i'm from the lou, and i'm proud

When I first came to Iowa, I remember that announcing that I came from Illinois seemed to beg the immediate follow-up, "Oh, which suburb? How long does it take you to get to The Loop?"

In fact, my hometown is a good five hours by train from Chicago. To tell the truth, for as much shit as I tend to talk about Missouri, the truth is that I've always related more to the Show-Me state than anything up by Lake Michigan. Both familial roots begin there, and my parents and I tend to take in most of our big-city-culture by way of St. Louis.

St. Louis is a town that doesn't often get mentioned in a positive light, at least not that I've ever heard. But I cheer for the Cardinals, I've been up in the Arch more times than I can remember, and the STL Science Center has always been one of my favorite museums in the world.

Which is why I remember feeling so stunned seeing this video for the first time, jesus, was it really 8 years ago?!


Is he wearing a Blues jersey?! He shouts-out STL in the opening line of his song? Who is this guy?

Hipster cred be damned, that is an amazingly catchy song, and I love it to this day. (Also, I defy anyone who was in grades 7-12 when "Hot in Herrre" dropped to not have at least one hilarious and/or traumatizing school dance memory associated with that track.)

Thus, it is with a fairly heavy heart that I bring to you Nelly's latest single, "Party People," featuring no less that the Duchess herself, Fergie-Ferg:


If it sounds familiar to you, look no further than the producer behind the track, Polow da Don. As you can see, he's been responsible for a whole boatload of club hits in the past few years, including "Throw Some D's," "Buttons," and "London Bridge." For me, though, his production style seems to be wearing thin...this track is nowhere near the kind of massive hip-hop hits Nelly was once capable of creating.

I'm still hopeful, though, that Cornell Haynes, Jr. can regain his former glory and bring pride back to St. Lou. Lunatics, is ya'll ready?

-Anna