cuz my memories are indexed, affixed in time and in mind to music, in general, and to hiphop in specific. Freshman bball season was layup drills in musty gyms, clapping the backboards cuz we couldn't touch the rims, to Jazzy Sensation… “Can you feel it? Can you feel it, our jazzy sensatioooooonn”, the bass bouncing like basketballs off the walls, filling the whole spot with our attitude, makin every game a home game for us, the only black team in the league. You can look at us crazy and the referees can cheat, but we gonna be on beat, in maroon and white sweatsuits flicking finger rolls silky sweet. Junior Varsity was busrides in the dark, returning from night games, listening to Ronnie G’s Raptivity, trying to snuggle up with one of the cheerleaders in the back of the charter.

Later that year, I got a peek into the future while working backstage at the fashion show. Leo Harvey was running around with his new walkman, talkin’ bout “you have GOT to listen to this!” I knew it was something serious to distract us from the swimsuits, plus, we really ain’t like each other, so what’s so damn good on this tape?

“Boom – tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap… b-boom – tap-tap, boom tap… b-boom – tap-tap, boom tap…”




peace & blessings,

x.

"I'm on the Zoloft to keep from killing y'all." - Iron Mike