The Homeless Dilemma

A few years ago, long-time friend Clark Brooks wrote an interesting post on his thoughts on homeless people. Clark looked at recent incidents of panhandlers faking the funk and not being who they appear to be and pondered on whether or not to ever give a dollar or two to local panhandlers he sees in the Tampa area.

In the dilemma of whether to keep giving or not, Clark didn't come to a conclusion either way.

Contrary to popular belief, as Clark points out, not all panhandlers are homeless. While some are complete frauds, I've been told by a few that they live in nearby cheap hotels. Which is a small step up from living under a bridge. If they can beg for $30 a day, they can pay for their next night in a hotel. So when they plea the "hotel locked me out" story, it's not 100% made up. Maybe only 50%.

But in other cases, there are certain panhandlers I will absolutely never give anything to.

The biggest group I deny is homeless Vietnam vets.

Before anyone chastises me for being unpatriotic, let me explain.

Yes, I am a veteran. Yes, I have compassion for fellow veterans who might have fallen on hard times. Sometimes adjusting to life in America is difficult after a year or more in a high pressure combat zone. I totally understand that and I sympathize.

But my sympathy is nil with those who use Vietnam as an excuse for being homeless or jobless.

It's been 40 years since American involvement in Vietnam ended. Vietnam veterans have had 40 years to find assistance. While that assistance might not have been easily accessible upon their return, it is easily accessible now. There are veterans' hospitals, veterans' counselors, and veterans' assistance centers everywhere. And there are plenty of public libraries where those without personal computers can look up their local veterans' assistance facilities.

Homeless Vietnam veterans have no excuse. By now, they should have found the help they need. Therefore, they get no money from me.

Which brings me to a recent interaction I had with a panhandler. I have never been so insulted or wanted to physically confront a panhandler so much in my life.

On the way to visit my parents a few weeks ago, I exited I-95 in Melbourne, Florida. At the intersection of Eau Gallie Road and John Rhodes Boulevard, I stopped at a red light. In the median was a disheveled man with a scruffy beard and old clothes. He was carrying a small sign that read "Love / God Bless".

I was the third car in line waiting for the light in the left turning lane. As the disheveled man began walking the line, his eyes locked into mine. I knew he was headed my way. Perhaps he thought the fact that I was looking at him meant I was interested in providing assistance.

As he walked up to my car, I turned down the stereo (Slayer, of course). He was near my car when I broke the ice.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Vietnam vet," he replied.

Not an expected answer, so I asked him to repeat himself.

"Vietnam vet," he said again.

"That's cool," I replied, immediately shifting into my stubborn stance of not assisting veterans from that conflict. Had he said that he need money for beer or that he was a recovering crack addict, I would have helped. But not a dime to panhandling 'Nam veterans.

Of course, I could have questioned his credibility and asked him what unit he was with. That's not a bad option. If he stated a unit and mission, that might have improved his chances of receiving a handout. Then I might be able to confirm he is the real deal. Or we could have exchanged war stories. I could have made a friend.

He then skipped the formalities and went straight for the deal.

"Can I get some money?" he asked.

Ballsy. And not a good approach.

"Sorry, I don't have any cash," I said.

After I politely rebuked his plea, the conversation turned weird. And borderline offensive.

"Yeah," he said, looking at me in disgust. "But we have millions for those Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. If you ask me, they are just a bunch of punks."

"Woah, Nellie," I thought to myself.

Did he have any idea he was talking to a Bosnia veteran who spent 14 months in Afghanistan working with the people he just called "punks"? I doubt it. If there was any chance he was getting a handout, it was obliterated, decimated, and cremated then and there.

"If you say so," I said. It was the least I could say without getting out of the car and confronting him. Which would have made for a very awkward scene.

Imagine if someone got out of a car to fight a homeless person. People in cars are supposed to be more civil. What would the other drivers think if a driver exited their car to pummel a panhandler? Drivers have the power to put up the window and drive away, if possible. They are expected to exercise that power if needed. They are not supposed to engage panhandlers in pugilism.

"You disagree?" he continued. I don't think he understood that I was offended by his line of panhandling.

"Yes, I do," I said. "But you keep on thinking that."

Before he could reply, the light turned green, the cars in front moved forward, and I pressed the gas pedal to drive away from the disheveled malcontent.

I can't imagine this particular panhandler being very successful in his game. Insulting veterans is not a good play. I hope no one gave him a dime.

Normally, I am helpful to the unfortunate. I know I would want people to give me a hand if I was ever completely down on my luck. But while Clark Brooks didn't have any hard rules on who to give or not give to, I have one solid one:

I won't give a dime to people who insult me or people I think highly of.

If they stick to that rule, everything else is cream cheese.

Interviewing a 5-year old on creativity and imagination

I've made some creative videos in the past, but this is one of my favorite ones ever.

As part of an MBA class I took last year, I had to create a project that described my thoughts on creativity, especially as it pertains to the workplace. The premise was to inspire thought and out-of-the box thinking - things I have never been short on. While there was really no way to fail, the more creative the project, the better.

I knew from the start I wanted to create a video. This is only a sample of the whole video, which had samples my stand-up, clips from home movies, and bits from other endeavors. The video was a "journey" through a life of creativity. What follows is the "new" part of the journey, an interview with a pure-of-mind and imaginative young person.

I like to think I did his imagination justice.

Jamaica to decriminalize Weed, growers to stop shooting sheriffs

Here is something I was shocked to find out:

Weed is illegal in Jamaica. Seriously.

I never would have thought that. Marijuana is as synonymous with Jamaica as Reggae Music. As a matter of fact, so much reggae is about about weed, I would have thought it was the national flower.

Peter Tosh sang about it.

Entire albums are dedicated to it.

I was convinced it was legal in Jamaica. There was no way you could have convinced me otherwise. When I think of Jamaica, I think of the following:

• jerk chicken
• dreadlocks
• Red Stripe
• reggae
• marijuana

But I guess this whole time Jamaica never thought to "legalize it". Until now.

Throughout this year, the Jamaican government has been meeting, debating, and considering legalizing marijuana. According to a USA Today article in June,

The motivation behind the legal pot drive is largely economic. Jamaica's economy has suffered from slow growth, high unemployment (now 13.4%) and high debt for the past two decades, according to the World Bank.

Jamaica, where about 37,066 acres grow marijuana, is the largest Caribbean supplier of pot to the USA and other Caribbean islands, according to the State Department's 2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

By the end of September, the Jamaican government had drafted legislation to decriminalize the drug, according to the BBC. The Denver Post reported recently that the government of Jamaica had even contacted a Denver-based firm to help with the legality of the issue.

Interestingly, the trend to legalize weed in other countries has "sparked" the change in legal attitudes in Jamaica.

Via CBSNews:

Previous efforts to decriminalize marijuana, or "ganja" as it is largely known in Jamaica, failed to advance because Jamaican officials feared they would violate international treaties and bring sanctions from Washington. But those concerns have eased now that a number of nations and some U.S. states have relaxed marijuana laws.

But my biggest concern is how the Jamaican legal system will compensate those who might have been unjustly prosecuted for defending their herb fields in the days when marijuana was illegal.

I am thinking particularly of a certain grower who was constantly harassed by Sheriff John Brown. After the grower was threatened with violence for an unknown reason, he did what anyone in his position would do: he shot first. While he contritely admitted to killing the sheriff, he claimed to have no part in the death of the deputy.

With weed soon to be legal, will the Jamaican government apologize for its terrorizing behavior towards growers? Will growers be forgiven for shooting sheriffs?

Mooch Brown, real hip hop, and how not to treat prospective fans

Performers, read this if you like. Ignore it if you want. I'm just a fan who enjoys music, has written about it a bit, and has been to more shows, both national and local, than I can count.

Two things at live music events annoy me to no end:

• Fans holding up phones to record entire performances
• Rappers performing songs with pre-recorded lyrics

I can't stop fans from holding up their phones, as much as I would love to. But my aversion to pre-recorded lyrics led me to an unfortunate exchange with a local Tampa DJ/performer.

Last Saturday, I went to Mooch Brown's Hip Hop Saturdays at Pegasus Lounge in Tampa. This is a small venue showcasing local acts. It's not Madison Square Garden and Jay-Z. This is the grassroots of hip-hop. I've been to plenty of these type of shows and know many hip-hop artists who perform at this level.

Mooch Brown's show failed to meet even these grassroots expectations.

While at the show, I tweeted some disappointment.

Checking out another #hiphop night. Artists, stop performing over tracks containing your own damn recorded lyrics! Corny and weak.
— (@JordiScrubbings) September 28, 2014

And

I feel bad for the small crowd here. Open mic rappers trying to do too much and it sounds really rough, to be nice. Work on basics first.
— @JordiScrubbings September 28, 2014

Finally, I looked at Mooch Brown, the DJ and host, to raise the level of the acts.

I blame DJs for allowing rappers to take the stage without basic skills. The gatekeepers have left the gate swinging wide open. #hiphop
— @JordiScrubbings September 28, 2014

Fair? I think so. I spent $7 and I wasn't happy. Too many artists getting on stage rapping to songs with their own lyrics. Artists even let the recording rap the verses while they only shouted the last few words of their lines and hyped their songs. They turned their back on the audience, mumbled, and leaned on one-dimensional tropes such as "hustlin'", "grindin'", and "bitches and hoes". Not to mention way too much "nigga".

I understand beginning artists may use basic subject matter while they work on their stage presence. They may resort to basic rhymes in their first-ever songs. Ok. But there still needs to be evidence of hard work.

The only redeeming act in the show was a soul/R&B group who performed with live instruments. While the sounds was a bit off - acoustics or equipment, perhaps - they were cohesive and talented. They looked like they took pride in their craft. And most important, they were entertaining.

Following the live act, Mooch Brown played a mix of songs. The band cleared the stage, and they and their fans left, leaving Pegasus Lounge nearly empty.

20 minutes later, Mooch Brown still played his own DJ mix. Meanwhile, there were still at least two remaining local artists hoping to get on stage. Then Mooch did something I have never seen a DJ do: he played his own songs, ran to the stage, and rhymed over his lyrics. He did this for at least three songs. At nearly 2AM. For the 10 people left at Pegasus Lounge.

A little after 2AM, one of the remaining artists left, convinced they weren't going on stage. I left shortly thereafter. When I made it home, I dropped a final tweet.

#hiphopsaturdays was ok until it turned into @moochbrown 's personal karaoke. Artists hoping to perform left. So did the crowd. Sad.
— @JordiScrubbings September 28, 2014

The show was not $7 well-spent.

The next morning, I awoke to a response from Mooch Brown.

@JordiScrubbings Your bottle cap glasses must distort your vision often. Only thing that's sad is that beard you got. Trim that asap please.
— Mooch Brown (@moochbrown) September 28, 2014

A personal attack to a paying customer after I critiqued his show. Classy.

Mooch Brown also decided to criticize me, hiding behind the "real hip hop" cliche, saying I had no idea what I was talking about.

People who do reviews on hip hop don't have a clue on what real hip hop is. That's what's wrong with this "industry" now.
— Mooch Brown (@moochbrown) September 28, 2014

What I tweeted wasn't a review, again as a paying customer, it was observations. But instead of fighting, I asked for Mooch Brown's insight, because if I didn't know what I was talking about, maybe he could help me understand.

@moochbrown subtweet me instead of discussing. Cute. Why dont you tell me what "real hiphop" is then?
— @JordiScrubbings September 28, 2014

Then I followed Mooch Brown on twitter. Perhaps if he would not directly engage a prospective fan, maybe somewhere along the way, he would provide me insight as to what his thoughts are on "real hip hop". Maybe I missed something.

Today, Mooch Brown blocked me. Instead of engaging, he refused dialogue.

That's not how you win fans.

I would not recommend supporting Mooch Brown's music and shows if that is how he treats people. I know I won't be at any more of his performances. Nor will I be at any show he is booked on.

I am not a fan.

National Lampoon, Leaked Photos, and Voyeur Culture

In 1985, Clark Griswold and his family traveled to Europe. While in London, Clark mischievously recorded his wife getting out of the shower. Ellen then did a seductive dance for her husband and the two commenced in intimate moments while the camera recorded. A few days later, while the family was in Paris, their camera was stolen.



Several days after the theft, Ellen saw a picture of herself during the recorded moments in an advertisement on the side of a bus. The advertisement was for an adult movie. As to be expected, she was embarrassed and angry at her husband for not erasing the material.

In the wake of the latest theft of celebrity intimate photos, is the above scenario still funny?

Also, who do you think is to blame - if anyone - in the above scenario?

• Ellen Griswold


• Clark Griswold


• The Paris thief


• The distributor


• The bus company for promoting


• The market for such a video

Personally, I hate "blame". People get too busy blaming and pointing fingers, and not fixing problems. What's done is done. After the incident occurs, the next step is to make sure it doesn't happen again. In the Griswold case, that might mean Clark is never able to operate the camera again. Or they don't make intimate videos again. Or they never hand their camera to strangers again. Or they ensure the thief is prosecuted to the utmost extent of the law, intimidating potential thieves. Or they could start a campaign trying to change the voyeur culture. Either way, effective countermeasures may be taken.

Or not.

My favorite Tampa Bay music venues

A few weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Times (who I have written for) published an "Ultimate Bar Guide" for the Tampa Bay area. One of the sections they divided bars into was the best places in Tampa Bay to see live music. Their list:

• The Ale and the Witch (St. Pete)


• The Brass Mug (Tampa)


• The Orpheum (Tampa)


• Pelican Pub (St. Pete)


• Hideaway Cafe (St. Pete)


• Uncle Mike's Smokehouse Grill (Plant City)

I've never been to three of their six venues and probably should go, as the TBT crew are well-versed in their area music and their recommendations are probably pretty good.

Here is my list of best music venues in Tampa Bay. It is slightly different.

1. The Brass Mug (Tampa) - raw, loud, and isolated, despite being 5 minutes from University of South Florida. Best metal bar in the area seems to still be a work in progress after move to new location. Bands I've seen there: Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Secrets She Kept


2. Crowbar (Tampa) - wide array of genres helps. Perfect venue for Ol' Dirty Sundays weekly hip-hop night. Bands I've seen there: Obituary, Talib Kweli, DJ Scratch, RJD2, Weekend Nachos, several local shows.


3. Hideaway Cafe (St Pete) - I need to go here more often, especially on a blues night. Only been once. Beautiful set-up. Very "unplugged"-esque. As the TBT folks mentioned, the Hideaway Cafe is billed as a "listening room", which is much different than the loud energetic concert vibes I am used to. A place for music listeners.


4. Skipper's Smokehouse (Tampa) - Eclectic blues, jam, reggae bar. Great vibe. Awesome decor. Would be much higher if not for terrible parking lot. Impossible to find a place to park when they have live music. I've turned around and gone home in frustration a few times. Bands seen here: JJ Grey & Mofro


5. Jannus Live (St Pete) - Outdoor courtyard venue that was redone a few years ago. Wide array of bookings helps. Being on a block with other bars, clubs, and pizza places is also a plus. Bands I've seen there: George Clinton, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep.

Places I need to go to that could make the list:

• Ybor City Jazz House (Tampa) - New live jazz place in Ybor. Place for "grown folks". Dress code required. DJ Sandman, who I have interviewed, DJs upstairs on Saturday night.


• Ringside Cafe (St. Pete) - Haven't visited since they moved to their new location near Jannus Live. Live blues and rock puts this place high on my "must-see" list.


• Hard Rock Cafe (Tampa) - Been for food, not for concerts. Great environment. My favorite place to people watch. Growing reputation as a place for good rock.

Other places in the Tampa Bay area I've seen music (bands I've seen in parentheses):

• The amphitheater (Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Eric Clapton, Robert Randolph, Alice in Chains, Velvet Revolver, Incubus)


• Ruth Eckerd Hall (BB King)


• Tampa Bay Times Forum (Pearl Jam, Kid Rock)


• State Theater (Sevendust, Clutch, Aesop Rock, House of Pain)


• Ritz Ybor (Sevendust, Southern Darkness Fest, Rodrigo & Gabriela, Black Label Society)


• The Orpheum (Southern Darkness Fest)


• Local 662 (local bands)


• Fubar (Secrets She Kept, local bands)


• Pegasus Lounge (local bands)

Southern Darkness Fest in Tampa 8/23/2014

On August 23rd, I checked out the first Southern Darkness Fest held in Tampa. The multi-venue hard rock, metal, hardcore, and punk show was the first festival of it's kind to be held in Tampa. According to the founder,

Southern Darkness is unique for a couple of reasons: the festival actually presents a coherent narrative and it’s exceedingly cheap show for so many bands.

Between 28 bands and 3 bars, there was a lot going on and of course, I was unable to catch it all. But I wanted to give a quick review of what I did see. Instead of going into a longform narrative, I'm breaking the review into chunks and give each part a grade.

1) Music - A : This is a no-brainer. I wouldn't be going to the show if I didn't want to hear the music. That said, however, I wasn't familiar with hardly any of the bands. As a matter of fact, I had only heard of three (Black Tusk, ASG, and Weekend Nachos), and that was because they had songs on a Relapse Records sampler I picked up. So I had heard three songs from the catalog of 28 possible bands. Maybe less than 1% of the total music?

(Compare that to the Soundgarden show I saw recently where I had most of the songs in my collection for 20 years.)

Every band was new to me and none disappointed.

Here is where I have to admit I missed half the festival. I only saw 5 bands total, only one song from one of them. I saw Scrog (half their set), Weekend Nachos, Black Tusk, Bongripper (one song), and Pelican. I didn't realize the festival began at 3pm. I thought it began at 8pm. But what I did see was badass.

Of these, Black Tusk was the most imposing, Weekend Nachos had the most energy, and Pelican was the most groove heavy. Each band brought something different to the table. I felt a little old for Weekend Nachos (I wasn't the only one), but their show was really good. Stage diving, mosh-pit slamming, and high energy.

Black Tusk is described on Wikipedia as "swamp" and "sludge" metal. They were more "grown-man" metal than the somewhat punk vibe of Weekend Nachos. With their tattoos, long beards, and Black Sabbath-esque riffs, Black Tusk looked like they could be part of the WWE's Wyatt Family. I was impressed and even picked up a CD.

Pelican also impressed me a lot. They were the headliner, so of course they drew the most attention from the crowd. And they did not disappoint. All instrumental groove-metal songs. I've often critiqued some bands by their lead singer. I've dug the music, just not the tone of the singer. With Pelican, I didn't have to worry about that as there were no vocals at all. Just over an hour of instrumental heavy metal. Good stuff.

2) Venues - A- : The Southern Darkness Fest was held in Ybor City's Orpheum, Crowbar, and Ritz Ybor. I had seen shows at each of these venues and knew each were good places for live music. Of the three, Crowbar was the most crowded and with Weekend Nachos, it was the most energetic venue. Orpheum was a bigger venue and its dark vibe suited the doom metal bands that played there very well. Of the three, Ritz Ybor was the least impressive. Instead of their main stage, Black Tusk was in a side room. The room held a decent size crowd, and Ritz probably realized Black Tusk wasn't going to pack their 500 head main room, but being stashed in a side room was a little disappointing. Thankfully Black Tusk did not disappoint.

Another spot for improvement would be give each concert-goer a venue set list, perhaps with a genre listing next to each band. When I walked from one bar to the next, not only did I not know who was playing, I didn't know what type of metal it was. Each bar was a crapshoot.

3) Ticket Prices - A : The total festival cost on the day of the show was $45. No processing fee, no handling fee, just $45 for 28 bands and 10 hours of music. And had I bought the ticket a day earlier, the cost would have been $35. And had I been there on time, I would have seen more music for the price I did pay.

But I paid $15 each for 3 bands and 4 hours of music. That's still not bad.

4) Concessions - C : Most bands had a merch table, which was awesome, but what was missing was a festival t-shirt. I was hoping to buy one. The only merch the overall festival had was a small poster they were selling for $10, which I thought was overpriced. If it was a larger poster I could hang on a wall, then perhaps, but I was not going to buy a small poster.

Maybe next year, if they do a second Southern Darkness Fest, they will have festival t-shirts or large posters. Some room for improvement there.

5) Overall - A : I had a good time, drank some beer, and rocked out to some metal without spending an arm and a leg. That's a good night. I hope there is a second festival next year and they book similar bands. Next year, I promise I will get their earlier.

Social Media and the Military - The Russian Problem

In December 1992, US Marines and Navy Seals landed on a beach in Somalia to begin their mission in the war-torn country. According to the New York Times,

The Marines mounted a textbook operation, which began with well-armed Seals and reconnaissance teams coming ashore to check the beach for mines and hostile defenders, followed by an assault force.

But there was one little problem. When the Marines hit the shore, they encountered a force they didn't expect. Not armed with guns, tanks, or artillery, this force was equipped with cameras, notepads, and spotlights.

Aware of the mission, the media had beat the Marines to location.

As Navy Seals and Marine reconnaissance teams came shore under the glare of television lights, the spotlights and flash attachments gave away their positions, interfered with their sophisticated night-vision equipment and gave night blindness to commandos who wanted to have their eyes fully adjusted to darkness in case they were attacked from the dunes and scrub.

Oops.

According the article, there was miscommunication between the Pentagon and the media. The Pentagon let the media know when and where the forces would be, but the notice of what effect the media presence would have on the landing forces was not mentioned.

the Pentagon issued a press advisory asking correspondents to stay off the beaches and began the time-consuming process of faxing them to news organizations in the United States. In some cases the advisory was not faxed to news organizations until 6 P.M., after the Seals landed. It was unclear whether any effort was made to contact foreign news organizations.

That's not good.

In the 22 years since, the relationship between "media" and military operations is still contentious. "Media" is no longer only the major networks or newspapers. It's everyone with a smart phone and access to social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. That we have the ability to broadcast everything (and are encouraged to!) has not only caught many information security services off-guard, but has them scrambling to put band-aids on gaping wounds.

Once information is public, it is incredibly hard, if not impossible, to put the genie back in the bottle.

The reason I highlight this 22 year issue because I recently found out this isn't just a US problem, it's an everywhere problem. A recent post by GlobalVoices.com discussed how Russian troops were taking pictures of themselves on military operations in Ukraine and posting them on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites.

The Russian website TJournal.ru has produced an excellent roundup of the mounting photographic evidence of Russia's military presence at the border with Ukraine—all culled from Vkontakte accounts belonging to Grigoryev and his comrades. TJournal reporters found other posts mentioning Ukraine, and discovered that one of Grigoryev's VK friends even published a map of their route, which began in the town of Ordzhonikidzevskaya in Ingushetia (a region of the Russian North Caucasus) and ended in the village of Pokrovske, in the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine.

Oops.

Of course, the soldier in question says he was "hacked" and the Russian military is responding as only they know how.

On July 29, the Russian media reported that Vadim Solovyov, a Communist Party Duma deputy, is working on amendments to the Federal law on military service that would essentially ban army servicemen from posting to social networks any photos depicting military equipment or arms. Highly sensitive information conveyed in such images, the deputy believes, undermines state security and “could be used by the Western media for provocations.” Solovyov does say that soldiers will still be allowed to use the Internet for personal correspondence.

Good luck with that.

As Princess Leia said in Star Wars, "The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

Polysyllabic Poem Power

I saw Dead Poets Society tonight for the first time. How I never saw that movie before was beyond me. I should have. It was really good, but I think Good Will Hunting was slightly better. But that's for another post someday.

Anywhoozle, Dead Poets Society reminded me I haven't played poet in a while. I enjoy poetry, but I've been writing heavier research-type stuff. So let me dip my mind in the creative sauce, slather it across the grill, fry it on 400 until a golden hue, and see what we can cook up.

Polysyllabic Poem Power

Poems bemuse
Poems bedazzle
Poems bring out words in styles rarely said
Extravagant mouthpieces of legendary verbal apostles
We cling as if they have invented gospel for the mind
Souls sometimes for the go for ride if the price is right
Double down on tone and meter. Triple down for rhyme
Four beats to a measure, or is it nine?

But poems aren't only for the high class, the aristocracy, or academics
They belong to the streets, the warrior class, and the starving artists
Those with an eye for words and words for the eyes
Whether the poem is said with a beat or sold to make ends meet
Or get off the street, avoid the heat, and make life complete

Will they look at Nas the way they look at Whitman?
Or will they keep poetry in a box, defined by academic rule
What would Whitman think of Nas? What about Frost's thoughts on Ice Cube?
Common admirers of Theodor Geisel.
Soon all the living poets will be dead. Just like the dead poets.
Reincarnationists don't believe in the circle of life. It's more like a helix. Wrapped around the rhythm of the galaxy.

Now we look to wind this poem down
Turning off the literary faucet
Flushing the stragglers
Wipe it off, shine it up, put a bow on it.
Here is my latest poem.

The Hybreed eM-16: "I Get It"

I've mentioned before that I have several friends in the Tampa hip-hop scene. On occasion, I'll check out their shows. Always good to show support, right?

One artist named eM-16 is always an interesting act for me to check out. Before going to Afghanistan, eM-16 and I were neighbors in the same apartment building. During one neighborly conversation, eM-16 mentioned he wrote and rhymed. After that, we chatted about hip-hop on occasion. A few months later, I introduced eM-16 to promoter and friend Nick Major. Nick took eM-16 under his wing, helped him hone his craft, and introduced him to some beat makers and other people in the hip-hop scene. eM-16 took advantage of the opportunity, jumped in with both feet, and started accompanying Nick and everyone to concerts and radio appearance. Meanwhile, his music matured and acquired more of a hip-hop sound, albeit with his own personal Tampa flair.

In late July, I saw eM-16 perform at the Pegasus Lounge in Tampa. Pegasus Lounge isn't a huge venue, but the crowd was receptive. And eM-16 did a good job on the mic. I brought my video camera, recorded his performance, and put it on YouTube.

Here is eM-16's song "I Get It":



Let me know what you think!