Bedaub [bih-DOB] v. To smear over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and dirty
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers Review
So our first couple of reviews will be pretty old but please bare with us....I've been busy as hell with work to the point that all my leisure time been used up by sleep lol.
BTW, THIS IS OUR RATING SCALE:
1/5= POO, 2/5=It's aight, 3/5= Nice, 4/5=The Truth & a perfect 5/5 = EPIC!
So any way, here's some of NERD Inc.'s music staff thoughts on Lupe Fiasco's Lasers album:
Dyshae's thoughts:
After much anticipation, Lupe Fiasco drops his Lasers album. Through all the label problems between Lupe and Atlantic Records, threats of retirement, and fans protesting the label, it is finally here. In 2009, Lupe dropped, Enemy of the State where he destroys other people’s beats for about 40 minutes. This lead fans to believe, Lasers was going to be a hip-hop heads dream come true. Instead, Lupe gives up Lasers, which is not his most impressive work. I was anticipating the Lupe we get on mixtapes, fearless and vicious. This album sounds like B.O.B. meets Kid Cudi, which is not Lupe at all. Now, some people will like this sound. The beats are upbeat and futuristic, similar to The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Definitely, a pop-friendly album. There is nothing wrong with that, but it does not sound like the Lupe we are used to. The lyrics are still sharp, but the music behind it is too annoying to make the experience enjoyable. What the hell is this Lupe? The best song on the album is buried deep, as the 11th out of 12. “All Black Everything” he spits about a dream of Africa being a prosperous place, as well as black history in America. This album will sell records for sure, but has Lupe given in to the record label. Lupe has been seen as one of the few MC’s this era that can be named in the likes of heavyweights Jay-Z, Nas, and Eminem. Lasers is a set back to any claims of him being a legend in this game.His worst album to date.
2/5 (It's aight)
Gabbi's thoughts:
Lasers... The most anticipated from Lupe Fiasco right? Well I will say this.. for us true, ride to die Lupe fans it was not as much as it was hyped up to be.
However, we do have to remember that it was in the meddling hands of Atlantic, and Lupe was basically forced to dumb down his music to the pop standards that we have at this moment. So if you look at it in that perspective, LASERS is actually a SUCCESS.
Even though some of the tracks are quite pop-like (and I personally do not care for I Don't Wanna Care Right Now because of how much of a deviation it is from an actual Lupe song), he still tries to be his politically-challenging self, and I definitely appreciate his efforts to stay in that zone that everyone was pushing him to leave.
Now for all the people who say that it sucks, have you actually LISTENED to what he actually says in his songs? This CD has a mainstream outside and an underground inside that you can only catch if you actually listen for it. In a lot of the songs he is actually BASHING mainstream (such as State Run Radio) and describing his struggles of trying to be himself in an industry where being yourself isn't cool (Beautiful Lasers and Letting Go), especially in Lupe's case.
Not to mention his masterpiece track All Black Everything which stays true to the real Lupe that we all know and love. "Malcom X dies as an old man/ and MLK read the Eulogy for him." Absolutely riveting!
Now when it comes to a comparison of this album with his past albums, of course LASERS isn't going to live up to the lyrical mastery of Food and Liquor and The Cool, and definitely not his mix-tapes. The use of the auto-tuny sounding hooks (comparing the heartfealt singing of Mathew Santos in the live version of Beautiful Lasers to the straightforward notes by Pooh Bear in the album version) makes it a little less sentimental. However, it's not supposed to live up to those albums and tracks. Atlantic needed him to make a mainstream CD that would sell to a vast variety of markets, therefore he had to change it up this one time. And also remember that he HIMSELF was reluctant to release his album.. Cut the guy some slack!
Overall, LASERS is an amazing album under the circumstances, and in my opinion no one could have done it better. I give 4/5 (The Truth).
My thoughts (A.J. The Anti-Cool):
Well after all that stuff Dyshae and Gabbi wrote, they've pretty much summed it up for me. I liked it but it's not touching the first two albums. My rating... 3/5 (Nice)
NERD INC. TOTAL RATING: 3/5 (NICE)
So tell please comment and tell us what are your thoughts and personal rating?
BTW, THIS IS OUR RATING SCALE:
1/5= POO, 2/5=It's aight, 3/5= Nice, 4/5=The Truth & a perfect 5/5 = EPIC!
So any way, here's some of NERD Inc.'s music staff thoughts on Lupe Fiasco's Lasers album:
Dyshae's thoughts:
After much anticipation, Lupe Fiasco drops his Lasers album. Through all the label problems between Lupe and Atlantic Records, threats of retirement, and fans protesting the label, it is finally here. In 2009, Lupe dropped, Enemy of the State where he destroys other people’s beats for about 40 minutes. This lead fans to believe, Lasers was going to be a hip-hop heads dream come true. Instead, Lupe gives up Lasers, which is not his most impressive work. I was anticipating the Lupe we get on mixtapes, fearless and vicious. This album sounds like B.O.B. meets Kid Cudi, which is not Lupe at all. Now, some people will like this sound. The beats are upbeat and futuristic, similar to The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Definitely, a pop-friendly album. There is nothing wrong with that, but it does not sound like the Lupe we are used to. The lyrics are still sharp, but the music behind it is too annoying to make the experience enjoyable. What the hell is this Lupe? The best song on the album is buried deep, as the 11th out of 12. “All Black Everything” he spits about a dream of Africa being a prosperous place, as well as black history in America. This album will sell records for sure, but has Lupe given in to the record label. Lupe has been seen as one of the few MC’s this era that can be named in the likes of heavyweights Jay-Z, Nas, and Eminem. Lasers is a set back to any claims of him being a legend in this game.His worst album to date.
2/5 (It's aight)
Gabbi's thoughts:
Lasers... The most anticipated from Lupe Fiasco right? Well I will say this.. for us true, ride to die Lupe fans it was not as much as it was hyped up to be.
However, we do have to remember that it was in the meddling hands of Atlantic, and Lupe was basically forced to dumb down his music to the pop standards that we have at this moment. So if you look at it in that perspective, LASERS is actually a SUCCESS.
Even though some of the tracks are quite pop-like (and I personally do not care for I Don't Wanna Care Right Now because of how much of a deviation it is from an actual Lupe song), he still tries to be his politically-challenging self, and I definitely appreciate his efforts to stay in that zone that everyone was pushing him to leave.
Now for all the people who say that it sucks, have you actually LISTENED to what he actually says in his songs? This CD has a mainstream outside and an underground inside that you can only catch if you actually listen for it. In a lot of the songs he is actually BASHING mainstream (such as State Run Radio) and describing his struggles of trying to be himself in an industry where being yourself isn't cool (Beautiful Lasers and Letting Go), especially in Lupe's case.
Not to mention his masterpiece track All Black Everything which stays true to the real Lupe that we all know and love. "Malcom X dies as an old man/ and MLK read the Eulogy for him." Absolutely riveting!
Now when it comes to a comparison of this album with his past albums, of course LASERS isn't going to live up to the lyrical mastery of Food and Liquor and The Cool, and definitely not his mix-tapes. The use of the auto-tuny sounding hooks (comparing the heartfealt singing of Mathew Santos in the live version of Beautiful Lasers to the straightforward notes by Pooh Bear in the album version) makes it a little less sentimental. However, it's not supposed to live up to those albums and tracks. Atlantic needed him to make a mainstream CD that would sell to a vast variety of markets, therefore he had to change it up this one time. And also remember that he HIMSELF was reluctant to release his album.. Cut the guy some slack!
Overall, LASERS is an amazing album under the circumstances, and in my opinion no one could have done it better. I give 4/5 (The Truth).
My thoughts (A.J. The Anti-Cool):
Well after all that stuff Dyshae and Gabbi wrote, they've pretty much summed it up for me. I liked it but it's not touching the first two albums. My rating... 3/5 (Nice)
NERD INC. TOTAL RATING: 3/5 (NICE)
So tell please comment and tell us what are your thoughts and personal rating?
Monday, February 28, 2011
THINGS THAT RELAXES YOU...
It was just a random thought that just popped up in my head as I was just looking at few pics of some landscapes I liked on here...and thought to myself, "When I think about it, fascinating & beautiful landscapes are some of the things that makes me calm." Which resulted in me making this post...so I'm wondering, what things help relax you?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
DEFINITION OF A NERD...
The word NERD have many definitions like outcast, dork, geek, smart, weirdo, etc. I know I'm a nerd and I embrace it b/c the life of a nerd is fun, unique, and spontaneous even though we have our hardships but that's life (everyone do).
Anyway, I'm just wondering what's everyone else definition of NERD, rather it's good or bad. My personal definition of a NERD is simply "ANTI-COOL", opposite of cool (today's "cool")
So people, friends, fam and my fellow nerds.....What's your definition of a NERD?
Anyway, I'm just wondering what's everyone else definition of NERD, rather it's good or bad. My personal definition of a NERD is simply "ANTI-COOL", opposite of cool (today's "cool")
So people, friends, fam and my fellow nerds.....What's your definition of a NERD?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2011: Give Birth to New Possibilities
by Anisa TheNerd Parks
Use everyday as a learning experience to keep going forward. Often I have past failures to define my future. I cannot allow a few ‘bumps in the road’ to stop me. Donald Trump has had to file for bankruptcy three times for Trump Enterprises, but banks and bondholders continue to loan him money to build Trump Enterprises. Donald Trump is a visionary. Sometimes those visions pay off tremendously and sometimes they go bankrupt, Trump does not stop trying. Neither should I or you for that matter. We have to continue to push forward until our dreams are realized.
Without dreams concrete ideas would not become realized. It was a dream that kept Martin Luther King, Jr. going until his death. It was a dream that inspired Bob Johnson to create B.E.T. (Black Entertainment Television). It was a dream that turned a local broadcast woman with a funny name into one of the most recognizable women in the world, Oprah Winfrey. Now Oprah Winfrey has her ‘OWN’ network, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Those dreams are too big for you? Maybe you’re just living too small. Step your game up, player.
This has turned into a NIKE ad, Just do it! No more waiting on your dream to be realize. Make it happen. God has greenlight your goals. It is time to decide to follow them. It’s time to stop bullshitting and get things done. 2010 was a great year. I started a concept call NERD, Inc. NERD is an acronym for New Eduction to Reform & Develop. In 2010 it was conceived, but in 2011 it will be realized. I am wonderful. I am intelligent. I am a visionary. I have to sell my vision to potential donors, business partners, volunteers and anybody who can help me. I will be a little arrogant. Actually, I will be confident about my abilities. You may call me an asshole, but it doesn’t matter. You will never call me a failure again. 2011 is the year of redemption, realization and action.
If you are a NERD, come with me. 2011 is about to be on and popping. No bubbly but dreams will come true!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Procrastination w/ Demotivation Part II: Keeping it Under Control
Hello there Nerds! Gabbi-Sama is back with Part Ni (2) of my last post about procrastination. I saw a comment posted and Mr/Ms anonymous does have points that are notable and should be considered. Therefore, I decided to post the definitions and give a slight synopsis of my viewpoint of the matter.
According to Wiki, the definition of procrastination is:: “Counterproductive deferment of action to a later time, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.”
While the definition of motivation is:: “The activation or energization of goal-oriented behavior.”According to Anonymous, procrastination and motivation aren't really related because the "procrastinators" who still get A's aren't really procrastinating, they just need a due date that will help to solidify their thoughts. However, if you take close note, the only way procrastinators, or people who are just waiting to get their thoughts together, get what they need to get done actually accomplished is if they have the pressure to do it, such as a due date. If there is no due date, a lack of motivation manifests since the pressure point (such as a due date) IS the motivation. Therefore, there IS a link between the two in some type of way. When it comes to things that don’t really have due dates, like creativity, cleaning, and other things of that sort it is a little more difficult to break out of the procrastinating habit. So I have come up with a list of things that can be done not to actually cure procrastination but to at least put it in its place.
Keeping the Motivation UP and the Procrastination DOWN
1) “Begin with the End in mind”
This was a big quote that I learned from an online Photoshop class. If you work while constantly reminding yourself of how the idea of ending product, you will be able to keep working in that direction and be motivated to finish!
2) Divide and Conquer
If the task at hand is huge or intimidating, breaking it up into sections can help out dramatically! It’s easier to procrastinate things that will take a long time, but if you divide it into things that won’t take so long there won’t be good enough reasons to procrastinate.
This also makes way for the next topic…
3) Make mini due dates
Since due dates and importance seems to be the “solidifying” factor in when procrastination is finally put aside, making mini due dates which correspond to the pieces of the task at hand can help you to make progress. So put a date on it!
4) Use Motivational Aids
There are many ways to keep the motivation up while completing a task. Music for one thing is a great way to keep up the creative and motivation mojo! Another good aid to use would be posters and examples of the task. I look on deviant art every day to try and inspire myself to draw, and I also have a few posters hanging here and there to try and help me out when I feel like I have no motivation to do things. Finally, you always have friends and fam! People are probably one of the best ways to get motivation. Get someone close to remind you about something you should be doing or to give you encouragement when you feel like you need some.
These tips should hopefully help us procrastinating Nerds out a little with our fatal flaw and help us gain more motivation to do things WITHOUT having to have a real due date! Feel free to comment with more tips or opinions!
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