Vuoi Qualcosa Di Più Facile

I discovered Tiziano Ferro when I was studying abroad in Italy, and outside of loving his music, it actually helped me to learn the language a lot faster. I've been wanting to post his videos for about a week now, but I didn't find an excuse to do so until today.

I first heard his song 

"Sere Nere" (Black Nights) 

on the radio as I'd wander through Florence shops.

"Sere Nere" is a beautiful record. 

He misses someone he loves, and the words he uses to express that loss are brilliant. I didn't know it at the time, but it was a single off his second album, 

Cento Undici (111). 

After getting acquainted with the music, I saw him on TV and was 

immediately smitten.

"Ti Voglio Bene" (I Care For You) 

was the next single, and I still remember seeing the video for the first time in my favorite bar... 

"Vorrei ringraziarti, vorrei stringerti alla gola..." 

MEANING

"I want to thank you, I want to strangle you"...

...Tiziano is clearly torn. I always interpreted the song as him being upset with a friend or lover who had done him dirty, but for some reason, he remains loyal and can't stop caring for that person. Unfortunately, the process is painful- hence the bruises he gets on his face throughout the video.

After hearing those singles, 

I back-peddled and got his first album, 

Rosso Relativo.

Many of the songs caught my ear and remained in my head after only one listen, including the title track...

LISTEN: 

"Rosso Relativo"

It's not hip hop, but his flow is berserk.

"Le Cose Che Non Dici" (Things That You Don't Say)

Don't judge him or write him off because he's hot! 

The hook really sold me on this one... "Ma nessuno le vedrà!"

"Imbranato" (Clumsy)

He did it before Fergie! In this song, Tiziano's confessing his strong feelings for someone. He admits that although it may be too soon, he can't keep his emotions quiet- even if it means embarrassing himself in the process. I LOVE him.

Now that I got that out of my system, I have to thank Erica, my roommate in Florence, for inspiring this post. She works at Topps, and sometimes she sends around hilarious photos of herself with the athletes they shoot. She's pretty tiny, so obviously, her standing next to NBA Rookie Roy Hibbert is nothing short of hilarious:

Similarly to Erica, I also have a photo with an athlete named Roy.

But this one plays in the NFL, and happens to share my birthday...

I found that out when he asked me to do his birth chart.

I Call a Spade a Spade, It Just Is What It Is...

I went to the Yankee game last Tuesday night with one of my favorite people.

Sick seats, as demonstrated by this blackberry photo :)

After the game, I hopped on the train to head home. As the doors behind me closed, an African American man standing next to me made a quick remark about the 4 Asian kids stranded on the platform, saying SARCASTICALLY "it's so easy to tell them apart from each other." His words caused me to glance back at the kids for fresher a frame of reference, and it wasn't until then that I even noticed they were Asian. His remark isn't even important right now; but him then uncomfortably announcing "I'm allowed to make jokes like that" immediately after is.

Now... there's a 90% chance I would have done what I did next regardless, but I think it's important to note that I've been listening to way too much Nas. That, and I had also just caught the video below within a day or so, so I was extra inspired...

Jay Smooth:

How To Tell People They Sound Racist

I took a minute to gather my thoughts before I politely said excuse me to the gentleman in question (who, FYI, was very clean-cut, early-40s, wearing khakis and a pink polo). I asked him if he would mind explaining what he meant in saying he was allowed to make those kind of jokes. He greeted my question openly, and with a pleasant tone... It was then that I noticed he was not traveling alone; his son (maybe 12-13) was standing beside him. Since we've all heard the ignorant, Western generalization that all Asians look the same, I'm sure you already know what this guy really meant. And although he's not the worst kind of biggot, saying what he said in a public setting (and in front of his kid!) isn't really acceptable.

Without hesitation, he asserted the rule that minorities are allowed to make fun of each other, and asked me to understand the humor in the Asian kids all having a similar look (Funny, I thought that rule only applied when you're in the same racial "category"). In his defense, 3 out of 4 of them were wearing glasses with extremely similar frames, but the "they" in his initial remark wasn't directed at "people with glasses," it was directed at Asians, and the excuse he made post-joke proved that. But no one would have known the difference if he didn't guiltily follow-up, flashing his minority hall pass, claiming he was allowed to do it. It's like a game of Texas Hold'em: Instead of bluffing, the dude teared up and showed everyone on the train how bad his hand was. He left me with no choice... I'm going all in, and I'm gonna win.

"I don't care WHAT HE IS,

but I need to hold him accountable for WHAT HE DID."

Jay Smooth would probably want me to be direct and tell the guy that what he SAID was somewhat racist... but in the end, I wound up taking it easy on him. Instead, I demonstrated to him the difference between racist people and racist remarks, indirectly alerting him of his blunder. I think he got the message, especially since he lost his composure and got less and less articulate as the conversation progressed, possibly because I'd glance over at his son periodically for more effect:) And I assure you: this is only the first installment of Lacezilla's racism project. Stay tuned!

On My New York Shit

LET'S GO!!!

Cool For Thought

A new friend is building a clothing company that has amazing vision.

Check out "The Way" tee by munchiebrain.

Last week, I was lucky enough to see Mary J. Blige perform LIVE at the VH1 Storytellers taping. Not something you see every day... Thanks Vin :)

Don't know how I feel about the Kelly Rowland f. Travis McCoy song, Daylight. I like the collabo in theory, (and not to sound like Diddy) but I think the video could have been more "sexy" LOL. I'm serious.

Mariah has a new album coming... and PS, I read that news on tha best kept secret in blogworld,
Tha Mission

Still haven't seen it posted anywhere else!

Don't call it a comeback:

Hillary continues catching Ws and so do the G-Men!

And Lastly...

Happy Birthday to the King of Civil Rights!

I wonder... What would Dr. King think about a black man and a white woman running for president? And also, what would he think about the potential name of Nas' new album?

Do the dishes.

Even a Broken Clock is Right at Least Two Times a Day

Brandon Jacobs is hilarious.

And I<3NY.

Re-live it all here and catch the best part at 2:35 in.

Batter Up

It was a bad day for baseball, that's for sure.

And as a die-hard Yankee fan, this wasn't great news for the Bronx either.

All this 'roid rage, SMH.  But I admit, while the truth is devastating, it's kind of a relief at the same time. *sigh*  I can't wait to see how this all unfolds...

See the List of Players or Learn More Here

Form The Alliance

I LOVE football.

I also LOVE fashion.
This week's episode of Project Runway showed that human beings can be versatile in their interests. Former NY Giants running back Tiki Barber guest-starred as the judge and inspiration for Week 3's sewing challenge. It was nice to see a pro athlete openly discuss his interest in the fashion industry... Although they're not the most far-fetched combination of hobbies, fashion and sports are also not necessarily two things that often get paired together either. In an interview after the show, Tiki displayed an open-minded ability to align himself with an interest that (he admits) is not the most masculine.

Since I often struggle with having widespread interests, I empathize with people who find it hard to categorize themselves as a this or that type of person... And that's why programming like this is so refreshing to see. I wish more people would not just think, but live outside the box; trying new things that don't fall within the category you like to imagine yourself in might be what you're missing.

I jacked this clip from MissInfo and wanted to post it since Rza talks about Wu Tang's ability to approach "all walks of life." The context has nothing to do with my sports/fashion dichotomy, but what he says is ironically relevent to my point:

P.S. I love him.

Anyhow... Bravo to Bravo and all those who are brave enough to walk through life collecting what they like, how ever bizarre or contradictory it might seem.

Here's Another Hit...

Barry Bonds.

I said it then, and I'll say "I toldya so" now... he's a cheater! You can throw words like "alleged" around if you want, but in reality, the people in life who are the best at what they do will never be questioned on their legitimacy.