July 31, 2002 |
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Black Nerds Stand Up - 1:03 p.m.
What does it mean to be black, educated, not familiar with the streets and, really, having no desire to be a part of that scene? Ask poet/playwright/singer Carl Hancock Rux, he's experienced the situation firsthand..
"Raised in foster homes in the Bronx, the 32-year-old Rux tried to reject his inner-city roots after being accepted to Columbia. "I didn't want to be black in the way that my environment dictated. I figured out how to blend in and hang out on the Upper West Side. I wore khakis. Everything about how I started to look was drastically different." He got mugged three times in his South Bronx neighborhood during his freshman year. "They punched me unconscious. I had this big black eye the first few months of school. I was called an Oreo at that time by kids on my block. But I wanted it. I wanted to say that I wasn't just from that culture even if I lived there. When I would go back to a 'black aesthetic' it was just another extreme performance." What he describes is excerpted from an article in today's Village Voice that digs into the supposed rise of the "black nerd." A term that novelist Martha Southgate is cool with .."In high school, I never found my way into the black social circle, but I never felt fully comfortable in white social circles either. I certainly am a nerd!" .. I'm not sure if that's a proper definition, but it's light years away from the image of a clumsy, no game having Urkel that has been projected as nerdy for so long. The main theme of the article is that times are changing, people are tiring of "both Martha Stewart-brand whiteness and ghetto-fabulous negritude." As a result people like Suzan-Lori Parks who wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning Topdog/Underdog and Colson Whitehead who has been praised for his book John Henry Days are now in vogue. Although it wasn't mentioned, I'd say that any interest in these artists that didn't exist previously can be tied to hip hop. The popularity of the music has definitely touched all areas of the entertainment business. In it's rise to the top, it has opened people's minds to the fact that we have something to say. At the same time, some people are tired of what is being said.. but with their minds exposed to the spirit of hip hop, the recognition that there is wealth of creativity in them there hills has been imprinted. Making it a little bit easier for the powers that be to take a look at a script, a book, a play by a black artist. In doing so they tap into these folks who, have always been around, but haven't gotten the exposure due to the belief that there is no market for "black intellectuals" or any creativity beyond the lowest standards. Without the exposure to rap, I don't think that same embrace takes place. I might be wrong. If anyone cares or has thoughts, you know what to do.. oh, here's the article,"The Rise of the Black Nerd" comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?> |
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July 30, 2002 | |
Iverson Cleared of Twelve Charges - 1:02 p.m.
Yesterday a Philadelphia judge dropped all but 2 of the 14 charges against Allen Iverson. He still faces two misdemeanor counts of making terroristic threats (is that a post 9-11 term?) but legal experts know that the charges will hold zero weight in court. They say it's doubtful that he'll be convicted and won't be serving any jail time.
The case fell apart when the prosecution's witnesses folded under questioning. 18 year old Hakim Carey, who had initially told police that he saw a gun in Iverson's waistband, testified with less specificity - the gun was now a "black thing." He also said that he was pressured into testifying by 21 year old Charles Jones, the roommate of Iverson's cousin. They were both in the apartment when the incident took place.. Hakim said that he never wanted to go to the police, fearing that he would become "Philadelphia's most wanted" and that someone might walk up and shoot him, but Jones pressured him into the decision. The prosecution lawyers had to have their mouth's open in disbelief as their case, which they believed to be solid, began to fall apart. Jones later got on the stand and did further damage after he admitted that he used cocaine and weed and waited 10 1/2 hours after the incident to call the police. Even more damaging were cellphone records which showed that exactly 18 seconds after he got off the phone with a personal injury lawyer, the call was put into the police station. Shaun Bowman, Iverson's cousin also testified that Jones had offered to drop the charges for $100,000.00 When one of the District Attorneys asked Jones why he hadn't told anyone about this, he replied that no one had asked him about any requests for a payoff. With the case looking like a bad episode of Judge Judy, the final decision was pretty simple.. Funny thing the judge admitted that he is a fan of Iverson, but umm.. we won't allow that to let us think that it might have played any part in his decision. The judge reasoned that it was merely a situation where "you had a relative looking for a relative at the house of a relative." And with that he struck his gavel and tossed the charges in the trash, case dismissed. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?> |
The Dog is Bout to Bite
Just when you thought the smoke has cleared, another beef between rappers has sparked up.. Years and years after the fact, DMX is finally admitting that Ja Rule has jacked his style. What, he's just recognizing that they have the same gravely voice?.. Personally, I think it's the only similarity between them. Imagine if DMX had done "Put It One Me," it would have been a totally different song, or Ja Rule doing "Get At Me Dog".. uh uh.. but DMX insists that Ja is violating and he has to speak up.
In the mtv story, he tells Shaheem Reid, "It's not like I'm the only [one] that thinks about this. N---as ask me about this sh-- every day. So what I'm gonna do, sit here and do nothing about this sh--? That ain't right. I could see if the n---a talked like that regularly. How I talk is how I rap." He wasn't done.. "I been thinking about it for a minute," he continued to bark. "I bit him lightly, on the second album [Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood]. 'Use to be my dog, you were in my left t--ty.' The funny sh-- is that Gotti did the beat. But I see he didn't get the point. I'm like, 'Come on dog, what are you doing?' " Reading further it seems like DMX's anger really comes from what he sees as Ja "going Hollywood." He describes an incident in a Los Angeles club where he sees Ja with his people, he walks over with some his friends and liquor, showing him love. Then.. "Two weeks later we happened to be in the same club. Same circumstances. Some kid walks over to me and says, 'Ja says he's over there.' I'm like, 'Alright, is he gonna come over?' 'Nah, he said come over there.' Get the f--- out of here, man. I already extended my hand once. Give me the same courtesy. You can't do the same as me? I sent him right back over there. You think [Ja] would come over there after all of that. Nothin'! I'm like, 'F--- you!' " Now he's workin on his new album and Def Jam is trying to stop him from putting out a song called "Ruled Out" - his answer to Ja Rule's snub and the biting of his stee. No more indirect references, he's coming straight at him. If the song doesn't make the album, you can be sure that it will find it's way to the mixtape circuit. DMX also pointed out his disgust at what rappers have been putting out lately.. "Every day, if I have the channel on a video station, I'm seein' nothing but bullsh--. I'm like, 'These n---as is getting away with this.' N---as know, when they listen to my [music], it's like, 'Listen to what he's saying.' To have all that sh-- knocked down with [rappers] talking blah, blah, blah and 'I think my butt getting big,' all this that don't make no sense. What are you giving my peoples? You're killing us, dog!" Hmmm.. that speaks for itself. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
tia
DMX is just another hating a** n**ga* as well as a punk, now he want's to admit that those songs were about Ja when before he denied it, and then hating on Nelly because he is getting paid now, how was DMX's song "get at me dog" and that joint he did with Sisqo helping the hip hop community, what were those songs doing to your people! |
July 26, 2002 | |
Common Talking Common Sense - 12:40 p.m.
We are seven month's deep into 2002 and I'm telling you, up to now I haven't heard one album that has been consistently good from front to back. Not one. Hot singles.. decent albums abound, but it's mostly been candy. That's what I consider gun talk, bitchin, and free advertising for Courvoisier.
There has to be a balance between the sweet stuff by introducing something with a little more nourishment in it's composition. You can tap into some of the funk-soul-jazz stuff from some of the pioneers of the game, but it would be nice to hear some of that same innovation in a current release. After reading the interview with Common in next month's One World magazine.. I'm hoping that his new joint being released this Fall, The Isness will be able to fill that void. In the interview he took an interesting stance on "positive/conscious hip hop" that I agree with totally.. "I do not break into preaching because that preaching stuff gets nerve-wracking sometimes. Like, then you lose - you lost the mission to some extent, because you turning people off of what you really want to turn them on to. Everything ain't got to be like super conscious for me." Give that brother a pork chop, he hit that on the head. But I'll add that too much of one thing, either negative or positive, is detrimental to the artform because after awhile it begins to feel like a manufactured persona.. Jill Scott moonlighting on her day job, conducts the interview and she basically cosigns that thought saying, "I just really think it's important that MC's show their humanity, not just the caricature that they've created for themselves." In my mind, that's the definition of "being real".. allowing all sides of your personality to shine through. Once in awhile everyone pops off a fart or two.. let that aroma spread around the room .. it'll let me know your alive. On the flipside, don't remain in that one spot.. farting all day long.. march down to the supermarket and get yourself some Lactaid.. improve your situation.. cause I ain't trying to smell your shit all day long.. just like music.. you don't want to hear the same shit all day long. It's common sense and bullshit that makes life interesting, mix the two in the right proportions and you get a masterpiece. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
mickey
How ironic that you put a story about the rampant downloading of music next to a story about the one MC out of say 5 that I would actually purchase an album of. Hip-hop has become too many characters, too many people tryin to prove a point, and way too much marketing. I yearn for more groups to come out like Public Enemy, Black Star, Common, etc. Don't take this is as hate, I like my Kool G Rap's and my Wu-Tangs too, but motherfuckas is makin no sense no more-stop sayin shit just becuz it rhymes, say it cus it means something. more |
Janis Ian: The Breakdown Part 3
I speak on this subject all the time.. how the internet and digital technology changes established business practices, but it sounds so much better when a recording artist, having an insider's perspective, explains the twisted logic of the music machine.
One of the first to ferret this out was a member of The Grateful Dead - John Perry Barlow. He wrote "Selling Wine Without Bottles", the theme being.. information wants to change. In June of 2000, Courtney Love ruffled some feathers when she delivered a speech at the Digital Hollywood conference.. entitled "Love's Manifesto", it's her take on how artists get stuck on the recoup treadmill and the myth of those $1,000,000.00 recording contracts. The latest artist too speak out is Janis Ian. I've never heard any of her records, and don't know anything about her.. according to her bio though she used to be a big deal. Born April 7, 1951, Janis Ian burst on the scene at age 15 with her controversial saga of interracial love, "Society's Child." Self-penned and arranged, it topped the charts and created a storm of discussion that featured Ian on The Tonight Show and in Life, Look, Time and Newsweek. Her debut album, 1967's Janis Ian, garnered her the first of her nine Grammy nominations to date. Since then, there have been 17 albums, some as close as 9 months apart, some as far apart as 10 years. So she was hot a long, long time ago.. she's still actively making music, doing shows in small venues and producing and distributing CD's independently. She also writes.. her latest is an article called "The Internet Debacle - An Alternative View". Here's the introduction.. " When I research an article, I normally send 30 or so emails to friends and acquaintances asking for opinions and anecdotes. I usually receive 10-20 in reply. But not so on this subject! I sent 36 emails requesting opinions and facts on free music downloading from the Net. I stated that I planned to adopt the viewpoint of devil's advocate: free Internet downloads are good for the music industry and its artists. .. I've received, to date, over 300 replies, every single one from someone legitimately "in the music business." What's more interesting than the emails are the phone calls. I don't know anyone at NARAS (home of the Grammy Awards), and I know Hilary Rosen (head of rhe Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA) only vaguely. Yet within 24 hours of sending my original email, I'd received two messages from Rosen and four from NARAS requesting that I call to "discuss the article." Huh. Didn't know I was that widely read." more comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?> |
July 24, 2002 | |
Rappers as Actors? Pleez! - 1:39 p.m.
I don't like using one sentence quotes like this, it could be out of context, but I can't find the whole interview. With that said, here it goes anyway.. "To take people from the music world and give them the same kind of credibility and weight that you give me, Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne, Forest Whitaker -- that's like an aberration to me," Jackson told the Sacramento Bee in a recent interview. "It's not my job to lend credibility to so-and-so rapper who's just coming into the business."
I understand Sam Jackson's point here, but rappers are put in films these days to give the film credibility with younger audiences. The audience who Hollywood looks at with $$$ in their eyes. The credibility that he speaks of have to do with recognizing talent, like if he were in the same film with a rapper he'd be cosigning their abilities.. but the only credibility that matters these days is money. Sad but true. And youth rules the market. The Hollywood machine believes that the way to capture the youth's attention is through POPular figures, POPular music. Hip hop is what the youth listen to today, so the way to crowd those fans into theatres is to use people that are familiar to them. When it comes to credibility though, it really comes down to can the rapper act.. period. If you have talent as an actor it's gonna shine regardless of who's in the flick. For instance Tupac, he didn't need an established actor to give him weight in Hollywood. He did his thing in Juice, showed his psycho side, and then flipped it around and made the best moments in Poetic Justice; and there's no denying that Ice Cube has found his niche not only in front of but behind the cameras as well. I do believe that striving for big boxoffice numbers by using rappers and singers makes for less opportunities for profesionally trained actors, and that's probaly what Sam Jackson is eluding to. He does give Will Smith credit for taking acting seriously, but that's about it. Oh, I have another quote.. "I know there's some young actor sitting in New York or L.A. who's spent half of his life learning how to act and sacrificing to learn his craft but isn't going to get his opportunity ... because of some actor who's been created." I don't know what actors he's talking about, and maybe that's his point.. but what emerging new or established actor could have played Red and Meth's roles in How High, taken Ja Rule's little part in Fast and the Furious, kicked Michael Meyers ass like Busta did in Halloween.. and.. do you see the trend here? There are no "serious" movies here. Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne, they would never be in these movies. What's funny is.. and it's what I've been gettin at.. the big draw of the new Austin Powers flick is Beyonce's part, and if young Darth Vader had been played by Eminem in Attack of the Clones, that would have been crazy. Hah hah.. dedicated Star Wars fans would have been bitching, but IF he had the skills to pull it off he'd have a new career. And let's be honest, the kid that played that part, a trained actor, wasn't all that good. I'm sure there are some good actors who have incredible talents, but he struggle is the same in any industry. How do you get that big break? I'm not gonna start the "Let's Hate on Sam Jackson Parade".. I respect his talent, but in regards to this issue we're gonna have to have a conversation for clarification and emanicaption of the situation.. ha.. I'm just playin. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
Gr8essence
I'm sorry but I have to agree with Jackson. I'm tired of films being flooded with Rappers. Being that I just turned 20-something and I'm not that old but I'm not that young, I'm feeling a little left out. Hollywood has really become teenybopper land. A lot of these films I dont even want to see. Hey, I enjoy the movies too. I wish Hollywood would put the same time and effort into films that appeal to mature audiences too. more | |
July 23, 2002 | |
Vin Diesel: From Bouncin to Cali - 11:32 a.m.
1986, it's a warm summer night in New York City. When the sun goes down and the only stores open are fast food joints and 24 hour delis, when grandma settles in for bed at a quarter past 12 *click - lights out*, for many the fun is just beginning.
Inside the men's bathroom of the Tunnel nightclub, there are speakers fixed in the corners of the room. The music from the DJ's booth can be heard just as clearly as if you were on the dancefloor. All sorts of debauchery takes place in these bathrooms. They're unisex, men and women can flow freely in the same area, so if you see four legs underneath the door of the stall.. their might be some pony riding go on. The bouncers are supposed to regulate this space, but as long things don't get too crazy, too loud, you'll get away with it. *sniff sniff* One club goer decides to amp the party experience with the drug of choice during the 80's, the white lady, cocaine. Drugs, sex, alcohol.. were all a heavy part of the Reagan era club scene. One of the bouncers see the guy, they can't allow him to just snort coke off the counter. He walks over to the guy and wraps a muscled arm over his shoulder, he explains to him why he could never ever do that again. It's like the stiff breeze before the hurricane whips on shore, or in this case before the whippin of ass. The guy gets the message and scurries away in a coke induced daze. Mark Vincent recalls this scene to John Brodie in this month's GQ magazine.. a story about going from the clubs to Hollywood. While taking classes at Hunter College, at nights he worked as a bouncer, he explained that in 1986 being a bouncer was a stepping-stone to becoming anything you wanted in Manhattan: restaurateur, music mogul, editor in chief and it allowed him to develop his acting skills. "I learned a lot about communication [being a bouncer] It's diplomacy married with confidence." Umm.. could we back up for a minute.. Mark Vincent? Yup, something to add to the tags page.. the writer asks Vin if he will confirm that his real name is Mark Vincent and that he was born on July 18, 1967. Vin looked at him and said.. "I cannot do that." While he won't stamp it, the fact that his brother, a fraternal twin, is named Paul Vincent, and that he bristled at the question, gives it some credence. If your gonna make it in show business you need a name that rolls of the tongue, real smooth like. As a teen Mark lifted weights, sculpting some meat on the bones, and when he got the job as a bouncer christened himself Vin Diesel. He got out of the club scene after his philosophical conversations with other bouncers and club goers dissolved, and the club scene became dangerous. Think box cutters, shootings outside.. and sometimes inside the clubs. In response to the violence, the owners began recruiting ex-convicts as bouncers. After Vin saw one of his friends get his throat cut inside Mars, a club that used to be in the meatpacking district, he realized that there was no future for him as a bouncer. Growing up in the arty side of Greenwich Village in NYC, as a teen Vin took acting classes. At 23 years old and no real plans for his life, his moms gave him a book called Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices. A few years later, in 1994, working with a shoestring budget of $3000, he had a completed film which he directed and starred in called Multi-Facial. The movie premiered at the Cannes festival in 1995, he quickly followed that up with another film called Strays that was screened at the Sundance Festival. The film caught the eye of Steven Spielberg, who then cast him in Saving Private Ryan. The door was open.. and the direction he could take was entirely at his discretion. It was guaranteed that he could get a bunch of supporting cast roles, but he wanted more than that. He read the script for Pitch Black and hounded the director until he got a screen test and eventually the role. At the same time that Pitch Black was released, another film, Boiler Room where he plays a crooked stockbroker, hit the screen.. but his big breakthrough didn't come until Fast and the Furious. With the success of that movie and his connection with the younger crowd, Vin is being positioned as the next big action star and XXX will be the proof. A sequel is in the works, and the movie hasn't even hit theatres yet. But Vin has a desire to be more than the next Arnold or Sylvester Stallone. To insure that his growth as an actor is sustained, he has decided not to be in the sequel to Fast and the Furious. Instead he tells John Brodie he'd like to be in a romantic comedy. When Brodie expresses concern saying, "but that's the hardest genre." Vin replies, "Just because you said that, now I want to do it even more." I wonder how he would be in a comedy. His acting range seems to be limited to mono-syllabic tones.. you know like in Fast and the Furious, but I'll reserve my final judgement until after XXX some people have been calling it the new James Bond franchise.. that's a big name to live up to. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
A TRUE BLACK QUEEN
I AM A FRIEND OF VIN AND EVEN IF I WERE NOT I WOULD STILL SAY THE SAME THING, VIN IS DOING HIS THING, REGARDLESS OF WHAT HE IS. I THINK ITS FUNNY THAT FOLKS ARE ALL CAUGHT UP INTO WHAT HIS RACE HIS. HIS TALENT SPEAKS LOUD AND CLEAR. AS FAR AS THE RUDE COMMENT SEAN MADE, HE IS SUPER WACK, SUPER ANGRY AND SUPER WRONG! VIN IS NOT SPANISH...IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE SO OPEN ABOUT CALLING PEOPLE BITCHES AND SHIT GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT.BIAAAAAAAAAAAATCH!!! P.S. WHAT MIJA WROTE IS ON POINT! GO ON GIRL... | |
July 19, 2002 | |
Chief of Police O'Neal - 11:48 a.m.
At this week's ESPY awards, Shaq won an award for Best NBA Player. Unfortunately for the hosts of the show, Shaq wasn't in attendance to pick up his award, he was at home contemplating the future.
What is that future? Shaq gave Jay Leno the answer:
"I'm taking courses in police science right now. When it's all said and done I'd like to be the chief of police or Sheriff somewhere." How scary is that? A cop the size of Shaquille O'Neal knocking on the front door.. Some poor guy got a taste of Shaq's crime fighting skills and just how easy it'll be for him. While he was out on patrol with real cops, sort of a training mission, the cops go inside a store and see somebody stealing something. The guy runs out of the store and right around the corner is Shaq.. Shaq reaches out, grabs the guy by his shirt.. and he's stuck like a bug in a spider web, kicking and flailing his arms.. but going nowhere. Not a bead of sweat dripped off of "Big Aristotle." The question is, how would he handle someone spittin bullets at him? That'll be the real test of his heart for sure. He'll be able to get some pointers on how to handle life threatening situations from his two uncles, "Uncle Mike" and "Uncle Jerome" both are officers in the Newark police department. This is the real thing.. look for Shaq to be riding around in a custom Buick Regal.. cause you know his big ass ain't fitting in a normal squad car. I just finished reading Phil Jackson's book Sacred Hoops it's about his philosophy on winning in basketball and how he applies Zen teachings to the game. One of the things Phil Jackson reminds his players of is to win with humility. One of the reasons being that if you humiliate your opponent they can then you use it to fuel a greater effort the next time you meet. Shaq must have missed that lesson, because when asked about the Sacramento Kings and their fans.. he twisted his lips and said "The Sacramento Kings are a great WNBA team." You heard that right?.. "WNBA." Then Jay gives him a scenario, Shaq is a police officer he sees Rick Adelman (the Kings coach) speeding..does Shaq pull him over and give him a ticket? Shaq shakes his head and says "I wouldn't give him a ticket because he'd start crying like he's doing now," then he starts waving his hand like "go ahead, go ahead" I had to laugh at that.. He went on to say that the Lakers will win a fourth ring, you know, the dynasty and all that. All this does is guarantee that next season's meetings between the Lakers and Kings are gonna be some of the best games of the season. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
Pasha
Well I feel that Shaq has accomplished his basketball career successfully..and he deserves credit for that, no Doubt. Also it is good and creditable on his part that he is taking some classes and not expecting to get a position just with his name and his fame. Its always good to see people accomplishing good things..I have nothing but respect for him. |
Francine - The Angry Intern
I've mentioned the Opie and Anthony show a few times before.. they're like a younger version of The Howard Stern show. Don't know if anyone listens to them, but they are syndicated in a few cities. Anyway.. at the station here in New York, WNEW, they get new interns every few months. Walking the halls of WNEW the co-host of the show, Jim Norton, was handed a CD by one of those interns. Her name is Francine, black chick, goes to school at NYU, lives in Long Island, and is apparently an aspiring comedienne. I say this because the CD she gave Jim contained over 30 minutes worth of her jokes.
Jim listened to it, liked what he heard and took it to Opie and Anthony, and they decided to call her into the studio while they played it over the air. As they listened to her "material" and the way she seemed to be pissed off about everything and was cursing every two seconds, they dubbed her The Angry Intern. Some of the things she's pissed off about.. guys in cars who try to talk to her, well not just any guys.. she specified ugly guys in nice cars, she says it's a waste of a good car. Other things were guys who approach her with slang.. The problem? She says she doesn't understand it, can't speak it, and there are only one hundred words that are really used in the english language.. learn them and try again later. These don't sound like jokes.. I know.. it's more like ranting, but if you hear her tell them it's pretty funny. And that's what we're here for.. I wasn't able to tape the jokes described above, but the next day they had split up three others and were playing them before the commercial breaks. The first one is cut off, because I was listening, heard her voice and realized what it was.. you'll still know what she's talking about. And I have no picture of the girl, so you get a picture of a drink. It's applicable to the post.. listen to it or download it comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
What the What?
Francine??? Sorry, but in no way is this chick funny! This girl sounds like a 12 year old girl rambling about nothing (mind you...a white 12 year old)! That's it for now, Chris you wasted space with this article. :( |
July 17, 2002 | |
Kobe Drops Adidas - 1:12 p.m.
Thanks to Michael Jordan, Nike has had a hold on the sneaker industry that even after Jordan's retirement, has not released it's grip. The Jordan factor is so strong that players like Eddie Jones and Michael Finley have Nike deals.. but not for their own sneakers, they're signed to the Jordan spinoff brand.
How to topple the Nike empire? That's the question Reebok and Adidas has been asking for years now.. Reebok has had some success with Allen Iverson's Answer line, and last year Adidas launched a huge campaign for those moon boots called the Kobe 2. The commercials were decent, but the sneakers.. if you can call them that.. were horrible. But as bad as they look, I still believe that if there were a Nike name stamped on the side of them, people would be scooping them up like they were the hottest things ever. That goes for a lot of sneakers out there.. or put it in reverse. Grab a hot pair of Nikes and strip off the swoosh and stamp AND1 on them. Yeah, I thought so. No matter how weird they look, if it's got the Nike/Jordan tag it's a must have in the hood. It's a combination of brand strength, consistently good quality and peer pressure. There are people who simply refuse to wear anything other than Nike, and part of their decision comes from the embarrassment they might feel when they walk into class rocking a new pair of silver Filas. :D Well obviously Kobe Bryant is feeling that pressure in some form or the other, he and Adidas have amicably parted ways, ending a six year relationship. Nicole Vollebregt, spokesman for Adidas America says that "There was a differing of opinions on Adidas basketball and how it was going forward." But she added that Tracy McGrady has signed a lifetime partnership so maybe it's the best thing for both of them. Now they can focus on his line. Get ready for the new McGrady Martian series. Kobe is a certified star, three championships deep and has a squeaky clean image, in any new deal, he's gonna rake in way more than the $40 million he reportedly received from Adidas. Of course the top contender is Nike. Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp Ltd., a sports industry consulting firm.. says his next deal "could be one of the mega deals in the $100-million range for 10 years. And it could be larger than that." Reebok isn't out of the picture, they could top Nike's offer.. and with the current controversy with Allen Iverson, they might be willing to empty out the bank. David Carter president of L.A.-based Sports Business Group., noted "Kobe is the guy people would like to emulate and can really sell some shoes, he has no baggage, he's a known entity and a proven winner. He's head and shoulders above the others right now." Uhh.. he sounds more like his agent. Speaking about Kobe's options, Carter says "He has three ways he could go, he could go with an established company, go with an emerging company or strike out on his own to create his own brand. There's few who can do it." Bottom line is no more monomania.. please.. pretty please? While doing some research for this blurb.. I found this sneaker site.. Kicksology.net.. it's the real deal. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
Kobe Fan
I think (they) should come out with some Jordan or Kobe dress shoes :) that is if they don't have them already... | |
July 16, 2002 | |
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Trouble with the Law - 3:27 p.m. There are things besides arrests and possible jail sentences going on.. I'm serious, hopefully I'll get into it tomorrow. For now here's a long way to say that Styles will be spending 8 months in jail for stabbing someone in the ass Rapper Heads for Rock Pile and Iverson turns himself in and pleads innocent. Umm.. Add this to the list - 5:48 p.m. Slick Rick facing deportation.. Slick Rick Held Without Bail. He's been locked up since June 1st, and the story is just coming out? | |
July 12, 2002 | |
The Anonymous Newsman - 12:42 p.m.
In the relentless pursuit of information, sometimes you just gotta follow your instincts. For example. I was coming in from lunch yesterday, and although I had already read the three major music mags.. the essentials. I decided to hit the newsstand. I'm Looking around and there's your boy Will Smith on the cover of the latest Savoy Magazine. I don't really read Savoy, but after flipping through and catching Jada Pinkett's saying that she was attracted to Will because he was "a thug and an intellectual" and that "he only tends to show one side to the media, which is real smart of him," my interest was peaked. I paid for the magazine and went upstairs.
Elsewhere in the magazine there's a story about Miss Cleo.. which said nothing new. Her real name, Youree D. Harris (which is in the tags section already).. the fact that she was a "face" for a bigger company was interesting. She was being employed by Access Resource Services, which has a ton of "psychic hotlines" that rake in about $400 million a year. Miss Cleo (Youree) wasn't in charge of a damn thing. When it come to her psychic abilities though, she still claims to be the "real deal." But even her image was crafted by the company. Regarding the charges of fraud that she faces, she says that ARS was running things, she was just an employee. "When do you know in America that a black woman could make $316 million dollars and not end up in jail?" she said. The writer replied with exactly what I was thinking *cough* Oprah *cough* But later in the mag there was a story that was news to me. It's regarding a dude named Mark Whitaker. Mark has been the editor-in-chief of Newsweek magazine for 4 years.. and yes, he's African-American.. even though in the picture up there he looks orange. A student at Harvard, he was the editor of the school newspaper The Harvard Crimson. While attending Harvard, he was hired at Newsweek as a reporting intern when he was 19 years old. He joined the staff in 1981, reporting for six years on stories covering Central America, The Middle East and the Soviet Union. He stayed on the grind.. and received incremental promotions over the years. Going from associate editor to general editor to senior writer and in 1991 he was named associate managing editor. That's when he started to feel more comfortable with his position and began to express views about race in america. He co-authored an award winning article entitled "The Hidden rage of Successful Blacks." In regard to events like the OJ Simpson trial, he says "there's a very different reading of them in the white and black community. What's the point of having someone like me at Newsweek if I don't bring that perspective to bear occassionally?" So he's keeping it.. *ehem*.. real He went on to cover some of the top stories of the 90's.. Princess Diana's death and John F Kennedy Jr's, and when then editor Maynard Parker died of leukemia he was named interim editor. In 1998 he was officially given the position and under his care Newsweek has grown in terms of depth of coverage and has managed to weather the advertising slump plaguing the industry. As Mark Whitaker sits in his office, he recounts a conversation he had with someone at the magazine when he was an intern. The guy told him "Mark, if you really work hard, I think you can be a senior editor." Mark asked him what about being a Wallenda (editor-in-chief) The guy said "I don't think they're ready for that yet?" Now he's running things, everybody likes the guy.. He can only smile at the memory. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
Antonio G
I read the article in Savoy Magazine and to be honest with you -- That was on the only article in the magazine worth reading. |
Busta: Sexy for Life
Hah hah.. how sweet does he look in that picture? With the new Halloween sequel being released today, Busta is hitting the publicity track. So there he is, on Wednesday night, sitting at the desk of the Conan O'Brien Show.
Conan looks at Busta's doo (locs tied back in two buns) and says how he wishes that he could rock the same thing.
Conan pokes fun at himself all the time, so if your guest you can expect to be treated to a few jabs. Although Busta had been on the show once before.. it looked like he was wondering if it was meant as a dis. That was only a blip, a millisecond in time.. because he then pats the back of his head.. talking about how you know, he needs to stay sexy; something he kept coming back to over the course of the interview. Is that his new thing.. being sexy? Not to imply anything homosexual though.. pleez. About a month ago I'm walking down 44th st. near Times Square and up ahead, standing outside Virgil's Restaurant are two chicks.. I look.. then look again.. damnnn both of them were bad and had some of the roundest, phattest booties I've ever seen.. yo, for real. I was stung. Then I notice a Mercedes jeep at the curb. And one of the girls walks over and sticks her head in the window. As I got closer to them I'm looking to see who she's talking too, and there he is by himself at the wheel.. Busta trying to look sexy. Rappers are getting smart these days, by doing outside work to make up for or adding to the money they make from record sales.. If you don't know how it works, the money that's spent making and promoting an album - including million dollar videos and advances - has to be paid back in full from the 8-12% of a $15.99 record sale.. that's called recouping and the percentage is a royalty. An artist only begins to make money, once that money is paid back (recouped.) When an artist tours, makes special appearances, sponsors clothing lines or appears in movies, that money isn't counted against what they owe the record company.. that's there's to keep. These days there are a lot of opportunities to expand in those ways, as a result you see artists stretching out and doing as much as they can. If your lucky you hit Willie Land and command $20 million a film. Busta is no where near that level. He says that he makes more money from publishing checks from his Leader of the New School days. (Publishing will have to be explained another time.) I'm still stuck on the sexy thing. He only mentioned it a few times, in passing reference, but that sh*t makes me laugh. I just tinted the windows on my jeep. Yes, it now looks sexy. A woman finds another man sexy. She finds herself sexy. A man can say she's sexy. But does a man look in the mirror and declare himself sexy? I don't know about that :^ Listen to the interview (it's in realaudio) comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
mija
"trying to keep it sexy" Uh, no. A straight man should never come out of his face & say that when referring to himself. He killed it. |
July 10, 2002 | |
"Allen Iverson's Got A Gun!" - 12:54 p.m.
"Kick in door, waving the 44. All you hear is Jewelz saying bitch get on the floor!" Or something to that effect. Hmmm, this is a serious situation so let me switch gears.
On July 2nd, Allen Iverson and his wife Tawanna got into a fight at their mansion in Gladwyne, Philadelphia. Iverson fed up with the back and forth yelling, kicked Tawanna out of the house. She left with his cousin, Shaun Bowman. A few hours later, around 2:30 a.m., Iverson and a friend drove up to Cobbs Creek Court Apartments on Chestnut Street. They got out and went to Bowman's apartment.. 309R.. and banged on the door. Bowman's roommate, Charles Jones, let them in, he was there with a neighbor.. but no Tawanna. He informed Iverson of this and Iverson got heated and told Charles Jones that he better tell him where they were.. this is when Jones says that Iverson revealed a gun in his waistband. One source said, "It was there, and he made sure they knew it was there and that he wasn't fucking around." Then he demanded that somebody get on the phone and call his wife. The source quoted him as saying, "Somebody's going to die tonight, and it's not going to be me" and "I want to make an example of somebody. Call her." Charles Jones got on the phone immediately and Iverson allegedly told Jones: "Tell her I have a gun to your head. Tell her I'm smacking you around. You'd better not lie to me." Iverson took the phone from him and spoke to Tawanna who supposedly told him where she was. Iverson and his friend headed for the door, and warned Charles and his friend: "I'll be back if she lied to me" and "Don't make any phone calls." When Iverson left, Jones went outside the building and saw police arriving to the scene. Someone had called 911 reporting that a man was in front of the building brandishing a gun. Jones and his friend say they walked past the police without speaking, shook, because Iverson's threat was still in their heads. Jones allegedly told neighbors that they were "scared to death" and were thinking "Hey, this guy is Allen Iverson." They wanted to get out of town. The cops saw no one with a gun and no one willing to speak, so left reporting the incident as "unfounded." 12 hours later Jones walked into a police station and gave a full account of what happened.. "Yup.. he had a gun.. yup it was Allen Iverson." Police are now saying that the call was placed by Iverson's cousin, Bowman. Who has admitted that he made the 911 call, but doesn't want to speak any further than that, saying he doesn't want to get involved. Jones is speaking though.. and Detectives interviewed him again yesterday and are confident that he's telling the truth and that they have enough evidence to press charges for eight felony and misdemeanor charges: aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangering of other people, conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime, weapons violations, burglary, and criminal trespass. They also added that Iverson doesn't have a permit to carry a gun. They will present their case to the District Attorney today, asking that an arrest warrant be issued. If the warrant is issued, police would allow Iverson to turn himself in. The Sixers have released a statement expressing concern and support: "We have been advised that charges are imminent, and while we do not condone such conduct if true, it is important to remember that our system of justice presumes Allen to be innocent until proven otherwise. We will continue to support Allen while we await the outcome of these proceedings." Police say they have been trying to talk to Tawanna about the incident, but she hasn't responded to their calls. At the time of this writing, Iverson hasn't made a statment. There are rumors in Philly that officials are trying to get the witnesses to recant their statements and that the Mayor's office is trying to sweep the charges under the rug. The Mayor's spokesman Frank Keel, called into Philadelphia radio station WIP 610 AM, to answer the allegations: "I can tell you that it's going in the opposite direction. There are some detectives within the rank and file of the Police Department who may actually be a bit overzealous about nailing Allen Iverson in this thing, so you have to guard against that." A spokesman at the Police Department flatly denied Keel's assertions, "I don't know of any overzealous detectives that went out there and interviewed our complainants," Johnson said. "Do we have overzealous detectives? Probably. But are any of them involved in this case? I don't believe so. I wanted the best detectives we have involved in this case and they are." *note.. the sources quoted here were reported by The Philadelpia Inquirer. comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
K
On the real I don't even know what to say. I am sitting here at work and I get the news. So I go to ESPN.com to check it out and there it is. First thing I am like is "Damn Chuck, what the fuck". I read the story and it is a half as story. None of us were there and don't know the deal. I mean I have known this nigga since he was a sophomore back at Bethel. Yeah the nigga got a hard and hot head but dude is way smarter than this bullshit. more | |
July 9, 2002 | |
Ghostface Joins the Def Jam Team - 1:42 p.m.
Def Jam, birthed in the college dorm room of Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin, has remained relevant for over 15 years by scooping up new flavors, always, constantly, maintaining a menu as tasty and diverse as Baskin Robbins.
There ain't 32 of them, but damn near that amount. Related through label spinoffs or distribution deals.. they can lay claim to Jay-Z, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Memphis Bleek, Ja-Rule, Ashanti, Scarface, Redman, Method Man, DMX, the list could go on.. but it won't.
I'm sure Dame Dash would take offense to being tied to Def Jam in that way.. like they're Big Poppa or something, but the Roc's early fortunes were enhanced greatly by the distribution and power ties of that Def Jam connection. Today, with the constant stream of hits and name brand recognition, Roc-A-Fella could live on their own. Do they own their masters? I don't know, but in quest for that kinda control maybe he (or Cam'ron?) will break off Roc-A-Fella in the way that Puff split from Arista and now Jermaine Dupri is talking about doing. Veering back on course.. Ghostface has officially joined the Def Jam parade of stars. After three solo albums on Epic Records, he has signed on with a winning team. A move that he sees as "going from the Padres to the Yankees." After appearing in the remix to "Special Delivery" a few months ago, I wondered what his career might be like if he actually signed to Bad Boy. Bad Boy is need of a rap star, someone besides Sean, who's not a rapper anyway. And you know Ghostface could go step for step with Diddy.. he'd bust on screen with a orange robe, yellow flip flops and a gold Eagle on his wrist, Puff would finally have competition when it comes hogging the camera. That didn't happen, but signing with Def Jam is beyond decent. Despite three solo joints, Ghost isn't a huge star, but his colorful ways and lines like "Scotty watty cop it to me, big microphone hippie / Hit Poughkeepsie crispy chicken verbs throw up a stone richie" has kept his name on people's lips. What does he actually say? Well most of the time, in attempting to decipher his lyrics you're left saying "huh?" But the energy he puts into the delivery is key, suddenly "Jump in the Harley ride, Clarks I freak a lemon pie I'm bout it, bout it - Lord forgive me, Ms. Sally shouted," makes perfect sense. Don't get me wrong.. I feel Ghostface's style.. actually had Supreme Clientele playing while at the car wash over the weekend. His contract with Def Jam also includes a deal for a label called Starks Enterprises where he will release other artists (Supreme and Wigs.) After his first Def Jam release, he'll work on a compilation featuring them. I say never mind that. What's up with his man.. Raekwon? comments (".$counter.") comment";} if($counter >=2){echo "(".$counter.") comments";} ?>
butter roll stephens
Leave it to Starks to give you the perfect analogy. Def Jam, with Doug Morris/Universal acting as Steinbrenner, has gone on a shopping spree. They see no reason why they shouldn'nt be the avatar of hip-hop culture. Lyor Cohen is really in Hova mode, yelling to Jimmy Iovine, " I'll Show ya how to do this son" while chastising Irv Gotti for trying be like him and sign the big free agents. Now if he could work this Nas issue out.... more | |
I guess a "I told you so is in order here". Like I said from the jump, no gun no case. I think I also mentioned the creditbility of the two flamers. They look like some straight assholes, Chuck's lawyers tore them a new asshole.