Professionals vs. Amateurs

So yesterday I happened to have two interviews with rappers. Weird how my schedule works out sometimes.

It turned out to be an interesting showcase in professional vs. amateur demeanor.

On one hand, you had a street rapper with a small, successful independent record label. On the other hand, you had a local artist with some credibility as a freestyle battle rapper and a few national titles under his belt.

My first interview was with J-Diggs of Thizz Entertainment, the record label started by Mac Dre. Now, Thizz is a popular brand in this area. Lots of kids bump their artists.

J-Diggs, who serves as both an artist and label president, is in charge of a lot of artists on his record label and, to an extent, a portion of the Bay Area rap scene. He's performing Friday night at The Castle, 140 Oak Street, in Soledad. Show starts at 9:30 p.m.

Diggs is a busy guy, but not too busy to take time to talk with a journalist from a small community paper. Our interview got off to a bit of a late start, but his manager kept me posted and Diggs was apologetic for the delay. The interview went smooth and the story is set to run in Thursday's GO! section of The Monterey County Herald.

An hour later, I found myself sitting in a coffee shop, waiting for my appointment with the local guy (who shall remain nameless).

The time of our scheduled appointment arrived and he was a no show. I continued to wat. Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes. No sign of him at all.

I tracedk down his cell phone number, call, and get the voice mail.

"Hey, this is Marc from the Monterey Herald. I thought we had a 3 p.m. appointment. I'm here. Where are you?"

After 45 minutes and no call back, I gave up. I was on deadline with other stuff. I just didn't have time to wait around. Not sure I'm going to have the time later on.

The point of this post is in part to complain about how I was stood up (which has never, ever happened to me before), but also to show what I thought to be a wide disparity between artists who know how to handle their business and those who seemingly have no direction.

Diggs was professional in his demeanor, open and giving of his time, humble and focused. He's overcome a bid in the penitentiary, the murder of his childhood friend Mac Dre, the burden of helping run a record label in the wake of Dre's passing, and the responsibility of keeping both the legacy and growth of the label in focus. His label is successful. He's making money. He's a true professional.

The local artist, however, expressed his eagerness to be the focus of a newspaper feature, but did not respond to subsequent requests for time for several week. He finally agreed to an interview after one last-ditch request, then blew off the arranged meeting.

Amateur status, point blank.

I understand things happen, and perhaps a serious emergency or event prevented him from showing up, but that's what cell phones and professional handlers are for. If you can't take the time to be courteous to those interested in helping you succeed, then maybe you aren't serious about what you're doing. Maybe you should look for something else to do.

Just a lesson to artists out there: stay focused and take every opportunity for exposure seriously. I now know the difference between a professional and an amateur: the professional handles the job with precision and grace. The amateur leaves things up in the air and doesn't care what happens in the end.

And I'm still waiting for a phone call or explanation.

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Holy S---! Zach De La Rocha has a new song out!!

Damn! Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! New music from Zach De La Rocha! With the drummer from Mars Volta!

I gotta say, the new single from One Day As a Lion, the collabo between De La Rocha and Jon Theodore is a long time coming. "International Wild" is a living, breathing, beasting attack on the Iraqi War and the government officials who perpetrated the whole mess. (to listen, click here)

Rocking over a demented siren guitar riff, Zach's controlled rage spews from the microphone with deceptive force. He sounds relieved to have a proper venue for railing against the powers that be. The hook sounds fierce over crashing drums and synthy-riffs:

Both Muhammed and Christ, word life, would lay your body down/to a tune so wild international/In the desert full of bullets let your body rot/with my chrome, with my verse, with my body rock...


The statement from Anti-Records, which is releasing the album, reads:

“One Day As A Lion is both a warning delivered and a promise kept.”

“A defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare. It’s a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask. One Day As A Lion is a recorded interaction between Zack de la Rocha and Jon Theodore from Los Angeles, California.”

“The name taken from the infamous 1970 black and white, captured by legendary Chicano photographer George Rodriguez featuring a center framed tag on a white wall in an unspecified section of Boyle Heights. It reads: ‘It’s better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb.’ This record is a stripped down attempt to realize this sentiment in sound.”

All I got to say is that I'm happy to see Zach putting out new product. Watching Rage Against the Machine last year during their run on the "Rock The Bells" tour was a bit underwhelming. Sure, they still had their touch, rocking through their set with as much ferocity as 1998, but that was the problem.

Ten years ago, Rage rocked my world. Seeing them live last year was just a sad reminder of how much momentum they lost. Their break-up pretty much derailed any hope of a rhyme revolution, of music as political force, of art as a form of social policy.

Listening to Zach's new stuff, my expectations are still tempered. Government will not be overthrown with a mic and a guitar, but we can always hope. We can always rage. We can always pray.

I've been bumping this song straight for the past 30 minutes, non-stop. No joke.

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Flashback: OstrichHead "Freakshow Carnival"

O-Head are local icons, with members originating from Salinas and Monterey. They've been carving their niche in the LA scene for a few years now, grinding it out and making moves. This video won the YouTube Underground contest for "Most Creative." It's a really great clip. The band and video were even featured on Good Morning America!

O-Head opens for Forrest Day Saturday night at Monterey Live. PG MC The Sauraus will also make an appearance. It makes me so proud that folks from my backyard are so dedicated to creative, quality hip-hop music. Good stuff.

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Live: Somos in Santa Cruz

Doing a show review on a friend's band is something I usually try to avoid. Aside from the conflict of interest issues, I'm always worried that if a show isn't up to par, than how can I not write about that?
Luckily, I didn't have that problem checking out my folks Somos perform Saturday night in Santa Cruz. And while I was there to support, I felt I should at least mention their solid show.
Performing Latin funk and blues, Chicano soul, or whatever ethno-categorization you want to stamp it with, Somos is fronted by my friends Emiliano and Kati Valdez, brother and sister from San Juan Bautista and second generation players with El Teatro Campesino (their father is Chicano folk artist/musician Daniel Valdez).
Their set was a rocking, raucus, liberating barrage of home cooked originals and seasoned, spicy Latin standards. Imagine El Chicano channeling Buddy Guy with some sexy R&B in the middle and you get the general idea.
The cool thing about Somos is they can switch back and forth between old school soul and Latin rock/funk. So whether Mino is wailing like a blind Alabama boy that he's "miles away" from his honey, or Kati is taking us back with "the roof is on fire," the musical mix is designed to keep the crowd moving.
For more info, check out their myspace page at www.myspace.com/somosmusic.

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Team Monterey proves Last place is the new First place

Team Monterey took sixth place Sunday — albeit out of six teams total — during the San Francisco Battle of the Bay Poetry Slam (aka the B.O.B.).

But that's not an entirely bad look for the team, of which I'm a member/coach. Team Monterey (aka Team Rubber Chicken, since we rep the Rubber Chicken Poetry Slam) went to San Francisco with the purpose of showing off the talent in our scene.

It showed brightly in the dark shadows of the city.

Six teams competed in the slam - San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, San Jose Youth Team, Sacramento and us. Ours was the only "straw team," a team that was pulled together without competition. Most slam teams are configured with members who compete in a city slam over the course of a year and accumulate points during the regular season. The top point earners are thrown into a final slam bout and the top four or five usually make the team.

Monterey has no such circuit. We just got the top poets in our slam and decided to make a playoff run.

Competing in a battle like the one in SF is a tricky deal. We were definitely in foreign territory. Most of the other Bay Area slammers have been watching one another from a close distance over a period of time. There's familiarity among the ranks.

Nobody really knew who we were or what to expect, although a few of the poets who I've met over the years graciously showed love and gave props. Special shout out to Paradox, Jay Lee, Charles Ellik, and Message One for saying what's up — Message One (and I know I'm spelling his name incorrectly, but eff it) especially had me cracking up all night, calling us "Team Pacific Grove" "Team Greenfield" "Team Carmel Valley" whenever he got a chance.

It also didn't help that we drove two and a half hours, navigating insane city traffic and hot-hot-heat, then endured a near two hour wait before the show began. It's nobody's fault, since the event was planned last minute as a replacement for the canceled Big Sur Slam.

The venue was a cramped, second-story loft-space/converted underground performance arts space called Mama Calizo's Voice Factory. It was hot and humid and packed, and the industrial fan was shut off for some poets performances, but it was a really cool venue.

The array of styles and subject matter was pretty inspirational. Among my favorites was a team piece from the Oakland crew dedicated to the working class, the two poets rhyming and stealing in tandem, a dizzying display of symmetric, explosive lyrical assault.

I was proud of our first two poets, Richard R. Best and Chloey Noonan, who got up and did their thing for the first time in a B.O.B. Though I didn't get to watch our anchor poet Jacob Tsypkin get up there, he scored a 28.6, which is a remarkably high score.

When it came my turn to perform, I was a sweaty bag of nerves and excitement. My piece, "The Wisdom to Know the Difference," begins with the line "I cannot change the world with a poem." Knowing that a room full of poets were watching, the reading was an intense exercise in playing to a room with kids gloves on.

The whole purpose of the poem was not to make fun of anyone or demean the work of poets, but to give perspective. A lot of times, slam poets (and poets in general) can get really self important.

Knowing that my poetry has some power to move people, but recognizing that a poem can't cure a disease, feed a starving child or move masses to overthrow a government was important to address.

The kicker, however, is the end, when I give a sly wink and smile and acknowledge one last time that I can't change the world with a poem. "But I can never, ever, ever, ever, let that stop me from trying."

The crowd loved it and roared its approval. As I walked off stage, a few poets gave me high fives and pounds and hugs, props all around. The scores were mid-range, I finished with a 26.9, but I scored three 8.9's. Those would have easily been 9's and above if I had not read from the page and slipped a line in the middle when I ran out of breath.

But it wasn't the scores that mattered. Team Monterey showed up to battle, and finishing sixth out of six was a great showing for us. It's always cool to rep your 'hood, and we did it Sunday night in the city.

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Big Sur fire cancels slam, but not the poetic spirit

There will be no West Coast Championship Poetry Slam in Big Sur this weekend.
A bit of a bummer, but as the Basin Complex fires threaten Zen monastery's and send wild bears running toward the coast, the cancellation ranks toward the bottom of the fire casualty list.
Still, it's a downer because this weekend, a small crop of poets from up and down the left side of the U.S. map were scheduled to perform at Henry Miller Library in Big Sur. I was among them.
It's a bummer that the Team Monterey will not make a go at the West Coast title. The team consisted of myself and local poets Jacob Tsypkin, Chloe Noonan, Dr. Ibrahim Mussa, Richard R. Best and Dawn Davidsen.
We all perform regularly at The Rubber Chicken Poetry Slam, held Wednesday nights at The East Village Coffee Lounge in Monterey. We all have dedicated a good amount of time and energy into our work, our passion for the spoken word.
And we all were looking forward to sharing that with poets from other regions, in our own backyard. Part of the fun of being on the Monterey team is that we're the unofficial hosts of the annual Big Sur Slam. We get to represent our neck of the woods in front of some of the most talented poets not just on the West Coast, but in the country.
Not all is lost. A team competition will be held in San Francisco on Sunday. Team Monterey will get to duke it out with other West Coast poets, albeit in foreign territory.
For those that don't' know what Slam Poetry is, the best way to describe it is full-contact, competitive spoken word. Poets are given three-minutes each to present their piece. A panel of five judges is picked at random from the crowd, each assigned to score a poet on a scale of 1 to 10.
Judges are asked to rank the work on both content and performance, meaning a poet who excels in both gets a higher score, where as someone who maybe has great content but lacks showmanship (or vice-versa) might get a lesser score.
At the Big Sur Slam, tensions are high. Traditionally, it is the final destination for poets en route to the National Poetry Championships, an annual event that pits slam teams from all 50 states against one another.
The poetry is a gallery of wild, honest, attention grabbing, punk rock monologues. Poets use shock and awe tactics, reverie, screaming, yelling, pregnant pauses and eye-popping theatrics during their three minutes.
It's a cross between debate team poise, rock star intensity and intellectual verbosity.
And it usually happens in Big Sur. But the fires have taken that away, for now. Plans are under way to reschedule the event in October, assuming the fire is stabilized and the community can get back on track.
So while the fire has wreaked havoc on many lives, altered the eco structure and kept the entire community on its heels, it has also managed to silence the spoken word for one weekend. But like the community itself, the poets who participate in the Big Sur Slam will re-emerge, their voices raging louder than ever.

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Karma Loop TV interview w/Pete Rock

For my money, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is just about the most gorgeous hip-hop record of all time. From the lyrics to CL Smooth's eloquent delivery to those horns, the song will always have a place on my top whatever list of all-time songs.

The good folks at Karma Loop TV caught up with Pete Rock, the conductor who orchestrated that hip-hop classic along with several others (Nas's "The World Is Yours," House of Pain's "Jump Around (remix)"). Thanks to Chelsea at Karma Loop for the hook-up.

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Listen To My Voice! with Immortal Technique (late pass)

I'm a bit late with this one, since my Immortal Technique story ran two weeks ago. His album, "The 3rd World," is out in stores, and I did this interview prior to its release.

Tech was cool to talk to. Real humble with a lot of intelligent answers to questions. When I asked him about his battle with Poster Boy on 106 and Park, he started to laugh a little. I'm guessing no reporters have asked him about that experience.

Here's the podcast.



Oh, and for those that didn't catch it before, here's the Poster Boy/Immortal Technique battle on 106 and Park. This is from a couple years back. For the record, Tech got him.

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Jay-Z>Noel Gallagher = Ether

Yeah, Jay headlined the pretty huge Glastonbury Festival in the U.K. over the weekend. It was pretty monumental for a few reasons:

- Jay was the first hip-hop head to headline the main stage. Significant, folks. Glastonbury is a rock and roll festival with only a few hip-hop artists having played.

- The concert didn't sell out until the days leading up to the festival, leading many to believe his billing was a primary reason. The concert usually sells out immediately.

- Stupid Noel Gallagher of Oasis came out the side of his neck, saying Jay's appaerance was a joke and it wouldn't work.

Alas, Noel can shut his limey trap. Observe.



Yeah, that's your boy Hov rocking "Wonderwall," with 80,000+ cheering along. Hip-hop won!

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While I'm Away, Latin Valley Rockers, and Love Your Haters, et. al

So, I've been away at this high school journalism workshop the past week. Out of the newsroom, stationed in San Jose, working with young, energetic, ambitious writers and critical thinkers considering a career in a field where layoffs are abundant and any veteran with more than 20 years of experience will tell you that the sky is falling. Suffice it to say, I'm having a great time.

All the while, I've been trying to pace myself as I approach 200 posts, a modest achievement, but one I want to mark with something special, maybe. I'll figure it out in a post or two.

In the meantime, I get this, from a random reader who signed himself on as "Hip Hop is Hip hop Not 'Latin Valley Rockers'" and wrote in response to my N.E.R.D. "Seeing Sounds" review. He writes:

I for 1 am glad your Pastilla whatever didn't show up in the paper. LAME. Where you get off including Hip Hop in a blog about Latin Valley Rockers that 2 or 4 people are interested in I have no idea. U did that cuz u knew no one would look at your blog otherwise. Take your Rocker ass back to Mexico.


Wow. I guess he told me!

I responded with a "Thanks for reading," my customary response to any negative feedback. It's not like I'm lying. I really am thankful for the 2 or 4 people who take the time to read my work.

Not much else to say, but I am tempted to quote the poet Kanye West, who wrote "Love your Haters. Their your biggest fans."

Amen to that.

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My Pastilla article that didn't show up in the paper today

Seems my editor dropped the ball and forgot to include my article on Rock en Español band Pastilla today (it's all good, I still got luv for you Mac). Here's the article, in it's entirety. Al rato.

Pastilla brings Latin Rock to the Fox
By Marc Cabrera

Valley rockeros will have a night all their own when one of the hottest Latin modern rock bands plays tonight at the Fox Theater in Salinas.
Pastilla has been tearing up the Latin Rock charts in the past year on the heels of their 2007 release “A Marte.” Their fourth album, the record is filled with the distorted guitars and laid-back harmonies that have marked their work and earned them fans from the most hardcore Mexico City loyalists to newly discovered scenesters in New York City.
The show is hosted by Aguas Brothers Entertainment. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. tonight, show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Formed in the 1990s by brothers Victor and Adrian Monroy, who were born in Chihuahua, Mexico but raised in Southern California, the band started out with Brit Pop, Grunge and New Wave influences, while holding close to the Spanish Rock scene that was emerging in Los Angeles. They recorded their first album in 1996 on the now defunct Aztlan Records, and eventually signed with BMG records two years later.
Their first major label album, “Vox Electra,” included their first foray into bilingual musical experimentation. The song “Be” included lyrics in both English and Spanish. The group mixed down the track so the words were sung in both languages at the same time, with the English vocal panned to the right and the Spanish version to the left.
“It was something to show people that the language doesn't have anything to do with it, it's mainly the music,” said Monroy. “Of course it has something to do with it because of the meaning of the words in each language and blah, blah, blah, but what we're trying to show is when music is good, it's good in any language and you can appreciate it.”
More recently, the band played an international festival in Texas where the theme revolved around African culture. Monroy conduced the between-song banter in English, which eased the audience into the Spanish lyrics.
“It was funny and I was proud to see African-Americans, Asians and white people rocking out to Pastilla, even though they couldn't understand anything we were saying,” he said with a laugh.
Cultivating listeners and maintain consistency has required strategy as the band has evolved. Victor Monroy's brother Adrian left the band a few years ago, and the current lineup consists of Monroy on guitar and vocals, original drummer Eric Rubalcaba and bassist Eduardo Trujillo.
The band has maintained a stronghold on the Los Angeles and Mexico City scenes, while finding new fans in New York City, where the genre is starting to catch a buzz.
“We are going there the day after the Salinas show,” said Monroy. “When we were invited to play, I posted the gig on our MySpace page and found out we have a bunch of fans in New York. Everyone's waiting for us there. It's pretty cool.”

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Karma Loop TV interview w/Tyga

Here's another Karma Loop TV interview, this one with Tyga of Young Money Entertainment (aka Lil Wayne's vanity label). It must be nice to roll with the hottest rapper on earth, judging from this video.

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N.E.R.D. "Seeing Sounds" - The Beat-down

I missed N.E.R.D. open up for Kanye last week, so I just have to imagine that they were as good as I've seen them the past two times. Listening to their new album, “Seeing Sounds,” I'm still pretty bummed out about skipping their spot (even though my sister's graduation was kind of sort of an important deal).

N.E.R.D. could easily be one of the world's most indulgent vanity projects, thanks to the mega-multi-platinum success of its founders, The Neptunes Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams (along with "frontman" Shay). But the band's music has been so far left of the production team's signature sound that it's become a nice outlet for the pair to explore new sonic frontiers.

"Seeing Sounds" finds them doing just that and taking the listener along for the ride. The singles "Everybody Nose" and the irresistible "Spaz" have become commercial staples (the latter is my favorite Zune commercial of all time). Both songs mix frantic break beat drums that veer into jungle/drum n' bass territory, the energy reaching furious crescendos.

Other songs venture boldly into alt-rock land. “Happy” is true to its namesake, with Pharrell giving a shiny, joyous ode to post-breakup glum, siren guitar riffs and pop melodies falling into place along the way. “Anti-Matter” is “Check Your Head”-era Beastie Boys synth punk, with its chopped and screwed hook/chorus serving as a kick-ass proclamation.

Through it all, Williams and Hugo and Co. pull from all different contemporary styles and sounds, making for a compelling mix. It's the ease with which they sashay through their set without leaning too heavily on one sound that gives the album its merit.

The age of music hybrid has reached near formulaic levels, but N.E.R.D. have managed to stay ahead of the curve with each release. “Seeing Sounds” lives up to its name in that it could have the audience tripping out and visualizing the beats the band has produced.

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Karma Loop TV interview w/The Cool Kids (Part 2)

Part 2 of the Karma Loop TV interview with The Cool Kids. Those guys rock some really tight-fitting pants (no homo).

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Karma Loop TV interview w/The Cool Kids

Karma Loop TV keeps coming through and making my job easier. This time out, they've got The Cool Kids for y'all.

Repping The Chi, The Cool Kids have this whole retro-'80s babies, golden-age hip-hop era thing down pat. Their latest EP, “The Bake Sale” is a collection of some of their popular songs ("88," "Black Mags") mixed with new bangers. Once again, thanks to Chelsea at Karma Loop for hooking this up. Part 1 posts today, with Part 2 sometime tommorrow.

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Karma Loop TV interview w/Mr. Cartoon

Gotta say what's up to Chelsea and the good people at Karma Loop TV, who provided us with this interview with Mr. Cartoon.

Cartoon is a Los Angeles hood legend. A tattoo artist whose cholo-style found a niche amongst hip-hop elite. From Nike to Beyonce, he's done design and tat work for some of the biggest names in entertainment and commercial enterprise. This was shot on location at the grand opening of the store he co-owns in Hollywood.

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Live: Kanye rocks The Bay

From the second level seats of the HP Pavillion in San Jose, I watched Kanye West put on perhaps the best hip-hop show I've ever seen.

This was not your average rap show, where a rapper is on stage with 20 people, all carrying microphones, yelling over pre-recorded beats and demanding the crowd to throw their hands in the air, yaddada. As Kanye's talent, profile and ego have developed over the years, so to has is insight into what live rap shows could and should become.

The first thing seems to be theatrics. Kanye is drama king el primero in the pop star universe, so he understands that in order to gain attention he has to stage everything accordingly. That means all eyes on him front and center, with absolutely no accompaniment.

However, that doesn't mean 90 minutes of Mr. West rapping and dancing on a hallow stage. His set-up was a cross between the barren desert landscapes of the sci-fi novel/movie “Dune” and the neon-glow of Michael Jackson's “Bille Jean” video.

The show's story arc had something to do with West traveling in search of inspiration. He crash landed on a mysterious planet and woke up on a lit center-stage riser. “Good Morning,” the intro to his third album “Graduation” bumped through the arena sound system.

The impact was fierce. West, laid out on his back staring toward the ceiling, as the powerful bass hit hard enough to tickle my nose. As the song's hook paced in, the crowd couldn't help sing along to the ‘Ooh-we-oohh” harmony.

The rest of the set was a crash course through Ye's considerably dope catalog. “I Wonder” was an inspired with West yelling the song's spaced-out vocals. Throwing up the Roc-A-Fella records diamond gang sign during “Diamonds Are Forever,” the crowd participated in traditional yet completely new-feeling, hands up partying.

While the party was getting warmed up, Ye left plenty of room for spiritual awakenings and charged affirmations.

“Can't Tell Me Nothing” became an arena rock-worthy ode to self-perseverance and determination, Ye defiantly emphasizing the line “This is my life, homie, you decide yours!”

“Spaceship,” transformed into a back-in-the-day, rags to riches tale, while “All Falls Down” piggy-backed the former song, with its lines of self-consciousness resonating more than ever.

Ye somewhat awkwardly shoe-horned two of his biggest hits, “Gold Digger” and “Good Life,” into the narrative. The former song also features some space-age booty shots of what may or may not have been Salinas native video queen Ms. Veronica.

The last quarter of the set was a non-stop, emotional and self-reverential affair. Whereas Ye could get the arena to chant along to the stomping rhythm of “Jesus Walks,” he flipped it with a heartfelt “Hey Mama” dedicated to his deceased mother.

The weird parts came as show-closing self reflection. Ye's back-up singer blasted through a funny rendition of Journey's “Don't Stop Believing” (Ye mus have loved that Sopranos series finale) and ended the set with a near-rant, targeting the media before declaring “I am Michael Jordan, I am Muhammad Ali,” in an attempt to declare himself the biggest star in the universe.

For all of West's grand-standing, it was hard to argue his point. Ye has in fact propelled himself, through sheer will no less, to universal superstar status. That much was obvious from the cheap seats on Friday night.

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No Video Blog This Week

Sorry folks, but "The Beat" video-blog is taking a haitus this week. I got too many all-county softball and baseball videos to edit today. Holla back next week when I should have something read to roll. I'll post back in a few hours with something, I hope.

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Happy 80th B-Day Ree-Ree

On the occassion of Ree Brunell's 80th birthday, The Golden State Theater became a grand ballroom fit for a diva on Tuesday.

Brunell is a Monterey original, a singer and performer who has been tearing up stages for more than 60 years. Her 80th birthday party was a chance for her friends and loved ones to celebrate not only her born day, but her life and work.

Looking lean and mean in a black outfit and stunna shades, Ree-Ree was a queen hostess. An endless stream of guests lined up to take photos and offer up hugs and kisses, birthday wishes and love showers. The first time I went up to try and greet her, I waited almost 10 minutes and lost her in a flood of people.

Finally, after the well-wisher line had settled, Ree came up to me while I was munching on some appetizers.

“Marc, you made it,” she said. “There's plenty of food and drinks up and down. Have a good time, hon.”

Pure class.

I got to say, in the few years I've gotten to know Ree, I've come to understand that she is a caring, strong woman. She's endured health conditions, personal relationship drama, and the ups and downs of a career as a performer. Through it all, she's emerged as a fabulous woman full of grace and elegance.

Here's to you, Ree-Ree, a true lady and Monterey original.

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Karma Loop TV interview w/Slick Rick

The good folks at Karma Loop TV provide us once again with a nice video interview. This one with the Ruler himself, Slick Rick.
This was taken a day before MC Ricky D was pardoned by the governor of New York for a past attempted murder conviction. The move also cleared the way for Slick Rick to avoid deportation. The New York based MC was born in London, and following his conviction in the mid-90s, he was sought out by U.S. Immigration Department for excommunication from the country.
Big up to Chelsea at KarmaLoop for providing us with the video.

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