Life, Love & Lyrics

Today's Feature: Black Alley Live @ the BreakFast Klub

2010-08-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

Once again, on a quest to be the hardest working videographer in the city, I ran into a show on U st, in which Black Alley SHUT DOWN Liv Nightclub in Washington DC. The crowd was amazing, the drinks were flowing and everyone was having a great time. If you happen to be in the U St area on a Sunday evening/night, Liv is def the place to be.

P.S
Little known fact, I am a former member of Black Alley and recorded my first (unreleased) solo project with the band as well (back in my singing days). For more information contact myself at Brandon.Best@gmail.com

Today's Feature: Flyin Low Car Club

2010-08-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ran into a crowd at the BLVD in Largo, so logically I wanted to check out what all the hype was about, and I ran into quite possibly some of the most amazing cars that I have seen in a while. From what I was told they were shooting a video for their car club, Flying Low Car Club located in Hampton Park Blvd. If you are more interested in the car club check out their facebook page www.facebook.com/flyinlowcc I'm sure you will like what you see.

-Brandon Best
Life, Love & Lyrics

Behind The Scenes with Black Sand

2010-08-21T06:45:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I recently purchased the new Canon EOS 7d camera. It is a $2,000+ cam that does HD video as well take excellent quality pictures. This is something I put together for a homie of mine named G-Two. It's a behind the scenes footage of a music video that he is recording. The video is going to be crazy! Check it out!

Stevie Wonder Concert

2010-05-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

There are very few words that could describe Stevie Wonder. For over 47 years, Stevie Wonder has amazed audiences in a fashion unfathomable to the average human being. He has written 54 Top 40 songs in the US as well as being the recipient of 25 Grammy's and a Lifetime Achievement Award. However, Wonder's accolades don't stop there. Stevland Hardaway Judkins (Stevie Wonder) impact far outreaches music. Throughout the duration of his 47 year career, Wonder was an influential political activist. He was also a prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement. Some of his work included an effort to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday (1980).

Last night I had the pleasure to see Stevie Wonder perform live at the Verizon Center in Washington DC. The show was hosted by the Pollin family, the long-time owner's of the Wizards organization. As many of you know, Abe Pollin, past away not too long ago, and his family wished to give back to the community. With that thought in mind, the Pollins put together a FREE private concert in which they would celebrate the "working people" who made the Wizards Organization what it is today. They sent out tickets to teachers, the fire and police department, as well as social work agencies in the city.

The arena was packed as Stevie Wonder sang multiple renditions of his most famous songs. By the end of the night Stevie Wonder sang over 2.5 hours of GREATNESS. There were no intermission, no breaks, just 2.5 hours of utter amazement. There wasn't a face in the crowd that wasn't smiling, and if there was someone without a smile, it was only because they were singing the words to their favorite song.

With over 30 Top 10 songs, its no WONDER he could sing 2.5hours of hits! Sometimes we take artist like Stevie Wonder for granted instead of seeing him for what he is... A LEGEND, AN ICON, and quite possibly the most INFLUENTIAL MAN left standing.

One of the worst days in my life was when I heard the news of MJ's passing, and the fact that I never had an opportunity to meet him, or see him live only made that moment worse. However, yesterday was one of the best moments in my life! But even more memorable was the 7 year old boy that was allowed to run around and dance near the front of the stage, well past the restricted zone. The security guards didn't tell his parents to keep him behind the line, they just let him dance, and have fun! I think that was the vision the Pollin's had in mind when they created this event (in less that 3 weeks). That child's life will never be the same... and neither will mine. Thanks Pollin's and most of all, thank you Stevie Wonder. Thank you for allowing me to see what GREATNESS looks like. I'll never forget that day.

Musically yours,

Brandon Best

www.OfficialBBest.com

2010-03-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

After a little bit of work, I've finally launched www.officialbbest.com

It's the official website to get anything related to BBest, inclusive of merchandise, Life,Love&Lyrics Events and more. Check it out whenever you get a chance!!

BTW www.officialbbest.com release party on May 8th!!!!! With live performances by yours truely, Let it Flow, and Suttle Thoughts!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

So this year I decided to do something a little different for Valentine's. Go out with my best friend! Instead of going through the drama of having unwanted pressure, why not go out with someone who I know I will have fun with. Yeah, it so happens that my best friend is a 5'7 model with an amazing smile... but with all of that out of the way, I knew it would be a fun drama-less night.

We went to Bravo-Bravo, a spot on Connecticut Avenue to see Kindred Family Soul and Bella Donna. Bella Donna, an all female band opened the show with a series of covers. They had a great sound, but it was just so different to see an all female band. I mean they were good too! I'm definitely going to make sure I see more of them in the future.

Kindred finally hit the stage with their usual classics like "Far Away From Here" and "Where would I be." They had the whole place rocking! I mean there were probably three people not partying, and they worked security. Did I mention that the female singer was from DC (bonus points) and she was pregnant (bonus points) and they brought me on stage to sing a lil Curtis Mayfield "Diamonds in the back, sunroof top.... you know the rest (BONUS POINTS).

So what started out as a fun little outing with a friend, turned into a great night!

The 2010 Plight of Urban Music Sales

2010-02-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

Check out this article I wrote for www.dmvunplugged.com

With urban music sale volumes experiencing monumental decreases, its a wonder why anyone would aspire to become a Hip Hop or R&B artist in 2010.

The truth of the matter is, according to last week’s Billboard charts, only two Hip Hop artist (Jay-Z & Eminem) surpassed 1 million record sales, while no R&B artist with the exception of Beyonce, reached that plateau. Even artist such as Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Rihanna and 50cent failed to reach platinum status by several hundred thousand sales.

JeezySome may suggest that the quality of Hip Hop and R&B has declined over the past two decades, while others believe the market is over saturated with free music being leaked by artist and labels. Even social networks like Myspace, Facebook and Twitter have been blamed for the low numbers, claiming that the ease of access has detracted from the artists’ mystique, thus resulting in a decreased motivation to purchase an album. The truth is, there are many factors that led to the downfall of urban sales, but none better than the mantra used correctly by Young Jeezy “It’s a recession erybody broke,” which has also negatively impacted the purchasing patterns of urban music’s the target market.

Labels are no longer taking risk, so pretty safe to say that the days of being “discovered” & landing a multimillion dollar contract are over. Quality music no longer equates to success. Labels have become impatient and are unwilling to work with artists to develop their brand. Its crazy to believe that if the Fugees released their debut album today [Blunted in Reality (1994)], they may not have been granted an opportunity to refine their sound, eventually leading to the birth of one of hip hop’s all time greatest groups. For those unfamiliar with the Fugees debut project, it peaked at #62 on The Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums of 1994, failing to land a Top 100 spot on the national billboards.

So the question remains, why be an urban artist in the year 2010, especially with the knowledge that marketing & promotional costs are high, with little to no guarantee of a significant return. The answer is quite simple and could be summarized in four key words: love, impact, freedom & expression. Do it for the LOVE of the art; for the IMPACT you will have on others; and for the FREEDOM or EXPRESSION. To passionate artist, the acronym of these four key words says it all. Music = L.I.F.E.

The intent of this article is not to discourage urban artist from being entrepreneurs or following their dreams, but if you look at music as a “side hustle” or a way to get rich quick, then you should probably consider pop or country, its a much smarter business investment. The facts are simple, the target audience of the urban market is a only subculture of the American population. This is exactly why you see artists such as Eminem and Jay-Z with songs that would be considered pop. In order to make the big $$$ they have to reach a broader audience. Do you think Jay-Z would sell a million records reppin Marcy Projects? The answer is no, not right now. But if you expand on that idea and title the song “New York” and add a few names like Sinatra, and include the Knicks and Yankees in the song, you now have a song that can relate to people of all socioeconomic and cultural subgroups. So while “reppin your hood” will always have a place in your heart, if you are doing this for the hustle, make music for the kids in the suburbs.

I’m not saying this to detract from urban music, I will always love Hip Hop and R&B. I will also continue to support it by purchasing CD’s & merchandise from the artist I respect. I love Hip Hop & EVERYTHING it stands for, because through Urban music gave me L.I.F.E. So give me a backpack, 1000 CD’s and a microphone, and I’ll see you at the next open mic!

Notable Record Sales 12/29/09-1/5/10 Soundscan

Taylor Swift – Fearless – 5,330,091

Taylor Swift – Big Machine – 4,621,051

Susan Boyle – I Dreamed A Dream – 3,099,223

Beyonce – I Am Sasha Fierce – 2,659,051

Nickelback – Dark Horse – 2,533,107

Lady GaGa – FAME – 2,389,976

Black Eyed Peas – E.N.D – 1,787,340

Eminem – Relapse – 1,734,043

Kings of Leon – Only By The Night – 1,708,935

Jay-Z – BP3 – 1,514,281

Zac Brown Band – Foundation – 1,348,638

Miley Cyrus – Time of Our Lives – 1,212,186

Carrie Underwood – Play On – 1,182,518

Twilight Saga – Soundtrack – 964,097

Jason Aldean – Wide Open – 958,836

Alicia Keys – Element of Freedom – 769,963

Rihanna – Rated R – 497,382

Trey Songz – Ready – 438,909

Mary J. Blige – Stronger with Each Tear – 388,806

50cent – Before I Self Destruct – 350,631

Chris Brown – Graffiti – 231,599

Gucci Mane – State vs Radric Davis – 190,604

Young Money – We Are Young Money – 182,762

Beautiful Weirdo

2010-01-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

So tonight I am going to check out one of my favorite R&B/Soul artist from the DC area @Liv on U Street. She goes by the name of Green Tea, and is hands down one of the premiere vocalist in this area. She will be performing with a live band, along with special guest speakers... so.... if you don't have anything to do tonight, you might want to come check out this amazing woman. If you do have plans, you might want to postpone them!

For more info on Green Tea check out www.greentea.bandcamp.com

One Night Stand

2010-01-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

So I'm going to finally perform again... If you are in town come check me out. I'll be there with Nick Rich, DeAngelo Redman, Jono & R&B Street 65. It should be a show for the ages!

This will be a weekly event held at XII on 1123 H Street NE DC. For more info contact (202)560-7467 or www.DMVTMC.com

Some people really aren't your friends...

2009-10-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

So I'm kinda mad, not really mad, but kinda sorta upset/sad/pissed/itsreallynotthatserious all at the same time. So I just got word this morning that Amerie was at Indulj on U Street last night for a listening party. For those of you who don't know, Indulj is like my second home. I perform there, had my bday party there... hell its even one of the reoccurring "date spots." So why wasn't I informed that the most beautiful woman in the world was at MY spot, until the next morning. I'm convinced that either a) they aren't my friends, or b) they want her all to themselves. Hell I cant lie... if I knew she was there, I wouldnt tell a soul. It would just be me and Amerie sippin on a nice class of Chardonnay, talkin about 9 months from now, when lil Jr. pops out.

So as of right now, I'm beefin with everyone who was there and had an opportunity to chill with her. So if you were there... please accept this middle finger on my behalf. Thank you very much.

Brandon Best

We are the actions that we make

2009-10-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

So as many of you know, my 9-5 is that of a middle school teacher. Today I'm pretty down because one of my favorite students is no longer enrolled at the school. Just a few days prior I sat with my students and discussed cause & effect/ action vs.cansequence. i told them that they can do anything theyy wanted, however there is a consequence to every action that you take. Example: you can try to rob a bank, however, the odds are that you will get caught & have to go to jail and quite possibly lose everything that you have worked so hard to get. It's not really worth it.

However, sometimes our lack of action also preempts a consequence. In this capitalist society, its often the faster, smarter more driven individuals who excel. The drive to accomplish a goal, and lack of complacency is what seperates the successful from the average Joe. Sometimes we talk a good game, but lack the intestinal fortitude to make it happen. So I'm going to leave you with three letters that my football coach used to tell me back in high school G.I.D. (Get It Done). Nothing else matters, it doesn't matter how long it takes, what road you have to pass, or what barriers we must overcome, just Get It Done.

Be strong!
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do and loads to lift;
Shun not the struggle, face it, ’tis God’s gift.
Be strong, be strong, be strong!

Be strong!
Say not the days are evil—who’s to blame?
And fold the hands and acquiesce—O shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s Name.
Be strong, be strong, be strong!

Be strong!
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day, how long;
Faint not, fight on! Tomorrow comes the song.
Be strong, be strong, be strong!

Humpday model

2009-10-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

So its hump day... the day that we look forward to getting past, here is a lil eye candy to help you along the way. This weeks model of the day is Johanie Taylor.

Birth Sign: Pisces
Stats: 34-24-34
Height: 5'1
Hometown: US Virgin Islands
Ethnicity: Multiracial
Profession: Model

Interview with Johanie Taylor
Where are you from?

Johanie Taylor: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

What is your ethnic background?

Johanie Taylor: Black, Caribbean Indian, and Portuguese.

How did you get started in modeling?

Johanie Taylor: My mom, she started me as early as 11.

Who do you look up to most in the industry?

Johanie Taylor: Tyra Banks

How do you dress on a normal day?

Johanie Taylor: Classy, but I still keep it sexy.

What part of your body are you most complimented on?

Johanie Taylor: My face. I get the "Oh you are so beautiful" a lot.

What do you think is your best physical attribute?

Johanie Taylor: My look in general, I feel its different and exotic.

What are some of you current hobbies or interests?

Johanie Taylor: I love to dance, I've been performing for years, water sports, and of coarse modeling. I'm open to practically any thing that's good clean fun.

What are some of your future goals?

Johanie Taylor: To be one of the biggest names in the urban industry. The Tyra Banks of urban modeling.

How would you best describe your personality?

Johanie Taylor: I'm not shy at all, friendly, and very spontaneous.

What are some of your turn-ons and turnoffs?

Johanie Taylor: Turn-ons: Any thing that makes me laugh and smile, if I'm enjoying myself I love it. Turnoffs: If I'm not enjoying myself and there is nothing I can do to help salvage the situation I'm not diggin it.

What type of guys do you like?

Johanie Taylor: I like a man with some height, he has to be taller than me. Sexy, smooth, and honest. A good personality goes a long way with me.

On a scale of 1-10, how do you rate your wild side?

Johanie Taylor: Lol, I would say a 10, I can get wild OK, but I still keep it classy.

For the love of the game...

2009-10-21T13:02:00.001-07:00

So I'm sitting here at my 9-5 wondering, why do most artist do what they do? It's pretty much understood that once your passion becomes your job, a lot of the passion is swept away, turning your "passion" into a "job". I've seen people hate the very things that they once loved. So what is it that keeps a Beyonce going? Is it the intense competitive nature? Maybe its not wanting to be forgotten? Possibly love? Is it possible to love and hate something at the same time?

Let me know what you think....

The Good Ole Boyz plus the "Why Not..." Mixtape

2009-06-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

So in the absense of recording R&B (mostly to regroup, and lack of inspiration), I have decided to cross genre's into rap. Its a new challenge for me. I'll always be an R&B guy at heart, but its time to switch it up... and to answer your questions, no I will not be doing this as a serious venture... just for fun. I figure since everyone else is putting out garbage, Why Not...

On another note, things with the Good Ole Boyz (GOB) are starting to pick up. Check out this drawing done by GOB member JE... get at me!

DJ Soundwave & Mass Potential Present: The Unnamed Mixtape Vol.2

2009-04-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

DOWNLOAD "DJ SOUNDWAVE AND
MASS POTENTIAL PRESENT: THE UNNAMED MIXTAPE VOL. 2 -- STILL NO NAME"

http://www.limelinx.com/files/b28140928c3bd3814f725249a7eb6f66

http://www.divshare.com/download/6551621-b70

Download "DJ Soundwave and Mass Potential present: The Unnamed Mixtape
Vol.2 -- Still No Name" just in time for Valentine's Day! With
Features from Complete, JE and BBest of The Good Ole Boys, Ice the
Villain, G*Two, Elle.Bee (aka Alysha Brown), TOX, Gangsta Red, Lil
Wayne and endorsed by Lady A, Sarah Love, Major (of Goadometalk.com),
The General, and Ledo's, IT IS COMPLETE FIRE! Thanks for the love on
the mostest, lovingested day!
--Mass Potential

DJ Soundwave and Mass Potential present: The Unnamed Mixtape Vol. 2 --
Still No Name

New Music Mondays

2009-04-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

This song is called PicaSoul... It's the first of many Good Ol' Boys tracks. Be on the lookout for more to come!

http://www.zshare.net/audio/59285166d3e63078/

Listen, and lemme know wut u think

Starlight Soooo Damn Bright (my future)

2009-04-27T15:50:00.001-07:00

It's looking like things are starting to look up. As an up and coming songwriter it is hard to be heard. You are often stuck in the same circle unless you surround yourself with good people. I have been lucky enough to find people with similar goals and ambitions who are just as talented if not much more talented then myself.

This year I finally got a signed artist to sing one of my songs. He goes by the name of Chris J. His most popular song is "Put It On Ya" with Plies.. I have also been working with Ashley Glasgow from Florida from the Coyote Ugly Reality Show, tryna get my pop music on... I'll also be going with Main Girl (up and coming R&B girl group from the DMV) to the A&R Power Summit in NYC to get my networking game on point. It's looking like a good 2009!

Starmakers Productions

2009-02-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

What's going on ladies, gentlemen? This year has definately been a year of first... I appeared in a music video that is being nationally broadcasted (Ryan Leslie "How it was supposed to be"), Obamanation is as strong as ever, Michael Steele was elected chairman of the GOP, and I have joined the platinum production team Starmakers Productions (Raheem Devaughn, Ginuwine, Heather Hadley), located at the Backwoods Studio...

Big Bob Terry, who along with Capt'n Curt, Chris "Symfonikz" Lewis and Jerry "Juke" Vines (of 1228 Management) makes up the Starmakers team, along with a crew of talented writers. 2009 looks like it will be very productive on this end!

B.Best (Dr. Love) Vs. Donnie Klang (Dr. Love)

2009-01-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

This is the second issue of the BBest vs. Industry.... this time its BBest doin a remix of Dr. Love by Donnie Klang of MTB4...

Lemme know wut you think...

Vs.

Let me know... please vote on your favorite...

B.Best (Hit it) Vs. Bobby Valentino (Beat Beat)

2009-01-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.zshare.net/audio/547012934f265dc8/

vs

Lemme know wut u think

Who is Ron Brows anyway??

2009-01-25T18:55:00.000-08:00

For those of you who thought Ron Brows is just another auto-tuned fad to the hip hop game... guess again. In a way you could say that Ron Brows is a Ne-Yo of the rap game... (well maybe not the Ne-Yo, but definitely a well known producer). In fact he has produced hits like "Ether" by Nas and "Ebonics" by Big L.... SO even though most people may not respect the man as an artist, you cant discredit his talent.

Lack of Male R&B Talent...

2009-01-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

Ok... is it just me, or is there really a lack of Male R&B talent nowadays??? I'm kinda sick of Chris Brown being the only thing out. He is talented, but forreal forreal, he shouldn't be #1. I mean R-Les is talented as hell, but who knows when his album is gonna drop. And what ever happened to Usher???? guess he got lost tryna move that mountain. Ne-Yo is straight... I think. and Dream.... well that brotha needs to keep on dreamin cuz homie just aint it... So basically all we are left with is tha homie T-Pain, and to be honest I haven't heard him without the auto-tune (although he is definitely on his A game).

So what are we left with... Industry its time to give us a new set of male R&B artist...

Look out for BBest in the Ryan Leslie new video

2009-01-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

How It Was Supposed To Be (Military Version) from Ryan Leslie on Vimeo.

Look out for me 4mins and 32sec into the video...

Roc Boyz Freestyle

2009-01-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

This is something from waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in tha day... part of that G.O.B (Good Ol' Boyz) Life, Love & Lyrics fam... doin it again! Peep this!

10 Days of Auto-Tune Early Release

2008-12-23T05:46:00.000-08:00

Here is the early release to the second project that I am working on releasing for 09... check it out and let me know what you think... Its called "Hit It"

This is definitely left field of "Life, Love & Lyrics" by hey... it still hot!

The second track is yours truely B.Best doing a remix with MTB4's Donnie Klan... the song is called Dr. Love.. check it out!

Free Digital Download of Life, Love & Lyrics (my debut CD)

2008-12-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

I finally decided that it was DEFINATELY more important for people to hear my music than for me to chance i-tunes and people purchasing the album... Sooooooooo with all of that said, attached is a copy of my debut album entitled "Life, Love, & Lyrics"

It is a 10 song selection of R&B/Soul... all instrumentation is live, and performed by a group of excellent musicians that I work with often. There are a few bonus tracks as well, most notable "Asprin For Your Ears" performed by myself, Complete, and Komplex... the track was done masterfully by Praise of Final Kauz Entertainment.

Check out the music and feel free to leave a comment on what you thought of the album.

Take Care,

Brandon Best

http://www.zshare.net/download/5298752680cb419a/

10 Days of Auto-tune

2008-12-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

Iight so check it... I just got the Antares Auto-Tune Evo 10 Day Free Trial... so here is the plan, The 10 Days of Auto-Tune Mixtape will be coming soon. I PROMISE it will be better than anything you have heard all year! The goal is to complete 2 songs per day... ill keep you updated on the project... and the countdown begins!

DMV Superstars concert @ Club XII

2008-12-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to perform in a concert with a few of DC's top indie acts. Amongst the few was Main Girl, Gina Rose, DOE CIGAMON and Dagga. If you don't know these names, check them out. The event was hosted by Mahogony Jones, and Dre All Day, and produced by NVus Entertainment. I have attached a few pics from the show...

Brandon Best on the Set of Ryan Leslie's new video

2008-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

So a few months ago I had the pleasure of being on one of Ryan Leslie's new video's for the song "How it was supposed to be." The video included Tyson Beckford as one of the Lt. in a video that featured Ryan Leslie as an ol school army soldier performing at a venue in front of a group of army soldiers. At the end Brandon Best swoops Ryan's girl as well as Tyson's girl, and the video ends.........

Ok, so maybe that didn't happen, and maybe you can barely see me in any of the shots, but I was there and here are some pics to prove it!

Are the Freemasons running hip hop???

2008-12-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Ok... I peeped this earlier today and I think its some pretty viable information... If you are interested in the music industry you might want to check this out. Forreal!!! I think I have gone at this the wrong way....

4th Corner

2008-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Peep this yall.... I def fcks wit it

street level cypher raw delivery
before it was corrupted by the industry
right before the rarity of spitting creatively
before the art of exchange self for false energy

myspace.com/infinitecreation

Dear Hip Hop,

2008-12-04T08:06:00.001-08:00

Dear Hip Hop,

Underground Hip Hop has always been a significant movement in urban culture. From day 1, hip hop's roots can be attributed to street corner cyphers/battles, backpacking and CD trunk wholesale distribution. But wow... nowadays the music industry has pushed everyone so far that EVERYONE is underground.

Maybe it's me, but I think one of the things that made underground hip hop so special was its deviation from the norm... so what happens when the norm itself is pushed underground. I guess this is where I see the State of the Union: The major media conglomerates are afraid to take a chance on artist, nowadays in order to get signed you have to have a following of 49307287494949878 people, a youtube accound with 374983267865876 subscribers, a blog page that EVERYONE follows, and you must demonstrate the capacity to sell 100,000 CD's on your own. GET REAL!!!! If an artist can do that on their own who tha hell needs a major label???? Think about it.

I guess the CEO's and corperate officials fail to remember how stars were developed and cultivated over time. That's how we got the Marvin Gaye's, the Temptations, and even the Jackson 5's.

Hip Hop you get what you put in, and right now you aren't putting in that much, which is why we are left with the Soulja Boy's, the Cassie's, and the Plies' of the world while artist such as Chrissette Michelle, Nas and Raheem DeVaughn get only half of the attention they deserve.

Hip Hop, do your research! People support artist they love! I will burn the shyt out of a Beyonce CD, but I will take my lazy azz to Target and pay $13.99 of my hard earned recession money for a Janelle Monae CD! Hip Hop, I love ya, but lets get right in 2009.

Your Number 4 fan,

Brandon Best

It's a Beautiful Day for Hip Hop Music!!!

2008-12-04T07:45:00.001-08:00

Maybe its just me, but I kinda feel like we are living through another high moment in hip-hop... I mean at this moment I can close my eyes and rummage through my 2008 CD collection and pull out a handful of great CD's. Nas (Untitled), Ludacris (Theater of The Mind), TI (Paper Trail), Jeezy (The Recession), Kanye (808's and Heartbreak...don't sleep cuz the CD is dope!), Lil Wayne (Cater III), Roots (Rising Down)... Sure its not 1990's hip hop, however since then I believe hip hop is making a strong come back!

As for R&B.... with the exception of Chrissette Michelle, and Rhianna (who is kinda gone pop)... may it RIP

This cant be good...

2008-12-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

I recently read a few articles that stated that DC will allow all bars to be open until 5am the week of the inauguration. Uhhhhh is it just me, or will everyone I know be calling in sick that week. I mean I'm not complainin, but uhhhh lets hope no chaos breaks out. BUT, if it does... blame this man (and if it doesn't lets celebrate in honor of this great man who has somehow pursuaded lawmakers to allow for me to drink my ass off! Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!!!)

Councilman Jim Graham

Shuckn Dat Corn

2008-12-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Peep this video by my homie Complete... It's called "Shuckn Dat Corn" it's a pretty damn decent song over a unique beat that speaks volumes about the industry today.

Complete is a good friend of mine and has worked closely with Life, Love & Lyrics for quite some time now. Peep tha newness!!!