This is what embarassment looks like

Props to the Top Billin' boys for posting!

Basketball Jones

Now that basketball is officially done for the season and Big Zach is happy, my b-ball heads may start going into withdrawal.  To tide you over I ripped a 45 that I picked up last weekend.  It's Cheech and Chong's "Basketball Jones."  This is funny, wonderfully produced, and the lyrics actually were probably written by a basketball player or at least someone who knew their stuff.

For a song where the main focus is on the lyrics and the comedy it's amazing the type of talent that performed the instrumentals.  George Harrison is on guitar, Tom Scott is on sax, Carole King on electric piano and Billy Preston is on organ (there's others, but I'm not familiar with them.

To put a cherry on top of this, an animated short was created for the song and it's even more funky than the song!

Cheech & Chong, "Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces"

This post wouldn't be complete without my favorite tee-shirt.  It's some Free Gold Watch dopeness that pays homage to the point guard that played his heart out every single game.  I was always a Knicks fan and boy did I hate MJ (and Reggie Miller for that matter).

If you're down with the streetwear  gear and are looking for some new threads for the summer, be sure to check out the new boutique in the Mall of America, Reign.  They're the sister company of Uptown sneaker and threads fresh-atorium, Status.

Hey Art!  If you're reading this, holler at your DJ!

A Tribute to the end of March Madness

Here's a 45 I recently came across.  It's the official Harlem Globetrotters anthem.  So sweet.

For those not familiar, before becoming strictly entertainment, the origins of the Globetrotters resided in Chicago as a very competitive group of local African Americans.  The informally conceived team went on to become very good and even beat the preeminent, and all-white Minneapolis Lakers.  Their back-to-back wins over the Lakers in 1948 and '49 had a large part in breaking down the color barrier in the NBA.  1950 saw the first African-American drafted into the NBA, Chuck Cooper.

As a competitive outlet for talented African-American ball players, the Globetrotters became less relevant.  The team eventually became an entertainment act displaying individuals' skills in the form of flashy tricks.

Brother Bones, "Sweet Georgia Brown"

The spirit of the original Harlem Globetrotters still permeates blacktops across the country, including the infamous Rucker Park.  Of course, it didn't take long for the similarly flashy and original moves of the latest generation to become marketed for a profit.  Upstart basketball shoe company, And 1, used Rucker Park legend, Rafer Alston, as their first spokesperson.  As a promo tool, And 1 put out the first infamous And 1 Mixtapes on VHS.  The first tape was a collage of lo-fi Rafer Alston, aka "Skip to my Lou", footage from Rucker Park tournaments set to underground hip-hop tracks.  I was working at Footaction at the time of the release.  Footaction received these tapes exclusively.  It didn't take long for the videos to spread like wildfire across the country.  Their demand far exceeded And 1's wildest expectations.  There were a crazy amount of bootlegs and many sold on eBay for exorbinant prices.  Absolutely incredible considering the videos were given away to anyone who tried on a pair of shoes initially.  Many volumes were created and a TV show/traveling tournament was created by ESPN.  Rafer Alston currently plays for the Orlando Magic.

Because this was the first track on an And 1 Mixtape, this will forever be And 1's anthem for me...

Common feat Sadat X, "1-9-9-9"