A True Magician, Penn and Teller via Smithsonian Mag

Yahoo just recently acquired Tumblr for a whopping 1.1 BILLION DOLLARS, but thats just a fraction of the cost of what Wall Street Journal News Corp bought MySpace for ($580 Million just in case your were wondering).  Yahoo vows to not ruin the free spirited site like how WSJ ruined MySpace, but lets see how this pans out.

Even though I hadn't touched my own tumblr in months, I had to log in and browse the site while its still good and I found this amazing site. Rappers looking like Magicians.  

Rappers and Magicians just seem too obvious and too easy... why haven't I seen this sooner?!

Will Smith and his beautiful show girl, Jada Pinkett... thats too easy.

Never before have so many magicians been assembled together at one time. The Doggfather, The Hammerman, The Magnificent Makaveli, and their lovely assistant, Sugar Bear. Classics. - via Magical Rappers

 

 And lo and behold - Lupe the Magician!

Also, don't forget to check out his latest premiere!

 

For Mobile Users:

We're proud to bring you the premiere of Lupe Fiasco's newest track "Animal Pharm"!

Hip Hop fans, you're in for a treat. Lu himself just slid this over and a few listens in, I gotta keep runnin' it back. The wordplay is simply amazing and it's quick to see where the title comes from. Back with more commentary in a min!

UPDATE #1: "Animal Pharm" is over Atoms For Peace's "Ingenue" (below) and correllates to "Animal Farm" — the George Orwell book. Man, I remember reading that as a young'n. Now to dissect the lyrics...! 

Atoms For Peace "Ingenue"

Atmos For Peace:

Thom Yorke (Radiohead... vocals, guitar, piano)

Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers... bass)

Nigel Godrich (Radiohead... keyboards, synths)

Joey Waronker (Beck & R.E.M. ... drums)

Mauro Refosco (Forro In The Dark... percussion)

UPDATE #2 — The lyrics. Took a crack at 'em to fully understand the song. Drop a comment with any corrections on the lyrics!

[Verse 1]

Quiet as a kitten,

Reply as silent as a Rafael given instrument for stickin

Or maybe riot as a lion,

Would he tie in tiger for attention?

Tiggers and Poohs, n*****s in jewels,

Mr. Opulent, Christopher Robin's in too

Reversal like

When that predetermined term expires on that turtle's life,

What of Korea, are you scared?

Or is something not there, like a Welsh rabbit full of hairs,

Animal farms and imaginary bears,

The body is a house like a kangaroo pouch

Or a oyster-hoisted cow over crescent moons as it looms low in the night sky

Platoons of coons stand ready for the driveby

Steady as the medley booms from the Akai

Affirm as in aye aye

Like it the second

Like a junior, like a third, like a eye

Like I observe from the view of a bird as I fly high

Sittin' heavy like spaghetti in the belly of a wise guy

Who let these G's out the pi-sty? (pigsty, get it?)

Seems I'm takin cues from The Wire

OK, decorum and keepin you from wanting to buy it

But you still buy it like you never left its sight

Like a slow gun fight a gun, unfired

Cow dung walls, hermit crabs in the mall, sting ray from the stars, and barn yard laws.

These areee...

[Chorus] — Atoms For Peace (+ Lupe ad-libs)

The seeds of the dandelion you blow away.

(I got thumbs, that don't mean everybody dumb, huh huh?

Just 'cause I got one, that don't mean that they not dumb, what what?)

In good time I hope, I pray.

[Verse 2]

Quiet as a mouse in the house of God,

In the jaws, like Terrence in the mouths of mobs

Rippin at the pieces like a picture and the preacher

If a cricket was a speaker, it's its own chicken bones on the garbage can top

Ugly mother freakers, it's predator opposite on top of it don't make it fox

So if similar appeal administer the seal to make it real

Elephant time but never mind

Half ton gorillas in admittance, you'll never find

Hungry as a hippopotamus, gobble it til your bottom in your body is as wobbly as Skrillex

Eeyores and piglets, blind bats nailin tails to a riblet

Time only limited-ed if you make it

Blind rats nails hold tails of unseeing eye selves

Eye (Out?) is out so they only seeing thy shells

Ghost Dog.. Oh Lawd..

These areeee..

[Chorus] Atoms For Peace (+ Lupe's ad-libs)

(Hey they not dumb,)

The seeds of the dandelion blow

(I ain't smart just cause I got thumbs whaaat

Say what?)

I hope, I pray.

(Hey, hey, just cause I got one,

That don't mean I'm better cause they got none, say whaat

Wh-wh-whaaat, say what wh-what)

[Verse 3]

The butcher says to the bovines

You're all just pastrami when it's show time

Cowboy co-signs, attack the cat samples

Own worst enemies, chop down the trees we need the ax handles

Like a heal in a sandal sayin, "Hell no!"

Or you trapped like the yells of a nail on the shelltoe

Clever as a fishbowl on a sailboat

Land locked as a ham hock on a railroad

Sandbox by the swimming pool

Two times as clever as a fishing school

Pills for the pressure, broken seals on the pills for the pleasure

If you feelin ill, whatever

Animal farm, you're all dumb

Tickle 'em with your articulated thumb,

A tape worm will never play the drums, but um...

These are... These areeeee

[Chorus] — Lupe ad-libs

Hey, hey just as I got one

That don't mean I'm smart cause they got none

Whaat-wh-what, wh-what what

And I'm not an animal cause I got thumbs, that don't make me smart cause they got none

Say whaat wh-what, wh-what

Here we come

And I'm not an animal cause I got thumbs, say whaat? Say what, say what?

+ full Atoms For Peace Chorus

The seeds of the dandelion you blow away.

In good time, I hope, I pray.

If I'm not there now physically,

I'm always before you

Come what may..

UPDATE #3 — my thoughts.  Vintage Lupe, plus a fresh form of lyrical greatness.

"Vintage Lupe" because it's a record that takes multiple listens, a bunch of Google and Wikipedia tabs open, and then more listens to dissect. "A fresh form of lyrical greatness" because "Animal Pharm" is a new way that Lupe has expressed his overall ideals and commentary — through embodying the theme of a book written decades ago onto an analysis of society today. My summary of the track: "Animal Pharm" plays off the theme of the George Orwell novel 'Animal Farm' (the book's summary is a must-read to help understand the track) to illustrate how today's world has become what Orwell illustrated — a society where "All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others" — and people from government leaders to corporations to perhaps the flip side like activists are all "more equal than others".

I think Lupe's making a commentary on how misled we are while also being our own worst enemies. I also interpret a connection to the sample: Atoms For Peace's chorus in "Ingenue" means that there is a fleeting hope for the love, and in this case, perhaps Lupe means that there's hope for us as a society to break through and become more aware of our tendencies to become what it is the problems we complain about. "Who let the G's out the pi—sty?" (pigsty: reference to Orwell's book, where the pigs would stay)

Lu's utilized a sampled chorus for a different meaning than what it's original stands for before (the flip of Diddy-Dirty Money's "Angels" and even the intention of Skylar Grey's hook for "Words I Never Said" comes to mind), and while that's amazing in its own right, I'm marveling at how he personified Orwell's Animal Farm into a deep, thought-provoking set of rhymes. What do you guys think of Lupe's latest lyrical gem? How do you interpret his intention with "Animal Pharm"?

I can't let this one go without mentioning the fun references I liked a lot, starting with two separate Winnie The Pooh allusions ("Tiggers and Poohs" and "Eeyores and piglets") because growing up I was always with my Pooh Bear. Like Derrick Rose, I was also called "Pooh" by the family at times, hah! But also, slick name references to The Wire and a simile to Skrillex. And I wonder in the line before that who Lupe means by the "half-ton gorillas in admittance, you'll never find" — and more of the singular lines in each verse — so perhaps Lupe himself can fill in the gaps?! In the meantime, let's go further in it together! Drop your comments with what you think Lupe means with "Animal Pharm" in general or line by line!

Oh! And of course, all-caps *TIBS FAV.! 

Tonight, The-Dream was accompanied by Kelly Rowland for a performance of their new collab off the former's upcoming album, IV Play, "Where Have You Been". In addition, Dream let loose the entire album for full stream on YouTube. You can click here to browse through all the tracks or our posts on the two biggest collabs left to be heard: "Turnt" f/ Beyonce & 2 Chainz and "Pussy" f/ Big Sean & Pusha T.

The latest episode tonight of T.I. & Tiny's The Family Hustle is one that has more of a direct relation to Tip's music career. Namely that his son Major "asks T.I. to be in his new music video for his single 'Hello' with Cee Lo Green." T.I. then "decides to incorporate the entire family." In brief, this was really fun to see. T.I.'s words of encouragement to Major, and his cutaways, were heartwarming and humorous respectively. 

Don't get teased and look up the final product to see how it turned out — I'll save you the time because I just did, hah! This is the video that everyone will fall on, the official "visualizer" to "Hello". T.I. & Cee-Lo haven't dropped that music video yet, but the premiere is set for tomorrow night at 7 CT.

T.I. did drop a music video today though — his new single with Lil Wayne for "Wit Me". Watch that below and download the song / read my commentary here.

T.I. "Wit Me" f/ Lil Wayne [Music Video]

Omega "Gyöngyhajú Lány"

It's common knowledge by now: Kanye West is a master of samples. And I for one am not the best at pointing them out, but that makes it all the more sweeter when it's revealed to me, I go back and listen to the song sampled, and have the light bulb moment of "I can hear it!". That moment comes 33 seconds in to Hungarian 60s rock band Omega's "Gyöngyhajú Lány". Apparently they were as big as The Beatles in their native country, cites OkayPlayer. As is almost always the case, I love the original song in its own right and Kanye yet again puts a whole new demographic of listeners onto his own taste of music. You'll hear where 'Ye flipped this song in "New Slaves" in the projection premiere at the end of 'Ye's raps (this outro didn't make the SNL performance). 

And for your convenience and in case you missed it, here is the projection premiere of "New Slaves" we caught ourselves at Wrigley Field & Millennium Park. Our videos were also cited by the Chicago Suntimes' Richard Roeper in his article today (!), where he provides his unique perspective and take away from Kanye's weekend.

Kanye West "New Slaves" LIVE @ Wrigley Field (shot by: Sgt. Tibs)

Kanye West "New Slaves" @ Millennium Park (shot by: Maks G)

What's this? A tweet that somehow was missed for almost 24 hours?! Sorry guys, I'll step up my game. Especially when it's regarding a future collab from Q-Tip & Kendrick Lamar. No word on any details beyond that, specifically if Q-Tip is rapping or merely producing (and I say merely out of great hopes that it's him rapping also).

I already know the answer, but are you excited for a Q-Tip/Kendrick collab?

Earlier this year, a nice action photo surfaced of Will Smith in the studio with Kanye West. A lot of fans, including yours truly, have since clammored for a potential 'Fresh Yeezy' collab. After months of mum, Will Smith recalled the experience with Kanye in the studio and had this teaser to say in a new interview with HipHollywood promoting his upcoming movie with son Jaden, After Earth (which looks pretty cool by the way).

"I been messing around with Kanye," Will says. "We went into the studio a couple times, so I might get the bug. I’m not going to do it unless I’m truly inspired, but Kanye’s been pushing me a little bit."

Are you hoping for a return to music from Will Smith? As long as it's not strictly aimed for radio stations, then I'm all for it. If he's in the studio with Kanye... I think that's a good sign.