Music Archives - Page 5 of 19

Jay-Z Disses Scott Boras on Magna Carta Holy Grail

Rappers insulting other rappers is a hip-hop staple. The “dis track” has been used to emasculate rivals, create controversy, and increase record sales. Normally, the insults are between rival hip-hop artists or crews. Jay-Z is the first artist that I know of that has used one of his tracks to insult a sports agent. As many of you know, Jay-Z recently created Roc Nation Sports and has started representing athletes. His clients include Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the song “Crown” from his upcoming album Magna Carta Holy Grail, Jay-Z has a line for renowned super agent Scott Boras:

Scott Boras, you over baby.
Robinson Cano, you coming with me.

Yeah, it’s not the hardest hitting dis ever recorded, but it funny that Jay-Z went after Boras in a track…though I’m not sure it was necessary. Jay-Z already stole Cano from Boras as a client. Did he really need to rub it in or reinforce the point? Furthermore, Boras has a long list of clients and is responsible for some of the richest contracts in sports. I don’t think he’ll be hurting for business any time soon. All he has to do is point to the ridiculous contracts he’s gotten for Alex Rodriguez and new clients will sign.

Anyway, I hope this becomes a trend. Hip-hop artists dissing suits is funny. I heard the Nelly has beef with one of his accountants. Hopefully a dis track is in order.

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Rihanna Buys Razer Naga Hex, Chris Brown Jokes Wanted

Pop superstar Rihanna was recently spotted buying a Razer Naga Hex Wraith Red gaming mouse and Razer promptly sent out a press blast on the purchase. Here’s a clip:

Rihanna, the undisputed queen of pop, has set her sights on getting a leg up in hardcore gaming with Razer’s best-in-class Naga Hex Wraith Red edition gaming mouse. The pop songstress was spotted picking up the hardcore gaming mouse with her younger brother in a NYC BestBuy over the weekend.

Being the inventive lot that you are, I know you guys and gals have some inappropriate Chris Brown jokes in you. It’s not that I want to make light of the heinous crimes he committed against the Barbadian beauty, but this is a fine opportunity to point out what a horrid piece of crap the he is. Fire away (please)!

Psy’s Gentleman Video

From the man that brought you the global sensation known as “Gangnam Style” comes “Gentleman.” The music is similar to its predecessor — synth pop with a catchy hook. The video, in my opinion, is even better than the one for Psy’s last single. Throughout the clip, Psy does all sorts of naughty things: kicking a soccer ball away from a bunch of kids, pulling a bikini top off of a sunbathing woman, making a woman in a restaurant smell his butt odor, and more. Of course there’s lots of goofy dancing and scantily clad women too. Similar to “Gangnam Style,” I can’t stop watching this video.

While it will be impossible to top “Gangnam Style,” I expect “Gentleman” to have some success. Check out the clip when you have a chance and let me know what you think (please!). Will Psy be able to catch lightning in a bottle twice? Or is he the latest in a long line of one-hit wonders?

Fallon & Timberlake: History of Rap 4

While I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous “History of Rap” medleys, I still had fun watching Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake do their thing for a fourth time. These guys are great together. Check out the clip below and let me know how you think the fourth “History of Rap” measures up to its predecessors. On a side note, I’m thrilled that Fallon will be getting the big show (not The Big Show) in Spring 2014. I was never a big Leno fan and I’ve grown to dislike him for screwing over David Letterman and Conan O’Brien. I hope that Fallon will continue his tech and videogame segments when he gets the major time slot. Nerdism is mainstream now, baby!

Comcast to Punish Pirates By Being Obnoxious

ISPs are starting to reveal precisely how they’re going to punish violators of the Copyright Alert System six-strike anti-piracy policy. My favorite punishment, so far, is from Comcast, which will castigate its customers by being dicks. According to TorrentFreak:

After four alerts the ISP will “hijack” web-browsers of suspected serial pirates with a persistent pop-up notification, making it impossible to browse the Internet. The pop-up will disappear after the customer “resolves the issue” with a Customer Security Assurance professional.

Well…that’s one way to do it. For many people, losing Internet service is a worrisome penalty. Adding obnoxious pop-ups to the mix seems unnecessary. It also costs money to implement the notification system and to pay the Customer Security Assurance professionals that respond to appeals. It’s Comcastic!

*sigh*

This whole thing is a fantastic waste of time and money. It’s so frustrating, but hardly surprising, that ISPs are making huge efforts with the Copyright Alert System instead of taking Internet speeds — and technology that would take advantage of those speeds — to the next level.

I wish ISPs had faces, so that I could punch them.

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Coffee Talk #571: Are You Ready For the Six-Strike Rule?

Rumor has it that those evil Internet service providers will start using the Copyright Alert System six-strike anti-piracy policy today. The companies kicking it off are AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon. The six strike part of the equation is easy enough to understand; your ISP will give you six warnings about downloading or sharing copyrighted material before punishing you. The consequences vary from provider to provider. They include bandwidth throttling, cutting off access to certain web sites, and temporary suspension of service.

There are some interesting pitfalls and…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, 2013 Oscar snubs, wishing herpes on J.A. Happ for breaking Curtis Granderson’s arm, or revisiting the PlayStation 4 unveiling now that you’ve had a weekend to think it over, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

There are some interesting pitfalls and potential loopholes. How will ISPs handle offenses detected in shared environments? If you’re getting heat at home, will you be able torrent at a coffeeshop or shared office space? Will virtual private networks (VPNs) see a surge in business from downloaders that want to mask their activity? Implementing the six-strike rule is going to be a nightmare and I hope every major ISP in America suffers. Those companies deserve an expensive venture for reaping huge profits and not spending the money on infrastructure. They’re inhibiting technology and limiting consumers.

More importantly, how are you going to deal with the six-strike world? Are you going to quit torrents? Are you going to purchase a VPN subscription? Or will you throw caution to the wind and deal with the consequences as they come?

Reggie Padilla Surfs With a Vibrato Saxophone

Remember that polycarbonate saxophone from Vibrato Sax that I checked out a NAMM 2013? Here’s a video of my brother, Reggie Padilla, playing one while surfing. Since it’s made from polycarbonate, the saxophone is waterproof, so Reggie thought that he’d combine his passions for music and surfing in one video! I guess that runs in the family. I’ve combined my passions for videogames, consumer electronics, vaping, pro-wrestling, and writing silly things on the Internet to produce this very site. Ha! Continue reading “Reggie Padilla Surfs With a Vibrato Saxophone”

Coffee Talk #568: If You Could Decimate One Band….

On Valentine’s Day, I was having a fun drunken conversation about bands and musical artists that you wished were erased from existence. A lot of the candidates brought up were whiny male singer/songwriters. For some reason, on this day of love there was a lot of hate for Jason Mraz. Partially for his music and partially for being a man-whore, John Mayer was brought up a lot. I actually don’t mind either of those guys. “I’m Yours” is a cute and catchy song, while I totally admire Mayer’s man-whore prowess. My choice for the band that I wished were erased from existence was easy: Ace of Base…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, NBA All-Star Weekend, the glorious start of MLB spring training, or Oscar Pistorius allegedly shooting his girlfriend, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I love Sweden. It’s a beautiful country that has produced many fine things. The number of gorgeous Swedish models is mind boggling. The country birthed three of my favorite tennis players of all time: Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, and Stefan Edberg. Ikea has furnished the homes of many young people that can’t afford “real” furniture. I’ve always loved the look and quality of Volvo automobiles. One of the best times of my life was hanging out in Oslo with clients, sledding down a short hill that ended in a hot spring. With all of that in mind, it’s disheartening that such a wonderful country — one that gave us the glorious Abba! — produced a band that scores millions of nightmares.

I hate everything about Ace of Base. The music is grating. The image is artificial. “All That She Wants” and “The Sign” are rumored to be used in Guantanamo Bay torture sessions. If I had the power of time travel, one of the first things I would do is prevent the formation of this horrendous band. I’m certain that it would snag me a Novel Peace Prize.

How about you? If you could eradicate one band or musical act from the face of existence, who would it be and why?

Stuck in My Head: Hall & Oates

“Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates has been stuck in my head for the last three days. In the shared office space I use, the song has come up a lot. It’s a catchy tune and I actually enjoy Hall & Oates, but I need to get the song out of my system! Hopefully sharing it with you helps. As an added bonus, below is a clip of the wonderful The Bird and the Bee covering “Rich Girl.” Continue reading “Stuck in My Head: Hall & Oates”

NAMM 2013: Bad Seed Titanium and Steel Guitars

Continuing my NAMM 2013 quest for traditional musical instruments made out of unusual materials, I interviewed Bad Seed Ltd. owner Sheldon Currington about his company’s titanium and aircraft-grade steel guitars. Bad Seed guitars use wooden necks and metal bodies, with a neck-through process that allows for killer sustain. I’ve tried a few metal electrics in the past and they had an artificial tonal quality. Bad Seed’s guitars have a more vibrant sound that’s also unique. In addition to a more natural sound, titanium is just a cool material.

You know how a lot of fantasy nerds believe that everyone in New Zealand is tied to The Lord of the Rings in some way? In Bad Seed’s case, that’s actually true. Currington worked on some special effects for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. One of the company’s guitars features control knobs and tuners that look like skulls. The skulls were designed by a person that worked on the miniatures for the films.

Currington also has a background making race cars and hot rods. Bad Seed combines his passion for metal working and music. So yeah, this guy makes cool guitars, worked on The Hobbit, and makes race cars. He’s pretty much the coolest person I’ve met in the last year…and makes me feel bad about making goofy videos and writing goofy articles.

Anyway, check out the video above. It’s a fun talk about some of the coolest electric guitars I saw at NAMM 2013.