March 31, 2006

Top 25 – T.I.

Welcome to T.I. Appreciation Day at Virtual Bomaniland. That sounds really, well, lame. But that’s sorta what this is. I said yesterday some of why I dig him so much, but it’s more than just that. Much of what I say is associated with the respect I have for how he handled his career after he got dropped by Arista (one of the worst moves in the history of the record industry), the way he’s dictated so many trends in the Atlanta scene, and his ability to back up one of the most staggering egos this side of KRS-ONE.

Biggest thing–few people have been able to show Tip’s versatility and match his sincerity. And now that he’s four albums strong, it’s clear that we’re going to be considering him with the pantheon before long.

Before the list, here’s how I place his albums from best to not quite as good as the best.

Trap Muzik
I’m Serious
King
Urban Legend

That doesn’t mean I don’t like Urban Legend. Just ain’t as hard as the others. But that’s the same way I feel about ATLiens in the OutKast catalog.

And now, the list. As always, suggestions are invited. I’ve compiled this while on the phone with my boss, so I’m sure I’m missing things.
Continue reading Top 25 – T.I….

March 30, 2006

Is TI really the king?

So I was sitting here this morning and saw Clifford “TI” Harris on Cold Pizza. I derive great humor from how he bills himself on ATL as Tip “TI” Harris. Reminds me of my boy Dricoe who used to say that TI would always ask him to call him by his rap name, Tip. Dricoe’s response was, “I call him by his name–Clifford.”

Anyway, there was TI on this show talking about the movie, his album, Atlanta sports, and a few other things. At that moment, it hit me finally that he really has become the King of the South.

That’s right–Scarface needs to move over.

On this here show, Tip did something that I always love to see–made the interviewer come to him. Frequently, black folks get on television with white folks and try to sound like people they’re not. They try too hard to use accepted cliches, flip up their vocabulary, all of that stuff. Didn’t see that here.

I’m not saying he broke down some shit that you could only understand if you’ve logged significant Bankhead time, but he sounded so wonderfully natural. The coolest thing about Tip to me has always been that he’s smart as hell, knows he’s smart as hell, but doesn’t try to beat you over the head with that intelligence. It simply exists, and he can let it exist because it’s undeniable.

That’s why he can bring all that Atlanta to this television show and still nail it perfectly. He’s a born star, dripping with sincerity. My favorite emcee in the game right now without question.

(And anyone that can’t appreciate that because his drawl is thick can kiss my ass. I mean that.)

And yes, the album is dope dope dope. It’s not as dope as the new Ghostface–nor the Juve, probably–but it goes hard as hell.

I’ll talk more about this tomorrow, but here’s what’s worth noting–I always told JR that if Tip hit us with another banger with this new record, I’d give him his own Top 25 list.

Tomorrow, I’ll be doing a list. Dig?

March 29, 2006

More from Duke

I’m helping ESPN with their coverage of this, so I’m not going to say much until stories have been researched and filed. However, the following things are in the public domain and have been left on the comments of the last post.

Justice4TwoSisters – http://justice4twosisters.blogspot.com/

The Smoking Gun – http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0329061duke1.html

Duke Chronicle (student paper) – http://www.dukechronicle.com/

March 28, 2006

Sexual assault at Duke

In case you haven’t seen this.

Just know this–lawyers haven’t even gotten involved yet. This is gonna be some shit, trust.

March 27, 2006

Guns

So a couple of weeks ago, I’d decided that my next Top 25 list would be 25 songs about guns. “Gun” by Gil Scott-Heron, “Guns in Brixton” by The Clash, “Pistol Grip Pump” by Volume 10, “Stray Bullet” by Organized Konfusion…cuts like that. Lots of good records about guns, many of which haven’t been heard by a lot of you.

But after the nonsense and tragedy, I couldn’t even pretend that would be appropriate. Not just because of what happened to my peoples, but because the mere thought of a gun is sickening to me now.

Yeah yeah, people–not guns–kill people. Whatever. Guns kill people. Simple as that.

I don’t really knock people for owning guns. Gil said, “philosophy seems to be/at least as near as I can see/when other folks give up theirs, I’ll give up mine.” When other people have guns, it because more risky not to have one. If someone kicks in the door of my house while I’m here, I have no idea what I’ll do since I don’t have a gun. All I can do is try to find some shit to throw or something. The steel would be a lot more effective.

But I can honestly say that the accessibility of a gun put my folks in this situation. I won’t go into details, but know this–when some people get mad, they just try to do the most hurtful thing they can. People fight because they get so mad that they want other people to feel it. It’s a sentiment that I don’t fully understand, but that’s what it is. Not sure how that helps people, but it is what it is.

So when someone is like that and has access to a firearm, it’s not hard to figure out what the results could be.

This has easily been the most stressful week I can remember. Even more stressful than when my best friend died. In that situation, there was no one to blame. He died in his sleep. I always thought that the lack of someone to blame was why that was so hard for me to deal with things, and I still find that to partially be true.

But this situation was much different. I have spent most of the last nine days trying to figure out how a person could be so terrible as to do this. I still can’t come to grips with that. I still can’t comprehend what would possess someone to behave like this.

And while I struggle to understand it, I’ve had to watch people that I love have to mourn the loss of people they loved.

And I blame guns.

Yeah, the gun was in someone’s hand, but we live in a culture that glorifies that stuff. It makes packing a pistol cool. It makes the willingness to use that pistol even cooler since that sorta guarantees that no one will mess with you.

I have no idea how to fix that. Guns seem an unnecessary thing, but I’ve always lived a rather cushy middle-class life. I always thought the gun-packers in my neighborhood–remember, I live in Texas–were wackos on some crazy Rambo shit. I still think that.

But there are other people with other concerns, and I can’t really relate to them. Their reality is really far from mine.

I just remember the eerie feeling I had in a car with a couple of cousins a few years ago when one cousin decided to pass his .380 around so we could all see it. I just remembered how cold and heavy that thing was. It really felt like death. Spooked me out a little bit.

I’m not sure this made any sense. Just know I probably won’t be doing that gun list anytime soon.

“If you got children, love em, cuz God just might take em home
cuz one day you’re here, baby
the next day you’re gone.”

–C.L. Butler, better known as Chad.

March 23, 2006

Thank You

Forgive the lack of updates this week, but it’s been hectic. There should be a piece on Page 2 on Thursday, but I’m not sure I’ll be at the computer to put a link up on the site. You know where to go to find it. I think.

More importantly, I want to thank everyone that sent a note or left a comment offering support in this bizarre and difficult time. I haven’t been able to reply to most of you, but I will.

This Internet thing is amazing. Half of you don’t really know me, but you really took the time to do a small something to help me and my folks get through. I have no idea what compelled you all to do so, but I’m glad you did.

And before I go, the lil fella’s back to running around and just being positively adorable. I’m still begging his father to give him a small semblence of a haircut–lots of cottonseed potential right now–but he’s a beautiful kid.

Talk to you soon.

March 20, 2006

Tragic Shooting

Well, I’ll be headed to Atlanta today. No fun this time, though.

FYI, Kenyon is my godson. Tanisha’s a friend of mine. If you’re the praying type, send a couple up.

And if you’ve followed this case any, there is one thing I feel obligated to clarify. Initial reports said the man in custody was believed to be the baby’s father. That is not true. The father of the child is one of my best friends, essentially family. He did not do this.

And shame on the news outlets and Atlanta police for reporting that. Imagine how I felt Sunday morning when I read that my boy was supposedly in jail. Imagine how my folks felt when Channel 2 reported that the father was the suspected shooter…and then showed a frame of my man crying because someone very close to him was just killed.

Step your game up, folks. Those nameless people are just that–people.

March 17, 2006

Tournament Time!

First, could the following people remind me they’re still alive–Dame, Rachel, Nikki, Nikki (both y’all), Big D, and a few others I can’t think of. Where y’all been?

Moving on…bracket’s going strong, baby. Marquette did me in a bit, but that’s okay.

FYI–I have no basketball beef with Oklahoma. Long live Skeeter Jones. However, big shouts to the crimson and cream for getting outta there nice and fast and making my pick of Wisconsin-Milwaukee all the smarter. But that’s what they do at Oklahoma, yanno…make other people look smarter.

Anyway, doing some radio today on the D1 Sports Network around 5:45 EST. I’ll be talking about the tournament and all of those fun things. Click here for the live feed, and thanks to Chris Atkins for setting this up.

I’ve got a million things I want to say, but no time to do so with the tourney going like it is. So, I may be back later to get into some of those things. Or maybe I won’t.

Funny like that.

March 16, 2006

Baba’s Bracket

First up, here’s something you may find interesting. Julia Keller, a cultural critic at the Chicago Tribune, called me a couple of weeks ago to get a few quotes for a piece she was working on about the irrationality of hate in sports rivalries. Seeing how she’s won one of these thingies, this was the most flattering request I’ve gotten in a while.

Anyhoo, give the piece a read here. In spite of whatever I had to say, it’s strong work. (Registration required, I think)

***

Here’s my Tournament prognostication. Those with office pools but no clue what to do, feel free to use my picks. But say not shit if they’re wrong. Shoulda done ‘em on your own, cheater.

First-round winners

ATLANTA

Duke
GW
Syracuse
LSU
WVU
Iowa
Cal
Texas

OAKLAND

Memphis
Arkansas
Kent State
Kansas
Indiana
Gonzaga
Marquette
UCLA

WAshington, DC

UConn
UAB
Washington
Illinois
Mich State
UNC
Wichita State
Tennessee

MINNEAPOLIS

Villanova
Arizona
Negada
BC
Wisc-Milwaukee
Florida
G’Town
Ohio State

Second Round

ATLANTA

Duke
LSU
WVU
Texas

OAKLAND

Memphis
Kansas
Indiana
Marquette

WASHINGTON

UConn
Illinois
UNC
Tennessee

MINNEAPOLIS

Villanova
BC
Wisconsin-Milwaukee (this has been added. copied it off my bracket wrong)
Ohio State

Third Round

ATLANTA

LSU
Texas

OAKLAND

Memphis
Marquette

WASHINGTON

UConn
UNC

MINNEAPOLIS

BC
Ohio State

FINAL FOUR

Texas
BC
UConn
Memphis

CHAMPIONSHIP

Texas
Uconn

CHAMPION

UConn

March 14, 2006

Radio This Evening

Super late update. Anyway, just found out I’ll be doing a spot on Barry Bonds and Ruth on Dave Smith’s ride home show in Los Angeles on 1540 AM. Look for me around 6:25 PST.

Live feed here.