Earlier in the school year I began my next business venture: selling lyrics to my classmates. I can't really remember how it all began, but penning lyrics to songs was something I had done since early elementary school when I got super heavy into Michael Jackson and had to know every word he was blessing me with. I attribute at least 75% of the blame for my deterioration of my hearing trying to really learn those hard lyrics; blaring the sound until things suddenly became more clear.
This was not my most successful business venture, not because of a lack of fun or customers. Demand was fine. I wouldn't have been able to do more. But I charged only a couple bucks per song, and if you get a song like "Look Into My Eyes" by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony than you are stuck for days, shit, weeks for just a few lines - I wouldn't turn down the challenge:
I would made much more loot doing the dreaded yard work, but I didn't look at it as something I was doing for money - I was going to know the words to half of these songs anyway based on my own spins, why not get geeky with it and put some sort of pressure on me?
"Triumph" was beginning to get spins on the radio and demand was HIGH for the lyrics - more so than any track Puff Daddy, B.I.G., or 2Pac released during the time, primarily due to the fact it was a LONG track; 9 emcees (10 if you count ODB's intro). Many of the lyrics were more difficult to understand; less cut and dry, quicker pace, more prevalent similes/metaphors, and several members that lyrics make it pretty easy to decipher. I wasn't going to learn the words without the album; there was too much profanity blurred out in the video/on the radio.
I copped the double disc from Schoolkids and was careful riding it home, bag dangling from my bike handle. The double disc had a thin cardboard cover before you got to your typical album case and I couldn't let the corners get bent.
One of my favorite Raekwon verses of all-time. Really is something serious.
Disc 1 could have been it's own release and whoop the mess out of 95% of albums that dropped that year. A mentioned "A Better Tomorrow" as the first Wu song I really fell in love with, but there are some other golden songs on the disc, namely "It's Yours" (Prod. RZA):
One of my favorite RZA-produced track gets set the hell off with Raekwon. How good is this guy? Seriously, I have to really get down to a top 10 (20, 30, whatever it ends up being) because I am excited and nervous for how high I will have him up there. After U-God, RZA, and I.N.S. come through with all solid verses...the beat breaths for a bit and then Ghostface comes through with a typical Ghost verse; not the most deep, not the most complex, but unbelievably entertaining and that stands for a LOT in my book.
I like "Reunited" is another great track from Disc 1, although it didn't have any of my top 3 members on it so it wasn't quite a favorite.
For as solid as Disc 1 did in my book, Disc 2 is a better disc to me. A first gem, "Bells of War" (Prod. by RZA):
Another terrific track is"Heaterz" (Prod. by True Master), which serves as just another reason why Raekwon is one of the filthiest emcees there is or has been. The dude is so multi-dimensional. He can come at you many, many different ways and all work:
And finally, the aforementioned "Triumph" (Prod. by RZA):
This really is one of my favorite quotable hip-hop songs of all-time, no other way to put it.
Wu-Tang Clan is really something quite special. To me, you have four top 25 lyricists: Raekwon, Ghostface, GZA, and Inspectah Deck. Method Man, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty each bring/brought a different dynamic to group and are all solid enough to have dropped classic content on their own. In RZA you have a lock city top 8 producer of all-time who's style fit perfectly with the sound of the lyricists.
It's the greatest conglomerate of emcees we have ever seen, and yes, it's just that simple.
Up to this point in my life my hobbies remained static year to year: basketball, video games, pro wrestling, and music.
But this WAS 6th grade, no better time than now to branch out.
My grandfather on my father's side of the family played his sax every day I was at his house and also had a pretty sick manual accordion that I used to get down on (real low). My mom played the piano several times a week since we had moved in to the new house a few years back. I loved listening to all kinds of music, save country. Annnnnnnd....I had heard that all the cool kids from the neighboring elementary schools joined the band. How bad could it be?
Nevermind testing various instruments to decide which I would use. I liked the trombone because I really just wanted to sling that thing around and bounce up and down. The perfect space clearer. And so that's what I went with.
My mom dropped me off that morning; there was absolutely no way I could carry this huge instrument on the bus the very first day - I'd be toast and ultimately would be forced to defend my honor.
When I got out of the car, I asked a random faculty member as to the whereabouts of the band room - I had to get rid of this thing before too many people saw.
As I looked around I couldn't help but notice that I may not have been the biggest man on campus in a figurative sense, but you best believe I was literally. Even so, I was still younger at heart and always had a way of respecting those above my years when it was warranted.
The first day felt surreal; I knew no more than two kids in each of my classes and the teachers looked funny. The whole changing classes really messed with my head too (in time I learned to love it to break the monotony). There also seemed to be too many options at lunch; I froze up in the line and ended up only getting a brownie which I coupled with two bags of Hot Fries from the vending machine.
But it was now time for the last period of the day....BAND!
As I entered the band room I couldn't help but feel like it was a party. There were probably a hundred kids in the room that day. Every seat was taken, some taken by two, and there was now no standing room. Everyone was incredibly loud; I tried not to love it but I couldn't help it. I would say 60% of the class knew each other from elementary school, so I already felt out of the loop.
Luckily on this day there would be no playing, just logistics. Justtt logistics. As we were going through our rules and expectations, I couldn't help but to let out a mini-yelp when I read that we were required to take out instruments home NIGHTLY for practice. Are you kidding me with this? What was I going to do?
That first afternoon, the bus was just packed. We had at least five kids who got on the wrong bus, and NO ONE missed the first day of school. I was at a disadvantage because, that morning, I was unable to stake my claim by forgoing the bus for the car. I was also carrying a second person with me in a huge black case that wouldn't really sit down when I asked him to do so.
I made eye contact with each kid I passed. I didn't know how far to take us both back.
Although I was bigger than these kids, there was hate in many of their eyes, so I avoided them so as to not conjure up my own shortcomings. I finally found an aisle spot occupied by a Hispanic guy, "M", who was taking a nap, face pressed against the window; the perfect spot to get my partner out of the aisle before any more kids came on board.
Inside I had hoped that every afternoon M would be asleep in this manner to avoid having to look for other aisles. That wasn't the case though. More often than not, M would be sprawled out over an entire seat, Timbs slightly in the aisle (I saw him in fresh Air Max's maybe three days, the rest Timbs). No one really messed with him, and he didn't talk to others. M was quiet and subtedly dark; I understood that.
Each morning was simple, there were no crowds on the bus...it was the afternoon that I dreaded more in my quarter century here.
To make matters worse, as everyone else was getting infinite times better on their instruments, I still sounded mediocre at best. Mediocre was a tag at this stage in my life I was not able to be. If I had been a really strong player I would have fought through the bus issues, but it just wasn't happening. Also, the trombone was gross to clean. I tend to slobber and there was always just a lot of un-goodness down in those tubes.
I never regretted leaving band. I had such a pep in my step now and felt untouchable. Some time has passed and I had earned my keep on the bus. I knew the trombone had to go and it went; my sacrifice to the bus gods. I still hadn't spoken a word to M, but NOW...oh...NOW I would.
You see, M had been listening to the same album since the first day of school, Wu-Tang Clan's second studio album, Forever.
I had smash-hit "C.R.E.A.M." on the radio and television many times, and also heard a few other tracks off the group's first album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), but I didn't own the album.
I would say I had a small background of the Wu. What was I missing that caused M to bang this album every single day?
M never shared too many words, but I felt like if we did talk that we would get along. So I spoke in his "words" aka actions. I pulled out my headphones and a headphone splitter, sat in the seat right behind him, looked over the seat and insinuated with my eyes that I wanted a taste. He looked up with an are-you-an-idiot? look before changing his tune after we made eye contact. M unplugged his headphones, input the splitter, and hooked us both in.
He restarted the song that he had currently been listening to before I joined, "A Better Tomorrow":
Thank the hip hop heavens that he restarted the song, as Inspectah Deck (first on the mic) just dominates, shedding his thoughts on his daily trife life at a more macro level:
"It's hard to keep control, I bless those who seek a scroll
Trying to reach a whole nation and break the sleeper hold
Not a role model, I walk a hard road to follow
I sold bottles of sorrow then chose poems and novels
The gospel was told, some souls it swallowed whole
Mentally they fold, and they eventually sold
their life and times, deadly like the virus design
but too, minute to dilute, the scientist mind"
Verses by Masta Killa, U-God, RZA were all dope, followed up by a Method Man I didn't know really existed at the time. He only had 12 bars, and that was plenty for him to go nuts:
"As we dwell through this concrete hell, calling it home
Mama say, take your time young man and build your own
Don't wind up like your old dad
Still searching for them glory days he never had
So many bad want to scheme for American dream, no more kings
The cash rule everything now, we going down
These babies looking up to us, it's up to us
The Million Man March MC's, get on the bus
But envy, greed, lust, and hate, separate
Though the devil mind state blood kin cannot relate
No longer, brothers, we unstable
Like Kane when he slew Abel, killing each other"
Just as exciting as the obvious lyrical prowess, the production was very, very serious; almost mind-numbing. Deep...dark...melodic.
After just one listen through I knew what kept M coming back for more and more, as I was left with the same very feeling. There was only thing to be done...I had to pick up the album as soon as I could.
-To be continued-
Article title comes from "Band Practice 2" featuring Median and Phonte off 9th's The Wonder Years, which I'm pretty sure is my favorite album over the past several years. I need to let it simmer though but my goodness.
Phonte Coleman is a dimensional lyricist, and I attempt not to suggest that my comments below sum him up ("Ahhh, I've got you figured out now!") as that is the last thing I would do. With that said, Phonte's album that dropped today, Charity Starts at Home, highlights several very important traits of the lyricist that has had the most significant impact on me.
I am enjoying the album all the way through; as a fan from the beginning, it really feels like I was being taken back in time through the numerous chapters of Phonte's musical career; a dissertation of sorts.
"The Good Fight" (Prod. 9th Wonder) is a track for the "every (wo)man" and again gives you a look deeper into the man, rather than tossing a few rhyming lines together over a tight ass beat and calling it a day. Most of us from any walk of life can relate to this one in some form or fashion.
If you still weren't sure if Phonte was raw enough (i.e. an idiot), he proves it to you here once again, going Planters' Private Selection nuts on "We Go Off". Fatin may have produced the only backdrop possible that could withstand the verbal onslaught from both 'Te and Pharoahe Monch. Just pure filth from all three.
I cannot stop listening to "The Life of Kings" featuring Evidence & Big K.R.I.T.; if this isn't one of my favorite three songs from 2011 than I'll be shocked. Evidence is one of my two favorites from the West Coast.
On a side note, the night I REALLY became a fan of Evidence and not just Dilated Peoples as a whole was a show in the Winter of 2007 in Wilmington. Little Brother headlined and gave an emotional performance, but just before that Evidence made everyone in The Soapbox a fan, delivering a controlled, thunderous package known as The Weatherman LP. Since that night I've been an Evidence fan and it's dope to see that kind of come full circle on this track. And there's nothing not to like about Big K.R.I.T. - powerful.
True statement - "It's a bad time to be an emcee if you ain't rhymin' right." Hip-hop is alive and well.
The beat by 9th invokes a similar feeling inside of me to "Beautiful Morning" off Little Brother's second studio album, The Minstrel Show, Te's verse one that I remind myself of each morning when I look in the mirror.
Finally, the introduction, "Dance in the Reign" featuring Sy Smith and produced by Khrysis. They couldn't have picked a better track to set this album off.
The seasoned veteran is brutally honest about his intentions in the rap game before the he even drops a bar, whether you like it or not.
The first verse is a shot to anyone floating on Te's bad side. He walked up to the twenty top dogs and took all their chains, DeeBo style and you will just sit right there on that porch and take it. Surprised to see Phonte still has a chip on his shoulder? Shiiiiieeeeeeettttttt!!!!!!
But it's not the chip alone that makes it powerful, there are a lot of people with chips on their shoulders who use it in an adverse way, typically by blaming others or feeling sorry for themselves.
Everybody got a story, so here's mine.
It ain't heartbreakin'...because I've takin'...
the sour Grapes of Wrath and made Cheerwine.
You get the feeling people along the way have tried to steer him in ways. At this stage in his career/life, however, he seemingly understands this dynamic all too well and doesn't strike me as concerned with what "could" have been, what "should" have been, or what "should" be in the future.
I said, "Let me know the troubles on your mind young blood,
and Lord willing, me and you will solve 'em."
He said "Te I worry 'bout you in the rap game."
I said, "muh f*cker go and get a real problem."
Please beg pardon, but I'm not starvin'.
This rap sh*t is not the life I live.
It's a tool that I use, that's it.
No great fortune to show for it,
but fortunate that no one can "say his life ain't his."
Some might even say "underachiever"
'Cause they are not believers,
that I don't want the world,
but I done seen the world,
and if you ever saw it, hell, you wouldn't want it either.
I don't need a kingdom; just want a home.
You can take a seat, or you can take the throne.
As long as it is known ain't a damn thing changed.
Still the Underground King, ...dance in the rain.
The mic man-imal has always used his mentality as fuel, competitive even if he may lead you to believe otherwise at times. He's confident but at the same time humble, conveying a mentality that, before Phonte, I thought was impossible to put into words.
4th grade was a good year. I was thinning out SOME and becoming quite the ladies man. They must have known business was going very well.
My net worth was up to an all-time high, primarily due to my first real job as an Ad-Pak delivery boy. I was a beast. Every month they handed out bonuses for the kids who took on additional routes, and if I could get a ride, I was down to do it. Ad-Pak had one rule: the paper must be delivered on the porch, not the steps, not the driveway, not anywhere but the porch. This was a really tough rule for me. I couldn't bear to walk up to each porch and place the Ad-Pak on it, as most houses in my neighborhood had accrued a backlog and probably hated me for continuing to deliver them despite the fact they obviously didn't give a flying f'.
I found my groove. It got to the point that I could sprint between yards, I would say 25 feet from the actual porches, and with just a slight flick I could fire out a rocket that landed on the porch every time without fail. It became a game, a competition, as so many small tasks in my life tend to become. We weren't supposed to listen to music but I couldn't help but have my headphones in blaring bangers. I was proud that I finished my route in no more than 40 minutes each week when the chump before me (and thus the expectation of time that I had to beat) was closer to one hour and 15 minutes, one hour at the absolute least.
I had other streams of income though. Car washing, cleaning, you name it. I never did yard work for money though. That was something that was never worth it for me. Too much anxiety out there. Too many bugs, too sweaty, too hot, too thirsty, too hungry, too tired. Every time I attempted to do yard work I would go inside after 10 minutes and have anywhere from 3-6 assorted Little Debbie snack cakes. I told you she was my queen. So no yard work.
I also started another business on the side selling art. Sometimes I sold my own art, but often times I worked as an intermediary between parties, collecting interest in the form of candy or small change. The children (my same age) loved the pictures they ended up with, I was doing something good.
I was counting my money on my bed and just knew this summer would be nuts.
Primarily due to the fact that it was the first summer where I was eligible to attend the overnight basketball camp at UNC. My mom and her siblings all went to UNC; it was naturally the school I wanted to attend when I was young. This was going to be a monster camp.
We stayed in the then-new Granville Towers, right off Franklin Street. There was something about being "on my own" that I loved. I know, we had tons of counselors and also had a curfew to be in the building, but it still FELT like I was fending for myself. That's always been a fun feeling for me. I got to go to the pool and explore Franklin Street with others my age, it felt surreal.
My roommate and I shared a bathroom with the room next to us, which was occupied by a couple of guys who's mothers never taught them to put the toilet down. Maybe it is because my mother laid that expectation down very early, but I was always shocked at how many cats leave a toilet seat up as I was growing up. Put it down, man, I do not want to touch it...so then we all have our shoes all over them because there isn't a chance in hell I touch that thing with my hands. Dudes need to keep a little sign above the toilet.
Their lack of manners wasn't the only thing I recall. One of the two kids I will never forget - a little punk named Wesley. Wesley was an annoying kid who was a couple years older than I was, thus this his third year at camp. He tried way too hard, bribing children to exchange their souls (er, friendship) for his candy. This kid's candy game was so nice, I couldn't hate on it. I was jealous but I had to respect it. Wesley was a douche though, I saw past the candy. He would use his new acquaintances to fight battles for him. He talked a lot but became a shell when he was challenged to man up. Wesley was "Fakin' Jax":
Although I didn't like Wesley, I was attracted to his room on one of our breaks when he was playing the classic "Crossroads" by Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony:
He may have had his issues, but could Wesley really be alright?
That night my roommate and I went to his room, more out of curiosity than anything. My roommate had been one of the people who Wesley had swayed (this one was lost to a simple Snickers), so that night we went to Wesley's room. My time was limited though, that night was the 1996 King of the Ring pay-per-view, and there was a new sheriff in town who went by the "The Ringmaster" that I had to see.
We were flipping through each other's CD cases, talking back and forth about which tracks we liked when we saw we had the same album. We had a connecting moment on ATLiens. I came to find out that Wesley had an older brother in high school and that Wesley essentially had stolen his brother's music for the week. As I was flipping through, I recognized most of the artists within his binder, until we got to an album with kids on the front and a name that I wasn't sure was in Spanish or English - was this even hip-hop? "Sort of."
I asked Wesley if we could listen to this CD next but he rejected me. I vividly recall a look like, "and don't you ever ask me again." He was embarrassed, and him feeling that embarrassment had me wanting more. So I asked if I could borrow the CD for a bit and forgo the numerous cones of soft-serve yogurt in the cafeteria for dinner. He agreed but I knew I would owe him something.
I sat down at the desk, popped the headphones in, and opened the CD case of De La Soul's Stakes is High. I had to be efficient; I couldn't waste time on any one song.
Skip the intro. Gave "Supa Emcees" half a minute before I was on to the next (over time, grew to adore this track)....the third song, the day my Com-cherry was popped, "The Bizness":
Dave started the track off real nice. Dude is real smooth. This was the first track I really, really LISTENED to Common, and thank the lawd I did. He fits a gang of metaphors, similes, puns, and references into a short period of time, yet it didn't feel forced at all to me. And then Pos comes through again leaving you thinking, "OK, this cat would whoop my ass in Chess."
I like all 12 of the next tracks, each have their own mind state, so I wouldn't ignore them; if you do you will regret it. After these 12 comes another first for me with another legend I would become very familiar with in the coming years... "Big Brother Beat" feat. Mos Def:
I never mind a back-and-forth track such as this. Sure, there is something incredibly special about a lyricist able to keep you on the edge of your set for bars upon bars. If you only listened to Mos' first run through you would understandably walk away feeling like you were missing something, "Just two lines?" He teases again about a minute through, but finally takes off the gloves come 1:45 and goes to verbal war.
Wesley had, in a way, introduced me to two of the finest lyricists. Does one thank someone for this?
"Down Syndrome" wasn't one of my favorites, neither was "Pony Ride", but I was still going to buy the album. I had a few minutes before King of the Ring started, and just a couple tracks left - I had checked out a bit. "Stakes is High" (Prod. by J Dilla)
The voice in my head went nuts.. Wait, what was that? WHAT THE F*#& WAS THAT? No.. No way.. Stop playing with me. This must be a dream. Is that James Brown in the background? What was this sound and why had it taken this long to find it. I went to look in the book, got a quick glace before noticing I had two minutes to get down to the commons area to watch history unfold. That night a legend emerged, changed his name, and proceeded to become one of the all-time greats in the game.
It was the last Saturday in August when I began packing my bag for New York, nearly a week in advance - I wanted to be prepared for what I could control, the fixed risks. I knew the logistical nightmare of the Big Apple was as significant of a variable risk someone like me could experience. I figured if I covered 100% of the fixed risks that I could hopefully win SOME of the battles I would have with the variable risks.
My brother from another mother (literally and figuratively) and another close friend had decided they would stay with a Brooklyn resident, also a friend, while me and my Rock the Bells partner in crime (four years running) would stay at a Brooklyn hotel (had already paid for it and could not cancel). The first two were arriving in NYC mid-morning while the hotel dwellers weren't getting in until late afternoon. The five of us now planned to meet at the Yankees game Friday night.
When we landed at LaGuardia Friday afternoon, it was apparent that traffic was going to be a bitch with the US Open and also the time of arrival. We got to our hotel around 6:00 pm, which, had we jumped on the Subway without eating or showering would have put us to Yankee Stadium right before the first pitch. It was decided to relax a bit, refuel, get some drinks, and most importantly get fresh. We left the hotel around 7:25, thinking we'd get to the stadium by 8:30 and still catch the meat of the game - the morning duo wasn't getting to the game until about that time too.
It was about 65 degrees out; a perfect night for baseball. We hopped off one line to the next, excited for what was to come. After close to an hour on the Subway, the line suddenly stopped, "This is the last stop on this line. You are now in Coney Island."
Wait...WHAT?!
How it unfolded:
It was now about 8:30 and yes, we had gone an hour in the wrong direction. We were told by one of the operators that by the time we got to the stadium it would probably be about 10 o'clock; we may have gotten to see just the last few outs. Discouraged, demoralized, frustrated, you name it, I felt it. "Think Good Thoughts."
I did feel like a total douchebag for being a part of this story, but can't say I was surprised. I tried to look at the bright side. We only spent $15 on the tickets (bleacher seats, to move down later in the game) BUT we saved the $10 per beer (we'll say $40) and $7 hotdog - I had SAVED money! We took the Subway back to our hotel stop and found a pizza joint. What followed was nothing short of a pillage of a large, cheesy mushroom pizza doused in an exorbitant amount of Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce. I'm most certainly an emotional eater, and I walked away feeling like the pizza knew that (in a bizarre way, perhaps the goal?).
I had planned on staying up relatively late that night (past 9:00 pm or so), but after the pizza and a several drinks the clock read midnight and I was down for the count. I felt defeated, yet all I could do was laugh about the night...tomorrow would make up for it.
But then in the morning, the gym at the hotel was terrible. My head pounded into the ceiling on the only elliptical and treadmill they had. I did move the square piece of the ceiling right above the elliptical, but the actual duct work was still rubbing my face. I exercised about 10 minutes before my neck was permanently cramped, my ears itched from what was rubbing me, and a weird Euro guy in tiny shorts was looking a little too closely amidst the fact I was already kind of heated.
The continental breakfast was no better. The most stale frozen bagels, the absolute worst coffee you have ever tasted (I will take any taste test from any store or gas station around the United States), and a lot of weird combinations of strange folks that made breakfast seem both surreal and extremely awkward at the same time.
Luckily the trip getting to Governor's Island was relatively smooth (although we did see a woman barfing in the trashcan for three minutes straight, not more than a foot away from us). A few minor hiccups along the trip but nothing major like MISSING THE WHOLE EVENT. I was able to breath a sigh of relief when we got to the water and jumped on the BK Ferry for the quick five minute ride to the Island.
The first act I wanted to see was Random Axe, the triumvirate of Sean Price, Guilty Simpson, and the man on the keys, Black Milk. I saw most of the Boot Camp Clik for the Duck Down 15th Anniversary tour in Wilmington, NC at the Soapbox last year - easily one of my top 10 shows. The four of us rolled into the gates right as Sean the Barbarian began his verse on "Chewbacca," the headline track of the Random Axe self-titled debut album that dropped earlier this year:
I hadn't seen either of Guilty Simpson or Black Milk live before. I've been a fan of Guilty Simpson since his early works with Dilla, and got into Black Milk heavier when Elzhi began slaying his beats a few years back. It's an effective trio. Two of the illest cats from the D and my epitome of New York raw hip-hop with Sean P.
Due to our late entrance (and thus further spot back earlier on), the Random song that got me oh so hyped was "The Hex":
I've always liked producers that can hold it down on the mic and it doesn't seem forced. Black Milk is one of those dudes.
We were holding down a terrific spot in the crowd, no more than a few rows back of the barricade. I'm never afraid to nicely and responsibly get as close as possible. Don't confuse this with the drunk idiot bumping his way to the front and stepping on every female foot he can along the way.
"Ay…ay, dawg, ay..stepped on my sneaker man."
Random Axe was simply an appetizer; up next for us was Black Star, performing their 1998 classic, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star. After a lengthy interlude of commercials being played at the Main Stage (how many times do I need to see Boost Mobile ads?), Mos Def and Talib Kweli hit the stage hard.
I've seen Talib a few times, and Mos only once a few years back at Rock the Bells 2009 in Columbia, MD. That performance, however, was heavy on The New Danger with no BlackStar tracks and just one song from Black on Both Sides. I don't hate that album, but it wasn't what I wanted from Mighty Mos in that performance. This time around, however, I was somewhat unexpectedly blown away. The first song that really got a huge eruption from the crowd was "Definition":
After "Definition" it felt like the crowd was really ready for not only the remainder of Black Star, but for the entire event.
A few songs later the duo tore the proverbial roof off the non-existent building with "Respiration":
After the Black Star performance we thought we had a decent break on our hands, but as we were grabbing an elephant-sized burrito and brews we were told GZA's time got flipped and that he was already blasting classics on the 36 Chambers Stage.
It pains be to admit this, but I missed "Liquid Swords," smash hit from Legend of the Liquid Swords album. I felt cheated, but again, there was no time for fretting. We headed to the 36 Chambers Stage and really started off quite far away - I began to get anxious; I had to get further up for Black Moon and Mobb Deep.
So I began to make moves and within no more than 5 minutes we carved a way to the front, about two rows back.
GZA was rockin' the stage with Killah Priest but I was concerned that the times on the stage had been all effed up; what else had and I and would I miss? ODB's son came out and performed "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" which was nice, but "B.I.B.L.E" took the cake for my favorite of this performance:
The day was just getting warmed up. I had missed the main event from GZA's album, but there was still plenty ahead of us. Black Moon and Mobb Deep would be on this stage and I wouldn't leave for any calling of nature. The crowd was thick and I was not going to chance not getting back up for two of my favorite groups and albums.
After a short break in the action, DJ Evil Dee of Black Moon stepped up the boards, followed by a full band (keys, two saxophones, electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums). Black Moon's debut album, Enta Da Stage has such a strong jazzy impact that I began to get chills before the other two-thirds of the group made their way out. Buckshot and 5 ft. came out to roars from the crowd. It was really great seeing Evil Dee, 5 ft, and Buckshot together on the same stage - looking forward to the upcoming album.
Buckshot's performance at last year's Rock the Bells was one of my most resonating live hip-hop memories of all-time, a feeling only strengthened at the Duck Down Anniversary show previously mentioned. His emotion, patience, and deliberate delivery all make him one of my top dogs. "CAN'T WAIT" for Buckshot's third album with 9th Wonder, "The Solution".
When "U Da Man" hit, Tek came on to the stage on a dude's shoulders that was quite a bit smaller than him. Steele then made his way from backstage. An even more unexpected stage appearance was from Dru Ha, the co-founder of Duck Down Records with Buckshot, who proceeded to grab a mic and spit his verse forcefully. I was surprised with how much comfort he had up there.
Smif-N-Wessun (Tek and Steele) proceeded to move the crowd with another one of my top 100's, "Bucktown" off the duo's 1995 debut album Dah Shinin:
What a dope, somewhat under-appreciated duo. At this point I had already easily gotten enough on the day to walk away from Rock the Bells fully satisfied. I really had. The shit-storm of the previous evening was long forgotten, the intensity of the sun was fading, and the feeling in the air was becoming just a little..bit..thicker.
You could smell, hear, and feel the anticipation growing. Everyone at the 36 Chambers stage knew what was coming and had positioned themselves before Black Moon even began. If you hadn't than shame on you. Mobb Deep was right around the corner and it felt like Christmas morning.
One of the fellas knew I would hold down the spot so he sprinted to the restroom. This was easily the most nervous I was during the entire trip (I mean flight, getting lost and missing the Yankees game, getting ice-grilled in the liquor store, etc). I couldn't let the crowd close in on the opening. I went with a wider base, began to kind of flail my arms like Busta in the "Scenario" video, fake-sneezed a couple times, and prayed to Dilla that I could maintain. Luckily, he was back in maybe two minutes due to the fact there would be no washing hands in the Port-A-Potties, but that didn't stop me from dappin' him up upon his return. You know I had a travel bottle of hand sanitizer that I used probably once every 30 minutes to an hour.
It was time. On June 9th, 2011 I purchased my ticket for Rock the Bells, in large part due to the moment I was about to experience.
Mobb Deep in New York City.
The duo decided not perform many of the songs off the classic Infamous album ("The Start of Your Ending (41st Side)", "Trife Life", and "Drink Away the Pain") despite the prevailing notion we would get the entire album. I wasn't that happy at first. But we all soon realized this wasn't going to be just a 10 song performance, and that for every Infamous track we missed, we got two more Mobb classics. I was along for the ride.
Alchemist was on the boards for the entire performance, playing some of his classics with the group. Although I prefer early Havoc production to Alchemist production with Mobb Deep's sound, it did allow me to hear one of my Alchemist favorites, "Keep It Thoro" (which, if I might add, was so superbly remixed by 9th):
We got a treat when Big Noyd joined the party and helped on many of his classics with Mobb Deep; this guy was dripping with intensity, really was fun to watch. The hypest of his verses came on "Party's Over":
But honestly, without question, no matter howwwww raw it was to hear Mobb Deep guillotine a Peso-favorite, "Trife Life"...the top song of the entire night for me was...well, wait just a second.
The sun was long gone, and although it was cooler out now, we were all so close together and feeling the music that the sweat still was rolling down everyone's faces - not just mine! Everyone in attendance at the 36 Chambers Stage had just been pulled through an hour of the trials and tribulations these two experienced in Queens Bridge. They went over their performance time by a solid 20 minutes at this time but even the staff in charge of the clock wouldn't dare end this. The security guards who were supposed to be facing the crowd were all turned around to the show, spitting the same bars as Prodigy without giving a damn about if a fight ensued in the crowd. This was simply too amazing to miss and I think everyone there knew it. We knew it ending soon though; it was just too damn serious in there not to end it.
And just like that the beat dropped for "Shook Ones Part II", which caused every person watching to go Buzz Lightyear Turbo-H.A.M. I had chills, and could do nothing more than look up at the sky, look around me, and recite to words to the hip-hop classic:
Satisfied, I had one more very important decision. To remain at the 36 Chambers Stage at the very front for Raekwon and Ghostface performing Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... or to get back to the Main Stage for Lauryn's Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. If it were a sheer one-for-one decision with no other factors, my decision would have been pretty simple: Rae and Ghost, hands down, which says more about my adoration of the Wu members than it does about Ms. Hill. This was a moot point though because it wasn't a one-for-one decision and I had to admit that to myself as I made a choice my heart didn't quite want.
You see, Lauryn's case was so largely assisted by the simple fact that Nasty Nas was up after her and it would be imperative I get a prime view for my favorite album of all-time, Illmatic. All four comrades made the same decision, something none of us pressured each other into prior to the show or even when the decision needed to be made. We were like sheep.
We all dealt with nature, one of those, "there will be no more stops, make sure you are empty" times that you were taught my your parents at a very young age. As we approached the Main Stage it was clear we were in for a nightmare. We were what seemed to be a mile away from the stage on the far right, our view obstructed by a huge camera.
During the first half of Lauryn's performance I was crushing myself, the little voice in my head asking, "why in the hell did you leave that filthy, prime location for Raekwon and Ghostface?" They were probably hammering "Verbal Intercourse" right now and I was missing it! For this! We couldn't make our way to the front by just walking; there was nowhere to walk. At this point we had all split up, yet all remained in eye sight of each other just enough to where we could shake our heads in dismay over our unexplainable decision. So why did we make the decision? From my account, I knew I was playing with house money - we were all satisfied, and a knock out performance from Nas would have made this one of the greatest evenings of any of our lives. Let's roll the dice baby!
Lauryn was performing but I was still sidetracked. I knew I couldn't continue to punish myself for this decision; a "tactic" I am very well known to implore. Instead, I had to live with my decision and make the very best of what was AHEAD. I knew I wouldn't ever be able to forgive myself if I didn't make the best of this, especially after being blessed on stage by Random Axe, Black Star, GZA, Black Moon, Smif-n-Wessun, and Mobb Deep. Man the eff up! And so I made an internal decision; after all, I couldn't talk to any of the others, there would be no sheep herd this time around.
Lauryn made it quite easy for me once I began to listen to her, and I quickly found myself back in the game when she performed "Everything is Everything":
Once I let go of my frustration, I quickly began working through our options of getting closer while STILL enjoying the music. Ultimately, I began imploring a maneuver I will keep in my repertoire until the end of time.
Every time a person would come out from the humongous grouping of people, everyone's tendency is to step back, right, or left in order to let the person exit. And so the crowd that opens for the person exiting is super vulnerable. I studied it. How could I best maneuver at the most opportune vulnerability point? Before the crowd settled back in, I put pressure on whoever was in front of me, stepping up so that they were either forced to also step forward, or in most cases, a slight step to the side so I could jump them. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about this. It was NOT forceful, and I did not use my powerful man strength that I have gained since turning 25. No, I was gentle. I talked to everyone around me and met some really cool people.
The Challenge: Pass as many people as possible all the while building goodwill and obtaining their good graces for further moves up. -- I easily took home MVP, no question.
I turned my back and noticed I had improved my standing by 60-75 feet. I was ecstatic.
Towards the end of her set, Ms. Hill was joined by Pras Michel, another third of the Fugees. It wasn't a total reunion as Wyclef Jean was nowhere to be found, but Pras and Lauryn still performed "Ready or Not" to the delight of everyone in attendance:
Between acts we sat through an eternity-long break. It was 10:30, the body was sore, but then the great DJ Premier made his way to the booth, with Peter Rosenberg grabbing the mic for the introduction to the grand finale.
The Subway sound dropped on the background and "The Genesis", the introduction to Illmatic, began. The time had come for one of the G.O.A.T.S. to take this thing home.
After a few minutes of Primo hyping the crowd up, the magical L.E.S. beat dropped and AZ joined Nas on stage for "Life's a Bitch":
Midway through the performance, Pete Rock joined the party and made his way to the boards as well, where he and Premier held a mini beat battle with some of their utmost classics. Nas then performed "The World is Yours" (Prod. by Pete Rock):
Thennnn, there were several surprises. Main Source and Akinyele made their way out and joined Nas in performing "Live at the Barbeque", the 1991 classic of Main Source's debut album Breaking Atoms:
Unfortunately my iPhone battery was long gone and I didn't get any pictures of the chaos that was ensuing on stage. Akinyele then blew it out of the water with "Put It In Your Mouth" (DANGER: HIGHLY explicit...lol):
The hits kept coming.
MC Serch came out (!) and, along with Nas, performed "Back to the Grill Again", what we all found out to be the first time in history these two have performed this track live:
I thought it strange that Premier did not use a certain track in his "beat battle" with Pete Rock, but when Nas told the legend he wanted to play a song Premier had produced, I knew it was about to go down. And so we had it, the classic, "Nas Is Like" off his third album I Am, when I went in to this performance only expecting to hear Illmatic:
And then one final appearance that I had expected, but not one I would take for granted. Lauryn Hill made her way back to the stage for the moving "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)":
Nas closed with "Made Ya Look" and just like that, the evening was over. Or so I thought.
In hindsight, we should have left 30 minutes earlier; we were in what looked to be a never-ending line to board the ferry. The line was not moving, and there was no space to even bend your legs. My back ached. I was thirsty. I needed to relieve myself. I needed something to eat. I felt like those guys in the Snickers commercials.
Come to find out, one thing did go our way. During our wait it came to light that Raekwon and Ghostface experienced some poor lighting, sound, something, I haven't done the research nor really care to prove this next point wrong (so please, don't spoil it for me if it was the best Rae & Ghost show ever)...I overheard one man saying the duo might have walked off the stage early and so I will take that guy 100% at his word and assume this is what happened, so we were even more right for going to Lauryn! That "rough experience" was actually a positive.
Right after this tidbit of good news, after nearly an hour and a half of standing within the same 20 feet trying to even come close to seeing the ferry, anticipating another two to three hour wait, the floodgates opened.
We boarded the ferry at 12:30 and were to the Subway by 1:00, but unfortunately no one down there knew that the "R" line stopped running this late and we should have hopped on the line that had passed us 5 or 6 times in the past hour. We boarded just past 2:00 in the morning and arrived to the hotel really soon after.
No matter the amount of bullshit I had to sift through, Rock the Bells 2011 was everything I expected multiplied by 100. No words can describe my personal emotional high, and no cost could serve to detract from the memories I will always keep with me from this night. I wasn't exhausted, I was energized.
I didn't get to see a lot of acts I wanted to due to scheduling, namely Evidence, Blu, Big K.R.I.T., Erykah, Doom, Rae & Ghost, and Souls of Mischief, but even with missing what I missed I would not have done anything different. From to start to finish of the actual event I couldn't have been happier (I mean, if we are being picky/honest, could have been 15 degrees cooler).
My favorites of the evening were, in fact, the three I was most excited to see from the day I saw the lineup: Black Moon, Mobb Deep, and Nas.
Although I have never lived in New York City, I do feel such a connection to the city when I am there. It feels like I home; patience and composure. The occurrences of NYC that made the trip difficult made the positive occurrences that much more rewarding. I had begun typing that this trip was an important one for me, music aside. But that isn't so, music had all the impact in the world. Once again, with hip-hop music as a catalyst, I have learned something new about myself and continue to grow.
The warm weather was approaching; somewhat of a negative for me at the time. You see, I had a secret. I was 9 years old, but looked 14 and I didn't tell her until afterward. Kidding.
My Achilles Heel, was, in fact, that I could not ride a bike.
I sometimes thought, "Hey, maybe I should just take the bus," but I knew better. My second Achilles Heel that has remained with me to this day: I have an atrocious sense of direction. There isn't one person with all five senses that I wouldn't put money on to find their way against me in any type of "Find Your Way" challenge. Those with four or possibly even three senses would be able to find their way better than I. The bus really wasn't an option. The new X-Men comic book would have to wait.
Before my mom and I moved in to our new house in Spring of 1994, we drove around the streets to just observe what we were getting ourselves into. I was excited for all of two minutes. EVERYONE was on a bike. There were 20, no, 25, little tiny kids, no more than an average of six years old, riding around the neighborhood. But that wasn't the worst of it. I made eye contact with one kid donning a sweater vest and he proceeded to take his hands off the handles and ride "no hands" while staring me down through the passenger window. I was frightened he was attempting such a feat, something he could see deep inside of me. He not only knew I couldn't go no hands, he knew I couldn't even ride.
I had two months to learn and I had put it off most of my childhood due largely to the fear of tearing up my knees. I had really bad balance. Even so, I had to learn. I promised I would continue to try to learn and I wasn't about to disappoint, though there were several obstacles in my attainment of my goal.
I was already 5'9'', very tall for third grade, and it had to look funny watching a huge man-boy getting help on a bike as he is near tears and the wetting of his pants. I had to be more discreet or this wasn't happening. Any of it. F' a bike. I didn't have to ride a bike or wear jeans to fit into civilization! To make matters worse, there was a group of huge douchebags in the neighborhood I lived in before the move. These kids thought they were real tough picking on someone five years younger than them. Funny they played the "bigger man" tag when I was in high school.
I knew I had to learn away from the neighborhood. My grandfather would scoop me in the coup to look for a discreet neighborhood for some low-stress practice to no avail. Time had flown by and unfortunately it was time to move in to the new house. I was still very uncomfortable on the bike. I tried, I really did; I felt unprepared, a feeling I have always despised.
Around the the new neighbors, I wouldn't quite ride the bike, but I'd kind of walk it out to where everyone was standing. Luckily the children didn't go far, they got on bikes but would only go to where they could still be cow-belled in for dinner time. Really good kids, kind of boring though.
I then got comfortable enough to ride the bike down a large hill, which I would follow up by walking it up that same hill, riding it back down, cycle repeat. They'd ask me why I was doing that and I provided no logical response. I could maintain balance going down a hill, but it was the balance while peddling I couldn't quite master! I began losing some weight from this exercise but followed it up with numerous Little Debbie snack cakes. I ran Debbie's gamut: Oatmeal Cream Pies, Swiss Rolls, Cosmic Brownies, Zebra Cakes, Honey Buns, Pecan Spinwheels, Donut Sticks, Star Crunch, Raisin Cream Pies, there is no way to point as one or even five of these as favorites; they all had their place.
It took months, but eventually I learned how to ride a bike; it just happened one day. That Saturday evening I needed to celebrate. I was watching some TV and landed on the pay-per-view channels. I had no idea these existed. There were two movies that night that I really, really wanted to watch, so I asked my mom, and she was feeling generous and approved both! One of the best moments of my life.
"Blue Chips" was the first movie I ordered that night; a doozy which included my two favorite NBA players - Shaq and Penny. At the same time, I was becoming more more involved with basketball. I loved to play since I was very young with the Larry Bird goal my father gave me, but when rec league started in kindergarten I was pretty green. After probably two years of playing, I started to get much more serious, which in turn made me a better player; further strengthening my love for the game I had also loved to watch from a young age. My favorite two players in the league at the time were Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. I was a huge Magic fan. Outside of the Knicks I have never had a team I really always root for; just players. I have always been a fan of the players.
The movie was, in actuality, a very bad movie, but I did enjoy the story line. Nolte is a super average actor and to be honest annoys the hell out of me in the movie. I didn't understand the concept of "point shaving" until years later (speaking of corruption and pressures in college athletics, do any of you remember "The Program" with James Caan, Omar Epps, and HALLE?). I liked this movie and saw it hundreds of times throughout my childhood, but love is too strong of a word.
The second movie I ordered that evening was "Above the Rim." Shep (played by Leon) was the ultimate protagonist. He had his faults, but that made his character that much more believable. It was a well-known fact that Shep's life fell short of what he and others from his borough had expected, but it didn't blame anyone but himself. Birdie (played by Tupac), on the other hand, was the perfect antagonist. Originally, he came off to be loyal to those he allowed in his circle, but it became apparent that he would do anything and everything he could to get on top. Kyle (played by Duane Martin) was the inner city high school basketball stud with aspirations of playing at Georgetown, being pulled in both directions. By all accounts, this is probably an "average, at best" movie, but I'm not afraid to tell you it's one of my favorites of all-time.
The movie opens with Shep waking up after a bad dream where his best friend, Nutzo, takes a tragic fall from the top of a building while the two were playing one-on-one and the backboard gave out. He's crushed by it, and I felt his emotion. The backdrop for this powerful scene is Tupac's own, "Pain":
The craziest thing about this classic track is that it wasn't even on the CD soundtrack, only on the cassette tape! I had both. I hadn't heard Tupac before this song, but he immediately become one of "my guys" after this one, another factor that kept me exploring West Coast hip-hop.
He had another ferocious track on the soundtrack, "Pour Out a Little Liquor", easily a top ten Pac song in my book:
I've always been a huge R&B fan, and there were a couple absolute bangers on this album from some of the genre's best groups.
H-Town - "Part Time Lover" (Prod. by DeVante Swing) (R.I.P. Dino!):
SWV - "Anything" (Prod. by Brian Morgan):
I miss the sound of SWV, Mary J. Blige, En Vogue, Janet, Monica, Xscape, TLC, and the late great Aaliyah. Feels like it was just yesterday when she died. This sub-genre ("feel") of R&B is not dead though. Look no further than North Carolina's own Heather Victoria with "Crush":
Another gem on the soundtrack was "Afro Puffs" by Lady of Rage feat. Snoop Dogg and produced by none other than Dr. Dre:
But the main course of this soundtrack is not debatable. One of the best duo cuts ever witnessed (THIS would be a great list to compile): Warren G and Nate Dogg - "Regulators" (Prod. by Warren G):
This song owned 1994 for me, it really did. How can you go wrong with the Michael McDonald sample? Answer: you can't! The way the story of the song unfolds is nuts, and yet again from this soundtrack I felt the emotion of the music so powerfully it was too much for me to ignore.
The elements of basketball, dope hip-hop and R&B, and a deeper look in to the urban culture made this one of my favorite movies growing up and without question, my favorite soundtrack to this day.
