STUFF WE DIG: ISSUE 2

Movies

“The Dictator”

We’ve seen Sacha Baron Cohen as the bumbling “Borat” and the flamboyant “Bruno” now let’s see what he can do as an outrageous Middle Eastern dictator. In “The Dictator,” Baron Cohen plays Admiral General Aladeen and goes less mockumentary and more scripted comedy. (Out May 11)

“The Avengers”

It’s like a superhero orgy. You take Ironman, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America and the rest of the Marvel crew, put them together and it’s like five comic book movies in one. There’s no shortage of action here. Bet on that. (Out May 4)

Music

Alabama Shakes

You know those bands that sound like they’ve been plucked out of another era? That’s Alabama Shakes -- a bluesy, soulful southern rock band whose young lead singer sounds like a Janis Joplin stand-in. Look for their major-label debut album, “Boys & Girls” and pretend it’s the late ’60s and early ’70s.

Kendrick Lamar

Is this the new heir to the Compton rap throne? Kendrick Lamar -- who has already built a nice underground following behind his laid-back, drug-fueled raps -- earned a powerful co-sign from rap king Dr. Dre, who, lest we forget, introduced us to Snoop Dogg, Eminem and The Game. Kendrick and Dre already dropped “The Recipe.” Find that and look out for more.

TV

“Magic City”

Seek out Starz on your cable box to find “Magic City,” which details the hotel and mobster scene of Miami Beach in 1959.  It’s like “Mad Men” meets “Boardwalk Empire” with a little bit of  “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” thrown into the mix.

“True Blood”

Look, we don’t like all that “Twilight” nonsense either. When it comes to vampires, we trust HBO. That’s why everybody will be happy to know that “True Blood” is returning for its fifth season starting June 10.

Video Games

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier”
What gamer doesn’t like to be a bad-ass in the battlefield? “Ghost Recon: Future Solider” will allow you do just that -- as one of four elite soldiers fighting a cross-continent secret war that will decide who rules the world. Better work on that aim, soldier.

Babes

Kate Upton

Even your mom knows Kate Upton is hot. Upton -- if you don’t know the name -- is the smoking hot blonde in the recent Carl’s Jr. TV ad. She was also the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue covergirl this year and she’s in that regrettable “Three Stooges” movie. She’s everywhere. And all men are happier for it.

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WIZ KID

Budding hip-hop superstar Wiz Khalifa joins the elite circle of music’s most famous potheads with a little help from Snoop Dogg

The hip-hop collaboration that got the most attention in 2011 was Watch the Throne -- the tandem album from megastars Jay-Z and Kanye West.

But while Jigga and ‘Ye postured and bragged about how rich and famous they were, another hip-hop twosome was -- metaphorically speaking -- sitting in the back row, blazed out of their minds, too high to even care. Heck, maybe that’s not a metaphor. It’s Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa we’re talking about.

You’d never want to bet against either of them being stoned.

Instead of watching the throne, this duo was actually passing the torch. Emphasis in “passing.”
On “Mac and Devin Go to High School,” the joint album released by Snoop and Wiz, you could almost hear hip-hop’s most esteemed pothead welcoming his younger counterpart into the inner circle.

The pair is like a hip-hop version of Cheech & Chong, a comparison that might hold even more weight once the accompanying “Mac and Devin” movie -- a stoner flick, no doubt -- see its release. That’s expected in February.

“It's a buddy film and we're just playing on our relationship,”

Khalifa recently told Spin magazine, 

“giving people something fun to get high to. That's the mission of the film.”

Something to get high to? This kid learn quick.

MOUNT KUSHMORE
If someone were to erect a Mount Rushmore of music’s pothead -- perhaps Mount Kushmore, in this case -- you could make a good case for Khalifa’s mug to be up there with Snoop and fellow pot icons Bob Marley and Willie Nelson.
This new project signals the latest in what’s been a rapid rise to the top of Khalifa -- a 24-year-old from Pittsburg who bubbled in rap’s underground and mixtape scene before finding major label success in 2011 with singles such as “Black & Yellow” and “Roll Up.”
You’d only need to listen to one Khalifa verse to hear how devoted he is to weed. It’s inescapable really. While it’s common to hear rappers brag about how much money they have or how gangster they are, Wiz simply brags about how much weed he smokes.
It goes beyond bragging really. He knows his stuff. Check his mixtape cut “Flickin’ Ashes” for an end-song diatribe shouting out various weed strands from around the country and then letting everyone know: “I’m rollin’ me a whole week's worth, in one blunt, you know? And that's just to get a little high.”

Fun fact: Wiz has said in interviews that he spends $10,000 per month on Mary Jane.

His breakthrough mixtape, 2010’s “Kush & Orange Juice,” was essentially a whole album of weed songs. Just check the titles: “Still Blazin’,” “Up” and “Good Dank.”
Not since Snoop Dogg had hip-hop seen such a devoted pothead. Nor has there been a single artist so explicitly attached to a stoner persona.
Like any good stoner celeb, Wiz had a much-publicized arrest under his belt. He got caught up with 30 pounds of weed before a show in North California in 2010.
Yep, 30 pounds. That’s gotta be worth some kind of merit badge, right?

YOUNG, WILD & FREE
On the “Mac and Devin” album with Snoop, the lead single is titled “Young, Wild & Free,” a youthful anthem about independence, partying and, of course, smoking weed.

In this case, Khalifa brags about smoking joints “as big as King Kong’s fingers” before the catchy sing-songy chorus hits: “So what we get drunk? / So what we smoke weed?/ We’re just having fun / We don’t care who cares who sees.”

In many ways, that sums up the appeal of Wiz Khalifa quite concisely. He’s young, doesn’t take himself too seriously, doesn’t care a whole heck of a lot society’s norms -- and his young fans love him for it.

He appeals to a demographic that, largely, was too young to remember when Snoop Dogg dropped “Doggystyle,” a demographic that probably isn’t searching YouTube for Willie Nelson songs, a demographic whose parents are Bob Marley fans.

There is a diversity to what Wiz is doing, though. His songs have sampled indie rock songs and even video game theme music. Some songs have a reggae flair, some are total pop anthems.

It fits in with a younger generation that’s less and less bound by music genre -- but totally entrenched in the lifestyle of it all. Twenty-somethings enamored with the pot culture? They’re the ones in the front row of Wiz shows, rapping along to every word.

There’s probably many a young person who smoked their first joint listening to a Wiz Khalifa song these past couple years.

If that’s not the sign of a young icon in the weed-meets-music world, then we don’t know what is.

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STUFF WE DIG - ISSUE 1

STUFF WE DIG

(aka stuff we’re high on at the moment)

Music

El Camino -- The Black Keys

The stomping bluesy-rock duo recently unveiled its latest album and it’s more of what they do best -- great guitar riffs, groovy baselines and infectious songs. Is it time for them to finally crack into full-on mainstream stardom? Perhaps.

A$AP Rocky

Rocky is a New York rapper with a Houston drawl -- a guy whose music is equal parts Mobb Deep, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and UGK. Many are picking him as a breakout hip-hop star for 2012. Check out his debut mixtape, “Live Love A$AP,” which is a free download at ASAPmob.com. We recommend track No. 14, “Roll One Up.”

Movies

“Safe House”

What can we say? It’s always fun to see Denzel Washington being a bad ass, and that’s what he’s doing here. Alongside co-star Ryan Reynolds, Denzel plays a dangerous ex-CIA operative whose safe house is attacked. Carnage ensues. Sign us up.

 

 

“Mission Impossible IV: Ghost Protocol”

Think what you will about Tom Cruise’s life off the camera, but he sure can deliver as spy Ethan Hunt in the “Mission Impossible” series. “Ghost Protocol,” the fourth film in the series, is a rush. You might be able to still find it in theaters near you. Or watch a little bit and bring the Blu-Ray home.

TV

“Luck”

Looking for the next great HBO series? It might be “Luck,” which is centered around the world of horse racing -- the gamblers, the jockeys, the ups, the downs. The high-powered cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina and Nick Nolte, among others.

 

“Unsupervised”

This new cartoon on FX is one part “Beavis & Butthead,” one part “Bill & Ted” -- with all the wackiness and (hopefully) edginess that made FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” a favorite. In fact, it comes from the “Always Sunny” team. The show is about two teens who live, as the title suggests, without adult supervision.

Video Games

“SSX”

The “SSX” series is looking to redefine the snowboarding video game. Not only is the new installment about pulling off mind-bending tricks, but you’ll have to make it through missions that pit you against Mother Nature’s most dangerous mountains. Lucky for you, it’s only a video game.

Tech

iLaunch Thunder

We all understand the appeal of a Nerf gun that shoots foam bullets. The iLaunch Thunder takes that idea and makes it 100x more awesome. It’s a moving missile launching station you control with your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth. It costs $99.99 -- a small price for being the baddest foam-missile shooter on the block. More: dreamcheeky.com.

80-inch 3D LED TV from Sharp

Sorry, Big TV Guy -- Sharp just blew up your spot. Sure, you thought your 55-inch flatscreen brought plenty of wow, then Sharp announced its 80-inch 3D LED TV. It actually has twice as much screen area as the 55-incher, and all the modern bells and whistles, such as Wi-Fi and web apps. Look for it in April and be prepared to drop $5,000.

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