trill.i.am

the first (fake) issue of MAD NOISE

that there is part of my final project for my Multimedia Graphic Design class. As I stated before, I discovered that I really don't have a gift for this sort of thing, and luckily I'm relying on other skills to break into the industry (pffffff)...I don't think this is so bad though. I like it, so I'm posting it on my blog. My idea was a magazine for Madison's music scene, but one from my perspective that reflects my taste in music, cuz why not? No one's gonna make the thing anyway, so I might as well put Ian St. Pé's grill on the cover and pretend like Ladyhawk and the Cool Kids are a big deal. Thank god there are other, better mags out there, with designers who know what they're doing. The spread I made for the inside of the pretend magazine is pretty dope, too. Featuring the Greatest Band in America, BLACK LIPS:











these are probably the last time I will ever have to make visual art so don't worry eyeballs everywhere will be safe from now on. click on the spread if you really want to see it. disclosure: I ripped the quote above the photo (which is also stolen) from the badger herald. ALSO: the photo of Ian on the cover is from this guy's flickr account.

the Cool Kids show at MU

just passing on the good word from my boy Mikey that the Cool Kids will be doing an in-store this Friday at Flow (bka Cook)...WAS CANCELLED

if you don't know you better axe somebody






















been following these guys for a while and find it crazy how they blew up so big without releasing a single proper record. Seems like they're really riding a nice little hype wave as the only hipster-rap collective to really get that buzz, but they're dope and even held they're own on this Kidz in the Hall remix with two of THE BEST RAPPERS ALIVE (maybe THE two best rappers alive?)...

I remember when I heard they were gonna be a big deal after last year's SXSW and how they were supposed to come out on Fool's Gold, which would have been a very good look for both parties. SOmething must have gone down cuz that never happened and they have since switched over to Chocolate Industries and I guess coming out on their own imprint, C.A.K.E. Recordings. I tried to interview them last September but had a hard time getting in touch. Seems like they got new management...

Originally, the blogger talking points on these guys were their throwback aesthetic and general good-guy attitudes. "They wear gold ropes! They sound like 1988! They're from Chicago?!" All I know is the white girls of Madison's headband and scarves-in-springtime scene have endorsed this group for some reason and will be out in full at their show on Friday night, at the Union. "Gold and a Pager" went off big time to my surprise last Friday night at Montmartre at about 1:30 am so they are being felt by non-rap fans around here. I don't know if it's they're look - which is like Pharrell mixed with Flight of the Conchordes - or their non-threatening rhymes about bmx bikes, dressing well, being good on the mic, rap's golden years and now, apparently, baked goods. Also, they're mad photogenic:

On "Put On"

the latest addition to the autotune revolution in popular music, Young Jeezy ft. Kanye West "Put On"

an excerpt from a facebook message conversation:

but yeah I like "put on" but if kanye and jeezy are gonna do a big event single where kanye experiments with vocal effects it totally should have been about somehting other than repping your city...I mean just a normal street song or maybe if ye had jsut rapped it would be cool but if theyre gonna do this it should be about somethin else...especially since jeezy is like the new ll cool j

really Ross? really?????

google in mad town

Madison, get ready for Google. (Fuck Microsoft)