I hope this doesn't turn out to be true but I have a theory. The Miami Heat could very well end up winning the championship. So far these playoff series have all been nail biters. all except for the Miami and Philadelphia matchup. With lower seeds challenging the higher seeds as the have (i.e. Memphis, Indiana, and New Orleans) and the 4/5 matchups being as competitive as they are, much energy and emotion is being expended in the early rounds of the playoffs. Here is where the Heat have the advantage. I think that since the heat are having an easier time with the 76ers, they have more in the tank to make a run than the other teams.
As I write this, The Celtics and Knicks are going down to the wire again. Last night the Bulls were challenged again--winning by six--and the Hawks have put a spell on the Magic. In the west, the top two seeds both took L's and OKC vs. Denver is arguably THE series to watch (Portland vs Dallas is another). After the first round it only gets harder. The competition is more elite. The only team who stands to not have such a hard time in the first round is the Heat, leaving them well rested for the grueling later rounds. It could have an inverse effect as well where the Heat fold through the adversity of a tough series, but with the fire power they have and the reasons I stated earlier, I suspect that they will still be a challenge.
I hope Heat get iced soon, but with these series being as competitive as they are, the Heat may very well win it all. This is just a theory and its still early, so we'll have to see how things unfold.
I was recently at my cousins marriage re-dedication ceremony and he and his wife danced to Aaliyah's "One in a Million." Hearing the song and watching them dance inspired me to create my own version of the classic. In this beat driven, everything sounds the same era of music that we are in, uniqueness is scarce. The complete opposite of when Aaliyah was here. The combination of Aaliyah's angelic voice, Missy Elliot's lyrical and melodic genius, and Timbaland's amazing off-kilter sound gave us fans great songs in the late 90's. I wanted to pay ode to the Super Friends crew, and put my new spin on an old classic.
"You don't have to be gay to act like a f*ggot, you don't have to be a man to act like a f*ggot." These words from Chris Rock's Kill the Messenger resonate with me as I think about the latest news regarding Kobe Bryant's outburst at a referee, after being called for what he believed was an ill-advised foul. The NBA Commissioner came down hard on Kobe, issuing a $100,000 fine. Kobe publicly apologized on the radio, clarifying that he meant no harm by his words and that in the heat of the moment his emotions caused him to say what he said. This whole ordeal is what made me think about that Chris Rock comedy special. In the special he talks about the Grey's Anatomy ordeal when Isaiah Washington called T.R. Knight the F word. Chris stated that you have to take it into context, "were they arguing?"
I look at it the same way. Part of me believes, yes the word is derogatory because of the history of the word (Much like the N word), but another part of me believes in the context of the heat of the game, Kobe was not making an anti-gay statement. Furthermore, if the referee is not gay I don't think it should be viewed as anti-homo. For most guys I feel the word has become another word for punk or b*tch, not not necessarily a word spewed with anti-gay sentiment.
The fine is all about money. I watched the game and I didn't even see him say it because they switched camera shots away from Kobe as he was saying the word. Live TV is recorded on a delay in case obscene things like this happen. Networks have learned from Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance. The NBA has to keep up its image at the behest of its corporate sponsors, and since Kobe is such a well known figure the commissioner may have felt greater action needed to be taken. Making Kobe the "example" may or may not have done any good, but I wonder if the commissioner's decision has brought on unnecessary attention to the league?
I leave you with this joint from west coast group Pacific Division:
While I was making some improvements to this site, I decided to take a look at one of my old music profile pages. As I started listening to my old material from as far back as 2004, when I was on that Fruity Loops and then on to the Casio 300 and the MPC 2000XL, I tried to envision how I was then and put myself back into the frame of mind I was in during that time. I enjoy going back and listening to older pieces to inspire me and to see where I need to grow and how much I have grown as well. I'm one of those producers who will start creating a lot of material at once--little snippets--let them sit for what seems like forever, and then I will go back into the "archives" and listen to them and bring them to completion when the inspiration hits.
I have to say, going back and hearing my old stuff had me thinking about how I used to approach making music. Often laying out drum patterns first, followed by a baseline, and them filling everything out with various sounds and harmonies. Being more rap oriented then, I can recall much of my material had darker tones as well. My style has always been very melodic/harmonic, but now my approach to a song tends to reflect that more--I first lay down the chords--probably because I have evolved as a musician. I still maintain that I was "that dude" back then and If I woulda got put on during the late 90's/early 2000's, I would have shut the game down!
My time is still coming, but in the meantime I wanted to share one of my favorite joints I did from back in the day. I named this "Layoff" (probably because I was coming back from a "Layoff" from making beats like I said before, lol). I liked this one because I felt I had gotten better in my transitions from different sections of the song. Also, it was kinda raw and yet musical at the same time. Check it out and let me know what you think:
P.S. New music coming soon!
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