Cuidad de Dios

So I've been preping for my trip to Sao Paulo and Rio and part of that preparation has been checking forums like "The Worlds Most Dangers Cities!!!" I know these are not the kind of things you want to be looking at before flying into a city that has been called the 3rd most dangerous city in the world-but it's best to be informed.

That said. It seems to me that Sao Paulo and Rio are just as unsafe as any other densly populated city in the world. I find it hard to believe a place like Brazil, that invokes so many rich and beautiful memories in the minds of people who have visited or lived there, can be that bad (although I don't want to speak too soon). There are a lot of places in this world that have a bad rep-but most of the time it's generated from sterotypes that people see in movies or on TV.

While I was in the UK a lot of people where shocked when I told them I lived in Spanish Harlem. Most people think that New York is unsafe and when I mentioned "Spanish" and "Harlem" they immediately put together the images from 50 cent videos with images of Big Pun or Fat Joe videos. I found it funny how much of an edge saying I lived in Spanish Harlem gave me. In fact-there really isn't much unsafe about Spanish Harlem as long as you use your head and have common sense.

I have to admit that excitement of heading out to Brazil is killed a little when you hear people say how bad of a place cities like Rio and Sao Paulo are. But the reality of it is-everyone has their own opinion and their own experience that is completely subjectively. So I throw it all up to chance, luck, and fate-and hope my experience is one of the better.

It was my birthday yesterday. . .

and here are a few things I'd buy if I had mad loot and was a hardcore capitalist


. . .the boys at Brazilian Beat Brooklyn are at it again. As always this promises to be tasty.

. . .the mixer of my wet dreams

. . .the guys at lomo international know I'm too poor to afford a real rangefinder. This is the next best thing.
. . .just cause I don't have it.


. . .all the Koreans have one. Why can't I? Besides-GTA on the go is the shit.

Beat Mouse and Lyrical Villains

hey! if i may interject...rap these days is like a pain up in the neck-cornier and phonier than a play fight...take two of these and don't phone me on the light night.

rappers suck when they spit-i doubt them...the crap they sing about make you want to slap the fucking shit out of them.

It's like a breath of fresh air. Doom laied it down-letting everyone know they need to step up their game. I know this has been out for a minute...but I'm sweatin' this one. Buddha Bless the Super Villian and the Super Mouse.

Globalization has gone too far:

. . .wow

how many licks does it take to get to the center of a break??

This is the last of the B-Boy Series. Enjoy.

Is it the shoes?!?

A short series that spun off from the b-boy post over on the travelingbeans blog (if you missed it go here). I hope you like this one, cause I do.

...for the Latino Soul

This entry only seems fitting after my last. At the risk of starting to sound nationalistic, I'm going to shout out a close friend, mentor, and incredible inspiration to me. Susan Sanchez-Casal as released a book called Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul. Yes, it's the next installment of those Chickesoup books you've seen at your local Barnes and Nobel stores.

I have just this to say. We all need a little therapy sometimes. Some of us need it now more than ever. So when you feel like you need a serving of humanity-these books come in handy. Now this is not a promo for the book. Susan wouldn't want that from me. Besides, I havent' had a chance to read it. But, Susan is an incredible woman. She helped me (and many others) when I needed some therapy. In fact, without her I might now be globe trotting today. So I owe this amazing opportunity to her. That said. The book might be worth checking out. You can check some of it out at the website www.latinosoul.com. And I'm going to add the books blog to my side bar for those of you out there reading this who are latino or just need something good to check out. Disfrute.

Si se Puede!

I'm going to take a moment to spin off from the regular music stuff and just get a little pollitical here. First I have to say that I'm so damn proud of my people. Now I don't like throwing the term "my people" around, but during times like this-you need to identify which side you're on. I've always said that the Latino community in America is one of the most powerful communities there is. All we needed to do is get together and have our voices heard. Well it seems that recent immigrant legislation passing through congress has mobilized a massive number of activist (and not just Latino mind you) and people are starting to speak up for them selves.

Although the legislation immediatly affects the Latino population in American, or rather it is mostly directed at the illegal Latino immigrant population, we can't forget that there are countless other groups living in America illegally that deserve the same rights as the rest of us. So before this issue becomes just abot Latinos in America-I want to say right here that this is for all illegal immigrants. All those people that work the jobs no one else will. All those people made invisable by Americans unfair and unjust laws. I know this is a heated issues. Alot people are quick to say that immigrants are taking our jobs or they're taking our social security benefits. But the truth of it is that American citizens are too proud and too damn snobby to work the jobs that immigrants work. Need proof? Go into any resturant in New York City (or any major city for that matter) and ask who's doing the cooking. Watch to see who's cleaning the tables. I guarantee it's an immigrant. Why? Because most people think they're too good for that kind of work.

By recognizing immigrant workers in America, we will be giving a voice to people who live and work in our country and deserve the same rights as all the rest of us. I hope that the mass protest that are going on across the nation wake up our politicians and our citizens to a reality that can't be ignored anymore. Because it seems that people only have an opinion about this when it's a hot topic. People don't care when the immigrants are cooking and serving them their food and being quiet about it. They only have an opinion when the immigrant starts to demand a fair and equal chance. Well now their voices will be heard. It's our job to listen.

So I'll wrap this up with a quote from a wise brother on the frontlines. "It's not about flags, it's not really about race. It's about equal opportunities for everybody and nobody being above or below the law and nobody being exploited by the law. It's that simple."

Si Se Puede!

Audio Bloggin'

I've recently started an audio blog. Not sure how long it's gonna last (I have to pay for the service and I'm a broke ass), but for now it'll be up. It's featuring some of the music that I've collected since I've started on this crazy trip. So check it out. The link is as follows:

http://superheroeswalkonwater.blogspot.com/

I'll also have it in the sidebar so check it out when ever you stop by here. Enjoy.