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Sun Sep 20

What I’m (almost) reading

kathy griffinProcrastination’s power over me is so strong that instead of working on my due-soon book, I’ve taken to cleaning my apartment instead. However, in my addled mind, instead of actually, you know, cleaning, it made more sense for me to tackle the ever-growing pile of unread books on my kitchen table.

Here are 10 books from the top of the stack and my odds of actually reading them:

Jake Brown, Rick Rubin: In the Studio (ECW): I’m fascinated by Rick Rubin and would be knee-deep into this one already if I didn’t know that the author didn’t actually speak to the guy. Nevertheless, with Rubin being celebrated by VH1’s “Hip Hop Honors” this year, I may dive in anyway. (3:1)

Kathy Griffin, Official Book Club Selection (Ballantine): I’m not so sure I’m going to like “serious” Kathy, but I think “funny” Kathy is pretty great. Having interviewed her enough times to know how quickly her mind works, I know that if she wrote this memoir by simply dictating it to a member of Team Griffin, it will probably be hilarious. (1:2)

Read More

Fri Apr 3

Spandau Ballet, “Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)”

In honor of their totally unexpected — but awesome! — reunion tour.

Tue Nov 4
Q-TIP “The Renaissance” (Universal Motown) THE GRADE B BOTTOM LINE Still a “vivrant” thing.It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years since Q-Tip’s first - and, technically, only - solo album, “Amplified,” considering how much he has to say and how well he says it. And one spin through “The Renaissance” (Universal Motown) will have everyone wondering how he could have stayed away so long. He trades rhymes with Amanda Diva over the funk groove of “Manwomanboogie,” showing how the battle of the sexes is counterproductive. With help from Norah Jones, who sounds more like Erykah Badu than her come-away-with-me self, Tip pays tribute to inspiring hip-hoppers on “Life Is Better.” And he teams with D’Angelo on the gorgeous “Believe,” which could jump-start the neo-soul movement all on its own. Q-Tip works best solo, though. He chooses deep grooves that are interesting enough to be memorable, but not so wild that they detract from his distinctive flow. His unique voice generally rides the beat for the chorus and then bounces over it to deliver his strongest rhymes. “We can start a clan just like the Kennedys,” he raps in the first single “Gettin’ Up,” which shows him at his most potent. “You respect me like a friend, but love me like your man? No other could contend.” After all the trouble Tip’s second solo album, “Kamaal the Abstract,” ran into before his former record company ultimately shelved it in 2002, it’s great to see Q-Tip return at the top of his game. “The Renaissance” is real.

Q-TIP

“The Renaissance” (Universal Motown)

THE GRADE B

BOTTOM LINE Still a “vivrant” thing.

It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years since Q-Tip’s first - and, technically, only - solo album, “Amplified,” considering how much he has to say and how well he says it. And one spin through “The Renaissance” (Universal Motown) will have everyone wondering how he could have stayed away so long.

He trades rhymes with Amanda Diva over the funk groove of “Manwomanboogie,” showing how the battle of the sexes is counterproductive. With help from Norah Jones, who sounds more like Erykah Badu than her come-away-with-me self, Tip pays tribute to inspiring hip-hoppers on “Life Is Better.” And he teams with D’Angelo on the gorgeous “Believe,” which could jump-start the neo-soul movement all on its own.

Q-Tip works best solo, though. He chooses deep grooves that are interesting enough to be memorable, but not so wild that they detract from his distinctive flow. His unique voice generally rides the beat for the chorus and then bounces over it to deliver his strongest rhymes.

“We can start a clan just like the Kennedys,” he raps in the first single “Gettin’ Up,” which shows him at his most potent. “You respect me like a friend, but love me like your man? No other could contend.”

After all the trouble Tip’s second solo album, “Kamaal the Abstract,” ran into before his former record company ultimately shelved it in 2002, it’s great to see Q-Tip return at the top of his game. “The Renaissance” is real.

Wed Oct 29
Janet Jackson has had a tough year - releasing an underperforming album, “Discipline,” parting ways with her record company, and that’s before her recent well-publicized bouts with vertigo that led to a string of rescheduled concerts. But Jackson seems to be taking it all in stride, happy to be back on the road and for the new chance to connect with her fans.

Janet Jackson has had a tough year - releasing an underperforming album, “Discipline,” parting ways with her record company, and that’s before her recent well-publicized bouts with vertigo that led to a string of rescheduled concerts. But Jackson seems to be taking it all in stride, happy to be back on the road and for the new chance to connect with her fans.

Sun Oct 26
This year’s class - which includes Public Enemy and LL Cool J - shows how important Long Island was to the development of hip-hop, an influence that was also celebrated last month at VH1’s Hip-Hop Honors, which paid tribute to Amityville’s De La Soul and others with performances from Roosevelt’s Public Enemy, Brentwood’s EPMD and Uniondale’s Busta Rhymes.Chuck D says Long Island’s hip-hop influence came from its artists’ unique take on the world and a confidence to express it. “There are a lot of places that ask for people to love them,” he says. “We’ve always had a feeling, especially in my crew, of ‘take it or leave it.’ I think a lot of cats from Brooklyn and Queens or the Bronx were looking for acceptance. What we tried to instill on Long Island, back in the day, was ‘If you don’t like what we got, you can go to hell.’”

This year’s class - which includes Public Enemy and LL Cool J - shows how important Long Island was to the development of hip-hop, an influence that was also celebrated last month at VH1’s Hip-Hop Honors, which paid tribute to Amityville’s De La Soul and others with performances from Roosevelt’s Public Enemy, Brentwood’s EPMD and Uniondale’s Busta Rhymes.

Chuck D says Long Island’s hip-hop influence came from its artists’ unique take on the world and a confidence to express it.

“There are a lot of places that ask for people to love them,” he says. “We’ve always had a feeling, especially in my crew, of ‘take it or leave it.’ I think a lot of cats from Brooklyn and Queens or the Bronx were looking for acceptance. What we tried to instill on Long Island, back in the day, was ‘If you don’t like what we got, you can go to hell.’”