Binkis Weblog

dopeness right here

Formed in 1974, Cameo started out as a 13-member group created by former Juilliard student and New York-area clubgoer Larry Blackmon (late of Black Ivory), called the New York City Players. Signed by Casablanca Records to their Chocolate City imprint in 1976, the group soon changed its name to Cameo after concerns “New York City Players” might cause confusion between them and the funk band Ohio Players. Prior to this, Blackmon, keyboardist Gregory Johnson, and the late Gwen Guthrie, formed the band East Coast, together with James Wheeler (alto saxophone), Melvin Whay (bass), Michael Harris (percussion), and Pat Grant (trombone). They released one self-titled album in 1973, on the independent label Encounter. Cameo started with a deep, funky sound, but it was obvious from the start their sights were set on the dance floor. Their first albums Cardiac Arrest, Ugly Ego, We All Know Who We Are, and Secret Omen contained dance floor songs such as “Rigor Mortis”, “I Just Want To Be” and “Find My Way,” the latter which was a major disco smash and was included on the soundtrack to Thank God It’s Friday.

Music career

By the time Cameosis came out in 1980, Cameo had gained considerable momentum through singles such as “Shake Your Pants”. Albums such as 1981’s Knights of the Sound Table and 1982’s Alligator Woman saw the band playing up their eclectic style.
However, by the mid-1980s Blackmon and crew were ready to move on. With Alligator Woman in 1982, Cameo stripped down to “five main members”, still keeping a full band for shows. Then Gregory Johnson quit, making it a quartet: Blackmon, Tomi Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant, and Charles Singleton; keyboardist Kevin Kendricks would later be brought more into the creative fold. Blackmon also moved from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia and started his own label Atlanta Artists, which was distributed by Polygram. Inspired by the edgy synthesizer arrangements being pushed forward by the new wave groups of the time, he moved the band into a hard-core “electronic funk” direction. It utilized heavily sequenced drum machines, bass and occasional horn arrangements. He put his trademark “Ooow!” into the forefront of Cameo’s mixes and markedly changed their sound. Cameo’s 1983 release Style was one of the first to come from this new label and was the first disc to capitalize on Cameo’s new sound. She’s Strange came out in 1984 and its “12-inch mix” was a major smash in the R&B clubs. The title track and its follow-up, “Talkin’ Out the Side of Your Neck”, were minor successes on the pop charts. 1985’s Single Life was also an R&B hit that saw some crossover success. With this album, Singleton left the group, but continued to work with Cameo from time to time as a friend of the band.
Word Up! hit radio airwaves in mid-1986. Critically acclaimed with large amounts of club and radio airtime, the resulting album Word Up! turned Cameo into superstars. The follow-up tracks, “Candy” and “Back and Forth”, were also huge hits for the funk trio.
Two years later, Cameo would release Machismo to lukewarm pop response but favorable critical reviews and R&B success. Kendricks left the band at this point. 1990’s Real Men Wear Black and 1992’s Emotional Violence failed to reach the same commercial success of Word Up!. By this time, after their departure from Polygram on to their new label, Reprise, Blackmon represented himself (besides his band-activities and side-productions) as A&R-agent for this label, a division of Warner Bros. Records. It also saw the absence of Nathan Leftnant, but the return of guitarist Charlie Singleton as one of “main” members. Leftnant returned again for the next album, which they released on a new label (Way 2 Funky/Raging Bull), and recorded at their next headed location, Miami, Florida. 1994 saw the release of In the Face of Funk that got some club play and a single release, but for the most part, Cameo’s reign was over.

Oh these cats was funky!!!!!

Oh, they sold they soul to make it on this album. Y’all lucky I can’t find that episode when they was on rapcity walking around in that joint barefooted. I was like damn son.

peep the site and you be the judge
http://www.blackcottoncollection.com

Since the god is outta of town. I’m holding down (goldi gold) the fort son, This is my dude day right here so i’ll try to fill the big homie shoes the best way possible

[Intro: NaS]

Mmm, Fried chicken
Fly vixen
Give me
Heart Disease
But need
You in my kitchen
You a bird, but you ain’t a ki
Got wings but you can’t fly away from me
Driving in your bucket seats
From Kentucky
To f**k with me
Look what you done to me
Was number one to me!
After you shower
You and your gold medal flour
Then you rub on with hot oil for half an hour
You in your hot tub, I’m looking at you salivating
Dry you off, I got your paper towel waiting
Lay you down cause you’re red hot
Louisiana style you make my head rot
Then I flock
To the bed then, “Plop”
When we done, I need rest
Don’t know a part of you that I love best
Your legs or your breast
Misses Fried Chicken, you gon’ be a nigga death
Created by southern black women
To serve massa, guest
You gon’ be a nigga death
Misses Fried Chicken
You was my addiction
Dripping with cholest’
Like Greeks with his felafel
Or Italians with his to-mato
Pasta
Or roti is to a Rasta
Trapping me
You and your friend mac and cheese
Candy yams, collard greens
But you knocking me to my knees
It’s killing me when I miss, ah
Nothing I need more than a fish fry

So all these cats coming with these dances that looks real similar to the last hot dance craze, but I want to see them try this son!!!!!

Pen and Pixel[1] is a Houston, Texas graphics design firm that specializes in musical album covers, especially for Gangster Rap artists in the Southern US. For a long time they were the house design firm for the famous No Limit Records label.
Pen and Pixel are famous for their identifiable design vernacular of 3-D and effects-laden text, bracketing heavily layered and photoshop filtered graphics. These typically overlay a scene depicting the album artist ostentatiously surrounded by women, liquor, gold- and diamond-coated material affects, and other signifiers of a gangster lifestyle.

Years later the saga continues with the funny back and forth beef with fat joe and 50cent. heads was going for the jugular with this photoshop war

Then who knew the line “they photoshop my head on the body” would be ROOOOSSS!!!! own suicide to his steez. photoshop wins again

You can’t say this joint ain’t gangsta, whoa!!!!!

A couple of months ago artist Dez Einswell got together with XLarge to work on the Ape vinyl toy. During SDCC the artist presented the latest version of the popular character – “Iron” Ape. Via Vinylpulse. Inspired by Iron Man, the toy comes limited to 50 pieces. It should also soon release at XLarge store.

First of all let me introduce myself. Goldi Gold, jungle45 rep 4 life and that’s it. But who the hell knew the box cut would be coming back like it’s revenging it’s brother death. This ain’t a throw back pic son. It’s recent like that last porn site you was on a couple of minutes ago. Peep the champion jackets. the dookie rope, man, you either love it or hate it. I’m feeling it to a extent because back in the days we didn’t have a blueprint which is us to create the style that heads is rockin now, tough. And the key word is “CREATE” and that’s what heads did. Damn a brother feel old telling them youngin “I remember when we use too”

Nintendo Wii is currently working on a virtual spray can that simulates real spraying characteristics. It even comes with a range of different caps. This is either the best or worst thing ever. On the positive side, graff artists could practice new tags from the comfort of their living rooms and they wouldn’t even have to worry about a drop of paint getting anywhere. Then again, this could just become another great excuse to never leave your place, and enjoy the blissful sensation of your brain slowly cooking like meat sauce on the stove…Ah technology.

By ELLEN SIMON, AP Business Writer

Coming to a store near you: Even higher prices. Most inflation this year has come from food and fuel, as retailers resisted passing along to strapped consumers the higher prices manufacturers charged them, but coming increases from companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Hasbro Inc. may leave them with no choice.

“While these increases have not for the most part been passed on at the retail level, it is inevitable that they will be at some point,” said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “Car dealers and other retailers cannot continue to absorb rising costs at the wholesale level and not pass some of these increases on to consumers.”

Sherwin Williams Co. on July 17 announced its third price increase in eight months. The company has been having “difficult discussions” with retailers, Chris Connor, chairman and CEO, said on its quarterly conference call.

The price increases are “well supported with facts in terms of why the company needs them,” he said. “Our customers, to the best of their ability, are passing them on.”

Hasbro said the retailers it sells to didn’t like price increases the company announced Monday “but they recognize that their own private-label costs are going up and they’ve accepted it.”

The increases leave retailers in a bind: They can keep prices steady and cut profit margins or raise prices and risk losing sales.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has been in the lead of aggressively keeping prices down, pressuring its competitors to do the same.

“We have seen inflation and we have passed some of that through,” said John Simley, a Wal-Mart spokesman. “We have, wherever possible, worked with our suppliers to reduce the inflationary impact as much as possible.”

Costco Wholesale Corp. said Wednesday its fourth-quarter earnings would be “well-below” Wall Street estimates of $1 a share as it delays price increases. Stock in rival BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. fell more than 10 percent as investors feared the competitor would have to match Costco’s prices.

Some economists say that once Americans spend their $106.7 billion in tax rebate checks, consumer spending may shrivel, sparking a round of price cuts to entice shoppers. Others think price increases may be postponed, but they’re on their way.

Much of this depends on how much money consumers have after buying gas and groceries — and what kind of mood they’re in once they’ve filled their tanks. On Friday, The Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment for July came in at 61.2, beating expectations and slightly better than the 28-year low of 56.4 hit in June. Still, the confidence index was at 90.4 a year ago.

Even Costco said it won’t swallow price increases from suppliers on key items, but would postpone passing them along to consumers, if only for a few weeks, because it wants to be the last retailer to raise prices.

The company raised its prices for rotisserie chicken from $4.99 to $5.49 about three months ago. Last week, the prices rose to $5.99.

“I think the consumer is just starting to see, not only with us, rising commodity costs and rising general merchandise costs in a much bigger way then they’ve seen other than with gasoline itself,” said Richard Galanti, Costco’s chief financial officer, during a conference call Wednesday.

Inflation hit 5 percent for the year in June, the highest it’s been since 1991, but the price increases hitting manufacturers have been far worse.

Prices manufacturers paid for crude materials rose 70 percent for the three months ended in June, but companies weren’t able to pass all those increases along. Prices for the intermediate goods made from those materials rose much less, about 27 percent. The prices for finished products made from those goods rose 14 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index.

Kimberly-Clark Corp., which makes Kleenex, Huggies diapers and Viva paper towels, said Thursday that energy and commodity cost increases this year would total as much as $900 million, double its prediction at the beginning of the year.

Saying the company might raise prices for the second time this year, Chief Executive Thomas Falk added, “The reality is that the rapid run-up in commodity costs has outpaced our ability to offset inflation in the near-term with price increases and other actions.”

The increases keep coming.

Dow Chemical Co., the second largest chemical company in the world after Germany’s BASF, is raising some prices by as much as 25 percent this month, following June price increases that were as high as 20 percent on all products. The increase is sure to put more pressure on manufacturers, since Dow’s chemicals are used in everything from packing peanuts to frozen-food trays to diapers.

_

Associated Press Business Writer Anne D’Innocenzio contributed to this report. Ellen Simon covers the economy. She can be reached at esimon(at)ap.org.