Afrikan. Proletariat. Trentonian. Scholar.

Vile, wretched swine.

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:24:19 -0400

Vile, wretched swine.

Acclaimed and respected Philly rapper Ar-Ab uses this, one of...

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:48:00 -0400

Acclaimed and respected Philly rapper Ar-Ab uses this, one of his last interviews before heading to prison for three to six years on drug charges, to talk about a range of topics. Listen and learn as he covers:

* the drug raid that got him incarcerated

* police corruption in Philadelphia

* his surprising conviction

* speaking to middle school youth in Philadelphia

* not self-identifying as a “savage”

* helping feed younger inmates incarcerated for murder who didn’t have support from outside of prison

* using drugs to numb thinking about his current reality

:)

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:24:20 -0400

Favorite quote: “I got young boys ready to serve...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:22:25 -0400

Favorite quote: “I got young boys ready to serve him.”

The NBA playoffs start in half an hour. Before that, take a look...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 14:28:25 -0400

The NBA playoffs start in half an hour. Before that, take a look at the Top 10 dunks of the season. Number 1 should be obvious. DeAndre Jordan got straight disrespectful with Brandon Knight’s entire existence. CP3’s reaction is the best.

Sugata Mitra is a professor whose research and teaching deals...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:57:05 -0400

Sugata Mitra is a professor whose research and teaching deals with education and cognitive science. He started a pretty intriguing experiment known as the “Hole in the Wall” where he essentially just placed a computer in various high-poverty communities in India and allowed kids to use it to see if they could teach themselves computer literacy without guidance or even knowledge of English. What he found time and time again was that not only were they able to do so but they were able to work their way up all the way up to the computer literacy of the average secretary in the West in about six months.

His research won him the TED 2013 Prize—$1 million to continue his work and bring his vision of self-organized learning environments (S.O.L.E.) to fruition. Check out his lecture.

I hesitate to use the word hate but this is why many people in...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:54:37 -0400

I hesitate to use the word hate but this is why many people in high-poverty communities “of color” have a strong aversion to the police and other law enforcement personnel. A few police officer quotes from the video:

“We’re gonna go out there and we’re gonna violate some rights.”

“You look very suspicious.”

“…you keep looking back at us man. Don’t do that shit.”

“Why do you have a fucking empty bookbag?

“Why you a fucking wise ass?”

“You want me to smack you?”

“You a wise ass?”

“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?”

“You wanna go to jail?”

“Shut your fucking mouth, kid.”

(In response to the teen asking what he’s being arrested for) “For being a fucking mutt.”

“I will break your fucking arm off right now.”

“Dude, I am gonna fucking break your arm then I’m gonna punch you in the fucking face.”

Watch the video and then read Johnnie Cochran’s autobiography that highlights the pervasiveness of police corruption and their murder of Black residents of Los Angeles…and don’t ask me why I don’t rock with police.

Three things: 1) This is very true 2) This can be applied to a...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 20:45:41 -0400

Three things:

1) This is very true

2) This can be applied to a range of other industries (airlines and higher education come to mind)

3) Break the cycle by getting an AppleTV, Roku, Netgear, etc. and paying for a streaming service like Hulu or Netflix (or both!) for a small fraction of the cost of Comcast, DirecTV, Verizon Fios, etc.

That + NBA League Pass and I’m gucci.

R.I.P.

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:13:57 -0400

R.I.P.

Killer Mike’s highly acclaimed most recent album is going...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:19:00 -0400

Killer Mike’s highly acclaimed most recent album is going in my car asap. It was named the 20th best album (note: not 20th best rap album…20th best PERIOD) of 2012 by Rolling Stone. It was 10th best according to TIME Magazine. It was 8th best according to Spin. As is the case with most rap that implores listeners to think for themselves and engages overtly in extended sociopolitical dialogue, it was largely ignored by “urban” publications such as The Source and XXL and mostly consumed by White people. Of course.

I’ve always had a distant admiration for Mike’s consistent lyrical ability, hefty political commentary, and seemingly affable personality. Now I’m gonna give his music a solid listen. You should too. Right after watching this great interview he recently did on Power 105.1’s Breakfast Club morning show.

Ar-Ab is my favorite Philly rapper right now. In 2000 it was...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:04:15 -0400

Ar-Ab is my favorite Philly rapper right now. In 2000 it was Beanie Sigel. In 2003 it was Cassidy. In 2006 it was Gillie da Kid. In 2010 it was Tone Trump. In 2012 it was Meek Mill. Now, it’s Ar-Ab.

While he’s barely known outside of the Delaware Valley he’s highly respected in the region, as reflected by his recent winning of Best Male Rap Artist at the Philly Hip Hop Awards. On a less well-known note, Ar-Ab is understood as being the actual shooter in the 2005 murder that Cassidy was involved in (allegedly, Cassidy passed the gun[s] to Ar-Ab and Ab did what he did). He’s also been shot 13 times (including 10 times on one occasion). Basically, when people say they’re “‘bout that life,” they’re talking about Ar-Ab’s life.

This newest freestyle goes in over the classic “The Way I Am” track from 2000. Ab’s lyrically so blunt and brash with the intensity of the violence and street talk that it’s hard to not listen to. Definitely rider music. Check out his newest mixtape here.

I would love to see this film. Bike culture in Trenton is alive...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 20:55:28 -0400

I would love to see this film. Bike culture in Trenton is alive and active but larger cities in the region such as Philadelphia and Baltimore have so many more bike riding groups, neighborhoods, blocks, etc. that feed into a larger culture that that’s where more of the action is.

Screenings have yet to be announced but you can find out more about the movie here. The filmmakers’ Kickstarter campaign recently hit their goal of fundraising $30,000 so hopefully they can bring this to a city near you soon.

Big things popping in Jersey public schools.

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:13:43 -0400

Big things popping in Jersey public schools.

His last concert. 16 years. R.I.P.

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 19:10:42 -0500

His last concert. 16 years. R.I.P.

Turn up, Biebs!

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:27:00 -0500

Turn up, Biebs!

Video

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:29:36 -0500

That chicken, man….

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:51:00 -0500

That chicken, man….

On the Anniversary of State of the Art…..We begin the next...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:43:47 -0500

On the Anniversary of State of the Art…..We begin the next cycle…..

State of the Art 1.5, Reimagined: The Remixtape

Straight regal.

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:20:24 -0500

Straight regal.

A lotta rounds for one man.

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:41:09 -0500

A lotta rounds for one man.