Q: Why did no one mention Zach Galifinakis and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy made a video for Kanye West?

A: I should keep a better eye on my reading list. Whenever I take a few days off, I end up missing something like this:

[via Erin]

Better resolution version here. Commenters on Kanye West's official site seem to think this is an amateur video made by the Amish, but no, the protagonists are comedian Zach Galifinakis (one of America's famousest Greeks) and indie troubadour (and occasional actor) Will Oldham.

Here are a couple Will Oldham songs, because why not.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Love Comes to Me
The Letting Go [buy], 2006

Palace
New Partner
Viva Last Blues [buy], 1995

Oldham's also in R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet, Chapter 22, but I've not had the pleasure of seeing that one yet.

Q: What's blacker and whiter and listened to all overer? (or: Is our Kanyes graduating?)

LEAKED: Kanye West's Graduation, which you can preorder here. A shoddy rip of the clean release surfaced last night, with the explicit, "scene" version leaking this afternoon (as reported by Calico Jak).

Kanye discussed the album Tuesday at a listening party in New York (video here, via marah). Haven't watched the clip yet, but MTV's site says he "talks with the crowd... about how rappers are the new preachers and his new album is both 'whiter' and 'blacker.'" Hopefully he also apologizes for the hideous jacket art.

Q: Cream, sugar or Mountain Goats?

A: Morning, yo. Can I interest you in the steamin' hottt new single from Aesop Rock, inexplicably featuring the Mountain Goats?

Aesop Rock
Coffee [ft. John Darnielle]
None Shall Pass, 2007

A-Rock's None Shall Pass hits stores August 28th. Preorder it today, etc. More info @ Definitive Jux.

ELSEWHERE IN HIP-HOP: Common's Finding Forever leaked last week, and it's fantastic, as expected. It could be the hip-hop album of the year — except it's produced by Kanye West, who probably hoarded the sticky-ickiest beats for his own forthcoming album. He is, after all, sort of a dick. Anyway, stay tuned.

EARLIER: Hip-hop sucks in '07? (Hint: No)

Q: Hip-hop sucks in '07?

A: Hip-hop sales are down. Some will say it's because hip-hop in '07 sucks, and while they may have a point there, hip-hop sucking is nothing new, as DJ Shadow can tell you:



(Ironically, after DJ Shadow got famous and made a bunch of money, he went on to make a hip-hop album that sucked.)

Anyway, Aaron Pressman at Business Week has an insight into why sales are down beyond suckage — and here too, it's the money.

Regardless, and also irregardless, there's plenty of good hip-hop out there, if you're willing to look for it. Here are two recent favorites, from two very different rap duos, Seattle's socially conscious Blue Scholars, and Pittsburgh's stream-of-consciousness Grand Buffet.

Blue Scholars
Back Home
Bayani, 2007

Grand Buffet
Dark Autumn
The Haunted Fucking Gazebo, 2007

Or if you don't want to download the files, you can hear 'em via this fancy new Box.net widget I got going:



Grand Buffet gets bonus points for naming their EP The Haunted Fucking Gazebo, and for featuring Columbus indie-rockers Gil Mantera's Party Dream on the second track. Blue Scholars just get bonus points for putting out one of the best rap albums of the year.

In other news, the new Kanye West mix tape is totally sweet.