1. Back In the U.S.S.R.- The Beatles

• "Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out, they leave the west behind, and Moscow girls make me sing and shout and Georgia's always on my my my my my my my my mind." This is a fabulous song that kicks off the classic "The Beatles (White Album)" album. I do have to ask- why there is no love for Belarus? From personal experience I can tell you that those girls know how to keep their comrade warm. Apple made headlines this week when iTunes became the first digital music store to offer The Beatles catalogue. For someone who has all The Beatles CDs this was basically a non-event. As I write this, "The Beatles (White Album)" is the 8th most popular album download in the iTunes store. The Beatles "Box Set" which comprises every studio album plus the Past Masters collections is the 12th most popular album download. This sort of begs the question- did people not realize that they could buy this music on CD, import it into their iTunes and sync it to their iPods?

2. What You See Is What You Get- Xzibit

• "And so it was written, and after all these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power the earth was lighted by his glory, and he cried mightily with a strong voice saying 'Babylon the great has fallen'". Xzibit is perhaps best known as the former host of MTV's "Pimp My Ride", a show that elevated the art of spending thousands of dollars in upgrades to hoopties. Think of it as an investment in extravagance. It turns out that Xzibit is also and MC, and a bit of a lyricist. "What You See is What You Get" is the only Xzibit in my collection thanks to it's inclusion on a "Saturday A.C. Mix" CD a friend made for a drive to Atlantic City. Making CDs for road trips is a lost art. "What You See Is What You Get" is high energy. I dig the apocalyptic spoken word intro (quoted above) and in general Xzibit sounds like he could kick my ass which is comforting when I listen to hardcore hip hop.

3. War At 33 1/3- Public Enemy

• "War at 33 and a third, haven't you heard, I got quick and clever at the level of a scientist, with this list my fist pumps chumps and don't miss." In 1990 Public Enemy released "Fear of a Black Planet". It remains one of the greatest artistic achievements in hip hop. For those that don't catch the reference 33 1/3rd is a vinyl LP. Chuck D sided with Gil Scott-Heron joining in the call that "the revolution would not be televised". Chuck D brought the revolution to wax using Public Enemy as a vehicle to spur a mind revolution to promote black nationalism. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before on the blog, but my 1st concert was none other than Public Enemy at the Spectrum in Philadelphia in 1990. I was 14 or 15 years old so kudos to my parents for letting me go. P.E. was on tour at the time supporting the "Fear of a Black Planet" album. In retrospect my street creed was never higher than in 1990. 20 years later you can find me taking a bubble bath listening to "Africa" by Toto on my iPod. Don't worry, I'm still down.