Tuesday night I stopped by TriBeCa to attend “The Art of Collaboration” Q&A with David Banner and 9th Wonder. Initially, I thought it was a bizarre combination with the two of them joining forces. Hearing their stories as individuals inside and outside of music, as well how they came to be as a unit, made me understand why this collaboration is a NECESSITY for music. The intimiate discussion was epic in itself; the music they played for the small crowd just reaffirmed there are indeed genuises within David Banner and 9th Wonder.

The Q&A was hosted by Peter Rosenberg of whom fired questions about what the artists think about the state of hip hop, how David Banner and 9th came to be, their thoughts on Nicki Minaj and her creative capacity, today’s consumers lack of support for good music, and why Death of a Popstar is important for music. Most questions were answered by David, while 9th chimed in here and there. Their creativity and passion for their project spilled off the stage; there was no denying these men were on a mission to break barriers with this collaboration.

Though people seem to associate David Banner with dirty south/stripper music, his persona didn’t come off that way. Besides him being a college grad, he shared knowledge about the music industry, his implementation of spiritualism daily, all with a passion that could not be contained throughout the Q&A. He does admit that he is at a different state of mind when it comes to music nowadays, and even admitted that he now gets uncomfortable when he performs “Play.” Death of a Popstar is the project that creates that creative balance to his dirty south tracks of the past. Although he says he has grown into a different state, he did not hesitate to tell us he “still loves titties!”

I did get to chat with the both of them for a while; I gave 9th his props, and came away with a bit of advice from David Banner concerning inspiration, and also how he charges his batteries from time to time. In the end I walked away inspired. There was something that Banner said that struck a chord inside of me, he said “God is not such a cruel person, that he would let you dream of something that couldn’t be achieved.” He then went on to explain that someone dreamed of walking on the moon, and well, the rest is history.

And oh, I forgot, they previewed the tracks for us and all I can say is that the lyrics were just as ridiculous as the beats. This is definitely a project I will support when it releases.

This past Sunday I headed over to Boston for Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Finals. This was my first time at a Finals game, and also first time in Boston and at the Boston Garden. As a Laker fan I was definitely in the wrong neighborhood. All the Celtic green made me sick to my stomach. Suprisingly though, there were a great amount of Laker fans there, many even coming directly from LA. You would never see as much Celtics fans at Staples Center than I saw Laker fans at the Garden. That shows me that LA fans have more passion and heart for their Lakers than Celtic fans have for their team. We were all in for the fight on the road.

It was a great experience sitting inside a sea of green, and I didn’t hesitate to scream and yell for my team. All fans in the building were passionate about their historic ballclubs, and we didn’t hold anything back. In the end I saw the Lakers lose because of terrible defense and a lackluster effort from everyone besides Kobe, who scored 23 straight points by himself to keep them in the game. I’ve seen Kobe score 65 live against the Blazers, and though he never ceases to amaze me, I was upset at the rest of the team’s play. The streets of Boston were in a frenzy following the game, celebrating that their team was one win away from the title. What they don’t know is that it’s a 7 game series and we were on our way back home to LA.

The night concluded with a very long bus ride home back to New York.

I had the opportunity to attend the Miguel Cotto – Yuri Foreman boxing match at Yankees Stadium, and it was a great experience. This match marked the first ever boxing match at the new Yankees Stadium, and the first match in the Bronx since Muhammad Ali fought Ken Norton for the heavyweight championship at the original Yankee Stadium in 1976. My seats were great along with the weather, outdoor environment, food, celebrities, and the crowd that Yankees stadium brought in.

The undercards were entertaining as the overall theme included a local new york boxer against a non-local. You can probably guess which boxer got the most cheers. Unfortunately, no great knockouts. The main event got a little strange when Foreman slipped and hurt his knee, and instead of pulling off a valiant effort with a bum knee, got knocked down and lost his title. In the end, I’m sure Cotto didn’t want to win it that way, but him along with his Puerto Rican fans in the stadium celebrated a major victory that night.

I can remember a day when remixes were on B-Sides and carried the same tonality and title as it’s original counterpart, but sounded completely different and original in it’s own right. Just Blaze sheds light to why the radio is what it is today: Garbage. In the end it’s money that rips artistic expression away from what Remixes used to be.

Our seats were in the upper levels, but the experience was very positive. The food was delicious and the huge HD LED screen in the middle of the stadium practically let you see every play.

The Yanks won 6-2.

The reprinting of a century-old fitness manual — with exercises for men to do in their suits — inspires a fashion shoot inside The New York Times.

In 1908, something called the International Tract Society put out a slim exercise manual for working men that promised not hardened abs but “a graceful carriage.” “Flabby muscles,” the book said, signify “mental, if not moral, flabbiness.” Croquet should be “taken in moderation.” And sponge baths must “always be followed by vigorous friction.” The manual, recently reprinted as “Exercises for Gentleman” (Universe, $14.95) came complete with a section titled “50 Exercises to Do With Your Suit On.” These century-old calisthenics fell into three categories: the curious (“Explosive Breathing”), the laughably low-impact (“Standing”), and the even more laughably low-impact (“Sitting”). Here, we revisit some of the exercises like finger “flexions,” but we’ve updated the uniforms (think slim). And, fearing overexertion, we didn’t stray too far; the shoot was set inside the Renzo Piano-designed headquarters of The New York Times.

via NYT

If you’ve been hearing ?uestlove’s random releases of Dilla covers, then you know how dope it sounds to hear Dilla live. The Roots have covered a bunch more of Dilla beats, and have released an album for you to download. Perfect for that Easter BBQ.