'37 Buick Special

Special thanks are in order for Mr. Krantz who allowed me to invade his home and shoot this magnificent motor coach.

 

  

  

 

Marsha Abrosius Mixtape

Floetry was a breath of fresh air when they first hit the scene in 2002 with "Floetic".  I remember seeing them live in NJ with India.Arie and being completely floored at how good a live singer Marsha is.  The album really did her NO justice whatsoever.  She's truly a phenomenal singer.

To give her fans a bit of appeasement until the release of her solo album, "Late Nights and Early Mornings" she released this "mixtape".  Click the link below to download.  There is no title or cover.

Marsha Ambrosius Mixtape Download

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Let Me Go
3. Put It On Repeat  Ft. Angelique
4. She Don’t Matter
5. This Love Ft. Glenn Lewis
6. Storm
7. Glass
8. Take Care

1st Annual Harlem Fine Arts Show

 Sir Shadow - One Line Art

Bring the renaissance back!  Harlem is doing it big for Black artists and today was the first day of the the 1st annual Harlem Fine Arts Show.  The event is being held at the historic 369th Regiment Armory in Harlem.  This armory was the home of the first all Black squad to serve overseas.  (World War I)  They were known as the "Harlem Hellfighters".

The event will showcase the works of over 60 artists.  If you have some time, definitely go over to support Black artists.

The Armory is at 2366 5th Ave. (between 142nd and 143rd Sts.) New York, NY 10037

Hours tomorrow, February 21st, are from 11 am to 7 pm.  Admission is $20.00 for adults and $10.00 for children age 12 and under.

More information on the history of the 369th Regiment Armory

Kevin Durant at House of Hoops

Yesterday, I won preferred entrance to a Kevin Durant meet and greet event at House of Hoops Harlem today.  There was a mini event held on Twitter.  I won by being one of the first 35 people to retweet a message from Nike Basketball.  I was super excited to know that I'd just won a chance to see my current favorite NBA player.

The event was supposed to kick off at 3:30 pm.  It didn't start until just after 5 pm though.  It was a bit too cold to be standing outside for an hour or more but I thought it would be worth the discomfort.

Once KD entered the building it was on and poppin'....or so I thought.  The event turned out to be a BIG letdown.  He answered no more than 3 direct questions and mumbled his way through those so much that it was difficult to even understand what he was saying.  All other questions were fielded by his teammates Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Jeff Green a.k.a. "Broingtons".

Russell Westbrook

James Harden

"Broingtons"

I brought my All-Star and Seattle Sonics colorway KD1 sneakers hoping that I might have the chance to have KD autograph them.  Didn't happen.  Which is fine in and of itself.  What ticked me off is that he only signed 8 basketballs, maybe 15 t-shirts or so and 3 pairs of the KD2 sneaker.  He signed the basketballs and t-shirts before he even entered the building.  He signed the shoes in the store right after they were won by 3 lucky attendees.

Following the raffle for the sneakers, he was presented with 2 pairs of lasered Air Force 1 low sneakers.  One white pair and one black.  They were lasered with the 2010 All-Star game logo and KD's stats.  They came in a big white acrylic box.  The box top was engraved with the KD logo and "Pure Dedication", if I remember correctly.  I wasn't able to get clear shots of the shoes or the box.  You know I got something though...

 

 
 

  

With me being a true Kevin Durant fan, I was honestly disappointed.  I was just disappointed that he didn't really say anything to us.  I understand that he travels a lot and has a super busy schedule but this event was just morose.  If you're tired, jet lagged or whatever; tell us.  Let us know how busy you've been and what you did the day before.  Share something with us that we wouldn't otherwise know.  Your teammates were just fine.  They spoke clearly, concisely and gave us some energy.  What the hell was wrong with you?  The only one we really came to see!

All of that aside, I got to see my favorite NBA player for free, I got a free Broingtons t-shirt and I had a blast taking pictures.  Not the worst day.  Below are other pics from the day:

Feeway of Female Sneaker Fiend 

Jadakiss

Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97

Broingtons Tees

Filling the Space

Crack Pie

Before you jump to conclusions, just roll with the title for a second.

Making it in New York City requires 100% hustle 100% of the time.  It doesn't matter what you're doing.  You have to find some way to rise above the rest and make a statement.  Momofuku Milk Bar in Manhattan is doing just that with their "Crack Pie".  Yes, it's a pie.  No, there is no real crack in it.  You'd think there was though with it's $44.00 per pie price tag!

If you don't live in New York and still have the itch to try some Crack....pie, that is....don't fret.  The little company is now selling the pies online and shipping them via FedEx across the country.  Looks like they're gettin' their Jay-Z on and gettin' away with murder as they sling yay.

The Wall

Growing up as an only child in a poor single mom household, I learned to literally fend for myself.  I dressed, fed and taught myself all of my childhood years.  Growing up that way, a young man is either made or broken.  I was not broken.  I was not made.  What I became was an emotional wreck for many years. 

The dominant emotion was anger.  I spent far too much time and energy fighting.  Sometimes with words, sometimes with stubbornness and at the worst times with my hands.  It wasn't until I became a husband and a father that I even started to address the issue and take the necessary steps to correct the problem.  I'm no longer so affected by outside influences.

While my anger is mostly in check, the rest of my emotions are still wild.  I often times don't know what to do with them.  I'm very much like a child still in that regard.  When I'm overwhelmed with emotion, I shut down and put up a wall.  It's a natural self defense mechanism that I can't seem to outgrow or put away.  It sometimes puts undue strain on my relationships because what I experience as calm and pensive, others experience as cold and dismissive. 

One day, I will be over the wall.  I will get there by actively working to open up.  Even when it's uncomfortable, I will push myself to break my own silence.

Method Man, Ghostface and Raekwon - Album Cover

 

I can't wait for this to drop!  

Happy Valentines Day/Dru Hill - Love M.D.

Happy Valentine's Day, All! 

Whatever your relationship status is, I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the love in the air.  Here's a new song and video from Dru Hill to carry you through the day.  Yes, Dru Hill is back and they sound great!  Check for their album "Indrupendence Day" releasing April 13th, 2010.