Posts Tagged ‘RIP’

The Man Who Incited A Riot

Posted: June 18, 2012 in Articles
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It’s crazy to think LAPD‘s beating of Rodney King happened 21 years ago and the resulting riot occurred only a year after that. I was only a child when Los Angeles was literally and figuratively on fire, but I remember it vividly. I distinctly remember watching video of the assault and news footage of the pandemonium, trying to make sense of it all. King’s beating blew the lid off of what Black people knew for ages: police officers and other authority figures didn’t give a damn about us. In the wake of King’s recent death, I think it’s fair to say he never fully recovered.

As it stands now, details are still sketchy about what led to King’s death. All we know is his fiancée, Cynthia Kelly, found him dead at the bottom of their swimming pool. From the 1990s until now, King’s been used as a prime example of hierarchical injustice against Black and Hispanic people. Whether he wanted to or not, he represented the sentiment of countless minorities who despised how the “powers that be” treated them. While his case put the battery in the back of numerous people looking for change, I believe his plight got lost in the shuffle. His situation is a lot for one man to bear. How would you feel knowing that being viciously beaten would lead to an increased level of violence across an entire city? People talk about the settlement money he was awarded, but no amount of money can give you peace of mind.

All in all, it’s sad to hear Rodney King died. 47-years-old isn’t old by any stretch of the imagination. In the end, I hope he can actually find peace now. With that being said, RIP Rodney King.

Her Name Wasn’t Susan

Posted: February 13, 2012 in Articles, Video
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Ok, so 2012 has been out of control so far. First Etta James, then Don Cornelius and now Whitney Houston? Maybe the world really is ending in December. Despite the fact our society loves to document the downfall of our icons, let’s not forget who Whitney really was: an unrivaled singer. To be honest, Whitney’s so legendary, I don’t really have to waste any time explaining her influence. Everyone I know has their own personal connection to her music. At this point, I’d much rather play some of my favorite songs. With that being said, you can check out my personal picks below.

P.S. Before I go, I’d like to send out a quick “fuck you” to all of the douchebags ranting about how she was a crackhead. Oh, so you fuckers are so perfect, you can judge somebody else? How many of our musical heroes have succumbed to personal demons during their lifetimes? Does that negate their impact? Absolutely not. So all you naysayers can go jump rope with barbed wire in traffic. RIP Whitney Houston.

Happy Birthday J Dilla

Posted: February 7, 2012 in Articles, Video
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What can I say about J Dilla that hasn’t already been said by probably every website on the internet? Now I’ll be the first to admit, people have gotten overzealous with the Jay Dee praise since he passed in 2006. I’d bet money most of the people calling him the greatest didn’t listen to half of his discography before his death. Well ladies and gentlemen, I am not one of those people. I’m the dude that was a James Yancey fan before I even knew who he was or what production was. I just knew that A Tribe Called Quest‘s “Find A Way” and Common‘s “The Light” were my shit. After finding out he was the man responsible for some of my favorite songs, I had to find everything he worked on.

Now I could definitely keep rambling about his music’s impact on me, but I’d rather just play some records. These are just some of the Dilla produced gems I’m digging today. The songs could completely change tomorrow. He’s got too many classics son! Happy birthday Jay Dee.

P.S. While I was celebrating the victory of my New York Giants yesterday, I failed to mention the birthday of the late, great Bob Marley. Truthfully, it bothers me to no end when rappers only refer to him when talking about weed. He was waaaaay more important than that. Marley wasn’t simply a singer, he was a damn revolutionary. He’s probably the only musician I would let run my country (sorry Wyclef Jean). With that being said, you can take a listen to my favorite Wailers song below. RIP Bob Marley.

Love, Peace & Soul

Posted: February 1, 2012 in Articles, Video
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Ok, let’s get one thing straight: Black musicians wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without the existence of Soul Train. This concept isn’t even up for debate. Don Cornelius launched the careers of countless artists during the 35-year history of his show. We are forever indebted to that man for introducing us to a variety of music and style we consider classic now. With that being said, I’m absolutely shocked at the news he was found dead this morning in Los Angeles. While the entire story isn’t clear, he apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. If this is true, it makes the story infinitely sadder. We never know what goes on in a man’s head, but it’ll always be difficult to understand why such an icon would take his own life. In the end, I have to say RIP to Don Cornelius. It’s absolutely impossible to overstate his influence.

For those clueless about his importance, check out VH1‘s documentary, Soul Train: The Hippest Trip In America, below.

Step Your ‘Patrice O’Neal’ Game Up

Posted: November 30, 2011 in Articles, Video
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The first time I was introduced to the hilarity that was Patrice O’Neal was back in 2002. This was the year VH1 introduced its “I Love the ’80s” series and O’Neal was clearly one of the funniest commentators on that show. Then in 2003, I laughed my ass off when he said Diddy had “dolphin teeth” while playing the character Pit Bull in Dave Chappelle‘s “Player Hater’s Ball” segment. From that point on, I was an unabashed Patrice O’Neal fan. Needless to say, I was tripped out when I heard he passed away on Monday.

Back in October, he suffered a diabetes-related stroke and the complications contributed to his death. In addition to his diabetes, he was also battling with his weight, and he lost the fight at the age of 41. Think about that for a second. 41-years-old is not old by any stretch of the imagination. With so many outside factors capable of taking our lives, we all have to make sure we take care of ourselves to the best of our ability. Now as I step down from my soapbox, do the right thing and check out his comedy special, Elephant In The Room, below. It is certified Grade-A tomfoolery. RIP Patrice O’Neal.

I Got Nuttin’ But Love…

Posted: November 9, 2011 in Audio, Video
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Damn son, 2 RIP posts in 2 days. I’m still in shock at the sudden death of Heavy D. Vibe Magazine reported the cause of death was “respiratory issues,” but this is still under investigation. When I was a kid, you couldn’t tell me nothing about Heavy D. While Hip-Hop artists like MC Hammer were also known for their dancing, I wanted to dance like Hev, because he had that natural swag. I distinctly remember telling him that the first time I met him, since he lived right next door to my Godfather in Mt. Vernon. Over the years, Hev lost a lot of weight and looked a lot healthier, but it didn’t last. When I saw him on the BET Hip-Hop Awards the other week, he looked like he was putting all of that weight back on. In any case, while I’m not sure what killed him, I do know I’ll be playing the classics until further notice. Thou shalt get your Waterbed Hev fix below. RIP Heavy D.

I Smoke On The Mic Like…

Posted: November 8, 2011 in Articles
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First things first, if you don’t know what song that title comes from, your Hip-Hop card is officially revoked. I’m not even going to take the time to tell you, because this is one of the things in life you should know. In elementary school, they teach you reading, writing, arithmetic and this quote. In any case, it wouldn’t be right if I neglected to wax poetic about the life of Joe Frazier. Easily one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time, Frazier became the latest individual to lose their bout with cancer.

Now I’m sure when most people look back on his career, they’re going to remember his legendary rivalry with Muhammad Ali. When Ali was stripped of his crown for dodging the draft during the Vietnam War, Frazier claimed the heavyweight championship. Never one to mince his words, Ali refused to acknowledge Frazier as the champ since he had never beaten him. This, of course, led to the “Fight of the Century,” where both undefeated champs squared off at Madison Square Garden. Not only did Frazier beat “the greatest,” he became the first man to ever knock Ali down, with one of the most vicious left hooks in history. As it stands now, Smokin’ Joe only lost to 2 dudes during his career: Ali and George Foreman. That’s pretty damn good if you ask me. On top of that, out of his 32 career victories, he knocked 27 of them dudes out. Meaning, if you stepped inside the ring with Frazier, he was going to beat your monkey ass down.

As you already know from my Steve Jobs post, I’m really serious about this cancer epidemic. Everyday we lose more and more of our loved ones because this disease seems to touch everybody. While people like Jobs and Frazier are public examples of this, plenty of individuals suffer everyday without fanfare or acknowledgement. Liver cancer took down the champ, but his legacy lives on. In remembrance, I’m going to hit somebody in the face with a left hook today. RIP Smokin’ Joe Frazier.

RIP Steve Jobs

Posted: October 6, 2011 in Articles
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So the news that Steve Jobs passed away came as a shock to me. While I always knew he was sick, I just figured he’d be alright in the end. Not because he was superhuman or because I was in on some secret, but because of the impact he made on technology and our lives in general. Anybody who has ever owned a Mac, an iPod, an iPhone or watched a Pixar movie is indebted to that man. He changed the way we interacted with each other and introduced us to numerous products we now believe we can’t live without. However, despite his indelible impact, he couldn’t outrun a fate that has stricken countless others: cancer.

While I don’t have any specific numbers, it’s commonly believed that cancer kills between 8 and 10 million people worldwide every year. Despite all the money being raised and all the research being done in order to combat this disease, we’re still losing people by the millions. In the last 4 years alone, I lost 2 of my aunts to 2 different variations of this disease. Truthfully, it seems like our susceptibility to the disease is only getting worse. How many more people have to die before we make some real progress? I apologize if this comes off as a “soap box” moment, but the death of Steve Jobs just points to a bigger problem that is plaguing us all. Jobs’ family now joins the millions who have to watch their loved ones slip away before their eyes. If we don’t get a handle on this situation, who knows how many more people we’ll lose around the world.

In the end, maybe he knew his time was up, so he passed the job to Tim Cook while he could. Regardless of what was going through his head, I’m sure he knew his legacy was secure. From all the past Apple products to all the gadgets that will comprise their future, it’s all a testament to his hard work. There’s nothing left to say but RIP to that man.

Aaliyah: 10 Years Later

Posted: August 25, 2011 in Articles, Audio, Video
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On this day 10 years ago, the music world lost Aaliyah to an unfortunate yet unnecessary plane crash. I’m sure we all know the story by now, but while returning from the “Rock The Boat” video shoot in The Bahamas, the pilot lost control of the overweight plane. For an incident that cost people their lives, it’s more so sad to think it could’ve been avoided if the plane wasn’t so overloaded with equipment. In any case, a 22-year-old woman lost her life too soon, but she still managed to leave a lasting legacy in such a short period of time.

When I think of Aaliyah, I think of 2 things: hit songs and boyhood lust. Let’s keep it real son, she was hot. To this day, I want to punch Dame Dash in one of his kidneys because he was lucky enough to be engaged to her. Even though I was only a teenager at the time, I was fully convinced that if I met her, I could make the magic happen. When it comes to the songs, I’m sure we’re all familiar with her biggest hits, but I want to post some of my personal Aaliyah-featured jams. These are the songs where, no matter where I am, I will start to pretend I’m in the music video. RIP to woman Aaliyah, another life gone too soon.

Step Your ‘Ashford & Simpson’ Game Up

Posted: August 23, 2011 in Articles, Audio, Video
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“Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die…”

André 3000 said it best with that line off of “Aquemini.” In this case, the hero we lost was Nickolas Ashford from the legendary husband-and-wife duo, Ashford & Simpson. Throughout the history of this blog, I’ve chastised people who weren’t familiar with particular musicians. But in spite of all the artists I’ve championed on this site, if you aren’t familiar with the work of Ashford & Simpson, you no longer have the right to listen to music. On top of having hits of their own, the duo has written countless classics for other legendary artists. From “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to “You’re All I Need To Get By” to “I’m Every Woman,” the list is too long for me to list here. Matter of fact, do yourself a favor and Google their discography. Sidebar, I didn’t list the artists for those particular songs because if you don’t know who sings them, [insert disrespectful comment about your loserish ways]. With all that being said, I want to say RIP to the man Nick Ashford. Even though we all eventually die, what we do in this life lasts forever.

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