Muhammad Ali is the most prolific athlete of all time. He was a champion in his sport, and he was a born leader who was not afraid to sacrifice his career to stand up for his beliefs and principles. Ali will always be the Greatest of All Time, and I will always give him that respect...
BUT DON'T FORGET ABOUT MIKE!
So I'm at the Live taping of the BET awards right now, and I got to
admit its a cool experience, the performances are well done, and its
something I'll probably do once in my life, but I would still rather
have the cash value of the tickets and be somewhere else. I've attached
a pic of our seats, to show how good the comps were.
Some of the lowlighs were seein half of the people not even show up to
accept their awards (Missy Eliott and The-Dream) and the terrible comedy
routines before each award was given. Also the visuals for the awards
given were pretty wack, and some were even bit maped.
The Highlights include Alicia Keys bringin out SWV, En Vogue, and TLC,
Kanye winning best rap artist, and the support for Barak Obama. I was
definitely glad about the En Vogue, and I couldn't help but to think the
Phife line ("..used to have a crush on Dawn from En Vogue. Its not like
honey dip would wanna get w/ me, but just in case I got more condoms
than TLC." This definitely came into play because TLC and En Vogue were
on the same stage, and sadly Ironic because the reference was to Left Eye
who isn't here.)
My suggestions for next year is to have all award winners in attendance.
It really makes BET look bad.
One more thing I gotta meantion...and I gotta bust out my man Dj Khalid again. T-Pain, Ludacris, Big Boi, and others did 'I'm So Hood' on stage, and Dj Khalid made use of his apperance by running around the stage, shoutin about how Hood he is. I don't mind that at all, but I thought it was pretty sad to see that this is what the DJ has become in Hip Hop now a days. Khalid is a DJ, but he didn't touch a set turntables during his performance. WTF? This is Hip Hop in 2008.
Last but not least, Al Green accepted the lifetime achevement award, and did a performance. I can now say that I've seen Rev. Al Green perform live! That was definitely worth the trip.
I feel like a goddam tmz reporter givin yall the gossip from the BET music awards, but like me going to another award show, it won't happen again.
All n All, I'd give the BET award show an 7 out of 10. But that's just cuz I was there live. If I saw it on tv, it would've...well, I probably wouldn't have. (Sent from my mobile device)
So I found out how to send blogs from my phone (I'm still tryin to
figure out if that's a good or bad thing). Its acutually a good thing
this week, because I'm in L.A. at the 2008 BET Music Awards! (I'm still
trying to figure out if THAT'S a good thing or bad thing too!) I'ma see
what type of connects I can make. We'll see...
(Sent from my mobile device)
This is a TRUE STORY, NO BULLSHIT! I was watchin my weekly 30 minute dosage of MTV Jams yesterday (these are times when I should probably be doing something else besides watching tv, but its always helpful knowing what's new in the world of the urban Pop scene) and after watching a string of David Banner videos, they had one of those 'Hoodfab' where they have that unusually lookin light skin dude, Buttaman askin Hip Hop trivia to a random person and a Rap Star. The episode I happened to watch actually featured two personalities, DJ Khalid and Flo-Rida. So Buttaman, begins askin the q's which have been rediculously been dumbed down since the earlier years of the segment. I remember when they wouls ask things like "Who was the first female rapper to go gold" and "What does 'GURU' stand for?" (Kanye actually missed that one! I don't really wanna hold it against him, but c'mon Yay?!) Questions of those difficulty would stump a pretty knowledgeable Hip Hop fan, but Buttaman was askin these fools shit like "What Cash Money recording artist was featured on the song 'Duffle Bag Boy'"? and "What are the names of the rappers in the group The Clipse?" That was asked to DJ Khalid and it took him almost 5-10 seconds to remember Malace after quickly naming Pusha-T. DJ Khalid ALSO had trouble answering the question "What Hip Hop artist put out an album entitled "Speakerboxx/The Love Below", trust me, I was as speechless as you are right now. Now here's the sad part... He asked Flo-Rida "Which artist sang the hook on Ol' Dirty Bastards single "Got Your Money" and had a single called "Milkshake"? This mufucka couldn't NAME THAT SHIT!! Thats not all! DJ Khalid was then asked "Who was the producer of the Hip Hop crew "The Juice Crew?" If he had trouble with the other two questions, theres no way he was gonna get that one, and to no suprise, this cat didn't know that shit. Then they asked Flo Rida the same question, and he didn't have a cleu either! I mean...GODDAM! By no means am I a Hip Hop snob, or one of those cats that think they know everything, but there's no excuse for that shit. He may run the streets, but he GOTTA know his history in the game that's made his success. I'm pretty sure that LeBron James knows who Michael Jordan is, or that LaDainian Tomlinson knows who Jim Brown is...It's not askin alot to know about some of the FOREFATHERS OF HIP HOP! Just a couple would be nice. I'm not dissin anyone who doesn't know, but if you're gonna bank of it, you should take time to learn the rules, and take time to give back to the game that made you what you are! It says alot about the state of Hip Hop when the number 1 DJ in the country doesn't know who Marly Marl is, or when the artist with a huge hit single doesn't know who Kelis is. I never thought a harmless, lighthearted segment shown on MTV2 would not only expose these "Hip Hop stars" for not knowin a damn thing, but would show what the state of Hip Hop music has become in 2008.
So I finished watchin the Lakers crash and burn in the finals, and I couldn't be more suprised. It was as if they didn't know they had to go through the eastern conference to win the championship. Or maybe their goal was to get Kobe the MVP trophy that has eluded him for so many years, because it seems like they were content with just those two moral victories. Just like in Boston, they don't hang Western Conference banners in the arena, and the Lakers thought they did.
Here's my synopsis...Gasol was charmin soft, Odom NEVER lives up to his height and size. Yeah, sure, he can take it to hole like a point guard, but he finishes like he's on the JV team. Kobe could score in the 1st quarter, but he couldn't keep it goin for the whole game. I gotta give it up to the Celtics though. I've haven't seen Kobe look like that for years, and their role players stepped it up when they had to. I hate to admit it, but I'm happy for KG, and Inglewood HS player Paul Pierce, and Doc is a likeable guy, so I'm not completely upset. I can also appreciate KG's emotion when he won. I don't think I've ever seen a player show that much exuberance for winning a championship, and it is appreciated when a player DOES care.
I aint mad though. Kobe aint even 30 years old, and the team made the finals and still has a lot of room for improvement. The Lakers will get there in due time.
Peace yall, this is my Summer time soundtrack that I mixed about a year ago, but it is definitely timeless material. Every once in a while, I'll just get a huge spurt of inspiration. This came about last 4th of July, and I had a day off from work. It was an unusual summer day in San Francisco, because there wasn't a huge cloud hanging over the city, and I was listen to some cool, relaxing music, and then it hit me! I gotta do a Summer Time mix. Even though its been done, and it will continue to be done, I just felt that I wanted to do my version. I knocked it out in 2 days, which seems really quick, but inspiration has a tendency to do that to people. Please download this mix, and enjoy it! Every time I hear it, it makes me wanna fire up he grill!
Aiight, so I'm DJing last night, and someone walks towards the booth. What goes through my mind is it could be only one of a few things. Maybe its an artist tryin to give me a cd of him and his boys, maybe its someone givin me props on my set (not likely in this day and age when DJs are vastly underappreciated) or maybe it's the DJ's worst enemy...the thing he/she hates more than anything in the world..the REQUEST. Now usually I don't mind request, and sometimes I am in favor of them, but sometimes they make me wanna just pack up my shit and leave.
ONE OF THE WORST REQUESTS happened last night, which inspired me to write this blog. Some one asked me for a 50 Cent song that is on Youtube. Yes, YOUTUBE! I told him I can't play it, and he said, "Why Not?" This one trumps all of my past bullshit requests, including Badbrains and the song "Shout", just because it's in some other format! this also narrowly defeats my favorite, yet common request of "Can you play something we can dance to?" No joke, once this woman asked me "Can you play something more RYTHMIC?
Now, for those of you who are guilty of making requests, don't trip. I'm not gettin on you, but lemme explain myself. Here is some SONG REQUEST ETIQUETTE that you may want to follow. So next time when you request a song (or two or three in some cases), and you see the DJ give you a stare down, or you see him roll his eyes and sigh, you'll know why.
1. Know where you're at
If you go to an event, and if it's promoted as a Classic Soul night, and I'm playing Classic Soul like Stevie Wonder, or Marvin Gaye, or James Brown, DO NOT ask me for Lil Wayne "Lollipop". Just like if I'm playin some Timbaland pop bullshit, don't ask me to play Atmosphere. (Trust me, this has actually happened)
2. DO NOT follow your request with "Can you play it next?"
This actually happens more than you think. Lemme say this loud and clear...THE DJ IS NOT A JUKE BOX! Even if you put a quarter in a jukebox, you STILL have to wait your turn.
3. Know the time
If it is 10:15, and people are filing into the club. DO NOT request Too $hort "Blow the Whistle". Trust me, it will be played sometime throughout the night, and it WILL NOT be played when people are standing in line.
4. Know the name of the song
I don't mind it when people don't know the name of the song they want to hear, and they try to sing lines of the song they're trying to request, but I think more times than not, you're embarrassing yourself. I remember when "In The Club" was out, people would say "do you have the Happy Birthday song?" or "Do you have that song, go shawty, its ya birthday?" Usually if someone says that, its accompanied by a dance and body motions.
5. We all seen House Party...DON'T TOUCH THE TURNTABLES!!
6. If I Don't have a song, I can't play it!
sometimes, people beg me to play a song, thinking it will magically appear in my hard drive.
7. If you request a song, and if I play it, YOU HAVE TO SHOW SOME GRATITUDE! There is no excuses. If someone requests a song, and if I see them sittin in a corner suckin their thumb, that pisses me off more than anything! You dont gotta cut a rug, not all of us are dancers, and I dont need a tip, cuz not all of us have money, but at least gimme a thank you, thumbs up, a point, a head nod, SOMETHING! I do NOT like people that are ungrateful.
8. DO NOT tell me how to do my job!
It definitely bothers me when someone comes up to me and says "I know what will get this party CRACKIN..." I appreciate lookin out, but DAMN, I don't go to your job and tell you what to do.
9. If a DJ is wearing Headphones and is looking at the turntables, unless the back of the club is on fire (literally) DO NOT talk to him. I ignore it, but other cats can get REAL pissed off
10. THANK YOUR LOCAL DJ!!
Club Go-ers, please take Heed. TRUST ME, ask any DJ you know and I'm sure they feel me on at least 8 out of 10 things I've listed.
DJs, I'd like to hear the WORST REQUEST YOU EVER GOT! If you have one, leave it in the comments!
This was back when they had “Technical Warnings” and “Fighting Fouls”. Times sure have changed! I remember watching this Lakers vs. Pistons (or Celtics) game on ESPN Classic, and Worthy was swingin and kickin in the 2nd fight that happened in the game! After the 2nd one, the ref goes both benches and says “If this keeps up, Im gonna start throwing people out!” Nowadays, if a player not involved in a fight comes off the BENCH, its a 1 game suspension. I'm always saying that todays NBA is less exciting, and I hate to say it, but fights is what made those rivalries what they were...RIVALRIES! Lakers v. Celtics, Lakers v. Pistons, Bulls v. Heat, Bulls v. Knicks, even Kings v. Lakers... what did they have in common? EXACTLY! By no means am I saying that an NBA team should have to resort to having four basketball players and one brawler on the court at all times, like the NHL, or that the Ron Artest incident should be a weekly occurance, but maybe when two players get physical, maybe the ref can let em fight a little longer than usual, or maybe players SHOULD run off the bench, so like the MLB, you have the one main fight, and then a couple of little side fights going on. ANYway, I knew the NBA was lacking something for the last couple of years, and it AIN'T just #23.
Peace yall. This is a DJ Premier mix that I did back when we used to the D2S Audio show, and after we ended the show, I got a couple mixes that I'm just sittin on just like this one. This one is highlighting one of the best producers of our time, So you can listen to this mix and really hear the style how unique his style was. Please note that this mix was done LIVE, meaning no multitracks or editing...so you'll hear a couple errors and mistakes, but that's the beauty of it! Also, this was my first time using the Pioneer efx-500, so I went a lil over board w/ the echos! but Nonetheless, It's a solid mix!
Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, the 46-year-old freshman senator from Illinois, ended a 16-month political marathon Tuesday, clinching enough delegates to become the first African American presidential nominee of a major political party.
It was a momentous occasion in American politics not acknowledged by the country's first viable female presidential candidate, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton - once considered the Democratic Party's inevitable nominee - who told supporters in New York she would make no immediate decision about her future, while privately expressing interest in becoming Obama's vice presidential candidate.
Speaking to some 20,000 ecstatic supporters, Obama graciously acknowledged his former political rival as a formidable and historic candidate after he surpassed the final hurdle, amassing 2,154 delegates, 36 more than the 2,118 needed for the Democratic nomination.
That effectively ended a grueling, divisive Democratic primary race which began exactly five months ago with his surprise caucus win in Iowa and ended Tuesday with a split decision in the final two states, a 10-point loss in South Dakota to Clinton and a 15-point win in Montana.
"Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another - a journey that will bring a new and better day to America," said Obama, in a victory celebration designed to underscore his eagerness to take on the GOP presumed nominee John McCain in the general election in November.
"Because of you, tonight I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States," he said to an explosion of cheers in the very same hall in St. Paul, Minn., where McCain, the 71-year-old Arizona senator, will be nominated by his party in September.
"America, this is our moment. This is our time - our time to turn the page on the policies of the past, our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face," Obama said, in a speech echoing positive Reaganesque themes of America's greatness and possibilities. "Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love."
By contrast, Clinton - surrounded by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea, donors and supporters at Baruch College in New York - defiantly celebrated her final win in South Dakota and offered nothing resembling a concession. Indeed, backed by the theme song, "Simply the Best" by Tina Turner, Clinton continued to argue that she is the most electable candidate. While she congratulated Obama for being a formidable candidate, she never mentioned that he now has the delegates for the nomination she has been chasing for nearly two years.
That effectively left her options open, and many of her delegates and supporters have vowed to bring her case for the nomination before the party's credentials committee at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in late August.
Obama's camp immediately began the work of reaching out to Clinton - and he reportedly called Clinton in an effort to bring her backers into the fold. But it was the stunning impact of a historical political landmark that dominated the evening: that Obama, the son of a Kenyan-born black man and a white woman from Kansas, succeeded in shattering a centuries-old color line in clinching the nomination of a major American political party.
"This is perhaps the second greatest moment in African American history - symbolically right up there with the abolition of slavery," said Professor James Taylor, who teaches politics and African American history at the University of San Francisco. "It will have tremendous effect across the world ... overnight, the world will exhale and say, 'My God, America has done something different, unprecedented.' "
Many African Americans, both supporters of Clinton and Obama, said it was a stunning landmark they never expected to see in their lifetimes.
"This is a moment that (America) is ready for ... a major step in completing the unfinished business of a great country," said Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, an African American and the first member of the U.S. Congress to endorse the Illinois senator. "I grew up in Texas, and I couldn't even go to public school or drink out of public water fountains. ... It's a major, major statement about who we are as a country ... and how far we have come."
But the Rev. Amos Brown, a longtime civil rights activist and the pastor of the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco - and a supporter of Clinton - said older African Americans view Obama's landmark moment with joy, and considerable caution; their high hopes have often been shattered by seeing promising black leaders cut down, stopped and destroyed by racism.
"I applaud what he's done, but we must go beyond symbolism to substance," said Brown, who said he is willing to "work my heart out" for Obama.
But there will be many obstacles, he said. "People forget so easily, they don't know the way of the river," he said. "They haven't been down this path. I've been able to, in these 67 years, get a broad perspective ... about the heat of the day and the oppression" still existing regarding the issues of race.
Other Democrats said that they were concerned that Clinton's speech did not suggest a unified front.
"I'm disappointed tonight that Sen. Clinton did not reach out more to Sen. Obama," said Donna Brazile, an undecided superdelegate and African American Democratic leader on CNN. She said Obama has personally assured her he wants to sit down with Clinton and to mend fences.
And Democratic unity will be key: Even before Obama was declared the presumed party nominee, McCain effectively launched the general election contest with a full-fledged assault on the Illinois senator.
Speaking from Louisiana, McCain was backed by a sign announcing his new slogan - "A Leader We Can Believe In," a direct spin on Obama's signature motto, "Change We Can Believe In." He attacked the Democrat as an inexperienced, ineffective and insincere candidate, saying he is "an impressive man, who makes a great first impression ... but he hasn't been willing to make the tough calls, to challenge his party, to risk criticism from his supporters to bring real change to Washington. I have."
Obama, speaking to his supporters, countered that "John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks. But maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and towns that have been hardest hit by this economy - cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota - he'd understand the kind of change that people are looking for."
The presumed Democratic nominee promised an upbeat campaign, saying that his campaign will not use "religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon."
"Because we may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first."
Steve Westly, the former state controller who became an early campaign fundraiser and co-chair for Obama in California, recalled that when he endorsed Obama in early 2007, most Democrats were firmly behind Clinton and "it was about the loneliest I've ever felt in politics."
And that's another reason why Tuesday's results capped an extraordinary ending to a quixotic effort by Obama.
"We've been talking a lot about getting this new generation on board, and he has made it happen," Westly said. "He has brought more people, more in contributions, and he has touched a chord of involvement we haven't seen ... since Bobby Kennedy."
Delegate totals
Barack Obama 2,154
Hillary Clinton 1,919.5
2,118 needed to clinch Democratic nomination
Pledged delegates
Obama: 1,765
Clinton: 1,637.5
Super- delegates
Obama: 389
Clinton: 282
Primary results
Montana
86% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama: 56 percent
Hillary Clinton: 41 percent
South Dakota
99% of precincts reporting
Clinton: 55 percent
Obama: 45 percent
