Name: Adam Bernard Home: Fairfield, Connecticut, United States About Me: Entertainment journalist w/ over a decade of experience. Lover of good music, fringe movies, day baseball & chicken shawarma. Nerdy, but awesome. See my complete profile
This week I have another smooth song for everyone. It’s a classic boy sees girl, boy raps about girl, tale with PremRock and Open Mike Eagle both imagining they’re spitting game to the same jogger they see in the park. This is a nice change of pace for PremRock, who usually uses his deep vocals in a more in your face way, creating head nod music you may snap your neck to (in a good way). As it turns out, I like both versions of Prem. All that being said, I have one little beef with this song... what’s wrong with reading bloggers, Prem!?!?!
For more on PremRock and Willie Green check out the following:
When you look at Cris Cab you might assume he’s the newest cast member of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, or an “after” picture in a Proactiv commercial. He’s young, fresh faced, and is squeal inducing if you’re a teen or tween girl. If you based an initial analysis of Cab on his looks alone you’d think “pop singer.” Scanning the crowd at SOBs on Tuesday night and seeing the groups of teen girls at the show, and the unusually low 16+ age limit, would have only reiterated that notion. When Cab starts to sing, however, the sound that comes from Wyclef’s latest protege is roots reggae with a curiously authentic feel to it. The best way I can describe Chris Cab is that he’s a teenaged version of UB40, but with a bit more of an edge (even if he’s too young to drink any “Red Red Wine”).
The show on Tuesday was a release party for Cab’s latest mixtape, Echo Boom, and Cab performed a combination of music from the album, like “Rihanna’s Gun” and “Gypsies on the Boulevard,” and songs off of his previous efforts, including “Good Girls.” Cab also performed quite a few covers including the only version of Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” that I’ve ever liked, as well as a solid version of Sublime’s “What I Got,” and great version of The Police’s “Driven To Tears,” which he used as his encore. Wyclef joined Cab on stage for a version of “No Woman No Cry,” and stayed for a few songs before letting his young protege finish out the show on his own. In doing this, Clef provided a blueprint for how a veteran artist can help his young artist without stealing the show. He always made sure it was about Cab.
For the young girls in the crowd, it was all about Cab from the moment he stepped on stage, and his audience is only going to grow. In a classic case of not judging a book by its cover, Chris Cab is one heck of a reggae singer. I only hope he continues along that path and minimizes the number of teen pop songs he does. It’s no surprise that he has a few, and to his credit, although they’re decidedly teen pop recordings, he performs them as reggae tunes live, and seeing the way the teen girls ate it up at SOBs on Tuesday night may mean the pop scene could soon enjoy an infusion of music created using something other than a drum machine.
Pot dealers of the world take note, there’s a whole generation of white girls that are about to work their hair into dreadlocks and start rolling joints. Chris Cab is setting the vibe, and he’s doing so with a boyish smile that will make your mother love him all the while.
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from Rihanna’s unfortunate new tattoos, to Justin Bieber’s ability to get people to part with small organs, to Nickelback removing smiles from the faces of internet trolls, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
* Rihanna (pictured above looking like the mentally challenged love child of Sideshow Bob and Sho’nuff) decided to make it very clear that she isn’t girlfriend material by tattooing “Thug Life” across her knuckles. The good news for Rihanna is that now she’ll be able to have a post-singing career reality show when she’s flat broke and forced to take in the Drake forehead girl as a roommate.
* Has listening to Justin Bieber ever made you want to rip out your spleen? Well, guess what? You are not alone! After Bieber heard from a young girl on Twitter who needs a lung transplant he tweeted out that people should become organ donors. Soon thereafter the Ontario-based Trillium Gift of Life Network saw donations rise to 1,200 people, which is more than four times the amount they normally receive. Bieber himself will be donating his balls... as soon as they finally drop.
* Demi Moore was hospitalized this past week for what was originally deemed exhaustion, but turned out to be a reaction to doing a few too many whippets. Far be it from me to judge anybody for wanting a nice blast of nitrous oxide from their can of Reddi-wip, but let’s be honest here, finding out Demi Moore does whippets kinda explains the whole marrying Ashton Kutcher thing.
* Because music competition reality shows pretty much rule the world, Simon Cowell, along with Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, will be producing a talent competition to “find the world’s best DJ.” With Will Smith involved DJ Jazzy Jeff better be one of the judges. Throw in Pauly D and, even if they have crap DJs in the competition, it will be DVR worthy for the banter alone. You know what, the more I think about this the more I want to throw my hat in the ring to be a judge. C’mon Simon and Will, give me a shot!
* Tweet of the Week:@Chazraps Hey @Arbys! Longtime fan, even shot my album’s cover art at an Arby’s. Quick question: which Arby’s menu item should I buy Edie Brickell?
* Nickelback broke the internet’s version of the fourth wall on Twitter last week, lashing back at people who were making negative comments about them. The quips weren’t excessively mean, just retorts to the internet trolls who chose to insult the “Rock Star” band thinking Chad Kroeger and the boys would never reply back. Most would say no good can come from this. Of course, plenty more would say no good can come from Nickelback. And yes, I made that joke strictly to see if they’ll leave a reply in the comments section.
* In totally awesome and stupendous news, Ben Folds Five is back in the studio working on their long awaited fourth album. The band is looking at a spring release for what will be the follow up to 1999’s The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. That’s pretty much all anyone knows right now, but as long as we get more of this I’ll be a happy camper.
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
After the birth of Blue Ivy Carter there was a poem that made its way around the internet, purportedly to have been written by Blue Ivy’s father, Jay-Z, that implied Jay would stop using the word “bitch” in his music now the he’s the father of a little girl. This led to a lot of applause, and some criticisms noting this is something he should have done a lot sooner. People pointed out he had a mother, and a wife (Beyonce), before having a daughter, and having those two people in his life should have been enough of an influence for him to stop using the word. As a whole, however, people were supportive. There was just one problem - Jay didn’t write the poem, and within the week he announced he was, in fact, not planning on dropping the word “bitch” from his vocabulary, or his work.
Make no mistake this isn’t just a Jay-Z issue, it’s a widespread problem in hip-hop, Jay-Z just happens to have brought it to the forefront.
A writer writing about another writer? I know, in the tradition of the me-first and me-ONLY world of internet journalism, where the days of blog-rings are long gone in a suddenly “every man for himself” craft, it seems a bit odd. With that in mind, however, it makes perfect sense to feature Ran-Da-Man, who has attempted to buck that trend from day one with his site, DefinitelyAmazing.com, where he features anyone, and anything, he considers amazing, even if it means driving traffic to a website other than his.
Full disclosure - Ran featured me a handful of months ago.
This week I caught up with this seeker of all things positive and inspirational to find out more about what makes someone, or something, “amazing,” as well as what inspired him to start his site, and what he’s doing outside of writing that he hopes will make a difference. You didn’t think a guy who created a site called DefinitelyAmazing wouldn’t also be doing some amazing stuff himself, did you?
Adam Bernard: Why don’t you start everyone off by telling us a little bit about who you are, where you’re from, and what you do when you’re not manning DefinitelyAmazing.com? Ran-DA-Man: I'm just Ran from Brooklyn, New York. I'm a BK boy with a southern upbringing and a zest for entertaining people. I got my name Ran-DefinitelyAmazing-Man when I was a radio personality for WWLU 88.7FM, Lincoln University. One day a good friend and mentor named Malcom Murray told me “what you do is definitely amazing man,” and the rest was history. When I'm not being Ran-DA-Man I'm writing a screenplay, an exotic poetry book, and a guide on how to treat a good woman. So I guess I'm a writer {laughs}.
Adam Bernard: What inspired you to start DefinitelyAmazing.com? Ran-DA-Man: Interestingly enough I was inspired twice. My first inspiration came from the success of my good friend Tionna Smalls (who is an author, media personality, relationship advisor, youth advocate, and starred on the VH1 show What Chilli Wants). Her drive inspired me and I wanted to create a place where people like her could be seen and heard. My second inspiration came from going to an event at the old YUME Store. I was introduced to so many intriguing individuals with clothing lines, and who were creating art, and doing music, it made me say “wow these people are amazing!” One week later DefinitelyAmazing was officially here.
Adam Bernard: How do you define “amazing?” Ran-DA-Man: Amazing is something that sparks a mental and emotional reaction of “wow.”
Adam Bernard: Is the amazing something you seek out, or something you just happen to come across on a daily basis? Ran-DA-Man: I would have to say it goes both ways. I always keep my eye out for amazing places, individuals, things, and styles. I also have a hunger for the amazing, so I do research and keep my ears and eyes in tune for new stuff to post.
Adam Bernard: Out of all the features you’ve run, what have been some of the most inspiring stories you’ve come across? Ran-DA-Man: My interview with Alex Ellis (part I, part II) is inspirational and his organization, Tied to Greatness, is the type of organization we need in this world. I also really enjoyed Shanelle Gabriel's interview (part I, part II). It was wonderful getting to know the person behind her beautiful words.
Adam Bernard: Do you feel there’s a void when it comes to people celebrating things that are positive? Ran-DA-Man: I truly think that talking about the positive, or giving others a chance in the spotlight, is something people in entertainment shun. I believe it has a lot to do with selfishness and negativity bringing ratings, or numbers, as they say.
Adam Bernard: The internet is notorious for celebrating the salacious. As you noted, negativity generates hits, which generates advertising. What do you think can be gained by flipping the script and celebrating the amazing? Ran-DA-Man: The people, places, and things I highlight on my site give people a chance to see growth coming out of their own neighborhoods. DefinitelyAmazing is a place where you can find fresh new artists, models, clothing lines, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and more. Each of the people I showcase are young and motivated to bring their dreams into fruition. The benefit of showing this is that it inspires other to do the same, or even more.
Adam Bernard: Are you solely looking for others who you feel inspire, or are you doing things you hope inspire others, as well? Ran-DA-Man: As far as what I do to inspire, I am working with some young individuals who I named Destined for Greatness who I mentor and help foster their different interests. I'm actually looking for new young individuals who want to learn about the entertainment blogging industry, or the anything we cover on our site. They can always contact me and I will always do what I can to help out.
Adam Bernard: You relaunched DefinitelyAmazing last year after taking a break. What was the reason for the break? Was there a shortage of amazingness, or did you have another reason? Ran-DA-Man: There definitely wasn't a shortage of amazingness. In fact, I wasn't going to take a break, but I was forced into one. For the longest I was dealing with an undiagnosed chest condition which would cause me extreme pain. It made it hard for me to cover events, and even harder for me to post my work and go to my 9 to 5. So I had to take a hiatus from all my projects to figure out what was wrong with me. I'm actually feeling better and I'm working on preparing a new team of writers to help me consistently bring the fans “Amazing Personified” people, places, and things.
Adam Bernard: Finally, other than preparing your new team of writers, what do you have on tap for 2012? Ran-DA-Man: I will be introducing new segments, and working on new t-shirts for the site. I am also preparing the release of a new mixtape featuring new artists and also new music from yours truly. I intend to stay focused and continue to bring people one step closer to “The Amazing Personified.”
Bop Alloy is the killer combination of Substantial and Marcus D, and with “Chillaxation” they’ve created the perfect laid back, breezy day, tune. Now, if you live in the northeast, like I do, you’re pretty far removed from the kind of summery vibe “Chillaxation” embodies, but in my mind that’s all the more reason to spin it. Who wants to embrace freezing temps and predicted snowfall? You’ll catch me in board shorts getting my “Chillaxation” on.
B-Listers are a select group of artists that were featured in my Artist Of The Week series that ran every Monday from April of '06 to April of '11. All of these artists have two things in common; extreme talent, and a flight path far too under the radar for my liking. They took on the title of B-Listers as they embraced being featured by me, Adam B. Check out the AOTW Archives for all the interviews.
