Pyrex Vision

Raekwon asked his fans to choose which song from his latest album Only Built For Cuban Linx 2, he should do a video for, the fans spoke, and here it is...its funny, this is actually the shortest song on the album, but its also my favorate...

Throwback: Roundtable Cyph

So i came across this video of some of the dopest emcees in their prime..ch,ch,check it out..

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is probably the most meaningful holiday of all; no giving material gifts to people, no pretending to be someone your not, and no paying tribute to one single person. Happy Thanksgiving!!...P.S.Caught this video of Mos Def & Talib Kweli performing History. I can't wait for Blackstars second album.

Andre "S.O.G" Ward

Yesterday, Showtime concluded the first part of their Super-Middleweight tournament with the fight pitting undefeated hometown favorite, and 2004 gold medal winner Andre Ward (21-0-13kos) against the champion Mikkel Kessler (42-2-32kos) of Denmark. The last time I saw Ward fight live, I was sitting front row because I had won free tickets on a boxing radio show. Yesterday, he put on a clinic..His speed and versatility as a fighter ultimately proved the difference as Kessler had no answers for Wards straight right hand. All of Oracle Arena was standing up chanting "S.O.G!! S.O.G!!" while he continued pepper Kessler with jabs and straight right hands until the bout was stopped due to a cut from an accidental headbut in the 11th. Ward won by technical Majority decision..a clean sweep.

November 14th, 2009

On this day, Manny pacquiao makes history, while I helped make a class event happen. After getting home at 3:30 in the morning from a 14hour final (event), I at least went to sleep knowing that the pride of the Phillippines achieved what no one else in boxing as ever done: capture 7 world titles in 7 different weight classes. Even though I missed the excitement of the live fight I was at least able to learn some valuable lessons with some dope peeps. Props to Miguel Cotto for his valiant effort in the ring...Mayweather awaits, and ill forsure be in Vegas next year for what is most likely Mannys last fight.

Happy Birthday Hip-Hop

36 years ago...August 11, 1973 in the Bronx, New York DJ Kool Herc sparked the revolution that would eventually be known as Hip-Hop

and another one...

(Dilla,T3, Baatin...T3 is now the only remaining member of the original trio)

The legendary Hip-Hop group Slum Village, which introduced us to one of the games greatest producers the late-great J-Dilla has lost another one of its original members: Baatin. The news came earlier today, and it has since swept the Hip-Hop world as rappers and producers such as Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, and 9th wonder have already expressed their condolences. Ill update this when I hear more about the story...

Flashback:1966 Muhammad Ali vs Cleveland Williams

People always talk about how Ali was like poetry in the ring, and to a lot of people, that statement might not have much meaning considering Boxing and Poetry are two completely different types of activities; one being a sport in which you attempt to inflict as much damage to your opponent without being victim to any yourself, and the other, a linguistic art form and expression. However, certain similarities can be drawn from the two, and in this fight, Ali brings meaning to the phrase "poetry in motion." While I may not be able to find the words to describe what I am trying to say, I'm sure watching this video will allow you to understand...enjoy

(the last round is one of my favorite finishes ever)

Red & Meth speaking on the topic of Nas & Kelis

The recent divorce of Nas and Kelis has been all over hip-hop media lately, especially because the two were expecting their first child together...While the child was born just a few days ago, Nas is ordered by a judge to pay $44,000 a month (1,400 a day to be exact. In this interview Red & Meth voice their opinions on the subject ( "THATS SOME BULLSHIT!!") peep it...



on a side note...RIP Vernon "The Viper" Forrest, 3 Boxers in the past month, dang

Paquiao vs Cotto is on!!!

The Biggest fight of the year is finally set in stone for Nov 14th. After Pacquiao's 2nd round KO of Ricky Hatton earlier this year, everyone in the Boxing world set their eyes on Manny as their next target. What ultimately made this fight happen is the massive fan base of Puertorican Miguel Cotto; just like Pacquiao, Cotto is a national hero in his native country, and when two fighers of this magnitutde collide, it is sure to generate extrodinary PPV buys. Pacquiao is looking to add to his legacy in winning 7 lineal titles in 7 weight divisions, a feat that has never been achieved in the sport, while Cotto is still out to prove everyone else wrong as Pac is a 2 to 1 betting favorite.

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti ... RIP

"The Ultimate Blood and Guts Warrior"

(April 15, 1972 - July 11, 2009)

Arturo Gatti was one of the reasons I was originally drawn to the sport of Boxing. He wasn't the best fighter to ever live; far from it actually. What made him special was his ability to "leave it all in the ring" as some would say, often driven by pure determination, his come from behind victories captivated the imagination of fight fans, regardless if you were rooting for, or against him, by the end of the fight, you were fan. He has been apart of 4 "fights of the year" awards (1997-98, 2002-03). Known for his thunderous left hook and his willingness to take a punch, Gatti has earned the title as "the ultimate blood and guts warrior," he has given so much to the sport, and the trilogy between himself and "Irish" Mickey Ward (pictured above) is one of the greatest that Boxing will ever see.

Today he was found dead in the condo that he and his wife were renting in Brazil. 

Goodbye Michael Jackson

(August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

It has been nine days since the passing of the greatest music artist to ever live... There hasn't been an event in my memory that has left the whole world in shock as much as this. Its rare when you can actually have an artist who truly transcends the boundaries of music genres like Michael has; just minutes after his death you could turn to any radio station and here them paying tribute to the beloved icon. The man dubbed the "King of Pop" has accomplished feats in the music industry that will never be matched again by any artist; with 13 Grammy awards, 13 number one singles as a solo artist, and his album "Thriller" carrying the title as best selling album of all time, he is sure to be remembered in history as he is one of the few artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll two times. 

Jackson has constantly revolutionized the music industry, from his truly incredible music videos to his unmatchable stage presence...he has set a precedent that has inspired countless musicians across the world. It was evident since the days of preforming along his brothers in the Jackson 5 that he was something special. As Michael Jackson announced his last tour, for the later stages of 2009 and early 2010, fans could only imagine how spectacular this sell out show could be; Michael always strived to bring fans the greatest show there possibly could be as he would even put his own money into every concert to ensure that they were over-the-top. His death (at least in my eyes) caught the world by surprise, it was the last thing that anyone expected. All I remember on the day of his death was the mass amount of phone calls and text messages I received that told me the grave news. At first I was in a state of disbelief, I thought to myself "this is another fake death rumor, pay it no attention." At the time I was with two of my homies on the road, so I turn of my CD player and turn to several radio stations and noticed that all were playing MJ tracks, that's when it started to sink in...

His life that was filled with turmoil and controversy can be overlooked once you listen to one of his records, it is a sad truth that you don't really appreciate something until it is gone, I feel like this is the case with Michael as he has never stopped receiving criticism, but now, that he is gone, we can see that we have lost a piece of ourselves, as we have all grown up listing to his music.  

Rest in Piece Michael Jackson. 

Michael performing along with his brothers as the Jackson 5 at age 13 in 1972

From his album "Off The Wall" in 1979, for this song he won Favorite soul/r&b single as well as favorite male artist and album at the American Music Awards. 

Preforming "Billie Jean" from the greatest  selling album of all time "Thriller," which is an album that helped revive and rescue the music industry and inspire numerous artists in the future. In this performance, he unveiled to the world, an dance move called the back-slide, but referred by Jackson as the Moonwalk...

Also from the same album, the single "Thriller" which was the first music video of its kind. - 1982. 

Almost forgot to add this single from "Thriller" - "Beat it"

 The hit single from his next album "Bad" titled "The Way You Make Me Feel." This album did not do as good as "Thriller" but nevertheless was a success.

 One of my personal favorites, "Smooth Criminal" off of "Bad" (1987) as well, this video was apart of the short film Moonwalker. Following this album, in 1989, he was awarded by president George Bush the award "Artist of the decade" and dubbed "king of Pop" by Elizabeth Taylor. 

In 1991 his album "Dangerous" became the most succesful new jack swing album of all time. His single "Remember the Time" is also one of my favorite MJ videos. 

From his 2001 album "Invincible" the single "You Rock My world" 

Michael's last rehearsal at the Staples Center 

Rest In Peace

Mighty Mos calls out (so-called) greatest rappers alive!!!

Mos Def addresses the video released months ago that shows him playfully calling out all the biggest rappers in the industry...In this interview he explains that the video was not meant to get out to the public, but ultimately defends his statement by calling out for a battle in which two teams of 5 emcess go at it (towards the end of the video). Mos Def says his team would be composed of himself, Nas, Jay Electronica, MF Doom, and Black Thought (who has already agreed to roll with him in this battle). The other team would compose of the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye, Weezy, or whoever wants to join the team. The battle would be done for charity, and take place along with beat battles and break dancing battles on Dec 30 or 31st.

This is why I love Mos Def so much, he is speaking up when no one else will. I think this would be great for Hip-hop because it would bring all other rappers down to earth. Now I dont expect that these rappers are going to accept his friendly challenge, but we can always hope...

Mayweather vs Marquez Postponed!!!

The return of  the undefeated Floyd Mayweather is delayed because of a rib injury during training, as of right now there is no set date for the fight dubbed "Numero Uno," both fighters have expressed disappointment about the situation. Marquez says he'll stay in top shape until the fight takes place. 

There is a growing anticipation to see "Money" Mayweather back in the ring, especially because hes coming back with the mentality that hes still number one pound-4-pound, and furious about the fact that many regard him second to Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather must win this fight in order to eventually begin negotiations for the fight against Pacquiao, and I think he will win; I'm thinking Mayweather is going to put on a show for once in this fight in order tp hype up the fight against pac-man, but who knows, Mayweather has never been the one to take risks...

The records for the fighters as of right now is 39-0 (with 25 KO's) for Mayweather, and Marquez coming in with a record of 50-4-1 (with 37 KO's).

ECSTATIC

Once again, it has been a long time since I've updated this blog; since my last post, my summer vacation has started and the crew threw another party for Jaye's birthday. Since I don't have any pics from any events since my last post, I thought I'd take the time to talk about Mos Def's latest album that drops today: "The Ecstatic". This album is truly his best work since his debut album "Black on Both Sides" evident from the quality of the music. You get a sense that the title of the album is exactly his mentality about rhyming again. While Mos Defs acting career has flourished in the past years, his music hasn't. However in this album, we see Mos for what he really is, an artist; an artist who seems for at least the time being, to be returning to his roots: hip-hop.

...p.s. I'm going to really try and start updating this blog more often

Some pics from Zonio's week home

"Hey take a picture" - Zonio

"Hey take a picture" - Zonio
"Hey take a picture" - (Zonio in the background) lol

Surprise Surprise

Okay, its only a few days till Zonio leaves for Iraq once again so we are kicking it as much as possible before that happens...it's been hard to do so because it is also finals week at school, but on this Friday, after watching Star Trek (which was pretty dope) for free, it was another night of beer pong, and out of nowhere in comes the homie from Vegas: Uly. I should have known actually, the way his messages online come way more frequently right before these surprise entrances that makes. After all the screaming and everything is done with, and a few games to break him in, its his turn to take the boot...apparently this is much easier with light beer...I'm going to try and get the videos of everyone else trying it from when Zonio first came back...they are a must see.

The Battle of East and West

Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton

The build up to this fight was incredible...two fighters who come forward in an endless pursuit to destroy any foe in front of them are finally in front of each other in the quest to prove who is really the number 1 pound for pound fighter in the world. Many believed thatthe the difference in this fight would be Hatton's size advantage; after all, he has been undefeated at 140 pounds (his natural fighting weight)his whole career, and this was Pacquiao's first trip into the division. Others thought it would be Pacquiao's hand speed that would sway the fight in his direction, but no matter what anyone thinks, no one (except Pacquiao's trainer Freddy Roach) ever thought it would end as swiftlyand as devastating as it did. I myself predicted that Pacquiao would win by knockout via 7-8th round tko...however, Pacquiao shook up the boxing world and proved whyhe is considered #1 pound for pound. The fight that seems to be looming in the horizon is a historic fight against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather(who was regarded as #1 before his premature retirement), who is the one other person who defeated Ricky Hatton; clearly that would be Pacquiao's most difficult test because of Mayweathers huge size advantage and the fact that he is probably the most gifted pure boxer of our generation...however, no matter what happens Pacquiao has clearly cemented his legacy: 6 division world champion and #1 pound for pound...Manny Pacquiao

here it is...the battle of East and West, enjoy

Z man is back! (from Iraq)

It's been quite a while since i last updated this blog. Theres been a lot of things going on, a lot of issues to talk about, but the real highlight is my homie Alez Zonio coming back from Iraq. He is only here for 2 weeks but its been just like old times so far and its good to see that being in the war hasn't changed him a bit. A lot of events have been going down since hes arrived, ill be sure to update this whenever I can.

Might Mos (Playfully) Calls Out Everyone: Weezy, Andre, Jay-z

Watch these videos...this is why mos def is so dope

Long Time No See part 2

Last night we were celebrating a visit from a homie that moved to Vegas (Uly), he came back slim and more muscular than before. Because it is still spring break, all the homies were drinking and having a good time, and after a night of listening to Uly brag about his muscles and how he could balance a cup on his chest, we got to see the drinks take their toll on him...yes, the bartender passed out. 

Random thoughts on Uly

Long Time No See

I haven't updated this blog in a while...Some homies from Hawaii have been over here for spring break and me and my friends have been showing them around. Last time we saw them was in 07, the week of Rock The Bells. Its been a pretty chill break so far, spending money when I shouldn't be, its all good tho. It feels like this break is going by so fast. I'll be sure to start updating this more often. To be continued...

"the greatest rapper of all time died on march 9th"

- Can-i-bus

RIP BIGGIE SMALLS...you wanna hear the dopest Biggie mixtape? check out j.periods best of Biggie, on his website, its a free download

My Top 5 Dead or Alive...

Yo here's a list of 5 of my favorite emcees in the Hip-Hop Game

1. NAS - The first emcee I would put on this list has to be Nas...To anyone who disagrees with me just check his credentials. Being a hip-hop prodigy as a teen, he has surely stood the test of time. His vocabulary, for someone who dropped out of school so young, was prolific. He created in my opinion, and in the opinions of many the greatest hip-hop cd of all time in illmatic. Although he has made a lot of dope albums following this, my favourite material from this man is his pre-illmatic material through his second album It Was Written...Not to say all his work after those albums aren't dope though. Nas's style (to me) is a perfected combination of his influences Cool G Rap & Rakim, which lands this emcee at the top of my list.
2. Biggie Smalls - Yo if Biggie ain't in your top 5 then you clearly don't know Hip-Hop. His debut album Ready To Die is another album that highlighted (in my opinion) the most glorious year for hip-hop ever: 1994. There were so many dope albums that year it's ridiculous. Biggies voice stood out, and his story lines were representative of the New York emcee at the time. What I loved about Biggie was also his freestyle ability, which a lot of rappers today lack. Biggie is so dope, I don't feel like I need to explain this much.
3. Black Thought - I feel like most people forget how ill Black Thought is on the mic. I have every album from his group The Roots, and I have come to conclude that Black Thought is the most consistant emcee out there. Ever since the debut of The Roots in 93' Black Thoughts lyrical ability and jazzy aura has yet to diminish; and seeing him every once in a while freestyling on BET proves this to be true. The best rapper to come out of Philly in my mind...no doubt.
4. MOS DEF - A true hip-hop fans emcee...I follow Mos Def all the way back to his beginnings with the Lyrisist Lounge. Hes one of the most versatile emcees out there. Hes an actor, poet, rapper, and he ain't too bad at singing (evident on many of his tracks). Hes apart of one of Hip-Hops greatest duo's of all time: Blackstar (mosdef & Talib Kweli). His album Black On Both Sides is in my top 5 albums of all time as well. An emcee in the truest sense, displaying his knowledge on a variety of issues whenever hes on the mic. Truly someone you need to turn your ears to. 
5. Mad Skillz AKA Skillz - This is one of the most underrated rappers of all time in my opinion.  Im assuming that most people who read this dont know who this guy is, but he holds down my number 5 spot regardless. Being  the first emcee to rep Virginia to the fullest, he first gained attention taking second place in a national freestyling contest in 92. Throughout his whole career he has been overlooked and forgotten. But he has always been in the game underground at least. Hes also someone who has probably ghostwritten for one of your favourite rappers. He has written hits for P. Diddy, Mase, Will Smith, Jermain Dupri, and others. Check him out, hes dope foreals.  (peep his debut album From Where???)

Plummers Crack

I know im not the only one who hates seeing this view during class. It's a pretty distracting sight, especially when you got one of your best friends right next to you to laugh at it with. I understand that some times shit just happens, and people just may not notice it, but when its out on the daily basis it just starts getting disturbing. I'm not posting this to be mean, I'm simply posting this to address the issue. lol 

Keepin It Real vol. 2

"why don't you eat a cupcake?"

"...naw, G's don't eat cupcakes"

"wth, I eat cupcakes and I'm a gangsta....holla at me"

-volume/ed ether

Big L....

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the death of a Hip-Hop legend: Big L aka Lamont Coleman. The sure to be rap superstar was gunned down before his career could ever really take off. Regardless of his short lived Hip-Hop expedition, he was able to make a mark as one of the greatest lyricists ever. Big L...R.I.P.

Keepin it Real vol. 1

"I never want to think of myself as being in my prime...

yah, cuz then youll end up like Kanye West"

-Volume/Robzilla

Happy V-Day

So here was what when down up at SF state in celebration of valentines day. Whoever holds this position longest gets a free i-pod. 

J.Period Tribute to Q-tip Mixtape

Q-tip was one of the first Hip-Hop artists that I got into as a kid. I remember when everyone was still rockin cassette players my Older brother had this tape (which I still have) with a bunch of dope music that Ive never heard. On side B of the tape, Q-tips "Lets Ride" was on there; Ive been a fan ever since. This mixtape is probably one of the best Ive heard, it highlighted his career from the beginning up to the present, and had lots of dope commentary. And the mixing and scratching was on point. I suggest yall go listen.

The View From Up Above

The weather has been real shitty lately

Jamies Dog

Blank CD's

Don't you hate when you mess up labeling blank CD's? look how he titled "Smif n Wessun" lol

In my "backyard"

Ive lived next to this place for so long, but I just found out about it recently....

Random Beach Day

Yesterday the weather was so nice that, me and some of the homies decided that we should take a visit to the beach. By 11 we were off, and when we got there, the weather was perfect. We had a spot to just lounge and sippin on 40's, blastin some hip-hop....the "scenery" wasn't bad either...

Monday Is a Good Day

Expecting to spend Monday with nothing to do, I found myself doing much more than I thought. My homies hit me up to meet them at the golfing range next to my house, so I took my skateboard (which I haven't stepped on in the longest time) and was off. Theses guys with their thousand dollar golf clubs were pretty rusty, evident from their soreness after the session. After that, we went to an $8 dollar buffet. After all of us were done eating, the waiter gave us some fortune cookies. But Marcus found his cookie bringing the exact opposite of "fortune." It read "a window of opportunity won't open itself." Later on that day brought us to a coo view of the area with some crazy ass wind. 

"a little stiff"

^^^ his fortune cookie

ready to launch

The Lab

...

Tahoe with some of the Homies

Today is my first day back from the snow trip with some friends. There were 9 of us this year, which is small compared to last years trip with about 40 of us. This trip was pretty dope, we had two connecting rooms which were pretty bigger than i expected at this place called "Lazy S Lodge," a pretty funny name, which i didn't trust at first, but ended up being a coo hotel. We were on the trip for a total of 4 days, we took the first night over just to settle in and rest. The second day half of the group (whoever owned a snowboard) went snowboarding and the rest of us went sledding, had a snowball fight, build a snowman, and whatever you could do in the snow...

We rented our snowboards at this place called "Don Cheapos," which held true to its name; I only spent $20 for all my rentals, thats pretty damn cheap.

It was pretty much my first time snowboarding, but me and Darren (also his first time;cut off in this pic) went up the hills with our homies who are already pretty good. Clearly we weren't ready for the route we went on, but we managed to get down alive. The view was so high that I could see all of Nevada and Lake Tahoe from the lifts and the edge of the mountain we were snowboarding on.

There is always one more sledding session and snowball fight on the way home. 

Can you guess who this is?

New Years

This new years was different from all my previous ones...I cant remember any of it. I woke up with a hangover not remembering what went down ne new years eve. Im going on what my friends all told me and some of the videos and pictures they took of me. Later on during the day it was poker night with the homies at "the wood" (russ's work) then chillin in "the lab" (vegeos house). It was good day to start the new year.