SASHA-FRERE JONES ON THE NEPTUNES/TIMBALAND AND OTHER MEDIA SPINS

2004 already has what will promise to be one of the best pieces written on pop music this year. Sasha Frere-Jones pens a stunning feature about Timbaland, the Neptunes and the future now sound of pop. Seriously - this piece is incredible. Here's my two favorite lines:

"Digital technology also enables you to turn what you're hearing in your head into great recordings without waiting for humans, or history, to catch up with you."

"Pop opens many doors and this is one: a great record can knock any paradigm out of shape, if only for three minutes."

Read. Absorb. Enjoy.

new-J-Smooth offers up his Grammy predictions. He's seeing Missy, Beyonce and Outkast taking top honors.

new-More reasons why Margaret Cho kicks serious ass: Some dumb ass Republican organization (yeah, I know, redundant) is planning on picketing her upcoming Houston performance. In reply, Margaret posted this blog entry, an "open letter" if you will, and she includes the following warning:

"Protesters, please be warned. Fans of my work are not the nicest people in the world...Queens do not play. They will fucking kill you. Lesbians know how to throw a punch that will leave a very large bruise, and aren't opposed to kicking protesting men right in the balls. The underrepresented, unvoiced, ignored part of our population, the great many that make up the Cho Army are something you are unaware of, and pretty much the gang not to fuck with. We are the baddest motherfuckers on the block. I don't want to see you protesters get injured, emotionally or physically. I don't want to see a drag queen make you cry. Which will happen, if you actually do show up with picket signs and all your protester accessories."

This actually makes me want to roll through to Houston just to see a fight break out and let's face it - most Republicans aren't good in a scrappy street brawl, preferring instead to sit behind a desk and send in soldiers to do their fighting under the false premise of "weapons of mass destruction." Which, if you think about it, is even more gangster than the Cho Army.

Yo - there's a De La Soul FAQ? While it mysteriously is missing all its discographic info (wack), it does tell you what "Dan Stuckie" means (cool). (spotted at Catchdubs.com)

According to my man Jazzbo, the hottest new must-have albums in the hip-hop world is not The Grey Album but John Mayer's CDs. Clearly, this is a sign of the forthcoming Apocalypse.

I spotted this Chuck D quote over at Sam's Blog:

"As of this year DEAD PREZ, THE COUP, COMMON , TALIB, THE ROOTS, or artists like them or wanting to be like them have to be more confrontational within the House Of Rap and Hip Hop to maintain the voice of sense. It's a damn shame that in 2003 the DIXIE CHICKS made 98% of the rappers look like soft, clueless, happy ass slaves ."

Damn, Chuck putting it down. Hope someone's listening.

If someone's going to name their blog 10 Reasons Why Hip-Hop Is Dead, they got my attention. (spotted at Different Kitchen)

This album has been bootlegged more times than Grateful Dead concert tapes but the Pete Rock-produced INI album still sounds goooooood after all these years (probably close to 10?). Classic, classic Soul Brother #1 production and Rob O and especially Grap Luva handle the song-writing with skill. How the hell did this not get released again?

INI rocks the spot/it's like that 'cause they keeping it hot.