Step your scarf game up
Last night I was eating dinner with a friend, and peeped this cat sitting across from me rocking his scarf like it should be rocked. Seeing the finesse that his scarf was worn with made me realize that my scarf game was fucked up. I couldn’t be a man with style until this was unfortunate oversight was resolved, so I hopped on the internet this morning and searched for the proper way to rock a scarf. Now that I know this I wanna buy more scarves and rock them how they’re supposed to be rocked–with style, not like a johnny-come-lately that doesn’t respect their true power.
Please watch this video and step your scarf game up:
Solillaquists of Sound – Gothem City Chase Scene Video
Fresh song & video from Solillaquists of Sound, directed by X:144
Dan Monick: Seven Years with Atmosphere & Rhymesayers
Minneapolis photographer and all around cool dude Dan Monick just released a book called Seven Years with Atmosphere & Rhymesayers, cataloging his travels with the group as well as the growth of the Rhymesayers label over that period of time. Obviously I’m pretty biased because I know all the parties involved and I’m also an artist on Rhymesayers, but regardless of that fact the book is all kinds of awesome. Here’s a short video feature on Dan:
Building a new wardrobe
Since I’ve been a functional adult, fashion is something that doesn’t really appeal to me. The entire concept of spending a lot of money on things that are hot right now but that I probably won’t be able to wear in a year seems kind of silly to me, even though I can appreciate a well-dressed person and the time it takes to look good. But while fashion doesn’t appeal to me, style does. My personal belief is that having style is something that’s always in fashion, whereas almost all fashion goes out of style, if that makes any sense.
Truth be told, I’ve always struggled with my wardrobe.
Bon Iver “Woods”: Kanye sampled this
Every time Kanye West puts out a new record people rush to expose all the samples he uses. At this point I’m not sure if the purpose of publishing these lists is to discredit him, demystify the production process, or to give him props. All I know is that every time the list is revealed I’m always impressed by how eclectic his music selection is. Even for a hip-hop producer the range of what he listens to is pretty impressive, particularly in regards to the time periods. He’s one of the rare cats that is equally aware of both new and old music.While there’s a youtube video floating around that details all the samples on Kanye West’s new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I noticed that there was one song missing from it. This song is called “Woods” and it’s by Bon Iver. Posting a song that somebody sampled in itself is kind of boring to me, unless the song is really dope, and this song is really dope. In fact, I can honestly say I’ve never heard a song that sounds like “Woods”. It’s some one-of-a-kind shit:
http://www.divshare.com/download/13397528-461
Word is Blog.
Senator Bernie Sanders senate speech
While I typically try to avoid getting too political on here, I had to repost this speech. It is incredibly on point and moving. Please do yourself a favor and watch it.
How to make the Columbus Library a better place
I go to the library quite a bit. Maybe once a week to pick up or drop off books. A couple other times a week I go just to get some quiet time in away from home. I think it’s safe to say that I like the library. I like the library for many reasons. One reason I like the library is because they care enough about the comfort of their visitors to create a suggestion box so we can share our ideas for improvement and better service. As great of an idea as this is, it’s even greater that they actually read our suggestions for improvement and post up the most noteworthy ones on their bulletin board in the lobby. And even greater than that is this actual suggestion that is currently hanging in the lobby, which will probably make your day. Here’s an image of the letter and the transcription:
Ces Cru “Float”
Ces Crew = good KC hip-hop.
direct link: http://vimeo.com/16921772
The Groove Shack movie
In 1995 I was just beginning my exploration into actually making hip-hop. I grew up in Columbus, but was living in Springfield, Oh at the time going to school. Inkwel and I had formed Greenhouse Effect during late night freestyle sessions, been to the studio a couple times, but had yet to put out any recorded material or even do a real show. It would be quite some time before either of those things happened. At that time our main focus was to just be a part of it in any way possible, which was easy in Springfield since we lived there, but easier said than done in Columbus, which was 45-minutes away. As far as Columbus went, we were strictly observers.
Part of our experience at the time was visiting Columbus every chance we could get to catch shows and learn about the scene. Everything was so new then and the Columbus hip-hop scene was the closest any of us would get to being at a New York park jam. The scene was so raw; DJ battles, emcee battles, shows in weird places (because venues didn’t really allow local hip-hop in the doors in those days). I would come to Columbus to visit my family almost every other weekend and find time to dig for records there as well. One of the record stores I would visit was The Groove Shack.
Around that time, the public access channel started airing a show called The Groove Shack, a 30-minute show that featured the record stores’ monthly open mic. If you were just getting into hip-hop around 1993-1994 and turned on your television and saw a room of 100 people packed wall to wall, freestyling at a high level, and battling I guarantee you it would be something you would never forget. I know this was the case for me so I made up my mind then and there that I had to visit one of these open mics.
Who is Latimore Platz? Part Three
Latest promo for my dude Latimore Platz. Check it out…
Smokey Part 2 is available now. Download directly HERE or via bandcamp:
Spike Lee on Tyler Perry
Its always fresh when somebody sums up how you feel about something better than you ever could:
“Columbus or Bust” double CD edition now available
Out of print since 2005, the Greenhouse Effect album Columbus or Bust is now available again for the first time. It is now a double-cd that includes the instrumentals to the album. Now shipping for $8
Columbus or Bust is the third release from the Greenhouse Effect crew and the follow-up to their debut full-length album Life Sentences. Produced entirely by Blueprint, with guest appearances by Murs and Jakki the Motormouth. Rhymes by Blueprint & Fess. Written and recorded during the same time period as 1988, and released the same year
CD Version: $8 Add To Cart
Digital Version: $5 Add To Cart
Thanks for the support!
Greenhouse hoodies are back in stock
As old man winter continues to strengthen his hold on our collective asses, the good people at Weightless Recordings have decided to bring back one of the most popular merch items, the Greenhouse hooded sweatshirt. These have been out of stock since Greenhouse‘s spring tour with Killah Priest, but they are officially back and in two colors; Black w/ Silver print and Green with white print. If you slept last time around, you should probably wake up and pick up one this time around. Any hoodie ships with a free greenhouse CD of your choice. Choose size and title in the checkout cart.
Greenhouse Hoodie + Free CD: $25 Add to cart
Thanks for the support!
One trip to the Library
Earlier tonight, I was headed out the house to run some errands. I needed to return a book to the library and pick up a box from U-haul that was big enough to mail a keyboard in. My gas tank was on empty so I stopped at a gas station a few blocks from my house. I live near a lot of factories, and this gas station isn’t really a real gas station, since there’s no attendant and no store connected to it. It’s in-between a bunch of industrial buildings and there’s just pumps and a shelter over top. It’s one of those barebones stations that truckdrivers use that you usually see right off the freeway.Off in the distance I saw somebody running towards me.
Two great video rebuttals to Lebron James’ Nike commercial
By now I’m sure everybody has seen Lebron James’ new “what should I do?” Nike commercial, where he tries to explain his abrupt departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Soon as I saw it I thought it kind of sucked and apparently I wasn’t the only one. Not that he can’t try to smooth things over, but I think him just shutting up and playing great basketball is really the only thing he can do. At any rate, peep these two rebuttals, both great in their own different way; one is hilarious and the other one serious but very on point.
