I Was Nominated For The Versatile Blogger Award

Yesterday, I was nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award. The nomination came from a fellow author, the lovely Eveli Acosta, who named me amongst 15 other super-talented, super-cool bloggers. Be sure to check out Eveli’s site, where you can check out her work and find links to order her books.

As a Versatile Blogger Award nominee, there are a few rules I must abide by, rules that I shall now share with you, Dear Readers. They are:

1. Create a post for the Versatile Blogger Award. (Hey, whaddaya think you’re reading now?)
2. In the same post, thank the blogger who gave you the award and put a link back to their blog. (Please see above!)
3. Nominate 15 other people for this award and let them know. (I shall do this posthaste!)
4. Post seven random things about yourself. (I am not looking forward to this.)
5. Include these rules in your post. (And here we are.)

I guess I’ll post seven random things about myself first, then I’ll follow up with my nominations for The Versatile Blogger Award. Ready? Okay!

Event: The Vagabonds’ #FML Listening Party at EVE (Saturday, 1/28/12)

On Saturday, January 28, Miami nightspot Eve plays host to the listening party for #FML, the latest project from hip-hop duo The Vagabonds. The event is hosted by the duo of Baysiqly and E.R. as well as Vice City Cypher.

There will be live performances by The Vagabonds, plus School Bus, Dashius Clay, Shottie (of IDEE4), Vurn, and Serum & Manifesto. The side stage will host an open mic competition, plus have additional performances by Rolls Royce, Yung Spec, Tay G, Lil Gunna, Roc Sol & DJ Cheo, Straight No Chase, and Blokaholics. DJ Twin will be holding it down on the 1s & 2s.

Kim Osorio Returns to The Source

One of my favorite writers (and people in general) has returned to her roots.

At a press conference yesterday at NYC’s Muse Hotel, it was announced that Kim Osorio will be the new Editor-in-Chief of The Source magazine. Those of you up on your history know that Kim filed, and won, a sexual discrimination lawsuit against the magazine in 2005. The rather onerous conditions she worked under were documented in her 2008 book Straight From The Source: An Expose From The Former Editor-in-Chief of the Hip-Hop Bible.

The Vagabonds – “Invisible” Music Video (From The Forthcoming EP #FML)

Late last night, The Vagabonds dropped “Invisible,” the first video from their upcoming EP entitled #FML. The song, produced by E.R., is a Baysiqly solo track, detailing the struggles of those who are ignored and overlooked. With everything going on in the world these days, especially with regard to the Occupy movement, this song is particularly timely and relevant. From VMG:

“Invisible” mashes up E.R.’s bouncy, psychedelic board work with cinematics from Mr. Visual, showing a first-person view of an individual being ignored by everyone who passes him by. That, along with flashes of current world events, is a deadly mixture that can drive anybody to insanity and irrational choices, as depicted by the ending of this video.

Read My Review of Drake’s Take Care at Soulhead.com

Featuring an impressive roster of guest artists, including Stevie Wonder, Andre 3000, Rihanna, Rick Ross, The Weeknd, and labelmates Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, and boasting production from Just Blaze, Boi-1da, and long-time collaborator Noah “40″ Shebib for production, Take Care is Drake’s attempt at giving listeners the classic album they’d expected with his debut.

Mago x E.R. – “Best of Both Worlds” Music Video

This actually dropped a couple of weeks ago but I wasn’t blogging at the time so I missed the opportunity to let y’all know about the latest collaboration between my buddy E.R. (of The Vagabonds) and Dominican MC Mago.

“Best of Both Worlds” showcases the rhyme skills of the two Miami-based lyricists, the concept being that Mago (who also produced the track) spits in Spanish while E.R. raps in English. The song has no hook—it’s just the two MCs going back and forth, tag team-style. “Although Latinos have been well represented in hip-hop in the past,” E.R. writes on the VMG blog, “it’s rare to see both sides of the spectrum being showcased alongside each other.”

Music Video: Azealia Banks feat. Lazy Jay – “212″

Well, this is dope. Twenty-year-old MC Azealia Banks has been doing her thing for a long while now. A graduate of the La Guardia High School of Performing Arts and a veteran child actor in off-Broadway productions, the native Harlemite has been wowing clubgoers with a string of buzzworthy bangers. Her latest one is “212,” produced by Belgian house producer Lazy Jay. I like it, it’s a catchy, funny little tune.