Rhymes & Life: Dilla Day

Today marks the 4 year anniversary of Donuts and today would've been J Dilla's 36th birthday.

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American Grammy Nominated record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. According to his obituary at NPR.org, he "was one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists, working for big-name acts like De La Soul, Busta Rhymes and Common."

Yancey's career began slowly. He has now become highly regarded, most notably for the production of critically acclaimed albums by Common, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Pharcyde. He was a member of Slum Village for their acclaimed debut album Fantastic, Vol. 2.

In the early 2000s, Yancey's career as a solo artist began to improve; A solo album Welcome 2 Detroit was followed by a collaborative album with California producer Madlib, Champion Sound, which catalyzed the careers of both artists. Just as his music was becoming increasingly popular, Yancey died in 2006 of the blood disease TTP.

Following his death, the hip hop community became centered upon the music and image of J Dilla. Many of the artists with whom Yancey worked performed or recorded tributes, and a large group of followers voiced their support for the late musician. Yancey's music experienced a rebirth as the producer gained many times more listeners than he had during his life, partly due to media exposure. Though several posthumous albums have been released and others are planned, the massive amounts of unreleased recordings by the producer remain somewhat undetermined. Yancey's estate has also been controverted.

Rhymes: 2009 WRap-Up

I know I'm over a month late, but I've been busy.
Using a system of criteria I made up including:
-Replay Value (how many times I listened to the album)
-Rapping/Singing (technical sense of rapping, ie: flow, cadence, vocal delivery)
-Production (Overall sound of the beats)
-Lyrics (Includes Lyrical Content as well as Lyrical techniques including multis, punchlines, similies and metaphors)
-Cohesion (how well the album meshes together as a whole unit, includes sequencing)
-Good Songs (plus 1 pt for every good song that stood out on album)
-Great Songs (plus 1.5 pts for every great song that stood out on album)
-Filler Songs (Negative 1 pt for every bad/filler song on an album)
-Tie Breakers are settled by my own personal decision

Top 20 Albums:
20. UGK - UGK 4 Life - 40 pts
19. Slaughterhouse - s/t - 40 pts
18. Tanya Morgan - Brooklynati - 40 pts
17. Eminem - Relapse - 41 pts
16. Jay-Z - Blueprint 3 - 41 pts
15. Asher Roth - Asleep in the Bread Aisle - 43 pts
14. Royce da 5'9" - Street Hop - 45 pts
13. Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez - 46 pts
12. Wale - Attention: Deficit - 47 pts
11. Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract - 49 pts
10. Kid CuDi - Man on the Moon: End of Day - 49 pts
9. BK-One - Radio Do Cabinal - 51 pts
8. K'naan - Trubadour - 52 pts
7. Clipse - Till the Casket Drops - 53 pts
6. P.O.S. - Never Better - 53 pts
5. Sene&Blu - ADayLate&ADollarShort - 54 pts
4. Mos Def - The Ecstatic - 54 pts
3. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 - 61 pts
2. Brother Ali - Us - 61 pts
1. Fashawn - Boy Meets World - 62 pts

Top Mixtapes/EPs (To Qualify, must have all original production)
13. Blu - HerFavoriteColo(u)r - 38 pts
12. Inverse - So True EP - 39 pts
11. Pac Div - Church League Champs - 40 pts
10. B.o.B. - B.o.B. Vs Bobby Ray - 41 pts
9. Charles Hamilton - This Perfect Life*** - 44 pts
8. DWill & Stik Figa - hellogoodbye - 46 pts
7. Freeway - The Beat Made Me Do It - 46 pts
6. Drake - So Far Gone EP - 46 pts
5. Atmosphere - Leak at Will EP - 47 pts
4. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Vs EP - 47 pts
3. Brother Ali - The Truth is Here EP - 48 pts
2. Danny! - Where is Danny? *** - 49 pts
1. CunninLynguists - Strange Journey Vol 1 and 2 (Both had 55 pts and couldnt decide between the two)

*** Denotes that the album was intended to be released as an album, but due to label difficulties was never released officially (which negated it from the top albums section), but was leaked by the artist themselves.

From Dwight Schrute's Beet Farm: Best GF Ever!

Las Vegas, Nevada (CNN) -- To some men, she might seem like the perfect woman: She's a willowy 5 feet 7 and 120 pounds. She'll chat with you endlessly about your interests. And she'll have sex whenever you please -- as long as her battery doesn't run out.

Meet Roxxxy, who may be the world's most sophisticated talking female sex robot. For $7,000, she's all yours.

"She doesn't vacuum or cook, but she does almost everything else," said her inventor, Douglas Hines, who unveiled Roxxxy last month at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lifelike dolls, artificial sex organs and sex-chat phone lines have been keeping the lonely company for decades. But Roxxxy takes virtual companionship to a new level.

Powered by a computer under her soft silicone "skin," she employs voice-recognition and speech-synthesis software to answer questions and carry on conversations. She even comes loaded with five distinct "personalities," from Frigid Farrah to Wild Wendy, that can be programmed to suit customers' preferences.

"There's a tremendous need for this kind of product," said Hines, a computer scientist and former Bell Labs engineer.

Roxxxy won't be available for delivery for several months, but Hines is taking pre-orders through his Web site, TrueCompanion.com, where thousands of men have signed up.

"They're like, 'I can't wait to meet her,' " Hines said. "It's almost like the anticipation of a first date."

Women have inquired about ordering a sex robot, too. Hines says a female sex therapist even contacted him about buying one for her patients.

Roxxxy has been like catnip to talk-show hosts since her debut at AEE, the largest porn-industry convention in the country. In a recent monologue, Jay Leno expressed amazement that a sex robot could carry on lifelike conversations and express realistic emotions.

"Luckily, guys," he joked, "there's a button that turns that off."

Curious conventioneers packed Hines' AEE booth last month in Las Vegas, asking questions and stroking Roxxxy's skin as she sat on a couch in a black negligee.

"Roxxxy generated a lot of buzz at AEE," said Grace Lee, spokeswoman for the porn-industry convention. "The prevailing sentiment of everyone I talked to about Roxxxy is 'version 1.0,' but people were fascinated by the concept, and it caused them to rethink the possibilities of 'sex toys.' "

Hines, a self-professed happily married man from Lincoln Park, New Jersey, says he spent more than three years developing the robot after trying to find a marketable application for his artificial-intelligence technology.

Roxxxy's body is made from hypoallergenic silicone -- the kind of stuff in prosthetic limbs -- molded over a rigid skeleton. She cannot move on her own but can be contorted into almost any natural position. To create her shape, a female model spent a week posing for a series of molds.

The robot runs on a self-contained battery that lasts about three hours on one charge, Hines says. Customers can recharge Roxxxy with an electrical cord that plugs into her back.

A motor in her chest pumps heated air through a tube that winds through the robot's body, which Hines says keeps her warm to the touch. Roxxxy also has sensors in her hands and genital areas -- yes, she is anatomically correct -- that will trigger vocal responses from her when touched. She even shudders to simulate orgasm.

When someone speaks to Roxxxy, her computer converts the words to text and then uses pattern-recognition software to match them against a database containing hundreds of appropriate responses. The robot then answers aloud -- her prerecorded "voice" is supplied by an unnamed radio host -- through a loudspeaker hidden under her wig.

"Everything you say to her is processed. It's very near real time, almost without delay," Hines said of the dynamics of human-Roxxxy conversation. "To make it as realistic as possible, she has different dialogue at different times. She talks in her sleep. She even snores." (The snoring feature can be turned off, he says.)

Roxxxy understands and speaks only English for now, but Hines' True Companion company is developing Japanese and Spanish versions. For an extra fee, he'll also record customizable dialogue and phrases for each client, which means Roxxxy could talk to you about NASCAR, say, or the intricacies of politics in the Middle East.

Hines believes that Roxxxy is a step above other love dolls -- the similar but mute RealDoll costs about $5,500 -- because her conversational abilities provide something close to emotional companionship. His customer base? Shy, awkward or older men who "have trouble meeting girls," he says.

In an industry known for pushing the technological envelope, observers are curious about how Roxxxy will fare in the marketplace.

"Is this a viable product? Yes," said Sherri Shaulis, an editor at Adult Video News, a trade magazine for the pornographic industry. "There's a market for it. Granted, it's a very small market."

Maybe not. TrueCompanion claims that more than 4,000 men have placed pre-orders for Roxxxy robots, and another 20,000 or so have requested information about the product. TrueCompanion also is developing a male sex robot, named Rocky.

"There's really nothing like this on the market," said Hines, who speaks of his unique creation with what seems like genuine affection. "Whenever she's out in public, everyone wants to talk to her and pose for pictures. It's so cute."

Rhymes: Grammy Re-ca=

Oh the Grammys you fucked up again, Im glad I chose to play Left 4 Dead 2 instead of watch your lame excuse for an award show...

Best Alternative Music Album
David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
The Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [Winner]
Death Cab for Cutie – The Open Door
Depeche Mode – Sounds of the Universe
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Beyonce – Single Ladies [Winner]
Melanie Fiona – It Kills Me
Lalah Hathaway – That Was Then
Ledisi – Goin’ Thru Changes
Jazmine Sullivan – Lions, Tigers & Bears

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Maxwell – Pretty Wings [Winner]
Anthony Hamilton – The Point Of It All
Musiq Soulchild – Sobeautiful
Pleasure P – Under
Charlie Wilson – There Goes My Baby

Best R&B Performance by a Duo Or Group w/ Vocals
Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – Blame It [Winner]

Best R&B Album
Maxwell – Blacksummers’ Night [Winner]
Anthony Hamilton – The Point Of It All
India.Arie – Testimony v.2: Love & Politics
Ledisi – Turn Me Loose
Charlie Wilson – Uncle Charlie

Best Contemporary R&B Album
Beyonce – I Am… Sasha Fierce [Winner]
Jamie Foxx – Intuition
Pleasure P – The Introduction of Marcus Cooper
Trey Songz – Ready
T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz

Best Rap Solo Performance
Jay-Z – DOA [Winner]
Drake – Best I Ever Had
Eminem – Beautiful
KiD CuDi – Day N Nite
Mos Def – Casa Bey

Best Rap Song (A Songwriter’s Award)
Run This Town (Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West) [Winner]
Best I Ever Had (Drake)
Day N Nite (KiD CuDi)
Dead & Gone (T.I. & Justin Timberlake)
D.O.A. (Jay-Z)

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent – Crack A Bottle [Winner]
Beastie Boys & Nas – Too Many Rappers
Fabolous & Jay-Z – Money Goes, Honey Stay
KiD CuDi, Kanye West & Common – Make Her Say
Kanye West & Yonug Jeezy – Amazing

Best Rap/Sung Collab
Beyonce & Kanye West – Ego
Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo – Knock You Down
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – Run This Town [Winner]
The Lonely Island & T-Pain – I’m On a Boat
T.I. & Justin Timberlake – Dead & Gone

Best Rap Album
Eminem – Relapse [Winner]
Common – UMC
Flo Rida – R.O.O.T.S.
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Q-Tip – The Renaissance

And Taylor Swift won Album of the Year... According to a couple of reports, Kanye didnt show because he is working on his next album.

But here was one highlight of the night, that CBS fucked up with their censoring but good news BRL brings you the UNCENSORED performance of Drake Lil Wayne and Eminem doing "Forever" and "Drop the World"