Wednesday September 15, 2004 arts.michigandaily. com artspage@michigandaily.com Rt dfqgm v Batig 9 LUIUgOUS lYE ThE HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER The Geto Boys - You know that hardcore rap group that does - all of the "Office Space" soundtrack? Well, Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill also happen to be the greatest Southern rap group of all-time. They're packin' more honest and brutally furi- ous rhymes than anyone this side of Public Enemy. NBA Jam - The madness is back, Thanks to a resurrected Super Nintendo, I'm officially obsessed with the vintage Larry "Grand- mama" Johnson and Alonzo Mourning. The only team that can stop me is the Washington Bullets, led by my roommate and Chris Webber. That One Girl From The House Party on Thursday - So I had a good time talking and stuff. I know you said you had to go but it'd be cool if we could hang out again. You have really pretty eyes. Okay, so I didn't get your number but here's your chance. I was the guy with the green polo shirt. Holla. 4 Courtesy of >., #Universal This is all the ice 1 can afford. NELLY SHOWS TWO DIFFERENT SIDES IN HIS NEW DOUBLE ALBUM .By Evan McGarvey Daily Arts Writer It looks like hip-hop has been taking some nuclear physics classes. For what seems like the umpteenth time, a rapper made like the Greek god Janus and carved himself into two sepa- Nelly rate personas. Sweat/Suit With Nelly's new releases Universal Sweat and Suit, there's only one thing left to say: The cyclotron is just too full. OutKast managed their way through a respectable - but wildly overrated - double because they are two different men with two very different agendas. Jay-Z's double was a flop, and let's not even talk about R.Kelly's choice to self-divide. Nelly has always been a great singles artist and it's safe to say that any "best of the '00s" collection that gets printed in the next decade will be crammed with plenty of his songs, from "Country Grammar" to "Ride Wit Me." Such mercurial energy is awful- ly hard to maintain over an album, and both of his full-lengths, Country Grammar and Nellyville, hit dramatic lulls after about four songs. Each of these new releases is, not surprisingly, Nelly's personality split into two separate quarks of his St. Louis energy. Sweat is the bottle-poppin', whip-pushin' hoodlum whose sound most closely resembles "Hot In Herre" or "El." Like those party anthems, Nelly pulls a surfeit of samples from the vault. Curtis Mayfield's classic soundtrack from "Superfly" provides the back beat and bubbling drums for the Christina Aguilera/Nelly duet on "Tilt Ya Head." Hell, he even samples John Tesh's "NBA on NBC" theme and gets help from the Lin- coln University Vocal Ensemble on "Heart of a Champion." Don't get your hopes up. Nelly tosses almost everything possible against the wall and precious little sticks. The Neptunes-produced lead single "Flap Ya Wings" has a tinny, cheap drum machine that sounds way too discount for the Pharrell Wil- liams hit-maker In a delightful turn, Suit, the romantically loyal, good natured, boy-next-door album is the far supe- rior of the two. Once you get past the diabetic-sweet "My Place," listeners run into some pretty decent tracks. Nelly raps to a recently-single mother, "Please don't despise and hate all brothers/ have hatred and take it out on others." It's not exactly lyrical innovation, but genuine concern is a new thing for Nelly. Give him a chance. The Neptunes get back on track with "Play It Off," a jam with deft synth effects and some choice Nelly catchphrases. Maybe the set's ultimate shortcomings are in the bizarre guest appearances and lack of a dazzling single. Tim McGraw sings the hook on "Over and Over" like a Super Bowl show and Jazzie Pha on "Pretty Toes" just sounds foolish. Let's chalk this experiment up to bandwagon attitudes and a desperate attempt to reclaim the party throne from the Dionysian Lil' Jon. You have to figure Nelly gets at least two more solid shots to reclaim his position as partier-laureate. There can only be one. Being Crunk On All Occasions - Lil'Jon is so over. However, that shouldn't stop you from trying to "crunk" up everything from your dining hall to major religious events. Instead of going to discussion section as plain o1' college "Joe," try walking in with a bulbous pimp cup surrounded by strippers. When your teach- er questions your behavior, simply scream, "Yeah!" while pouring your pimp cup on his or her head. That's one crunked-out Thursday. W.B. Yeats - The most important Irish poet in his- tory has haunt- ingly beautiful lyrics and searing political verses that resonate in our time. A revolu- tionary, a romantic and a statesman, he was also pretty "crunk" - the Lil' Jon of modern poetry. Courtesy of Tvt Fans of medieval times enjoy Renaissance Festival By Sarah Peterson Daily Fine Arts Editor HOLLY - "There are three reasons why people come to Renaissance fes- tivals. First, they come for the beer. ' Second, they come for the beer. And third, they come to see people get- ting hurt," stated Manolete during his "Dance of Danger." This joke got quite a chuckle from the crowd, especially those watching the show while nurs- ing a large, frothy beer. The "Dance of Danger" joust exhibit is undeniably the most popular attraction, but there are other reasons why the Michigan Renaissance Festival attracts so many: It is a bustling marketplace for artisans, a stage for actors, dancers and swords- men and a haven for those who enjoy make-believe. Every year, the city of Holly plays host to the Michigan Renaissance Festival, a fair full of vaudeville-type shows, artisans selling their wares and a colorful cast of characters. The Queen and her court are present each weekend, and for those who do not mind spending a little extra money, high tea is served in the company of the Queen. Each of the seven weekends that the fair runs has its own unique theme. For instance, Labor Day Weekend was titled the "High Seas Adventure" and had such spe- cial events as a Pirates' Treasure Michigan Hunt and a Buc- Renaissance caneer Beer Fest. Festival This weekend v the theme is an Every Saturday ad the teme s an Sunday through Irish one, dubbed September 26th, "Shamrocks and 10 a.m. -7 p.m. Shenanigans." Tickets: Some of the spe- Adults $16.95 cial events include SCidens $14.95 an Irish Caliegh House Party and In Holly Jig For Your Sup- per. The last weekend, Sept. 25 and 26, is always deemed "Sweet End- ings," and hosts such events as a Pie Eating Contest, a Death By Chocolate Competition and The Sweets Stroll. The themes add to the atmosphere on any given weekend, but the shows that span the entire run of the festival are also spectacular. Some attractions feature jugglers such as the Zucchini Brothers, wisecracking comedians who also throw things at each other like lighted torches and machetes. Other shows highlight comedians such as Dead Bob, a skeleton puppet who is lewd, bawdy and politically incorrect. And still other shows are performed not on a stage, but at clearings through- out the grounds, such as The Muske- teers - four men playing the famous quartet who wander throughout the fairgrounds enacting scenes including a game of human chess. Another feature of the festival that gives it an authenticity are the close to 200 master artisans who come out each weekend to sell their work. A person can find everything from leather sandals and sheepskin slip- pers, to metal crowns and fountains, to harps and jewelry. The artisans gladly demonstrate how their prod- ucts work as well as showing attend- ees how they make their wares. Finally, the aspect that gives the Michigan Renaissance Festival a mag- ical air is the fact that so many people, spectator and actor alike, are "in the