Want to hear 2pac pours out his heart? Want to enjoy some real lyrical contents? Check out R U Still Down double CD from the one and only 2pac Shakur. I am still feeling his words ever since the album came out in 1997. This double album had raised my expectations for Hip Hop. Until this day, I still can’t find an album that could match 2pac’s R U Still Down. Every track leaves me something in my mind to remember by. Whether he screams at his enemy, encourages us to Hold On Be Strong, or tells the stories of 16 on Death Row, his words are so powerful and he expresses them clear and loud.

Take away the hardcore and the gangster life, you will find 2pac expresses himself as a troublesome brother. In Open Fire, he said, “I’m sick inside my mind, why you sweating me? It’s gonna take an army full of crooked ass cops to come and get me.” In R U Still Down, Pac spoke out his inner feelings, “Living life as a Thug. Time to face the truth. What’s going on with the wasted youth? Please God come and save me, had to work with what you gave me.” In Hellrazor, Pac went on, “I’m starting to think all the rich in the world is safe while the poor babies resting in the early graves. God come save the youth. Ain’t nothing else to do but have faith in you.” Although every song hits the spot, Hellrazor is one of the wicked lyrics along side with 16 on Death Row where Pac tells three different stories in three verses. You just have to experience 16 on Death Row. Listen carefully every word he said. The song will bring tears to your eyes. Words such as: “My uncle used to touch me, I never told you that. Scared what you might do, I couldn’t hold you back. I kept it deep inside, I done let it fuel my anger. I’m down for all my hommies, no mercy for a stranger? They tell me the preacher’s there for me. He’s a crook with a book, that motherfucker never cared for me? I wish I would’ve known while I was out there. Now I’m straight heading for the chair.”

There are so much more stuff on the album such as: Hold On Be Strong, I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto, Nuthin But Love, Fake Ass Bitches, Lie to Kick It, When I Get Free 2, and so on. I could easily go through and review every songs but that is not necessary. I?ll let the work speaks for itself. Go ahead and get the album. Even if you’re not Hip Hop fan, you will appreciate the lyrical content of a mastermind.

The show starts off with a mesmerizing performance from Lac Hong group recapturing the life of the Vietnamese fled by boat seeking freedom. The powerful video clips in the background add tremendous drama to the live performance. It is a great way to start off the video; unfortunately the theme does not carry on throughout the show. I was all excited to see more dramatic content but disappointment comes in as the video gets off that direction. Actually the “Luu Vong” performance introduces the play “Nang Ha” featuring Van Son, Bao Liem, Hong Dao, Le Huynh, Minh Tri, Viet Thi, Charlie, and Vicky (It’s funny how this little girl keeps waving to the audience during the play). Unfortunately, the play does not live up to the introduction performance. It is a big mistake to start the show with excitement then gradually drifts off. The play is not bad but it is definitely not powerful either. There are several additional comedies in this show but the only funny one is “Toi Khong Thay” by Quang Minh, Sunny and Bich Thi. That new kid Sunny is pretty amusing.

There are a few good music performances. Minh Tri and Viet Thi give a tight performance of “Vietnamese Boy.” The beat is nice and the outfits are pretty cool. Next to that is the “Lien Khuc Nho Nguoi Yeu” by Che Linh and Tuan Ngoc. When you put two well-known artists together, you get a beautiful combination of the two. The rest of the performances are pretty ordinary. I am simply tired of Truong Vu. He sings the same kind of music over and over again and he also puts me to sleep.

Overall, Van Son 26 is not too bad. It’s not highly recommended but somewhat enjoyable. There is also a bonus video in the end where Viet Thao highlights some of the accomplishments by the Vietnamese community in San Jose. It’s nice to see how we come this far in our second homeland.

“Chung ta nhut dinh la khong phai nhung nguoi ti nan an bam.” Said Duong Ngoc Anh, Director of the US Weapon Department. Her statement simply means, “As refugees, we are not living in the US just to eat off the government.”Asia 41’s Mua He Ruc Ro showcases successful Vietnamese Americans who have great contributions to the US. Mad props go out to: Duong Ngoc Anh (creator of many powerful bombs), Mina Nguyen (serving in the Senior Executive Service for the Bush Administration), Tran Dinh Truong, the first Vietnamese American millionaire who donated 2 million dollars for the tragedy of 9.11. and many others. If you would like to learn more about these fine individuals, check out Mikki’s entry.

Unlike other beauty pageant competitions, Asia takes a different route by showing off sixteen young and beautiful Miss Vietnamese in the US and around the world. On top of that, the performances aren’t that bad either. Trish and Cardin gave a wonderful duet. I am not a fan of either two but they pulled this one of nicely with slick dance and fine lyrics. My most favorite performance is from Da Nhat Yen in “Lang Thang Duoi Mua.” She surely knows how to shake that thang. Man, she is freaking fabulous. Glad to see Kenny Thai came back. Hope he will continue with Asia in the forth-coming videos.

With Mua He Ruc Ro, Asia has raised the bar for its competitors. The video is meaningful and well thought out. This is the type of product I expect from other productions. It?s creative, inspired, and simply entertaining. I don?t mind spend couple hours enjoy something I am proud of, my Vietnamese community. Please keep up the good work, Asia.

Yet another big disappointment from the latest Paris By Night 71, they are way too proud of themselves. Always bragging about their “incredible show” yet eighty percent of the performances are tedious and listening to Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen blabbing about nothing is simply tiresome. It’s amusing how they both stepping into each other’s line many times during the show. Thuy Nga claims to be the most innovative production in entertainment yet they still reuses old songs over and over again.

Performances worth watching. Luong Tung Quang’s “Tu Khi Em Den” featured the hot twin dancers. I am not a big fan of Bao Han but she gave an incredible dance performance with the dancers. The smooth integration between video and live performance in Don Ho’s “Bai Tinh Ca Cua Em” is quite a creative concept. The Matrix style from Henry Chuc and Tommy Ngo is nicely pulled off.

Nice songs to enjoy. Quang Le’s “Ke O Mien Xa” and Phi Nhung and Manh Quynh’s “Tan Co Hon Anh Gian Em.” Pay attention to Manh Quynh’s second verse. His voice is quite strong.

Highlights of the show. Thuy Nga’s big fake titties. Now I know where my money goes. They were bitching about how bootlegging DVDs hurt their business; therefore, they are unable to push their products further than what they have. Ironically, the owner of Paris By Night productions invested the viewers’ money on her boob not the show. Sike! I am just kidding. The second highlight of the show is the American guy who speaks Vietnamese. Frankly, his Vietnamese is way better than most of the young Vietnamese singers in the US. He picks up the dialect quite well. Such a smart guy. He even made up some funny Vietnamese poems. Have to give that white man some props.

Overall, Paris By Night 71 is not worth buying. I would not recommend it all. Don’t waste your money. The preview looks good but it is not.

Father, who are you? Mother, who are you? Why brought me into this world but don’t give me your love? Why am I on my own? I did not do anything wrong. As a child, I have no home. As a child, I can’t go to school. As a child, I am alone on the street begging for each and every left over piece of rice. Father, where are you? Mother, where are you?

The lyric above is a portion that is loosely translated from “Dau Cham Hoi” (The Question Mark) written by The Hien. As I was watching My Tam performed this song, I was deeply affected. It took me back to my trip in Viet Nam where I had witnessed the poverty the author described in this song. It’s simply heart wrecking. I could remember the exact scene that day, as I was finishing up my bowl of “hu tieu” noodle soup. Once I put the bowl down, three kids were fighting for the left over. I couldn’t believe what I just saw. I had no idea they were waiting for me to finish. I stopped them and treated each one of them. They thanked me repeatedly and offered to shine my sandal. Yeah! Like I really need my sandal to be shine. See, these kids would work but they had no opportunity. It’s such a shame. They made me realize how fortunate I am and how much shit I take for granted. Donny, stop bitching about your life and be happy with what you have. Stop being greedy and give to the needy.

About time Dam Vinh Hung comes out with a new album. I was so eager to get it and I was praying that he wouldn’t let me down. Well, he did it again with his fifth album Giot Nuoc Mat Cho Doi. This guy is quite an artist. Every time he comes out with album, it’s 95 percent good and this one is no exception. Here are my ratings for the songs:

1. Giot Nuoc Mat Cho Doi 5/5 (This track is truly his style)
2. Neu Co Yeu Toi 2/5 (He is experimenting with Jazz but doesn’t carry out too well)
3. Tinh Yeu Con Dau 4/5 (Nicely done)
4. Noi Dau Ngot Ngao 3/5 (Good but little bit too slow)
5. Co Don Minh Anh 4/5 (Well remixed with fast beat)
6. Khi Tinh Bay Xa 3/5 (An old track. Good but slow)
7. Tieng Gio Xon Xao 5/5 (Love it when he sings this kind of song. Very soothing)
8. Giay Phut Chia Tay 5/5 (This track fits his voice perfectly)
9. Vung Troi Binh Yen 3/5 (Although it is nicely remixed, I prefer the slow version which he sings beautifully with Hong Ngoc)
10. Mua Chieu Ky Niem 5/5 (Lovely melody, fantastic voice)
11. Nu Hon Xa Voi 4/5 (He wrote the Viet lyrics. He pulls it off well with Jazz on this one)
12. Dem Cuoi Cung 3/5 (Nicely done but little bit boring)
13. Ta Mai Ben Nhau 5/5 (It’s definitely his style)
14. I Need to Know 1/5 (He simply kills this song. I couldn’t understand a word he said. Hung, do me a favor, sing Vietnamese.)

How would this one compare to the previous albums? I wouldn’t say this one is better than the older one because each album has its own uniqueness. If you’re a fan of Dam Vinh Hung, this is another album to add to your collection.

Persuaded by Mikki’s review on Tinh 11, I spent three hours watched the entire program and yet impressed by the quality of it. Unlike other productions, Tinh targets mainly the young audiences, which is fantastic. The video kicks off with “Lien Khuc Top Hits” features many young and sexy artists includes My Tuyet, Thanh Truc, Tam Doan, La Suong Suong, Tu Quyen, Diem Liem, Huy Vu, Johny Dung and many more. It’s just a pleasure watching the hot chics doing their thangs.

Minh Tuyet’s performance on “Mai La Nguoi Den Sau” is beautiful. It’s kind of funny to see Manh Quynh pimping out. I actually enjoyed “Lien Khuc Dan Ca” with the new flavor. The beat is hot and Minh Tuyet is off the chain. Damn, she got a nice body and quite talented. In this video, she demonstrated her ability to performance various types of music. Her duet with Huy Vu on “Huong Ruou Tinh Nong” is mesmerizing. I usually don’t like Jimmi JC Nguyen but he is quite good and unique in “Nguoi Noi” music video.

The best performances have to be Phi Nhung, Tuong Nguyen and Khanh Hoang on “Ru Lai Cau Ho.” The storyline is very dramatic and each character does a wonderful job bringing it out. Khanh Hoang is fantastic in his role as a jackass. I just love watching music video with a storyline behind it and Tinh Production tries to do that in each and every video. That requires lots of of hard work but they did a great job overall.

Que Huong Tinh Yeu va Tuoi Tre 11 is a beautiful work of art and it is highly recommended. Tinh production is quite innovative in term of remixing the songs and provide storyline for each video. Of course, the video isn’t perfect. In fact, I haven’t seen a perfect video yet but here are a few suggestions to enhance the viewer’s experience. Make the video shorter by eliminate that MC Nguyen Duong. He just drags on and on and I don’t find his humor funny at all. Just because Thuy Nga, Asia and Van Son come out with 3 tapes, Tinh doesn’t have to go that route. Take out some of the sloppy videos. The skits need to be improved. Quanh Minh, Hong Dao, Nguyen Duong, Thu Tuyet and even Hoai Linh aren’t good anymore. They are just boring.

Just like previous videos, Thuy Nga’s No Tinh reused the same old songs over and over again. The performces are lousy except for Luu Bich. Damn! That girl got style. Love her performance with Nguyen Hung. Her outfit is mad sexy and the way she shakes that ass! hummmm. On the other hand, Nguyen Hung dances like a fag. I mean, he’s a great dancer when it comes to ballroom styles but he sucks with freestyle and club. Another good part of the video is the way Nguyen Ngoc Ngan hosted the show. Such an intelligent man. Learned so much about the Vietnamese history from him. Other then that, the whole video blows.

I’ve been hooked on Thanh Thao’s non-stop remix jams. Her voice is not that great but she knows how to market herself. She selected songs that suit her style. My favorite ‘Lien Khuc’ is the upbeat track contains songs such as: Ngong Trong, Mat Bo Cau, Trai Tim Dau, and Oi Tinh Yeu. I also love the slow track that includes: Co Quen Duoc Dau, Em Van Cho, and Tam Biet Tinh Yeu. The whole album is hot as hell, though. Saw her at concert in Vietnam two years ago where she first performed ‘Oi Tinh Yeu.’ At that time she wasn’t well-known but I knew right away she would be popular. It didn’t take long for her to blow up.