ATETRAKS GOES TO THE ART SHOW.

August 25, 2009 · 2 Comments

Spoonful after spoonful… I just couldn’t get enough.

weblarge2

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.

“Welcome to Spoonfed. Enjoy”

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: , ,

Reality ch-ch-check.

August 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment

As I am filtering through the mounds of feces on the internet I often come across potentially ATETRAKS worthy material. This time around, I find myself bopping to Binary Star and diligently searching for an art form or an image that summarizes my state of mind. As the track Reality Check begins, the beat fills my brain and I suddenly come across this:

LindaJoyExchange2005-BENDOVERBACKWARDS

Artist: Linda Joy (Drexel Universtiy)

As it sits on my screen, I initially find myself feeling naked. Holy shit, I think that’s me. So there I am, identifying instantly with multiple aspects of the piece. First, she is obviously a broad, which if my anatomy serves me right, I happen to be one also. Secondly, her feminine demeanor and lack of clothing joined by high heel shoes are characteristics that define the female sex.  Standing there on the stage of life, with the curtains drawn,  she stares straight into you with an emotionless face. Her face shows no sign of anguish or discomfort and I realize that it is because she has become so accustomed, so utterly conditioned to bending over backwards.

What inspired this post was the mere fact that regardless of gender, culture, or nationality…there is one thing that many of us are guilty of. That fact is that many of us glide through reality with the idea that we are supposed to fit into some magical mold. We often have internal battles over what our innate passions are or about our individual purposes. In doing this injustice, you bend over backwards for shit that doesn’t matter and for shitty people who are often intimidated by the potential that you, yourself fail to acknowledge.

Having been raised in a academically psycho atmosphere, and majoring in biology for Christ’s sake… had truly convinced me that I had only one real path in life: Get the M.D. after my name and get a real job that makes a lot of money. However, by denying the truth (that in fact, I have many paths) I felt as though I seemed less scatter-brained and unfocused to my competition and my peers. This made me think of my other passions as silly expenditures of priceless time that could be spent finding shit out like… the effects of intracellular protein alterations on mitochondrial DNA. (!!!)

What the fuck.

Although that initial path is still one that I plan to follow, there are things other than science that I have finally come to accept and I can stop bending over backwards in attempts to make myself into something I’m not so sure I am ready to be just yet.

So this week I come to you with a reality check. Humans are beautifully complex organisms with one trait that makes us pretty dope animals.

OUR BRAINS. We are really good at thinking. So put your life in perspective and spend a long hard minute on how YOU see your life. If everything is upside down, if your spine is throbbing and there is too much blood rushing towards your skull then YOUR SHIT IS NOT WHERE IT SHOULD BE. Don’t hesitate to acknowledge your short-comings and your strengths. Just make it so that both assist you in getting to where you want to be.

Stand up straight and keep it real.

My number one policy is quality.

Never sell my soul, is my philosophy.

-Binary Star.

me


-Dr. Sanchez

Categories: A Word From The PHAT Kids

Sexy, sexy she wolf.

July 31, 2009 · Leave a Comment

shakira-she-wolf-album-1-1

Many of you may not know this… but I am the proud victim of GIRL CRUSHES.

Yum.

Gentlemen, as you can surely agree there is something that is just truly hypnotizing about a beautiful woman. The way she smells. The way she walks. The way her silhouette makes your mind race. The click click of her heels as she moves past you. I am a devoted fan and supporter of the male species, however I am very guilty of fawning over certain femme fatales that define trends, eras, and the boundaries in which a set of hips can defy its joints.

I have been an enormous Shakira fan since I was a glorious 10 years old, when all of her songs were in Spanish and she had red dreds. She’s successfully crossed over and come a long way. She just released her new single “Loba” in Spanish and “She wolf” in English. This video is stupid hot. It has 3 crucial elements:

A flesh colored body suit.

A cage.

Howling.

Check out shakira.com for the full video!!!

Eat it up.

-Dr. Sanchez

Categories: Snack On This

I met this girl when I was 10 years old…

July 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment

cantstop

When did it happen to you?  When did you fall face first onto the hot pavement…?

Love struck.

Was it when her beautiful eyes met yours as she floated passed you? Maybe her long dark legs moving to a beat that matched the rhythm of the ventricles inside your chest. Could it have been the purity of her grin as she revealed the essence of your existence upon opening her mouth? Or was it the way you felt every. single. word. she uttered…sweep past your ear, penetrating deep as she slowly stole the virginity of your neurons. Firing them off…

one.

by.

one.

Sending cold vibrations that gripped your spinal chord. You’re entire body was an action potential. Your skin covered in raised hairs and your right foot began to tap…

tap tap tap to the beat. Thinking to yourself:

HOT DAMN.

The fuck was that?

HIP-HOP. She likes it raw, lives loyal, and is unquestionably…one of them life altering bitches.

My affair with her has made me a fiend for books written about her.

The following book has been a part of my library for quite some time and whether you are the conscious, pop, southern, gangster, or hard-core fan… I recommend adding it to yours as well. It is an account of the culture that hip-hop created and how it’s changed over the last few decades. Everything from the gangs of the Bronx to the swag of the Cali movement and the artists in between.

So Phat kids… do it how the nerds do. Walk into your local Barnes and Noble (I should pay rent there) and pick it up. It is slightly but respectably opinionated, YET incredibly informative.  Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The History of The Hip-Hop Generation gives you the history lesson we all wish we got junior year of high school.

-Dr. Sanchez

Categories: Digest and Progress

The Poe-lice and the Harvard PhD.

July 25, 2009 · Leave a Comment

gates

It was a normal sunny afternoon in Cambridge.

Bostonians were all probably in the midst of the lunch hustle.

Srgt. James Crowley was patrolling a local neighborhood when he noticed something suspicious. There was a man who seemed to be having difficulty entering a home. He was of dark complexion, late 50’s maybe, medium stature, and seemed to move with a limp. James had allegedly just gotten word of an alleged attempted robbery in that precise area.

As he pulls up to the residence, he notices that the gentleman had now successfully made his way into the home through the back door. Crowley throws the whip into park, takes his sunglasses off of his face, opens the patrol car door and proceeds to walk up the porch steps. The Gentleman opens the screen door as Crowley politely asks him to step outside.

crowley

What happened next has been in heated debate between the Cambridge Police department and the Harvard University family, of which our prospective perpetrator happens to be a beloved member.

(more…)

Categories: Phatten The Mind

What songs SUMMER-IZE the season?

July 23, 2009 · Leave a Comment

oie_ipod_bikini

As the melanin in my skin is being put to the test, I lift my head and begin dusting the sand off my kelly green bikini. The predominant frown line in my forehead is in full force as I squint into the screen of my IPOD. Around and around goes my rotating thumb through the archives of my soul. As I stumble upon a few songs that irrefutably remind me of the sweetness of summer… I ask myself: “WHAT MADE ME JUST HIT PLAY?”

I have come to realize a few things about the summah-time…

1.) The women of the East Coast look better (after enduring the brutality of a Philadelphia winter there is no way chicks from L.A. glow like we do in the sun).
2.) Love or lust, the flings are better (we are all wearing 5 layers less than we were 3 months ago, what do you expect?)
3.) The music that is throbbing from our car stereos, BBQ’s, house parties, and discotecs is so. bloody. good. From hip-hop to oldies, pop to grunge.

So, at your next social gathering  I hope the following comes up in conversation:

TOP TEN SUMMER SONGS:
It was hard as shit to only chose 10. Download accordingly, my friends.

1. Summertime- DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Obviously. Now, if for some bizzarro reason, you don’t know this one, you should politely ask someone to punch you in the face.

2. Santeria- Sublime
This track, with its reggae melody and subtle messages, makes you wonder just how much weed needs to be smoked to write such a phat-ass song.
Word up, LBC.

3. Juicy- Notorious B.I.G.
This will be played at my funeral. Enough said.

4. Under the Boardwalk-The Drifters
I don’t care what anyone says. We all ache to shake the sand out of our buttcracks hair after being felt up by someone whose kisses taste like a cherry Flavo-O-Pop popsicle. (Yes, the ones in the plastic sleeve).

5. Is this Love- Bob Marley
I know many of you are thinking that I should have said Jammin’ but seriously, anything by this man should be in constant rotation during the summer. This song just makes me feel good. Real good.

6. My Girl- The Temptations
Call me an old head, but The Temptations just do it to me. It’s hard not to fall in love when this melody infiltrates the air around you. Play this at any party and the bitches will be wild’n.

7. California Love- Tupac featuring Dr. Dre
I swear, I only feel gangster when I have my windows down and this song is blaring. Even if I am only cruising through white suburbia, I feel like I’m in Oakland.

8. Still Not a Player- Big Punisher featuring Joe
Sweet Jesus, what list would be complete without Big Pun? This song will make you start a block party and date a Puerto Rican. Even my grandmother knew the “Boriqua… morena” breakdown.

9. Light My Fire- The Doors
1967 psychedelic hippy summer. Sweet guitar riffs. The time for hesitation is through.

10. In honor of the almighty Mr. Michael Jackson, there is a spot on this list for all of his songs (my own personal preference would be anything from Thriller).
Still bummed out. Rest in Peace.

So remember…
Make love, not war, listen to ONLY good music, eat your popsicles, and enjoy the heat Phat Kids.

-Dr. Sanchez

Categories: Snack On This

FREE MUSIC. FRESH AIR.

July 10, 2009 · Leave a Comment

take me to the park.Can you smell that? 

The sweet smell of rain, green grass, and sweat.  Summer in New York City often entails 2:00 PM happy hours (just because), Ray-Bans, cheek-short dresses, and sun-kissed cleavage.  So, what could make such a remarkable city even better this time of year?  Letting the sounds of  The Philharmonic Orchestra have their way with you in the middle of Central Park sounds pretty damn sexy to me.

 

WHEN: July 14th, 2009 – 8PM

WHERE: The Great Lawn, Central Park

WHAT, EXACTLY: $0.  FREE. 

 Mozart- Symphony No. 41  Jupiter & Beethoven- Symphony No. 7  (Followed by fireworks…so you have even more reason to kiss the person next to you.)

 

 

- Dr. Sanchez

Categories: Uncategorized

“Excuse me…. How much for the Wisdom?”

July 10, 2009 · 3 Comments

Have you ever wondered what the last few moments of your life will feel like? Have you ever wondered how fast time really evaporates? Have you ever thought to ask the little old man sitting next to you on the train about the quality of his life?

I know you’re curious–find out why I ask after the jump…

(more…)

Categories: Phatten The Mind

Dope Girl Thursday: Latasha Mercer

July 9, 2009 · 1 Comment

Tasha

Occupation: Model
Resides: Queens, NY

Some may call her Latasha, but to me she’s Tasha. We’ve worked together to many times to count and each and everytime shes puts in so much work, so much energy, and so much laughter. When I approached her with the idea of having her in the project she was stoked as all hell. Little did I know what she had in store for me. Simply put, shes fierce and is never afraid to be different (hence the blue braids).

We met in Newark Penn Station ready to shoot and actually shot in an empty stair well. Tasha pulled out this ciggarete which was cool. She wanted to use it as a prop, then she lit it. At first it was funny watching her gag one minute at the smell but as soon as I said “Okay I’m starting”, Tasha put on that model face and really worked the camera.

For you photographers in need of a ride or die model, shes the one.

-Nakeya B.

Categories: W.O.E.
Tagged:

Capture The Flag Fever!

July 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment

If you’ve never played or heard of Capture the Flag, you probably didn’t have a very active child hood. When I saw that Newmindspace and Urban Madness joined forces to bring a massive capture the flag game to Williamsburg I got super excited (weird). See for yourself the after party sounds pretty good.

5400_775383792782_28129308_49392281_1374986_n

-Nakeya B.

Categories: Snack On This
Tagged: