Scraper Bike

I don't really know what to say about this clip is it innovative or idiocy? Enjoy.

Linval Thompson

Linval Thompson "Ride On Dreadlocks" 1975-77 on the Blood and Fire Label

I heard this playing in Trade Roots and bought it on the spot. It easily eclipses some of the other Linval compilations I have even though it only has 11 tracks. If you have a decent system be sure to turn up the bass when you play these and you'll definetly hear how good these songs really are and how they're meant to be heard.

Each of the tracks are "extended versions" which means the tune usually plays to about 3 minutes and then the dub kicks in seamlesslly.


Linval Thompson "Jah Jah The Conqueror (Extended) mp3



Linval Thompson "Long Long Dreadlocks (Extended) mp3



Linval Thompson "Cool Down Your Temper" (Extended) mp3

Hot

Above: Super cutty roof top spot by Kizer from TV

I didn't get enough graff flicks from my trip, but this one definetly stood out. Kizer and Amigo tend to pick the best spots in the city and this one was one of the best. It's only two blocks from SDPD Headquaters, but then again when you write in SD you're always a few blocks away from Piggly Wiggly's.



Above: Lenox in his new summer kit. He's going for this whole "wake and bake yachting" look. I rather like it.


I'm gonna post up some new tunes that I scooped up on my trip in just a bit so check back soon.

Welcome Back Kotter

I decided to take an impromptu vacation back to San Diego seeing as I've been in Seattle since December. So just for $hits I also decided not to tell anyone I was coming.

Needless to say it was memorable.



Above: First things first, Keak Da Sneak and I are cool with each other.



Above: SDTW Fact: Phil's BBQ will own any other rib joint in the U.S.



Above: After Phil's we got some shuffle board going at The Jewel Box a.k.a Shadyville


After shuffleboard it was on to the House of Blues...



Above: Tribe of Kings has a Saturday night weekly at House of Blues and Unite let me pick like 3 tunes in the dance. This is Dasheye's happy face.


After the House of Blues we cabbed it to Nick's crib...



Above: Laura, Laura's gold fanny pack, and Nick


After Nick's it was on to a house party in Mission Hills...



Above: The crew forming like Voltron. Everyone in this picture would make up the starting line-up for the ensuing street brawl that happened about 30 minutes after this flick was taken.



Above: Matt holds his own on the pool table.



Above: Chauncey pretended he was in a Colt 45 commercial and that he was playing against Bill Dee Williams for a brand new motorcycle.



Above: Nick and Justin discussing the down side to Comic Sans and other typeface nerdom.



Above: Taylor the Cobra Snake a.k.a Vice President of the San Diego chapter of No Ma'am.


Me (to Taylor): "Ha nice boots."
Taylor: "Yeah, nice flannel."
Me: "Touche."



Above: Savior Self taking a prophetic pose.



Above: Now I need to take the time to explain this picture and the significance behind it. This picture was taken after a nice street fight outside the party.

While I have attended 100's of house parties and seen several brawls this one would be the first that was started over a microwaveable pizza.

Here's how it went down:

Steve made a pizza and some gel haired little "fresa" = strawberry had a problem with that and tried to give Steve grief about it. Steve invited him to step outside for some fisticuffs in a one on one format and that's when all of dude's squad came flying out of the house.

Soon we managed to get outside and followed everyone around the street corner and down the hill. This guy's posse was like 20 deep and most of them ended getting served with some quick fists and some well timed kicks to the neck (G'yeah Chauncey I saw you kick dude like soccer ball).

When the smoke cleared the little herbs went back inside the house bumping their gums and we went to the after party.



Above: That kid Knox taking a breather after throwing 3 people down the hill.



Above: Kryptonite All Day All Night.



Above: 5 shots of Seagram's will do this to most 95 pound girls.



Above: It will also do this



Above: Lying down is the new standing up

All in all it was fun trip. I got to eat at Phil’s BBQ twice, ate some sushi, chill at Street Machine, get into a brawl, see all the homies from around the way, soak in the sunshine, and see the familia.

To all the crew:

Thanks for the good times and I'll see you at the end of June.

Cool Down Saturday

I am in San Diego right now for business, so you're just gonna have to hold on till I get back to Seattle.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrahhhhh!


Diggin' In The Links:

Bobblehead Scare

Bear a.k.a Godless Killing Machine mauls photographer
Ed*Dude has been attacked TWICE!

Redneck kills Hogzilla
Ed* Who gives their kid a gun at age 5? Really America? Really?

The Reign Is Over

Having recently moved to Seattle only 6 months ago I have to constantly endure from friends, colleagues, family, etc the questions about the rain. At work I have to listen to at least 5 people a day make some sort of "clever" reference to the rain in Seattle and it's high time I school all those whom are completely misinformed on the subject.

Seattle is not the rainiest city in the U.S. Really? Yeah I know I'm really dropping the bomb here. The rainiest city is Mobile, Alabama. Well Seattle must be the 2nd or 3rd, right?

Wrong!

The Emerald City doesn't even crack the Top 25. Olympia is the first Washington city to appear on the list at #24.

So to recap unless I'm from Mobile, Alabama keep the rain jokes to yourself and get a job.


Check the science:
Read Here



Diggin In The Links:

Elkay with the computer rock

Golf cart plunges off cliff and kills driver
Ed* How are you gonna go out like that?

Google wants to be God
Ed* Pay attention to this story because this is how Big Brother will watch you

The Secret to Atlanta Rap Music by Killer Mike

The War Room 2 Year Jump Off

Here's some pics from last Friday's War Room 2 Year Anniversary Party


Above: New Shepard Fairey poster installation in the background while DJ Shortcut from the Beat Junkies had the crowd getting down to some East Bay Funk.


Above: Pheed and Baby Hokksssssssssss

Sub-note: It was Pheed's born day yesterday so if you see him step on his new 90's and kick him swiftly in the crotch.


Above: My new friend Burle from Obey.


Above: Two dudes trying to make a run for it with a new Shepard print.


Above: Some guy and Mel-Tron Dirty Dirty sans posse


Above: Gina (hiding behind the most generic Seattle hat ever) and Pheed

Sub-note: I asked Pheed for a ride home and all he did was make this face at me. When translated the face means no.

SDTW Exclusive

Cousin Frank always comes through with flicks of new projects he's got cooking.

Ghost's style has always stood out from the pack. While most writers have stuck to the tried and true character structure like b-boy profiles and Bode tributes Ghost's characters seemed to have evolved from the throw-ups themselves. Sprinkle in the occasional dust dream and a touch of pscyhdelic flow and you sort have the ingredients for one of the most enduring and original collections of charcters in the game.

If you look carefully you'll notice that all the characters are in the shape of a "G" from Ghost's throw-ups. There is a second color way for each character as well as the ones you see here.

Check back soon for a release date and more details.

For now peep Ghost's page:

Cousin Frank

Welcome To The Suck (Iraq)

The following pictures within this post are not meant to shock. They are simply photos from the frontlines of the Iraqi war and are shown here to illustrate the reality of the war America is involved in right now.

One of my best friends enlisted in the U.S Army about 3 years ago after graduating from college. He was fully aware that he would be sent to Iraq to fight and he accepted this fate. He did his boot camp in North Carolina and was assigned to a unit in Iraq.

We kept in touch via email and he even called me from a satellite-linked phone after taking over an insurgent compound. He was on the roof of the compound over looking the Euphrates River.

He has never talked to me about regret for enlisting, but he does fully believe that we are fighting an "endless" and or "pointless" war within Iraq.

The following are photos from his time in the war before being shot through the back by an Iraqi sniper and from his subsequent re-assignment back to the front for another 15-month tour, which he is currently waiting for deployment.



Above: A picture of my friend on a walk through


Above: A shot of HQ


Above: Human remains are a normal part of the terrain within conflict zones


Above: More grim scenery


Above: A captured prisoner and what they found upon searching him


Above: The view from a sniper's scope


Above: My friend after being shot through the back by an Iraqi sniper.

Sub-Note* When the bullet entered through his back he said that he became instantly parlayed because of the trauma from the bullet near his spinal cord. The shards from the bullet exploded within his chest cavity where he has close to over 24 different fragments that will eventually need to be removed.


Above: Close up of the stapled wound and tube used to drain the wound.

After being dragged backed to a safe zone my friend was told he was not going to make it because the chopper was unable to land in time. The medic began talking to him the same he way he had talked to other soldiers that had died in front of him before. My friend soon began to fear for his life knowing that the medic was lying to him like he had done before to soldiers that were sure to die. No one ever tells you you're going to die. They only say that "You're going to be all right."

The chopper did make it on time and he was later flown to Germany for emergency surgery. He returned to Washington D.C and then finally flew back home to California where I finally got to see him again right after this last Christmas.


Above: Here he is posing with an Iraqi boy


Above: This one was just simply titled: "Failed Mission"


Above: Another causalty


Above: Soon he will be on the front lines patrolling like he is in this picture


Even after being shot and pushed to within an inch of his life the U.S Army has seen fit to re-assign my friend and his unit for a 15 month tour in the deadliest region within Iraq. His unit had a 25% death rate and sees more combat then any other unit at this time.

I know he enlisted and was aware of the risks, but after already being shot it's hard to sleep knowing that his life will be in jeopardy for another 15 months at a minimum. If the U.S sees fit to invade Iran which he told me is almost entirely certain he may not return for a few years save for a 2 week leave once every 15 months.

At this point it would be nice to know that the U.S is planning to withdraw troops from the region, but that is a wish at a best.

Jerry Falwell Dead

I know I'm late to the finish line with this, but here you go:

I have zero respect for this man. He is hugely responsible for distorting U.S politics into the $hit slop that it is today and was nothing more then a religious dildo for Bush.

So to quote Brotha Lynch Hung "Rest In Piss", you will not be missed.


Giuliani is a moron
Ed* Probably the worst candidate for the Presidency as of right now.
Sub-note* Notice he doesn't actually rebuke the statement about the motive for 9/11 he just simply does the "I was there" bit. Touche' Rudy.

Idiot pays $73 million for striped painting
Ed* I am in no way an art scholar, but I've never even heard of Rothko and I know stripes when I see them.

Random links

Cocaine Cowboys 2
Ed* The first one was great. My only fear is that this one will inspire even more sub par rappers to glorify the coke game that they never even played a role in.

How To Spot a Vandal
Ed* A good laugh

SYN2
Ed* So nice I had to post it twice!

Guy Ritchie

I was watching t.v and heard this and just took a nice deep breath of relief. Guy Ritchie does the gangster/dark comedy genre better then most and after the bomb that was Swept Away (p.s Madonna will make you do stupid $hit if you marry her: see Sean Penn.)

He's also done Revolver but it doesn't look like we're gonna see this one in the states ever so it was nice to finally hear that Ritchie is set to film a new flick he wrote and will direct tentatively called "Rock N' Rolla." Hopefully the film is better then the title.

Guy Ritchie mans up

Blood and Fire

I uploaded some more tunes from the Yabby You "Jesus Dread" 2 Disc from the Blood and Fire label.


Vivian Jackson "Deliver Me From My Enemies" mp3
Ed* The horn break is as good as it gets for roots and classic Yabby You vocals with back up from The Prophets.



King Tubby "Repatriation Rock (Dub)" mp3
Ed* If anyone knows the name of this riddim please let me know it's the same riddim used on Prince Far I's "Coming In From The Rock."



Tappa Zukie "Natty Dread On The Mountain Top" mp3
Ed* Yabby You had arguably the best team of toasters at his disposal with Dillinger, Trinity, and Tappa Zukie. This is one of those classic deejay tunes with some really nice dub portions and delay effects.

Art Haus Part 1

Thought it was time to flick some of my art in the crib. I've accumulated quite a little collection from friends and trades. I'm going to split this post into 3 parts cause it's a lot of art and there's decent stories behind most of the pieces.

First up:




Above: Screen print from the SDTW show from last year by Nick McPherson

The picture is a bit foggy, but you get the idea. Nick just made one big ass drawing one day and decided to screen these for the show. I don't think Nick even used pencil and he just inked it in like he works at Marvel or some shit.


Above: Another Nick McPherson piece (acrylic and ink). He did this when our son was born last year. Normally he would have the animals drinking booze and getting all violent, but he felt that would send the wrong message in the nursery.


Above: This one is mine. I did it for a commission I had. I like it. No real story behind it. I just had to get it out for a paycheck.


Above: Small character I drew on my wall with black ink. Nothing too special about little fat French dude, he's just pissed off and French.


Above: MTA map by Desa MTA, VE One R.I.P

This is probably my most prized piece in many ways. I got one of the first copies of Million Dollar Vandal and this came with it. I was geekin when I took it out. After reading the book you get such a greater understanding of what happened to Desa. It's not that Desa is the greatest or most prolific writer of all time by any means, he simply paid the ultimate price for writing and suffered enough to make 99% of writers want to quit, but he didn't. The fact that this guy can still pick up a can and a mop and go out amazes me. It reminds me everyday why writing is so important.

The VE throwie is a nice touch too. Forever Young indeed.

I will post up Part 2 mana.

Diggin' In The Links:

Tried by 12 video circa 96'
Ed* Probably one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever....duh

New Stussy/Ghost tee for the ladies
Ed* Straight letters no chaser