One of the great debates TC and I have revolves around Common’s 2005 classic, Be. He says 4.5 Cigs, I say the whole five. Regardless, we both agree it’s a timeless piece of work from one of Chi-Town’s storied musicians. Read the rest of this entry »

For the life of me, I’ve never understood why 98% of people make New Year’s resolutions. They’re virtually obsolete by January 15 anyway. That being said, the prospect of entering a new decade is amazing and potentially successful pending the right mindset and work ethic. By the time December 31, 2019, arrives, I’ll be, God willing, 33 years old with hopefully an admirable and ever-evolving legacy etched to my name. Whether it’s dealing with music or a world-class shrimp boat captain, it really makes me no difference. I just want to be great.

Throughout my first semester at Georgetown, I found myself revisiting a track I’ve always held in a high regard and the album even higher. The intro to Common‘s Be (my favorite album from the guy) serves as that record. Starting with the beat, Kanye laced him with a foundation which reflected my mindstate and the concept of the song. It was reflective, yet progressive. Motivational and lyrically beautiful. Yeah, all that wordy stuff. Com blessed the beat with wisdom like only the Chi-Town wordsmith could. It was the perfect intro. It got right to the point with no hook, just lyrics which would begin to cement the album as a classic from the moment I pressed play. You see, he was looking towards the future when he spoke about gazing into his daughter’s eyes. He even criticized “his people” for not attempting to grasp their true potential. All stuff that remains relevant some four years later as we embark on a new decade. That’s why I love music. Shit is timeless.

“The chosen one from the land of the frozen sun
Where drunk nights get remembered more than sober ones
Walk like warriors, we were never taught to run
Explored the world to return to where my soul begun
Never looking back, or too far in front of me
The present is a gift…and I just wanna be…”

So whatever party I’m at tonight, I’ll be sure to put my drink in the air, with these bars serving as the soundtrack for the moment, and look forward to the next 3,652 days. A legend is coming.

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Download — Common – “Be (Intro)” (Prod. by Kanye West)

Related — Common – “Be (Original Version)”

Dear Common,

Once upon a time you were our success story. The Chosen One.

We as Hip-Hop fans crowned you the under-appreciated king who was too real for the mainstream. We loved you. And it was good.

It seems like forever ago that Jay mentioned you on The Black Album, shining light on someone who some of the listeners had never even heard of. At the time, most thought of this as a short-term boost in a career that would be critically acclaimed but widely under-appreciated.

Then we watched you hop on the unstoppable Yeezy train and take your career from the South Side Of Chi-town to the national stage. The best part about it was the fact that you stayed true to your music. You’ve been the poster child for “real” Hip-Hop that could survive & thrive it in a commercial world.

Then the movies came. Read the rest of this entry »

True to my dopeboy roots, I’ve started to buy whoorides every other season. Not that I’m doing it to duck the cops (I will) or because I like a cash transaction (I do), it’s more because I prefer to put miles on a beat up ass car that’s already taken it’s dents & dings as opposed to driving my main vehicle. That way, it gets fucked it…so be it. K.I.M. A dude backed into my last one, causing a small bit of damage. I ended up settling with his insurance company for more money than I actually paid for the motherfucker lol. I took that cash, sold the damaged goods & upgraded to my current hunk of metal junk.

Of which, it has a 12 disc changer in the trunk. Read the rest of this entry »

As a consumer, three of my favorite things are…

1. The fresh smell of opening a new pair of Nike’s.

2. Poppin’ a tag off of a ‘Lo shirt.

3. Picking up vinyl in all of it’s oversized, colorful glory.

Don’t get it twisted. I still like buying some CDs but vinyl is a different experience, especially the purchasing of it. I try to stay away from buying online, preferring the to go into the store, quiet as libraries & full of like minded music lovers engaging in the elbow-to-elbow art of digging. “Spelunkers of sound” as I like to call my fellow diggers.

My love affair with vinyl has been off and on but always life long. It started as a kid, always diggin’ thru my dad’s sparse collection as well as all of the crates my uncle had as a DJ. In the mid 90′s when my grandad closed his nightclub, JM & I put together a few dollars, bought my uncle’s Technics…and a garage half-full of records, spanning genres, sizes and decades. Love affair reborn. Until I left those motherfuckers in JM’s care while I was away for a while & the collection seemingly grew legs. Love lost.

Until the past year or so.

Currently, I don’t even have a turntable to play my records on. But by my logic, I consider all of these purchases as if I were courting Alicia Keys. I save up so that once or so a month, I can take an excursion to one of the few vinyl haunts in town, our “date” of sorts. I wine & dine with her, splurging lovely. She hasn’t given me any yet, as in I haven’t bought a turntable. But soon I will and with all of these records sitting here with me, it will be a heavenly experience. I will unwrap & play record after record…and then play another record.

Yesterday, I made one of those dates by killing some time before an appointment. It was planned. I had set aside allotted spending money for whatever I might find & let my fingers do the rest. Below you will find pics of my bounty. No real rhyme or reason to what I bought. I don’t pretend to be a connoisseur; my pics are indiscriminate & instinctive. I saw it, I checked the price first, then the condition. If I wanted it, I grabbed it. Done deal.

Juan had ALL of these on vinyl when we were kids.

I have no intentions of deejaying a party so I rarely by 12″ singles. But this, this was a small piece of history. At .99¢, I’ll take it. Read the rest of this entry »