HipHop
Latest
Book review: How To Wreck A Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop
How To Wreck A Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop by Dave Tompkins (Stop Smiling Books; $35) World War II increased the rate of human innovation to a pace unseen in any other period of history. New technology from the era includes everything from synthetic rubber to the atomic bomb to magnetic audio tape, which the Germans successfully kept secret until the war's end. After the Nazis fell, Lt. Jack Mullin of the US Army Signal Corps shot footage outside of Hitler's home, grabbed one of the Fuhrer's piano strings for a souvenir, and brought two AEG Magnetophons (along with fifty reels of Farben recording tape) back with him to the states. He then sold a recorder to Bing Crosby, revolutionizing broadcasting and music-making in the process. Another device that made its debut in World War II only to be later adopted by the entertainment industry is the Vocoder. Speech synthesis was the brainchild of a Bell Labs employee named Homer Dudley. Dudley surmised that human speech consisted of two things: the carrier (the noise that your vocal cords makes) and the formant (the sound formed from the carrier by your mouth, throat, and sinuses). Dudley went on to develop something called the Voder (Voice Operator DEmonstratoR), which used a carrier tone generated by a radio valve and a formant created by hissing air to create artificial speech. Hear a demonstration (and learn about how the Vocoder was used to defeat the Axis powers) after the break.
Found Footage: "I fell in love at the Apple Store"
Here's an earworm for you; hip-hop group FattySpins recorded a love song to ladies and to all things Apple, and filmed the video (above) at the landmark Apple Store Fifth Avenue. The song manages to not only encompass a lot of Apple products in its lyrics, but also manages to poke some good fun at Microsoft. I mean, you've gotta love lyrics like:"I know how to treat you – this ain't a reboot I'll never find the need to Control ALT Delete you I see no reason to mess with these slobs Cause they're like Bill Gates... and I'm Steve Jobs"The Apple Store Love Song was written and produced by Ray William Johnson, the likable nebbish with the glasses in the video. There's no word on whether or not Apple is going to hire him to produce catchy viral raps for future ads.[via CrunchGear]
MacBook Pro, music video star
We tweeted this last week, but it seemed worth a second mention: New York-based hip-hop artists DeScribe and Y-Love have released their video for the new single "Change," prominently featuring a trio of MacBook Pro machines. While many computers appearing in videos are idle or showing mocked-up graphics, these machines are in active use -- Y-Love is apparently busy monitoring his Twitter feed via the Adobe AIR-based client TweetDeck.For more Mac & PC appearances on film and TV, check out Starring the Computer (via Ars), a compendium of technology cameos. You can also see the first music video recorded on an iPhone and a tour of Mac OS in song via past posts... but if you love your Mac as much as this woman does, maybe you should record your own video.
'I got more ports than a wine store do.'
For your Wednesday morning amusement, the Sniper Twins have put together this hilarious video promotion for Seagate: a hip-hop office drama, replete with Mac desktops, laptops and servers. This definitely falls in the "so bad it's good" category, so if you have a low tolerance for office-themed irony, you might want to give it a pass. [Via Swissmiss.]
Soulja Boy plays with Xbox 360 Special Edition Sidekick LX, pleads for attention on video
Why lust after a Zunephone when you can have an Xbox 360 Sidekick LX? Based on an admittedly bizarre and entirely painful-to-watch video posted up in the read link, Soulja Boy is seen spazzing out over what appears to be a special edition Sidekick LX. The unit is branded (at least in the software) with Xbox 360 logos, and there's also a copy of Resident Evil: Genesis on there that he toys with momentarily. So, the question here: is this thing legit? On one hand, Danger does have a thing for pumping out limited run Sidekicks like they're going out of style, and plus, it would probably have a hard time convincing an A-list rapper to carry a prototype Sidekick. On the other, we're really inclined to believe this is just a sad way for Soulja Boy to fill up his inbox with soulless emails. "SouljaBoyTellEm@tmail.com -- holla atcha boy!"
NBA Ballers: Chosen One gets Chuck D, Just Blaze
It's been some time since Midway's announcement of the Xbox 360 and PS3 arcade basketball sequel NBA Ballers: Chosen One, something we had since written off as a delusion brought on by eating way too much holiday turkey. Today, however, the studio snapped us back to reality, confirming the title's existence by revealing that the game will include Public Enemy frontman Carlton Ridenhour (Codename: Chuck D) and hip hop music producer Justin Smith (Codename: Just Blaze) in "prominent roles." As an aside, the Joystiq staff really needs to put that order in for our codenames as well.Chosen One, shipping this spring, will feature Chuck D as the game's announcer, while Just Blaze will produce the game's soundtrack, which interestingly will not include the typical mishmash of existing tracks. Instead, the game will include an instrumental track that will "interact with the gameplay, much like a cinematic score." While we doubt this means that we'll be takin' it to the hoop to melodies that push into a climactic epic crescendo, it's gratifying to see the game try to separate itself from the mire that was NBA Ballers: Phenom.
"Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis..."
With the opening bar of the third verse in his debut single "Juicy," Biggie prioritized a young male's desires, putting video games at the top of his (now fulfilled) wish list. The words resonated with youth everywhere; even with those who might not otherwise identify with the Brooklyn-bred 'Bad Boy.' Admit it, you've rapped along to the words..."Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis,When I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this 50-inch screen, money green leather sofa..."KarmaLoop.com pays homage to these rhymes with a pricey ($29) concept tee.
Wii + DJ = WiiJ (Duh!)
OK, we'll admit it, we have no idea what is going on in this video (also embedded below after the jump). All we see is some guy waving his arms in the air (like he just doesn't care) while the computer drops some funky beats. Supposedly, the Wii controllers in his hands are actually activating the various looping samples, but we can't make hide nor hair of which motions are supposed to do what, even with the helpful descriptive text on the video. If this is a fake, though, it's an extremely elaborate one. The video's maker, DJ Shift 1 has set up an elaborate web page page that lays out the fundamentals of his patented technique. The WiiJaying master is also promoting his first live performance of his at Bootie San Francisco on May 12. Now that's devotion to a hack.
Hands-on with B-Boy
Marco, regular PSP Fanboy reader, wrote in our comments section: "It is something nobody has done before (as far as I know)... I think people are jaded about any game being about Hip Hop... but at least I do know that there are people who do make the genre respectable."Very true, Marco. It's pretty easy to get jaded over games that don't seem authentic, but B-Boy seems to be the real deal. It's a game that deserves a bit more attention than it's getting, if only for its unique premise: you play as a rising star of break-dancing, and you battle other b-boys to try and become the best. It looks pretty new and different, and according to IGN, it "doesn't play quite like anything that's come before." The D-Pad controls movement, and the face buttons are used as the building blocks of moves. You string things together, and maintain balance using the L and R buttons a la Tony Hawk. There are transition moves, and increasingly complicated moves which require greater button combinations, and that's where a surprising amount of depth can come into play. Like extreme sports games, you can build up some impressive combos.B-Boy promises to mix music rhythm and sports gameplay into an innovative combination. The game is currently UK-exclusive, but hopefully we'll see it branching out soon.
