Come Party With Me

I started this blog as a way to express myself creatively.  I didn't have any specific plan or focus. I just needed a way to manifest my creative energy. Through this blog, I've had the opportunity to learn a lot about myself, meet a ton of great people and feel great all along the way.

As a thank you to the people who support this blog, I am holding an open bar for 24 friends from 7pm - 8pm tomorrow night at Billy Hurricane's.  If you want to come by please do!  The first 24 people will receive a band (21+ only). We will be partying hard and I want YOU to be there.

April 30th, 2011

Billy Hurricane's

25 Avenue B

New York, NY 10009

*Open bar for the first 24 guests from 7pm - 8pm

*Open bar includes well drinks, domestic beer, wine and Li'l Hurricane's ONLY.

Kokayi - "Summery" feat. Substantial and Tamara Wellons

Still riding high on the critical acclaim of "Robots & Dinosaurs", Kokayi drops this track for the trip into Summer. The song features label mate Substantial and vocalist Tamara Wellons.  This DC combo works wonderfully and is for sure going into my iPod.

Kokayi's signature cadence is laid over a poppy marching snare and staccato horns.  I'm actually going to give this song to one of my friends who teaches Spin classes. It just makes you want to go. Click below to listen and download.

Click Here to Download

24KR Design JV Shoutout Varsity

I met up with Smitty from 24KR Design today near the home of the now fishing Knicks.  I haven't seen him in a while but I'll see him twice this week. Today's meeting was so I could pick up my JV Shoutout Varsity jacket.  24KR Design is a full service graphic design house based in Brooklyn, NY.  Partners Trevin "Smitty" Smith and Chris "Strick" Strickland have quickly established themselves as a go to source for quality graphic work at reasonable prices. 

This very limited production piece is the comapny's first major foray into brand imaging.  I was lucky enough to snag one thanks to Smitty giving me the early heads up.  The jacket gets it's name from a missed opportunity. The shoutout is for a relative that requested the back graphic as a tattoo.  After concept, creation and delivery, the recipient decided she didn't want it anymore. Smitty, not being one to waste a great graphic, stripped the graphic down to it's main element and put this limited article together. The result is super slick and sure to garner more than few, "Where'd you get that from?"

www.24KRDesign.com

Fonzworth Bentley - C.O.L.O.U.R.S.

It's about damn time!

Click here to download

Game Rebellion - "Blood" Video

If you didn't know already, I rock with with Game Rebellion HEAVY. I try to make it out to as many of their shows as I can.  The energy and music at their live gigs is just insane. I'm always drawn to unique experiences and GR is nothing if not unique. Yeah, there are other rap/rock bands out there but trust me...they can't **** with GR!

This latest video from the Sounds Like A Riot EP is a technicolor-rap-rock-mosh pit starting-frenzy stirring-denim and chucks only-oh snap homeboy is bleeding-sonic assault. Dig in...

Soul Khan - "Soul Like Khan" Video

I usually don't like music from "battle" rappers. Soul Khan is one of my favorites and this song is damn enjoyable. Good timing for the release too. The weather is breaking in NY and this song makes you feel good.

If you've never heard Soul Khan, your Hip-Hop IQ is definitely short a few points.  He's one of the best battle rappers out there. Period.

Anyway, check the video....the music is good.

Dead Prez - "The Beauty Within" x Scooba Steve "Nappy Heads Unite"

 Last year, Dead Prez released their mixtape Revolutionary But Gangsta Grillz.  I thought the entire disc was great and "The Beauty Within", a reinterpretation of B.O.B.'s "Nothin' On You", was one of my favorites. I remember almost being moved to tears on one of my morning commutes as I let the lyrics permeate my skin and activate my soul like strong bass waves.

My identity is so important to me and I am so grateful for artists like Dead Prez that speak to the truth of who we are as a people. In the pursuit of "better" many of our people confuse better for meaning anything but Black.

I coupled this music video with a short film by independent director "Scooba Steve".  I watched the video weeks ago but I couldn't bring myself to just throw it up like any old blog would. It's far too important for that. Not that it can't stand on it's own merit; it most certainly can. I just couldn't find the words to properly compliment the honesty and artistic integrity contained within. Titled "Nappy Heads Unite", it is the story of a young lady who cuts her perfectly permed hair to go au natural.

Together, these two moving images make a strong and important statement....

Black is beautiful.

Dead Prez "The Beauty Within" from kinetikcinematix on Vimeo.

Up, Up and Away

The weather was perfect yesterday. At least perfect when it needed to be. Had it been bad, then I would have had to postpone the days biggest event: learning to fly a helicopter.

Well, I didn't really learn to fly a helicopter. I did get to fly a helicopter though. Seriously. I know it might seem like I'd need to do the former prior to the latter, but it's not really the case. I went to a private company that doesn't just take you up for a scenic tour, but actually gives you the controls for 20 minutes. 

After some brief ground training, tips and guidelines, the heli was gassed up and checked for safety. We hopped in, went through the checklist and the blades began to spin. Next thing I knew, she was lifting off.

Now, I am really afraid of heights. Ask me to go up on top of the Empire State building and look out over the city and I'll tell you to go **** yourself.  Ask me to go to Six Flags and ride the Nitro coaster with you and I'm all over it! Apparently, if you ask me to fly a helicopter at 1,500 feet, I'll do that too without fear.

After taking the controls for myself, I was amazed at the sensitivity of the cyclic (control stick). It was really a game of millimeters up there. Move the cyclic 2 millimeters forward and the nose dips and you're speeding up. Watching the blades chop parallel to the horizon line became like focusing on the sprites in a video game. Mid-flight, I relinquished controls briefly so the instructor could show me a simulated engine failure. He cut power to the engine and guided the helicopter down about 300 feet.  He restarted the engine, put me back on the cyclic and we were buzzing along again.  In the last 5 minutes, the instructor took over to bring us in for our landing.  It was truly a surreal experience that I'll never forget!