John Legend and the Roots, a match made in funk heaven?

I'd like to preface this post by saying that over the summer, I really delved into hip hop in a way I hadn't before, and now I love it, especially The Roots.

They're the most genuine, earnest and badass hip hop group I know of (and also one of the most prolific with 12 studio albums, a Gramy and 6 Grammy nominations). If you're looking to get into them, I'd suggest starting with Game Theory, then moving on to Things Fall Apart and How I Got Over. If you dig, get Organix, their first full length. If all goes according plan, it'll slap you in the face with funk.

Now on to the main point of this post. The Roots recently paired up with funk manic John Legend for an album of politically charged 60s and 70s funk covers titled Wake Up. NPR is streaming the entire album for free if you care to check it out. It's really great, especially "Compared To What." More funk than I could ever handle.

To top it all off, JL and The Roots decided to do a cover of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up," off their 2004 full-length Funeral.

Check it, so much soul. And you'll rarely find r&b and hip hop acts covering british indie rock, so soak it up.

And how could I forget to mention ?est Love, The Roots' fro-laden beatmaster. Check how much love he puts into that kit. We need more drummers like him.

Chef Bill! Rice and Beans Edition

Welcome back me! And welcome back any readers I didn't lose in the three month hiatus I took from this!

I'ma start to encompass my cooking ideas, adventures and aspirations in da Gl-C. Why? Because fuck you, that's why. Also, It's my blog and I do what I wanna.

So here goes.

If you're ever feeling really lazy but want something delicious, pour a can of pinto beans and half a box of white rice into a pan. Add water until the rice and beans are just just submerged (add water as necessary during cooking to keep them covered with water), cook on a mediumish setting until the rice gets soft (depends on the rice and the heat but it usually takes 5-10 minutes,) then bring the burner down to simmer, add a liberal amount of salt and pepper (and heavy d up in the limousine) and one packet of Sazón Goya con Culantro y Achiote and stir until well mixed.

Sazón Goya is to rice and beans like Thousand Island dressing is to the Big Mac. It just makes it.

If you wanna get crazy, add some red or green peppers, jalepeneos and grilled chicken into the mix.

I learned this timeless yet incredibly simple recipe from Rafael Reyes, my crafty Dominican co-worker. Thanks Raff.