Don’t Blame Miss California

When Carrie Prejean, Miss California, stepped up to the mic after Donald Trump’s decision to have her retain her crown, the truth quickly leaked out. Prejean delivered a pre-written series of comments with heart and conviction. And by doing so she exposed the root of the problem that created all the controversy surrounding her these past few weeks. Miss Prejean tearfully declared that “she was raised with such beliefs”, and upon hearing those words, I simply stopped thinking of her as evil and realized she was a young girl basing certain opinions on what she was taught to believe.

I do believe that Perez Hilton has been completely out of line in his personal attacks towards Miss Prejean after the pageant. Even though I am personally for gay marriage, and I do believe that this will be allowed by law in the coming years or decades in the United States, there simply is not a definitive right or wrong answer in the eyes of the public. If anything, it is a debate that stirs up strong opinions and convictions. And often the case made against gay marriage resorts itself back to religion in some form.

Instead of attacking Carrie Prejean we should simply acknowledge that she is one of many young adults who say “no” to gay marriage because they were raised to believe that is is “unnatural”, “immoral”, and simply “wrong”. I like to think that a smart young adult is able to potentially challenge the views bestowed upon them by their family in order to create their very own opinions based on their very own believes and convictions. Sometimes it works out that way. But other times people die believing the things they were raised to believe versus making an intelligent choice for themselves based on their views and life experiences. I believe with Miss California, we have just that.

New Mixtape: Kanye West, “LV’s & Autotune 2″

Tracklist:

01 Diamonds
02 Poke Her Face (Feat. Kid Cudi, Common, Lady Gaga)
03 We Fight, We Love (Feat. Q-Tip, Consequence)
04 Maybach Music 2 (Feat. Rick Ross, T-Pain, Lil Wayne)
05 Flight School (Feat. T-Pain, GLC)
06 Amazing (Remix) (Feat. The Dream, Young Jeezy, Christina Milian)
07 Imma Be Iight (Feat. Lil Wayne, Joe Young)
08 Doing Girls Wrong
09 Knock You Down (Feat. Keri Hilson, Ne-Yo)
10 Walking On The Moon (Feat. The Dream)
11 Go Hard (Remix) (Feat. Lil Wayne, Jay-Z)
12 I’m The Shit (Remix)
13 Oprah Story
14 Kinda Like A Big Deal (Feat. Clipse)
15 Ego (Remix) (Feat. Beyonce)

Download here.

“We Run NY” T-Shirt

Saw The Game wearing this t-shirt (except the LA version, of course). I love this. A clever take on the iconic “I Love NY” t-shirt. Definitely getting one of these when I’m back in NYC.

Purchase here.

Please Come Back KG. Please.

I’m being slightly selfish. I’ll admit it. Fans of Boston based sports teams have nothing to complain about. The Bruins are up 3-0 on the hated Canadians. The Red Sox are being picked by many to win the World Series. The Patriots will be the most intriguing team come this fall with Brady’s return.

But I want it all. And I especially want the Boston Celtics to defend their title with honor and pride.

Yesterday’s news of Leon Powe’s ACL tear has the potential to be the final straw. With KG and Powe out, the Celtics are now relying on Glen Davis, Kendrick Perkins, and Mikki Moore. Throw in Brian Scalabrine fresh off a head injury, and the Celtics are essentially depleted in terms of their power forwards and centers. Which leads to only one hope and dream for all Celtics fans: the return of Kevin Garnett.

Despite coach Rivers constant assessment that “Kevin is not wearing a uniform”, there has not been a definitive statement released from the Celtics that KG was officially out for good. The indication since last week was that KG was not returning simply based on what Doc and the crew saw during practices. But there has always been a “let’s wait and see” aspect to everything related to Garnett’s return.

Which sets the stage for a potentially amazing dramatic return by Garnett when the Celtics need him most. I do believe the Celtics will find a way to beat the Chicago Bulls in 6 or 7 games. I also see Orlando as being a much better match up for them in contrast to their current series with the Bulls. If by some chance the Celtics can win their first two playoff series without Garnett, then that would set up an amazing scenario with Garnett returning vs the Cavs (who should easily reach the conference finals). The Celtics have no shot at beating the Cavs sans KG. But even at say 75%, Garnett and crew could come together and pull off an amazing series victory to reach the finals.

All of this is pure speculation and hopeful thinking on my side. But until Garnett is officially ruled out by the Celtics, Boston fans will be clinging to the small chance that he will indeed return at some point down the road in these playoffs. And it’s only fitting if he does, because a true championship can not be rightfully defended by a team missing its best player.

Bamford & Sons Travel Watch Holder

Having seen last year’s range of customized Rolex timepieces, watch specialists Bamford & Sons continue their innovative stylings with a custom watch travel holder. Crafted with anodized aluminum, the watch tube features neoprene lining, integral locking pins, and even a watch strap removal tool. So far there isn’t any release information and could very well be a HF exclusive.

(via hypebeast).

Kid Cudi – “Dat Kid From Cleveland” (Mixtape)

DOWNLOAD HERE.

New Mixtape: A-Trak “Infinity + 1″

I absolutely love A-Trak. Enjoy.

Download here.

A-Trak, the Montreal-born, Brooklyn-based DJ/producer………

“Infinity +1 effortlessly melds A-Trak’s hip-hop, house and electro influences into a creative and highly melodic uptempo party-rocking set. Equally at home on headphones as it is in the club, it features A-Trak’s signature scratching prowess, custom edits, and new and exclusive remixes – including his live-string disco remix of Sebastien Tellier’s “Kilometer” that is already being heralded as “remix of the year” by Pedro Winter, among others. Infinity +1 again sets A-Trak at the forefront of electronic music in 2009.”

Tracklist:
1. Intro / John Dahlbäck “Sidewalk”
2. KIM “Party Machini”
3. Laurent Wolf “The Crow”
4. Farley Jackmaster Funk “Love Can’t Turn Around” (Lifelike Remix)
5. MSTRKRFT feat. N.O.R.E. “Bounce” (A-Trak Remix)
6. Donnis “Party Works”
7. Kid Sister “Life On TV”
8. Sébastien Tellier “Kilometer” (A-Trak Remix)
9. The Golden Filter “Solid Gold”
10. Bag Raiders “Nil By Mouth” (Knightlife Remix)
11. Holy Ghost! “Hold On”
12. DJ Mehdi “Pocket Piano” (Joakim Remix)
13. Midnight Juggernauts “Shadows”
14. Gonzales “Working Together” (Boys Noize Dub Mix)
15. Soundstream “Freakin”
16. Little Boots “Stuck On Repeat” (Fake Blood Remix)
17. Housemeister “What You Want” (Siriusmo Remix)
18. A-Trak “Say Whoa” (DJ Spinna Remix)
19. Dam Funk “Galactic Fun”
20. Alexander Robotnick “Problèmes d’Amour”
21. James Yuill “This Sweet Love” (Prins Thomas Sneaky Edit)

Chester French – “Jacques Jams, Vol. 1: Endurance”

“Jacques Jams, Vol. 1: Endurance” is a chronicle of the past six years of our lives. It tells our story, from the gymnasiums of Harvard to the hills of Hollywood. Unlike “Love the Future,” which we’ve written, arranged, performed, produced, and engineered by ourselves, “Jacques Jams” features a collection of new, original music that we created in the hills of Massachusetts and then invited some of our favorite artists to grace.

As young artists, we couldn’t be more grateful for this opporunity to collaborate with legends like Jermaine Dupri, Diddy, Pharrell, Pusha, Talib Kweli, Bun B., The Mad Rapper, Kardinal Offishall, N.O.R.E, and Jadakiss as well as younger friends like Janelle Monae, Cassie, Wale, Solange, Lady Gaga, and Mickey Factz. All of these fantastic artists have been more than generous with their creativity and hard work, so we owe them an enormous debt. Clinton Sparks, above all, has tirelessly guided us toward success and endurance, a tall order with obnoxious perfectionists like us! We’d also like to thank Clinton’s manager, Daouda Leonard, for his endless help and beautifully manicured beard.”

DOWNLOAD HERE.

(via dctobc)

Spring Has Sprung 09″: My Hip-Hop Mixtape.

Between the ages of 14 – 18, before the days of Ipod’s and the popular use of MP3’s, I would somehow scrape money together to buy cd’s to make mixes for my close friends. They were often of the hip-hop variety, with the occasional foray into rock or pop if desired. Sometimes I would purchase an album just for one song ($16 for a song, now that is passion).

After making a mix yesterday for a close friend (researching and accumulating the songs online, rewriting the info for each track in Itunes, organizing the perfect playlist sequence), I came to realize how much I missed and loved making great mixes for people to enjoy and love.

So with that being established I bring to you “Spring Is Sprung 09″. A collection of the finest hip hop songs I’ve come across lately. You will need to unzip the file to access the songs (don’t know how to unzip files? Google, baby). The text file included is the track listing. The other text file contains my favorite recipe for peach cobbler. Don’t sweat it if the file names of the songs don’t look organized in the file. Once you add them to Itunes, you will be set. Enjoy.

Download here please.

Tracklist:
1. “Brooklyn (Go Hard)” – Jay Z, Santogold
2. “I Poke Her Face” – Kanye, Kid Cudi, Common
3. “Blame It (Remix)” – Jamie Foxx, Freeway, T-Pain
4. “Chillin” – Wale feat. Lady Gaga
5. “Life Is Good” – Mos Def
6. “We Fight We Love” – Q-Tip, Kanye
7. “Shit Popped Off” – T.I, Dr. Dre
8. “Mrs. International” – Method Man, Redman
9. “Exhibit A (Transformations)” – Jay Electronica
10. “She Came Along” – Sharam, Kid Cudi
11. “Where I’m From” – Fabolous, The Game
12. “Rumor Has It” – Young Jeezy, Pharrell
13. “I’m The Shit” – DJ Class, Kanye West
14. “Shove It” – Santogold, Three Six Mafia

Matt Damon Thinks The Academy Gets It Wrong

Matt Damon did a brave thing: the Oscar winner went out on a limb and said that the Academy doesn’t necessarily get their Oscar picks right.

“I think that the best way to judge movies is, like, 10 years after they’re released. I think they should actually do the awards that way. I think they should have done the Academy Awards this year for movies from 1998,” Damon told Parade.com. (Some contenders under that scenario: “Life is Beautiful,” “Elizabeth,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Shakespeare in Love.”)

Damon went on to say, ”I think it’s better to look at a movie and then step back and look at it again. I don’t think that the awards necessarily get it right. I think they get it wrong more often than they get it right.”

(via MSNBC)

Amen to that.