I don't have a favorite movie; I have a list of about 20 or 30 flicks that I swear by. One of them (probably towards the top of that list) is the incomparable Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing". I don't explain this one to you (If I do, then check the clip below, and understand how dope of a movie it is), but with the 20th anniversary of the movie, I'm definitely going to be watching it a few times. Nostalgia aside, Nike's releasing a pack to commemorate the anniversary. They've got a Blazer Hi and a Big Hi (I hated this sneaker 3 months ago; it's growing on me), both released in colorways pertaining to the movie. The Blazers represents the logo and colors of Sal's Pizza and the Bigs resembles the OG Jordan 1 colorway that EVERYONE had in the late 80's Both of them have Spike's trademark glasses on the tongue. Check some closer shots of the Spike Lee Pack and the trailer from "Do the Right Thing"...
Enter, the world's fastest street-legal Porsche in the world. Clocking in at 450 HP thanks to it's 3.8-liter, flat 6-cylinder engine, this whip does at least 180 MPH in the fast lane. Those are racing-class numbers for those of you not familiar with cars. Along with being fast, this bad boasts carbon fiber accents all over the chassis, a titanium exhaust, lowered height for speed, and one of the most advanced suspensions ever. I know I'm drooling over even looking at this beauty, but of course such speed comes at a price. When the car drops in Spring 2010, it's expected to be priced at $132,800 (gasp). Whatever the case, check out some more flicktures from one of the sexiest cars I've laid eyes on...
Today, I had my first Twitter beef. I won't get into the long of short of it, because it was literally the dumbest thing I'd ever seen. But I will say that the altercation (can it be called that on Twitter?) opened my eyes to the true ills of the social-networking phenomenon. I've seen how Twitter can quickly become just as irksome as every other social network that we've experienced in the latter half of this decade. With that said, here are my Unofficial Rules for Twitter. Not only should they cut down on beefs, they should eliminate unecessary tweeps from your list and keep your Twitter experience idiot-proof:
1. If you wouldn't say it in real life, DO NOT TWEET IT!! It's really disconcerting to see people coming outside of their mouths simply because there's a computer screen blocking a nice bitch slap from coming your way.
2. If you RT everything on your timeline, then please examine your own life to find things that YOU tweet. There's nothing worse than someone who's whole M.O. is rehashed. Do you, not what other people do. That's not to say that re-tweeting things isn't cool, but there's a limit to my timeline's patience.
3. Don't TRY to get followers (that includes those "Get More Followers!!" links). If you have to resort to begging for followers, then you're not on Twitter for the right reasons. Popularity contests are for high school elections, not social networking. If you have 15 times more followers than people you're following (and aren't a LEGIT celebrity), you should get your self-esteem up...
4. Don't always be negative. There's nothing I hate more than a Tweep whose tweets are more depressing than an overdrawn bank account. Not only is airing out your problems publicly unbecoming, it makes cynics like myself not want to follow you.
5. Don't carry on conversations of more than 5-6 messages. It's like texting, only everyone sees it, and nobody but the people in it are interested. If you really have that much to convey, then IM, call, text, send a carrier pigeon or use telekinesis, instead of polluting my timeline with your inane conversation.
6. If yU tYp3 l1k3 d1sz, I w1ll uNf0ll0W yU. Simple, and straight to the point. If I wanted my timeline to be polluted by retarded text and graphics and characters, I'd go on Myspace and visit some hoodrat's page.
7. Quality over Quantity. Period. If you tweet every five minutes and all of your tweets are meaningless ramblings about your sandwich or some other minutiae that doesn't bear any significance to ANYONE but you, cut your tweeting down.
8. If you have a blog or website or service that you use Twitter to promote (much like myself), promote it. But DO NOT push it in people's faces. If your site is worthwhile, your followers will find their way to it regardless of how much you tweet about it. Trust me, it takes time, but you have to be patient.
9. The Ultimate Rule: Moderation, moderation, moderation. Everything is bad in large quantities, whether it be Krispy Kremes or Tweets. If you're doing anything too much on Twitter, then reevaluate your presence in the Twitterverse. Follow this rule, and you'll already be following the rest of them...
There you have it; my unofficial Twitter rules. Not to say that I haven't broken some of these rules myself, but as with anything, you live and you learn. Learn how to navigate Twitter with as little wackness/bullshit/lameness as possible and you'll experience the good side, not the bad side of Twitter. Oh yeah, and follow me, Junior, on Twitter...
I can't tell you how much I dig Curren$y. His content isn't for everyone, I know (Aeronautical engineers unite!!!), but his delivery is among the best in the industry. Of the Freshman 10, he has the most material out as well as the most consistent material. In terms of potential, the sky is the limit, especially when he continues to follow his proven formula. In this live performance of (probably my favorite song on "This Ain't No Mixtape") Blown Away, he announces he'll be releasing another album through Amalgam Digital, called "Jet Files". I honestly can't wait for more material from this man (I'm still bumping "How Fly"). Check the performance from Sneakerpimps Boston...
For me, clothing brands have to fit in my own personal aesthetic and ideology for me to wear them. I, like most sentient beings, will only rock something if it lines up with our way of being. I'm one for simple and clean clothing, with good solids and not overloading myself with unneeded color or design. That's why I dig Mighty Healthy's Fall 2009 Collection so far. Using New York City as a backdrop, but highlighting the clothes all the more, Mighty Healthy draws on simplicity for this season. Unlike a lot of clothing brands that are watering down their clothing, they are making their clothing more austere and increasing the quality to make their pieces stick out for more than design. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the Fall Collection. Check out some stills from the rest of it, and check Mighty Healthy's new website...
Now, I've had a weird relationship with Fabolous. I've always loved his mixtapes, freestyles and features on other people's work. But as soon as he puts out an album, I turn away. I always felt like he didn't bring the same fire on his official albums that he did on his other work. I was this close to diminishing his latest offering, "Loso's Way", to the same fate all his other albums had suffered under my tutelage. After a weekend to really listen, I must admit, it is DOPE. Not to say that he has his best punchlines or wordplay or lyrics on Loso's Way. But in terms of sticking with a theme and making the album mold to such a theme, "Loso's Way" has its way. Every song is a song. It's no longer a loose amalgamation of whatever songs he thought were hot enough to put on. Nor is the album so rigid that if you don't like one song, you won't like the rest. This is Fab's most complete work to date, and I can't even front anymore. The Young'n that I thought needed to grow up to release an album up to par, did just that, and did a hell of a job too; I just had to listen a little harder. Check my picks and the video for "Money Goes, Honey Stay"
Cream of the Crop: My Time Imma Do It Money Goes, Honey Stay Everything, Everyday, Everywhere Feel Like I'm Back The Fabolous Life Lullaby
It's around this time that my withdrawal from NBA basketball has become almost disease-like. I'm constantly checking NBA.com for updates of any kind, always scouring Youtube for clips I haven't seen before and logging into every basketball forum or blog for ANY discourse on NBA basketball. To put it short, I am a basketball junkie (I dare ANYONE to test my b-ball knowledge, by the way). I have a historical perspective of the NBA from a tenure of over 15 years of watching the game, and it's for this reason that I put together this list:
5 Teams That Should Have Stayed Together
Whether through free agency, trades, injury, locker room turmoil, or just plain old stupidity, these promising teams broke up after a year that found them reaping success. These teams should have had a sequel...
5. 2004-2005 Indiana Pacers
We all know the story. We all know about the "hard foul" that set off the craziest NBA fight this decade. But we don't know about the fallout from the fight. We don't know about how after the fight, the once-title contender Pacers scraped together an above-.500 season and limped into the playoffs that year as the 6th seed. The worst part is that they were a year removed from the Eastern Conference Finals and on the verge of beating the Pistons by double digits in the game that set their demise. I shudder to think what that lineup would have done with Stephen Jackson, (a young and good) Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Jamaal Tinsley, Reggie Miller and that host of reserves that got more suspensions than the rest of the Pistons combined. It's a damn shame what PR will do to a team.
4. 2006-2008 New York Knicks
I don't care what you say. I don't care who your favorite team was at this point. I don't even care what their record was. This team from 2006 to 2008 was not BAD, by any means. The New York Knicks of this era suffered only from a lack of stability in both management and coaching. Watching that video makes me realize it every time. It was at this point that the world still had faith in Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry averaged 20 ppg (look it up if you don't believe me), Jamal Crawford was a beast, David Lee was the most unsung player in the league, Channing Frye still mattered, Nate Robinson wasn't a one-trick pony, Q-Rich wasn't obese, and Steve Francis still had hop in his step. This team was a UNIT, despite what the media wanted to believe. It was only after Isaiah Thomas' blunders did the framework start to fall apart, and well, you know the rest...
3. 2004-2005 Phoenix Suns
Offensively, this team was made to run. Steve Nash, probably coming off of the best season of his career was surrounded by shooters like Q-Rich (who actually was still athletic at this point), Joe Johnson (still undervalued at that point), Jim Jackson (where is he now?) and Leandro Barbosa. He also had the best glue player of the decade in Shawn Marion, and the young monster Amare Stoudamire. With that team, there was no way they were getting outscored. If you scored 100, they would drop 105. If you wanted to rain threes, they would do it better. The Dallas Mavericks that Nash got signed from originated the run-and-gun, but this Phoenix Suns team perfected it. Sadly though, this team forgot that defense is an integral part of basketball, and that, more than anything caused it's demise, even though they're still trying to make it work out in the desert...
2. 2005-2006 Dallas Mavericks
(The music blows... just put it on mute and throw on the radio) This team frustrated me more than any team I've ever liked. This was the most balanced Dallas Mavericks team of the decade, still offensively a powerhouse, but FINALLY had the wherewithal to play defense. Devin Harris was turning into the monster that we all know now (sorry, J-Kidd, you shafted the Mavs), Josh Howard was solid, Dirk was brilliant as usual, Jason Terry was like glue in the clutch, and they had two unsung heroes in Keith van Horn and Jerry Stackhouse providing veteran leadership. Even Erick Dampier and Desagana Diop played well enough that year to boost the Mavs to the NBA Finals in 2006. But, in what is now typical Mavericks fashion (yeah, I'll admit it, Devin), they choked, choked again in 2007 (see below) and made the trade that would fuck them over for another 3 years. I don't even want to talk about it anymore...
1. 2007 Golden State Warriors
You saw the series. You saw the way the Mavericks just fell to the most ridiculous offensive attack I've ever laid eyes on. You saw Baron, Monta, Stephen Jackson (his 2nd appearance on this list), Al Harrington, Jason Richardson, Biedrins, Matt Barnes, Pietrus and Azubuike. You saw three pointer, after three-pointer, after dunk, after dunk after dunk. You saw the trade of the century put this team together and carry them into the 2007 NBA Playoffs on the last day of the regular season, after beating the Mavericks easily. You even saw this:
Whatever the case, this team was STACKED. Had it stayed together they would have caused defenses fits. Add to that the fact that they drafted Anthony Randolph in the next draft, and you seriously would have had the scariest team on paper. EVER. Had they stuck together they would have contented for a title, I'm convinced.
I said it on Twitter last night, and I'll say it again:
Bow Wow signing with Wayne is the equivalent of Barney joining Sesame Street.
I stand by that statement 100%, wholeheartedly, and will continue to as your career hopefully fizzles out. Not that I'm against people going out and making moves for money's sake (we all know you didn't make any bank off Marco Polo), but I don't suppose all of the #signedtoyoungmoney tweets mean anything to you? Because they probably mean more than you signing to Young Money does. Signing to Young Money now is like signing to Bad Boy circa-1995. You'll matter for one album then fade into obscurity. Not that your music was ever something to write home about. Pole in the Basement isn't winning any ASCAPs or MTV Video Music Awards anytime soon. Not to mention, if heads really wanted a teen sensation to take over the game, we already seem to have two guys named Drake and Soulja Boy that do everything better than you. Sorry Bow Wow, but no matter what label you get on, you'll still be the child hip-hop star that never just let it go.
Your signing to Young Money leaves me with more questions than answers to tell you the truth. For instance:
1. What exactly does signing to YM mean? Look how many other niggas are on YM who's albums will never see the light of day (Gutta Gutta, Jae Millz, Lil' Chuckee, etc)
2. Who's gonna be penning your rhymes now that you're on YM? I'm not sure T.I. is really trying to share the writing royalties with Wayne...
3. Do you honestly think you're album is gonna come out when you want it to? Or better yet, do you think anyone will care at that point? Every song on your joint will probably be LEAKED, and end up bottom-feeding on the Xclusives Zone (shoutout to the best site for under-the-radar music)
My nigga, those are some serious questions to ponder, though I think you'll most likely look past them thinking that something big will come of signing to Young Money. I tend to air on the side of reality, rather than subscribe to Wayne's weed & cough syrup-induced hallucinations. But hey, everyone has a right to dream...
Quentin Tarantino is a bleeping cinematic genius. When 'Inglorious Basterds' comes out on August 21st, not only will we get a FRESH take on World War II from Tarantino, we'll get to have it portrayed by Brad Pitt, who's quickly become one of my favorite actors (See 'Benjamin Button' and then talk to me). While this is a World War II film, Tarantino is quick to tell you that it is really a "spaghetti western", or a Western movie influenced by Italian direction. Whatever the genre, I'm set for an entertaining film. Check a free clip of the movie and an interview with Brad Pitt...
When I saw this, I thought it was a gross exaggeration. I thought people were trying to play off of the whole LeBron, Dunk-gate incident. If there was any doubt that Jordan is the best there is, the best there was, and (sorry LeBron & Kobe) the best there ever will (might) be, it went down faster than dude's pride after MJ hit jumper after jumper in his face. Nuff said. Just watch.
Dog, you are LOSING it. And not losing it in the Dennis Rodman sort of way, where he's a weirdo OFF the court but shits on people ON the court. You're not even losing it in the Michael Vick way, where legal troubles screw your playing career up. No, no, no. This is losing it in a way that only taking drugs OTHER than marijuana can. Are you sure you haven't been catching another kind of "rock" in your off-time between being released by the Knicks and getting picked up by the Celtics? Are you sure you haven't been spending a little too much time on the wrong side of Coney Island? I sure hope not. Because it's looking more an more like you're taking a sharp turn down Skid Row these days. I don't even know what kind of rock you were smoking to decline the Celtic's offer for this upcoming season? It's sad that no one's offered you anything since. And I'm not even making this shit up. Only the craziest of fiends would get a tattoo like this...
Tyson got over his, but Marbury's just begets a whole new world of loco...
And he does it time and time again. 9.58. Let me say it again. 9.58. That's after breaking the world record of 9.72 in 2008 (his personal best was 9.76 at that time) and then breaking his own record by running 9.69 at the Olympics last year. This man is phenomenal. He won this race by the biggest margin ever since they started electronic timing in sprint events. I can't even describe the pride I feel as a Jamaican when I see Usain taking that victory lap. Big ups to Asafa Powell who came in 3rd, but I seriously feel for Tyson Gay. The man said he "ran the race of his life," and yet Bolt beat him by more than a meter. Let the hate (and steroids accusations begin...
Mickey Factz needs to be on your radar. And if he isn't, then I feel sorry for you. The man just put together 12 minutes of off-the-top lyricism (he didn't spit a written verse like SOME MC's) on different beats, including D.O.A. and an assload of Kanye beats. I guess that's what happens when you're the OTHER ROC Nation signee; beats galore but less promotion than Freeway in 2003. I really hope Mickey doesn't fall to the same fate because of the hip-hop Donald Trump...
What's up people?? You know what day it is, and you know I have some crazy ass freestyles for your listening pleasure. Today I've got Cory Gunz on deck with another dazzling display of lyrical mastery. I know I've posted him a bunch of times for Freestyle Friday, but honestly, there's no one killing the freestyle circuit right now the way Cory is. He's finally gotten control of that Luis Mendoza ($10 to anyone that knows who Luis Mendoza is and why that allusion makes sens) flow, and still has those quick-witted lyrics to pop off with. Please recognize the skills, people. Cory Gunz is here to stay...
10 Deep has long been one of my favorite brands for two reasons: 1. They have a distinct aesthetic that is minimalist and gritty and fresh at the same time, which is hard to do; and 2. While they have their aesthetic, they find ways to alter their clothing so that their brand never gets stale. 10 Deep also always seems to be having fun in whatever clothes they wear during photoshoots. Truth be told, having cold stares and unnatural poses is so lame and pretentious. 10 Deep, for lack of a better term, keeps it real, and I, for one, am a fan. They're getting ready to drop their Fall 2009 Collection, and I couldn't be more excited. Check the Fall 2009 Preview...
PS: Can anyone tell me the track that's playing in the background??
