I need suggestions of dope music to create to. Here's my current list. It's in no particular order, but it's what is setting well with me at the moment. Comment your favorite new-ish albums.
4eva Is A Mighty Long Time - Big K.R.I.T.
FEELS - Snoh Aalegra
Live In North Hollywood
Malibu - Anderson.Paak
Daytona - Pusha T
Love & Leisure - Miguel
I was a part of a trunk show event this past weekend. Had a good time and met some cool folks. I made inventory for this event. I don't like keeping inventory because it ends up collecting dust and taking up valuable studio efficiency apartment space. Check out the store HERE. I have a few items that are priced below $20.
Not really.. but you can use "Dirty 30" at checkout to save 30% on all items over the listed price of $150. The discount is in celebration of my 30th year on spherical ass Earth, rotating, and orbiting around the spherical ass Sun.
Dilly Dilly!
-Blaq
My 30th birthday is a month away. I have more gray hair. My right knee aches. I'm sleepy by 10:02p.m. I drink more whiskey now. I also smoke cigars. There's a definite clarity that has been thrust upon me and I am enjoying it. For my birthday I want a bicycle (⬅️clickable hint) and for all of this art work to be gone. So.. til December 18th all items/art over $150 are 30% off. Perfect time to start your collection.
Enter "Dirty 30" at checkout to apply discount. Also, have an old fashioned for ya boy.
-Blaq
Yo. Wyd?
Are you doing what you want to be doing?
Why not?
How can you get started doing what you want to be doing?
When are you going to start preparing to execute?
Talking to myself really, but this a conversation we should all have with ourselves. Get started Brenton, and who ever else reads this blog post. Get started.
A 2016 interview with Nicky Hayden. Words of the 2006 MotoGP™ World Champion on:
…his first memory on a bike:
Nicky Hayden: “I get that question a lot and I really don’t remember because I don’t remember life before bikes. From the time I literally crawled, I was around a motorcycle. My dad raced, even my mom raced because my dad—the story goes—he needed a fast girl because he wanted to make fast babies. He’d come from Kentucky, where horse racing is so popular, and the bloodline is so important. So my mom and dad both raced, my older brother was racing, and from the time literally I could crawl, I was already with the bikes.”
…the world of racing:
NH69: “Racing motorcycles is just a way of life for me. It’s what I know, it’s what I’ve always done, my family does it, my friends do it, and it really is more than just a job. It’s a passion. Bikes are a way of life for me.”
…dirt track beginnings:
NH69: “Yeah, I started in dirt track. That’s what my father knew best and we started with dirt track, but the thing was, at that time in America, there wasn’t a lot of opportunities for dirt track riders. There was not a lot of guys getting paid, there was only two factory riders, and my dad’s hero was always Kenny Roberts. Kenny Roberts was one that went from dirt track to road race and seeing that, seeing the future he had, we thought we should try it to open more doors, get more support, and get more people behind us. And we gave it a try. I love dirt track but immediately, I loved road racing even more because the tracks were longer, there were more variables, it was uphill, downhill, right hand corners. One of the things I liked most too was the rain. In dirt track, when it rained, you didn’t get to race, and as a kid I hated rainouts. You would be so excited and having to turn around and drive home was like torture. So I love this about road racing and immediately I liked the speed.”
…childhood memories:
NH69: “Yeah, as a kid, I really had a big desire. That’s all I ever wanted. I never said, ‘When I get older, I’d like to be an astronaut or the president.’ I never had these crazy dreams as a kid. I wanted to be a GP racer. And people sometimes would ask my dad, ‘Did you have to make him practice and train?’ They laugh because, ‘No, I had to make him do his homework or make him brush his teeth, but never to ride with a motorcycle.’ It was just a love for it and I still love it.”
…the secret to speed:
NH69: “Wow. I don’t really know if there’s just one secret to riding these bikes at a high level. Of course it takes some talent but it takes some mentality to have to want to push and go to the edge. As I’ve learned, as I get older in life, it’s not just about the rider and what you do on the track. It’s about having the right team behind you, the right equipment, and being able to have the engineers help you and give those people the feedback to help you do your job. So there’s a lot more that goes into it behind the scenes than some people see.”
…the rider and the bike becoming one:
NH69: “I think it’s very true. It’s like dancing. You have to work together, dance together, and if you’re fighting the bike constantly and going against it, you’re not going to go fast. When you’re really going fast, you’re moving with the bike and it’s all one motion. I would say when you’re going fast on a motorcycle, you’re in a zone. Because when you’re doing speeds of 220MPH, a lot of it has to be habit, be natural, be instinct, be reflexes, because you can’t think about it. At that speed, if you have to think about what you need to do, it’s too late. You’ve already missed your brake point, your throttle point, where you need to shift, and I think that’s where starting young helps riders because when you start young, you create those things like people say, riding a bike: it just comes natural, it comes easy.”
…moving into MotoGP™:
NH69: “My jump to MotoGP was huge. I went from AMA and I came from a big family, from Kentucky, a small town. I grew up sharing a room with my brother and I look back now because at times I was so lost. I was just a kid who was really still a dirt tracker at heart, and got thrown into a very deep end, and I had a lot to learn. And if I’m completely honest, the step was bigger than I thought it was going to be. Not only did I have to learn a new bike, and the team, and the racing, but I had to learn the whole culture, the travel, and it was deep water and not easy in the beginning. But luckily I had a good bike—that really helps—and I was able to get good results and justify it. I was able to win Rookie of the Year that year, in 2003, and beat out (Troy) Bayliss and Colin (Edwards) and good riders to get that award. It was a steep learning curve, but I learned to swim just quick enough to stay on.
…being an American road racer:
NH69: “Well, I don’t want to say Americans have it any harder. Of course, at times, being American helps—you catch a few breaks. But I think anybody outside—it’s easier for Europeans, for sure. People outside, Americans, Australians, different people, have it harder at times because it’s farther from home, it’s more you have to learn. It’s not just learning new tracks, it was a completely different style of tracks. The tracks we have in America were a lot more built for cars. Some of them are inside ovals, like Daytona, and they were more narrow, and the curves you couldn’t use. So it was more than I just have to learn this layout; I have to learn this whole style of track.”
…his first MotoGP™ win:
NH69: “Laguna 2005 was like a dream for me because everything worked perfect. In racing, it doesn’t always go like a dream. Normally on the weekend, you work, you try something with a bike. It’s maybe a little bit better on braking, but it’s worse on corner exit and it’s a compromise, but that week, everything was perfect. The bike, from the first practice, was working well. Every change we made was only better. Every time the lap time come and I remember being here in the lead in the race, and my mind wondering, coming out of that corner, that turn 3, I remember looking up at the tower during the race, when I’m leading the race and I should only be focused. My mind was relaxed. I was looking to see who was in second, third place, who else was doing what. I got the pole position, I got the fastest lap, win the race. National anthem, I ride with my dad, and it was just a fairy tale. On that day, I felt unbeatable.”
…his title winning year:
NH69: “Well, speaking of 2006, the race in Laguna that year was completely the opposite. Everything that race weekend was really difficult, I felt a lot of pressure, I qualified sixth, it was really hot, that year was record highs, and I couldn’t have done that race a half-a-tenth faster. Whereas the race in 2005, I think I could have done it maybe 3, or 4, or 5 seconds faster if I needed to, but 2006 was much more difficult. What I remember that year was coming out of the last corner of Valencia and realising my dream of being World Champion at the highest level was coming true and that was very special.”
…beating Valentino Rossi. Did it make it even more special?
NH69: “Absolutely. I mean that in a good way. I have a ton of respect for Valentino Rossi, as we know, he’s the goat. He’s the one, in my opinion, who has done so much, in our lifetime, for MotoGP, and put it at the level that it is. To be the guy that beat him that year—it wasn’t easy, I had a couple of breaks, everything went my way. And to be able to beat him certainly made it extra special.”
…gearing up for Valencia in 2006:
NH69: “Well, for sure, in Portugal, that moment in the gravel trap, that thought of being World Champion just slipped through my hands. You never know how many times you’re going to be in that opportunity in life, but I gathered myself up, and after the race, maybe one hour after, I started to think of only Valencia. I looked at the points and realised I still had a chance. I know Valencia is a small track, many guys go fast there—maybe it’s not the best track for Valentino at that time. And I somehow, as crazy as it sounds—people ask me now—from about an hour after that race, I always believed I was still going to be World Champion. Going into the last race, I think 11 points down on arguably the greatest rider of all time, with all the momentum on his side, an injured shoulder. Not many people outside of my team and family gave me a chance, and for whatever reason, that whole season I believed it was going to be my year. And that’s what I said all along, is this is my year and I still think when they let off the yellow fireworks, I laughed, and I’ve seen the pictures because I guess I like being the underdog. I did have to chuckle and being on the podium and seeing the yellow fireworks was just something that was incredible for me. I would say that moment for me was what I lived all my life for and not just me, it wasn’t like a goal I felt I won. I felt my family won it, like we won it together, because my parents, and my sisters, and my brothers, they sacrificed so much to give us this opportunity at a young age and I felt like we won it.”
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Spring is upon on us, which means muthafuckin MotoGP. I'm like one of three people that I know that actually cares about this, but the rest of you are uncool as hell so yeah,.. you're not cool. Typically during the seasons I side with individual riders, last year it was Valentino Rossi. Gonna try something different this year an me pick a team.
MY TEAM IS DUCATI.
Rider Jorge Lorenzo joins Andrea Davizioso on the Ducati squad which is dope because both riders finished in the top 5 riders in 2016. We may actually see a team place two riders on the podium. Which of be a great statement for the team and brand.
The brand's short offseason saw new radical designs in built in, aerodynamic fairings due to the banned winglets, rider shuffle, and new tire talk one the racing front. It also saw the introduction of 5 new bike models ( Scrambler Desert Sled, Scrambler Cafe Racer, Monster 797, a new XDiavel, and the insane Superleggera.) I'm hoping all of this newness equals championships.
What do you do when you receive a new Ducati Panigale 1299 R? If your answer was drive it.. you're wrong AF! You strip it down, make is it a naked café racer.. one that's insanely fast. Throw some 2mm aluminum on the shit, covert from LED lighting to an old yellow retro light from the 60s, and mold a soft, rich leather saddle to keep your ass comfortable.
When you look at a sports bike you see a sleek, sporty shell around the the bike hiding off the view of the workings of the engine. People often strip them and make naked bikes, but this is a SUPERBIKE. Built for the track but baaaaaaarely street legal. To strip a $35,000 Limited number Ducati is insane. I'm not sure what's crazier.. stripping the bike, or the gorgeous contrast of brass and brushed aluminum of the engine.
Everything on this build is neat, precise, and super polished. The modern electronics of the dash remains but the dated headlight and micro wind shield quickly remind you.. CAFE RACER. Looking closely, the wires are tucked away so well, you almost wonder if the bike is just for show. I also questioned the one mirror also. I'm a man of symmetry but then I looked at the gas cap being opposite of the mirror and found the evenness, still doesn't explain one mirror though.
I'm not a super big fan of this The Panigale R exhaust system. It's plenty loud and has a sinister growl, but the double muffler shit in the back is ugly to me. This feature is on the production/showroom version on the bike. It ugly there too. It's a tribute to bikes past that I don't think was needed, but I'm not on the design team, so my opinion doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. If I were to buy the bike.. it would be the first thing changed.
Lastly, I'm a huge fan of the single side swing arm and the spoke wheels. That is. The combo is dope.
Cool bike bro.
Check out more pics and the full story of the bike HERE.
Chicago Sun-Times did exactly what is done everytime a Black man takes a stand for anything. He called out the governor for not doing his job and puts up the money/time to give back to HIS community. Then this publication says he's in court over child support.
1. It's not true, his daughter and girlfriend live with him. He's a very publicly active father.
2. It's a lie based on a BAD stereotype. All Black men aren't absent fathers and on child support.
3. Bitch stop lying.
"The Kids Bro" -Kanye
The Cause:
Chance the Rapper gave $1 million dollars of his own money to help the City of Chicago's violence problem. The issue of violence is not the cause of violence. The root case is the city's willingness to cut funding for schools in the Black and Brown parts of town, The lack of jobs in those areas, and the increase of rent to clear the areas for development that doesn't give those people affordable living options.
The Effect:
These factors have created a couple generations of folks with substandard education, no job training and no jobs to be trained for. Then the rental crisis stacks those people in housing projects not even suitable for prisoners. This creates crime. His funds were for education which gives the future generations the tools to maneuver above the current circumstances in the city. Chicago's issue is going to take time to correct, he made the step.These funds were in response to the overall issue at hand but also were to go to making sure these kids weren't subjected to the dangers of being unsupervised in an unstable environment.
The CPS' recent history:
Chicago Public Schools has seen funding cut so short, schools close weeks earlier than normal because the district can't afford to pay everyone for the rest of a damn school year. Teachers are underpaid and don't have the tools to teach their students in effective ways to fit how kids happen to learn in today's society. The teachers are planning a May 1 strike .
The Attempts to repair:
Activist groups, rappers and athletes have stepped in to assist communities nationwide. Distributing the wealth these communities have afforded them. So for every time you hear "where are the Black leaders?" Research the attempts made by philanthropic donations, crowd funding, and lobbyist. Countless hours and dollars are being given but it seems governing bodies would rather line their blocks with gentrification money and add so much red tape you can't see issues never seen the dollars being given.
A lso why the smear article pissed me off:
The first rebuttal to police killings is... But Chicago..Here's someone trying to help fix Chicago and there's an attempt to discredit 1 million dollars in help. Colin Kaepernick took a new, offered up his jersey sales and an additional pledge of funds, as well as started Constitutional rights camps, donated his insanely expensive shoe collection, and donated supplies to Standing Rock. He had the most EPIC smear campaign aimed at any civilian out side of Chris Brown. America has a twisted history at silencing Black men and when that's not successful, America shoots the guy. MLK, Malcolm X, Chris Donner, Various members of the Black Panther Party. It's oppressive and wrong, it's also happens to be the reason people are called "ANTI-WHITE" or "Reverse Racist" (which isn't a real thing).
Side Note: For anyone who's ever stated I'm ANTI-WHITE pay attention to how ya folks are treating others. I'm not ANTI-WHITE I'm anti-oppression and anti historic white actions. I can honestly at this point say.. if you're not seeing the difference in the way people are treated, your simply closing your eyes and plugging your ears to it. And for THAT... you're an asshole.
In closing. Stop smearing us for being Black, because that's why Sun Time's article is.
That's all.
