Hello and welcome back to another Tuesdays With Lazerbeak. We’ve been hard at work wrapping up the new Paper Tiger full length this week, and I gotta say that record is sounding phenomenal. Really excited for people to hear it. Also, I’m gonna be taking off for Chicago again at the end of the week to shoot the first of many videos for my album in a super crazy enormous green screen studio. Man I am pumped (and slightly terrified), more details on that next week. For now I’ve decided to unleash a collection of three things that I’m into at this moment in time, each accompanied by passionate off-the-top-of-the-dome style analysis provided by yours truly.
GAYNGS – “Relayted”
A bunch of our dear friends were involved in making this incredible record that will officially be released next month. Ryan Olson (ultimate homie/insane genius) masterminded this project and P.O.S, Dessa, Bon Iver, Solid Gold, and many others all make contributions throughout. As of today (4/20) you can preorder the album HERE and instantly receive a digital copy of it to tide you over. What a deal! So far this is easily my number one pick for album of the year. Nothing even comes close. Wait til you hear Stef’s uncanny Michael McDonald-esque vocal cameo too. Mind blowing stuff. Click HERE to check out the awesomely titled first single, “The Gaudy Side Of Town.”
No Crossover: The Trial Of Allen Iverson
Another documentary from ESPN’s flawless 30 For 30 series. This one was made by Steve James (dude who did Hoop Dreams). James goes back to his hometown of Hampton, VA (where Iverson grew up as well), to retell the story of what happened after Iverson was involved in a racial bowling alley brawl at the peak of his high school stardom, and how the following trial divided the community largely down racial lines. Even if you hate basketball, you should watch this movie. It aired last week on ESPN, but I’m sure they’ll be replaying it a bunch. Otherwise I’m pretty sure you can buy any of the 30 For 30 documentaries on iTunes as well. Incredibly interesting stuff and well worth an hour and a half of your time. Here’s a preview clip of the film.
Joakim Noah
I’ve been following this guy since he played for that awesome Gators team that won back to back titles a few years back. Not only is he a pretty good basketball player, but he is absolutely hilarious and highly entertaining to watch play. Now he’s with the Bulls and has the extreme misfortune of going up against LeBron in the first round of the playoffs. Dude has a lot of heart though, and had a mammoth game last night even though they still got beat. He recently did an interview with a Cleveland reporter and stated that the city of Cleveland just plain sucks. Ha! No disrespect to Cleveland, but that’s pretty hilarious. Below is a clip of him dancing his ass off for about 30 seconds on national TV after the Gators beat Ohio State. Love this guy.
There you have it, another list down. As I’m typing this I just found out that Guru from Gang Starr has passed away. Damn. I’d be lying if I said he was ever one of my favorite emcees, but you cannot deny the tremendous impact Gang Starr has had on hip hop, from both a production and lyrical standpoint. Dude will be sorely missed. Below is the Bonus Jam of the week, one of my favorite Gang Starr joints. R.I.P. Guru.
— Beak