TOILING OVER DREAMS, ASPIRATIONS AND LIFE...

So the past few days I've been thinking quite deeply. I think everyone can relate in saying that we all dream, but we often don't best map out the route to attain our dreams. I've been thinking recently about a few of the aspirations I have. One being to get more involved in this whole online ish learning skills such as photoshop and flash along the way. My design skills on paper are pretty solid but I need to learn how to take that shit to the next level and the next level is on the screen digitally.
With university fast approaching i need to gear my mind towards journalism a little more. Therefore whenever, if ever, i attain money I'm committed to buying a different newspaper everyday and really getting to know what goes in to the putting together of each one. I read in a book sent to all journalism students attending City University, that interviewers will frequently ask the question 'who is your idol,' meaning your favourite journalist. I already hold massive amounts of respect for Jeff Chang after not only reading his body of work (Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History Of The Hip Hop Generation, go cop), but also his life story of working his way through the ranks of the industry. What's more the likes of Riggs Morales and Bobbito Garcia impress, if only through passion and enthusiasm alone. However, to back up such claims of being passionate about Hip Hop i think it best that i also display my knowledge of Broadsheets and Current Affairs writers. Probably a good idea for any aspiring journalists.

Anywho all this thinking has only been further fueled by my purchasing of that famous book entitled 'The Alchemist' (Paulo Coelho). It's a short read so I'll probably be able to come back in a day or so with a short review but from what I understand so far the novel is all about life and chasing one's dreams. It reads almost like a mystical old fable that beholds great wisdom. I love the fact that most cultures outside of Western Society prove to be highly philosophical. When travelling North Africa or Asia for example, random people in the street can recite great stories or annecdotes of wisdom providing inspiration and insight in to life itself. They're all so deep!
So this one is set in Spain and North Africa and discusses the human traits of accepting fate instead of chasing your passion in life. To be honest Will smith probably explains it best in this video:



In my humble ass opinion, Smith is fast attaining goat status. Dude is just taking over every section of the game. He wins at life.
If there's two videos that i would strongly suggest you watch today they are these two right here, people like Smith and Lupe are sending the right message to these kids out here. Both these dudes can pull of being cool and smart. I just hope the right kids are watching coz as is so often the problem, it's the kids that don't really need help that are targetted with such inspirational opportunities...





Ok now i'm sure you're all video'D out and those of you with krumped out computers are now rueing having come to this blog whilst simultaneously clicking the 'End Now' button on your task manager.

Just a couple extra kb's just to piss ya'll off a tad more....
I also copped that Nas, Damien Marley today to show my support and that old Lupe joint. I may download, but i'll always go back to support whenever the cash money comes my way to do so.
The physical form is so much iller than the digital one. The record store experience aint dead....at least not in my eyes.


Oh and R.I.P Gary Coleman, I thought about doing a little tribute post but you've probably seen a million of those already and I'm not the best equipped person to be making one. Despite all the wise cracks on son's appearance, i really liked the man, a real nice guy. I grew up watching Different Strokes and it seems the man was just dealt a bad hand after that so.....nothin' to say but R.I.P to a semi-legend.

Peace King!

SUNN.Y.

His name sun and he's here to son it.
Come on, ya'll remember sun.N.Y don't ya?!?
Freestyle Friday champion a good 7 weeks in a row?


....Yeah i thought so, seems like the rest of the world forgot about him too. New York is making a bad habit of doing this, a fresh (in all senses of the word), young, ill emcee comes up in the game, gains a lil publicity and then just completely drops out of sight. This dude came mad nice with freestyles and a couple mixtapes here and there but NY just didn't want to know. Then they go complaining when the south and Chicago start taking over. There are still dope NY emcees but maybe all they need is a hand up in the game.
It may be too late for SunN.Y. to force his way back in to the game so just in case, i'll drop a couple joints to sprinkle a little bit of heaven for your ears...





Peace as always.

WIFEY MATERIAL

(Janelle Monae)

That is all.


.

OLD FACES BRINGING NEW LIFE TO OLD DREAMS.

In connection with my last post some strange thoughts have been bugging me since I went down to the track that evening. As I was going through my warm ups I spotted some guys playing football towards the end of the field, in fact they can just about be seen in that second pic (previous post). Having played football at a pretty high level as youngster I pretty much know who's who of the up and coming young players in the whole industry. Therefore as I began to run laps I was pretty sure that if they were a decent bunch of players then I would most likely know one or two of em.
Turns out there was a couple i knew, one in particular was a guy i met in my last couple years of high school (my school was a football and basketball academy). He approached me as I was running so i pulled down the headphones (i know i said i hate people interrupting my training but i was almost done, he had just finished his own session and he's an old friend anyway so hush up) and we caught up a little. But as with any conversation with an old friend/footballer, it usually dominated by who's made it, who's on the come up and who's still striving.
I gave up ballin a long time ago, a few years back to be precise, i was actually real good in my younger days playing on par with some names you may recognise cropping up now. Had a few professional clubs asking about me, but due to parental guidance i didn't end up attending any of the trials offered to me, instead being told to wait until i was older. So the story goes, i lost interest a little, things became way to serious way to early, the enjoyment was sucked out, alotta politicin' involved and i eventually packed it in.
However since visiting the Mecca of football (Brasil) i can say with some caution, that my passion for football has been re-kindled. Well at least a little. Seeing how relaxed and fun the Brasileiro's attitude to the game is reminded me of how it should be played. I met little kids with so much talent and technical ability that were they to be in England, even at such ripe ages as 8 and 10, they would still be snapped up by pro clubs.

I've digressed quite a bit here from what i intended to talk about which was meeting that old friend. So, this guy to say the least didn't impress me much on our last meeting, he flopped at school, didn't bother with uni and had a somewhat non-existent football career. That was the impression i gained last summer when coming across him doing some pre-season training, he looked flabby, slow and overall way outta shape. But i must say after speaking to him this time round, he'd lost weight, he appeared motivated and he even went as far as providing me with hope.
Even though this guy currently earns a decent wage web designing he admitted to me straight away 'i'd rather be out here though.' I was surprised, my mother basically made it out to me like 'if a pro club aint picked you up by 16 then it's probably not going to happen.' Yet here this kid is, still trying at 20, and we even spoke about the numerous people that made it after 20, most notable being the famous Ian Wright.
So my boy here has been picked up by Nike's academy team whereby they recently went to Barcelona to play their youth team. Despite being smashed 6-0 it would have no doubt been a great experience. I also don't doubt that the quality of that Nike team is nothing special (of course with all the best players playing soley for their pro club teams) but still, the training will be of a high standard and it's still a stepping stone.
My man had so much confidence and determination in the way he was talking to me that it would do nothing but surprise me if he doesn't now go on to make it somewhere in this world of football. He's seen the 'normal world,' a '9 to 5' and now i think it's really hit home, son is gonna run, eat right and do drills everyday to attain his dream. Moreover he has inspired me to reconsider my future, maybe a degree in journalism isn't for me, heck i love sports more than anything, it would be a dream to play a sport that i love everyday such as football or coach elite athletes everyday on the track.
I think I'm gonna find a team or group to start training with to see if my feet still have it in em. I tore up the local 7 a side courts the other day but now i think it's time to start playing with the big boys and see if i can still do my thing amongst those of a similar standard to me. If i can stay away from those OVER serious coaches and maintain confidence, then shit....i'd loved to play this game for the rest of my life.

It may sound clichè but it really is never to late to give up on your passion. Well it's at least later than you think (50+ year olds don't be trynna make the NBA draft now). If everyone in the world managed to find their passion instead of just accepting a certain route, a certain career path, then i'm positive we would have a world of experts. It hit me that I was so good at football when i was younger because I didn't even realise I was honing my skills practicing all day everyday. If you asked m opinion then, I was just having fun, doing kick ups all day, trying to kick a ball in to cupboards from the other end of the house. Without even realising I was moving way ahead of my class. So when the passion went so did the playing in the house, going everywhere with a ball at my feet etc...
It's like I said to my Girlfriend who play's basketball for the U 20's national team, if you aint bouncing a basketball near enough all the time, if you don't wanna play near enough all the time, then maybe this game aint for you. None of this 'I feel like playing today let's go down to the park' bullshit, it's gotta be subconcious. Way too many people try to force it. Making themselves go down to the park and shoot 100 shots without actually wanting to do it. If it aint fun for you anymore then, sorry to tell ya but it is most likely no longer your passion. The best players in any endevour all had passion for what they did. Therefore they subconciously repeated the task or activity time and time again without realising they are actually practiving. Once you realise you're practicing, then it becomes work.

The hardest thing in life isn't the becoming good at something part, it's the finding that special something that you love part, once you find that, your set!

Find your passion, and do it everyday. It may not make you a million bucks but it'll give you a life time of happiness and make you the best and whatever your passion happens to be.


Peace.

Lukas the star to be born (Rio De Janeiro)

SHAPE UP OR SHAPE OUT

The training spikes it out!

















The stage is set!


















And we aint leavin till the moon is shinin!






















That's right i decided about a week back that it's finally time to get back in shape. What's more the track season getting well and truly underway in the past week served as my inspiration. Tyson, Usain and Asafa running some truly amazing season opener times has promised this season to be one of the best ever. Track has evolved to a point somewhat like the premiership. You have to come out with a bang, gone are the days of early season rustiness. Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man U know that in today's climate you can't afford to drop any points even at the very beginnings of a new season. It would seem track athletes are beginning to follow this trend. Running sub 10 as a season opener would once have been viewed as phenomenal, but as peaks are beginning to be pushed higher and higher an athlete can't afford to be one step behind the pace. It would surprise me if any athlete, in hope of catching Usain Bolt's astonishing raising of the boundaries of human limits, is taking a post-season break.
Track is a funny old sport. Coaches have to try and pin-point exactly when their athlete is going to peak and make sure this point falls exactly on a major championship like the olympics or world champs.
Anywho, my training at the moment is consisting of a little edurance just to get fitness back, boy i zoned out the other day with Distant Relatives (cop that shit) on the ipod and ended up running around 6 or 7 miles. On other days I'm working on trying to get my speed back with short sprints and reaction starts. As you can see in the pictures i prefer to run on grass for a couple of reasons but the main one being that it's not where nearly as crowded as the track on track nights. People clogging up the track and trying to talk to you as you train can get annoying. Plus the field behind the track is a little more peaceful (despite being right next to a motorway!) without the flashy 'look at me 'isprint' with all my nike shit on' type people. Many top sprinters actually train on grass anyway and in a way i think it does good to get used to a slightly bumpy, more shock absorbant surface so that when you do get on a perfectly flat, springy track, you find shit a whole lot easier.
Body fat needs to come down for Summer certification of approval, so the diet needs to get on point which is gonna be a tough one. A gym membership will hopefully be in my possession within a week or so that the bulking can be unleashed. The final part of that plan, once I'm swole and toned to shreds, is to purchase the black hoody and intimidate suburban folk on the train hahahaha!

Before all that jus chill and peep my man over at ibsprintin's latest track mix, take a quick look at his other shit too coz son has shown alotta progression as an editor and is just too nice with this shit.

FREDDIE GIBBS

Now before anyone attempts to call me late on this one, I'd first like everyone to know......I was one of the first people up on (complimentary no homo) Freddie Gibbs. I discovered him myself a little over a year ago while skimming through mixtapes. One in particular caught my eye, borrowing a cover from THEEE most prominent female emcee period. That of course being Lauryn Hill and the album of course being 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.' Gibbs replaced L-boogie's face for that of his own and aptly renamed the title. 'Bold move!' Was my intial reaction. If you're gonna follow one of the greats like that then you best bring the heat.
Maybe it was bad of me to pick up this mixtape based on the cover (we all know the saying). But when your sifting through underground tapes that are all trying to bring something different and be original in their own right, they can often come off as corny looking real unprofessional and cheap. Half the time we only judge the appearance of those trying to make it in to our tape deck (cd/mp3, whatever). I can usually - not always - tell what a rapper's gonna rhyme about and what his overall sound is gonna be, just by looking at his portrait. Therefore when i came across this street wise looking kid I thought why not, i'll give it a spin.

A lot of young cats come in to the game with too much confidence, reminiscent of a young 50 cent entering the game with 'How to Rob,' a track that goes at just about everybody in the industry, even Em! But Freddie manages to pull off both confidence and credibility in way that's totally refreshing. Dropping straight fire over some familiar classic beats. No watered down shit, no Kanye West (post graduation) new-wave bullshit, no college frat crap, just pure uncut street poetry. His genuine, blunt approach to street realities may have been what the market was saturated with back in the 90's, but in 2010 it comes as a much needed change to many Hip Hop heads form all over.
Gibbs brings credibility that resonates that of those few actual gangsters that tried their hand at spitting but where ultimately gangsters not rappers. Yet he also manages to bring a wisdom and knowledge that adds an Ali Vegas/Nas type feel to his raps. Without forcing his rep like say a Juelz or Cam, Gibbs comes witty and smarter than your average hood cat, never over indulged in the streets as would come across ridiculous.

Peep his flow over this Stretch and Bobbito 95' Beat - Ghetto


Flamboyant Freestyle - featured on the Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs Mixtape


Find the latest drops at www.myspace.com/freddiegibbs

Feel free to let me know what you think.

ONLY NEW YORK

Here's some pics of a few ONLY. NY tee's i picked up recently. Pretty nice collection they got up. Anyone in to anything New York culture related/graffiti/art housey type shit should check out the shop on their site. They fuse an 80's and 90's Hip Hop vibe quite nicely in to a modern age look.
ONLY NY is a small independant brand based in West Manhatten. I'm not to sure but i would pass a guess that the deigners are pretty young and most likely fresh outta college. I know one of them is called Micah but, i'll be damned if that's of any use to you.












That last joint i copped in white but i guess they don't have that colour left online. The colourway on the white tee is orange 'NY' and blue 'don't sleep!'...looks fresh.

They don't produce many copies of each item so the majority of their lines are real exlcusive, ie don't expect to be walking down the block and seeing anybody wearing the same shit you are.
At the moment their banging out the hat releases, some of which are just digustingly fresh.
Check it out for yourself HERE.

THE GRIND NEVER STOPS

Summer is almost here and like most, i need money to play with. Just arriving back from South America, living it up at the Rio carnival (and taking a quick snooze). I need to get back on the grind, which means; possibly getting a job (take note of 'possibly'), coming up with a money making scheme (hate to say, coz i mean i don't even like money but at this particular moment in my life C.R.E.A.M), catching up with the goings on in the Hip Hop world and finally, dedicating a chunk of my summer to the World Cup and Track season. Not to mention preparing for university this september where a wonderful course in journalism awaits me! Why journalism? Not a damn clue! I was pretty good on the whole pencil drawing/graphics tip in school, maybe i should have gone in to that, dabbled with professional football (the real football, futèbol) as a youth, but no i chose journalism. Could prove to be a stupid choice, especially since i had the grades to do pretty much what i pleased centered around English/writing and art.
Maybe I thought i could have an effect on the music industry, change peoples attitudes and opinions and whatnot....

Ahh well, didn't nobody say i gotta do journalism when i leave uni. Time to expand my mind, get in shape and prepare for summer lovin'!

Peace