:::Paul Onion's Blog:::

:::It's Been Fun...But All So-So Things Must Also End:::

2009-01-08T10:27:00.004-05:00

Well folk(s?), I have come to a point in blogging where [I've been at it albeit sporadic for about 5+ years...] I think I've hit a wall and I've realized that I need to step away for a bit, re-evaluate and see of I should either step it up or just step out.

For me right now I think that it's a good time to step out and see what I can do to improve the way I have been blogging over the past new years.

As I have mentioned before, I really find it hard-pressed to maintain this blog and update it with the frequently that I should. I've also felt that as of right now, there is nothing that I have been contibuting to this blog that you can't see on the other 10 million blogs that people put out and update much more frequently than I have. So I decided that until I develop a more focused, frequent and cohesive plan of execution for my blog then I should probably step away from it for a bit....

That being said, I probably will be back sometime in the furure.... probably before the year is up. But If/when I do return to blogging it will more than likely be in a revamped format.

For the few(?) people that read this blog, I really appreciate you reading it just to see what I'm up to. Thank You. But I also think that you deserve more than a monthy [or in some cases more] random post.....

Thanks again guys for showin' love bu taking time to read what I have to say.... Hopefully I will be back sooner than later with new focus and new/different things to bring to you.

--Peace--

...STILL The Hardest Working Man In Showbusiness!

2008-12-04T21:16:00.005-05:00

I was just doing some random searching when I came across a blog referring to this dude by the name of Shaun Boothe who did a "UBR (UNauthorized Biography of Rakim) - frem Nas' Streets Disciple double album in 2004" a very heartfelt albeit matching awkward "Microphone-Fiend-esque" beat to match his narrative..... anyway I'm straying from the point.... This guy Shaun Boothe did a pretty good "UBR" [UBJB] to commemorate the 2 year anniversary of James Brown's passing (12/25/2006)..... and I agree... with all of the contributions this guy made to music overall? I'm sure god wouldn't mind celebrating Christmas and a little nit of the James-Brown-2-step to match. Check out the video.

UPDATE: Mr. Boothe also did a pretty cool Bob Marley Biography rap also [UBBM]

"30 Year Olds Don't Buy Rap Music"

2008-11-22T10:20:00.003-05:00

Always-interesting commentary from Killer Mike regarding Soulja Boy and what these rap kids do to follow their favorite rapper.... Kids take note...

PROGRESS..............!!!.

2008-10-29T15:29:00.003-04:00

It's been a second-and-a-half since I made a post. Just tryna get some ducks in a row and refocus [which will include this blog]. Anyway, I could not have a blog like this and not post a couple of clips that highlight the gravity of history that we are in the midst of.... and to let you know that if you vote only once in your entire life it should definately be done during this election... You know what it is.... Let's get it done!

"Legends In The Game--R.I.P."

2008-08-19T10:02:00.006-04:00

I just wanted to briefly acknowledge two Legends that recently passed away this past week; Bernie Mac (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008) and Isaac Hayes (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008). Both Isaac & Bernie were Legends in their fields because they were unique... they marched to their own beat and was about doing things on their own terms... Some things I try to incorporate into my everyday grind... Bernie was in a class by himself when it came to his comedic timing and his delivery of everypeople/everyday topics. Isaac was ahead of his time musically and was arguably on of the biggest influences on Hip-Hop music outside of James Brown... R.I.P. to the Legends...

The clip below [not safe for work - Language] is one of my favorites from "Mr. King Of Comedy" from his "Kings of Comedy" film/tour a few years back.

Rock the Bells 2008

2008-08-05T09:44:00.004-04:00

This past Sunday, I was happy to roll out to Jones Beach, on Long Island NY to check out the Rock the Bells Tour featuring sume of my all-time favorite Hip-Hop acts ever. I rolled into the venue at around 4PM and was kinda bummed out to realize that I just mussed DeLaSoul's seemingly high-energy performance. Me and my friends that attended rolled into our nosebleed status seets and began to act a fool in the stands.... I mean.. what do you expect? The performances that I managed to catch were dope overall.

Ghostface and Raekwon's set was pretty good... not necessarily for their performance prowess [uh... hmmm] but more on the strength of just hearing the Cuban Links X Iron Man X Supreme Clientele stuff that took me back to high school days....

Nas' performance was cool... he did a lot of joints from his first album [of course... thats a must] and his surprize guest was none other than Mr. Shawn Carter. Suffice to say, the crowd went bonkers as they launched into "Black Republican" from Nas' Hip-Hop Is Dead LP.

But without a doubt, the highlight of the show went to the headliners, the Legendary A Tribe Called Quest who performed for NY for the first time in 10+ years onstage... and they performed as if they never missed a day on the road in all those years... It was great to see them go through the catalog of their classic joints...arguably some of the greatest Hip-Hop music ever made.... memorable night indeed...

Nasty Fox

2008-07-24T11:41:00.004-04:00

Above flick is of Nas on The Colbert Report talking about the Evil Overlords of Fox News and their racial smearing tactics/antics. He also performed the song "Sly Fox" from his recently released "Untitled/Reggin" album... You can always count on Nas to represent...

uH... Right!?!

2008-07-21T15:19:00.005-04:00

Ah... I guess innovation comes in all forms but... and well I guess you can call the marketing crew over at Right Guard {yeah, the deodorant maker} the innovatior's innovator... in a recently published article, it seems as if these guys have come up with the snazz-tastic idea of placing small LCD screens showing right guard ads sewn into the armpits of "random" riders of train & subways.... I mean ... what's next hemroid cream ads on the backsides of pants?!?

Dancehall Madness

2008-07-10T14:11:00.004-04:00

:::WARNING: Adult Themes Shown in Above Video:::
I snagged the above video from DJ Soul's Blog that show a clip of some "high-impact" reggae-dancehall dancing by a tourist on some resort-beach-island-party affair.... Now while this sort of thing is not necessarily new... The whole physicality of what this girl goes through with one of the event-dancers [I guess..] at this event is bananas... like... rolling in the sand bananas...

Busta's "Millie" Regrets

2008-07-08T10:29:00.005-04:00

The clip above is from BangladeshTVa Youtube channell from the producer of Lil Wayne's way over exposed "Millie" track, Bangladesh [Long-time producer for Ludacris & others]. In the clip, he sits in a mixing session for a track that he is producing for Busta Rhymes as Busta rambles on about the night that inspired Jay-Z to do a freestyle to the track and also why Mr. Trevor Smith regrets fronting on that very track that he had in his cluches for almost a year before Lil Wayne brought it to the eager public.

Air McFly 2015

2008-07-02T10:09:00.004-04:00

Most people that knows me know that I have a really soft spot for fresh sneakers... Since I was a 'lil rugrat I have always tried to keep my kick-game proper [like many of you still do I'm sure...]. So it was really interesting to come accross an article on celebrity DJ/Mixtape titan Mick Boogie's Blog about Nike possibly resurrecting the Air McFly 2015s that Marty McFly wore in the movie Back To The Future 2... I remember seeing them in the movie and thought they were pretty flavor... although not my steez..[with the extra long ankle brace/upper area... looks like something KanYe would trek in...]. Anyway it seems as if a petition that has been circulating that is requesting Nike put these futuristic-relics into production and I think Nike might be listening.. It was discover that they have actually applied for a patent of the McFly 2015 design...Should be interesting to see if these kicks will take off...

R.I.P. George Carlin: May 12, 1937–June 22, 2008

2008-06-26T12:37:00.006-04:00

George Carlin was one of the few legendary comedians that I always checked for whenever he had a special on TV. Now I gotta say that I am not a heavy fan of comedians... I'm not the dude you see at the comedy club when a famous comedian is in town... But I always checked for Carlin because he was one of the most raw/witty/insightful/controversial comedians to ever do it... And so I always will give props to the great ones like him [& Pryor] because these dudes weren't on stage to tell people knock-knock jokes. A lot of Carlin's material centered on the social/political/racial/everyday hangups that most people have.. And he was definitely a button pusher... but most importantly he challenged us to think about life.... R.I.P. Mr. Carlin.

Welcome Back Carter

2008-06-18T12:01:00.005-04:00

Well I guess the most redundantly-freestyled-to-hip-hop-song in recent memory does have more significance for Dwayne Carter since he has scanned over 1 million copies of Tha Carter III... in less than 1 week. What's even more interesting is that the album was leaked on the internet waaay before its release which begs the question to the music industry... what is the anomaly that causes an artist that frequently leaks/releases material on the internet and mixtapes, then has their official album leaked weeks ahead of their proper release date and STILL have over a million purchases the week that it's released? I'll tell you that it has something to do with putting out quality, fresh product and also using the internet/mixtapes for your own benefit instead of fighting against it. 'Cause I'll tell you 1 thing, the 'net aint going no where... so learn to luv it... and use it to your advantage. Music industry, please take note...

Industry Rules..

2008-06-06T11:04:00.003-04:00

The link that I posted below is for an article written by record industry veteran/consultant Wendy Day who gives the real to all of those 20 million record labels that's trying to get on with a highly coveted [if you got a hot record anyway...] P&D [pressing & distribution] deal. For a big chunk of my young adult life I dreamed of one day running a little indie record label and was quite intrigued with the P&D deals that people like Ca$h Money Records, No Limit Records and other regional acts used to get.. most important is that they still owned their product.. which to me has always been something that I think is paramount... ownership.

Anyway, with the current downward of the music industry and artists finding non-traditional ways of generating income, wendy gives some staight-no-chaser advise of all of you budding moguls out there... it's a tough roag but if you have your issh itght and focused then you just might make it...

Wendy's Article Link

Obama

2008-06-05T12:05:00.003-04:00

Unless you just slip out of your crater-like rock for the 1st time in 3 days then you already know that Barack Obama has become a part of American history by being the 1st African-American presumtive Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America. Even the possibility was definately something that I never thought that I would see in my lifetime.... Lets Git it!!

"Knight Cruise"

2008-05-30T13:25:00.004-04:00

"Aint Nuthin Like The Old School..." (C) Tupac Shakur

I was doing my not-as-regualar-as-before sneaker creep when I came accross the pair pictured above.... yo I cant front.... I had the exact BKs almost twenty years ago... I thought that they were straight fire at the time too... couldn't tell me nuthin'...oh how things change [for me...] yet remains the same...

"Suge Nite-Nite"

2008-05-23T11:38:00.004-04:00

"It only takes that one punch to turn you into a punchline" - Jay Smooth

Jay smooth's commentary more than sums up how I feel about what the definition of gangsta is... I lot of people in our culture [Hip-Hop] and by extension the inner city youth in general, believe that to be "street-gangter" is to achieve the pinnacle of their existence. Not knowing that the reason that they're even living in those communities is because the street-gansters aint really that gangsta... It's the dudes that went the "staight & narrow... took care of their families but own the corporations that create things in life that you covet [gold, jewelry, medication etc.] and the things that you even fear [like.. jail].... those my friends ARE the REAL gansters in this world.... dont be a fake-gangsta-poser.... step it up.

"The Empire Strikes Barack"

2008-05-06T23:10:00.004-04:00

The clip above sort of gives you a synopsis of the Democratic Party's battle between Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama & Hillary Rodham Clinton... from a Star Wars perspective of course... kinda clever.

HUH?!?!?!?!?

2008-04-26T08:32:00.004-04:00

.......................ah.... ... watch [& listen to] at your own risk.... I will tell you that upon looking @ the video above 1 time, I felt myself instantly fry a few dozen of my braincells.... ... WTF!!

"Gangsta Luvin!"

2008-04-15T15:03:00.003-04:00

Do you ever sit back in your Lazyboy chair listening to some-a that 'ol gangsta ish & wonder "Wow, that track by Nelly or Dem franchise Boyz or even Ice Cube would sound dope remixed as a love song"? Have you ever wanted to snuggle up to that special someone special while jamming to that smoothed out version of "Throw some D's" by Rich Boy?

Well my friend you're not alone. GreenBench Productions along with Phonte of Little Brother fame wants to make those special, tender moments happen for you... Enjoy!

5 Ways...To Use A Chingy CD...

2008-04-14T11:37:00.004-04:00

From HipHipDx.com

I've heard this type of material before in rap songs & what not... but never in video form... ah.. Chingy...

Downtown Swinga!?!

2008-04-14T09:18:00.003-04:00

In what has to be one of the most odd and unexpected moves I have seen in a minute, the clip above, is of M.O.P. discussing their recent venture into the adult film industry.... which is not necesarily new for hip hip artists. But of course, not to be lumped into the pile of those other artists... they are adding that extra-special Mash Out Posse certified brand of violence to this ambitious project that is titled "Creepers" as Billy Danze explains:

"It's about when you catch a chick cheating and you can't believe that you're seeing your girl's ass get busted...whatever....But we had to take some of the violence out though. It got a little too crazy."

WTF?!?! Hey guys "how about f-ing around with and album that you can release instead of well... just f-ing around? Also I hope they will not be performing in their little filmmaking excursion... for the love of God & Humanity... pleeez!

"King of The Underground"

2008-04-13T12:17:00.004-04:00

This clip is of XLR8R magazine's interview with the "elder statesman" of Southern Hip-Hop, Bun B. He eloquently gives his take/advice on the state of music and what is going on in his world.

On a side note... I posted this video because I always find it interesting to hear hip-hop artists speak in interviews as a comparison to how/what they rap like in their music... Bun-B happens to be one of those people that you listen to his music and then hear him speak and you realized that there is usually more going on with him that what/how he "chooses" to rap about...

A World Tour

2008-04-13T11:36:00.003-04:00

The video clip above is of Lupe Fiasco's new video for the song "Paris/Tokyo" from his very-solid second effort "The Cool" [check it out if you haven't... its pretty good...]. This song was not one of my favorites from the album by far... but this is one of the few times that a video has swayed my opinion after viewing it. There was nothing specifically fly about it... I just appreciated that he made it a song about being apart-but together-with your squeeze... without a buncha @$$ & +i++!ez throughout the video.... it was also definately aimed for the grown, fly & sexy hip-hoppers.... i can relate to & appreciate that also... lol

The Beginning of The End

2008-04-09T22:17:00.006-04:00

Aww man... I know. It's been like almost 2 months since my last post. Well... i been a little busy... I got some agendas that I'm tryna complete and ... well... they gotta get accomplished this year... theres just soo much that Im tyna get rollin' and soo little time... and I'm just gettin' started.... anyway enough with the vague statements... For the 1 or [maybe] 2 people that read my blog [shouts to my brotha Jemal!!], well.. I just feel like a lot of the content that I would contribute to this blog you could [and prolly do] find in much more detail from people who got time time, energy & patience to post those types of things on their blogs a l million ways 'till Sunday. And as I usually do my daily blog/news web surfing.... I reallize that theres like millions of these blogs.... So I feel like unless I have something that I think is not getting enough light/ or something unique to offer [opinions or whatever] then... what's the needle... seen?

I've been rocking this blog since June of '04 and I think it would be only fitting if I could do a [relatively] solid 4 years to this blog... So they're still a few more posts imma make so don't sign off just yet... and who knows... I might just pop up else where...

-Peace-

:::Egamad/Pablo Escobarz/Paul Onion/?:::

Bongo Bananas

2008-02-15T10:02:00.003-05:00

Wow.. that's all I gotta say. This incredible display of talent posted above is from The Roots' Annual Pre-Grammy Jam Session in LA featuring the uber-talented ?uestove and the BEAST-ly Travis Barker [BTW: His remixes of some otherwise mundane rap tunes is serious!]. I might post some remix joints of his soon.

Luver's Lane

2008-02-11T23:08:00.000-05:00

I've never really been big on the whole Valentines Day thing. I just feel that someone's valentine sentiments should not just be limited to a designated holiday but whenever you wanna show some luv & affection to that special someone...

That being said, a while back I attempted to do three very rough "amateur mixes" on my laptop of some slow jams titled "For Luvers Only!". I posted the first 2 volumes about a year ago.. with some embarrassment... I think that the mixes definitely need work but the selection is not so bad... which is why I'm even reposting them. Im still tryna figure out if I should release the third & final volume or just take my time and re-do it [not to fond of the playlist for that one...].

I might drop volume three by Thursday but then again like I said... any day can & should be your Valentines day.... and remember the "mixes" are still rated BMM [That's Babay-Makin'Music for you slow folks ;-]

Anyway I hope you luv birds enjoy my otherwise janke but still babymakin' selections none-the-less..

For Luvers Only! Volume One

For Luvers Only! Volume Two

Champ Mindset

2008-02-05T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'm to first to tell everyone that I'm a fairweather sports fan... in each and every sport [even golf and bowling], I only start to show interest in teams when it gets deep into the playoffs, when the mice and men are separated. when it gets down to the best of pack... That being said, I was totally rivited to the division chanpionship game and of course SuperBowl XLII this past Sunday what the NY Giants dug deep in both games and came way being champions.

I just goes to show that even when the odds are stacked [...and bets are waged..] against you sometimes when you dig deep and keep pushing you can make things happen... Underdogs [wildcard] can be champions especially when nothing is expected of them remember that...

Chea' NY baby!

Clothes Rap

2008-01-31T17:11:00.000-05:00

Oh the sweet sound of sarcasm. Many have tried it. Most just sound like bitter jerks when doing it and then you have the few that manage to pull it off in a way that is still harsh to the ears but below the sting has a strong layer of truth. One of the blogs that I visit frequently manages to master this dark skill. The name of the blog is Satchel Of Gravel... ran by this guy that used to run the now defunct Dont Believe The Hypebeast. It is basically a blog that reveals the many obsurdities of the ever-growing but currently played-out streetwar culture that is all the rage for these kids and grown ups[?] these days.

Recently the blog manages to expose the underlying obsurdities of some the these clothing lines that rappers/entertainers are releasing to the poor public. And i gotta say that many of his comments are borderline jerk-ish... but at the same time funny and laced with truth. The way sarcasm is supposed to be...

"Honey Love"

2008-01-28T22:05:00.000-05:00

Erykah Badu - Honey
Uploaded by sesame23

The video above is for the 1st single from Erykah Badu's Nu AmErykah album titled "Honey". What makes this video dope to me is not necessarily just the concept but the meaning beind it. The kids of today [the digital babies I like to call 'em] don't really understand the idea of going to a record store and just getting hyped off the album covers... I mean some of those album covers were iconic to say the least. A lot of Gen X'ers like myself can remember the day that they picked up that Illmatic album and saw the cover and new that they were in for a treat.

I still remember picking up "The Great Adventures of Slick rick" on cassette [yes.. I am dating myself.. cass-ette... LOL!] and just knowing by the creativity in the album art that you were in for a treat. Those were defining moments for not just Hip-Hop fans but just fans of music in general. Nowadays you click on a few links, get a music file, dump it on your mp3 player and keep it movin'.

I think the concept of the video shows that the experience of getting your favorite record when it came out went further than the actual art of the music but actually included the art of the "artwork" itself...something that I'm afraid will probably be lost forever in this digital age. She also had my dudes Sa-Ra featured in the vid.. dope concept all-around.

"Eclectic Relexation"

2008-01-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

"Whether Yoga or Doja..." (C) Common

I know that all of you hard workin' tryna make a dollar-out-of-a-dime folk out there can relate to coming home and being totally worn out by the daily grind of making a living. It definitely takes a toll on me most days. So in my infinite search for self elevation and overall renaissancisity (C) [yeah.. i made that word up :-] have been dabbling in different types of Yoga sessions.

I was intoduced to it by an ex-coworker who told me that it would not only give me an excellent workout [lord knows that I need that] but also helps to clear your mind, relaxes those areas of your body that harbors tension and just make you feel more centered so I figured... eh.. worth a try I guess.

I initially tried it at my local gymn but felt a little uncomfortable doing all types of funny twists, turns and breathing exercises in front of a bunch of strangers... especially since I ain't gotz a clue as to what I'm doing. So I decided to look into some self-paced DVDs that I could get into at my own pace....

Everything was working well when I picked up a highly recommended Yoga instruction DVD . The only problem is that I have a slight problem of being disciplined enough to stick to the script and do my yoga sessions [story of my life *sigh*]. But lately I've made a commitment to myself to follow through with different initiatives and I must say so far I'm sticking to the script [so far... we'll see what the rest of the year brings :-].

The type of yoga I've been doing on DVD is Kundalini Yoga and so far it has really helped me relax and at the same time focus after a long day on the plantation. For all of you that say time is of the essence and you don't have any to be doing crazy contortions and stretches I would tell you to try and find a DVD that packs a good session in a few minutes... mine is split in 4 30-minute sessions. There are a bunch of good ones that are 10-15 minute sessions also... it's worth a try.. Open your mind and relax.

Hero.

2008-01-19T23:00:00.001-05:00

This year will mark the the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of the Honorable Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [4/4/1968] and I must say that even though this man gave his heart, soul and ultimately his life for the equal rights of people of color there are many things that we take for granted and there are sooo many things that are still plaguing this dream of his ... and ours.

I think that most will agree that even though we are in the age of high-tech internet connectivity with others from all walks of life that over the past 40 years there are things that still haunt us and keep us from fully realizing that dream of equality.

There are still issues of targeted police brutality against Black men [Sean Bell]. Jim Crow-like segregation [Jena 6]. And just outright bigotry [Michael Richards]. Even our government turning their backs on us [Hurricane Katrina]. I could go on and on but I will just say that we should use this day to remember not just the man but what he stood for and evaluate how we can make a difference in the lives of our family friends and community. Remember to remind these kids out here that equal rights should not be a privilege but a birthright.

There is so much that is owed to MLK and his movement that one cannot really have a legitimate conversation about the race and the fight for racial equality without bringing his name up.... He is a Hero not just for people of color but for all people. Because even though most might not know it, equal rights benefits all races, all genders regardless of class.

And for all that this Nobel Peace Prize Winner [At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement] has accomplished he should be saluted..... not just on a nationally recognized holiday but everyday. He really was our first "unofficial" Black president. A trailblazer, a pioneer, a fighter.. a HERO.

SALUTE!

The KING Center

Folk Hop!?

2008-01-19T00:54:00.000-05:00

As most of you know [well... if your reading this blog then I say you should] know, Hip-Hop is the unparalleled phenomenon that was created by some poverty stricken, destitute and basically ignored ghetto kids in the Bronx. Oh my how this culture has grown [some would say overgrown.. but I digress...] into this billion-dollar producing cultural juggernaut that is reflected in ALL walks of life... and when I day all I do me e'rything from kids toys to fast food commercials to womens makeup products to health care ads to... Folk music?!?! What? Really? I mean country hip-hop music is not necessarily new but this folk music-meets hip hop trend is crazy...

I actually came across some pretty interesting covers of some of our favorite Hip-Hop staples done in...[[gulp]] folk & bluegrass{{!}} ...and some of the covers actually aint half bad.

"Hey Ya" By Andre 3000 of OutKast covered by Mat Weddle of Obadiah Parker
I'm actually really diggin this joint.. very soulful cover [anybody got a ripped audio of this please holla...

"Baby Got Back" By Sir-Mix-A-Lot covered by Jonathan Coulton
I mean... LMBBAO!!! just the the backup singing alone is ridiculously hilarious to see & hear....LOL

"Bust A Move" by Young MC covered by Jerry Chapman & His Acoustic Herbivores
This actually sounds pretty much like I thought an "unplugged" version of this song would sound... If Young MC popped out on stage I wouldn't have been totally shocked..

This is actually just a few of the covers that I thought was worth checking out... its just so ill that this Hip-Hop s#!+ has permeated the fabric of all cultures to the point that respected bluegrass/country geezers like The Gourds would be covering "Gin & Juice" by Snoop Doggy Dogg...craziness.

And for those who say that Hip-Hop aint real music.. watch this and realize that the structure of these songs didn't change .. just the instruments and the voices...

Who would've thought some poor ghetto kids would create something that would have such a profound impact on every walk of life...

Bulkin Up?

2008-01-17T14:33:00.000-05:00

As usual Mr. Jay Smooth has some slightly witty but definately on point commentary about "Rap-steriods-gate" [ah..yeah I know that sounds corny...].

Letter # 4080

2008-01-12T09:58:00.000-05:00

I was doing the regular surfing bit when I came accross J*Davey's Blog. I figured it probably had the requisite artist material promoting album and tour dates. The female of the group [J*Davey is a male-female duo] posted a searing open letter to the the recording industry about the creative and commercial implosion that it is currently experiencing. And how creative artists like herself are getting stifled out of delivering quality progressive alternative music to a starving audience. Now I know we have all read the burnt & bitter "Dear Industry" letters that over-the-hill & 15-minutes famous artists eventually put out. But I do think that she really hits the nail on the head from various angles.

I hope they keep pushin' 'cause they do good music.

And ah.. that video... ... ... well.. :-]

J*Davey's Blog

Net Working

2008-01-11T10:22:00.000-05:00

I been waiting for a media management system like this... one that is an all-in-one media-hub networking system for all of my media files that are have split between multiple hard drives. This media hub is called the I-River Unit 2 [exciting name huh?] and it was debuted at CES this week. Now I know that this technology is obviously nothing new per se. But I think that this one offers the must complete and upgradable options and seem pretty intuitive.. at least from the demo video. Best of all it's totally wireless & accessible through the cool media dock/ remote. It's price tag is a bit flagrant [$700] and I'm not necessarily an early adopter of technology anymore [early adopters usually get burned... trust me I know...] but at least the technology is heading in the direction of consolidating all of those pesky music, movie and photo files that most of us have a hard time managing..

Back to The Future..

2008-01-08T20:21:00.000-05:00

I normally don't write about music videos. Well because most of the current ones are haat garbage. But the video above by Ice Cube [A 20-Year rap vet by the way... I'm old...] actually made me like the song [Gangster Rap Made Me Do It] more than I did before viewing it. Even though he lyrically holds up against some of the younger rappers fresh on the scene [that's not necessarily a compliment..], this song is not a lyrically dope song but what he lacks in wordplay he makes up for in swagger & subject matter with a smooth flow that fits perfectly with the brooding strings and baseline provided by one of Ice Cube's producers named Maestro [aka Dre Jr.?].

I like the way Cube approached the overall video the imagery went along perfectly and kind of gave you that sense of peril that to me the song doesn't totally fulfill without those visuals. I like the fact that there is someone in rap who is a public figure who is willing to call out the BS that's going on in terms of using hip-hop as a scape goat and to me no one is more suited for that task than O'Shea Jackson. He brought me back [for the length of the video anyway..] to the days of Death Certificate when Cube was all about that I-don't give a f%#* attitude less about starring in cheesy dad flicks.

It's also a breath of fresh air in a seemingly endless cloud [with the exception of a dope '07 4th quarter for quality Hip-Hop music] of "do the ____ dance/ I'm rockin' & paid" Hip-Hop music in recent memory. Hopefully this is the tone that will be set for his new album Raw Footage if that's the case then this 20 year vet will do what mady veterans in the industry can' accomplish anymore... get people excited about their albums..

BTW: I do have one gripe... that over-dramatic poorly executed intro should be scrapped. It almost kills whatever anticipation one might have for watching the video.

Refresh Revitalize Renew..

2008-01-05T16:54:00.000-05:00

Well a year has come & gone and now we start at the top... Ok, I'm not gonna give the regular B$ speech... I'm not gonna say that you should follow the millions of people that follow the customs of this calendar and try to will themselves into working on doing things to improve your life... your living... But I will tell you what I decided to do this year...simple: be disciplined to follow whatever I decide I wanna work on.... That discipline in itself is what I usually lack... That top-of-the-year luster fizzles by the middle of the year.... It's that follow-thru discipline that I find that I [and I imagine many others } lack to make those revolving yearly resolutions into realities.. something to think about I think.

My Holidays were cool... Spent it with the family & some friends... real low key. My niece [pic above] made out like a bandit though...she might still have unwrapped gifts from Christmas. She also had the luck of having her birthday yesterday... complete with popcorn, movies and slumber party... it's interesting to watch her grow.. Everything is fresh and new.. an adventure...It's something I try to do treat everyday like a new opportunity ... learning while keeping that fresh young eye.. Not only at the top of every year...

~~Happy NEW Year!!!

Giving Thanks

2007-11-28T12:53:00.001-05:00

I always had a soft spot for Thanksgiving. Not because of the real history nor even the manufactured reasons for Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving because for many families it is one of the few times that they come together interact with each other that isn't mandated by weddings nor funerals.

With that said sometimes being at these events can be torture. Especially when you have family that brings their excess personal baggage with them and decide to parade it in from of their kinfolk. Luckily there was no such occurrence at my crib Wifey & I hosted Thanksgiving this year for my Parents & Big-Headed Sister.

I also cooked this year. It's significant for me not because I can't cook but because I've been avoiding doing much on a stove since my storied pyro-incident. Everyone had a good time, talked about any & everything and complemented us on the cooking. All-in-all good times.

Of course we cooked too much food and now we're stuck in leftover hell.... We had so much food that went to waste.. I usually feel a little guilty about that only because I know that there is probably a soup kitchen/ homeless shelters that need the food that I just dumped in the garbage...

Always remember that this day is significant not because its a pilgrim celebration but rather a time to re-connect with what's most important.. Family and Giving Thanks.

Fall Reflections

2007-11-18T11:40:00.000-05:00

Of all the seasons of the year, the fall season is my favorite. I mean spring is ok... but it's more of a summer tease to me and usually rainy... kind of a bummer if you ask me. Summer is also the time that you get outdoors and have some fun but many times it's just too damn hot for me... Fall on te other hand... not only does it include my birthday [virgo's know what's up] but its also a time for me to start my reflection on the year that's coming to a close. I usually use this time to measure if I'm on track to accomplish the goals that I set for myself for this year and see what I need to do to accomplish them before the year is over. .. Well... that's the idea although many of my goals for the current year usually gets spilled over into the next year... and the next...

In my opinion it's also the time that you can dress your freshest. Get your sweater game, your corduroy and jacket/coat game tight! Its where you get to flash some cool layers of clothing without having to totally bundle up because of the winter's cold weather. The tree foliage colors are also something that I really enjoy looking at... the contrasting bright mixtures of reds oranges and yellows of the leaves triggers a sense of change for myself as well.... It's just a really cool [pun intended] time.... a time to relax, enjoy family [thanxgivin'] and .... well.... reflect......

"Cruisin' Together"

2007-11-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I went on what seems to be my umpteenth cruise with the wifey... but somehow it felt a little different than cruises that I've taken before. Probably because this was our longest [10 days---dayuum!] boat trip ever. Everyone that we told about the length of this cruise thought that we were a lil' looney-tunes for wanting to be on a boat for that long but lemme tell you it was actually one of the most relaxing and fun vacations I've ever had. Initially I wanted to blog in "real time" from my Blackberry about the trip but I was too lazy to get my phone unlocked in time... We cruised to Aruba, Columbia, The Panama Canal, Costa rica, and Jamaica.

One thing that I should mention off the bat to anyone considering taking a cruise is that if you can swing it then you should definitely upgrade from a stateroom cabin to a room with a balcony.. what a difference that makes in the quality of the cruise especially on those "at sea" days. There have been many days & nights where I would just sit & sip some vino and look out at the vast ocean or at the stars... and well... meditate...it's such a calming feeling... and it adds so much to the quality of the time that you spend on the ship... Speaking of which for those that aren't aware; the boat is basically a resort on water which means there is sooooo muuuch food that it is highly recommended that if you are borderline overweight [like I am.. gotta keep it real...] then you might wanna drop some pounds before you hop on that boat because the food is nonstop 24-hours.. and I don't know about you but I found myself making multiple trips to the different food spots and restaurants on the boat at all times at nite [can we say 2AM trips to the pizza shop & cafeterias?... shame on me....lol]. I OD-ed sumthin' crazy!

We also did some crazy stuff this trip like zipping on harnesses thru the Costa Rican rain forest..... 150 RIDICULOUS FEET IN THE AIR!!!! Wifey & i were the youngest ones in the group that we toured with but I was the most shook... let's just say all the old folks there named me the "tree Hugger" about half-way through the tour... I didn't care though...LMBBAO!

We also drove thru Ocho Rios in Jamaica all day with this crazy, but absolutely hilarious cab driver that was chain smoking cigarettes & weed [yes, he was blazing up in the cab... while driving... at like.... 100 miles/ hour... zig ziggin' in the streets and cat-callin' e'rry female he saw....LOL!!]. His name is "Cool Richie". He took us to some really cool local spots... not the tourist-y places.. it was dope... but I was a little nervous [cant front] because you never know peoples intentions but he was "Cool--".

Man.. I could go on& on but I won't. But if you planning on taking a cruise just remember to get a balcony room if you can and check out some of the local tours and activities instead of the ones offered by your cruise ship because its usually a lot cheaper and they know their land better than any tourist organization [just be careful who you choose...] and don't be afraid of long boat trips... It might be just the right amount of time you need to relax, unwind & let your conscience be free..

Oh yeah: Flickr Pix link below...

Cruise 2007: The Flickr Pix

Back of The 'Lac

2007-11-02T11:08:00.000-04:00

Live From New York Its the Roc
Uploaded by skaybn

Classic material from Jay-Z, Sigel-Sigel, Bleek with Will Ferrell as Robert Goulet [RIP]...smh. Ferrell is a clown.

...Adapt...

2007-11-02T09:14:00.000-04:00

Intersting insight from Jay Smooth [Ill doctrine] on the record industry's panic-like reactions to the revolution that is downloading music off the internet. The RIAA in particular is doing an absolutely horrid job of adapting to this inevitable changes in the music industry.

Note to record industry: adapt or get left behind [..........even further].

"let's get FREE!!"

2007-10-05T11:38:00.000-04:00

Shouts to Mos Def for fighting the fight and being a True role model for young black youth out there. Mos & Bun B have been very active protesters of the Jena 6 situation. A lotta these rappers wanna act like they about something other than their money but keep fakin' jax when the time comes to go out there and represent. Mos walks the walk. Respect Conquers All.

Oh yeah...shame on you fake-@$$ rappers and celebrities keep callin' 'em out Mos!

Mos choppin' it up w/ Cornell West on Bill Maher's Show

Mos choppin' it up w/ Cornell West on Bill Maher's Show

"Give a Short Black man A Chance!!"

2007-10-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

Oh Man!.... I'm trying not to make this blog a KanYe fan-zine-type blog but Mr. West was recently on Saturday Night Live and even though I think the show is a long over-run relic that's not funny anymore I do think that this skit of him parodying [a word?] his well documented tantrums is absolutely hilarious... and classic.

Paul Disney

2007-09-29T07:59:00.000-04:00

That's it! I just have to admit it to myself.... I'm getting old. Old age must be the reason that I totally did not realize that my wife successfully carried out a plan to kidnap me and take me out of state exactly one week ago.

Yeah. I know I sound crazy. But last week Saturday morning at around 5 AM for some reason I found myself in a cab headed to JFK Airport "delivering" a box for my sister-in law who was departing NYC to her home in Florida. I get there and this my wife pulls out my passport..... .... I'm still so tired [it's #@$$#% FIVE AM!!] that it took me literally about 2 minutes [and her telling me that I am getting on a plane in a few minutes] to realize what was going on. I was like I can't BELIEVE this $h!+.... I can't believe that I did not catch on. She even brought extra suitcases to the cab with her sister's "box" and I still had no clue... I'm so slow... I was so tired that I had almost no reaction until the plane I boarded hit the runway.... She's kidnapping me and taking me to Disney World. LMAO!!

I was only there for the weekend so suffice to say I would only get to do and see a little bit of any of the theme parks but I think I was maxing out my time there. My sister in law rented this really sweet-looking villa about 2 miles from the Magic Kingdom. So we were up early and home late from park hopping each day last weekend. The weather was overcast and rainy at times but we still made the best of it....

I'm my new infinite old aged wisdom I decided that instead of taking last Monday off to travel back to NYC that I would instead board a 6:00AM flight and head back solo and STRAIGHT TO WORK!!?!? That was one of the worst most tiring work days of my life... bananas.

All in all I had a wonderful time last weekend and a great birthday gift by my Wifey and my super-in-laws... thanks so much!

I posted some pix up [with a few more left to post] on my flickr page to prove that my old age made me soft in the head.. :-] -link below-

Paul@Disney

Stand Up For Something

2007-09-20T09:46:00.000-04:00

I'm sure many of you are aware of the situation brewing in Jena, Louisiana Or as most like to coin it was Jena 6. A lot of people are in denial and this just shows that people of color still have many hurdles to overcome in regards to the racism that his been part of the fiber of this great country of ours since slavery.
I'm not going to rehash the back story but today in Jena there are people walking the streets protesting blatant bigotry. Just as many African American forfathers did over 4 decades ago.

Please show your support by being involved in some way.... ....
Color Of Change for Jena 6

That's Not Her Drink....

2007-09-18T21:56:00.000-04:00

.....just my supa-dupa excellent niece Tamia. She was hanging out with the grown folks celebrating my born day [this past sunday]. I originally believed that my wife thought of getting a couple of friends & family together at our crib to celebrate and cut a cake was a last minute thing. But it was actually something she pre-planned and informed a few people about without me catching on... which is not like me... i think. THANKS so much Shawty it was wonderful!! Anyway, I had a lotta fun hanging out and eating jerk chicken, rice & peas and cookie-dough ice cream cake...MY FAVORITE!! [lol..yall don't know...]. Thanks to everyone that came through the crib for a lil' celebratin' with me and I hope that we all celebrate a lot more happy Birthdays together...

PS: My sister just informed me that my niece is skipping the rest of Kindergarden to the 1st grade... [so proud :-] congrats to my [other] Shawty!

Dip-Unit

2007-09-13T09:52:00.000-04:00

50 Cent / G-Unit With Jim Jones On Rap City
Uploaded by TeamOnSMASH

No Matter what you say about 50 Cent no one can EVER say this dude is a certified hustler and he got his marketing game down quite flat.... Gotta respect his grind... G-Set?.. Dip-Unit... Byrd-Unit? can't call it...lol...

6 years Ago....

2007-09-11T10:29:00.000-04:00

God Bless the Families of the victims and the souls of those that perished 6 years ago on this day...... gone... but never forgotten.

"You Cannot Offend A Robot"

2007-08-28T11:01:00.002-04:00

Okay... I know that I'm O-D-ing on the 'Ye-related posts... but this fool is always entertaining on record and off... There are just so many quotables in this 10+-minute interview on Tim Westwood's radio show.

Clash of the Titans?

2007-08-23T11:58:00.000-04:00

hip hop history screamfest 2007
Uploaded by taesheezy

Well, like I've been saying since this "KanYe/Curtis/9-11" release date publicity blitz started jumpin off.. These dudes aren't really mad @ each other [like the media is hyping..]. This is some WWE sh!t. They're working together to get the the buying/downloading public excited about Hip-Hop again... while maximizing their sales potential in these desperate times of record sales.....

So... there was a lil' event @ Madison Square Garden yesterday called Screamfest... And apparently there was a little live-love fest going on onstage between these Hip Hop titans... Must've been fun...

Blast-pheme?!?!

2007-08-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

It's just been a really rough time for female rappers over like, the last 5 years... where is MC Lyte or Queen Latifah when you need them? Anyway, possible alleged attempted murder suspect/ rapper Remy Ma recently released a new mixtape with the controversial title Shezus Khtyst... ah ok.. hmmm.. well it doesn't stop there... The cover of the mixtape has her nail to a cross with only her underwear on [chest area covered by an illustration of her coveted weave].

Now, with all that neing said take a look @ the video clip posted above. Freedom of speech or Sacrilege... or both?

I guess bad publicity is better than none...

Kinda O'Riell-ed Up

2007-08-22T11:29:00.000-04:00

Interesting commentary from Jay Smooth of the looong-running Underground Railroad radio show on WBAI [that name took me back to my high school days of listening to his show @ 2AM on a weeknight when I should be sleeping or studying...]. Everyone [that's not right-wing conservative.. that is..] already knows what a douche-bag Bill O'Rielly is. He recently went on one of his regular tirades against rappers/ hip-hop by criticizing Virginia Tech for booking Nas for a show on their campus. Jay does a good & slightly humorous job of exposing Billy for the contradictory, slimey, co-worker harassing, hate-mongering pr!ck that he is... chuuch!

Mos Def-inately Not Havin' It!

2007-08-20T12:56:00.000-04:00

Mr. Mighty Mos Def does not like his flick to be taken candidly... as seen in the clip from TMZ above.... intersting that there were is obviously someone also videotaping the incident but he wasn't concered with that dude....

Mama-Demus

2007-08-18T13:56:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, I celebrated my mom-dukes' birthday. Very low key. Brought over a big container of jerk chicken chilled out ghetto yardsman style and chatted about nothing & everything... that's my mom's style right there... in summary... low key.

I also decided to include with my gift some little computer lessons... Which was interesting and surprizing because my mom always struck me as technology-phobic. Now a cant say that she wasn't a little nervous and skeptical but after my lesson I was confident that she could log into her PC [well... my father has only used it up to this point...] and check her newly created email account.

Welcome to the technology age Mama-D... Luv Ya!

...now if only I can convince her to get her driver's license.....

Ms. Hill.

2007-08-09T11:48:00.000-04:00

From the looks of this concert vid [concert held a few days ago] Ms. Hill is starting to get some swagger back.. from the [poor quality] clips above it seems as if Ms. Hill's vocals are getting back to the good days if old... although I sincerely believe that those days are long gone [evidenced by Wyclef's recent media rants about how difficult it is to work with the once shining star]. We need to get grips with the idea that the Lauryn Hill that we knew & loved is no more... But there might still be some hope for Ms. Hill... well maybe not in the new wardrobe & styling dept....

If you Can Make it Here...

2007-08-09T09:47:00.000-04:00

New York, New York... This wonderful City of mine never ceases to amaze... and ... frustrate @ times. One would think I have learned over the past few years is to expect the unexpected when it comes to commuting in this city... you never know what can happen. After enduring what seemed like a monsoon the night before last, yesterday morning I set out for my regular commute to work. Befor I left home for work I checked the local news channel and realized that public transportation throughout New York City was in a virtual gridlock.... ahh... now I gotta scheme on how to get into work... kind of like the days after the Blackout of 2003. So I make my trek to my regular train... which the local news said had only minor delays. Of course the entire line [and my alternate lines] were ALL shut down.... ahh... did I mention that it was hotter than the Devil's armpits outside? So here I am sweating like a Randy Jackson @ a cookout walking around with a small army of displaced commuters looking for a bus that goes into Manhattan from queens... we finally found a bus stop with a line of people that already went around the block. The buses came every 15 to 10 minutes to that stop totally PACKED and the bus driver would only accept a few passengers at that stop so you know I was there for a while. After about 1 hour and 45 minutes, about 10 people were ahead of me. The bus pulls up to the stop. this knucklehead bus driver says he is not picking up any more passengers but he wanted to inform us that there are no more buses stopping @ that bus stop for the rest of the day... oh, ok... let me get this straight, I've been waiting at this bus stop for almost 2 hours. No trains are running and you are telling me that our wonderful city and transportation authority did not think it wise to send more buses after the last 9:30 bus passed a stop/ area PACKED with potential passengers.... you gotta luv it!
Anyway, luckily wifey was home that day so she picked my up from that bus stop and drove me to an LIRR stop where I boarded a SUUPER PACKED train [the train was packed so tight that I almost felt violated.. almost] that was on it's way to Manhattan. The streets were littered with people... To me it just seems like that the city's physical infrastructure is falling apart. there is no way that heavy rains and flooding should cripple the transportation infrastructure a city as metro-heavy [yeah..just made that word up] as NY. Between blackouts, steam pipe explosions and the public transportation system you just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst as best as you can.. its the New New york way.. Now if only out city officials would realize that... If you can make it here... well.. you know the rest.

Pics were jacked from nytimes.com

..is u really that caught up?

2007-07-04T02:02:00.000-04:00

'Ye Performing @ Princess Diana Tribute

No matter how pompous of a character you think KanYe is, you can't front on his live shows... better than 97.1% of these rappers out today.

:::The Fire Zealot:::

2007-07-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

Just giving some word of advice... take it or leave it... use it or ignore it... With this being the season of the BBQ I think it's my duty to give a little advice of BBQ-ing etiquette. This is all coming from experience.. recent experience... like yesterday afternoon experience.. anyway no more babbling.

Over the last few days, I've been taking advantage of the weather to bar-be-que some dinner in my back yard when I get home. Since I have yet to buy a decent BBQ grill I have been trying my hand on a $20 charcoal grill over the last couple weeks... Now, many of you reading this would think that I would/should be extremely careful when dealing with fire... ah well.... I guess not. I have been a little over-zealous with the lighter fluid. Yesterday after soaking the coals with lighter fluid, I threw a lit match stick on the coals & WHOoOSH!! The flame was like over 3 feet high... I quickly threw the lid of the grill over the raging flames... whew!... let me let it sit with the lid closed for a bit...

About 3 minutes later it appeared as if the flames died down... light smoke came out of the corners of the grill.. cool now I can open it..... I stand right over the grill the open the lid.... and WHoooOsh!!... the flames damn near burned my face right off! I actually stumbled away from the grill temporarily blinded for a few seconds from the intensity of the fumes and later found out [through my wifey] that my eyelids and beard were actually singed from the flames.... crazy...

Word of advice... no playeth with flames... no good... Don't say I never warned you.

"I Got The Right Tactics..."

2007-06-24T19:41:00.000-04:00

I don't think that my sentiments are at all unique when I say that I believe that A Tribe Called Quest was one of the most loved, revered and influential groups in the history of Hip-Hop. They created the blueprint [along with other Native Tonguers like De La etc.] for many of your favorite rappers and producers [please don't sleep on Tribe's production chops] of today.

It's officially summer and I'm in the hoopt-mobile cruisin' & I got the ipod on shuffle when "Bonita Applebum" by ATCQ starts to creep into my speakers. Imma tell you that that joint brought me right back to the summer of 1990 when that was the jam in erry-body's cassette deck [yeah, I still got cassettes lol!]. I was about 14 at the time and you couldn't tell me nuthin' about that joint not being the hottest song ever. The crunchy groove with the light string & piano with the Asian-influenced string topping it off. Seventeen years later it's still my joint.

This song was also quite educational to me as a young lad. This song actually taught me what the word "prophylactic" meant. Now I know summa y'all are gonna front and laugh at me like damn dude you didn't know what the word prophylactic meant at 14 years of age? Well..no I didn't and I am not one for fronting [especially of late..]. But even if no one will admit it I am sure that a lot of you dudes and gals out there did some research when they used to censor that word from the song when it was played on the radio and when you finally heard the word you were saying to yourself... what in the bumbo-raas is a prophylactic? Anyway... I just wanna give big thanks to Q-Tip, Mutty-Ranks, Ali Shaheed Mohammed & Jarobi {?} for teaching me that word... I never use it [the word, that is..] but I thought I was the man when I was tellin' my little BMX-bike crew the definition of the word.

Who says rap music can't be educational.
ATCQ - Bonita Applebum
ATCQ - Bonita Applebum [Hootie Mixxx]

"Mr. Khaled"

2007-06-10T17:36:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had one of those moments that you said to yourself while learning something... you say to yourself... I knew that already but I didn't look at the situation in that light... and I'm not sure why I didn't look at it that way. I just had one of those moments as I read SOHH.com's weekly "word on the street in Hip-Hop" weekly blog called Pulse Report. I quote:

"Is DJ Khaled the best? Just last year, Khaled Khaled (yes, that's his real name) was harassing us to listen. And now that the world is paying attention, this cocky bastard is boasting that he's the best. But is he really the best? And if so, why? Why doesn't he produce more songs on his own albums? Can he even cut a record? Cool, he rolls with Weezy and them, but shouldn't he be saying, "they the best" and not "we?" Why is he always screaming? While we're on Khaled, isn't he Palestinian? And if so, why the hell does he keep shouting the n-word on his records?"

I mean, if you really look at that quote, especially in regards to the use of the N-Word.. if he had on his native Palestinian garb on his album covers & appearances and was yelling "n!99@" on his musical releases would it be cool? ...would it?

Source:http://www.sohh.com

Costco: Paper Gangstaz

2007-06-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

"Tag Line"
Most metro-suburban types are familiar with the large warehouse discount chains like BJ's, Sam's Club & Costco. I have been on a hunt for a small/affordable eating/dining set for the back yard recently. As my hunt ends up in Costco and I decided to ponder if I have the cash to even pay outright for the eating/dining set...for the back yard...

I recently became self-enlightened that I was shopping within the walls of one of the most paper-gangsta organizations out there.... What other franchises of their size..[In most suburban towns across the country there are Costco stores..] have to work with [the credit card system] is what Costco ignores... Many of you already know that Costco ONLY accepts cash.... You also have to pay a yearly membership fee to shop at their stores. I mean, if you go to McDonald's and order a snack from the dollar menu, I believe that you could actually pay for that by credit card [let's not do that though... :-].

A lot of friends & family that I know also shop at Costco and I think that they think that they are getting deep discounts from these warehouse shopping clubs because of the many bulk items that they sell. In reality, a lot of those items are very the same prices as regular supermarkets.

All in all I still shop at these wherehouse stores because they give me the all-in-one-store Walmart effect.... and a lot of you already now that...i like that. Even if they need their payment raggedy-corner-store style... Cash Only! lol

Memory-all

2007-05-28T23:49:00.000-04:00

I'm Just Hangin' Ouuut... (c) Main Source
In previous years when Memorial day comes around it not only signifies that the summer season is official for me but also that it is time for the BBQ stalking/crashing to begin... Usually I'll have an APB out on fiends and family and slowly but surely I'll make my way through the spots to snack (& drink) on some home-made grilled delights. Yesterday my mom summoned me to her crib because my Grandma was in town and she decided to have a BBQ at the last minute. My pops wasn't in town so basically she needed me to do the heavy lifting/cleanup/setup etc. I was a little thrown off be her call because I had just started working on the resurrection of the wasteland that I once knew as my back yard [more on that later..].

Anyway I hauled my @$$ over to my parents' crib a couple hours later[hmm] and I was shocked to see that damn near the all of her family members were there. Aunts, cousins, the dog down the street.. you get the idea.. My mom had prepared some food to be grilled; you know the prerequisite chicken, turkey dogs, burgers.... but some thing was missing.. ah...um... where's the grill?...oh yeah...it's in the garage.. right?.. cool. As I navigated my way through a sea of "stuff" in the garage I came across the little dusty/rusty contraption pictured above... an ooold school fire red(?) charcoal grill... nice... And of course I was the one charged with setting up and working the grill... ah..hmm...ok

Anyway, after a slow start... [a mutiny of hungry family members drew closer by the minute] I finally got thangs cookin'. People complimented me on my grilling skills [they just didn't know that the kid got it like that] which was cool. the best part is that I got to catch up and reminisce with family and friends. It definitely provided me with pleasant memories...

Thanks to all that came thru yesterday and God bless all of the officers of our armed forces that arent alive to spend time with their families this holiday season.

T-Pain-ful

2007-05-25T20:04:00.000-04:00

T-Pain song lyrics broken down to it's most raw, prolific form.... I really think that Mr. Pain can give the dude in the blog entry below a serious run for his money ;-]

"Poet"

2007-05-20T16:14:00.000-04:00

I was doing a little(?) bit of random web surfing when I came accross this clip of a Common performance on Def Poetry Jam that I felt compelled to post. It just reminded me that words can be so powerful... something that an average fan of wordplay & messages [ie. lifelong adult hip-hop music fans] often forget in today's hip-hop world... It reminds me that hip hop can be more than chants or unsophisticated cat calls.... it can still be quite poetic.

Big Thangs Poppin'

2007-05-17T14:12:00.000-04:00

Just wanna let everyone(1?) in my blogosphere know that my prediction for breakout Hip-Hop artist of the year will be going to none other than Clifford Harris Jr. aka T.I. aka T.I.P for his newest release titled: T.I. Vs T.I.P. Just making that prediction off the bat while only hearing 4 tracks from said upcoming LP before I have a conversation in the fall of this year about it and have people tell me that it was obvious that he would... Just lettin' y'all know how the kid do... thats all {LOL}.

The video that I have posted above also stand to be the title to my life for the last few weeks and going forward. So you can see how I could be biased... I do think this album would solidify his self-imposed status or title as "King of The South". I also think that in order for Southern Hip-Hop to keep on thriving as it has been for the last few years then his new album is gonna need to have the impact that I'm predicting it will have (check the charts as of late if you don't believe me). Otherwise the only thing that's gonna continue to thrive from southern urban music is T-Pain and his future knoc-offs {'nother prediction!}.

I also believe that after the Hip-Hop smash of the year that was his last album, King, if he can deliver an album that even better then he will definitely have his name solidified as one of the greats...not just of the South, but in Hip-Hop, period.
Well unless Weezy Goldberg....................... hehe.....

Work Out Your Face!

2007-05-09T12:02:00.000-04:00

You gotta luv these "home shopping network" channels and the vendors/hosts that go thru some of the most @$$inine dumbonstrations ever!

The beautiful piece of film making above is a demonstration on the QVC Channel of a revolutionary product called "Facial Flex". You are sure to buy one as soon as you view this... happy flexxin'!

"Take Dat Monkey $h!+ off, U Embarassin' UUss!

2007-05-09T10:25:00.000-04:00

(c)Pimp C of UGK
Ahh yeah... all u dudes that think that you're playa/pimp hand is heavy... Get sum tru game from the playa that got caught out there with one of his side chicks on a pimptacular episode of "Cheaters".

New KanYe?

2007-05-06T16:35:00.000-04:00

The video is not much to look @ but if you listen closely.... it seems that a new KanYe track from his upcoming Graduation LP is being performed at some concert. Not sure how to feel about it. I think his last album was incredible and I think the new album will sonically be like his last...excited about that. On the other hand I hope this song is not the 1st single because it's an obvious rip from a Daft Punk joint called "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and sounds a little too "heavy" {code: complicated} for radio...

....But then again most U.S. music lovers don't know who Daft Punk is and I'm sure that regardless it will be a smash....

Iceberg for 2008!

2007-05-05T09:08:00.000-04:00

I am so happy that I came across this clip of Iceberg [Ice T for the squares out there] on SOHH telling it like it really is from an intelligent black urban perspective in regards to the recent controversies of snitching and banning of the "N Word". Every rapper that shows up on these Fox affiliated networks makes an @$$ out of themselves 8 times over when they make appearances [not sure why you're on their shows to begin with] and say stupid stuff like Cam' did on 60 Minutes.

There are people that I know that are unsure on how they feel about the topic. Well, I have been arguing exactly with the point of view that Ice says in this video. So Watch the clip and soak up a little game..... N!99@!

Black Rappin' Skool: EnRowl Now!

2007-05-01T19:46:00.000-04:00

.........Werd!!.........

San-Joka

2007-04-07T10:18:00.000-04:00

OK! This Sanjaya-mania is a little retardiculous... It shows that in America image [even of the androgynous kind] supersedes substance and talent. I did like this little parody video on Sir Sanjaya. I do believe that parody is many times the best commentary.

WTF!! Chronicles: Fingerz

2007-04-01T10:16:00.000-04:00

Ahh... yeah... The clip above is an "animated(?)" parody of a rap song featuring Young Jeezy, The Game and Lil Weezy Goldberg. It's called "Fingaz In My @zz"....... I think that's all I really need to say about that.... The Jeezy and Weezy imitators are pretty good though...

F.L.O. Vol. 2!

2007-03-31T05:37:00.001-04:00

I wrapped up my song selection for volume 2 of my 3-volume slow jam "mix" series that I titled "For Luvers Only". I originally had these grand ideas of incorporating a theme and storyline using audio from some choice flicks but time, life and lack of the technical know how needed to execute my ideas got in the way. So I dont think it's gonna happen for this mix series. But in the meantime.. I hope you guys enjoy. and remember...its STILL rated BM...... so... you know... safety gear please [LOL]!!

Link Below for download
F.L.O. Volume 2

Dilla-Dog!

2007-03-26T19:54:00.000-04:00

There have been many that have jumped on the Dilla bandwagon after his death but I can't even be mad at that because whether you discover something good by leading or following, it can only lead to a good result. To that end I have been told by more than a couple that I am an unusually big fan of Jay-Dee. It has always been hard for me to articulate why I see him listed in the top 5 hip-hop producers.... EVER!

This Stones Throw Dilla Dedication mix [actually part 2] by J-Rocc is all I believe I need for you to listen to in order to become a believer. Download and then spread the gospel!

Link Below:
TURN IT UP

oh.. yeah.. F.L.O. II....

BETting on Dumb

2007-03-18T15:23:00.000-04:00

The links that I have posted below offers a VERY interesting perspective on how BET has affected hip-hop and black culture as a whole from a former BET producer by the name of D-Brad. Personally I have a lot of similar views on BET moving from a struggling but powerful black-owned network to being a corporate owned but still struggling and demeaning caricature of this thing called hip hop.

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

Definitely a must watch in my opinion.

Crazy-Cleanse

2007-03-07T12:52:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, my wifey & I went through a moment of temporary insanity by thinking that we could try this extreme weight loss diet called the Master Cleanse or "Lemonade" diet. Let me tell those of you that haven't ever tried it that this ain't your average diet. You have to take a laxative every night before bed. When you get up in the morning [after the beeline to the bano...of course..TMI.. I know], you have to drink the equivalent of 4 cups of sea-salt distilled water. After a few more beelines [ugh] you have the distinct pleasure of drinking 6 cups of lemonade [substitute the sugar with all natural maple syrup] with a pinch of cayenne pepper [double-ugh]. That's IT!!!

Originally we had planned to do it for 20 days but at day 3 I came but my damn senses....... Crazy!!!

KanYe's A Clown...

2007-03-06T01:53:00.000-05:00

...for Doing over "Throw Some D's" video...
This video is sooo much better than the original!
I love it when rap music does more than that "I'm a hustlin' b!+cH-slappin' crack dealin psycho bang-bang-n!99@-die-sloee!"
...Cheaa

For Luvers Only! Volume One is Finally Done!!!

2007-02-06T11:17:00.000-05:00

I finally finished this "mix" [using term loosely] CD that I have been working on-and-off for a while now called "For Luver's Only! Volume One". I've had a few technical difficulties that didn't allow me to flesh it out and execute some really cool ideas that I had for it but I'm gonna make sure I get them done for the next one.

Anyway I decided to make this "mix" for those that might need a little help in the romantic music department for good 'ol Valentines Day and for those that just luv good slow jams [especially from the '80s & 90's]. I decided to post the mix as one file for now just to get it out to you guys and then post a file with the individual tracks in about a week or so....

ENJOY! [Link Below] and remember... This joint is rated BM [Figure It Out].. LOL! --Holla--

Come & Get It!!

Baptism By Fuego PT. 2: The Exodus

2007-01-21T22:30:00.000-05:00

Well.... ... I DID say that I would keep you(!?!?) posted on my ongoing career saga and I feel obligated to keep you in the loop to the latest saga of my new gig. As many of you know, I have had this job for 2+ months now and the last time I blogged about it I am sure you got the not-too-subtle impression that I hated it.

Well... 2+ months later I still hate it and of course what I have been trying to do is to get out of that position. One thing I can tell you is a pain and that I am not built for is using 10+ hours of my life generating, "scrubbing", crunching and "tieing data for reports for 9-11 working hours of every work day.

Well...last Tuesday, my boss called my into the office and told me that after 2+ months of working for him that I should've been fully capable of assuming the responsibilities of his other subordinate that was training me [oh yeah, 3 weeks of which he was on his honeymoon] and that since I was not that he has to let me go...
Little does boss man know that his assistant already dropped dime about the re-org that was going on companywide and that people were getting packages in my department...

Of course I am a little upset about it but I'm also relieved......... I really felt trapped and stressed and deflated the 2+ months that I worked there.....

Well... now I have to embark on something new .... try to learn from my mistakes... try not to worry about just getting that next "job".... make this the turing point not just for my career .... but for my life in general....
But every clowd has a silver lining...
That 1 month paid vacation is a helluva lining alright...
Chea!!
For everyone that has stood behind my thanks for the support....

The Godfather!....R.I.P.

2006-12-25T15:30:00.000-05:00

R.I.P. James Brown 1933 - 2006

For those that don't know...especially those in that love Hip-Hop, James Brown almost single handedly revolutionized what is called funk and soul music and in many ways he was an indirect architect [through the numerous samplings of his music] of this phenomenon called Hip-Hop. His raspy but soulful voice coupled with the funky break beats and horn arrangements and his unpredictable dance steps directly influenced just about all of your favorite all-time pop and R&B acts of all generations after him [eg. Michael Jackson, Usher, Prince etc.]

He was one of the most important and influential figures in popular music and it is truly a loss to the entire music world.

R.I.P. Soul Brotha!

Baptism By Fuego PT. 1

2006-12-02T15:28:00.000-05:00

Well.... I know that its been a long minute since my last post but I had promised myself that this post would be about my first impressions of my new job... the problem is for some reason, it took me a month or so to kinda sort things through in terms of what I feel about it. First I gotta tell you this job has been like some straight boot camp bizness. It just so happens that the person that was trainging me for my new role would be getting married & going on a 2-week vacation about a month after I was hired... which normally seems like an OK amount of time to get acclimated. The only problem with that is I had to learn an practice their entire database/ reporting stucture [large finance compaines aint no joke!] and learn how to produce complex multi-tiered reports SOLO before my trainer heads to matrimony. This report goes to all of the high level execs in this large financial firm.. talk about baptism by fire! So everyday I come into work I have been an some serious crash-course boot-camp-style training. To say that my initial experience has been mentally and emothionally taxing [even physically..to an extent] is somewhat an understatement.

On the positive side of things the people there are very formal-behaving [not really used to that] but very cordial. And my supervisors are cool [even though they put me through a relentless amount of drills/ excersises during my 9-hour work day].

I am going to use this as a positive tool to propel me further career wise. I mean, I have learned more about MS excel & Access in 3 weeks than I EVER have before...for real. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So let's have a toast to strength.. 'cause imma need it!

Domi-Knows

2006-10-29T14:50:00.000-05:00

Juan Valdez & The Crew
Well... Last night my wifey & I hosted what seemed like our millionth Mexican Train Nite. Befere I go on with this blog I have to say that there were I few friends that I wanted to invite but couldn't due to room/ # of players constraints... but going forward[?] imma mix it up a little but to keep things fresh and rotate the guest list a little bit. So dont be mad 'cause imma start rotating heads.. Anyway I think one of the things that we did a little differently at this Mexican Train was having everyone get a little tipsy before we even started the game off. That lead to a whole lotta high strung emotional gaming which was a tad bit stressful. So next time we aint releasing the happy sauce 'til everybody is nice and settled and the gaming is well underway.
We had a good time with a lotta eating and drinking[!] and all-around good times.

Sout out to Juan Valdez and the entire crew for coming through.

Until next time[?].......

Trialz Of A Sneaker Fiend

2006-10-24T12:23:00.000-04:00

Most of my close friends and family are aware of my sneaker fetish... The feeling of copping/ wearing a fresh-out-the-box pair of kicks that aren't on most poeoples feet is truely a one-of-a-kind feeling of elation.

Now I condider myself a sneaker "fiend" and not a sneaker "addict" becuase I am very particular about the sneakers that I collect and wear. Not becuase it's the "hot" sneaker of the moment automatically means that imma pick that joint up. I'm also not one of those dudes scouring the internet and ratty basements of obsure sneaker spots for super inflated-priced sneakers.

But I must say that the one pair of sneakers really got the fiend-juices flowing are the kicks pictured above.. the Air Jordan Spi'zikes. A celebration of the shoe and the era that pretty much birthed this sneaker-fiend culture. And during Air Jordans creative apex [in my humble opinion]. They ran these really cool advertisments with Spike Lee [as Mars Blackmon] and His Airness adverising what I believe to be the holy trinity of kicks. The Air jordan III, IV, & V. The cutting edge design of these sneakers and the union of Spike & Jordan are all combined in this limited edition sneaker [4025 made worldwide].

I treked out to L.E.S. [Lower East Side] last saturday morning to pick up these joints at ALIFE. After waiting with a few other sneaker-fiends & addicts for almost 2 hours, the manager of the store, Matt opened the door and proceeded to tell us that his staff claimed all of his alotments of Spri'zikes and there was absolutely none left for any customers. Needless to say, people were heated and one particular woman was quite vocal and pissed. Matt proceeded to tell her that basically he didn't give a flying f%#$ how anyone felt becuase only his regular customers that "constantly give him business" got the kicks. One dude told me he was squatting in from of the store since 1AM that morning...crazy. Later on Spike Lee showed to to the store and signed sneakers. I almost wanted to tell him what a prick the store owner was but I fell back from the crowd around him and headed home...empty handed [sigh].

Later that day, my homeboi told me that other sneaker spots were already selling the sneaks for as much as $450 - $600...BANANAZ!!. Well.. I guess the beat goes on.....

Birfday Girl!

2006-10-21T15:39:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, I was swamped at work with all of the last-minute things I have to take care of before I exit my current job. I was rushing to get home to celebrate my wifey's birthday. I hold scrubio and jo-jo to come thru and celebrate a lil' sumthin-sumthin. As soon as I got home I had to rush out to pick up the Cold Stone custom made cake that I ordered for my boo. Everything was supposed to be a very tiny surprize get-together so I couldn't tell her what I was doing. She was not-too-happy with the fact that I was out doing "something" instead of spending her birthday with her.
Anyway, I was running around picking up flowers, cakes and Popeye's chicken [Yeah...I said Popeye's... word to Alize]. I got home in time to eat some cake & chicken and smell the roses.
All-In-All, she ended up having a great time and that is all that matters.
Happy Birfday Luv!

Moving On....

2006-10-16T18:04:00.000-04:00

As of today I have officially handed in my resignation from the company that I have been employed with for close to 6 years. It was definately time to move on [as even my current boss attests to..] but I really have a big fear of the unknown. I am one of those dudes that likes to wear the warm & comfortable worn-in shoes 'til they wear out completely so-to-speak... I am not a big fan of culture shock. I will be moving from a company that definately has corporate values but have people [around me anyway] that are not-so corporate, to a corporation that is known to be as corporate as the come [a finance company].
Although I was quite bored with what I was doing and felt it was definately time to step-it-up, I will sure miss that predictable warm-&-cozy feeling that I got when i went to work every weekday mornin'. But as they say: No progression = Big regression. So I really hope I'm making the right move at this point in my life.....
Even if this career move goes well, I have a nagging feeling that this will be the last uber-corporate gig that I hold for a looong time... TBC..

Beyond Beyonce

2006-09-25T11:28:00.000-04:00

With the overall commercial success/ critical dissapointment surrounding Beyonce's new release, I was cracking up when I came accross this parody of her new video for her "Ring The Alarm" single [Oringinal & Parody posted above]. Funnee..

Hip Hop = Coon Pop

2006-09-20T15:55:00.000-04:00

Poignant Indeed

Born Day & Broadway '06

2006-09-19T21:58:00.000-04:00

I celebrated my born day last saturday [9/16]. My birfday weekend was not heavy with activity, but memorable non the less..just how I wanted it to be. I started the celebration last friday night with a viewing of Beauty & The Beast Musical on Broadway with my Wifey, Infinite & his Fifi. I had a lotta fun watching that show...a lot more than I expected to.

On Saturday, my born day, Wifey hooked me up with a Sony PSP. I never was fiending for one but since I bought some games for it I've been hooked. Hung out with my mom sister & neice that night. They got me a nice little birfday cake that I stuffed my fat face with.

Sunday I chilled out for most of the day [nice] and got ready for the night's activity: That's right...another broadway musical. This time it was The Lion King which I must admit I was a little more excited to see than Beauty & the Beast and maan...let me tell ya, it did not disappoint. Top notch set design, acting [the dude that played the villain Scar was spot ON!]. And the singing....I mean SANGIN' was phenomenal. The inventive design of the animals in this play has to be seen to be believed [complete with animals/ characters performing in the isles].

Not a bad broadway/birfday weekend at all.

Thanks to everyone that has helped me in some way big or small get to see another birfday.

Face Off PT. 3: Self-Definition

2006-09-14T11:19:00.001-04:00

As one gets older one usually does some self-evaluatin' [well @ least me anyway]. I've actually came to the realization that I don't have a definative talent or skill. I know a little bit to a decent amount of a lot of things, but nothing that I can say I specialize in...especially career-wize. I'm still in that mode of trying to find my niche or specialty sort-of-speak, which I think I'm a little too old to be still in that phase of my life. I should be building and perfecting whatever specialized ability I have nurtured... Sometimes I feel like I'm so far behind where everyone is and where I wanna be with no specific focus... just kinda blowin' in the wind... Imma find my way though..define myself... hopefully.

The iGallop!

2006-09-06T11:02:00.000-04:00

WTF!!

Gimme My Space!

2006-09-04T13:23:00.000-04:00

Give the Onion some space! Well folks...as some of you already know, I have officially joined the Myspace drones in the futile search for world domination. Actually due to some ideas that I wanna execute seperate from this personal blog, I figured that Myspace would be the perfect space to start. I'm gonna have a lotta fun with this..some kewl ideas.. Stay tuned..

Nite Of the DJ

2006-09-04T12:42:00.000-04:00

No matter how much planning you do for something, chances are that things aren't going to happen according to plan. For a few weeks I have been gearing up and getting my playlist together to do my first ever DJ gig for my wifey's aunt. She has a big annual BBQ every labor day weekend for the last 7-8 years now and this year she needed a new DJ. So with the help of some of my home-skillet infinite's DJ equipment, I decided to give it a shot.

I played under the pseudonym of "Paul.Onion" [a few friends are already familiar with the name] earlier in the day which was a lotta fun [my 80's segment was tight--if I say so myself]. Then my brother in law's band started to play and then there was Kareoke and more band sets and well...basically my heavily planned DJ set got wilted down to barely any play time at all which was a little disappointing.

We managed to make the best of the situation by playing the rest of the night to the few kids that were left dancing. The dance of segment [infinite's idea] was also a lotta fun. I think that imma probably work on some small gigs and have some fun with it...

PS: Thanks to everyone that came thru last nite...hope you had a good time!

May Chips Fall...

2006-08-23T10:23:00.000-04:00

Pic taken by Richie-Rich
Last Saturday, Wifey & myself hosted our umpteenth [Lost Count..] Mexican Train Night @ the crib. It was pretty intense... I was puttin' the spank down when the rest of the players [Richie-Rich actually] tried to block my shine by saying that I didn't say "uno" to signify that I had 1 domino left [it's a "rule" I guess...]. While other adversaries got spanked so badly that they didn't even want to reveal their losing scores...it's a shame I tell ya... a shame. This person tried to act like since I didn't win the entire game [Sir Hip-to-Tha-Hop did] that I didn't contribute to the overall spanktastic spankin' that this person recieved. All-In-All a lot of fun. Lots of eatin', sizzurp sippin' and all around good times.
PS: Shout out to the new passengers on tha 'train: Kristine, Nika & Sean aka Chuck Taylor bka George. Thanks for commin' thru & havin some fun.

Age is In the Mind

2006-08-18T10:34:00.000-04:00

This past Tuesday was my momz' birthday but I stopped by my parent's crib on Monday because I had to go on a business trip on her birthday. I'm not gonna put her bidniss out there but she seemed a little deflated regarding this birthday milestone. I had to remind her that even though she feels that she's getting up there in age, she looks younger that some of these broads out here that claim to be many years younger than she is. So as long as you feel young and... well... it doesn't hurt to look younger than you actually are... then isn't that what really counts? anyway I enjoyed her [& my pops'] company as usual. remember Mama-D, it's all in the mind... Although I feel like an old geezer already but.. that's another blog...
Happy Birfday Mama-Demus!!!! Luv ya!!!

No Business Like Snow Business...

2006-08-11T10:14:00.000-04:00

I can't even front...When Clipse first hit the rap scene [officially anyway] I was a little leery of their "crack rap". Not because of the content, but the fact that it was the ONLY content that they rapped about. But of course that Neptunes production pulled me in. Until I realized that even though their subject matter is pretty much one dementional [pushin' weight], their flows and rhyme construction, metaphors, etc. are supa-tight. Now with southern hustlin'-rap [now called trap music] at an all-time high in popularity [you can lump Dip-Set in that category too..], these dudes are poised to smash the game with their long-delayed-and-awaited-up-coming Hell Hath No Fury LP. I was always a fan of these dudes since their "Exlusive Audio Footage" album [never released] days but now I can clearly see that lyrically these dudes are waaaay ahead of the so-called trappers/ trap music that's dominating hip hop right now.So their new album is one of the few albums [well...& Nas' joint] that I am eagerly awaiting this year. Let's see if all the "mr-me-toos" can catch up after they release that album. They gots it for Cheap!!

Birf-Grad Boy

2006-08-10T10:07:00.000-04:00

circa November 1999
I'm always amazed at how New Yorkers don't know where certain streets are in their own neighborhood. Yesterday evening as I treked downtown after work to lounge at a lounge and celebrate Rich's 30th Birthday/ Graduation from grad school, I asked a couple for directions to the street that this lounge is located. They obvoiusly had no clue where this street was. They mentioned that they were going to some bar. So I'm walking around asking different people that live in the area for directions... no clue. Soon I stumble upon the street and the lounge and guess what? I find that same couple entering the bar that was RIGHT across the street...lol!

Anyway, I get there and the vibe was cool. I got to meet some of Rich's "new" crew... since I'm part of the "old" crew...all ...washed up ... lol! Yeah so I was sayin'.. Everyone was really cool and just hanging out and having a good time. DJ Brainchild did his thing on the serato tip... hope he wasn't mad I was shadowing him like dat!.. my bad dude! I was just soakin' up some good DJ selectin' game..

I was proud that Rich is doing his thing and striving for what he wants out of his life on HIS TERMS.... always something to be admired! Keep on Keepin' On man!

BTW: Why didn't someone [especially the pic taker of the pic above] repremand me for looking like a stoned slacker with horrible sweater style.

Happy Birfday/conGradz again Richie-Rich!

Bowling For Soup

2006-08-07T09:07:00.000-04:00

Yeah...This past weekend had me jumping around a little bit. I dropped by The Cheesecake Factory last Friday night for Alize's Birfday [...that's how she pro-nounces it..hey!] Din-Din. The food was alright although I think that as I have gotten older and have tried a lot of different restaurants [Part of my Face Off PT. 2 issue], I am lost as to the whole allure of The Cheesecake Factory. People sometimes wait for hours to get seated in this spot...can't say that I will be one of those people.

Saturday I finally set up my newly [and happily discounted] Ableton Live software on my laptop [already got some stuff cookin' in the kitchen...hehe]. Worked on some video editing projects that I have literally been sitting on for years. Saturday night I rolled out to Jillian's in Westbury, NY with the wifey, Scubanatti, Alize and their buddies Nika and Chuck Taylor for some good 'ol fashioned bowling. Of course Alize was heckling me the whole time and was fronting like she wasn't. Now i will be the first to admit that my bowling skillz are less than decent. But of course when I hit a couple gutter balls and she ended up beating me by a few points [BTW: Scrubanatti won the game], Alize was all gloating... But it's all good. It'll be redemption time real soon!

PS: Happy belated B'-Day to Alize.

Is Soup Really Good For You?

2006-08-04T09:52:00.000-04:00

Hmmm...Ahhh.... Yeah... The YouTube videos that I have posted in this blog are of the new Harlem-based dance craze called the "Chicken Noodle Soup". Now, I must abmit that I am a little late with jumping onto this dance craze [especially with the fact that I live in NY]. Actually when my homeboy mentioned the dance/ song[?] a few days ago I had not idea of what he was talking about... age must be catching up with me. Once I did the research... well I got really mixed feelings about this dance.

First of all the song iz pure trash. It's like a bad Go-Go/ Southern track [from Harlem no less]. Secondly, after viewing this dance.. it eeirily reminds me of a cross between "the bird" by Morris Day & The Time and a Sambo shuffle. I cant even front, that dance is entertaining as hell, but... that song, the shuffle moves and the fact that it's not even a song that remotely sounds like sum NY ishh... Well.. when I have my next get-together session [[coming soon...hint]] I might have to bust a chicken-noodle moove hmmm... ahhh ...yeah.. right!