Rapper-blog roundup: Kanye’s architecture porn, Prodigy’s demon owl-gods

Anyone who caught Kanye's "Glow in the Dark Tour" saw his deep and abiding affection for bonkers sci-fi escapism in his sets (well, except for Chris Willman, who only moderately enjoyed the show). But Kanye's been on a mad, Le Corbusier-inspired kick lately, extolling the clean lines and post-modernist chill of the HL23 condo building (pictured above) in New York, the Casa Levene-El Escorial in Madrid and the BIP Computer offices in Chile. He's also, respectively, into boutique bottled water for children, glass Dixie cups suitable for classier frat parties, designer dumbbells and this admittedly pretty sweet fish tank.

His comment boards notwithstanding ("Yo, that's some mad architecture, 'Ye" being the dominant sentiment), Kanye proves that his Murakami collaboration and fashion-design hobnobbing have been far more than curiosities. Turns out he has a pretty sharp eye for design intricacies. Shall we expect a "Graduation"-themed minimalist sofa series at Room & Board in the future?

On a completely different tip, Mobb Deep's Prodigy ramps up his considerable list of grievances in the latest installment of his behind-bars-blog for Vibe. It starts with his musings on scenarios where murder is justified -- i.e., being disrespected doesn't fly but stabbing a guy to prevent one's mother from being raped (yikes!) passes muster. It then spirals into a Snopes field day of condemnations against Skull & Bones, the U.S. government, the Masons and Bohemian Grove. Assume a few [sic]'s and read on:

"ANOTHER OLD SOCIETY HIGH UP ON THE TOTEM POLE IS THE ‘BOHEMIAN GROVE” SECRET SOCIETY. THIS GROUP OF ELITE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN EXPOSED. THEY HOLD MEETINGS IN THE CALIFORNIA REDWOOD FOREST AND PRACTICE RITUALS WHERE THEY WORSHIP A GIANT DEMON OWL CALLED “MOLECH” AND THEY DO “MOCK” SACRIFICES TO THEIR GOD “MOLECH” WHERE THEY BURN A BABY IN A BONFIRE, WITH HUNDREDS OF MEMBERS WATCHING."

We've got nothing to add to that, except that someone had better name a doom-metal band Molech the Demon Owl, like, today. Also, he solves the mystery of what happened to the Sphinx's face. It's not what you think!

"NAPOLEAN BONAPARTE WAS INFAMOUS FOR USING CANNONS’ TO BLOW THE LIPS & NOSE OFF THE SPHINX AND OTHER GIANT EGYPTIAN MONUMENTS.

LITTLE TO HIS KNOWLEGDGE, THE SPHINX WAS BUILT TO REPRESENT THE MIXING OF CLEOPATRA’S & MARK ANTHONY’S BLOOD. THE SPHINX IS HALF BLACK WOMAN AND HALF BEAST, WHICH SYMBOLIZES THE DOWNFALL OF THE PURE BLOOD BLACK PHAROAHS. NAPOLEAN WAS JUST SO UPSET TO SEE BLACK FACES AND FEATURES THAT HE STARTED BLASTING AWAY. SO PHASE ONE AND PHASE TWO OF THE BLACK GENOCIDE WAS COMPLETED."

Vibe, I will be expecting the hardback essay collection sometime in 2011.

-- August Brown

Photo: www.andreaschwan.com