The top ten places on the web you need to go to be cool like me.
 
T.R.O.Y. Blog- A super dope blog that focuses on ‘90’s Hip-Hop and features free mixtapes and rare 12”s to download and talk about. Updated daily with multiple entries.
 
RapReviews.com- The Omaha-based site is the definitive place for Hip-Hop album reviews from a number of contributors. The site also features interviews with artists and a new podcast series. Updated weekly.
 
Flawless Hustle (formerly Rhymehouse.com)- Strictly the newest Hip-Hop MP3’s, new artist features, videos, interviews, and news about the culture. Updated constantly.
 
Young Readers Blog- You’re on it! Read all the thoughts from the minds of Siouxland’s youth. (Shameless self plug…I couldn’t help it.)
 
Stankonia.com- My old favorite website just got a super facelift! The OutKast and Dungeon Family fan forum and message board to end all! Tell ‘em Dice sent ya.
 
Yahoo! Sports Blogs- MLB, NBA, NCAA, NHL, NFL, PGA, NASCAR, Fantasy Sports…they’re all here in a collection of separate blogs with quirky, fun, and entertaining posts from all aspects of sport. Updated constantly on weekdays.
 
712 Hip-Hop- My brand new upstart features articles, reviews, concert info, and news on Hip-Hop musicians from or who have played in Sioux City. Also on myspace. (Another shameless plug, but know you want to visit.) Updated when I feel like it.
 
Wrestlecrap.com- A chronicle of the comedic, the wacky, and the just plain horrible angles, characters, and matches from the world of professional wrestling. Also check out the best message board for wrestling news and rumors on the net.
 
The Unofficial Musketeers Forum- Stay up to date on everything having to do with your Sioux City Musketeers. Talk games, players, coaches, the USHL, the NHL, and anything else on this unofficial fan site.
 
Frank and Ernest- The best comic ever!!! ‘Nuff said.
 
and one extra…
 
The Gateway Drug- Your new favorite band.

You got some resource to do? Whether it’s the history of popcorn or the biography of a world leader, this is my starting point, always. I’m just old enough to have slid by using it as a primary source throughout my academic career. But nowadays, teachers and especially college professors are hip to the game. They sometimes write conditions into assignments banning students from using Wikipedia, while some have outright blocked the entire site as a source since the website’s information is open to editing by any average Joe, which can lead to inaccurate or incomplete ‘facts’. But is this really a smart idea by teachers? 

Any savvy researcher can get around this blockade since everything valid on Wikipedia is referenced to another source in the footnotes. So, Wikipedia is actually just a compilation data center that links access to every source it pulls from unlike the one-and-only stop of old World Book or Britannica Encyclopedias (which were typically my sole point of reference for elementary and middle school assignments). But then again, like every bunch has its bad apples, lazy students don’t read anything past the main Wiki page thus giving educators validity to their bans. But then again (again!), these types of students are the ones known for going through the motions not really trying to maximize their time in education. Meanwhile, real students studying any topic at hand will usually always dive deeper into a subject of their interest and read scores of sources. And Wikipedia seems to be the best and most complete and accessible card catalog of internet information we have. 

So where do you stand on Wikipedia?

-PeAcE,
DeRoin.

I decided to write a piece about a friend of mine…who happens to be one of the most popular (and busy) musicians in town. Enjoy…

A young Eboli once met a famous musician without even knowing it. Both were arriving at a Lollapalooza concert in Minneapolis in 1994. “On the walk to the concert I met a guy and talked Hip-Hop with him for a two mile walk,” Eboli recalls. “When we got to the gate to give [our] tickets… the guy pulled out a backstage, all-access pass and the ticket taker says, ‘Thanks Q-Tip, have a great day’.” Yes, that Q-Tip. (I guess he really is the Abstract brother.)

So, the Sioux City-based emcee / deejay / producer may have had a hearty, hiking discussion about Hip-Hop with the ATCQ frontman without being aware who he initially was, but Eboli is not the only one who’s not recognized a renowned artist. On the flipside though, people ARE recognizing Eboli, known as Jason to his family. “I get people I don’t ‘know’ coming up to me all the time like- ‘I saw you play this show or that show’. But one time I was getting some grub at a fast food place and this dude is giving me sparkle eyes and smiling at me from behind the counter. I’m thinking the guy is either slow or a bit light to the touch but I just ignored it. I sit down to eat and this guy comes up to me right after I take a huge bite and says, ‘Aren’t you EBOLI?’ I almost choked because it caught me so off guard but I respected dude and chopped it up with him after I swallowed my food. [He] turned out to be a cool guy.”

But a lot people should be getting used to his face these days since he’s currently involved in at least four Hip-Hop projects on the regular. For starters, Eboli and his brother-in-law Debo make up Tha Family. Alongside Primetime on alto saxophone, he completes a new duo called Lazer Rocket Arm. Then there’s the Eboli solo career where he does all: the vocals, production, and scratching. Plus, he has become Sioux City’s premiere booker by bringing in top regional Hip-Hop acts for nearly a year and a half. If you’ve seen a dope Hip-Hop show in Sioux City recently, he’s behind it.

If he’s not busy enough as it is, you might catch Eboli at his nine-to-five as a Graphic Design Artist. Plus, he is about to become a father for the first time, too. If he has any downtime left after all that, Eboli is an avid hockey fan and skater that also enjoys watching football. Lucky for you, he still managed some precious time to answer a few questions that the 712 Hip-Hop braintrust cooked up in wanting to know about the man known as Eboli and how he got to where he is today.

To read the full interview, go to: 712 Hip-Hop Blog!

PeAcE,
C. DeRoin.

I feel like reminiscing with you, so how about a series of posts where I break down and bring back some of my favorite things from the generation that we grew up in. Yea– I’ll call it “The ’90’s on My Mind”. So let’s take the journey back to the decade of Chris Webber’s extra timeout, Bill Clinton’s notorious escapades, and the Carlton Banks dance- shall we?

First off: Yo, let’s remember… Yo! MTV Raps.

Thanks to ruthless sample hunters and outrageous royalty fees, producers have to be extra sneaky when sampling breaks and loops in Hip-Hop these days or risk being slapped with a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Creatively has no doubt been stifled…so here are a couple throwbacks to the Golden Age of crate diggin’ and ill emcees. It’s easy to compare and contrast today’s popular Hip-Hop to then—just like day and night. This is personification of the H.E.R. Common used to love.

I’m getting old and don’t want to. But at the same time, I wish I was old enough to even fully remember stuff like THIS:

Main Source- Fakin’ the Funk (1992)
 
With members hailing from NYC and Toronto, Ontario, the Main Source was an early 90’s regular guy Hip-Hop trio made of producer/emcee Large Professor (dude in the glasses), deejay Sir Scratch, and emcee/deejay K-Cut (other rapper). Officially only dropping one LP- 1991’s seminal classic Breaking Atoms- the Source still managed to drop a bunch of hits before the group had its falling out and called it quits. You may remember such jams as “Looking at the Front Door” or maybe “Live at the Barbeque” featuring some youngster named Nasir Jones for the first time on record (yeeaaa, he’s got potential- we might hear from him again). But check the above performance of “Fakin’ the Funk” from Yo! MTV Raps in 1992. How can anyone not love Ed Lover calling about suckas, including BET? These days, MTV censors lyrics with references to the network. 

Pete Rock & CL Smooth- T.R.O.Y. / The Creator (1992)

Pete Rock (red shirt and Florida State hat) and CL Smooth (yellow sweater with an old Seattle Mariners hat on) are two cats from Mount Vernon, New York. If you’ve never heard of them, man you’ve been missing out. CL was known for always laying down buttery vocals with a silky smooth bravado, while Pete is still considered one of the best and more prolific producers ever. Since their debut EP in 1991, these cats had held Hip-Hop hostage they were so fresh. If these soul laced jams aren’t evidence enough, you need your head checked. Go pick up their full length debut Mecca & The Soul Brother right now! But, from 1992 again, it’s a double shot of the duo coming at ya while Ed and Dre slowly creep in from the background.  Long live Ed Lover and Doctor Dre (and original host Fab 5 Freddy)!

And that’s it! Ahh…the good times…

But, hey, don’t sit on the sidelines- hit me up with your favorite memories, fashions, music, events, or beyond from the best 10 years ever. You know I’m gonna be talking about Steve Urkel, Full House, the Chicago Bulls, the Macarena, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Nintendo, and even the Spice Girls- so help me remember, won’t ya?

PeAcE,
DeRoin.

The best things in life are free right?!? Eh…I guess…

But, have you ever been to TotallyFreeCrap.com?

The site is a collection of crazy offers from all over the web for anything and everything free. And there’s a brand new post every day. There are some standard freebies like Post-It notes, pens, CD-Roms, tote bags, cosmetic samples, books, crappy t-shirts, and the like. But sometimes you might stumble upon some wacky items worth a shot just to see if something is sent your way. How’s a free house plant sound? Free letter from Santa…why not?! An o-zone test kit…only if it’s approved by Al Gore!!! And of course, “Free Mystery Shampoo”!?!

Too good to be true? Sometimes, as my free bowl of Cheerios, USB flash drive, and Jimi Hendrix posters never showed up. But I did receive some excellent random items such as rules of Ping Pong poster (which hung proudly in the BCU mail room last year), a manic-depressant diary (which doubles as an extra notebook for the evenly-mental me), numerous granola bars (some actually very tasty), some cookies (old actually very old), some sort of medical kit, a poison control kit (I was really hoping for a bunch of Mr. Yuk stickers), and the grand achievement- a subscription to a magazine for potato farmers.

Try to out yourself, scour the archives, and report back with the coolest or weirdest thing you receive.

…and wish me luck in receiving the free tennis ball and toilet paper I just signed up for.

PeAcE,
DeRoin.

By now we have all heard about the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’.  The aircraft that was safely landed in the Hudson River, near New York City, leaving nearly all 155 passengers unharmed has been a top story for the last few days.

A fear of flying is a common one. I read an interesting article that talked about how an event like this will either confirm your fear of flying and make you even more hesitant to set foot on a plane; or it will calm your fears to some extent, knowing that a safe landing is possible and there are Captains that have the skill and knowledge to make such a landing.

I think most people get on planes with the mindset that a crash landing is a one-in-a-million chance event and that driving is much more dangerous. That’s what I tell myself each time I put my life in someone else’s hands.

As I watched the coverage of such an amazing story it felt good to know that the safety measures put in place and the procedures that are reviewed with passengers before a plane ever takes off were put to use and very successful.

I tend to get nervous when flying but do not feel that this event will affect my fears. I am just thankful for the safety of all those on board and the happy ending to this story.

What are your thoughts on this subject? After hearing about this story are you even more apprehensive to travel by plane?  Let’s hear your thoughts!

Note: This editorial appeared in the Journal last month, but it seems relevant again with the inauguration tomorrow. So enjoy (again).
 

Posted: Sunday, December 14, 2008
Perfection is a funny thing. We always expect it from others, but are usually willing to settle for less in our own work. My generation seems to constantly set the bar too high in wanting the world from others, but rarely show the same passionate gusto in our own hustling – because that would involve putting in extra time and effort. Basically, we want the quick fix. How about a realistic goal.

This past November, the youth vote came out in full force like never before, and we overwhelmingly chose Barack Obama to be our president. He represented us like no politician in the past. We took the first step to success by leaving apathy behind and taking action. Our golden boy had the Midas touch; at least that’s what we hoped, so we voted. Voting and talking large is easy. Following through and accomplishing is hard. Not saying he won’t, since I was loudly on the “Yes We Can” campaign, too, but what if Obama falls short somewhere? Will we see his presidency as a failure?

Look on the bright side, George W. Bush is on his way out. We’ve become used to failing with him at the helm. But is this country beyond saving now? And if Obama isn’t the superman that can dig us out of this huge hole, are we doomed to cast him aside too and fall back into apathy?

Unlimited (and sometimes naive) optimism doesn’t include unwavering devotion, as we are quick to judge and demand perfection no matter the circumstances. If someone doesn’t deliver immediately, they’re toast. Support goes out the window, and we collectively move on to look for the next golden goose.

So, are we bound to keep circling around square one looking for the easiest way to finish the race? We always want to fight the power, but would rather remain armorless onlookers that change alliances with every misstep of a battle plan. Why not stay loyal? Or lend a helping hand? This is our wakeup call. We need to get in the trenches alongside leaders and peers and help out where they fall short. If we are satisfied with nothing less, it’s time to get dirty for the cause, striving for better. But hold on a second, I’m not talking violence like the situation in Greece. I’m thinking more along the lines of bumrushing the media to unify and mobilize like minds. Time’s up to be reactive; let’s all be proactive and set achievable goals- not out-of-reach ideals.

To paraphrase Dr. King: We may not all get there, but we as a people will make it to the promised land. So before we fate Obama for failure, let’s give the man, and ourselves, some time. If the bar is set too high, give a foothold and assist in lifting up our people.

Welcome to my corner of this blog. The name’s Chris DeRoin a.k.a. Dice Diggity (from my days as college radio host extraordinaire) and I’ll be bringing the heat to this SCJ forum speaking (actually typing…but you know what I mean) on music, sports, and everything else funky under the sun.

First off…
No plans for Saturday night? No, well good- read on. If you do have plans, skip them- this is going to be better!

Headlining Hip-Hop Night @ Red’s Pub this Saturday night will be:
*The Gateway Drug- Sioux City’s favorite native sons MC Brew, The Top Civilian, and DJ Poyo bring you a wicked blend of funkdafied jungle beats, dope freestyles, philosophical musings, wild instrumentation, and off-the-wall lyrics. For fans of De La Soul, Sage Francis, and a good time. The gang will be signing autographs after the show, so don’t worry.
*Lazer Rocket Arm- This brand new Sioux City-based duo made up of emcee/producer/multitasker Eboli and saxophone player Primetime (backed by deejay The Sound Insurgent) is bringing cool back (if it actually even left in the first place) with their jazzy Hip-Hop getdown. Think Digable Planets or Guru’s Jazzmatazz projects when these fellas take it to the stage.
and
*Prof & Rahzwell- A couple of emcees and a deejay from Minneapolis who I really knew nothing about until I heard they were booked for this show. But after listening to some of their music- it’s dope! Check the link for a taste of you own (warning- some ‘explicit’ content). They remind me instantly of the Living Legends with a Twin Cities flare. Make their trip worthwhile by turning the party out and being there.

It’s a free show for the 21 and over crowd, so why wouldn’t you come out? The festivities will get under way at 9:30 pm with house deejays Eboli and The Sound Insurgent at Red’s Pierce Street Pub at 1919 Pierce Street; Sioux City, Iowa 51104.

For more details- check Here or here

PeAcE,
Diggity.

P.S.- If there are any other Hip-Hop Heads in the house (especially B-Girls), don’t hesitate to get a hold of me at chrisderoin@gmail.com with story ideas or just to hang out.

Okay, so I’m trying to post once a day in hopes that eventually, someone will comment.

Anyway, I’m gonna keep this short. I was just wondering if anyone else had ever been to/goes to the Slowdown in Omaha. For anyone who hasn’t been, it’s a small music/bar venue that gets some pretty good acts every few months. I went to a show at the Slowdown not to long ago (Ingrid Michaelson w/ Newton Faulkner and David Ford) and was really impressed by the atmosphere of the place.

If you’ve been, you probably know what I’m talking about, and maybe you like the whole atmosphere too. If not, check it out. You won’t regret it.

Has anyone else happened upon any great music venues??

-Megan Logan

Okay, I’m aware that neither of these artists/bands is new. They’re just new to me.

Anyway, I’ve just started listening to Bon Iver, who has a pretty cool backstory:

His girlfriend (who he was totally in love with) apparantly broke up with him, which pretty much shattered him. He ends up all but sequestering himself in his father’s cabin in Wisconsin for an extended period of time. He’s got a guitar and some crappy recording equipment, and when he emerges to rejoin society, he has an EP of songs. He re-recorded them with higher quality equipment, but the songs stayed the same. Knowing his story before you listen to the music helps, I think. You can definitely hear the wild solitude that he experienced in that cabin in the middle of nowhere in his lyrics. Great Album.

Listen Here: Bon Iver

Fleet Foxes are from Seattle, and have a big influence from bands like the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. They’re comparable to Bon Iver, with a little more electric rock sound. Definitely worth a listen.

Listen Here: Fleet Foxes

Have you discovered/been listening to any great bands or artists lately? Let me know! I’m always on the lookout for new stuff