"Your Style" x "Hot Ni**a" - My Two Songs of the Summer So Far.

Also - if anyone can point me to a "Hot Ni**a" download link (LEGAL IF APPLICABLE) it would be appreciated.


Troy Ave x Lloyd Banks - "Your Style"



Bobby Shmurda - "Hot Ni**a"

Orange SUV's, Kris Kross, and that Girl I Met from H-Town - The Legacy of the June 27th Freestyle

Go ahead and listen while you read. It's fine, I promise.

I was late to the party.  SO LATE to the party.  I moved to Texas in 1996, after being born in Maryland, and spending 3 years in Wyoming (pre-meth Wyoming.)  Probably the first song I ever heard with any real Houston ties was Lil' Troy's 'Wanna Be a Baller'.  It was was a hymn - it was a sing-songy chant where you wanted to imitate the hook as best you could, and well, learn all the verses later.  It was the first time I remember someone's guest verse "Stealing a song".  When Yungstar said 'switch from Motorola to a PrimeCo phone!' I damn near jumped out of my seat!  But I knew the style of the song, the FUN of the sound was something I'd grow really, really fond of.

I'm a bit of a music snob, in that I don't listen to the radio.  At all.  It doesn't make sense to me: in a world where I have access to literally anything I want o hear at any moment, why would I listen to the same 10-15 songs all day with COMMERCIALS IN BETWEEN?  That's as such a commentary on San Antonio/ Austin radio as anything else, but I digress... I was at Fiesta, a yearly celebration in San Antonio devoted to food, culture, parties, and at least in 2001, mix tapes.  I was with my pal Shawn, and we came to a table selling mix tapes (back when you actually sold mix tapes) and I saw a partly hand drawn, partly photo shopped cover featuring a damn orange SUV on giant rims and a south park character.  I asked Shawn what it was, and his response was "you don't know about the Color Changin' Click?"  HELL NO I didn't know about the Color Changin' Click, but I really wanted to.  So I paid the $20 and purchased the CD.

Top 5 LIFETIME PURCHASE.  NO REGRETS.

It was INCREDIBLE.  It was the first time I had heard rappers over another artist's beat, which to me was mind blowing.  I didn't even know you could do that!  This was Chamillionaire and Paul Wall YEARS before anyone outside of Texas had heard of them - young, hungry, and without the boundaries of hooks, melodies.  It was akin to the 50 Cent mix tapes prior to 'Get Rich'  without the blatant (but precise and fantastic) swagger jacking.  I wanted more.  Anything I could get my hands on, Slim Thug, 3rd Degree, Freestyle Kings, I was all over it.  So the more things I listened to, the more I wanted to know where it all came from

DJ Screw was gone.  He was already outta here before I ever heard a slowed down track.  I don't say that to sound callous, I say it because it makes him more of a legend than a guy.  He birthed something and left it for me and didn't even ask for a thank you.  It was just given to me.  The name comes from his distaste of certain records.  If he thought a record SUCKED, he'd scratch the damn thing with a screw, simple as that.  His personalized tapes, which he intentionally slowed down to replicate the feeling of "lean", the popular promethazine/codeine/sprite mixture, became all the rage.  People were literally lining up at the guy's door to get tapes.  This birthed  "Screwed Up Records & Tapes", his own store to sell albums and tapes.  This would become a huge staple the State, with people opening their own mix tape/ album spots to huge profits.

The Essentials.

 He's also the Professor X of the "Screwed Up Click", a super team of Texas Emcee's that appeared on his songs/tapes/albums together.  Some of the notable members are Big Moe, Lil' Flip, Lil' Keke, Big Hawk, and Big Pokey.  One thing these artists were known for, in particular Big Moe and Lil' Flip, was there ability to freestyle.  Not "lemme write this down and put it over a beat" freestyle, but "off the top of my head, let me make this up and spit it" freestyle.  Sometimes simplistic, something hilarious, but always enjoyable, Texas-flavored freestyles were all the rage in the late 90's to the mid 2000's.  This in many ways birthed the modern "anyone can rap" movement.  If you were quick enough, and had enough life experience/stimuli, damnit you could freestyle.  It seems that every party I went to from 2001-2006, I ended up in a freestyle circle, spitting god knows what about god knows who to anyone that would listen.  Requisite "man hold up" and "i done came down" chants could be heard all throughout.  Everyone swore they had the hottest lines, some people would go until they were FORCED to spot, but it was always fun.

THAT'S how you make a 37 minute track.

Enter the 'June 27th' freestyle.  Does anyone, ANYONE, remember Kris Kross' 'Da Streets Ain't Right'?  ANYONE?  Because I don't think I've ever heard it.  But Screw lifted that Jermaine Dupri beat, gave it the slowed down treatment, and the backdrop for the 'June 27th' freestyle had been born.  It isn't so much a song as it is an exhibit - it's a moment in time that was pure, it was fun, it was unapologetic.  It didn't always rhyme, it wasn't always coherent, but it WENT.  It was that SNL sketch that kept your attention because as much as it was a production, it was people adapting to what was happening and making the most of it.  There were no do overs.  And on top of that, people know that 35 minute + track WORD FOR WORD.  Even the rhymes that aren't really rhymes!  That comes on, you just go with it.

Take some time out today to listen the 'June 27th'.  Sing it with your friends, drink something purple (preferable just juice folks) zone out and listen to it all alone.  But take in that moment, that time when the music was just fun, it wasn't selling you anything, it wasn't prompting you to act, it was just there with you, and for you. It's the ones that smoke blunts witcha, see ya picha, now the wanna grab the guns to come and get ya...

 Bonus - Drake's November 18th -

"None of my Business" Kermit - the Genesis.

... where the Kermit Meme craze started.  Enjoy. (if you can't view this on mobile, go here.)

Shane Falco, Aunt Jemima, and the San Francisco Chinamen: A Few Words from a Lifelong Washington Redskins Fan.

I grew up in the great state of Texas, specifically San Antonio (HOME OF THESE GUYS). I moved there when I was 11, and my immediate family still lives there. But I'm originally from Camp Springs, Md, which is located just outside of Washington, DC. For this reason, and a few others, I've been a lifelong Washington Redskins fan. I was enamored with the guys in old lady dresses and pig snouts, loved singing the fight song with my mom, and was always amazed at how damn fast Darrell Green was! The Redskins were an institution, a way of life, a gold standard. As a kid, I never really thought about the name, but I also didn't think about the absurdity of the name 'Indians' either, because I was a kid. So yesterday, various sources reported that the Washington Redskins trademark would not be renewed, due to a strong political movement hoping to force a name change for the franchise. As a near 30 year old man who has never even considered an allegiance to another pro football team... I really have no problem with it. AT ALL.

But no see, this is cool, cuz it's like... but see...

I've heard very, very strong opinions on the subject. "Why now?" seems to be the prevailing opinion. People are ranting about the new found sensitivity on America, how we seem to cower and concede whenever someone deems something offensive. In this case, my response is "ok, so?". There is nothing so damn important about the Redskins name that it can't be changed to something less derogatory. It's not as if player salaries drop, it's not that you won't be able to buy new team gear, hell, it's not like you won't be able to wear your old gear! But what's so wrong about adjusting? It's really similar to reparations. Now, I'm in no way saying the name of a sports team holds a candle to slavery, it's reach or it's ramifications. What I'm saying is, one of the major problems people have with reparations is that in admitting wrongdoing, you worry about opening up the floodgates to having to PAY WHAT YOU MAY ACTUALLY OWE. People don't want to feel responsible for past wrongdoing, and want you to act as if everyone started with equal footing. Any acknowledgement that that idea is silly puts people in a position to have to come up with solutions, and they'd rather just ignore valid complaints. Nothing new here, but it's the prevailing truth in America.

DC FOOTBALL LEGEND BRUH.

As a supporter of a franchise that's only had FLASHES of success since the mid nineties (like these guys, only more honest about it) I for one am ok with a name change. What have the Redskins been since like '95? Average? Below average? This isn't the Pittsburgh Steelers or New England Patriots calling audible, it's a franchise with more losing seasons than 10 win seasons since i was a kid. I love the football team representative of the DC/Maryland/Virginia Area (DMV for those in the know)regardless of their name. Shane Falco? Big fan of that guy. Also the Art Monks and the Mark Rypiens, Even the Michael Westbrooks and Stephen Davis's, right on down to the RGIII's and the Brian Orakpos (hook 'em) on the team. I'm not tied to any name that people may rightfully deem offensive. Wouldn't affect my fandom in the slightest.

Where the 'was anyone offended?' argument goes the hell out the window.

Politicians from all over the country all of a sudden made this their focus, this being the great cause they chose to champion. It'll be interesting to see if people grill them on other things they may deem wrong, and if they fight so vehemently against those things. Am i going to have to switch to log cabin, because well, that damn Aunt Jemima looks like a mamm... nevermind. In the meantime, hail to the Re... whatever. Fight for all DC!

Funk Flex vs. Dame Dash - The "Culture Vulture" Faceoff

... this is getting good.

"I start my car... she calls me a nigger."

... you would've though he started a chainsaw for goodness sake!

First - (also, leading off with 'you people' really, really sours whatever point you want to make)

now, the video -

B. Ray and I were debating the validity of "Apple Bandwagoning" a few days back...

... maybe he has a point.

Ray J Can't Deal

Looks like a cry for help. From a jackass.

New Puppy, New Problems

Here we go again.