sensual harassment: mirror.

dl: SENSUAL HARASSMENT - Mirror (YSI)

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I don't know diddly-hoo about John Barclay or Todd Thomas (The Fashion Brigade, Emergency Broadcast System), but I certainly do enjoy "Mirror", a song from the Brooklyn duo's latest project Sensual Harassment. I was first drawn to them by their photos on the space, in which the members' faces are consistently hidden behind two animal masks-- a pig and a crocodile/alligator (?). I'd be disappointed if I found out they perform without these costumes. Because the world needs more animals that rock.

The rocking on this song is on the verge of power-dance-emo, which somehow doesn't make me feel shameful. Even the vocals are slightly Conor Oberst-like, making me really wonder why I don't feel shameful. I don't know if their album has been officially released yet, but they worked on it with a dude who worked with The Cure and a dude that worked with Snoop Dogg. Drop it like it's hot hot hot!

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- SPACE IT -

gangsta boo: queen of the south chronicles (continued).

GANGSTA BOO (born Lola Mitchell) is the queen of the south. Or at least she thinks she is.

"I'm hearin' a lot of them hoes claim that motherfuckin' title. Well, you know what bitch? I'm takin' that shit, bitch. It is what it is. I ain't claiming that shit, hoe. I'm telling you, bitch. I'm sayin' facts. I'm the queen of the south."

Ms. Lola Mitchell is one of four major contenders for this title. Jacki-O, Khia, and Trina are all jumping up to grab the crown. According to an interview with Hood Magazine, Mitchell has no problem with Jacki-O or Trina claiming the title of "queen of the south". In true Lindsay Lohan Mean Girls style, she proclaimed that they all hold a piece of the crown. But don't bring up Khia around her. Mitchell continues in the interview, "Khia doesn't want to fuck with me and Khia frontin' to be so damn hard, then why didn't she say shit when I called her out at the Ozone Awards."

Mitchell also has issues with Khia's attitude towards other female rappers. And she has every reason to have issues, as Khia is the most dramatic of the bunch. In the August 2006 issue of XXL Khia asked, "How can you be a queen when you are being pimped by a bunch of n***as?" She continues, "All of ‘em, Foxy and Jay-Z, Lil’ Kim and Biggie, Shawnna and DTP, Mia X and No Limit. Every big female artists that ever came out, came out under a man. How can you claim to hold the crown like that?" This comment may have hit home for Mitchell, as she started as the first and only original female member of the now all-male Oscar-winning group Three 6 Mafia.

In Mitchell's defense for the crown, she has been on the music scene since 1994 (three years longer than Trina and seven years longer than both Jacki-O and Khia). Her 1998 debut single "Where Dem Dollars At?" helped put Memphis on the map, despite making little impact on pop radio. While she may have become established with the help of Three 6 Mafia, she has since split with them and developed her own independent label. She has been grinding independently for nearly as long as Khia, so she's certainly not being pimped. On her own, she's managed to secure guest spots on several albums including Outkast, Rasheeda, and a DTP (Disturbing the Peace) compilation.

None of her albums went gold and she's not appearing on the cover of your favorite men's magazine. Her contribution to the Polow Da Don produced "Break a N***a Off" may have not made the final cut of Rich Boy's self-titled debut album. But damn, this girl is still outstanding, accomplished, and she could run circles around Jacki-O.

More importantly, Mitchell's "Queen of the South" diss is surprisingly friendly, as it doesn't seem to be directed towards any particular artist. Unlike her peers, she's above mentioning names within her songs. She's better than that...though we'll have to wait until the release of her album Forever Gangsta to see just how much better she is.

d/l: GANGSTA BOO- Queen of the South (YSI)
d/l: RICH BOY f/ SNOOP DOGG & GANGSTA BOO- Break a N***a Off (YSI)
d/l: GANGSTA BOO f/ LA CHAT- Splash (YSI)
(two tracks featuring Memphis-born female rapper)
- buy it - space it - wik it -

BLOGGER NOTE: Good Googly Moogly! Three 6 Mafia affiliate Project Pat is performing at my school. Please, whatever.

BLOGWATCH: Chazology welcomes Leif as a new contributor, starting with a post about Mapei. It's hard to find a Friend has a new live solo song by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. Something Velvet Blog hypes the upcoming Bishop Allen release. Copy, Right? has a cover of Paris Hilton, in honor of her recent arrest. Shameless Complacency writes about the upcoming Bonde Do Role release.

passion boys: their music is make excite chicken dance feeling.

PASSION BOYS "make some music very much like name Passion Boys. They like make music about sexy ladie and nice music also." No, you haven't suddenly come down with a rare reading disorder. That is how they type.

Whether or not these boys from Bataszek, Hungary are punking the world a la Silvia Night is yet to be determined...but one thing is certain. I will gladly ride in a satellite (of love) with Gyorgy and Laszlo. Their major hit "Passion Boys are Firemans" is a delicious piece of European techno with a pure cheesiness that would make Le Sport jealous.

Even better than the actual song is a mash-up with Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot". In the past, I have encountered many mash-ups including the acappella from "Drop It Like It's Hot", but none of them can even come close to touching this one. None of them. NONE.

For those of you who have fallen in love and are prepared to ride on a satellite (of love)...head over to the "Passion Boys Appreciation Society". If that's not enough for you, I suggest that you friend them on the space and send them a nice message.

DOWNLOAD: PASSION BOYS- Passion Boys are Firemans
DOWNLOAD: PASSION BOYS vs. SNOOP DOGG- Firemans Drop It Hot

BLOGWATCH: You Ain't No Picasso has a link to the adorable music video for I'm From Barcelona's "We're From Barcelona". Over at stereogum, get a preview of what Lady Sovereign has to offer on her upcoming Def Jam release. Head over to fluxblog for the Richard X remix to Annie's new song "The Crush". Lastly, check out the new single "Show Stopper" from Making the Band 3's Danity Kane at Stars Are Blind...and proceed to wonder why Diddy insists on continuing this series.