Friday, May 29, 2009

Self Inflicted pain...or is it?


Yesterday on the news after the game, I heard that a cop was shot in Harlem and was in critical condition. Though unfortunate, I didn't think much of it until I found out more info. The shots fired were from the home team, the boys in blue, and surprisingly he is Black. What do they have...brown seeking bullets? smh The last three officers mentioned in the article who were shot are all men of color...Omar Brown, Christopher Ridley, and Eric Hernandez.

Click here for the current NY Times article

There's also another article you should check out by Sewell Chan entitled A Troubling History of Officers Firing on Colleagues...is that even the word? Thoughts are welcome

Temple U. Free Style

Basically, these cats meet at the Bell Tower on Temple's campus every Friday at 1 to have these ciphers. Gotta admit I was skeptical, but these dudes are alright and got a little unique sound/vibe going on in the video. Shout out Drew out doing his thing towards the end with the Harmonica too and for putting me on to the video. Let everybody know what you think.

Blackstar BACK


If you ain't know!...I understand, because I didn't either. This Saturday May 30th at the Nokia Theater Blackstar is returning to NYC for not just 1 but 2 shows in one day. This is an extremely joyous occasion for me and other Hip-Hop heads around the globe. Unfortunately, I've got a bunch of other things to take care of, but you all should check it out if you have a chance. Sometimes, promoters or event organizers leave you hanging with weak openers, but they brought some heavy hitters. 88 Keys, Black Violins, and Mad Decent's own BLAQSTARR.

Buy tickets here

Thursday, May 28, 2009

N.O.R.E. (Ni**as On the Run Eatin')...WTF?


I am not a fan of Melvin Flint the Hustla by any stretch of the imagination, but I am still willing to admit that he drops like one hot song for every 50 he puts out. Hell, if that were not true, he wouldn't be on the map period. From the War Report to his Reggaeton album...it just seems like Nore jumps on the "in" New York sound and runs or waddles with it. It could be good, but putting all those eggs in one basket=Not Poppin. Whatever...I'm pretty sure this joint will catch on soon enough in the club because it definitely bumps. Check out his one of many more tracks with D...J...Web...STAH.

BISCAL BARÇA Y BISCA CATALUÑA


Barcelona Vs. Manchester United at FootyTube.com

While all you silly Americans were watching Kobe and his Lakers break away from the Chicken Nuggets in the 4th quarter, the REST of the world was watching this...The UEFA Champions League. It was Barcelona vs. Manchester United. Those of you unfamiliar with this...shame shame shame. But yea, basically they take the the top teams from various Football (Soccer) leagues throughout the world and have them play in a tournament. So essentially Barcelona is now the Champion team of Championship teams. Here are the highlights courtesy of Fred54...whoever that is. I still appreciate his video. It's pretty clear.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Zumbie Video with Angry Andy

Major Lazer's second joint that is starting to catch on. One of my friends was playin this song at a party, and people were movin!...until they asked who it was, and he replied, "Andy Milonakis". At another joint the following day, he lied and told them it was Mr. Vegas and all was well for the rest of the night. All I've got to say people is DON'T FRONT. To give you more of background info, check this out from SOBs:

"Major Lazer draws from the rich dancehall tradition of Jamaica, and the futuristic dance-floor-killing aesthetic of Diplo and Switch. The sound is the result of global pop culture run through the filter of Major Lazer’s particular brand of 80’s-inspired digital dancehall... The story of Major Lazer is an interesting one. He has been described as a Jamaican commando who lost his arm in the secret Zombie War of 1984. He fights vampires and various monsters, parties hard, and has a rocket powered skateboard. He has enlisted the help of long-time allies and uber-producers, Diplo and Switch, to produce his first LP. "

Major Lazer "Zumbie" ft. Andy Milonakis

Rosenberg interviews Drizzy & Ye

Definitely didn't know that Drake was Jewish. Also surprised Kanye kept his cool.

StrHate Talk


Not too long ago, this dude TJ Leyden came through to a spot I work at to talk about his life experiences. Of course, anyone can do that for the most part, but the "unique" or "un unique" (If that's a word) thing about him is the fact that he is a reformed Skinhead. He talked about the various groups within the White Power movement, his experience within it, and what moved him to not only separate from the movement, but also what made him speak out against it and aid the Jewish community in the abolishment of the White Power movement. Those of you who know me probably are well aware that he was going to need to say some really convincing stuff for me to fully believe him. Even now my melanin has me remaining somewhat weary, but for the most part I was able to rock with what he was presenting to the college community. Here's a not so brief, but interesting take on his book and life from Larry Keller for the Intelligence Report:

In Skinhead Confessions: From Hate to Hope, Leyden writes about that attraction and his own prowess at exploiting kids' vulnerabilities while recruiting them into the movement. That's half of the story. The other half is how he rejected the hate and violence he so ardently embraced, making it his life's mission to warn off students as well as teach cops, military personnel and educators how to spot hard-core racists in their midst.

The second half is the more compelling reading. That's partly because what little Leyden reveals of the violence he saw and participated in is oddly vague and bloodless. He earned two SS lightning bolt tattoos on his neck for stabbing "a kid who was at the wrong place at the wrong time." He "enforced whatever leadership asked of me" and, if anybody needed to be taught a lesson, "I was the guy to do it." He doesn't elaborate, and the effect is to diminish how violent he apparently was, while at the same time telling the reader he was a real badass. If he is concerned that he could still be charged with crimes by telling too much, he should say so.

Still, Leyden provides genuinely interesting glimpses into the skinhead lifestyle he lived for 15 years that show how banal and sometimes unintentionally funny it can be. An example of the latter: At an Aryan Nations gathering in Idaho, Leyden writes that most of those attending "looked like trash" and that one group of skins beat up a guy over a pack of cigarettes. But some of the thugs attending still found time to meet for discussions of such dense subjects as the threat of the United Nations and the World Bank.

He describes his own Aryan wedding, complete with Confederate and Nazi flags on the wall. When their first son was born, Leyden and his then-wife hung a swastika over his crib. Theirs was a world of white-power baby showers, cakes adorned with swastikas, and paranoia about the coming race war and Jewish conspiracies.

More serious was Leyden's joining the Marines before he was married. There, he continued recruiting others into the skinhead movement, as he had done on the streets. He kept swastikas and racist hate literature in the barracks. He added new tattoos, including those SS bolts on his neck and S-K-I-N and H-E-A-D down the back of his arms. "I was a walking advertisement for hate in the U.S. military," Leyden writes. And the military, he says, was indifferent.

A combination of events led Leyden to finally quit the movement. It bothered him that skinheads were increasingly selling and using drugs. And after he became the father of a second boy, he began having doubts about raising his two sons to be racists. A turning point came at a children's party attended by skinheads and their children. There was a piñata for the kids to whack, but it was an effigy of a black man with a noose around its neck...

That's just a portion of it. Regardless of whether or not you like it. You have to admit that it's striking. He too has a blog and you can access it here. It talks about various current events concerning racism and the White Power movement as well as the culture.

For more info about racist groups visit the StrHATE Talk website

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Here's the Single


Alright here's the DJ Edit made for the Original Hold the Line.

Check it out here
For all you DJs, they also made an acapella and instrumental for you to cut up and act a fool. Here's the link for that. That's exactly how Beatstreet conjured up his gem. Let me know what ya'll think.

Mayjah Layzah



Well, I first introduced these dudes to ya'll like 24 hours ago. Major Lazer is goin on tour and I'm pretty hype. To make things even better, they're kickin it off in NYC at SOB's. There's actually no way I'm not going and repping Team Mad Deadly. I sent the link of this to a couple of people before Gasoline Dream started, but those who didn't get it, no worries. These dudes really know how to work a set, so hopefully I'll see some of you there.

June 13 New York, NY @ SOB’s - BUY TICKETS

June 18 Boston, MA @ House of Blues - BUY TICKETS

June 19 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory - BUY TICKETS

June 20 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel - BUY TICKETS

June 24 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom - BUY TICKETS

June 25 Seattle, WA @ Neumos - BUY TICKETS

June 26 San Francisco, CA @ The Grand Ballroom at Regency - BUY TICKETS

June 27 Los Angeles, CA @ LA Memorial Coliseum & Expo - BUY TICKETS

July 9 Houston, TX @ Escobar - BUY TICKETS

July 10 Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall - BUY TICKETS

July 11 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues - BUY TICKETS

BX Stand Up


Well, I was wondering how long it would be till I actually found it obligatory to make a post about anything relating to Obama, and clearly not that long. Then again...he is the president. Whatever. Today he took another step toward making history by nominating Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the US Supreme Court. Now all she has to do it get approved by the Senate. If appointed, she'd be the first to Latina to ever become a member of the Supreme Court. OH yea, before I forget she's from the South BX...Puerto Rico "hoooo"...alright I'm done.

Click here to check out the BBC's article concerning the matter

Major Mash

Just the other day, the boy Beatstreet hit me up and gave me his own refix of Major Lazer's Hold The Line. He mashed it up with the song The Static Age off Green Day's latest album 21st Century Breakdown. Those of you who don't know, Major Lazer is a duo consisting of Switch and Diplo. The two artists who are equally talented as they are innovative have been indiscriminately flooding blog after blog as of late with their unique reggae/dance hall/electronica concoctions. I've been counting down for a while now, but finally we are less than a month away from it dropping on June 16th.

Anyway, this joint BANGS and I'll definitely have it on repeat as I travel around the Northeast for the summer. Check out the links on the side to visit Beatstreet's blog where you can find all types of music, and some of his exclusive Ramble mixes.

I'ma put up the original Hold The Line in a little bit.

Click here to download the MP3

Sunday, May 24, 2009

NYC'S Finest: Courtesy, Professionalism, & Respect

Video is provided courtesy of Animal NY

Figured you might want to know where some of your tax money goes. While they do put up with a lot, every single officer knew what he/she was getting into from the start. Surprised somebody caught it on camera...SMH

Click here for some sort of back story

Shout out to my inquisitive non-violent homie who took one for the team


Success?

Clearly relative...but still interesting nonetheless.