or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
•
"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
November 01, 2011
Real Gangsters
Man, I love this from Jasiri X. Keep your eye on this guy, just as I'm sure Homeland Security is doing already.
yrs,
Jon 34X
—Jonathan Schwarz
Posted at November 1, 2011 01:25 PMfrom Louis Farrakhan to George Carlin - i must say i am totally in agreement, to a certain extent
from Louis Farrakhan to George Carlin - i must say i am totally in agreement, to a certain extent
Great!
Love it!
The Truth!
Jon, it's very hard to pay attention to these people when one of them is wearing a Thundercats t-shirt.
Posted by: PaxSkeptica at November 1, 2011 06:03 PMHmm. Sorry but I don't see anything special really. I'm assuming you're not familiar with Immortal Technique, who has similar things to say but is much funnier and raw-er.
Posted by: LorenzoStDuBois at November 1, 2011 07:41 PMDon't forget Brother Ali
Posted by: Sam at November 2, 2011 12:19 AMI like Immortal Technique.
Posted by: godoggo at November 2, 2011 01:16 AMAnd not that I'm like Steve Hip-Hop or anything, but I think what makes Technique different from most other political rappers is that he made his name doing freestyle battles. It makes a difference, I think.
Posted by: godoggo at November 2, 2011 02:15 AMWell, I don't have a problem with the message, but that is some crappy hip-hop.
Posted by: Rojo at November 2, 2011 10:41 AMI don't really understand the contrast between the "real" and "not-real" gangsters.
So a group of bankers, etc are actually criminals, but a group of drug traffickers who tote guns and murder people are NOT criminals? What are they, heroes and revolutionaries?
Why can't they all be considered gangsters?
Posted by: seth at November 2, 2011 01:37 PMOh, and from my adopted home and favorite city of Pittsburgh! Super-like!
Posted by: Aaron Datesman at November 2, 2011 04:34 PMYo seth, it ain' like that. He's saying that they aren't shit - as in, small time. It fits the hip-hop aesthetic, on the one hand, by dissing the criminal in the hood, and brings to the attention of the discerning listener that the small-time gangsta-dom is petty perpetuation of the same social ills caused by the master who masks himself as an un-hip, lilly-white conformist.
Posted by: davidly at November 2, 2011 06:06 PMThis is good, but the point is made to much better effect (and avoiding seth's confusion) by this track from the Coup (who ARE being watched by Homeland Security):
http://grooveshark.com/s/Fat+Cats+Bigga+Fish/2LGv4A?src=5
If you listen to the above, the next track on the album, featuring the hip-hop stylings of J.P. Getty and David Rockefeller (complete with "those hand gestures") is mandatory listening:
http://grooveshark.com/s/Pimps/2NIY53?src=5
Posted by: saurabh at November 2, 2011 06:54 PMI go with Blue Scholars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIqMIrmpUjc&feature=related
Posted by: Bill Murray at November 3, 2011 12:43 AMDon't forget brutha Dick, the greatest plunder gangsta of all.
Posted by: Dredd at November 3, 2011 10:48 AM
