Friday Jams: Andre 3000 does The Beatles, new Kanye & Eminem, more

Did your short week not feel quite so short? Neither did mine, but screw that--It's Friday! Sweet, sweet Friday! To keep your spirits high and your weekend bumpin, we're kicking out the Friday Jams because, well, that's just what we do around here.

First up, Andre 3000 gets his Beatle on in Nike's new Kobe Bryant spot. Really glad to see Ewing's signature Garden pump-up make it into the mix.



Next, new joints from two of rap's finest.
Kanye West (thankfully) gets back to rapping on "Power," likely the first single off of his upcoming new album Good Ass Job. Welcome back, Mr. Gay Fish, and huge props for the King Crimson (!) sample. Meanwhile, Eminem's new album, Recovery, drops June 22 and features this jam with Pink called "Won't Back Down."

Speaking of hip-hop giants, Nas has been at it for 20 years (we're old) and Steady Bloggin is celebrating with an exhaustive year-by-year breakdown of the best verses of his career, accompanied by a mix called 20 Years 20 Verses. (Incidentally, I'm trying to hit up Nas & Damian Marley at the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn on July 31 if any of you care to join me.)

Finally, B.o.B and Lupe Fiasco jump in on Janelle Monáe's "Tightrope." The last time Schiff Happens was in a room with Bobby Ray and Lu, the party positively jumped off. This track is equally dope.

The NBA: Where Hanukkah Happens

Recently I echoed the sentiment of so many small children when I said that all I want for Hanukkah this year is one head-nodding religious artifact, which I then amended to state that all I want for Hanukkah this year is one head-nodding religious artifact and a piece of special birthday cake made just for a three-year-old named for one of history's most ruthless dictators. And this, my friends, is why they gave us eight crazy nights. Because tonight, on the third night of Hanukkah (and still the one and only night of Festivus) I hope my Jew love gives to me: one Rally Rabbi bobblehead, one Adolf cake... and a shout out from Ko-be.

I was introduced to The Embedded NBA Reporter, Elie Seckbach, through an intriguing couple of recent posts on freedarko. He came to America from Israel in 1996 to play college basketball and has been covering the NBA since 1997, although his popularity has received a major boost recently thanks in large part to Internet video. Andy Gray of CNNSI called Seckbach "the most entertaining NBA reporter out there" because of his quirky, candid interview style and zany questions beyond the realm of basketball, which often result in classic sound bites from NBA stars. To ring in the third night of Hanukkah, we've got Elie's Hanukkah videos from the last three years, with this year's at the bottom. And yes, that includes shout-outs from Kobe, The Diesel, and The King.


Upon hearing that Hanukkah commemorates a war victory and involves 8 nights of presents: "I need to celebrate Hanukkah more" - Ron Artest


"Happy Hanukkah. You guys have fun and blow out all the candles." - Ricky Davis


"Happy Hanukkah and, uh, I hope everything, you know, goes the way they planned." - Trevor Ariza

For more Seckbachery, check out Elie on Fanhouse.