Video: Pace Won & Mr. Green "I Need Money"

Above is the 4th video from Pace Won and Mr. Green's album "THE ONLY COLOR THAT MATTERS IS GREEN"-

EARTHA KITT Dies At 81

We have lost another of our great American treasures in yet another Christmas season. EARTHA KITT known and regarded by many as having portrayed the best incarnation of Catwoman from the 1960's Batman TV series. Eartha was much more than that. Eartha Kitt's sultry singing voice and catlike, purring growl of her speaking voice, never masked her assertive and confident sensuality. Every Christmas season her song "Santa Baby" has been a staple of the holidays on radio and countless CD collections. Ms. Kitt had a long and varied career on the stage, screen and film. She was known to have a fiery temper and feline demeanor that played into her mystique. Her outspoken, independent character caused her to be blacklisted by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. From this excerpt from an article at TELEGRAPH.CO.UK, "Standing on a chair, and addressing an embarrassed audience of silent guests, Eartha Kitt made an impassioned and invective-ridden speech against President Johnson's policy in Vietnam and other aspects of American life. She was promptly blacklisted by Johnson and investigated by the CIA, which compiled a dossier suggesting she was "a sadistic nymphomaniac whose escapades and loose morals were the talk of Paris". Afterwards, she was effectively forced to work in exile, particularly in Europe, though she eventually toured in over 100 countries and sang in a dozen languages."



Eartha Kitt's tumultuous love life spanned many affairs with wealthy and successful men and married only once bearing a daughter, Kitt. Her film credits include "Saint Louis Blues " (1958), "Anna Lucasta" (1958) with Sammy Davis Jnr, "Up The Chastity Belt" (1971), with Frankie Howerd, "Friday Foster" (1975), "The Last Resort" (1979), "All By Myself" (1982) and "Boomerang" (1992) with Eddie Murphy. Ms. Kitt felt more at home in the theater and cabaret stage touring most of her life in smaller, intimate venues. Below is a video of her performing live one of her classics "I Want To Be Evil" from 1962-



Here is a scene from "St. Louis Blues" (1958) with Nat King Cole singing "Careless Love"-



AINTITCOOLNEWS has posted a great post with many more clips and you can read the full article from the TELEGRAPH here..We will miss you Eartha!

Happy Holidays From THE ZRO HOUR! Stay Tuned for 2009

"Jingle, Jangle"..You know I had to take it back to the classic BEAT STREET and the unforgettable scene of THE TREACHEROUS THREE performing "Santa's Rap" featuring the show stopping DOUG E. FRESH. How many pioneers can you spot in the scene? Big up Kool Herc!

Blessings to all and best wishes in this holiday season! Thank you for supporting and discovering us through this year, previous years and to the new visitors arriving daily. We have a gift coming VERY soon. You know how this economy is. Gotta do the after Christmas shuffle. But life is good..we have seen some amazing things this year. Obama is President and we are still in muted disbelief. Not in a bad way, but more like in awe. Below is a great illustration of Santa giving Barack Obama the "fist-bump" by Robt Seda-Schreiber (originally posted on ARTOFOBAMA.COM). Even Santa recognizes the real.



Click Here for full size!

VIDEO: DUO LIVE "SHOOTIN" featuring Billionz, Joell Ortiz, Red Cafe & M.O.P

I was loving this DUO LIVE track featuring THE BROOKLYN ALL-STARS when I dropped it uncut on a recent episode of THE ZRO HOUR. The basketball analogies delivered like street beef was classic and the video above shuts it down. One of the nicest tracks of the year..

BOOKS: BOOK of RHYMES: The Poetics of Hip Hop

Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop by Adam Bradley

Most would agree that history's great poets include figures such as Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost and Maya Angelou. But what about GrandMaster Caz, Jay-Z, KRS-One, Nas or Grandmaster Mele Mel? A book of rhymes is where MCs write their lyrics and is thus, where Rap becomes poetry. In BOOK OF RHYMES: The Poetics of Hip Hop (Basic Civitas; March 3, 2009), literary scholar Adam Bradley explores the poetic intricacies of MC'ing, explaining how "My flow is in the pocket like wallets / I got the bounce like hydraulics" compares to "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Though art more lovely and more temperate." Bradley, who was trained in Black Studies by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cornel West, and in poetics by poetry critic Helen Vendler, dissects the basic components of poetry, revealing the ways in which MC'ing not only conforms to, but has advanced the medium.

Release Date: March 3, 2009 (Basic Civitas Books)

VIDEO: Idle Warship Takes Over Your Party!

Idle Warship Takes Over Your Party! from Restless Films on Vimeo

Follow a night in the life of new supergroup Idle Warship (Talib Kweli + Res + Graph Nobel) as they travel through NYC, hit the studio to record, DJ a set at a club, perform, and generally talk shit. You can also preview new songs from the group's forthcoming mixtape and album. Shot/Edited by Court Dunn for Restless Films.

VIDEO: THIS WEEK WITH JASIRI X Episode #12