Message To David Stern And The NBPA: Basketball Never Stops

You can always count on Nike to keep their brand strong in the middle of an NBA lock out. This promotional video features a who's who of players in the game(s): J. Cole, Stoudamire, Lebron James, Durant, Nowitzki, ?uestlove and Coach Krzyzewski. 

But the real stars of the video are the kids and adults that are playing ball for the love of the game. No lock out. No bargaining. No revenue splits. Nothing but love for the game. Even though the NBA's season is in jeopardy, basketball never stops.

-Paqman

Hot News Tip...From a Homeless Person(?!): Occupy Toronto Campers Will Be Removed From Parks On Halloween

This is not the gent I spoke to (Photo via photo.net)

You never know who you'll talk to while running errands in Toronto. A chatty homeless gentleman claimed that the Toronto Police, with the Emergency Task Force, will evict the "Occupiers" that have established camps in some of the city's parks. He also claimed that he received the head's up from a police officer who advised him to stay away from the area near Jarvis and Adelaide in this particular case.

This could be the hearsay ramblings of a dude living on the streets (he seemed very alert) or the truth. SO take this information with a grain of salt. In any case, if you're hanging out in these parks, be aware and prepared.

Let's hope this doesn't get as violent as we've witnessed in some American cities.

-Paqman

Jay-Z+Kanye West+Adele = Brooklyn. Chicago. London. - The Urban Noize Remixes

photo via lostinasupermarket.com

Remix crew Urban Noize are apparently making a name for themselves.  Representing Florida AKA the Sunshine State, their latest work here cooks up Jay Z, Yeezy and Adele.  The Brooklyn. Chicago. London title of the mix is apropos.

Do yourself a favour and stream this immediately!  Not the best sound quality but you'll still get the point.

-Turnbull

Watch The Throne Setlist Appears: The People Rejoice

(Photo via idolator.com)

Saw this today and thought you would be interested in salivating a bit. This pic has been circulating on the web for a few days now. Looks to me like a draft for the setlist as you'll notice the edits. If this is any indication of what they'll drop on us, this will be one to remember.

Toronto is patiently waiting for Ye and Jay to take over the city for two nights in November. The tour kicked off October 29th in Atlanta. Click here and here to check out our posts for Watch the Throne.

-Paqman

White Horse...I Mean Christmas. Scott Weiland Croons In The Yuletide Season.

(Photo via newreleasesnow.com)

Hell freezes over can work here, but it's been used to death. This is more like a kick to the mistletoe in a "that's ridiculously funny" kind of way. Scott Weiland, former lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, released a Christmas album entitled The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Seriously.

Nothing But RIM: Blackberry Maker Misses The Mark With Playbook OS 2.0 Launch Delay

(Photos via rim.com)

I'm going to keep this as short and bitter as possible (click here for the original rant post). David J. Smith, SVP, BlackBerry PlayBook, from RIM announced yesterday that the Playbook OS 2.0 is "expected" to be available to the masses by February 2012. Which is fine, even though I was reeeeeeaaaaaaaally looking forward to getting the update this fall. And why would I even expect to get it this fall?

That's the expectation that was set by everybody's favorite hockey franchise hunting co-CEO Jim Balsillie during RIM's 2Q financial conference call. This is the same Balsillie that promised native email on the Playbook 90 days after launch. This is the same Balsillie that sets failed expectations for product and software launches. One of two scenarios are evident here: 1) Balsillie is living in his own world as he is totally disconnected from RIM's (add: the world's) current state and reality OR 2) the folks that feed him information are out to lunch, a literal gang of yes people.

The bottom line is that the biggest retail/consumer holiday is around the corner with no added incentive to buy the Blackberry tablet. The device has not sold well at all and the Kindle Fire will be good to go in November (with forecasted sales to be 5 million before the end of the year). Another opportunity lost as inventory collects dust. The underlying issue for RIM is the decline in confidence from both investors and consumers. Have you seen what happened to Netflix over the last few months as they changed their service, increased their subscription fees and re-branded (then flipped back) the DVD side of their business? They lost close to one million subscribers. Take heed RIM, this can happen to you as well. If I had a dollar for every Blackberry user that told me they were switching to an iPhone over the last two weeks, I would be in position to buy a majority stake in RIM.

-Paqman

Smashing Out The (re)Issue: Pumpkins Release Deluxe Editions Of Gish And Siamese Dream

SP circa 1991 (Photo via htbackdrops.com)

The Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan decided to jump on the reissue bandwagon this year with the re-release of his band's first 2 studio albums, Gish and Siamese Dream. How old are those records? It's Gish's 20th birthday and 18th for Siamese Dream. Enter: starting to feel old.

Friday Flashback - The Boss On The Mend Edition

Rick Ross - "Here I am"

Everybody's favorite shirtless MC is on the mend. And what better way to bring the Florida native back to health than a shot of FF straight to the veins.

Ricky Rosé suffered 2 seizures in the same day last weekend, one in the morning and later in the afternoon, on his way to Memphis for an appearance and performance. He is now in stable condition and recovering.
This is great news for the hip hop community since no one brings the Gangsta Fromage like Ross (note: I would never say that to his face or I would have a health scare).

P&B presents "Here I am" as a get well ecard to the Boss. This cut from Trilla is oozing with cheezy lyrics and features Nelly, with Avery Storm singing on the catchy hook. Get out of your chair and show Rick Ross some love!

-Paqman

Black Keys "El Camino" Drops December 6

photo via blogs.tennessean.com

The Black Keys have officially announced details on the release of their 7th studio album.

El Camino will drop on December 6th, with lead track "Lonely Boy" available via digital download on October 26th.

The album is co-produced by The Black Keys and Danger Mouse.

Track Listing:
1.  Lonely Boy
2.  Dead And Gone
3.  Gold on the Ceiling
4.  Little Black Submarines
5.  Money Maker
6.  Run Right Back
7.  Sister
8.  Hell Of A Season
9.  Stop Stop
10. Nova Baby
11. Mind Eraser

As part of the album's promotion, the band has released this video:



-Turnbull

Friday Flashback - Occupy Blogstreet - Rage On Edition

Rage Against The Machine - "Freedom"

People are striking back at Wall Street (and all of those peeps with too much money and not sharing the wealth) with massive protests which are now spreading worldwide. We're talking about a revolution. In honor of this phenomenom (and Tom Morello's appearance at the protests), P&B offers you "Freedom" by everyone's favorite shit disturbing band Rage Against The Machine. Sorry about the video size and quality...surprisingly a song called Freedom was not easy to find thanks to some restrictions. Does Rage know about this?

"Freedom" was released in 93 and was the last single from their self-titled debut, which sold over 3 million albums. This is a classic album from the 90s that still spins relevant today. If you feel like getting your protest on, check out your fave social media provider for details on a gathering near you. Protesting does not mean violence. Keep that shit real.

-Paqman

In Which I Write a Letter To RIM Which Will Never Be Read (By Anyone At RIM)

(Photo via thesmythgroup.com)

Dear RIM and Board of Directors,

I've held out on writing this letter for quite a long time. Amid speculations of a takeover, the Playbook's poor performance, the disastrous 3rd quarter revenue announcement and parade of broken promises, I didn't post one negative word. Here we are now, as the BES/BIS service is back online where some customers were without service for 3 days...we all witnessed a fall from grace that is not slowing down. Stock value is shaky at best and RIM is becoming even more faceless thanks to a lack of solid customer service and communication. You've found yet another way to embarrass yourself. But, more importantly, you've embarrassed me.

NFL, Raider Nation Mourns Loss of Owner Al Davis

photo via forall2envy.blogspot.com

The National Football League is mourning the loss of one of the most controversial, enigmatic, and strangely endearing figures in professional sports ownership.

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis passed away Saturday at the age of 82.

Davis has owned the Bay Area franchise in various capacities since 1972.  During that time, the team won Super Bowl titles in 1976, 1980, and 1983.  He was also elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

Known for many things, particularly his vindictive nature,  Davis openly clashed with his head coaches. I can recall in the late 1980s when he feuded with former coach Mike Shanahan, and his recent squabbles with Lane Kiffin, who coached the team from 2007 to 2008.

Al Davis, you will be missed.  The National Football League would not be the powerhouse pro sports league that it is today without the contributions you've made.

"Just Win Baby"

-Turnbull

The Number Of The B-East - P&B 2011-12 NHL Preview - Eastern Conference

The warm up is over. All of y'all that were keeping track of the pre-season, it's time to reset your clocks. Bring on the new NHL season!

(Photo via mancavesports.org)

Top 3 Contenders

New Feist Album, Metals, Will Kill You Softly

(Photo via stereogum.com)

Our favorite axe wielding Canadian songstress dropped her new album this week. I'm not referring to Anne Murray (props for tearing up the golf course, Snowbird). I'm talking about the always incredible Leslie Feist. She returns with another great release that will enable her continued ascent to super stardom...without an iPod commercial.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs 1955-2011

(Photo via apple.com)

Apple Co-Founder and visionary Steve Jobs has passed away today due to pancreatic cancer. He leaves behind a company that changed so many facets of the way we consume media through amazing products like the Mac, iPod and iPad to name a few. Jobs brought the music industry into the Digital age, even though they didn't want to give in. He did what he wanted, and everyone followed suit.

Powerful. Brilliant. Charismatic. Innovative. Genius.

In life as in death, he's a legendary icon that will continue to inspire the masses.

-Paqman

Phonte Goes Solo, Takes Care Of His Business

(Photo via mixtapewall.com)

You may recognize the name. You may not. Phonte was a member of Little Brother, who were underground indie darlings (i.e. critical accolades, zero commercial success). The group consisted of MC Rapper Big Pooh, producer 9th Wonder and Phonte. 9th Wonder left the group in 07 citing creative differences. He went on to work with some heavy cats including Jay-Z, De La Soul and Sean Price. Pooh and Phonte unfortunately shut down Little Brother in 2010. One last bit on the now defunct group: the inspiration behind their name came from their influences and mentors. They considered groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul as their big brothers. They wanted to carry the movement to the next step so they called themselves Little Brother.