Long Live A$AP by A$AP

I rarely listen to and even less often review rap music but today am making an exception. In the last couple of weeks I have heard quite a bit about this rapper. Rolling Stone seems especially to have been very excited about his talent.

I must confess that, to me, for the most part much of this music sounds the same and I am certainly not a fan of the bitches and ho's attitude of much of it. That said I do recognize that some of these fellows have a talent at it. I think Eminem is talented, I think Wiz Khalifa is good at what he does even if I do not like it. I also think it is important to listen to new things, I am constantly trying to tell my kids that they need to expose themselves to all kinds of music, even if it is just listening to the non radio cuts on an album they like. Of course rarely do kids even by the album these days, I keep having to tell myself the world is changing.

On his first album A$AP certainly does seem good at what he does. I cannot pretend to tell you any message or theme. I do not understand some of what they say, and the constant UHH is a bit much but the first single called nicely F@*kin Bitches is a winner. I cannot help but feel like I am writing that sarcastically but it actually is a neat song as far as beats and rhymes, and a reference to The Beatles never hurts. I listened to the clean version so I am sure that made it a bit more acceptable for me.

Wild for the Night on which some of his backup track is provided by the very hot Skrillex ( another fellow who is a bit beyond my taste) seems to me sure to be a winner. How can I tell, I try to see if I can picture this being played at ten in my middle son's room. On 1train the back track is even better with a slower beat, joined by Kendrick Lamar for a verse this song is also strong. If I'm not the hottest then hell must have froze over is a pretty good line, and on this song A$AP reminds me of Kanye West. Again not sure if that is a compliment or not but I think in this case it is.

My favorite song on the album is surely Phoenix. Starting with a slow beat, and references to God, Mary J Blige, Kurt Cobain, Jesus Christ, A$AP has something to say on this song. Talking about judgement and scrutinizing making us all less than we could be there actually is a message here even I can understand.

So tonight I get to ask my middle son if he has listened to this new rapper yet, if he has I guarantee you it is only to the single. It is good to be ahead of the curve, something my wife says I am very good at. Even if you have to listen to a fellow with a dollar sign in his name.

Check it out, I assure you your kids will be listening to it.

Pearl Jam Twenty

Our local PBS affiliate did us the great service of airing this on Friday night. Cameron Crowe's rock documentary was well received earlier this year and I was surprised to see it on television so soon.

When released I had heard some buzz that the movie was a bit controversial in that some of the band members had said somethings that could possibly open some healed scars in the band. Any group of people, certainly any band that had stayed together this long was going to have some scabs better not picked.

This movie is excellent. Perhaps along the line of the Tom Petty Running Down a Dream set from Peter Bogdanovich this is done not like a rock bands video tribute but as an actual documentary. Using what apparrently is an unending supply of archival footage both interview and concert we see Pearl Jam through all its stages.

First one must know is that this band came out of the remaining pieces of Mother Love Bone a hot Seattle band that died when its lead singer overdosed. Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard the heart and soul of that band became the nucleus of what became Pearl Jam.

At there early days the band was crazy on stage with an energy rarely seen. Vedder jumping off support structures to surf the crowd. The band joining with Chris Cornell and members of Soundgarden did a project called Temple of the Dog which honored their fallen comrade from Mother Love Bone Days.

The loss of Kurt Cobain is discussed as is the even more life changing event of the deaths of nine fans outside of Copenhagen when they were crushed by a surging crowd as the band played. Eddie Vedder says they see the band as pre and post that incident.

The concert footage is revealing. A Christmas song played on the empty steps of an arena in Europe, a crowd singalong to Better Man at Madison Square Garden and a final glorious ending of the film with the song Alive. Truly they are still Alive twenty years later and going strong.

This is a fine picture of a lasting rock band. Thank you PBS for putting it on television for us to view.