Monday, December 29, 2008

In Memory of Ice

This past Christmas season, Black Roses Crew lost yet another member of it's family. The loss of Ice, marks the second major dancer gunned down from the crew. I cannot speak on the cause of these tragic murders but I will say it's ridiculous.

I recall Ice 'taking it to dem' in Beenie's World Dance video. I would rewind the video countless times to capture Ice's every move. My fondest memory is the first time seeing Ice dance live. My friend and I were at an Ouch Crew dance at La Roose in Portmore. Black Roses took their spot, center stage. And Ice just glided on the concrete on his tippy toes as if he was literally on ice. I watched without blinking, certain to bring some of the moves back to the states.

I know in the dance, violence and good times go hand in hand. For a while Ice appeared to be the lone survivor of Black Roses, still innovating new moves to bust in the dance. Still taking it to the new cats who were destined to dance their way to the top. Now I don't know if this is an isolated incident or one to silence Black Roses for good, but whatever the issues are, the violence and disrespect for mankind has to end. And I pray this tragedy doesn't end in folks pointing fingers at which artist or dancer is responsible for Ice's murder. I hope justice is served. I hope the dancehall continues to be an arena for ghetto youth to dance or dj their way from JA to Japan to New York to Germany to Cape Town and so forth.

R.I.P Ice. Gone too soon and will never be forgotten.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Suck a fat one Bob

So Bob Costas and Ato Bolden are talking fuckery about Usain Bolt celebrating before crossing the finish line. Shit like it's not fair to the other runners and the Olympics and the audience as a whole. Are they fucking kidding me? Bolt is 21 years old and was in the midst of accomplishing history. Who the hell are they to determine how he should respond. I'm really side-eying Ato, because he should know the adrenaline and excitement that Bolt was feeling. Bob is just being a dope as usual, he probably was having withdrawal symptoms from leaning off of Phelps’ balls to even discuss track and field.

My opinion, as you may already assume, is Bolt can do whatever the hell he wants. He didn't flip the bird to the other Olympians, the youth was simply overjoyed. Is there a book of etiquette for how one should celebrate? What about the volleyball player running up in the stands after his victory? I didn't hear shit about that. Bob also says that Bolt slowed his numbers down by the early celebration. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. It's his record to make or break. He clearly was in the lead and won. Damn must we 'yes massa, I's sure happy I won' all the damn time?

Bolt to the world! He should have nah lingered with the sweep all the way to the finish line.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Take it to them Jamaica!!!

I've been enjoying the Olympics so far. But my highlight was track and field. Too bad, so sad for Tyson Gay. Jamaica just came well prepared to damage hopes and dreams. Usain Bolt took the gold for the men with ease. Dude was beating his chest and opening his arms like 'what' before even crossing the finish line. The ultimate was when he bust the Nah Linga with his sneaker in one hand and flag in the other. Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson, and Kerron Stewart conquered the gold and silver. The youth basically snatched this one from the old timers.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Take it to them Ray



I've always been a fan of Ray Allen, but have not been feeling his play in some of these play off games. But watching him play the entire game on Thursday and blow past the young legs of Sasha Vuyacic, was exciting indeed. And the finish was oh so sweet. Not to mention the Celtics lost me when I saw them go down by double digits early. I tuned back in toward the end of the third quarter to see them storm back from a 24 point deficit. And sat astonished as they took the lead and ran with it. Go Boston!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

What would you do?

Folks, what would you do if you were boning or getting boned and you or your partner's pacemaker went off?

A relative told me he was down at the Thursday nightspot dancing Salsa and something felt like it hit him in the back of his head. The shock sent him to the floor causing him to land on one knee. His auto response was, ‘who did that?’ as he assumed his fiancĂ© came along and knocked him upside his head with a ‘pipe’. He later learned upon getting an exact reading of when his pacemaker went off, that it was (get down on it) Thursday in the midst of his spicy two-step.

I found this whole ordeal to be severely humorous because said relative swears he’s a sugar mac daddy.

Fellas, watch your pace…

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Blazin De Trail


And just like that it's a year gone again. My friends and I went to MSG to see Machel and friends perform. Of course it was spectacular, but not as amazing as last year. The special guests included, The Mighty Sparrow, Patrice Roberts, Peter Ram (delish), Ricky T (screams Pressure Boom!), Macka Diamond, Pitbull, and others I can't think of at the moment. I had a great time, the crowd was profound. To see all the hands waving rags in the air was just joyful. Though Machel's pants were kind of snug, he still juked and whine. The highlight of the show for me, was when he performed Jamishness and then Ricky T came out. I nearly lost it and I thought I was going to fall into the row in front of me. Once again thumbs up Machel Montano you tore down the Garden's stage again.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Love is Blind, But a black eye is black

Why do women justify being abused. How does a punch become a scratch in 2 days? Don't kick someone out unless you mean it. If a dude laid hands on me he would not be able to re-enter my home period. And if he was crying then we'd have to go another round. I do not understand how my beautiful black sisters can take abuse and then make excuses for why their asses were kicked. Bottom line is, the dude meant to do it. There was no accident, his hand wanted to land on your eye, nose, bottom lip, lower back, etc... The bum is only crying because he realizes he has nowhere to stay and hell it's still cold at night in the NYC. Stop saying 'oh it's because he's...' I don't give a fuck where a dude is born, abuse is unacceptable. I can't tell anyone how to live their life, but I'll be damned if I'm using concealer to cover up black eyes. I've been blessed to have never been put in a circumstance where a dude was feeling froggy enough to leap, but I am also blessed at knowing how to choose a dude that loves life. Ladies love you!

Monday, January 21, 2008

A Moment to Reflect

I'd like to take the observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day to discuss my mom's experience in Wilmington, North Carolina. In the late 60's as my mom sat in New Hanover High learning history with no account of her African American history, a follower of Rev. Ben Shafer entered the classroom. With great intensity he shouted, "Get out of class, come and march. There is a revolution going on!" My mom recalls jumping out of her seat without hesitation. My mom and several classmates joined Rev. Ben Shafer and his followers (I believe they were known as Wilmington 10) in a march against injustices of Blacks in Wilmington. They went from the streets to the church. The protest was interrupted when shots were fired from a car. The protesters shot back letting the racists know that they were not going to stand down and watch while their brothers and sisters and children were being destroyed.

Over the years I loved to hear my mom tell this story. She said it was always the youth who helped to bring about change because they were fearless. The older populace were set in their ways and they didn't want to 'start trouble' by marching and challenging the status quo. So it was her generation at the time who supported Martin Luther King Jr.

The unified voice of people of color has lost its steam. In today's society, the youth are taking advantage of what our parents had to fight for. They are embodying too much of the individualistic mindset that this society promotes. Please reflect on the purpose of Martin Luther King Jr's dream. His dream was one of uniting a nation for the improvement of humanity, not just for self-improvement through monetary or material gain.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Old Man Magnet

I find myself asking, why is it that old ass dudes are always attracted to me. I have a friend who is the opposite, she's older and adores the young guys. Then I compare our personalities. She's a very out-going people person. On the other hand, I am more reserved (except at a party) and to myself. I find myself telling her to calm down sometimes. I have my Nana's spirit in me big time. I often hold my finger to my mouth and tell grown ass folks 'ssh' if I feel they are speaking too loud.

Aside from the personality, I do not have a geriatric swagger. What the hell is wrong with these men, I would not want to try and talk to someone who was just learning to walk while I was in my junior year of freaking High School! Another thing is the older guys have a been there done that mentality whereas they try to suck the youth out of you and make you just as old and miserable as them but without the fun.

I hope this year is a year of new beings in my life, who if I say 'I don't believe you, you need more people', they don't turn and look at me like, 'what? who are these people you speak of'.