Bout To Turn Drive-Bys Revolutionary

This is a music blog, and the following is old news, but if you know me, you know that sometimes I have to go out-of-pocket. I was too busy to post about it before I left for the weekend, but here's footage of Esmin Green, the woman who got checked in to the psych ward at Kings County Hospital, and died while waiting 24 hours: 

"Miss Green, a Jamaican, had been brought to the hospital on the morning of June 18 suffering from "agitation" and psychosis. 

She was left in the Emergency Room supposedly under supervision waiting for a bed in the inpatient unit to become available. Nearly 24 hours later, she was found unresponsive on the floor."

Thankfully, the hospital chief responded correctly, took the L, and isn't being defensive about it. But FYI: I'd love to know what they mean by "agitation," and I definitely want to hear the coroner's report! There's too much backstory missing here...

Through the process of my surgery last September, I learned a lot about how shitty our healthcare system is. Now, just imagine how bad it is for people who aren't well mentally!? In many cases, they can't stick up for themselves, complain, or in Ms. Green's case, even get a bed in the hospital before dying. The system is so fucked up, it's absurd. Speaking of which...

I also want to know what happened to this guy:

"A man arrested in the hit-and-run death of a police officer was found strangled in his cell, and investigators focused Tuesday on guards at the suburban Maryland jail, which has a history of security lapses."

Please read the full article HERE, but seriously... dude gets merked by the cops before he even gets in front of a judge?! I'm not defending him if he was guilty, but c'mon! And you probably didn't hear about it, because it never made national news. Thanks to Mjeema (DC born and bred) for the article... XO

We need a Hero...

 I don't love the video... 

The song is so vibrant, I was expecting something epic, and um, less "dark."

I'm a War Child

Emmanuel Jal heals himself with music.

As a former child soldier for the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army, Jal is both star and guide of the film "War Child." I got to see the film on Sunday, catching the final day of the Tribeca Film Festival. Surviving his country's civil war, Jal has now become an international hip hop star, telling his story through lyrics and enchanting beats.

PRESS PLAY on the boombox below to hear his single:

Jal's album is on The Leak for MTVu starting tomorrow, and it appears he has a song entitled "50 Cent." I haven't heard it yet, but after seeing the footage of Jal holding an AK-47 at age 8, I assume the song is more of a commentary on Hip Hop thug imagery than an attack on 50. At least I hope so!

In the meantime, check out his Myspace page, or watch the movie trailer:

I Want Something Un-Ignorable

I've mentioned 

The Ting Tings 

in past posts because I think they're great. Looks like iTunes thinks so too. Big nod to CMI for catching this one ThE eArLiEsT! You guys are just another reason why I love my new gig.

Listen to the full track: 

"Shut Up And Let Me Go"

Since the treatment is so incredible, I've wanted to post this Hot Chip video for a while. But it wasn't until now that I found a specific reason to do so. You see... in addition to the video being aesthetically nuts (Boz, you will love the colors), it feature images of Batman's The Joker.

For some reason, that always stuck in my mind, so when I caught the trailer for Batman: The Dark Knight a few days ago (late to the party, I know), I realized how intense this movie is going to be.

Yup, the one that Heath Ledger stars in as The Joker.

Spooky. 

See the movie trailer HERE.

And just in case you wanted to get more depressed, here is

Radiohead's video for "All I Need."

Portraying a day-in-the-life of two young boys, 

this video is slow but shouldn't be neglected.

Don't get ADD...

You have to watch the whole thing. Please.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

American Terrorist

That's right, Ladies and Gentlemen... it's a CONDIMENT GUN

...and I need one. Just look inside my fridge.

Read more about how it works here:)

Rory's Screenname: fill it up with whipped cream and get sexy

Unfortunately, the police officers who killed Sean Bell didn't have Ketchup and Mustard in their guns; they had bullets, and they fired on unarmed civilians.

Judge Acquits Detectives in 50-Shot Killing of Bell

There are so many versions of the story, SMH. Since I wasn't there at the scene, I don't know who or what to believe, but I do know on thing: 50 shots is NOT right, and is a clear example of unnecessary lethal force.

If My Daddy Thinks I'm Fine...

What's Your Addiction? We all have them, don't feel bad.

alcohol.blackberry.sex.cigarettes.fastfood.drugs.

What the tabloids show us from the lives of celebrities is often just a refection of our own civilian tendencies. With so many stars in the news for substance abuse, should we maybe be examining our own vices instead of shamefully pointing the finger?

Amy Winehouse

Marykate and Ashley

Lindsay Lohan

And don't forget Mischa Barton... here with Lohan many years ago.

Also, Britney Spears

Eva Mendes

 and Kirsten Dunst.

(Does anyone think Kirsten and Michelle together is strange?...)

 Considering Michelle was married to Heath? 

And don't forget Pimp C

and Brad Renfro.

Who else got rehabbed or died in the past six months? Milly calls it Celebrity Death Watch, but seriously, who's next? Hopefully not anyone we know.

Addiction on HBO

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew on VH1

Intervention on A&E

Tryin' To Take My Life Away

When 50 Cent endorsed Hillary on O'Reily, he also mentioned that he believes America isn't "ready" for a black president. Immediately following that statement, 50 explained why and expressed his concern for a potential assassination by saying "I think they might kill him."

I first saw this clip, and I thought it was an intelligent yet blunt thing to say. But frankly, it's not the most crazy conspiracy theory ever heard of. I've honestly thought about what might happen to Barack Obama if he won the Democratic ticket and ran for president... After all, there are racial extremists out there whose hateful practices are protected by the First Amendment, and(!) I wouldn't put an execution past Uncle Sam's elitist nephews either. Morbid, I know.

If you have time to do anything today, watch this clip! It's an excerpt from Eddie Murphy: Delirious. I watched it so much in high school that my friends and I would say all the jokes as Eddie delivered them (shout out to Cunningham!). Seeing all the fuss over 50's comment has forced me to dig it up and share. The whole clip is hilarious and worth watching, but at 6:45, he starts talking about African Americans in politics, and around 7:12 he starts the assasination joke. 

I've seen Jesse in the gym, working the fuck out, too, for getting into shape.
You know he got a chance he can win.
White dudes like to do shit like that...
...vote for the wrong dude as a goof.
They get drunk and shit and go like:
"Let's vote for Jesse Jackson!" 

"I just voted for Jesse Jackson!"
And next day would be like this: 

"He fucking won?"
Jesse knows that shit can happen. He gets in shape.
I've seen him running round the track and shit.
I said: "Why the fuck you getting in shape like this?"
He says: "'cos I'm gonna be the first black president."
"I have to give speeches like this: 

'My fellow americans!
As your president I feel...'"

Unfortunately, the punch line of the joke got cut off and is continued HERE:

And dude be going: "He won't stand still!"

Did you hear how hesitant the crowd was to laugh after that last line!? They were horrified at first, but a few seconds later, found the truth in the joke and applauded.

No stranger to bullets, it's not surprising to me that 50 might have some wisdom in a situation like this (see: Many Men).

So much for hope.

The Clock Went Back From 3, to 2, to 1...

2008 is HERE.

But before I could fully acknowledge that fact, I needed to first reminisce on 2007.

This past year was pretty real...

I learned a lot, saw a lot, experienced many "firsts"...

Below is my last minute effort to recap the year:

MUSIC CATEGORIES

BEST CONCERT:

The Scream Tour at MSG (only because Jay, Ye, Puff and 50 were all on stage at the same time... let's not attribute it to Ciara's not-so-groundbreaking performance) Honorable Mention: Weezy at the Beacon Theater and Rock The Bells

BEST ALBUM:

Amy Winehouse "Back To Black"
Honorable Mention: Robin Thicke "The Evolution of Robin Thicke," Kanye West "Graduation," and Lupe Fiasco "The Cool"

BEST MIXTAPE:
Lil Wayne- The Drought is Over 2 (The Carter 3 Sessions)

Honorable Mention: Jim Jones- Harlem's American Gangster

BEST SONG (For all walks of life):

Mark Ronson "Stop Me"
50 Cent "I Get Money"
Jowell Y Randy "No Te Veo"
Fall Out Boy "This Ain't a Scene"

WORST SONG:
Colbie Callait "Bubbly"... that shit kills me! I had to leave a store the other day when it came on, smh.

SONG I HATED BUT ENDED UP LOVING:

Lil Boosie, Webbie and Foxx "Wipe Me Down"

BEST VIDEO:
Kanye West (Dir: Hype Williams) Stronger, because it's based on one of my favorite movies, Akira
LIFE CATEGORIES

BEST PARTY:
Vincenza's Birthday on the Dream Hotel rooftop

Honorable Mention: BET Awards After Party in LA

BEST MOVIE:

300 on Imax

SO GLAD I MET:
Ms. Ventura (AKA Bozworth)

DRINKING BUDDY OF THE YEAR:
Milly, my personal bartender... it may not have been often, but when it was on, it was on!

HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR:
Running in Fort Tryon park during the Spring and Fall *sigh*

LOW POINT OF THE YEAR:
The week of 9/24

MOST AMAZING SPORTING EVENT TO BE AT:

Game 3 of the ALDS, Yankees vs. Cleveland... field level seats

BEST HOLIDAY:
Cinco de Mayo

BEST RESTAURANT:
La Esquina... yummmm

BEST DECISION MADE THIS YEAR:

To finally start a blog :)

Honorable Mention: (1) Deciding to watch all episodes of The Wire that I had never seen AND (2) getting a real camera to start taking photos again

TV SHOW OF THE YEAR:
Weeds on HBO and Damages on FX

MOST LOYAL FRIEND:
Mr. Russell

SOMETHING IMPORTANT THAT 2007 TAUGHT ME:
I need art and creativity in my everyday life

So that's all folks!

Take a deep breath and enjoy each day... before we know it, another year will have passed, and we'll be reflecting yet again.  xo

Life is But a Beach Chair

You see the beach in the background??? I'm on vacation, bitches...

Back to blogging when I get back from the Dominican Republic, don't worry... 

Lay on The Table, They Operatin' To Save You

So I've been out of commission for a few weeks... had to handle some medical issues... Life comes first, et cetera, et cetera. Time to play a bit of catch-up...

First off, Happy Birthday to my dear Mr. Russell, both one of my favorite people and a superior television-watching partner:

Second on the agenda: The BET Hip Hop Awards (and the theme of "saving" hip hop)
1) I searched the internet for hours (or perhaps minutes), looking for a photo of Wayne holding a double-stacked styrofoam cup, but image libraries across cyberland were not interested in coming to my aid. If you know me, you KNOW that I love Weezy, but for Christ's sake, PUT THE CUP DOWN WHILE PERFORMING. Fuck if the kids are watching, but what happens if you spill and slip?!? YOU ARE HIP HOP, right?... safety first.

2) I know I'm a few days behind, but let's discuss T.I.'s weaponry in conjunction with the fact that he had the MOST nominations (9), yet won the LEAST amount of BET Awards. Innnnnteresting? I think not. While some might still blame Don Imus for what I consider to be BET's clear revocation of the awards Tip won (Note to Frank: revocation is the same as "indian giving" in this scenario), I on the other hand, blame BET. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY! You nominated him 9 times, give him some awards! You didn't know he'd get busted for buying oozies the same day of the taping, so cut yourselves some slack! And what's up with having Tip and Common "share" an award? Was that BET's clever way to cover up the chaos? SMH.

3) Yes, I admit, Lauren London's tattoo is ILL. I love Ls too. Really.

4) Hova was MIA. BET is clearly not important to him right now since he won't have another album coming out for a while. (American Gangster, 11/6!)

5) Considering the fact that Criminal Minded made me fall in love with hip hop, I was genuinely gleeful that KRS was highlighted as an icon during the show. I thought his speech was short, yet important: Hip hop is not dead, it's evolving... as we take steps forward, we should always consider the history that has made it strong.

On that note, I leave you with Wayne's song Gossip, a new track whose beat I found to cleverly coinside with the theme of this blog
XO

Nobody Will Fall 'Cause Everyone Will Be Each Other's Crutches

It had to be perfect.
I kept thinking that I wouldn't start this blog thing until the right idea came to me and I'd know IT WAS TIME. I wanted it to be real and organic, not forced. I wanted it to be dope, but still grounded... kind of like the people I try to keep in my circle.

I wanted to talk about Music. Ask some questions to make you think. Poke holes in Pop Culture. Be on some Jay "I hope you fools choose to listen, I drop jewels, bust it" shit. Maybe spark some Awareness quietly since we so often reject Reality's loud sounds. But life beat me to it, demonstrating that we can only turn the volume down for so long:

A friend of mine lost his mother yesterday. On my subway ride home from work, the concept of mortality lured thoughts into my mind that had previously been hibernating. I realized, or should I say "remembered," that society is structured to make us continuously lose focus of what's really important. We're distracted; should-be priorities get lost in the everyday hustle, causing us to wander off our path. But eventually, although it may often be through a painful experience, Reality is known to swoop back in, take our hand, and guide us back on track. Back to where we need to be.

Death is one of those things. One of those universal memos.

Since my priority in blogging was to have mine secretly serve as a similar, less painful reminder, I figured this first entry was the closest to perfect that I could get. However, if I took it too literally and yesterday's sad event wasn't the right "sign" to start blogging with, then at least I'm comfortable with that fact that the message behind my words comes from a good place.

I don't know if he'll ever read this, but to my good friend, the Sneaker Supervisor: I love you and I'm here if you ever need me.

And to the rest of you: tie your shoelaces and let's start walking. XO