Last Day/Girls Talk

I ain’t pass the Bar but I know a lil’ bit, enough that you won’t illegally search my shit. – Jay-Z

Friday, April 17th, 2009. The last day, the last class of law school. Let us exhale. Sure I have two weeks of exams to go but once I battle the beast called Int’l Dispute Resolution on Monday, the others (Comparative Immigration, Japanese Law, Int’l Human Rights) will be a cake walk. Then there’s a brief respite before suiting up in my doctor’s gown and crossing the stage to grab my J.D. Sometimes I think I might want to go to school again, but I really need a break. My brain and my spirit are weary from all of this law school yameanery. Don’t get me wrong, I really do enjoy the study of law in general. However, three years of statutes, cases, draconian exams and professional pressure is a lot, even for me!

A friend IM’d me to congratulate me on finishing up school. I was kind of nonchalant about it because, well, I don’t feel particularly excited. For reasons expressed before, I don’t really feel like I’m moving on to anything so great, at least not right now, not in the near near future. I’m mostly relived just to be done but not super pumped for the next chapter (especially because I have no idea what that really is). But then I got to thinking about one really positive thing… I’m finished.

I finished what I started. Not just back in 2006 when I started out as a first-year (1L). This harkens back to 2003 when I graduated from undergrad and was set to start at Tulane Law that fall. Through various decisions (some poor) and unforeseeable life circumstances, I ended up at another law school then left. I was never happy with the way that turned out, especially because I could have already been working as an attorney by the time I started school this time around! So I finally finished what I started out to complete six years ago and I guess it wasn’t so bad because I had some good life/work experiences in between.

Okay, okay. In other news, Che Grand put out a video for his jawn “Girls Talk” featuring DBM. I like listening to this while riding my bike dodging Japanese people who don’t know how to move out of the way (I digress). The vid is fun, Peep:

get familiar

I hate email forwards, online petitions and the like. This, however, I gotta pass on. Maybe you’ve heard of Che Grand and you’re already in the know. Maybe you don’t. In any event, I’m putting my Bourgie endorsement behind this dude. He’s a genuine MC and a nice guy (thanks for sharing that Goose with me, Che). While I’ve been rocking Che Grand joints like The Fixtape and random guest spots on my iPod, fans want to hear this album he’s been working on since, like, forever: Everything’s Good Ugly.

There are some links to a few Che cuts below. Get familiar. You can also check his blog in my “Stuff Bourgie Likes” section then, if you’re so inclined, sign on to the petition. EGU or nothing.

Che Grand “Girls Talk” (Produced by Aeon)
Che Grand “Crash” (Produced by Von Pea)
Che Grand “I Know You Still Want Me” (Produced by Aeon)

Che Grand is a pretty damn dope artist. trying to do hip hop in 2008 can get all up in your ass. every now and then we all need motivation and reassurance that we’re not wasting our time, because no matter what it feels like there is no bigger picture sometimes. well the homey khal from Rock The Dub has set up an online petition for the album “everythings good ugly” to be released. now while its not 100 percent up to che, it is his decision. if he sees that we want this album, he can allow it to be heard. so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SIGN. YOU DONT HAVE TO FILL ANYTHING OUT other than a name and an email, and its private. CLICK HERE.

Sources: 2dopeboyz.com & vonpea.com

Bourgie Adventure: Hip-hop show

Last night I went to a hip hop show in NYC to see Che Grand, Blu + Exile, and Wale. This was by no means my first show of this kind, still, they always make me laugh.

First of all, boo to WHOMEVER was responsible for jacking up the sound so that Che couldn’t perform. There’s nothing more annoying than paying money to see a certain act and getting stiffed. Big ups to the dude from London who kicked the beat box and allowed Che to get off a few rhymes.

Secondly, I have no idea why men are so hostile to women at hip hop shows. You’d think they’d rather be in their all by themselves, sausage partied up. As far as I can tell, they assume you’re some kind of groupie rather than a fan. Especially someone like myself. I think it’s because I don’t go dressed in big jeans, nondescript t-shirt and dunks. I tend to wear low-heeled boots (in the winter) or open-toe flats (summer), skinny jeans and a snarky fitted tee. LOL. Just typing that made me laugh. My point is that if you’re not trying to look like a boy, then chances are the dudes there are going to resent your presence. I got a couple of sideways looks last night. Lames. I was downstairs at one point, where they let the performers and their folks congregate I guess, and some chick asked me if I was part of Wale’s “entourage”. Um, no. “I’m not a groupie, I’m a fan.” She says, “Oh, ok, well you didn’t look like it, just asking.” Me: Stale Face. She was a nutjob anyway. She was up in there in a tie-dye sundress and a wooden parasol!

Oh, and someone please tell these fools that rolling around with a luggage rack on your back is sooooo 1994. This one nigga dressed like it was 30 below outside had the nerve to stand in a packed crowd with a huge backpack on. I thought he couldn’t get anymore annoying until her started rapping. DUDE. Nobody came to hear YOU spit, okay.

On a positive note, I got to take a picture with Kwame‘. See, this is important because I collect rappers. Some people collect coins. Others collect angel figurines. I collect pictures with old school rappers. The Kwame shot is the latest and lives among the likes of Biz Markie, Melle Mel, Craig Mack and Chris “Play” Martin. I can’t find my Doug E Fresh though :(

The show itself was pretty decent. Blu was worth my entire $15 and at least one beer (Boo to SOBs for charging 7 bucks for a beer). I mainly went to see Wale, but was sorta disappointed. Let’s just say the performance was bittersweet. Plus: Wale performed with UCB, a go-go band. I’ve loved go-go ever since I went to college in ’99. Always a great time when a go-go band is around, I kept wanting to dance it out, but the crowd wasn’t the type to lift their leg up and put their booties on the floor. Minus: Wale didn’t do many songs, he really just let the band go off. And the songs he did do, well you could hardly hear what he was saying. I’ll stick to Wale via my iPod from now on, but will make it a priority to hit up a Blu & Exile show whenever possible.