19 May 2009

Drake- Not the Best I Ever Had

So last Friday, Drake came to Chicago's House of Blues and performed a few tracks from his So Far Gone mixtape. Six words to sum up the concert:

What a Friday night that was....

The concert was scheduled to start at 11:30pm/midnight*. However, the lengthy line of fans and concert goers that circled around the perimeter of the House of Blues did not budge until well after 12:15. Luckily, my buzz was still quite intact and the ultra-comfy heels I wore were still supporting my feet and providing comfort. Once inside, I met up with some other friends, chatted a bit while the 900 fans collaborated in the standing room and collectively awaited a what then seemed to be a "oh there's just a few technical difficulties/Drake will be out really soon, so no need to worry" ordeal.

But then....time marched on.

And on.

I noticed my buzz dying down and my feet hurting just a tad, so I helped myself to a drink to get back into my groove. At around 1:30am, I took a seat, sipped my vodka/cranberry juice mixture, and a random girl came up to the group of us and said, "Drake ain't comin; I'm leaving". We shrugged. I looked at my phone and noticed the time and said, "Dang, he really might not show up".

At around 2am, I excused myself to make my way back to my original group, who were positioned perfectly in the front row/center of the standing room. On the way to them, I run into an ex-boo's roommate (we'll call this ex-boo "Big" and the roommate "Ck"). Ck and I chat very briefly and for a millisecond Big is mentioned.** Immediately, the curtain finally opens. "Drake is coming on!!!" shouts fans everywhere.

But alas........no Drake.

Instead came flooding random act after random act of Chicago's Wackest Artists (henceforth known as the CWA crew). One of the performers was a Latino rapper who's entire theme was, "the game needs to change". He came onstage complete with a three-piece suit and was determined to set his message.

Then....the unthinkable erupted. Out popped four women dressed in midrifts and thongs. They did a choreographed number which included a series of spins (professional turns), leaps, and.........booty drops and splits. *sigh* I thought he said the game needed a CHANGE!

Everyone in the audience was agape. Stunned, shocked, and quite annoyed. When the Latino artists' dancers appeared, I instantly let out a very loud, "SERIOUSLY, FAM?!?!" for all those around me (including those onstage as I was pretty close to the stage) to hear. I was irritable and all that I kept wondering was, "Where the Hell is Drake?!"

Finally, at around 2:45am, one of the hosts closes the curtain and says, "Y'all ready for Drake?" I understand that this was a method of amping the crowd, but at almost 3am, it was no longer necessary. Of course we were ready for Drake...especially after seeing and having to listen to those extremely subpar artists!

The curtain stayed closed until about 3:15am. Suddenly, the music came on and Drake had FINALLY made an appearance. I wasn't able to do a video myself because right before he came onstage, my phone's battery had died out completely *sad face*. When he came, he carried on as if we hadn't been waiting for him for the past 4 hours. He gave a really good show and I was really into it (especially when he performed, "Best I Ever Had" and "Say What's Real") until.....

...a fight broke out right in the middle of Best I Ever Had. And the performance was briefly aborted.

Here is the clip:




[sidebar]
Looking at the clip at around the 4:00 mark, you'll see one of my homies that came to the concert with us--Mikey. He has on all black and when the commotion erupted with the fight, he acted as if he was one of the members of Drake's entourage to make sure everything was copacetic. LOL How he got onstage is completely beyond me. We were wondering where he was all night! Also-you see Lupe Fiasco onstage holding Drake? Man I wish he had performed. He is one of my favorite artists HANDS DOWN!!!
[end sidebar]



The concert ended shortly afterwards. A disappointed Drake said he only had one more song left to perform but in my eyes, he couldn't have been finished performing, for it was only 4am. Now 4am is a late time...however, considering he had just gotten onstage at 3:15, I trusted he wouldn't be finished until around 5am. I was a little bummed about the ending of the concert, but glad nonetheless. I was tired/sleepy as Hell*** and my buzz had completely worn off, never to be seen again. So I was bittersweet.

Once we exited the House of Blues, there were cops and ambulances all over, someone had been shot, and it was just an all-around mess dressed in true Chicago fashion. I can't say that I was disappoined at the overall turnout, but as I said in the beginning of this blog:

What a Friday night that was...

*- It was scheduled so late (most likely) because Keyshia Cole had a concert at the Chicago Theatre (about ten minutes away) that same night that started at 8. Since Keyshia is a bit more 'official' than Drake, guess who wins?
**- The "Big" fiasco may possibly may be a more developed story for you readers. I know, I know...shocker, right? lol
***-I did not get home until after 6am on Saturday morning, not to mention I had not been sleeping whatsoever since the beginning of the week. My Insomnia had DEFINITELY kicked into a very high gear last week. It was insane!

11 May 2009

Been Cool Since Grade School

So the homie VerbFashion published hers first and it kinda threw me off how once again she was in my head and did exactly what I was thinking of doing. Too bad I had to wait til after work to get this out of the way and to my blogspot. *shrugs*


Let's talk about The Cool Kids...

I grew up with Antoine (I don't think I'll ever get used to calling him by his stage name, Mikey Rocks, lol) and have known him since he was 11 and I was 13 years old. It's amazing how everyone in our neighborhood, grade school, and high school knew that he'd become someone dope and memorable. And just like that *snaps fingers* he's made it.......just as he said he would.

As Verb said, one of the things that made him a real live cool kid was his very individualistic style. At 14 and 15 years old, he didn't really care to try to cave into the trends set by 'everyone else'. He just did him entirely and it worked. He's cooler than that guy....literally.

I don't know too much about Chuck Inglish other than that his beats on the tracks made are very unique and extremely creative. The old-school hip hop sound and fun (and purposeful) lyrics are what gravitated me most to their music (other than the fact that I am actually friends with Antoine--I mean Mikey Rocks--in real life lol). I enjoyed Totally Flossed Out as well as The Bake Sale--both of which don't disappoint on any track. Each track is actually worth a listen (how rare is that?) Last week, The Cool Kids' lastest mixtape, "Gone Fishing" was released (although, I had the tape for much longer, lol). It's dope and if you're already familiar with the work of this group, you already know what to expect (read: no disappointments at all). However, if you aren't hip to them, I suggest you click the link below and get familiar STAT!



The Cool Kids
Gone Fishing


My favorite songs on the mixtape are: Pennies, Weekend Girls, and Champions. I can not wait until they drop their album When Fish Ride Bicycles either. This album is definitely a showcasing of the duo's creativity and individuality.

05 May 2009

PSA: KFC Bands Together With Oprah!

Firstly, Happy Cinco de Mayo.

Now onto the blog...



The Popeye's Chicken craze started something new altogether last week. Since then, we've had crazy deals from Church's Chicken and other chicken spots featuring mass chicken for the low low.

As if that isn't enough, the Queen of Media has hopped on the Chicken Bandwagon as well.

That's right! Oprah herself has also given us an offer we can't refuse:

2 pieces of grilled chicken (manager's choice)*
Two individual sides

Biscuit


To obtain the coupon, you must go to:

THIS LINK!!!

One of my homegirls sent me a text informing me of this coupon this morning and I instantly downloaded it. It's free and easy. However, there are just a few downfalls with this coupon. These downfalls include:


1. It is literally one coupon per person, meaning, I couldn't print out more than one coupon (the customary Print screen doesnt show up at all and only one is printed)

2. The coupon can NOT be photocopied. I tried to photocopy it once I found out I couldn't print out a bunch of original copies at once and....the printer not only printed out a really really BAD copy of the coupon which literally blurred the barcode needed in the first place, but the high-tech printer I have sent me a little message on its screen that read, "Bill Detected" kinda like what would happen if someone were trying to photocopy actual dollar bills. Oprah's people do NOT play, that's for sure!

And finally (pay attention to this part)...

3. The coupon is ONLY available for the next 24 hours. And since I am an hour late in sending this blog to blogger, it looks like it's only available for the next 23. The coupon started at 9am today and will self-destruct at 9:59pm tomorrow (that's clearly more than 24 hours, but I am just reporting what was texted to me this morning)

Advantage (other than the obvious):

A. This coupon is valid for two weeks, one time use of course, however. It is NOT valid on Mother's Day, though....and for good reason, I gather.


I did not participate in the Popeye's 8 for 5 fiasco last week at all, partly because I knew it would be a drama-fest waiting to happen and I don't dig drama, partly because I was at work ALL DAY and by the time I was near a Popeye's, I was too exhausted anyway and partly because well........food at home is always better than anything Popeyes will ever concoct. With this offer from Oprah, things are a bit more civil because 1. the coupon is valid for 2 weeks versus one day, which will limit the amount of crazies going on their cheap chicken charges and 2. this offer promotes a healthier side to life, really. It's the grilled chicken offer, a new type of chicken to KFC. It's like everyone has realized (at least by now) that chicken is the Black folk's kryptonite. As a culture, we love it. It takes the cake over our swine and our cow any day. It's known and committed to memory by every race, creed, and nationality at this point. Since it's the case that chicken will never ever never ever leave our diet, the food industry is wondering, 'hmm...how can we at least make this a healthy investment?'** I dig. Thanks, KFC & Oprah!

Personally, I prefer baked and grilled over fried anyhow....and I'm broke, so...a free meal always sits well with me.

A coworker and I have printed this coupon out already. Guess what we're having for lunch!



Have a good Tuesday, everyone!




Ms_Slim


*Slim says, "Manager's choice? HA! We'll see about that! I always get my way, dammit!"
**At least that's what I hope they are wondering, lol

01 May 2009

Last Night, I Almost Had A...

.........damn heart attack!



If my laptop were in commission, I'd have posted this last night on some Twitter shyt, but alas...you all know of my situation with that. My feet are still relatively planted against the whole Twitter fiasco. I'm just being a rebel right now and NOT GOING!

Between the game going into TRIPLE OVERTIME (and very close to a quadruple OT), P2*'s nosebleed & watery eye, several Celts being fouled out, P2 getting put at the line** every single time the Celtics had possession of the ball, Hinrich missing easy lay-ups, D.Rose missing a dunk, Ray Allen appearing to be virtually unstoppable (which thereby pissed me off as the game continued), and Brad Miller being put to the line as well (I almost had a heart attack with that action ALONE, smh).............at one point, I just couldn't take it anymore!!!

But at the same time, I couldn't pull away either. Last night's Game 6 had me reeling. I was having fits, temper tantrums, and near convulsions watching this game. For me, it was like enjoying unlimited amounts of soul food, knowing that too much of it would result in a heart attack or some other seriousness...but it was so good, I literally could not pull away. Good game. No--great game!

[sidebar]

I'm definitely on my 'bandwagon' stuff right now though. The Spurs will always be my top team (post-Mike, of course). I'm usually a Playoff viewer. The regular season tends to bore me more often than not and during the Playoffs, I pick a team and ride with them at that time. Last year, I rooted for the Celts and that was because it was either them or the Lakers. Anyone that knows me knows that iHATE the Lakers. The Lakers could have been going against a team of homeless drug addicts and I would have sided with the Homeless Homies foam fingers and noisemakers in tow. Ugh.

[end sidebar]

But bad coaching a la Vinny del Negro be damned. I am rooting for my Bulls to pull through in Game 7 tomorrow. I just hope I have enough time to sit down and prepare to get my blood pressure escalated.

Best part of the game (for me)




Let's recap:
Dunk on P2.
Foul out P2.
Get sent to the line.
Talk about killing three birds with one stone...
Thanks, Noah. I 'preciate cha! :)

Game 7 tomorrow! I can't wait!!!

*- P2 is Paul Pierce
** - 'at the line' refers to being sent to the free throw line