How I got Over

I still feel like Black Thought is one of the top 5 mc's alive, and even though he is part of the critically acclaimed, Legendary Roots Crew he is still overlooked. Here's the visuals for the first single from their latest album, How I Got Over, another classic in my opinion.

What I've been bumpin lately.

It's been a warm summer, environmentally as well as musically. Super excited for whats coming out soon, but these have been keeping me company in the meantime.


Curren$y - Pilot Talk


Gorillaz - Plastic Beach



Cults - 7"


Big Boi - Sir Lucious Leftfoot The Son of Chico Dusty


M.I.A. - Maya


Sleigh Bells - Treats

Honorable mentions: Any leak J. Cole has put out in the last year, Chip Tha Ripper - Back to Cleveland (still bumping strong), Jay Electronica (every song), Cool Kids - Tacklebox, Rick Ross - Teflon Don, Wiz Khalifa - Kush and Orange Juice, Talib Kweli and Hi Tek - Revolutions Per Minute, Eminem - Recovery, Childish Gambino - Culdesac

Into the jaws of the lord of death

Ill shit.

it doesn't snow where you're going

As I sit at my dust filled computer desk, rolly chair squeaking, fans blazing, heat paralyzing, I realize something's got to give. The laptop screen is burning holes in my face as the sun attempts to do the same on the back of my neck. My dog is panting like he just ran a marathon and my sweat-drenched underwear is attempting to do things only reserved for toilet paper. Cold showers keep the body temperatures just under boiling for about as long as it takes to dry off, and then sweat appears where water once was. With just the thought of exerting even a minuscule amount of energy I get tired. But not the good kind of tired where you fall asleep as soon as your face hits the pillow. No, that doesn't exist in this environment. This is the kind of tired where you lay in bed for hours on end, not trying to move or touch anything for fear you might drown in your own sweat. The other side of the pillow is just as hot as the original, the fans feel like someone is breathing on you after drinking a gallon of hot tea, and you're pretty sure if its not your own sweat you drown in, it will be all the moisture in the air that stops you from breathing. I could practice my cannonballs in mid-air the humidity is so strong.
As much as I wish I could stop complaining, there is an equal amount of nothing I can do about it. Moving to a different room requires too much effort, and even if it didn't it would be the equivalent of jumping from one furnace to another. My fans might as well be keeping hot air balloons afloat, and being naked is as appealing as wearing clothes. It just depends on what I feel like sticking to. Some days I don't even bother wearing deodorant, I know its just gonna end up running down my side, meet the sweat streaks down my spine, and mix in the Mississippi River delta that is my boxer briefs. A quick glance at the forecast only reminds me that I've got another 7 days of this. And that was 14 days ago. The way I feel about Philadelphia right now is probably about the same way sinners feel when they are in hell. I know I chose this path, even deserve it, and I'm sure I can look down the time line of my life and pinpoint a few, or many episodes where punishment was necessary, but this just seems a tad gratuitous. I never thought I would live to see the day where I would trade a pair of shorts and NBA jersey for some snow pants and a winter jacket, but I would willingly give up either for the chance to fall in a winter fishing hole in the wilds of Saskatchewan during a paralyzing snowstorm right now. I'm just sayin.

Puddle Jumpers

Picking our targets
We hop from one body to the next
Parts exploding under our feet
It fills our shoes with
Pieces of grey matter and guts
Gets in our eyes nose ears mouth
Blood flows freely in the street
And hangs onto our clothes
Until we are saturated with
The remains of what once was
A rainy day
Massacre

Beach Bumming

A big thank you goes out to the Leahys for allowing me to mooch their food and booze, and fantastic beach spot. I've been a beach bum at heart, but only needed an avenue to express it. A special thank you goes to Eileen Leahy for indulging my love for talking about myself, and motivating me to pick up the pen once again and begin writing for the first time in about 5 years. I can only hope my talents can exceed your expectations. Hopefully see you all again this weekend.

Plastic Beach

Greatest 15 minutes I have ever spent. Will probably spend at least another 45 on it before the week's end.

peter pan

"When I grow up, I will never grow up."
- Andrew Lopez

The world is yours

Every once in awhile an mc will come out that is truly on a different level then other mc's. God status. Since Nas there has been very few, but the new crop is starting to impress me a lot. This dude, Fashawn is definitely climbing ranks like Iowa football, but this Ode to Illmatic mixtape launched him to the top of the underclassmen. In his arena are J. Cole and Jay Electronica though. Real hip hop shit.



Download Chere

quarter pounder

i am officially a quarter of a century old, and for better or worse, do not feel that way. i still act like a child, and find that i have to scold myself when i begin to act out of my age range, which is more often then not. 25 is tricky because you are pretty much considered an adult by everyone below that range, but are still obviously not 26. or 27, and so forth. i feel like every year after 24, your perceived age advances more then just 365 days. when i tell friends that are only 22 or 23 that im now 25, the usual response is, "holy shit dude!" or in my students' case "damn old head, you be old as shit!" either way is less then preferable, and is kind of sad for someone so young at heart such as myself that just wants to be 9 again. my favorite movies are still pixar, and probably always will be. i still watch more cartoons then live action shows and read more comic books then novels. i prefer cool t shirts to anything with buttons on it, and still wear skinny jeans over khakis or dress pants. i prefer vans to whatever it is that 25 year olds should prefer, and play more video games then i have in the last 5 years. my life still has about as much direction as it did when i was 12, except with twice the responsibility, and about the same income.
im about a week and a half away from being done with city year, which will be the biggest relief since graduating high school, and then college. my future plans are as of yet, in the air, with a guaranteed summer job at vans, and another potential tutoring position with americorps for the summer, or a summer camp with salvation army. anything beyond august is unaccounted for, and quickly making its way onto my radar. the plan has been to move back to the midwest, since moving the entire city of philadelphia that way is as of yet unfeasible. i dont know where i want to live, or how i will find a living, and yes its disconcerting, but at the same time refreshing. sometimes not knowing whats next is more exciting then having something to look forward to. or maybe im just justifying my inaction in the job hunting department. i think it would be uncharacteristic of me to know anything more then a month in advance anyway.
the idea of leaving my students is perhaps one of the hardest concepts ive ever had to deal with however. they have all become like younger brothers and sisters, and even friends for some of them. the 8th graders are graduating, and will eventually move on to either drop out, or go to a high school that is the equivalent of a prison, only more dangerous. they will be picked on, and undoubtedly beat up and more then likely have their life threatened verbally, as well as physically. this will just be while in school. life for students after middle school takes a treacherous turn for the worse for most philadelphia students, as they are no longer "kids" in the neighborhood. the notion of no women and children is now expired for the incoming freshman, and so have to depend on family and friends, or themselves for any kind of protection. the 7th graders are moving on to 8th grade at Creighton Elementary, which is equally scary because there will more then likely not be a city year returning there, which was about the only motivation most of these kids had. they are my little babies, and then thought of them even existing without me at all is pretty disheartening. but i guess you just gotta let go. i will definitely miss the hell out of them though.

this is a picture of the 7th grade "306" boys. theyre a little rough around the edges, but who didnt flip off a camera when they were in 7th grade? from left kordell robinson, antoine walker (not the former celtics player) steven watts, marquis justice-hunter and steven pilotti. if i were in 7th grade these kids would undoubtedly be my best friends. i spent the first month with these kids only talking about call of duty 2, the boondocks, and steven pilloti's self comparisons to larry fitzgerald, randy moss, and desean jackson . it eventually turned into math tutoring here and there, but for the most part, we just kick it. i can only hope they grow up to be as cool as they are now. i am definitely lucky for knowing them. hopefully they feel the same about me.