Scribbler's Native Tongue Mixtape Pick: Raz Simone, "Solomon Samuel Simone"

Sifting through what seemed like an endless sea of EPs and mixtapes from March for this first review--yeah, I'm late, but I promise I'll get better in future reviews--Seattle hip-hop artist Raz Simone stood out among several tough competitors with his debut EP, Solomon Samuel Simone.  Presented by Black Umbrella and Dream & Produce (download here), Simone's five-track, 22-minute project is a raspy, raw effort that showcases the emcee's ability to "find the silver lining in the clouds".  He has no problem talking about the occasional dreariness of the clouds themselves, but he balances it out by bringing attention to each and every blessing in disguise.

"Boo This Man" Moment of the Week: Dan Snyder

So if you read my February 28th post (if you haven't read it, then click here), then you already know how I feel about the nickname of what used to be my favorite sports team of all time, Washington's NFL team.   I've come to grips with the fact that their name will never change and that my outward support of the team will never again mirror the fervor of old.  In my heart of hearts, I can't be a hardcore fan of another team and won't cheer against Washington's team if another team plays them because burgundy and gold is still in my blood.  Aight, that's enough of that sentimental ish...

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: The Nutty Professor Quartet, Part 2

Continuing in my four-part "Throwback of the Week" installment as a tribute to Sherman Klump's kitchen singing scene in the The Nutty Professor (1996), we come to the second person in what I've dubbed "The Nutty Professor Quartet": Peabo Bryson.  During a successful run on Capitol Records between 1977 and 1982, the Greenville, South Carolina native gave us R&B lovers Quiet Storm classics like "Feel the Fire", "I'm So Into You" and the beautiful duet with Roberta Flack, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love".  To think that those can be considered humble beginnings for a singer that has always known how to strike the balance between silky smooth and powerhouse vocals. 

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week: Manu Ginobili's Big Time Shot

Up to this point, Manu Ginobili was not having his best game ever.  In fact, Tony Parker was a huge amount of the reason why the San Antonio Spurs erased a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter and sent Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry's amazing 44-point performance with 11 assists, to two overtime periods.  Ginobili not only badly missed a shot that could've ended the game in the first overtime, but he took an errant three pointer when the score was 126-123 with about 48 seconds to go, which led to Curry scoring another one of his signature floaters and a later assist to Ken Bazemore after Parker missed a layup to give the Warriors a 127-126 lead with only 3.9 seconds.  Ahhh, but redemption can be so sweet...

Big Deal or Not? A Perspective on Jason Collins' Announcement

After weeks of discussions about the possibility of a male athlete in one of the four major sports in the United States coming out as openly gay, NBA free agent center Jason Collins has decided to carry that gauntlet.  In a joint article with Franz Lidz from last Monday's edition of Sports Illustrated, Collins stated this:

I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay...I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.

Mind you, this announcement comes nearly two weeks after former Baylor University women's basketball star and Phoenix Mercury No. 1 overall draft pick Brittney Griner admitted that she was a lesbian.  However, that neither received the same amount of fanfare nor--and I say this with the utmost respect--wasn't as much of a surprise on a couple of different levels--though equally encouraging for other female athletes who may have trepidations.  Ironically after the whole debate about whether Griner could be successful playing in the NBA, homosexuality may be the only arena where female athletes aren't susceptible to as much scrutiny as male athletes.  Thus, I believe that's one of the many reasons why Collins' willingness to be the first has been heralded as such a "landmark" event in American professional sports--even drawing strong comparisons to Jackie Robinson becoming the first Black player in Major League Baseball in 1947.  (I personally wouldn't go that far because racism was much more prevalent during Robinson's era whereas homosexuality is significantly more tolerated, accepted and/or celebrated in this day and age, but it's still an important event nonetheless.)