Michael Braun's Blog

Many of us enjoy Hip-Hop music. But so often the Hip-Hop we get exposed to is that we find on commercial radio stations. Nothing against popular music, but often commercial stations don’t play the kind of music that you and I are likely to find much depth in. No, the stations aim to play that which is already popular, rather than striving to promote artists needing promotion. So while there may occasionally be a breakthrough artist who also achieves commercial success, most often with commercial Hip-Hop we see success based on the quality of the production rather than lyrics or skill of delivery.

But thankfully I read something on the Onion AV Club’s website recently. Writer Nathan Rabin directed the readers to some excellent sites serving up free Hip-Hop mixtapes (read his post here). I downloaded some and was particularly impressed with artist Bishop Lamont. He’s signed to Aftermath, a Dr. Dre protege. Knowing the success Dr. Dre has in picking out up-and-coming artists (Snoop, Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game), I have high hopes for Bishop Lamont’s eventual commercial success. But until you are able to purchase his albums in your local record shop, his mixtapes serve to show you his excellent skills. I downloaded ‘Pope Mobile’ and thought it was excellent.

Anyway, if you are looking to listen to some Hip-Hop outside of the mainstream, I highly recommend grabbing some of these free mixtapes. Not only will they make you remember why you got into Hip-Hop in the first place, it will also make you appreciate those artists who use the internet for their advantage, rather than trying to fight against it! Hip-Hop is great, and free Hip-Hop is even better!

First, Lauren and I are trying out a new coffeeshop – The Froth House on Allen Street. The connection to this coffeeshop for us is rather long. One of the owners is the brother of the girlfriend of a co-worker of mine. So Ryan, that co-worker, recommended it, and Lauren and I drove over to check it out. It’s really nice! It’s got a good location, not to far from where we live, in a quiet area. Plenty of tables and even outdoor seating. The coffee is excellent, as was the smoothie that Lauren had. Overall, not too many people here right now, but there have been a good stream in and out since we arrived. Hopefully it continues to do well, as it seems like a very nice place. On the other hand, I wish the same success for Barrique’s, but often their Fitchburg and Middleton locations are too busy, and you can’t find a table. So maybe a middle level of success.

Second, I’m reading a great book right now! Lauren gave it to me for Valentine’s Day (such a romantic gift); ‘The End of Faith’ by Sam Harris. Before our trip to Paris, I read his book ‘Letter to a Christian Nation’, which transformed my own view on defending my views on religion, rather than advocating tolerance of illogical ideas. It also expressed a lot of what I think in a clear and straightforward way, with plenty of humor thrown in.

‘The End of Faith’ follows along the same lines, though with much more logic and philosophy (as it’s quite a bit longer than the 80 page ‘Letter’). I really appreciate his logic and thought exercises, as well as his straightforward criticism of all organized religions, rather than simply attacking Christianity. I think he bravely confronts Islam, while still not giving much ammunition to Christians who would use his argument to support their own crusades. Overall, a very good book so far. If you don’t have time to read it, I would still recommend ‘Letter’ as an absolute must-read.