Treasurechest's Blog #9: Sleep When I'm Dead
"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now," sings Bob Dylan in "My Back Pages". In all honesty, I had to look up that song's name prior to writing this and can't readily recall any of the other lyrics. But, for some reason, that one line has stuck with me since I can remember (maybe because it repeats throughout the song), and lately I've been thinking about it more and more. When I was 21 years old I graduated from college, turned 22 a couple days later, and then went directly into the Teach For America program where I taught elementary school for three years on Chicago's South side. I didn't really know what I signed up for. I knew it involved teaching, that it would require a tremendous amount of work, but I really did not know the full extent until I got to the Summer Institute Training, which I refer to as Teacher's Boot Camp. I went out to L.A. and taught second grade in Compton, while taking classes and training sessions. I'm not going to go into the details, or write about my day to day classroom experiences once I got home and started my real job in Chicago's Englewood (that's for a forthcoming book). However, I will say that I was in L.A. when it all hit me, and that Bob Dylan line popped back into my consciousness. I remember telling my friends at the time, "I can't wait to be 24, and be young again." What hit me, like a ton of bricks, was the fact that there would be no post-college "lounging around" for me. I didn't hit one Monday @ Evil Olive (or 2005 equivalent). I never went out on a Thursday night, and only went to school with a little hangover once, it was extremely painful, and I never let it happen again.
I think about that period from time to time, and it's almost shocking to me how different my life is now. As a teacher, I lived a very disciplined life. I went to bed early, got up early, and had a focused routine of going to the gym after school, cooking dinner, and planning for the next day. I squeezed in time for writing, doing interviews, and DJing, but when I started dating another teacher, I realized that something had to be cut and I took about a year off from the turntables. I wore a tie to work everyday, and regularly had conference calls with parents, adopted character voices for the morning "Read-Aloud", submitted to performance reviews, and attended workshops...Anyway, my point is not about teaching...Rather, it's that I'm about to turn 27, and feel much younger than I did at 22, something like the Bob Dylan quote above. I don't exactly know what that means yet, or even if it's a bad thing. It just is...
Also, since April is National Poetry Month, I thought I'd switch things up a little bit and share a poem that I wrote during my teaching experience, and that I re-read over the weekend. The piece is called "Sleep When I'm Dead"...Check it out...
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Kid Cudi...That Just Happened
That just happened...Kid Cudi gained major points from Hip Hop heads with his recent appearance on Green Lantern's Sirius Radio Show in which he dropped an Ondaspot Freestyle that lived up to it's name. I saw the video pop up around the web, and even in our own office, but didn't get a chance to actually watch it yesterday. My bad...The description and the comments I heard about the video cued me into the quality of Cudi's performance, but did not really communicate to me the significance. His impromtu freestyle was actually on the spot, and Cudi seized his chance to stand out for something beyond "Day N' Nite"..
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RubyHornet x dubFrequency: Crème de la Crème SXSW Donnis Interview
Earlier in the week we posted a Chaise Marcel track produced by Chaise Marcel. Here Donnis talks about people mistaking him for Million $ Mano, SXSW, moving around the country, and also performs "Jockin On Them Haters".
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RubyHornet x dubFrequency: Crème de la Crème SXSW Mickey Factz Performance
Mickey Factz hit Crème de la Crème SXSW and brought a lot of NYC with him. Check out this clip featuring our favorite Factz joint, "Automatic".
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RH Events: Crème de la Crème 4.18.09 w/U-N-I
Yessir! We're very excited to announce our next installment ofCrème de la Crème w/our homies at dubFrequency. So excited that we're jumping the gun a little bit and starting the promo a litte earlier than normal. The extra enthusiasm comes from Cali's U-N-I, who will perform live for the first time in the Windy City. U-N-I just released a very dope street album, A Love Supreme, as well as a mixtape with Mick Boogie. They picked up an MTVU award in '08, and have been snatching attention and buzz across the country. Thurz and YO will be rocking the house alongside RH's resident DJ and wordsmith, RTC and of coarse photos by RH's Virgil Solis...RSVP and get there early!
Also check out U-N-I's meet & greet @ Jugrnaut Chicago details below...
RubyHornet x dubFrequency: Crème de la Crème SXSW Proton Performance
Proton hits the stage at Creme De La Creme SXSW edition, here playing a love song for his comp...Check it out below, and much more to come.
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DJ Spinna: "Summer Madness"
High Water Music is getting ready for a big summer. The indie label is prepping releases from DJ Spinna, Fresh Daily, and Daniel Joseph. To get you in tuned, DJ Spinna put this together this little preview mix. Check out the video below.
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Vic Mensah and Simeon Vitz: "Body Movin' In '09"
Simeon of the primeridian and Vic Mensah linked up at the Digital Youth Network and record this "Body Moving 09 Freestyle." This was actually done during a workshop in which the focus was on J Dilla beats (Big up Kareem Riggins) and youth (who didn't already know) were exposed to Dilla's legacy.
vic is a monster and a half....honestly, his attention to detail with lyrics is unbelievable for anyone..lets alone a dude that cant even drive yet....