Rick Ross

TRILLA

par·o·dy:any humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation, as of music,a person, event, etc.


gue·ril·la par·o·dy:Rick Ross


Since the death of 2Pac(O-K,maybe,Biggie Smalls)Gangsta,Mafioso,hardcore rap-whatever you choose to call it-has been less about keeping it real and more about living in a fantasy world.It has been less about Al Capone and more about Alfalfa{entertaining the small white boys};in other words,rap has become very close to becoming a parody of itself.

Not that parody in itself is necessarily bad.Eminem has made a living parodying the genre.But he was(is)a wordsmith.He actually sang/rapped about things.

Most gangstas do not.Gold,wealth,sex and power became sub routine.When you had no real words to spout,they became the classic fall back mode of the untalented...no wonder that there is not a single 'classic rap' station?

Enter Rick Ross.How do you take the parody out of rap?By parodying the fools that make it.On 'Trilla',Rick Ross goes hardcore.I have not had so much fun listening to a hip hop rap cd in a long time.

But how do I know it's parody?First off Rick Ross isn't really Rick Ross,but William Roberts pretending to be him.Secondly,this stuff is so over the top that I don't see how you could possibly enjoy this taking it seriously.Third...would a gangster be thanking God in his credits?This is meant for dancing and fun.

That does not deny that this is good stuff.'The Boss' single is getting serious airplay.Rightfully so.The song just rocks.The selling point to this song-to me,anyway-is that 'the man' is 'the man' no matter who he is.Hell...is this song about Rick Ross or is it about Dick Cheney?Does it matter...only to a degree.

On,'Speedin',despite all of it's boasting...the song is talking about 'American Idol' and wishing to being on the Grammies!Ya' don't get much more middle American white bread than that!

One of my favorite tunes on the cd is the typical,'This Me'. Not since Kanye West's 'Jesus Walks' have I enjoyed the use of the word,'nigga',so much....but 36(or is it 37?)times?Now...that's ice cold.

'Luxery Tax' is probably the biggest parody on the album.Any rap that says that it is,' going to finger f*ck your whole squad' and then in the next sentence says that ,'I did it for the kids,'can't legally be considered anything but.

The Eminem feeling,'All I Have In The World' is another prime jam....the only question I have is...is that repeating sample...Snape from Harry Potter!?! LoL!

Arguably the best rap on the cd is,'This Is The Life'.I don't like that Rick Ross calls his Afro-American girls 'ho's while he then calls the white woman a girl.But I have a biker friend who calls his wife his 'bitch',so I guess I can accept 'ho's as a term of endearment.

The absolute worse thing I can say about this cd is that I am sad that this week is over:-(

A

Alan Jackson

Good Times

"Don't make any waves..."That is a punch line to an old joke about a man who goes to Hades and has to stay in a pile of septic waste up to his neck.

If there is any complaint to this cd it is that it 'doesn't make any waves'.No political protests,no lighting bolts from the sky,no names named.

But sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.I don't buy a'Rage Against The Machine' album for songs about pick up trucks,neither should I buy an Alan Jackson cd for anything but great country music.

And in the days where country music is more Bocephus than Hank Sr.,Mr.Jackson is the bridge between the two.I shouldn't be complaining about great ol' school country.

Throughout this lengthy cd Alan Jackson not only channels the likes of Merle Haggard ('When The Love Factor's High'),George Jones('If You Want To Make Me Happy') and the steel guitar of Hank Williams Sr.(I Still Like Bologna),but you hear so much banjo,mandolin,fiddle and even accordion that you swear that he went straight back to the good ol' days.

Songs that probably get air play are too numerous to mention:they all can.But I like,'Small Town Southern Man';'I Still Like Bologna';'1976';'I wish I Could Back Up',and 'Nothing Left To Do'.

Alan Jackson sings the gauntlet of classic themes here,partying,heartbreak,love,lost,even the before mentioned pick-up truck song.Hey!Where's the song about trains!?!

On the nit picky side,on,'Nothing Left To Do',Alan sings about shaving and putting on new underwear(too much information),but doesn't mention showering first...I'm not that country...If I am going out with my gal for an evening...I'm a showering first...

...And,for an old Ford pitchman,it sure was strange hearing Mr.Jackson sing that Jesus would ride in a Chevrolet...

...Maybe I am being a litle anal retentive on Mr.Jackson's writing skills(I couldn't even begin to be half the writer he is),but I think of these points every time I hear these songs.

They are the cd's only down sides.

A

Janet Jackson

Discipline

Or should I say;'Disappointing'.
There are allot of things wrong with this cd.First and foremost is:where is Janet Jackson?This cd sounds like a D.J. Dangermouse cd with just a few Janet Jackson samples thrown in.Her voice has been sterilized,harmonized,homogenized,pasteurized(just up to her knees),looped,echoed,chorused,tweaked,
fluttered,electrified and otherwise made just totally unrecognizable.This is very puzzling behavior for someone who has said that she was going to pull out all the stops.The worst part of 'Discipline' is that I can't tell where the real Janet Jackson is.

The album is totally generic.The first song on the disk is probably the cutest,with the 'Ooow' refrain reminiscent of Betty Boop.The only trouble is...damn... I could have sworn that the song was sung by Britney Spears.

All of the other songs have just as a generic taste to them.Sometimes the song list sounds like Janet's brother,Micheal,must have been both the ghost writer and the ghost singer(there is even a Michaelesque song called...'Rock with U'!).Alicia Keys should be feeling that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...and...is that Janet or Paula Abdul singing?Is that a 'Technology 'rip off?Heck,she even steals from 'Chant'.

Janet even had writers write her song intros...how lame is that?And just who are these intros geared for?'I.D.'seems like something only a Japanese tweenager would like,and the 'Spinning' intro seem like Janet is reading Dr. Seuss to a toddler.

This is in direct opposition to the adult material throughout the rest of this cd.Talking about 7 inches,getting wet,and having organisms(this is not even close to even the best '0' in pop music...that honor goes to Yoko Ono on 'Kiss,Kiss,Kiss') is just the start of the filth on this production.

Don't get me wrong.At 40 something,I feel Janet is just in exploring her sexuality.Who doesn't love a sexy 40 something Cougar?I know I do!40 something women are some of the sexiest women on the planet.

But in order for this to work,you have to feel her sexiness through her voice.Throughout this work Janet Jackson's voice seems cold and robotic.Dubbed and overdubbed does not make one feel very amorous or excited.It seems more like having phone sex with an answering machine..it just doesn't work.

Another bazaar atribute to ths cd is the ongoing theme of Janet with her computer,Kyoko.This computer voice calls her'Miss Janet'.

Now,it may just be me,but seems to have a 'Gone With The Wind' feel to it...with Janet playing the Miss Scarlet role and her computer,Kyoko,playing the Prissy role.This feels to me awkward at best and...dare I say it...elitist and racist at worst.

Either way,it's just wrong.

'Disciple' is very disappointing.For a R&B cd it has made the ultimate sin...it has no soul.


D+

Free Week #4


Dengue Fever

I was listening to 'N.P.R.'s ,'Fresh Air',when I heard this great interview by Terry Gross.She was interviewing two brothers,Ethan and Zac Holtzman.They were the founders of an unique rock group called,'Dengue (pronounced:den-gay)Fever'.

Ethan had backpacked for an extended time throughout Cambodia and had found a liking to a 1960ish brand of American/Cambodian psychedelic rock music.

This music had a clearly rock and roll influence mixed up nicely with a neat Cambodian attitude.East meets west/the Orient meets the Ventures.Very nice.

But the very ingredients that made this niche like genre-almost totally destroyed it and the people who played it.The evil Pol Pot and the murderous Khmer Rouge literally almost totally annihilated it along with almost everything western.



So,when Ethan came home to the San Francisco area he was surprised to find that brother Zac was also into this obscure music.They became inspired to form a band.They quickly found singing in a bar in Long Beach,a female pop singer recently immigrated from Cambodia named Chhom Nimol...



...and Dengue Fever was formed.Their first two albums were mostly covers of Cambodian bands(sung in the Cambodian 'Khmer' language).On their third cd,'Venus On Earth',they ventured into original material.Sung basically half in Khmer/half in English.



And,by golly it's good.Chhom Nimol has such a sweet voice.Zac's laid back vocals really compliment her sweetness.



My favorite song is,'Sober Driver',You can not ask for more fun from a song.Sung in English,the song is about a girl taking a boy's willingness to taxi her for granted.Dengue Fever has a great horn section(as well as a supreme guitar/bass/drum section)and it shines here.



*
My next favorite tune starts off the cd and is sung in Khmer.It is called ,'Seeing Hands',and even though I have no idea what it is about,it is a rocker...and is that crows?!?
*



Next on my list is the instrumental,"Ocean Of Venus'.I am a rocker,because I rock out.'Clipped Wings' is old fashioned funky and the English,'Tiger Phone Call' is another fun duet.



*
The only song I initially had somewhat trouble with was ,'Monsoon Of Perfume'.It is sung in Cambodian;it just reminded me too much of something that would be sung at a wedding.After multiple listenings,though,I have grown very found of it.



*
The final song,'Mr.Orange' is just plan fun.It should me the theme song to something.

*
Yessirre,One fine cd.
*
A-