Be a Good Sport

Inside Outside

2008-08-07T15:57:00.002-04:00

"Inside Outside is a film about the energy artists get when working in the streets. An energy they're missing when exhibiting in galleries and museums, an energy that brings life to their art and to their own lives..."

"The artists in Inside Outside all face some sort of dilemma with the restrictions and norms of the societies they live in, the forces of the commercial art world and the advertising industry who are looking for the next big thing and want to have their bite of the energy and the coolness that the street art scene is brimming with." -ROSFORTH.COM

Be sure to check ROSFORTH for a few other dope documentaries, especially Stocktown and Good Copy Bad Copy

Coconut Juice -Tyga feat. Travis

2008-06-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

So I really like this vid....

Tyga - Coconut Juice
by itsshake

Muto

2008-06-16T23:14:00.004-04:00

This is remarkable. Street art is evolving before our eyes (literally). Imagine the how long it took to paint each frame with such precise detail & not to mention the extensive planning. Hard work pays off, kudos to Blu. This happened to be something I've over looked for who knows how long, but better late than never. Peeeeep it.

Click Clack Spray

2008-06-11T23:31:00.002-04:00

Props to 2dopeboyz on this find. This is a dope one for all the graff heads like myself. Big homie S.dot put me onto this track a lil' while back. Peep the interview with Chino before the vid too. I dig it, can you?

You Can Be a Nigger Too

2008-06-10T13:35:00.001-04:00

Interesting.

I dig.

The Counterfeiters

2008-06-02T21:06:00.003-04:00

I just watched one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Imagine being imprisoned for counterfeiting during WWII as a Jew in Germany, and further being forced to counterfeit for your enemy, the Nazis, helping finance their war. This is exactly what this dude, Sally Sorowitsch, was forced to do. Fail and die, or succeed and who really knows...

Here's the official trailer:

I've included it in my list of favorite movies, and it has one many awards, including an Oscar and Academy Award. Check it out.

There's also this interview with one of the prisoners, Adolf Burger, an integral component to the greatest forgery of all time.

fb gangstas

2008-05-29T01:01:00.002-04:00

You slackin on yo' pimpin' if ur facebook gangster-ism is weak...

do you know how to eat a watermelon?

2008-05-26T12:44:00.001-04:00

In case you don't, Petey Greene got ya covered... Hilarious!

Cmon Mr.Bryant are we Dumb!!?...lol

2008-05-25T11:12:00.000-04:00

Kaws

2008-05-12T21:02:00.002-04:00

From modifiying street ads, to making high priced goods; Kaws has come a long way. Nowadays you'll see his work at OriginalFake, but here's a clip on his rise to fame from the streets of San Fran...

Throw Back funny

2008-05-08T11:19:00.001-04:00

This has gone to far..

2008-05-08T08:59:00.002-04:00

From a Coast Phar, Phar Away...

2008-05-07T20:25:00.004-04:00

Heres three classic vids by The Pharcyde. Im sure you'll recognize the first & second, "Passing You By" & "Runnin" but the third is new to me atleast. Pharcyde is my favorite underground group from Cali; then again its a tie between them & Souls Of Mischeif. Regardless, Enjoy.

Spike Speaks... "Massuh Clinton"

2008-04-08T16:18:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite movies is Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, mostly for its commentary on race relations in America. The power in the movie that drives home it's theme of the division between black and white is it's candid portrayal of the relations between the Irish-whites and African-Americans in the Beford-Stuyvesant community of Brooklyn. I think it's message is as necessary today as when it was released in '88. Below is a brief excerpt from a recent interview of Spike featured in The New York Mag:

Around the tenth anniversary of the film, you said that not much had changed—Diallo and Louima were in the news. How does it look to you now?
The way Bloomberg is handling stuff is a world away from Giuliani and Koch—and how Dinkins handled Crown Heights, too. I’m optimistic, but we’re going to hell in a handbasket. Fuck recession, we’re in a depression. I’m blessed, I can afford to send my children to private school. But where’s the affordable housing? You can’t afford Bed-Stuy!

What do you think of Obama?
I’m riding my man Obama. I think he’s a visionary. Actually, Barack told me the first date he took Michelle to was Do the Right Thing. I said, “Thank God I made it. Otherwise you would have taken her to Soul Man. Michelle would have been like, ‘What’s wrong with this brother?’ ”

Does this mean you’re down on the Clintons?
The Clintons, man, they would lie on a stack of Bibles. Snipers? That’s not misspeaking; that’s some pure bullshit. I voted for Clinton twice, but that’s over with. These old black politicians say, “Ooh, Massuh Clinton was good to us, massuh hired a lot of us, massuh was good!” Hoo! Charlie Rangel, David Dinkins—they have to understand this is a new day. People ain’t feelin’ that stuff. It’s like a tide, and the people who get in the way are just gonna get swept out into the ocean.

Read the full article here. The article covers the process and how the making of Do the Right Thing really matured Spike. He is also given a chance to give some of his political perspectives of the past and now (hence, "Massuh" Clinton). I'll let y'all take what y'all want from the interview.

Oh yea, here's something else I found interesting:

Was the studio prepared for the controversy when the film came out?
At the last moment, Paramount asked me to change the ending. They wanted Mookie and Sal to hug and be friends and sing “We Are the World.” They told me this on a Friday; Monday morning we were at Universal.

Whack right?

Here's a little clip from the movie.

Pax.

Video Overload

2008-04-08T11:37:00.004-04:00

Long day? Take a sec to unwind & peep some of Hip Hops new talent. Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. First up to bat we have a big apple native discussing the state of the game. Im kind of tired of cats talking about how Hip Hop is dead, but this one grabbed me. Statik Selektah endorsed.

Reks -Pray For Me
"..been too high on the rims to see the writings on the train.."

Next up from the left coast, we have a City of Angels native. If the name Blu doesn't ring a bell peep his myspace, trust me its worth the listen.

Blu & Exile -Blu Collar Worker

These Voices!

2008-04-08T09:43:00.003-04:00

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you without a post to reflect...

Here's what was on my mind yeterday...

4-7-08

Polyphonic voices speak to me,
Giving contradicting sentiments,
And I feed into them equally.
I stand in between, confused,
As I try, attempt to be objective
And subject myself to different perspectives

All the while, I lose ground
The competition is whippin' my ass!
But in my arsenal rests
Some shit to put their arses to rest:
Synthesis in these voices.
I will make sense.

As these voices are
None other than mine.
The power of my mind,
It's limitless.

I'm making Heaven
In the Hell of my mind.

Nobody's Smiling

2008-03-31T23:46:00.005-04:00

Here's an excerpt from a interview Killer Mike did with NobodySmiling.com.
You gotta applaud real talk like this..

> Some rappers are here just to flip words, get money and move on to the next hustle. To them, Hip Hop is a just a bitch they put out on the stroll. Once it dries up, it’s on to the next trick. Few rappers realize the power of their words and how their rhymes could produce a movement—not just an economic shift towards material things but one towards lasting change. Killer Mike does. Killer Mike is proof to the Bill O’Reilly’s and other uber-conservatives that there are articulate, thoughtful visionaries behind these mics and not just the hoodlums they portray. Many thought Killer Mike would be one and done when his follow up to Monster was shelved indefinitely. Fighting amongst the hierarchy at Purple Ribbon left him in a space few rappers return from, shelfdom. After breaking free from the restrictive situation at Purple Ribbon, he took matters into his own hand creating his own imprint, Grind Time Official and releasing I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind.

... NobodySmiling.com: Speaking of ATL, they’ve been doing a lot of gentrification here knocking some of the inner city housing down.

Killer Mike: Let me tell you something. This is what broke my heart. Are you from Atlanta?

NobodySmiling.com: No, I’m from Chicago.

Killer Mike: One time for Chicago (laughs). I love them brothers. Well do you know anything about Atlanta? You familiar with the “missing and murdered” situation that happened here in the early 80s?

NobodySmiling.com: Somewhat, but tell me more about it.

Killer Mike: Now this is what I mean when I say I’m from the “real Atlanta.” In the early 80s, black boys were being kidnapped, tortured and killed. Wayne Williams was convicted of killing some adult males but the killings never really stopped. On the side of the projects, they had the faces of the victims. They had a boy and a girl with two words that said “care” and “watch.” The city had been so ripped by this serial killer who was killing black children that the attitude of the city had became watch out for one another. Watch out for our children. The cover of Monster was supposed to be that [wall] with me standing in front of it. First they (the Housing Authority) painted over it. That broke my heart. Then they knocked the projects down. I don’t have a problem with housing projects being knocked down because they’re supposed to be temporary; a temporary solution to a permanent problem. You’re supposed to go there, get yourself together in low income housing and move up to better housing. Unfortunately, along with giving us the projects they gave us a slave mentality that allowed for some to stay there for 30 or 40 years. It’s a good thing that the projects are going. It’s a bad that that people don’t have the proper training and resources they need to make the proper transition into full citizenship. And what I mean by that is being acclimated with good jobs, having the opportunity to feed their family, properly educate their children and have the American dream. I’m really into poor people not remaining poor and dependent on the government. But I’m really not with displacing families and growing the homeless situation. Because you got to ask yourself what happens to these women and children that are being kicked out of the projects. But if you go the homeless shelter on 11th street you’ll see what’s happening to them. They’re homeless. The street side of me wants to see the projects stand forever. But the realistic black man in me is saying we have to step up. We gotta do better jobs of taking care of our families. Even if you’re not married to that woman, you gotta pay child support so she can keep a real apartment. You have to try and stick it out with the kids as long as possible and we gotta create alternatives to government dependence.

NobodySmiling.com: In a recent interview, you said the cops were active in Hip Hop. What did you mean by that?

Killer Mike: What I mean by that is that I don’t believe what happened to Tip was a total accident. Have you ever (pauses and points to me)…see, you ain’t from the country. My people are from the country (laughs).

NobodySmiling.com: (Laughs)

Killer Mike: My people are from Alabama, East Georgia so when you want to catch a possum you don’t go out with no gun and just hunt it. You set a trap. You might put as many traps as you want in the woods and leave some food in the traps. The possum which is usually a scavenger about gathering its food sees the trap and is like “aw, man this shit is easy nigga. Nigga, there’s food right there” and the other possum is like “naw, naw don’t do that.” The next thing you know the possum has caught itself. We’re in a situation where if you do music hell yeah you gon’ smoke weed! You gon drink but you have to be wise about the decisions you’re making and how far you’re going to take it. Am I gon’ get caught with an ounce or am I gon’ get caught with a pound of weed? We’re (rappers) seeing and doing something revolutionary and I don’t mean like wearing your Huey P. shirt with your fist in the air. What I mean is that you (rappers) are independently rich. That’s a revolutionary concept in the history of black males in America because you’ve constantly been dependent on the government or massa. You have a million people if you wear your hat like this they wear their hat like that. If you decide to wear tight jeans they wear tight jeans. So what the fuck happens if you say vote for Barack?

NobodySmiling.com: They vote for Barack.

Killer Mike: Exactly. We don’t recognize our power and because we don’t do that we constantly fall into these bogus bullshit traps. The reason I say the Hip Hop police are active and it’s a trap…if I’m a prosecutor and I catch you (pointing to me) with an ounce of weed you’re just a guy, a reporter. What do I have to gain by prosecuting you? But if you catch Killer Mike…oh shit, I told you…He speaks at high schools, fuck that! He got caught with weed. I want to be an US attorney one day. I’m gon’ prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. We are political pawns whether we’re on the inside or the outside. We are something people can use to advance their careers and make their lives easier. The slavery system didn’t stop. It’s called the county, federal and state prison now. Nothing else has changed. So we have to be wise in the decisions we make. I’m just saying I recognize I’m under surveillance. I fully expect that I’m having my pictures taken. They’re probably taking pictures right now but I’m not going to stop telling the truth. So until I die and I’m laid out I’m going to keep telling the truth to my fans.

NobodySmiling.com: So I take it you feel rappers are not using their influence to make big enough changes in their communities?

Killer Mike: I think that black people as a whole have not been taught the difference between charity and philanthropy. Charity is something that makes you feel good and it solves a temporary problem. It’s like feeding a hungry person fish. Philanthropy is something that is good and works at solving a systemic problem. It’s the equivalent of teaching someone how to fish. If you want to know what philanthropy is say names like Rockefeller and look at their endowment funds. Look at the Gates foundation and their endowment fund. Look at the Cox foundation. They are trying to make systemic change that they want to see in the community. So they give their money to United Way because they want to see certain changes in the community and they pay to see those changes effected. As a rapper if I give away sneakers at the beginning of the school year, that’s charity. That’s a good thing. I give away books, sneakers and haircuts every August when kids are going back to school. That’s a charitable donation but philanthropy and creating grassroots movements and systemic change is me supporting a group of kids from kindergarten to 12th grade. Imagine if 150 kids at 1 million dollars per year were given their own charter school from kindergarten to 12th grade. One rapper donated 1 million a year because now we have rappers that are half-a-billionaires. That’s a total of 12 million and if you want to include field trips and shit like that throughout the years you could call it 15 million. So for 15 million dollars you can educate 150 kids purely in business. You can make sure they know Mandarin Chinese so they can involve themselves in trade. You can make sure they know Spanish so they can counteract that NAFTA bullshit all up and through Mexico and Canada. You can do that with the same 15 million that 30 rappers brag about on their half a million dollar chain. We can create systemic change but if these ideas are never introduced…if our lawyers don’t teach us this, if our councilmen don’t teach us this, if our mothers and fathers never knew to teach us this how do we know? So I don’t blame the rappers or the athletes. I’m simply saying it’s time to invest in different types of changes. Temporary change is just that. Permanent change is forever. The only way to do that is to raise the youth differently.

NobodySmiling.com: You said rap was dead on Monster a minute ago and it fell on death ears. Fast forward a couple of years, Nas says it and cats are turning tables over. Why?

Killer Mike: At some point, Dr. King was just a young punk preacher and no one wanted to listen to him. Before it was over, every knee had to bow to what he was saying and that’s the best analogy I can give you. At the time I dropped “Rap is dead” people viewed me as some young punk rapper that no one was going to listen to. But I guarantee you this; every knee is gon’ bow before I’m done.

NobodySmiling.com: Speaking of Nas what are your thoughts on his upcoming album, Nigger?

Killer Mike: Nas has a grand opportunity before him in naming his album Nigger, the same opportunity that Dick Gregory had in naming his book Nigger. A lot of people are not familiar with that. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Dick Gregory was a comedian, politically savvy, conspiracy theorist, activist and an organizer. What he did was put something in a book that was provocative and that caused people to talk and to think and debate. If Nas gives us that type of record, then a dream will be realized. If he does anything short of that it will be a public embarrassment.

NobodySmiling.com: Alright man, last question but 16s in the Kitchen…Next year?

Killer Mike: Next year. I’m not gon’ Detox y’all (laughs). I’m still waiting on Detox like God-dammit Dre. 16s in the Kitchen is coming next year. I’m going to get these Pledges out the way and I swear to God if I’m good now I’ll be able to die after 16s. That’s how great it’s going to be. You hear this trap rap, this crack rap and this other shit but there’s never been a personal story. No one has ever said this is my life, uncovered. This is the story of a teenage mother who was a florist and extremely talented who got into hustling and selling cocaine because white suburban women wanted it. And her young son came to her at 16 and said “you’re going to show me this craft.” He emotionally extorted her. He said “you’re going to show me this craft or I’m going to learn it in the street” so she had to teach him that heinous black craft called the drug trade but did so out of love. It was not because she thought it was some cool shit to do but because she knew her son could not handle himself out there without her guidance and direction. So thank God that my mother loved me enough to even go against the laws of sheer morality and taught me how to sustain and suffice in the streets. So people may say well that’s still not right but I’ve never been to jail because my mother told me if you see the police driving north, it’s your job to walk south. Don’t get caught. My mother taught me that it’s best to do whatever you do on your own and don’t let people know what you’re doing. I didn’t have to read the 48 Laws of Power because my mother gave me 50 (laughs). She was the first person that told me revenge is a plate best served cold. So if you rob me, I’m not gon’ come right back to the trap to kill you and catch me a life sentence. I’ll wait a whole year and you’ll just wake up gone. Meanwhile, I’ll be sitting right next to momma at your funeral like “oh my God Ms. Jackson what happened to him?” My mother taught me that so thank God. I was tutored under one of the best hustlers that this city has ever produced. My mother and her old man were picked up in 90 moving 150 of them things at $5,000 a piece coming out of the Cayman Islands and that’s for real. That’s not for false. That’s not just some rap shit. I ain’t ever put that in a song trying to impress nobody. But my mother, as diabolical a life she’s lead, is a pure and honest woman and thank God for her. 16 in the Kitchen coming soon…

--------------------

ill shit from summer '06
Killer Mike - "That's Life"

Banned from TV: Part 2

2008-03-31T23:06:00.004-04:00

Continued from my last post about the banned Boondocks episodes..

There was also a second episode banned called "The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show"
If you haven't had a chance to check it [by now Big Brother has removed most all streaming videos from the net], here's a link to download the episode.

The Boondocks - The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show pt.1 | pt.2

Conan O'Brien @ HARVARD in 2000

2008-03-31T22:53:00.008-04:00

I'm 8 years late on this..

But this speech is too good not to share. I've been meaning to put this on the blog for a while now, but I haven't been able to find the video, only the text. Alas, I've found the video, but for ya'll who still want to read the written speech, check it:

“I’d like to begin by thanking the class marshals for inviting me here today. The last time I was invited to Harvard it cost me $110,000. So I was reluctant to show up. I’m going to start before I really begin by announcing my one goal this afternoon. I want to be half as funny as tomorrow’s Commencement speaker, moral philosopher and economist Amartya Sen. That’s the job. Must get more laughs than seminal wage-price theoretician. By the way, enjoy that. Bring a calculator. It’s going to be a nerd fest.

Students of the Harvard class of 2000, 15 years ago I sat where you sit now. And I thought exactly what you are now thinking. What’s going to happen to me? Will I find my place in the world? Am I really graduating a virgin? Still have 24 hours. Roommate’s mom very hot. Swear she’s checking me out. There was that Rob Lowe movie.

Being here today, on a sincere note, is very special for me. I do miss this place. I especially miss Harvard Square. Let me tell you, (you don’t know this) Harvard Square is unique. Nowhere else in the world will you find a man wearing a turban and a Red Sox jacket working in a lesbian bookstore. I’m just glad my dad’s working.

It’s particularly sweet for me to be here today because—this is true—when I graduated I wanted very badly to be a Class Day speaker. Unfortunately, my speech was rejected. So if you’ll indulge me I’d like to read a portion of that speech. This is the actual speech from 15 years ago. “Fellow students, as we sit here today listening to that classic A-ha tune which will definitely stand the test of time, I would like to make several predictions about what the future will hold. I believe that one day a simple governor from a small southern state will rise to the highest office in the land. He will lack political skill, but will lead on the sheer strength of his moral authority. I believe that justice will prevail and one day the Berlin Wall will crumble, uniting East and West Berlin forever under Communist rule. I believe that one day a high-speed network of interconnected computers will spring up worldwide, so enriching people that they will lose their interest in idle chitchat and pornography. And finally, I believe that one day I will have a television show on a major network seen by millions of people at night which I will use to reenact crimes and and help catch at-large criminals.” Then I had a section on the death of Wall Street, but you don’t need to hear about that.

The point is that although you see me as a celebrity, a member of the cultural elite, a demigod if you will, and potential husband material, I came here in the fall of 1981 and lived at Holworthy Hall as a student much like you. I was, without exaggeration—this is true—the ugliest picture in the freshman facebook. When Harvard asked me for a picture the previous summer, I thought it was for their records, so I jogged in the August heat to a passport photo office and sat for a morgue shot. To make matters worse, when the facebook came out, they put my picture right next to Catherine Oxenberg, a stunning blonde actress who was expected to join the class of ‘85, but decided to defer admission so she could join the cast of Dynasty. Folks, my photo would have looked bad on any page, but next to Catherine Oxenberg, I looked like a mackerel that had been in a car accident.

You see, in those days, I was 6 feet 4 inches tall and I weighed 150 pounds. True. Recently, I had some structural engineers run those numbers into a computer model, and according to the computer, I collapsed in 1987, killing hundreds in Taiwan.

After freshman year, I moved to Mather House. Mather House, incidentally, was designed by the same firm that built Hitler’s bunker. In fact, if Hitler had conducted the war from Mather House, he would have shot himself a year earlier. Saved us a lot of trouble.

1985 seems like a long time ago now. When I had my Class Day, you students would have been seven years old. Seven years old! You realize what that means? Back then I could have beaten any of you in a fight. And I mean really badly. Like no contest at all. If anyone here has a time machine, seriously, I will kick your seven-year-old butt right now.

A lot has happened in 15 years though. When you think about it, we come from completely different worlds. When I graduated in 1985, we watched movies starring Tom Cruise and listened to music by Madonna. I come from a time when we huddled around the TV set and watched the Cosby Show on NBC, never imagining that there would one day be a show called Cosby on CBS. In 1985 we drove cars with driver’s-side air bags. But if you had told us that one day there would be passenger-side air bags, we’d have burned you for witchcraft.

Of course I think there is some common ground between us. I remember well the great uncertainty of this day, the anxiety. Many of you are justifiably nervous about leaving the safe, comfortable world of Harvard Yard and hurling yourself headlong into the cold, harsh world of Harvard grad school, a plum job in your father’s firm, or a year abroad with a gold Amex card and then a plum job at your father’s firm. Let me assure you that the knowledge you gained here at Harvard is a precious gift that will never leave you. Take it from me, your education is yours to keep forever. Why, many of you have read the Merchant of Florence, and that will inspire you when you travel to the island of Spain. Your knowledge of that problem they had with those people in Russia, or that guy in South America—you know, the guy—will be with you for the rest of your life.

There’s also sadness today. A feeling of loss that you’re leaving Harvard forever. Let me assure you that you never really leave Harvard. The Harvard fundraising committee will be on your ass until the day you die.

This is true. I know for a fact that right now a member of the alumni association is at the Mount Auburn Cemetery shaking down the corpse of Henry Adams. They heard he has a brass toe ring and they aim to get it. These people just raised $2.5 billion and they only got through the Bs in the alumni directory. Here’s basically how it works. Your phone rings, usually after a big meal when you’re tired and most vulnerable, and a voice asks you for money. Knowing—you’ve read in the paper—that they just raised $2.5 billion, you ask, “What do you need it for?” There is a long pause, and the voice on the other end of the line says, “We don’t need it, we just want it.” (Sinister laugh).

Let me see—by your applause—who here wrote a thesis? That’s nice. A lot of hard work went into that thesis. And no one is ever going to care. I wrote a thesis—this is true, I don’t lie—“Literary Progeria in the Works of Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner.” Let’s just say that during my discussions with Pauly Shore, it doesn’t come up much. For three years after graduation I wanted to show it to everyone, and so I kept my thesis in the glove compartment of my car, so that I could show it to a policeman in case I was pulled over.

What else can you expect in the real world? Let me tell you. As you leave these gates and re-enter society, one thing is certain. Everyone out there is going to hate you. Never tell anyone in a roadside diner that you went to Harvard. In those situations, the correct response to, “Where did you go to school?” is “School? I never had much in the way of book learnin’ and such.” And then get in your BMW and get the hell out of there. Go.

You see, kids, you’re in for a lifetime of “And you went to Harvard?” Accidentally give the wrong amount of change in a transaction, and it’s “And you went to Harvard?” Ask at the hardware store how the jumper cables work, and hear “And you went to Harvard?” Forget just once that your underwear goes inside your pants, and it’s “And you went to Harvard?” Get your head stuck in your niece’s doll house ‘cause you want to see what it’s like to be a giant, and it’s “Uncle Conan, you went to Harvard?”

So you really know what’s in store for you after Harvard, I have to tell you what happened to me after graduation. I’m going to tell it simply, I’m going to tell it honestly, because, first of all, I think my perspective may give many of you hope, and, secondly, it’s such a cool, amazing rush to be in front of 6,000 people and just talk about yourself. It’s just great. It’s so cool. And I can take my time.

You see, kids, after graduating in May, I moved to Los Angeles. I got a three-week contract at a small cable show. I got a $380-a-month apartment, a terrible dump, and I bought a 1977 Isuzu Opal, a car Isuzu only manufactured for a year because they found out that technically it’s not a car. Quick tip, graduates—no four-cylinder used vehicle should have a racing stripe.

So I worked on that show for about a year, feeling pretty good about myself, when one day they told me that they were letting me go. I was fired. I hadn’t saved any money. So I tried to get another job in television as best I could and couldn’t find one. So with nowhere else to turn-true story—I went to a temp agency and filled out a questionnaire. I made damn sure that they knew I had been to Harvard, that I had written this thesis, and that I expected the very best treatment. And so the next day I was sent to the Santa Monica branch of Wilson’s House of Suede and Leather.

When you have a Harvard degree, and you are working at Wilson’s House of Suede and Leather, you are haunted by the ghostly images of your classmates who chose graduate school. You see their faces everywhere—in coffee cups, in fish tanks, you think you’re going crazy, and they’re always laughing at you as you stack suede shirts no man in good conscience would ever wear.

I tried a lot of things during this period. Acting in corporate infomercials. Serving drinks in a nonequity theater. I even took a job entertaining at a seven year-old’s birthday party. In desperate need of work, I put together some sketches and scored a job at the fledgling Fox network as a writer and performer for a brainy show called the “Wilton North Report.” I was finally on a network and really excited. The producer told me the show was going to revolutionize television. And, in a way it did. The show was so hated and did so badly that when four weeks later news of its cancellation was announced to the Fox affiliates, they burst into spontaneous applause.

Eventually, though, I got a big break. I had submitted along with my writing partner a batch of sketches to Saturday Night Live, and after a year and a half they read it, and they gave us a two-week tryout. The two weeks turned into two seasons, and I felt, hey, this is success, I’m successful now. Successful enough to write a TV pilot for an original sitcom. When the network decided to make it, feeling good, I left Saturday Night Live.

This TV show was going to be groundbreaking. It was going to resurrect the career of TV’s Batman, Adam West. It was going to be a comedy without a laugh track or a studio audience. It was going to change all the rules. And here’s what happened. When the pilot aired, it was the second-lowest-rated television show of all time. It is actually tied with a test pattern they show up in Nova Scotia.

So I was 28 and, once again, no job. I had good writing credits in New York, but I was filled with disappointment and I had no idea what I was going to do next. And that is when the Simpsons saved my life. I got a job there and started writing episodes about Springfield getting a monorail or Homer going to college. I was finally putting my Harvard education to good use—writing dialogue for a man who is so stupid that in one episode he forgot to make his own heart beat. Life was good.

And then an insane, inexplicable opportunity came my way, a chance to audition for host of the new “Late Night” show. I took the opportunity very seriously, but at the time—I have to be honest—I had the relaxed confidence of someone who knew he had no real shot, so I couldn’t fear losing a great job that I could never hope to have. And I think that actually that attitude made the difference.

I will never forget being in the Simpsons recording basement that morning when the phone rang. It was for me. My car was blocking a firelane. But a week later I got another call and got the job. So this, finally, was undeniably it. The truly life-altering break that I had always dreamed of. And so I went to work. I gathered all my funny friends and poured all my years of comedy experience into building the show over the summer. I gathered the talent, figured out the sensibility, found Max, found Andy, found my people. We debuted on September 13, 1993, and I was really happy, really happy, with our effort. I felt like I had seized the moment, that I had put my very best foot forward.

And this was what the most respected and widely read television critic, Tom Shales, wrote in the Washington Post. “O’Brien is a living collage of annoying nervous habits. He giggles and jiggles about and fiddles with his cuffs. He has dark, beady little eyes like a rabbit. He is one of the whitest white men ever. O’Brien is a switch on the guest who won’t leave: he’s the host who should never have come. Let the Late Show with Conan O’Brien become the late Late Show, and may the host return to whence he came.” There’s more, but it gets kind of mean.

Needless to say, I took a lot of criticism, some of it deserved, some of it excessive, and, to be honest with you, it hurt like you would not believe. But I’m telling you all this for a reason. I’ve had a lot of success. I’ve had a lot of failure. I’ve looked good. I’ve looked bad. I’ve been praised. And I’ve been criticized. But my mistakes have been necessary. I’ve dwelled on my failures today because, as graduates of Harvard, your biggest liability is your need to succeed, your need to always find yourself on the sweet side of the bell curve. Success is a lot like a bright white tuxedo. You feel terrific when you get it, but then you’re desperately afraid of getting it dirty, of spoiling it.

I left the cocoon of Harvard, I left the cocoon of Saturday Night Live, I left the cocoon of the Simpsons. And each time it was bruising and tumultuous. And yet every failure was freeing, and today I’m as nostalgic for the bad as I am for the good. So that’s what I wish for all of you—the bad as well as the good. Fall down. Make a mess. Break something occasionally. Know that your mistakes are your own unique way of getting to where you need to be. And remember that the story is never over.

If you’ll indulge me for just a second, I’d like to read a little something from just this year. “Somehow, Conan O’Brien has transformed himself into the brightest star in the late-night firmament. His comedy is the gold standard, and Conan himself is not only the quickest and most inventive wit of his generation, but quite possibly the greatest host ever.”

Ladies and gentlemen, class of 2000, I wrote that this morning. As proof that when all else fails, you always have delusion. I will go now to make bigger mistakes and to embarrass this fine institution even more. But let me leave you with one last thought. If you can laugh at yourself, loud and hard, every time you fall, people will think you’re drunk.

Thank you.”

Floyd Mayweather vs. The Big Show

2008-03-31T20:03:00.001-04:00

"Wooooooow" -Kia Shine

9th Speaks on What He Does Best

2008-03-31T15:57:00.001-04:00

incarcerated scarfaces

2008-03-23T20:33:00.004-04:00

check this '95 madness..

Banned From TV

2008-03-21T05:08:00.007-04:00

The Boondocks episode "The Hunger Strike" is one of two episodes banned because BET couldn't handle the truth.

This is one of the funniest Boondocks I've seen. I see why BET didn't want it to come out. Dumb move on their part, by causing all the controversy, they only peaked everyone's interest.

Maybe I was just a dumb kid, but coming up, BET wasn't like it is now. I remember the o.g. Rap City, where Hip-Hop took center stage, and real emcees kicked real freestyles in the basement; and I remember Teen Summit where black students talked about real issues that affected the majority of black youth. There was a time when BET wasn't just an MTV knock-off, prostituting black culture, doing Jim Crow's job for him. I don't blame BET for the state of Black America, but they've done their share. The pricks black-balled the show to make sure this episode would never be aired, but they'll air any show that's self-destructive to our society at large as long as it will make $.

But nevertheless, this episode is a side splittin, knee slappin, gut bustin public service announcement: TURN OFF THE TV!

When the episode was banned everyone hoped that we would get our hands on it somehow. Well, it's leaked now (thanks God for the internet).. and here it is for you leeches.

To download go here.

---------------------------

Listen to this '98 posse joint by NORE, Nature, Big Pun, Jadakiss, and Styles "Banned from TV"

M. Def is a Fool..Lol

2008-03-18T10:01:00.004-04:00

Obama speaks on Hip Hop

2008-03-12T00:30:00.002-04:00

Here is a video of Barack Obama speaking out on Hip Hop. Pay close attention to his closing remarks, i effs with Obama.I'm just hoping he doesn't go Oprah on us once he gets in the WH.

Throwback Funnys

2008-03-12T00:17:00.003-04:00

Here are few commercials from back in the day, that i remember seeing during my daily TV time.

Aaron Burrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I felt the Chemistry

Vatican Updates 7 deadly Sins

2008-03-12T00:06:00.002-04:00

1.Polluting

2.Genetic engineering

3.Obscene riches

4.Taking drugs

5.Abortion

6.pedophilia

7.Causing social injustice

click here to read more

The Almighty ZigZag

2008-03-04T23:38:00.007-05:00

Back on my 90's steez, heres Mo Money Mo Murder; the track that birthed my AZ appreciation. Because of Illmatic I heard AZ on the mic before, but it wasn't until this track graced my ears that i started listening to his catalog. With Nas' descriptive story telling & AZ's rhythmic Brownsville flow, their work is nothing less than classic material. It would make my year to hear another AZ Nas collaboration on either of their upcoming albums. But whats the chances of that happening. Nostalgia is a bitch. Here's another AZ track i cant get enough of...

AZ's Undeniable is due out April 1st, below are my 3 favorite leaked joints...

AZ-Fire
AZ-Undeniable
AZ-Superstar

Evergreen State College vs. The Pigs (revisted..)

2008-02-29T09:32:00.004-05:00

For the sake of fairness, I must post this video.

The first post I dropped about this "riot" was based on information provided by the policemen - and we all know there is always more than one side of a story. This is a video presented by The Hip Hop Congress chapter on ESC's campus (the sponsors of the St. Valentine's Day event that lead to the uprising). Their intent is to clear up the confusion about the incident, and to share a fair explanation of what led to it. People will always have you believe something so take it for what it's worth...

I Know

2008-02-26T21:30:00.005-05:00

"I Know" is one of the coldest songs on Jay's latest album American Gangster. The new video is out of left field for Jay. A lot of people are gonna say it's whack. It looks like some girls on a mushroom trip. Check it out...

Static

2008-02-25T23:42:00.006-05:00

Here's a poem I wrote last week; it took me all of 10 minutes to write--I hadn't written anything in over 2 weeks...

Repeat it!

The pen is my pistol and I grip it like a glock
To demand mankind's attention,
And threaten their perceptions;
Strangling ideologies and debunking so-called "given-truths".

Lately I've been going through some things.
Nineteen, forced to face my destiny,
And realize my potential.
I've learned to value these transgressions,
And take the fruit from this tree of experience;
Breaking my bones, living to learn.

I have to learn to live.
Relearn to write, that is, do right.
Do right, so that I may rewrite
The true reflection of my life
With new eyes, formerly crossed.
Which had my mind tossed, lost in a daze,
Fazed by the fake face of my foolish fate.
The image is blown up so I can adjust the pixilated face,
Blurred reality in a real piteous perspective...

Therefore, my intro is subservient to my conclusion
As should be...
Repeated. Repeat it. Again: Repeated

The pen is my pistol and I grip it like a glock...
Demanding man's perceptions and strangling fallacious truths!

Through repetition throughout time
My purpose remains static...

Repeat it. Repeated. re-peat it!

alife sessions

2008-02-24T00:50:00.003-05:00

circa summer 06

Back in July 2006, John Mayer and Just Blaze performed an improv set for an invite-only audience at the courtyard of the Alife Rivington Club in New York. I just came across the full-length footage a few days ago, and I thought I might share.

This unusual combination turned out real ill. Take a look for yourself..

my suggestion: turn it on, and start cleaning your room. by the time you're done, you will have taken a joyride courtesy of Just & Johnny - the acoustic hip hop sound is crazy.

"Profoundly Disturbing" -New York Times

2008-02-23T12:08:00.006-05:00

FUNNY GAMES seems like my kind of movie. It's a frame-by-frame replica of an 1997 Australian movie of the same name. It stars my homie Micheal Pitt and Brady Corbet. The movie depicts the torture of an innocent family by two young men for no real reason, and without any emotion. The movie is made from an innovative and haunting perspective that lets the violence unfold with a casual cruelty, that isn't dramatized in the least bit. Among the director's intentions is to satirize and make a social commentary on Hollywood's obsession with high-flying, holocaust level horror. All in all, it should be a good effin movie.

speaking of Micheal Pitt. check out the new Mass Appeal mag - he's on the cover and its a pretty dope issue.

City of Men

2008-02-23T11:13:00.003-05:00

Previously from the Good Sport squad: City of God

City of God is one of the best films of modern day cinema [if you ask me]. It's ill in all the ways a movie needs to be.
It was so innovative and inspirational that it spawned a spin-off TV series called "City of Men." that series had 5 seasons. That show was in turn developed into a movie of its own. It dropped internationally last month, and it's coming to America next week, Feb 29th.

It's not written by the same writers of City of God, but with any hope, it will atleast approach the level of artistic expression that City of God reached. The trailer is here, what do you think?

St. Valentine's Day Massacre

2008-02-23T08:43:00.006-05:00

Evergreen State College - Olympia, Washington

This type of shit makes me smile.

From what I can tell, the police did nothing wrong, for once.

There was "dead prez" a concert on campus on St. Valentine's Day, and it got pretty live (just as you would expect a dead prez concert to be, anything less would be a bummer). Allegedly, around 1:30 am, a full on brawl broke out in the crowd, and a policeman broke it up. That lone officer arrested one student, and that arrest sparked a fire in the audience. The crowd then surrounded the officer, complaining about the unfair arrest and demanded that he let the perp go.

>> Then dead prez began to play one of the tracks from "Revolutionary But Gangsta" called "Fuck the Police", and crowd got hyphy on that ass. They followed the officer as he called for back-up. More policemen arrived and helped the policeman escape from the crowd. When the police tried to leave, outside the concert the crowd started to throw rocks and pepper-spray the policemen. The officers fled but one police car wouldn't start. When the car didn't start, the crowd trashed it - smashed the windows, beat craters into it, spray-painted it, and even flipped the whip.

Finally, the SWAT team dispersed the crowd of students, and no arrests were made.
I think even the kid that was arrested in the beginning got away too.

Check this live footage of how it went down..

more info: Kiro TV News

Problems of the World Today...

2008-02-23T06:18:00.012-05:00

Here's an interesting find. These works are part of a flag campaign from Grande Reportagem, a magazine from Lisbon, Portugal. There pretty much self explanatory...props to Grotesk on 12oz...

"The magazine Revista Grande Reportagem is a Hard Journalism magazine, on the same line as the Times. The idea was to bring across the concept that the magazine offers profound journalism about topics of real importance to the world of today. This is how we thought of the concept Meet the World.We started to research relevant, global, and current facts and, thus, came up with the idea to put new meanings to the colours of the flags. We used real data taken from the websites of Amnesty International and the UNO."

more info...

New World Order

2008-02-20T13:27:00.006-05:00

Im speechless after watching this. This is some Big Brother, 1984 shit that is going to happen in a matter of years if we don't make ourselves aware...

Props to IRAKNY

UPDATE: This clip is from a documentary called the Zeitgeist Movie (kinda like Fahrenheit 9/11 type steez). The movie speaks for itself.. check it out if you're interested. Have your roundtable of friends ready to talk about this, it'll be a good one.

Augs

2008-02-19T20:21:00.007-05:00

Recently, with this whole street wear fiasco, OG graff artists have been getting upped by the industry. But the old heads ain't the only ones with skill. This young cat, Augor, is a breath of fresh air to the game. If you havent heard already, Augs & Revok added their own spin on this Murakami billboard (above). Murakami was so impressed by the additions that he had the billboard removed & sent to Japan. With monsterous lettering styles & heaven spots galore; how could you not admire? Artists like Augs prove that graff culture still thrives.

Here's the trailer to Piece Of Mind; a documentary he's included in that has yet to be released...

Luchini

2008-02-18T19:58:00.004-05:00

Recently I've been bumping Camp Lo, reflecting on that 90s vibe. Nahmean? I'm a 80s baby, but the 90s raised me. If Camp Lo sounds unfamiliar peep the clip below...

Ring a bell? Well here's a link to their new track...

Camp Lo - Lumdi

Flashing Lights

2008-02-13T13:39:00.003-05:00

Wow. Kanye got murked...

This might not be the full version though, we'll keep you posted...

More 'Dope Art'

2008-02-12T23:49:00.004-05:00

Here's some official Irak presidential trading cards, get em while there hot (mad limited)...

Earsnot called it, black prez 2008...

via IrakNY

Grammy Family

2008-02-12T01:17:00.000-05:00

Mr.West took home 4 awards...figures that i miss it. (damn i need a tv)
Best Rap Song (Goodlife)
Best Rap Album (Graduation)
Best Rap Solo (Stronger)
& Best Rap Performance by a duo or group (Southside)
But watch how the producers tried to play him during his acceptance speech. Effing haters...

K.West x Daft Punk followed by Hey Mama

Thank You Jay Dee

2008-02-10T11:46:00.000-05:00

(February 7, 1974–February 10, 2006)

This man changed my life. Eargasmic is the only word that really describes my personal discovery of Dilla's work. At the time i was on my Little Brother steez; amazed by the '9th wonder sound.' But once i heard Dilla's catalog i fell in love. If it has a Dilla beat ill bump it, it doesn't even matter how wack a verse is. ATCQ, Slum Village, Common, & Busta Rhymes are just a few of the 90s Hip Hop artists he produced for; among many others.

Below are links to the Thank You Jay Dee podcasts, Acts I-III. (mixed by J.Rocc) Each one of these consist of Dilla produced tracks, along with unreleased material & instrumentals. Zone out right quick, the sound speaks for itself...

Thank You Jay Dee: Act I
Thank You Jay Dee: Act II
Thank You Jay Dee: Act III

Dope Art

2008-02-06T11:25:00.000-05:00

Bobby Knight!

2008-02-05T23:40:00.000-05:00

This guy is one of the craziest college basketball coaches ever. Here's a top ten countdown of his 'moments' that I came across on the irak blog, effing hilarious...

light reading..

2008-02-05T13:06:00.000-05:00

Kanye has been working on this book of short quips and shit for a while.
I might have to grab this and Ghostface's book we told ya'll about a lil while ago,The World According to Pretty Toney. Both of these look like good additions to anyone's coffee table..

forget about it..

2008-02-05T06:16:00.000-05:00

ATTN: DC/METRO AREA

FRIDAY

CLUB 9:30

$ 12

No Dress Code, No Age Limit, No Drinking & No Smoking

just good wholesome fun...so my suggestion is - come wasted, meet cool people, and leave with a jump-off on each arm.

SQUARES STAY HOME or get stomped out..

One time for your mind..

2008-02-05T05:02:00.000-05:00

Two of the best things to happen to Hip-Hop in recent memory,
9th Wonder and Travis McCoy met up about a week ago to kick it and toss around some ideas.

Whatever they're cookin up has gotta be stupid!

9th Wonder's latest album, "The Wonder Years", was supposed to drop last week. I haven't seen it up for sale (or download) yet, but I'm sure I'll get my hands on it soon - bear with me..

9th Wonder describes the album's sound as 'classic R&B with a current [Hip-Hop] twist' - sounds like trademark 9th to me. The difference with this album is that he wants to reach a broader audience. He's trying to give Hip-Hop heads an alternative to the usual Rap/R&B you hear on the radio and TV. There are features by Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Little Brother, Erykah Badu, and more.

Here's one of the tracks that leaked off the album called "Only Knew" featuring Styles P. and some R&B dude. lol.
(I tried to get a Zshare link for ya'll but that site's cuttin up right now.)

Gym Class Heroes has a new album coming later this year titled "Music on a CD". Aside from GCH, Travis has also been working on his side projects with Bernie Allen (Schleprok & SEI1) and Tequila Mockingbird (Travis & Nicholas Scimeca).

Here's a link to the original Bernie Allen LP, "Who Is Bernie Allen?". Don't take that lightly...this is one of my favorite joints - Bernie Allen is the illest. Travis does some of his best emceeing on this one. I can't wait to see what they do when they re-work this for an official release.

Big Things Poppin in '08 [Free T.I.]!!

Lupe's Album Signing @ JR Music World in nyc

2008-02-05T01:14:00.000-05:00

Had to go home for this one folks...
Meeting Lupe & a Super Bowl W = Dope Weekend

VANS by Taka Hyashi

2008-02-05T01:04:00.000-05:00

No info on when or where they're dropping, but Vans aren't usually too hard to find.

Nevermind all that - these joints are sick. See for yourself..

#1 in the hood, G

2008-02-04T00:03:00.000-05:00

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is the gateway drug to a wide selection of cracked out cartoons. My first fix had me dying; i never experienced such magnitude of laughter tears. Now I'm an all around Adult Swim fan, junkie if you will. Recently a season 5 dvd has been released, & the new season 6 episodes air Sunday nights at 11:45. You can catch these & reruns on youtube or adultswim... & in honor of the new Super Bowl champions heres a clip of Carl talking about the Giant's victory...

Carl has minisodes for almost every week of this past football season, look for these on the above links as well. Fair warning* this isn't for everyone, hate it or love it...

GS got it for cheap!

2008-02-03T23:30:00.000-05:00

Free 99. The Third installment is a banger, download & listen for yourself...

WeGotItForCheap3
the password is readmoretalkless

Instant Winner Skate Tour | Summer '07| Revisited..

2008-02-02T17:17:00.000-05:00

Let's take a moment and notice how dope this video is..
it's fuckin insane

Everything about it is ill: the actual footage, the score, the skating
and i bet it would have been fun as hell on tour with them.

the American Nightmare

2008-02-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

this is guaranteed to spur a real talk session..

Biterphobia

2008-02-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

Eminem is the illest.
He doesn't have it like he used to - but when he was at his best, he was one of the best.

Here's a really old track [I'm assuming pre-"Infinite" days] that I came across on YouTube.
It's really low quality, but check it out, you might like..

Zeser

2008-01-31T12:04:00.000-05:00

This guy is a beast. Being a member of MSK, the New England Patriots of graffiti, you must have skills. Here's a interview he did in the latest issue of Massappeal...

"I was catching bombs from the start, but I was a bus writer 'cause that was my only way to get around in the city. At the beginning it was harder 'cause you had to worry about gangsters, police and heros. Nowadays it's less hectic, but you always got to worry about the one day your luck will run out. There's not alot for me to talk about [different tactics in other] cities 'cause I never really went out there to go meet people. I just did what I did and kept to my crew. [At least] I don't gotta worry about people shooting at me.

"LA is not like other cities where you can find places easily to write on. It's given me a better eye to catching hard to reach spots. [Climbing has] been an LA thing for awhile and a part of what i like to do, that's what keeps me pushing to do what I do. I never really had anybody to push me [to paint], I just had a heart for the game. There's been a few turning points that have kept me active throughout the years, [like] when one of my friends, Ayer, passed away. I felt like I got a second wind to keep pushing myself in memorial of him so people could remember him through my street work. There's more graffiti than before [here in LA] and there's a few new comers that are gonna hold it down for awhile."

His style speaks for itself, and after watching this clip you know he isn't playing around. Climbing freeway signs just to catch a tag? Over traffic? Talk about putting in work...

Glow in the Dark Tour

2008-01-31T10:05:00.001-05:00

MADDNESS!

Ron Paul Speaks Out

2008-01-30T23:47:00.000-05:00

Use These Real Eyes to Realize The Real Lies

2008-01-30T23:46:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite spoken word artists, Shihan. This one is kinda old, but I still love it!

I Write The Poems That Make People Believe Love Still Exists.
Don't Talk About Causes Unless You Have One You're Willing To Die For.
House Poets and Field Poets are still Poets.
Keep Talking. You Only Make Me Stronger.
From Stranger To Neighbor To Savior

Check him out... and on MySpace...

GUMisGood

2008-01-30T19:58:00.000-05:00

New Orbit Flavor its pretty tasty

-This might be my most randomest post ever...but I thought it was interesting since most of us chew gum daily not knowing the benefits.Check out this article I found during my daily internet browsing.

*mynewsmile.com

Chewing gum is good for your teeth

That chewing gum is bad for your teeth is one of those old myths that is still hanging around. Those who perpetuate this myth are of the school of thought that decrees that anything you enjoy has to be bad for you and that suffering is the way to heaven.

Are you ready for this? Chewing gum is actually good for your teeth. There, we said it.

Let's go one step further. If you're out and about and don't have access to a toothbrush and toothpaste, this is the second-best alternative to brushing your teeth. With one reservation, and that is the sugar issue. If you chew only while the sugar lasts and then throw it away, you will get a sugar attack on your teeth and won't see the benefits. But if you chew it for longer, it helps clean your teeth.

The actual gum is pretty inert. It isn't digestible and it doesn't promote decay. It does two things. First, it mechanically cleans the surfaces of your teeth as you chew. Second, and possibly the most beneficial, it promotes the flow of saliva. Here's why that is good:

Saliva is great stuff. Besides having enzymes that digest carbohydrates, it has antibodies that fight decay-causing bacteria, it contains buffers that neutralize the acids that eat at your teeth, and it contains minerals that help rebuild parts of your teeth that have been attacked by decay acid. This repair process by your saliva is a very important part of fighting tooth decay. So when you chew chewing gum and stimulate the flow of saliva, you have all these good things happening in your mouth.

Pacific Division - Woman Problems

2008-01-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

Fellas, we can all relate to this track; all three verses had me cosigning. lol Watch out for these cats from Cali, and peep the Howard reference.

Women Problems

Add to My Profile | More Videos

props to 2dopeboyz.com

Macbook AIR available TODAY!!!

2008-01-29T11:42:00.000-05:00

All you mac lovers head over to Apple, and pick up the new Air.Get me one while your at it....sike..i'll pass.

Kennedy x Obama

2008-01-29T11:27:00.001-05:00

The daughter of former President John F. Kennedy is supporting Mr.Obama's run for presidency. Check out this article in the NY Times the other day...

Presidential Election Quiz

2008-01-29T11:09:00.000-05:00

Throughout all the hype of this Presidential Election many individual's decisions on who they are voting for have been biased based on the candidates race and/or gender.Billary being favored by former president Clinton supporters as well as women. Mr.Obama by the African American community.I think it is rather embarassing for the Democratic party and( on a side note) if you had a chance to tune into to any of the debates in the past few weeks you can see the Democrats going head to head and getting personal in particular Billary and Mr.Obama.I'm not going to reveal to my choice of candidate but maybe this QUIZ @ glassbooth can assist you.... ---> Glass Booth <----

I dont know if I should laugh at this pic of not..lol sorry Billary

Appalling

"Obey your thirst, kid"

2008-01-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

A trip down memory lane... back when we thought commercializing hip-hop was a good idea.

Cousin Frank

2008-01-28T23:37:00.000-05:00

GHOST ris is a big contributor to the New York graffiti movement during the 80's and early 90's. Like most legends, he's just now beginning to receive the props he deserved ten years ago. Better late than never. Nowadays he's doing legal pieces and collaborations with companies like Zoo York & Stussy; not to mention he still gets up. Speaking of Stussy, here's a clip of a piece he did at the San Fran shop...

...& here's a teaser trailer of his upcoming documentary entitled, you guessed it, Ghost...

...this is a cat you draw inspiration from. I did, much respect due.

Mike 23

2008-01-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

Ill caps from the folk at Mike 23. As you can tell, the Good Sport team has love for the bull - but these dudes have designed an entire clothing line inspired by His Airness himself.

These are the latest releases by Mike23 after a long time away from the game. Take a closer look..

Just like Honey

2008-01-28T22:44:00.000-05:00

Erykah Badu about to drop her 5th studio album on February 26th.
It's called New Amerykah. I don't know too much about Erykah, except that her singles are always ill get high tunes, with a meaning - but looking at this video, the album might be a good look.

peep the album cover:

i like the cover for her other single, "Healer", better:

How many of the albums in Erykah Badu's video can you name?

Hip Hop, you're the love of my life..

2008-01-27T02:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a clip from the finale episode of the Arsenio Hall Show back in 1994. This is a cypher with some of Hip Hop's finest from the early 90's. As a kid from the "MTV Generation", this reminds me of the times when rappers used to flow with a purpose, for the art, or just to plain ol' have fun.

Check it out, classic ish..

Ay Bay Bay!

2008-01-24T23:17:00.000-05:00

First impressions can be very deceptive. Especially when it comes to raw talent. I can really see why one would come out with some catchy tune, in contrast to some raw rap shit. But damn! This kid, Hurricane Chris can spit! I mean really spit. Here's a freestyle.

Point Taken

2008-01-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

Even though Big Doe Rehab ain't fucking with Fishscale or More Fish, I felt mad guilty after watching this. My bad Ghost, ima go cop it this weekend...

Props to Nahright

Infection

2008-01-18T23:04:00.000-05:00

I really love short poems. That's why I try to keep my shit concise...

“Spending time writing rhymes, trying to find words to describe the vibe, that’s inside the space when you close your eyes and screw your face…” -Mos Def "Love"

Infection

A face littered with the infected mist
From the stars it falls
Sitting, penetrating, melting, dissolving
Decimating: exposing the real.

Seals dart out the mouth
Running from the inflamed tongue of fire
A demon scheming...
It's mean and demeaning....

-Khalid Rashid

GTA 4 Delay Delay Delay!!!

2008-01-14T00:37:00.000-05:00

So I made my way into Gamestop today to find out that GTA 4 has been pushed back once again. Yep April 1st is projected release date..::sigh::..Gives me time to save up for my HDTV..

Some Piff

2008-01-14T00:21:00.000-05:00

http://freehiphopnow.com/artists.php

The Roots Crew

2008-01-13T02:28:00.000-05:00

These cats are living legends in my book. Over the years they've produced some of the finest material hip-hop has to offer. Longevity is key. Heres a small selection of tracks that have been in my rotation lately, enjoy.

Some Literary Exercise Shit...

2008-01-08T03:02:00.000-05:00

Artwork by, Andy Warhol

Just some random shit I pulled out the head while listening to Jay's "La La La." I really just wanted to post some writing that came from my sleepy mind...

La La La - Jay-Z

3 AM Ramble...

My sight’s blurry
Mind’s in a hurry
My mouth speaks the fury
Mine hands have carried…
My mind’s a mine filled with booty
Treasure, that is…

The Kid has stolen the wisdom
And devoured knowledge like cereal for breakfast
Call me the clever Trix Rabbit
Who steals for Kix and my fetish for kicks
And throws back strong liquors
Murdering conceptions of intelligence
In a quasi-Socratic method
Reminiscent of Mos Def in The Questions
They hate when I inquire…
I don’t have an ID
Guess I’m a rebel
With a cause…
To prove that
The truth is often false…

My Girl, Gabby

2008-01-07T15:23:00.000-05:00

When thinking about all the ladies that I could see myself being with, the one who continues to top the list is the lady I first met around 2000 in Bring it On... Gabrielle Union, damn! I don't care if you with me or not. I just gotta get this shit out...

Here's an article from HipHopDX where she discusses how she caught her break and her analysis of diversity in Hollywood.

In addition to a remarkable booty, she also has a sociology degree from UCLA...

Yo Jake! If you read this, thanks for the link... lol!

Jay-Z ft. Nas - Success

2007-12-26T22:56:00.000-05:00

lmao

gotta get to Japan...

2007-12-23T18:38:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-12-23T12:50:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-12-22T23:41:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-20T23:51:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-20T23:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-18T13:57:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-18T06:45:00.000-05:00

New Mishka Tees @ Pop-Up Store

2007-12-16T16:54:00.000-05:00

Can't wait to go back home..

The Hardest Out

2007-12-15T15:47:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-15T15:30:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-12-15T15:03:00.001-05:00

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

2007-12-13T03:04:00.000-05:00

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

Graffiti Gold in Soho...

2007-12-13T00:21:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-12T16:38:00.000-05:00

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

MTV Leaks the Cool...

2007-12-11T15:45:00.000-05:00

*Preview of The Cool

If I Die Tomorrow

2007-12-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

"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!

2007-12-10T07:14:00.000-05:00

[expletive] finals...

Supra x Bk Projects

2007-12-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

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

Wasalu @ Hofstra University

2007-12-08T14:03:00.000-05:00

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

* Thanks to Brandee for the Pics <3

Word of the Day

2007-12-07T13:49:00.000-05:00

appall:
v. to fill with horror or dismay.

Rashid Hadee

2007-12-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

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...