Jay-Z ft. Nas - Success

lmao

gotta get to Japan...

While crossing the Key Bridge from Georgetown, following my 8-hour shift at sweetgreen (it would be an understatement to say that business was slow), I was listening to Jay-Z, The Black Album to be specific. Rapping, quoting, and basically looking like a fool, I was thinking about some random stuff (like shit at work, money, school, etc.) My boss/boy Nate Ru, called me twice and I didn't notice it for a minute (says much for the power of Jigga's music). I called him back, while still on the Bridge, and he wanted me to go back and sort out some matters or something.

While on the phone with Ru, this Japanese couple passed me, and I was no longer paying attention to what he was saying. All that I could think about was how cool Japanese people/culture are/is. They are just cool ass people (I mean, all Asians/cultures are cool...)! I don't think Nate's folks are Japanese. Either way, pay day is coming soon, and I think I'm going to cop some Japanese exclusives...

And it's almost time for another semester of Japanese...

I love Japan! And I've never been there... lol! I'm going to go really soon!

does right = white?

I know that most people like to sound interested in this stuff, but usually skip it because it is kinda boring, but real-ity is real, son!

The following commentary is from journalist, Khalil G. Muhammad of the Globe Newspaper, via New America Media:

Recently, I showed my college students a clip of Bill Cosby’s and Alvin Poussaint’s appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. After hearing Cosby plead for poor blacks to embrace their parenting responsibilities, many of the students said they wished their parents had followed his advice. They regretted that some of their peers had done poorly in school, abused drugs and alcohol and run afoul of the law. These problems, they agreed, might have been avoided with more supervision at home.

They might have been the perfect audience for a Cosby town hall lecture on the dangers of self-destructive values in black America. They might also have been perfect illustrations of the growing “values gap” between poor and middle-class blacks described in a widely cited recent Pew Research Center poll.

Except almost all my students are white.

The article goes on to detail some commonly held perceptions of society and addresses the commonly held notion that "white is right." I mean, it must be right, it does rhyme...

He makes a good point in pointing out what the child welfare activist Jane Addams did to help immigrants in Chicago of the late 1800s and early 1900s, by providing them assistance in adjusting to American life, safeguarding them from a life of crime. Blacks were turned away because they were seen as too unruly and "ignorant." This is a sentiment that is as potent now as ever, at least when speaking of the other side of the gap of black society-- the lower class.

Carrying on into today's society, a great divide has been made between blacks with money and those without. It's to a point that those with more white values raise their noses, judge, and even persecute their "brothers."

If we insist on explaining racial disparities in terms of black vs. white values, then we need to explain what exactly white values are. When we do, we’ll find that whiteness is an inadequate standard by which to judge good black people vs. bad ones.

As my students would tell you, the real white world is as pathological, as respectable and as diverse as the black one.

As my brother (If I'm Huey Freeman of my household, he's Riley) might say, "Ain't no M'fer better or smarter than I. It's some B.S. Don't judge me, fool. I'm smart as hell!" And I agree. As far as intelligence goes, we need to change the way we judge it, but that's a topic for another day...

Let that b*tch beathe!

Respiration (1998)



insane track!

Mos Def drops one of his illest verses on this Black Star classic. He kicks it about the state of America with a description of how the ills of capitalism come to life in New York City. Talib follows suit with a verse about the hopelessness of poverty and the consequent delusions in New York streets. Common finishes the song from a Chicago perspective, giving the song meaning beyond New York, reminding us that this isn't a New York problem, but a societal issue. Between the insightful lyricism, the bomb chorus, and the dope beat - this is easily a timeless track showcasing the skills of 3 of Hip Hop's best. Oh, and Mos Def's crooning has never been more appreciated.

"So much on my mind I just can't recline
Blastin holes in the night til she bled sunshine"

"It's a paradox we call reality
So keepin it real will make you casualty of abnormal normality"

"Mixin down emotions, struggle I hadn't mastered
I choreograph seven steps to heaven"

Neckface

Neckface is ugly. Even those who don't enjoy his work at least twist up their faces at the ghouls and gore that make up his art. I know I'm not the only person who goes to rotten.com from time to time just to get grossed out. What can i say, its entertaining. We are all sick fucks deep down. Go ahead and admit it, thats the hardest part. Peep the interview below for more inside the mind of neckface...



neckface x vans

Insane Insomniac

Kazuya Akimoto- "Sleepless Night"

The kid hasn't really been cruising the net lately, but he has been writing. Here's a little ditty I composed the other day:

Insane Insomniac
-Khalid Rashid

Flowing from the veins of facetious themes,
Life giving blood reaches the brain
Allowing for a sane reality to be realized
Giving power to sight

Pierre Lest sleeps
He's resting his blind eyes
Dreaming in panoramic vision...

Fishing...
Seemingly for thoughts.
That is what he thinks in his sane conscious

But,
His inner insanity rules
And we find him in the city park
Punching the concrete, screaming, banging
With his bare hands
Trying to resurrect his dead duck,
Mr. Quack

He hasn't been to sleep in five years

The World According to Pretty Toney

For all y’all smart dumb cats out there, Pretty Toney is one of Ghostface's most popular alter-egos. Ghost is releasing a hardcover book full of words of wisdom from "Pretty Toney's" comedic perspective. The book includes guides to and advice on everything from sex to gambling, family to education, even how to eat on just $5 a day ["The Hustler’s Diet"]. A unique take on Stephen Covey’s "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" for young folk like myself.

Check out this sweet preview..

Bow Wow aka Mickey Mouse Chain Wearing Gangsta

New Mishka Tees @ Pop-Up Store

Can't wait to go back home..

The Hardest Out

AZ's back with the dopest hip-hop video out right now..
Takin it back to the 5 elements. Check her out



For you hip-hop heads out there, always looking for some obscure freestyle, remix, or otherwise unreleased media
Here's a video I didn't even know existed. AZ's "Gimmie Yours" without NaS. It's a version I've never heard before either.

enjoy.

The Final Season

The Wire is one of my favorite television shows ever...
I won't harp...because C. Warner Sills over @ "Emerging Thoughts" captured it perfectly in her piece on the show.

Check it out, its long but worth the read. If you don't have the patience to read the whole article, you probably don't have the patience to dissect and understand the show as a whole. Thats cool, some things aren't for everyone, but this show comes highly recommended from the Good Sport team.

Mood Muzik 3

As people like to point out, the majority of Joey Jump Off's fans are online, as if they don't exist in real life.

But since I know all you Budden fans are somewhere out there in cyber-space...here's a treat for you.
The long awaited Mood Muzik 3 has arrived. Here's a link if you can't find it elsewhere:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=85U8KNDU

Stussy for the greater good!

New stores coming very soon to Washington D.C.

Commonwealth is launching their new high-end store called "For the Greater Good", and it is planned to be open by the end of January. This will be a lifestyle boutique, geared toward those of us who invest alot of our money in high-quality, meaningful fashion. The shop will include some books and documentaries among clothing, footwear and accessories. Their philosophy stands to rewrite the rules of luxury and to brand the creativity of our generation.

Stussy's new store is gonna be open a bit sooner. They plan to have it done by the new year, so keep a ear to the street for that. You won't be dissappointed in what they have to offer, as this is the fourth of Stussy's stores in the continental United States, and they keep out-doing themselves.

Venom Black

Like what you see? Check out his work at http://www.myspace.com/vnmblk

Graffiti Gold in Soho...

A detail is seen on a graffiti wall with drawings by original graffiti subway artists Fab Five Freddy, Futura 2000 and some traces by Jean-Michel Basquiat Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, in New York. The large mural, created by some of graffiti's earliest pioneers, was discovered recently in a 10-story limestone building just as developers were converting it into luxury condominiums. (Mary Altaffer, Associated Press / November 27, 2007)

This is more of something that ZigZag would post, but he hasn't. So... lets keep it moving... I myself, hardly "focks" with graffiti, but the kid can appreciate this dynamite find...

There are already reports on this so, I won't ramble...

Check this AP article...

Props to Nahright...

Nike Air Griffey Max GD II

These and the Griffey 8s were my joints... I wish that I still had them...

MTV Leaks the Cool...

*Preview of The Cool

If I Die Tomorrow

"I might get frustrated fuckin' with the hood, son; but everyday above ground is a good one..."
-Joe Budden on "If I Die Tomorrow" *Off Mood Muzik 2*
*Mood Muzik 3 coming soon*

On my way back to my room following my accounting exam (I'm not even going to mention the fiasco that came of that "irregular" event), I was bumpin' this joint at full volume. This chick kept mean-muggin', but I ain't give a fuck; I got through my final unscathed and was tryna enjoy some Budden. Shit! I mean, Can I live? Anyway, this line from Mr. Budden stuck in my head and triggered another classic line. This one coming from the great warrior Achilles, between the pages of the archetype for all comedies (in the sense of best-case-scenario-feel-good stories), Homer's Odyssey:

"...never try to console me for dying. I would rather follow the plow as thrall to another man, one with no land allotted him and not much to live on, than be a king over all the perished dead."

All that to say, glory in death is no way equal to the worst day while alive. Keep your head up, and enjoy life... even if you did just fail an exam...

Just Be a Good Sport and slay these haters... figuratively, that is...

Fuck Finals!

[expletive] finals...

Supra x Bk Projects

Recently dropped...feel free to leave an opinion... 

Wasalu @ Hofstra University

A few pics from Lupe's performance at the Hof aka baby HU....

* Thanks to Brandee for the Pics <3

Word of the Day

appall:
v. to fill with horror or dismay.

Rashid Hadee

Rashid Hadee... What you know about it? I was basically clueless until recently... This shit is dope.... Since I like y'all, I guess I'll share...

Instant Winner, bro.

Here's a lil montage of Instant Winner's "Bro's Tour" from this past summer.
I found it to be pretty dope from some young skaters who already seem to have mastered the art.



ps. The music to the video is dope too. I have some diggin in the crates to do..

Bro Rape

This has been floating around the internet for months now...
It's a freaked-out, sketch comedy video of some NYU students' rendition of a Datline NBC special.

It's called "Bro Rape"

if you like what you see, check out more at their site www.derrickcomedy.com

'tis the season

Speaking of Stones Throw, the good folks over there have released a holiday album chock-full of xmas tunes to get blunted to.
It's only available at Urban Outfitters. You can order it online here.

check out this preview:

Badd Santa - Stones Throw Xmas Album
Uploaded by stonesthrow

happy huntin.

Stone's Throw Records presents.. the Bounce Tour: Holiday Edition

They came through D.C. tonight, too bad I couldn't make it. Big test tomorrow. It's aiight though...It'll be in Baltimore tomorrow, hopefully I can make it happen. Wish me well.

Check out the Stones Throw site to see when they're coming near you.
www.stonesthrow.com/upcoming/

RIP Sean Taylor

in honor of #21...



big ups to cert & nehi

Banksy

Guess What???

It's gon' be so "Cool" in 11 days... The Cool...

Also... Grammy Nomination for "Daydreamin" feat. Jill Scott

I'm a Struggling Black Man Trying to Keep My Dick Hard in a Cruel and Harsh World...

One of my favorite scenes; one of my favorite movies...

Do the Right Thing

It's Got to Be the Shoes!!!

Classic MJ Spike Lee Nike Commercial...

"Motto"

"Motto"

I play it cool
And dig all jive--
That's the reason
I stay alive.

My motto,
As I live and learn
Is
Dig and be dug
In return.

-Langston Hughes

...dope!

Arkitip.com

*Tea Parlor Print* by, Evan Hecox

They got some dope contemporary prints over at Arkitip.com...

Dilla (1974-2006)

What do you think was his best work?

Fact

More than half the population of Kenya is under the age of 15.

Vocab Word of The Day

Taradiddle
- a petty lie;fib

Big Doe Rehab Pt. III

From the Brooklyn Bodega...

Catch up on Part I and Part II...

THE BIG DOE REHAB pt III

as told by spaulding h. forsythe. illustration by little jimmy blags

I’ve never been one for jewelry. The only gems I don lace up and have Zoom Air technology. But the Killah with No Face Toney Starks, my Big Doe Rehab roommate, needs both hands crusty like Soulja Boy needs another smash ringtone hit. But if I’ve learned one thing from this rehab experience, it’s that you should never doubt the Macgyver-ness of a gully dude from Staten Island. Ambulances don’t even go there.

So what does Ghost-Deini do to fill his necklace-less void? He folds himself up some.

Using his medication—the duffel bags of money, in varying denominations, that arrive to our room throughout the day, that are supposed to overdose Toney’s Big Doe problem—Ghost has crimped, creased, and folded hundreds of dollars into eight-inch figaro chains, pinky rings, and even a pair of earrings out of the new big-face fifties so they look like lemonhead diamonds. Each of his fingers has a different ring, each arm a particular money-bracelet, and his neck is flooded with origami-pendants dangling at the end of paper-fashioned dookie chains. The Don looks like a fire hazard. I asked dude if the Jesus piece was really necessary. Ghost held it up and was like, “Fam, it’s the only joint made in God We Trust.”

In the cafeteria today Starks told me how he remembered meeting me at the 2007 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, down at that park between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. He remembered me backstage, gawking at his buttery Air Maxes and Fat Joe’s eye-searing Jordans. That show, I almost lost my sh*t at the end of his set. Ghostface throwing darts to thousands of people, Manhattan in the backdrop, dusk in the sky. Sh*t was beautiful. I told him so and he thanked me. He also called me a “man-fan.”

I think we’re becoming fast friends.

Dilla x Busta Rhymes

http://lix.in/1d0326

The Cool Preview...

*Snippets of the new Lupe*: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool in stores Dec. 18!!!

*courtesy of HipHopdx.com...

Larry David Goes In

One of those Mood Bringer Uppers..lol

Possibly the Best Album to Ever Come Out of ATL...

Outkast's ATLiens (1996)

1. You May Die (Intro)
2. Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)
3. ATLiens
4. Wheelz of Steel
5. Jazzy Belle
6. Elevators (Me and You)
7. Ova Da Wudz
8. Babylon
9. Wailin'
10. Mainstream
11.Decatur Psalm
12. Millenium
13. E.T. (Extraterrestrial)
14. 13the Floor/Growing Old
15. Elevators (ONP 86 Mix)