Darian

RIP Phife Dawg – Favorite Verses: #5 – “8 Million Stories”

A day in the life of the Funky Diabetic

phife-dawg_10190399-portrait-article_4col_fix_width The Phifer doesn’t get enough shine for his storytelling abilities. He’s not Slick Rick or Nas, but his flow is hyper, funny, original, and usually a fresh alternative to Tip’s more laid-back style.

Phife (as well as Q-Tip) have “solo” tracks on most ATCQ albums¹; “8 Million Stories” just edges out “Butter” as my favorite of these “Phife only” cuts.

Phife, in his everyday man role, weaves a tale of robbery, shopping, and sports over a sick sample of Bola Sete’s “Bettina”.

A Tribe Called Quest – 8 Million Stories

RIP Phife Dawg – Favorite Verses: #6 – “The Infamous Date Rape”

A great rapper gone too soon.

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He was the Everyman to Q-Tip’s cerebral abstract vibes, bringing in pop culture references and grounding the group for the streets.

-Andre Torres, Executive Editor, Genius

A few years ago, a guest pastor came to my church to give a sermon on Joseph and his 11 brothers. As the story goes, Joseph was despised by his brothers (because their father, Jacob, favored Joseph over the others). One day, in a jealous rage, they brothers toss Joseph into a pit and fake his death¹.

The pastors point was as follows: most of us try to relate to Joseph, when in reality, we are more like the 11 brothers.

I thought about that sermon when I heard about the passing of Phife Dawg – one third (or fourth, if you count Jarobi) of A Tribe Called Quest. Q-Tip was the smooth one – with the cocoa-brown skin, tall frame, and perfect words for the ladies. When I recite Tribe verses, I imagine that I’m Q-Tip…. but in reality, I’m more like Phife. Q-Tip was the abstract one. Phife was the realist. Q-Tip took you to the edges of the universe with a smooth flow and sideways thinking. Phife kept you grounded on earth with the realities of life.

Continue reading “RIP Phife Dawg – Favorite Verses: #6 – “The Infamous Date Rape””

Adventures in Fatherhood: A Diary of My Second Daughter’s Birth

Or, how everyone in the world loves Enya

Note – We recently celebrated my second daughter’s birthday; I figured that it made sense to clean-up and port over this running diary of my daughter’s birth. This post was one of the most read items on my old site.

Originally posted March 4, 2007

8:40 AM – My wife and I are on the way to the hospital. In an effort to make small talk, I mention my dislike of hospitals. Wifey (who’s already in a bad mood) turns to me and initiates the following exchange:

Wife – “We need to talk about this complaining of yours.”

Me – “What complaining? I just said that I didn’t like hospitals.”

Wife – “Look. you just need to stop because your part in the day is pretty insignificant compared to mine.”

Me – “Since it’s so insignificant, how ‘bout I drop you off at the curb and you can have the baby yourself.”

Ok, I didn’t say the last part. Instead, I drove in silence the rest of the way to the hospital. Great start to the morning.

10:00 AM – We’re situated in the room. The wife has to use the restroom, so I take the opportunity to let my parents know that we’re at the hospital. Unfortunately, I have to leave the delivery area to get a signal. When I return, I get the third degree from a nurse because I don’t have a visitor’s badge. Continue reading “Adventures in Fatherhood: A Diary of My Second Daughter’s Birth”

Fitness Gear Review: Jaybird Bluebud X with Comply Tips

The Comply tips take a solid pair of Bluetooth earbuds from good to really good. A great steal if you can find them on sale… just avoid Jaybird’s customer service.

My Rating:

As I’ve varied my workouts, I’ve found myself hampered by my wired earbuds. While they served their purpose, they always seems to get caught on a machine – even when I snaked my earbud wire through my shirt (and forget jumping rope or doing stretching/yoga with them). Still, I refused to replace them; I just couldn’t see myself plopping down $100+ for a Bluetooth pair.

Unfortunately, I was forced into a decision when my workout earbuds stopped. I originally planned to purchase a better, wired earbud, but after some research, decided on a wireless pair.

I really wanted the soon-to-be-released Kaona buds, but couldn’t wait for the first batch (scheduled to be delivered in April 2016). Plus, I really struggled with the idea of dropping $150 for my first pair of wireless buds.

Given that, after reading a few reviews online, I decided to go with the first iteration of Jaybird’s Bluebud X earbuds. Walmart had them on sale for $80, so I considered it a steal.

Continue reading “Fitness Gear Review: Jaybird Bluebud X with Comply Tips”

Ten Songs from 2015 that you should be listening to: #1 The Internet’s For The World

theinternetband-640x360[1] I keep saying that I want to make a list of the best intro verses in Hip-hop and R&B; verses that grab you from the jump¹. Whenever I get to that list, Syd tha Kyd’s first bars on ‘For the World” will definitely be on it: “Cigarettes and sex on your breath, I guess/It’s cool, I’m the same, the way we kiss.” Syd, Matt Martians, and the rest of the band don’t waste time getting into the groove of this song – there’s no wasted intros or spoken verse.

Ego Death is The Internet’s most complete album yet. On this LP, The Internet is now a full band, giving the album a full and complete sound. The new additions don’t take away from the quirkiness of their first releases, instead, it makes most of the tracks feel structured and fully thought out. Syd’s also gone another level as a writer and singer. She’s still as transparent and intimate, but has more confidence in her vocal abilities.

I love just about every track on this album (it’s my favorite album of 2015); the James Fauntleroy-assisted “For The World” barely beats out “Gabby” as my favorite track. I’m still not sure what “For The World” is about: it’s part love song, part Natural Born Killers, part protest song, and all groove (and a great groove at that).

The Internet’s For The World (featuring James Fauntleroy)