2010 - Year In review Part. 1 (Life, Movies, TV)

I'm happy to leave certain things in my past while wondering how certain things stayed left behind. Started with two jobs and ended with freelancing in San Diego and looking for permanent employment.

RIP: Guru, Teena Marie, John Wooden, Bob Feller, George Steinbrenner, Jose Lima, Teddy Pendergrass, Lena Horne,  Gary Coleman, Dennis Hopper, Leslie Nielsen, Howard Zinn, Bro. Mack and many more.

Biggest News Stories

1. BP destroying the Gulf Coast (5 years after Katrina, this could have even more crazy long-term damage)

2. Haiti earthquake (you might have it on the backburner, but we won’t forget)

3. SB 1070 – AZ going back to the Stone Age of immigration.

4. Dems get smashed in November (Christine Donnell’s loss aside, the Tea Party made gains and somehow we still kept talkin bout Sarah P’s celebrity self)

5. Wikileaks making Jullian Assange either the new Woodward/Bernstein or the biggest renegade in years.

6. Health care passing – Hoping this will benefit folks who need it.

7. Iraq war quietly ending (If you blinked you missed it, but it's time to say Hallelujah)

8. Chilean miners (A great story but I hope one day, miners is a outdated job)

9. Korean flare up – the No. 1 story to watch in 2011. Please believe it.

Finally read A People’s History of the US and Lies My Teacher Told Me and my mind was blown further into smithereens. As much as I knew, there was a whole lot I didn’t. Must-read books by any American who wants to truly know their history. I owed it to Mr. Zinn to honor his life by buying that book and I don't regret either purchase

Movies

Inception might be the one of the greatest summer blockbuster films ever. It’s rare to find a film that grossed so much money, attracted 6 Oscar winners or nominees to star in and dominate and be a well-executed film in every facet of the word. Christopher Nolan can say that he not only has two of the highest grossing films of the last 5 years, but two of the best summer movies ever in Dark Knight and Inception.

For someone like me who loves the idea of dreams, this movie was almost like eating cheesecake with raspberries. And it may not get any Oscar love thanks to brilliant films like Social Network and The Fighter but I hope that it gets at least a nomination for Best Picture. It’s one of those movies that’ll make you think with so many layers involved. Was it just about dreams or was it a film about filmmaking creating a world for us to be in? Reminded me a lot of “The Matrix”

Book of Eli and The Town were also great films I watched. But this year moviewise, I finally watched some classics for the first time in Godfather 1&2 and Shawshank Redemption.

Television.

No TV moment impacted me more than the end of 24. The first show I watched from start to finish. The show that defined the post-9/11 era as far as terrorism and our fascination with the government’s inner workings. If Jason Bourne updated the James Bond model, Jack Bauer did the same in a different way as the super agent who goes to distance to serve his country but isn’t afraid to challenge them in the name of the greater good. My Mondays will feel boring in 2011 now.

I never saw The Wire so my penance is watching David Simon’s latest slice of genius “Treme”  - a great show I loved about New Orleans post Katrina. I also watched another dose of HBO goodness in “Boardwalk Empire”, well-acted and delivered week by week. Law and Order: Los Angeles steps in the shoes of its ancestors perfectly. 

I finally started watching Modern Family this year and loved it as one of the hilarious shows on TV. Hopefully I’ll finally get into 30 Rock more and maybe in 2011, I’ll finally catch up on Mad Men

CSI said goodbye to Grissom and hello to Dr. Ray Langston – I’ve said it before that Gil Grissom is one of the best characters of the last decade and history will prove that.

Also, I realized that as good TV shows slowly come back, the rise of reality shows isn't slowing down. The next decade is probably gonna see more great shows on TV but the water cooler/Twitter talk will probably revolve around To Catch a Predator or Jersey Shore or the like. Sign O'The Times like the Purple One said.

And of course, the best commercial of the year. The Old Spice Guy - darn near had a 6 month viral campaign. Brilliant marketing!



Next up, Music and Sports.

Electric Relaxation: Moment of Truth (Gang Starr)

They say it's lonely at the top, in whatever you do
You always gotta watch motherf**kers around you
Nobody's invincible, no plan is foolproof
We all must meet our moment of truth

When I listened to this yesterday, I knew I had to make this a separate post from my Guru tribute last night. This song has always hit me on a deeper level because the words are uplifting and the beat takes you a higher place.

I first heard this song in 2006, months before I was going to graduate from college. It was my moment of truth - my time to figure out what was going to do next and I had no idea. This song encouraged me to figure something out but it also made me reflective on my life up to that point.

The song became the anthem of my last semester. It's one of my favorite songs of all time and I listen to find encouragement or get reflective on my past.

"Why do bad things happen, to good people? Seems that life is just a constant war between good and evil."

From a Gang Starr perspective, if the Moment of Truth album was a victory lap, this is playing in the background. Guru just put some of the best lines of his career on here that could only come from having been in the game for a decade at the time.

The entire second verse (from which I quoted the above line) is a message of hope. No matter how hard things get, they're hard for everyone so don't give up and remember what you've done. The end almost hit me hard listening to it yesterday. It's mature lyricism/real talk at its finest.

I really love the 3rd verse too cause it feels like Guru is being autobiographical about his craft and what Gang Starr is about - staying true to who they are and calling out the fakers with his monotone style. He was so gifted with his words and this song just shows it. A man at the peak of his skill and success with Gang Starr looking back at it all.

On formspring, I was asked to name my Top 10 favorite songs and it's always hard to do. But I named this song on the list and I'd do it again. It's such an inspiration and with all of us saddened by Guru's passing, this song speaks volumes. He's met his Moment of Truth and in our lives, we have to do at various times.

Rest in Peace and enjoy the music. Go get this album and you won't be disappointed. He lives at peace "Above the Clouds where the sound is original". Let's give Keith Elam the final word from Verse 2.

My only crime, was that I'm too damn kind
And now some scandalous motherf**kers wanna take what's mine
But they can't take the respect, that I've earned in my lifetime
And you know they'll never stop the furious force of my rhymes
So like they say, every dog has its day
And like they say, God works in a mysterious way
So I pray, remembering the days of my youth
As I prepare to meet my moment of truth

RIP Guru - A Legend in His Own Time

"Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is. I get more props in stunts than Bruce Willis"

One of the greatest couplets in hip hop history. The first half is probably the most random quotable ever and it sticks in your head cause it's like did Guru really say that? The second part you just have to know because it finishes the rhyme but you're still bugged out that a great MC just said the first part for no rhyme or reason.

That's one of my favorite lines from Keith Elam aka Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal (Guru). I remember when I read the Source's Top 150 songs and "Dwyck" was in the Top 30. It stood out for a few reasons. 1) The first time I had heard Nice N Smooth outside of their classic hit "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow", 2) DJ Premier's simple beat that was the definition of head-nodding, boom-bap, 3) Guru's laidback flow just rocking that beat like a calm earthquake - monotone, yet vicious.

It's sad that I went to sleep seeing a trickling of stories come out on Twitter. Then I woke up and checked Allhiphop.com to feel the same sadness I felt when I woke up in past years to find out Jam Master Jay, J-Dilla and Proof had died. Guru had been in a hospital for a month and to end up dying from cancer?

It's a sad loss for hip-hop and especially for Boston, Guru's hometown. He put them on the map despite seemingly defining New York boom-bap.

"Your head'll bop, when I drop my crop/Of pure bomb, just like the sea shore I'm calm/But wild, with my monotone style. Because I don't need gimmicks. Gimme a fly beat and I'm all in it."

Mass Appeal is probably the most recognizable Gang Starr song. The first one I recall hearing without knowing who it was. It had quotables for days. Guru just had a way to pound you to sleep without bashing you over the head with a Chuck D delivery. He was almost like Rakim - smooth, jazzy and prolific with the pen.

Gang Starr stood for integrity and principle. No wackness or fakeness allowed. No dances or corny mess either - it's all about stepping to the mic and keeping it real. Guru never changed what he was about with Gang Starr - it was a formula that worked to perfection because when he spoke, you listened.

Gang Starr's jazzy vibe should be credited to Guru as much as DJ Premier. It was Guru who started the Jazzmatazz series. It was Guru who penned the lyrics for "Jazz Thing" in Spike Lee's "Mo Betta Blues". He loved jazz and it showed the way he delivered his rhymes - subtle but strong like a saxophone or trumpet. It was cool and collected, always in control because he had a message for you.

I'll never forget in 2006 when I discovered Moment of Truth. I was getting ready to graduate and the title track kept replaying in my mind. Reaching that moment where I was on the cusp of leaving college to the real world, that album helped me stay reflective and consider what was behind and before me.

It's no surprise that it was seen as a victory lap by fans who watched Guru and Premier build an impressive resume of classic singles and albums. It went gold and Top 10 on the Billboard Charts and was a perfect way for Gang Starr to end the 90's. On top after a legendary run.

I saw love on Twitter from unlikely sources - Joel Madden? David Faustino from Married With Children? That lets you know that people loved Gang Starr and respected what they did. DJ Premier got a lot of shine but Guru's words stood out too. It showed that craft paid off and their legacy touched a lot of people.

I won't dwell on the end of Gang Starr and Guru's strange relationship with producer Solar, but let's remember a great MC who was sadly taken far too soon.

My Favorite 10 Gang Starr songs

1. Moment of Truth (Electric Relaxation post to explain more coming this week)

2. Mass Appeal

3. Check the Technique

4. Dwyck

5. You Know My Steez

6. Above the Clouds

7. Just to Get a Rep

8. Skillz

9. I'm The Man (sampled by so many)

10. Ex Girl to Next Girl