POWER- KanYe

'Power'- KanYe West. The Moving Portrait. Awesome video, defying the limits of music videos.

Song of the Week

Calma Pueblo- Calle 13

Calle 13 returns with their first single, "Calma Pueblo" (Be Calm My People), off of their upcoming fourth studio album, Detonación C-13. The always controversial Puerto Rican hip-hop duo lives up to their titles of stirring up controversy and speaking on behalf of the Latin American people. Calle 13 is comprised of half-brothers, Rene Perez (Residente, the rapper) and Eduardo Cabra (Visitante, the producer).

In this track, Residente addresses, his humble beginnings, yellow journalism, the working class struggles, his successes which he credits to his fans, how he can insult so many people and still be sponsored by Coca-Cola, that the biggest mafia lives in the Vatican, and how he uses Adidas but Adidas doesn't use him. One has to appreciate this type of satire and social commentary which are so rare in today's rap industry. They even take shots at artists who sale-out albums by buying them themselves and who payoff radio stations in order to be played. Furthermore, they take shots at lip-syncing artists. To top it all off, they even mention that not even the Beatles had four songs getting airplay at the same time like Calle 13 had. I especially like how Residente always incorporates the Latin American struggles at the hands of the the first world, namely the United States. Calle 13 are no strangers to political topics. Their first single was titile "Querido F.B.I." (Dear F.B.I.), in which they address the assassination of Filiberto Ojeda Rios, the leader of Los Macheteros, a Puerto Rican independence revolutionary group.

I love how Calle 13 holds nothing back while saying that Sony is not their record label, their record label is the people. This speaks volumes about how Calle 13 feel about the people that really put them where they are today. The people for which the speak and represent. This is evidenced in the line, "Lo que sientes tú lo siento yo porque yo soy como tú tu eres como yo" (What you feel I feel too, because you're just like me and I'm just like you". Here, Calle 13 is addressing the face that he is a voice for the voiceless. He says what the people can't say. What the newspapers won't say.

Rating: 9.7

Favorite Line: "Pa' cambiar al mundo desnuda tu coraje, La honestidad no tiene ropa ni maquillaje"

(In order to change the world uncover all your anger, Honesty doesn't wear clothes nor makeup)




Photo: wikipedia

Song of the Week

POWER- KanYe West f/Dwele

'Ye returns with his new single "POWER" off of his fifth studio album (TBD), formerly titled "A Good Ass Job." This album is touted as the best hip-hop album of the last decade by many critics. On the debut single, West teams up with producers Symbolyc One (S1), Jeff Bhasker, and Mike Dean. West had previously worked with Bhasker on his last album, 808s & Heartbreak. The single samples "21st Century Schizoid Man"- King Crimson.

"POWER" is a classic West track with the fusion of genres, specifically the British progressive-rock of King Crimson and West's hip-hop. He even channels the KanYe we've grown accustomed to hearing with his ego driven raps. Something he drifted away from on his last album. He even takes shots at the Saturday Night Live cast for their comments about him. If there were any doubters left, KanYe has surely silenced them with this single. Easily, his best single since "Stronger" and possibly one of the best singles on the radio in the last couple years.

Rating: 9.6

Favorite Lines:
"I'm living in the 21st century, doing something mean to it, do it better than you ever seen anybody do it"

"I just needed time alone with my own thought, got treasures in my mind but couldn't open up my own vaults"