Love this video. This is actually one of my favorite tracks of Foreign Exchange’s 2008 album Leave It All Behind. Directed by Matt Koza right in the heart of Philly, it plays out more like a short film than a music video– LOVE when directors do that, especially with such a powerful song. Translates really well.
-SamSun
Categories: Phatten The Mind
Tagged: Connected, Foreign Exchange, Leave It All Behind, Matt Koza, Muhsinah, Music Video, Nicolay, Phonte
Spoonful after spoonful… I just couldn’t get enough.
This past Friday August 21, 2009, I ventured to the dark and often intriguing streets of Northeast Philadelphia (represent) in search of some food for my eyes and soul. God shut off the faucet and just as the rain paused, I headed towards my destination: 3320 Collins Avenue. Skin sticky from the humidity, wet pavement gleaming in the street lights, I found myself asking…
…the hell am I?
Not the type to be intimidated by much, I walked my ass up to the door and was met by a friendly greeting.
As I entered the dark building, my heels clicking up the stairs, a sweaty b-boy jets past me. I started to feel the beat of the hip-hop being spun infiltrate my ears, and suddenly I was overwhelmed with this cozy feeling. When I hit the top, I was confronted with that pretty sensation known as awe. Like a kid in a candy store, my eyeballs emerged from my lids, utterly shocked that such a gem existed in such a place.
Click the jump to read more (more…)
Categories: Snack On This
Tagged: Amanda Diva, Flygirrl, Spoonfed
There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to blow ridiculous amounts of money on fabulous, life-changing outfits. If my personality could possibly be encapsulated by anybody, my friends and I all agree that it’d be Carrie from SATC (Sex and The City, for those of you who aren’t so acquainted in girltalk). Writer? Check. Hopelessly entangled in these movie-like love affairs that end up being written about as the characters in my stories? Check. The nerve to wear insane outfits, regardless of public opinion? Check…and that one sometimes comes with a grimace. Shopaholic extraordinaire? CHECK.
Seriously… I think I might need these. I know I might say this a lot, but this time I say this with a little more urgency. These are the beautiful byproduct of a torrid love affair between Nike and this year’s fascination with gladiators. And they have my name written all over it. They’re sexy and spunky and I just know they’ll look beautiful on 8.5 sized feet (yeah, I’m Big Foot’s distant cousin). Nike reps, if you ever read this, send me a package and I will happily promote the shit out of whatever you mass produce next. In the meantime, I’ll be looking for change (which is most definitely not in my bank account) to snatch it on my own.
-SamSun
Categories: Snack On This
Tagged: fashion, Gladiator, Nike, Nike Gladiateur Mid, SATC
What do you get when you mix a music savvy design artist with a rich, vibrant color palette? –the work of New York based artist Andy Gilmore of course! His illusionist combination of geometric shapes and lines create a virtual “disco dance floor” for the eye. Epic art! Check out his site for more work!
Categories: Phatten The Mind
Tagged: Andy Gilmore, art
This shit is HILARIOUS. Had me laughing for like five minutes straight. I’d be so PISSED if this happened to me. At least you become a YouTube sensation, right?
-SamSun
Categories: Phatten The Mind
Tagged: Fail, Wedding
I’m seriously the worst, aren’t I? I promise this playlist to be a weekly feature and I totally misled you guys because here we are, weeks later (and not even a Wednesday?!) and I’m finally representing “The Playlist”. Forgive me. And pass the memo to your iTunes, too.
This week I present the Climax, which should swoon any lady friends into melting in your arms and set the mood to make any man stand at attention *ahem*. The Climax is a passionate mix of songs whose lyrics and tempo personify… well, a climax, I should hope. From Little Brother’s “The Way You Do It” all the way to Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Worth”, I hope this does the trick. If not, let me know and I’ll make sure to develop something that will.
Tracklisting:
Jill Scott- Crown Royale
Lauryn Hill ft. D’Angelo- Nothing Even Matters
Bilal- You’re All I Need
Slum Village- Count The Ways (ft. Dwele)
Pharoahe Monch- So Good
Outkast- Jazzy Belle ft. Debra Killings
Minnie Riperton- Inside My Love
Glenn Lewis- Don’t You Forget It
Robin Thicke- Teach U A Lesson
Musiq Soulchild- Sobeautiful
Maxwell- This Woman’s Worth
Maroon 5- Secret
Little Brother- The Way You Do It
Justin Timberlake- Take It From Here
-SamSun
Categories: Phatten The Mind · The Playlist
Tagged: Bilal, Climax, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, Minnie Riperton, Pharoahe Monch, Playlist, Slum Village
Stumbled across this little gem of brilliantly photoshopped advertisements. You’ve all seen the magazine covers and airbrushed ads, but this showcases the genius of the advertisements that are ridiculously crafted thanks to photoshop. Here’s a few of my favorites, but make sure to peep the rest of the ones that made the list here.
-SamSun
Categories: 1
Incredulous, I loosened grip until the crash made shrapnel out of my phone.
Sun streamed in mocking rays,
same I imagine would have hit your body,
losing life as I sobbed miles away on my knees.
I crawled feet to the kitchen,
enveloped in arms and salty tears,
saw students filter out of dorms like recycled energy
and made fruitless plans for us.
But
I will never meet your future fiancé,
beaming smiles from her eyes that mirror a future in yours.
I will never again see you dance,
claiming sex appeal that would make Zeus jealous,
while I nod and laugh at the consistency of your cockiness.
I will never experience the comfort
of laying in the heat between your shoulder and your neck,
or stalk out the door with you while the boys exclude me again.
I want to go back and savor the moments
when I was not lost, searching my memories for you.
I ran home into dozens of arms with no faces
but nobody fit quite right.
When I read at your memorial,
I choked at the third word and saw everyone choked with me.
I drive past the curve often,
ensuring silence,
paying no attention to cars whizzing by in impatience.
I imagine you’d scold me,
tell me you’d rather I spend time doing than dreaming.
I imagine cursing your absence
because nothing seems worth doing without you, Fabian.
I long for your humor,
your freedom, your spirit
to mock me outside of my reveries.
But if that’s the only place I can meet you,
I promise I’ll bring you a mix CD
And we’ll listen, top down, legs flailing,
as we drive to our date in the sky
at the crossroads of your heaven and my earth.
I must drive by the scene of the accident at least once a week, either inadvertently or because I miss him. It’s been two and a half years now, and I’m still in disbelief in a number of ways. It’s hard, losing somebody that you’d never imagine would die– especially not one that you’d consider family. Fabian was a rock of sorts in my life, and his sudden passing swept the rug from right under me. Needless to say, my grades hadn’t fared well that semester and even now, I can be caught zoning whenever something particular reminds me of him. Without a doubt, not a day goes by that I don’t think of him.
I wrote this poem shortly after he died. There’s so much I wanted to change about it because it sounds a little juvenile, but when I went back to edit, I felt wrong doing it. Whether or not it might sound better, I can’t alter my emotions at the time. So there it is.
Almost all of us have had to deal with death at some point in our lives, and if we haven’t yet, the time is probably coming. We have the fortune of having certain special people in our lives, and even if we see them everyday or get frustrated because they happen to pain in the asses sometimes, there’s never a wrong time to say that you love them. Because trust me, you will miss them when they’re gone.
-SamSun
Categories: A Word From The PHAT Kids
Tagged: Accident, Death, Loved Ones, Poetry
$12 in advance, $15 at the door.
dig it!
-Nakeya B.
Categories: Snack On This
Tagged: music, NYC, Women
Saw this and I couldn’t help but smirk. Last year, XXL’s cover of the freshmen 15 sparked so much controversy about who was on it and who was left out. Articles like those are so good at getting people revved because they’re marked as “the future”, at least for the year, and that’s always bound to get the pretentious and hype-monsters alike to stand up in uproar to deflate or praise the music that’s listed.
So in their own stroke of genius, Honey Magazine decided to beat competitors to the bunch and release their 2009 list. They’re going to get so many hits for this, but don’t get me wrong– I’m not hating on it. Huge co-signs to some, like Theophilus London, Muffy, Nikki Jean (she and her band Nouveau Riche have been so seriously slept on…wake up, Philly!), Melo-X, Dom Kennedy, Mayer Hawthorne and Jade.
I understand the need for diversity but I could do without the dirty South cat, Pill. I’m probably a little biased because southern beats don’t always land on my good side. Sorry, folks. The chick Jazzy is a little disposable too. She sounds like a straight RIP out of Keri Hilson’s book. There goes the originality factor. As for second chances, I’ll do some research and see if I resurface with a changed opinion. Can’t say I don’t try.
Some of the artists I hadn’t even heard of before, but the article definitely opened up some opportunity to satiate that ear of mine. They compare this dude Rob Roy to Andre 3000, a claim I take SERIOUSLY considering he’s one of my favorite emcees ever. The track they put up doesn’t give me much to respect the statement either *shrug*.
To avoid this sounding like a crique, head over to Honey and check it out, I think they did a pretty decent job of creating a rivalrous list for 2009. Watch out for them, like it or not.
-SamSun
Categories: A Word From The PHAT Kids · Phatten The Mind
Tagged: 2009 Freshmen, Electronica, Freshmen 15, Hip-Hop, Honey Magazine, Mayer Hawthorne, Melo-X, Muffy, Nikki jean, Theophilus London
atetraks
SamSun
nakeyab