sf knights

i've been meaning to make a trip up to the bay for awhile now. it's been a long time since i've been up there and even longer time since i've been able to hang out up there with my friends. after ankita and terence mentioned this to me, i finally decided to pull the trigger.

i'll be up there april 27-29. let me know if you want to hang out, and i'll keep you posted with plans. i'll definitely be going to the sf beerfest, but other than that, nothing's planned yet.

on a side note, i bought my tickets through sidestep. that site has the best interface i've yet to see from any travel website. check it out.

push back the first five rows

after seeing another great ozomatli performance last night, i got to thinking about some of the best concerts i've seen. on first thought, my top three concerts would be:

1. okayplayer tour (2000)
the roots
talib kweli
guru
slum village
dead prez
jazzyfatnastees

went with terence, sriram, and shawn.

the roots band was on stage for a good four hours playing back up for the various artists. people came on and off the stage, performing their own hits ... capped off with the roots doing their thing with almost everyone joining them. the roots are incredible live, and since this was my first time seeing them, i didn't know what to expect. kweli also rocked the crowd, especially after getting pissed when two guys started fighting in the crowd. plus being able to see slum village (minus dilla though) and dead prez was pretty cool. GREAT show.

2. word of mouth tour (2000)
jurassic 5
dilated peoples
supernatural

went with terence and ankit

the day after seeing the okayplayer tour, i saw this one. yeah ... needless to say, one of the best weekends in my life. just like above, this was the first time i saw jurassic 5 live. they are also great performers. these guys really know how to put on a show and always come with lotsa energy. dilated people also knows how rock a crowd.

3. ozomatli (2004)

ozomatli
kinky
plastalino mosh

went with shawn

these guys are just a bunch of amazing musicians. they know how to work a crowd and perform with lotsa energy. it was the first time i saw them and once again, didn't know what to expect. all around good music and performance. they ended the show by hopping into the crowd with their instruments and performing in the middle of the audience, playing stuff like ole ole, the chicken dance, and other stuff. then the formed a conga line and ended the show by leading the line out the door. good shit!


anyway, my question to you guys:
what were the best concerts you've ever seen?

the simpsons

one of the greatest mysteries of my lifetime will always be: "which springfield in the united states do the simpsons live in?" now i understand that matt groening has been purposely vague, and in all actuality, the springfield in which the simpsons live isn't a real place. it's been kinda fun reading people's cases for a particular state (i believe illinois and kentucky have the strongest arguments).

anyway, i think fox's decision to have the new simpsons movie premier at springfield is pretty cool ... but which springfield you ask. they get to fight for it. i think it's a clever marketing idea that'll appeal to longtime simpsons fans like myself.

the simpsons will always be one of my favorite tv shows of all time. i can't wait for the movie to come out. the new trailer looks pretty good.

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

"cause the greatest rapper of all time died on march 9th
God bless his soul; rest in peace kid
it's because of him that i know what beef is"
- canibus

that line from canibus' "second round ko" (a great diss song pointed at ll cool j) will always be one i remember. i may not think big was the greatest ever, but he was definitely up there with the greats.

10 years ago today, the notorious big died, almost exactly 6 months after pac was killed. it's kinda surprising that it's already been 10 years. just like pac, big was killed at the pinnacle of his career. he had just released his sophomore album life after death, a double disc album filled with hits. he was already in the limelight before he died, and i feel just getting started.

on days like today, i wonder what woulda been if pac and big hadn't been killed when they were. pac woulda been on a fire, continuing his tirade against any and every one. big would have put out more music and probably kept puff in check. i don't people like 50 cent would have been able to emerge in the spotlight like they have. but with big and pac still alive, would the coastal beef continued ... probably. maybe they'd be able to squash it eventually. all i know is that it'd be good music. i can only imagine.

r.i.p.b.i.g.

classic

check out this new song in celebration of the 25th anniversary of nike's air force 1s. the song features some of the best ever and is produced by my personal favorite dj premier. i don't think kanye deserves to be put on the same level as rakim, nas, krs, and premier, but when things are all said and done, maybe he will cause he does "have a right to be a little bit snobbish." granted, he's too damn cocky for his own good.

i think the video is pretty sweet. seeing the guys bomb different walls with each mcs name is pretty cool, and i love how they show primo doing his thing.



i found out about the video/song from okayplayer.com, which is the online home of the roots, mos def, common, and many more. okayplayer is the source of much of my hip hop news and going-ons. it's actually where i've gotten my info on the new free music i've posted about recently.

if someone manages to track down the mp3 of this track, let me know.