Walking through the parking garage, I hear chants or bitch this and bitch that…. I turn the corner and catch these girls getting it on! I had a few cuts of this before I went over to see what’s the word. I guess they were fighting over who stole who’s boyfried… stupid tricks…
Smokin’ Grooves Tour 2002
2002 kicked off the start of the Smokin Grooves tour in Nor Cal. The show was one of this years biggest hip hop tours, starting out a lil rocky with this first show at Shoreline in Mountain View, CA. The show was bangin’ all the way through to the explosive finale. J5 had quality control on the stage and showed the crowd who’s really golden, The Roots proved there were no clones out there that can funk a joint like they can and then came Outkast, elevating the show and bringing out all the classics including one of my favorite’s “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”. The three mentioned rocked the show for me, but also shared the stage with Truth Hurts, Cee-Lo, and Lauryn Hill.
This year’s line up started with Cee-Lo, who’d been touring earlier with Musiq and now found himself flowing to 17,000+ fans. We missed his set coming in late during the next crew – Truth Hurts. The only track I know of their’s is Addictive but with out Rakim sharing the stage on this track I found no point to check them out. I went to the bar instead and got prepared for Jurrasic 5, a crew I’ve wanted to check out since 97 when I walked away from some house party with one of their teaser CDs. J5 is true to the form as they “take 4 EMCEES and make them sound like one”. Those being: Marc 7even, Chali 2na, Zaakir and Akil but don’t forget the two DJs: Cut Chemist (also a part of Ozomatli and working with the likes of DJ Shadow and spinning vs. sets with Shortkut at SF’s Future Primitive Sound Session) and DJ Nu-Mark who also saddles up at the FPS sessions. J5 rolled out the classics but I still see them as a crew that would perform better headlining at a smaller venue. Check out “Power In Numbers” to be released on October 8th.
Next Lauryn Hill took the stage with little more than a stool and an acoustic guitar as she played her newer “unplugged” material, which is much more political and personal than the funky fun of The Miseduction of Lauryn Hill. I napped on the lawn for this one and waited for Roots to take up the energy again. The Roots took the stage with little more than a back drop of their new album cover Phrenology but brought the energy up for Outkast. Outkast took the show with a huge stage presence. When the tour first started out, Cypress Hill and Lauryn were headlining and Outkast was the warm up act. Now in over half a decade the tables have swapped as Big Boi and crew take the final props in a hail storm of confetti.
Pics: #1-Jurrasic5 , #2-Roots, #3-Outkast, #4-Finalle, J5 Clip… Until the next….
America’s Day in San Diego
Some last minute ideas came through for the 4th and I rolled down to San Diego with some boys to hit the largest 4th of July celebration on the west coast. Pacific Beach and all it’s dirty, ghetto, bikini clad, So-Cal glory. The residence was accommodating, complete with 3rd level viewing deck for watching the Marine World’s fireworks, or just practicing nude T’ai Chi Chi Kung. No rest for the wicked, but obviously the wicked were not at Larry Flint’s Hustler party. Apparently he was casting for some movies at his sex shop earlier that day and had the after party at On Broadway but I didn’t see any pornstars but of course I’ve never seen any porn so I probably wouldn’t know what to look for. I find it a little pretentious that they call this place an event center…it’s just a bank turned club and yes it’s nice but tell it like it is – a bank turned wanna be upper echelon club!
DJ Dan did play a wicked set, actually better than I’ve heard him in the bay lately…I guess he’s tired of the home town crowd. And I give props for Paulie P and his crew as we seemed to roll with to each event he had going on all week (respect D Reyes for the hook ups).
The beach was off the hook…about a million people on both the bay side and beach side of PB, cruzin’, boozin’, dancin’ and celebratin’ for America’s freedom. I can say I did here quite a few renditions of the Pledge of Allegiance with God in the verse. I was a little worse for wear thinking that my thin white shirt would protect me from the Hades like burn I received that day. I would have to say the highlight was the old skool feelin of groovin’ on the beach, having a great time and not giving a shit about responsibilities and regulations – just going for it!!!
Random thought: More burritos than toilets in SD but at least most of the time there decent…well at least the burritos are.
Managed to meet everyone in SD down at Ole Madrid’s in DT San Diego. Nice place except the first DJ was playing not only CDs but he was playing the whole Mixed CD disc of Mark Farina’s Session One. He was even pretending to work the board to Farina’s trademark filters and EQ tricks…. what a spoof! And worse the promoters thought we were hating on the DJ…well yeah?!?
After the close out of Ole’s we conjured up the cabs and headed to Club Montage located in the warehouse district of northern SD. It’s quite industrial and ghetto (2 porta-potties located ground floor by the entrance for bathrooms – build a toilet why don’t you!) SRH and Paulie P’s Studio 54 was going on/off this Friday with Paul van Dyke and Scooter & Lavell. They don’t like when the club boasts of the 5-room maze, my first time through got me twisted. Not a PVD fan but S&L DJ’s rocked the house with some dope scratch-hard house combos…yeah I said HH… I guess it helps when you 2×4 and you don’t have to listen to the same rhythmless beat for 4-5 minutes. Good party, but the roof is the spot in the summer.
The week didn’t end without a trip through the PB bars and relaxing the day away on the beach, by the pool and over all a great road trip with friends showing that socially American’s know how to live it up. What I still don’t know is how long will it take for the GP to learn respect for our environment and will we as a people learn to be as vocal within our own private circles as should be about our public/global portrayal of ourselves.
President Honors Veterans at West Virginia Fourth of July Celebration
“Sixty years ago, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, General George C. Marshall declared that “before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom, on the one hand, and of overwhelming power on the other.” This is our purpose again today. Once again, history has called America to use our overwhelming power in the defense of freedom. And we’ll do just that.” ~ President George W. Bush
Chewbacca: “Aaaaarrrgh!”
C-3PO: “He made a fair move. Screaming about it can’t help you.”
Solo: “Let him have it. It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee.”
C-3PO: “But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid.”
Solo: “That’s ’cause droids don’t pull people’s arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that.”
Chewbacca: “Grrrrr…”
C-3PO: “I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy, R2 – let the Wookiee win.”
STAR WARS Episode III