Sista, I Ain't Mad Atcha

HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Yo, it ain't like she didn't give him a chance. He was straight disrespectin' her to her face, clownin' her like they were in high school, and it was only when he hit her below the belt with his rhymes that she resorted to violence. Ladies, I don't condone violence but if a dude disrespects you, defend yourself according to how you see fit. LMAO.

TIME interviews Michella Obama

From Jezebel:

But the best parts are when Michelle is talking about her status as a role model for girls, for women, and for people. She tells the story of growing up on the South Side of Chicago and not knowing anything about the University of Chicago:"It was sort of like another world that didn't belong to me," she explains.

And there are so many institutions like that around the world, and so many kids like that who are living inches away from power and prestige and fame and fortune, and they don't even know that it exists. And the White House, all these wonderful buildings, these monuments and capitols ... I'm sure there are children who feel that way. I'm sure there are people in this country who feel the same way about these places that I did about the University of Chicago.


And I have probably dedicated more of my life to trying to break down those barriers for people. I think that might be one of the small themes in my professional life, is to try to be the bridge so that more people feel like they have access; that their voice, that their faces, that their worlds count in places like this, and that there is understanding across those divides. And as I grew up and came to work in those places, right, and got to know them, I realized that the misunderstanding or the disconnect goes both ways; that folks outside of these communities have no idea what goes on within these institutions, and sometimes the people in the institutions have no real understanding of the people who live outside. You know, everybody is dealing in these misperceptions about one another because there is no bridge.

Michelle also discusses how she'd like to inspire females: "How powerful would it be for young girls to come into this space and hear from other really powerful, impressive, dynamic women, and to have that conversation go on here in the White House?"

Read the interview over at TIME

Kiddie Couture from I GOT SOLE

I got these in the mail a couple of days ago and couldn't be more ecstatic. Mylene from I GOT SOLE hooked them up with her custom artwork, and threw in this pair for my little one - boy does she know our family well.


Support independent artists and request a pair from her website - this talented chica can replicate pretty much anything you ask, and has amazing original artwork as well! Follow her on Twitter too! Thanks again :)

"That NOLA D"

"That Nola D" by Nola Darling *Boom Boom Pow Remix" from Nola Darling on Vimeo.

Check out my girls Nola Darling and their remix of BEP's "Boom Boom Pow". I like their version better. ;)

Hi.La.Ri.Ous. We Eatin'.

Peep my boys Big Jon and Gus eating San Francisco out of house and home, starting at Papalote's. And like Jon always said in high school (yes, we went to BAL together!) "I ain't fat. I'm fluffy." Go 'head y'all!

P.S. The salsa at Papalote's is throwback-a-shot-worthy though, forreal. I always get the veggie burrito with wheat tortilla! Delicious.

BRWN BFLO on The Smoking Section

Oakland-based Hip-Hop group BRWN BFLO is just as much as an anomaly as their namesake: a progressive Chicano Hip-Hop group with bottomless hyphy 808s and an immense stage presence. So while the carnales in SoCal are making you “Lean Like A Cholo”, you can find Somos One, Big Dan, Jacinto and Giant collar-poppin’ in their sets, fully decked in Dios de los Muertes face paint and scaring the beejezus out of the nearest Federal Agent lurking in their audience. You get the feeling that anything is possible when it comes to their dynamic appeal.

What’s fascinating about their style speaks less about their approach, but more of what we, as Hip-Hop fans, might expect from most MCs of Latin descent: that they’re either spitting corny ass Spanglish verses with Lil’ Loca singin’ the hook, stompin’ in their Timbs moonlighting as a poor man’s Big Pun trying to relive 1998, or worst of all, a Reggaeton Cubano with meticulously-trimmed eyebrows spittin’ for the Ed Hardy-adorned club masses. If you are basing your expectations on these outdated and unfortunate stereotypes, you will be delightfully surprised that they are none of the former...

Read the post on BRWN BFLO in its entirety.

Kick Rocks, Fellas

It's always refreshing to see models doing something other than lying passively on a piece of antique furniture, spread eagle, with a wan look on their face. So I was happy to stumble upon a fashion pictorial in French Vogue of girls seriously kicking ass, Death Proof-style, and the guys they fought were no wimps, either.

With Dewitt Cannon, pro skateboarder

Pummeling MMA Fighter, Josh "The Babyfaced Assasin" Barnett

While I don't condone violence towards either gender, I do love how swimsuits look in action, as they are meant to be worn.

From Jezebel

Step Your Home Training Up

Read my post about illdoctrine and his latest Asher Roth commentary

I felt particularly compelled to post this on MISS after the Krudmart vs MISS fiasco that is one of our most popular posts on the newly-updated site. The thing that I love about MISS is that they don't concern themselves with the negativity of others, but they also aren't afraid to call you out, if necessary.

Admittedly, I posted a comment that was much more vitriolic than the one that ended up on the site (I went back and deleted it myself), but because I've learned from my past internet battles and the futility of it all (addressing people in person or telephone is always better etiquette), I've learned that ignoring ignorant people is much better than wasting your precious time and energy.

What irked me the most is when people make comments that are blatantly ignorant towards a person's sex or race (ahem, Asher) and tell you that they were "only joking" or that you should "lighten up" because they're "really nice people" and "they're not like that". But when speaking on such a public forum, like the internet, the fact that it brings people together should make people more sensitive and respectful of how they address entire segments of the population, especially if you are relying on customers to buy your product (and because you're a decent fucking human being).

So if you think that being cleverly racist and wittingly misogynistic is gonna gain you hits for shock value, you're probably right. It never "pays" to be a nice person, except if you believe in karma. But my Grandma always said that every time you step out of the house, you are a representative of our family, and the morals you were raised with, then I would rather be known as a whistle-blower and boat-rocker, than someone who is insensitive of basic human rights.

Blame it on the Re-Re-Re-Re-Retrograde

I'm a fanatic when it comes to the Zodiac. As a Sagittarius with a history of dating mostly water signs, I wondered about this attraction to the polar opposite and found out that my rising sign was Scorpio. Duh. And of course, as luck would have it, I ended up with a Cancer, the sensitive, emotional polar opposite of my painfully-honest and free-spirited self.

And while I don't take everything they say too seriously (especially since there is a 13th sign, Ophiuchus, which is my true sign), I do believe in Mercury Retrograde. Mercury retrogrades around 3 times a year, but for this year, it's four, giving us four periods in the year to deal with miscommunications, electronic malfunctions, mishaps, contractual flubs, and travel delays.

This entire month of May, until roughly around June 14, Mercury will be in retrograde, so the key to getting through it is focus, patience, meticulous attention to detail, and an ability to roll with the punches. Also, try not to sign any contracts until this period is over! For more information about your own sign and Mercury's effects on it, go over to my favorite spots, Susan Miller's Astrology Zone and Astro.com.

** This has been a Guerilla Busfare service announcement. Now back to your regularly-scheduled programming.

Hip Hop In The Park '09/Pacquiao vs Hatton

I like rain. I have galoshes. I have a closet full of North Faces I never wear since I've moved down to LA and at the first splatter of precipitation, I whip them out, ready to brave the elements. So when they said it would rain for Hip Hop in the Park in Berkeley I wasn't too worried. (Hippies love the rain) I dusted off the all-conditions black-and-grey Gore-Tex, threw on my Diamond galoshes, and trucked it on out there, ready to stick it out for a dope line-up. I don't know the official line-up, but I was able to catch Wonway and Bayonics, the Bayliens, a really dope female MC whose name I didn't catch, Invincible, Do D.A.T., and the headliners of the day, Bambu and Blu.

EyeASage & Irie Eyez

As we arrived, the weather was a pleasantly chill 54 or so degrees, and overcast - perfect for taking outdoor flicks. It definitely wasn't brand-new-shoe-worthy (ahem, Bambu), but the occasional light shower didn't dampen the spirits of the audience as the shows went on.


Bam killed it as usual, lookin' fly in his Diamond Harrasment Colors crewneck and traffic cone-orange Trainers, and I always love watching him perform for HHITP because it holds a special sentiment to us.



I was able to finally catch Blu in action, which was interesting, I must add. I interviewed Blu when I first moved to LA for my LA Music story, and found him to be so different from his audio alter ego - shy, reserved, thoughtful, and borderline space cadette. So when he walked right over to Nani, Leah and I to stand next to us and not say anything, persay, I was prepared. And blazed enough to keep it light. And though he didn't remember me (it was a phoner, after all), he was nice enough to give me a drop for GBTV.


I asked him if he was ready to perform. He replied, "Are you?"


He's so tall, I asked him "How's the weather up there?" I'm silly =P


Nice guy, he is. And Exile killed it on the MPC, to no one's surprise. As soft-spoken as Blu is in person (I had to lean in three times during our conversation to ask, "hhWHAT?") he's a natural performer, who's comfortable in front of an audience and the spaciness translates endearingly, kinda like Badu.



Afterwards we hit up the AYPAL house party and watched the fight on a projector - all 6 minutes of it. The nervousness of being 100% emotionally-invested in Pac Man gave way to exhilaration as the bout went on and, after the knock out, deeply immense pride and nationalism. He's the biggest thing in the Philippines since Catholicism, and right now, he is approaching living deity-status. And he does it for THE PEOPLE.



We're comin' for you Mayweather(s)!

** all photography by the lovely Nina Parks

M.I.S.S. New Site Layout and Contributor Page

Check out the M.I.S.S. Site in all it's awesomeness and check out my updated bio for your reading pleasure :)

40 Hours in an Elevator

I fear for my Unborn Daughters

Hip Hop in the Park 2009

See you there!