hate crime 04.11.07
imus needs to do some time.. serious time. God bless Jesse and them for calling for a 'national debate', i however am not sure what there is to debate. the man committed a hate crime and needs to charged as such. i am not interested in talking about it anymore. how many more books on race have to be written, African American Studies departments instituted at elite university's, how many more Oprah's, Jay-Z's, Russel Simmons', Cornel West's, Cheryl Miller's, Barack Obama's, Ken Chenault's, etc etc need there be to convince someone of our humanity and right to respect... imus must be made an example of.. he needs to be fired, stripped of his license, and brought up on charges. period.
ps. while this racist hateful remark coming from a professional, white male journalist is especially wrong and should be punished... the last person i heard call someone nappy-headed was a black woman, and last person referring to a black woman as a ho, was a black man... yah... we know that these sentiments come out of a self-hate instilled during slavery by white society (also why it's so jarring to hear them come out the og's mouth in 2007) but rappers (male and female), and black people (ditto) need to recognize and stop committing hate crimes against each other--- i just heard a journalist say imus was attempting to be hip-- whatever.. a 66 year old white man knows better than even a 20 year old, how un-hip and hateful this shit is.. i dont wanna give this too much of my energy.. peace yall
smoking parlour 04.08.07
so i went to see a play last night.. it was shakespeare's "cymbalene".. bout a king in pre-christian Britain-- but more about his daughter, imogene's virtue.. yaddi yaddi yadda.. imogene's in love with her half-brother, but she's been promised to marry her step-brother (i know the Royals are crazy), so half-brother is banished to rome.. half-brother however bets italian-stallion homeboy that his love imogene can't be tempted and is most virtuous.. he right.. she true blue.. but italian homeboy sneaks into her boudoir sneaks a peak at the mole on her breast, takes a bangle off her arm and returns to rome with proof enough that she's been tainted. the half-brother orders her killed for this and insanity ensues.. thanks shakespeare for helping to propagate this shit.. the murderer actually fakes imogene's death but in the end, imogene forgives her half-brother for attempting to kill her and all is forgiven.. yaddi yaddi yadda... yah. it was actually well done.. it was a british company and in english so i enjoyed it and the NT theatre here was quite beautiful.. they even had a smoking parlour with a chandelier, mouldings, and cool contemporary portraits on the walls.. i got one flick of the adjoining room, then my camera battery died.
pretty, huh.. this was just one of the lounges. it was a huge theatre..
but.. if i were in the ny right now i'd probably check out "Grey Gardens," now playing on Broadway! the Times critic heralds it as a narrative of failure breaking from the traditional narrative of American success. she calls it a new mood in America praising failure, ala Jennifer Hudson, the Office etc. etc. Not sure how "new" it is, America's failures have always paralleled it's successes, the underdog remains the favorite (no? well at least for me), even in popular culture... the blues, black people:), grunge, and quite literally beck with his ironically chart topping, "i'm a Loser baby.." yeah.. well.. in any case, i've had my share of bumps in the road- some would call them train wrecks, or failures.. but "failure" like beauty remains in the eye of the beholder... well, toodle loo and here's a snippet of the "greys gardens" review:
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/theater/08ishe.html?th&emc=th
"...Imagining a back story of family strife and disappointment for both the junior and senior Edies, they remind us that life's knocks have a way of warping all of us — even the most privileged — into slight (or sometimes extreme) caricatures of ourselves. In the second act, when the Beales have been transformed into a pair of living ghosts haunting a decaying mansion, the songs they sing open windows into their hearts, softening their gargoylishness.
As absurd as they appear the Beales are comfortingly human too. Their decline from hopeful dreamers to withdrawn oddballs may be extreme, but it traces in unusually gothic style an arc that shapes many a human journey. The lives we live as adults are rarely in neat accord with the heady dreams of youth. The seismic change that occurs in the fortunes of the Beales while the audience is chatting away merrily at intermission is a sneaky metaphor for the stealthy progress of fate in our own lives.
Few will leave the theater thinking: Little Edie Beale, c'est moi! But everyone of a certain age (say 30) has probably lived through a few of those startling moments when you take stock of your life as it is and wonder: How did I get here, exactly? When did the curves come that moved me away from one destiny and toward another? I guess it all must have happened during intermission."
(while i was in the smoking parlour;-) if you check it, lemme know what you think. peace, zu
oh, some recent flicks..
me and radna at sandrijn's bday
me and lenn at alex's bday
me and jason when he played rotterdam
easter lunch at the davis'
the davis'
sunday drive
sandrijn striking a pose
diggin 03.22.07
so favorate find in my limited adventures in digging...
Biggie Live in London LP 1995.
Tim Westwood (of Radio One UK) pressed it on vinyl (and was the promoter of the show). I found it at Rush Hour records on spuistraat in Amsterdam on my way to class one day. It's beautiful.. Biggie in London yo:). As with most early hip hop shows, sound is pretty bad, or dirty- some prefer it that way. Biggie talkin to the british crowd is priceless.. shouts of "is south london in the house tonight?? this our first time out, we gonna rip this shit..." even Puff's not so bad as a hypeman "the reason why i'm jumpin in the crowd is i wanna get to know y'all... its good to meet y'all niggas, i didnt see y'all the whole time i was here.."
speaking of, i got a weekend of kool-ass concerts to go to:
friday: schooly D in rotterdam
saturday: jason moran (blue note jazz pianist and a girlfriend's hubby) in rotterdam
sunday: puff and snoop at heineken music hall in amsterdam
(jason's also playing in damsko at the Bimhuis on sunday- holler if you a friend and want list;).. now back to work. love.
the times 03.20.07
i just read a gross editorial in the new york timesabout the indictment of the officers involved in the Sean Bell murder. (ROBERT LEUCI Only one thing is certain in the Sean Bell case: tragedy. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/opinion/20leuci.html?th&emc=th). while i'm assuming they wanted to represent a different perspective on the indictment, the editorial by the former nypd detective ('61-'81) is a horrible case of bad timing, insensitivity and irresponsible journalism (i am one of those that actually expect more from the times).
While Leuci calls shootings involving the police tragic - he does understand. having served with Volpe's father on the force he understands how in high tension circumstances one would shove a stick up a prisoner's ass, or when a tall African fitting the description of a serial rapist steps into a vestibule, reaches for his wallet, 41 shots are warranted.. and how when a young man (even if you went to the same high school and played on the same baseball team as him fifty years earlier) is out at a strip bar in Queens and one of his friends has been previously arrested for armed robbery, he may have caused the shooting by attempting to drive away when an undercover cop approaches.
tragic yet understandable disgusts me and shame on the times for printing such a view at a time like this - even in the editorials. They need to to have editorials about the lack of ethics and morals in the police department and academy. I don't care what color the cop is.. they are trained to fear and despise black men even if they are themselves... nuthin new 'black cop' (yes i tuck it in my sock blog -- i couldnt imagine such a position). the ease with which these men (i say men here because these cases only involve male officers) reach for their guns, fire, and continue to do so shows not only a lack of training in morality and ethics, but hostile situations, and marksmanship, yo. i used to live next to the academy on 20th and 2nd and hated when they used to get out, congregating in front of my window, and pushing past me in line at the korean market on the corner.. it wasn't a good beginning and these "tragic" endings happen much to frequently.
apologetic editorials about the pressures of being a cop that lack an actual apology for the 91 shots described and rape with a broom, mopstick (whatever it was), sicken me. i however am happy with the three indictments and if the two cops that were not indicted, did not fire their guns, than so be it. it is the guilty parties who must serve for these crimes against humanity and the black male citizens of new york (God bless you for stepping out your doors each morning and daring to drive a car, gasp!). however, the police department must also acknowledge this tragedy and if they wanna show some understanding the senior officer in their Queens precent should step down, if not Ray Kelly himself.
room music 03.13.07
went to a chamber music concert tonight.. my landlady has an abonnement -- or a subscription.. we went last month as well. was lovely. in dutch it's kamermuziek or room music (direct tranlsation), 4 string instruments. once again - i was the only person of color.. well we went with an 87 year old indonesian princess -- but suppose all the years in holland drained all the color.. she looked quite white to me. she was a lovely lady (theres that word again, tis a lovely word:). she wore a leopard (yeah real deal) vest -- she explained it was the lining of a raincoat, she preferred the lining to the coat. we had a great, well grand time and the music was great.. had same thought as last time i went -- that the music.. itself, leaves youto yourself.. it doesnt try to engage you but propels you to your ownself. it infact gives you... room. chamber music was designed for royalty.. to be played in palaces where there wasn't room for an entire orchestra. tis an economy.. but also a gift.. where we're able to be on our own. everyone needs a little room.. a room of one's own per se. pretty individualistic in the grand european tradition of enlightenment. perhaps why in the end i prefer hip hop- an african derived music of call and response-- where we engage with each other.. but the space, the room, the music provided wass quite nice. i enjoyed the piece by hayden best -- but the last piece by beethoven (whom my landlord confided was rumored to have ejaculation issues), which in the last movement kept seeming as if it was going to end but didnt (the faux crescendos engaging us).. but eventually did (the audience releasing a collective gasp), was most profound.
"Bravo!"
..tis also what we tell my baby brother when he does something good – these days it's pretty infrequent (terrible twos), and I of course probably give him too much 'room' to act up… or b brilliant… time will tell. ..
something good 01.30.07
two-fer tuesdays...
i went to see Boot Camp Click this weekend (they were playing with Dead Prez at Paradiso in Amsterdam).. besides being quite a wonderful trip down memory lane.. dancing, reciting lyrics and gestulating my arms wildly, it was a great show and a friend i brought along who didnt know how BCC got down and had only heard Heltah Skeltah before had a great time dancing as well with a smile plastered on her face the whole time... and guess what? today, Sean Price (formerly Ruck of Heltah Skeltah) will release his record, Jesus Price Superstar! If it's anything like he was spittin the other night.. you need to get it. he's kinda channeling Biggie (BK baby), but yeah check it, yo. you can click on below link (or paste into browser - i aint too swift with this) to cop the cd:
http://www.duckdown.comMerchant2merchant.mvcScreen=PROD&Store_Code=DDS&Product_Code=SPJPS&Category_Code=FLC
Also - yesterday Mark Ronson released the first single from his new album, VERSION. Mark's an old friend and I recently got to hear him spin for old-times sake in London on New Years (Rocked it!). I really like Mark's new stuff iand can't wait for his record, you should also check what he's been doing with british songstresses, Lilly Allen and Amy Winehouse (if you didnt know he produced the track with her on More Fish) and on his label ALL I DO with Domino (love them!) and Chi-town's Rhymefest..
Here's the info for the single:
It's a super-limited edition 10" piece of vinyl with my cover of "Toxic" (feat. Dirt McGirt and Tiggas) on one side and my "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" (feat. the Daptone Horns) on the other.
You can order it here, if you like pictures:
http://www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=610199
I wish I knew how to put pictures on this thing..
Well, act like you know, yo :)
drama 01.21.07
racketeering charges!? thats fucking crazy.. who knows if he's been handling his I-20 tax forms, but racketeering.. this is some serious shit if the government think they can do this. the entire hip hop community should be up in arms and the music industry needs to step up to make sure that no other djs get burned for basically acting as a marketing and promotions arm for them.... i saw also on sohh.com that kenneth mcgriff aka supreme and jacob the jeweler both want our friendly neighborhood hip hop moguls to testify at their trials... thats on them but i know they better also stand up to the RIAA and the powers that be to protect this culture that got them where they are..
drama on the other hand seems calm.. i read that after he got released on $100,000 bail he went up to Hot in Atlanta and shouted out his upcoming record.. he may be able to handle this and move on to his "real" album release, but what of all the djs doing it from chi-town to long beach, and jamaica ave. without label deals... theyre comin for ya, yo.
ps. mos def - and the sister ronson were both in the next 8 on my friends list -- so funny after i mentioned mos in yesterdays blog.. he doesnt have any new shit on his page.. so you gotta check mark's podcast - or buy the record (i know... sooooooo 2001). xo zu
blackout 01.20.07
so if you're visiting my page on any sort of regular basis... i see you! just kidding - do those things really work? and who really cares... in any case, you may have noticed i'm rotating my top 24 every day -- yo i got alot of time oon my hands.. and one love yo.. sooo... twas funny this saturday morning when i put the next 8 in rotation and alas it was kareem black (photographer friend), black child (murder inc yo - yeah i worked with dem dudes too), and black sheep all in a row.. its not even random, it's the sequential order they appear on my friends list.. what does it mean??????
oh, sorry if you thought this was gonna be some sort of of black nationalist manifesto or about the electric outages across europe due to that crazy storm that hit on thursday --- or is it? :)
xo zulu
ps. here's a treat/tip: check out mark ronsons evr radio show.. all kinds of euro shit + new mosdef:). you can get the podcast at his myspace blog. peace, yo.
family day 01.12.07
when i was young, like I guess starting when i was like 6 or 7 my family and a group of other families would get together in mid january for FAMILY DAY :). just thinking about it makes me smile. It was a made up holiday in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. This of course was way before it was a national holiday and 'instituted' by my parents and their friends to celebrate this great man. It was basically a bunch of black families getting together at someones house, usually at my Dad's best friend, Brother Takbir's house in Laurelton, Queens cuz they had the biggest basement and a piano... yes a piano, because at family day all the kids had to get up and perform. we'd pretty much spend the first two weeks of the year preparing this performance, sometimes it was a song, or a tap dance (dat was me), or an ensemble performance of a rap song, and of course some brave soul would memorize the "i have a dream" speech and recite it to cap off the evening. it was a wonderful day.. we looked forward to it all year.. it was a chance to get together with all our friends.. a community consciously established by our parents to nurture, sustain, and provide for us - - and eat, play, celebrate, and be together... i dont know.. i've not been very verbose lately and this blog doesnt seem to have conveyed the importance of this holiday... it was beautiful.. well have a wonderful weekend. party hard on sunday night!! i'll be thinking of you --- my family, given and chosen that continue to keep Dr. King's dream alive. give thanks. love, Zu
www.dampalestine.com 12.11.06
i went to this rap4justice event in amsterdam lastnight.. they showed clips from a documentary on hip hop in palestine and amoungst palestinians living in israel and the gaza strip. it was some serious shit. they had three groups from the area perform after the clips and a short talk about their relationship with hip hop (they did say that while they hold up tupac and mos def as heroes most of what goes on in hip hop now is irrelevant to them.. though when asked what they would rhyme about if peace were ever able to be achieved.. this mc, tamir, said 'jobs':). but it was amazing, if you could see what this form does for these folks that live in conditions and are fighting a battle thats inconceivable at least for me... it was powerful. one of the most powerful manifestations of the culture i ever seen. these guys were adamantly non-violent, feel there has been enough violence, but have found an answer and peace in the dialog created with hip hop. their dj/producer is jewish/israeli (though they joked - dont clap too hard for him, he's jewish, lol), do collabos with jew/israeli mc's (this seems a more tenuous relationship, but hip hop is the thread that keeps them together..), and work in the community with the kids doing hip hop workshops (leading "i am somebody" chants amongst the kids). ..and.. in the midst of their rhymes about having no country, and being under attack and the guns vs. stones debacle.. they wrote a song about women, muslim women and their need for liberation, not to be oppressed, and urged them to hold there heads high... it was fucking amazing.. i dont know what i can do.. but was so happy that they were able to use a form from my land to inspire hope in themselves (they said when they feel down, about for instance the tanks outside their windows, or friends being "martyred", they write a rhyme and feel better...) and their people. hip hop may not be THE answer (as i tend to think on most days:), but it is an answer.. bless, Z
ps.they had translations of their rhymes on the screen last night but i couldnt find any on the site.. but their bio and rest of text on site etc is in english if youre interested. one.
transition 12.07.06
there was a crazy storm this afternoon. well it started this morning and i had to ride in the wind and rain at 8:30 am to class.. that was difficult - a little depressing- and who told me to wear a (wool) dress.. took me forever to dry off (yeah..). the rain was so bad my professor had parked her bike halfway into school and took a cab (folks dont take cabs over here --and its really not an option for me -- guess i coulda parked and took a tram thought about it but was runnin a lil late and had to do a presentation today-- the media component is at www.myspace.com/betweenmediazk if you wanna check it out). anyway, the rain slowed down just in time for me to ride home. just as i stepped in the door it started thundering and lightning. it was a little scary.. i dont know, maybe cuz i live on the top floor i think i'm gonna get struck by lightning or something.. but the sky darkened and the streetlights even came on.. i was like, might as well settle in for the storm, i got myself some tea and read a friends blog, but then, like 30 mins later or something, all of a sudden it was like someone shone a bright light in the apartment. i thought maybe lightning had really struck outside and somethin was on fire... but i looked outside and the sun was shining this bright yellow/orange light on everything (i guess cuz it was almost dusk it had the wierd color, and the clouds had TOTALLY disappeared).. it was beautiful. then i look up and there was a rainbow across the sky.. it was such an amazing, sudden transition. just like that .
school shit 12.04.06
so, just got back from this lecture at school. it was a visiting professor from Dublin takin about "whats the use of critical theory".. critical theory is all i study so was very interested to see what she had to say. it was interesting.. she posited that implicit in all critical theory was the longing for a 'good society' and that all critical theory must try to attain a sort of 'transcendent ethics'. it was cool, really positive - for the world of 'critical' theory at least. most of the questions by the professors present (i endedup being only 'student' there), were as to whether or not this 'transcendent ethics' posited on a contextual universal model ignored material, the political etc. She responded that her theory leaves it open to achieve this transcendent ethical object - an as yet impossible object - by any means necessary, per se - imagination, myth etc. this is achieved through a battle of sorts between different theories.
my comment - which ended up being the last one.. was that it need not be a battle between these theories. but working with multiple theories simultaneously, plus myth, and literature, and fucking HIP HOP. i mentioned these theorists laclau & mouffe whom have a theory of ARTICULATION. I have previously written a paper on these guys -- got a 9/10, so think i understood them correctly -- that social movements can come together through a "chain of equivalences" -- communicating, connecting on that which is similar -- equivalent (and thus universal?) in creating something new. i see that same potential within critical theory. we can work with heidigger and derrida, marx and hegel, martin and malcolm, jay-Z and mos def etc. yet, i see every day in the academy (and the world), this BATTLE.. professors battling professors (it gets ugly), walkouts in seminars (ridiculous), bush championing democracy and capitalism, fundameltalists championing an out dated form of Islam.. cuz folks cant move beyond 'the battle', the criticism of one another.. yeah criticism is necessary.. the world is fucked up.. see all of my blogs... but then what is OUR PROJECT.. the criticism of the world is so apparent.. we know its fucked up.. but how do we make it better?? something these folks cant even achieve within their secluded ivory tower. instead they sit around talkin bout another battle or confrontation to attain a 'transcendent ethics'.
i dont know what the answer is, but as we were leaving someone mentioned how sinterklaas holiday was tomorrow.. and i was like well thats something we can all agree on as wrong (getting back to their critical stance;)..and this guy was like no its "gezelig" (cozy, warm etc) -- yeah yeah.. and i admitted that the poems were really nice.. but this guy could not concede to my pain of seeing a slave (who makes the holiday possible via his unpaid labour.. still acting like a slave - go and fetch it for sinterklaas) running around the streets of the netherlands during this season. i said my goodbyes and went to have a cigarette.
it was insane that these people were sitting around in a wood paneled room with dead white men on the walls talking about the need to remain critical "remember suffering" etc. and shoot down any sort of positive solution to make things better, and then turn around and negate my pain over this holiday.. ridiculous.. it makes it really difficult.. the light is not to be found in academia... its on myspace!! i'm half kidding. love you. you keep me sane. really.
what is going on 12.03.06
did you know that sadat x was on rikers island? and not performing or teaching.... i think it's on weapon charges.... he's posting blogs on his myspace page http://www.myspace.com/sadatx if you wanna check him. also, royce the 5'9" is in jail in detroit.. not sure the charges. but what is going on? you can write him at:
Ryan Montgomery #294855
1690 BROWN RD.
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
tis the season 12.02.06
hey yo, so it's that time of the year in holland -- sinterklaas is back! this is my third season and it's just as jarring as ever. the below is an email i sent to some friends back home after sinterklaas 05 - the pics on my profile are also from 05.. dont worry, black piet's still alive and kickin in 06. i just dont have the stomach to do anymore documentation...
Hi -
Happy New Year!
A couple folks emailed me in horror when they hear bout zwartepiet - santa's black-faced slave over here. I'm thinking i may have shared
some of this with you last year - forgive me if this is redundant. but yeah, i've gone through it twice now and misery loves company:). This year I took some pics of ZwartePiet. Lemme tell you, he wasnt hard to find - he's more dutch than clogs. Just some background: Sinterklaas is the sainted Spanish merchant that good old santa claus is based on. In holland, Sinterklaas is a separate holiday from Christmas (and bigger), is totally secular and celebrated the first week in December. At that time Sinterklaas arrives with his slave, ZwartePiet, to deliver homemade gifts to all the children of Holland. This Sinterklaas actually did exist at one point, a benevolent gift giver, he was also a slave holder.
So... fast forward to 2005, and Sinterklaas season comes around and you cannot fnd him anywhere. Maybe on tv, you'll see a reenactment of
his arrival - being led on his horse by the numerous piets/slaves
walking beside him -- but then for the rest of the season all you see
is Piet, out and about, in supermarket circulars, department stores,
decorations, at sinterklaas parties and walking down the street (in
black face, big gold hoop earrings and a curly fro). He's a huge
marketing tool (harkens right back to the good ol days, 'remember when
blackfolks did shit for us for free' -- oh but wait, now we have the
north africans and eastern europeans;). i thought there might be a
general redefiniton of the holiday celebrating with my classmates -
kinda like thanksgiving, where its about the sharing and we "ignore"
the fucked up history.. well, thats not quiet what happened. all the
gifts are made by hand, usually from papier mache and accompanied with
a poem written by your "secret santa/piet". I got a papier mache "big
apple" (with insence and some indian bracelets inside) from a
classmate who has a masters in psychology and is now going for a
second masters in cultural analysis.. yeah, even the dutch
"intellectuals" have no problem promoting this holiday. well...here
goes the poem.. you can skip it and go straight to the pics -- but
thought it might give a little insight into this craziness:
Dear Zuhairah,
Sinterklaas said to his Pietenbaas: "Zuhairah dear I'm very pleased to
see that you came from afar to meet me..." Oversees my good friend
Santa Claus arranges my affairs sees to all my children, handles
everything with care. I myself live in SPain, you see, most of the
year But in December I get on my boat and to Holland I steer... It has
come to my attention that you come from the states that land of
opportunity, the land of Bush and Bill Gates... I myself have never
been there But I would love to come someday See the staue of liberty,
even though it's a cliche. My head of Piets has explained that New
York is your capital, Like Amsterdam here or Madrid in Spain.. But he
has repeated over and over again (and i must say in vain) that your
capital has yet another name... It is called an Apple! Like Gwyneth
Paltrows child perhaps or like a computer brand? No, my head of Piets
insisted, 'you dont understand!' It's just an apple. A big one at
that.' Dear dear, I'm afraid I'm getting too old for all these funny
tricks Well whatever pushes your buttons, whatever gives you kicks! An
apple it is and a big one you get... Now with all this said: Zuhairah,
I hope you enjoy the apple's heart in this case it's the best part...
Sincerely,
Sinterklaas (a.k.a. the Sint) and his Pietenbaas (aka Head of Piets)
okay, i was touched by the big apple, as i was feeling particuarly
homesick over the holiday. but was truly offended (and hurt) by this
celebration of piet and vehement defense of his master...well now that ive made it through the holiday, i'm pretty happy in
holland. looking forward to 2006, but missing that big juicy apple and
all of you. stay up.
xoxoxo zu
we all stare at the out of towners 11.26.06
OK so back to the blah blah blog.. had some up here, then took them down, also have a blog at http://zutopia.blogspot.com, tis a bunch of my reflections my first year in Holland, on this country, home, hip hop, religion.. but from my travellers perspective.. i just went back and reread them, theyre pretty interesting if you wanna check them out and go back to march 05...
so, but i was prompted to write this blog cuz of some funny shit that happened last night.. yeah, so i'm living in amsterdam now.. in the west, and have had a very low key weekend. last night, saturday night i decide to stay in, i no longer have an income, am mooching off my gracious loving, AMAZING, parents this last year as I finish up the masters, so yeah, i'm like let me sit in tonight.. even though my girl djassi from college is here with her dance company momix (check'em) and heading to the club tonight.. so around 1 am, my roomie bibi is like you shld come around the corner to soundgarden.. its our neighborhood bar.. its also a "rock (and fucking) roll" bar, as it read on a woman in a leather mini skirt and cowboy boots' t-shirt that was there. it's literally a 3 minute bike ride and beers are 1.80 euro, i had half a pack of cigarettes and some thriller was on bbc which i wasnt really interested in watching... so i go meet bibi and her boy (homeboy) ingmar (who "believes" in all his girls, thanks!:) at sound garden, the rock (and fucking roll bar).. its cool, the dj is playing all old soul and funk records.. and i decide to get one more beer and turn to go to the bar and "i see black people" walking through the door. i turn to bibi and we laugh cuz we're thinking the same thing.. peoples, yo. i notice one's tall with a mitchell and ness baseball cap and i'm thinkin african maybe and cant see the other.. then all of a sudden keith (fucking) murray is standing in front of me and as i'm thinking it, the words come out of my mouth "youre keith murray".. it was so fucking random i couldnt believe it. i knew he and epmd were in town.. i'm still tryin to go to the show tomorrow, but last night they were making a track live at this thing called "de Hop" with a dutch producer all the way in the north of amsterdam.. about 30 min bike ride from my hood (and the bar). they had passed thousands of bars and at least a dozen hip hop parties to get to the soundgarden. they were with some dutch girls and i guess they wanted some place they could be on the low (?).. anyhoo, they took a seat right next to us and keith later on said to me that he felt he was surrounded by skinheads.. i told him there was nothing to worry about and me andbibs had his back if it went down;)-- when i got home i remembered his charges stemming from some barstool incident.. guess he wouldnt have needed our help.. anyway that was it.. it was really funny and random,, i know all yall know celebs, work with celebs, ARE celebs (holler!), but it was real nice to have keith murray come through my neighborhood bar in west amsterdam... felt real homey... and if those mofos did turn out to be skinheads, to have some peoples;). my poor ass did not ask for the list for tomorrow (sorry samirah), shoulda traded for the three cigarettes he and his lady friends bummed from me.. but yeah was real cool evening.
myspace blogs
i will be reposting some of my myspace blogs here... tryin to focus, man.
