What should you NOT DO when you're exceptionally talented(D'angelo):

POSE NAKED AND ISOLATE YOUR MALE AUDIENCE.

I'm writing this blog out of frustration.

I was watching the video for Brown Sugar (Directed by Brett Ratner who did the Rush Hour movies) And I'm just in wow, the video is so well directed. And you look at D'angelo, you could tell that he's a cooooool ass motherfucker. Brown Sugar is the epitome of a timeless album from start to finish every track is a gem. I watch the videos from this album and I think to myself "Why in god's name would he try to switch up his image that worked so well for him"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq_EfpGAH4o

Well then, a couple years later he drops Voodoo. Another classic album easily on the near perfect scale. With all the hype that surrounded this album I really DO NOT think he needed to pose naked. I mean, isn't that what your supposed to do when your sales goes DOWN?! By doing so, he totally isolated much of his male fanbase. Now when most man think about him after having his name brought up they think "Hey isn't that the guy that posed naked in his video and album cover, what a ________"(be creative)

What I'm trying to get at is that people cannot see past the idea that he posed naked, no matter how AMAZING his music is. You don't know how many times I've played some of his stuff, asked someone if they liked it and get positive responses and then when I tell them it's D'angelo the expression on their faces just change as if they accidently just admitted that they were gay. It's like AHA I GOT YOU! I GOT YOU!

The moral of the story is if you are a male, DO. NOT. POSE. NAKED.

Wow, it must be 1994 again or something. (Hadouken!)

So, when most kids were playing in the Sandbox I was on my cousins lap playing Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. To put it in simply I've been a gamer ever since I was a little kid. Though I don't have much time for them these days videogames will always hold a heavy place in my heart. Anyways, Street Fighter II, which was the first one to really get all around critical acclaim and sell millions of copies, it was released in 1991. I was 2 years old (Wow!)

18 years later Capcom released the fourth installment for Street Fighter IV. To be honest I thought I could just walk into the store and purchase the game. However, I was unfortunately informed that the game was SOLD OUT. Not just at my local Electronics Boutique but at Best Buy and about a thousand other places. Seriously, I thought I was one of the only dorks that would rush in opening day to get the game.

Capcom's marketing strategy must have been pretty damn good for such an old franchise to sell so well to a whole new crowd. I know they did alot of things to reach out to a whole bunch of crowds. For example, breakbeat.co.uk gave out street fighter samples and told people to remix them into tracks as a promotion for the game. I heard 7-11 of all places were one of the stores distrubiting the game, so when old timers went to get their hot dogs they would see that a new Street Fighter game was out. I hear the new movie that was released about a week after the game released was pretty terrible, however, I guess it gave more exposure to the game.

I guess I really underestimated Capcom's marketing team when it came to this game but it's nice to know that the old school has not been forgotten. SHORYUUKEN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC-QBh8TH-4