“Young California Got That Mass Appeal”

GAME “THE RED ROOM” MIXTAPE

So I am sitting at my desk at home after another rainy monday , and was feeling like I need some new music in my world. Now the rapper GAME might not be your answer to a brighter outlook on the day, but today GAME and DK Skee released a free mixtape on XXLMAG.com , but then I got to thinking and although The Game has his fair share of detractors, and as a NY Hip-Hop fan with a steadfast dedication to East Coast MC’s , I have to say Game is the real deal.

So I fired up the Itunes and threw on “Scream On Em” produced by Swizz beats from “The Doctors Advocate” album. That song is about as hard as Brock Lesnar. Also not the best song to sit at your laptop and write, yet here I sit (how lazy am I?) So then I scroll down to “One Love /Its Okay” ,  you can look up the definition of HARD in a Websters dictionary and that song might just start playing , flipping Junior Reid’s “One Blood” ….thats genius. Opening line , you know you remember it…”Dre, I see dead people” then  Junior Reid comes firing in… I can recall in the summer of 2006 being in Las Vegas when this song first dropped and being on the Westside the DJ was only too glad to spin this one back at least 10 times……IN A ROW!!!

Now is he the worlds greatest rapper, certainly not, but he def knows what he is doing. He has clearly always had a solid team of marketing people behind him (sure being on Interscope never hurts), But from his single selection , to ALL His artwork and branding, the fonts he uses , I am feeling him. Just look at the artwork for the new tape.

One of things I love about Game is his ceaseless promotion of his West Coast affiliation and his blatant gang affiliation (sup BLOODS). Game has the ill LA DODGER Logo tattoed on HIS FACE in RED INK. Yes, THE GAME is HARD. I mean he practically marketed himself as the second coming of NWA and reps Compton harder than  Eazy E, and you know what…it workes well. But you can tell he means it. His affiliation with Dre aside, this man bleeds California RED. HE is an NWA lifer for sure.

Huge Shout to my boy Lester at WEST NYC for hooking me up with the classic NWA photo above. It is spring time people so go buy some damn KICKS (at West NYC of course)

You can tell GAME has a deep respect for the history of Hip-Hop, he names drops rappers constantly but rather than diss , he gives props. I mean he has his beefs for sure, but take one listen to “Games Pain” featuring Keisha Cole . The song is a sweet history lesson on the genre. And while you’re at it listen to “My Life’ Feat Weezy and “Wouldnt Get Far” featuring Kanye. Straight HITS!!!!!

Now of course putting out a free mixtape and dropping it on the internet is about as original as breathing, but when GAME does his thing , it feels like an event. Enlisting XXL as the distribution platform is also not rocket science but they have done their thing in executing it. And of course this is pre-cursor to the forthcoming proper “ALBUM” coming this summer. But this Mixtape has all the feelings of a real LP. I mean this tape features Lil Wayne, Diddy, Jim Jones, Just Blaze, Nippsy Hustle, Busta , Pharrell, Jadakiss and Birdman. Like I said The Game gets his respect in the industry.

So is the tape any good, I have no idea!!

Since its still D-Loading…..

But while I wait… I spit my lyrics, cuz typing this blog is about as close to rapping as young matty gets! ….holla at ya boy.

What is the worlds most valuable sports franchise???

Of course I would like to dispute Forbes Magazine and state that a true dollar value can not be placed on the greatest sports franchise on the planet, THE NEW YORK YANKEES. But clearly I am terribly biased.

But Forbes did compile an interesting list of the most valuable soccer franchises worldwide..check it out!

Courtesy of BrandDunk

According to Forbes, English Premiere League club Manchester United is once again the most valuable soccer club on the planet.  This is the 6th straight year that Forbes has selected Man U as the most valuable football club. Forbes assigned a value to Manchester United of $1.8 billion dollars (USD).  Below is a look at the top 20 most valuable soccer clubs in the world.

The valuation would rank Man U as the most valuable professional sports franchise in the world.  Forbes estimated the value of the New York Yankees at $1.6 billion this year and the Dallas Cowboys at $1.6 billion in 2009.  The global reach of Manchester United is a big factor in making their club more valuable than either of the US professional sports icons.

Top 20 Most Valuable Soccer Teams (2010)
1. Manchester United – $1.8 billion
2. Real Madrid – $1.3 billion
3. Arsenal – $1.1 billion
4. FC Barcelona – $1 billion
5. Bayern Munich – $990 million
6. Liverpool – $822 million
7. AC Milan – $800 million
8. Juventus – $656 million
9. Chelsea – $646 million
10. Inter Milan – $413 million
11. Schalke
12. Tottenham Hotspur
13. Olympique Lyonnais
14. Hamburg SV
15. AS Roma
16. Werder Bremen
17. Olympique Marseille
18. Borussia Dortmund
19. Manchester City
20. Newcastle United

Make sure to checkout the BrandDunk blog, it is a great site dedicate to the business and marketing of global sports!

John DeLorean x Cutty Sark

Passover is a great time , family and friends get together every spring and celebrate a wonderful Jewish holiday. So yesterday as my mother was slaving in the kitchen (along with the catering staff) my father showed me some new pieces we acquired in our constantly expanding NY Yankee memorabilia collection. Some late 1970’s and early 1980’s World Series programs.

Of course looking at the line ups and the old school team photos are great, but the real treasure in these classic programs are the advertisements. Ads have a way a capturing a moment in time and a glimpse into our pop culture past.

I came across some gems in these three programs, but one really took the cake : The infamous renegade car designer John DeLorean in an ad for Cutty Sark , yes Cutty Sark the brand of liquor. And it’s not like Mr. DeLorean is simply featured as a celebrity endorsing his favorite alcoholic beverage , but there also appears the image of the iconic DeLorean car (most people would not it as Doc Browns time machine in “Back To The Future”)

Now anything related to DeLorean has always fascinated me, there was a family down the block from me growing up that owned a DeLorean and it was a sick looking car that always stuck with me. That fact coupled with the Delorean FBI drug sting story (which is  a whole other blog post entirely) makes Mr. DeLorean a unique and fascinating american entrepeneur.

But the true greatness of this Ad is that , it is a car company blatantly endorsing an alcohol brand complete with an image of both a drink and a car on the same page. How would the organization M.A.D.D. feel about this piece and would it even be legal in todays landscape?

Drinking and Driving is no joke, but again this ad gives a great look into what society was like in 1981, the crusade against drunk driving had clearly not gained steam at this point, but John Delorean was definitely making some hot looking rides!

“GAME CHANGE” Read this book!

The timing is interesting, but on the very same day that Congress passed sweeping health care reform, I completed “Game Change” which is a wonderful roadmap of the Obama journey and how we got where we are today.

There is a reason that John Heilemann & Mark Halperin’s book “Game Change” is on the best-seller list, these two Washington journalists have delivered a page turning behind the scenes look at the historic adventure that was the Presidential campaign of 2008.

Now I can certainly not predict the future, but I am something of a student of the past, with a passion for Presidential history,  So one does not have to go out on limb by saying America had never quite seen an election with so many huge stories and even larger implications for our country and the world. I am certain we will never see more a contested and fascinating Primary season as we  saw with President Obama & Secretary Clinton. An african american and woman battling for a year and half in what must already be the stuff of political legend. And if the rise of Obama and the fall and eventual resurrection of Hilary Clinton is not enough you had the truly meteoric rise of the one and only Sarah Palin , who was plucked from complete obscurity to become a rock star and massive liability to the Republican ticket all in the course of 4 weeks.

This book tells the whole tale, and really sheds light on the fascinating  operations of Presidential campaigns. The authors were very smart because in this age of instant gratification, they wrote a very comprehensive and thorough history of what will surely be one of the most studied presidential campaigns and we are only one year into the presidency. Considering the depth of this book, its pretty remarkable they were able to release it so quickly.

Even if you don’t fall under the political junkie title, this book is a great read, and quite frankly a lot of it does read like fiction because let’s be honest, John Edwards is in this book and anything to do with Edwards borders on fiction..(maybe even science fiction)

There is some jaw dropping information on the selection process or lack therefore by the McCain campaign with their selection of Palin as a running mate, it is clear the nation dodged a bullet because that woman was barely qualified to be mayor of a small forest town in Alaska let alone to be next in line for the highest office of our land.

“Game Change” is fun and wildly informative, the insider perspective from Heileman & Halperin is second to none.

Read this book!