips and I’m happy.

How did you quit Baker?

I went back to Andrew and was like, “What do you think? jElement] offered me this, and it oould put my family right, and we’d be good:’ Andrew was just like, “Man, I’m not mad at you. You know we love you, and it that’s what you gotta do, that’s what you gotta do. No hard feelings. Call me this weekend so we can go skate:’ Just like thatl I love that dude, that’s what stuck with me when I left.

So why’d you leave Element?

7 Baker was my home, regardless. Al Baker, they let me do me. When I first got on Element, they were letting me wear the shit
I wanted to wear. The first ad when I got on was me and my family, on my front porch, in my hood. That’s me, They let me do me for a couple seconds, but after that, it was all their demands. wasn’t really cracked up to do that. Every kid in the world knows I’m on Element, and I know y’all pay me to wear Element clothes, but if I want to wear a Hoc-a-tella shirt, that’s me.

Was there a specific incident that got you in trouble?

I had got the cover of The Mag, and I had a white t-shirt on, and [Elementi flipped out on me. Like, “What are you doing? Who do you think you are? People on the team are complaining about your’ They ended up giving me a pay cut, really going oft on me. To the point where I was like, “Dude, I don’t need to be over herer I guess Bam spoke up, like, “Dude, what’s up with this kid? He thinks he can run the company?” Tosh was talking this...
What’s your relationship like with am these days?

I don’t know. I’ve been shot, I’ve been in }ail, and the dude ain’t reached out to me one time to say ‘How you doing?” I talk to his family more so than him. I don’t know what to say. I’m ongry. I thought me and Barn was better than thai. I talk to his dad and his morn, and they like, “Yeah, he’s just been busy ...“ I’m like, “C’mon dude, I almost lost my life. The least you could do was call me to see how I was doing.”
How old are you?

Twenty years old. Twinkie. That’s what we say.

What advice would you give to the younger kids out there skating?
First off, just look at my situation and where I came from. There’s always hope. You gotla believe with yourself, because if you don’t believe within yourself, nobody is going to believe in you. Always stay positive. Whatever you reach for you can grab. I would never have wished tor this shit, ‘cause I didn’t know! But I was always a positive person and felt like could do it. You always gotta have that in your heart. No negative crowds around you, you strivo for your goal, and don’t let nobody knock that down.

VA 2 LA feat. Pharrell

HOTNESS!

The Ice Cream Man Is COMING!!

R U NOT ENTERTAINED? IS THIS NOT Y U ARE HERE! U WANT MORE! OKAY!

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Mr. Me Too Video

I'll....Bape/BBC/Ice Cream from head to toe....can anyone say sneak-a-peak? Yeah, I thought so.

Nike Air Max Penny Retro

You remember these....yeah me neither but Penny Hardaway was my favorite player as a child age 3-4. I didn't even know he was from Memphis then! But it's all gravy...really not my style but I feel this shoe is news worthy! COME HOME PENNY! THE GRIZZLIES NEED YOU!