EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE: RAPPIN JESUS RHINO!
EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE has always been one of my favorite YouTube channels. This find is just fantastic. While I didn't grow up watching this particular video, I did watch videos like this as a child. I like to think that my high standards for everything these days stems (at least in part) from watching these cringe-worthy videos as a kid.
Shia LeBeouf freestyles on Sway's '5 Fingers of Death'
If there's one thing that can be said about Shia LeBeouf, it's this: he is constantly full of surprises. He is a man of many talents -- acting, comic books, writing, artist, voyeurist, and now...fine rapper. Watch this segment of him killing it with Sway.
The ubiquity of Grey Poupon in rap music
Heh, this is the best random article I've read all week. Vox writer Estelle Caswell and Sarah Frostenson take a look at the appearance of "Grey Poupon" in music, specifically rap music. I remember seeing Grey Poupon commercials a lot when I was younger but I couldn't remember the last time they ran an ad recently. Despite that hiatus from TV, it seems like Grey Poupon is still as popular as ever -- at least in the hip-hop world. The phrase "Grey Poupon" pops up a lot in rap music and has sort of seen a big resurgence ever since 2007.
If you're wondering why, the two biggest reasons are that 1) it is seen as a status symbol ("fancy" mustard for those who are a bit higher brow than the rest) and 2) it is a great rhyming lyrical tool.
If you enjoyed the video above, you can listen to all the wonderful music featured in it using the Spotify playlist below.
Kobe Bryant's short-lived rap career
Did you know Kobe Bryant had a short-lived music career as a rapper? It's right there in his Wikipedia, but it's so small that it's very easy to miss. I first learned about this through a Nardwuar interview with Snoop Dogg (yeah, go figure) where Nardwuar gifts a vinyl of Kobe's album to Snoop. It's what dreams are made of, I'm sure.
This single, "K.O.B.E." featured Tyra Banks. That's right. TYRA BANKS. Somewhere in an alternate reality, these two are mega-famous rap stars. I wonder what that world is like.