Old School Friday - 7th Grade

1988. $.90 gas. Alf. "A Fish Called Wanda." Puberty. "Kids In The Hall." And...oh yeah the Golden Age of Hip Hop. It was a glorious time. Like WC said, "When only those with mic control made a profit." Boy, I feel like Ben Kenobi telling Luke about the Clone Wars. But, don't take my word for it. Take a gander.

p.s. Yes, I know I left out Rakim, PE, Biz Markie, and a host of others. The internet isn't going anywhere. There will be more posts. Chill. Also, no that's not me in the 7th grade. That's me at Montessori School. Couldn't find my yearbook.


Tone Loc - Wild Thing

"Hasta la vista baby." Ahnuld owes this dude some money. Seriously. Any way, I forgot how hilarious this video was. From Tone's dancing and facial expressions, to the poor production quality, this joint is primo comedy. Too bad that cats hated on Tone for being too commercial. "Loc'd After Dark" is a classic that I will still bump to this day, no hesitations at all. "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina" are the weakest tracks, and they're still tight. The album is clean all the way through.

Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin

"The B-I-G, the D-A-Double D-Y K-A-N-E. Dramatic, asiatic, not like many." What you know about four-finger rings?!? That's pimpin'.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince - Brand New Funk

"With special assistance from my homeboy Ready Rock." People like to clown Will's skills, but this album is classic. Is Jeff on the all time underrated list? His name is never mentioned among the great DJs, but their early stuff is dope. That's like perpetually getting kicked out of the house by Uncle Phil.




Stop The Violence Movement - Self-Destruction

"Heaven's at the door so there'll be no bum rushing."SML and Waldini clowned on me for not including this on the Posse post. Are you happy now?!? But seriously, this track is classic squared. Almost all of the dope cats from the era get to spit a verse, and all for a good cause. What could be better? Swing.

MC Lyte - Paper Thin

"Sucka you missed." I want to make this beat my first ex-wife. Then once we're divorced, I wanna marry it again. I can't help it. This beat is more intoxicating than 10 jager bombs and Jager bombs make me do dumb shit. So there you go.Swing.

BDP - My Philosophy

"A lot of MC's like to use the word drammatical." Since he's a legend, I'm gonna cut him some slack on drammatical and unrational not being words. When you're an all time great, you can get away with some shit. Just look at Magic [I kid]. But the great thing about KRS is, he can perform this song right now and elicit the same reactions he got 20 years ago. Dude is just timeless.

NWA - Express Yourself

I remember the first time I heard "Straight Outta Compton." I got off the bus and my boy showed me the cassette case. When I saw "____ Tha Police," I knew had to listen to it immediately. So I went to my room, popped the tape, turned it down low, and put my ear to the speaker. I really haven't been the same since. God bless you Eric Wright, Andre Young, and O'Shea Jackson.

School Daze - Good Or Bad Hair

I have so-called "good hair." There is nothing inherently good about it, but in high school it was a nice conversation starter with white kids. I'd get questions like "How do you get your hair like that?" I always wanted to answer "Well your great-great-great grandfather raped my great-great-great grandmother, 200 years passed, and here I am." Unfortunately I never ginned up the requisite balls to respond accordingly. Anyway, black people are funny. My maternal great-grandmother didn't want any "dark" babies in the family. So of course her youngest daughter married a dark skinned man. Thanks for being hard headed grandma. Otherwise my ass wouldn't be here.




AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT


U2 - Angel Of Harlem

Once upon a time, I hated on U2 because "Joshua Tree" destroyed "Bad" at the '88 Grammys. But started to thaw when "Desire" came out. Then I heard this joint and I was sold. Done and done. These Irish boys have some soul.

Read more!

"What, You Think They Call Me Mr. Glass?"

Gangsta D:

At this point, I kind of want Isiah to get fired, or resign, or...something. It's just brutal. Every night there's some different brand of drama. I loved Zeke as a player and supported him as a GM/Coach, but this is getting ridiculous. I just want him out of there so someone else can be the NBA's punching bag. Part of me thinks that Dolan secretly hates Isiah, and refuses to fire him just to make his life more miserable:)

Da Realist:

Remember when the Knicks mattered? How long has it been? 5 years???

Waldini:

Probably. But it seems like it's been longer than that :-)

I don't know what Isaiah has hanging over Dolan's head but it's must be pretty big if he hasn't been fired yet. I'm hearing Kiki Vandeweghe will be brought in to relieve him as team president. BUT he will still keep to coach. How is this possible? He needs to write a book and call it "You can't fire me". Based on his post playing career, he's done a fabulous job (except Indiana) at avoiding this.
Gangsta D:

Five years? Why don't you put another five on the end of that? Lol

The bad thing is people don't remember, or don't want to mention, the incredibly bad job that Scott Layden did as Isiah's predecessor. MODI breaks it down better than I could ever attempt to. Essentially, Layden was HORRRRRIBLE. Isiah has made some bad decisions, but he wasn't starting off with the '95 Mavs either, in terms of potential.

Waldini:

I'll give you that since that's fair. But look at his roster now. It isn't great but it's not chopped liver either

STARTING - Curry, Randolph, Richardson, Crawford, Marbury BENCH - Lee, Robinson, Jeffries, [Balkman]that guy from South Carolina

And considering the East is weak this year, they should be better than 20 games under .500. Maybe it's because individually the guys are above average but they don't know how to play within the team. Maybe their games don't fit Zeke's style of play. I'm questioning this because when they got Randolph last year, some people were saying NY is back, Zeke's a genius for shedding Steve Francis' contract etc. And now they are falling below expectations...again.

I'm curious, how come Detroit never gave him a job? I don't remember him having any beef with their management or the owner.
Gangsta D:

No doubt. The Knicks have massively underachieved this year. They were my sleeper playoff pick before the season. But Dolan said that the team needed to show massive improvement for Isiah to keep his job. They haven't, and they won't as the season progresses. So just fire him and get it over with, so we can all get on with our lives:)

Da Realist:

Curry is fat. Randolph is fat and a knucklehead. Richardson is too soft to reach his potential. Marbury makes bad decisions on and off the court. They ARE chopped liver! Read more!

What The Damn? - Sports Guy Edition

Da Realist:

Sportsguy has lebron at # 4??? And no '95 Hakeem???

Q: You called '07 LeBron and '07 Howard more untradeable than anyone in the seven-year history of the NBA Trade Value column . If you had somehow done the column since the start of your basketball viewing life, would anyone be more untradeable than Jordan in the early '90s?
--Derek, Amherst, Mass.

SG: Probably not. With the parameters being (A.) "my basketball viewing life," starting with the mid-'70s; (B.) the year counting as the summer right after that season; and (C.) you can only count each player once, the top 12 would look something like this:

1. '91 Michael Jordan
2. '77 Bill Walton
3. '84 Larry Bird, '87 Magic Johnson (tie)
4. '07 LeBron James
5. '00 Shaquille O'Neal
6. '03 Tim Duncan
7. '81 Moses Malone
8. '01 Kobe Bryant
9. '07 Dwight Howard
10. '87 Hakeem Olajuwon
11. '89 Patrick Ewing

(Follow-up note: You'll notice I moved '03 Duncan ahead of the '07 Howard. Why? Because I forgot about how great Duncan was in '03 until a reader reminded me after that Trade Value column. No way the Spurs trade Duncan after the 2003 season for the '07 Dwight Howard. Not happening.)

Waldini:

Funny I was just reading this 5 minutes ago and I echo your [sentiments] :-)

Lebron and Dwight's name on this list raised a few eyebrows. Maybe you can help me understand the criteria. I'm assuming Bron's on here b/c he carried the Cavs to the Finals but what about Howard? And what did '87 Ewing or '89 Dream do that was so great.....

Gangsta D:

Everyone has gone gaga over his Game 5 performance, but I don't know how that makes him more untradeable than '00 Shaq.

Waldini:

If he's going to use playoff performances as a major piece of criteria, then with that logic '06 Wade goes on that list

Da Realist:

Sportsguy is usually a pretty knowledgeble dude, but Lebron and Dwight Howard on here is ridiculous. And i repeat...no 95 Hakeem? What the hell did he do in 87? He wasn't even in the mvp race that year.

And 77 Walton over '00 Shaq, '03 Duncan, '84 Bird and '87 Magic. Is he CRAZY???

We're missing something here. I hope he explains later.

Gangsta D:

In all fairness to the Walton selection, supposedly he was the truth that year. I wouldn't know, as I was probably a little preoccupied with breastfeeding and taking epic dumps in my diapers:) So maybe we should cut him some slack on that one. But I agree that '95 Hakeem should be on here. Maybe he's discounting him because of the Jordan retirement. I don't know. But I'me sure he's going by some convoluted Sport's Guy criteria:)

Da Realist:

Done. But those are some nasty guys having monster years that he passed over. Read more!

What The Damn? - Okafor Edition

Waldini:

Was reading the free agent list. I don't know what Okafor's agent is smoking but check this:

1. Emeka Okafor Bobcats Okafor turned down $13 million per season to hit free agency this summer. He's not the best player on this list, but he's the best young center on the market. Still, there's no guarantee he'll get more money from the Bobcats or another team. The Grizzlies, Sonics and Sixers will be interested, but they know the Bobcats are very likely to match. I don't see him going anywhere.


This trumps Ben Gordon's idiotic decision to turn down 10 mil a year from the Bulls. Is Calhoun advising these guys?

Gangsta D:

OK, I read that wrong at first. I thought the entire deal was for $13 million. He turned down $13 million a year?!? Who in God's name is gonna pay him more than $13 million a year? He's a nice player. But he ain't $13 million worth of nice. Maybe he's willing to take less money and play for a winning team. That's the only thing I can think of.

Waldini

I didnt think he was worth more than 10mil so when I read he turned down 13mil I thought the same thing as you. Considering Philly and Memphis are looking like the only teams with the loot to throw at him, he's going to regret that decision

Gangsta D:

Hard to believe there was a debate about who would be better: Dwight Howard or Okafor? Okafor has been solid, but Dwight is on another planet. Apparently, Okafor wants to go to the same planet. I think he's gonna be turned away at the gate.

Read more!

"My Life Has No Meaning"

Gangsta D:

God giveth, and he taketh....

KRIV-TV in Houston and The Houston Chronicle are reporting that Yao has a stress fracture in his left foot and the Rockets are expected to announce he will have season-ending surgery later Tuesday.

Da Realist:

They had no shot anyway.

Gangsta D:

They had a fighting chance. I didn't think they were gonna do real damage, but you never know. Now they have no shot. McGrady is probably crying and standing in a puddle of piss right now:)

Waldini:

They had a fighting chance to get to the conf semis but that was it. Tough break for them but they should still get into the playoffs.

Gangsta D:

You lose 22 pts and 11 rebs. No inside presence. You're depending on McGrady to lead you...in the west. And there's no guarantee that McGrady won't go down with a season ending injury. Think about that again. You really think they'll make the playoffs? lol

Read more!

WTF Monday

"So what exactly happens to chubby guys with lion houseshoes when they get to prison?" --My boy, J-Swill Read more!

Old School Friday - The World Is A Ghetto

"Kind of trigger happy like the Geto Boys!" Speak on it Cube. The Geto Boys never really got their just due. By extension, Scarface has been perennially underrated since forever, but I'll tackle that later. If you grew up in the south, you knew how to appreciate what these guys were bringing to the table. To the uninitiated, get a taste of some southern cooking. Holla. GO LAKERS!!! lol


Big Mike - Playa Playa

"You slingin' them dollars but you ain't slingin' that dick right." Big Mike solo joint? Isn't he biting off more than he can chew? At least that's what I thought before I peeped it. When my boy Sebastian played this particular jam, I found out that beans and rice go well with crow. All praise to the Muthafuckin' Pita Man.

Willie D - Bald Headed Hoes

The most ignorant song title ever? Maybe. But coming from William D, author of "Play With Your Mama," what do you expect?




Bushwick Bill - Ever So Clear

"Why did you shoot me in the eye?" Um...because you wanted her to. Bushwick was a little nuts, and by little I mean holy fucking shit was this guy insane. This song made me promise to never drink Everclear in my life. Jager just makes me lose my memory. It's never made me want shoot my eye out like Ralphie. Psychotic, murderous, drunk dwarfs. God bless 'em.




Scarface - Hand Of The Dead Body

"So fuck Bill and Hillary..." Cube never hesitated to stick to Bill, did he? lol Anyhoo, here is another classic from Freshman year. My neighbors played "The Diary" religiously. I couldn't go to sleep without hearing gun shots and 'Face. Hand Of The Dead body isn't a lullaby but it's still pretty dope.

Scarface feat Too $hort, Tela, Devin The Dude - Fuck Faces

I wanna take this beat behind the middle school and get it pregnant.




Geto Boys - Crooked Officer

Even though my mom used to be a cop, I'm not all that enamored with Five-0. I've met some cool cops, but I've also encountered more dicks than Tera Patrick. I wish no ill will or harm towards onetime. I just wish they'd dial the assholish-ness down to about a 5 or a 6.




Geto Boys - Mind's Playing Tricks On Me

"And if I die, then my child a be a bastard." That line always cracked me up. Here is the video that introduced the Boys to the world. I remember watching Rap City in frothy anticipation of seeing this video. Before youtube, you had to wait a minute when it came to seeing your favorite videos. When it finally came on, the warm and fuzzies soon followed. At the time, I think I liked this joint more than red kool-aid. Yeah, I know. That's a bold statement.





AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT


Dusty Springfield - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

Dusty Springfield had some tremendous pipes. It's too bad she isn't that well known to cats nowadays. She got it done during her time. For real.

Read more!

Discussing The G.O.A.T. and A Pimp Named Slickback, During The Magic Hour

Da Realist:

Good advice from MJ

All I know is—for the league and its players—don't try to duplicate something that has been done before. Do it your own way, and see where it goes. It might not hit the way you want it to. You may not make as much money as you want to. But there's value in remaining true to yourself.

G-Nice

I'm finally getting to read this. First of all, I hate ric bucher. I think he is such a jock sniffer. Guy swears he's cool the way he can get an interview with Kobe. He's worse than the dude on the Wire.

Michael sounds a little crotchety. It's one of the few things I dislike about Jordan, but he still isn't saying anything. He's talking about products and images. And as lightly and as unpolitical as possible. There's some opinions there, but it's pretty tame. He sounds like a businessman. Which he is and I guess that's cool. But I really am curious about what he thinks. I don't know what I'm saying. It's cool I guess.

Da Realist:

lol... that's probably why he won't say anything. If he speaks up, he's crotchety. If not, he's bland.
I've always been on the fence about how Jordan should present himself and finally decided to let him do what's comfortable. Joking aside, the man is considered a living legend. He's not even 50 and everyone refers to him as the best that ever touched a basketball. No matter what he says or does (or endorses or stands for), it's a step down.

Look at Magic. In my opinion, one of the 5 best players I've ever seen and I wouldn't argue against someone that would declare him the best ever. But everytime he opens his mouth to say something, he sounds like an uneducated fool. I think it has led people to underrate his legend in a way.

If you're Mike, how do you hold on to that legend and seem human at the same time? I would like to see him just let it go à la Charles Barkley now that he's retired but that's easy for me to say. I'm not protecting anything. No one gives a damn about what I say except for a handful of people.

Gangsta D:

[@ G-Nice] If Bucher was that way with Wade, you wouldn't even think twice about him. Once again, your hatred blinds you.

Did you see the show about Nike on CNBC last week? Brand Jordan is pulling in $800 million a year in sales. You think he's gonna mess that up in any way, by saying something even remotely controversial? Not. Likely.

G-Nice

I know. And at this point, I don't expect him to. I'm just curious.

No, Bucher can interview anyone he wants. It won't change the fact that he sniffs jocks. With his slicked back hair, he's ridiculous. Actually, I have to be fair. Most NBA "journalists" annoy me. Chris Bruchard (I can't remember how to spell it) annoys me too. He only appears with scandal. He never has anything else to add except scandal. He's a jock sniffer too. I like Greg Anthony, though. And that surprises me because I didn't like him as a player.

Da Realist:

And Ric Bucher is undeniably a jock-sniffer. Though, to be fair...so was Ahmad Rashad

G-Nice

Ahmad rashad was at least funny. And self-deprecating. Bucher probably believes he could be a baller.

No, I hear you. I realize Mike has a lot to lose. I have too come to the conclusion that he should be who he wants to be. He doesn't owe anybody anything, it's not his job to stand up and speak on behalf of other. It'd just be nice. It's like that thing with Tiger and that lady announcer. It's not his job to be stand up and holler or read from Jim Brown's script. But it'd be nice if he, especially in the racist environment of golf, could have simply said, "I hope everyone realizes that's not cool. I and the world expect better." That's all. But then that's me wanting him to be something he may or may not be comfortable with. And like you say, that's may not be fair to them. So it is what it is.

And Magic, well, he tries. And I like that about him. I actually think he's plenty smart, I just think it takes him a long, long, long time to finish sentences. People lose interest somewhere in the middle.

Da Realist:

I find myself rooting for Magic. If you listen to the content of what he says you can tell he's very intelligent. But the double negatives...and the run-on sentences...and the dangling participles just make me cringe -- not because i don't understand him (he's like most of our families by the way) but because i don't know if Bob Kraft or Mike Nigro understands him. And I don't want them to think that one of our heroes is stupid.

Read more!

Old School Wednesday - Rim Murderer

Nobody. And I do mean nobody, dunked like Dominique Wilkins. Maybe some jumped higher. Maybe some had more creativity in the air. But no one tried to commit 1st degree murder on the rim quite like 'Nique. Let's review the evidence.



'88 Slam Dunk Finals

"They Gave him a 50! They gave him a 50!" You damn skippy. Jordan was definitely given a 50, cause he didn't earn it. Need I point out that his left foot was INSIDE the free throw line. He did the same dunk better, earlier in the comp, but got a lower score. I loved Jordan up until that point. I LOVED Jordan. But being a kid from south GA, there was no way I could let 'Nique's loss go unpunished. So from that point until he retired in '98, I was like "Fuck you Jordan." I've eased me stance in the waning years, but I still believe that 'Nique was robbed. Let's go to the tape shall we?

Read more!

It's All Bad?

Waldini:

Is the NBA that bad?

Sure, MJ hung with Mars Blackmon, but that's a far cry from the way today's NBA stars roll. LeBron is co-hosting an All-Star party with Jay-Z. Then again, even Jordan later trumpeted his friendship with Jay-Z to prove he was still relevant.

These are different times, but many fans seem not to have moved with them.

Da Realist:

I don't care who the players hang out with because that doesn't impress me. The game itself has changed. Not to say that there aren't very talented players or teams that aren't good, it's just not what it was.

But that's not all the nba's fault. The NBA won the lottery in the 80's and it carried the league for almost 2 decades -- from Bird/Magic's introduction in '79 to Jordan's retirement in '98. You can't expect lightning to strike twice.

We'll never see players of that caliber competing against each other day after day again. Especially now that free agency and expansion has diluted the talent level as a whole. If Jordan or Bird came out today, they'd probably opt out after 3 years so they can play in Phoenix or San Antonio. Remember, Kevin Garnett did not want to go to Boston initially. Forget the history, they want nice weather and golf.

It boils down to this. I'm not even going to pick my favorites (although i did enjoy watching a few clips of Michael vs Larry on youtube yesterday...), I'll say that I and most others would rather see Barkley vs Dominique in their prime, in a regular season game than Lebron vs Kobe. Why??? I don't know all the reasons...I can only touch on the couple of things I mentioned earlier.

Waldini:

Very dead on analysis. I would even extend the glory years to 2002 because the majority hated LA and wanted to see them lose.

Last year's Finals illustrates your points below. What Lebron is doing at 23 years of age (30 pts, 8 rbs, 7 assts) is sick. What he did to take that pitiful team to the Finals is beyond amazement. But did that translate into people wanting to watch Cinderella dance one more time. Hell naw, they had the worst ratings in history.

Gangsta made this point last week and he's 100% right. You need Lakers vs Suns in the West Conf finals, followed by Lakers vs Celtics in Finals.

Da Realist:

The 2000-2002 Lakers were a great team but I wouldn't put those years in. Only because the league as a whole wasn't that interesting. People watched the Lakers, Blazers and Kings. No one cared that Jason Kidd was in the finals.

In fact...i've been thinking about it. I would knock a couple of years off my estimate. From 96-98, the Bulls were great but no one else was. And i don't know enough about 81-83 to put those years in there.

I would say 84-93. At some point during these years Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Kevin Mchale, James Worthy, Dominique Wilkins, David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon were all in their prime with Kareem and Moses Malone on a slow decline. The NBA is just never going to have a stretch like that again.

Is that fair? Can you argue for any other years?

Waldini:

I wasn't getting ready to argue your point but I started thinking more about the years you singled out. And you're right. At that particular time it was a true golden era for the NBA. A lot of teams playing at upper levels.

I guess I factor in 96-98 and 00-02 b/c of how the Bulls and Lakers dominated those particular years and the drama the came from them defending their crowns. I mean the 98 Eastern Conf Finals was beyond dope and every time I watch the 02 Western Conf Finals I still get goosebumps.

Da Realist:

I debated about that. Did Jordan's popularity keep the league as interesting as it was in say, 88? Did the laker's polarism keep the league as interesting despite the diluted talent pool?

I don't think we can answer that because we are fans. We need a casual fan to truly answer whether those years should be counted. Read more!

Nearsighted Sports Guy?

Waldini:

Read this article first before you read my soapbox rant....

See, here's the thing about downtown New Orleans: It's ready for us again. It has been ready for a while. For all intent and purpose, it looks the same. Bourbon Street looks the same. The Superdome looks the same. So does the Convention Center. So do Harrah's and Pat O'Brien's and Cafe du Monde. So do the waterfront and Canal Street and all the hotels. You could go back to New Orleans. You could have fun there. You could do all the same things you did before. Unfortunately, you don't want to go back.

I like the Sports Guy, think he's one of the better sportswriters out there but he like so many other people have not truly grasped how bad of a state New Orleans is in. He alluded to other areas around the French Quarter, mentioning how it has come back. Anyone from that area knows in comparison to places like 9th ward, FQ was in great shape. A lot of areas in New Orleans still have no power, debris is still everywhere, does not look a worker has seen any part of it, etc. Beyond depressing and a stark contrast to some of the positive comments that certain people try to play up. The government has spent time fixing up areas (ie cash cow areas) that they believe needs fixing and to the naked eye it looks like New Orleans is back. In fact if you drive from the airport to downtown New Orleans along I-10, the city does look better. But drive past downtown to the Uptown areas and it's literally night and day. And of course no one is going to drive up there because they do not need to, regardless if the game was there or not.

Fortunately he's not completely delusional and recognizes work needs to be done. I was just bothered by statement about different the FQ area was considering that part did not suffer as nearly as much as other parts of New Orleans.

I know we joke on the blog a lot but reading his article made me think of a conversation between myself and one of my MBA classmates a few years back when Katrina had just happened. He asked "Why didn't those people just leave?" We had a very long conversation after that.......

Gangsta D:

When my mom went to New Orleans on a recruiting trip, she went to the 9th ward. She said things were so bad that she couldn't even bring herself to take pictures. She literally broke into tears, because it was so depressing. Unfortunately, Sports Guy is as nearsighted on this issue as most of the media. Pardon my French, but shit is still fucked up! lol

Da Realist:

I agree with you both here, but I think New Orleans needs tourist dollars. If people like Bill Simmons continue to write (exaggerate) the state of the city, it'll bring in more tourist dollars that will go into rebuilding. Read more!

Triple Gold Daytons - Daytona 500 Recap

K-Dawg's recap:

WOW. The race was going to script for 160 of 200 laps until all hell broke loose. Jimmy Johnson (my pick) spun coming off of turn 2 with 40 laps to go. Dayum…… That was the beginning of a series of expected crashes and blown tires to come. NASCAR threw in the “suspect debris” yellow flag with 20+ laps to go because the field was too spread out coming into the home stretch (my hunch). That flag bunched everyone together and made for a shoot out with about 30 drivers having an influence on the outcome of the race. Back and forth banging and bumping was exciting to see.

Kyle Busch (darkhorse M&M No. 18) was the dominate car of the day leading 86 of 200 laps but I think that they employed the wrong strategy with almost every caution getting 4 new tires. The cautions where only spread out about 3 to 4 laps and new tires sacrificed good track position. Two tires would have just as good and less time the pits. He kept coming from 6th to 10th place on most restarts instead of just staying near the front. Anyway, with 8 or so laps to go, Clint Bowyer (Jack Daniels Car – DEI Racing) was suddenly in the lead. You hadn’t heard from him all day. He had a strong car but was spun out by Juan Pablo Montoya on the frontstretch going into Turn 1. That ruined his day.

On the restart, Jeff Burton (Cingular/AT&T Car –DEI Racing) takes the lead. Same scenario, you hadn’t heard his name all race and now with 5 laps to go, he is in the lead. Casey Mears (Car No. 5 ) was contending in third place heading into Turn 1 when he noticed the Tony Stewart (Home Depot Car) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were hooked up and moving forward on the outside line. Everyone in racing knows that Tony and Dale Jr. are on the track and off the track homies. They pair up a lot during races because they trust each other. Therefore, whenever they are together you need to be aware of where they are. Casey saw them and I’m sure that his pit crew informed him of the duo teaming up. Coming into Turn 1 with 5 or 6 laps to go, Casey Mears hesitated and did not commit to go up the track to block early…. then decided to GO for the block…... TOO LATE……. He cuts across Tony Stewart’s front grill and hits the wall at about 185 mph. Dayum……

The race restarts with 3 laps to go and Jeff Burton is leading the race but he was moving to slow and got mauled by the sea of cars racing around him after the y crossed the start/finish line. Kyle Busch goes low and Tony Stewart goes high. Everyone of the 200,000 fans in the stands are standing and screaming for their favorite drivers because that melee caused about 10 cars to go about 3 cars wide going into Turn 1. Every driver has a chance now to win the race. Everyone was so focused on the Kyle and Tony (Joe Gibbs Racing) leading the race that sneaking into the fray was Team Penske. Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch had been making their way up front for the last 40 laps. Their cars didn’t have a scratch on it meaning that they were playing it very smart all race long in staying out of trouble. To everyone’s surprise the final lap had Tony Stewart out front with Ryan and Kurt right behind. Kyle was starting to come on strong on the low side of the track and Tony decided to go with Kyle, his teammate, on the bottom. That left the door wide open on the top side for Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, in a classic display of teamwork and bump drafting, zooming past Tony Stewart on the high side. You couldn’t fit a slice of cheese between the two Penske teammates on the backstretch which created a vacuum effect for both cars to get past Tony Stewart going into Turn 3. The race was over then. All Ryan Newman had to do was hit the pedal to the metal and bring it home which he did. His teammate Kurt Busch finishes second with the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates finishing 3rd and 4th.

The race lived up to the hype and safety of the new Car of Tomorrow (COT). The spoiler that is new to NASCAR kept the cars very stable throughout the race and was a heavy factor in the reduced number of serious incidents that could have marred the race. Instead a thrilling last 40 laps had me on edge as cars were battling for position. Teammates screwing each other over to get better track position, cars slamming into each other, racers blocking each other momentum and in the end TEAMWORK prevails.

WHOA……. I need an Apple Smirnoff with some Beef Jerky, Creamy Ranch Dip and Lays Potato Chips to calm my nerve.

Thanks again to Gangsta D, for allowing me the opportunity to spit some racing game to you all. Holla.

Quote K-Dawg neva more…….. Read more!

The Black Cale Yarborough

What's up class? We got something special for you today. My boy K-Dawg is going to school us on the ins and outs of NASCAR. K-Dawg is the only black person I know, in my age group, that likes motorsports. Let me rephrase that. He LOVES motorsports. I don't get it, but dude is passionate about it so I decided to let him clue us in.

A Black Race Fan? What???

Oh snap, dude just got blasted on the backstretch going into Turn 3 at 175 mph!!!! Accidents…… that is how I got into being a race fan when I was little. My love of cars got me into becoming a race fan….. then I saw an Indy 500 one year and witnessed an Indy Car flip over dozens of times going about 220 mph. It was the scariest thing I had witnessed. My heart was pounding nervously for the driver of that car. I couldn’t believe that I had seen such a thing. The commentators kept replaying the crash over and over explaining the dynamics of how, why, when, and where on the track it happened. Understanding all of those factors made me become a fan. Ever since that day, I have been a fan of NASCAR, Indy Car, Formula 1, Motocross, and Drag Racing. When Gangsta D asked me to do a blog on the 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 I was really taken back because this and the crew are the same Negroes that clowned me in school because on Sunday afternoons I was watching NASCAR versus going to the mall. However, Gangsta D is my Negro for life so I am honored to bring this to you today.

Some major players in the race have changed teams on the offseason. First and the biggest name in NASCAR is Dale Earnhardt Jr. He had a strained relationship with his former boss and mother –in-law Teresa Earnhardt at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Racing (DEI). Ever since Dale Sr. died in 2001, their relationship continued to worsen because he felt he should be part owner of the company his father founded. She balked at the negotiations and that eventually led to Dale Jr. going to powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick Motorsports is the equivalent of the Yankees in the baseball. They are the team with the payroll, drivers, and technology to continually dominate the sport. Jeff Gordon (5 time NASCAR champ), Jimmy Johnson (2 time defending series champ), Casey Mears (nephew of Rick Mears - 4 times Indy 500 Champ) and now Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes up the “Dream Team” of NASCAR. In order for Dale Jr. to get to Hendrick Motorsport someone had the short end of the stick and Kyle Busch was that person. However, that lead to next big acquisition of the offseason Kyle Busch to Joe Gibbs Racing.

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)???? Washington Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs?? YES! Joe Gibbs been in the race game for about 10 years now and has three series championship to boot. Tony Stewart has won two of those championships and along with talented youngsters Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch; this team should challenge the “Dream Team” this NASCAR season.

However, the biggest move of the offseason involved not people but manufacturers. JGR switched from Chevrolets to Toyota this season. Toyota is new to the game. They came last year with Michael Waltrip racing and Red Bull Racing teams and did not do very well. In fact, it was a pathetic effort. By acquiring JGR, it gave Toyota the marquee team it desperately needed to become a factor. JGR’s resources and equipment will definitely make Toyota a force this year. It has already been seen when the top 10 qualifiers for the Daytona 500 this year are either Chevy or Toyota. That is major considering Ford hasn’t stepped their game up yet.
The Ford teams are led by Rousch Racing. Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, and Greg Biffle make a strong and formidable team to go against the Chevy and Toyota teams. However, testing and the such suggest that they may have a difficult year.

Foreigners have invaded NASCAR changing the landscape of the “Good ole boy” series into an international flavor. Led by Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti, the international flavor this year will present a different experience in NASCAR unlike ever before. Hot Dogs, Beer and beer bellies, are now supplanted with international media, Brazilian flags, gorgeous women, Ashley Judd (Dario’s wife and movie star), and most important color of skin. Unfortunately, there aren’t many blacks in NASCAR but this is a start. These guys don’t get tans from the sun and they like music other than country and bluegrass. I’ll take that for now until I get on the track!!!!! I’m bringing Jay Z and Chuck D to pit road dammit!!!!! I digress.
Now to the racing……….

This year’s Daytona 500 looks to be pretty exciting. I fact I predict that it will be the best race this year. Last year’s Daytona 500 was sick…… with the accident on the last lap coming off of turn 4 and the NASCAR officials allowing the race to continue to the flag with Kevin Harvick narrowly passing perennial favorite Mark Martin at the checkered flag. This year I think there are 5 major players that could win this year. I think that Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch will have a strong say in the outcome of the race. The favorite and my prediction is Jimmy Johnson. He is a very poised driver and always seems to be in the right place at the right time at the end of a race. Some darkhorses include Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. , Brian Vickers, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman. The big crash will happen but I think it will happen about 25 to 30 laps from the end of the race allowing the real drivers to leave it on the track against each other. The International racers will be mid to back of the pack for the most part of the race with Juan Pablo Montoya leading the way with about a 12th place finish. The Ford teams will finish in the top ten with Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle finishing about 7th to 10th place area.

I’ll return to the bat cave during the race and give you non-believers the recap once completed.

ed note: This was supposed to have run yesterday morning, but due to technical difficulites...it didn't. Sorry, it happens.

Read more!

Old School Friday - Who Are You Again?

This week is all about debut appearances. The first couple performances by an artist are hardly indicative of how they will end up, as you will soon see. So, it's cool to go back and see how it all started. It's real cool to see videos from '90 to '93 just to see all the Cross Colours. What was that all about? Why did we beg our parents to spend hundreds of dollars on such ridiculous clothes? I would ground my son for a month if he asked me to buy some $75 bright red jeans. Either that or he's going to the mill to get a job. But anyways, enjoy the vids. And fellas, I hope you did right by your ladies yesterday. Holla.

BTW, check out my old roommate's blog, Finessed & Blessed. He's also representing the Old School. "211" up in this piece! [inside joke]

MC Serch feat Red Hot Lover Tone, Nas, & Chubb Rock - Back To The Grill

"Serial killer who works by the phone book." Nas on a MC Serch track? It may seem funny now, but a lot of people forget that Serch executive produced "Illmatic." After I heard this song, I couldn't wait for Nas' album to come out. When I heard "Halftime" I was like uhhhhhhh....nice video. But "Ain't Hard To Tell" came out soon after, and it was all good again. Well until that whole "Nastradamus" period, which sucked ass through a straw.




SuperCat feat Biggie, Puff, & Trevor Sparks - Dolly my baby

Whatever happened to Supercat? He can't get any run now? You mean the world is a better place with Souljah Boy cashing checks instead of Supercat? But I digress. Big's verse is OK, not spectacular. Obviously, he grew as an artist between this song and "Ready To Die." The less words written about Trevor and Puff's verses, the better,




Original Flavor feat Jay-Z - Can I Get Open?

"I'm so crazy. Ahhhhh." OK, I realize that Jay was in a few videos with Jaz, but those songs are kind of wack. I actually dig this joint. But the video is pure early 90's. The Karl Kani beanie with the plate on the front. 1992 where have you gone? And where did Jay's original flow go? He's spittin' just a little differently nowadays. But it's cool. The smart ones know when to change.




Father MC - I'll Do 4 U

If you look past the rapping Chris Rock impersonator and listen closely, you can hear a familiar voice. Is that? Could it be? Yep, it's a young Mary J Blige. The end of the song is funny, cause Mary doesn't rip it like you know she wanted to. She kind of holds back. If this song were recorded now, Mary would blow the wire mesh off the microphone.




Eric Sermon feat Keith Murray - Hostile

"Cause my delivery is so complex." This video introduced kids in the south to the practice of keeping razor blades in one's mouth. After this, all the wanna-be thugs at my high school started doing it. You're either born gully or not. You can't acquire it through visuals. Anyway, Keith rips this track.




Tyrese - Coke

When his first album came out, I was like "Isn't that the dude from the Coke commercial?" I'm pretty sure that's what everyone else was thinking too. But, obviously it worked out for him. I guess dreams do come true...if you drink Coke.




Xzibit - Papparazzi

Hmmm...so you went from recording Papparazzi to spitting lines like "Cock back the weight, spread hate. Heavy metal we settle and set shit straight." Interesting how his whole steelo changed once Dre came calling. I'm not hating, but it is hilarious watching this video, knowing how things turned out. I guess he couldn't envision "Pimp My Ride" back in '96.




AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT


The Cardigans - Lovefool

A little ditty in honor of Valentine's Day this week. Unfortunately, I've kind of slept on The Cardigans. They're kind of soulful for a pop band from Sweden. Speaking of Sweden, they pretty much eat Abba for breakfast. No comparison at all.

Read more!

You Kidding, Right?

Gangsta D:

What hath Kupchak wrought? I have no idea if Kidd improves Dallas'chances. All I know is that the Western Conference Playoffs might be the most entertaining postseason in sports history.

Sources told ESPN.com that talks between the Mavericks
and Nets, which had seemingly stalled, grew serious after the teams played
Sunday night in New Jersey and have moved them to the brink of completing the
NBA's third blockbuster deal of the month.

Da Realist:

Everytime I try to get out, the game keeps pulling me back in -- somebody from The Wire

I guess I will start paying attention. Too much is going on. I haven't seen one complete dallas game yet.

Gangsta D:

You haven't missed anything. If Dallas gets Kidd, then you will be forced to:)

Waldini:

Dallas today is like Phoenix was 2 weeks ago. The team they have is not going to win a title so why not go ahead and gamble. The West playoffs this year was already a gauntlet but adding Kidd will make things much more interesting. Homecourt has indeed become important.

Questionable call on giving up Stack. I am not a big fan of his game but during the '06 Finals he was the only one on the Mavs that had any heart.

Gangsta D:

Like I said, I don't know that this really pushes Dallas over the top. They sacrifice depth and inside muscle for more transition buckets, more open perimeter shots, and decent perimeter defense. Is that enough? Who knows? I will be watching, that's for sure.

Da Realist:

Stack is dead weight. Dallas showing in the playoffs says more about the rest of the team than it does about him.

The more i think about it, the more i think jason may make a pretty good difference. Who does dallas have at the point right now? Jason Terry is not a true point guard. Who's that other guy? Devin somebody??? That's an upgrade on one of their big weaknesses.

The only question is this (and the same goes for phoenix)...how long do you have? jason and shaq are old. They almost HAVE to win in the next couple of years to get any return on their investment. Their time is NOW. Read more!

When Wrestling Was Real: Carnage Unlimited

My two favorite wrestlers of all time. Road Warrior Hawk. Road Warrior Animal. The L.O.D. Hawk and Animal were probably the most unique wrestlers of all time. Once they stepped into the spotlight, the game changed. They mastered the "heel masquerading as hero" phenomenon way before The Rock could raise an eyebrow, or Stone Cold could crack open a beer. They'd just assume whup your ass, than say good morning to you. Don't believe me? Well take a look-see at this...



"I only got one thing to say. I don't care. He don't care. And Paul don't care either."

Now that's gangsta. And who's gonna argue with Animal? If you did, you went home with less teeth, a severe limp, or a speech impediment. Hell, if you played your cards right, maybe all three.

It's a damn shame that Hawk fell prey to his demons. All the years of hard living and hard drugs finally caught up with him, as he died at only 46 years old. By now, every sports fan is aware of James "Baby Animal" Laurinaitis who plays for the Ohio State Buckeyes. I won't hold that against him. I'll always respect him because his pops snacked on danger and dined on death.

Read more!

Spit It Through The Wire

Gangsta D:

Does Chris eventually do in Marlo? He hasn't been to happy about all the Omar-centric business they've been up to lately. When Marlo made his leap, Chris was more pissed than amazed like Snoop and Mike. Seems like he wanted Omar gone, so things could get back to normal. When he and Snoop were holed up in that safe house, he looked mighty pissed as he continuously threw the knife into the floor. It'll be interesting...

Waldini:

I think the only way that will happen if Omar gets to close to his family. If it's Snoop, Mike, or any of the others that gets done, I dont think Chris turns on Marlo.

Da Realist:

didn't think of that angle, but anything's possible. i just want to know how are they going to wrap this up in 4 episodes. too much is going on here...

Gangsta D:

However they do it, it probably won't be completely satisfying. We needed another 2-3 episodes just to flesh everything out. But I do know that out of Marlo and Omar, one of 'em ain't living to see the next sunrise when it's all said and done.

Da Realist:

probably neither of them

Gangsta D:

Nah, somebody's gonna get got. That much I'm sure of. Gotta happen. No way it doesn't.

Da Realist:

i just got a sneaking suspicion that omar won't make it. marlo's going to jail at least...but the omar type never lives happily ever after. that's my guess.

Gangsta D:

I think Omar is going out in a blaze of glory Tony Montana-style.

Da Realist:

exactly. i think you're right. i'm already emotionally preparing myself. it'll feel like when queen latifah went out in Set It Off. nobody liked to see that.

Gangsta D:

But when he does go out, you can rest assure that he ain't going alone. I don't know if that means Marlo is gonna catch it, but SOMEBODY will.

Waldini:

I'm actually gon shed a tear when this series is over....and promptly cancel HBO soon after :-) Read more!

Fresh, Dressed Like A Million Bucks

Boy, you've just got to admire the ingenuity of blackfolk!


Now, I don't know if Obama is going to become the next President. But I do know that he'll have the flyest kicks on the campaign trail. Who else can lay claim to their own line of Air Force 1's? Senator McCain, can you buy that!?!


Read more!

Kid Is Niiiiice

Check out this video football uber-recruit Terrelle Pryor serving an opponent a spicy plate of hot wings....on the basketball court.



That was just foul. Apparently Terrelle will be a one sport star when he finally signs with Michigan [wishful thinking]. That's too bad. Dude is 6'6" 235 pounds as a high school senior. You don't think he can grow another inch or so? And with his passing ability, can you say Baby 'Bron? This cat has supreme physical gifts, and appears to have his head on straight. I hope he succeeds wherever he goes [not tOSU].

Hat tip: Dime by way of High School Hoop Read more!

You Slimy, Rotten, Dirty Mother...

*****RUMOR ALERT****

OK, I’m not in the habit of posting recruiting message board rumors, but this one is too juicy. Take it with a grain of salt, or believe in it whole heartedly, which I think is more entertaining.

A little background. Clemson and the U had been vying for the services of Jamie Harper, a 4-stour RB out of Trinity Christian High School in Jacksonville. Jamie had previously said that he and teammate Daniel Andrews were a package deal, as they have been friends since childhood. Even though Andrews committed to Clemson early, Harper remained open to recruitment.

Enter Randy Shannon. The ‘Canes got slotted in as Harper’s final official visit. By all accounts, he had a great time. “Sources” said that the ‘Canes had as good a shot as Clemson in retaining his services.

Cut to: National Signing Day. According to “sources,” at 8:58 Harper called UM to tell them he was a Cane. At 11:45, he was still solid. However, at his press conference he announces that he is signing with Clemson. What the huh? What happened?

Well, this is the scuttlebutt. According to “sources,” Clemson called harper and told him that if he didn’t sign with Clemson, they were pulling Daniel Andrew’s scholarship. Harper told Miami, and they said they would take Andrews as well. But Andrews parents wouldn’t allow him to go to Miami, so both he and Harper signed with Clemson. Shannon was nonplussed.

Take it for what it’s worth.

If it’s not true, then I apologize for spreading vicious rumors. If it is true, then as a Hurricane fan I say: Fuck you Tommy Bowden. Fuck you with a diseased rhinocerous dick. I wish upon you a plague of genital warts the size of Mark Mangino after a Golden Corral bender. You are officially on my Eat-A-Dick List.

I think that’s an appropriately rational, measured response. Don’t you?

p.s. I don't really care either way. It's not that serious to me. If it's true, fine. If it's false, fine. I lost no sleep over the 'Canes not signing Harper. Also, I don't really want Tommy Bowden to be fucked with a diseased rhinocerous dick, even though that would be an instant youtube classic. Lighten up people.

Read more!

Old School Friday - The Randomness

I was planning on doing something cool this week, but God decided to smite me with the flu/bug/mung/crud...whatever you wanna call it, and I wasn't able to find the videos I wanted to. So, this week you get the randomness. Hope you enjoy. Me? I'm gonna go chug some NyQuil and hopefully by the end of the day my head won't feel like Bug's dad felt after Chris went all psycho commando on it. Holla.


Do Or Die - Po Pimp

"Choppin' up that paper ho." Every wack ass dude thought he was a pimp after this song came out. There's nothing funnier than watching a lame strikeout, trying to be a pimp. I don't think Bill Simmons has a category for it on his Unintentional Comedy Scale.




Gangstarr - You Know My Steez.

Once again, we worship Gangstarr here at The Commission. Little known fact: Guru went to Morehouse before signing a music deal. The House can't be stopped! lol




Nas - Hate Me Now

"I hate you again!" I love this video for it's sheer ridiculousness. Why is there shit blowing up behind Nas? What the fuck kind of dance is Puff doing, and why is he so angry? And yeah, the whole crucifixion scene. What?!? It's still mad entertaining though.




Lil Wayne - The Block Is Hot

"What about yurn?" Before he became Weezy F. Baby. True story, when this song came out I told Waldini that Wayne was gonna be a star. His response, "I don't know about all that." Well how you like me now?!? Respect your elders, young punk:)




The Five Heartbeats - Heart Is A House

"It takes more than love to build it up." Can't nobody sing like Eddie King.




LL Cool J - Doin It

What does this song remind me of? My first lap dance at a strip club. She was short, light skinded, had frizzy hair, and wore a leopard print g-string. And yes, she did it well...boy did she do it well.




Mary Jane Girls - All Night Long

"Hurry up and come. I can't wait to get it on." Double entendre much? Rick hit us off with one of those patented basslines, and my head hasn't stopped nodding in five minutes. All praise due.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT


Guns 'N Roses - Sweet Child 'O Mine

Probably my favorite GNR song of all time. Slash DESTROYS this track, pisses on it, then calls it a punk ass bitch. Too bad egos got the best of these cats.

Read more!

The Changing Landscape Of The West

Gangsta D:

Apparently Shaq is on his way to Phoenix, and if he passes his physical the trade is a done deal. Will Shaq put his ego aside a la Wilt and become the defensive presence the Suns need? Or will he get all sensitive and demand the ball on the block in crunch time situations? In all honesty, he COULD help the Suns.

Playoff basketball is all about controlling the half court game, defensively and offensively. If Shaq can get you double digit boards, 2-3 blocks, and a consistent low post option then he's a good fit. But his body is too broken. I think he flounders. And that's not hate, that's just what my eyes see. Nevertheless, Suns-Lakers in the WCF just got potentially more entertaining. If that was even possible.

Waldini:

I keep hearing the experts say this a horrible trade for the Suns but I dont think so. They aren't asking Shaq to be an offensive juggernaut just set the tone defensively. The reasons you gave are why I think it's a potentially good deal for Phx. Half court offense in the playoffs which they can run now. I'm more shocked Marion was willing to go to Miami considering they are poo poo right. What does this say to Flash? He's prbly cursing Arison and Riley as we speak.

BTW, I think this puts heat (sorry bad unintentional pun) on Dallas to go and get Jason Kidd. If they did OMG, the playoffs would really be entertaining.

Gangsta D:

Kupchak really is forcing GM's hands. I agree. Kidd on the Mavs would make this potentially the best playoffs this decade, at least from the West's perspective. It might even be enough to get Joe Blow White Dude to care about the NBA some more. And you know Stern wants JBWD coming to games and spending his moola.

Da Realist:

it could work for the suns if shaq morphs into the '88 version of kareem but i think his bulk will prevent it. he's too heavy-footed to get rebounds and to slow to play good defense. the only thing he can do is intimidate weaker-minded players. like the old guy we used to play ball with on the block. couldn't play anymore, couldn't jump anymore, and too big/slow to go for loose balls but he COULD put a well placed elbow in your gut just as you were going for a rebound or driving the lane. players like shaq are valuable but in the nba it depends on how they call the game.

another potential downside...what is stoudemire gonna do? he doesn't have a complete game and needs the middle wide open for his acrobatic scoring. now with shaq plugging the middle, is he gonna now become a jump-shooter?

and what is d'antoni gonna do with his offense to accomodate 4 people running it instead of 5?

that all said, i think it's a good deal because phx was not going to get much farther than they've been getting and miami (though they have no inside prescence) couldn't possibly get worse.

that's just my take on it. i guess we'll see as the season wears on... Read more!

Patriot Fans Reaction To The Super Bowl

That was some ole bullshit.

Read more!

Email Of The Day

Our boy K-Dawg just hit us off with one of the funniest emails I've read in a long time. I could just imagine how this would be covered by ESPN.

I must say, I won't talk badly about Eli anymore till he retires. After what I witnessed in these playoffs from him..... I'm a believer now. Not bad for a Manning. Archie's loins should be on ice somewhere for future quarterbacks. In fact, Shenequa Ieasha Jenkins-Jones-Smith should kidnap Archie, force him to make out and have a boy name Oshea Jenkins-Jones-Smith Manning or Thomas Jenkins-Jones-Smith-Manning or something like that. Then the headlines would be "Archie had a black baby!!!!!! He looks like Terrance Howard and throw like Peyton." He would do commercials for the United Way and JJ Rib Shack. He would do the Gridiron Talk commercial from Morris Brown University and have the band playing in the background (do they still have the band?). He would start the advice with, " So you are thinking about buying a minivan...... well... what if you put D's on that bitch....it would pass the ghetto creed in the SWATS." Then instead of saying "Cut that meat!!!!" He would say, "MY DADDY LIKE DARK MEAT!!!"

Yep, these are my friends. Read more!

Old School Friday - Forget Me Nots

You ever find yourself listening to an old school radio station and when a particular song comes on, you're like "Damn that was my shit! I forgot all about that joint." Well I'm playing that role today. This week's selections are jams that I used to dig in high school and college, yet completely forgot about over time. Maybe every week is like that for you guys, in some regards, but this week is all about me. Holla!

Brand Nubian - All For One

"To put it blunt, honey I smoked the kids." Unfortunately, not too many people realize how good these cats were in the early 90's. Maybe I'm one of those unfortunate souls, because I totally forgot about this joint. I hadn't seen this video since high school. BTW, check out Puba's Filas. I had the same pair, but mine were black. This video brings back mad memories.




Slick Rick - Behind Bars

Slick Rick and Warren G? For real? But, the track ended up working. It's nice laid back vibe allows Rick to get his storytelling on. It may have been better if it wasn't recorded while Rick was in jail, but it was still a strong effort. The animation in the video was a nice touch as well.




BlackStar - Definition

"People thinking MC is shorthand for misconception." The part where Mos breaks the lip sync, while drinking from the water bottle, is classic. For some reason I forgot that this whole album even existed. This was my joint back in the day. I really wasn't a Mos fan and I'd never heard of Kweli, but this track brought me up to speed. Is there ever gonna be a Blackstar reunion album?




Common - Soul By The Pound

"While you'll be draggin' last, I'll be kicking like Bruce Lee Roy. Sho nuff!" It's funny. It's like my brain erased every memory of Common before "Like Water For Chocolate." This was my shit! Common had a different aesthetic back in '92. Dude was like Tarantino. Damn near every line had a pop culture reference and, he had mad energy to burn didn't he? It's all to the good, cause this joint is dope.

Conscious Daughters - We Roll Deep

Boy this takes me back to 12th grade. Damn, damn, damn did I have fun that year. If my mom only knew the type of shit my cousin and I got into, she'd never let me go to Atlanta for college. We used to roll deep...with strippers. Good times man. Hella good times.




Cypress Hil feat Eric Sermon, Redman, MC Eiht - Throw Your Hands In The Air

OK, this selection is somewhat of a cheat because I never saw this video in college. But, damn how did I miss it? To all my AUC cats, did this ever come on "Planet Rocks?" Anyway, I'm making up for lost time.




Jay Z - Who You Wit

Hey kids! There's been a Joe Torry sighting. I wonder if he ever found his brush? Anyhoo, this video is way more entertaining than the movie "Sprung." Rusty Cundief went from directing a pretty cool movie, "Fear Of Black Hat," to directing shit-on-a-stick, "Tales From The Hood" and "Sprung," to directing sketches for "Chapelle's Show." Talk about running the gamut.





AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT


Nine Inch Nails - Closer (Some NSFW images)

"I wanna feel you from the inside." I'm not sure how fucking a chick like an animals gets you closer to God, but if it works for you Trent, keep on keeping on pimpin'.

Read more!