Ghettosocks x Muneshine

For those in the Moncton area that enjoy some good hip-hop, I advise you to check out the poster above.

Matt Johnson a.k.a. DJ Matty Jay sent me this posted via facebook and I think it is something you should consider. I saw Ghettosocks live twice and both shows were great, plus the show is free and drink specials will ensue (who can say no to that?). So, again, refer to the poster above for all the info, the show is less than a week away. Twin Peaks is a collaboration between Ghettosocks and Muneshine, check em out here.

The Haps, Volume 2

Alright, out of boredom I thought I'd do another blog post, so here we go.

I am currently writing from Old Orchard Beach, Maine, just minutes south of Portland. I am watching the BET Awards, which is nice since I never get a chance to watch TV at home, let alone the simple fact that we don't even have BET. I am actually watching the awards with my parents, which is kind of funny because I learned a lot about my mom's musical taste on this vacation. On the way to my uncle's house in Quebec City she asked me to lend her one of my hip-hop mixes... more specifically "the one that I listen to everyday on the way to work." She then proceeded to tell me how much she loves a few of the Three 6 Mafia, Jay-Z and Hell Rell tracks on it. Yeah, seriously. Tonight she told me how much she loved Drake. Now, this is nowhere near as impressive as her liking old Jay-Z (I'm talking Brooklyn's Finest shit) and some grimey East Coast Rugger Rell, but nonetheless, I think I know where I get my passion for hip-hop from.

Anyways... like I usually do when on vacation here is my most played playlist. Check out some of these tracks.

Click to enlarge.

The Haps

I've been on the road for a few days. Ended up in Quebec City on Wednesday, which, coincidentally was Saint Jean de Baptiste day, Quebec's "national holiday," and I must say it is the biggest and probably best celebration a person can attend. I left my uncles house in Beauport, Quebec City towards the downtown area by old Quebec with my cousin and his friend. The first thing we did was fill our backpacks with liquor. Before I even had the chance to ask if it was legal or allowed to drink in public downtown I saw a city bus filled with Quebecers, mostly late teens early twenties dressed completely in white and blue (Quebec's flags colors) with open liquor chanting. Obviously drinking in public is not legal, but on Fete Saint Jean anything goes... honestly. Once we arrived downtown, coming off a jam packed bus of at least 70 drunk, patriotic Quebecers I witnessed a party like I've never seen, and it was in the city's business district. We cracked open our beer and walked up the street, passing cops, who's job was to only maintain order, not prevent people from drinking and having a good time. Can you imagine this kind of leniency? I was shocked, but nonetheless excited and amazed. There was point where my cousin and I were urinating on a building, drinking a beer and chatting with a male and female police officer all in good humour. Saint Jean was one of the most amazing sights I've ever witnessed. Well over 150,000 people crowding several blocks of downtown Quebec City, all colorful, mostly between the age group of 16 and 30 chanting, wishing everyone a "Bonne Fete Saint Jean." I do think I was the only English person there, but regardless, my family comes from Quebec City. I even saw where my first ancestor in North America lived. Ballin' pad, too bad it's a Caisse Populaire now.

After spending a few nights in Quebec City I made my way to Old Orchard Beach, Maine. It kind of looks like a Jersey Shore style town, maybe a little smaller and toned down, but still packed with tourists. Here I did some shopping in Kittery, which holds a number of outlets, and checked out the local scenery here on Old Orchard Beach. The beach is in fact very nice, but nowhere near as busy as the beach back home (Parlee Beach, Shediac) even though the consumerist aspect of it definitely beats it fifty-fold.

Anyways, that's enough about that. I am really only writing this out of boredom. I am a little upset that I am missing one of my good friend Ryan's birthday celebrations back in Sackville. Happy Birthday Ryan "Tipsy Dragon" Wareham.

A Potpourri of Basketball, Me and The Roots

Wow I'm getting lazy. I guess that's fair though, I mean, it is summer and there are far better things than sitting around at my computer.

First thing first - I hate the L.A. Lakers. How the Celtics can blow a 3rd quarter 13 point lead is unbearably disappointing... it is the Lakers, I know, but you think all of the terrible off balance attempts for field goals in the 4th would have stopped acting stupid after so many scoreless possessions... I guess not. Also, I wish Doc Rovers would have elaborated more on his "be very physical" quote so that the Celts wouldn't have fouled Gasol or Kobe on every single Lakers possession in the last three or four minutes. Anyways, enough about that - it's done and there is nothing they can do now. I am proud of the Celtics and am definitely not ashamed of their season. They played well as a team in the playoffs, even though the "Big 3" had its inconsistencies they still managed to take Orlando and Cleveland in 6 games. Not to mention that they are still the most winningest team, ring-wise, in NBA history.

Otherwise, things are going decent. Typical summer stuff. Hanging out with friends, skateboarding, basketball, brews and the beach. I am off to Quebec City Wednesday to visit some of my family and celebrate St. Jean Baptiste Day (I think that's what it's called...). Afterwards I'm off to New Hampshire and Portland, Maine to spend some cash on what I hope to be cheap outlet stores. Might have some road updates, might not.

I also bought my Rock the Bells ticket yesterday, so that's super exciting. My boy Kellen bought his as well, so far us two are "officially conformed" but we have a list of friends that are potentially coming to see some amazing and legendary hip-hop acts... they would be fools not to.

Finally, The Roots' album How I Got Over leaked on to the internet. I'm listening to it right now and am so far very impressed. Kellen told me it was the best since Things Fall Apart. I really enjoyed Game Theory, Phrenology and The Tipping Point, so I'll definitely have to get back to him on my thoughts but his statement doesn't seem like a long shot.

Anyway, that's all for me now. I'm off to bed, but I will leave you with this:

Rock The Bells

Rock the Bells. New York City. August 28.

Check it... not missing this for the world.

Check Out: Juggaknots - Clear Blue Skies EP

I was browsing through The Main Ingredient and came across a link to download an EP by Juggaknots, an underground New York City rap group. I was kind of skeptical at first having never heard of these guys (and girl) but out of boredom I clicked the link and loaded it up to my iTunes. Probably the best decision I've made in a long time.

Clear Blue Skies EP came out in 1996. Oh those were the days. The New York City rap scene was on fire in the mid-nineties with releases like Illmatic, Ready to Die, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), The Infamous, Doe or Die and countless classics from the five boroughs. With these artists dominating the charts, there was little room for groups like Juggaknots, with their muffled, distorted, acidic, jazzy beats - not to mention being signed by an independent label.

Perhaps the lyrics were never meant for the mainstream. The double sided nine track EP explores subject matter from a white kid loving a black girl at his racist fathers disapproval to less radio friendly verses on tracks like "Troubleman" and "I'm Going to Kill You." Regardless, the group flows flawlessly over these not so usual beats.

The EP was never released on CD apparently - only vinyl, and is most likely hard to come across. Nonetheless it was praised as an underground classic by many New York heads and has been enjoyed by hip-hop fans from all over the globe. That being said, download it here and enjoy this hidden gem.

Some New Ish Ish

This is my 200th blog post! Pretty serious. Never thought I'd keep 'er going for this long, but what d'ya know?

I've been working quite frantically lately for that paycheck, and when I'm not working I'm skateboarding, so sorry for lacking in the updates department. It could be worse and I could be like my friend Kellen who hasn't touched the Mock Turtle in over a month! Yikes bro!

Alright, before I get into it, who else is pumped for the Lakers VS. Celtics NBA Final? That is going be quite the spectacle. Hopefully Rondo stays healthy (looked like he was nursing his back last game against the Magic) and tears up the floor like he has been this playoffs. Kobe is on fire, but what else is new... fuck the Lakers, really. I'm gonna be watching the game tomorrow with my Celts jersey in full effect.

Now on to the main event: some new music.

A Roots track featuring Chitown's John Legend leaked the other day titled "Doin' It Again," pretty nice track. I always like John Legend, and as usual, he drops a nice hook between Black Thought's verses. Pretty much sounds like a classic Roots track with ?uestlove on the drums and I'm only assuming Legend on the keys. Check the link above for a download link, and if that doesn't work then google search the track, I'm sure it'll come up. The Roots' album How I Got Over comes out on June 22nd, get hyped.

Anyone remember Capone N Noreaga? After starting out in the nineties then going solo for a bit they dropped an album titled Channel 10 last year, which was decent, none of the tracks really stuck to me. However, I just heard "Hood Pride" from The War Report 2 and must say that I was really feelin' it. I always felt that N.O.R.E. had one of the strongest voices in hip-hop, so to hear him go off on a solid beat with a lot of energy was pretty exciting - reminded me of old Capone N Noreaga. Faith Evans on the feature!

Royce and the gang from Slaughterhouse have been killing it lately... well, forever, really. Royce's Bar Exam 3 dropped not too long ago and goes hard. The track "Nobody Fuckin' With Us" features Texas legend Bun B, Joe Budden and Crooked I. Budden flows real nice on this one. (Side note: Can't find the version I have with Budden's verse, which is a damn shame)

That's about it for now, enjoy some of these new(ish) tracks and maybe check out Royce da 5'9"'s Bar Exam 3 mixtape while you wait for The Roots' latest to drop.