Old School Mondays

Peace and Love people. As I write this lil entry to take you all back to when music had a different feel to it I'm playing Love Is The Message in the background (do your homework). This Old School Monday's post is all about that Boogie. Grove with me people.

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Road To The Riches
Straight hard core dance track.



Special Ed - I Got It Made
Flatbush Stand Up and Dance YO!


MC Lyte - Cha Cha Cha
Yea I'm keeping it in Brooklyn. This is my favorite song from a female MC ever!

MC LYTE - CHA CHA CHA
by ineptique

Boogie Down Productions - My Philosophy
My favorite BDP song ever! There are no empty lines in this song. KRS takes no breaks every bar is important.


Ceybil - Love So Special
House classic, get familiar.

Even Black Cops Aren't Safe From Cops

I woke up this morning and started my normal routine. Hop in the shower to get refreshed. Get my clothes and things together and load up twitter on my phone. On the train ride in I read an update which says Black Cop killed by white officer in Harlem. Immediately I'm filled with anger and resentment. I feel as thought I've made this post before on the MotherGreen blog.

This time an off-duty cop with gun drawn is in pursuit of a possible car thief. Another two cops in an unmarked vehicle see the chase and join in. They yell for the gun holder to stop. He does and as he turns they shoot him dead. This man was an officer of the law who happened to be Black which was his fatal mistake in my opinion.

Please show me the instances of white cops shooting white officers by mistake. "I'll wait" (c) Kat Williams. This only happens to my people and I'm SICK of hearing about training! No amount of training is going to erase generations of discrimination and hate which has festered within the NYPD. I'm starting to think people need some blood in the streets in order for these cops to wake up. We are not walking target practice nor are we all criminals. There are plenty of white criminals just the same. *smh* DAMN!

Daily News Story

I'm DONE! Now for some theme music.

From NY to DK

Here I am taking a nice long plane ride over 8 hours long to paint. It's getting harder and harder to paint in NYC. Thankfully I was able to come on this trip to Copenhagen (Brian DK-good lookin on letting us stay over!!) and catch up with some heads who I haven't seen in years, 16 to be exact. Shout to CMP, Spin and Swet!! The other funny thing was Ill Will and I were on the plane with Jeru the Damajah all the way to Copenhagen. While we were waiting at baggage claim he was telling us he'll be at the jam performing in Malmo(Sweden). I forgot that Wane had done his character logo way back. He had nothing but good things to say about Copenhagen.

As soon as we landed we made a stop to Fresh Connection which is the main Molotov distributor out here.

Denmark is a big Bike city which is what NY is turning into. Check out what we saw on the streets.

We just couldn't resist to try it out.

Just in case you don't know a lot of the train systems in most of these countries out here are bombed.

After an hour or so ride on the train we started treking our way to the destination.

Laying out the sketches

Sye almost finished

Wane "the Ambassador" doin his thing

Wen Rockin next to CMP.

Signal and Rath doin it up


Vins EOS FC

Sye TC5

Wane COD "Cheaters always prosper"

Tweb
After all this we had missed the express train back and had to take locals. Ontop of that the sun doesn't set till 10pm. The clock reads 11:30 so it kind of messes with you. Connection shot comin soon. Next stop Malmo tomorrow!!

Weekend Warrior pt.1

What a weekend.

I got to ride my bike through the streets of Brooklyn with the sun kissing my face. I went down to Dance Africa on Saturday to start the weekend off right. The fish was in full effect. So many beautiful people out in the streets. I loved seeing all my Brooklyn representatives showing out their best outfits and smiles for family. There was a group of women having a double dutch set going on right in front of the Brooklyn Acadamy of Music. This was right across from the steps to BAM which was filled with people (including myself) chowing down on some tasty outdoor grub. My favorite bakery in Brooklyn Abu's had a nice presence along the street fair.

At one point I bumped into the Afro Mosiac Dance Collective at their booth. My boy Scott straight pulled my bags out of my hands so I could join both he and his brother dancing to some house music. After a few moments of heavy duty vibing there was a whole crowd around us watching. I saw one of my dance partners Rachone in the mix and pulled her out to cut a rug (or asphalt in this case). While in the mix my childhood friend James Mills pulled me out of the circle to see another elementary school friend I haven't spoken to in YEARS. After that it was back to the circle.

There were so many BBQ's going on that I didn't know what to do with myself. After the first day of Dance Africa and enjoying the day with the beautiful Shino and our comrade Stephanie I joined some friends for some chilling and grilling. I met up with the loveable old James and Alma to get some turkey dogs and watch their hometeam lose to LA (sorry guys).

Sunday was the major day for the weekend, with Shan's BBQ on deck I couldn't wait to hit the streets. After getting lunch at Dance Africa again I met up with Shino, Stephanie and her family in from Seattle to take in the scene. When I returned from a run to the store I found Shino talking with a friend of my family, the great photographer Jamel Shabazz. We got a chance to talk about the history of some of his photos and the impact his work has had on people (including myself). If you haven't purchased any of his books PLEASE run to get A Time Before Crack.

After that we scooped up Lorraine and made our way to Long Island CIty for the super dope deck BBQ hosted by my man Shan Boogie. The music was on point as well as the food. Tons of beautiful people from the window to the wall. The MotherGreen team was in full effect shaking hands and kissing babies (well not the latter but definitely the former). The party was rocking until ...

Pt 2 coming up (c) ODB but peep the pics for now by the kid.

Some Black Men Stole My Child!!...Just Playin?

Down in Philly the city of brotherly love it seems a "brotha" can't get a fair shake. A mother wants to take one of her three children to Disney Land. Fine. There's nothing wrong with that right? However once you cook up a story to the police regarding two black men kidnapping your daughter that's when the record skips.

This woman told authorities that the two men rear ended her truck with a 1990's Cadillac (yeah two cats are gonna mess up their ride to kidnap your daughter for no reason). The men then physically hit the little girl and threw her in the trunk of their car. Pretty elaborate story eh? All a lie, yes.

It turns out the woman just wanted a private getaway with her daughter to Disney world and did all of this to throw cats off her scent. Are we that disposable people? This makes me look back to Susan Smith who said a Black carjacker kidnapped her sons. The reality of the situation was she killed her children herself. Why make a Blackman your go to criminal to throw the police off your scent? There is plenty of history in this country of whites accusing black people of crimes they didn't commit and the results being much worse than an undue prison sentence. I'm glad that in this day and time a case like this can be quickly debunked and justice (hopefully) served.

Let's be glad we don't have to add this to another "fit the description" tragedy tale.

For the full story click the link below.
The Full Story

Even Iron bends under such tragedy

Growing up in Brownsville I never had much to be proud of regarding my home. It was ALWAYS one of the most violent neighborhoods in Brooklyn (which I guess you COULD be proud of). There were crack addicts everywhere during the 80s. The overall education level was low and we had very few people come from the neighborhood and "make it". That all changed when Iron Mike Tyson stepped on the scene.

Here was a young cat from my neighborhood that took the world of boxing by storm. At age 20 he won a heavyweight championship belt, setting a record for the youngest to ever do it. His left hook was the stuff of legends. To top all of this off, Mike came back to the hood. He would often come and visit old friends from his childhood and overall share his love with his old neighborhood. When I was a young lad in summer camp Mike showed up in a red Porsche (something I never saw in real life at that point) to greet the young folks. I mean this was the Heavyweight champion of the world in front of me (not that much taller than me ha!). Not too long after that his life hit a downward spiral that we are all familiar with and I feel no need to revisit today.

In the aftermath of a documentary showcasing his life as it stands today Mike is hit with another low blow (pun intended). His 4 year old daughter meets an early death from an accident on a treadmill. I'm sending my prayers out to Mike and his family. While this is not a man who was seen by many as someone to admire, I always felt sorry for him. I knew where he came from and saw the heights he was able to reach. It seems like as he now pushes past age 40 and is starting to get some clarity about his life something like this kicks him. I hope he is able to maintain and grow from this grief.

Here's a tribute to one of my childhood heroes who has long since fallen on hard times.

Mos Def - Casa Bey

Brooklyn's own Mos Def is getting ready his new project The Ecstatic. This will be his first album on new a new label. If this song is any indication of what's to come, the boy might be back on his deen. I love the experimentation being exhibited on this song. Just seems like a real cool jam session that was captured and put out. Sometimes jam sessions should remain jam sessions but when the result is a song like Casa Bey I say go for it musicians. The album is due to release June 9th on Downtown Records (home to Santigold & Justice and others).

Mos Def - "Casa Bey" - The Ecstatic - 6.9.09

Old School Mondays

Peace to All,

I hope everyone has enjoyed the weekend heat, I would like to add on to today's throw back since it's a throw back weekend. It's all about the good times.
This song I had on my mind this past weekend with a follow up from the same aritist. Here you go Inner City.



Next...

Old School Mondays

In the name of Mahdi I bring you the latest addition to our Old School Mondays thread. PEACE to our peeps that come by check, comment and refer their associates to knowledge the INTEL gathered by MG Fam. All Praises Due to YOU my brothers and sisters!

In the last couple of years my brother Alyasha has inspired me to broaden my scope in classic American music (50's, 60's & 70's). So I'm dedicating this post to him and his Ol' Earth, Carolyn Owerka (read herstory @ http://www.stack-aly.com/index.php?id=131). She has always been there for me, guiding me in the RIGHT direction! All praises due to you, my MOTHER from another BROTHER.

I've always been a fan of the Queen Aretha Franklin, here are 3 of my favorite performances by Lady SOUL. Thanks for sharing your talent with the world baby GURLLLLL!!







In my youth, one of my favorite shows was BATMAN staring Adam West. I liked him becuase Batman is an Ordinary man that used intelligence, pure muscle and the tools made by using the 2, to accomplish his mission. Plus he showed and proved he's a 5%er, through his relationship with Robin! I always loved the cool music, dancing and the gurlz in this show. This one I got directly from Aly's Blog and it took me right back to Robins' afterscool hangout, where he rolled with a book stash. CRAAAAAAZZY BABY, CRAZY!



This one here I got when I asked Aleim Supreme (one of my elders and brown seed) by Screaming Jay Hawkins an artist who Aly had mentioned to me. Aleim said "that boy is crazy, check the side called Constipation Blues, talk about real pain". As I was watching it Allah B (another one of my elders and black seed) walked in and said "I saw him perform I put a spell on you at the APOLLO and people were passing out! That's one talented MO'FO'."





As my young brother Just C likes to put it HOT DAMN, and Peace Fam!

Memorial Day and it's time to play

The moment we've all been waiting for is here. Three day weekend and all the sunshine you can shake a stick at. There are soooo many things going on I don't know where to start.

First things first, I hope you have a BBQ lined up (or two). A BBQ is a must for a weekend like this to be truly epic. There's nothing like getting some good grub outdoors fresh off the grill with a cold side and a cold beverage to match. BBQ's are the perfect opportunity to get reacquainted with old friends, run into old girlfriends/boyfriends and listen to some good ole music from back in the days. I have two on deck this weekend but that's just part of the plan.

Next up you need to look for a street fair. In Brooklyn this weekend is the illustrious Dance Africa festival. Outdoor and indoor even located at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This happens every year rain or shine where tons of vendors come together for the love of mother Africa (and money). The food there is always on tilt as well as the ladies. Fellas if you are rolling dolo from state to state these days you might want to pay a visit. Dance Afrika is happening all weekend starting Saturday thru Monday. Enjoy

Dance Africa 2009

And last but not least there's the late night parties. On Sunday this year there are gonna be a gang of events in the city. Down in Brooklyn there's the regular reggae party at Deity. In the city DJ Scratch is having his birthday party over at SUTRA. Rich Medina and Bobbito are having their yearly summer party series Happy Feet start up at Le Poisson Rouge. So if you're like me I'm sure I'll see you out and about at something. Let's get it!

FanAddicts Sports

Peace to all my Fanaddicts.

May is always a Basketball month! Nice to see the heat of the playoffs finally here as well with the Draft. This year's draft is not as rich in talent as previous years, but there's still talent out there, especially in the guard position. Being the Knick fans that we are, getting the 8th pick is not entirely bad. We really like James Hardin, but we really see him going at either 3 or 4. So the chances of him sliding down to 8 are kind of slim. The two guys who may land to the Knicks hands is PG/SG Stephen Curry from Davidson, and SG/SFDemar DeRozan from USC. between the two, I really can't tell you up front who I would take. Something tell's me Demar is going to be special. He has a huge upside, and he's more athletic then Curry (and younger). To be quite honest, both are great fits for the Knicks. The Nets could use a nice PG, we could see them either pick Ty Lawson from UNC or Eric Maynor from VCU. This guy is being compared to Stephon Marbury without the headaches.


check DeRozan in action





As far as the playoff, Lakers are up 1 & so is Orlando, this is so far one of the great playoff's series starting from the 1st round.


Today we wanted to touch on the Michael Vick Issue. We're really glad to see him free, though the crime he commited was wrong. We think to much is being made out of it. Our opinon is that there are worse that goes on in the world crimes commited by people in higher rankings that would make Vick look like Richie Cunningham. We understand that he needs to be made an example of... but lets keep things in perspective people.


(Gamar) Im also making a prediction that Mike Vick will land a job with the Vikings as a QB. I can just see him and Adrian Peterson (the next Walter Payton) line up for the Wild Cat Offense....How sick would that be!!!


(Oxini) I just hope his attorney, probation officer and even the justice department don't allow the NFL to deny him reinstatement to football. The NFL has let so many violent criminals back in why not Vick?


Baseball, what can we say the Yanks are doing there thing, & the Mets are doing there normal thing (losing).

10 Deep BBQ BDay Luncheon

The MG Fam would like to wish Scott of 10 Deep a happy birthday. He wanted something small and personal get together for lunch and that's what he got. Dontay, Just C, Jamal and myself got together to kick it with the homey. Good times and a lot of laughs. A lot of history with us all together. Here's a few shots from our bday lunch.

Scott was craving for Shake Shack but as you can see behind us that line was straight up & down ridiculous!!! On a nice day you'd easily wait on line for like an hour. This park back in the day was home to another type of fiend (not the Shake Shack burger fiend but the dope fiend. A park we you'd try to avoid at night if possible.

After that we decided to hit up Hill Country for some BBQ. Can't go wrong up in that place and as you can see we were all smiles.

They got the meanest beef ribs (second to O Doggs bbq beef ribs). Summer time bros plenty of cook outs and laughs!!!!

Now you know what time it is...nice single barrel Jack shots!!

Salute bro, keep doing your thing reppin NYC!!

Jamal (my arch nemesis)...he just don't look normal unless he has a drink in his hand. Dontay about to get busy with dessert, he is the official dessert king!!!
Scott givin the thumbs up on the german chocolate cake he got

One for the road, Final MG Salute before breakin camp.

What do you know about Getting Lite / Jerkin?

Now that I'm 30 (which is not old!) I find it interesting to see what teenagers do amongst themselves on a regular basis. When I was in high school the internet was just becoming mainstream. Windows was still in it's 3.0 stage and was literally making usage of "windows". Compuserve was an actual contender in the ISP game. Well times change and now there's cable modems, youtube and world wide messageboards. Teens of this day and age can communicate with one another with one click across the world. I had to rely on rap music to learn about what my peers were into across the country. It was through Twista that I learned about people in the Chi loving Pelle Pelle jackets. It was through Gangsta Rap that I learned about LA gang culture and California slang. Now these kids can go on Youtube and see what their peers are into right as the movements begin. There is no lag, nor any filter really to stop it.

In my search to see what's going on these days I learned of two forms of dance. One is kinda old in NYC but it's called "getting lite". I liked this from the first time I saw it just because the kids really look like they are having fun and coming together for that one purpose. What's so dope to me about getting lite is you don't even need music. There's a hand clap sequence that can be done by the kids on the set for the dance to be done. Here is an example of some kids getting lite in NYC. (I can't vouch for the skinny jeans though.)

*I apologize for any extra language in the video below, kids will be kids I guess.*

Now on the west coast there's a similar yet completely different dance being done by the teenagers called "Jerkin". Like the "Get Lite" scene there are crews which roll together and dance together. This youtube generation have found a way to use the internet and their peers to create stars on their own without tv or radio. Jerkin actually does have music that goes along with the dancing. This music is original and sounds similar to early 80s hip hop with an electronic feel added. Peep this video of one of the most famous Jerkin crews out, the Go Go Power Rangers.

I like both of these forms of expression for the kids and as long as they are dancing and not fighting I'm with it. (Again I can't rock with the skinny jeans affair.)

*Please note there is some language in this video (and jerkin music) that I wouldn't use but the kids do, view with caution.*

Chin Chin and Friends in Brooklyn

What a weekend people. The day after loosing my mind at another installment of Keistar's Wonderful party with Bobbito and Spinna, Park Slope has a street fair. Now this isn't just ANY street fair because the good folks at South Paw put together a stage set up on the street and my boys Chin Chin got to perform.

However before that performance I walked along 5th Ave to see some beautiful people and energy. My first focus was to get something to eat and I wasn't really feeling walking while eating. Shino, my boy Richard and I met up and grabbed something at a new spot right above Union St. My Sunday lunch involved fish taco's, complimentary flavored popcorn AND garlic fries. All were quite tasty and appreciated. By the time we were done eating we had about 20 minutes to kill before the Chin Chin performance a few blocks south.

We were now a group of four as the lovely Stephanie joined party (Ali you were missed). As we walked down 5th there were all kinds of corn being cooked, Thai food for sale right on the street (which didn't look bad at all) and some really REALLY good smelling burgers on the grill. There was not a frown in the crowd at all.

Once we reached South Paw I ran into my boy Torbitt (drummer for Chin Chin) and got to catch up briefly before the performance. At this point my good friends James and Alma joined us and the crew was complete. Chin Chin rock shocked the house. The crowd was dancing along and a group of kids walking by just started breaking right in front of the stage along with the music. An older cat even got in on the action but bit off more than he could chew (he hurt his head doing a spin).

In case you didn't know Brooklyn is the place to be this summer. make a note of it.

The pics below were taking my Shino and myself.