Album Review: Indicud

I was depressed not even 2 weeks ago that I didn't have any new music to pump in my earbuds while pumping iron because music is my crack; I need it. But low and behold my latest favortie artist, KiD CuDi, to the rescue with his 3rd major release, Indicud. Slated at first for an April 23 release date, the album dropped April 16 after the (why act surprised) 'album leak' that's become a fixture in the era of digital music.

Cudders is just that cat I (chose to) identify with via music. From Man on the Moon:The End of Day to Man on the Moon II:The Legend of Mr Rager Scott Mescudi has been figuring out his own path in life and his music has been my soundtrack as I figure out mine.

All Hail Galvatron!

Back at it, again! I had to let motorcycles #1 and #2 go and upgrade to motorcycle #3! And before J gets to cracking, the Suzuki was running when I sold it! Only the ZX9 was out of commission. But I couldn't go back to a 600 after thrashing in 3 different states on a 900cc/141hp machine! So ya boy upgraded to the arguable King of Beasts from the unofficial "Speed War" between the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers and copped the Kawasaki ZX12R - the first motorcycle to be limited to 186 mph (not that I plan to ever see that fast, really).

U.O.E.N.O. but I'm a hardcore pack rat. Bikes 1 and 2 were just sitting - 1 wrecked and 1 dead battery. I swore up and down that I was gonna get them back on the road but 7 months went by without me so much as even making a purchase toward that goal. I ho-hummed with J all winter about getting an old school Monte Carlo or a Cutlass so women can start wearing dresses on dates (and so I could date during the winter) but that obviously didn't work out. I thought I would just get a car and re-up on a bike next year but I'm a rider and I'll never be satisfied with 4 wheels and a cage.

Beauty Lies

While waiting to click the "Skip" link on a Youtube video, I was pulled into a video production that simply moved me in a way that few Youtube sponsors can.  Recently Dove released a video featuring a forensics sketch artist and a group of women who were asked to describe their appearance to him through with the sketch artist seeing them.  As the video progresses, we learn that the women all had an additional assignment - to get to know one of the other women participating in the project.  Once the women each described themselves, another woman in the group would describe one other woman.  The end result was two separate sketches of each woman.  A personal description and a description from a stranger.

Real Husbands of Hollywood: Mitches Be Trippin

So earlier today I thought I was being funny on my personal Facebook page by making a reference to Real Husbands of Hollywood - little did I know one response from a friend would prompt me to write this blog post.  But before I get started, I must confess that I was sorta late boarding the kevin Hart bandwagon.  Honestly, I didn't even know who he was until he released Seriously Funny and even then I was only exposed to him while fulfilling my duties as best man at my homeboy's wedding - lets just say my toast to him and his bride were memorable; SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST!

I never paid attention to Kevin Hart but suddenly realized that I totally overlooked him in flicks like Epic Movie and Barbershop.  A quick trip to his IMDB page simply smacks me in the face and reminds me that I'm an idiot for not noticing his comedic skills sooner.  Oh well, now that I'm up to date on Kevin Hart @#$^ is about to get real.

Movie Review: 42

After returning home from being drafted into the Second World War, Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) was drafted by History to begin breaking color-barriers in America starting with its favorite past time - baseball. To many and myself Jackie Robinson is an icon but 42 revealed Jack Roosevelt Robinson the man highlighting how he responded to representing something bigger than himself - desegregation - and the impact he had in lives touched by baseball.

Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) set out to desegregate baseball (which had no laws against Black players) selecting a young, talented, and spirited Jackie Robinson to lead that charge. Jackie was Rickey's opportunity to do more about segregation than just 'speaking up', it was how he wanted to do more. Rickey admonished Jackie that fighting back an eye for an eye would only prove his opposition right but rather fight back with his talent to show and prove he deserved to play at baseball's highest level.

Even though Jackie agreed to not fight back he didn't immediately grasp that he was fighting for much more than himself

Crossing Paths with ShoreShot

Life has an interesting way of placing certain people in your path.  Sometimes the reason is right in front of you and other times, it takes a years to figure out why you may have met someone.  No, I'm not about to talk about my long lost love, but in a way I am.  See, long ago when I was a young children, I fell in love with hip-hop.

As an 80s children [technically born in 1978] my ears experienced a transformation that still can't be described to this day as music technology underwent a rapid evolution and the soundscape refreshed itself daily.  MTV and VH1 ruled cable television and radios were only playing top 40, so the first time I heard Cool Moe Dee, I nearly wet my pants.  I literally said out loud, "what in the world is this?  I didn't know you could play drums like that."  Then it was as if the flood gates opened and suddenly there was the Fat Boys, then Run DMC, then LL - and the list goes on.  My ears would never be the same for me as a young children.