Video: Mayer Hawthorne- "Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'"

Good, clean summer fun from Mayer Hawthorne and the good people at Stones Throw Records.

Paul Thomas: "Smackin' Your Gum"

Errything ain't hardcore you know!  


I can't sing, but I'ma let my man...my girl...my man?  I'm confused...


Anyway, check out the video for a track we did with "comedeogenic" Chicagoan, Paul Thomas. The track's called "Smackin' Your Gum," it was conceived, written, produced, recorded, and mixed right here at The Bank.  Also watch for a cameo from your boy TJ performing as a "club douchebag."


WARNING:  You may be disturbed by this video...probably.





Paul says, "To be a successful R&B singer, you gotta love yourself."  
I think my man (my girl?) may have taken it too far...probably.


For more skits, music, and general hilarity, go to www.bigheadpaul.com

Verse of the Year (So Far)

This is not an album review.  

I don't normally do this, but I've been listening to Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son of Chico Dusty nonstop since it came out, and I felt the need to proclaim that, in my humble opinion, Big Boi's got the best verse of 2010 (so far) on "The Train, pt. 2."  

"Look up up and I pray / ChannelIng that heavenly energy / There’s plenty we can say / See the enemy is winning cause your punk a** be afraid / But I Spray what’s on my brain to educate and entertaIn / KRS, he said it best / I learned from listenIng to the tapes / Before i-i-Tunes came out and made a CD obsolete / Before realIty TV would seem to be that bIg mistake / Now BIg Brother's got these cameras deep in each and every state / WhIle each and every rapper claims to be the heavy weIght / Cause he mentions cocaine in ‘bout everythIng he make / And then wonder why them people try to pin him wIth that case / Cause his blow is dixie crystal /Pistol play was just for play / Fake / Just for play play / Got them bay bays / Believe in that bullsh*t / I said just for play play / But got them bay bays / It’s f***ed up" 

Mizrahi Gold Digging

To stay on top of what's going on with music, as well as observe its cultural impact, I try to devote some time to checking out pop music from around the world.  While most of the industries of the United States have been improved upon by our international counterparts, there is still at least one product the US excels at:  pop music.

Browse your favorite video site and you're guaranteed to see the influence of our pop stars in videos and performances of artists throughout the world.  From fashion to dance moves, it's always interesting to see our artists' stylings applied to the expressive, region-specific norms of an international artist.

Today I came accross a video by Kobi Peretz, a notable singer from Israel.  Kobi performs in a style called Mizrahi, which is an amalgam of Arabic, Turkish, and Greek music and a very popular genre in the Middle East.

Check out Kobi's latest video, "I Am Not A King" (the title is loosely translated from Hebrew...very loose).  As I watched this video, it began to remind me of something, but what?


How 'bout this?



I think all that's missing is the Israeli Jamie Foxx, but even without him, the similarities are pretty undeniable.  If you need further proof, try watching both videos simultaneously with the sound muted.  I don't speak Hebrew, but considering the title of Kobi's track, you kind of get the gist of what he's getting at.  All in all, I think the "I Am Not A King" video illustrates the influence Yeezy's had on music.  It also cements his relevance and impact on pop culture as a whole.

For better or worse, the web has broken down barriers in music which in the past prevented international artists from gaining an audience, let alone a chart position, in the US.  We're already seeing the effects of these changes as evidenced by artists like Drake, Lights, and many others.  Meanwhile, the Kobi Peretz video has a lag time of 5 years on Kanye's, but I'm still interested to see what will happen as technology continues to advance and cultural borders shrink.