New Albums from Raphael Saadiq & The Lonely Island!

Two very different Bay Area albums drop today, but both are worth the Hamilton they cost. Raphael Saadiq mixes Chuck Berry-era Rock, vengeful soul and suave sophistication into his new project Stone Rollin, while The Lonely Island offers up their latest batch of sacrilegious and satirical hip-hop on Turtle Neck & Chain.

The Lonely Island calls out hip-hop’s strange homo-erotic homophobia by saying the gayest stuff they can conjure up, only to follow each with the now cliché phrase “No Homo,” on the track of the same name. They also challenge Rocky to a boxing match, make pirate club bangers, poop in their pants, creep up on innocent young ladies, and have sex with each other’s mothers before the album is through. Regardless of how you feel about the subject matter, their execution is on point and their guests are all A-list talents. Turtle Neck & Chain features Justin Timberlake, Nick Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Akon, Beck, Rihanna and Santigold. Their latest video, “Jack Sparrow,” even resurrects the career of Michael Bolton, check it out below.

Surprisingly, “Go To Hell,” is not the name of a track on TN&C, but is rather a stand-out song on Raphael Saadiq’s Stone Rollin’ album. Ray Ray’s latest effort strays away from the Mo-Town inflections of 2009’s The Way I See It, but maintains a vintage feel. Three singles have already been released from this short 10 track album, but there are some other gems in the tracklist. “Just Don’t”, “Go To Hell” and “The Answer” are early favorites. Check out his most recent video from the title track below. 

Review: Bobby Gordon's Debbie Does My Dad

Once upon a time your father was a porn star. It’s a story we can all relate to.  You came home from school and pops was bangin broads on the washing machine while directors requested contortionist positions and zesty cum shots. 

This isn't sounding terribly familiar is it? Okay let's rewind and reset. You're Berkeley-bred poet, playwright and performer Bobby Gordon, the son of famous porn star and adult film director Richard Pacheco (born Howie Gordon). He's won Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Director awards and was named Playgirl's Man of The Year in 1979. In short, he is a sex god, and your life is pretty awesome as a result. But not for the reasons you may assume.

"Let me put your minds at ease

There aren’t fake breasted blondes fucking in every corner of my house.

I don’t have to dodge directors or boom mics over naked twins.

I’m not woken up in the morning by shouts from the next room from some girl about how she’s never seen a dick that big and ‘do me now damnit.’  No.

We’re normal Americans. Well almost."

-Excerpt from Debbie Does My Dad

 

Bobby Gordon describes his dynamic one-man show, Debbie Does My Dad (DDMD), as, "the bawdy and beautiful tale of how I grew up in the shadow of my dad's erection."  And based upon his father's tongue-in-cheek teste-monial (see below), it's an erection that does indeed cast quite a shadow. His father's dick has a staring role, but Debbie Does My Dad is more of an exploration of sexuality, manhood and child-raising than it is a glorification of porn or penises. 

This is the crowning achievement of Gordon's show. He has been able to convert a rare breed of penis envy and hippie parenting into an amazing conversation about what it means to be a whole man in a repressive society. Some people think Richard Pacheco is the shit because he starred in over 100 porno flicks and fucked hella women, but really it's because he was a loving husband and amazing father who raised his children to be kind, sweet, sensitive and comfortable in their own skin. Oh yeah, did I mention he's also super open about his sexuality and hilarious to boot?

Video: The Lonely Island at MTV's Spring Break '88

The Lonely Island flipped some vintage MTV Spring Break footage to make it look like they performed at Daytona Beach in 1988. Of course there is the possibility that they are hipster immortals who are aging Benjamin Button style. Either way, it makes for a good chuckle…at the expense of Steve.

Also peep the crew's recent Digital Short starring Zach Galifinakis.

Video: Super Sic Wit It E-40 Impression

This isn't new music or particularly newsworthy, but we stumbled across this video the other day and think Mr. Tai Saki does an excellent 40 Water impression. He is more believable when talking than rapping, but it's his laugh that is most spot on. 38thnotes own Tre Eightman has a pretty decent Earl Stevens accent himself, but this cat takes the cake. Enjoi

Video: Lonely Island & Nicki Minaj: The Creep

The Bay Area's favorite musical comedy troupe is back at it with Nicki Minaj for their latest video, "The Creep." Creating a caricature of those lames that sneak up on you in the club, The Lonely Island boys have translated the art of creeping into everyday situations. They've also created a dance to accompany the song. So if you see me and DNas out at Monday Soul tonight, we may be creeping around doing T-Rex & Marionette inspired gyrations behind your girlfriend. #swag

Previously:

The Lonely Island feat. Akon: "I Just Had Sex"

The Lonely Island feat. Rihanna: "Ronnie & Clyde"

Video: The Lonely Island feat Akon: "I Just Had Sex"

The Lonely Island done did it again. This time with the help of an almost giddy Akon. That's right, "I Just Had Sex" is looking to be the Berkeley comedy crew's most popular Digital Short to date, eclipsing even "Dick In A Box" and "I'm On A Boat." Given the satirical bent of their music it's easy for some to dismiss them as imitators, but with 14 million youtube views in less than a week, they are by far the most popular Bay Area rappers in the world at present. That's because, though they're funny, their songs are actually good. And in this case, it has filled a void of sorts. Face it, there has never before been a celebratory sex song that you're almost obligated to cue up after breaking off a PYT.

Even better, it is not telling the chauvinistic tale of a glorified gang bang or an expert deep dicking. It is actually refreshingly self-deprecating. Jorma raps "She kept looking at her watch," and Andy confesses that he "cried the whole time." But Akon reassures them both, that it "Doesn't matter, (you) had sex." Regardless of how well they performed the act, I think that we can all agree that having sex with Jessica Alba in a chain and turtle neck sweater sounds a bit like winning the lottery. 

From a societal perspective though, this is also significant. Not too many decades ago, networks were not even allowed to show a double bed on television because it alluded to the fact that two people slept together and therefore potentially had sex. Now we have a carnal and comedic anthem blaring out to mainstream American audiences via a major media network. To pull this off you need some serious juice and Grade-A swag. Let's raise our glasses to The Lonely Island for securing a corporate platform and using it to shift socio-cultural norms. That's some real vanguard Bay Area shit. Thank you gentlemen.

Video: Rihanna & Andy Samberg: "Ronnie & Clyde"

The Bay Area's music scene has always been graced with comedic characters; just think E-40, Mac Dre and Shock G for starters. But with the Lonely Island crew's ascension to Saturday Night Live, they have had the opportunity to reach an audience Bay Area artists would kill for. Here, the creators of Dick In a Box, Mother Lover, Jizz in My Pants, On a Boat and many more comedic creations, enroll the talents of Rihanna.

I'm back and forth regarding whether or not I find her attractive, but here, sporting a pinstripe suit, rocking a fedora and wielding a tommy gun, she is absolutely sexy. Can't say the same for Shy Ronnie, but the song is dope, the video is funny, and the gender switch is so Yay Area. Shout out to B-Town!

Video: The Latest from SNL's The Lonely Island

The Bay is famous for it's music, but it's also famous for the humor and gregarious nature of it's musicians. From Sly Stone to Mac Dre and MC Hammer to E-40, we spit game just a little bit different. Case in point is the Berkeley-bred SNL saviors known collectively as The Lonely Island. Their debut album Incredibad, was actually incredibly good. So good in fact that they were recently nominated for a Grammy on the strength of "On a Boat," their hit collaboration with T-Pain (Can you say 43 million views?).

I believe they will be putting out a video for every song on the Incredibad, which means that a video with E-40 as Santana is also forthcoming!! If the end of that last sentence confused you a bit, allow me to clarify. On the track "Santana DVX," E-40 imitates Carlos Santana while repping for a fictitious brand of champagne called Santana DVX. It sounds a bit strange, and it surely is, but it's also four kinds of awesome. So keep your eyes peeled folks!

For now, check out a couple of the latest cuts Andy, Jorma and Akiva have unleashed. The first video is for "Boombox," a disturbingly funny record on Incredibad featuring Julian Casablancas of The Strokes. The second is a live rendition of "Lazy Sunday" with Chris Parnell on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." If you remember, it was this Digital Short that first put Andy and his boys on the national map.

So rock out with their latest musical raucousness and then take a look back at some of 38thNotes's past TLI posts. If you need me, I'll be here pondering ways to avoid ever having a hair-do moderately comparable to that of Andy Samburg. His every day do (seen in 2nd video) looks like a Revolution-era Tory wig with a mean case of stoner bed-head. But I digress.... Enjoi the show kids.

And just in case you're interested, a movie helmed by the crew's Jorma Taccone just premiered at SXSW and got a great review. Check the trailer here.

Video: Catching Up With The Lonely Island: A Grammy Nomination & New Digital Shorts

If you watched the Grammys last night, you may have been surprised to see that The Lonely Island and T-Pain were nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collabo for "On a Boat." Then again, it was quite a hit. It was almost too perfect how their parody of Scott Storch era hip-hop became bigger than anything they were satirizing.  It was perfect. We're certainly not used to seeing anything comedy related nominated for a notable category, but this was definitely deserved. Props to the Berkeley trio for another feather in their caps!

Enjoi the video that spawned it, in all it's uncensored glory, and then take a gander at some of their recent SNL handiwork.

Andy Samberg: F*cks The System Berkeley Style