Just got back from my 21 hour trip to NYC (9:00AM Tuesday to 5:00AM Wednesday). Instead of going to sleep like a normal human would, I decided to get my Balog Obama on and recap the trip.
Overall it was a good trip, a very positive one.
Phella Vs At&t (Pictured Above)
We started the trip off on a bad note. If you frequent this blog then you probably know by now about my on going battle with At&t and that monsterous $2000 bill they sent me. I’ve refused to pay it and they promised to lower it substantially after my case was reviewed and said I would be able to use the phone with no interruptions in the mean time. They’re yet to lower the bill or settle the case so of course I’m yet to make a payment. Well they decided that the day I needed my phone the most was the day they would go back on their word and TURN-MY-PHONE-OFF. “Again”, “Why Me Lord”, “What’s their problem?” and “$%^#” were some of the words and phrases I shouted as I stopped at a service station to resolve the issue.
After 45 mins of missing calls and emails, being put on hold, arguing, complaining, and resolving, my phone was back on and I was back on 95 trooping it.
Vote For Change
There’s no better feeling in this world than handing a fistful of quarters to those government evil doers they call toll attendants (No offense if your parents are toll attendants….matter of fact, take offense). I just love when they think I’m about to hand them a crisp stack of bills and then I just unravel the metal and turn my music up. Even though technically I still lost for having to pay them, it temporarily feels like I won.
Sidebar: Why is it that I can drive 8 hours from DC to North Carolina and not have to fork over a dollar in tolls but going to New York costs three months rent?
Teddy Pender
On the ride up I went through some old cd’s and re-realized that T-Pains “Epiphany” is a phenomenal album. Production, songs, concepts, and everything. If you don’t have it already, you should definitely pick it up because this is a must for any R&B junkie. No fast forward button needed on this one.
No Kinko’s In NYC?
Had to work out of a Brooklyn basement and wrap up a project I’ve been working on for some time now. Took forever but I got it done….now time to print. UH-OH. Only thing that could be found was a nearby Staples that wasted another 45 mins of my day.
Option 1: Ask nicely if I can use their computer to pull up the email and print. FAILED. Reason: They don’t offer self service for computers.
Option 2: See if I can email Staples the document and have them print. FAILED. Reason:Either my phones email was acting up or the girl there just wanted to see me suffer.
Option 3: Bring my laptop in the store and connect to a wireless printer. FAILED. Reason: No wireless printer.
Option 4: Buy a usb drive, connect to laptop, copy documents, have them print from the usb drive. SUCCESS. Reason: All they want is for you to spend some money and then the world Chico, the world is yours.
Colin Munroe (Pictured Above)
I’ve been a fan of this gentlemans for quite some time now. Ever since his rendition of Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights”.
Well his show last night turned me from a fan to a fanatic or whatever comes after fan. Sickamore and some of my FF cohorts were front and center to see the rising star perform. President of Motown Records and Excutive VP of Universal Sylvia Rhone was in the building and so was Everythingeneur (someone who does everything) Vasthie . Special shoutout to Grandma Punch too for coming through…lol.
All these people are there on time and I stroll in late (see Staples post) smh. I was still amazed by what little show I was able to catch. Mr Munroe plays instruments while delivering flawless vocals. I’ve seen people play the keyboard and sing before but never the drums. It wasn’t some “ooh look at me I play the drums and sing” kind of stuff but more so “the only way I can get my true emotion out to the crowd is to take full control of all the music”…he did have a guitarist up there but I get a feeling that’s something that he could have done too.
I saw performances of “Flashing Lights”, “Will I Stay” and one more song (my favorite of the bunch) that I forgot the name to. I spoke to Colin after the show and he talked about how much he believes in artists taking full creative control of their music. It’s why you see the Jay-Z’s of the world listening to 100 beats trying to find the right one while Joe Shmoe makes a song to anything that comes his way. The desire and ability to get exactly what you want out of your own music is something that only a handful of today’s artists possess. Colin is one of them and his Unsung Hero mixtape coming soon will prove that to the world. 10/10 rating on the show.
Famous Firm French Fries And Fiascos
It’s really not a night out with The Firm in New York if it doesn’t somehow end at Bar 89 with thousands of Waffle Fries being ordered. Myself, Jay Newz, Nisarg, Mike, Christina and Miss Nina E got together after the showcase and dicussed many topics over fries and cheesecake….yes, fries and cheesecake. Topics included iphone vs BLACKBERRY, Lloyd Banks vs Joe Budden, top 5 rappers, top 5 singers, why women like men that are taken, work, and some other stuff that escapes me.
After Bar 89 “we” decide to go shoot pool. It never happened because on the way there a post-Kamikaze Talent Manager of ours (who shall remain nameless) pulled a Mission Impossible on me and hopped out of my moving car to find a restroom. I was forced to leave him because of traffic behind me and I thought I could wait around the corner. Problem is, there was no corner. Just another long road…so I had to leave him and keep driving and hope that he would find us. As I drive down this long road, I spot our Famous Firm CEO (Sickamore) posted up on the corner across the street from the pool hall with a hat on. At this point I’m so baffled as to what he might be up to that I forgot about the aforementioned Talent Manager that I left 6 streets back.
Once again I continue to drive and meet up with Mike, Jay, Christina and Nina to see what they thought of the Sickamore corner sighting. Meanwhile intoxicated Talent Manager runs into CEO on the same corner (apparently it was just a business meeting with a producer, not drugs like I initially suspected), asks CEO for directions to get to the pool hall, gets lost several more times, then eventually gets reunited with the team. [This whole sequence may or may not seem as funny/weird as it really was but trust me it was very funny/weird for those involved]
A few goodnights, goodbyes, and some coin throwing on the road and I was on my way back.
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, Oh well I was starting to lose interest anyway.
