Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: Billy Paul, "Let the Dollar Circulate"

You all will see many posts in the future featuring Mr. Billy Paul, the Philly soul singer known for his classic smash and creeping anthem, "Me & Mrs. Jones".  Taken from his 1975 album, When Love Is New, the late great J Dilla sampled it for Spacek's "Dollar" and so did 9th Wonder in "Dollar Circulate".  However, I first recalled hearing the sample in "Circulate" by Young Jeezy at a local community day celebration where I stopped everything I was doing--and I mean literally stopped putting ketchup and mustard on one of those good ol' burnt cookout hot dogs--to listen attentively.  Being an unofficial Philly soul aficionado, my ears perked up and recognized it as a definite brainchild of one of my biggest musical influences, Gamble & Huff.  After a while, I was less interested in what Jeezy had to say and more interested in finding the original and somehow the instrumental as well.  (I was far less successful in finding the latter...didn't quite have that inside track to Don Cannon to see if he could float me a copy.  Ah well...)

Scribbler's 'Boo This Man' Moment of the Month: The NYPD

Well, this particular 'Boo This Man' Moment will not be remotely as funny as the previous two, and it could only take the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to 1) upstage Kanye West when it comes to controversy and 2) be part of such an appalling incident that they would be the first "Boo This Man" Moment of the Month--and there are still ten days left in March.  By now, I'm sure you've heard about the March 6th killing of 16-year-old Kimani Gray in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn involving two plainclothes NYPD officers.  Here's NYPD's side: the officers spotted a group of young males and when they approached, Gray separated from the group and adjusted his waistband in a "suspicious" manner.  NYPD Chief Spokesman Paul J. Browne explained the rest of the story from the officers' perspectives:

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: The Manhattans, "Wish That You Were Mine"

I remember first hearing this song and thinking, "Dang, are all their best songs about messing around?!?!"  (Think "Kiss and Say Goodbye".)  However, that thought was quickly erased as I pressed repeat another two times.  The ever-so-smooth Winfred "Blue" Lovett opens up as always, asking his object of affection, "Baby, can we have the same table like we had yesterday?" Complementing his deep voice as the song moves along musically are the lush and melodic sounds delivered straight from Philly--which is funny since "The Manhattans" actually formed in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Led by the equally smooth Gerald Alston, the quartet delivers beautiful four-part harmony that you don't often hear from R&B groups anymore--especially considering that there aren't many of which to speak.  Taken from their 1973 album, There's No Me Without You, those who are familiar with Bronx rapper Fat Joe's catalog may recognize this sample from one of his often slept-on singles,  "All I Need" featuring Tony Sunshine & Armageddon.  (Ironic that Fat Joe made more of a rap love song that mentions coming home and staying true to one woman, but The Manhattans' song talks about wanting someone that you know you can't have when you already have somebody at home.)  Although I don't condone infidelity, "Wish That You Were Mine" is one song that makes creeping sound oh so good...but also ultimately hopeless.

Dirk's 1st Annual NFL Free Agency Frenzy Wrap-Up



Now that's a money shot.  Amidst so much doubt as to whether you're the franchise quarterback, you go out and play nearly flawless postseason football, win a Super Bowl and put yourself in position to virtually request a blank check during contract negotiations.  However, not every player was in the same position as Joe Flacco when the free agency frenzy began last Tuesday--especially because quarterbacks always get preferential treatment when they win that Lombardi trophy.  Some players tried to gain leverage from what the market dictated combined with their productivity to either be the highest paid or just get more money for their families, fledgling businesses and/or sports car fetishes.  On the converse, many teams had to make hard decisions because they were running up against the salary cap, often letting go of some of their best players.  One thing is clear from this year's free agency frenzy: if you bank on wearing the same uniform your whole career, then plan on being broke.

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week (Part II): Dormtainment.com, "A-- on the Internet"

As promised, this is the second installment of my highlight of the week, but it's something a little sillier this time around.  Although "A-- on the Internet" is over three months old, nothing is truly old as long as your sense of humor doesn't have an expiration date.  I just got a kick out of this jawn.  If my friends and I had a camcorder and YouTube during our college years, we may have done stuff like this.  Major shout-out to Dormtainment.com for providing the funny, and you can also follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.  Shout-out to Mrs. Scribbler for putting me on to quite a few of their videos, and trust that they'll get some more shine on my blog in the future.  (Now if only most of the music videos on MTV Jams or BET were this entertaining...)

Scribbler's 'Boo This Man' Moment of the Week (Part II): Kanye West

So who naturally to follow in the "Boo This Man" tradition that Consequence has now set than his former employer, Kanye West?  I'm sure that everyone has heard some of his recent rants.  On this post though, it's not about him "not f-----g with that Suit & Tie" by Justin Timberlake and his "big brother" Jay-Z.  I'm trying not to make this about his rant on The Angie Martinez Show and his issues with being No. 7 on MTV's 2012 "Hottest MC in the Game" list.  I feel like without outright dissing him, Yeezy slighted Kendrick Lamar by saying that Lil' Wayne should've been No. 1.  I mean really...Lil' Wayne didn't even have a year like his Young Money "understudies", Drake and Nicki Minaj, but I digress.  (Besides, I think Kanye is just saying that to mask his real outrage that he's not the top gun.)  We won't even get into his insistence that folks just don't want to show him love because of where he's at in life:

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: Roy Ayers Ubiquity, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine"

Yes indeed...everybody loves the sunshine, and there aren't too many R&B aficionados and overall music lovers who don't love this song.  This is just one of many dope songs from the catalog of Los Angeles native Roy Ayers--this being his most popular song from his 1976 album of the same name.  Of course, 80s and 90s babies are familiar with it as the springboard sample for the title track to one of the best R&B albums of the past 20 years from Mary J. Blige's 1994 My Life album--although hip-hop acts like Brand Nubian, Common and Mos Def have borrowed it as well.  However, with distinct vocals and a beautiful musical marriage of jazz and R&B, it's just a smooth song that makes you want to lay out in a field somewhere on a hill and be one of the "folks gettin' brown in the sunshine".  Shout-out to mom (Mrs. Scribbler's mother) for throwing this one out there on my Facebook page, and I'll be plugging some of the album tracks in the near future.

Scribbler's 'Boo This Man' Moment of the Week (Part I): Consequence

Remember how this guy from Half Baked ridiculed Thurgood Jenkins (Dave Chappelle) for being a marijuana addict in a room full of cocaine addicts? 

Hence, the name of this new series.  When I think people are on that fracka nacka, this is my way of tapping into my inner David Edwards--yup, the same one from The Real World: Los Angeles and fellow D.C. native.  (Let some tell it, this may be the highlight of his career.)  Now on to the bid-ness...

UHHHH DUHHHH ALERT: Kendrick Lamar Named MTV's "Hottest MC"

So this is supposed to be a picture of Kendrick Lamar being surprised as MTV personality and hip-hop aficionado Sway tricked the 25-year-old Compton, California rapper into thinking that he was getting interviewed.  In reality, Sway revealed that Kendrick had been named MTV's "Hottest MC in the Game" for 2012.  Now before we go any further, I must set this up with Mrs. Scribbler's reaction to the list...when I merely mentioned that Future was No. 9 on this list a spot ahead of Meek Mill, she scoffed, "I'm no longer interested.  I mean, you can continue, but I'm no longer interested.  Is he even a rapper???"  However, when she correctly guessed the top gun, she immediately said, "That's no surprise.  He deserves it."

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week (Part I): DeAndre Jordan's Entry for NBA Dunk of the Year

For once, I planned to post a highlight this week that was completely unrelated to sports, unless they have an official league called the "NTA" as in the "National Twerking Association".  (I'm sure a lot of brothers would pay top dollar to attend a "game" like that.  Oh wait, they already do...it's called the strip club.)  Mrs. Scribbler and I were up watching some hilarious videos from Dormtainment.com, and I was like, "Yeah, I'm posting something from their site this week!"  However, it's unfair to them when the Los Angeles Clippers, a.k.a. the 2013 version of the 1980s "Showtime" L.A. Lakers, are playing the most exciting basketball that we've seen in a very long time.  I might have to do two highlights this week, but I doubt that the young bulls need any plugging from a largely unknown blogger like me.  (Heck, I might need help from y'all, so can y'all please throw some Twitter followers and Facebook friends my way?!?!)

"Ain't Nobody Coming to See You, Otis!"

So why have I posted a video from perhaps the funniest scene in The Temptations TV miniseries from 1998 and juxtapose it with a picture of New York Jets' cornerback Darrelle Revis--who could be wearing a new uniform four hours from now once free agency and trading begins?  Please indulge me for a moment...David Ruffin (played by Leon) felt like fans were only coming to see The Temptations because he had become the primary lead singer and undeniably possessed the most amount of swagger out of any group member.  However, Otis Williams (played by Charles Malik Whitfield) and Melvin "Blue" Franklin (played by D.B. Woodside) felt like his failure to make rehearsals, his drug abuse, and overall erratic behavior was hurting the group more than his standout vocals were helping.  Thus, they made a business decision to move on without him.  Now does that make Darrelle Revis the football equivalent of David Ruffin?  Not exactly.  On one hand, he greatly believes in his priceless ability like David Ruffin did.  On the other hand, he's way more of a team player, and his fan appeal when compared to other skilled positions is more like Otis Williams.  Hence, the Jets' entertainment of a trade involving their four-time Pro Bowl, three-time All-Pro cornerback and former AFC Defensive Player of the Year only makes sense because we are talking about the Jets.  Because of their recent resorting to gimmicks and desperate ploys for attention in the New York City spotlight, they're telling him in so many words (and maybe unfairly), "Ain't nobody coming to see you, Otis!"

Singing Out of Tune: The Blunder Years

On the latest edition of the His & Hers podcast hosted by ESPN's Michael Smith and Jemele Hill, they discussed Golden State Warriors' shooting guard & small forward Klay Thompson, who was fined $35,000 for being one of the escalators in the February 26th "brawl" between the Warriors and the Indiana Pacers.  Consequently, his father Mychal Thompson--the No. 1 overall draft pick for the Portland Trail Blazers in 1978 and two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987 and 1988--docked him pay out of his "allowance" for his involvement...mind you, that "allowance" comes from Klay's money that he makes as an NBA player.  The Thompson parents literally hand their young adult son an envelope full of spending money once a week.  Wild, right? Jemele Hill seemed to think so and had this to say:

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: Isaac Hayes, "A Few More Kisses to Go"

So Mrs. Scribbler and I were having husband and wife time recently--no, I will not share the details, although I'm sure you don't wanna know--and this song was playing in the midst of a really good set on WHUR's "The Original Quiet Storm".  (For the record, there really is nothing better to listen to for good R&B on a Sunday night, which has been their "touch the sweet spot" night as far back as I can remember.)  Many of you 90s hip-hop/R&B heads may recognize this classic (from his 1979 Don't Let Go album) from "Tonight's Da Night" by Redman and "Tonight's the Night" by Blackstreet, and just from the lush and appealing first 20-30 seconds, you can see why this sample bolstered the likeability of those tracks.  It's funny because a co-worker and I were just having a discussion about Isaac Hayes' vocals, and while he said that he never really cared much for Hayes' voice, I always felt like his melancholic but smooth tone worked for his songs.  Along with "Walk On By", this song is a prime example of that.  I mean, could you really envision somebody like Eddie Holman singing over music like this?  (Eddie Holman = the "Hey There Lonely Girl" guy for those who never know singers by their name or can barely tell other people the name of a song.)  Anyway, if you need a song to either set the opening tone or simply add to your "quality time" playlist, please listen to this one and consider the possibilities...Mrs. Scribbler had a nice night, and [in my Forrest Gump voice] that's all I have to say about that.

Rap Attack 101: What to Have Before You Leave the Studio

 

BREAKING NEWS: I'm a Jay-Z fan.  This is only my opinion and not law, but he's the greatest MC of all time because "MC" stands for "master of ceremonies" and nobody masters a ceremony as a hip-hop/rap artist like Mr. Carter.  (I will say that Doug E. Fresh is arguably more or at least equally entertaining as a one-man show.)  Now for the real point of this post...it takes a lot to go from Picture #1 to Picture #2 as a rapper, MC, artist or however you choose to bill yourself.  Seems like an obvious statement simply because Jay is the subject in these pictures.  However, judging from many of the performances that I see at open mics, artist showcases, and even "professional" concerts, it's not as consensus of a practice as one should expect it to be.  Let's forget lack of stage presence or a clear sign that an artist doesn't practice enough before they grace the stage.  Let's not even get into whether somebody is dope boy fresh or spewing wack juice all over the game.  The thing that annoys me the most is that many artists think they're so ready for Picture #2 that they leave Picture #1 without the essentials.

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week: The Miami Heat Take On Harlem

So all of my highlights will not necessarily be from the same week...in fact, it'll typically be something that I came across or simply thought about posting that week.  Anyway, anyone who knows me knows that I always complain about being the last to know about everything and anything.  So when my best friend Country showed me some clips of people doing the new Harlem Shake, I felt lost as usual--mainly because I thought, "This doesn't look like the Harlem Shake that I remember!"  Nevertheless, I quickly got over it as I was wildly and thoroughly entertained by most of the clips.

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: War, "Galaxy"

So remember the "Been Around the World" video where Puff Daddy and J. Lo quite possibly ignited their much-documented romantic history with a dance for the Shiny Suit Rap ages?  Yeah...this was the song playing--a gem delivered by the legendary Long Beach, California funk band from their 1977 album, Galaxy.  The opening bass line alone may be one of the nastiest introductions to ever grace a song--and I wouldn't be surprised if Rick James was inspired by that same movement when composing "Give It To Me Baby."  Not to mention that the marriage of the bass, the piano chords and the percussion is signature War, but on a different tip because it rhythmically makes minced meat out of most disco records of its time.  So if you find yourself listening to this and decide to tap into your inner Diddy or Jenny From the Block, I promise that I will not judge you...to your face.

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week: Blake Griffin...And One, Son

So since I'll be sharing sonically-pleasant favorites once a week, I have to get on my Warner Wolf and "go to the videotape" as well.  Thus, the "Scribbler's Highlight of the Week" is born.  Usually, I'll feature a spectular sports play--mainly because I live vicariously through athletes since I'm probably the least athletically-inclined member of my father's side of the family for this generation--but don't be surprised if it's just something funny, swaggerific or just flat-out random as a mugg.  With that said, on to the inaugural feature...