Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 6/22/17
Milwaukee is the latest city to protest the verdict in a police shooting
1:40 PMI’m back from New York, and it was a whirlwind week. I did my best to create a complete radio show for the podcast, so I hope you like it. The whole thing has been a work in progress, but I think we’re getting closer to what we want.
Octavia Butler would have been 70 today.
— playboi canti (@itskindred) June 22, 2017
It feels like every day of summer is going to deliver another terrible verdict. This time it comes from Milwaukee, where an officer killed a man after a chase. The victim in this case appeared to have gotten rid of a firearm during the pursuit, which was a critical point for the verdict in the end. It might be worth noting that the officer was black, but that doesn’t change the fact that another man lost his life at the hands of law enforcement, which is such a troubling trend that it’s hard to keep up. There will be protests in Wisconsin today, for sure.
We now have a new proposed health care bill. Nobody’s seen it, few lawmakers have any idea what it actually is, but Senate Republicans drafted it behind closed doors and refused to reveal any details about it until it was time to vote. As far as legislative shenanigans go, this definitely qualifies as doing the most. Democrats have been going all over the country asking constituents what they think of repealing the Affordable Care Act, but no one knows what’s in it. Now, we have what they’re calling a “discussion draft,” which is rather underwhelming.
The doctor’s office is stressful. There’s just no way around that. Whether it’s the wait time, the paperwork, the cost or the obvious situation of learning about one’s health, in general it causes major anxiety. So if you walk into a medical facility with a strong bent of racism on your mind, things are not going to go well. That’s exactly what happened in Canada recently when a woman decided she was going to start yelling at people in order for her kid to see a white physician. Then, she claimed she was being discriminated against. Can’t make this up.
Yasiel Puig is my favorite L.A. Dodgers player. He has been so ever since he joined the team and brought his Cuban flavor to the diamond, hotdogging and bat flipping his way all over the big leagues. Of course, because MLB is full of curmudgeons who don’t like fun, this was not well-received. This time, he upset the New York Mets because he took too long to get around the bags after a home run. Now, everyone’s saying he doesn’t have respect for the game, which is absurd. This charade from big leaguers only gets more annoying with each passing pitch. Get over it.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Speaking of baseball, some people go to incredible lengths to be able to play. For example, if you have only one hand, it’s not easy to do. But in the mold of Jim Abbott, the legendary one-handed pitcher who once threw a no-hitter, there’s a catcher doing the same thing. Check this kid out, he’s awesome.
14-year-old Luke Terry may have one arm, but that doesn't stop him from gunning down baserunners. (via @orioles) pic.twitter.com/WX96xkqlQy
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 22, 2017
Snack Time: George Clooney’s won the life lottery in so many ways. Aside from being exactly the type of guy whom Hollywood casts for everything, he apparently also just falls into money when he isn’t even trying. What a life.
Dessert: DeMario Jackson is back on Bachelor In Paradise. This franchise is totally out of control.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 6/21/16
The justice system isn’t equipped to convict officers
12:14 PMTuesday was a heck of a day. Three interviews with three entirely different types of people, all in New York. This week’s All Day podcast is going to be a look at how I navigated a wild trip around NYC. Coming Thursday.
why…why are all the new Ken dolls youtubers pic.twitter.com/x7DDeJf9bN
— Erin Burr, sir (@erinscafe) June 21, 2017
Our judicial system is not designed to consider police officers as criminals. It just isn’t. On a systemic level, this is not really news. But on a visceral one, it’s a difficult reality to come to grips with when you’re faced with things like video evidence. The fact is, for most Americans, a black person is a threat simply by existing. So even if they are law-abiding and, say, in possession of a handgun, they are still scary to many. Including officers who are trained to handle threats. The video of how Philando Castile was killed in Minnesota is truly horrifying.
The concept of streetwear is fascinating to me. For us from a certain generation, those were just known as “clothes.” But over the years, the concept of garments for people who don’t have to wear suits or dress like they are at a country club has evolved from a niche to a lifestyle. It’s not uncommon to see people who outfit their whole lives in streetwear. Bobby Kim is one of the guys who created The Hundreds, and he’s got a new documentary out about how all this came to be in his life.
Here’s the definition of terrorism: The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. And when a guy decided he wanted to shoot up a baseball practice with lawmakers before the Congressional Baseball Game last week, after specifically making the point of targeting them, you’d think that fit the bill. But no — and we’re guessing this has something to do with what the man who shot Rep. Steve Scalise looks like — the FBI says it’s not terrorism. I guess that precedent would be too much to set.
I just became Dwyane Wade’s new biggest fan. In an era in which people are steadily hating on athletes for doing anything they can and want to do to succeed as human beings, the Bulls guard just pulled a high-quality flex on people who act like pros should put their teams above themselves — as if the teams would ever do that for them. When asked about why Wade chose to pick his player option for next year, which would pay him $24M, he said straight up “24 million reasons.”
Free Food
Coffee Break: It’s the first day of summer, which means you are officially allowed to indulge in debauchery and act idiotic in the name of the season. Personally, I plan on being heavy in the tank tops and headbands streets, myself. But if you need a playlist to kick off your rose-splashed garden parties, here you go.
Snack Time: Wednesday is Go Skateboarding Day. Which means that if you have a chance, grab a skateboard and go do it. I’ll be at the X Games this summer, too, so that should be fun. Here, watch this video to get yourself in the mood.
Happy #GoSkateboardingDay from @VANS_66 & @VANS_Europe's @nassimguammaz. Hit up your local skateshop to see where the GSD fun is at today. pic.twitter.com/MEEEJnjuWn
— Vans Skate Team (@vansskate) June 21, 2017
Dessert: Look at the NHL making news during the summer. Good for you, guys.
All 31 NHL/Adidas home jerseys. (h/t @brinkeguthrie) pic.twitter.com/0OymURPqC2
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) June 21, 2017
Rest In Peace
Mobb Deep’s Prodigy dies at 42
The Queensbridge rapper had long battled sickle cell anemia
3:43 PMHe had you stuck off the realness from day one.
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson, half of the seminal 1990’s rap group Mobb Deep, has died at the age of 42, according to Nas’ Instagram account. Known as P, P Double and The HNIC, based on his series of albums by the same name, he had publicly battled sickle cell anemia for some time. He becomes the latest in a line of many rappers of his era to die before age 50, a trend that’s becoming more the norm than the exception.
More specifically, Prodigy was a personal favorite. Ever since he burst onto the scene with the head-cracking anthem “Shook Ones (Part II)” in 1995, captivating a generation of fans looking for a hardcore East Coast aesthetic that accurately portrayed the absurd and pointless violence of the streets, he was an instant legend. That album, along with the subsequent offering from him and his partner and producer Havoc, established them in a long line of greats on the hip-hop scene from the Queensbridge Houses project in New York.
When he branched out to make his solo move, he still held on to that in-your-face bravado mixed with street wisdom that for a certain type of rap head was impossible to let go of. Here are my favorite verses of his, from a time when rapping about killing people was still something that people did with some level of seriousness.
Here are my five Prodigy faves.
Honorable mention: “I Shot Ya” (remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrm1iJBKHaU
Best lyric:
But anyway, back on the real side of things/
My n—-s sling cracks and wear fat diamond rings/
Not only is it inside the songs that we sing/
Everything is real not just a song that we sing
A more recent selection:
5. “G.O.D. Pt. III”
Best lyric:
Horror tales in Braille, for vision-impaired/
You looking for P, well you can find him everywhere/
In a project near you, I’ll be right there
4. “Eye for An Eye”
Best lyric:
Life is a gamble, we scramble for money/
I might crack a smile but ain’t a damn thing funny/
I’m caught up in the dirt where your hands get muddy/
Plus the outcome turns out to be lovely
3. “Mac 10 Handle”
Forget the lyrics — this video is completely insane and a true testament to just how creative this man was.
2. “Shook Ones (Part II)”
While many will call this the best, and I won’t argue with them, it’s still not my favorite. The first time I heard it, I had it memorized. It truly changed the world, and when I was 19 I sang this song louder than any I ever have in my life. It’s a classic, and it always will be. I won’t be forgetting this verse until I’m in a casket.
1. Keep It Thoro
Best lyric:
When you see me in the streets soldier, salute me/
You just a groupie, oh, you gangsta, then shoot me
This is easily the best “don’t start nothing won’t be nothing” song of all time for my money. The beat bangs viciously, and the line “I’ll throw a TV at you” is still an all-timer. I still play this when I’m ready to get hype to do random stuff like fold clothes.
Rest in peace, Prodigy. A real legend.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 6/20/19
Kamala Harris has the heat for your cookout jam
11:36 AMI’m in New York this week for the podcast, meaning the show has literally been taken on the road. Turns out the summer is going to be PRETTY eventful, so get ready for that, kiddos. Got this content creation battleship officially moving.
— DO NOT CONGRATULATE (@russbengtson) June 19, 2017
Sen. Kamala Harris does it for the culture. After her recent string of star turns in Senate committee hearings, her internet stardom has risen back to fame, putting the junior California senator from Oakland on a lot more people’s radar. Now she’s dropping a mixtape. Seriously. She just released a playlist to honor African-American Music Appreciation Month on Spotify. And she ain’t playing around, either. This thing is a banger that’ll have the dad rap crowd and your aunties moving at the cookout.
Fads are fun. I would consider myself a fad person. Not like I need to buy every single thing that people like in these streets, but I certainly have an appreciation for anything that can carve its way into the cultural consciousness for a small period of time. But every now and again, something comes along that completely passes you by. For me, that’s fidget spinners. I’ve seen them on TV. I’ve seen them made fun of, but in real life? I have yet to run into one in the wild. I guess I need some kids. Alas, they’re already over. Oh, well.
The homey Chance can’t lose. Between his fire music, active political involvement and tremendous magazine covers, my man is doing a lot and doing it well. Now, he’s got another commercial for the streets, this time for Twitter. Every time I see this guy do something new, I think about how he basically jump-started all this by getting suspended from school. Even when they try to hold us down over some nonsense, we can find a way to make the best of life. Lil Chano is the best.
Any requests? Real instruments? No problem.
With @chancetherapper and Twitter, music is happening. #SeeEverySide pic.twitter.com/1MF5NtIFan
— Twitter (@Twitter) June 19, 2017
Tiger Woods needs help. After his latest incident, in which police officers caught him sleeping behind the wheel after a night out at his restaurant, it became clear his issues had to do with a lot more than golf. Ever since that fateful Thanksgiving Day in 2009 when his whole world fell apart, it’s been one thing after another, with a solid season on the course mixed in. Now he’s telling the world that he’s enlisting the aid of a professional, which from the sound of it, is something that would have benefited him quite some time ago. Good luck, Eldrick.
Free Food
Coffee Break: It’s the season of people doing studies to confirm things that people of color have been telling you for years. In the latest episode, a new study informs us that black and Latino drivers are more likely to be cited and arrested during traffic stops than white people. You don’t say! Thanks for clearing that one up, guys.
Snack Time: Reason No. 2 of the millions why I’m terrified of surgery is that I’ll accidentally get the wrong thing operated on, changing my life for the worst. This story is particularly, well, nuts.
Dessert: This is a fun game. #FirstGifComesUpForYourName
#FirstGifComesUpForYourName pic.twitter.com/IyG6SGNNcY
— Fungo Velo (@clintonyates) June 20, 2017
Daily Dose: 6/19/17
Another black person killed by police, this time in Seattle
4:35 PMThe fight continues in Washington, D.C. And no, this one has nothing to do with President Donald Trump. On Monday, the Washington Redskins secured a small victory with a Supreme Court ruling that deemed the law preventing the team from registering trademarks with the word “Redskins”— or “offensive trademarks” — as unconstitutional. The controversial team name has been a topic of discussion for decades, but it intensified in May 2013 after team owner Dan Snyder staunchly vowed to never change it. Months later, President Barack Obama joined in, adding, “If I were the owner of the team and I knew that there was a name of my team — even if it had a storied history — that was offending a sizable group of people, I’d think about changing it.” A year later, the Trademark and Trial Appeal Board ordered the cancellation of the Washington Redskins’ six federal trademarks. Now, three years and several court appearances later, we’re here. Snyder is “thrilled,” according to reports, and team attorney Lisa Blatt praised the court’s decision. The team may have won the war, but something tells me this battle is far from over.
Oh, wait! There is Trump news. Within a few hours of releasing a statement acknowledging Juneteenth, the oldest and most well-known celebration honoring the end of slavery in the United States, the internet quickly drew comparisons between President Trump’s issued statement and former president Barack Obama’s — one focused more on freed slaves, while the other praised men who allowed slaves to be freed. As the statement continues to be debated, most social media users have moved on to criticizing the president’s silence after an overnight van attack in London that left one pedestrian dead and 10 others wounded.
Another day, another non-conviction. If you haven’t heard about the infuriating yet unsurprising acquittal of Officer Jeronimo Yanez in the shooting death of Philando Castile last July. The verdict prompted marches and calls to action across the country. Castile, a 32-year-old cafeteria supervisor and registered gun owner, reached into his pocket to get his license. Fearing that Castile was retrieving a weapon, Yanez shot him multiple times and walks away a free man, as we’ve witnessed so many times before. The same song will continue: The national outrage, pain and frustration and personalized hashtags will roar, then quiet until the next unfortunate encounter.
Two days later, another police-involved shooting. A pregnant woman was fatally shot by two officers in front of several children in Seattle after reporting a burglary earlier that morning. According to police, 30-year-old Charleena Lyles displayed a knife before the two officers opened fire. Although the incident is still under investigation, family members told media outlets that Lyles had been suffering with mental health issues for the past year. The children inside the apartment at the time of the shooting were not injured.
Jay Z adds context to the recent 4:44 ads. We’ve all seen the mysterious salmon-colored background with the bold, black 4:44 displayed directly in the center. The ads, which simultaneously popped up in New York and Los Angeles and on several websites two weeks ago, sent social media sleuths into a frenzy. The only clue: the word “Tidal” in the coding that accompanied the ads. Many speculated it might be a new project from the proud papa of newborn twins, and others hoped it would be specifically about the twins.
#conspiracytheory #beyonce actually had twins on the 4th making Jay's rumored album title a triple #4:44 (a nod to IV as in Blue Ivy…) https://t.co/Js8nOyNjmv
— Zoe Zellers (@Z_Paris_Z) June 16, 2017
Jay Z will be dropping a new album on June 30 as a result of a new partnership between Tidal and Sprint. In addition to the new music, the partnership will support the 1Million Project to help 1 million low-income high school students across the United States gain access to the internet. Free mobile devices and free high-speed wireless internet will be provided to participating students during their high school years.
It’s a win for all.
The Morning Roast
The Morning Roast: 6/19/17
Father’s Day edition, with Mina Kimes in D.C.!
4:13 PMSo, Saturday afternoon I was sitting on my couch and I got a phone call from one Mina Kimes. She doesn’t usually call me on the actual telephone, so I figured something different was up. She was in the area and was having technical difficulties with her remote unit, and before she finished getting that out I started celebrating that she was going to be in studio with us! You have to understand, this doesn’t happen.
We’ve managed to do this show every week with two of us in the same place, or sometimes none of us in the same place, so for us to all be in the same room is a real treat. Particularly when it’s not the bright lights of Bristol. Anyways, it was a blast, but speaking of technical duties, the show got cut off with a half-hour left. Alas.
Hour 1
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Things got off to a fast start because I had the weekend Uber ride from hell. After recapping our weekends, Domonique Foxworth voiced his displeasure that Mina was even considering not coming into studio, considering how close she was to us in proximity. Once they sorted out that little spat, I got to break out my new drop, which is fun because it’s from a TV show that I enjoyed tremendously: Happy Endings.
Other than that we broke down the NBA’s draft situation, which was fresh off the Celtics trading their No. 1 overall pick to the 76ers. We also recapped the Petty Olympics between LeBron James and Draymond Green, which has made this gap between the Finals and the draft far more bearable.
Lastly, of course, the NFL came up, because it always does. I asked the question of whether the Patriots are going to eventually be considered the most accomplished franchise in the history of the NFL, because a Steelers linebacker seems to think them being a superteam is problematic for the league. Newsflash: It’s not.
Hour 2
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Can we show some love to Sam Hinkie? The former Philadelphia 76ers GM and president has been vindicated in his quest to make that team relevant again, even though he got fired. They got the young guys, they’ve got another top pick, and now everyone’s excited. Good for them, and for him too.
We also had as a guest Brian Custer of Showtime Boxing, joining to talk about the Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight — if you want to call it that. After that, we continued to break down the NBA draft with ESPN draft insider Chad Ford.
Domonique, the only father in the group, closed out with the Top 5 worst dad gifts, in honor of Father’s Day.
Hour 3
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After resetting the NBA talk, we got into the latest from the Bachelor in Paradise situation, which is really not good. The production has been shut down, and DeMario and Corinne are locked in a strange circumstance that involves a dispute over consent. Nothing good about that at all.
Enjoy!
Bill Cosby’s sexual assault mistrial was as much about power as it was about rape
Cosby’s silence speaks of his wholesale betrayal
4:55 PMIf you ever needed proof that rape is as much about power as it is about sex, a Pennsylvania courtroom just handed it to you. On the day that Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case was declared a mistrial, his spokesperson Andrew Wyatt came right out and proudly preached to the world, “Mr. Cosby’s power is back. It’s back. It has been restored.”
While the blind comedian stood behind him, Wyatt methodically explained, whether he knew so or not, exactly why misogyny and toxic masculinity keep scores of women from never reporting their attackers.
In the words of Huey P. Newton: “Power is the ability to defy phenomena, and make it act in a designed manner.” Wyatt then repeated it. After the aforementioned declaration of the return of Cosby’s power, he continued: “The legacy didn’t go anywhere, it has been restored.”
It’s impossible to forget any of the steps that got us here. The initial accusers. The payoffs. The subsequent accusers. The pound cake speech. Hannibal Buress. All the other shenanigans that Cosby’s lawyers tried to pull to make sure this very trial would never come to light.
Ultimately, Andrea Constand was allowed to confront her accuser and a jury simply couldn’t bring themselves to convict a man who legitimately admitted to violating her when she was unable to move. Cosby was so obsessed with his invasive conquests that he told his accuser’s own mother about what he did to her.
It’s hard to describe what happens to people when they get to control things. Most men live their whole lives not realizing how much opportunity and unjust right they are given to power. But when they get it, they believe they deserve it. Bill Cosby, apparently since the age of 11, has been consumed with controlling women. When he agreed to pay Constand’s school costs, as an offset for his actions, he insisted she maintain a 3.0 GPA. Even in admitting wrong, he had to have some level of say in her choices.
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” were the words of Lord Acton, the 19th-century British politician. Cosby’s world and mind were so incredibly corrupted that he didn’t even believe that what he was doing was wrong. Woven into the fabric of his existence is a world in which women were in his life for the purposes of being his sexual objects. Most men are taught to think this way. He thought this was OK. From the way he talks, as a man of power, he thought it was his right.
I was never here for Bill Cosby’s morally arrogant lecturing of black women + black youth. Overall legacy died long before the accusations
— Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) June 17, 2017
Am I right in a tweet I just read? Bill Cosby has admitted to being guilty during his trial but… it was declared a mistrial? 😰
— (Méls) 'Tis I, Stormaggedon, Dark Lady Of All (@PINKTROID) June 17, 2017
I don’t need a courtroom full of people to come to a decision for me to know that Cosby is a scumbag. That was clear ages ago. In a time in America in which the legal system is so obviously perverted toward the maintenance of patriarchal power structures, nobody on earth thought this man was going to be convicted.
The odd irony of the entire thing is that Cosby knows his spokesman is lying. His eyes are failing, not his mouth. He made a living with his voice but would rather let someone else do his bidding at this stage of life. It’s a very cruel twist on rape culture that he should be allowed to be silent when he spent so many years silencing dozens of women who cried out to be heard.
No one man should have all that power. But only men do.