Kendrick Lamar is not only one of the best rappers of all time. He’s also a breakfast cereal aficionado with a depth of knowledge that impressed even this veteran breakfast fan.
I already knew he was deep into the stuff when he dropped his weirdest song ever, just a few years back. But then I had a discussion about how cereals could be ranked, and a friend showed me this video.
This tune is one of the best intros to a rap album in years. The fizzy beat leads us into Young Thug’s sound world like a breadcrumb trail from a fairy tale, a warm embrace that bristles the second his otherworldly flow pipes in.
So this will be remembered as the week that Prince died. The sudden and unexpected departure of one of the last rock stars on earth was a blow that we no one wanted in 2016, not after losing so many larger than life, all time favorite artists already. I haven’t seen people come together so much in commiseration or celebration since David Bowie died. The music world lost a bright shining star, and I personally lost another icon I’d held close over the years.
At least I can say that this week also brought some incredible new music. Here’s what we’ve got.
Eric Wareheim and Aziz Ansari went to Italy and fucked around to the beat of Kanye’s infamous tune Famous. Thankfully they recorded it all, because this is some infectious fun.
The results speak for themselves:
This week’s real world brought a deadly terrorist attack in Belgium, while the music world brought the premature death of a hip-hop hero. It was downers all around, and I struggled personally with some dark moments too. At least in my own case, I try to meditate, focus, and seek the healing power of art. This is how I keep perspective.
It’s also how I end up sharing music. Here we go:
I’m sharing this song today in honor of founding A Tribe Called Quest member Phife Dawg, aka Malik Taylor, who died this morning, March 23, 2016. He was only 45 years old.
Electric Relaxation is hip-hop at its smoothest and coolest, the absolute height of groove.
Sometimes I fall so hard and so fast for a new artist that, when their meager output has been exhausted, I don’t know what to do. The sound is perfect, but there’s only so much of it. This is what happened with beat scientist Bullion. How do I keep up with a guy who may or may not release something in the next year, next few years? The honest answer is that enthusiasm wanes and I start to forget.
But it all comes rushing back the moment I hear there’s new material: the hunger, the excitement, the unabashed shouting from the hilltops for all to listen. This just happened again.
Optimistic Underground 