Came across this great poster designed by Pop Chart Lab meticulously charting the expansive world of rap names. I haven’t studied the poster that closely yet, but the attention to detail here seems pretty impressive. You can order a copy here.

Because record nerds will be record nerds.

I don’t envy the guys over at Stones Throw for having to pick the winner of their recent video contest. Some pretty incredible entries spanning their entire catalog. Here are just a few that stood out to me.

J DILLA “LAST DONUT OF THE NIGHT” directed, written and edited by Tuomas Vauhkonen and Jeremias Nieminen.
Cast: Juha Ilmari Laine, Markku Laitinen, Rami Rusinen, Petra Lumioksa / Director of Photography: Jeremias Nieminen / Camera Operator: Antti Savolainen / Camera Asst: Sofia Palillo / Sound Engineer: Tuomas Vauhkonen / Sound Recording: Ilkka Kunttu / Gaffer: Jeremias Nieminen / Best Boy: Tuomas Peltonen / Runner: Petra Lumioksa / Catering: Petra Lumioksa. J Dilla’s “Last Donut of the Night” is taken from the album Donuts (2006)

J DILLA “LIGHTWORKS” by James McMillan.
Illustration, design and animation by James McMillan / james-works.com / Music includes J Dilla’s “Lightworks” from the album Donuts (2006) as well as an excerpt of Percee P’s Throwback Rap Attack (Acapella).

QUASIMOTO “BUS RIDE” by Vincent Longhi.
Director, Editor: Vincent Longhi / Actors: Charles Nogier (Old Willie), Vincent Longhi (Quasimoto), Paul Rey (Madlib) / Decor: Vincent Longhi, Nicolas Courgeon, Yann Grolleau / Production: European School of Visual Arts (EESI) / Quasimoto “Bus Ride” produced by Madlib, from the album The Further Adventures of Lord Quas (2005).

JAYLIB “The Heist” by  Rory Gamble and Demetrios Katsantonis
Jimmy Joey & Frankie Productions, Winnetka CA / Camera Operator, Animator, Editor: Rory Gamble. / Jaylib – J Dilla and Madlib – “The Heist” taken from the album Champion Sound (2003)

MADVILLAIN “STRANGE WAYS” by Jean-Yves Blanc.
Great work here from Jean-Yves, and it was a one-man show: “I did everything by myself, modeling clay figures, stage set, accesories, sketches, animations, photos and video montage.” More of his work can be seen over at hiphopsculture.com. MF DOOM & Madlib’s “Strange Ways” is from the album Madvillainy (2004).

East of Underground from Wax Poetics on Vimeo.

This is a great little mini documentary that sheds some light on one of the most elusive soul groups, The East of Underground. Props to Wax Poetics and Scion for putting this together.

As iTunes, Zunes, and iPods quickly become the consumer’s media player of choice, record stores around the world are feeling the effects of flailing music sales. The idea of actually playing a CD or tape is completely foreign to kids these days, while vinyl, although experiencing a slight resurgence (thanks Urban Outfitters), will still never reach the heights of the 60′s and 70′s.

Sadly, in the wake of consumer’s changing music buying habits, record stores everywhere have been forced to close their doors for good as seen in this blog post. Even those considered music institutions by the community can’t withstand the brunt; I remember how devastating the loss of Village Music in Mill Valley, CA was for the Bay Area.

Record Store Day is this Saturday – get out there and keep music alive!