Answer for Ryan

Ryan writes:

Your dedication to purchasing CDs has always amazed, confused, and amused me. Do you still practice this (at this point) art?

Follow-up: Have you purchased the new Mos Def. I read a piece about it in Rolling Stone and it's supposed to be the best since Black on Both Sides. I say that's a glowing review.

First, let me thank you for ending the long drought that has occurred in the Ask Todd section. It is a pleasure to be back doing what I do best: answering questions.

As for your question, yes, I do still practice the art of purchasing CDs. I've always felt the need to support the artists that I like, and as such I continue to buy their cds. These days you can download music legally and pay for it, but seeing as how my laptop is on its' last leg and I don't have a working ipod, I still buy the good ol' hard copy. Plus, I like to have something real, something tangible, to remember the purchase by, whether it be for the good or for the bad. There is no feeling like ripping off that super annoying plastic of a new cd, taking it out, poppin' it in to your cd player, and groovin' to some fresh new beats. Also, sometimes you get bonus artwork and things of the like, and who doesn't want that?

As far as The Ecstatic goes, yes, I did purchase it. It's definitely the most rap from a Mos Def cd since Black on Both Sides (as opposed to the weird boogie-man stuff on the other cds), and I definitely enjoyed it, but a lot of songs were like 2 minutes long which is super frustrating to me. I gotta get geared up before I start to groove, and a lot of the songs on The Ecstatic simply did not allow me to do that. It's a good cd, not great.