Music is a healer of all wounds. But if you think it sounds amazing coming out of your iPod, then you’ve never been to been to a live performance. And that is where this post comes in to play. Tonight is the night that you can quite possibly hear the next best artist or group so I advise that you listen up. In the heart of Brooklyn, there will be an open mic held by Phashionably Loud Inc. It’s only 5 bucks but don’t step out in anything less than your best because I got the word that the performers are being styled by professionals. You don’t want to be left out in the cold. View flier for details. Come ready to clap and snap!!!

So I was recently on one of my Barnes & Noble expeditions the other day, which usually consist of me perusing through magazines and photography books for hours. This time around, I just went straight to the magazine section because I was seeking inspiration for a school project and didn’t have much time to find it. The first thing that grabbed my attention, other than Rihanna on GQ, was a dope black and white photo of Tupac. It was on the cover of a magazine called “Respect”. So I pick it up and wonder why I’ve never heard of it and then I see it’s the premiere issue. I immediately take it to the register, along with Rihanna on GQ’s cover, and purchase it so I can go sit on a quiet corner and pick it apart. This magazine is amazing. In a nutshell, it’s a quarterly photo journal of Hip-Hop culture. The Respect Magazine premiere issue features nine photographers with subjects ranging from The Beastie Boys to Jay-Z. Get to your nearest magazine carrier and get your piece of Hip-Hop history today!

Rihanna’s bad. <— notice the period. She looks great on this GQ cover and not just because she’s half naked, even though that helps. I respect the fact that she can sorta flatten out and be a model so it’s more about the dopeness of the photo and it’s hot for reasons other than just because it’s a picture of “Rihanna” like her spread in Italian Vogue over the summer. Not everyone can do that. Peeps more pics and the teaser video for her new video ‘Hard’ after the jump…

If you have never attended a Brooklyn Circus event, I have no clue what you’ve been doing with your life but you will have the opportunity to redeem yourself very soon. I went to the BKc book release party over the Summer and it was by far one of the best events I’ve ever been to. The crowd is highly fashionable but not too cool to dance and truly have a good time. Just picture a room full of some of the best dressed people you’ve ever seen, flowing drinks, and the best selection of music in town blasting from all sides. Yep. That’s a Brooklyn Circus party for ya. This Saturday, December 19th, they will be throwing their FIRST annual holiday party in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn. The venue, No. 1 Front St., is a massive club space with multiple levels and bars located throughout. I’ve already attended 2 parties here and it is surely a place that I’ve been eager to revisit. Sooooo ….That’s what I’m doing this Saturday. What are YOU doing??? Get that outfit ready and meet me there. Check out The Minority Report for more info, because they will be hosting it as well which just amplifies how live and historical it’s going to be!

Earlier this week a site called VEVO launched. It’s a new website that you can go and watch high quality music videos anytime you want. You may be thinking what I thought when I first heard about. “What makes this different from the other sites I already watch music videos at? Well the first difference being that the majority of your favorite music labels and their corresponding artists are in on the venture. This isn’t YouTube where commercial products quickly get the “This has been removed for copyright violation” stamp because all the content has been approved. In it’s first couple days it’s gotten well over the couple hundred million hit mark, boosting it up the third most viewed website on the internet. Vevo plans to do for music videos what Hulu has done for TV. “The question of whether people want to watch HD television shows on their computer has been answered”, says an article in AdAge. Now Vevo is giving us that same packaging, except in the music video realm — being the primary reason why it was able to soar so high so quickly. I actually haven’t had the opportunity to check the site out in full yet because it was a little laggy and I got a few server error screens, I’m not sure they were prepared for the onslaught. But this is good news. Check it out when you get a chance.

The release of the Grammy noms list earlier this week made me want to do a little research on the show in general and how their ads were gonna look this year, since I liked last years so much. I stumbled across this site We Are All  which dynamically uploads youtube videos, tweets, photos and other user generated content on the fly based on a particular artist. I’m feeling the bright warm colored hues and the overlayed semi transparent windows. Right now the selectable artists are Carrie Underwood, Pink, Billie Joe Armstrong, and LL Cool J with more artists being added later. Check it out.

To describe the sound of Raphael Saadiq would be to describe soul. Audio soul. Yea that sounds about right. This man has been writing, singing, and producing for years and he apparently has plenty left to offer. He has been compared to the likes of the Jackson 5 and on Friday December 4th, California native, Mr. Saadiq will be in New York city performing LIVE at Terminal 5. Tickets are only $30 so I suggest you click here to get yours and here for more info!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chicago native, Lupe Fiasco, is by far one of my favorite rappers. His wordplay and punchlines are some of the best in the game so, as you can imagine, I was ecstatic when I heard he released a new mixtape. “Enemy of the State: A Love Story” is a masterpiece. Seriously. It is 22 minutes of Lupe Fiasco going all the way IN on other rappers tracks. If you haven’t heard the new mixtape yet, please give thanks to MN-Eminent for bringing it to you free of charge. More importantly , let us thank Lupe for doing this “for the block and the blogosphere.” ~Lupe Fiasco

“Enemy of the State: A Love Story”

I’ve been hearing mixed reviews about the “Video Phone” Remix by Beyonce featuring Lady Gaga so I decided to see what all the hoopla was about. I personally LOVE this video. The graphics, outfits, and overall concept are pretty dope and it’s nice to see Beyonce in color for once. What did you think of this video? And where can I get one of those cool guns?!

Sneak peek at the GQ Men of the Year December 2009 issue…