At the end of the seventies music was perched on the edge of the great fragmentation that would take hold in the eighties and especially the nineties – punk, funk, disco, pop all rubbed shoulders along with the first stirrings of hip-hop. It’s also the year Sony‘s Walkman would hit the market, revolutionizing the way people would enjoy and consume music with it’s portability and the rise of mixtape culture. This playlist of some of my favorite songs from 1979 captures a little bit of the essence of a great year for music. So hit play, kick back by the pool, at work with your headphones on, or even while operating heavy machinery, and enjoy!

Thanks to POS(AS) pal Andrea for alerting me to the pint size turntable terrors below. It’s tough to raise your kids hip — you run the risk of turning out investment bankers or Republican committee chairpersons. I bet their parents dress like Regis and Kelly and scold the tykes for ruining the record collection, but its all part of their reverse psychology. Observe, DJ’s Sara (8) and Ryusei (5):

Rapper Nas has a new album coming out, and woe to any whitefolk who dare to request it at the neighborhood record store. According to Billboard the follow-up to last year’s excellent Hip Hop is Dead will be called Nigga. Or as Billboard termed it, N*gga. No word on whether the version shipped to Wal-Mart will be called N-Word. Now there is some debate as to whether “nigga” has the same meaning and import as “nigger”, and there likely will be much more if Nas’s new album comes out with the chosen moniker.

Al Queda aren’t the only ones banking on September 11th to get some attention with a new release. This week sees a plethora, headlined by the much hyped Blur Versus Oasis 1995-esque matchup that is 50 Cent Vs. Kanye West (in this scenario 50 is the more popular but inevitably less interesting Oasis and Kanye is the bold, artsy, riding for a fall Blur — see this Wikipedia entry for more info).

Sensitive folks who spell women with a “y” and those who love them will appreciate the double disc Ani DiFranco retrospective Canon.

The inimitable Frank Black reverts back to his Pixies moniker Black Francis for the rocking Bluefinger , a semi-concept album about Dutch artist and musician Herman Brood.

Shout Out Louds and Hot Hot Heat have new albums as well.

Cursive’s Tim Kasher weighs in with his other band, The Good Life and their new album, the suggestively titled Help Wanted Nights.

Black Lips quote the heavenly Shangri-La’s for the title of their new one, Good Bad but Not Evil, which has been getting good pre-release buzz.

Finally the Go! Team follow-up their infectious debut with Proof of Youth.

Purporting to be Chinese food delivery guys, Warped Tour stars Notorious MSG have to be seen to be believed. Check out their website .

BET is also airing the very powerful “Bid ‘Em In”, which acts as straight commentary. “Bid” is barely present on YouTube unlike “Read a Book”. Here’s a decent home recording:

I think they are both really thoughtful and wonderfully animated. I can see why some people object to “Read a Book” but I think the slap in the face nature of it is what makes it work. The commentary on the imagery and iconography in today’s hip-hop is trenchant. Let me know what you think.

According to an unintentionally funny Billboard article, Doritos is launching their new Collisions chips with ads featuring Missy Elliott. Given Missy’s publicized weight loss this is a bit like when Eric Clapton shilled for Michelob after his stint in rehab. Missy’s management company has this to say: “It’s so Missy. And the fact that the campaign takes place in a studio means that Missy remains in her element, which makes the whole thing authentic.” And thank goodness for that, when I think Doritos, I think authentic. More to the point (and the funny), her spokesperson goes on to say that “…the Internet element provides us with a great back-end.” Uh hello — it’s MISSY who is providing you with the great back end! And then finally, “We’ve already started exploring ways to further Missy’s relationship with Doritos.” I can almost hear Missy’s personal trainer sigh. My message to Missy is, “Hold up! Wait a minute!”