2002: The Streets — Original Pirate Material

Eminem’s best days had gone by 2002, but fans in search of a rapper with a similarly dry wit (and similarly colored skin) only had to look across the Atlantic, where slyly witty Brummie Mike Skinner was getting dubbed “the British Eminem” left, right, and center in the UK press. The hype soon spread to the USA, and Original Pirate Material was by far the US indie world’s favorite hip-hop album of 2002 — Pitchfork published an apparently serious review that claimed “it should come as no surprise that the British, notorious for chewing on our music before spitting it back over the Atlantic in a shiny, new form, have also turned their sun-starved faces to the arena of hip-hop,” suggesting that the work of Roots Manuva, Massive Attack, Coldcut, etc. had never crossed the desk of Overlord Schreiber. Anyway, this fulfils a couple of recurrent criteria for indie-acceptable hip-hop: he’s credible without being, y’know, scary; he’s socially conscious without being mawkish; and his lyrics are exotic enough to be interesting to skinny suburban kids, but also relatable enough to keep everyone interested.

Honorable mentions: N*E*R*D — In Search Of…, Missy Elliott — Under Construction, Eminem — The Eminem Show

Borders Books recently filed for bankruptcy, and has been closing down stores across the country. As a result, passive aggressive signage and product displays are popping up all over the place.

Tuesday marked the 50th anniversary of the day that Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space. While he was famously quoted for saying the Russian equivalent of “off we go” just before lift-off, his final pre-flight words were actually a bit of dialogue about sausage and moonshine.

American Idol contestant Pia Toscano was eliminated last week to the outrage of fans, but the 22-year-old Howard Beach native landed on her feet, securing a recording contract with Interscope. To top it off, she was the second fastest rising Google Search of the week, reaffirming her “household name” status.

Multi-faceted comb-over Donald Trump has retained his position as a hot news item this week, continuing to beat the tired birther drum that even Bill O’Reilly and Sarah Palin are now refuting. In fact, it’s his own brazen ignorance of civics that’s driving eyeballs to his press mentions.

Actor Steve Buscemi has long been famous for his signature world-weary looks. But in the last week Reddit and Tumblr users have taken to pasting his eyes onto Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and more, in the week’s most bizarre trend: Chicks With Steve Buscemeyes. The effect is as entrancing as it is unsettling.

Eyebrow grooming has seen some interesting changes in recent years. The thin, plucked standards of the late ’90s and early 2000s have relaxed a bit, allowing for bushier brows to be a bit more acceptable. But along the way there have been those adventurous souls who’ve tried out all sorts of styles, from drawing them on, dying them green, even tattooing.

Finally, the sixth series of the wildly successful British sci-fi program Doctor Who is set to launch on April 23rd, and Time Lord fandomonium is thick in the air. BuzzFeed’s own Jack Shepherd caught up with the cast to see what happens when seasoned English thespians read tweets from the likes of Snooki and Ghostface Killah.

* After beating Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber for Album of the Year at the Grammys, Arcade Fire was met with a resounding “Who?”

* When Esperanza Spalding won the Grammy for Best New Artist, Beliebers collectively lost their minds on Twitter.

* It sounded like Justin Bieber implied that rape is all a part of God’s plan when his words were twisted in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.

* Malcolm In The Middle star Frankie Muniz resurfaced recently after punching his girlfriend in the face and holding a gun to his head.

* Wu-Tang’s Ghostface Killah regaled his Twitter followers with words of wisdom on how to treat a lady.

* The Midwest became the new Middle East when the spirit of protest has gripped Wisconsin. We have the 45 best signs spotted so far.

* Natlie Portman’s talent for blubbering was revealed in this supercut: Natalie Portman Cries A Lot.

* Internet star and gamer vixen Felicia Day turned heads as a sexy elf in screenshots for the upcoming Dragon Age: Redemption.

* And finally, the Internet pooled their money to buy Detroit a Robocop statue.

The Tao of Wu by The RZA

Part memoir, part compilation of kung-fu movie quotes, and part spiritual advice, The Tao of Wu is full of weird, interesting nuggets from the mythology of the Wu-Tang Clan, as well as an extended analysis of what wisdom means. There’s a story of the RZA rescuing Method Man from a haywire drug deal nestled in with chess tips and passages from scripture. It’s a fascinating document, and a look at the innards of the kind of hip-hop spirituality that the RZA has constructed through his albums and public statements.

Dubbing his new collective the Business Intl, Ronson put his talented pals to work both in front of the mic and behind the scenes. Guest vocalists include Q-Tip, MNDR, Ghostface Killah, Miike Snow frontman Andrew Wyatt, Spank Rock, D’Angelo, and even Boy George, while members of Kaiser Chiefs, the Zutons, and the Drums all contributed to the songwriting.

The resulting album shimmers with a perfectionist’s touch, a veritable compilation of singles with each song catchier — and often quirkier — than the last. While group projects can often feel schizophrenic, Record Collection is impressively coherent. And it makes perfect sense that Ronson chose to add his own vocals to the mix this time around: for the first time, it sounds like he’s really making himself heard.

Visit Mark Ronson & the Business Intl’s official site, become a fan on Facebook, tag along for a day in the life of Mark Ronson, follow him on Twitter, enter to win a limited-edition vinyl box set, and buy a copy of the album.

1. Winter Gloves – “Plastic Slides”
This Montreal quartet packs a seasonally appropriate grab bag of catchy vocal hooks and ripcord guitar licks that fill your head with the giddiest sensation of euphoria. Considering it’s already been remixed by fellow Canadiennes Teen Daze, we guarantee it will blow your mind.

2. Strange Talk – “Climbing Walls”
Like a star-crossed marriage of Phoenix and Passion Pit, these four Aussies know the shortcut to your heart and topped their spacey, Thomas Mars-esque vocals with sun-drenched synths accordingly. It sounds like something homegrown from the giant passion pits down under.

3. Mark Ronson – “Lose It (In the End) (ft. Ghostface Killah)”
Considering the rapport he struck up with Ghostface in 2003′s “Ooh Wee,” the Wu Tang rapper’s guest spot on Ronson’s upcoming Record Collection comes as no surprise. As usual, Ghostface kills it with pop culture-referencing rhymes like “I ain’t havin’ that/You just tryin’ to get rich like Miramax”, creating a striking complement to Ronson’s golden pipes and choppy electronics.

4. PVT – “Window”
This ambitious trio scale some ambling alps with considerable ease, while reigning supreme over the mischievously elegiac keyboards and mountainous drums.PVT’s full-length, Church With No Name, a marvel of calculated math-y post-rock, dropped earlier this week.

5. Love Lake – “Curses”
Minneapolis’s Anders Carlson is a one-man army with a knack for festive summery pop ditties that are short, sweet, and entirely befitting of his nomadic lifestyle. “Curses” is beautiful in both its simplicity and its resonance.

6. Dustin Wong – “Talking Walking Cloud”
Baltimore’s Dustin Wong, who you may know from the recently dissolved Ponytail, has a bold plan for his debut solo album Infinite Love for listeners to choose their own adventure. The infectious, distortion-laden “Talking Walking Cloud” is our first taste of that journey.

7. Oh Land – “Sun of a Gun”
24-year old Nanna Øland Fabricius has a way with words that is both endearing and thoroughly satisfying. The Danish setting sun serves as the backdrop for a dream-pop dramedy that inevitably culminates in beautiful oblivion by the third act.

8. Röyksopp – “This Space”
Here’s a nice late-summer addition, courtesy of the pivotal Norwegian electronic duo, Röyksopp. They shuttle between planets and dodge comets in a constantly gyrating space vehicle. It is the Scandinavian twist on Ratatat that we never expected we would love this much.

9. Bravestation – “Colour Us With Youth”
If Foals moved to Canada and joined Wolf Parade, they might sound something like Bravestation, boasting flawless vocal harmonies and genre-bending melodies. The chord change about halfway through is simultaneously jarring and brilliant, and its execution grows more impressive with each consecutive listen.

10. Wild Beasts – “We Still Got the Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues”
It should come as no surprise this indie-rock quartet has been nominated alongside acts like Corinne Bailey Rae, The xx, and Foals for the UK’s highly coveted Mercury Prize. Fueled (and driven) by Hayden Thorpe’s gloriously angelic falsetto, Wild Beasts are a formidable force to be reckoned with.

Download the whole mix here.

[Main image via]

Point: Walken.

Check out his spoken word rendition below and let us know which of the two you prefer. Note: We’ve also posted Cartman’s cover — which we consider the definitive version of the song — just because it’s hilarious, and we’ve never had an excuse before now.