I know this sounds cliche but you know how you have those bizarre New York moments? Extremely unlikely scenarios made slightly more comprehensible by the fact that some quality of the experiences themselves presuppose you’re in NYC?
Well we had two this weekend. First of all we ran into a famous actress. Apparently she’s on Law and Order, a very elegant african american woman named Alyssa. Her husband is a stuntman. Bitchin. We came astride her walking in to visit a friend then rode the elevator with her. She got cute-mauled by her puppy at her door. She’s my friend’s immediate neighbor. Iconic beauty in relief against pedestrian ambling. Then we got a cab ride from one of those useless geniuses — our’s was a russian guy who could tell you the day of the week of your birthday or any date in the last century. It pained me to think that humanity has no better uses for a mind as sharp and unique as his, but hey man, I know a chess grandmaster who is a parking lot attendant. Mentally I’ve filed these two experiences right next to the time I got in an accident in a cab; the time I got a flat tire in a cab; and the times I ran in to Calysta Flockhart on the street, Brent Spiner at a diner (totally true) and Willem Dafoe in a bathroom.
enough rambling
onto the important stuff
we drove down from RI to arrive in brooklyn. there was no cucumber juice left and I was flabergasted and bewildered by the rucus of a rock concert going on in Stoney’s crib.
The band was called “stab the glitter” or something. I forget. I must admit: I didn’t listen. It’s not that they weren’t good ( in fact I’m sure they rule by transitivity and Stoney’s taste) its just that we had been driving and coordinating all day and we had expected that show to be over when we arrived. The fact that other people were rocking on what we had been anticipating as “our stage” induced some pretty heavy cognitive dissonance. I was also astounded that a loud-ass rock concert was going on in the middle of the day — loud enough that the occupants of every apartment of a whole block could – not just hear it but were obliged to – hear it very well, and nobody gave a shit. What about naps? Had Brooklyn foreclosed on naps? How did we wind up in such a godforesaken place?
We set up, got some grupbs, did a photo shoot and got a brief chance to visit with some old friends.
I posted the following portrait because it’s so rare. Stoney is always taking pictures. Like thousands a day – it’s what he does when he’s not rapping. He has a photograph-the-photographer project but I think secretly that he wants to be the subject more often. just look how pyshced he is to be witnessing the chroinicling of his own witness.
or something
So we had just met Louis Logic the night before but we we all enjoyed each other’s company enough for us to be comfortable asking him to come play with us in Brooklyn. And wouldn’t you know it he accepted.
He brought a friend:
Johnny October
Johnny is an excellent MC.
So at this point ther are at least 17 mega-talented MCs in the house (e.g. Dread Mighty Sine, Optimus from Project Lumens, Stoney Ashes & Mental Stamina, Blak) was only fitting that we had a cipher to get things warmed up.
blak lungz is so fucking talented that during his sets 97% of people watch in amazement transfixed as if by medusa, 2% of people passionately make out and 1% of people spontaneously explode
rosetta killed it look out for the new cubbiebear remix of witchcraft — it’s bonkers
mathpanda in full force is really something to be reckonned with. Sometimes the freshness hurts
I can always tell that I’ve done a good job freestyling when I can’t remember anything said. I don’t remember much from that night, although that could have been the alcohol. I did wind up sleeping on an inviting pile of plywood. fortunately for us both there is video! as the night wound down we got treated to a guest DJ spot by Sinton, and played a dangerous game of indoor skateboard-garbage-polo. after a close brush with new york’s finest a la washerdrop it was time to call it a night.
A pleasure as always Big Apple!