uh...HIP-HOP MONDAY: MF DOOM/Clams Casino-"Bookfiend" TRACK REVIEW

Even over other talented and lyrical rappers like The GZA and Big Boi, metal-masked rap villain MF DOOM reigns supreme in my hip-hop collection just because of how original and totally cool he is. He possesses that underground, underdog charm that I like, but that's only part of my reason for placing him above all other rappers. He (almost) disposes of rap cliches entirely, such as opening and/or closing tracks with shit talk, rapping about hood life and how much weed he can smoke, and he subdues emphasis on bitches and money. Oh, and he's also responsible for Vaudeville Villain, one of my top three favorite hip-hop albums of all time, as well as the almost-as-awesome and most critically acclaimed album Madvillainy. His monotonous and symmetrical flow is instantly recognizable and his masked villain persona just completes the package for me. In short, I love the guy.

Zooey Deschanel: My Wife

Taking a break from what I normally write about, I'd like to bring your attention to my wife, Zooey Deschanel.

CLASSICS: OutKast-Aquemini ALBUM REVIEW

Over the last two years of listening to hip-hop, I can honestly say that some of my all time favorite albums, ten out of ten, five stars out of five, are hip-hop albums at this point and are seriously rivaling heavy metal's place in that list in terms of numbers. Wu-Tang Clan's deliciously aggressive Enter the Wu-Tang, Viktor Vaughn's underground gem Vaudeville Villain, and The Fugees call to arms The Score are only a few of my new favorites in a genre that I'm becoming increasingly fanatical about, and my newest (and almost my greatest) find in the genre is OutKast's masterpiece Aquemini.

METAL MONDAYS: The Album That Changed My Life

You can't really tell by my short and spiffy new haircut, but at heart I'm a die-hard metalhead headbanger who is in love with music that makes most people cringe with fear and/or disgust. So, while my new look says otherwise, I'd like for you all to think that the long, Christ-like tresses are implied. Also, imagine me decked out from head to toe in black leather and spikes if the image doesn't cause any undue gagging.

BADBADNOTGOOD and the Future of Jazz

I haven't talked about jazz very much on this blog. Eexcept for this review of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew I haven't really felt like dedicating much time to writing about the genre, and that's honestly because there hasn't been much new happening in the genre, at least that I care about.

"God is Dead?" First Black Sabbath Song With Ozzy Osbourne in 15 Fucking Years

I really did see this coming. After Dio's sad passing a few years ago I got the idea in my head that the original Sabbath Lineup would reunite (again) and take the place of the Mk II Sabbath lineup of Appice and Dio. It was just the perfect opportunity, and you got to remember that several years ago they already planned to record another album with the original 4 members. The plan was already made (with Rick Rubin as the producer, as originally planned) but it just took an miniature eternity for it to be acted upon, and now we have this; the first Ozzy led Sabbath song in 15 years, 35 if you only count the last album the lineup made together.

METAL MONDAYS: Hip-Hop and Metal, Friends or Enemies?

   These days, I love hip-hop and metal in almost equal measure, but if you went back in time 3-5 years ago and told me that that will be the case in my near future, I'd tell you that you're fucking crazy and smack you across the face with my leather and stud encrusted arm.

Tyler, the Creator-Wolf ALBUM REVIEW

   After the release of Domo 23 as a single, I'll readily admit that my anticipation for Tyler's third and latest album, Wolf, was dampened quite a bit, and that was mainly because of the song's dull subject matter. His breakthrough album Goblin dealed with Tyler's anxiety associated with becoming a famous rapper as he spits his bile to his therapist, Dr. TC. Listening to Tyler's rants could get a little tiring for some, but the character he played on that album was honestly interesting and wholly convincing, at least to me. Even when he was merely addressing negative blog posts, I could feel a little bad for him, and this was especially the case when he talked about missing his brother Earl and his fractured relationship with his mom. Tyler's stratospheric level of pain was and anger was palpable, and that made Goblin compelling listen from start to finish.

Things I Would Rather Do Than Listen to the New Lil Wayne Album

I already reviewed this song from the guy a while ago, and his new song with Limp Bizkit is even worse, far worse even. Apparently, he's looking for an exit strategy from the rap game to peruse skateboarding or some shit, and to that I say; "Alright, goodbye! There's a legion of other half-assed rappers to take your place!" Seriously, we have Future, we have 2 Chainz, we have Drake, and we have Nicki Minaj, in fact, all of those rappers are featured on this album. From what I've heard, Weezy sounds like he doesn't even want to be on this new release, too stoned on cough syrup to even care about what he's doing, and shit, this album is going to sell to the mindless masses regardless of how crappy and honestly uninterested he sounds on this thing. But then again, I haven't heard it, this is just a brief list of what I'd rather be doing than suffering through this album.

METAL MONDAY: Dave Mustaine, Why?

   If there's one reason why I love www.metalsucks.net, it's because whenever Megadeth guitarist Dave Mustaine says just about anything, I get to know about it first. Thanks Axl and Vince! And why anything? Because just about anything Dave says these days is face-palm worthy or eyebrow raising depending on who you are, or it could be both.