Shady Stick-Up

Been meaning to put this up for a while... This is the most recent sticker pack from the evil designers at Shady Ltd. Share amongst yourselves!

Record Label- The Game

Check out this link for a funny satire on the company that brought you Rock Band's new video game, Record Label.

The Knux- Sucker Free Blog

Check out Part 1 of The Knux interview with Mtv's Suckerfree Blog.

Cedar Fest '08 Video

I found this pretty well-edited video (complete with soundtrack) of the party and subsequent police force from Cedar Fest at Michigan State University. It starts off slow but gets pretty good. My two favorite parts are the kid making faces and rabbit ears behind the riot police and the short girl who decides to try to take a street sign into her apartment. Looks like there was plenty of tear gas to go around,,,

Cedar Fest Returns!

I graduated from Michigan State University in '93, and I can attest to the fact that State is indeed a party school. MSU has a longstanding tradition of idiotic student behavior that has resulted in drunken foolishness such as starting fires and flipping cars over. Michigan State hes the distinction of being the largest and hardest partying University in Michigan (Wolverines all know this). The main location of this ignorance is an apartment complex called Cedar Village, which is located on the east side of the campus.
Tradition is strong at State, and one of those traditions is a notorious spring term party the first weekend in April called "Cedar Fest". Banned from the University in 1986 following a particularly rowdy soiree, Cedar Fest made its return last Saturday night- 22 years later. I lived in Cedar Village my sophomore year, and while we didn't have a Cedar Fest per se, that was one dedicated party complex. You gotta respect the fact that the kids value tradition... Check this article out detailing the police force asserted (tear gas and flash grenades) and the 52 arrests made by local, campus and state police forces.

Tap That

The geniuses at Krups (they usually make high-end coffee makers, etc.) have come up with a brilliant new product- the Krups Beer Tender. This wonderment is designed exclusively for use with the Heineken mini-kegs and uses a carbonating system to make sure that the beer stays fresh for 30 days. Anyone that knows me knows that I love Heineken (yes I visited the museum in Amsterdam). It wouldn't take me 30 days to drink one of those mini-kegs...

Yo! Mtv Raps 20th Anniversary

Shade45's own DJ Cipha Sounds was lucky enough to have the honor of hosting Yo! Mtv Raps' 20th Anniversary special. Guests included Wyclef Jean, Flava Flav and Rev. Al Sharpton (?). They built a very cool site out for the celebration of this classic program you can check out here. Visit it and remember and prove you are nearing middle-agedom like you are bringin' '88 back.

Akon Calls T-Pain

This is very stupid and very silly and funny.

Feathered

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On Saturday, March 22, 2008, there was a giant, organized pillow fight in Union Square, New York City. As my wife and I approached Ave. of the Americas on 14th St. coming from the westside, we noticed a substance floating in the air. People were also covered with that same substance, walking away from the park. It turns out there were feathers floating everywhere, and feathers covered people's clothes and hair. We had no idea this was going on, and luckily I had my camera with me like I usually do on the weekends. The clean-up efforts were masssive, as you can see. I don't know why the portly super hero was there...

More on Delis

My man Jon Cohen forwarded me this link in response to my Rascal House post. Lot's more on the Rascal House and various Jewish delis around the world.

End of an Era- The Rascal House

I can think of few things more identifiable with Jewish-American culture than the Jewish delicatessen. These public purveyors of gourmet Jewish (sometimes kosher, sometimes not so much) cuisine are a staple in the Jewish experience. Ever since I can remember, there were kosher dill pickles, corned-beef, rye bread, deli mustard, kosher salamis, bagels, white fish, lox, etc. around our house.
When the occasion called for a trip to the delicatessen for a family meal, there was always a very short list of favorites where I grew up in suburban Detroit. However, when our family made the annual trek from Detroit to Miami every year for our school's spring break vacation (usually by car- don't ask) there was only one answer- Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House.
In it's heyday, The Rascal House was THE place in Greater Miami for fine Jewish deli food. Their menu was super-extensive, everything from home-style brisket to the typical deli-combo sandwiches to soups to potato latkes to broiled fish. In the "snow bird" months (December through April) the place was so crowded that the lines literally wrapped around the block, hence the metal barricades and clear party-size organizational signs.
This was usually a full-blown family experience, often complete with impatient Jewish grandparents bossing around the uniformed wait-staff that had appeared to have worked there their whole lives. They were totally used to it, and part of the show.
I know that its just a restaurant, but this place is special to me (and many people like me that I have talked to about the House) for a few reasons besides just the food and character. First, to a Jewish person- or a person who grew up in or around a Jewish family- a Jewish deli, anywhere in the world, feels like home (whether its Katz's in NY, Canter's in LA or Steve's Deli in MI). I don't know exactly what it is, but something about being in a Jewish deli feels comfortable, instantly familiar, and safe. As soon as that pickle-and-mustard-and-corned beef smell hits your nostrils when you walk in, you feel like you are instantly at home (and if you don't know this unique smell by memory then you have never been to a real Jewish deli). I don't mean to make anyone feel excluded here who's not Jewish- on the contrary I have plenty of non-Jewish friends that enjoy pastrami and Jewish delis as much as or more than myself- but there is a certain intangible, almost spiritual connection for a Jewish person in a Jewish deli. Second, of course, this place held a lot of family memories for me in my childhood. Third, the Rascal House is an absolute time capsule in every way- it must have looked almost identical from the day it was opened in 1954 to the day it closed (today) 54 years later. It's a shame such a gem won't be preserved.
I was fortunate enough to be in Miami this weekend for some Winter Music Conference stuff, and this week I just happened to take a look on-line to see if there was any news about the Rascal House's rumored closing. Of course, as fate had it, I had a few days left to enjoy one last trip, take some photos, and say goodbye. (One trip with my partner LV turned into a second with our client DJ AM, because when he heard that LV and I went on Friday, AM demanded a chance to say goodbye on Saturday to the wonderful deli and relive some memories as well). I've always fantasized about owning one of the (pictured below, right) hand-crafted Rascal logo statues that once sat in the booth dividers between the counter area and the second dining room. So, I asked some folks that worked there whether they are selling some of the other random pieces of this sacred deli. It turns out that the Rascal statues were moved to Jerry's Famous Deli on Collins in South Beach a couple of years ago (Jerry's bought the Wolfie Cohen restaurants some time in the '90s), but for anyone that wants to buy one, they will gladly sell you one for $10,000. Also, tomorrow at 1 P.M. the doors of the restaurant will open to the public for a cash-only sale of various items therein, pre-priced at the owners' discretion of course. The glass wall panels with the Rascal logo on them (like the one above my head in the photo above) are going for $2,500. Fortunately, I had the foresight to lift a menu from there a few years back (with the aid of the ever-reliable Labelle). I'll scan it in and post it one day before it gets framed.
I'm super-glad that I got one last chance (well, two actually) to visit the House. But you could definitely feel a sense of sadness and despair in the establishment amongst the workers and patrons. The waitstaff wore forced smiles and the patrons were all snapping pictures like myself and walking around the room in a stunned disbelief remarking to each other "so sad" and "well, what are you gonna do?"

What, then, will become of this fantastic shell of a bygone era? They are going to build a 15-story mixed use office and retail center that will include an Epicure market, whatever that is. Whoop-dee-doo. So, if you ever happen to drive by on a balmy March day in Sunny Isles, Florida around Collins Blvd. and 172nd St., listen closely for the voice of the late, great Grandpa Marvin Rosenberg ordering the broiled white fish and french fries- and if they ain't hot, he's sendin' em back.

The Knux "Cappuccino" (Remix)

Check out a flick of The Knux at SXSW in Austin at the Beauty Bar showcase with huge music fan, TV chef and party host Rachel Ray.

Now check out The Knux self-produced remix of their buzzing single "Cappuccino". Doesn't it remind you of a '93 Diamond D. remix? I love it.

I Will Gladly Pay You Tuesday...

Below, I posted about the incredible burger at Peter Luger's in Brooklyn. As long as I've been going there the only bad part has been that it's a cash only business. So I had to hit the ATM pretty hard in order to cover the cost of steak perfection... Until NOW! I don't know what took me so long, but I finally got a Peter Luger's credit card. Just what I needed, now I can go eat more whenever I want without regards to cash-on-hand! It's like a gold card for fat guys... Yes, this is real. The place really has it's own credit cards.

Mayor's Bad Day

I'm sure everyone is up-to-date on this now, but this isn't a very good day for The Hip-Hop Mayor nor the City of Detroit.

The Head Wrestler

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

I can't even write anything that really needs to be said. Just watch it.

iTunes Subscriptions?

I don't have any specific inside information on this unfortunately, but this story has some interesting information about the digital future of the music industry.
As I posted below, I am a firm believer in the subscription based model as the plausible solution for the music industry. While an iTunes based hard-drive iPod model, in my opinion, is not the final frontier, it's a big step in the right direction. Hopefully, Doug and Steve can see eye to eye on this one and make a deal.

Chocolate Surprise

I saw this disgusting idea of a candy bar at a CVS in Texas during SXSW. I'm sure you all know what Pop Rocks are... the fruity novelty candy launched in the 70's that pops in your mouth when the chemical composition of the crystals hits the H20 in your saliva. Zotz! Pops had a similar trick, but that inner substance fizzed, not popped. Anyway there was an urban myth about the kid Mikey from the Life cereal commercials ("Mikey likes it!) that says he died when he exploded from mixing Pop Rocks with Coke. It wasn't true, of course, as myself and every other silly kid actually tried the supposedly lethal combination and we all lived to grow out of our Members Only jackets. So, now its 2008, and Pop Rocks are still around. But they put them inside a chocolate bar. Fruity, popping candy mixed in with chocolate. Why? That sounds awful and gross and no I didn't buy one.

The Knux "Cappuccino" Video

I'm a little behind on posting this (50,000 views already) but we've been down at SXSW in Austin with The Knux killing the shows (all 4 of them). Check out the long awaited new video... Post on Austin trip coming soon with pics!

The Whooliganz "Put Your Handz Up"

Check out the Young Alchemist, formerly known as Mudd Foot, in his better years!

Stuck On Repeat

My new Air Max '95s from my latest NikeID binge started arriving today. Like you care... But I'm pretty excited. Opening up the design capabilities like they did on this shoe along with the new color options really changes the game. For me...

Holy Sh*t!

From the tales of the most bizarre, I found this story published in the Detroit Free Press... 2 years? Seriously? Aside from all the other obvious problems with that, how just plain boring would that be? I can't imagine she had a television on the throne or even good magazines. Like, what do you do for that long unless you are comatose or catatonic? So weird...

A Sign?

So, last night was Tracy McNew from Shady's birthday celebration (and you too Chris the Bull Operator). I may have had more adult beverages than necessary, and I walked outside my door with a hurt head to this...

Keep the Devil Down in the Hole

Season 5's finale of the best scripted drama to ever appear on television (yep, I said it) aired last night. This article from the Detroit Free Press is a pretty accurate description of the way that I feel about the show.
The only series that I've liked nearly as much on television (network and cable included) in the past 5 years (or more) was The Sopranos, of course. The finale of The Wire and the entire 5th season really proves what a difference it makes between having various writers work on a show over the course of several seasons versus the same writers on the show from day one through the end of the series. David Simon and crew (Simon wrote or co-wrote all 60 episodes, with partner Ed Burns co-writing 42 of those) deserve all the kudos imaginable for their portrayal of Baltimore's politics, media, dope dealers and police. What more satisfying an ending could one have hoped for in the last two episodes? I say the last 2 because that's how much it required to wrap everything up, and it was more like a two-part finale with a climax and following resolution. I've heard people complain about this or that regarding last nights finale, but face it: the only bad thing about the series is that it's over.

Rap Songs for White People

My good friend Mike Saputo sent me this link to a very funny analysis of white people's Top 10 favorite rap songs.
I can really relate to this... not because I'm white, but because as an avid hip-hop fan since I was 11 or 12 years old (I'll date myself- that's 1982 or 1983 if you are counting), I've seen and paid attention to the whole gamut of white folks' reaction to it. It had (note had, because this is hardly as relevant these days) always amused me which rap songs the general, non-fan-of-the-whole-genre, public picked as their favorites. Especially back in high school, when I bought or got a dub of every (literally- every) rap album that was released, and people would say "oh, yeah, that's Paul, he likes rap music (insert the sound of some dumb-ass making a awful beat-boxing sound". Yes, yes I do like RAP MUSIC.

The list seems pretty good to me. I would add (for the older folks) Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 "The Message" to the list of honorable mentions, as well as J.J. Fad's "Supersonic", Cypress Hill "Insane in the Brain", Luke "Doo-Doo Brown", and Hammer "Can't Touch This". I'll probably think of more later and update as well.
UPDATE: My additions for today are Run D.M.C. "It's Tricky"/"Walk This Way", Baha Men "Who Let the Dogs Out" and Eminem's "Lose Yourself".
DISCLAIMER: I don't support or subscribe to the stuff in the rest of the linked blog, I haven't even read the whole thing.

Bizzy Bone on Shade45

Last week, Bizzy Bone appeared on Sirius Satellite Radio's Shade45 on the All-Out Show. It's no secret thst Bizzy is a very eccentric man, and Rude Jude wanted to discuss specifics. Check out the entertaining clips below. (2 segments are in the same box).
"If you're sleepy, I give you my bed to sleep in."

Kosher Boy (Crank Dat)

The unemployment rate in this country is high. When people are unemployed, they have too much time on their hands. When people have too much time on their hands, sometimes they make things like this.

I'm not saying it doesn't have funny moments. But this is absolutely preposterous. In so many ways.

Peter Luger's Burger

Peter Luger's is the oldest steakhouse in New York City, first opening it's Brooklyn outpost in 1887. The steak at Luger's is simply unmatched at any place I've ever been in NYC. The place is an experience itself- old school waiters, no-nonsense appearance, simple menu ("we'll take the steak for 3, please!") and wooden tables and chairs. Not even table cloths. This spot is the goods.
I've been to Luger's for dinner many, many times. I'd always heard that their mythical burger is the best in the city as well, but I hadn't ever made the time to take the trip over the bridge during the week for lunch until a week ago last Friday. Let me tell you, it doesn't disappoint. Picture the best steak meat you've ever had ground into fine prime sirloin and cooked to perfection. I know I'm making you hungry... it's a must-do scenario. Don't bother with the ketchup- just a little spot of their incredible steak sauce is all you'll need.

KRS-One Over Violins

KRS is one of my favorite MC's of all-time. This bit from the Smirnoff show (see directly below) proves he still has what makes him one of the greatest ever. So clever and creative, fresh for '08! Thanks to Rob Stone and Cornerstone for this Rosenblog exclusive.

Smirnoff Signature Mix Series Show

Tuesday night in NY, the good peoples at Cornerstone put together the Smirnoff Signature Mix Series show at Element. The performers were Q-Tip, Common and KRS-One. The concept was that each artist would perform their "Signature Mix" of one of their classic songs. Q-Tip's was a remix of "Midnight" by Cool and Dre, Common's was a remix of "The Light" by Just Blaze, and KRS-One's is "Criminal Minded '08" by DJ Premier. I don't personally think any of those songs need remixing, but it was a fun party and the new collaborations are more like new songs anyway, because the beats and rhymes are totally different from the originals.
Check out the video of the performances below... the new songs can be downloaded here.

Equally as important, I got to meet and take some pictures with a couple of my old school heroes Positive K and Melle Mel.

AM's Sneaker Problem

Check out DJ AM with all of his sneakers trying to eat him alive. As you can see, AM is partial to Dunks. A lot of Dunks. Hey, AM, at least now that you have all of your music digitized you don't have to have a room full of vinyl records AND a separate room for your sneakers. Yay.

Jazzy Jeff & AM @ Prime

This should be a good one! A 4 turntable routine will be quite incredible.

Rude Jude in Las Vegas

For those that don't know, Rude Jude is the co-host of Sirius Satellite Radio's Shade45's afternoon drive-time "The All-Out Show" (M-F 4-8PM EST). Last week, Jude came out to the MAGIC Convention in Las Vegas to get some interviews for the show. Along the way, Jude met the above roller-skater-lady who apparently is a singer. Also while in Vegas, Jude and I took a trip to the Hooters Hotel & Casino, and went to... Hooters while we were there. Yes, there is a Hooters restaurant inside the Hooters Casino. Jude told everyone it was his birthday, and he danced.

We took Jude to go see George Carlin at the Orleans Casino, because, like Jude, Carlin is very angry and self-destructive. There was a man standing in line at the casino that kind-of looked like George, so I prompted Jude to ask for a picture. Jude did, and him and the older gentleman exchanged words. Because, as the man said, "who would want to take a f$%#&in' picture with YOU?"
Jude also decided that he was going to bring his backgammon board with him. Everywhere.

So he wound up at the Spearmint Rhino with his calf-skin covered portable travel backgammon case at 2 in the morning. I can't wait until our next trip to Vegas with Jude.

Shady Devil

Last summer, the design team at Shady Ltd. (whom I've dubbed The Dark Minds) came up with the idea for the Shady Devil character. We first used him on the back cover of the Re-Up because Em liked it so much.
So the illustrator, Kelvis, is so talented that he decided to make a 3-D scale vinyl model of the character, by hand. Kelvis went on to create 25 numbered, hand-painted figures of the critter. And I just got mine!
Look at the amazing, hand-painted detail. This thing is truly great. It stands about 10" tall. Good for Kelvis. Great for Shady Ltd.!

Shady Ltd. @ MAGIC Convention

For your viewing pleasure, below is the amateur home video (shot by me) of Shady Records' own Dro giving us a tour of the Shady Ltd. booth at the MAGIC Convention in Las Vegas last week. I tried to do something more interesting than just post a bunch of pictures. The show was really great for us, as we had the added attraction of Shade45's own Cipha Sounds, Angela Yee and Rude Jude doing interviews from the booth's upper deck. Thanks to Mistah F.A.B., Kidz in the Hall, Jay-Z, Bun-B, Paul Wall, Three 6 Mafia, Uncle Luke, and Young Buck for stopping by and supporting (among others... those are the guys that were there when I was).

Em & Proof Freestyles (#100)

For my 100th Rosenblog post, I present this video clip. It was shot during the MTV News Kurt Loder interview of Eminem in front of the house that he grew up in on Dresden in Detroit. This was probably shot in February or March of '99. I don't recall exactly but I think peices of this were used on-air in the news special, but not the whole thing uncut like this. Pretty fun stuff... Big Proof Forever.

Air Max 95 - NikeID

Nike has had their ID online custom store open for years now, and they have offered the ability to create custom AirMax 95's for like 2 years. To be clear, the 95 is my favorite sneaker ever, hands-down. But before, the actual "customization" was kind of limited. Specifically, you weren’t able to change the "panels" or color layers; they were locked into a pre-existing template that you could just mix and match with different soles, eyelets, tongue colors, laces, etc. But recently, this changed. Being an AirMax 95 fiend, I went a little crazy and ordered more (like I need them) with these new custom options. So fun. So little room left for sneakers.

Travis Barker & ?uestlove Jam Session

For the 5th year running, The Roots held their all-star jam session the night before the Grammy's at LA's Key Club on Sunset. I'm not going to tell you exactly what went on because I wasn't there, unfortunately. But I was fortunate enough to get this clip of Travis and ?uestlove having a sickening drum-exchange.

Metro Times/J. Dilla Article '96

I keep a lot of random artifacts, and recently I came across this article from Detroit's Metro Times weekly free newspaper from October of '96. I'm posting this now to recognize the birthday and memorial of James Yancey a/k/a Jaydee a/k/a J. Dilla, who most of you know passed away a couple of years ago (2/74-2/06). Interesting analyses of the Detroit hip-hop scene at the time... No mention of Eminem which is funny.
Historical trivia fact about J. is that he was originally known as John Doe, but abandoned the name when he realized it was taken- only to switch up to Jaydee (his middle name being Dewitt) and have that coincidentally adopted by Jermain Dupri. The game misses you, Jay.

The Patriot Bar

I'm sure I must have noticed this bar before which is located on Chambers Street near Church Street in Tribeca, it's just a block or so away from the heart of where the New York Giants' victory parade took place this past Tuesday. As I walked by on my way to vote in the primaries, I noticed the irony- on the day that this little bar was at it's most ironic it ever will be.
Sorry it's sideways, I'm not that nice at this html stuff.
Notice the "We Won" scribbled on the external blackboard and the Giants' fans standing out front like they just took over someone's castle. I guess they kind of did.

Bored With Being Rich?

These dudes have wayyy too much money. Check this article out on people in the United Arab Emirates spending ridiculous sums of money on lower numbered license plates.

Dog Day- 18 & NO!

I'm not going to spend this entire entry blasting the Patriots. Its unnecessary, the scoreboard said it all. At the end of the day, not perfect. Nope. Perfection is so rare that it eluded even the seemingly "best team ever".
Next season, the season after that, and the season following when people start talking about "they could go all the way undefeated" or "this could be a perfect season", just reach over and smack them. People are too quick to get excited about this possibility. Teams have bad games and get beat. Especially over a longer series of games. Who knows if the '72 Dolphins would have won 19 games straight? I'm not trying to take anything away from them, but come on. 17 is much different than 19. Just ask Bill. I'm just sayin'...
Now on to those Giants. What can you say? At the end of the day it boiled down to fundementals. Rush the passer, make sacks. Play physical and aggressive. Don't make stupid mistakes. And don't give up. EVER. That last Eli touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress (Go Green! Go White!) was so simple and basic. Quick slant to the corner of the end zone. Beat the coverage. Throw the football. BAM! Success. The Giants weren't flashy, weren't pulling trick plays, they were just performing.
And what more could we ask of Eli Manning? This Superbowl was his Bar Mitzvah. Eli became a man last night, and a true champion. Who would have ever thought? Don't give up. Ever. My wife even made Bridget Moynahan masks which we hung around the living room. They worked. Like magical football scarecrows or totem poles or something.
I remember back in week 8 of this past season when the Patriots played the Skins, and won 52-7. In the 4th quarter, with only like 7 or 8 minutes left, winning by like 40 points, on 4th down- New England went for a touchdown instead of taking the field goal. Against good old Joe Gibbs. Rubbing it in his face. This wasn't the first or last time during the regular season they poured it on like that. I didn't like it, I felt that it was nasty and disrespectful. Karma is a bitch. And sometimes, she's exactly what we need.

Travis Barker & DJ AM Superbowl Intro

In case you missed it, our clients Travis Barker and DJ AM did justice to the NFL theme on Fox. Check it out below.

Super Chicken Heat

ABC's Nightline had a peice about the hottest chicken wings on the planet tonight at a place in Chicago called Jack Melnick's Corner Tap. I am not the kind of person that likes their wings so hot that it becomes uncomfortable... I just don't see the point. I do like them very hot, but these just sound silly. They use a pepper called the Red Savina, which is supposedly 65 times hotter than a jalapeno pepper.
Big coincidence, because there was another article I saw today about Hooter's chain, which claims that they sell a million wings on Superbowl Sunday in the Chicago and Tampa areas alon, compared to the 650,000 these restaurants sell on a normal week.
It seems that even the real media gets excited about eating chicken wings and writes about it prior to Super Sunday. Just like Paul Rosenblog.