The Nas vs. Jay Z Mixtape (A Celebration Collaboration)

During the spring, my buddy Matt Lane hit me up when I was doing a fantasy movie draft for Bro Jackson. We both love hip-hop as much as we love sports and we debated the idea of creating a similar draft for a mixtape featuring Nas (one of my faves) and Jay Z (one of his faves).

The format was simple. We create categories of songs to choose from and then create our ideal mixtape based on the categories. 24 songs total. This isn't a formal best-of-either artist but a way to celebrate the different vibes each one of them give off.

So over the next couple of weeks, we're unveiling the playlists 3 songs at a time. You can follow along on Twitter with me and Matt (@TrojanTeach) and we're using the hashtag #NasJayMixtape.  You can also check out our playlists below each list and any song not on Spotify will have a YouTube link.

The Fire Is Here (On Baltimore - The Latest Volcano)

I'm absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt. And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results. But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

So here we are again. Another segment of a city in revolt. Another person of color dead under suspicious circumstances by law enforcement. Another debate over property damage versus the spark of the anger.

Today it’s Baltimore. Earlier this month, it was South Carolina and Oklahoma. Last year it was Ferguson and New York. 5-6 years ago it was Oakland. What more is there really to say? The script we’re seeing this week is nothing new and it’s predictable. If you continue to be shocked, you need to wake up, smell the smoke and ask how we got here instead of why are a few idiots tearing stuff up.

Let me be clear. To only focus on those who riot instead of also those who have peacefully protested Freddie Gray’s murder - and it is murder, my readers - and the lack of an explanation from the Baltimore police department on his murder is shortsighted. 

2014 Year in Review - Musical Faves

This was another year where I did as much as music discovery of older music as I did newer music. I fulfilled two of my goals of listening to the Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder’s catalogs and my appreciation for them is so much deeper.

It’s no secret hip-hop had an incredibly down year in the mainstream. But I chose to not only lament hip-hop but show love to music that did move me. With Spotify and word-of-mouth from friends, there’s so much out there that I have to do more than just say Iggy Azalea’s music was derivative or YG’s album was more about DJ Mustard’s production than his rhymes.

So without further adieu, here we go.

TOP 10 ALBUMS

Run the Jewels 2

Spoon - They Want My Soul

Big KRIT - Cadillactica

D’Angelo - Black Messiah

Chromeo - White Women

Prince - Art Official Age (his best album since Musicology)

TV On the Radio - Seeds

St. Vincent - St. Vincent

Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour (better than I expected and he can sing his heart out)

The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers (light goodness that stayed in my head)

2014 Year in Review - 40 Days of Challenge and Change

40 Days. It’s a significant time in the Bible. The length of the flood in Genesis. The time Jesus fasted in the desert before Satan tempted him in Matthew. The typical length of Lent. It’s a time of transformation and testing that leaves you far different than when you start.

For 2014, you can sum up this year in a 40-day period for me that left me similarly changed. August 30-October 9 will be a time I won’t forget because it shook me up, blended my insides and poured me out stronger. Few things this year affected me more.

August 29 - I’m robbed of my laptop in San Pedro following my first prep football game of the season.
August 31 - I arrive in Dallas for my cousin’s wedding and that night, I hear my friend/colleague/photographer Eric Wade dies suddenly after shooting the USC game.
September 1 - My cousin Jhanarius gets married on Labor Day.
Sept. 9 - While on a run, I get a call that I’ve been promoted to the LA Daily News as a full-time reporter,
Sept. 11 - I sign the paperwork to make it official.
Sept. 15 - My first day at the Daily News
Sept. 16 - Eric’s funeral
Sept. 17 - My 30th birthday
October 7 - My girlfriend and I break up after nearly four years of dating.