What A White Party!

This past Saturday I was fortunate to be invited to the birthday party of my homegirl Veronica. Now lady V has been one of my dance partners for some years now. If you attend the Keistar functions (Prince Vs. MJ, etc.) you've seen us cut a rug. Well the venue for this affair was a dope loft on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn. The Dj lineup included OP, DJ Spinna, DJ Geology and Statik (sp). The whole night was just crazy with energy and music. I ran into a couple of good friends. Some of which I see often and others I don't see enough. Veronica asked for everyone to wear white (at least a top) and for the most part everyone complied.

The dancing was very serious with a couple of circles being formed. The girls in my opinion were going the hardest on the dance floor. There was some bboy battles that were really good. Of course I got my boogie on but also knew when to play spectator. I left the spot close to 5 and there were still people there. That should let you know we partied hard.

The music ranged from Soul and dance classics to afro beat and house with a little Michael Jackson mixed in. I can only pray to hear such a dope lineup of DJs under one roof again. CRAZY!

Happy birthday to lady V and all of my Taurus people. We may be stubborn but we are stay cool as a fan.

The following photos were taken by Shino Yanagawa.

Etta James At Last

One of the perks I constantly talk about when discussing this great city of New York is the concerts. Last night I was able to take in a performance at B.B. Kings on 42nd by the one and only Ms. Etta James. Now I'm not that familiar with Ms. James' work outside of At Last and I know of that song because of the movie Cadillac Records and the Beyonce' controversy (we'll get to that). The show was billed to start at 8pm with Etta James being backed by The Roots Band. I was hyped to see Questlove and the crew throw down with this Blues great. What I saw instead however I was not prepared for.

The crowd was mostly in their 50's and up. It was old school Tuesdays in B.B. Kings that night. The opening act was a blues band which had on auto mechanic outfits. They were a good opening act. After a brief intermission the MC of the evening came to the stage to announce the main act.

"The Roots Band" was a bunch of older cats I'd never seen before. They were not the hip hop band from Philly I love so much. However that being said they were good. After warming up the crowd Ms James joined them on stage. This is a woman who has been performing for a long time. She told us she's 71 and I must say, there's plenty of life in that woman. She has a blues soul and it shows. The crowd went crazy when she did the Janice Joplin hit "Piece of my heart".

Ms. James has a raunchy edge to her performance. On many occasion I saw her rub on her breastesess. This is someone's grandmother who was gyrating on the stage to some old blues records. I cringed a few times but my co-pilot Shino thought it was sexy (or at least she joked it was). I felt more at ease when she would go into some very melodic scat sessions. Ms. James finished off the set with her hit "At Last" starting off with a rant aimed at a certain child of destiny. "This is MY SONG! I've sang this song for a LONG time!". The song did not disappoint and the crowd let Ms. James know it.

After such a long career Etta James still knows how to entertain. Well done.

Eminem is back with Relapse

Detroit's own Marshall Mathers is back after a long hiatus from the mic. In the time away a few things happened. He lost his best friend Proof to a gun fight in the D. His Shady label shrivel up to include only 50 Cent for actual releases. Em also left the public with arguably his weakest album to remember him by "Encore".

So here we are in 2009 with a new Eminem album on deck. Now I'm not a person who normally downloads whole albums. I actually still purchase CDs. However when I thought about it, I've never actually purchased one Eminem album. I own the first two because I worked in the music industry at the time they were released so they were free (and DOPE as hell). After those albums I kinda lost interest. So when the internet started going crazy like Dope Boys for Jeezy records I thought "did he bring the goods?". Download I did and I'm glad I did...because it's not worth a purchase from me.

The album overall sounds like an Em album would sound after a long hiatus with issues of lost loved ones, drugs and divorce. It's kinda focused I guess (if you can call STILL talking about his moms, doing drugs, and dissing pop stars focus). As for me I'm a bit tired of it all. That said I did LOVE his flows on the album. Man can that boy ride a beat and flow for days. He can still spit, he just spits about nothing worth hearing about in my opinion. Perhaps for others that find child molestation and child abuse interesting topics then you will dig it. Now I don't think these topics should be silenced I just don't care to hear those songs again.

The funny thing is as I write this blog entry Brain Damaged comes on my Last.fm station. This is still a dope ass song. I guess it was dope because it was the first time he went there. This is the fifth time and I suppose I shouldn't be mad if I still like MOP and they've been on the same ish since around 92.

I'll give it another listen and see if it grabs me. But I'm not copping.

Oprah : REthink KFC! *food for thought*

I ran across this video while discussing the recent KFC coupon craze on Okayplayer.com. This brother really breaks down the negative nutritional value for KFC's "Grilled" chicken. He definitely opened my eyes to somethings regarding MSG and it's many forms. I was already a person who stays away from fast food (for the most part, I eat Chik Fil A when down south). Check this video out and spread the word. Be Healthy people.

Rhymefest - Chicago (Finished Version)

So my last post about this video was stopped in it's tracks. Here it is again but this time it's complete. Director Konee Rok knocked this joint out the box. The producer Scram Jones did it up too. All in all Rhymefest could have a banger on his hands here. Go Chicago! (Oh and I'll be there soon for some Harold's 1/2 chicken hot and mild!!!!)

Enjoy

The C is FREEEE!

So in case you haven't been keeping up Popeyes had a big sale on chicken and the world went crazy for a day. Now KFC is getting in on the action, but they got some help. The last time this woman made a push a Black man became President of the United States. Oprah is pushing the grilled chicken for KFC and providing a coupon for the people to get a free 2 piece (not the kind you get in Brownsville for not minding ya business either). I had to go and check it out and make sure if was official tissue before letting yall know.

Well it is. I waited on line at the Herald's Sq. location for my two piece (manager's choice on which pieces) w/ two sides and a biscuit. While waiting I saw one woman get pretty upset with her server regarding missing sides. She told this woman over and over "BUT I WAS GONNA PAY FOR THE EXTRA SIDES ON THE SIDE!" Really is it that serious people? A dynamic duo got in line behind me scheming out loud on which line would be best to acquire their chicken meal of the day. "You betta not move and lose our place! People want they chicken boy!"

Is this what I'd been missing by not going to KFC in about 5 years. Once the duo got up to their server and the orders were placed I realized that they didn't even have the coupon I did. They were just SERIOUS about their chicken! "Put some jelly and syrup in there please! Bag us up, we out!"

I could hardly contain my laughter. But I did long enough to get my free two piece, take it back to the office and dig in. The cold slaw was the best part of the meal. Grilled or no grilled it's still greasy and I say avoid. However if you are a KFC fan, here's the coupon link for you.

http://www.oprah.com/kfc

Jazz on a Sunday Morning

I'm a person who likes to tradition. For instance once I discovered my favorite turkey burger spot in NYC BLT Burger, I pretty much ONLY go there for my burger. I get the same thing every time (T. Burger, waffle fries and a strawberry shake). I'm told it's a Taurus trait that we stick with what we love. Eh.

That being said this Sunday I started out watching Like It Is with Gil Noble and then tuned on some Jazz. First was Ahmad Jamal then Donald Byrd, rounding off with Miles Davis. I think Sundays are perfect for playing some Jazz. This will probably become a new ritual for me. Sundays with some Jazz. After my last trip to Japan I was immersed into way more jazz than I knew about previously. I still have a LONG way to go though. Sunday being for most a day of rest I think it's the perfect music to slip into that mode.

So for those of you who are not knowing about which songs to play so you can get your Jazz Sunday's jump started, check the following jams out.

Ahmad Jamal - I Love Music - Ahmad Jamal

All Blues - John Coltrane, Miles Davis

My second favorite city stand TALL!

A brother who knows how to put on a show and hails from Chicago. His name is Rhymefest and I want yall to know.

Aight this video is so dope he got me wanting to rap again. Check it, the first single off the El Che album entitled Chicago. This video directed by Konee Rok is off the chain man. Makes me want some Harold's ASAP! The bol Rhymefest is going super hard on this Scram Jones track. Check the joint.

The Man The Myth The Maxwell is BACK!!!

(Found a Youtube version!!!!)

I went to ran into Maxwell last year around August at a Prince Vs MJ party (which was off the hook) and got to speak with him. He told me his long awaited album was really coming soon and that he was on tour. He told me I should make sure the check him out when he hit NYC. I did just that a few months later in November when he tore the house down way uptown. One of the best concerts I've ever had the pleasure of attending. With a beautiful lady on my arm (and tears in her eyes...Maxwell does it what can I say?!?) I saw this man run though his three studio album bangers along with some new material. The new material just seemed ok. They didn't resonate with me when I saw them performed. However now I have the pleasure of presenting to you all one of those records. This is the first single/video off Maxwell's new long anticipated album BLACKSummers Night entitled Pretty Wings. ENJOY!

Birth of a Nation

If you teach a woman you teach a nation. It is the woman who is the caretaker of the family by nature. We've all seen how a man can become when he is ill. Women however have the built in drive to move past illness and get things done and keep a house/family in order.

Two weeks ago I traveled with my father and brother to meet up with my extended family for a special occasion. My Grandmother was celebrating another year of life on this planet. She started her family at a very young age and from that point has maintained the position of ROCK in our family. We made the pilgrimage down to South Carolina (my father's family roots) to be with her during this special time. (And eat some Chik Fil A)

When family gets together hugs and smiles are exchanged as well as family dirt and opinion. I got to spend some long overdue time with my aunt Laurie and gain some interesting perspective on what it's like to have my father as a brother and not a parent. You see how family traits and DNA flows through us all and we share similar ways of being. My sisters joined us down in SC on the third day of my trip as well as my younger cousins. There were four generations of Simmons family under one roof that day. The children of my Grandmother presented her with a commemorative plaque representing the family lines which flow from her. She is our root. She is the person who gave me important talks when I needed them to make sure I finished college. She provided the blueprint for what it meant to be family and provide for family.

It was great to watch my loved ones play and get to know each other on our family land. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to call something your own and commune with your own people in that space. Though this particular birthday was not a "milestone", I think it's very important to savor the time we have and make family holidays. Start a tradition amongst your own if there isn't one there. Create a day for the children. Create a day for the elders. Create the day in your image, thought and energy.

The 4th Annual DashaunWorld Freaky Deaky Fun Fest

I'm 30! However I'm still being told my 20s looks are in effect.
The place to be last Saturday was definitely White Rabbit over on E. Houston. The good people were very hospitable to my guests and I. With DJ Tahleim on the 1s and 2s tearing the place down, I was in store for an epic evening.

As I walked up Houston ready to cross Bowery I discovered my boys from HHK K-Dot and Murray. This put the evening in motion as last year the exact same thing happened. While walking the remaining blocks we talked about expectations for the evening and some goofball who kept pulling up in his Benz at the corner of each block to continuously blast "Pop Champagne" by Ron Browz.

When we got to the venue we were let in with no problem. There were about 4 guests waiting for me and the time was 10:40. I was told they were forced to listen to Soulja Boy while waiting for the party to start (sorry about that). As soon as we got situated, I gave my selected DVDs for the night (Wattstax and Big Trouble in Little China) to Tahleim and the party started. A little Rene & Angela started the night off on the right track (no pun intended).

As more people flowed into the space the music kept getting better. Shino arrived shortly after me with her work camera in tow. I had friends from all areas of my life show up. From my best friend in high school to folks I just met two weeks ago we all had a blast. Some serious dancers like Mecca and Saviour were up in the place. There was even a lil battle between Saviour and this asian cat who got hyped off some break beats.

The two highlights of the night for me was when a beautiful woman on Wattstax synced up with the music and got everyone in White Rabbit going crazy with her ill groove dance. And speaking of videos... check out the LOVE your boy gets from my friends out in Japan. Much love to the FUNNY? crew.


The second highlight was when I got hit with the surprise DELUXE cheesecake (and cheesecake minis) made by the beautiful Shino and delightful Lorraine (thank you both very much). I felt a great sense of love and togetherness in White Rabbit that night. Shame my mother had to babysit and thus couldn't make it. My father overslept and missed the party (OLD MAN!!!!)

So to those who missed out...you missed out (still love yall though). Those who were there, we did the kid n play, candy rain video dance, uprock battled and closed the place down. Thank you all for making a kid turning 30 feel like he just turned 13. I appreciate the love.

We are already live on another blog by the young lady Yumi. Peep game yall (lol in Japanese) Yumi's Blog

The pictures below were all taken by Shino Yanagawa (the great)















For the rest of the photo's check the link below.
HOT PHOTOS