West Side

"Back in Philly, we be out in the park..."

The Fresh Prince - Summertime

The end of the year always brings people to reflect on their lives, and while I have been thinking about numerous things this week...there is one thing that I wanted to make clear before January 1, 2011.

Showtime

If someone would have told me that the tall, lanky younger brother of Sharia Bryant would one day grow up to become one of the best basketball players in the world...I wouldn't know how to interpret that information. 16-years ago, the only thing on my mind was getting a new pair of sneakers, and hanging out with my siblings and friends.

People are usually skeptical about my friendship with the Bryant and Cox families, however it's because of Kobe, that I cheer for and support the Los Angeles Lakers. I grew up watching the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, however when the Lakers drafted Eddie Jones from Temple in 1994, and then acquired Bryant two years later...I became a Lakers know it all. What would you do if your friend was drafted by a professional team...I'm guessing you would be a fan?

I'm all about my hometown team...I enjoy watching the Sixers, and I cheer for them always. In fact, as I write this they are playing in the Staples Center, and with 2:36 to go in the 2nd quarter they are trailing the Lake Show by 10-points, 46-36.

This is how I root for two teams...the first thing I do is assess them both realistically...meaning the Lakers are a championship caliber team, so I hope they win it all, and the 76ers are in the midst of bouncing back from a bad season last year, so I'd love for them to advance to the playoffs, and make a run.

I just wanted to set the record straight...Happy New Year!

Presidential Suite

Larry Miller and AG. in Philadelphia

NYC

"America surprise us, and let a black man guide us..."

Nas - Black President

I, like most young people wanted to grow up and play sports professionally. At a very early age I was so intrigued with competition, and sport that I often dreamed of becoming an All-Star in either basketball, futbol, or baseball.

Role Model

It was Sir Charles Barkley who once echoed that he wasn't a role model...now at the time, I disagreed with him because I was a child that looked up to him as a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers. However Barkley was correct, as he backed up that statement by saying that he was just a basketball player and that parents, and working professionals were the people we should look up to.

It all makes perfect sense now, as I never attained my dream of playing in the NBA, but I did land a job with the League office upon my graduation from Temple University. The rationale was that my skill set didn't live up to my ambitions, so I had to channel that love for basketball into a job.

Since then, my zeal for the game continues to propel my career path, as I have switched gears from working in public relations to becoming a journalist.

One of the persons that I look up to and have looked up to for quite sometime is Philadelphia native and Temple University alum, Larry Miller. I first met him when he worked for the Jordan Brand in New York City during a Jumpman promotional tour. What amazed me the most was that he is from the same neighborhood that I'm from, and he now serves as the President of the Portland Trail Blazers organization. His love of sports helped him to excel and grow into becoming an executive of an NBA franchise.

His name was in the news recently as he sent an email to all the NBA teams, warning them not to sign Darius Miles to spite his organization. It's a long story, but at the end of the day, he is just doing his job, and for that I will continue look up to him.

Bill Cosby, Will Smith, and Larry Miller have proven to me, that my environment does not and should not decide my future. If they can achieve, then I too can follow in their footsteps.

Photo: Webster Riddick

Rebel Without a Pause

West Philadelphia style - AG. and Ahmir

Nike Air Force 1 - ?uesto golden ticket edition

"I got so much trouble on my mind...refuse to lose. Here's your ticket...hear the drummer get wicked!"

Chuck D - Welcome to the Terrordome

I was born, not raised in West Philadelphia. I have always claimed West Philly even though I didn't grow up there. When The Fresh Prince of Bel Air debuted on NBC in 1990, the main thing that mesmerized me was the song in the opening credits, as Will Smith would proclaim his West Philadelphia roots. Aside from the theme music, Will and Jazz provided me with hope, and the aspiration to make it in the entertainment industry. I didn't want to rap, DJ or anything like that, the only thing that mattered was becoming an actor, or an analyst for ABC's Wide World of Sports.

My mother attended West Philadelphia High School and I wanted to go there as well. My father and his siblings were and are still very well known there, so when we moved, I didn't realize that we had left the neighborhood...having settled in the somewhat friendlier surroundings of East Oak Lane. We were still in the city, but it was a stark contrast to the Wild West.

To make this anecdote a little more interesting I also call Brooklyn, NY home, however that is another story. All in all, its a matter of pride, and in my professional career, I look forward to taking my place among the great people of my hometown...from Wilt Chamberlain, Patti LaBelle, Kobe Bryant, and Tammy Montgomery, to Guion S. Bluford Jr., as well as Ahmir Thompson.

Yesterday I began things as I normally would...brushing my teeth, checking facebook, and watching ESPN. Somewhere within the 9 o'clock hour, I received two phones from friends saying that I was quoted in the newspaper about the new ?uestlove Nike Air Force 1. By midday the text messages started to pour in asking if I could secure a few pairs of the shoe. A little while later, I decided to make a trip to UBIQ, where the sneaker would release, not only to see what the fuss was about, but to more importantly support ?uestlove, and interview him.

I arrived around 5:30pm and I made my way through the traffic of people to the DJ table. I leaned over and asked ?uesto if I could get a few minutes in between sets, and he agreed. During my wait, I enjoyed the scene, and caught up with friends. As the night began to cover the sky, like red wine seeps into the soul..I noticed Marsha Ambrosius, and that's when my gears starting turning. Not only could I get my one interview, but I could also speak extemporaneously with Marsha. It's moments like these that remind me why I choose a path in journalism and mass media.

Here is the score on my conversation with ?uestlove:

Talk about Hip-Hop as your first love:

"I love all music, however things changed when Public Enemy dropped It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back. I walked from 52nd and Osage [avenue] to 52nd and Market, to the local Mom and Pop record store. I got the cassette at 9:30 AM, and I walked 25 blocks to work. I was utterly obsessed with all the tracks, but it was Show’em what you got that really did it for me. And then I went on the biggest decision of my life…I went on my lunch break and I never came back.”

This question is from DJ Dai*Light in Japan...with CD mixers and computer programs replacing turntables, as well as Internet radio, mixtape sites, and personal music pages helping artists break their own music, what standards do new DJ's set?

"It [new technology] helps me. No one ever asks the question of my authenticity because the whole world knows that I have a large record collection, and whenever I go on tour...I take my records with me, and one of them always manages to break. So for me, its like I always dreamed of carrying 20,000 records in my pocket, you know what I'm sayin'? So pretty much for me, I see it as a new evolution. Some people are afraid of change, some people view the serato and are more terrified of it, than they are of a black man running the country."

Talk about the art of collecting records and sneakers:

"Pretty much, I'm on another level with record collecting. I have brokers. I don't do the normal...now I dig...I usually go to the Salvation Army, but my time is limited, so I just cut to the chase. I have brokers, and they call and say 'a widow wants to sell her husband's jazz collection, or 'a mother needs to raise money for her son in jail, so I have the brokers that handle all that for me. But yeah, anything goes, I'll collect anything. I like going to new countries and seeing things that they have to offer. This is the information age, and people can reach you on myspace and they'll say, 'yo when you come to Brazil, I'm going to take you diggin'. So I'm on a different level with my diggin' game. With sneakers...I'm pretty much in with Nike so all I have to do is call the company, and say 'I'll take 8 of those. But I still buy sneakers, even when I have 'em coming to me, I still get extra pair to keep on ice. I purchased 10 pair of my own sneakers, and I would have actually bought every pair."

Watch the video below for more on ?uestlove: