Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes

If Hip Hop interests you at all watch this Documentary. It's an hour but it is worth it.

This originally aired on PBS as a part of the Independent Lens series. Byron Hurt set out to talk about violence, gender roles, and homophobia in Hip Hop. Read more about it here.

Here is my take:

This is big. Every kid who likes Hip Hop needs to see this or at least think about these things. To paraphrase my friend Jason it is sad to see any group of men grow up to idealize a stereotype, but it is situation that needs to be explored. The part about major labels controlling the contracts and therefore controlling the types of Artists we all see I found especially troubling. Oh yeah and Chuck D is my hero.

Long Live Intelligent Hip Hop.

Easter Bunny

Passing out and Peeing Myself

So here is a funny story. I go to pick up my friend Nick at the airport, because that is what friends do. I'm having a good old time playing my accordion and what not, and then we decide to go to Chili's. We being Melissa, Anni, Dane, Katie G, and myself. I sit down to enjoy some Chili's and before the waiter can even bring us the water I passed out. The best part is that everyone thought that I was just messing around. Boy who cried wolf anyone? I slumped over against the window and Melissa tried to get me to stop "messing around". Finally I sort of snap out of of it and lay my head down on the table. I felt sweaty and hot all over. After about a minute I realized that I peed myself. That's right I passed out and peed myself in the middle of Chili's. I felt fine almost immediately so we got up and left it for the waiter to clean up like any grown man would. Everyone was adamant about me going to the hospital so Katie G got me a bag to sit on and Anni drove Melissa and I to the hospital. Where good times were had by all.

This is me about to get a sonogram of my heart. It's a girl!

They had to monitor my heart with these extremely sticky pads. Melissa sure had some fun ripping them off.

Look at all that hair!

Don't worry. I'm okay. I spent the night at the hospital and they ran a ton of Brain tests and Heart tests but it wasn't a seizure and I have a regular heart beat. So chalk it up to one of the thousands of things doctors can't explain. In all likely hood they said it shouldn't happen again. I was given a clean bill of health and I drove home. As of this post it has been a little over 24 hours since I peed myself.

Crazy Hook for a Hand Man

Fun at the Nelson Atkins Art Museum

Personal Melons