Rakim Mayers (born October 3, 1988), better known by his stage name ASAP Rocky (stylized as A$AP Rocky), is anAmerican rapper and music video director. Born and raised in the New York City neighborhood Harlem, he is a member of the hip hop crew A$AP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker. Rocky released the mixtape LiveLoveA$AP in 2011. On December 5, 2011, the BBC announced that he had been nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll.[1] He is working on the A$AP Mob album, as well as his debut album, LongLiveA$AP, scheduled to be released in July 2012.

Born in 1988, Mayers was named after the hip hop star Rakim, one half of the Eric B. & Rakim duo.[2][3] When he was 12 years old, his father went to jail in connection with selling drugs. A year later an older brother was killed near his apartment, which inspired him to take rapping seriously.[4] Mayers had started rapping at age 8,[5] grew up admiring Harlem-based rap group The Diplomats, and also lists among his influences Three 6 Mafia, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, UGK, Run DMC and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[6][7] After living in a shelter with his mother, and elsewhere around Manhattan, Mayers moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

2007–2011: Beginnings and mixtape

In 2007, Rocky assembled the hip hop crew A$AP Mob, a collective of rappers, producers, and music video directors.[8] He adopted its A$AP moniker, which has multiple meanings, including "Always Strive and Prosper", "Assassinating Snitches and Police", and Rocky's favorite, "Acronym Symbolizing Any Purpose".[8]

His first single "Peso" was leaked onto the internet in August 2011 and within weeks received airplay on the high-profile Hot 97 New York radio station. Music videos for "Peso" and "Purple Swag" generated further buzz and resulted in ASAP Rocky signing a reported two $3 million record deal with Sony, RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music. ASAP Rocky released the mixtape LiveLoveA$AP in October to generally positive reviews from critics.[9][10][11][12]

[edit]2012–present: Debut album

ASAP Rocky was one of the artists, along with rapper Kendrick Lamar featured on Drake's 'Club Paradise Tour' in 2012. In an interview with Fuse TV in Austin at the SXSW music festival, ASAP Rocky revealed the title of his debut studio album to be LongLiveA$AP, with hopes to release it on July 4, 2012. He also announced the ASAP Mob album is due in May.

Bryan Williams (born February 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Birdman or Baby, is an American rapper, businessman, and record producer. He is the co-founder of Cash Money Records and one half of the duo Big Timers. Along with his releases with Big Tymers and for his solo career, Birdman recorded a collaboration album and numerous tracks with his adopted son Weezy. According to Forbes, he grossed an estimated $15 million from May 2010 to May 2011 with a net worth estimated at $110 million in 2011.

Big Tymers

In 1997, he joined producer and DJ Mannie Fresh to form the duo Big Tymers. Big Tymers debuted in 1998 with the album How Ya Luv That? and went on to release I Got That Work in 2000 and Hood Rich in 2002. I Got That Work had the hit singles "Get Your Roll On" and "#1 Stunna"; Hood Rich had "Still Fly", which was nominated for a Grammy, and "Oh Yeah!" Big Money Heavyweight followed in 2003; the group disbanded in 2004. His son Bryan Williams Jr., was born in February 26, 1997; his daughter Bria Williams in March 4, 1998.

In early 2010, Birdman formed an oil and gas exploration company, Bronald Oil and Gas, LLC. The company was a joint venture founded by Birdman and his brother Slim, and the name was a combination of the brothers' first names, Bryan and Ronald. Evidence of the company's actual business operations was scant, limited mostly to a website and the appearance of a "pumpjack" tattoo on the side of Birdman's head. The website indicated that the company's strategy would be to first develop existing land holdings and seek out new oil and gas leases. In February 2010, Birdman told Ozone magazine that he had been in the oil business for "4 or 5 years" and was "making good money off that". However, by March 2010, Birdman had almost completely covered the pumpjack tattoo, which sparked speculation that the Bronald Oil project had stalled. As of January 22, 2012, the Bronald Oil website is no longer operational.

Four is the smallest composite number, its proper divisors being 1 and 2. Four is also a highly composite number. The next highly composite number is 6.

Four is the second square number, the second centered triangular number.

4 is the smallest squared prime (p2) and the only even number in this form. It has an aliquot sum of 3 which is itself prime. The aliquot sequence of 4 has 4 members (4, 3, 1, 0) and is accordingly the first member of the 3-aliquot tree.

A number is a multiple of 4 if its last two digits are a multiple of 4. For example, 1092 is a multiple of 4 because 92 = 4×23.

Only one number has an aliquot sum of 4 and that is squared prime 9.

The prime factorization of four is two times two.

Four is the smallest composite number that is equal to the sum of its prime factors. (As a consequence of this, it is the smallest Smith number). However, it is the largest (and only) composite number n for which is false.

It is also a Motzkin number.

In bases 6 and 12, 4 is a 1-automorphic number.

In addition, 2 + 2 = 2 × 2 = 22 = 4. Continuing the pattern in Knuth's up-arrow notation, , and so on, for any number of up arrows.

A four-sided plane figure is a quadrilateral (quadrangle) or square, sometimes also called a tetragon. A circle divided by 4 makes right angles. Because of it, four (4) is the base number of plane (mathematics). Four cardinal directions, four seasons, duodecimal system, andvigesimal system are based on four.

A solid figure with four faces is a tetrahedron. The regular tetrahedron is the simplest Platonic solid. A tetrahedron, which can also be called a 3-simplex, has four triangular faces and four vertices. It is the only self-dual regular polyhedron.

Four-dimensional space is the highest-dimensional space featuring more than three convex regular figures:

• Two-dimensional: infinitely many convex regular polygons.
• Three-dimensional: five convex regular polyhedra (the five Platonic Solids).
• Four-dimensional: six convex regular polychora.
• Five-dimensional and every higher-dimensional: three regular convex polytopes (regular simplexes, hypercubes, cross-polytopes).

Four-dimensional differential manifolds have some unique properties. There is only one differential structure on except when n = 4, in which case there are uncountably many.

The smallest non-cyclic group has four elements; it is the Klein four-group. Four is also the order of the smallest non-trivial groups that are not simple.

Four is the maximum number of dimensions of a real division algebra (the quaternions), by a theorem of Ferdinand Georg Frobenius.

The four-color theorem states that a planar graph (or, equivalently, a flat map of two-dimensional regions such as countries) can be colored using four colors, so that adjacent vertices (or regions) are always different colors.[1] Three colors are not, in general, sufficient to guarantee this. The largest planar complete graph has four vertices.

Lagrange's four-square theorem states that every positive integer can be written as the sum of at most four square numbers. Three are not always sufficient; 7 for instance cannot be written as the sum of three squares.

Four is the first positive non-Fibonacci number.

Each natural number divisible by 4 is a difference of squares of two natural numbers, i.e. 4x = y2 − z2.

Four is an all-Harshad number and a semi-meandric number.

"Jurassic Bark" is the seventh episode of season four of the television series Futurama, airing November 17, 2002. It was nominated for an Emmy Award, but lost to The Simpsons episode "Three Gays of the Condo".

According to the DVD commentary, the last part of the episode where Seymour is waiting outside on the sidewalk was originally set to "Gayane's Adagio" from Aram Khachaturian's Gayane ballet suite, famously used in the sequence introducing the Discovery spacecraft in 2001: A Space Odyssey, but was replaced with the song "I Will Wait for You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as sung by Connie Francis, which writer Eric Kaplan's grandparents sang and played on the piano while he was a child. The song "Everybody's Talking" by Harry Nilsson also featured in this episode.

According to the DVD commentary, the original idea for the episode was to have Fry's mother fossilized instead of Seymour, but this idea was scrapped after it was thought to be too upsetting to the audience.

In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 4.2/5, placing it 93rd among primetime shows for the week of November 11–17, 2002.[3] The episode was nominated for the 2004 Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less than One Hour) but lost to The Simpsons episode "Three Gays of the Condo".[1] In 2006, IGN ranked this episode #8 in their list of the top 25 Futurama episodes, with critic Dan Iverson remarking that the climax was "one of the saddest endings to a television program that I have ever seen".

OPENING DAY, YOU GUYS. This will probably be a lame thread today, but I've been at work since 2:15 AM, and just don't give a damn.

Jordan Michael Houston, better known by his stage name Juicy J (born April 5, 1975) is an Academy Award-winning American rapper andrecord producer from Memphis, Tennessee and is the co-founder and a member of the duo Three 6 Mafia (formerly known as Triple Six Mafia). He is also the younger brother of Project Pat.[1] His second solo album, Hustle Till I Die,[2] was released June 16, 2009. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp". In December 2011 Juicy J confirmed rumors that he was the newest member of Wiz Khalifa's "Taylor Gang" imprint.

Juicy J is most notable for his crunk style of rapping, highlighted by his patented "heavy-breathing" and "stomping" background sound effects. Juicy J's production style is characterized by fast-rolling high hats, sharp snares, and deep cinematic bass. He also incorporates samples from classic soul artists such as Willie Hutch, David Ruffin, and Isaac Hayes.

Juicy J + Kreayshawn:

Alright nerds, I said I'd do this for almost a month, and Christmas break is over halfway done. Post your shit, what you play, and what you'd be interested in teaming with LSB'ers to pear online idiots worldwide.

XBL = OHPEEDOH

I play mostly COD: MW3, but also some of the following:

Battlefield 3

NCAA 12

Mortal Kombat

Dead Island

Left For Dead 1 & 2

Anyone want to get a party going for MW3 and wreck shop on New Years Day sometime, let me know. I play usually after work from 5-7, but can stay on longer if things go well.

RABBLE ON.

One of the main reasons I keep coming back to this godforsaken site is the off topic conversation. Whether folks choose to discuss the opposite sex, the definition of chili, movies that we have enjoyed (or not), the banter is usually witty and full of good information. This will be the 3rd year in a row I've done a music OT, and I've enjoyed reading the varied and diverse tastes of Rangers fans all over. While gloating over how eclectic my tastes are might seem like the reason I do this, it's honestly to stir up some good natured rabble and learn about what posters enjoy listening to.

A quick note: I'm changing the format of how I do this, just a bit. I realized with some albums not even being out a month, it's hard for me to truly give a fair slotting/ranking to any of these albums. The artists who released their albums earlier in the year will have a natural edge over the ones who just released in October or November. So, I've decided that I'll order the top album or 2 in each of the 4 genres I'm covering (Rock/Indie/Alternative, Rap/Hip Hop, Metal/Hardcore, Instrumental/Post Rock/Ambient), and then give a non ordered list of the "best of the rest". Like last year, I'll include youtube links to songs from each album so you can give a listen to something in which you might be interested.

With that, let's look at what I've got this year:

ROCK/INDIE/ALTERNATIVE

AOTY: Toro y Moi - Underneath The Pine

Favorite tracks: New Beat, Go With You, Divina, Still Sound, Elise

Best of the Rest (alphabetical):

The Black Keys - El Camino

Favorite tracks: Gold on the Ceiling, Run Right Back, Stop Stop, Mind Eraser

Braids - Native Speaker

Favorite tracks: Lemonade, Plath Heart, Glass Deers, Lammicken

Cut Copy - Zonoscope

Favorite tracks: Need You Now, Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution, This Is All We've Got, Alisa

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Favorite tracks: Montezuma, Sim Sala Bim, Helplessness Blues, Lorelai

Fucked Up - David Comes To Life

Favorite tracks: The Other Shoe, Turn The Season, The Recursive Girl, I Was There

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Favorite tracks: Honey Bunny, Die, Magic, Love Like A River, Jamie Marie

JEFF The Brotherhood - We Are The Champions

Favorite tracks: Cool Out, Endless Fire, Bummer, Ripper

Radiohead - The King of Limbs

Favorite tracks: Bloom, Lotus Flower, Little By Little, Codex

RAP/HIP HOP

AOTY 1A: Big K.R.I.T. - Return Of 4Eva (IT'S FREE ON HIS SITE. GET IT.)

Favorite tracks: R4 Theme Song, Dreamin', Rotation, My Sub, Sookie Now, Made A Lot (Feat. Big Sant), Get Right

AOTY 1B: Trae - Street King

Favorite tracks: Strapped Up (Feat. Pyrexx), Inkredible (Feat. Rick Ross & Jadakiss), I Am the Streets ( Feat. Rick Ross, Lloyd & Game), Life (Feat. Jadakiss), Street King

Best of the Rest:

Big K.R.I.T. - Last King 2 (Also free: LINK)

Favorite tracks: Pimps Remix (Feat. 2 Chainz & Bun B), 4Eva & A Day (Feat. Big Sant), Happy Birthday Hip Hop (Feat. Yelawolf), So Be It (Feat. Rapsody)

Childish Gambino - Camp

Favorite tracks: Bonfire, Backpackers, Hold You Down, That Power

Childish Gambino - EP

Favorite tracks: Be Alone, Freaks & Geeks, My Shine

Freddie Gibbs & Statik Selektah - Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away

Favorite tracks: Lord Giveth Lord Taketh Away, Rap Money, (Feat. Dat Nigga Daz), Already (Feat. Trae)

Pimp C - Still Pimping

Favorite tracks: Watch the Reaction (Feat. Lil' Keke & Killa Kyleon), Grippin' on the Wood (Feat. Bun B & Big K.R.I.T.), Bread Up (Feat. Paul Wall), Notes on Leases (Feat. Da Underdawgz), Gorillaz (Feat. Bun B & Da Underdawgz)

Project Pat - Loud Pack

Favorite tracks: Bloodhound, Everythang's High, Kelly Green (Feat. Juicy J), Gang Signs, Money On My Mind

METAL/HARDCORE

AOTY: Hate Eternal - Phoenix Amongst The Ashes

Favorite tracks: Thorns of Acacia, The Eternal Ruler, The Art of Redemption, The Fire of Resurrection

Best of the Rest:

All Pigs Must Die - God Is War

Favorite tracks: The Blessed Void, God Is War, Third World Genocide

Cave In - White Silence

Favorite tracks: White Silence, Summit Fever, Serpents, Vicious Circles

Trap Them - Darker Handcraft

Favorite tracks: Damage Prose, Slumcult & Gather, All By The Constant Vulse, Saintpeelers

INSTRUMENTAL/POST ROCK/AMBIENT

AOTY: And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs

Favorite tracks: BEAUTIFULUNIVERSEMASTERCHAMPION, Gangs, 7 Billion People Alive At Once, Lifeproof

Best of the Rest:

Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Favorite tracks: Last Known Surroundings, Trembling Hands, Postcard from 1952

Russian Circles - Empros

Favorite tracks: 309, Mladek, Atackla

There you have it. There are some other albums that I enjoyed, but simply couldn't justify putting in my top group (Watch The Throne/KEN Mode/This Will Destroy You), some that disappointed quite a bit(Tha Carter 4), and some that make me jagsfan.gif (Wheelchair Jimmy/).

What did you enjoy this year?

It's so hard to come up with 75 words. Since I only do music related posts typically, this one will be no different.

1: Best show you've gone to EVER?

2: Ever had an altercation at a show?

3: Do you play an instrument? (LSB BAND)

4: Do you love me? (Do you love me)

Here's a video!

WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS  WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS 

WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS 

WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS 

I did this last year, and got some good conversations regarding everyone's music tastes, so I figured let's do it again!

Here's last years' list and subsequent rabble: LINK

This year, I'll add YouTube links (that open in a new window) for a track from each artist that I can find from the favorites. I'll start from 20 and go to 1. Best songs are in no particular order, and I pick a random song to grab from YouTube, usually the single or a more accessible track.

Off we go!

20) Minus The Bear - OMNI (Rock, Indie, Pop)

Best tracks: My Time, Summer Angel, Excuses, Into The Mirror

19) JEFF The Brotherhood - Heavy Days (Rock, Jam)

Best tracks: Heavy Days, U Got The Look, Heavy Krishna, Bone Jams

18) Cotton Jones - Tall Hours In The Glow Stream (Indie, Alt. Country, Americana)

Best tracks: Sail Of The Silver Morning, Somehow To Keep It Going, Glorylight And Christie, Place At The End Of The Street

17) Phantogram - Eyelid Movies (Pop, Indie, Electronic)

Best tracks: Mouthful of Diamonds, When I'm Small, Turn It Off, As Far As I Can See

16) Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame (Rock, Indie, Alternative)

Best tracks: Stranger, Shadow People, Later, I Only Wear Blue

15) Growlers - Hot Tropics

Best tracks: Graveyard's Full, What It Is, Sea Lion Goth Blues, Badlands

14) Crime In Stereo - I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone (Rock, Punk, Alternative)

Best tracks: Drugwolf, Exit Halo, Odalisque, Republica

13) Pimp C - The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones (Rap, Hip Hop)

Best tracks: What Up, Dickies, Believe In Me, Colors

12) LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (Pop, Electronic, Indie)

Best tracks: Dance Yrself Clean, Drunk Girls, I Can Change, You Wanted a Hit

11) Misery Index - Heirs To Thievery (Death Metal, Hardcore, Punk)

Best tracks: Fed To The Wolves, The Carrion Call, The Iluminaught, The Spectator, The Seventh Cavalry

10) Sleigh Bells - Treats (Electronic, Pop, Indie)

Best tracks: Kids, Infinity Guitars, Run The Heart, Crown on the Ground, A/B Machines

9) Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (Alternative, Indie, Americana, Jam)

Best tracks: Sigh No More, The Cave, Winter Winds, Little Lion Man

8) Toro Y Moi - Causers Of This (Chill Wave, Electronic, Easy Listening)

Best tracks: Blessa, Minors, Thanks Vision, Talamak

7) The Black Keys - Brothers (Rock, Alternative)

Best tracks: Everlasting Light, Next Girl, Tighten Up, Howlin' For You, The Only One

6) Harlem - Hippies (Indie, Jam, Surf)

Best tracks: Someday Soon, Friendly Ghost, Be Your Baby, Gay Human Bones, Faces, Tila & I

5) Deftones - Diamond Eyes (Rock, Metal, Alternative)

Best tracks: Diamond Eyes, Royal, CMND/CTRL, Beauty School, Prince, Rocket Skates, 

4) Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (Indie, Rock, Afro Beat)

Best tracks: Wide Eyes, Sun Hands, World News, Shape Shifter, Camera Talk, Warning Sign (Talking Heads cover)

3) Avi Buffalo - Self Titled (Indie, Pop, Rock)

Best tracks: Truth Sets In, What's In It For?, Five Little Sluts, Summer Cum, One Last, Remember Last Time

2) Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (French Pop, Alternative)

Best tracks: Master's Hands, IRM, In The End, Heaven Can Wait, Me & Jane Doe, Trick Pony, Looking Glass Blues

1) Beach House - Teen Dream (Pop, Easy Listening, Rock)

Best tracks: Zebra, Silver Soul, Norway, Walk In The Park, Used To Be, 10 Mile Stereo, Take Care

There's my list. Obviously there were more than 20 good to great albums put out this year. These 20 just stuck out to me for one reason or another. Charlotte Gainsbourg for example, I got her album while in London, then found out she was playing in London a week later. Needless to say, I went and was blown away at how good she was.

Feel free to throw down some more recommendations, and keep the rabble going.

I realized the other day that I had never made a FanPost on this site. I guess after all the times I've made fun of other posters' horrid FP's, it's time for me to throw my hat in the ring and get made fun of as well.

2009 was a fantastic year for music, and now that school is out for me, I actually had some time to craft together a top 20 to share with LSB and the internets. Keep in mind that I lean towards heavier and more experimental music, but there's something for everyone to enjoy in my list. I'd also love to see what everyone else listened to this year, so we can all learn who has the best and worst music on this board, and make fun of them accordingly. On to the selections:

20) August Burns Red - Constellations (Metal/Hardcore)

Best tracks: White Washed, Meddler, Thirty And Seven, The Escape Artist

19) Every Time I Die - The New Junk Aesthetic (Hardcore/Rock)

Best tracks: For The Record, Who Invited The Russian Soldier, The Marvelous Slut

18) The Life & Times - Tragic Boogie (Rock, Indie, Alternative)

Best tracks: Fall of the Angry Clowns, Let It Eat, Dull Knives

17) Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest (Death Metal)

Best tracks: Utterances Of The Crawling Dead, Those Whom The Gods Detest, The Eye of Ra

16) And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - The Century Of Self (Indie, Jam, Rock)

Best tracks - Isis Unveiled, Far Pavilions, Bells of Creation

15) Coalesce - OX & OX EP (Hardcore/Metal/Rock)

Best tracks: The Plot Against My Love, Wild OX Moan, The Blind Eye(EP), To My Ruin (EP)

14) Caspian - Tertia (Instrumental/Rock/Atmospheric)

Best tracks: Of Foam and Wave, Ghosts of the Garden City, The Raven

13) Project Pat - Real Recognize Real (Rap, Gangsta, Hip Hop)

Best tracks: Talk Dat Gangsta, Dats The Way You Do It, Choppa To Ya Dome, Stayin' High

12) Poison The Well - The Tropic Rot (Punk, Hardcore, Surf Jam)

Best Tracks: Pamplemousse, Cinema, Antarctica Inside Me, Celebrate The Pyre, Exist Underground

11) The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha (Indie, Easy Listening, Instrumental)

Best tracks: An Army of Fireflies, Raise the Sails, The Road West

10) Burnt By The Sun - Heart of Darkness (Metal/Hardcore)

Best tracks: Inner Station, Goliath, F-Unit, Cardiff Giant

9) White Denim - Fits (Indie, Jam, Garage Punk) --FEATURES JAMES PETRALLI ON VOCALS/GUITAR, SON OF FORMER RANGER GENO PETRALLI

Best tracks: All Consolation, I Start To Run, Mirrored and Reverse

8) Brother Ali - US (Hip Hop, Rap)

Best tracks: Crown Jewel, Breaking Dawn, Babygirl

7) Baroness - Blue Record (Rock, Metal, Jam)

Best tracks: A Horse Called Golgotha, Swollen and Halo, The Sweetest Curse

6) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (Indie, Pop, Rock)

Best tracks: Two Weeks, Fine For Now, Cheerleader, Ready Able

5) The pAper chAse - Someday, This Could All Be Yours, Part 1 (Experimental, Indie, Avant Garde)

Best tracks: I'm Going to Heaven With or Without You (The Forest Fire), Your Money Or Your Life (The Comet), This is Only A Test (The Tornado)

4) And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar (Instrumental Rock, Indie, Jam)

Best tracks: Set Guitars to Kill, Clench Fists Grit Teeth... Go!, Tip of the Hat, Punch in the Face

3) Russian Circles - Geneva (Instrumental, Rock, Metal, Ambient)

Best tracks: Fathom, Geneva, Malko, Philos

2) Converge - Axe To Fall (Metal, Hardcore, Punk)

Best tracks: Dark Horse, Reap What You Sow, Axe To Fall, Effigy, Cruel Bloom

1) Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Indie, Pop, Electronic)

Best tracks: My Girls, Also Frightened, Daily Routine, Lion In A Coma, Brother Sport

That's my top 20. What's your list? Any genre is fair game. Have at it.