West Indies = Hip-Hop

Just had a thought while I was in the shower.  So many influential people in hip-hop come from the Caribbean or are of West Indian descent!  It’s actually quite amazing.

• DJ Kool Herc (the father of hip-hop) - Jamaica
• Notorious B.I.G. (a legend with no need for introduction) - Jamaica
• Busta Rhymes (a bridge between the old school and the new school) - Jamaica
• Kardinal Offishall (Canada’s hip-hop ambassador) - Jamaica
• K-Os (Canada’s genre-clash king) - Trinidad & Tobago
• Wyclef Jean (the ambassador of world music) - Haiti
• Calle 13 (Latin America’s hip-hop champions) - Puerto Rico
• Pitbull (Miami’s finest talent waster) - Cuba
• Phife Dawg (backpack rap pioneer) - Trinidad & Tobago
• Pete Rock (legendary DJ) - Jamaica
• Afrika Bambaataa (founder of the Universal Zulu Nation) - Mixed(?)
• DJ Red Alert (pioneer hip-hop manager) - Antigua
• Grandmaster Flash (first hip-hop Rock & Roll Hall of Famer) - Barbados
• KRS-One (hip-hop knowledge kicker) - Jamaica
• Doug E. Fresh (beatbox champ) - Barbados

Bottom line: You don’t want it with us!

Live Concert Bucket List

So my friends (and others) back in Costa Rica went to the Palmares carnival and got to see Calle 13.  And I’m jealous.  So that got me thinking: “Who else do I need to see live?”

• Calle 13
• Kanye West
• DJ Jazzy Jeff
• John Legend
• K-Os
• The Roots (fat chance though)
• Damian Marley
• Tessanne Chin
• Wyclef Jean
• DJ K-Sly
• Kardinal Offishall
• Mark Ronson
• Nas
• OutKast
• Travis Barker

Feel free to comment and if anyone hears about ANY of these coming to Toronto, you’re now obligated to tell me.

Does Anyone Else See The Problem Here?

Last night, I had quite an interesting dream.  I don’t quite remember the specifics but all I know is that Christina Haberken and some other guy came to my apartment to check that everything was cool and I was okay.  I can only assume there was some sort of instance that would merit the visit.  Anyway, we didn’t know each other, formally, but I recognised her and we got to talking.

According to my dream, Christina Haberkern:

• Sometimes has to go to concerts alone (FALSE)
• Lives in the Greater Toronto Area (FALSE)
• Likes Kardinal Offishall (Pending)

It was kinda surreal.  Then she added me on Facebook and proceeded to ask me out on a date to go see Kardinal Offishall with her.  That’s when things got weird, that’s when I woke up.

Tumblr is a problem.