DJ I-Truth Word To The Motha Pt. 3

It's that time again kiddies. Get your ears ready for another blast from the MotherGreen camp. DJ ITruth with a serious selection for you to groove to. This is number 3 on deck so take your time and let it sink in.

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WordToTheMothaPodcasts

Bobbito Garcia Profile on CNN

My man Kool Bob Love B.K.A Bobbito Garcia getting love on CNN. This is what I'm talking about people. The power of real deal New Yorkers speaking about the unity of Black, Brown and Yellow. Salute!

The San Francisco Treat

Photos by Shino Yanagawa

I have a friend who always goes on and on about how great San Fran is. My only experiences with California have been with southern Cali and they at times have left me underwhelmed. However this was not the case once I touched that good San Fran soil. My first views leaving the airport were those of hills and fog with a sun on the other side begging to be enjoyed.

I haven't been taken in by a city in the way that SF took me in since Chicago. Once we got settled next stop was downtown to see the people and do some walking around. The bus ride out there is very rough I must say. The MUNI line is filled with buses which seems to only stop using hard breaks and make turns requiring you to hold on for dear life. There was a large number of Chinese women on the bus with us almost all the time. One even mentioned to Shino that I was cute (HOV!). Fortunately none of our rides were like this.

In town for 5 days we made sure to hit the ground running. We made a journey down to Fisherman's Warf which is very much a tourist attraction but fun nonetheless. I found an In and Out burger down there and was very tempted to get a grilled cheese animal style. However that will have to wait for next time.

During the trip I discovered the super dope neighborhood of Mission with its many restaurants and beautiful people. On the train ride over there we met a gentleman who helped us with directions. He told us where to get off to maximize our time. We ate at a restaurant with the largest stack of fresh blueberry pancakes I ever had...MAN! The food was official tissue. Shino had some crazy fish tacos. The service was very nice here as well as the prices. After grubbing we walked up and down many hills to burn off the calories looking at the many striking homes lining the streets. Then we crossed over into Castro...

Pt 2 coming up (c) Old Dirty.

DJ-ITruth Diggin My Roots Vol. 1

Taking you on another trip through a music wonderland is none other then our brother DJ ITruth. The brother is always digging deep to slap you in the face with a groove to make you jump up out of your seat and boogie. Well this time is no different.

I present to you Diggin My Roots Vol. 1 compiled by DJ ITruth loved by MotherGreen & H.K.M

Enjoy

Diggin My Roots Vol.1

Tanya Morgan and Black Sheep Tonight @SOB's!

If you want a dope show to see tonight in NYC you really want to be at SOBs at around 8pm. My boys Tanya Morgan are gonna tear it down something terrible with a band backing them up. Not to be outdone they will be sharing the bill with Black Sheep. It's gonna be a hip hop fernanzie in the spot. I can't wait.

Here's a lil video to give you a taste of what we are in for tonight.

DJ I Truth - Word To The Motha Vol.1

Allow me to introduce yall to my brother DJ ITruth. He's been DJing for quite some time and has a vast knowledge of all different types of music from Hip Hop to Salsa to House. On our Word To Ya Motha series of mixes you will hear all of ITruth's different musical influences. He can currently be seen at a hot party in NYC between rocking the turntables and killing the dance floor. ITruth used to be a dancer for Brand Nubian in the SOS crew (SOS are ya wit me?).

So I say to you all, enjoy and leave a comment with what you think of the mix.


Word To The Motha Vol. 1

Rasu Jilani 120 Seconds

This is my brother Rasu co-creator of CDTBK. He's a very intelligent brother with great ideas and I consider him an asset to the Brooklyn scene. CDTBK is my family so check the joint.

Sav's B-day Throwdown

It's a rare occasion when you can get the old man to come down from the mountain. That's just what happened last Wednesday at Von's Cellar. Dj Tahleim was on the 1 and 2s and the crew was in the house deep. The music of the night was heavy on hip hop which kept the energy high. The drinks were flowing, shots were thrown down and toasts were made. All in the name of one man Saviour who seems all too happy to have so many loved ones in the same vicinity to well wish and represent.

Here's some pictures to capture the moment taken by myself and Shino Yanagawa.
Enjoy...

John Forte On Good Day New York (Video)

My brother John Forte, out of jail and active. This video interview of him on Good Day New York is a nice piece in the larger puzzle of his rise back on the scene. The song he performs "Play My Cards For Me" is signature Forte since the I John album to me. Take a look and cop the Style Free EP off of iTunes.

I'm happy to see him happy and doing what he loves free of bars and regret.

Chin Chin - That's Where I'll Be (Official Video)

One of my favorite bands repping Brooklyn has a new video. Chin Chin smooth it out with another record from The Flashing And The Fancing album. I love these guys. Come out to Brooklyn and see them this Tuesday Aug. 11th with TV on the Radio live in Prospect Park.

56 Miles and Riding

Photos by Shino Yanagawa
Words by Dashaun Simmons

This past weekend my man Dan sent out a text for a ride on Saturday. I haven't had a big ride in a while on the ole bike so I was down. The team consisted of Shino and myself, Dan, Hue, Keith and Divine. We met up at Prospect park and after some delay departed to head down Ocean pkwy towards Brighton Beach. However on the way we planned to get some Di Fara but when we saw the double long lines we decided to just get a banana, a water and keep it moving. By this time my other friends Richard and Kris were en route from Bed Stuy to meet us.

Back on the trail of Ocean Pkwy we encountered a group of riders who seemed to be enjoying the day just much as we were. The ride down Ocean Pkwy was scenic, filled with trees and beautiful homes. That's a stretch of Brooklyn that I feel is often missed by most. Once we reached Brighton Beach we made a left at the boardwalk and walked down to the Sheepshead Bay end. This is where Kris and Rich joined our party and we broke out in search of food.



We found a pizza shop under the B train in an area I'd never been in before. The pizza was good and after some sustenance we were off to reach the Belt Pkwy bike path headed towards Queens. This was my first time seeing the actual "Sheepshead Bay". It's a nice area with restaurants and nice homes. It didn't even seem like we were in NY let alone Brooklyn.



Once on the Belt we rode to Canarsie Pier and found a couple of cats flying kites along with a food truck to sell us water and Gatorade. We then continued along the water passing fishermen and small (dirty) beaches passing East New York and leaving the borough. Shino yelled out when she noticed the sign "Welcome To Queens". This was the first time we rode into Queens.

Queens led us to ride up Cross Bay Blvd and head across a bridge to reach Far Rockaway (this is where Kris and Rich got off our crazy ride). Once in Far Rockaway we reached the beach on the west side of the island. As we walked up to the boardwalk after my suggestion to look at their water compared to Coney Island Divine turned to me and said "I'll go in the water if someone goes with me". As we got to the sand I looked out and I couldn't believe that the water was CLEAN! Divine, Shino and all all got in the water and felt so relaxed after a long ride.

After relaxing and talking on a bench for a while we got back on the bikes and rode to the end of the island. Right before getting on the bride we spotted a food truck and got down on some knishes and hot dogs. At this point the sun was setting and you could see all of the riders hitting the bridge to head home. The ride home was sweet and I would do it all over again in a second.

Buckshot & KRS One - Robot

I can't even front, this is a dope record/video. The boys did their thing with this. See what happens when you let Ruck run the label (ha).

Peep Game

It's A Family Affair

This past weekend my Grandmother (on my mother's side) came up from North Carolina to spend time with the family. So the NY part of the family got together out in Long Island at my aunt's house in Central Islip for a good ole BBQ. I got to see some family I haven't seen in AGES! Hell my uncle Vinton was the reason I got heavy into computers. When he and my aunt got together I loved going over to their house in Queens and playing Olympic Games on the Commodore 64.

Now here we are in 2009 and my Grandmother is a Great-Grandmother. I was her first Grandchild so we always had a special bond. It's ill what you can learn from being around the elders of your family. Nana (as we call her) got to talking about delivering her baby without much help from the doctors (she had 8 kids). We had Turkey burgers and regular burgers on the grill. Plus there were some ribs (not for me) and corn on the cobb all cooked on Propane (God's gas according to Hank Hill).

Just sitting back and watching my nephew play in the pool along with his sister took me back to my childhood. Watching my mother, Grandmother and Uncle sing along to the Main Ingredient almost brought a tear to my eye. There were four generations of my family together under the sun, now THAT is a miracle and miracles are the way things ought to be! (c) Cyrus of the Gramercy Riffs.

Here's a couple of pics taken by myself and Shino on the point and shoot.

Kuntaw Martial Arts Grand Opening

Kuntaw is an ancient Filipino martial art which involves hand and foot fighting. I first started practicing Kuntaw when I was about 10 years old. After a TOO LONG hiatus I've been back training regularly for about over a year. My father who is my teacher (GURO) learned Kuntaw while he was stationed in the Philippines in the late 80s. Now with an official school location in Brooklyn the International Kuntaw Federation plants it's flag in NYC.

This Saturday we will be celebrating the grand opening of the school with some demonstrations, belt promotion of the current students and refreshments for guests. I have recently along with my fellow Kyuds gone through the test for my next promotion. On Saturday those who passed will receive their new belts. So please come out and see what the style of Kuntaw is like. It's hard to explain but easy to experience.

Peace, Dashaun

Place: 753 Flatbush Ave. 2nd Floor
Time : 4PM - 7PM
Also it's my father's birthday so make sure to wish him a happy one when you see him.

And here's a little video to get you familiar.

Ruck is running the label now! Ruck Down

On my way to work the other day I saw Sean P's younger brother Stutta across the platform on the Q. I aint seen the boy in years! It was a good run in. Then I get to work and see this video. If you like rap you need to peep the boy Sean Price. P!

Check the joint! Kimbo Price in stores soon. Brownsville baby!

Ruck Down

Weekend Warrior pt.2

When we last left off there was a happening BBQ taking place in the LIC. The ladies were in full effect and the music was bumping. All was good as the sun began to set on a wonderful three day weekend. Then the owner of the apartment got...THE CALL.

The music was apparently too loud and we were being shut down. Now for me this was perfect timing as I was on my way to the Blue Note anyway. Shino and I learned earlier in the day that my favorite pianist and Chicagoan Ahmad Jamal was performing at 10:30. So when we were saying our premature goodbyes the party was being shut down. There of course was an after party created at a nearby neighbor's place but we were already off to the city.

This was my first time at the historic Jazz club the Blue Note. The show was to put it simply, absolutely amazing. We sat at the bar and were able to witness one of the modern legends in Jazz live. There was a mixed crowd of people there. Mr. Jamal looks very good for his age and can still tear those keys apart! Shino was crafty enough to sneak into his dressing room and snag a few pictures of him and a short conversation with the great pianist. I of course was quite jealous.

After the Blue Note show we made our way over to Sutra for DJ Scratch and DJ Evil Dee's birthday party. There was actually a long line to get inside the small space that is Sutra. One cat on the line with us was being SHUT DOWN by the manager of the space. Just because he came alone the guy would not let him in. This is a policy I've seen used before, and I hated it then as much as in this instance. This brother just wanted to have a good time and because he came solo he has to wait outside? He was eventially let in by the owner (solo guy was a DJ who actually used to WORK at Sutra!).

Once we got inside we saw it was a packed house filled with a WACK CROWD. Scratch was killing the tunes, but the crowd had a couple of what I call hood boogers and drunk goofballs. I had to let a guy know that Shino was not open for dancing with his drunk a$$. I felt compelled to leave this place even as our friends Rich and Kris walked in. I'd bitten off more than I could chew for this evening and it was time to call it a night.

The following day there was a calming picnic birthday celebration for my friend Jocelyn in Prospect Park. I went with Shino and my nephew Nasir for a fun filled day. We played steal the bacon, water baloon toss and other fun games. This was just what I needed to wind down before heading back to work. There was a gang of food and snacks and everyone left with a smile on their faces.

What a weekend.
Images from Dance Africa and Shan's BBQ Pt.1 2009 below are courtesy of Shino Yanagawa.