This is Why I Love "The Soup"

And if you think this is funny, TiVo Chelsea Lately....

J. Space's Grammy Picks

Toxic or tasteful? Who would you choose?

Big shout-out to Feist for her Best New Artist nomination. That's a big award to win, cause there's really only one shot at it.

She certainly deserves it, but she may lose out to Wino, simply because the inebriated "Rehab" singer has had more time in the press.

However, Feist should walk away with at least one piece of hardware. My pick is she'll win Pop Vocal Album, in a "thats what you get, you coked up slut" upset.

I know Garth Trinidad and Norman with Nu-Soul are grinning from ear to ear!

They have supported Vikter Duplaix for quite some time now, and his Urban/Alternative Performance nom is such an honor.

Vik's "Make A Baby" has almost expanded the Space fam a couple times, ya heard!

So, it's a shame that I gotta pick Lupe in that category, but he's due. Plus, the Grammy voters are just more familiar with him and his projects.

Below are my picks in red, in the categories I felt relevant. Enjoy!

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RECORD OF THE YEAR
Irreplaceable - Beyoncé
The Pretender - Foo Fighters
Umbrella - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
What Goes Around...Comes Around - Justin Timberlake
Rehab - Amy Winehouse

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" - Foo Fighters
"These Days" - Vince Gill
"River: The Joni Letters" - Herbie Hancock
"Graduation" - Kanye West
"Back To Black" - Amy Winehouse

SONG OF THE YEAR
"Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
"Hey There Delilah" - Plain White T's
"Like A Star" - Corinne Bailey Rae
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse
"Umbrella" - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z

NEW ARTIST
Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse

FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Candyman" - Christina Aguilera
"1234" - Feist
"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
"Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse

MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Everything" - Michael Bublé
"Belief" - John Mayer
"Dance Tonight" - Paul McCartney
"Amazing" - Seal
"What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake

POP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL
"(You Want To) Make A Memory" - Bon Jovi
"Home" - Daughtry
"Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5
"Hey There Delilah" - Plain White T's
"Window In The Skies" - U2

POP COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
"Steppin' Out" - Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
"Beautiful Liar" - Beyoncé & Shakira
"Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
"The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani & Akon
"Give It To Me" - Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

POP INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
"Off The Grid" - Beastie Boys
"Paris Sunrise #7" - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
"Over The Rainbow" - Dave Koz
"One Week Last Summer" - Joni Mitchell
"Simple Pleasures" - Spyro Gyra

POP VOCAL ALBUM
"Lost Highway" - Bon Jovi
"The Reminder" - Feist
"It Won't Be Soon Before Long" - Maroon 5
"Memory Almost Full" - Paul McCartney
"Back To Black" - Amy Winehouse

DANCE RECORDING
"Do It Again" - The Chemical Brothers
"D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
"Love Today" - Mika
"Don't Stop The Music" - Rihanna
"LoveStoned/I Think She Knows - Justin Timberlake

ELECTRONIC/DANCE ALBUM
"We Are The Night" - The Chemical Brothers
"D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
"Sound Of Silver" - LCD Soundsystem
"We Are Pilots " - Shiny Toy Guns
"Elements Of Life" - Tiësto

ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
"Alright, Still..." - Lily Allen
"Neon Bible" - Arcade Fire
"Volta" - Bjork
"Wincing The Night Away" - The Shins
"Icky Thump" - The White Stripes

FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Just Fine" - Mary J. Blige
"When I See You" - Fantasia
"No One" - Alicia Keys
"If I Have My Way" - Chrisette Michele
"Hate On Me" - Jill Scott

R&B PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
"Same Girl" - R. Kelly Featuring Usher
"Disrespectful" - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige
"Hate That I Love You" - Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo
"Baby" - Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright
"Bartender" - T-Pain Featuring Akon

URBAN/ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE
"Make A Baby" - Vikter Duplaix
"That’s The Way Of The World" - Dwele
"Daydreamin'" - Lupe Fiasco Featuring Jill Scott
"Fantasy" - Meshell Ndegeocello
"Dream" - Alice Smith

R&B SONG
"Beautiful Flower" - India.Arie
"Hate That I Love You" - Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo
"No One" - Alicia Keys
"Teachme" - Musiq Soulchild
"When I See U" - Fantasia

CONTEMPORARY R&B ALBUM
"Konvicted" - Akon
"Just Like You" - Keyshia Cole
"Fantasia" - Fantasia
"East Side Story" - Emily King
"Because Of You" - Ne-Yo

RAP SOLO PERFORMANCE
"The People" - Common
"I Get Money" - 50 Cent
"Show Me What You Got" - Jay-Z
"Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" - T.I.
"Stronger" - Kanye West

RAP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP
"Southside" - Common Featuring Kanye West
"Make It Rain" - Fat Joe Featuring Lil Wayne
"Party Like A Rockstar" - Shop Boyz
"Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" - UGK Featuring OutKast
"Better Than I've Ever Been" - Kanye West, Nas & KRS-One

RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
"I Wanna Love You" - Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg
"Kiss, Kiss" - Chris Brown & T-Pain
"Let It Go" - Keyshia Cole Featuring Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim
"Umbrella" - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
"Good Life" - Kanye West Featuring T-Pain

RAP SONG
"Ayo Technology" - 50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland
"Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" - T.I.
"Can't Tell Me Nothing" - Kanye West
"Crank That (Soulja Boy)" - Soulja Boy Tell'Em
"Good Life" - Kanye West Featuring T-Pain

RAP ALBUM
"Finding Forever" - Common
"Kingdom Come" - Jay-Z
"Hip Hop Is Dead" - Nas
"T.I. vs T.I.P." - T.I.
"Graduation" - Kanye West

Mormon Christ Gets More A** Than a Toilet Seat

i <3 stop motion

Minilogue/Hitchiker's Choice - kristoferstrom

saw it on Glenjamn...

L'Chaim

Deconstructing Jay-Z: Losing My Religion from jeff on Vimeo.

"I wish for you a hundred years of success but it's my time...."

Expand Your Mind with a 3D game

Oh, I want one of these! Talk about some sh*t that'll make you smarter...

This is basically a webcam, with a 3D cube that acts as a moveable green screen for a game that is then played on the computer...WTF. That is just some inventive stuff. Kudos...

My Favorite Non-Hip-Hop Artists

This week everybody is talking about Radiohead, and their unconventional method of releasing their new album, In Rainbows.

Listening to the album as I got ready to blog, I thought to myself "Radiohead is one of those non-hip-hop groups that I like so much that it influences the hip-hop I make."

Why? Well, their use of programming and live instruments, combined with Thom's emotion-stirring voice, make me feel as if there is more I can squeeze from four minutes than just the traditional verse-hook-verse arrangement hip-hop tends to deliver. The first song I heard by Radiohead was "There There", and they continue to amaze me. Every time I listen to their music. I want to rush to the studio and create music that builds an emotional connection like that......

Who else falls in this category?


The Shins - with these guys, it's their use of melody and their Ivy-League-clever lyrics. Case in point, "Sea Legs": "girl, if you're a seascape, I'm a listing boat, for the thing carries every hope. I invest in a single lie." What a play on words! You definitely don't catch it on the first listen, and you get the feeling that's specifically what the band intended. I'm not an MC, but lyrics like this trigger lightbulbs when I hear hip-hop MCs achieve the same level of complexity in their similes and metaphors. Hence why I work with Yeyo. I need poets in the booth; not just dudes with "hot sixteens".


4Hero - Close enough to the hip-hop diaspora to be gettable (they even have a track with Phonte). I'd say they inspire me with their use of strings and horns, which so many producers shy away from because they can't get them in the studio and recorded correctly. But, man oh man, when the strings drop in at the beginning of their new album "Play With the Changes", I'm in heaven. I can't wait until the first sessions I have with a full string section.


John Mayer - Smooth guitar, great arrangements, lilting falsetto. Plus, the feeling that he is the kind of guy I would have smoked joints with in high school, even though he was into blues and I was bangin' Wu-Tang Clan. As evidenced by his work with Kanye, ?uest, and others, dude's got some soul. And "Continuum" is a classic in my mind. You can play it at any event and nobody will front on you (well, maybe not Tuesday at Cinespace). John Mayer shows that when you are honest and heartfelt, your appeal is universal.


Nirvana - the fuel for my musical awakening in junior high. The way they raged, yet were such brilliant musicians - it showed me that rebellion and musicianship were not mutually exclusive. If you listen to a Nirvana song, you get a feeling for each piece of the song...they use dynamics like no other. Case in point: their biggest hit, "Smells like Teen Spirit". The verses are supported by Grohl's solid drumming, Krist's chugging bass line, and two simple guitar notes, repeated every two bars. I think of Nirvana whenever I am trying to build a solid transition between a mellow verse and a punchy hook.


Phoenix - groovy Frenchmen. One thing that always jumps out at me about their records is how the bass and drums move so fluidly together. And their hooks make great sing-alongs, especially "Everything is Everything", with its poignant declartion: "the more I talk about it, the less I do control". They haven't received the respect they desrve in the States, but I can't get why. I have yet to hear a Phoenix song I didn't like. And hey, they're French (see: Daft Punk, Justice, et al.)


Silversun Pickups - inspirational because their record Carnavas was produced by a mentor to me when I first got to LA, Dave Cooley. I listen to Silversun intently because this is a well-produced, recorded, and mixed album. Everything feels so natural, it's no surprise to me they are blowing up. This sets the bar for me when I get to produce my first record for a band. Just pure awesomeness on a musical and sonic level.


M.I.A. - see my previous posts. She is the beacon of post-hip-hop world music to me, as I think she is for many others. Plus, I traveled around the world too, so I can really get her global approach. "I put people on the map who never seen a map"....thats whats up right there. Music as a tool for good rather than a vehicle for celebrity. What a concept.


Feist - a new-found love of mine. I first heard "My Moon My Man", and I dug the groove. So solid, yet easy to listen to, as are all Feist records, because her voice sounds like a bird. But, it was the stand-out track "The Water" that inspired me. It sounds haunting, aching, longing.....and sparse. Since I have heard that, I have been trying to do less with more.

That's the most notable of my influences, as it pertains to my actual music-making. Honorable mentions go to: Bloc Party, Dave Matthews Band, The Bravery, Thievery Corporation, Weekend Players, and Bjork.

Run Fat Boy

In this day and age, taking care of your health is important.

LA is an image-conscious town, but, on the real, hitting the gym and keeping the weight off is a "good look" for your life in general.

Both Yeyo and I have been on some different missions lately to lose weight. Yeyo uses fasting and nutrition to stave off the pounds, while I use an exercise routine at the gym, courtesy of RunFatBoy.net. No bullsh*t.

RUN FAT BOY (Exercise Planner)


I was already going to the gym, but I felt like I wasn't getting results, and I couldn't afford to hire a personal trainer. I heard about this site and decided to give it a try.

It's basically a calendar, with a food tracker, and an attached journal. The computer asks you basic life questions to gauge your fitness, and then spits out an exercise routine.

If you have already done some of these exercises, you know what weight is too much or too little for you to lift. You simply click "too easy" or "too hard" next to that exercise, and the program updates it for you.

Also built into every exercise is a Google video clip showing you how to do it, so you don't hurt yourself. It's really helpful, because I get Tricep Pulldowns mixed up with Pushdowns or Tricep Extensions. The short vids help sort me out, and keep me from fuckin up the Spacesuit.

The food tracker is child-simple, and if you want to share your experiences, or pictures of yourself as you lose weight, it's all right there, in the convenient set-up of most blogs you read.

I've been out in for almost a month now, and the muscle game is getting pretty serious. RunFatBoy comes highly recommended.

Catch Me at the Border, I Got Visas in my Name

I fly like paper get high like planes....

I was a fan of M.I.A. when she first emerged in '05, and I enjoyed Arular very much. When I first put it on, it was like nothing I had ever heard, a soundclash reminiscent of Breakbeat Era having BSDM sex with Punjabi MC. I was enthralled.

My interest waned after her style got co-opted, and suddenly every hipster chick in LA was a neon-colored electro-spittin' passport-flossing pseudo-revolutionary.

J no play with trends, so I kindly stepped to the side and let others feast on the carcass that was Miss Arulpragasam's popularity at the moment.

A couple years have passed, and many of the same style-bitin' hipsters have now hopped onto other trends, be they retro plastic shades, shiny Lycra leggings, or Chromeo.

M.I.A., meanwhile, has been traveling the globe, constructing Kala with a host of otherwise undiscoverable musicians, and "stepping the game up", as many artists talk about, but never do.

I don't get too excited about whole albums these days, but this one has got me open. "Paper Planes" has been on steady rotation with me for a week now, and I plan on copping the rest of the album when it hits retailers on Tuesday (08.20.07)

Yes, whole bootlegs are out there, but this project should be supported with currency of some sort. As an artist who strives to do ART, and not commerce, I fully support Kala, and officially add it to my Albums That Must Be Heard or You Are Not Cool list.