Addictive Diction

This Week...

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Birth of Day-Day, beginning of Punishment, the end of Showtime and the death of Dirt.

Stretch for details.

STRETCH...

November 7:

Magic Johnson Announces Retirement, 1991

Liquid Swords released, 1995

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November 9:

Enter the 36 Chambers released, 1993

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November 10:

U-God born, 1970

Big Pun born, 1971

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November 11:

MC Lyte born, 1971

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November 12:

2Pacalypse Now released, 1991

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November 13:

Mike Epps born, 1970

ODB dies, 2004

T.I.'s a Hero?

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:39:00 +0000

I know I'm a day late with this one, but I had to absorb it all before I spoke on it.

From the AJC:

Rapper T.I. stepped in to help police negotiators trying to talk a man out of jumping to his death from a 22-story Midtown building Wednesday afternoon. ...

The rapper told WSB Radio he was on the way to shoot a video when he heard about the man threatening to end his life. He drove to the scene and told a police officer he wanted to help. Another officer taped a quick video message which was then sent to the man on the roof, T.I. told the radio station.

And just like that, this anonymous dude no longer wanted to Shoulder Lean his ass off of One Atlantic Center.

I call bullshit on this one. More after the stretch.

STRETCH...

OK, I believe in coincidence, but a coincidence of this proportion is a lil' too coincidental.

You mean to tell me that a jumper just randomly chose One Atlantic Center — the building that houses local radio station V-103 — to jump off of? You mean to tell me that T.I. just happened to be listening to the station and was in the area? You mean to tell me that he rolled up to the scene and just happened to be allowed to intervene in a police negotiation? You mean to tell me that this suicidal man just happened to have a change of heart at T.I.'s behest? And all this just happened to happen two days before T.I.'s court date?

Getdafuckouttaherewitthatbullshit.

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but wouldn't it be really easy for Tip's lawyers to stand before the judge and play the "this guy is REALLY needed" card again in attempts to get his impending sentence reduced? My far-fetched theory is that the "jumper" was planted and that the whole "suicide attempt" was orchestrated to make The Rubberband Man look like an actual superhero.

And don't think I'm sayin' this because I've got a problem with Tip 'cause I don't. I think his probation violation was really fuckin' stupid, but we all do dumb shit sometimes so I get that. I'm sayin' this because if it smells like bullshit, walks like bullshit and claims to jump off a building like bullshit, it probably is bullshit.

I really hope I'm wrong.

**UPDATE**

Guess I wasn't the only one whose eyebrow was raised by T.I.'s apparent heroism earlier this week. CNN interviewed Kang Cliff and had him address, among other things (i.e. his court appearance today), his part in the rescue and whether or not it was a stunt designed to gain some positive press before his court appearance. You can probably guess his response.

**UPDATE #2**

Verdict's in. Back to the bing Tip goes. Eleven months. Obviously, the hero card didn't play too well. Here's his lawyer:

Damn, Tip. SMH.

Supplier: AJC

Coldest. Phone. EVER.

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:32:00 +0000

While it doesn't actually exist at this point, the concept for the Mozilla Seabird Open Web phone is pretty damn impressive. Fuck a touchscreen, this thing suggests projecting a usable keyboard onto a flat surface.

You would also be able to dock this thing and use the detachable Bluetooth device/wireless mouse to control the standard desktop that is actually projected from the phone and onto the wall, chalkboard, HUGE woman or whatever large surface you have available.

This is some Star Trek shit right here. Animated demo after the stretch.

STRETCH...

Supplier: Funk Flex via Mozilla Labs

Separated at Birth?

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:17:00 +0000

Yo, I just realized how much Rick Ross resembles Kamala, a character from the WWF of the '80s and '90s. These dudes either look just alike or William Roberts was a pro wrestler before he became Officer Ricky then Rick Ross. That shit is hilarious.

Peace, WWE

Russell Simmons Kicks Knowledge

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:13:00 +0000

As part of their Visionaries series, Fortune Magazine briefly chopped it up with Uncle Rush about his legendary career and has him offer advice to young entrepreneurs on the come-up.

Russell put the "OG" in yoga.

Supplier: CNN Money

C'mon Son 18

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:15:00 +0000

The homie Ed Lover's back with his latest pop culture critique — and guess who's first to catch heat...?

Is it me, or is that "C'mon Son" sign lookin' pretty fuckin' raggedy these days? Might be time to re-up, Ed.

Visit CmonSonOnline!

BALLLLINNN'!!! Brooklyn Mom Hits Jackpot

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 10:46:00 +0000

When I hear about someone hitting one of these big, multi-million dollar lotto jackpots, more often than not I get a mental picture of what the lucky bastard looks like: rural, possibly toothless hick-type from the middle of nowhere wearing cowboy boots or rubber fishing waders and drinking moonshine from a Mason jar. Oh, and I ALWAYS envision them being White.

And I'm usually right.

Not this time, though. Garina Fearson, a 34-year-old corrections officer from BK, is the country's latest multimillionaire after hitting last week's $54 million Mega Millions jackpot.

From the NY Post:

"Fearon said she bought the wrong ticket at a Sutter Avenue bodega, where she went to play Powerball, not Mega Millions.

"I only play every six months or so," said Fearon, who has a 16-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter.

She held on to the ticket all weekend, and didn't think about it until Monday, when she asked a co-worker for a newspaper. She scribbled the winning numbers on the back of an inmate pass as her shift ended.

As she waited for the bus, she made the amazing discovery.

"I was about to fold up the lottery ticket," Fearon said. "Then I saw the numbers, and I started running from one part of the parking lot to the other screaming."

Fearon will take the lump sum cash option, which will pay about $30 mil before taxes.

She says that other than buy a home for her ailing mother in Jamaica, she doesn't really know what she'll do with the money — but she does NOT plan on quitting her job.

Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if she took on eight or nine more jobs. Even with millions of dollars, one job is not nearly enough. Hey mon!

She's better than me, 'cause quitting my job is the FIRST thing I would do. The second thing I'd do is buy a platinum-and-diamond grill and get a replica of the Sistine Chapel tattooed on my back. Then I'd start a record label ("Squeezebox Entertainment") and make accordion-based Hip-Hop. I'd call myself "Polka Flocka Flames" or "Polkaveli."

All jokes aside, congrats to Garina. She's been through some shit in her life and can finally live it up.

Read the whole story here.

Supplier: NY Post

True Hip-Hop Stories

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 22:04:00 +0000

But this ain't the homie D-Nice; it's COMPLEX Mag.

One of my favorite magazines comes with yet another dope piece of Hip-Hop storytelling, this time catching up with longtime Entertainment Lawyer-turned-writer Combat Jack (née Reggie Osse) and getting some firsthand, behind-the-scenes stories from the making of several of Hip-Hop's favorite songs.

Jack obviously spent much of his 20 years in the business very close to the Bad Boy and Roc-A-Fella camps (or it could be that these stories are just the most interesting), as many of the stories he shared with COMPLEX are related to these respective crews.

But fear not — it ain't ALL Roc/Bad Boy stories. He's also got stories on Capone-N-Noreaga, 50 Cent, LL Cool J, 3rd Bass, Nice & Smooth and several others.

Peep a sample of the piece after the stretch, or head straight over to COMPLEX and read the whole thing by clicking here.

STRETCH...

Original Flavor feat. Jay-Z - "Can I Get Open"

"We were repping cousins Damon and Darien Dash, who were managers under their Dash Management Company. Damon and Darien were kids, teenagers, who managed two groups: Original Flavor and The Future Sound. Clark Kent had discovered the Dashes. At the time he was an A&R at East/West Records, a label under Atlantic Records. Clark signed both groups, which meant that Damon and Darien had a lot of money in their pockets for cats that were only 17, 18 years old. ... East/West had put a hold on the rap acts they were signing, so Clark wasn't able to sign this up-and-coming Brooklyn MC named Jay-Z. So he introduced him to Damon, on account of how Clark was impressed with Dame's skills as a manager. It still bugs me out how, back in '94, Clark swore that Jay was the best rapper alive. For their first single, Clark convinced Dame to put Jay on 'Can I Get Open.' Ski and Tone were good, but once he touched the mic, it was clear to all that Jay-Z murdered them on their own shit."

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Notorious B.I.G. - "Who Shot Ya?"

"I was representing a majority of Puffy's Hitmen producer crew, and Nashiem Myrick was one of them. Nashiem was such an ill producer for how he came up with the beat, flipping the 'I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over' sample into this beat. When I first heard the beat, originally as an interlude to Mary J. Blige's My Life album with Keith Murray rapping over it, then this version with Big, my mind couldn't comprehend how otherworldly the track sounded. Listen to them keys drop made me feel like I was tripping on dust, and I never smoked/inhaled dust in my life."

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2Pac & The Outlawz - "Hit 'Em Up"

"On top of continuously taking shots from Tupac, Death Row, and Snoop even, we were growing tired of being the target. No one on our end really knew the source of Tupac's rage, but God damn did he become a beast. The day this song dropped, New York was quiet, like we had got punched in our collective chests. Plain and simple, the record was hot, and the rage that jumped from off the track was very disconcerting. We got calls from our peoples at Bad Boy, from Roc-A-Fella, all talking, wondering how far 'Pac and Suge wanted to take this. ... When 'Pac yells out 'Fuck you too,' referencing anyone down with Bad Boy, I took that shit personally. Plus, cats started getting kind of annoyed at Big for not responding directly, because we all knew that as a superior lyricist, he would have really bodied Tupac and hurt his feelings. Still, with all that going on, being in the eye of the storm that was the coastal beef, the raw dopeness that is 'Hit 'Em Up' is undeniable. One of the greatest dis records of all time. And in a weird way, it remains one of my favorites."

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Jay-Z feat. Notorious B.I.G. - "Brooklyn's Finest"

"Dame, Jay, and Clark were done begging the industry for a deal. Pooling their collective monies, along with Kareem Biggs, Roc-A-Fella was officially born. I was hired to do all the paperwork, all the sample clearances, all that. ... When Clark first played the track for me, I didn't get it, I'll admit. The sample was so different, jazzy, unorthodox, but the rhymes were greater than anything, ever. Respectfully, Jay was thirsty for Big's spot, and it showed. At the same time, Big wasn't effing around. No way was Jay going to outshine dude. This record would have been a monster single and even a greater video. When I contacted Bad Boy for Big's clearance, Puff wouldn't, couldn't grant us the full single rights. ... No shots, but I remember being on the phone once again begging for Puff to let Big rock on a single and video, and Puff asking me, 'Yo, what the eff is a Jay-Z? I can't get Clive Davis to clear Big on some unknown rapper's record.' To his credit, Puff did let the Roc keep the song on the album. ... Years later, I still feel some kind of way about Jay and Big not shooting a video for that. Can you even imagine how ill that would have been?"

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Capone-N-Noreaga - "T.O.N.Y."

"I was representing Nashiem Myrick and Tragedy Khadafi. Apparently they had beef as they were each part of opposing crews from Queens. ... One day, they were both in my office—appointments colliding—and the air was tense. Both clients were known to have been real thuggish on the streets. Fast thinking and talking, I helped convince them that we were all on the same team, and there was collabs to make, money to earn. Trag cautiously shared with Nashiem how he was working on his group, Capone-N-Noreaga. They start building on ideas. The first collabo they worked on was 'T.O.N.Y.' ... When 'T.O.N.Y.' dropped, cats weren't expecting that from Trag. It had been a long time since he had any heat, and no one had ever heard of C.N.N. before. Talk about organic, I watched that song go from a truce between two foes to becoming a Tunnel classic."

For the rest of Combat Jack's stories, visit COMPLEX.com

Supplier: COMPLEX

You're An Asshole: James Brienzo

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:58:00 +0000

(CBS) An alleged crook running from police needed a place to hide.

James Brienzo saw a dumpster and leaped into it, authorities in Alliance, Ohio say.

But, reports Paul Joncich, of CBS Cleveland affiliate WOIO, there was one problem: It was trash day, and collectors were about to make a pick.

Minutes later, Brienzo was scooped up and dumped in the back of a garbage truck.

While swimming in garbage, he fished out his cell phone and called a friend, who called police.

"He is in the trash truck. He said it compacted him once and is getting ready to again," a police dispatcher said.

Police had to electronically track the cell phone to find the right garbage truck.

But, says Joncich, Brienzo was so wedged in the only way to get him out -- was to empty the compressed trash.

Brienzo fell to the ground, amid the trash, head-first.

Another Alliance officer says Brienzo "was in a lot of pain. He had been compacted several times. He was begging us to empty the truck."

He was listed in critical condition in an area hospital.

What makes this even funnier is the fact that he was running from the cops after being caught shoplifting from — wait for it....... — Wal-Mart. If you're from Alliance, OH, steal from Wal-Mart AND hide in dumpsters, you might be a redneck, but you're definitely an asshole. And your being nearly crushed by your stupidity (metaphorically represented by the trash compactor) only proves that point.

News report after the stretch.

STRETCH...

Supplier: CBS

Money Talks: Jay-Z, Warren Buffett & Steve Forbes

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 21:30:00 +0000

To celebrate the latest Forbes 400 — the magazine's annual list of the nation's wealthiest people (and those in-the-making) — Warren Buffett (#2 on the list) and Jay-Z (in the making) met up in the heartland for a sit-down and heart-to-heart (to heart) with Steve Forbes:

We gassed up a Gulfstream 450 one warm September morning and flew one of the most successful recording artists of all time, Jay-Z, to meet the most successful investor of all time, Warren Buffett, on the latter's home turf of Omaha, Neb. The intent was to capture their very different perspectives on success and wealth and to talk about the social obligations that come with each. They ended up finding out they had more in common than anyone would have expected between a 40-year-old rapper from the Brooklyn projects and the 80-year-old sage of compounded returns.

Big money talk, indeed. More after the stretch.

STRETCH...

Jay: ...We've never seen the maturation of hip-hop in this sort of way. People would get to a certain age and still try to pinpoint at this young demographic because hip-hop is a young man's sport. But, you know, people that listen to hip-hop when they're 18 listen to it when they're 28. It's just that the voices of hip-hop are not speaking directly to them anymore. Or weren't. They're speaking to an 18 year old. I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm just going to make the music I love to make and I'm going to mature with my music. Luckily for me, it was the right decision.

Buffett: As you go along, you learn what things you're not going to understand. Knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to focus on. Somebody said how to beat Bobby Fischer; you play him any game except chess. And so I don't play Bobby Fischer at chess.

Buffett: Part of making good decisions in business is recognizing the poor decisions you've made and why they were poor. I've made lots of mistakes. I'm going to make more. It's the name of the game. You don't want to expect perfection in yourself. You want to strive to do your best. It's too demanding to expect perfection in yourself.

Jay: As entertainers, we're the first generation to capitalize on our talent. For many years artists were dying broke, because the record companies took advantage of them. ... The first thing for me is to lead by example and show how these things have an effect on people's lives in a real way.

Read the full interview here.

Supplier: Forbes

Eddie Long Accused of Sexual Coercion

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 01:20:00 +0000

ATLANTA (AP) — Two men have filed a lawsuit accusing Bishop Eddie Long of exploiting his role as pastor of an Atlanta-area megachurch to coerce them into sexual relationships when they were young members of his congregation.

Lawyers for the men, now 20 and 21, say they filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in DeKalb County Court. ...

Craig Gillen, Long's attorney, said Tuesday the pastor "categorically denies the allegations." ...

The men were 17- and 18-year-old members of Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, when they say Long abused his spiritual authority to seduce them with with cars, money, clothes, jewelry, international trips and access to celebrities. ...

"Defendant Long has utilized his spiritual authority to coerce certain young male members ... into engaging in sexual acts and relationships for his own personal sexual grafitication," the lawsuits read.

That shit is nasty. As fuck. This goes to show you that the pastor — yes, even YOUR pastor — is just a man. Stop treatin' that nigga like HE's the one being worshipped. That's all I'm gon' say about that.

Anyway, check out the "Pause" episode of The Boondocks after the stretch. This Eddie Long situation kinda reminds me of it.

STRETCH...

Supplier: USA Today

Vick Is Officially the Man

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:35:00 +0000

Congratulations, homeboy.

'Bout time they gave that boy the starting gig. The anti-Vick crowd should have a field day with this one.

But fuck 'em. It's about ball above all at this point, and Vick earned that spot. He's really been showin' his ass these last two weeks. Not starting him would be stupid.

Good job, doggie. Don't fuck this up!

Supplier: ESPN

Cubs Player Impaled by Broken Bat

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:11:00 +0000

L-R: Leftfielder Tyler Colvin, Pitcher Jeff Samardzija

From Chicago Breaking Sports:

MIAMI - Tyler Colvin is in stable condition at a local hospital after being impaled in his upper left chest by a piece of broken bat during Sunday's game at Sun Life Stadium. ...

He's being treated for pneumothorax, a puncture of the chest cavity, which allowed air into the chest wall and the potential of a collapsed lung. A tube was inserted into the wound, and Colvin is resting comfortably, but will remain hospitalized for 2-3 days for further examination, and manager Mike Quade said he will not play again this season. ...

There was no immediate word on the depth of the wound, though it was only a few inches from his heart, and his neck, and could've been much more serious. The sharp end of the larger piece of Castillo's broken bat is what went into Colvin's chest, but it did not stick into the chest.

Marlins catcher Mike Rivera said it was scary and looked like "he was being stabbed."

That's some Final Destination shit right there. I can't stand the damn Cubs, but I hope this kid's OK.

Watch the video of Colvin's injury after the stretch.

STRETCH...

Supplier: Chicago Breaking Sports & HuffPo

R.I.P. Reggie Garrett

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:51:00 +0000

This is crazy.

From Fanhouse:

All summer, Garrett had worked to improve his passing accuracy, for moments just like these, rivalry games in East Texas.

Against arch-rival Jasper, the work paid off. Garrett dropped back to pass and in the words of his head coach Dan Hooks, a 72-year-old East Texas coaching legend with over 250 career wins, "just threw a perfect post-corner route for a touchdown. It was a beautiful pass."

The crowd of 6,500 exulted. Garrett's second touchdown pass of the game, midway through the second quarter, put his team up 21-0. Hooks remembers locking eyes with his quarterback as Garrett ran off the field. "He was smiling, the biggest smile you'd ever seen, just happy at what he'd done," Hooks told FanHouse on Saturday

As Coach Hooks, a 48-year coaching veteran who has been head coach at West Orange-Stark for the past 30 years, turned to ensure that his special teams were ready to attempt the extra point, Garrett collapsed on the sideline.

"It happened so quick none of us knew what to think," Hooks said. ...

Paramedics rushed to the senior quarterback's aid and at first everyone on the sideline assumed all would be fine.

"It's hard to believe," a shaken Hooks said the next morning. "We've had injuries before, but nothing like this."

Garrett was placed in an ambulance and rushed to the local hospital as the game continued. By the fourth quarter rumors began to circulate throughout the stadium and filter to the sidelines. Reggie Garrett, the quarterback whose final pass was a touchdown, had died at the hospital.

"None of us could believe it," Hooks said, "none of us."

He was only 17. They don't know what happened to the kid. Very sad story. This happened on Friday, the 17th of this month, just a few days ago.

R.I.P.

Suppliers: Fanhouse & Beaumont Enterprise

Coming Soon: SPICY Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:16:00 +0000

Finally, a magazine dedicated solely to the only women on Earth that can consistently compete with the sistas on the beauty tip: those lovely Latinas. SPICY's got some hot shit.

Get yourself a taste after the stretch.

STRETCH...

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Yeah, you get the point, right? EPIC.

www.SPICY-MAG.com

Supplier: SPICY

WTF? Man Kidnaps, Rapes, Videotapes Two Women

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:37:00 +0000

From WTSP:

Temple Terrace, Florida - In the middle of a normally quiet neighborhood, police say 31-year-old George Thomas put two women through nearly a full week of terror.

According to an arrest report, Thomas kidnapped, raped and filmed two women, one of them only 16 years old, at his house on Rain Forest Street in Temple Terrace.

Temple Terrace police say Thomas brought the first woman to his house last Saturday, forced her to have sex with him three times and threatened to kill her if she left.

Then, police say, the first victim got ahold of a friend through Facebook, and told her to come to the house and rescue her.

But, according to the arrest report, when she showed up, Thomas came out with a gun and forced her inside as well.

That's when he's accused of making the two women have sex in the living room, while he recorded it with his cell phone and a webcam. ...

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Thomas has been arrested nearly two dozen times since 1997, on everything from DUI and drug possession to stalking. ...

Some who live nearby tell 10 News he's known around the area for his strange behavior.

"Nickname is 'George the perv,'" [neighbor Alan] Winton said.

Thomas is being held in jail without bond, facing six felony charges.

With that rap sheet, I don't know why this dude wasn't already locked up. He's also listed as a member of a Folk Nation gang — which was odd to me, 'cause I thought the Folk Nation was only a Chicago and Milwaukee thing. Turns out I was wrong about that.

Video report from WTSP after the stretch.

STRETCH...

Suppliers: WTSP & TampaBay.com

Mumia: The Movie

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:45:00 +0000

Independent film house Big Noise Films is set to premiere their latest project, entitled "Justice On Trial: The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal," on September 21 in Philadelphia. The film is a documentary piece examining the life and trial of the former Black Panther.

Mumia Abu-Jamal is the most recognized death row inmate in the world today. In 1982, he was was tried and convicted for the murder of Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. Since then, the Abu-Jamal trial proceedings have come under scrutiny and today his case is one of the most contested legal cases in modern American history. A former Black Panther and now renowned author, his books and writings in venues as diverse as the Yale Law Review, Forbes, Nation and street-papers for the homeless, have led many to hail him “the voice of the voiceless.”

Justice on Trial navigates the tempest of the Abu-Jamal trial by reviewing the known facts of the case. It demonstrates that the major violations in the Abu-Jamal case — judicial bias, prosecutorial misconduct, racial discrimination in jury selection, police corruption and tampering with evidence to obtain a conviction — are not special to this case. Instead, they are commonly practiced within the criminal justice system and account for the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and Latinos in the United States. The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal is a microcosm of greater problems in the criminal justice system in the United States today. The attention that its many violations have received make the Abu-Jamal case one of the most important civil rights cases of our time.

In a related story, Tigre Hill, another indie filmmaker, is releasing his own film about the Daniel Faulkner murder and Mumia's trial on the same day. Hill's film, entitled "Barrel of A Gun," is obviously the counterpoint to "Justice On Trial," focusing not on the alleged conspiracy to frame Mumia but instead on uncovering "'rare new insight' concerning what [Hill] boldly asserts was the premeditated killing of Faulkner," according to a brief write-up on the Official Daniel Faulkner Website.

Watch the official trailers for both films after the stretch and judge for yourself.

STRETCH...

Justice On Trial

"Barrel of A Gun"

While I certainly feel for the Faulkner family and understand their desire to want someone to hold responsible for Daniel's murder, I just don't think Mumia is the right one. There are just too many inconsistencies in his case and there was entirely too much governmental fuckery goin' on at the time. As Hill allegedly asserts, Daniel Faulkner's killing certainly seems to have been premeditated — the question is, by whom?

If you're not familiar with Mumia, his case or the government's counterintelligence program (COINTELPRO), do the knowledge. You can start here.

Suppliers: EUR Web, Big Noise Films & DanielFaulkner.com

NY Mag: Jay-Z vs. Eminem

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 07:05:00 +0000

The folks over at NY Magazine have decided to review the stats and determine whether Jay-Z or Eminem is the greatest rapper alive. Determination based upon sales, singles, awards, rhymes, beats, beefs, live performance, collabos, protégés, business deals and more. Interesting read, to say the least.

Check it out here.

Suppliers: Team Yee via NY Mag

Chael Sonnen Cheated?

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 06:19:00 +0000

Damn, Chael. Say it ain't so.

It seems as though the "Gangster From Oregon" who claims to be "The Pound-for-Pound Best Shit-Talker" in the UFC and is the #1 contender for Anderson Silva's middleweight title has tested positive for some sort of performance-enhancing drug, according to the results of the post-fight drug screen from his August 7 fight against the champion at UFC 117.

From Sherdog:

“[Sonnen] received his notice [of the failed test] yesterday (Sept. 18),” [California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer George] Dodd told Sherdog.com shortly after the Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora boxing match ended Saturday night in Los Angeles.

In a conversation the day before, Dodd declined to comment on the situation, other than answering that all fighters from UFC 117 had passed drugs-of-abuse scans, but that the commission was still waiting on performance-enhancing drug screens from the event.

Dodd did not state which banned substance was red-flagged, but with a clean drugs-of-abuse scan it is clear the positive test was for a performance-enhancing substance. ...

Silva’s manager Ed Soares, who engaged in some heated exchanges via the media in the build up to the fight, was stunned when asked for his reaction.

“If it’s true, I feel really bad for him,” said Soares. “I know he did it to himself but it is really sad, he put on such a great performance that night. It is just a shame it will be tarnished.”

I'm in full agreement with Soares. Sonnen was very impressive at 117, giving Silva more trouble than I've ever seen anybody give him, and most likely would have won by decision had Silva's deadly elbows and prodigious ground game not kept the match from going to the cards.

And as if that weren't proof enough, the fact that Sonnen may have been on that Sammy Sosa and STILL couldn't beat Silva just goes to show had bad "The Spider" really is. That boy's a beast. (I still wanna see him fight Machida, though.)

-------

EXTRA:

- Did you know that Sonnen ran for an Oregon Senate seat (before dropping out of the race) earlier this year? I had no idea.

Supplier: Sherdog

You're An Asshole: Glenn McConnell & The Murrays

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:13:00 +0000

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That really is two people who look like slaves standing next to a man dressed as a Civil War soldier. As if that weren't bad enough, the White dude is an elected official.

From the Post & Courier (SC):

COLUMBIA - Glenn McConnell says he doesn't want to live his life worrying about being politically correct.

The man widely considered to be the state's most powerful politician on Wednesday characterized as nonsense a nationwide Internet firestorm over a recent photo of him smiling in a uniform, the one he wore in the movie "The Hunley" to portray Confederate Gen. Thomas Jordan. McConnell stands between a black man and woman who appear to be dressed as slaves.

McConnell, a white Charleston Republican and president pro tem of the Senate, said the snapshot actually shows just how far the state has come in race relations, despite what the blogosphere might have to say. ...

Dot Scott, president of the Charleston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said when she looks at the picture she sees "the master standing in the middle with the two slaves standing at his side."

I think everybody in this photo should be ashamed of themselves, but, of course, they all say there's a perfectly reasonable explanation.

More after the stretch.

STRETCH...

McConnell and a handful of white Civil War-era re-enactors were invited along with Gullah storytellers Frank and Sharon Murray, who portrayed traditional Lowcountry blacks from the 1860s, to participate in "A Southern Experience," an event hosted Friday [Sept. 10} in Charleston by the South Carolina Federation of Republican Women. ...

McConnell said the event Friday night was conducted in a respectful, historical context. Re-enactments include blacks and whites and draw people from all across the country who want to learn more about history, he said.

"Tell me what is offensive about having the differing parts of the culture there? What are we going to try and do in America, sanitize history?" McConnell said from his office in the Statehouse. ...

"These folks didn't ask me to take this picture or participate in this skit because they were trying to make some political statement. This picture says, if anything, how we cross the culture lines."

Frank Murray

Sharon Murray

Unlike the slaves they're apparently NOT portraying, the Murrays were paid for their performance.

Sharon Murray said she and her husband were neither portraying freedmen nor slaves. They were invited to teach the women about the Gullah culture, she said. Their garments were replicas of clothing worn by skilled craftsmen of the Civil War era.

The Murrays were paid for their time, and Sharon Murray said the night also offered the couple a chance to network with political activists who might, in turn, become educated on the Gullah culture and help promote efforts to preserve the history.

The Murrays are well known in the Charleston community for their work.

"My husband and I are preservationists," Murray said.

OK, even if the Murrays were innocently trying to school folks on Gullah culture, I don't see how they failed to recognize what a turrible idea this was.

Because these pictures seem to SCREAM "that's racist." Just like my lil' homie Toothless Rufus.

See?

Suppliers: FitsNews & The Post & Courier

It Happened This Week...

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Soopaman, the return of Rare Air, Hancock, Ugly Sweaters and Gilbert Hall.

Details after the stretch.

STRETCH...

September 20:

The Cosby Show premieres, 1984

Project: Funk Da World released, 1994(Second release from Bad Boy Entertainment)
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September 22:

Whut? Thee Album released, 1992
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September 23:

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below released, 2003
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September 24:

A Different World premieres, 1987
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September 25:

Will Smith born, 1968

Michael Jordan signs with the Wizards, 2001

Father Threatens to Kill Kids Tormenting Disabled Daughter

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 12:24:00 +0000

This one is deep. Watch:

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Seminole County sheriff's deputies on Thursday [Sept. 16] arrested [James] Jones on charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function stemming from the incident [above].

Jones, 42, bailed out of the Seminole County Jail later that day after paying a $2,000 bond. A judge ordered that he cannot contact the bus driver and must stay 100 feet away from all Seminole County school buses.

Deputies said that on the morning of Sept. 3, Jones boarded the school bus headed to Greenwood Lakes Middle School at W. Airport Boulevard and Bungalow Avenue in Sanford [FL] because several boys on the bus were allegedly bullying his daughter.

"He believed in his mind, he had to take action against the children on the school bus before they hurt his little girl," according to the arrest report.

Jones told deputies the boys had placed an open condom on his daughter's head, smacked her on the back of the head, twisted her ear and shouted rude comments at her, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office report shows.

Video surveillance taken inside the school bus shows Jones' daughter pointing at the students accused of harassing her. Jones walks up the aisle to the student's seat, points at him and threatens to kill him and others who bully his daughter.

Some of the children on the school bus watch quietly as Jones yells profanities and gestures wildly, while others giggle at the man's reactions.

Jones is then seen walking toward the bus driver and threatening to kill him as well before he steps off the bus.

He told deputies he has complained to school administrators in the past, but nothing had been done about the alleged attacks on his daughter.

Now his daughter is afraid to ride the bus to school, Jones said.

What would you have done in this situation? My thoughts after the stretch.

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For the record, I am NOT a parent; I do, though, have a niece and a nephew of middle school age — 11 and 12 years old, respectively — that I love as if they were my own children, so I understand the protective nature of a father.

If this were my niece being tormented, I can't honestly say that I would not at least be compelled to do the same thing Jones did.

When I think of how Jones probably found out about this latest round of bullying his baby girl was being subjected to, I can't help but envision a man watching and listening to his beloved, cerebral palsy-inflicted daughter cry her eyes out because of the way some of her classmates have been treating her on the schoolbus. A man whose rage grows more and more as his little girl details for him the cruel way the other kids have been treating her; listening intently as she describes how they throw things at her, put open condoms on her, slap her in the head, twist her ears and call her names. A man who finds out that the children making his precious daughter's life a living hell are boys. A man who has probably already heard some of these stories and who claims to have already reported them to school officials, who apparently ignored them. A man who now has to send his sick little girl back to school on that same bus with those same little boys who probably plan on doing more of the same mean-spirited things to his baby. A man who thinks the bus driver, a grown man, should have done something to defend her. Basically, a man at the end of his rope.

This man was gonna put a stop to this bullshit by any means necessary — ANY means necessary, even if it meant personally threatening the lives of the children involved. Since the school wouldn't do anything, Jones surely felt it was duty as a father to do something to protect his helpless child. Since he couldn't go to school with her and act as her personal bodyguard, he felt his next best course of action was to strike the fear of God into her tormentors.

This I fully understand. The man was worried about his child and took it upon himself to protect her. I don't know a man who wouldn't do that.

On the flip side, I also think about the parents of the children on the receiving end of James' threats, in this case represented by the mother interviewed for this story who, understandably, says she's "pissed" at what happened on her son Alonzo's bus ride.

If my nephew were to come home saying that some crazy man had stormed onto his bus and threatened to kill him and everybody on it, I'd be pissed, too. I can imagine a parent's initial reaction being something like, "Who the fuck does this man think he is talking to my child like that?" Regardless of what they've done, you don't want anybody coming at your children that way.

But I would also take issue with my child — probably after making several phone calls in attempts to find out who/where this crazy man is so I could begin planning ways to have him fuckin' killed — and would want to know why someone would even be directing such threats towards him in the first place. "Did you do something to this man?" I would ask. After finding out what my child allegedly did to some poor disabled girl on his schoolbus, please believe that lil' nigga's ass would be so sore after I whooped it that he wouldn't be able to use it for about a month. Alonzo looked all sweet and innocent in the news story above, but we all know that kids often act differently in front of Mama than they do when around their friends. (I'm not accusing the kid of anything, I'm just sayin'...) Don't let the babyface fool ya.

(Remember Kenard from The Wire? That boy looked totally innocent until he opened his mouth and nothin' but filth fell out. Of course, that's only a TV show; but if you think that there aren't kids who really talk and act that way, you're playin' yourself. But I digress.)

Still, the fact of the matter is that you can't just jump on a schoolbus and threaten to "fuck up" the bus driver "and everybody on this muthafucka." While I understand and applaud his motives for doing so — along with the things already mentioned, children could DIE as a result of bullying, as evidenced by numerous school shootings and the numerous kids who've committed suicide because of bullies — Mr. Jones should probably expect some serious legal backlash for his momentary, passion-fueled lapse in judgment (at least as serious as "disorderly conduct" and "disturbing a school function" charges can get). I just hope the courts sympathize with the man, as he was certainly under extreme stress and is clearly remorseful.

Again I ask, what would you have done? How would you handle such a situation?

Supplier: Orlando Sentinel

CLASSIC: Kenny Parker Reminisces on KRS-One vs. Prince Be

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:21:00 +0000

Back in 2006, UNKUT.com — probably the most Hip-Hop of all the Hip-Hop magazines, online or in print — caught up with Kenny Parker from the iconic Boogie Down Productions crew and got him reminiscing about the night back in 1993 when KRS-One bumrushed a PM Dawn show after Prince Be dissed him in Details magazine by saying, "KRS-One wants to be a teacher, but a teacher of what?" Kris had already been going through some shit with other MCs at the time, and this was the last straw — Prince Be had to pay.

Here's a teaser:

...We had two plans. The first plan involved me – to get control of the DJ booth. “By any means necessary – Kenny, you get control of the booth”. That was it, that was the only real plan we had. And Kris says “When I get the mic, you throw on “Still #1”. So that was the plan.

Clark Kent was deejaying, so I went up there and I said to Clark: “In about ten minutes I’m gonna need the turntables for a second”, and he was kinda reluctant.

I was like “Look, something’s about to happen, Kris is about to run on stage. I need to be set-up and I need to be ready.” He was like “Aight, cool.”

PM Dawn starts doin’ his thing, and then you see Kris comin’ up – there was like a ramp comin’ up the stage – and you see people comin’ up the stage, so I start cuing up.

PM Dawn had some girl dancers up there – this guy pushes one of the dancers into the crowd – hard! And I remember she tried to sue Kris a few months after that. While this guy’s doin’ this, Kris comes up. PM Dawn is not knowin’ what’s goin’ on – imagine, he’s in show mode and his music stops – and Kris grabs the microphone, so they both have it. Like a tug-of-war for a second, and then Kris pushes him and takes the microphone in his hand. Right at the same time, the guy who pushed the girl into the crowd punches PM Dawn in his face – POW! Then he punches him again – POW! In the face, twice. Then, if I recall, Just-Ice pushed him off [the stage] and Prince Be fell into the crowd.

Then Kris has the mic and he goes “BDP is in the motherfuckin’ house!” and then everybody was like “Hooo!”, the whole crowd was like that, and right at that moment I threw on “Still #1″. It was over! People was jumping up and down and they was goin’ crazy and screamin’…it was like a riot!

Clark Kent turned to me and he said “Yo, that’s the greatest thing I ever seen in my life!”

Head on over to UNKUT by clicking here and read the whole thing (it's a 3-parter). Trust me, the story is worth reading. Shouts to Robbie for being so fuckin' thorough.

And just for shits and gigs, check out a PM Dawn parody from one of my favorite movies, Fear of A Black Hat, after the stretch.

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Here's the song they parodied:

MORE:

- P.M. Dawn lightly responded to KRS-One and directly addressed those who questioned how Hip-Hop they were with 2005's "Plastic"

- From KRS-One: The UNKUT Interview (2007):

There is mythology and folklore – which works for our culture, it keeps us together, but then there’s real scholarship and there’s real truth when you get down to it. ... I don’t even have beef with PM Dawn. I did apologize to PM Dawn on numerous occasions. ... [F]or years, I took the responsibility, I apologized to PM Dawn and tried to make amends with them, and no one probably will ever know - well maybe now they’ll know, those who do their homework... they will know, but for the rest of the mainstream world? They don’t need to know. Let ‘em have the image in their mind that if you spit that wack shit, KRS is gonna step on your stage and toss your ass off the stage! That’s what hip-hop needs to hear and know.

Props: UNKUT, André LeRoy Davis & 33 Jones

WTF? Woman Stabs Infant, Thinks He's the Antichrist

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 23:46:00 +0000

CHICAGO - An Elmhurst grandmother charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of her infant grandson told police she believed the child was the antichrist, prosecutors said at her bond hearing this morning.

Bond was set at $2 million for Sandra Clanton, 39. She has been confined to a hospital mental health ward over the last several days after trying to harm herself.

Assistant State's Attorney Michael Fisher told DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan Clanton was in her kitchen Saturday with her boyfriend, the child's mother and the 9-month-old infant "when she went into a rage."

"She picked up the baby, slammed its head into the sink and took a large butcher knife and began slicing the child under an eye in a sawing motion," Fisher said.

The infant's mother grabbed the child and ran to the police station while the boyfriend wrestled Clanton to the floor, he said.

Clanton told police at the Elmhurst station that the "baby was the antichrist." ...

Fisher said the child suffered a "substantial wound" under his eye and bruising to his head, but a scan showed no other serious damage.

Yikes. Poor kid. Thank God somebody was there to save him.

Supplier: Chicago Breaking News Center

Fight on FOX Business

noreply@blogger.com (MXL) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:19:00 +0000

Yesterday, on a show called "Money Rocks," former U.S. Senator Al D'Amato unloaded on Republican Strategist Jack Burkman for what he considered to be racist comments about African post office employees, calling him a "nasty racist" after sitting through what he called Burkman's "racist bullshit." The conversation the panel is having is actually very boring, so jump straight to the 5:00 mark to see the shit hit the fan.

The old dude checked the shit out of Burkman's ass, didn't he? It's not often that you get to hear White dudes cussin' each other out on TV. I thought that shit was hilarious.

Supplier: HuffPo