the bucket list (concert edition)...

Jay Z

Nas

Common

Dwele

Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco Live from The 9:30 Club, Washington DC January 30th







I'll preface this drop by saying that Lupe Fiasco was sick. You could detect the illness in the tone of his voice from the opening of the show. So given the fact that tours can be a grueling ordeal for an artist, I'll give Lupe a pass for only giving us 90% instead of 110%. Prior to last nights show every review I've read on Lupe's live performance raved at how much of a showman he is, so last night I was expecting a high energy show. I didn't get a high energy show, but Lupe and company definitely gave me my money's worth.

Highlights:

• Performance of Daydreamin' (not my favorite song but Lupe was hype for this)
  
• Seeing the BEAUTIFUL Nikki Jean
• Kick, Push
• Lupe Freestyle "Rims and Timbs" (you just had to be there to understand)
• And this....
  

introducing...

Back when I was an ambitious young blogger (aka before I began teaching), every week I would highlight an artist from myspace that I felt compelled to tell other people about. Needless to say, I got tired of sifting through the endless amount of garbage fairly quickly and after about 3 weeks I quit. Well a few days ago I came across a song that has motivated me to revive the myspace music feature, if only for one more week. The artist is named Stacy Epps. Her page doesn't reveal much insight into actually who she is, but her music certainly makes up for the lack of bio info. The moment I saw production credit from Dilla and Madlib, I fell in love. A quick youtube search pulls up a few live performances from the Sistaz in Rhyme Tour alongside Bahamadia. She currently has an album available on iTunes and according to a post from her blog, she is finishing up law school in hopes of becoming an entertainment lawyer. Check her page here: STACY EPPS And now listen to the song that has been on repeat for the past two days...







And did I mention that she is absolutely stunning.

Black Thought The Bad Lieutenant...

This post is in response to a conservation that started over at my homie heather's herfection blog. The question was whether or not Joe Budden could be considered in a discussion about the greatest rappers alive. Personally I believe its utterly ridiculous for anyone that has not released a full length album in the past five years to even be spoken of in such a debate. (Not to mention the fact that the cd wasn't really that good.) I respect Joe Budden and believe that he is extremely talented, but even Joey himself said "nobody under 30 should be able to make that claim, not me, not Lil Wayne, not Fab, not Cass, not Papoose, not Sai, not T.I.P., not Jeezy, NONE OF US!". Whether or not Joey can be included in this elite territory, is neither here nor there. I'm writing this drop because one of my suggestions -- Black Thought, was ridiculed by one commenter. Yes I know Black Thought has been chronically slept on and its mainly because The Roots push the envelope of what is considered mainstream hip hop, but this commenter responded in such a way that I was left questioning whether or not he even knew who Black Thought was. The Roots are probably one of the most consistent hip hop ensembles ever, and in their 10+ years in the biz, Black Thought has contributed several of the most thought provoking, stupid lyrical (and I mean stupid in a good way..lol) verses in hip hop history. And this commenter has the nerve to leave a response like this: -Black Thought, does he even need to be thought about? LOL !!

This lets me know that he needs to be reminded of the type of skill and precision that you are dealing with when you hear a verse from Black Thought. Let the first 2 minutes and 30 serve as a reminder...

go cool kids...

Footage from the Cool Kids cover shoot for URB Magazine...

obama...

Political talk has been all the rage lately and rightfully so. We haven't completed the primaries yet and this is already shaping up to be a historical election. I really haven't been motivated to put my thoughts out there until today. Cnn is now reporting that Barack Obama has won the Democratic primary in my home state of SC. As a SC resident for practically all my life, I am seriously surprised to see a black man have success in national politics in SC. Much like everyone else I was pleasantly shocked to see Obama pull off the win in Iowa, but I must say I NEVER thought he would win in SC. Congrats to South Carolina and Obama for proving me wrong.

song of the day...

John Mayer "Vultures"

I woke up with this song on my mind.

dinner for one...

I ate dinner alone a few days ago and since I didn't have the pressure of sustaining a conversation with someone else, I had time to enjoy my meal and do some thinking of my own. When I mentioned to my co-workers earlier in that day that I was considering going out to dinner alone, they made comments expressing how they admired my "bravery". I thought to myself, "what is so brave about going to dinner alone?". But once I sat down at the bar and took a look around the restaurant, I quickly realized I was the only one there alone. So, yes maybe it is a little odd to have dinner at a restaurant alone, but why? I eat dinner at home every night alone, what's the difference? Now that I have had time to digest the situation, I can offer a simple answer. That answer being the need for human companionship. We all have this innate, longing for human companionship. Whether it be, the ups and downs of a relationship or the longevity of a true friendship, it is human nature to desire to experience the thrills of life with another person. While I can acknowledge this natural hunger for accompaniment, I often wonder if we seek this companionship simply as a way to escape ourselves. To me solitude is golden, but I have known several people that HAVE to be around someone else at all times. Is it because they are not comfortable around their own thoughts? Do they always need an audience? Are they craving for some sort of acceptance? Why is it that so many people cringe at the thought of doing things alone? We entered this world that way, and we will exit in the same fashion.

myspace jumpoff...

So you've spent the past 5 hours sifting through random myspace profiles, leaving in your wake, a slew of "damn girl ur fine" pic comments. And then you begin to think, "there must be a more efficient way for me to comment all these myspace attention whores". Well, I'm about to lead all you "myspace macks" down the path of enlightenment. Behold; the top 100 Myspace Models. Apparently, someone with more free time than yourself decided to compile a list of the top 100 "Models" on Myspace. According to the list, Ol' girl from the R. Kelly/Usher "Same Girl" video comes in first. She's followed by 99 chicks with practically the same myspace layout, chock full of airbrushed pics and a long ass bio about how they are trying to break into the "industry". Considering the fact that anyone can swipe a pic from your page and make their own profile, I've never been one to meet females on line. The fact that they can possibly be men, kinda scares me. These same girls often have their profiles hacked and their pics stolen. But if you're feeling lucky here it is...

The Top 100 Myspace Models

live from the ipod...

The iPod touch just touched down today. My life just got sweeter.

sweet and sour chicken please...

I'm slowly beginning to realize that finding a good Chinese restaurant in a new city, is about as hard as finding a reason to listen to the new Alicia Keys record. Since I've moved to VA, I have yet to find a Chinese spot as exquisite and pleasantly addictive as the Hong Kong Express back home. So tonight, I figured I would try one of those "fancy" Chinese restaurants. You know the ones that aren't strategically located next to the liquor store in your local shopping center. While I was certainly pleased with the way the food was presented, their sweet and sour chicken was definitely no match for Hong Kong Express. I don't even know if there is anything that's so special about Hong Kong, but once you get accustomed to a particular taste it's hard to let that taste go. A Big Mac in DC will taste the same as a Big Mac in Alaska. Why can't all Chinese taste the same?

stumbling upon greatness...

Just a few days while getting my daily Dwele fix, I began wondering when I was going to hear something new from Slum Village. Their last record dropped two years ago, and while I didn't go out and cop it, I did thoroughly enjoy Detroit Deli, the record that came prior to their 2005 offering. Well, while making my daily jog around the internet look what I happened to find...

Slum Village - Feel So Good (snippet) Courtesy of Che Sing The Cool
Produced by Black Milk btw

Why does it seem like Little Brother gets more attention than SV? Aren't they basically the same group? I'm just saying...

pickin' boogers...

game day...

About 2 1/2 hours until I make my adult league basketball debut. Although I'm still recovering from our practice earlier in the week, I think I will be able to get by today just off of pure adrenaline. I quickly realized earlier in the week that my body was no longer capable of doing the things I once could, but that's not gonna stop me from going out today and leaving it all out on the floor. I'm predicting 10 pts, and 5 assists. Stay tuned...

the truth...

You knew, and I knew
But you didn't want to hear,
What I didn't want to tell you
Now we've got hard times
And now there's no love at home
When separate we feel so alone
But we can't stand to be
--Together, to talk about it

-Dwele

break out the icy hot...

Just call me a glutton for pain. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for a adult basketball league, even though I haven't played organized basketball in damn near a decade. Tonight is our first practice and although I am excited about possibly reliving my glory days on the court, I definitely don't look forward to being sore in the morning when I wake up to go to work. Getting older sucks! Stay tuned for weekly updates on my performance.

reNew Orleans...

"The FBI's rankings for 2007 will not be out until much later in the year, but New Orleans' population is thought to be 295,450, which would mean a rate of about 71 homicides per 100,000 people."


When my hometown was recently listed as the 7th most dangerous city in the US, I was only moderately surprised. Anyone that has lived in Charleston, SC for a extended period of time, knows that the gentrification of the downtown area and the uneven distribution of wealth are two issues directly correlated with the consistent increase of crime. A simpler explanation would be, niggas in Charleston are just flat out crazy. And that's a reputation that is well documented, just ask any SC resident. So seeing Charleston listed along side notoriously dangerous cities like Detroit and St. Louis wasn't that surprising to me. Anyone that has visited both Charleston and New Orleans can attest that the cities are eerily similar. The two port cities boast a history rich with culture and tradition. But in addition to the culture and diversity, both cities are plagued by the toxic effects of black on black violence. According to CNN, New Orleans is murder capital USA. A dubious distinction that Lil Wayne heralds, as if leading the nation in homicides is some sort of accomplishment.

"If you are talking about rap and beef, I’m the wrong person to talk to. I am from New Orleans. Cut your televisions on. You know where I’m from. I’m from the murder capital, ma. Beef is a different thing there. I have four teardrops on my face and I have to look my mom in her eye every day...We don’t play. No, I’m not gonna rap about you man, I will murder you, your family, your child, a newborn, I don’t give a fuck. I could never go to hell cause I’ma take over, bitch"



When Lil' Wayne made these frivolous, careless remarks about his city to Ozone magazine (btw I co-sign Charlamagne) I shrugged it off as typical "rapper stupidity". But after reading this article I realized just how important his statements were. No matter how ignorant I believe those statements to be, it is now painfully obvious that that particular mindset has permeated throughout New Orleans. In a city that is still dealing with the crippling effects of Katrina, it's heart wrenching to see a predominately Black city on the eve of self destruction. But instead of Lil Wayne showing an unconditional love and vested interest in the future of his city, he choses to further promote the type of thinking that has landed his city at the top spot for homicides in America.

Wake up New Orleans...

thirteen things...

thirteen things...
Originally uploaded by mj_1980

Just a few things you should know about me.

1. I am an only child.

2. I absolutely LOVE music. Hip hop head till I die.

3. I'm inspired by people that take risks and do what they love to do.

4. I've been to several swimming camps when I was young, but I still can't swim. Stereotypical black man..lol

5. I lost two of the most influential women of my life in the span of one year. Rest in Peace.

6. I am a habitual procrastinator...its been biggest weakness.

7. I have never met my father and never want to.

8. I'm a HUGE Duke Basketball fan. If you're a Tarheels fan kill yourself!

9. I dropped out of college after my first semester and eight years later I finally finished. And no I'm not a doctor. lol...But I did get my Master's.

10. Yes I'm a mama's boy...Mainly because I'm an only child and I don't know my father. My mother means everything to me.

11. I have a tattoo of a lions head on my right shoulder. It means absolutely nothing to me. It reminds me of all the dumb shit I did when I was 18.

12. I hate it when people take my kindness for weakness.

13. Mary J. Blige's "My Life" album taught me all I needed to know about love. It's my favorite record of all time.