Hip-Hop Hygenist, Rooftops, and Taxi-Cab Historians

It only took 13 months for A friend to make a trip to come down and see ol' Timmy Boy in Atlanta...yeah I have the best friends I know. The back-breaking work week of charting out my route to the west, intense facebook poking, and the ever-complicated decision of what type of frozen meat Tuscan Tim will be marinating for dindin left me as excited to see one of my best buddies from home as a pubescent boy seeing Pammie Anderson's balloons for the first time (yeah Dad, im sorry, I deleted the history when I was 11 to cover my tracks).

Despite his connecting flight clusterfuck of a trek up and down the east coast trying to get from DC to ATL, I managed to scoop him up right before the Snoop Dogg/Slightly Stoopid (Stephen Marley, Mickey Avalon guests) Blazed and Confused Tour. Dodging rush-hour traffic like Bill Bubba Clinton dodged the Vietnam draft, we pulled in right on time...to take a pee, a glorious geyser at that. We meet a dentist and a nasalspray hustling medical sales rep next to us and trade pee-watchout posts in the parking lot. After downing some brews, a few cigarettes, and picking through the nasal-spray wielding rep's endless bag of snacks, and finding out that a company really makes Scoobie-snacks (they are even in the shape of a bone, so cool), we were off skipping to the show (fortunatly, didn't see anyone pee or poo themselves before the show started).

Snoop Dogg Show Ensues....(click here for video)

I saw Snoop at Bonnaroo a few months ago and thought he killed it then, but he commited genocide at the Masquerade on Thursday. Those of you doubting me now, especially those who have or have not seen any rap shows, Snoop is his own breed. With a four piece band backing him up, a few of his throwback roaddogs (Kurupt), and mixing in everything from "Blame it on the a-aaaa-aa-aa-aalcohol babbby", to "Next Episode", to "Jump Around", he keeps the crowd engaged, screaming, and chanting Snooooooop DAAAAAAWWG for hours to come. Be sure to check out the pics/vids here. One of the most memorable/hilarious jams of the night was when Snoop pulled Moses' Ol' Testament maneuver and divided the sea of raging listeners into "East Coast" and "West Coast" and would point to whatever side to yell the loudest to "rep their coast." Well seeing as I was in the "East", we were in Atlanta (home of dirty south rap...far from "east" and "west" stereotypical rap anyway), and about 92% of the crowd was white and looked like they were trying to do cat's cradle to make their finders spell a W.....the East ran the show. It was a glimpse of triumph, but culminated into everyone throwing up a peace sign...well played Snoop.

At intermission, drunk and sweaty already, we started to do the only thing we know to do when the blackout starts to creep in....freestyle with randos'. Best friend, TimmyJ, and Shad begin to start kicken rhymes about the show, goofy tripped out hippies we see, and McGuiver (the only time your freestyle is ever legit). Who comes tearing through the crowd to deliver an epic throwdown of how it is living on the mean streets of gingivitis and cavities? The dentist we met from the parking lot! I gotta tell you, the thirty something year old was throwing out "You gotta use crest to keep em clean and white..." etc, had us dying/thoroughly impressed at the same time. You never get too old to vibe, show some humility, and make new friends, gotta love it. Check out a glimpse of the retainer-rockin rhymer.

Slightly Stoopid was, well Slightly Stoopid. Great reggae, Stephen Marley came out to help add some, how you sayyyy "authenticity" to the movement, and they/we came away with a successful show.

Recently, especially with the ensuing "aloha" from Atl around the corner, Shad and I have been making it a point to take the afterparty to the roof of our complex. We found out you could easily climb the roof to a landing pad at the very top of the building and hang out on a safe/yet still mildly sketchy, railed in walkway. Reminiscing on old times, adventures to come, and having an eagly eye view of the Buckhead, Midtown, and Downtown is a great way to wrap the night up with close friends (as long as you dont mysteriously slit your hand open and wake up to get 7 stiches....nameless third roommate). After singing some "Rebelution - Safe and Sound" communily at the top of our lungs, we decided it was "time to go to couch" (I figure i'll be politically correct, for it's not fair to say bed since one of my roommates is without one..by choice) , right before we almost set the kitchen on fire from a totino's pizza...textbook, but we had an eye on it ;)

One aside I would like to make before I put this puppy to bed is how after one cab ride with the coolest driver I have ever met, I learned more about Atlanta in one hour then I have my entire 13 month tenure. This guy was from NY, moved here when he was 18, and has seen the city go through it's ups, downs, twists, and turns throughout the last 15 years. We all clicked and after an hour of sitting in the parking lot of the venue we left our cars at the night before, shooting the shit, we ever so eloquently summed the city up with these points:

• 8-1 Girl to Guy ratio. Girls just want you to come and ....ohh my god guys, actually talk to them. Play it smooth, treat her like a lady, be confident, dont give her too much attention, and she might be buying you a drink at the end of the night. This is a city full of parents who lived in the city, moved to the burbs, and now the kids want to come back in, and the parents don't like little Sally going out with her girlfriends in Buckhead who might get into "trouble"(meeting a cunning young man who will wine, dine, and bring her to the dark side...sometimes litterally hahha). But wining and dining does not have to go far, a lot of these women don't want the baggage, their big girls who want to go on a date here and there, but can leave it at that. This feeds into the next point:


• It is cheap as hell to live in ATL....these 1 million dollar homes, would go for a quarter of that price up in DC/NY/LA...but here you can make 30-40k and live (or appear to others) that you live a millionaire lifestyle. For example, this past weekend I saw two guys pull up with their pimped out rangerover, system blazing, indiglo lights, and roll into the Publix Coinstar...with a jar full of nickels and dimes. Hmm, frugal or hood-rich...you be the judge, but either way perception is everything...and that's why ATL has been known as the "City of Facades." This does not have to be derogatory, but ATL is a non-threating neighborhood where you can set up a retail shop, an online marketing firm, make something out of yourself, and not break the bank to do it. I can definitly see myself returning one day.


• Atlanta - The City of Revolving Doors - Have you ever noticed why Atlanta does not have a large sports following? Yeah some die-hard Vick-infused Falcons fans and Chipper Jones die hards are around...but NOTHING like other cities- comparable to the size of ATL. This is because ATL's economy is sparked by saturation of surrounding colleges. Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory, Morehouse, Clark University, are all downtown, Kennesaw, UGA, Georgia Southern (I know I missed some) all within 45 mins-a few hours...then you look at the southeast USC, Clemson, UT...Atlanta is a very attractive city to live in for young professionals. Many come to study, then leave, many leave for school, then return to downtown. Besides the school influx, people who are from Atlanta sometimes come here for school, then go back to their own private interests out in the burbs where they hail from. So the net-net is that Atlanta is a metropolis that always has new/old blood coming and going, but never does it let its revolving door hit you on your way out. Because of this reason, Atlanta has also been knows as the "City for Fugitives", you get in some trouble? Come to ATL and it will be hard to put a finger on you.


• Atlanta's explosion started with it's railroads and a depot for goods/materials that were being imported from Savannah and the Chattahoochie river. The city grew, developed, or lack their of and before you know it you have a sprawling metro...with no metro, horrible public transportation, and roads that change their name every 8 blocks. Folks with money wanted to live downtown, then migrate out, naturally. However after the recent demolition of all the "bad parts", subsidized housing rezoning, and the demand of new money (new condos..too many) wanting to move downtown, all the "lower echelon of society" is getting pushed out to the burbs...just who the Money was trying to get away from. Now the cycle is being reversed, but soon, Money will have "no place to go"...what to do? Maybe this is what needs to happen to smack the south up against it's sometimes "color-aware" mindsets and live together like the rest of the country. The signs are already clear where you have million dollar homes on one block, and the ghet' on the next street...Atlanta needs some guidance, but no one wants to address the direction of the city...if it ain't broke dont fix it...until it blows up in your face. Should be interesting...
  

Lessons Learned: It doesnt matter how long best friends are away from each other, you pick up right where you left off...and make sure to leave a cliffhanger when they finally leave for next time! Always be genuine and act like you have known them forever. I have really started to understand why I attract so many positive vibes and gel with folks no matter how old, what profession, or where they grew up. Sincerity and generosity can lead you to meeting crazy hip-hip hygenist, mental snapshots on a roof, and a history class from the eyes and ears of a veteran taxi-driver. Want to understand a city? Talk to a bartender or cabdriver they will have the real insight, from the streets up to the media...give them a chance, an open mind, who knows what you'll find out!