Not a fan of the shoes but this commercial is hilarious

From Elitaste

MTV didn’t have the chyron on the video when it first debuted but they’ve since added it. The video came on last night and I took a picture just so I could address how ridiculous it is that we have a video that Wale paid for himself, directed by Chris Robinson, off a Mixtape About Nothing on MTV. Does anyone else find this as ridiculous as I do? And by the way, the title graphics are called a chyron. Lower thirds are also often known as chyrons in North America and astons in the United Kingdom, after the major suppliers of lower-third editing systems. Other common terms include superbars (or simply supers) (US) and name straps (UK). You learn something new on elitaste everyday!

I don’t think people realize how revolutionary this Naughty By Nature video was. First off, Treach was a straight up sex symbol rapper back in the early 90s. Second, the padlock on the chain link around the neck…so powerful. 3rd and possibly most monumental are the snowboarders. Snowboarding…in a rap video…in 1995. Today that might not be THAT big of a deal but remember when Stevie Williams was one of the first pro black skaters to get like super sick? Remember when Pharrell had black skaters in the “Frontin” video…don’t front like you weren’t kind of surprised by that a little. That was only a few years ago. Naughty By Nature had black snowboarders in 1995! Now…correct me if I’m wrong…but not until 2003 did another rap group feature snow resort activities in a music video; a Wale and elitaste favorite: Young Gunz f. Rell in “No Better Love.” This is one of those few videos where I actually would love to be hanging out and doing what they are doing. They are keeping it real grown and sexy in the lodge with a few select ladies; none of this out of control club nonsense. Clearly they brought the chicks skiing for the weekend and they’ve committed to being with them for a couple of days, perhaps it’s love? Not only that, they probably aren’t going to bed super late because they want to hit the slops in the morning; maybe some Irish coffees after dinner and some Scattegories. “Hey Chris and Neef…can me and this girl who I kinda like come to the ski house this weekend too? Yeah? Can I hitch a ride in the range and maybe borrow a thermal? Sweet!”

EDIT: Thanks to Pierre, I stand corrected about this…Silkk The Shocker f. Trina “That’s Cool” (1999…notice the Dreamcast reference). I’d never seen this video before but this is great. It’s like a Ruff Ryders video but instead of Yonkers it’s Juno, Alaska and instead of motorbikes, it’s snowmobiles.

The Linkin Park MC-Producer shares his top nine from ‘08 (even though “Let’s Ride” was from 07’s 100 Miles & Running).

1. “Dr. Carter,” Lil Wayne
“I had to limit myself to songs from this year—otherwise, it’s just too hard to narrow down. Lil Wayne is killing it right now, but this song proved to me that he isn’t just the hot rapper of the moment. The concept is genius, and the rhymes are just ridiculous.”

2. “Rising Down,” The Roots feat. Most Def and Styles P
“For a while it felt like they were trying to do the mainstream commercial thing, but the Roots and mainstream commercial aren’t really meant for each other. This song is a monster: very conscious, very dark, very political. I don’t think, like, Soulja Boy could pull it off.”

3. “Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon
“No disrespect, but I always thought they had this cool factor that took priority over everything else. Now they’re just making good music, period. This is soulful, rootsy, bluesy and universal.”

4. “Swagga Like Us,” T.I. feat Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West
“When I first heard M.I.A. sing the ’swagger like us’ line in ‘Paper Planes,’ I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone sampled it. But this lineup is just incredible.”

5. “Cyanide,” Metallica
“An absolute monster. Welcome back, guys—we missed you.”

6. “Waiting Room,” Fugazi
“This song came out in 1989—an all-time favorite from the first band I fell in love with. Literally everything about it is great. Just download it, trust me.”

7. “Black President,” Nas
“Of all the celebrity Obama endorsements, this one felt the most real. It’s honest, conflicted and complicated.”

8. “M79,” Vampire Weekend
“I heard about these kids on Current TV. I saw the name and thought they were some
kind of hardcore metal band. Then I heard the music. It’s good to have some records in your collection that are upbeat and fun, for when you’re hanging out in the backyard or driving
to the beach. It’s a perfect summer song.”

9. “Let’s Ride,” Wale
“I check out music blogs a lot, which is where I first heard Wale. He’s part of this D.C. scene—it’s all very loud, the opposite of that spare, minimal old-school vibe–and he’s got a great flow. And his Seinfeld mixtape is hilarious.”

10. “Body Snatchers,” Radiohead
“One of the best bands of our generation. I wasn’t crazy about Kid A—it felt like they were wandering off a little too far into space. It’s good to have Thom Yorke orbiting planet Earth again.”

Wale “Nike Boots” video (Directed by Chris Robinson) from Elitaste on Vimeo.
Thanks to everyone, “Nike Boots” video has been added to Sucker Free rotation on MTV-2, Heavy rotation on mtvU and heavy rotation on MTV-JAMS. Also, tune in to MTV-2 all next week to catch interviews & performances from WALE as part of MTV-2’s DC Week

This is Jen, who is our Interscope video rep, and Tuma who coordinated the MTV News shoot in DC last week. This might be the first time a white person has ever taken a picture in front of one of these backdrops. What’s more is that it’s an Obama backdrop. This picture is so amazing on so many levels, but then again so is Jen!

And speaking of Royce 5′9″

Royce 5′9″ is one of the most underrated MC’s of all time. He was Eminem’s boy back in the day, not sure when that sour…after “Rock City” obviously

I was a freshman in college when he first started bubbling with “Boom”

And then this Trackmaster’s-produced “You Can’t Touch Me”

Click HERE to download BAR EXAM

Justice – DVNO

They took the video off youtube. My appreciation for this song has grown recently once I listened to the lyrics. According to band member Xavier de Rosnay, “DVNO” stands for “Divino.” de Rosnay states, “In every suburb of the world, in every city, there’s always a nightclub called El Divino… Clubs where you have to wear a white shirt to get in.”

Lyrics
It’s always the same
I’m always ashamed
Storytelling when i can’t come in
But one more time
I insist and I swear
I mean no offense
But you better learn to read
it’s all about membership

Can anyone read, anyone feel
That I’m losing my patience
I just came here to bounce
Ladies out west, they all know I’m coming
I’m losing my patience
I just came here to bounce

This dude’s hook game is ridiculous. First track sounds like it was inspired by 2Pac “Ambitionz As A Ridah”