Group Projects Are Evil...And Pointless

It always amazed me how in school, both high school and college, there was always so much emphasis placed on group projects. I absolutely hated them. I think it's safe to say that all of my teachers/professors were 100 percent sure that all the lessons you'll ever need in life would be attained by taking part in a group project. And in actuality there's nothing to be learned by working with other people especially if they suck.

I came across this video on Twitter thanks to Jay Envy and I think this guy touched on the pointlessness of group projects dead on. And he was pretty hilarious with it.

Check Out "The Official SXSW Mixtape" Courtesy Of Unique Squared & Quality Control

During this years South By Southwest music festival the Unique Squared and Quality Control Marketing studio on wheels quite literally rolled into town to create quite the unique mixtape. With their tour bus turned recording studio they gathered Hip Hop's finest to create The Official SXSW Mixtape. Although they've leaked tracks from the project over the past few weeks the full mixape was finally released today. It features appearances from Che Grand, Jon Hope, Von Pea, J-Live, and lots more.

And on a South By Southwest tip maybe this mixtape will help you reminisce on all the fun you had in Austin back in March. But if you're like me and didn't check out SXSW this year hopefully it'll encourage you to get on your shizzznit for next years festival.

Click here to download The Official SXSW Mixtape via DJBooth.net.

Get Healthy Summer Hair Thanks To Carol's Daughter's Monoi Hair Care Collection

Just in time for what is sure to be a summer full of sun-damaged, frizzy, unhealthy tresses Carol's Daughter has introduced a new line of products made from Monoi oil. And for those of you who don't know Monoi oil is described as "a 2,000 year-old sacred, tahitian ingredient that undoes and prevents damage for fewer breaks, snaps and splits." And even better the oil is suitable for all hair types. The collection will feature a repairing shampoo, repairing conditioner, and repairing hair mask.

Check out a video of Carol's Daughter founder Lisa Price speaking on the benefits of the Monoi Hair Care Collection.

Foursquare Badges Hold No Material Value…

Yet we stan for them. I know I do. It’s crazy. I joined Foursquare about a month ago and it’s to the point where I’ve almost checked in to a place I wasn’t even at just so I can get that much closer to a badge. Note the word “almost.” I’m no cheater folks. I get my badges fair and square or should I say four and square? [Insert drum rimshot sound here]

And at the end of the day it’s like what the hell am I gonna do with a Foursquare badge? Frame it? No. Sell it for cash? Nope. Eat it? Highly unlikely. So what exactly is behind the infatuation? I'm trying to figure it out myself and I have yet to come to a conclusion. Can someone help a fellow Foursquare user out?

The Bearded Rapper Strikes Again - Sean Falyon's "SFBE 2"

After a bit of a delay Atlanta by way of Philly rapper Sean Falyon released his highly-anticipated mixtape Sean Falyon Be Everywhere 2: West Philly 2 The World. Now in music journalism the word "highly-anticipated" is used A LOT and quite frankly most of the time it isn't even true. But I can honestly say that there's a quite sizable amount of people (myself included) who were looking forward to the release of Falyon's latest project.

Listening to SFBE 2 it was definitely worth the wait. It's Philly. It's ATL. It's rappity rap at it's finest. It's bob-your-head-worthy. IT'S EVERYWHERE! Ha!

I was kinda hoping for a "Wonderful Life Pt. 2" though, but unfortunately not everything gets a sequel.

Click here to download SFBE 2.

Quite Crazy For Clutches

Although I'm a huuuge fan of handbags up until now there's one trend I've never quite found myself a fan of and that is clutch bags. I think my primary reason for that was they're just so darn annoying to hold. But I think I can get over that small nuisance because there are some pretty hot spring/summer clutches out. One of my favorites, which I will be purchasing later today (beleedat!), is Lela Rose's Beatriz Clutch. I'm absolutely in love with the pattern and colors and the price is a win. It seems like you can wear it with pretty much anything.


I actually have the electric blue Abi Ferrin clutch pictured below and I feel like such a fashion rihtard for not wearing it more than twice (I've had it for about three years). I will definitely be rocking it a lot more now though :-)

Aleon Craft Listening Session...Tonight

Looking for something to do tonight? Like good music? Like free food and drinks? Do you enjoy being in a tattoo shop without coping with the pain of actually getting a tattoo?

Well...BAM! Aleon Craft listening session. Tonight. City Of Ink. Details below...Shout out to Tom for the heads up!

J Dilla News + L-Marr The Star Dilla Dedication

Hip Hop heads received what may arguably be the best news of the year when it was revealed by Ma Dukes herself that an album featuring new material from J Dilla would be released later this year. Titled The Rebirth Of Detroit the album won't be released until the fall of this year so you've still got a bit of a wait, but it's sure to be quite the epic project. Click here for more info on The Rebirth Of Detroit (via HipHopDX).

Also, check out this J Dilla dedication by Atlanta by way of Ohio rapper L-Marr The Star and LIFTO. In the video L-Marr speaks on both J Dilla and gentrification and drops a few bars towards the end.

Aleon Craft Releases Short But Sweet "Look Twice" Video

A cloaked Aleon Craft against a dark, dismal background pretty much sums up the music video for his track "Look Twice" which lasts just a little longer than a minute. But in a world where Hip Hop videos have become more so about showing out than the actual music this video works for me. In the "Look Twice" video there's nothing to deter you from paying attention to what matters the most and that is lyrics.

SyFy Channel Looking For Campus Ghost Stories

If I was still at Florida State I would definitely be all for this. While I was at FSU I remember hearing about a dorm (Cawthon Hall) that was haunted by the ghost of some girl who got hit by lightning while on the roof during a freak storm. I think I may have even mentioned it in a story I wrote for their newspaper. But if you are a college student or even alumni and know of any places on your campus that are haunted then the SyFy channel is looking for you. Here's more info:

"Jarrett Creative Group and the Syfy cable TV network are seeking high school and college students (or alumni) who have come in contact with paranormal activity on their campus!

If you have had a first hand experience with ghosts, hauntings or other unexplained phenomena at your school we want to hear it and your story might make it on television!

**Students, Alumni, Parents, or Faculty are welcome to share their stories.

We are looking for stories from schools ALL OVER THE COUNTRY!
If you or someone you know has a story to tell, and you are at least 16 years old, please email us at: RealityCasting@GothamCasting.com

Write "School Spirit" in the subject line and include the following:
NAME:
AGE (must be at least 16 years old):
PHONE:
RECENT PHOTO:
SCHOOL NAME:
SCHOOL CITY AND STATE:
DETAILED EXPERIENCE OF YOUR HAUNTING (Be as specific and detailed as possible):
NAMES AND AGES OF ANYONE THAT EXPERIENCED THIS WITH YOU"

"Base For Your Face" Second by Second Play By Play

Note To Readers: I'm actually typing all of this as I'm listening to this song for the first time. Amazing, right? *clicks play*

0:03 - Definitely, definitely can't be mad at a Public Enemy sample.

0:15 - Off the bat I really feel like I'm gonna like this song even though I really want to hate it. Not necessarily hate it, but with Lil B's lyrical mediocrity I find it hard to like anything this dude's apart of. But anywho...

0:32 - Jean Grae: "Thank you based God." Wow, lol.

1:18 - Lil B's verse wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I know that's super vague but hey that's life. It was cool. It made sense. I just feel like with the stuff he's released so far it kinda takes you by surprise when you hear Lil B rapping about some legit stuff. So I guess I'm still digesting it all. Hopefully there's a second verse to weigh in on.

1:42 - I always get crazy excited when I hear a female rapper actually RAPPING. I know Jean Grae isn't the only genuine female rapper out but it's like digging for gold when it comes to real female rappers.

2:30 - Verse #Winning.

3:03 - Sometimes when I hear Lil B rapping I actually see Mike Tyson rapping. Not really sure where that comes from.

3:13 - Still wasn't terribly impressed by Lil B but it is pretty much better than everything else I've heard from him.

3:26 - "We gonna make 'em mad on this one nigga." In Charlie Sheen voice: Duhhhhh.

3:43 - Okay, we all know Phonte can rap so I'm gonna go ahead and wrap this play by play up so I can enjoy the rest of the song and this amazing 9th Wonder beat without typing furiously.

Click here to listen to "Base For Your Face."

Perfect Attendance Announce Pimpin' SXSW Lineup

So if you follow me on Twitter you'll have to pardon my extremely sarcastic "I'm not going to SXSW and if you are you suck" Tweets and other randomness...



But I'm not a complete jerk so if I hear about a few pimpin' SXSW showcases I'll definitely spread the word. Take for instance the Perfect Attendance show, they've just revealed their lineup and it looks pretty pimpin'. (Please excuse my excessive use of the word "pimpin" today. Apparently I think I'm Snoop Dogg.) Here are just a handful of the acts you can expect to see at the SXSW Perfect Attendance showcase: Big K.R.I.T., Blu, Cyhi Da Prynce, Freddie Gibbs, Tanya Morgan, Laws, and Aleon Craft.

Check out the flyer below for more info on the showcase. And yea, if you're going to SXSW I still hate you! Kidding...or am I? Hmm...

Question For The Nail Polish Fiends...

Have any of you tried the new Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips? I saw them in an ad in Essence mag then I saw them at Walgreens about a week ago. I would have bought them, but they were about $10 and I was a little skeptical about how well they might work. I'm a fan of nail art, but thanks to an annoyingly unsteady hand it's hard for me to do it on my own nails so the Nail Polish Strips seem like a nice alternative. I think I'll give 'em a go just for the heck of it and I will definitely be reviewing them on here no matter what the results are. But let's just hope my 10 bucks are worth it.

Rittz's "White Jesus" Vid

Georgia rapper Rittz (yea, the guy with the hair) has released the video for his track "White Jesus" and it definitely wasn't what I was expecting...not at all, but that's a good thing! The video, which was directed by YelaWolf, features a creepy Asian chic who cries ink and even some audio from pastor Joel Osteen (at least I think that's him). Either way it's an interesting combination of stuff you wouldn't expect. Also, be sure to check out the White Jesus mixtape which is available for download on DJBooth.

Rittz - White Jesus from Matt Swinsky on Vimeo.

Waka Flocka's PETA Pic...Awwwkward

Earlier this week PETA released a picture from their "Ink Not Mink" campaign with Waka Flocka and ummm it's definitely not what I expected. I was expecting something a little more "polished" I guess. And I definitely didn't expect his bling to be covering his thing. Ha! Well, see for yourself ladies and gents.