Things That Keep Me Sane In A Crazy World AKA My Favorite Sites

We are in the information age and anything you need to know/find, all you have to do is hit up that Google bar and do a search. However, that still doesn’t mean you can necessarily find that site/forum that could be be of the most use to you. Given the sheer volume of wack shit out there, there are some places I use as sanctuaries/sources of information (I am an information junkie...ain’t it obvious from my blog?). Back in my record store days, I was pretty much called on to know a wide array of stuff. This is how I can bridge the gap between what I already know with what I don’t. These are my favorite spots on the net to visit and why.

The Red Bull Music Academy lectures help keep me convinced that there are hip hop producers that still have love and reverence for music and the art of Hip Hop. It’s like “Inside The Actors Studio” for producers, almost.
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/TUTORS.9.0.html?act_genre=7

This is where I find out who the hell all of those British/European groups with tight ass clothes and weird names are that everyone talks about on Dissensus (UK music/culture board).
http://allmusic.com/

This is where I get old school NES games to play on my laptop with the arrows, Shift, Z and Space bar for Start. I’ll play Tecmo Super Bowl with Philly (Randall Cunningham was QB Eagles) and get my Mike Vick on until I win the Super Bowl....and break all types of Pro Bowl records.
http://www.emulator-zone.com/
http://www.rom-world.com/

Google and Blogger searches are cool, but you still miss mad stuff. This blog search engine is on beast mode. Sickamore from XXLmag.com put me on to it.
http://technorati.com/search/

Because even my memory has it’s limits in regards to albums
http://www.discogs.com/

What’s that actors/actresses name? What was the name of that flick we saw as kids? When is Boondock Saints 2 ever coming out? This is where I go.
http://www.imdb.com/

I grew up in the “Kung Fu Theater” generation and I grew up watching mad Kung Fu/Martial Arts/Wu Xia films. This is where I check out a wide assortment of trailers of classic (and some hot garbage) joints that I caught on channels 25 and 56 on a Sunday afternoon as a kid.
http://www.shaolinchamber.com/trailerschamber.html

Whenever I feel like my writing is slacking, I check some of these spec scripts out. I soon realize that I’m doing the right thing with my life and back out another article/blog. Warning: Some of these scripts are unintentionally funny as shit...they’re SERIOUS. Keep that in mind while reading the 1st draft of the movie adaptation of Metroid (No...for real).
http://www.scriptbuddy.com/community/

Rare CD’s and records? These are two of the spots I check first.
http://eil.com/
http://www.gemm.com/

How well/badly did a film do? What was it’s budget? How’d it do domestically and internationally? Will there be a sequel? This is where I go to find out.
http://www.the-numbers.com/index.php

Streaming audio of retail albums.
http://www.xsao.net/index.php?genre=2

This is where I get facts to separate from the fiction I see in all the goddamn movies I watch.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/index.html#1

These are the hip hop sites I got to find out about the hip hop I grew up on and fell in love with along with the DJ, producers and emcees me and my frienemies and enemends used to argue and debate about on a regular basis. I got love for any site with writers who know who Eddie Sancho, Herb Powers, and Dave “Funken” Klein are.
http://www.unkut.com/
http://www.ohword.com/

Why do I love Okayplayer? Where else would they run off Lupe Fiasco for never having heard Midnight Marauders? Where else would they gang up on people that diss The Beatnuts rhymes and production skills? Where else could someone post poll threads like “El-P vs. Dr. Dre” “Necro vs. Timbaland” and “Cannibal Ox vs. Mobb Deep”and El-P, Necro and Cannibal Ox ALL WIN? Nowhere else but in OKPLand, fam! They keep me on my toes for real. If you don’t stay sharp you will get eaten alive in there.
http://www.okayplayer.com/

My Favorite Blogs (I regularly visit ALL of these):
http://wakeyourdaughterup.blogspot.com/
http://community.livejournal.com/hiphopmp3s/
http://coldrockdaspot.blogspot.com/
http://tothebreakofdawn.blogspot.com/
http://fromdabricks.blogspot.com/
http://ugwhh.blogspot.com/
http://iusedtoloveher-themusicman.blogspot.com/
http://venomousvillain.blogspot.com/
http://vinylathletes.blogspot.com/
http://bsidewinsagain.blogspot.com/
http://biffhop.blogspot.com/
http://bootisconnex.blogspot.com/
http://www.desolateones.com/
http://music-thingz.blogspot.com/
http://bustthefacts.blogspot.com/
http://thacyruz.blogspot.com/
http://magga-goldenagehiphop.blogspot.com/
http://thetorganization.blogspot.com/
http://rapchwast.blogspot.com/
http://bump-this.blogspot.com/
http://isako-hardcorerap.blogspot.com/
http://hhb.blogspot.com/
http://rapdungeon.blogspot.com/
http://crooklyns.blogspot.com/
http://timznhoodchek-crooklyn.blogspot.com/
http://lethalspitpoetry.blogspot.com/
http://soulcrates.blogspot.com/
http://masscorporation.blogspot.com/
http://djespionage.blogspot.com/
http://thedicegame.blogspot.com/
http://www.nahright.com/news/
http://lokipsychomusic.blogspot.com/
http://blackmusiclovers.blogspot.com/
http://blackpharoahs.blogspot.com/
http://thephoenixsspot.blogspot.com/
http://rapaholic.blogspot.com/
http://jboogiee.blogspot.com/
http://urbans-finest.blogspot.com/
http://soulstar.blogsome.com/
http://soulaquarian.blogspot.com/
http://saravaclub.blogspot.com/
http://dovelhoaonovo.blogspot.com/
http://weguds.blogspot.com/
http://www.orgyinrhythm.blogspot.com/
http://alma-matters.blogspot.com/
http://groovegrave.blogspot.com/

One.