The Phoenix

I've been following this story closely. The twists and turns are mind boggling. At first, we all suspected that he was just taking a lot of drugs. Ackam's Razor, right? These guys think so. Also, the rocking back and forth in public is never a good thing. This explanation fits our desire for celebrities to humiliate themselves quite well. Then, last week, Mr. Phoenix appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman (I wish there was a way to type it like the announcer says it, but it just looks stupid). Three words for you. O. M. G. If you haven't seen it, enjoy (if you can stand it):



This performance was so absurd that I became convinced the whole thing was just a hoax. Could Joaquin Phoenix be fucking with us? These insightful analysts think so(for your own good, I recommend skipping to about 3:55, otherwise you will loose about 5712 brain cells per second).

But here's where it really get complicated. Last week, in the space of one youtube interview, everything go crazy.



At first, he seems like he's just fucked up. In the middle of a television interview, the man says (well actually mumbles) "I can't remember what I was saying, what was I saying?" I say that sometimes, but as most of my friends will tell you, I'm kind of bad at life. If a previously normal person says something like this, you can't help but think drugs. And the rocking back and forth in public doesn't help. But then it twists and turns. The man busts out a short lesson in rap history, saying various non-stupid things about guys like Ice Cube, and then says pretty lucid shit about his upcoming album (apparently he wanted it to be a valentine's day present to himself. Or maybe to me). So I'm thinking, ok, maybe this is legit. The latter sentiment is only emboldened by this:



A bit fuzzy to tell for sure, but maybe just maybe he's good. Or at least doesn't suck. At a minimum, the beat sounds cool.

I dunno. I'm more excited for this new joint to drop than I have been since I got my first tape (New Kids on the Block, if you must know) back in 86. But I'm open to other theories. Is he legit? Is this a documentary in progress? Or drugs?

On a related note, I'm currently trying to figure out the difference between hip-hop and rap. I mean, I know that one's a "culture" and the other's not, but I'm just talking about the music. There's music that's one and there's music that's the other. It's been proposed that it's like porn, you just know it when you see/hear it. But I'm unsatisfied. So if you think you're smart, tell me what makes hip-hop hip-hop, and not rap (and visa versa).