Da Lan’s Cuoc Kho Nan Cho Nguoi Viet Nam is the most lifeless video I have ever seen. The musical producers and the performers fail miserably to deliver the songs. The music is soulless. The set design is way too amateur and the dancers are unprofessional. Da Lan probably heard enough bad things about MCs; therefore, they ditched that idea. What they replaced with is a guy who walks us through the video (we only see his feet) with two lines of poem introducing each video. That idea is even worse than having a MC. While Da Lan’s first video Trieu Doa Hoa Hong Cho Nguoi Viet Nam sets them apart and raised the bar, this one drops them way down the gutter.

The special interview with the hoes in Ha Noi, North Viet Nam is tasteless. The interviewer’s voice is annoying as hell. I am so tired of hearing the hoes’ myth, “I am a prostitute because of family situation.” If you want to sell yourself, don’t blame your family. If I was ill and don’t have enough money for medications, I rather die and go to hell than letting my daughter selling her pussy for my treatment. You blamed the bastards for ruined your lives. That’s bullshit! You are ruined your own life. If you don’t offer sex, the bastards can’t buy it from you. Life is hard and there is no short cut. Only that kind of occupations will bring you money fast so you can afford that new Nokia cell phone, Dreams Honda moped, and Gucci dress. So just be honest about it. You choose that route because you want to and no one puts a gun to your head and make you do it. I remember watching HBO special about the same issue but the American hoes are honest about it. That’s the way they choose to live. They make good money and they are proud of what they do. They even have the courage to show their faces on the interview. With Da Lan’s special interview, they covered up their faces with their hair. What is up with that?

There is a gruesome scene in the video where a man is tied up on the cross with a communist pointed a gun to his head. Is that scene necessary? There are kids watching these videos too and their parents want them to learn about Vietnamese culture and the music, not a violent act like that. This video is terrible. It’s not worth your money and definitely not worth your time. Skip it and save your money for real productions like Asia and Tinh.

Although 1982-1991 Ngoc Lan Asia only contains a portion of Ngoc Lan’s work (34 out of 800-something songs), it definitely proves that Ngoc Lan was one of the most natural artist of her time. This special collection is not only a memory of one of the greatest Vietnamese singer of all time but it also showcases Ngoc Lan’s talents of performing several languages including: Vietnamese, French, English, and Chinese (Cung La Buon).

Ngoc Lan’s vocals are indelible and Asia production had done a great job of allowing that beautiful voice shines through in every song. Xin Thoi Gian Qua Mau and Rung La Thay Chua are my favorites because Ngoc Lan chose simple over flamboyant and she was able to captured the aesthetic qualities of each song. In tracks like Khuc Thuy Du, Tieng Ca Dem, Nhung Kiep Hoa Xuan, etc., she never held a note too long, which made the songs enchanting and pleasing to enjoy. Although I don’t speak French fluently, I could feel the way she delightfully released the words in Nang Da Tat, Chuyen Tinh Yeu, Tinh Yeu, etc. It’s simply an amazing experience. If you’re into ballroom dancing like me, you’ll appreciate tracks like Mua He Vo Tan (Bebop), Loi Tinh Ai (Tango), Khuc Luan Vu Ngay Mua (Valse). With Ngoc Lan’s mesmerizing vocals and Asia’s elegant beats, my feet get real itchy when I emerge into these songs. I might not be as good as Nguyen Hung in ballroom dancing but I can break it down like James Brown.

With Asia’s superior musical arrangements and Ngoc Lan’s God-sent vocals, this 3 CDs special collection is priceless. If you’re a fan of Ngoc Lan and you don’t have this collection, shame on you. I was ashamed of myself for waiting too long to purchase these CDs. It’s not my fault that I didn’t know about it. Asia should have marketed more effectively. It’s a timeless work of art and I am sure this collection lives on just like Ngoc Lan’s legacy will remain forever in our hearts.

Let’s get something clear up front. The list below is based solely on my personal taste and I am not claiming to be the hip-hop expert. What you see here is my love and my knowledge of hip-hop. These works of art have inspired me, opened up my eyes, changed my world, or simply got me hooked on hip-hop. I find these albums to be creative, innovative, rule breaking, and history making. I hope you will enjoy the list as much as I do.

10. Danger Mouse – The Grey Album
Although it is an underground joint, Danger Mouse’s Grey Album is an innovative work of art. The blend between Jay-Z’s flows and Beatles’ beats is flawless. The seamless integrations not only bring out the aesthetic qualities from both genre but together they have also created one of the most amazing and engaging aesthetic experience. Danger Mouse makes history with the Grey Album.

09. DMX – It’s Dark and Hell is Hot
If you ain’t barkin’, you ain’t feelin’ Dark Man X. Not only his barkin’ is hot, his vocal is on fire as well. From the hardcore “Ruff Rider Anthems,” “Fuckin’ Wit D,” Get at Me Dog” to the sentimental “The Convo,” “How It Goin’ Down” to the devil “Damien,” the album is surely dark and hot as hell.

08. Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle
Snoop’s Doggystyle invites you to the gangster party with “Gin and Juice,” “Tha Shiznit,” and “Doggy Dog World.” His ill rhymes combine with Dre bomb ass beats make you want to lay back and enjoy the party.

07. Kanye West – The College Dropout
It’s 2004 and Kanye is not afraid to take hip-hop back to the basic. It’s about blazin’ beats and delightful lyrics. West’s College Dropout is positive, innovative, and definitely hip-hop.

06. Eminem – Slim Shady LP
Oppose from Jay-Z who always brag about himself, Em finds his way into hip-hop as he describes himself in “Brain Damage” as, “A corny lookin’ white boy, scrawny and always ornery / ’cause I was always sick of brawny bullies pickin’ on me.” Em’s lyrical skill is undeniably wicked and his work is disturbing but astounding, especially in “Guilty Conscience.” He is an innovative rapper and always pushes himself to the limit. My only hope is that he would stop singing.

05. Notorious BIG – Ready to Die
“A chubby nigga on the scene.” Biggie’s Ready to Die proves that you don’t have to have a perfect body to be in the game. Hip-hop is all about skills. The 300-some-pounds sounds sexy as hell in “Big Poppa” and “One More Chance.” “Juicy” is still lyrically untouchable. The rhymes are simple but elegant and Biggie flows them smoothly to the beats. That’s the way Biggie rhymes – On “Suicidal Thoughts,” “When I die, fuck it, I wanna go to hell / ’cause I’m a piece of shit, it ain’t hard to fuckin’ tell.” – clear, concise, and powerful.

04. Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt
Jay shows me the meaning of attitude and confidant. Evidently, his success is based on these two words. Even on his debut album, he already brags about his status but I have to give it to him. He lives up to it. On Reasonable Doubt, he makes sure every verse clearly states that you “Can’t Knock a Hustle:” “All us blacks got is sports and entertainment, until we even / Thievin’, as long as I’m breathin’ / Can’t knock the way a nigga eatin’, fuck you even.” Wish I had a quarter of his attitude and confidant.

03. Nas – Illmatic
Obviously hip-hop is a form of poetry but I never perceived at it that way until Nas made me look. His writing is amazing. On “One Love” he spits, “Shorty’s laugh was only cold-blooded as he spoke so foul / Only twelve trying to tell me that he liked my style / Then I rose, wiping the blunt’s ash from my clothes / Then froze, only to blow the herb smoke through my nose.” Nas’s Illmatic is aesthetically unreachable. He brings life to his words, “I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death.”

02. Tupac – All Eyez on Me
“Out on bail, fresh out of jail,” 2pac is rugged and raw. When he screams MOB (money over bitches), you better believe it. His outlaw charisma lingers on throughout the entire album from “No More Pain” to “Only God Can Judge Me.” Even when he goes emotional on “I Ain’t Mad At Ya” and “Life Goes On,” there is still a little bit of thugs in him. Pac is on fire and you can feel the anger in his voice. Even when he laughs, the madness is still in him. Thanks to Pac, I began to admire battling lyrics and it opened up a whole new world of hip-hop.

01. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
The first time I heard, “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit,” my eyes wide opened. It was the truest form of expression I ever heard. The entire album opened up the new world of music for me. From “CREAM” to “Tears,” Wu-Tang tells the realest stories of life. I began to listen to the lyrics carefully and the album is filled with aesthetic qualities.

After Quang Dung cancelled his performance on the same day as Quach Thanh Danh and demanded the 2 Bee club coordinator to take down Quach Thanh Danh’s ad, I stop listening to his music and stop buying his CD’s. In contrast, I picked up Quach Thanh Danh’s Toi La Toi and totally impressed. Although he is new, his vocal is quite matured. His timbre is along the line of Jimmy JC Nguyen and Vu Khanh mix together.

Quach Thanh Danh’s style is definitely slow and romantic. “Em Khoang Trong Va Toi” is modestly beautiful and he does a great job of expressing the sad emotion. “Duong Phuong Mot Cuoc Tinh” is nice and simple. “Xin Ru Muon Mang” is excellent too. It sounds like Trinh Cong Son’s music but I am not too sure.

The album (released by Buom Dem Music Volume 20) features 17 tracks I have never heard before. Tinh Vu Vo is the only one that I could recognize the melody. Actually, it’s similar to Ngoc Lan’s Ngay Vui Nam Ay. Of course, Ngoc Lan performance is indelible but it gives me an idea where Quach Thanh Danh stands. The overall album is not bad at all. He definitely has potential.

Obviously, bad scandals had helped boost Quach Thanh Danh’s popularity. First, his album got pulled and his live show was cancelled just because of the pose where he shows a bit of his brief. Too muscular for the Vietnamese government, how bullshit is that? Click here to see the photo. It’s nothing like Mark Wahlberg in CK underwear ads. Then Quang Dung was being stuck up and requested to pull down Quach Thanh Danh’s ad. Well, these negative scandals only make him well known to the public. Quach Thanh Danh, good luck and I’ll give you my supports so don’t let me down on your next album.

It takes me quite a long time to fully appreciate Norah Jones’ aesthetic work of art. Her Feels Like Home album takes my breath away as I head home last Friday evening. The best time for me to totally enjoy music is when I am on the road. So when I hit the freeway at 80 miles per hour, I just let the music takes over me. Inspired by the second album, I had to drop by the record store to pick up her first album Come Away With Me before driving back to Poughkeepsie. It surely made the trip much pleasurable and quicker. Now I am enjoying both albums back to back.

Of course, Jones’ exquisite vocal is the key ingredient that I am hooked on; however, the elegant musical elements (drums, bass, piano, guitar, and violin) truly enhanced the aesthetic experience. These simple yet graceful instruments meshed perfectly with Jones’ lovely voice to produced beautiful compositions. The sound engineering is flawlessly balanced that not one of the musical elements overshadows the others and together they have created an exceptional experience. Each time I listen her albums, I tend to separate each element to enjoy its individual aesthetic qualities. For instance, one time I dedicate my attention only to her voice and the lyrics while other time I simply focus mainly on her piano, the acoustic guitar, or the beats.

While both Come Away With Me and Feels Like Home are enjoyable, each album stands out independently. Come Away With Me has that slow and jazzy sense whilst Feels Like Home has that country and uplifting mode. Creepin’ In just makes me want to do Ho-down. My favorite track from Come Away With Me album is I’ve Got To See You Again and What Am I to You? from Feels Like Home. Of course, other songs are beautiful as well but those two stands out the most for me.

Nas’ classic, Illmatic is revived with remixes and bonus tracks. Illmatic is the album that changed the game and introduced lyrical aesthetics to Hip Hop. Even 10 years later, Illmatic still speaks to Hip Hop fans and earns Nas the respect as the street lyricist. Illmatic tells 9 stories of what he feels and sees. Welcome to his “New York State of Mind” and “Life’s a Bitch.” After experiencing Illmatic, “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” why he is Stillmatic. Nas is one of the greatest Hip Hop poets of all time.

Twista’s flow is amazingly fast and furious. He spits so fast but his word is still clear and understandable (unlike Bones, I couldn’t hear a word). Don’t know how he does it without stuttering. His latest album, Kamikaze, is filled with doses of adrenaline. Get Me sets off the album and gets your blood pumps up for the rest. Twista kicks off strong and fearless with killer lyrics. Kill Us All, follows up on the first, is the classic.

Of course, the collaboration with K. West on Slow Jamz and Overnight Celebrity is unreachable. So Sexy featuring R. Kelly is the speed of both worlds, where speedy Hip Hop meets speedy R&B. Lastly, I can’t wrap up this little review without mentioning the infamous Luda on Higher.

If the tracks aren’t listed here, don’t mean they are bad. I just don’t want to bore you to death with track-by-track review. The whole album rocks hard. So go get it if you want some hardcore and speedy Hip Hop.

After seeing Minh Tuyet in concert, I decided to take down my review on her solo video Ve Cuoi Duong Tinh. She is such a sweetheart and I could feel her sincerity when she interacts with fans. Minh Tuyet is a talented and I am looking forward to see she grows as an artist.

Although my review is no longer available, you can still check out Minh Tuyet’s photos in concert: Minh Tuyet 1, Minh Tuyet 2.

The latest Thuy Nga’s video once again flopped. It takes me less than an hour to watch the six hours long Paris By Night 72 in the fast-forwarding mode. I am so tired of Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen’s yakidi yak. What is the deal with Nguyen Ngoc Ngan? He sounds as if he owns Canada. And what’s up with the pointless explanations: “Tron tria co nghia la map” and “Doi co nghia la gian hon.” Well, duh? Is he insulting the audience’s intelligence?

The performances are more bad than good. Luong Tung Quang can’t even come close to Dam Vinh Hung in performing “Giot Nuoc Mat Cho Doi.” Van Quynh can’t reach My Tam’s level in singing “Uoc Gi.” The rest of the performances are pretty much average except for a few. So let’s focus e the good part. Tu Quyen, Loan Chau, Nhu Loan, and Rebecca Quynh Dao are sizzling hot for the opening. Minh Tuyet is bangin’ in “Anh Thi Khong.” She reminded me of Ngoc Lan so much. Even though there are similarities between the two (the red dress and the rich and handsome men), each has her shines. Loan Chau is flamboyant in “Vai Phu.” The new face Huong Thuy gives a beautiful touch on “Ca Dao.” Her voice is promising. The sitcom is not that bad especially the newcomer Uyen Chi, who is double D and funny.

Too bad, there are only about 5 good performances out of 25 and the hosts are not helping either. Thuy Nga production needs to come up with innovative topics in order to compete with other productions. If they keep producing same products like this, they will fall down.

One, two strikes! You’re out. It’s time for Ngo Thanh Van to leave the mic alone and get back to the catwalk. Bi An Van Trang once again demonstrates Ngo Thanh Van’s inability to sing. Vol. 2 has no indication of improvement from Vol. 1. I can’t even pick out a good song to brag about. The lyrics are still cheap and the music is just cheaper.

What was she thinking? Putting out yet another worthless album. The worse track on the album is Anh Trang, which features Okio, who has no rapping skills whatsoever. In fact, William Hung would murder his ass in a lyrical battle any time. Well, I don’t want to sound too negative so go to NTVvirus.com and check it out. The site is nicely done in Flash and it has sample clips posted on there.