Eminem Not Sitting Still

Topspin’s latest release is from Eminem. His new album Relapse is available on his site. We’re honored to be working with him and his team, and this project has been on of our biggest ones to date. You can check out a video and thirty second clips from the album at the widget in the bottom of the page. Normally, we encourage our artists to stream full-length tracks in their promotional widgets as it encourages sharing and sampling of the music to prime the purchase of a download, but Eminem belongs to a major label which thinks differently on this specific topic.

Regardless, we’re excited to be powering his direct-to-fan release for his new album.

Although I’ve always respected Eminem for his MCing and for what he’s accomplished, I’ve never been a mega-fan. I became a believer, however, with his Mosh video below, a protest song against George W. Bush before the 2004 election. It was an inspiring call to arms or rather a call to get out and vote. It gave me chills the first time I saw it and still does today. Check out the video below.

I love it when artists explicitly weave social messages into their music.  Eminem released Mosh early before his album Encore in late 2004 to influence the youth to vote against Bush and the war. This one is definitely a favorite of mine. It shows that Eminem is not content to sit still and watch the world go to hell. He rose to the occasion to motivate others to make the right change.

Check out more of Eminem’s latest album below and click through to the offer page where you can get the downloads, deluxe packages, vinyl, t-shirts, hoodies, autographed prints, and high-quality audio-file formats.

Posted in Topspin | Tagged | 1 Comment

Sub Swara

The beautiful tunes of Sub Swara: Click play and listen to four of my favorite tracks. See below for more info on the tunes, how to get them, and what you can do to share the music.

 

Click on the Download Button below to get the tunes.

Download Subs Swara Tunes

Sub Swara’s Dhruva is coming to LA Wednesday and crashing with me in Venice. If you’d like to swing by and say hi, send me a note. What are your favorite Sub Swara tracks?

Posted in Topspin | Tagged | Leave a comment

My ass and Murderball

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but I have a burning desire to share a rather interesting experience that’s too long to twitter about. Last night, I arrived in Austin for the the SXSW festival a day ahead of my Topspin homies. I landed, checked in, and went out to my only event of the night, the Facebook party at Pangea. My good friend, Grant Davis aka VJ Culture, was hired to do the video art, and he invited me to join him as his guest.

After catching up with Grant, I used the night to network with fellow SXSW Interactive festival goers and get some scoop of what Facebook is up to with music. I was satisfied with the evening and ready to leave around half past midnight. I went to the men’s room for one last pit stop, and since all the heads were taken, I went to the handicapped stall. It was the only one available, and I was feeling safe so I didn’t bother to lock the door. I’m minding and doing my own business when I feel someone pinch my ass. I turned around and was like, wtf, ready to unleash the fury on my molester. My rage immediately dissipated to shame as I looked back and then down to my perpetrator in his wheel chair. Since I’m a person who gets extremely angry when non-handicapped people park in handicapped spaces, I immediately got his point or rather his pinch to be more precise, and I felt awful. Prepared to receive a verbal spanking on handicapped bathroom protocol, I noticed he was smiling mischievously and clearly having some fun with me. In a similar flash of changing emotions, I began to recognize my stall mate. It was Mark Zupan from Murderball. The intense awkwardness of the moment was diffused, and I began to vociferously profess my admiration of Murderball and especially Mark’s role in it. This is Mark in the movie poster.

If you haven’t seen it, please Netflix or seek it out NOW. It’s one of the most inspiring documentaries I’ve ever seen. It’s about the story of quadriplegic men who have found a renewed sense of purpose and life by playing wheel chair rugby. The story of Mark Zupan is particularly inspiring given the grace and tenacity in which he deals with his challenges, and the content of his character shines brightly in the movie. He’s a natural leader, mentor to new quadripiligecs, and one of the fiercest competitors to ever play organized sports. His story along with those of the other players will leave you with a renewed sense of hope and determination. It’s a wonderful tale of the human condition as the players and coach seek victory as a team and in their own unique, individual ways.

Check out the trailer to this amazing documentary:

Thanks Mark for the letting me be the butt of your joke last night. I’m just glad I got a chance to express my appreciation for you sharing your story and being such a wonderful inspiration to us all.

Posted in Inspiration | Tagged , | 1 Comment