Published in Far From Professional·3 days agoRap Kumite 6: 2Pac vs. Nipsey HussleI took my 20 favorite rappers and put them in head-to-head matchups to battle for their rank in Rap Kumite. In Rap Kumite 6, it’s the Battle of Los Angeles between two gangsta rap icons. “God bless the dead.” Two icons of gangsta rap from different generations, 2Pac and Nipsey Hussle, robbed of their lives — 2Pac at 25 and Nip at 33 — a result of the violent lifestyles they both embraced and rejected. The repped hard for their sets, Death Row and the…2 Pac7 min read
Published in Far From Professional·6 days agoUnforgiven: A Return to Big WhiskeyStarring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris Directed by: Clint Eastwood Written by: David Webb Peoples After my parents got divorced when my brother and I were young, dad lived in a few different places, all far enough away to make flying the preferred method of travel…Clint Eastwood4 min read
Published in Far From Professional·Aug 1Rap Kumite 7: DMX vs. E-40I took my 20 favorite rappers and put them in head-to-head matchups to battle for their rank in Rap Kumite. In Rap Kumite 7, a Bay Area slurricane slams into Yonkers. Four fights into Rap Kumite, and the journey has been hella fun. The matchups have been interesting — Evidence…Hip Hop5 min read
Jul 31CommunityIt feels good to be part of something larger than yourself, to belong to something or some place and have a shared experience with people. I think that’s what makes big gatherings, like concerts and sporting events, so much fun. You go there and surround yourself with like-minded people (unless…Community5 min read
Published in Far From Professional·Jul 26Rap Kumite 8: Pusha-T vs. Freddie GibbsI took my 20 favorite rappers and put them in head-to-head matchups to battle for their rank in Rap Kumite. In Rap Kumite 8, the ‘Cain Train rolls into Daytona ahead of an unprecedented blizzard. In the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War, the audience finally gets their proper introduction to Thanos and the Black Order, and years of cryptic post-credit scenes and speculation ended in five minutes. The bad guys had arrived, and they were indeed bad. We immediately knew Earth’s mightiest heroes were…Hip Hop5 min read
Published in Far From Professional·Jul 19Rap Kumite 9: GZA vs. Aesop RockI took my 20 favorite rappers and put them in head-to-head matchups to battle for their rank in Rap Kumite. This issue it’s the Wu-Tang master of the liquid sword vs. the king of avant-garde underground rap. With their massive rap vocabularies, Aesop Rock and GZA are academic MCs from different departments at the Hip-Hop Uni. Aes Rock, Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; GZA, Dean of the School of Science (GZA actually gave a lecture at MIT back in 2015). Like true…Hip Hop6 min read
Published in Far From Professional·Jul 13Rap Kumite 10: Evidence vs. SlugI took my 20 favorite rappers and put them in head-to-head matchups to battle for their rank in Rap Kumite. The first MCs to step to the mic are two indie-hop legends, Evidence and Slug . Evidence and Slug aren’t rappers cut from the same cloth; they come from different places that shaped their experiences and thus influenced their music, but these two dudes have a lot in common. They’re premier indie rappers who’ve been making music for more than two decades, and they broke through…Indie Rap6 min read
Jun 30VacationTook a mini-family vacation recently. We hadn’t done much in the way of “vacationing” since the pandemic, and it we were long-overdue for a trip somewhere. In the middle of heat wave, with the highest gas prices in the nation, we took a short roadie down to San Diego for…Vacation2 min read
Published in Far From Professional·Jun 15Batman Returns: Goth Gone WildStarring: Michael Keaton (Bruce Wayne), Danny DeVito (Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin), Michelle Pfeiffer (Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Christopher Walken (Max Shreck), Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth) Written by: Bob Kane, Daniel Waters, and Sam Hamm Directed by: Tim Burton I hadn’t seen Batman Returns since sometime way back in the mid-90s, late at night on…Batman4 min read
Published in Far From Professional·Jun 3Forever WuJune 1997. Wrapping up my freshman year of high school, riding high on a summer vibe. All I needed was the perfect soundtrack for the two-month break. What I ended up getting was hip-hop in the purest form: Wu-Tang Forever. This was a major event album, at least it was…Wu Tang5 min read
