Lowrider

Like Ying and yang rap needs balance, you have had the Top Ten East Coast Rap so now its time for the sunshine (and gin) drenched West coast.

Looking at the last 25 years, the West coast tunes have not been as prolific but they have created some of the most iconic and heavy hitting rappers every to make there way in the industry. So here it is in all its bloods n crips and gun toting, LA Raider supporting gangster, sorry gangsta hype:

NWA – Straight outta Compton

7A3 – Coolin the Cali

Ice T – New Jack Hustler

Cyprus Hill – Insane in the brain

Kid Frost – La Raza

Sir Mix a Lot – Baby got back

Dre Dre – Still Dre

Lord Finesse – Return of the funky man

Tupac – California love

Snoop Dogg – Gin and Juice

Example of East Coast inspired Hip Hop graffiti

The last 25 years has seen rap or hip hop grow from back street lyrical ‘battles’ to a multi million dollar industry. Defined by frantic, poetic verse, precision scratching, fresh beats and stylish sampling, rap is not only a music genre but also has its own culture.

Being an Adidas shod, Kangol wearing, gold rope festooned double hard homey from Harlem is no longer a prerequisite for listening to slick lyrics….but it helps.

Quick ten have selected their all time favourite raps.  Problem is, there so many good tunes, we had to do this in two parts. Part one (which doesn’t come with free binder) Top 10 East Coast raps.

All you have to decide is are you East coast or West Coast?

Gangstarr – Just to get a rep

Public Enemy – Nation of Millions

RUN DMC – Tricky

Erik and Rakim – Paid in Full

De La Soul – Eye know

Kool G Rap and DJ Polo – Streets of New York

Naughty by Nature – O.P.P

Beastie Boys – Fight for your right

Tribe Called Quest – Can I kick it?

Notorious B.I.G – Hypnotise

And here’s a free one that isn’t good enough to make the grade but everyone hits the dance floor when its played:

House of Pain – Jump around

You want some blow?

Throughout my school years my friends and I use to always have an argument that Steven Seagal could kick Jean Claude Van Damme’s ass back to Brussels.  It was obviously conversation of the highest calibre with intelligent and valid points.  All of which proving that indeed if they meet in the heat of battle, Seagal’s superior Aikido skill would dominate Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg aka Jean-Claude Van Damme’s flimsy karate and kick boxing skills.

Sure, Seagal may run like a 12 year old girl who has just spilt yogurt on her pink skirt and is running home to have mummy clean it off.  BUT, and there is a huge butt (that’s not a spelling mistake he does have a massive ass).  This man can truly act. Well actually, when I say “truly act” I really mean; stand in front of a camera with a sweet look pony tail, hold a steely gaze and deliver one liners like “The whole god dam platform’s a tiiiiimmmmmeee bomb”.

With this natural ability to act, has also come the ability to generate block buster, after ball busting block buster action movies.  The critical acclaim these movies have received over the years has even put the second best action star of all time to shame, the great ginger ninja Chuck Norris! For instance this critics quote from the Northwest Herald via Rotten Tomatoes when reviewing “On Deadly Ground” states: Just what the world needs, environmental lessons from Steven Seagal. Exactly, this man hunk of a fighting machine can do it all!

So without any further hints of sarcasm and mucho love for Seagal lets get into naming his best ever movies.

Under Siege

Marked for Death

Above the Law

On Deadly Ground

Out for Justice

Exit Wounds

The Patriot

The Glimmer Man

Hard to Kill

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

Could this pony tail panther beat Van Damme? Oh yes!

We make Myths go BOOM!

OK so this is my guilty viewing secret here, I’m quite partial to sitting in front of the TV to watch Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman (and the other three Kari, Grant and Tory) knock out another awesome episode of Mythbusters.  Oh yes, give me: a dash of guns, a heap of explosions, smattering  of  ridiculous myths,  and a splash of out right carnage and you pretty much have my perfect episode.

Crazy to think that the team at Mythbusters have been filming for over 9 years now! 189 episodes and counting with no sign of letting up, and who could blame them.  I mean, who would not want to wake up in the morning and go to work to blow stuff up?  I’m guessing to blow off steam the crew go the complete opposite and do some knitting!

Anyway, out of these 189 episodes there have been some pretty epic Myths tackled.  Some busted, some not, and some even plausible but no matter what, always entertaining and that’s what this top 10 list is about.  We have research and come up with the most entertaining, over the top ridiculous and somewhat dangerous myths Jamie, Adam, Kari, Grant and Tory have every attempted.

Dynamite Surfing – 2008 Season, Episode 109:  Yes, some of us fell for the original viral video but seeing the Mythbusters team bring to light with a massive explosion was so utterly satisfying.

Waterslide Wipeout – 2010 Season, Episode 159: This just made us laugh and cry at the same time.  The pain Adam must have gone through but what a great myth.  I watched this episode partly in awe and partly in jealousy as it was something every boy growing up wants to build and do, a super sized water slide!

Jet-Assisted Chevy - 2003 Season, Episode 4: This was one of the first episodes and probably the episode that got a lot of people’s attention and no doubt won a few fans.  Simple amazing to see this old Chevy rocket across the salt flats.

Compact Compact Supersized – 2009 Season, Episode 114: The myth of two trucks colliding and being towed away only to find a small compact car wedged in between them was revisted. Wow, and we thought the first crash in the Compact Compact episode in 2003 was impressive but add a rocket in the mix and it’s pancake time.

Exploding Water Heater – 2007 Season, Episode 102:  This one was surely one of the more scary ones.  Yes they cranked it up but to see what a household product can do under immense pressure was crazy.

Cement Truck - 2005 Season, Episode 32:  The salsa thing was pretty lame in this episode but the real deal was the over the top  explosion used to test the myth that the last bit of cement in a cement truck could be removed by dynamite. Probably one of the biggest explosions on the show.

Jaws Special – 2005 Season, Episode 45: Who would not salivate over this episode? It had everything you wanted in a great Hollywood inspired myth-turbation of epic proportions!

Phone Book Friction – 2008 Season, Episode 119: This get’s in the top ten for two big reasons 1) they used a tank 2) this Myth whilst unbelievable is entirely true!

Boom-Lift Catapult – 2004 Season, Episode 25:  This was an epic fail but in a very very good way.  Seeing that large arm swing over, smashing buster into the ground rather than sending him flying was pure fun.

Firearms Folklore - 2006 Season, Episode 79: If you are a fan of Saving Private Ryan and things that go bang then this one is for you.  So many great myths in this episode!

Big Cinema punch for a fraction of the cost! Thank you Samsung

Are you looking to take your love for the movies that step further and bring it home in a big way by getting the latest Home Theater System? Sure you could maybe go out and buy some; socks, a box, buttons and some scissors to create your very own hand puppet show to entertain you and your friends.  But then they would probably point and laugh at you and call you weird and no body wants that.

So how do you choose the best Home Theater System that will give you: great sound quality, enough bass to make you fill queasy and a price tag that will not require you to re-mortgage the house?  Well we took all these factors into consideration, got some of the best movies to watch on Home Theater, heated up the popcorn and got down to some serious research.  

Hopefully our research below will narrow down the search for your ultimate home cinema experience and get you back watching Die Hard the way it should.

Samsung Electronics HT-D6500W

Energy 5.1 Take Classic

KEF KHT3005BL 5.1

Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 800

Sony HT-CT150 3D Sound Bar

Samsung Electronics HT-D6500W

Aperion INTIMUS 5B Harmony SD

Bose CineMate GS Series II Digital

Denon DHT-391XP 5.1 Channel

Klipsch HD 500 Compact 5.1

Lost in the music

The 90s, a time of bucket hats, adidas trainers, white gloves, dodgy shell suits and dance music. Whether it was trance, house, techno, jungle, drum n base or rave; the 90s were synonymous with laser and pill powered dance parties.

Love it or hate it, the sounds of the 90s dance culture got people moving and even uncoordinated white boys could pull out a move or two that fitted the beat.  The Quickten have put together our favourite Dance tracks of the era (albeit a little mainstream but still good) reach for your whistle, turn up the sound and make some noise in the house!

Utah Saints – Something Good

Dr Baker – KAOS

808 State – In Yer Face

Usura- Open Your Mind

Datura – Eternity

SL2 – On A Ragga Tip

 Sash – Ecuador

Guru Josh – Infinity

Urban Hype – A Trip To Trumpton

Faithless  - Insomnia

The updated version of Utah Saints – Something Good

Another young life ended at 27

The world has lost a great deal of talent to untimely deaths and the music industry seems to suffer the most. These young stars not only influenced the music industry but often defined an entire generation.  The strange thing is that a large proportion of these young and talented musicians or rockstars died prematurely at the age of 27, is there a link to their talent or the demanding industry in which they find themselves in?

Amy Winehouse is just one of the latest victims to fall short of their 28th birthday.  Do these young stars suffer from the high expectation of their public thrust upon them at such an early age?  Fame driving them towards excess at the bottom of bottle or at the tip of  needle?  Or do they simple lack the support of genuine people who care more about their well-being rather then their bank balance?

But who are the most famous of these Rockstars to become part of this infamous club at the age of 27?

Jimi Hendrix - November 27, 1942 to September 18, 1970.  Their best known album was: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

 Kurt Cobain - February 20, 1967 to April 5, 1994. Their best known album was: Nevermind

Jim Morrison - December 8, 1943 to July 3, 1971. Their best known album was: Doors

Janis Joplin - January 19, 1943 to October 4, 1970. Their best known album was: Pearl

Amy Winehouse - 14 September 1983 to 23 July 2011. Their best known album was: Back To Black [Explicit]

 Brian Jones - 28 February 1942 to 3 July 1969. Their best known album was: Beggars Banquet

Richey James Edwards - 22 December 1967 to 1 February 1995. Their best known album was (well known after he passed but this album was made up completely of lyrics he left behind): Journal for Plague Lovers

Dave Alexander - June 3, 1947 to February 10, 1975. Their best known album was: The Stooges

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan - September 8, 1945 to March 8, 1973. Their best known album was: Grateful Dead

Rudy Lewis –  23 August, 1936 to May 20, 1964. Their best known album was: Under The Boardwalk

Sweet, sweet music

They say that music can soothe the soul and for many it does more than that.  It can remind them of their first love, their favourite night out, or even trigger memories from their childhood (my dad use to sing Dean Martin to me when I was a youngster and bring’s back many a happy memory, even had “Ain’t That a Kick In The Head” play at my wedding and may have meant my slight biased opinion in Deano making number 8 in the Top Ten Greatest Singers list).

But as our lives get more compact and the technology that deliver’s our personal symphony improves exponentially beyond it’s humble beginning’s back in 1972 with the first portable personal stereo, so does the need for crisp, clear and ear shacking sound.

So to cut through the crap and get your ears the best possible sound, we have built this who’s who of trusted and supremely engineered headphones brands.  No more crackling or interference from work colleagues trying to get your attention as you complete that last piece of creative genius….we know, we tried some of the best the brands had to offer and a fog horn could have gone off in the office and not interrupted our music bliss.

Sennheiser – The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: Sennheiser HD 598 Audiophile Headphones

AKG - The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: AKG K702 Headphones

Grado – The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: Grado Professional Series PS1000

Bose – The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones

Shure – The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: SE535-V Triple High-Definition MicroDriver Earphone

Klipsch - The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: Klipsch Image S4i Premium Noise-Isolating Headset

Etymotic - The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones

Audio-Technica - The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: Audio-Technica Noise-cancelling Headphones

Nokia - The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905

Skullcandy - The Quick Ten’s favorite pick is the: Skullcandy G.I. Stereo Headphones

Spot the Douche Bag

Donald Trump is the face behind one of the most successful reality shows on American TV and also sports potentially the world’s largest comb over.  It’s also a little ironic to have a man who claims to be a self made millionaire and who produces books such as “Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life” running the show.  When in fact he inherited a large proportion of his fathers $400 million fortune when he took the reigns in 1971 .  Oh yes, I’m sure most people would love to get that kick start in life and to be honest you would have to be one of the stupidest businessman in the world to lose this wealth…hang on he did, in 1991.

But enough about the “Boss”, this is about the contestants.  Those fame hungry, cliche yelling, ass kissing, “straight talking”, business rejects that have made it onto the show more for the fact that they will be entertaining rather than enlightening.

Yes the boss may be an overrated Tycoon with an inflated ego but  he has his millions (maybe billions) of dollars to keep him warm at night.  But what do these chumps have? It seems they excel at pissing off the masses and fumbling through meetings, dropping in acronyms like they were working for Microsoft whilst supporting a crack habit…so with out further a due, let’s crack into the Top 10 most hated apprentice (including celebrity apprentice).

1. Omaroseonee Manigault-Stallworth – Season One
2. David Johnson – Season Three
3. Rebecca Jarvis – Season Four
4. Piers Morgan – Season Seven
5. Rod Blagojevich – Season Nine
6. Denis Rodman - Season Two (Celebrity)
7. Randal Pinkett – Season Four
8. Alla Wartenberg – Season Four
9. NeNe Leaks – Season Five (Celebrity)
10. Curtis Stone – Season Four (Celebrity)

These two made the TV Masterchef format popular

Masterchef – Get recipes from this show: Masterchef at Home

Gordan Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares - See where it all began:Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares: Complete UK Series 1

Top Chef - Get recipes from this show: Top Chef The Cookbook

Hell’s Kitchen - Get recipes from this show: Damn Good Food: 157 Recipes from Hell’s Kitchen

Nigella Bites - Get recipes from this show: Nigella Bites: From Family Meals to Elegant Dinners

Top Chef Masters - Get recipes from this show:How to Cook Like a Top Chef

The Naked Chef - Get recipes from this show: The Naked Chef

Iron Chef - Get recipes from this show: Iron Chef America/Supreme Cuisine

Great British Menu - Get recipes from this show: The Great British Menu Cookbook: Book 2

The Next Food Network Star - Taken a look behind the scenes with: Food Network Star: The Official Insider’s Guide to America’s Hottest Food Show