Daily Top 5

Hiatus

2011-10-18T16:58:00.001-05:00

Whether you've noticed or not, posts have been rare this fall. Life is demanding a lot more from me than it did three years ago when I started this little site. That said, I'm going to be realistic with myself and take time off to take care of everything I need to handle over these next few months.

See y'all around Christmas time. Hopefully.

Mr. Brooks - "Lose My Mind Freestyle" Video

2011-10-15T14:55:00.001-05:00

Follow Mr. Brooks on Twitter @MrBrooks3D
More heat on the way.

Shot, edited, and directed by Dallas Wright
righthandlefthandmedia@gmail.com

Daily Top 5 >>> 10/6/11

2011-10-06T16:51:00.000-05:00

"Robin Ventura"

I'm still depressed about Ozzie Guillen's departure from the Sox, but there's definitely some buzz to brighten the South Side up today. The team announced former Gold Glove third baseman Robin Ventura as the new manager. He's never managed in the majors before, but neither had Ozzie and that turned out pretty well. Now if we can just get Adam Dunn a shrink and a personal hitting coach, we should be good.

"Freestyles"

Many propers unto Complex and Andrew Barber for this list of the 50 best radio freestyles. I haven't even checked it out yet, but I know Drew has a steady dose of Juice on there. Via Complex.

"Secrets"

So apparently there's a "secret death panel" comprised of senior government officials that can call for ~~people who disagree with the norm and actually act on it~~ "militant" Americans to be...uh...eliminated. Obviously, that's all that's really known about it. I wanted to call bullshit at first, but then I realized that it's not really that outrageous of a concept. It actually existed in the 60s. Just ask Fred Hampton.

"Honda"

This screenshot from The Avengers has got everybody fired up b/c that's Iron Man sitting in a new Honda NSX. The same NSX from the 90s that went so hard. I hope it actually comes back, and isn't just a lie like that stupid ass BMW commercial with the concept car. Via HypeBeast.

"Fuckery"

Just go to the :50 mark and start feeling better about yourself.

Yelawolf on "Nigger" and White Rappers

2011-10-04T17:18:00.000-05:00

I respected the music, but now I respect the man that much more. Smart dude. Via TSS.

Daily Top 5 >>> 10/3/11

2011-10-03T18:49:00.000-05:00

"Clear Eyes"

Really really dope video for my favorite track from the Kids These Days collective. Directed, shot, and edited by Austin Vesely for Elephilms. Via Andrew.

"The Bears"

The defense got wrecked by the Cam Newton x Steve Smith connection, but a win is a win. This is why Marion Barber is a running back and not a gymnast. Although a standing backflip with pads on can't be easy. Shout out to all the Bears haters out there. #PayMattForte.

"Amanda Knox"

I had no idea who this chick was until Twitter blew up with the news of her overturned conviction. Beat a murder rap in a different country. Being white must be the shit. I kid, although y'all know Troy Davis is looking down from whomever's heaven he's in and shaking his head in disgust.

"Steve Cabellero"

This dude is like the Josh Gibson to Tony Hawk's Babe Ruth when it comes to skating. At least that's how I see it. The 47-year-old pioneer won the Tim Brauch Memorial skating competition recently, so check out an old man shredding shit up. Props HypeBeast.

"Jurnee Smollet"

Just because.

James Brooks --- "Undertaker" Studio Session

2011-09-30T14:23:00.000-05:00

It's may have been a minute since you've heard anything new from James Brooks, but that time off led to some serious tracks. Peep 3D laying down his latest, "Undertaker", at Rax Trax Studios in Chicago.

Get ready, because he's definitely back.
twitter.com/MrBrooks3D

Daily Top 5 >>> 9/28/11

2011-09-28T16:21:00.001-05:00

"Ozzie"

I fell into a mild depression Monday when my beloved White Sox manager resigned. I honestly never thought Ozzie would leave. Never crossed my mind. Ozzie kept it 100 though; he left because Reinsdorf wasn't trying to pay him, and the new Miami Marlins were (and did). The Sox get two prospects as compensation, but, unless those guys are the second coming of Willie Mays and Bob Gibson, I'd rather have Ozzie back.

"Big K.R.I.T."

Here goes the chopped and screwed edition of my favorite album this year, Returnof4eva. Many, many propers unto TSS. Hit the pic for the download.

"Summer Jobs"

As some of you know, I worked as a wedding/corporate event photographer for Stitely Entertainment this summer. Above is the promo video I shot and edited for their in-house spinner, DJ Vicente.

"Vinyl"

It's been a decade since The Blueprint dropped and the inevitable anniversary products are popping up. This blue woodgrain vinyl is cold, though. If you really want a copy, hit Hov's Live Nation store and get ready to pay up. Via TSS.

"Derrick Rose"

Here's a peek at the new adiZero 2s. You gotta "like" adidas Basketball on Facebook for the full visuals. I'd rather like them on Facebook for a full NBA season myself.

Cheer Up

2011-09-26T18:57:00.001-05:00

My mood has matched the weather over these past few days. There are only a few special things that can put a smile on your face and make you forget all that's buggin' you. Rosa Acosta is one of those things.

Score one for misogyny.

Capital Punishment

2011-09-22T16:36:00.002-05:00

There's been some serious Troy Davis saturation on TV, the Internet, magazines, newspapers, and just simple word of mouth. Everybody knows his mugshot now. I had trouble sleeping last night b/c the image was so ingrained in my head.

I don't really have a lot to type about the whole situation. I believe that capital punishment is wrong. It's that simple. No exceptions. Only a backwards, barbaric society combats murder with murder. Officer McPhail lost his life and that's a shame, whoever pulled the trigger. But I don't understand how a society that claims to be civilized and progressive can accept - and at times even advocate - murder.

The death penalty is subject to the same socioeconomic influences that fuck up the rest of our criminal justice system. Death Row is disproportionately poor, Black, and Brown. Troy Davis was murdered for allegedly killing a cop. Where are the calls for Oscar Grant's murderer's head? A life is a life. Fuck a badge, a gavel, a presidency, an offshore bank account. Capital punishment is touted as the ultimate form of justice. I won't buy that till we start executing anybody for a murder. If Barack killed somebody, give him the needle. If Warren Buffett murders his maid, strap him in.

I don't see that happening, though. I'm glad that George Ryan ended capital punishment in Illinois. If you live in a state that still murders its own citizens, please write a letter to your governor. It's 2011, you'd think we would have moved beyond "an eye for an eye" by now.

Peace and love

Daily Top 5 >>> 9/14/11

2011-09-14T15:23:00.001-05:00

"Good Music"

Pill, at least to me, has really fallen off since signing with the fake Rick Ross and MMG. He let loose a verse over Scarface's classic "In Cold Blood" today though, and all has been forgiven. Props TSS.

"Fuckery"

If you're famous, don't take naked pictures. I don't understand why that's so hard for famous people to understand. We're a celebrity (and naked picture) obsessed nation, so it's only natural for people to stop at nothing to get...celebrity naked pictures. Courtesy of the plague on Black people that is WorldStarHipHop, here's Scarlett Johansson's audition tape. She's not the cutest in the face, but she'd still get the biz. NSFW.

"Gibbs"

Here's a new track from Gibbs called "187 Proof". The lyricism is still there, but the beat sounds like it was made on an old version of Fruity Loops during a halftime. Since he signed with Jeezy, Gibb's production has suffered. I hope that's a trend that stops soon. Via TSS.

"One-Night Stands"

Some creep named Joe McGinnis, a reporter who moved next to Sarah Palin so he could "investigate" her, is writing a book. I'd hate on him, but he's claiming true the fact that, back in the late-80s, Palin satisfied her "fetish for Black men" by letting Michigan basketball legend Glen Rice smash. You couldn't make that up. Props TBL.

"Jay Electronica"

The illusive Mr. Electronica put out some music today. Sure it's rougher than Rosanne with no shaving cream, but it's new Jay Electronica. Could be another year before we hear from dude again. Via TSS, again.

Daily Top 5 >>> 9/13/11

2011-09-13T12:30:00.001-05:00

"Miss Angola"

I have no idea what the perks of being Miss Universe are, but it brought a smile to my face this morning when I saw that the fine-as-wine representative from Angola took the crown. Her steez is definitely more Euro than Afro, but I take what I can get. Baby steps.

"Audi"

This is the new 2012 Audi RS5. Serious vehicle right here: high-powered V8, crazy handling, Bang & Olufsen sound system. You'll probably see a 19-year-old driving one around Northwestern sometime this spring. Via Hypebeast.

"Fuckery"
The Tea Party Debate was last night. Unfortunately, I missed out on it. This clip pretty much sums it up though. The crowd wants to kill you if you don't pay for insurance. Don't get sick if these people win in 2012. Props HuffPost.
"Houston"

The University of Houston Libraries scooped up the lion's share of the legendary DJ Screw's vinyl collection yesterday. It's being cataloged and they hope it will be ready for research use by 2013. UH is definitely cooler than NU.

"Rihanna"

Just because. Props TSS and Armani.

Laziness

2011-09-07T17:44:00.001-05:00

It was a helluva Hump Day for the kid, so I'm gonna take the easy way out. Complex did another "Top 100 Songs" project today and gave Shawn Carter the treatment. In the interest of my time and yours, I'll only share my three favorite Jay-Z records of all-time.

Via Complex.

Daily Top 5 >>> 9/6/11

2011-09-06T18:51:00.001-05:00

"Detroit"

I normally give Detroit a tough time - its nickname is "The D" for Christ's sake - despite having a good amount of friends from there. Without Detroit though, this short film from Resident Advisor wouldn't exist. So, like The Dude, I abide. Via Hypebeast.

"Insanity"

Send your thoughts and, if you're the religious type, your prayers to the people of Carson City, Nevada. Some crazy guy opened fire in an IHOP this afternoon and shot 13 people, three of whom died. Among the dead were two members of Nevada's National Guard who were in uniform. The shooter took the coward's way out when the cops showed up. No motive yet, but I highly doubt that this will be called what it is: terrorism.

"Good Music"

9th Wonder let loose some snippets from his upcoming project, The Wonder Years. You should cop just off the strength of the production, but features from Big K.R.I.T., Erykah Badu, Raekwon, Talib Kweli, Murs, Saigon, Kendrick Lamar, Warren G, Pharoahe Monch, Skyzoo, Phonte, and others make this a requirement rather than a suggestion. Hit the pic. Via 2DBz.

"David Garrard"

He may not be good enough anymore to start for the Jaguars, but Garrard holding a clipboard in a Bears jersey would be a welcome sight. If you said "pause" in your head right there, kill yourself. Props TBL.

"Ozone"

This might just be the most playerific bar on Earth. Designed by Wonderwall, Inc. - the same people who do BAPE stores - Ozone sits on the 118th floor of the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. Gotta be like $20 a drink in there. Via Hypebeast.

Uptown XO - "Monumental 2"

2011-09-02T14:21:00.000-05:00

Nothing like free albums. Free albums that were intended to be free in the first place, I mean. Diamond District representer Uptown XO let loose a pretty solidly produced project today called Monumental 2. Free, just follow instructions. Happy Friday.
<p>&amp;lt;a href="http://uptownxo202.bandcamp.com/album/monumental-2"&amp;gt;MONUMENTAL 2 by UPTOWNXO&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;</p>

Daily Top 5 >>> 9/1/11

2011-09-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

"Perspective"

This is a picture taken 6 million miles away by NASA's Juno spacecraft. That dot on the left? Earth. The right? The Moon. If you zoom in close enough you can see Optimus Prime. Just a little something to remind everybody to stay humble. Via HuffPost.

"Chris Johnson"

CJ2K got paid. Not what he wanted at first, but $30 million guaranteed over four years ain't bad. Definitely the right move getting into practice so he can be ready for Week 1.

"Common"

Always good to hear great artists talk about great music. Here's Common discussing how "The Food" came to be, and working with Dilla near the end of his life. Props 2DBz.

"Guns"

I hope nobody out there has ever wondered what it's like to get shot at by someone with an AK-47. If you have, just settle for this video of a Texas armor company's CEO getting bucked at for the sake of advertisement.

"Tennis"

I can't even really explain how crazy of a shot this is. Monfils had the whole US Open crowd in awe, and he lost the point. This is like if they made WTA Street and you pressed all the PS3 buttons at the same time.

Daily Top 5 >>> 8/31/11

2011-08-31T17:52:00.000-05:00

"Beer Pong" I knew this World Series of Beer Pong existed, but I didn't know it was such a huge deal. The 2012 edition will have a grand prize of $50,000. And Morgan Spurlock produced a documentary about it. It airs on, of course, SpikeTV Thursday night at 10pm CST. I just might watch it. Unless anybody in Evanston can think of a better way to spend a night in this black hole.Via TBL.

"T.I."

Tip got outta prison today. Seeing as he's gone to jail twice for considerable amounts of time (more than a weekend) in the past three years, I don't have much faith in him not screwing up again. Hopefully his VH1 reality show keeps him away from guns. Probably not though, because every time I watch that channel it makes me want to shoot something.

"Fuckery"

HuffPost

"Hate"

if you drive more cars than you get points on a dumb ass test

Deadspin

"Pam Grier"

Just because.

Daily Top 5 >>> 8/24/11

2011-08-24T16:48:00.008-05:00

"Nyjer Morgan"

Every major league team should have a Nyjer Morgan. He went 4-6 last night, so that helps. But because he's hilarious also. I'd take Sportscenter off mute if more athletes were like this with the mic.

"Good Music"

Phonte, eLZhi, and 9th Wonder? On the same track? Success. Via TSS.

"Libya" Gonna send out a preemptive RIP to the freshest dressed tyrant on the planet right now. It's looking pretty bleak for Gadhafi. There's a $2 million bounty on his head, plus the rebel army is offering amnesty to anybody who kills him. So, for all y'all keeping score at home, that means you can get paid millions to kill this dude and get off without punishment. Not to mention the U.S., Britain, and France probably have people in Libya on the low this very second trying to find Gadhafi. It's a wrap.

"Fuckery"

So another track from Tha Carter IV leaked today and it's got the innernets buzzin'. Not because it's a good song, because it's not. Because Wayne took a direct shot at Jay-Z: "Talkin’ ’bout baby money, I got your baby money / Kidnap your bitch, Get that ‘how much you love your lady?’ money." This in response to Hov's "baby money" line on "H.A.M." I'm obviously in the Shawn corner on this one - Wayne hasn't done anything in his life comparable to Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, or The Black Album. How incredible would it be if this escalated and Drake actually got shot like he did in Degrassi?

"Knockouts"

Anytime somebody gets put to the floor with a flying kick to the face, it'll make this site. Props TBL.

Daily Top 5 >>> 8/23/11

2011-08-23T16:28:00.003-05:00

"Rumors" I'd like to send a couple heartfelt middle fingers to every media outlet that was reporting Will Smith and Jada Pinkett's separation earlier today. I've been waiting for a decade to hear that news, and I don't appreciate having my emotions toyed with so carelessly. Jada, I know you're reading this. I know you need some younger, less wealthy blood in your life. Let me be that change.

"Nick Ashford" RIP to one of the greatest and most permed songwriters this country has ever seen. It's a little late, but still.

"Pandemonium" Chuka pretty much voiced my opinion on the Virginia earthquake that happened a few hours ago: "....so?" No injuries, no cool building collapses, no Godzilla. I'll be just fine never hearing about it again.

"Free Music"

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

Curren$y is the hardest working man in music. Hands down. This is his fourth project this year alone. Verde Terrace, hosted and surprisingly not ruined by DJ Drama. Via TSS.

"Skrekkøgle" I won't even pretend to know who Skrekkøgle is. All I know is that this is one of the coolest sculptures I've seen. Props Hypebeast.

Daily Top 5 >>> 8/16/11

2011-08-16T17:16:00.003-05:00

"Lupe Fiasco" While his opinions on the U.S. government and the democratic process will be what get pub, stuff like this is why I'm a Lupe fan. Wasalu has stations out west and out south and will be feeding families every day for the rest of the month. Via FSD.

"War" If you grow weed in your crib, I shouldn't have to tell you to watch your back. But, at least in Chicago, it's hot nowadays. There've been twice as many busts this year for indoor operations as there were back in 2005. Via ChiTrib.

"Free Music" Danny Brown dropped a free album yesterday. XXX. It's pretty much what Odd Future would be like if they were consistent. Midori advises you to download his debut album - Hot Soup - too. Hit the pic.

"Delonte West" The lockout is real.

"Blogger" Shout out to the nice people at Google for providing me no information on why the layout of this site randomly started tweaking today. MDT5 will be lookin' bogus until further notice I guess.

Daily Top 5 >>> 8/12/11

2011-08-12T17:19:00.007-05:00

"Spike Jonze"

As it's been with everything Watch The Throne-related, I've slowly come to love this. Spike is the master of the make-them-rap-fast-then-slow-the-footage-down-so-their-mouths-match-the-song technique, and this is probably the best job of it I've ever seen in a rap video. Toss in some light-brights in the backseat of a chopped up Maybach (which is actually being auctioned off for charity), and you've got a great music video.

"Jon Stewart"
The Daily Show
- "Fuckery" Sandy Vietze is an 18-year-old Olympic skier. Was at least. Being able to help your country a gold medal doesn't really hold much weight when you're in handcuffs. Especially when you're being cuffed for getting blackout drunk on a plane and pissing on a preteen girl while her Stage 4 cancer-having dad is in the bathroom. Gotta be the funniest thing I've read all summer.
- "Ghetto Dreams"
  
  Another great video. Much love to Matt Alonzo for the ass (on ass on ass) shot within 30 seconds of the song starting. Nothing like some classy black and white misogyny to set the tone for the weekend.
- "Mr. Old Folks"
  
  I've met Mr. White Folks before. At this very Jay-Z show actually. This must be his father. I can see where White Folks got his ism from. GLC gets the OG Mr. Folks on tape showin' off his footwork for the ladies. While he's at work too. Via Andrew.

Daily Top 5 >>> 8/9/11

2011-08-09T17:44:00.003-05:00

"Blu"

Visuals for the first single off NoYork!, and they're pretty dope. "My Sunshine" ft. Nia Andrews. Directed by aaronisnotcool. Via 2DBz.

"Fuckery" I have a lot of problems with Whole Foods. Mostly financial, but some philosophical as well. They've done a great job convincing people that, despite being a huge corporation, they aren't really a huge corporation. Organic food and artisan breads are nice and all, but when you upcharge people for the same quality stuff they can get in the organic sections at their normally priced supermarket then I can't support you. But I digress. Whole Foods was actually doing something I didn't know about, and that I wholeheartedly supported: they had Ramadan promotions on their blog, recipes and giveaways and all types of goodies. Overpriced diversity is still diversity. Then people got wind of all this Islam pandering going on, though. Those reverse racist, Arab-loving green freaks. How dare you, Whole Foods. How dare you act like followers of Islam eat organic too. You were giving terrorists 40% off hummus! Rat bastards. Whole Foods, in the face of such peer pressure from White America, did what every corporation would do such a situation. They said screw Islam, let's get paid. HuffPost.

"Failure" Jereme Richmond is a very good basketball player. He could've been great at Illinois and probably a pro, but ~~he's an idiot~~ has idiot tendencies. He declared for the draft when I'm almost certain nobody but his parents told him he'd be a first-round pick (he went undrafted). Now he's being held on $100k bond after being charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, battery, disorderly conduct, possession of a firearm and assault. There goes that career.

"Good Music"

On a brighter note, here's a new track from Kids These Days. "Clear Eyes" produced by Blended Babies. Real talented group, but you already knew that. Anybody catch their set at Lollapalooza over the weekend? Via Andrew.

"Insanity" Everybody probably heard about the American Gangster reenactment that happened on the State St. Bridge yesterday afternoon. Crazy, crazy shit. Put a bullet in somebody's head in broad daylight. I don't know what the victim did to warrant that, but I hope he makes a full recovery. He's very fortunate, and that was the understatement of the summer. Hope the shooter's own momma snitches on him.

Daily Top 5 >>> 8/8/11

2011-08-08T16:16:00.003-05:00

"Hype" Watch The Throne dropped at midnight, and apparently hip-hop will never be the same. I'm BSing, but I've read some pretty thrown off stuff on the 1s and 0s today about how the album is the greatest collaborative effort since Mike and Scottie. I streamed the album several times (you can do the same right here), and it's good. I think there are 12 tracks, and I skip four of 'em. That's like a C. And I know the album was doomed from the start; too much hype makes it just as cool to hate on something as it does to like it. I won't be paying for it though. I'll put it like that. Assorted thoughts: "Murder to Excellence" is by far the best track on the album and one of the best I've heard this year, Frank Ocean got plugged somethin' serious, and I wish Kanye West would actually come back to Chicago half as often as he shouts the city out on this album. Stream via TSS.

"Preemption" Real Madrid signed a seven-year-old "phenom". European and South American club soccer teams sign teenagers all the time, but Real is trippin'. When I was seven, I was tearing up the Bitty Basketball league at Ada Park. I guarantee half the kids I was better than then are dunking now. Props ChiTrib.

"GLC"

He's an okay rapper, but the big homie GLC is a great personality. I got to meet him back when I was following Andrew around, and he's hilarious. Smart too. Here he is talking about gang culture in Chicago and its impact. Hope Rick Ross is listening. Via Andrew.

"Snoop" Or, as she's known by the federal government, Felicia Pearson. It's pretty unfortunate, but Pearson just plead to conspiracy to sell heroin. It's only a misdemeanor and she's probably lawyered up enough to avoid jail time (unless she has priors), but still. Sad to see one of the best characters on the best show ever get caught up. Bet you didn't know she was 31.

"Free Music" J. Cole said fuck a throne last night and dropped a few free tracks for the people. Any Given Sunday #2, hit the pic.

Daily Top 5 >>> 8/2/11

2011-08-02T18:14:00.005-05:00

"Heat Checks"

If you've been on a sports website today, you've probably seen the highlights of Kevin Durant's 66-point effort at the Rucker. This isn't really a huge deal, for two reasons. First, it's Kevin Durant. Second, it's a summer park league game. But still. Look where this dude is pullin' from. And it's outside. The Western Conference is probably hoping the lockout keeps going strong.

"Good Music"

Dropped a couple days ago, but I haven't been on this thing in a couple days so just enjoy this shit. "On The Corner" from Smoke DZA, Big K.R.I.T. and Bun B. Rolling Stoned coming soon. Via 2DBz.

"Hype" The Jordan 11 Concords just got a release date. December 23rd. They're clean as clean can be, but I refuse to camp out in Chicago winters for anything less than Stacey Dash's hand in marriage (NSFW). Hypebeasts, have at it.

"Illinois" Really happy about my state doing the right thing and passing the DREAM Act. It's been a serious struggle trying to get it signed into law, but it's finally done. No tax dollars involved for all you conservatives out there reading.

"Fuckery" The Artist Formerly Known As DJ Dow Jones hit my inbox over the weekend with the full text from his little legal scuffle with the OG Dow Jones. Click here to read the whole thing for yourself. It's pretty hilarious. I can't believe you, Mena. How could you be stylizing so recklessly? At the same time, it's terrifying. They knew he had "plans to start a Facebook page." Just for y'all's information, Dow Jones is a News Corporation company. Which means it's owned by Rupert Murdoch. Which means that, Mena, your e-mail has probably been hacked for weeks. And which also means that you made the smart move by agreeing to change names, because Rupert probably woulda had you murdered.

Daily Top 5 >>> 7/27/11

2011-07-27T19:33:00.003-05:00

"Chicago Reader" Much love to the Reader, one of my favorite (and free) publications, for their report on the racist-ass drug arrest policies of the Chicago Police Department. It's not really a shocker, though. I'd bet the national trend is essentially the same. Some of the gruesome facts: the ratio of black to white arrests for marijuana possession in Chicago is 15 to 1, 86% of people found guilty of possession in Chicago are black men, the average street value of the confiscated amounts in these cases was $55. Cats are going to jail over $55. You can't even buy a video game with $55. It's a war goin' on outside. Read the full report here.

"Jeezy"

Speaking of black men and drugs, Thug Motivation 101 is six years old now. That's crazy. I remember buying - as in walking into Circuit City at Evergreen Plaza and leaving with a physical disc - the album as a freshman in high school. Everybody was ad-libbing everything. I had a Snowman t-shirt, sagging jeans, the whole deal. And then went home to my optometrist father and degree-holding momma. Youth. Via 2DBz.

"Fuckery" My mom told me to watch my language when I type b/c The Man is watching and I may not be able to get a job. But fuck that. Listen to what bigwigs for the Washington Nationals said about their much-hyped Bryce Harper: "This is really unfair and it’s totally different, but if I can make a comparison to one guy that has been scrutinized like this, it would be Jackie Robinson." Illogicality aside - "it's totally different, but it's the same" - but, word? Jackie Robinson? As in the Jackie Robinson who not only had fans and opponents (and probably umps and ball boys) calling him "nigger" six times before the fourth inning, but some of his own teammates? I may never stop this site. There's just too much good stuff out there. Via TBL.

"Alex Trebek" These crutches? He didn't get them doing normal person things like tripping over a curb or landing badly in a pickup game at the Y. No, Trebek got hurt chasing a chick down who just robbed him. Dude is 71.

"Terrible Calls" The Pirates and Braves played 19 innings of baseball last night/this morning. Great game. At least it would've been if not for possibly the worst call ever. The picture above is of the Braves scoring the winning run. At least that's what the ump said. As you, me and Stevie can see, dude was out. This ump should get his check docked, and I can say that b/c it's his job and he failed in every sense of the word. If a truck driver goes to the wrong city, trust that he wouldn't get a pass "because he was so tired".

Rise and Grind Pt. 6: The Orchestration

2011-07-25T00:42:00.003-05:00

DJ Dow Jones - Rise and Grind Pt. 6: The Orchestration (Narrated by Eric Thomas) by DJ Dow Jones

Don't skip the intro. RIP TX LX.

Daily Top 5 >>> 7/22/11

2011-07-22T14:59:00.004-05:00

"Steve James"

Most of you, I hope, have seen Hoop Dreams. Or at least know what it is. That's Steve James' claim to fame. Until The Interrupters drops in Chicago on August 12th. Probably as some cruel, twisted joke, the movie is screening in New York and London before it ever hits The Go. Trailer via Kira.

"B-Boys" Red Bull at least makes an effort to acknowledge hip-hop culture and history. They've sponsored MC battles, DJ/producer battles, and now they've got a b-boying competition lined up. Red Bull's BC One qualifying round comes to Chicago on Saturday. Whoever wins could end up represented the nation at the BC One finals in Russia. As in the Russia. Like where Ivan Drago was built. Aragon Ballroom, 8 pm, 18+, $10 tickets. Props FSD.

"Summer Leagues"

The NBA probably will miss games this season. To cope, here's Nick Young doing something very few humans can do.

"Watch The Throne"

The latest addition to the ever-so-calculated Hov x Kanye promotion comes in documentary form today. Props 2DBz.

"Luck"

I don't know who Chad Reed is. Nor do I know why people ride dirt bikes over giant hills. I do know that dude is lucky as shit he was able to stand up after this 35-foot tumble. Let alone finish the race.

Daily Top 5 >>> 7/20/11

2011-07-20T14:33:00.003-05:00

"Good Music"

Some new Consequence. "Crying Broke" featuring Rapper Big Pooh and eLZhi. Can't go wrong. Props 2DBz.

"Heat" It's hot and it's hazy. I don't see any signs of it letting up. Forecast says 100, yet the weather people are saying it feels like 110+. What the hell is a heat index? Stay hydrated, put on your sunscreen, check on your elderly neighbors, watch Do The Right Thing. That's the only way you'll survive out there.

"Joell Ortiz"

Slaughterhouse's Brooklyn representer absolutely destroys this Jake One beat. Definite rewind button fucker-upper. "Seven Deuce", via TSS.

"Fuckery" Some dude named K.C. Joyner has decided, after analyzing tons of obscure and complex stats, that Matt Forte is just as good a running back as Adrian Peterson. I'm a Bears fan, but come on. Forte is a much better receiver, but...come on.

"Saturday" KAPsi Centennial Picnic. Saturday at Calumet Park. 11am to 9 pm. Free food and drinks. Nupes. ~~Come. Kome.~~ Be there.

Daily Top 5 >>> 7/12/11 (All-Music Edition)

2011-07-12T18:36:00.004-05:00

"Jordan Looney"

Looney dropped this link in my inbox last week. Been slippin and haven't posted in 11 days, as you can see below. Here go the moving pictures for one of his latest: "We're Here". Brought to us by Sharkfin Productions. Sponsored by THC.

"Accidents Happen" That's the title of the latest project from my B-Street homie Jarred Garcia. This has been a long time in the making and you can definitely tell. Hit the pic for your free download

Accidents Happen by Just Jarred

.

"DJ Burn One" Besides the dope cover art, this free (!!!) beat tape from Burn One is up there on my top releases of 2011 list. If you've never heard of him, it's all good. Dude has played a major role in the ascension of Freddie Gibbs, Yelawolf, and Pill. If you haven't heard of them, you probably are here by mistake. I still appreciate you reading, though. Again, picture + click + tweet = free music.

"Jon Stewart"

I knew that Stewart had a show on MTV back in the 90s. What I didn't know was that he had Biggie perform on said show. Props 2DBz.

"Ghetto Dreams"

I don't really need to justify why a Nas x Common track deserves a post. But here goes some behind-the-scenes footage of the making of "Ghetto Dreams". Lucky ass cameraman. Via Andrew.

Daily Top 5 >>> 7/1/11

2011-07-01T12:10:00.003-05:00

"Sexting"

Here goes a PSA I can get behind. End the dick pic epidemic. Props TSS.

"Wealth" Mike Tyson taught me at an early age that no amount of money under $1 billion is safe from a lack of self-control and snakes in your inner circle. At 21, Prince Jefri of Brunei has taught me that even nine figures don't stand a chance when you make stuntin' a habit. It's a long read - and it's also Vanity Fair - but if you get a chance over the weekend to check it out, do that. Honestly, if you blow billions of dollars and don't feed the hungry or put kids through graduate school along the way, something is wrong.

"Cup-O-Noodles"

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaooow!" sounds the same in Japanese as it does in James Brown English. Via 2DBz.

"Based God" I won't call Lil' B a "revolutionary genius" like Lupe Fiasco did (I thought practicing Muslims were supposed to abstain from drugs?), but Based God is a damn good self-promoter. Aside from the title and Simple Jack-inspired album cover, B's spontaneous release of Im Gay (Im Happy) was brilliant. Generated excitement purely b/c of the element of surprise. Then he tweets the entire album for free. Down syndrome rap or not, dude is gonna be able to do shows 15 years from now with the fan base he has.

"Fuckery"

So LeBron takes a game of Knockout against little kids more seriously than the Finals? The "WorldStar...WorldStar!!!" at :35 is classic.

Hiatus

2011-06-28T12:29:00.002-05:00

Working two jobs for very, very little money is taking its toll. Gonna have to really figure out where this whole blog thing goes from here. 'Daily Top 5' is just a name, so I'll probably leave it. But daily the posts shall not be.

Anyways, here goes some new Dom Kennedy off his II: From The Westside, With Love, which just dropped today. Support on iTunes. It's only like $6. Half the price of Big Sean's album and twice as good.

Dom Kennedy Feat. Asher Roth & Sir Michael Rocks – “New Jeeps” (Prod. By Chuck Inglish)

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/23/11

2011-06-23T13:21:00.007-05:00

"Babies" Run for the hills!

"Goals"

This was pretty cool. ~~Lil' Twist~~ The U-17 Canada goalie tying the game up in the 87th minute from past midfield. Via TBL.

"Fuckery" So apparently OJ confessed to Oprah but really didn't confess to Oprah. Might be just me, but were people still debating whether or not he filleted his lady? Dude wrote a book about it.

"Squares" Female tennis players have been "grunting" for a minute now (I prefer "aggressive moan"). I don't really have a problem with it, mostly because I've never really watched women's tennis by choice. Tennis is hard as hell, so I understand the exclamations. The British, of course, do not. Yes, it's a slow day in sports and around these parts. HuffPost.

"Heroes"

This lady has a made-for-TV-movie in her immediate future. A truly great American. *Aside* I didn't mean a single letter of that. Fuck this lady, fuck the police for chasing down 3 kids and pinning one against a fence with a moving vehicle, and motherfuck the news for covering it. A highway chase over a few cases of beer, what a world.

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/22/11

2011-06-22T19:17:00.002-05:00

"Surprises" No I.D. let loose an EP today pretty much out the blue. It's a free download, but you gotta send a tweet about the project to get it. Seems like a fair trade to me. Hit the pic. Props FSD.

"Southwest Airlines" They stay winning the airline game. In honor of their 40th anniversary, they're blessing everybody with discounted one-way tickets. There are a few stipulations, but I'll put up with some BS for a $40 plane ticket. AirTran hopped on too.

"CPS"

The school system is a bunch of Indian givers. Promised teachers an annual raise, and then decided to take it back. They should be doing a lot more than picketing.

"Forced Creativity" Prison is a terrible, terrible place. I can't think of a clever transition, so just check out this list of famous books that were written in captivity.

"My Closet"

Check the credits on this video and see if anything looks familiar. Congrats to Myriam on this project, and for getting that degree. Via Illroots.

Quick Hitter

2011-06-21T11:35:00.005-05:00

Here goes a recap of the 2011 Roots Picnic. On my live music bucket list. Props 2DBz.

Reach Ft K by Academic

And here goes the latest from Jordan Looney. Featuring K the Academic. "Reach".

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/16/11

2011-06-16T16:40:00.002-05:00

"Vancouver"

The Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night. At home. Seeing as they had the best record in hockey - and were up 2-0 and 3-2 during the series - their fans felt like breaking shit. Straight up riots. I chose the video above because you'll probably never again see a guy hit shot in the nuts with a flash bang/firecracker. *Aside* This probably wouldn't be fit to air if it were in Chicago. Really any big American city. Vancouver PD was not carry guns, because people woulda been shot out here. Props TBL.

"Anthony Weiner" If sending pictures of his dick was the worst thing he lied about, he's a minor offender compared to the rest of his peers. Much rather you blatantly lie about that than, say, an entire war. Or about whether you're going to bail banks out with Monopoly-type money. Hopefully his resignation means we're done talking about this.

"Polls" Like I said earlier, "greatest" or "top" lists are stupid. People who compile them should be banned from writing. Except when the lists are right. Like The Sporting News' poll to determine the greatest teams in NBA history. The 72-win Bulls rightfully took there seat at the top. The 1992 Bulls came in at #9. Via Trib.

"Admiral Theatre" I went last night for the first time in my life. I'd always kept my distance because it's like 45 minutes from my house, and because I'd heard it described as "the Chucky Cheese of strip clubs". It is pretty basic, but I could've paid $10 and not seen titties so I can only complain so much. I won't be going back, though. Money goes a lot farther at Arnie's or Temptations.

"Tupac" Happy 40th birthday.

Buy Random Axe. Now.

2011-06-14T13:42:00.002-05:00

Amazon is selling the album of the year for $1.99. Random Axe = Black Milk x Guilty Simpson x Sean Price. Hit the pic and support good music.

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/13/11

2011-06-13T15:28:00.004-05:00

"Celebrations" Winning a championship in Miami also means that you get to celebrate that championship in Miami. Mark Cuban and his squad definitely cut zero corners at Club Liv. I've heard he personally dropped upwards of $250k. May I also point out, again, how weak of a city Miami is. Leaving before then game was over aside, how do you go party with the team that just ended your season?

"Home" Touched down last night, and it's been glorious ever since. Went to the grocery store and experienced something I haven't experienced in almost six months. Hit damn near every aisle and Mr. and Mrs. Wright picked up the tab. Plus I get to go ham on the grill tonight. If it wasn't Senior Week, I probably wouldn't go back to Evanston.

"Devin Hester"

Top-anything lists are pretty stupid. They're just somebody's opinion after all, so you shouldn't really get too wrapped up in what got ranked where. Most times I won't even read anything that has "Top" in it. Since there won't be football until October, NFL Network polled the players to see what their Top 100 list was. Devin Hester was #32. This is awesome, mostly because you get a glimpse of how much differently the players view the game. For Hester to be that high (ahead of Urlacher and Lance Briggs), the players have to highly value how a guy impacts game plans. I co-sign because, well, it's just a list.

"Connecticut" Shout out to the little state for taking a big step in the right direction. They decriminalized marijuana possession last week. I apologize for these past few years of believing they should be mashed into one big state with Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and any other states up there that nobody really cares about.

"Baseball"

This is one of the few things baseball has not screwed up. Manager tirades. It's like how hockey kinda said they would cut down on fights, even though they wouldn't because that's why some people even watch the sport at all. It was a wrap for me once this dude climbed the fence at 3:50. Via TBL.

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/9/11 (All-Fuckery Edition)

2011-06-09T17:40:00.006-05:00

"Hip-Hop"

Kamau sent me this video this morning, and I got my seven Katt Williams chuckles in. I only know her by the name CrippleWithSwag, but she's turned into a YouTube sensation with the new ladies' anthem: "Vagina Ain't Handicap". The first time I watched this I could barely get through it all. "Not only offer great sex, but the best spots in parking lots." If anybody can find the MP3 of this, I'll gladly pay.

"Alcohol"

Check this dude in London's journey to wherever his drunk ass was going after he got kicked out of an awards ceremony. All captured on various security cameras. Also, please keep in mind that weed is still illegal while you're laughing.

"Rumors" I really do pity LeBron. As much as you can pity a multimillionaire, all-world athlete I guess. Even though they weren't true, the rumors about Delonte West smangin James' mom were funny. Mostly b/c Delonte West and LeBron's mom are both insane. This latest one though, promoted by piece of shit Stephen A. Smith, is worse. Some "insiders" are saying that Rashard Lewis beat up LeBron's baby mom's guts as recently as last week. If it actually happened, I guess it's good James never married ol' girl. If (and when) it's proven false, LeBron should hold another ESPN hour-long special telling everybody to kiss his black ass.

"Generosity" So you find a bag with $17,000 in crisp, new cash in it outside of a Chase bank. What do you do? At least check it out right? Take it around the corner to make sure it's pristine and not Mafia money. Well, if you're Robert Adams of Rolling Meadows, IL, you walk inside the bank and give the money up. All of it. Excuse my exclamation points, but are you fuckin serious!!? The money turned out to be the bank's (they forgot it en route to refill an ATM). Take that money, Rob! If it was a person's money, then I'd commend you. But it was the property of JPMorgan Chase, an organization that does not give a FUCK about Robert Adams or anybody else. They'd gladly take your $17,000. Your house too. Via Trib.

"Fans" This is a Mavs fan. Best face paint job ever.

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/8/11

2011-06-08T17:38:00.002-05:00

"Lupe Fiasco"

Boy oh boy. So Lupe called Barack and pretty much the entire nation "the biggest terrorist" today in an interview. I'll say up front that I disagree with that statement. But not because I think Barack is a great President/Black Jesus/just a cool dude. I disagree with Lupe's (very conscious) decision to use a loaded word like "terrorist". If people are honest with themselves, and actually watch the entire interview, I find anything else Lupe said hard to get mad at. That word is the source of the outrage. It may not be fair to Barack, but he's the figurehead of the country. All of it. And this is a country that has and will continue to terrorize certain groups of people, even its own citizens. If you disagree with that, you should stop reading right now. As the face of a nation that, while doing some good, does do evil, Barack is obviously tied to that evildoing. Fair or not, that's what it is. I don't even know why people care about Barack that much to be honest. It isn't like Presidents actually call the shots anyway. CEOs and Wall Street do.

"LeBron" As much as I enjoyed the Mavs win yesterday, I kinda feel bad for LeBron. Scottie Pippen screwed him over. The idiotic "LeBron could be the GOAT" statement from last week will probably haunt LeBron for years. Even though he'll never be Mike, we're going to assume he's trying to do that because Scottie associated them. Sure he wore #23 for seven years, but a bunch of guys have worn that number. His nickname is "King", but I don't really know what that has to do with Mike. I've always thought James was the second coming of Oscar Robertson, not Jordan; look at the career numbers. LeBron never made Jordan comparisons, we did. And now we're shitting on the best player on Earth for not being Michael Jordan every single night. Unfair, but he's a pro athlete and it comes with the territory. Mavs in 7, just because I wanna see a few more amazing basketball games.

"Mobs" When I first heard this story, I had to laugh. This is literally America's nightmare. Apparently there are mobs of kids roaming the streets of downtown Chicago beating down and sticking up helpless white people. Just want to let this be known: Darrius, Kirk, Shaun, Deuce Deuce, Domo, and the rest of y'all, we gotta get a gameplan together. We need formations or something. Because we can't roll 6 and 7 deep until the heat dies down. CPD is gonna be like the Gestapo until the city feels safe again.

"Good Music"

Visuals for "Black Hand Side". Pharoahe Monch x Styles P x Phonte. Can't go wrong with that. Props TSS.

"...Music" Wayne is doing an Unplugged special for MTV. That's all good with me; if it's half as good as Jay-Z's was I'll be happy. I'm hoping he gives us some Dedication 2/Carter 2 Wayne, but if I had to bet I'd bet on some Rebirth. Oh, and he's doing a cover of "Hail Mary". Brace yourselves.

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/7/11

2011-06-07T18:13:00.005-05:00

"Heat" I'm pretty sure it's hot everywhere in the U.S. today. It was a nice 101 in Austin, and a near-record 97 degrees back home. Just want to take this opportunity to tell everybody who hates on my city's weather to remove their shoes and find a rock to kick. It's Earth and seasons happen.

"Police" That last tidbit was pretty hostile. I've just seen a lot of shit that upset me today. Like the story of Englewood's Flint Farmer. Dude was a scumbag no doubt; CPD arrived on the scene early this morning to find him beating his lady down. Flint did what a lot of criminals caught in the act do, and dipped. I'll leave the rest for the police report to explain: "the officers identified themselves and ordered him to stop...Farmer then turned toward an officer, pulled an object from his pocket, which the officer believed to be a handgun, and aggressively came at the officer." A few gunshots later, Farmer was dead. The object he was pulling from his pocket? A cell phone. Now I know many of you just tuned me out. Flint was a woman beater and "moved aggressively" toward police with an object in his hand. He was asking for it. And I'm asking for the short bus to take you dumbasses to class from now on. In the heat of the moment, at night, I understand that police work is difficult. But you don't shoot to kill. You just don't. Maybe Farmer kept moving towards police b/c he was trying to tell them that all he had on him was a fuckin' Sidekick 4G. Only those cops and Flint know, and Flint isn't telling his side of the story anytime soon. Whether you like it or not, cops are held to a higher standard than "ordinary citizens". When cops mess up, like they did by killing a man with no weapon on him but his fists, they need to be held accountable. It probably was hard to see and they were in a tough spot, but if you don't want to be in tough spots then don't join the damn Chicago police force. Fuck CPD.

"Cruelty" This is the last of the rant, I swear. But today I saw one of the most disgusting acts I've ever seen. Including the R. Kelly sex tape. I was filming at Barton Springs Park in Austin, and some guys pulled a 4-foot snake from the water. Smart move because kids that play in the water. What happened next pretty much ruined my day. Holding it by the tail, the guys decided the best course of action was to beat the snake to death against a tree for all to see. Even if I didn't see it, the sound alone was terrible enough. They were on the other side of the water, but a helpless few of us yelled some "fuck you"s at them. Didn't bring the snake back. Before I get on this soapbox, I'm going to admit my hypocrisy. I enjoy eating animals. A lot. After the snake murder, I had a lunch with some chicken that almost certainly had it's short, growth hormone-filled life violently ended in order to fill my belly and some CEOs pockets. I admit that. Every roach and spider that I see inside gets smashed. I'll give you that too. But seeing the level of cruelty I saw at Barton Springs was different. There was no point to it. Even if the snake was dangerous, all that needs to happen is to have it removed. People who kill chickens and cows because they can't find any other work, I empathize with them. I just don't understand how you can bash an animal against a tree until it's dead. Same way I don't understand dog and bullfighting, or hunting for sport. You've got to be sick, whether that's due to where/how you grew up or just some mental defect. Ok I'm done.

"Andre 3000"

The only thing saving today from being completely FUBAR was my favorite rapper ever blessing the world with a new verse. Yes it's sandwiched between an abomination of a hook from Kanye West - if I hear anybody say "Swagu" in my presence, we're no longer friends - and cookie-cutter pop lyrics from Beyonce, but it's new 3 Stacks. That's all I care about. Via FSD.

"Hockey"

This hit is from last night's Stanley Cup Final Game 3. You really need to see a game in person to understand how insane a sport hockey is. These dudes are flying. Unlike the snake, poor Nathan Horton survived. Concussed as shit, but alive. Aaron Rome got a 4-game suspension for the hit. Props TBL.

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/3/11

2011-06-03T18:16:00.003-05:00

"Basketball" These have been the most exciting NBA playoffs since at least 2001. Unbelievable basketball. Y'all already how much I enjoyed the Heat choke job last night, but it wasn't all just Miami gagging. The Mavericks were hoopin during those last six minutes. Chris Bosh is fruity like Odwalla and LeBron did his best Derrick Rose-disappearing act in the second half last night. Just a joy to watch.

"Byron Carter, Jr." Don't know him. Never met him. That said, I attended his funeral today. Real sad situation. Byron, 20, was killed by Austin PD after being suspected of casing cars with a teenage friend. Eventually, a car with Byron in it charged at the cops and pinned an officer, who then shot and killed Byron. The last four funerals I've been to have all been people under the age of 25. It's an awful thing to see. Unnatural. RIP.

"Wiz"

As much as I dislike the route his music has taken over the past year, I still give Wiz a shot when his material pops up on the innernets. Just seems like a fun dude to kick it with. Doesn't really care about what people have to say about him. I wouldn't either if I could roll up 10-gram joints whenever I pleased. I still miss the Star Power/Flight School days, though.

"BBQs" I'm going to a family barbecue of one of my coworkers tomorrow; his daughter graduated from high school today. No, I'm not gonna try her. One of the best parts about nice weather is that it gives us an excuse to go outside, drink a lot of alcohol, listen to rap, and cook a bunch of meat on an open flame. Sounds simple, but there are still rules. Here's an etiquette list if you're a little self-conscious. If I may, I'll add one more to the list. Under no circumstances should wine, wine coolers, moscato, Alize, Hypnotiq, or any other choice beverage of high school cheerleading squads be present at a barbecue. Hot links and liquid estrogen do not mix. Automatic expulsion.

"TDE"

New track from Kendrick Lamar. It took me a couple listens but I kinda dig it. "Sex With Society".

Daily Top 5 >>> 6/1/11

2011-06-01T18:17:00.003-05:00

"Shaq"

The Diesel retired today. 19 years, 15 All-Star games, 4 titles, 3 Finals MVPs, 1 regular season MVP. Considering on and off-court personality, I think he's the most entertaining athlete of my lifetime. Definitely a top-5 ever center. Because I can, here's my list: Wilt, Hakeem, Russell, Shaq, Kareem.

"(Good) Pop Music"

Here goes some behind-the-scenes footage of the video shoot for the song that's slowly taking over the world. This will be the first and last time DJ Khaled and Rick Ross ever appear together on this website. Savor the moment. *Aside* After watching the entire video, let me reiterate something: No words, no gestures, no abstract art, nor any amount of binary code can express how badly I want to curb stomp DJ Khaled. Via 2DBz.

"Illinois" The first civil union licenses for same-sex couples were passed out today. Kudos to my state for taking a step in the right direction.

"Phil Ivey" I used to follow poker. Really mostly just to watch Phil Ivey take people's money. I root for him because he's a black superstar in an overwhelmingly white pro circuit, but now I have another reason to back Ivey. In case you didn't hear back in April, the feds cracked down on online poker sites. Full Tilt - one of the industry leaders - froze its members' accounts, leaving over $150 million inaccessible. That's real money, and real people's money. Ivey is boycotting the World Series of Poker in hopes of forcing his Full Tilt "team" to do the right thing. Way to sack up. I'll be boycotting the Texas Hold 'Em app on my phone.

"Js" Nike's latest moneymaker are the Air Jordan 1 'Banned' sneakers. They'll see a store release soon. Probably at least $150, and that's if you camp out. Props High Snobiety.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/31/11

2011-05-31T18:36:00.002-05:00

"Police" Somebody got caught slippin in Evanston over the weekend. I actually didn't get the security alert email - I have Gmail label them as spam because, well, I don't worry about my security in Evanston. At least not from the people the alerts typically describe. I had a conversation at work with some of my less-chocolate peers about the alert, which is nothing new. NU is good for at least 8-10 a year. The POVs they shared with me were similar to the anonymous comments on Daily articles when us sensitive black folks complain about the alerts: "Well, if the offender was black, that helps the description," or "If the criminal was white, they should say that too." Listen, if the police put out an APB on a white male, 5'7"-5'9" wearing a baseball cap, that's like 40% of the school. Easy. White folks should be mad about that, except for the fact that there's no way NU and EVPD are going to look at thousands of guys as potential threats. Too many. But when it's a black man of the same height in a fitted, that's like 30 of us. That's some easy police work; they won't ever admit it, but, if you put an alert out for a type of individual and you then see someone who fits the description, you subconsciously associate that person with criminality. That creates the type of environment where a guy smoking a joint in his own apartment with some friends gets a knock on his door by cops thinking he's a drug dealer, or where you get your WildCard scanned for authenticity while guarding The Rock at night. These are not good things.

"Dominance" On a brighter note, congrats to the girls' lacrosse team for winning another national championship today. Definitely the best sports program we have.

"Fuckery"

Carlos Boozer in the studio. I actually hate the engineer/dick rider more than I do Boozer in the booth. He wanted Twista on the track to get that "South Side Chicago flavor".......forget it. Via Andrew.

"Ohio State" A lot of shit went down at tOSU. Tressel out, and a boatload of sanctions probably on the way from the NCAA. I don't care about any of that. I'm just annoyed by how Terrelle Pryor is being portrayed like a villain. Dude apparently has driven eight different cars during his three years on campus, including, get this, a Nissan 350z. For shame! How dare a big-time college athlete who has his jersey sold 100,000 times over and makes his university millions every year on his image alone actually live large. The school sells the rights to his likeness to anybody willing to buy, and yet he can't sell some of his jerseys to get a goddamn tattoo. NCAA officials on TV talking shit about Terrelle Pryor and the cars he drives, while their own kids drive around the same campus in whips twice as expensive. I hope he goes to the NFL. It's slavery too, but it's better than the NCAA.

"Summer" Despite the bitching on Twitter whenever it's less than 70 degrees and there are more than 3 clouds in the sky, it's summertime in Chicago. That means violence. 21 people got shot over the holiday weekend. Most of them young people. That body count included 22-year-old Aeyanuna Rogers, a recent NIU grad. She caught a stray bullet at 57th Street Beach and is in critical condition. Instead of saying you hate Chicago because of the weather, let's make #stopkillinginchicago a trending topic instead.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/26/11

2011-05-26T18:15:00.002-05:00

"South Park"

Crack Baby Athletic Association
Tags: SOUTH
PARK Eric Cartman,Kyle Broflovski,more...

They did it again last night. Matt Stone and Trey Parker absolutely ethered the NCAA. I don't know if college athletes should be getting salaries, but they definitely should be getting more than they currently do. Catch the whole episode here.

"Halle Berry" Continuing to prove that she is, indeed, the Jordan of beautiful women. Just the greatest of all time. I don't know where this is from, nor do I care.

"Privacy" While Sarah Palin and Kim Kardashian's ring have been dominating the news, the Senate voted to pass extensions to the already evil Patriot Act. The extensions "allow for roving wiretaps and the other allowing searches of business records in the pursuit of terrorist threats." Aka more spying on people. It'll be interesting to see if Barack signs this. Fear really is the most effective tool of government.

"Fuckery" Some lady who apparently is famous because she is a host on American Idol, got on George Lopez's talk show talking crazy. She said that, while over at Paula Abdul's crib, she unknowingly ate some special brownies. What followed next is pure hilarity: "Six hours later I was like, 'heeeey, what's going on?'....The ambulance comes and is like, 'this b*tch is as high as a kite.'...The end result? Three days in the hospital, hallucinations and IV fluids....I almost died. Besides being funny, it's also complete bullshit. Not only do weed brownies not take six hours to kick in, under no scenario would being too stoned require a three-day hospital stint complete with IV treatment. I don't care if you ate 100 brownies, it wouldn't happen. If you don't regularly partake, an incredible edible may be an intense experience. Not a near-death experience though. And I don't give a damn about "how she was feeling mentally" or how scared she was. She didn't say she felt like she was going to die. She said she almost died. From weed. Which is untrue. This is exactly the type of bullshit that keeps us from having an adult discussion on marijuana. Via HuffPost.

"Honesty"

Kevin Durant and the Thunder lost again last night. Their season is over. As you can see above, some jackass reporter thought it'd be a good idea to ask Kevin if he was happy to see Dirk Nowitzki get to the Finals again. Durant answered honestly and said hell no. This is the highest level of competitive basketball on the planet. Shaking hands after a loss is about as cordial as you should expect a professional athlete to be.

No Time

2011-05-24T18:09:00.007-05:00

As it was on Wednesday, I can't give a full post today. Need this next hour to mentally prepare for the biggest Bulls game in 13 years.

I do have a quick lil' something though. I had a good conversation with a coworker today about marijuana prohibition. Being an older guy, he schooled me to a lot of history I didn't know about. Most interesting was the 1972 National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse. It's a long story, so I'll just give the cliffnotes and links to the documents. You can take it as far as you wanna go.

So, once upon a time in 1972, President Richard Nixon ordered an intensive study of marijuana; weed had been criminalized since the 30s. The commission, which included the governor of Pennsylvania, returned to Nixon its findings entitled "Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding". Nixon ~~acted on the thorough research and decriminalized weed~~ was fuckin pissed. The conversations Nixon had with the commission were taped, but, again, I'll summarize the convo.

Nixon: What do you mean weed isn't dangerous?
Commission: People that get high might be lethargic, passive, and hungry. That's about as bad as it gets. Civilization's fate doesn't hinge on this being illegal.
Nixon: "You see, homosexuality, dope, immorality in general. These are the enemies of strong societies. That's why the Communists and the left-wingers are pushing the stuff, they're trying to destroy us."
Commission: The Romans were pretty gay. And drunk. They seemed to do well at the whole ruling the world thing. There really isn't anything wrong with legalizing it, Mr. President.
Nixon: "That's a funny thing, every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob, what is the matter with them?"
Commission: *Gets up, leaves Oval Office, and moves to Canada.*

This would be funnier if it weren't true. And if Nixon's ignoring of evidence provided by an elite group of scientists and sociologists he himself chose didn't serve as the basis for our modern drug enforcement policies. And if over 15 million people in the U.S. hadn't been incarcerated in the decades that followed for possessing or selling a plant that has never killed a human being.

Go Bulls.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/23/11

2011-05-23T17:54:00.005-05:00

"Joakim Noah" He got fined 50 stacks today for calling a Miami fan a "fuckin faggot" last night on national TV. No objections. It's essentially the same thing as Kyle Korver yelling "fuckin nigger" at somebody talking about how broke his jumper is. Actually, Jo probably got off easier. Korver woulda got fined and got his ass beat.

"Rihanna" Insert here. Props TSS.

"Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang"

Here goes the trailer for the visuals off my favorite track on Rae's latest album. Via 2DBz.

"Bullets" They can be cuff links too. Cop on Etsy.

"Monte Carlos" I was at the tattoo studio getting touched up on Saturday, and when I walked out I was confronted with this. A lady in her 40s was in it - driver's seat, not shotgun - on the phone. '85 Monte Carlo in unbelievable original condition; only modification was a t-top she'd installed. I had to ask her about it and she said she owns six cars, four of them box frames. Wife material. Fuck a Lexus, fuck a Benz. This is all I need.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/20/11

2011-05-20T18:14:00.005-05:00

"Macho Man Randy Savage"

He was a little bit before my time when it comes to the WWF, but the Macho Man is still one of the first names that come to mind when I think wrestling. He died today after going into cardiac arrest behind the wheel. 58 years old. R.I.P. to a great entertainer.

"OKC"

Watched the game with some friends last night. Man the Thunder are a deep squad. As you can see above, James Harden is a monster. Absolute beast, and he has been since he was killing the comp at Arizona State. I literally laughed out loud after this play. And then there was the Durant "dunk". Gonna be an entertaining series, especially since I can watch it without being in superfan mode.

"Fuckery" A teenager in D.C. died last fall after downing two Four Lokos at a concert, getting kicked out, and then running into the street (where cars drive) after his mom yelled at him for being such a fuck up. Now his parents are suing the makers of the devil drink for being "careless and negligent". Now I'm at least five years from bringing a child into the world, but I feel the need to judge. Four Loko is probably the last party that should be held liable here. How about you raise a child that's not retarded enough to sit down in the middle of the street at night? I'll admit Four Loko's suck; I almost yacked up my whole intestinal tract after drinking one and a half of em. But I managed not to get hit by any vehicles. You have to be on PCP to run out in the street like that. Friday proved that. The kid bought the drinks, the kid drank two of them, the kid threw a bitch fit at his mom and ran into the street. That's either natural selection at work or years of bad parenting coming to a head. Or both. Via ChiTrib.

"Gwyneth Paltrow"

This has been making the interweb rounds today and I guess it's pretty cool. Never would expect Gwyneth Paltrow to spit some bars from "Straight Outta Compton". Let alone on TV. But I'm as excited about this as I would be any other chick knowing NWA's biggest song. White people like rap too. When she spits some Ras Kass or something, then call me. *Aside* What really woulda been interesting is if she said "nigga".

"The Rapture" It's been real y'all. I don't know what you have planned for your last night on Earth, but I got my itinerary set. Gonna call my parents and tell them I love them and thank them for everything they've done for me. Then some have drunk, unprotected sex with a woman I've never met. (If you believe that, I've got a busy street for you to go sit down in.)

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/19/11

2011-05-19T18:24:00.005-05:00

"Lollapalooza" I've never been legally. Hopped the fence once back in the day, but never gone through the gates. Just can't vibe with dropping $2oo-some for 4-5 acts I like and a hipster stampede. I just signed up to volunteer this summer's fest, though. It costs $10 to apply and you'll probably have to work 3-4 hours a day, but you get in free. That's a fair trade in my book. Apply here if you're interested.

"Marriage"

Dude is a beast for this. Forgotten in all this is the fact that his future father-in-law owns a movie theater.

"Jake Peavy" It's been a painful, painful year to be a White Sox fan. I miss a lot of games out here b/c there's no Comcast SportsNet in Austin, but whenever I check the gamecast on ESPN I'm usually disappointed. Not last night, though. Jake Peavy threw a 3-hit shutout against Cleveland and got the win despite no run support. Hopefully keeps it up and helps save Ozzie's job.

"Skeme" I've never heard of this guy until I saw his mixtape on 2Dope this afternoon. Talented dude from the West. Hit the pic for your free download.

"Wealth" I went out to West Lake Hills, Texas today to shoot a story on some doctor who got his license revoked after his son ODed on a Heath Ledger-level pill binge. Northwestern has given me a glimpse of Yankee wealth, but this was totally different. A town literally of only rich people. Crazy property on some Laguna Beach looking shit.

No Time

2011-05-18T18:57:00.003-05:00

The Bulls are on in 30 minutes and I need the remainder of that time to mentally prepare. And make dinner. So no post today.

I'll leave this Kate Upton gem for y'all though. No shame in my game.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/17/11

2011-05-17T18:37:00.003-05:00

"The ISM"

GLC is a good dude. I only met him once thanks to my FSD gig, but he's a memorable guy. Hilarious. Here's a little 101 for those of you unbeknownst to that ISM. I can vouch for the fact that GL actually talks like this too. Via Andrew.

"Fuckery" A teacher in Arlington, Texas got charged with five counts of "having an inappropriate relationship between a student and teacher" yesterday. Not only is this an actual crime in Texas, but it's a felony. "Inappropriate relationship". If a judge read that to me in a court I wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. Probably cry because I was gonna become a part of the system. The poor lady caught the charges for having sex with five of her high school students. They were all 18, but this is Texas and in Texas everything except buying a gun is a felony. I don't blame the kids, though. If I found out one of my teachers was down for a train I'd probably hop on board too.

"Sugar Ray" The Leonard variety. The former champ has a book coming out that details his sexual abuse at age 15 by a "prominent Olympic boxing coach". Takes a lot of courage to put that out on paper, so I commend Leonard for that. Hopefully other people who've been molested will draw from that strength. Maybe even seek help if they feel that's necessary. Via NYT.

"Blu" New music from Blu is always welcome here. I won't call it a mixtape or EP or anything like that. Just good music. Hit the pic for your free download. Props TSS.

"Miami" This story made my day. Luther Campbell aka Uncle Luke formerly of 2 Live Crew is running for mayor of Miami. If I could vote, I'd vote for him on the strength of this album cover alone. He might actually make Miami a habitable place again after outlawing Ugg boots, v-necks, and indoor sunglasses wearing.

Taj Gibson Is A Video Game

2011-05-15T22:20:00.003-05:00

I'm not gonna talk shit till after the series, but got damn.

I hope nobody left the stadium before seeing this one.

1 down, 3 to go.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/13/11

2011-05-13T17:26:00.004-05:00

"Anticipation" I can't wait till Sunday night. This Bulls-Heat series is going to end up being the NBA Finals; I fully expect the winner to take home the chip. I have no problem admitting that Miami is playing the best basketball in the East right now. I'll stop there with the praise, though. Scary as a team that beat the Celtics in five with only three players is, I don't know how a rational, sober person can say that the Heat are better than a team they've yet to beat this year. I'm more worried about the refs than I am LeBron and Wade; I had nightmares last night about all the superstar foul calls they'll be getting. The series is simple. If Miami's allegedly big three give them 80+ points a night like they did to Boston, they win. Period. There's nobody in the league that can compete when they do that. You don't need a bench when that happens. The key for the Bulls will be making sure Bosh averages no more than 15 points, and the Bench Mob dominating the scrubs on Miami's bench. They've proven they can do that already. Bulls in six. *Aside* If you root for the Heat, I automatically associate you with this guy.

"Good Music"

I'll admit I wasn't big on Killer Mike until I got to college. I'd heard him on features and messed with his music, but Kamau and Mena got me to give his Pledge Allegiance To The Grind mixtape series and other solo projects. Twista has been one of my favorite rappers since I was in middle school. Those two things and a smooth beat by Tha Bizness equal a pretty dope track called "Player's Lullaby". Via Andrew.

"Free Music" If you're a hip-hop junkie, web surfing is one of the most unintentionally exhausting activities of the day. Checking up on sites like Fake Shore Drive and 2DopeBoyz give me a gang of artists I've never heard of before to sample. I go through probably three projects a day from guys that, before then, I'd never listened to. I just love the craft. Gerald Walker is one of those new discoveries. He needs to stop doing a Drake impression, but the record is still nice. Hit the pic for your copy of his latest EP On Your Side. Go ILL stand up. Via 2DBz.

"Office Jobs" I actually like where I'm working right now. Good people, good atmosphere, and it's not Evanston. I hate being stuck in there for an entire day, though. I normally help photographers with their shoots, but I've been posted in a cubicle for the past couple days doing election return data. Terrible, especially considering how shitty sitting down for hours on end is for your body. I couldn't do it for a living. *Aside* I type these standing up. Seriously.

"Accountability" It's a nice novelty having a Black man living in White men's House. Barack has ~~done~~ tried to do a lot of good things. At the end of the day though, he's a big-time politician. Black people - all people of color, really - have been getting abused, overlooked, sacrificed, and exploited by big-time politicians throughout this country's existence. Barack is no different. Not saying he sits on Air Force thinking to himself "how can I screw Black people on this one?" We need to hold Barack as accountable for the negativity he presides over as much as we worship him for the positivity he represents. Black unemployment is 16% in America. Twice that of White unemployment and 50% higher than the national average. While national unemployment levels recovered slightly, Black unemployment got worse. How bad does it have to be? The Chairman of the Congressional Black Congress turned Mushmouth when somebody asked him why the Obama hasn't address Black unemployment specifically. Should've kept it 100 and taken the President to task for ignoring a voting bloc that supported him almost unanimously in '08.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/11/11

2011-05-11T18:34:00.000-05:00

"Stan the White Man"

Imia linked to this video on Twitter this morning, and I gladly shared it with any and everybody at work who wanted to see. Ended up being just me and an older Black dude, but small victories count too. It's long and the camera angle doesn't change, but let it play in the background while you do something else. Stan the White Man keeps it realer than a lot of Black people you know.

"Robert Traylor" "Tractor" Traylor was found dead today in his Puerto Rico apartment today of a massive heart attack. He was 34 years old and played professionally over there. Traylor spent a handful of pretty pedestrian years in the NBA - his claims to fame are being traded for Dirk Nowitzki on draft day and just being humongous - but his nickname is one of the most remembered from the late-90s/early-2000s NBA that I had just gotten obsessed with. RIP.

"Amber Rose"

I don't care that she goes to the same barber Morty Schapiro does. I don't care if she used to be a stripper. I don't care that she may very well be insane. Amber Rose would get the business. Via 2DBz.

"Brian Shaw" Another familiar name from my NBA fandom beginnings. He's the favorite to succeed Phil in LA. I'm rooting for him, especially after reading this story about the rough summer he had in 1993.

"Bullet Space Pens" This one from Fisher is made out of an actual .375-caliber bullet. Cop at Cool Material.

Wonderlove: A Tribute To Stevie Wonder

2011-05-10T22:10:00.003-05:00

Mixed by DJ Rhettmatic. Props 2DBz. Hit the pic for the free download.

Happy birthday Stevie.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/9/11

2011-05-09T18:22:00.002-05:00

"Arms" The Rajon Rondo dislocated elbow wasn't as nasty as Shaun Livingston's knee collapse (YouTube it if you dare), but it was still turn-away material. I saw it live, and that's the last time I'll ever need to see the video. Not sure what IV painkiller they hit him with in the locker room, but much respect to the dude for sacking up and coming back into the game.

"Boredom" I'm not kickin' it as hard as I expected I'd be in Austin. I work pretty much 9-6 every day, and by the time I get home I have just enough time to make some food, get a run in, and get ready to do it all over again. Having the discipline to stay home gives me a chance to experiment in the kitchen, though. It's kinda fun. Last night I turned one big pan, some pasta, frozen vegetables, Poblano peppers, cilantro, $1.09 sauce from HEB, and my roommate's liquor into vermicelli with brandy cream sauce.

"Fuckery" A list of the most valuable brands in the world came out today. Marlboro is #8. Before I continue, I must admit that I'm slightly biased. Cigarettes killed my grandmother. That said, what the fuck. How does a brand of something with a warning from the goddamn Surgeon General become valued at over $65 billion? A company that literally mass-produces poison is a top-10 brand. On Earth. Again, what the fuck. What planet is this? The type of alien land that locks people up for life for selling and smoking a nonlethal herb? Wait, oh...

"Groupon" They've partnered with Live Nation and are going to start testing the discount concert tickets market. Really was only a matter of time. Win-win for everybody. I'll wait on the "Buy $100 Tickets, Get Groupie Threesome Free" Groupon myself.

"TERRIBLE Theta"

Shoutout my neos and my pros for putting on a show last night at Greekscene. Everybody loves the NUPEs. Judges included. I've yet to see any videos from the event, save for the skits. If anybody wants to help the kid out, feel free.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/4/11

2011-05-04T18:09:00.003-05:00

"Derrick Rose"

What else would lead off? Congrats to the youngest in charge for taking home the MVP. A ring would be better though, and I'm sure Derrick would agree. I'm still a little in shock over all this. Not because I didn't think he'd win, but because I remember hearing about Derrick "Pooh" Rose in middle school when he played at Beasley. I remember him having to play JV at Simeon his freshman year because his coach didn't play freshman on varsity - even Derrick Rose. I remember being at the UC for the 2007 CPS title game when he put some poor Washington High player on a poster immediately after throwing a full windmill down. I don't ever remember expecting him to be the best PG on Earth by age 22. Just a testament to the unbelievable amount of hard work this man has put into his game. Imagine what he'll be in 5 years.

"Love"

Ladies, please observe. Not only does this chick go to a futbol game with her man, she lets him cop a feel without hesitation. Props TBL.

"Sex" In case you haven't gotten the memo yet, it feels really good. In case you have gotten that memo and choose to let your territories remain uncharted, you could die young, stressed, poorly rested and with a bad heart. Science says so. For real. Sex burns about five calories a minute, depending on your stroke speed. So, ladies, when a guy asks you to swallow, it's because he cares. It's like the 3rd-level Gatorade. We just want to help you recover from your workout. Via WSJ.

"Police"

This guy bucking at Wisconsin police did die. Painfully. So if that bothers you, go ahead and move on to the next one. I'm posting this not only because stuff like this rarely gets released, but to remind everybody that, as much as you may hate the cops, they outgun you 10-1. And that's kind of the point. They are essentially a government-funded militia. So unless you want to die, keep your bullets to yourself.

"Augie Garrido"

He's a baseball legend. He coaches the University of Texas baseball team and, from the looks of this video, he does so very well. I've had a couple coaches (in various sports) like this. One was a biddy basketball coach, imagine that. If you played competitive sports though, you understand. I kind of like coaches like this. They care almost too much, but that rubs off on you. You pay closer attention to detail because if you don't, you'll get shredded. This is probably the tamest of the stuff Augie's old ass has said on camera. These two soundbites show you how good of a coach he is: "This isn't about some God damn game, this is about our lives!" and "I apologize, because from what you all played like, I've totally let you down." Props TBL.

Freddie Gibbs First CTE Track

2011-05-03T17:19:00.002-05:00

Glad that was quick. Here goes the first of hopefully many Gibbs x Jeezy collabs, "Stripes (Run DMC)". The production is pretty terrible, but Freddie still drops a gem. That's all I got for today.

Daily Top 5 >>> 5/2/11 All About Osama Day

2011-05-02T19:12:00.003-05:00

· “Barack” I was sitting on the couch watching Sportscenter when I heard about bin Laden. The first thing I said, no lie, was “my nigga Barack”. Sure there’s no video of me actually saying this, but I tested it against my family’s history of reacting to things and it came back 99.9% that I said it. Has anyone ever had as good a weekend as Obama did? It was like one long, real-life episode of Chappelle’s Show. Like the Player Hater’s Ball episode mixed with a little Black Bush in there too. Killed Donald Trump figuratively and Osama bin Laden literally. Presidential swag levels have to be at the highest levels since 1997, when Bill Clinton crawled into bed with Hillary for the first time after getting some mouth from Monica Lewinsky.

· “Proof” All the excitement aside, I need a little more than Obama’s word that bin Laden got got. I know that, as a good American, I should just take what my leader says and roll with it. But that’s the type of shit that has us fighting the entire Middle East right now. I need to see some photo evidence. Osama got killed in his mansion. You know there were surveillance cameras everywhere.

· “Osama” Did I mention that Osama died in a firefight in his mansion? How cold is that? I’ve spent most of the past 20 hours or so making light of the whole situation, and that fact is the primary reason behind my laughter. Not to mention that bin Laden allegedly used one of his three wives as a human shield before he caught a bullet to the dome. So not only did Osama bin Laden go out like Scarface, he went out like Scarface doing his best Nino Brown impression.

· “Twitter” I didn’t really watch much of the TV coverage last night. After Barack said what he had to say, I hit the Twitter streets. I used to hate on Twitter hard before I got one. I thought it was silly and superficial, which is why I spend 95% of my time on there making fun of people. Last night reaffirmed that. There were so many hilarious comments on Twitter, I couldn’t even choose five. One that stuck with me was this, though: “Imma pour out a gallon of gas tmw for my nigga Osama RIP”. I’m a believer in Twitter.

· “Barbarism”

The reaction to Osama’s death seems pretty clearly divided. Most people have been celebrating since last night, wrapped in flags, throwed, and feeling that warm, tingly revenge feeling. Many others have expressed their disappointment with the public bloodlust, usually in the form of quotes from books written by ancient Middle Eastern shepherds with curiously European names. Some of us are just sitting back and observing it all, usually in blog form. I honestly don’t think there's a right or wrong reaction to this. I cringe at the fad-like patriotism that’s going on right now; on Sunday morning, this was still “not my America” to a lot of people. For those directly affected by attacks like those on the USS Cole or during 9/11, I fully endorse you dancing around and throwing bin Laden death afterparties. At least they're being sincere. For the rest of us, it's both disappointing and refreshing to see people rejoicing in murder. Disappointing because we are treating a government-executed and sanctioned quadruple homicide like New Years Eve. Refreshing because it’s forcing us to confront ourselves. We talk shit about other countries and their barbarism – see: any stock footage the mass media of Arab people rallying in the streets of their cities after a crucial military attack – yet, when it comes down to it, we are no better. I’d say worse because we deny it. I’ll let a comment I saw on CNN speak for how we look right now: “I’m not somebody who believes in ‘an eye for an eye’, but I’m glad to see justice was done.” Retarded. And for those saddened to see your fellow countrymen celebrating a person’s death, stop. If you find me such a thing as a rational or fair human being, I’ll bring Bigfoot so they can finally meet after all these years. People are incapable of rationality, pure logic, and unwavering compassion. Virtues and morals are nice things to remind people of and to live by but, when you lose a father/mother/brother/all of the above to a random act of violence that gets internationally televised and replayed for the foreseeable future, then the Bible, Quran, Torah and Confucius quotes get thrown out the window. People are animals. Intelligent, social, sometimes good-looking animals, but still animals. When shit gets real, our true nature comes out. “An eye for an eye” sounds barbaric until we’re talking about your eye.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/29/11

2011-04-29T17:45:00.004-05:00

"Groupie Love"

I'm not a huge fan of his music, but Big Sean gets propers from me for getting a quick twerk from this fan. In case you didn't go to a white school, this usually meant you had some trim sewed up for the night. Via TSS.

"Set-ups"
The New Orleans Saints got a helluva steal when they swooped Heisman winner Mark Ingram late in the 1st round last night. Dude was geeked up, understandably, and ESPN's Suzy Kolber was there to get the waterworks going. Ingram's pops is currently incarcerated.

"DJ Dow Jones"Mena took it back to what he calls the high school era. He forgot how much of an old-timer he is, because this was middle school for the rest of us. Good music nonetheless. I'm posting from work and the link is blocked due to "Adult Content". That's how I know he has some serious cuts on there. Hit his Facebook for the free download.

"Fuckery" Governor Quinn is trippin. Threatening to hold Illinois cities' money hostage if he doesn't get a loan. Read for yourself. Via ChiTrib.

"The South" I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, but keep the Southern states hit by the crazy tornado outbreak in your thoughts and prayers. Unbelievable destruction.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/27/11

2011-04-27T17:26:00.003-05:00

"Fuckery" I'm embarrassed by my country today. Barack released his birth certificate today and we're treating it like the biggest thing to happen in politics since healthcare sorta kinda lightweight passed. I won't get into anything to hefty here regarding race. If you deny the blatant racism exhibited by demanding - despite the statements of Hawaiian physicians and record keepers - that the President show his ~~freedom papers~~ proof of natural-born citizenship, there's no point in trying to convince you otherwise. You're as retarded as a Birther. I direct most of my anger at the media, though. Under no circumstances should this debate have ever made its way onto a CNN or USA Today. For a mass media outlet to entertain the Birther POV, well it's disgusting. Further proof that it's hard out here for the Black man. Even if you are the President of the United States.

"Kobe"

Looked pretty good on that twisted ankle last night. I got Emeka Okafor posters on sale over here for $10.10 if you're interested.

"Madden" The cover athlete for the 2012 edition of Madden was decided by a nationwide fan vote. The winner? Cleveland Browns tailback Peyton Hillis. Yup. In other news, White folks, y'all still call the shots round these parts. Don't worry.

"ATL"

Check out Atlanta's finest keeping the peace at an IHOP. I gotta give it to this chick for putting up a decent fight, but all it bought her was a solid right cross to the jaw. The cell phone is really an amazing gift to humanity. Continually reminding us that police are just people who happen to wear badges. Some are heroes, but many more are fuck ups. Props Brittany Croone.

"Genetics" The Noahs are a pretty accomplished family. Joakim is a future All-Star center, his dad was a solid tennis pro, and his granddad was a pro soccer player. Most impressive when it comes to the Noah gene pool is Joakim's sister Yelena, though. She's probably like 6'4", but that means nothing to me. Any mountain can be climbed. Via TBL.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/25/11

2011-04-25T16:46:00.007-05:00

"Kindness" I had an amazing Easter Sunday. There were four NBA games on yesterday, so that alone would make the day at least okay. But I had an amazing day. Entirely because of the Harris family. None of you - except for Eryn - know who they are, but I don't care. Literally from the time I arrived in Austin, the Harrises have treated me like a member of their family. I went to church with them in the morning, and then they took me back to their home where Mrs. Harris made a meal for eight (there were only four of us) and me and Mr. Harris drank beers and watched the Heat choke away a lead.

"Church" Like I said, I went to church yesterday. First time I've been to a service that didn't have a casket in almost three years. The few times I've sat through church, I get a weird feeling. Thank god I wasn't in a Catholic church. I'm speaking strictly about Christian churches here. I dig the big-picture messages; compassion, love, and humility are all things we should strive toward. But, at least for me, seeing a Black preacher deliver their sermon and hearing everybody singing hymns reminds me too much of slavery. It's hard for me to get over that. Every Sunday, we regurgitate the rhetoric, mythology, and rituals that were forced into our ancestors' slavery orientation packets. I'm not saying that Africans wouldn't be Christians if not for the slave trade; if there ever was an unstoppable force among us, missionaries would be it. All I'm stating is a fact: Most Black folks in America believe that Jesus is the resurrected Son of God because a slave master told their ancestors that they had to believe so. That, or die. Easy choice. We've taken that antebellum Christianity and put some flavor in it, but that doesn't change where it came from. I don't really know what I'm trying to argue, or if I'm even arguing anything at all. Just putting something out there that I genuinely, honestly feel.

"CP3"

Dude is hoopin' his ass off. Really hoping ~~the Hornets~~ he knocks the Lakers out. I picked Oklahoma City to come outta the West. Via TBL.

"Fuckery" Soulja Boy is allegedly going to play Bishop in a remake of Juice. That's probably the only news that could be worse than the fact that there is a remake of Juice even being made.

"Complex" Been one of my favorite magazines since high school, but I enjoy the web version even more. They do a good job with their "Making Of..." features, and the newest addition gives us some insight into Mobb Deep's classic debut The Infamous. Great way to waste an hour at work.

So I Had To Reconsider

2011-04-25T12:35:00.000-05:00

My whole life I've been anti-guns. They are cool and all on XBOX, but in real life they are pure evil. Absolute evil. Even in war. Example: an American sniper takes out multiple enemy targets, keeping his battalion safe from attack. This is a good thing for us, bad for the families of the dead. Guns never bring about positivity, and so I vowed never to own one.

I've gone a long, long time with this POV. But a conversation at work and some serious, honest self-reflection has me reconsidering. At 21, I'm still a kid. I pay my own bills, but my parents pay my rent and the share of tuition we're responsible for. Until that changes, I'm a kid. The end of childhood is approaching quickly though. I could have a wife and kids this decade. One of my best friends already does.

Thinking about that is scary enough. Then, because I think so logically, I considered how traumatic home invasion is. Not a hypothetical analysis either. When I was about 3, back at our old house on East 46th Street, a man kicked our door in and entered. Me, my (pregnant) mother, and my old man were all home. He said he was running from a couple guys trying to kill him and left after my Mom called CPD, but it was the worst experience of my early childhood. Stuck with me for years. I had trouble sleeping - I chose to share a room with my sister until like the 3rd grade - and, to this day, I could pick the guy's face out of a crowd.

Feeling unsafe in your own home, especially as a child, is something nobody should have to suffer. My parents did a great job helping me get over my fear, but I can't imagine how much it hurt them to see me too terrified to sleep in my own bed.

When/if I ever have a wife and/or kids , I'm going to keep an unloaded pistol locked away in a safe somewhere in my home. I understand the risk of having a weapon in a house with a child (another of my past reasons why I'd never own a gun), but I'd be meticulous in keeping it out of my children's sight and reach. That's called "parenting". But the strap will still be there.

Have you ever thought about how you would react if somebody broke into your home while you were inside? Call it extreme, hyperbolic, bullshit, whatever. But, if somebody broke into my home with my wife and kids inside, that person has to die. Straight up and down. As a father and husband, I couldn't live with myself knowing that somebody violated the sanctity and safety of my home, put my family in danger, and I could've done more to protect them. Sure not everybody that breaks into houses does so to kill - honestly, it's probably a small percentage - but I'm not going to be relying on statistics when somebody is in my crib. That's just me. My wife and kids could tell me every day for the rest of my life that there was nothing I could've done and that they are fine, but I couldn't look them in the face feeling like I failed to protect them.

Mindsets change, and I don't know how I'll feel about this when I actually do make a baby. But for now, this is where my head's at. The product of an interesting conversation and some soul-searching. Hope it's more interesting than fuckery.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/22/11

2011-04-22T17:16:00.007-05:00

"Curren$y" It's amazing what boredom spawns sometimes. Today at work I was surfing the innernets in between shooting assignments and learned that Spitta has a show in Austin tonight. I immediately dropped the $20 and started daydreaming about the plane I had to roll when I got home. If you haven't gotten his Alchemist-produced Covert Coup yet, step your ~~music~~ life game up.

"Fuckery" Quick, what's the first thing you'd do if you committed a murder and got away with it? Leave the country? Change your name? Write a book about it? I guarantee that, of all y'all reading this, nobody answered: "Tattoo the crime scene on my chest." If he wasn't currently in prison, Anthony Garcia would have. Dumb ass Anthony killed a man in 2004, and thought it'd be the hardest shit ever to ink a recreation of his 1-8-7 on his chest. To tell his grandchildren about when they got old enough I guess. Darwin continues to be proven right. Via ChiTrib.

"Branding" Apple, Nike, and actually pretty much every big-time corporation thrive off of their ability to get us to pay 10+ times what their products are actually worth. We buy the idea of iPods and Jordans more than we do the actual item. Beats By Dre headphones are one of the worst offenders. I've listened to music on them, and it's nice. The reason they cost $300 isn't because of the sound quality, though. That price tag reflects the attention we think we'll get when we walk the streets with a giant "b" on each ear. All that said, the shiny headphones pictured above are limited edition Chrome Beats. Only 50 will be sold. So go ahead and blow two months' rent on 'em. Via TSS.

"Privilege" White privilege is a touchy subject. The few times I've brought it up in mixed company, I've gotten the "Dude, there are Black people at Northwestern. How do you explain that?" answer, or something similar. With my mind exhausted from searching for any trace of logic in what my ears just heard, I usually just sigh and keep it moving. Concrete examples seem to work better, so here goes one. This 2011-edition Leave It To Beaver is Matthew Nellessen. I don't know him, but one look at this picture tells me that he isn't to be trusted. Probably because the picture is a mugshot, but bare with me. A month ago, Matthew found himself in front of a judge because of a probation violation. Matt was facing 4 to 15 years in prison, but the judge decided to "give him a second chance". Matt used his new lease on life to murder his own fucking father, right after forcing him to sign a $100,000 check. Now I know it's unfair to blame to judge, because he's not psychic. But Matt is a bad kid. Straight up. That probation he violated? He got that for felony residential burglary, another gift given to him by some judge. Find me some Black and Latino young people who get that kind of treatment and I'll take back every word I just said.

"Lawns" I'm off my soapbox now. Caught this cool lawnmower kit over at Cool Material. Let's you but those baseball field stripes on your grass. I could charge double what I normally charge to cut grass with this thing.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/21/11 (600th Post)

2011-04-21T17:43:00.006-05:00

"Da Visionaryz"

They're quickly becoming one of my favorite videography groups. They directed this, the visual for Mikkey Halsted's "The Exorcist". Great song, great video. Via FSD.

"Fuckery" There are few things more important than the birth of a child. April baseball games are not one of those things. The MLB allows players to take paternity leaves, and rightfully so. Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis took one and missed a start to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. Texas journalist Richie Whitt apparently finds this unacceptable: "Baseball players are paid millions to play baseball. If that means “scheduling” births so they occur in the off-season, then so be it." If I ever run into Whitt on the street, I'll kick him in his kneecap for you Colby. Via TBL.

"Missed Opportunities"

I can't completely form an opinion of an artist until I see them perform live. Kendrick Lamar has been high on my rapper list since I first got my hands on (O)verly (D)edicated. So naturally I'd be 1000 miles away when dude has a show in Chicago. This was last night at The Shrine. Props 2DBz.

"Catfax"

Found this over at The Smoking Section. I don't know who Billy Sorrells is - nor is he really that funny - but whoever came up with this skit is a genius. "Larry Hoover in there too."

"Pac"

I won't finish until the Bulls game is over, but the first part of this 2Pac prison interview is dope. I enjoy his music, but I was never a huge fan. Feel free to leave any hate in the comments section. I always respected the man's intelligence and willingness to speak on things that most celebrities would never dare touch. All three parts via 2DBz.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/20/11

2011-04-20T17:22:00.003-05:00

"Mike"

Today is the 25th anniversary of Mike's 63-point explosion against the Boston Celtics in their prime. How cold is it to put 63 points on somebody in the playoffs, while rockin a gold chain and Jordan 2's? Every kid has tried to redo that baseline move Mike put on Larry Bird.

"Curren$y" Spitta dropped his Covert Coup EP bright and early this morning. Fully produced by Alchemist, it definitely doesn't disappoint. Hit the pic for the download.

"Titties" I'm gonna keep all this positively going and talk about Brooklyn Decker next. Feels right. She was a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model last year, mostly because she has nice breasts. Here they go, sans top. NSFW...dummy. *Aside* Brooklyn Decker just became the reverse Jackie Robinson of MDT5. She's the first to break the blonde hair, blue eyes barrier.

"Dangers at Work" Mikey and Demas showed me the film 'Restrepo' in the winter. Amazing war documentary, and it's on Netflix so go watch it. Well, the film's co-director, Tim Hetherington, was just killed in an explosion in Libya. Crazy shit. Thoughts are with his friends and family.

"Insanity" A man who lives not even a mile from my crib got arrested today for killing at least three teenage girls. Really creepy, especially since I have an 18-year-old sister. Thank god we're both at school.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/18/11

2011-04-18T17:27:00.002-05:00

"Playoff Time" I'm an unapologetic basketball addict. I don't give a damn if it's a high school game, a D-League game, or the NBA Finals. If there's basketball on TV or in a nearby arena, I'm there. I remember playing NBA Live 98 on the O.G. PlayStation - the one with Tim Hardaway on the front - and playing a season with the fantasy draft on. I just had to pick first so I could get ~~Mike~~ Roster Player, though. It's that bad. All that said, this is my favorite time of the year. The NBA Playoffs are a marathon. Nearly two months. For me, it's the most enjoyable marathon I could ever start. Four games a night of the highest level basketball on the planet. Very few things would pry me away from that. *Aside* You can enjoy college basketball more. But if you say that the NCAA's product is superior to the NBA's, kill yourself.

"The Wild Hare" It's closing. Been a couple times and I won't speak to some of the foolishness that went on there, but it's always a bad thing when a venue for Black music shuts its doors. Via ChiTrib.

"Fuckery" My city is always good for some quality fuckery. This doesn't top the Imma-take-hostages-at-Taco-Bell-cuz-they-raised-prices story from a few weeks ago, but, then again, can anything. West Sider (must...resist...West Side...jokes...) Mike Tucker ran up to the drive-thru window at the Burger King on Chicago Ave. and Kedzie, and threw a Molotov cocktail inside. Nobody knows why, but I'd imagine it's because he was fed up with decades of shitty fries and chicken. Or he was high as a kite and thought The King was in there. If it was the latter, I can't blame him for taking the initiative. Props HuffPost.

"Converse" I've never owned a pair, but if I can find these fresh low-tops for anywhere under $70 that'll change real quick. Can't up more than that for some Chucks. I can get two pairs of Vans for that. Via Cool Material.

"Based God" Everybody and their baby's momma...baby momma's momma...sorry...has given their opinion on Lil' B announcing that his next album will be called I Am Gay. Two dominant trains of thought: either "I knew that nigga was gay" or "Oh god damn Based God, you're a genius Based God". I'm caught somewhere in between. B lost me with this album title. I can't get with it. Not because he's calling it I Am Gay, but because he's doing it just for publicity. He can go on with all that "words don't mean shit" garbage. This may be based-phemy, but I don't think B is that smart. His music doesn't give him the benefit of the doubt, and neither does a suspect wardrobe. It's insulting for him to do this and try to pass off mild retardation as progressive artistic experimentation. All that said, Based God is a marketing genius, and this Gay album will go platinum plus if/when it drops.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/14/11

2011-04-14T15:39:00.004-05:00

"Bonds" They need to leave Barry alone, god damn. The greatest hitter of my lifetime, a Gold Glove and 40-40 player, and a steroid user. He's all these. Why is he in a courtroom? He got convicted of obstruction of justice, but that's it. He'll spend a few hundred hours doing community service and a couple months on probation, then hopefully go piss on the Hall of Fame and bask in the all-time great career he had.

"Good Music"

Kendrick Lamar - HiiiPoWeR Prod by J.Cole #Section80 by TopDawgENT

HiiiPower" by Kendrick Lamar. Cole on the beat. Gotta go through it at least three times to truly appreciate it. Stream only, support great music. Via 2DBz.

"Fuckery" So long story short: A couple years ago a high school senior from Mokena, IL stabbed his four-year-old sister in the throat 30 times. In case you're retarded, yes, she died. This crazy kid said he did it b/c he thought somebody in the family had molested her. Apparently this was his idea of love. Well, dude got sentenced today for the murder. He got 40 years. Huh? Yo they need to lock this nutcase under the jail! He was an honor student, "quiet", and all that, according to the press. Like Smokey said, I don't give a damn. I wonder what Lionel Tate is thinking right now.

"Blake Griffin"

Gonna have to wait another 5 months to see another Blake highlight, but this is a decent way to end a Rookie of the Year season. Props TSS.

"Reality" When I first saw the picture at the top of the article I'm linking to, I didn't think it was real. Enlarge it though, and it's possibly the worst thing you'll ever see. It took my a while to decide whether or not to post the picture on here, and I chose not to. The piece is still valuable; the violence going on in Mexico right now is sanitized by the media. Shit is real out there and if you don't believe so, click these words for the article and you can see for yourself.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/12/11

2011-04-12T16:54:00.004-05:00

"Black Hippy" I have a weird relationship with West Coast rap. Some of the first hip-hop I ever heard was old, G-Funk from California; my dad is a huge p-funk head, so I knew who Bootsy Collins was before I knew who Snoop was. That fact that 90s rap sampled the funk era so much was one of the main reasons I instantly loved hip-hop so much. Then, as Interscope took the game over and Game pretty much had a coastal monopoly after his debut, I hated the West Coast's sound. Those seven or so years have ended. Some of my favorite music today is coming out of California. I've been a Kendrick Lamar fan ever since hearing Overly Dedicated last year. Over the past month or so, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q have made their way into my music collection and I'm glad they did. These three, along with Jay Rock, form Black Hippy. It's like what Slaughterhouse coulda been. With Nipsey Hussle still giving us quality product on top of that, the West is definitely back. Enjoy each artist's individual work first, it'll make you appreciate the posse tracks even more.

"Ray Lewis" Will be the scariest cat on a football field until the day he retires. And whenever he comes back and checks out a game on the sideline, he'll be given back the crown. Ray killed a man, stabbed him to death. There were allegedly arrests and investigations, but I think those are just euphemisms for Lewis telling the cops and the judge that they try locking him up if they dare. It sounds like the Chuck Norris stuff, but players know too. Lewis' teammate Tom Zbikowski is a professional boxer on the side (b/c it's that easy to play safety and knock niggas out in your spare time) and, when asked who'd win in a fight between them, Lewis said this: "Zbikowski is a realist when it comes to the sport. The locker room talk is always that about who can beat who. He’ll be the first to tell you he’s not going to get in the ring with a 250-pound person." Aka "I'd whoop that ass even if he was Ali reincarnate." Yet to hear from Zbikowski, further proving my point. Via TBL.

"Defense" Juan Pierre forgets to play it. In the bottoms of 9th innings. Sit his ass late in games Ozzie.

"Dwight Howard"

Threw down a completely unfair oop on Jrue Holiday's head last night. Still might be poster of the year, though.

"eLmatic" eLZHi's latest project finally got a release date. May 10th, it says it right there on the picture. Bogus name or not, dude is the best outta Detroit doing it right now. If not for Eminem, it'd be ever. Props 2DBz.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/11/11

2011-04-11T19:26:00.004-05:00

"Snow's BBQ" Olivia and I woke up at 6:30 am on Saturday to drive to Snow's. It holds the BBQ championship belt in Texas, and we intended on making sure the title was a legitimate one. It was. The drive to Lexington, Texas was beyond worth it. The moment the beef brisket hit my taste buds...well I imagine that's the feeling you get when your first child is born. Jesus Christ himself couldn't work a grill better than these people. They ship nationwide, if you're interested.

"DJ Dow Jones"

DJ Dow Jones - Rise and Grind Pt. 5 (Narrated by Les Brown) by Mena Abebe

Feast your ears on Rise and Grind Pt. 5. Narrated by Les Brown. My favorite one so far.

"Fuckery" I'm convinced that tribesman supply Arizona legislators with peyote before every session. Today a bill passed that allows people to carry concealed weapons on college campuses in the state. If you're licensed to do it on the street, you can take a stroll on into the cafeteria with your Smith & Wesson and wait on somebody to cut you in line. The rationale behind this? If everybody has guns, then there won't be any more rampage shootings a la NIU and Va. Tech. Because of course the only thing preventing mass murderers from letting off shots is the fact that nobody else is armed. Yeah, that makes sense. Those Columbine kids totally wouldn't have gone on that shooting spree if we let the JV hockey team walk around strapped. The world is supposed to end in 2012, right? Looks like we're right on schedule.

"The Cool Kids"

Video for "Bundle Up". Via FSD.

"Reese Witherspoon" I used to mess with Reese when I was like 14. Mostly b/c she was one of the first actresses whose titties I got to see in a major motion picture (obviously NSFW). As much as I enjoyed looking at your titties, Reese, the Lil' Duval classification system counts you as a "basic bitch". You are in Vogue because you're ~~white~~ famous, and you waste people's money and time by telling us that you "cry because you have no privacy"? You're a fuckin movie star! You don't have any privacy b/c people up 12 of their hard-earned dollars to watch you play yourself! I had no idea that movie where she played a retarded blonde was a biopic. If I ever see you "crying in your car b/c you can't go where you want to", I'm going to carjack you Grand Theft Auto-style. Man....props HuffPost.

Dirk Gets Ethered

2011-04-09T12:37:00.003-05:00

Mo Williams to DeAndre Jordan. Nature can be very, very cruel.

2011-04-07T22:30:00.001-05:00

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/6/11

2011-04-06T19:05:00.004-05:00

"Fear" Web surfing at work and I came across this alarmist article about how the Austin metro area's under-18 population is no longer majority white. Run for the hills! While I guess it's newsworthy, I really hate stories like this. They mean nothing. Non-whites will be the majority in the U.S. in the next 30 years or so. Means nothing. Because non-whites are the majority in prisons and city ghettos while white folks are still the majority in banks, country clubs, and the government. And BET still exists. Until those things change, white people, y'all have nothing to worry about.

"Horchata" If you've never had it, you're slippin. Hard. Texas is like a magical land full of barbecue and hidden treasures that you can only find at the far edges of an H-E-B. The rest of the world has Kool-Aid packets. Texas has horchata packets. Everybody else needs to catch up.

"Spring" Chicago is supposed to be close to 80 degrees over the weekend. That's really impressive enough I guess.

"Fame" The only reason I would ever want to ever possibly maybe consider being famous for a couple seconds is...~~groupies~~ so I could charge a speaking fee. Famous people are paid exclusively because they are famous. Seriously. Rutgers paid Snooki 32 stacks to speak on campus recently. Ellen DeGeneres' mom (aka Not Ellen DeGeneres) gets 15 grand.

"Bulls Fans" Grant Hill got spit at and "cursed" after the Suns lost to the Bulls last night. I don't know if they caught the gypsy who cursed Hill, but security caught the spitter. I encourage Bulls fans everywhere to learn something from this embattled fan. We need to be more passionate about our East-leading (did I mention the Bulls are first in the East?) Bulls. It's not enough to just say terrible things about opposing players' moms and unborn children from a distance, we need to let them know the deal up close and personal. I wish I could be at the UC tomorrow night. I'd hawk a fat spit and aim straight for Kevin Garnett. Then point to my completely oblivious doppelganger and dip out.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/5/11

2011-04-05T17:45:00.002-05:00

"UConn" I contemplated betting money on the Huskies twice in the past week: once during the Elite 8 on them to win the title, and then over the weekend on them beating the gimme 3.5-point spread. I coulda won twice. I'm not a fan of UConn, nor am I a Butler guy. Kemba Walker x Jeremy Lamb x Shabazz Napier are a fun backcourt to watch though, and that's all it took for me. So, sorry Max, but I'm happy with what happened last night. The second half bordered on comedy; I've never seen a team play as bad for as long as Butler played last night. 18% from the field is unreal at any level above 3rd-park district basketball. In the chip, man, I feel for Brad Stevens. Actually, no I don't. He's got a pretty good life. UConn should be Top 10 again next year with the whole frontcourt returning, as well as Napier and (fingers crossed) Lamb.

"SXSW"

Chicago and the music Chicago claims were thick down at SXSW. Still mad I missed out. See if you can catch the Chet Haze sighting. Via Andrew.

"Little Caesars" I like to believe that I'm a man of principles, however few those may be. One of those has been to avoid Little Caesars pizza at all costs. There's one a mile from my crib in Chicago, and I've never in 21 years of life set foot in the establishment. A ready-when-you-get-there slice of pizza is fine, but not a whole pie. I thought I was soundly set in my ways, but in about an hour I'll be on the IKEA couch in this apartment eating a $4 Hot-N-Ready cheese pizza and watching the Bulls blow the Suns out. I've learned a lot about myself out here.

"Haste" I wish him the best of luck, but I don't get this. He's a freshman. His minutes - and numbers - were only gonna increase next year, but Jereme Richmond just declared for the draft. There probably will be a lockout next year, so he may get bailed out. If you've been to U of I, you'll know why he should stay.

"Fuckery" Mister Cee had a big hand in Ready To Die. He's been a mainstay on the NYC rap scene for two decades. He also likes getting his dick sucked by men in drag right by the Holland Tunnel. Damn bro. I would say this is a career-ender, but the fake Rick Ross used to be prison police so who knows. Props TSS.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/4/11

2011-04-04T18:45:00.004-05:00

"The Hall of Fame" Congrats to Artis Gilmore, Dennis Rodman, and Tex Winter on getting the call today. All three put a big-time stamp on Bulls basketball. Rodman, enough said. I'm glad Tex Winter got in before he died, though. Dude brought the Triangle Offense to pro ball, and a dynasty to Chicago and (to a much...much, much lesser and inferior extent) Los Angeles.

"The Yard" Since I'm in a congratulatory mood, many propers to the newest members of the Psi Sigma chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

"Good Music" April 9th is a Saturday. You know you don't have shit to do, especially if you go to Northwestern University. Might as well head to Bottom Lounge and get a sampling of some of the best music going right now. Click the pic for tickets.

"SUPER" I'm not a big sunglasses guy, but these go. Via High Snobiety.

"April 4th" January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968

Special Flip

2011-04-02T16:16:00.004-05:00

This is the craziest shit I have ever seen in my ENTIRE life. I don't even know how you think to do this. Via TBL.

Daily Top 5 >>> 4/1/11 (None Of This Shit Is A Joke)

2011-04-01T18:41:00.004-05:00

"Adam Dunn" Big man went deep (**Dwight**) in his first game with the Sox, and the good guys won 15-10 today in Cleveland. Be nice to see the Sox keep those weak-ass Injuns under 6 runs, but a win is a win.

"Fuckery"

Crazy ass clip from some Walmart in the South. I won't give the end away, but it's pretty intense. Dude lives, so don't feel bad. Five bucks says one of those chicks instigated the whole thing. Via TBL.

"Pinocchio" Whenever I have kids, I'm gonna make sure they go to school with dope ass school supplies like Pinocchio pencil sharpeners. And Song of the South folders. Props HypeBeast.

"Jacob Tucker"

To quote my dean, this white boy has some serious Bugs Bunnies. I saw his highlight tape on TBL a few weeks ago, and unfortunately missed the NCAA Dunk Contest he won last night b/c I was sitting in the Texas House of Representatives gallery listening to people argue over whether to close nursing homes or cut HIV funding. I wish he'd made the 360-between-the-legs, but he still did his thing. He's only 5'10". I shoulda done more calf raises in high school.

"Yelawolf"

He was at one of my favorite venues in the city last night - Reggie's Rock Club - and, by all accounts, Catfish Billy killed his set. Even brought out Travis Barker for "Pop The Trunk" to wrap everything up. Sooner or later, I'm gonna catch a Yelawolf show. Mayfest should book him for Día de los Dillo. I would definitely fly back for that. Props Ruby Hornet.

Daily Top 5 >>> 3/31/11

2011-03-31T21:01:00.003-05:00

"Sequels"

Here goes the extended trailed for The Hangover 2. It's due out in the summer, and I already know I'm gonna see it. The extended trailer didn't really have me cracking up though. Thoughts?

"Greatness" Some people use Lent as an opportunity to become more productive, healthier individuals. Some people see Lent as an opportunity to become legends. Iowan J. Wilson falls into the latter category. So awesome is J., that he doesn't even need a first name. He decided that, for Lent, he'd consume only water and beer. No food, just beer. I tip my hat to this truly great American. J., I respect you. Not enough to donate a kidney to you. Via ChiTrib.

"LeBron"

Hate him all you want, LeBron is still a force of nature. I assume Wizards player Othyus Jeffers already has a rough life. Yeah, he's in the league. But his name is Othyus. LeBron rose on him with two hands last night and yammed on poor Othyus somethin' serious. Props TSS.

"Freedom" Further proving my theory about Google's evilness, the source of all the world's Internet enjoyment is cracking down on Android. The beauty of the Android OS was that it could be freely and virtually infinitely customizable. All those free apps that actually work don't just come from nothing. Google came down from the plantation house, though, and is about to dead all that. Soon, Massa will have to approve most if not all adaptations. Via HuffPost.

"Austin Carr"

During the Cavs' win over Miami a couple days ago, Cleveland color(ed) commentator Austin Carr called Chris Bosh a "RuPaul lookalike". Very nice, sir. Props TBL.

Daily Top 5 >>> 3/30/11

2011-03-30T17:52:00.003-05:00

"Predictions" Baseball season is upon us, and it's the best time of the year. The Final Four, the start of baseball, and the home stretch of the NBA regular season. Austin continues to impress me; some Statesman columnist has the White Sox winning the AL. What a coincidence. I have the Sox going 162-0.

"Barbecue" A+. That's my grade for Austin today. Besides the infinite wisdom of their sports reporters, there's free food. Not just any free food either. Free barbecue. While out trailing a cameraman at the Capitol, I stopped by a tent where a few friendly white women asked me if I'd like some brisket and baked beans. I'd left my Ed Lover "C'mon son" sign at the office, but my facial expression was enough. Any city where getting the Itis before 12 noon while on the job is ~~accepted~~ condoned is a city I can see myself living in.

"Common"

Common – Follow Me by Hypetrak

New music from Lonnie. Kanye West on the beat. I'm with it.

"Cabrini-Green" The last of the Greens went down today. Payton was right down the street and I remember being a freshman and them just starting the relocation process. I haven't been over there in a few years, but whenever I do go back to visit it's gonna be weird not seeing them by Seward Park. Media are calling the demolition a "sad sight". Fuck that. Tearing down one of urban America's greatest failures - a symbol of racism, discriminatory housing, and borderline criminal neglect - is a wonderful thing. What the "sad sight" is, well that's the thousands or poor Black folks who've been herded around the Chicagoland area like unwanted cattle. Forced to leave their homes with only a few days' notice to make room for a god damn Target. That's the sad part.

"Elzhi"

Elzhi - Verbal Intercourse 2 by Hypetrak

One of the few sources of joy in my life that comes from Detroit. El let loose a 14KT-produced track. "Verbal Intercourse Pt. 2". Obviously not as good as the OG track. Via Nah Right.

Daily Top 5 >>> 3/29/11

2011-03-29T19:01:00.002-05:00

"Fuckery" Normally I reserve the 'fuckery' tag for stuff I can find humor in. Not this time, though. I spent a good 40 minutes at work today reading this amazing Rolling Stone story on U.S. soldiers who routinely murder and mutilate Afghan civilians, and the ensuing cover-up. Pretty sick shit. You should read it yourself - or at least look at the pictures - but here go the Cliff Notes: U.S. ground forces, on several occasions, have murdered Afghan civilians for fun; they cut off body parts as souvenirs and hold up the corpses like hunting game. For the men in Bravo Company, they were only killing "savages". Damn, makes you wonder what they'd do to Black folks and Latinos back home if we didn't have all this surveillance.

"Katy Perry" On a brighter note, here go Katy Perry's titties. I've never heard her music, but I don't need to. She's a-okay in my book.

"Gandhi" One of the perfect human beings of the 20th Century, along with MLK and Mother Theresa, ~~and Ronald Reagan~~. Some guy named Joseph Lelyveld is about to drop a Gandhi biography, and he's ruffled some feathers. While he led a non-violent resistance movement later in life that would change global history, early Mahatma Gandhi was apparently a "bisexual adulterer" who was disgusted with having to share a jail with Black Africans. Who says people can't change? Via HuffPost.

"Wendy's" There's one a couple blocks from the office, and it's a gamechanger. Dave's gift to mankind is killing the fast food game. Their new fries are better than McDonald's fries. Yeah I said it. Try 'em first and then argue with me. Lunch today was $3.24 for a small fry, spicy nuggets, and a double stack. Gonna make eating on $10 a day so much better.

"Rotimi" Ro dropped his project - The Resume - today. Hard workers are people I definitely respect, and Ro is no exception. Click the pic for the free download.

Daily Top 5 >>> 3/28/11

2011-03-28T19:44:00.003-05:00

"Big K.R.I.T." Finally, we're blessed with Returnof4eva. Click the pic.

"VCU"

It was real cool coming back to my apartment yesterday and seeing the Morris twins crying on the bench like Debo took the chains their grandma gave 'em. I wish VCU and Butler weren't matched up this weekend, but I'm just hoping for two close games. I'm riding with Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb and UConn.

"H-E-B" I don't know what store H-E-B is the Texas-version of. So I'll just say it's the Texas-version of heaven. Only half a mile from my spot, and you can get a week of dinners for an Andrew Jackson. For real. I just left there with two packs of Hot Pockets, two packs of Bagel Bites, a pack of hot dogs, buns, frozen broccoli and corn, mac and cheese, ravioli, and BBQ sauce for $16.33.

"Professionalism" The Raptors suck. Even with Chris Bosh they blew, so this isn't news. They got whooped by Golden State over the weekend and, down 40-something midway through the 3rd quarter, Julian Wright got called to go in. He didn't get up. I've known Julian Wright since he was in high school and I was in grade school - he is friends with my cousin, and his dad went to high school with my parents and pretty much every other Black person over 50 that I know. He's a good dude. So I hope he really was sick, and didn't just plain refuse to go in the game. Via TBL.

"Yelawolf"

Part Two of Yela's SXSW recap. Still mad I missed it by only three days. Via High Snobiety.

Just Touched Down

2011-03-25T13:58:00.003-05:00

Got into Austin last night. Don't start work till Monday, but there's a grip of stuff I have to do and get before then. Number one on that list is a router, b/c the Internet at my crib is as wishy-washy as Morty Schapiro.

So as I type this on the patio at the Starbucks on 15th and San Antonio St., I'll let Dom Kennedy tell ~~you~~ y'all what my mindstate is like.

I'm working a 40-hour work week from now till June, so I'll be doing more nighttime posting. If any full posts at all. I'll at least have some free music, or some stories to tell every once in a while.

Heard my first "YeeeeeHAW!" last night while I was in bed. Didn't get much sleep after that.

Shout out to Ro too, doin his thing.

Daily Top 5 >>> 3/23/11

2011-03-23T12:23:00.004-05:00

"Happiness" I realize it's only the regular season, but I can't rein in my excitement. I was brought into the world a Bulls fan. I have a Mike jersey that Verne Troyer couldn't fit. They haven't been this good since I was in 2nd grade. Since then, I've just been an irrational fan; I pick them to win the Finals every year, even when Ben Gordon was their only scoring option and Eddy Curry was sitting on the bench looking like Eeyore. Now, though, now they're just crushing people. The best defense in the league, a top-3 bench, the coach of the year, plus the best point guard in the world. So long as they don't muck up contract negotiations or let Thibodeau go, the Bulls will be nice for a while. I look forward to the next decade of haters.

"Restraint"

This video was on the HuffPost. Half a decade of riding the Red Line and I've never really been in the position this dude was in because, well who would ever dare trying somebody like me? He handled the situation as well as you possibly could. 90% of train riders I know woulda given "Bloody Loco" an Anderson Silva elbow to the temple and switched cars.

"Info" I enjoy both from time to time, but I know beyond a shade of a doubt that alcohol is more dangerous than weed. And I didn't need a fancy infographic to tell me either; just a few lives in my family ruined by alcoholism. If you require facts and figures, check this out. Via TSS.

"Texas" It's looking more and more like - despite warm weather and these - Texas is going to be a serious adjustment for me. Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant got kicked out of a mall in Dallas for sagging his pants. Authorities said Dez is a repeat offender at the shopping center. Prior offenses: “a major disturbance at a restaurant, a parking offense and cutting in line at the Apple Store." That's one Saturday afternoon for some people I know. I'll be sagging my pants until I run into Fleece Johnson (who's out of jail, just a heads up), so damn Texas. Props TBL.

"Talent"

Don't tell me there isn't some skill involved here. If you've ever played beer pong, you've tried some crazy-ass shots. Who knows how many hours this kid wasted attempting all of this stuff, but the Internet is a better place b/c of it. Can't hate on him for that. He's 12. All propers be unto Austin.