Big K.R.I.T./Childish Gambino

Joey: Not that I dislike Cambino, I just don't find a lot his stuff funny, although he does have his clever moments. I don't watch Community nor do I watch 30 Rock (I refuse to watch anything with Alec Baldwin, "Beetlejuice" being the only exception) so I'm not familiar with his material there, but with his Kanye-esque sounds apparent I think his emulation doesn't fit with his longing to parody. Also, not a fan of punchline raps. I would be O.K. if that rhyme device went away and never reared its ugly head ever again. But I suppose we'll have to wait for Lil' Wayne to OD on cough syrup for that ever happen. 

Fun fact, Kanye West actually takes credit for inventing what we call "hashtag rap."  Of course, he pretty definitely did not, but that's Ye for ya.

Ryan, not exactly sure what "most graceful" means here, and maybe that part is what disqualifies it, but Arrested Development is still within the last decade!

So...what was everybody's favorite music-related Christmas gift this year?

ClownDJ gave me Local H's As Good as Dead on CD, and some family people got me Jonathan Sings! on vinyl. I love them both.

And Jon, I need to second John's wtf. Loudly, though. So uhh WTF!

man lafollette you're baffling me. I feel like thumbing you down but I am too afraid of doing it with an impure heart since the admonition last post. but jeez you and your "zingers." 

Where can I actually download the Gambino? I keep hitting dead ends, whereas the KRIT, which reads much more appealing to me anyway, I had no problem downloading.

Speaking of hip-hop websites...and bringing the conversation back around to pussy-in-the-face (sorry, preferred topic for me), here is a piece entitled "Eatbox: Rappers Eat Pussy Sometimes, Too." Amusing, well-written, if rather limited overview of hip-hop artists' varying opinions on what some funny tampon commercial referred to as the "downtown dining and entertainment district." http://goo.gl/iYPNx ENJOY. 

As I recall I had trouble landing EP myself until a young friend who is not an active part of our confab sent me a link, which unfortunately I've since deleted. I'll see if he still has it and if so you can see if it still works. But somehow I suspect one of our webwise regulars might manage something as well.

Oklahomans are so chronically confused about the state's past that I can only hope this celebration of Woody won't be embarrassing. Having the local billionaire philanthropist at the helm probably won't help. We cling dearly to the pop icons we can call our own, which is fine and good but doesn't invite honest appreciation of their music. Leon Russell recently had a street named after him here in Tulsa (who cares?) and the Flaming Lips are constantly touted as an example of some innate creative Oklahoman spirit (that is, the only way through the stifling culture and grim politics is to do a LOT of hallucinogens). There is also talk of a museum dedicated to Oklahoma's pop music history, a neighbor to the Guthrie archive in Tulsa's "art's district." But the tradition of Oklahoma music appreciation (maybe "local music" appreciation in general) is to zoom in so close that you miss the point. To all you coast-ers, the lesson is this: Statewide inferiority breeds tasteless and misguided celebrations of imagined glory. It is an affliction all over the great American interior.

If the Tulsa pop music museum covers enough territory to include Wanda Jackson and the Gap Band, then it's worth a road trip IMHO.

Bob: Rogers is easily OK's most beloved popular figure to this day. But his attitude towards politics is totally lost.