Devin the Dude (Official Video) – I’m Just Gettin’ Blowed (Assigned to The Shipment by Rick Gerard)

I mean who doesn’t love Devin the Dude?? He’s been referred to as “raps best kept secret” and “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper”. For those hip hop fans who aren’t familiar with this man, you really need to remedy that and enjoy a nice session of Devin, perhaps accompanied by a joint of that good green ……or six.

This song in particular called, “I’m Just Gettin’ Blowed”, drives home my previous statement about a nice herbal session. I often wonder if there is ever a time that a joint or blunt isn’t burning and being smoked in his personal aura? Honestly I think the answer is NO.  In the words of O.C. from a recent Apollo Brown track, “…when the joint gets down to the roach, I light anotha one.”, I think Devin lives by this code.

This video is pretty cool….just basically Devin flying around a little remote controlled drone helicopter camera on a beach and surrounding areas. You get some cool views and perspective….the song itself is a smoothed out jazzy kind of beat with some great saxophone work involved and some background piano. Another in a LONG line of tracks from this genius that can touch you so many ways.

For me personally, Devin the Dude signifies friendship and great memories. The four of us involved in this project and countless others of our close friends love this man and his music.  So many days and weeks and even into years, some sort of music by (or involving) Devin would almost be theme music to the craziness that we would be involved in.  It’s a guarantee that if you throw on a track by Devin in the vicinity of any of our good friends we will get hyped.

So my suggestion to everyone that happens to read this: GO LISTEN TO DEVIN THE DUDE RIGHT NOW!!!! Trust me you will not be sorry….and my apologies for this shipment taking longer that normal……I was just gettin’ blowed.

-THE SHIPMENT-

Black Milk – “Rhythm Roulette” (assigned to Ricky G. by The Shipment)

Music…. Passion….. Obsession…… Life. To me these four words are synonymous. I wasn’t born a musically gifted person. Nor was I gifted with the ability to craft something so beautiful, but through my upbringing, I developed this passion to seek out and enjoy music. To me, music is life and life without music is like watching a black and white movie. Yeah it’s still life, but it doesn’t have a soul (and all you movie buffs forgive me, I know they’re classics, but I’m trying to make a point).  Music is just that…… SOUL.

Now I can all ready tell I’m going to be all over the place with this one. Not because i can”t articulate my feelings, but because music in it’s entirety gets me all jacked up. I actually told mi compadre who sent me this, ” I wish I hadn’t watched this video before bed, because all I wanna do now is “dig through the crates”. Nothing else in this world can give you this type of feeling… and I’m speaking from experience. Anybody who knows me, knows I’m a glutton for life. By it’s definition, that’s exactly what I am when it comes to this shit. A fuckin’ glutton.

So not knowing (due to my excitement) where to go with this, I guess I”ll kick a little bit of my musical history to you. I pretty much started out listening to what my parents listened to… or at least what I can remember. I recall listening to Patsy Cline, Travis Tritt, maybe some of the “BOSS”, Bruce Springstein for you fuckers who don’t know. Then my step dad came into the picture, and what I thought I knew about music was quickly replaced by what music was and is.

Through my stepfather I discovered the Pouges, 10,000 maniacs, Reverend Horton Heat, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Rancid, Nirvana, and countless other groups. Then I started getting into Blues and reggae with the likes of B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Peter Tosh (thanks to my mother). Dead Kennedys, Operation Ivy, Suicide Machines, Black Flag, Mustard Plug were all due to my good friends. I mean the list could go on forever and it should. That’s the beauty of music. Just like learning anything there is never an end. Thank god for that.

So in trying to keep this within the format I’ll end it with this( and awkwardly so) Are you having a bad day?? Put on “Don’t Worry be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin or “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley. If you’re ready to party, maybe put on some Push it by Salt N Peppa, (or for you Scotty, some “99 Red Balloons”). And for my hip hop heads (my true passion) I’ll give you my at-the-moment TOP 5: Anything off Nas’s Illmatic, “Ante Up” by M.O.P. “Beautiful Struggle” by Talib Kweli ( thank you Scotty), “Kick in the Door” by Biggie, and last, but not least, “Hellrazor” by Tupac Shakur. So Regardless of your taste, get in them damn crates, and loose yourself in the true gift to mankind…….. Music…..

-Ricky G-

Whodini – Friends Live at the Apollo 1990 (Assigned to Matt Ramah by Scotty2Hotty)

Tylenol, Beer or…… Headphones?

I’ve got a sickness and it needs more….headphones?? You’re damn right. It has been one of those weeks (Months really) where work has been out of control busy. There are not enough hours in the day. Frankly, I could work 12 hour days and be good, but that is not a sacrifice that I will make with my son waiting at home to see me. The stress is enormous at times and it is hard not to let it get to me. There are a few things that help during these times. Cocktailing always will calm the nerves, until you find yourself up too late watching a meaningless NBA game just asking for a reason to have one more beer. Going home to my awesome family puts things into a positive perspective. But there is one thing that at any moment in the day can cure whatever ails me at that time, music.

I could probably punch holes in a wall today with the amount of work flowing in. Two people have saved me today, Skylar Gray, who in my opinion has the most amazing voice in music and Whodini. Scotty assigned me “Friends” from their 1990 Apollo performance and I have been sitting on this one for a while. I’ve listened to it a few times and hadn’t felt the inspiration to write about it. Nasty Nas created a monster jam sampling this beat with “If I Ruled the World,” but I didn’t have a blog’s worth of inspiration from that connection. I could probably write a book talking about my friends, so I wasn’t going to take the easy way out and write a 5 paragraph blurb. It was 4 o’clock and I needed to put in some extra time and I figured that I would throw this song on and see what it did for me.

I found myself energized. It was the combination of the message, the beat, Nas’s version and just that 90’s groove. I found what I needed to not let frustration and anger overcome me, making me useless in finishing out my day. My final push was achieved, just simply by throwing in the headphones. ~Shameless plug- I love my Bose in-ear headphones!~ My emotional balance was on the wrong side of the scale and such a simple action changed it at the 1st beat.

This week has been eclectic. From Dave Matthews to E-40, from Skylar Grey to Outkast. I have listened to the new Foo Fighters album and I have checked out some new music from Nino Bless. All music that at that time was perfect for the situation I was in. It was a jump start to my morning, the alley-oop windmill dunk that was assisted by caffeine. It has been the extra motivation for the final reps in the gym or the wind down music in the sauna. At the end of the day it proves to be the cure for that “2:30 feeling.”

I’m thankful for having friends that share my musical passion. In fact, that is one of the reasons this project was started. We joined together to inspire each other (And you readers) through new music and challenge each other to break out of our comfort zones. We text each other new music and talk about it. In fact, some of my best memories with these three individuals can always trace back to new music. So when you find yourself struggling with your day, some bad news, getting in a good work out or whatever it may be, throw on a go to jam or call up your friends and get into something new. Either way you will surely find answers to whatever situation you were trying to solve.

-Matt Ramah-

Let Nas Down by J. Cole (Assigned to Scotty2Hotty by Matt Ramah)

We all have our own personal relationship with the stars. Some of us see the heavens above, while others see unique clusters of gaseous space dust. The night’s sky is our original amusement as human beings. We connect the dots to create our own images dancing above the horizon. Those tiny twinkling lights are dying to shine down on us and nobody can argue with that.

Somewhere throughout history we began to reference creatively talented people as “stars”. We also began to perceive them as these untouchable inspirations. They seem out-of-this-world like the actual stars overhead. We see them as something better than we’ll ever be and we let that blind us from the fact that they’re human, just like us. All the time we give them this status, we expect them to never let us down. Yet when they do, we feel betrayed and resent them for being… just like us.

Our best role models are our peers. When we have people we share our lives with that we can admire and learn from, there’s nothing to keep us from our hearts’ desires. We can still look up to those people we call stars, but we only should if we believe in ourselves too. If we’re driven enough we could even find ourselves sharing the light with them. For some of us that’s just crazy, but for others it’s the absolute truth.

The thought of doing all that work to stand shoulder to shoulder with a “star” we idolize should seemingly be glorious. However that star may never see us as an equal because of the choices we made to reach their level. These particular stars have the chance to burn us with their criticism no matter how inspiring they were to us along our path. Talk about a truly disheartening experience. Only side by side sharing a view of the sky could overcome such a petty point of view.

Long live the idols, may they never be your rivals

It’s not about Jesus or whoever wrote the bible.

Look up to the stars in the sky, not the ones who sin

Believe in yourself and let your story begin.

-Scotty2Hotty- “I’m a star? I’d rather be a comet by far..” – Andre3000

Walk Like An Egyptian – The Bangles (assigned to Scotty2Hotty by Rick Gerard)


Rick Gerard really loves to stir the pot. I say this because my people were forced to “walk like Egyptians” for nearly half of a millennium. However, in this video I don’t see anyone in a Levite cloth stomping straw into mud. I definitely watched a few times just to verify this too.

I’m not sure if it’s just their hair that’s fried or the use of crack-cocaine. Remember those public service announcement commercials with the egg and the hot frying pan?

“This is your brain.” [shows hand holding an egg] “This is drugs.” [points at hot frying pan] [cracks egg into hot frying pan (note the sizzling sound).] “This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?”

I do have a question, actually. Did that P.S.A. come out in a direct response to this music video? I mean it seems fitting and all.

Aside from my drug theory, this song is fucking catchy. Yep, I’ll admit it. I actually envision Rick Gerard sitting in front of his computer with a ridiculously over-sized cigar in his mouth, tapping his toes along to the beat. Then about a minute in, he gets up and starts dancing like a real schmuck. Of course his favorite part is when they whistle and I imagine Matt Ramah joining in the nonsense with him, right then.

Damn it, none of that is true. I’m actually just projecting right now. It’s me doing all of these things. I’ve reached my fourteenth play and can’t fucking sit still. I hate you for this, Rick Gerard. However, I’ve decided to get my woman some sexy 80′s tights. They were really onto something there.

Well I’m sure I’ll spend the next three weeks whistling this brain melting tune. Maybe my beard will start to look fried too. I literally don’t feel any smarter because of this. The Bangles wikipedia page has the word “Friction” as a sub-heading and sadly it had nothing to do with hot lesbian porn. I guess a man can dream…

-Scotty2Hotty-

Karma Police by Radiohead (ASSIGNED to Ricky G. by Matt Ramah)

In Hinduism and Buddhism the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. This is one definition of Karma. There are very few things in life that I truly believe in, and karma is definitely one of them. To me it is a very powerful force that, at times, plays a major role in the way I do things.

When I was younger I went through a phase of shoplifting (which I’m sure I’m not the only one). I don’t know why I did it. It was never anything that I ever needed. Just little petty shit, like stuff from Spencer’s (ironic) or other stupid places like that. Anyways, as I got older I started to notice that the more I did these things – 1. The worst I felt and 2. The more negative things began happening to me. I attribute these negative forces in my life directly to Karma.

Now I’m not a huge Radiohead fan, but I can appreciate their music. I really enjoyed this song, and especially enjoyed the video. The way it was shot and the message I got from it. The video really drove home (to me) the true irony of karma. The way the car (with what appears to have Squeeno in the backseat) chasing down this poor man who seems to be running for his life, only to have the car engulfed in flames in the end. In my opinion that is the way karma works.

So I was trying to make this writing play out a little longer, but my mind has been elsewhere as of late. Life has managed to butt in and take up more time than I would of liked it too, but I will leave it at this – Karma is a real living-breathing entity. Funny enough, it’s quite simple to have a life blessed with good karma….. Do you wanna know the secret? Be a GOOD person. What’s that ole saying?…… Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Be honest. Love truthfully and wholeheartedly. Follow these simple rules and you will undoubtedly have a life full of good karma. And who knows….. it might become infectious

-Ricky G-

Triumph – Wu-Tang Clan (assigned to Matt Ramah by The Shipment)

In music, convention tends to rule the airwaves. Certain rules apply in order to make a radio-worthy track. We recently went through the brutal age of the ring-tone, where having a catchy hook was the driving force behind platinum selling singles. It forced the artists to adapt to new styles because without change, a career could come crashing down. Who else would we look to when looking to challenge the conventional? The almighty Wu of course!

Who better to give a giant middle finger to the radio execs than a group that has spit in the face of the musical norms for their entire career. This supergroup has never sought acceptance for anything other than what they could say was entirely crafted by their musical desire, not by what others told them would work. These lyrical geniuses have even been proven to have a larger vocabulary than Shakespeare.

In a review of Shakespeare’s first 35,000 words written, he wrote 5,170 unique words. When compared with 85 hip-hop artists first 35,000 lyrics (The equivalent of 5 studio records), Aesop Rock, Kool Keith and the GZA set the bar much higher level than Mr. Hamlet himself. In the top 20 for hip-hop artists, Wu Tang as a group was 7th in unique words written. Broken down further, GZA is at #2, Ghostface Killah is at #9 and Raekwon and Method Man are at 19 and 20 respectively.

What better way to showcase this verbal depth and originality than to create a 6 minute assault on the senses entitled Triumph. Featured on the 1997 record Wu-Tang Forever, eight of the nine members ferociously claimed all of New York City as theirs and theirs only. No chorus needed, they just spit bars on bars. As they swarmed through the city on an unstoppable rampage, there wasn’t any time for some catchy hook, only time for utter lyrical domination.

When presented to the radio/video execs, RZA was told there was no way this would work and that it had to be edited. There was no hesitation in telling them to fuck off, take it or leave it, this project would be untouched or would be shelved for good. Wisely, the project was moved forward and even wound up having Brett Ratner direct the video (Director of Rush Hour). What came next was 6 minutes of visual madness and eargasmic genius. Enjoy as they do what they do best. They give it to ya raw with no trivia, like cocaine straight from Bolivia.

-Matt R-

Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back (THE ASSIGNMENT)

My god…..the song “don’t look back” by the DJ Duke Dumont is another one of your typical club dance jams.  Believe it or not it was #1 on the billboard dance charts along with another dance track of his earlier this year as well. So clearly he’s loved by the dance music community. With uncredited vocals by Yolanda Quartey, she is clearly very soulful and lends a bit of old school to the sound.

Now for the video….this shit is pretty wild. The video opens with 3 people in an old ass Van donning rubber masks in the likeness of the British royal family, with the Queen giving a nice parade wave as they drive by in slow motion.  They pull up and and begin and armed robbery of a jewelry store and this is when it gets crazy.

Upon first watching, it looked like they were robbing the store with giant microphones and I was thinking it was gonna be something along the lines of media invasion of our lives or whatever.  Boy was I wrong, about ten seconds later you see that the weapons are actually fucking pogo sticks as they start to hop away. Whoever did the pogo stunts for this video are amazing, some of the shit they pull off on those this is pretty badass.

As usual a stupid flatfoot copper wants to pursue and apprehend the pogo criminals. The piglet has a resemblance to Scott Bakula it seems and rides his Segway and uses interesting measures to get the first two royal family members. My favorite moments are definitely the pogo front flip over a car when they first see the cop, and the cop stealing an RC car from a little kid to sabotage the second royal family member. But once again the queen gets away and seemingly pogos off a skyscraper at the end with a “to be continued” message as it ends.

Overall a pretty funny and interesting video served up for me this week. This song was genred as UK garage, tech house, and deep house (whatever the fuck that means) so not exactly up my alley. But the soulful sound of the vocalist really took me back, and made it much more bearable. I think I might go get a pogo stick and try some freestyle moves……….or maybe not.

-The Shipment-

L.T.D. – LOVE BALLAD WITH 8-COUNT ENDING(SLOWJAM MUSIC VIDEO)REARRANGED(1977) (WEEK 1 of THE ASSIGNMENT)

I started this assignment shit and this is the motherfuckin’ thanks I get?? When a YouTube title is this long – L.T.D. – LOVE BALLAD WITH 8-COUNT ENDING (SLOWJAM MUSIC VIDEO)REARRANGED(1977) – you know you’re in for some shit. That all caps really screams at you, doesn’t it?? Now I’m not trying to hate on L.T.D., Love Ballad or Soul Train, so bare with me here.

Soul Train is an amazing part of television history. Live performances or lip-synched, rather. People dancing their asses off, holding nothing back while they sweat out their problems. Bell-bottom pants, crushed velvet, velour, polyester and the platform boots (note that I said boots) are fucking awesome. Who couldn’t love all of that anyway?? Plus, women with afros always heat things up for me. Mmmhmmm.

Now L.T.D.’s Love Ballad might be on the most passionate love songs of all time. Their namesake actually stands for Love, Tenderness and Devotion – which only solidifies the romantic passion they deliver. These guys had originally played in the band that accompanied Sam & Dave back in the 1960′s, infamous for their hit Hold on, I’m Comin’. Pretty much these guys were born to make great music.

Here’s where things take a turn downhill for me. The fucking 8-COUNT ENDING?? What? Why?? I mean…shit. Re-playing that clip over and over again 8-times was grueling. Even though it’s the same clip, it seemed like the people dancing in the crowd were even irritated by it. YouTube user kevante1 must have needed some extra time to seal the deal with his woman. If he showed her the video though and didn’t just let it play in the background, I bet she left by the fifth count.

The song is magical and has probably pulled more box than most tunes out there. The video started out awesome, but then just kind of fizzled out with that 8-COUNT nonsense. Hopefully that wasn’t a premonition into kevante1‘s special night. However after watching this video fourteen times, I’m definitely convinced he made it with the best intentions (and a lot of haste). Cheers to you kevante1, I hope you get what you deserve in this life.

Scotty2Hotty

p.s. Keep your eyes peeled for The Shipment’s next assignment…fucker.

Type of Way by Rich Homie Quan (THE ASSIGNMENT – week 1)


The song “type of way” by rich homie quan was suggested for me by a good friend for me to write a little about.  He knows the significance of this song to a person they bleeds MSU green like myself.  This song was adopted by the MSU football team for last season for whatever reason, and when I first heard it I thought it was crap.

This is the type of song I may have liked when I was younger but not so much anymore. I didn’t pay much attention to this song throughout the MSU football season, not really thinking too much of it. Meanwhile MSU wins the big ten and gets a spot in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California which is pretty close to where I currently live. So I make the trip out there with some friends and my view on this song drastically changes.

This song was bumped frequently after driving into LA once I mentioned i hadn’t heard it too many times. This trip was one for the ages with a couple fellow MSU fans that have relocated to Arizona as well.  We stayed in a guest house of one of my friends family members out there in Venice and went out and enjoyed the area bumping that song quite often. Then it was game day and that song was being played all over the tailgate area and I was seeing people who I hadn’t seen in years. The game that followed was epic and the victory was marked with the MSU coach quoting the song name and Quan being on the sideline during the game.
This song has little bits of brilliance in some of the wordplay, but overall it really lacks substance in my opinion.  He yells out on a couple occasions that “I write too” implying he writes all of his own rhymes which is a good thing at least, but not necessarily something to be proud of. Although there are a few gems in there mostly in the second verse, “she got a Georgia peach on her rear end like a license plate….no rookie, Girl Scout cookie got me high today.” Great reference to a super premium strain of marijuana and a fine ass on a woman, can’t complain about that, “I set it off like Queen Latifah cuz I’m living single…” Impressive  double reference to a movie and TV show starring the famous Queen of hip hop. The video reminds me of any and all previous cash money records videos, mainly BG for the rapping outside of the project buildings shirtless and various car and crew shots.
In the end “Type of Way” by Rich a Homie Quan leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, but certainly holds a special place in my heart. One thing that still kinda bugs me is, who exactly is Rich Homie Quan? “Just because my homie’s Rich you feel some type of way” is a line that gets repeated.  So is he Rich homie Quan? or does he have a rich homie named Quan?  Seemingly the answer lies somewhere in the middle, nevertheless this song does indeed makes me feel some type of way, so apparently he’s done his job.
Until the next time,
-The Shipment-

Hunter by Bjork – (THE ASSIGNMENT Week 1)

Is there such a thing as bad music? In those words itself and to the individual, the short answer is yes. But on a much larger scale, the answer is a resounding no. Nobody has the right to tell another that they are listening to bad music, but they sure are allowed to have their own opinion. Yet that is exactly what record labels do for a living. They take someone’s ideas and talent and expect them to be creative, as long as it is creative in a way that makes an ton of money for the suits. I hate how an artist’s originality and creative spirit can literally be extinguished based upon the interpretation of the language of a contract. It’s those that can persevere through the expectations and external pressure that will preserve their identity and legacy.
In the song/video Hunter, by Bjork, she is stripped down to nothing but her own skin and her inner animalistic instincts of a polar bear. She serves as the provider, the only source of sustenance for her family. This is something that she embraces but it is clear that she is trying to shake off her responsibilities as the video drums along. Eventually she gives in to the expectations she faces and delivers yet another feast for her “family” before she is able to fade off back into her own skin.
“You could smell it, so you left me on my own, to complete the mission now, I’m leaving it all behind” speak to the pressures placed upon Bjork for this song to be released. She was ready for a break, she wasn’t ready to go to work, to provide for her record label. A prisoner to her managers and her contract, she had to put out a product that she wasn’t prepared to release. It is in this moment that she had to force herself out into the hunt, to fulfill the needs of the people that depended on her, while maintaining her own pride and self-worth.
When asked about the meaning of “Hunter” Bjork is left describing the personal responsibilities to keep people employed as her motivation towards making this song. As she also says, this can be an inspiring burden to carry. This is almost a way to prevent truly mailing it in and keeping some of your artistic originality intact. Being the provider, the hunter, she is tasked with putting food on the table for so many people. She acknowledged this burden, this inspiration, and put together a piece of music that was well received by the critics.
In the end, this way of thinking is quite admirable. We are all hunters, being called upon at times when we may not be mentally and physically in the best position to do so. Having the ability to step back and view the bigger picture and recognize the effect you can potentially have on others will only allow you to dig deep and produce whatever it is you need, to provide for your “family.” If you allow the inner disdain to consume you, you will jeopardize your character while negatively affecting those closest to you in that situation. It is a mental crossroads that we all face. The ability to find the strength to care for those that depend on you, while staying on your true path, will leave you with very few regrets.
-Matt Ramah-
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THE ASSIGNMENT #1 – Big Data – Dangerous

Holy Shit! Where do I begin with this track here? As I sit at my computer trying to figure out what to do with this piece of art, I realize the best thing to do is start with the name and artist. The name of this track is Dangerous, and it is put together by Big Data. Now lets get into this.

I’m not really gonna get into the actual song (as much as i enjoyed it) due to the fact that I couldn’t get past this video. First part was beautiful! I just kept staring at those titays. And before you start calling me a pervert, let me just say…. fuck you. If you watched this video you were staring at them too. Just bouncing around… any ways all that sexual excitement quickly dissipated when the next segments come about.

BLAM!!!! A vicious head-butt to this poor guys face! And what was left was pretty fucking disgusting. It was like a scene out of Saving Private Ryan or some shit. It certainly didn’t help any that I happened to be eating dinner at the time of my viewing of this video. Yes… I can admit the sight of that guys missing face did make me a little nauseous, but I’m a trooper so I carried on.

Now towards the end of this video 2 people have been savagely fucked up by 2 beautiful, albeit bloody women. Now these bloody warriors tag team a defenseless man eating a burger, and royally fuck his shit up. Im talking leg ripping savagery. I’m pretty sure they even resorted to some cannibalism. And to top it all off, at the end these 2 women proceed to make out. Back to the good ole sexual shit we all love. Hahahaha

In summation I fuckin’ loved this track and the video. Oh yeah, did I fail to mention this whole video was shot as a commercial pitch to some ad exes for some fucking shoes?!? Brilliant!! So if you get a chance, and want to see a sweet video and hear a good song check this shit out.
-Ricky G-