LAW OF GRAVITY

Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 Tour - Day 8 (9/8/09): The Continental Room In Fullerton (714)

2009-09-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm rounding third...I can see home from here.

Day 8 went down at The Continental Room; sorry for the shitty picture, but I swear it says "The Continental Room" up there somewhere.

Didn't know what to expect last night. I'd been to the Continental one time before and it was laid back, nothin' too hype. But even as the tour was coming to a close, little did I know how special this night was gonna be...

Got there about 9:30 and it there was already a good amount of people. That was the first sign this night was stacking up to take the crown so far. Within about another hour the place was at capacity. Props to OC for showin' mad love on the second to last day of this tour.

Props to this cat (sorry, I don't remember his name) on the ill Menace II Society hat. That shit's legit.

DJ Rhettmatic came through on some last minute ish and spun a set that had the crowd walking on the damn ceiling; he really showed the way a DJ is supposed to warm up a crowd before a show. Wish I would have gotten more of his set, but I was too busy throwin' my hands up and wildin' out. Here's a small taste though:

I'll just post most of the video I took and let the music do the talking. By this point everyone was so worked up that Wolf really didn't have to say much and just got on and blessed those that were lucky enough to get in with another classic set

And Wolf definitely had the best closing moments of a set on deck:

This was BY FAR the best of night of the tour. Wolf acknowledged it and I can attest to the fact that this was the only time he told a crowd on the tour that they were the best stop.

After More Fire, I can say that I felt really spent. Even last night I felt so tired and really wanted to just see the finish line. But the energy, the crowd reaction, the music all came together in a really dope venue to boot and left me with no doubt as to why I took on the challenge of doing all 9 nights of this tour.

Now it's kinda sad that we've made it to the last night. It honestly flew by and I can't believe I've been at it for just over a week straight now. The last two years had left me wanting to have been able to take part in all nights of this yearly event, but this year I was fortunate enough that all the pieces came together and gave me this chance.

Can't stop now...I see that finish line. Tonight has a lot to live up to, especially after last night. But the line-up of DJ's is sick and should not disappoint. I expect a big crowd tonight and hopefully some of them come through in their 90's finest. I tried to put together some kind of outfit with the little time and resources I had; it won't be anything special, but I want to at least partake for one night, especially since Wolf has been reppin' it to the fullest with the gear.

I can't believe it, but the end is finally here...

-Miles logged so far: 500.2-

8 shows down...

...1 more to go (!)

-Rm

Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 Tour - Day 7 (9/7/09): More Fire At Club Sevilla In Riverside (951)

2009-09-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

Lucky #7 took us AND the tour waaaaay outta my neck of the woods into the I.E. at Club Sevilla

I'd never been here, but I gotta say...not bad; lots and lots of eye candy for the fellaz. Spot got packed pretty early, I thought. It was evident from the line when we got there that Wolf was gonna get a pretty good sized crowd.

We get upstairs and there was already a lot of folks up in this piece. Lots of fly honeys, but damn...I swear they gotta check I.D.'s a little better because there was, what seemed to me, a lot Jailbait Jennifers up in the spot. Those who get that reference know what I mean. Shout out to J-Zone!

The flyer for last night said a lot of Reggae/Dancehall was to be expected, and it did not disappoint. People vibin' out and grindin' on the dancefloor to some dope grooves.

So Wolf got on just after midnight (which has seemed to be the norm except for FYF on day 5). Wolf has been doin' it up mad crazy with the 90's gear...killin' da game. I seriously need to step my game up for Wednesday's final leg of the tour.

Wolf kept the vibe goin' for the rest of the night, keepin' it on a Hip Hop/Reggae/Dancehall vibe. Again, sorry for the audio quality on these, y'all...it's hard to explain, but it's just easier for me to bring you more content faster from my iPhone than it is from the digital camera. I don't want to sit on good material AFTER the tour is over. I want people who can't make it out to enjoy it as it's going on. For those of you that have with all the hits on YouTube and TwitVid, it's appreciated. I'll have more leftover vids from the previous nights though...PROMISE.

He opened it up with another classic joint and just went from there:

Tribe/Busta/Souls FTW

Getting close to closing his set, had to us with Chubb Rock. STILL bump this joint...

I have to admit...last night was the first real night that I can say this tour kicked my ass. Such a long drive out there, picking my homie up and having to still drive back home AND work this morning was insane on like 3 hours sleep. I knew More Fire would be the hardest event to hit out of all the other spots on the tour. But luckily I made it out and am still in one piece. Sad to see the unofficial end of summer come up, but what a way to close it out with a tour like this.

Still feeling like a zombie, but I can see the finish line. Got Continental Room tonight in Downtown Fullerton then tomorrow night I can finally cross the finish line. So so close now...

-Miles logged so far: 449-

7 shows down...

...2 more to go

-Rm

Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 Tour - Day 6 (9/6/09): Lovemade At Detroit Bar In Costa Mesa (949)

2009-09-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

Day 6 took me and a few of the crew to one of our personal favorite spots, Detroit Bar. I love this place.

Didn't really get too many pictures last night, because A) We got our drink on in the parking lot before the show and I was kinda buzzin' it and I forgot to snap more pics and B) ...CUZ I WAS HAVING TOO MUCH DAMN FUN. At least give me credit for my picture of the marquee; I have to have some kind of proof I was there.

This was really the most fun I've had so far on the tour. Not the most energy, not the best set I saw so far...but hangin' with the crew, telling stories (that I only WISH I could share) and laughing hard went a long way to making this the best night for me, personally. Thanks to the peeps that rolled through. Nights like that remind me of why taking part in this musical journey with Peanut Butter Wolf has been well worth it; really shows how lucky we are here in southern Cali to have the venues and events that we do. OC reppin' it...party time, EXCELLENT!

One little sidenote: NOT pictured here was the mini-interview that the film crew documenting the tour so far conducted of me before the show. My homie Nate let the cat out of the bag and told them that I had done all the shows so far, so they asked me a few questions. Keep an eye out for that...hopefully it will be seen in the near future.

OK, so after the opening DJ fuckin' RIPPED it with a dope set (wish I would have asked his name, my bad) of Hip Hop/House/Old School ish, Wolf got on 1nce again to bless Costa Mesa with his VJ set. I'll let the videos do the talking; nice mix of Hip Hop (of course!), Reggae, R&B and A LOT of House music. Had the crowd diggin' it. Spot was super packed and it was nice to see people come out and support the tour in yet another city/area code.

A nice little opener from Wolf. I thought he was gonna set it off with some Brittany, but then flipped it and went into a classic:

Murda she wroooote

Yo Mona Lisa, can I get a date on Friday? ANOTHER 90's smash! Sorry the audio sucks :-( The sound was knockin' though!

Can't play 90's set and NOT play this next cut

That was just a taste of those in the house got to experience, but hopefully some of y'all who haven't experienced can see what a gem it is to watch. And even for those of you that have, remind you what a good time it's been on this tour so far.

Tonight is definitely gonna be a test for me...headin' out to Riverside late night AND having work tomorrow morning is gonna be no joke. But I can't stop, won't stop...2 more nights after this and I'm golden. I better get a pair of those 999 Converse for this shit......

IE, I see y'all!

-Miles logged so far: 297.8-

6 shows down...

...3 more to go

-Rm

Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 Tour - Day 5 (9/5/09): Fuck Yeah Festival At Los Angeles State Historic Park In Chinatown (213)

2009-09-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

MY APOLOGIES: I've been having problems with the blog the last couple days. Yesterday it was the HTML code (which I was able to fix and yesterday's post is now OK), today this thing is not lettin' me embed my videos directly into my blog & I didn't notice it until after I'd finish this post and published it. I have no idea WTF is up and I don't have the time to fix it right now. I'm posting the links to all my videos from last night's show, it just won't be as pleasing to the eyes & you can't play them directly from here. My bad, people. For those of you that care, I'll try to fix this soon. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Not really a marquee that I can take a sign of at the Fuck Yeah Festival like I have for all the previous spots, so I took a picture of their box office

Yeah...this was the box office. Something told me this venue was gonna be a little bit different than the rest. At least I had some dope music (as always) to inspire me on my way up there. Not having an iPod sucks :-/

So I didn't manage to get as many pictures as I would have liked this time around. I didn't have my digital camera (FAIL), so again I was stuck using my iPhone which hasn't been working too bad for video and uploading. But since Wolf got on right around 8pm, it was getting dark and no flash on a $400 phone = Apple FAIL. C'mon Apple...step ya game up. I still love this phone though, haha.

Not really gonna get into what I heard, but this festival wasn't all that crackin'. There was speakers intially covering the screen Wolf was gonna use for the videos and they wouldn't let him set up his own screen that he brought with him. It just seemed like things weren't gonna go too well on night 5.

I guess I'll pretty much just let the music do that talking for the rest of this post. Wolf gave his proper introduction to anyone in the crowd that might not have known what time it was

http://www.twitvid.com/F4D86

Wolf fed off the predominantly Rock/Punk crowd and went in with Portishead to start off the set. There was a few Stones Throw fans that I saw in the crowd so he had to give 'em a little something from ST's catalog. Check the use of the Busta vocal sample go into Lootpack's "Hit Ya Wit Dat"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmSnctdyYX0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UblhXPGx7eY

He switched it up a bit and went into another of favorite bands with Rage Against The Machine into...Prodigy?! Daaaaamn. Don't even remember the last time I heard that joint, but it was ill.

http://www.twitvid.com/B5D9D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yvfbP6v4sI

Highlight of the night was probably this next clip: Check Baby Boogaloo, who is Wildchild of Lootpack's 4 year old son, go in on Bell Biv DeVoe. The crowd went nuts on this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQzYRm13Fq8

Wolf did about 45 minutes and was done. Things started off not looking too great, but Wolf spun gold out of straw and really showcased his skills to a new crowd that might not have known who he was. Not really a Hip Hop crowd per se, but they were really responsive; even more than I initially thought they would be. The combination of videos and music done in a way that I'm sure not too many of them had seen gave them an experience that I could tell they appreciated. All through the crowd after the set I could hear people telling each other how much they dug it. He announced that this was really the first "Hip Hop"-type act they'd allowed at this festival, so it meant something more in a way and maybe will lead to future underground artists performing at this festival.

So PB Wolf pulled through a little bit of a rough spot and to my surprise dropped a dope set when it looked like it might not have gone well in front of a whole new crowd. I mentioned this to him afterwards and he was surprised too by how well it went.

Day 6 is today and we're keepin' it moving...Lovemade at Detroit Bar tonight. I actually really really like Detroit Bar, celebrated my birthday there last year and is a spot I always look to hit for shows with my OC peeps. If you're in the area, roll through.

-Miles logged so far: 211.5-

5 shows down...

...4 more to go

-Rm

Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 Tour - Day 4 (9/4/09): Footwork At The Terrace In Pasadena (626)

2009-09-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: Before I even get started about last night, I have to put something out there. I was fortunate enough to chop it up with Mr. Wolf himself last night and came to find out that he actually has come across this blog. Damn, what an honor! But as I told him, now I'm self-conscious about it and knowing that he might be reading this may, even subconsciously, skew what I write in future posts. So please, people...take that into account and don't think I'm trying to suck up to anybody if I've only posted positive comments about the tour so far. What can I say though: he's an amazing DJ and I don't think I've ever heard him spin a bad set. To his credit though, he told me he would even listen and accept any bad criticisms of the tour so far and he's a stand up guy for doing that. He's one of the humblest artists I've ever met, for real.

Keepin' the streak alive, trying to go 4 for 4 like a good 9 innings. So the next stop was The Terrace in Pasadena

For as many Hip Hop shows that I've seen flyers for at this spot, amazingly I'd never been here. Chill little spot though

Quick little random encounter I thought I'd share: so I was rockin' this shirt last night

I'm standing by the bar in front of the stage and this dude next to me says, "Hey, that's a dope shirt. My homeboy wears that brand."

So I said thanks and gave him props for recognizing Crooks. Now, I couldn't tell if he was drunk or not but he then asks, "What is that supposed to be, the Grinch?" WTF? He caught me so off guard with that that I didn't even know what to say. I just let him know they took it from a video game (one of you might get the reference) and he just looked at me and left. Like I said...ran-dumb.

My apologies also for the fact that I didn't have my digital camera handy (and probably won't today either), so I had to improvise and use my iPhone; which isn't bad, mind you, but the audio doesn't come out as crisp especially when the music is loud. I tried my best so sorry if the audio and/or video isn't quite the best. Plus, for some reason my phone was trippin' in conjunction with YouTube and wasn't letting me upload certain vids...wack. TwitVid came through on a couple of 'em though and bailed me out.

So about midnight Wolf gets on to do his thang. I liked this shot I took of him and everyone setting up.

When Wolf and I were talking about the tour, he mentioned how I noted that the tour had been very Hip Hop heavy so far. And, like me, that just stemmed from the fact that he was such a huge Hip Hop head during the 90's. So maybe, just maaaaybe, he took that into consideration because he switched it up a lot this time around and I really dug that he did that. A little more Reggae, R&B, a little bit of House and even some Alternative Rock. Props on the STP, Wolf! One of my favorite bands of the 90's

A lot of people don't know it about me, but for as much as I loved Hip Hop back in the day...90's R&B was my shit, too.

He took it everywhere and everywhere, but Wolf still had to keep Hip Hop on deck as always.

He even got mad creative with this one and took it back on the video game heads with a clip from PaRappa The Rapper then into some REAL old shit with Leaders Of The New School. I bet almost nobody even knew who that was, but it's hard not to recognize Busta Rhymes, even in his younger years.

Yes, yes...and another one done. Still hangin' in there pretty good. Only a couple more hours til I bounce on my way to the Fuck Yeah Festival in Chinatown. Never been to this fest and I'm sure there will be a whole new audience for PB Wolf that have never heard of him before. Hopefully they show some love back. But seeing him do his video set for the first time is a definite treat that I know non-fans can even appreciate.

Got inspired driving back home past Downtown...best city in the world. Made me think how this tour really showcases all our great city has to offer and how lucky I am to live here and experience the music scene that I do. It may not be for everybody, but it's perfect for me. I hope more people can discover it and I appreciate PB Wolf doing his part with this tour.

-Miles logged so far: 168.3-

4 shows down...

...5 more to go

-Rm

Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 Tour - Day 3 (9/3/09): Party Weirdo At Club 149 In Long Beach (562)

2009-09-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

The saga continues. Next stop on the tour: Club 149 in Downtown Long Beach.

Got to the spot kinda early, so I went for a stroll around the area.

Could you tell I was bored snappin' pictures like that? Anyway, went down around the corner by sneaker shop Proper, walked by The Academy's store which is right next door and saw this in their window:

Tight. LBC showin' some love to the tour. Props to Academy for hosting the event at Party Weirdo, by the way. Walked down to Pine hoping I'd run into some peeps there, but no such luck. Did find this though; dudes in Long Beach are baaawwwlin':

Walked back to the spot thinking no one was even gonna be there and I ran into some peeps there...tight. I knew the night was gonna be kragenoff now.

I'd heard this club was nice, but I didn't think it was gonna be THIS nice. Pretty plush, underground, Bat Cave-type feel to it. Peep it if you're ever in the area. The bar was mad wack though...about a billion people in the heezy and 2 fuckin' bartenders. Ordered a drink and got it just in time for when I left...just kidding. Compared to the Shithole from the night before, this spot was a definite upgrade.

Wish I would have known who the opening DJ was cuz he was spinnin' some dope cuts. Dilla, Dilated Peoples, Common...this cat was doin' it. So Wolf got on just after midnight and, of course, rocked the place out.

Gotta be honest, didn't expect he was gonna play THIS much Hip Hop on the tour. But like I said a couple days ago, I'm not gonna complain. It's still early on in the tour and he's gotta spread out the videos over 9 nights, so more good ish to come.

I'm really gettin' reminded though of just how much Hip Hop took over music in the 90's. So many dope songs that, even though I have a pretty good memory for, I didn't remember or haven't heard and/or seen the videos for in ages. Props, Wolf...it's cats like you that keep dudes like me on top of their game.

Love that last video...showin' LBC some love with those joints. Then this next one here..."Return Of The Mack" into "Pimp Of The Year". Wolf, you'z a genius!

So that was pretty much how the night went. Another one for the record books and the memory bank. I gotta give props cuz LBC showed a lot of energy; even Wolf shouted em out on it. Good to see people giving lots of love on this tour. I feel lucky that I've been able to take part every night so far because not everyone is afforded that same luxury.

But part of why I do this and go to shows for the artists I love whenever I can is to show love back; to support the artists that have made the music I've loved for so long. With the passing of DJ AM, I've seen a lot of people saying how dope he was...how he was every DJ's favorite DJ. And I'm definitely not disputing that. But show these cats love while they're still alive...give 'em flowers while they can still smell 'em. And that only doesn't go for artists, celebrities, etc...let your family, your friends know just how much they mean to you while you still can. For as much as they might aggravate us at times, we all know that our true friends and family can never be replaced and we should appreciate them whenever we can.

I've said for awhile that Wolf is my favorite DJ right now and I sincerely mean that. Just because someone else might pass doesn't mean I'm gonna jump ship and say so and so is now the "greatest" because they're gone. Dilla passed, now he's considered one of the greatest. Same goes for DJ AM now. Particularly in Dilla's case, he deserved to be recognized when he was with us. I guess I'm saying...support those people that you admire and show them love whenever you can. Don't wait until they're gone to harp on why they were so amazing.

I'm lucky that the music scene I'm into affords me the chance to meet the artists that I admire. So it's an honor to be able to get to tell Peanut Butter Wolf directly how much I love his label and the contributions he's made to our culture and my life personally. And to see his reaction and appreciation means just as much to me as it does to him. He's one of the humblest guys you could hope to meet. So thank you, Wolf.

Child with peeps after the show...too much ish to get into here. I don't wanna put anybody on blast, haha. But I dug this picture the homie Eric had back at his place. Recognize.

I know I'm posting all this shit maaaaad late. It's only a few hours before the next one, but never late than never. Was gonna post last night or early this morning, but only 6 hours of sleep the last two nights combined kicked my ass and I'm gettin' my energy back up for tonight...Footwork at The Terrace in Pasadena. Holla back. I'm a 1/3 of the way there.

My next post might be kinda wack...no camera tonight or probably tomorrow but I'll get as much of it as I can on my iPhizzle. I hope the video quality doesn't suck :-/

-Miles logged so far: 120.9-

3 shows down...

...6 more to go

-Rm

Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 Tour - Day 2 (9/2/09): Low End Theory At The Airliner In Los Angeles (323)

2009-09-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Day 2 took us to the venue I lovingly like to refer to as "The Shithole", but it might be better known to you as The Airliner. Shit's so ghetto, even the fuckin' sign is crooked (maybe you can't see it so much in this picture though).

No cool ticket stub to hold onto like the one I got yesterday. But they gave me this equally cool wristband. This lets the bartenders know that I'm old enough to drink...

Since tonight's tour stop was in L.A., you know I had to represent represent...

So I walk in and think, "Hm...maybe I've given this spot a bad rap. Maybe it's not as bad as I remember it." I get to this stairwell to make my way upstairs to where Wolf is spinning and I instantly snap outta THAT fuckin' dream. I mean, just look at how straight up nasty the carpeting on the stairs is. I wouldn't be surprised if the bottom of my kicks caught an STD or three.

So finally I get upstairs and the spot is crazy packed. It got even worse a little later in the night. Oh yeah, and the roof was leaking what I sure hope was water. This spot refuses to stop reminding me exactly why I call it The Shithole.

So Peanut Butter Wolf and Prince Paul made their way to the stage, finally. Please note the 90's attire.

One thing I like that Wolf does is how he takes each venues particular music preference and uses that to build his set. The first night was very Hip Hop heavy and last night was no different, since most of Low End Theory's DJs seem to spin mostly Hip Hop. A sprinkle of some R&B was thrown in, even Bjork at one point, but the focus was kept on Hip Hop most of the night. OC, Lords Of The Underground, Show & AG...even some RBL Posse for the Bay Area heads, and then back to L.A. with South Central Cartel.

Here's a clip I got that shows the creative things Wolf does with video. Check how he takes OC's line "rappers are in danger" to transition into KRS using the same sound bite in "Rappaz R N Danja". Tight.

I always like the cats in the crowd who hear a song and go "OOOOOHHHHH" when a beat drops, but you can tell they don't even know the fuckin' song. I'm not tryin' to knock someone for not knowing EVERY song, but don't front like you know shit when you don't. There was plenty of those cats out in full E-F-F-E-C-T last night. Since Prince Paul was in the house, I can safely say they get the gas face. I'm just sayin'...

Not only that though, dudes were tryin' to fight in the crowd. Why? Because someone put an elbow up on somebody else's shoulder. Are you serious? Take that shit outside, man...we don't need that. At one point it got so crazy in there that security had to spray someone with mace and drag his ass outside. I guess he REALLY got the gas face (zing!)

Mad people were coughing and some said they couldn't even breathe. And here I thought it was just the weed smoke. I didn't find out until after the show of what had happened. This news, however is unverified so take it for what it's worth. Dispensaries, take note...please offer blunts laced with mace in the future. I'm just sayin'...again.

Anyway, Wolf ended the set with "Rappcats" by Quasimoto and paid a fitting tribute to all the incredible Hip Hop music that the 90's offered. It's crazy to see all the classic material that dropped, seemingly on a weekly basis. Too many joints to even name that were life-changing. But he shouted out Prince Paul in one of the vids and I thought that was really dope.

So that was the event in a nutshell. It's something that's got to be experienced; seeing Prince Paul in the flesh, such a legend like that, is an honor. I only got to say what's up to him real quick and I officially geeked out. He may never remember me or that moment, but I will never forget it. The fact that he stayed here an extra day to do night 2 of the tour was dope and much appreciated. Thanks, Paul.

I'm only 2 nights in and I feel like a zombie at work right now, but I gotta hang in there. No rest for the weary, gettin' geared up for Party Weirdo in the LBC tonight. Holla.

-Miles logged so far: 94.3-

2 shows down...

...7 more to go

-Rm

Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 Tour - Day 1 (9/1/09): Stones Throw Showcase At The Glasshouse In Pomona (909)

2009-09-02T03:19:00.000-07:00

So the 999 tour finally got kragenoff earlier tonight at The Glasshouse in Pomona (909)

It's an OK spot for a show, I guess. I'd only been there one time before to catch the Visionaries more than a year ago. Worst part though: no bar = FAIL AND a *sad trombone*, so we had to improvise and we got our drink on in the whip beforehand. Us FTW.

For those of you that are NOT knowin' about this tour, here's a quick rundown: Peanut Butter Wolf (owner and founder of the iconic Stones Throw Records) does a yearly tour of Los Angeles on consecutive nights at different venues, each year with a different theme. This year to coincide with 9-9-09, he is doing 9 venues on 9 straight nights in 9 different area codes in and around Los Angeles, spinning all 90's videos with NO REPEATS. Pretty ill, right?

Anyway, Rhettmatic was the opener for the evening. Got on waaaaay too damn early though and most of the crowd missed it (including myself). But according to an unnamed source on Twitter, Rhett "killed it" so I'll have to take his word on that. Mayer Hawthorne spun next, played everything from Rage Against The Machine to White Zombie to N.W.A. Dam Funk and Pase Rock were next but I didn't really catch most of their sets, though.

DJ Muggs was definitely one of the highlights, at one point doing tricks like he was back in a DMC battle. He went in and the crowd showed mad love.

But the main event was Peanut Butter Wolf and (to my surprise) him spinning a 2 X 4 live set with the legendary Prince Paul. One thing I admire about Wolf is when he goes for it, HE GOES ALL OUT. The theme for the tour is the celebration of the 90's and as he always like to keep the theme at the forefront, so check the outfits. Wolf...you'z a fool.

I had never even seen Prince Paul in person, so it was an honor to see him get his mix on. For anyone reading this and DOESN'T know who Prince Paul I would normally suggest to read up on him and do the knowledge. But right now all I can say is if you don't know who Prince Paul is, you're an asshole.

I got almost the entire set on video, but it would just take me completely too long to upload the whole thing. I'll start with a clip I was feelin' because it showed the vibe one can expect. Tonight was very Hip Hop heavy, which you're not gonna be hearing me complain about but I hope to see more genres thrown in there. Knowing Wolf, that is definitely on deck.

I was born at the tail end of the 70's, grew up and loved the 80's but deep down the 90's were the years that molded me. The Golden Era of Hip Hop came right during my teenage years and I feel blessed to have lived my formative years during that time. The music, TV, movies all seemed so much better than now. Especially with music, it seemed like every album that dropped was a "classic"...even if we didn't realize it at the time. Seeing all these old videos and hearing all the DJs keep it true to the essence of the 90's took me waaay back and reminded me how dope those years were. Youngsters today aren't as lucky as I feel I was and it's kinda sad to me that they will never get to experience what I did; that feeling of hearing something fresh and brand new, seeing a culture grow right before your eyes. I don't think we will ever really see or feel anything like that again. That first time I heard Enter The Wu-Tang is something that I will never forget...I still remember how much that album changed my life. Trying to explain it to someone, I catch looks like I have two heads; it's just hard to put into words. The only way to get past that would be to have someone be in that same moment in time and, sadly, times like that probably won't ever happen again.

Anyway, my initial goal was to post all the videos the night of the show, but damn...even just after the first night it's harder than I thought it was gonna be, haha. So I'll really only have time right now for one video, but I'll have more coming soon. Sleep is definitely catchin' up to me, but I'll see if I can keep up with 8 more nights. Damn, I'm crazy for tryin' this. What in thee FUCK did I get myself into?

So tomorrow's (or today's?) stop will be at the shit hole we call The Airliner in L.A. Way too much in explaining why I don't like that spot exactly, but I'll skip the details. They're lucky I'm doin' it for PB Wolf or I would charge THEM the $5 cover to keep me the fuck OUTSIDE. Guess the jokes on me in the end because I'll be in the house regardless. More vids, soon come.

On a sidenote, that Back And Forth video reminded me of what a huge crush I had on Aaliyah back in the day when that video dropped. Mmm. Rest In Power, girl.

-Miles logged so far: 65.3-

1 show down...

...8 more to go

-Rm

Prelude To A Classic

2009-09-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's finally here...

With the exception of maybe the days leading up to The Do-Over returning for the summer, no other event gets me more excited than Peanut Butter Wolf's yearly tour of Los Angeles. It started with 777 (of which I did 3), then 888 last year (of which I did 5) and it continues this year with 999, of which *crosses fingers* I want to do all 9.

Wolf is hands down my favorite DJ right now. He may not be the flashiest cat out there...he doesn't do crazy tricks, he doesn't cut like crazy or Transformer scratch, he doesn't beat juggle. But what he DOES do is select the finest music in just about any genre you can imagine. His musical knowledge is truly something to behold. He can rock a party just about as good as anyone I've seen and it comes from his ability to pick just the right song at just the right moment. It's truly something special to witness.

So I'm using 999 (and beyond) as my jumpoff for what I hope will be 13 straight days of pure musical massacre. Lord willing I won't die sometime along the way in doing this, but I'm sure gonna have fun trying. If I don't make it, anyone reading this I'm sure will be the first to know if I fail miserably. And with my genius planning, I happened to pick the year that Wolf decides to spread out the shows more than ever, covering 9 area codes all around the Greater Los Angeles area.

I'll try to post as much stuff as I can the night of (if the cousin of death doesn't get me first) for those that maybe aren't able to make one, or more, or any of the shows on the tour. I'll try to get as much footage and/or pictures as I can, if anything just for myself and nostalgia sake. But wildin' out like I'm known to do at shows, I might forget to get any footage at all. My apologies ahead of time.

So keep it tuned...it's gonna be something special. But don't take my word for it, anyone reading this please try to come out to at least one of these events. Please come experience something that can't be captured on video or pictures. If money is a concern, a couple of the events are free and some are only $5 to $10. The distance...well, that might be hard for some to handle. But your support for Stones Throw records, one of the truly great independent labels still around, is much appreciated. Hope to see some of you there...

But I'm not only using this as a means of escape; I have other things that I want to do as well. I don't really wanna give too much away, or hype things up way more than they need to be, but like I mentioned in my last post, losing yet ANOTHER musical outlet in Mike Nardone's We Came From Beyond show has inspired me to try and contribute to my music & my passion, Hip Hop, a little bit more than I have. If for nothing else, at least for myself...to show that someone out there still cares about it that much. The Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Blip/Blogger pages, etc...they're all leading up to something that I hope people can appreciate.

More than anything though, I want to use this as an outlet to show my enthusiasm for what I do and what I support. And maybe a little bit of that can rub off on anyone who feels me on that tip. This tour (and the next few events following that) will give me the chance to show that Hip Hop (and other genres, too) is still alive and well, not just here but worldwide. Like I mentioned yesterday, it's just a matter of not settling for what's given to you and to stay on the hunt for music that is truly worth the time, money and effort.

So try it out. Somewhere along the course of 9 area codes, I'm sure you (yes, YOU) can find something to appreciate.

-Rm

I Gotta Talk To 'Em......

2009-08-31T03:35:00.000-07:00

I wasn't really gonna get this blog jumpin' off until sometime later today for something else I'm working on (more info to come on that), but I'm inspired right now.

So I'm sitting here just after 1am, listening to Mike Nardone's final broadcast of We Came From Beyond and I have so much going through my mind. It's truly the end of an era: almost 21 years on the air playing real Hip Hop on L.A. radio. I could, but won't, get into a debate on what "real" Hip Hop is, because if you know...then you know. For us, it doesn't have to be spelled out, explained or whatnot...it's just the way it is. It's something that's inside of us because we've loved this for so long that our minds and ears are so tuned into this culture, this music that has defined our lives and our generation that it doesn't need to be explained.

I'm glad that Mike is leaving the show on his own terms; I'd originally been worried that the show had been yanked on some bullshit programming decision ("Your show's not relevant"), but Mike posted on his website and announced it at the top of the show awhile ago that this was completely his decision and I'm happy with that. But what kinda bummed me out tonight, besides a few cats like Rhettmatic and Steve 1der, Cook Book and Uno Mas and a few others who showed love...no really big names came through to show some support. Or at least give Mike a Yo! MTV Raps-style sendoff or somethin'. 21 YEARS ON THE AIR?! He deserved that at least. I saw a few cats on Twitter (who shall remain nameless) who, granted, had shows or other events tonight but who I know for a fact owe a debt of gratitude to Mike for having played their music over the years. Even a tweet puttin' the word out about the final show tonight would have gone a long way, I think. Especially when your crates are deep; this is a picture I took of just a part of his records at the station:

But that's all over and done with because the show is now over and won't be back. I forget who said it tonight, but he echoed my thoughts exactly: "Real Hip Hop is dead on the radio". And it's true. I told a few people that very same thing a couple weeks ago when Mike announced tonight would be his last show. True Hip Hop itself will NEVER die, but as far as being on an FM radio station here in Los Angeles, We Came From Beyond was definitely the last of a dying breed. Thank you Mike (though I doubt you're reading this) for 21 strong years; I can't claim to have tuned in every week, but I tuned in whenever I could. I would even sit in my car for hours to listen because I had no reception in my house on 88.9. That's the absolute truth. I did it for The Wake Up Show back in the day, for Friday Night Flavas, so I definitely did it for your show. Your contributions will never be forgotten by us.

With the passing of DJ AM just a couple days ago, it's come to my attention how some artists are never truly appreciated while they are alive and with us. Not to take anything away from AM, but aside from maybe Bobby Hundreds I never really heard anyone mention him as being the best DJ out there, or being "legendary". Even dudes like Jay Dee didn't get their recognition, sadly, until after their passing. But it always seems to work out that way, as unfortunate as that may be.

I just want people to appreciate the truly great artists and contributors to our music while they're still alive. That doesn't necessarily mean to tag EVERYONE out there as "legends", but to give those that deserve it the honor of letting them know while they're still around just how much they have mean to us and our lives. Once someone known passes, it seems like they're automatically given the title of "the greatest". That type of recognition can't be bestowed on someone just because they're gone. I think it's more than appropriate to recognize someone for their achievements and for them to be forever remembered by them and the legacy they've left behind, but instantly giving them "greatest ever" status is doing them a disservice too, I believe. Appreciate your heroes while they're still alive so they can know it before it's too late.

So to Mike Nardone, you have definitely earned your place among L.A. legends for keeping a show that stayed true to itself, just the way you stayed true to YOURSELF, for just shy of 21 years and that deserves all the accolades in the world. It won't go unnoticed in mine and my fellow Hip Hop head's eyes (and ears) anytime soon, so for all of L.A. and to wherever else your show reached and audience we say...THANK YOU.

http://www.twitvid.com/4297A

I got to meet Mike just a couple weeks ago, on my birthday of all days, and it was truly an honor. I'm happy with the fact that I let him know that myself, in my own words...I let him know how much his show meant to us and that I recognized the contributions he'd made by thanking him personally for everything he'd done for Hip Hop in L.A...and he couldn't have been a nicer guy about it. Just truly humble. It was crazy to think that I was just there at his studio and now the show is gone. But I'm content with the fact that, at least for my part, I got to let the man know just how much of an honor it was to get to even just be in his studio. I won't ever forget that. Or his laugh.

I've been bullshitting around and sitting on ideas for waaaay too long now and with We Came From Beyond, Friday Night Flavas, etc. off the air, I see that I need to get back on my hustle. I want to make my own contribution to this game, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. I want to know that I'm giving something back to it in return for all that it's given me, even though that really would be impossible. This blog will be the jump off for other things I want to do, especially over the next couple weeks or so. Keep an eye, and an ear, out for it. There's big things comin'.

999 and beyond...get ready.

-Rm