Stumble It!Earlier this evening I was listening to Fight The Power off a Public Enemy compilation CD that brought back one of my favorite mome
nts in time: being a radio dj for the show Chocolate in Ya Ear. Although this was a small town college r
adio show with a couple of my buddies, we aired the smoothest grooving mix of rap, reggae, soul, funk and any other chocolaty genres of music.
We’d typically kick the show off with something that would make you want to get up off your feet and shake that groove thang. A jam such as James Brown’s Super Bad would launch the hour-long chocolate explosion into the ears of our listeners and then we’d follow it up with our intro theme song, Flava in Ya Ear, by Craig Mack. After our two kick off tracks, Mackadonna, Crza and I would drop a few thoughts or perspectives on things. Mostly, we acted a fool; yet, I think wise fools
we were. Nevertheless, we kept the funky jams steady bumping with a tracks like The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
Keep in mind that Chocolate In Ya Ear doesn’t reference the color of the artists, rather the flav
or and texture of the dope sounds. That bittersweet, silky smooth richness that tickles the eardrum, thumps the soul and probably causes a twitch in the hip if the bass is kicking properly.
Amidst the myriad of delicious hip-hop, funk and soul, Bob Marley graced the Chocolate In Ya Ear playlist weekly. Whether it was the sultry and sexy Stir It Up, the dance-inducing Could You Be Loved, the yearning tone of Satisfy My Soul, the politically uplifting Africa Unite, or the jammin’ Roots, Rock Reggae, there was always a Bob Marley record to suit the mood and drench one’s ear with chocolaty goodness. Mmmmmm mmmm mm.
We amused ourselved with all sorts of antics, practical jokes, hoaxes and typical college-aged tomfoolery, but it was always about the music and the culture behind the composition of sounds. Word! I can’t forget the first time that I saw this video from Pharcyde called Drop:
Wow! I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks. If you’re still wondering why it looks so surreal, it’s because they filmed the video while performing the song backwards and play the tape backwards for the video production. Mmmm…so delicious to the ears and eye! Oh, and that mind-blowing video was directed by the amazingly talented Spike Jones, who consistently produces sublime works of art. Obviously we couldn’t air videos, but we’d be sure that everyone and their momma caught wind of the hottest videos, djs, breakers or media coming from the world of chocolate.
One our favorites, who dominated the air waves on Chocolate In Ya Ear, was Outkast. Two Dope Boys (In a Cadillac) rockin’ with Atliens, like Aquemini, moving on up in Elevators with E.T. (Extraterrestrial). Ah, to hear their mesmerizing tracks like Spottieottiedopaliscious and Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik that entrance anyone who opens themselves to the chocolate vibrations. These southern gentleman fused their distinct personalities and talents to create an original sound that transcended whatever the mainstream music industry considered hip hop. There’s no doubt about that!
The Chocolate In Ya Ear radio show cannot be captured with words and pictures alone, and there’s many more stories to tell. In the near future I’ll be sure to share stories about a culture of music, radio, jokes, the FCC, college antics, hoaxes and chocolate. In the meantime, venture over to the reincarnation of Chocolate In Ya Ear radio, a station that I created on Pandora or check out Chocolate In Ya Ear videos. Enjoy!
for playing soccer, writing and reading (non-school work), and discovering new and interesting things.
gin to use a scheduling calendar for things other than work responsibilities. The addition of personal pastimes and happenings will constantly remind me that there’s much more to life than work. It’s not that I don’t already know this, it’s just that I don’t act according to my belief in this sentiment.
What could this possibly mean? Synchronized diving with a fraternal twin…who’s of a different gender. Hmmmmmmm?
e have all encountered situations like this at one point or another. You engage in a back-and-forth exchange with a friend, family member or colleague on some topic. After an exhausting debate both parties have become angered, bitter, frustrated, irate or some other negative emotional state. It’s likely that both experience a combination of several emotional states that don’t feel all that good. In fact, you’re probably left wondering, “Was it worth investing all that energy to have this ______ (fill in the blank accordingly) not get a thing that I said?”
proposal from the Canberra consultancy Australian Wildlife Services suggests moving towards the consumption of kangaroos as opposed to the non-native cattle and sheep on the continent.
change to positively affect their health?
