FUTURE-Music Must Haves

Skip the intros, let's get straight to it.

At the top of the list is one of the nastiest, thought-provoking, out of the box lyricists of our generation, Lupe Fiasco. If you're any kind of cool, you'd know the guy made a name for himself and nerds alike by rhyming about skateboard pleasantries, as well as inciting people to re-think the world around them.

His last studio effort, "The Cool," debuted in 2007 and sold a little over 200,000 copies. Throughout the album, Lupe hinted that his next album, tentatively entitled, L.U.P.END would be his last, but the powers that be have led the west-side Chicago rapper back into the studio for his up coming album LASERS, due sometime this fall.

Next on the list is everyone's favorite prick, Kanye West. Me myself, I have no real issues with the guy. My only quarrel with 'Ye, give us the old 'Ye! We want that "College Dropout" Kanye back! Sure, I understand that as an artist, you can't stay in one spot, that you have to be willing to develop your craft, but at the same time, it seems like all of the "pissed-offisms" have led Kanye to explore sounds that are either hit or miss. Sure, his last CD, 808's and Heartbreak did over 450k in its first week of release, but I mean...eh. It took me several times of skipping, looping and listens to actually appreciate the album, not usually a habit when it comes to Kanye West projects. I understand that a lot of the album's source material came from 'Ye's personal experience, and I applaud him for that as an artist; but as a listener, I guess the presentation could have been a bit better.

Hopefully, we get a glimpse of ol' school Kanye in the long awaited "Good Ass Job" album. The released single "Power" sounds pretty good. It has the arrogance we've come to appreciate in Kanye along with a catchy track with matching chant vocals in the background. "Good Ass Job" is slatted for release on September 14.

HONORABLE MENTION: This one's going to North Carolina's own, J.Cole. I appreciate J.Cole since really all North Carolina's ever given us was Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, and Little Brother...Petey Pablo, #CMONSON!?

With J.Cole comes the resurgence of all around hip-hop. He's got a delivery that resembles 2 Pac, word play the likes of Jay-Z or Andre 3000, and the intellect of consensus rapper's Talib Kweli and Common. Overall, Emperor Hov found himself a mighty fine apprentice in young Cole (cue Darth Vader breathing). His mix-tapes The Come Up and The Warm Up are definitely worth checking out. Does he have what it takes to take the new Roc-Nation to heights unseen since the early days of Roc-A-Fella? We'll have to wait and see.

Sidenote: Whre the hell is Big Sean?!?

"Sleep is for those who don't have dreams..."

I got that quote from a friend of mine who's involved in visual arts. Like so many others, the odds of becoming a highly "successful" photographer is stiff. We were told to follow our hearts and live our dreams, but they failed to mention the part about expenditures and competition. The "baby-boomers" generation is being forced out, yet "Generation X," as we've been so appropriately named, is fighting within itself to compete in a job market that blows all kinds of chunks.

I was kind of feeling down so I turned to music to reflect my mood. Skip the whole "pick me-up" tunes, give me some sh*t that's gonna make me say, "Damn, this is real." In doing so I opened my computer and found a classic song from a classic album by an artist who's surely going to be labeled (if not already) one of the greats, KanYe West's, "Spaceship." For those that aren't hip, the song comes from "Ye's" freshmen album The College Dropout. In it, he describes the plight that the dreamer with great ambitions goes through on a day to day basis. If you feel like you've ever wanted more out of life than where you're at, this bud's for you. To all my fellow big dream enthusiasts out there, never quit; even if where you're at sucks major! Remember, count it all joy! Our day is coming!

There Goes the neighborhood

How goes it world? Sorry I've been on hiatus, but my personal life has been kinda crazy, which got me to thinking, I didn't formally introduce myself. Well, for those of you who didn't subscribe to my last blog The Urban Sprawl Agenda, you wouldn't know that my name is Darin Woodard II. Yeah, I'm a second, and I think it has a nice ring to it. I just recently graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelors of Science degree in journalism, and am looking to use "The Patriot" as a stepping stone to break into mainstream entertainment.

Like any other schmo, I started this blog with the intent to blast audiences with my radical opinions. Why'd I get a degree in journalism if I'm just going to rant you ask? Well, that's simple, BECAUSE THAT'S THE WORLD WE LIVE IN FOLKS. IN ORDER TO MAKE THE BIG BUCKS YOU'VE GOT TO TRICK THROUGH A FEW HOOPS...but I digress.

"The Patriot" is my, and hopefully your soon to be sanctuary for everything "cool." I warn you, Subjects, thoughts and opinions may get a little raunchy, offensive, or just down right nerdy! In other words, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. If you don't agree or want to offer a different take on a topic, feel free to leave a comment, that's what the box is there for.

So there it is folks. I'm a starving artist looking to get his foot in the door without getting awkward stares from the in-laws. Thanks for reading!

Oh yeah, and catch all of my twitter antics as well. Follow me: @wered0h

-Darin C. Woodard II