Purple Sector…

Ok I was watching music videos on MTV Jams and this video came on.

Not only is Bow Wow butchering the art of the auto tune (as perfected by weezy,kanye,T-pain, and the originators zapp and roger and P-funk.) But he is also butchering a classic TLC song. Yes, as soon as the beat dropped, I was like OH HELL NO he did not just sample Baby,Baby,Baby.
Sorry Bow wow, but this song just doesn’t do it, and that is Actual and Factual.

Nike’s dropping some women’s dunks that I just may cut off my two smallest toes for. Paule Marrot did these, and they drop summer of this year in women’s sizes only.  I bet I know wo’s going to get these! I’m glad that fresh joints only come out when I have a significant other whose company Ienjoy. Lol, how does it feel, you slores!

BBC is dropping some new stuff, and, though it hardly gets time here, these are pretty fresh drops, the jackets especially. They drop at the stores and the sites you’d normally check, so there’s no suprise there. Rumor’s got it there’s either a Supreme, BWS or BBC opening in Boston this fall? Hmmmmm, I’m pulling for ‘Preme!

Louis Vuitton is rumored to be commisioning some well known graf artists for their Steve Sprouse campaign. Here are some first shots.

Aaaaaand finally, Lou Reed is the latest to don a Preme tee. And the colored girls say…..

I couldn’t resist. Here it is below…..

People are always making sly remarks about this being another KanYe fan site. That, this is not. Truth be told, the guy just goes on a run every few weeks of consistently doing fresh stuff week after week, and we’re all about fresh here on PSDN. That being said, one of my favorite shows on TV, VH1’s Storytellers, is having him on, and here’s a preview, it’s him performing Stronger, and the set looks pretty cool. It’s also one of my favorite jams of his, so peep. Forgive the BS before the vid, I’ve been trying to upload better versions with other players, but to no avail.

Moving on, I’ve got a ShamWow parody a friend emailed me. I won’t go into any further detail, just watch and laugh.

The first drop is not KanYe, here’s Cam’Ron with I Used to Get it in Ohio. Interesting title. Cam’s been back on the scene in somewhat of a major way, he’s got an album out, two hot tracks already put out, it may just be killa season again.

Next up, we’ve got QuESt with Check the Rhime ‘09. No, I did not accidentally misspell rhyme, that’s how Tribe used it, so I kept it going. Anyway, it’s hot, worth a few listens and a download before the whole project,  Distant Travels into Soul Theory, hits.

The Last two are Yeezy-licious. We’ve gotWalking on the Moon with Mr. The Dream, which is a decent jam at best until Ye comes and eats it up, and Flight School, which is actually thought to be a GLC track with T-Pain and Ye. All I know about this one is that Ye rips it and Pain is sub-par. They’re still good overall, though.

Ronald Reagan was a terrible president. Why? There’s a laundry list of things. But for now, let’s talk about one: The “war on drugs”. Really? A war on drugs, you say? Well, what’s a war, then? Merriam-Webster defines war as these two things:

1 a (1): a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations (2): a period of such armed conflict (3): state of war b: the art or science of warfare c (1)obsolete : weapons and equipment for war (2)archaic : soldiers armed and equipped for war

2 a: a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism b: a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end.

Now, definition 1 is what most of us normally associate with war. Nation A hates Nation B’s religion, or weaponry, or religion, or eating habits, or needs it oil and hates its religion, etc.., so Nation A attacks B, B defends itself and attacks back, and Bingo! You’ve got a good old fashioned war. We’ve got two going on right now in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively. That’s a pretty concrete example, no need to delve much further into definition one.

Definition two, however, is quite the quandary. Definition two, in spirit, is a sound definition. Let’s use drugs as the opposing force. Drugs are bad, that’s been established by years of  “Just Say No” and other slogans crammed down our throats since childhood by the spectral mugs of the likes of Nancy Reagan and others. Many drugs rip apart families, robbing individual members thereof, or the whole family, of money, safety, livelihood, and so on. The money earned in drug trade funds some pretty seedy dealings the world over: trafficking, murder, terrorism, wack rap albums, blah blah blah. They’re bad if abused or consumed by those who have no business being near them, which, when it comes to most of them, excluding the Reefer (which is less harmful than alcohol with more desirable side effects and fewer negative ones) is anyone with a pulse.  Cool?

Okay, so that’s out of the way.

A War on drugs is unlike any other war on any negative or opposing force. Why? Let’s compare, and take the war on poverty (which is non-existent, but we’ll take use the ideal sense of the thing.) Poverty is an indirect factor for most. Poverty can’t be bought, sold, or distributed in the purest sense of the word, though tools to perpetuate poverty can, have been, and are being bought, sold, and distributed every second. However, we can all agree that poverty is not a tangible, digestible object, it’s an abstract concept, a word defined and applied to separate and diagnose issues and problems affecting sects of societies worldwide. So, to do battle with poverty, there are no weapons needed. No bombs, no DEA, no mandatory minimums, no educational gaps, no guns, no inept police departments, no witness tampering, none of that. Money, oversight, intelligent individuals, well-laid plans,  and impoverished people are about all you need for a spirited war on poverty. Such is not the case with drugs.

Drugs are things that can be touched, licked, injected, snorted, smoked, huffed, blown into your eyes, put into water supplied, booty bumped (look it up) and otherwise used. So, one could say to war against drugs, you could take them away, and shut down their supply pipelines to insure they don’t return, or, at the very least, if they do or are going to, it would be simpler to repeat the aforementioned process. If that’s all you thought would be necessary to fight this war, take off your tie-dye tshirt, cut your hair and get a job, you hippie. Here’s what the war on drugs is: it’s a war against people associated with drugs. How else would you explain the supply on the part of the government of drugs to impoverished minority areas preceding and/or DURING said war. In order to war against drugs, you need to get the drugs and take them away, shutting down their pipelines. but you also need to incarcerate one or two minority ethnic groups at an alarming rate, and keep them there for a while. So to keep them there, you need what’s called a mandatory minimum, which, in short, means that anyone who commits any variation of crime A gets X amount of years, on the spot, in spite of any confounding or special factors, no mater how cooperative or small a player said criminal was in committing the crime. But you need somewhere to house all these people! So you tear down schools and neglect the ones you keep, and fund the building of prisons NEAR those towns and cities that need better schooling. and then you wait for little Jimmy and Joanie to graduate from an underfunded school full of underfunded, overworked, often times under-qualified teachers. But what do Jimmy and Joanie do when they can’t get good paying jobs because they learned at such a second rate school, and they nor their parents can front the money for a higher education? Well, if their horizons are that bleak, they might sell drugs in that neighborhood. And when they do, we catch em, and throw em in the clink conveniently located where a better school should have been! But there’s a problem, guys! If we’re so good at taking away drugs, eventually they’ll be no more, or a hell of a lot less, drugs in these neighborhoods contributing to our prison population.  Whatever shall we do?! Well, though crooked police and enforcement ineptitude, we help these confiscated drugs find their way BACK into the neighborhood! And now we’re free to lock up as many unsuspecting nigg…err…offenders as possible! Ahh, the circle of life!

Did you ever wonder why states down south can’t donate a penny or a half acre to a new charter or public school, yet subsidize INDEPENDENT PRISONS for tens of millions of dollars PER YEAR?! And why is it that after these people have paid their debt to society, they CONTINUE to pay by not being able to get loans, or jobs, or adequate housing, or VOTE?! But that’s fine, cuz’ they can get degrees in jail, right? WRONG. you wanna know what goes first when funds get tight in prisons? Basket weaving? No, education, dummy! So now, in 10 years, when Jimmy gets out of jail, with the same education, a lessened ability to get a good job, or good housing, or a loan to go to school or start a business, and the fact he’s been withdrawn from society for a decade, he’s supposed to be an upstanding citizen?! HOW THE HELL DOES HE DO THAT?! I’m not saying doing, selling, or distributing drugs is OK for anyone. drugs destroy lives and families, many of us see it happening firsthand in our neighborhoods or families. What I am saying is that the war on drugs is nothing of the sort, it’s a war on a select few group of people. Need more proof?!

The media and law enforcement would have you think that drugs are a “hood” thing. That only urban lower to lower-middle class minorities fall prey to their harmful effects. You want to know where all the methamphetamine and most of the ecstasy, oxycontin/codone, cocaine, and perscription drugs are abused? Suburbia. Ever seen a SWAT truck in Greenwich, Connecticut or Triton, Mass? Of course you haven’t, because as far as the government is concerned, that’s not as big of an issue as people from where I’m from who just want to puff twice and pass.

War? Huh? What is it good for?

Hunting me and you.

“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,”

Eric Holder said this a few days ago, during Black history month. Now, Before you pull a Jay Severin or Michelle Mcphee, and leave out the first 31 words of the quote, you’ll see Eric is actually saying. But, since  conservative demagogues and run-of-the-mill, shrill, average Boston “journalists” seem to lack listening and comprehension skills, let’s break it down shall we?

Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot: If you’re me or anything like me, you’ve heard this phrase from every level of authority in your life. From teachers, parents, ministers, government officials, coaches, private citizens, whinos, windshield junkies, everybody. And to an extent, this statement is totally correct. The United States allows immigrants from nearly every nation on earth, giving them a path to citizenship, voter rights, and access to the infrastructure that not so long ago was a model for everyone else’s. They get housing, licenses, scholarships, healthcare. On the surface, one could argue that minorities and immigrant have just as much, if not more access to all the things that make America the world’s city on a hill, and in some cases, in all honesty, you’d be correct. It’s not right that illegals get licenses, loans, free or cheap housing, sooner than legals or natural born citizens. Visa-hopping, or overstaying one’s Visa or card limit, is wrong and should be devoted as much attention as our so called war on drugs (more on that Monday!) However, in many other, equally if not more important ways, this couldn’t be further from the truth. While America is looked upon as a melting pot, it’s truly more like a few smaller melting pots. How? The two words that Michelle or Jay won’t talk to you about, that Rush probably can’t hop off the pills long enough to define, that Sean and Bill, adrift on their own wave of unreality think don’t exist here in the US of A: Social Class. Social class is the largest determinant of anything in this country, and the bad thing is, for the most part, you don’t get to choose for yourself. If you’re black and in Bed-Stuy, if you’re Mexican in Vallejo, if you’re Asian in Malden, if you’re Jewish in Upstate NY, you get a social class a few minutes after you get your name. Even if you don’t believe in the things most lumped with you would, dress, walk, talk, think, love, hate, eat, sleep, play, work like the rest of them do, you’ll have to go through hell and high water to pull away from your class, if it’s less than desirable. Because if you drive a Benz and your hair is kinky and skin is chocolate like mine, if you bought that Benz with your Wall Street earnings or your street corner earnings, as far law enforcement, past administrations (give Obama time, I have faith he’ll be different), many of those in higher classes, and many in your own class are concerned, you’re just a nigger in a fancy car. There’s a reason Martha Stewart can rob shareholders of millions and get house arrest, Hulk Hogan’s kid can kill his friend and get a few months, Rush Limbaugh can be addicted to pills and spew blatantly bigoted thoughts, Wall Street execs can drive companies into the ground and go home to their wives and children, Oliver North can be a Fox correspondent when he should be a VIC in Guantanamo Bay, Bill O’Reilly can cheat on his wife and not lose a step in ratings or acclaim by his minions, and someone selling two sugar packets of cocaine can get 5+ years in State Prison, and it ain’t good looks. It’s class. Failure to discuss these things out in the open (you know, on these radio shows and television shows who claim to be the “best and brightest” or “fair and balanced” or “rational”, not that any of those are true) and fully disclosing to the people who subscribe to your thoughts and ideas the effects of redlining, mandatory minimums, predatory lenders being allowed to prey on minorities, the education gap, and so on, is, in a word, cowardly.

In things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. Now, Eric never spoke on our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, or our veterans, or our public servants, or our nurses, teachers, parents, doctors, lawyers. He never called them cowardly or belittled their dedication, perseverance, drive or passion for their occupations. So, Jay and Michelle, put a sock in it. We, even us on the left, know that none of these people are cowards, and all deserve much more appreciation than they are given by common folks. We all know that many put their lives, livelihood, money, sleep, time, and families on the line to serve in whatever way they serve, and no one, especially not Mr. Holder, sought to or actually did belittle any of that. Mr. Holder simply spoke in regards to race, and nothing more. You don’t like he used the word “coward”? Suck it up. It grabbed attention, and those who had ears to hear what was being said and decided not to skew and intentionally misinterpret what was being said did just those things, and many, including myself, have had newfound opportunities to talk about matters of race and racism with those close to me.  Cowardice, as defined by Merriam- Webster’s, is lack of courage or resolution. By knowing the disparities in the treatment and preference of races, no matter how you view it, and failing to speak on it, one displays cowardice. By failing to bring  important race-centric issues to the attention of those who are in the dark or refuse to acknowledge them, one displays cowardice. And by knowing them and giving them attention, yet still failing or refusing to have a dialogue with members of your own or a different race to bring clarity, understanding, and change, instead of intentionally misinterpreting the words of one speaker, one displays an even greater level of cowardice than the aforementioned instances. Electing a black president and having a black AG do not erase the disparities between races and classes, though they may provide a light of hope to those adversely effected by them.

Eric Holder is not a coward, or a racist, or unpatriotic, or delusional, nor does this make him any less qualified. He was harsh, yes, but it needed to be said. So be a real man or woman, and speak on what was said. Don’t make it into something it isn’t, don’t dismiss it because the words hurt your feelings. We’ve been doing it for decades, and though it got us a black Prez and AG, it’s still left us with millions who can’t, don’t or won’t know how to speak on some very serious issues.

Here’s the rundown on the major happenings and drops in the street fashion bubble this week.

First up, the Dunk Hi Black safari. I love me some Dunk Highs, and I love me some black. I also like safari. Three outta three is not bad.  They’re available now at select retailers, I don’t know where around hee, though I’m guessing either Concepts or BDGA or both.

If you can see, you’ve sen a lot of these 60/40 hiking shirts in recnt days. Yaeca has taken it and put a spin on it, giving it a hood. It seems simple, and it is, but I like it in the green shown. It’s simple, it’s a great color, a classic look.  it’s over at Ships Jet Blue, I haven’t checked for price conversion.

Ozzy’s got his own Jack purcell, aptly named the straightjacket. I have to be honest, had someone described this to me before I saw it, I’d think it was the wackest shoe in recent memory. Having seen it before hearing about it, I think they pulled it off quite nicely. You can grab it at Livestock.

Super Sunglasses has collabed with Barneys NY for a run of 50 of these glasses. FYI, for those who asked, Super also made the glasses Jay wore at the grammys. They’re probably gone or on ebay for a ridiculous pricetag now, but they’re fresh nonetheless.

GQ released their 10 Best Dressed Men’s list, and Yeezy and TI both got spots. Yeezy’s jacket is crazy in this spread, I need it in my life. Pick it up on Newsstands.

And finally, Stussy’s Spring Lookbook is out. Pics below.

Bristol pokes a baby size hole in her mother’s Abstinence teaching policy.

Now look, I’m a Christian (though I hate that word), and I believe abstinence to be the ideal, but I’m gonna have to ride with Bristol on this one. For some, it’s not realistic. I know from working with children, and from being one not too long ago, that there’s a LOT of internal and external pressure on young and older teens, ESPECIALLY females, to be sexually active from a very young age. We should teach abstinence, but not the Palin way. Palin thinks that abstinence should be the ideal, but once she gets knocked up, don’t tell her about contraception or teach her any other ways to view sex, sexual activity or sexuality, because the deed’s been done, she’s already damaged goods anyway!

:shrugs:

Peep the videos, ya’ll.

Is it safe to call her a Hoe now? Beyond the fact she’s a dolt, has popped out a kid before she could buy a beer, and is not that fly to begin with, I think we should let the H-word rain down like dollar bills at BodyTap.

The first one is an amazing commercial by Nike. I have a confession, a lot of times, I find it hard to decide who to root for between United and the Gunners. They’re both headed by great skippers with great players. Arsenal tends to crap the bed midway through the season, with injuries usually playing a major role in doing so, but they’re still great. I always wind up going with ManU, they’re a safe bet for anything, I have them penciled in to win the scudetto, LOL. Here’s a commercial with both suads, with an appearance by my man, my Argie brother from another, none other than Carlos Tevez.

Next, we’ve got the Official vid for Welcome to Heartbreak, directed by Nabil. It looks like a video without the DivX Codec played on my PC. I kinda like it, it’s fun to catch onto what’s going on. Peep.

Next up is the guy who sang the hook on the song above, Kid CuDi, with his single Day N Nite, this is the Crookers rmx, the version I actually like better.

And Finally, The (possibly) final vid from Cliffy before he hits the clink, Dead & Gone with Justin Timberlake. Pretty cool vid, I must say. Dig it.

First Track is From Blu, it’s called Nino Brown, and it’s an unreleased track.  Heat.

This Next track is from Skyzoo. If you know me personally, you know how much I tend to dislike most of Sky’s joints. This is quite the exception. It’s a Statik Selektah beat, and, I must say, SS is on his grizzly. Peep the Sharebee HERE. It’s called The Chase is On.

Nero and J-Rocwell finally did what I had been asking for. They Remixed Asher’s college ode for all of us who ran our High Schools, much like yours truly. It’s been three, going on four years, but High School was such a trip in retrospect. It’s amazing I got away with all the things I pulled. MC ‘06 Whatup?! Anywho, here’s I Love High School

DJ Yoda, who I do not hear enough of (somebody should get on that, ASAP),  dropped a mix of Colorful Clothes. There’s no Kardinal (w00t!) and no Lloyd either, but I think it’s worth a listen.  Mr. FNF and The Young Man Carter are on the track, too.