On 10.10.10, from 12-4pm, Roadside Organics and Green the Block invite you to join them for a Local Food Block Party at Bread for the City in Washington, DC (1525 7th St).

While organic fervor has struck in DC, it hasn’t yet reverberated across the city. These two awesome organizations want to bring the new food movement to those residents living in the District’s notorious food ‘deserts’, showing how bringing back age-old Sunday supper can anchor families in new healthy lifestyles.

We believe in the power of local food to uplift our communities, improve our health, and revitalize our local economy.

The event is part of 350.org’s Global Work Party that is putting people to work around the world to make a positive impact on our climate and environment. 

The event will be free (yep, free.) and will feature seasonal food cooked by several of DC’s best chefs and music from local hip hop artist Tabi Bonney. Watch this real quick.

Why am I telling you about this event? Well, besides the fact that my man Seth from Roadside Organics recruited me to help orchestrate the event, I think that there’s a solid amount of DC to BC readers that care about this issue. Organic food goes beyond expensive chains like Whole Foods, and events like this will prove this. Every meal makes a difference, so let’s get it! RSVP online and/or hit them on Twitter Nation (twitter.com/roadsideorgancs, the “i” in “organics” is missing on purpose), but you can just show up too. It’s free food, and you’ll definitely learn a thing or two. Why wouldn’t you come?

My bad. I’ve been M.I.A. from the ‘net, living real life. And it’s awesome. I was gonna wait til the new site before I started getting pictures involved, but I don’t see why I can’t just start doing that now. Sure, it won’t look as crispy and stuff, but it’ll work for the time being.

Marcel dropped me off at 5:30am for a 5:41 bus that got me into NY do or die at approximately 9. I had to be in the city by 9:45 for the Influencer 10 Conference, which was an incredibly rewarding experience. I was able to listen to conversations by some of the most influential people on the continent (in their respective fields, of course). Shout out to Sonya, my fellow Maryland representer and Rock Creek Social Club cohort. We stayed literally all day. 9:45 to 6, and soaking up more knowledge than the sponge in my sink. I can’t talk about all the panels, but I will highlight my favorite panel, which was the first joint.

The influencer vs. innovator panel, which was based around distinguishing the difference between influencers and innovators. From left to right:

Julliette Powell (Author; 33 Million People in the Room). Moderator for the discussion, very talented

Fabian Pfortmuller (Sandbox Network). Genius. Forgot what country he’s from, but his company’s entire concept was beyond brilliant. Google him and do some more research – I’m about to do the same.

Jayson Rodriquez (MTV News). He actually is the guy who helped me get interviews on the red carpet for BET’s Rip The Runway when I covered it for DrJays.com. Super cool. Good friends with my boss over at Complex, Toshi. Has had some incredible interviews – do some research and find them.

Jason Anello (Manifold). Another marketing guru guy. I wish I could speak as smoothly as this guy! Every time he spoke, he was dropping knowledge.

Vashtie Kola (Vas$htie/Violette New York).  Yep. That girl Vashtie. Used to date Pharrell, but is an incredible woman in her own right, as well. I feel like she’s the reason Theophilus London had such a good year for a unsigned artist. She also is the first female ever to design a Jordan sneaker. Think about that for a second. And she’s badder than bad. Lordamerci.

Coltrane Curtis (Team Epiphany). Perhaps the most impressive man on the panel in my eyes. He had so many good ideas, and wasn’t afraid to disagree with people’s points while still having hella respect for ‘em.

Ian Schafer (Deep Focus). Funny, well-spoken, insightful, and not too cool for school.

My man Kenji hipped me to the conference, and is the reason I came. He has no idea though. He moderated a panel on macro vs. micro marketing, and was pretty entertaining throughout. He even got all up in the live stream camera for those home viewers at one point.

Jeez. Brilliant people on that panel as well.

I wish I knew the woman’s name on the right. She was so damn professional with it. I believe she worked for Mr. Youth. Strangely enough, Marcel and I worked for a company owned by Mr. Youth during junior year while we were brand ambassadors for Current TV. We made like $3,500 in a month. I mean the $#it was, f*ckin’ ridiculous. Like “So Appalled”.

My girl Zewidi (better known as Nyne) was on The Unconventional New Trends of Fashion panel. Without cising her too much, I can say she was the flyest person on the whole panel. It’s cool when you see your friends do some big stuff like this. Her anecdotes, particularly the one about getting one of her nose chains to Erykah Badu, were well-received and applauded by people with clout in the fashion industry. She is also a spoken word poet, so she was super smooth and natural when the spotlight was on her. It’s cool to see successful people early on in their career. Oh, and shout out to my man Chris Cortez from Hilfiger in the red and the boots. He won a TV reality show to design for Hilfiger in like ’05 or ’06 (and pocketed $250,000 in the process), and hasn’t looked back. Nice dude, too.

I didn’t get a chance to hit day two because I was working on other people’s time. I wish I could have. I got more pictures and stuff, but I think I’ll just keep those in the archives for now. Shout out to everybody I met out there, especially the driven group of guys (that just so happened to all attend Howard University. Talk about a win!) that took the time to put this event together. I had a chance to chop it up with Philip McKenzie, one of the coordinators, and he’s the man. So humble that he didn’t even tell me he was behind it all; I just found out by doing all this online research.

Hopefully we’ll all run into each other in the future when we’re further in our missions to accomplishing our goals.

My man Callender hit me up to be a part of the New York City leg of this marvelous national tour with Big K.R.I.T., Smoke Dza, and my Curren$y, aka $pitta, aka the trillest lazy flow in the game.

October 5th,  7 – 11:30pm. $20 pre-sale and $25 at the door. Purchase your tickets ASAP (here) so that you don’t get to the door, muttering angrily under your breath about how outrageous it is that these tickets sold out on you like that.

There’s also a bunch of solid guest acts, including Pittsburgh’s Mac Miller. I say grab the tickets, and then come say what’s up. I’ll be there, posted like a stamp with my small but satisfactory squadron of scrambling scholars. Shout out to Heather, GFC, 2 Dope Boyz, and the rest of the folks on this event with me. Fall through!

GRAB TICKETS HERE!!!

I’ve been rocking with this party pretty much ever since I met the Lunchbox Theory team (Christine and Allison) through my man Spencer, and it’s awesome to see how much progress they’ve made. I remember the joint when it was $1 to get in, get face painted, and jam out with the drummer’s circle and DJ Underdog’s vinyl collection of everything soulful, African-rooted, and more funky stuff. Incredible. That was honestly a steal! I was having the most fun of the month for $1. Glad they realized that they were providing such a good experience that they could raise the price and still pack the house.

I digress. This Thursday at Liv (11th and U), there’s a special edition of Afrobeat 4 Ya Soul for you. Let me let Christine tell it how it is:

Afrobeat 4ya soul: concert edition ft. Blitz the Ambassador
http://afrobeatdc.eventbrite.com/

Lunchbox Theory is kicking off the fall with something special this September.  In addition to the earth thumping sounds of DC’s very own DJ Underdog, Afrobeat 4 Ya Soul: The Concert Edition will feature Blitz the Ambassador. Based out of New York, this Ghanaian emcee uniquely fuses melodic African sounds such as Highlife and Afrobeat with classic ‘boom-bap’ hip hop. Featured along with Blitz is his very own brass heavy band, The Embassy Ensemble. Together they will be giving you a sonic live show that will take you back to the days of the “Boom Box” while simultaneously flashing into the future of Afrikan sound. come out on September 30 at Club Liv (2001 11th St, NW), enjoy some FREE face painting and take a look into the future.  Advanced tickets are $10, $15 at the door, and doors open at 8pm.

Oh, and you already KNOW Underdog cooked somethin’ good up for your MP3 player, too. For those new to the scene, this is what to expect when you show up on Thursday. For those who know what’s up, I needn’t say much more. Enjoy.

AFRICA AFRICA AFRICA pt 3
http://lunchboxtheory.bandcamp.com/

The debut of this mixtape was the spark of a new style of African based sonics and a new movement into the realm of afrobeat. Its about the progression of the dance. There is no sonic comparison to these mixes. There are so many elements fused between the notes. This release signifies the next step in the evolution. As the groove continues, watch this space, and bring a change of clothes.

SEE YOU THURSDAY!

On September 18th, I turned 24. The last time I had a big party for my born day was at Discovery Zone, Jeepers Creepers, or Chuck E Cheese. Needless to say, I probably wasn’t at double digits yet, and people only came because they knew the goodie bag that my mom and her friends cooked up was gonna be vicious. They weren’t really there for me.

I figured that this was the perfect time to really go HAM slamwich as far as celebration is concerned. I was finally in my hometown for my birthday instead of at school in Boston. I was of age (to drink legally and with no qualms). I had matured into the person I probably will end up being for the rest of my life. And just think about it: everybody goes super hard with their 18th, their 21st, and their 25th; I already passed the first two, and 25 was too far away. I had to flip this situation into something worthwhile. So I decided to team up with some North Carolina cats and create “The Kobe”.

(more…)

I asked my man Brandon of ABB Video to come out and shoot our Child’s Play event, and that’s what he did! Him and ABB’s CEO, Dre, cut up some niiiice footage for this version of Child’s Play. I love how three different people chopped the same event up and still each had a very unique perspective. This one is nothing short of brilliant, and shout out to ABB for holding me down. Featuring so many cool ass people, some you may recognize from MTV Jams or from your walk home. No joke. Check it!

The other two videos that surfaced:

Reiana’s Recap!

Dre Eastwood’s Recap!

This is why I love DC to BC. Because people go above and beyond to get stuff that they really want. Like Ebony, for example. She submitted an entry for the Virgin Mobile FreeFest ticket contest on the last possible day to enter, and stole the show. What a G. Don’t believe me? Watch below (and watch the entire thing because the end is the funniest.)

CONGRATS! Thanks to those who entered as well. I appreciate you. Go harder next time, though.

Yeaaah. More concerts, baby. This time, it’s that Virgin Mobile Free Fest. You know, the ridiculously anticipated all-day affair featuring M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem, T.I., Luda, Thievery Corporation (DC, what’s up!), Chromeo, Neon Indian, Matt & Kim and MORE!? Welp, I have good news, and I have bad news.

Let’s start with the bad. As you might know, free tickets for Virgin Mobile FreeFest have “free’d out”. Shucks.

Shout out to my homegirl Reiana for chopping up this footage from our Child’s Play event! It looks marvelous, and captures pretty much all the memories from that great day. If you need some film work done, holler at her: @flip_the_script. Check some of her stuff at ESSTXR Media.

Yep. We made it out alive this weekend. You probably wouldn’t know, but Nelly’s throwback song “Never Let ‘Em C U Sweat” was the only thing keeping me together on Saturday. Last-minute moves to the grocery shop, Staples, Target. I was moving like Carl Lewis with no track. I think Sheena needs a special shout out for all the advice and motivation she gave me the day before.

Thank you, those who made it out to the event, for helping make Child’s Play the success that it was. Everybody who chose to get down and dirty with our team sports, whether it was dodge ball or tug of war. Everybody who wasn’t afraid to jump around on that moon bounce like the old days. Everybody who donated to our 9/11 Memorial Fund and picked up the beautiful shirts we had printed as a keepsake for all attendees. Everybody I met and who said what’s up, from the participants to the entrepreneurs, from the students to the bloggers, from the photographers/videographers (Boney, Xavier, Dre, Brandon, Reiana, I see you!) to our DJ’s (Cam Jus and Jerome Baker 3rd. Google them, baby.), from my friends to my family (my dad even showed up. That’s pretty cool. I didn’t even know he knew about it.) I appreciate you guys and gals.

I’m still amazed at the people that decided to show up! Ohio-bred MC Stalley fell through with Creative Control, man. Grizzly Adams inspired beard and everything. Tabi Bonney made an appearance with some serious stunna shades that I may or may not have to ask to borrow next time I see him. Nick Schonberger, editor of Selectism.com, CuratedMag.com, and Words Beats Life soaked in the scene and chopped it up with our guests.

The AnmlHse family (what up, Jon, Panda, and Corn!?) made the trek from Philly to parlay and politick with us, which I am so grateful for. Check out their awesome product (they cised me with a snapback that could quite possibly be the coolest piece of head gear I’ve ever owned), and their Child’s Play / DC trip recap on their site (smooth shots and solid photo journalism here, so I’d click that if I were you).

Big shout out to Jabari for jumping on that Bolt Bus from NY to indulge in some friendly games of kick ball and dodge ball.

I had to just let you guys see that boy COOK! Oh, and I definitely can’t forget my Complex family members Dom and Roo, who also made the 4-hour power move from NY to play some kick ball, dodge ball, and tug of war, as did my brother and advertising guru, Kenji Summers. Way too trill.

Angelo Logan and the SoleDiction.com squad took that long drive from in the cut in VA (sorry, guys, but you guys are in the cut.) to show face. I feel like that guy and his team could be the next crew to look out for, because he’s only 17 and the guys are doing stuff I was doing in college. Thanks for that 5-panel hat, too!

I have a million and one thank yous to everybody (like Team 1803, they deserve a serious shout out because they came out and brought the energy that sparked the event off – catalysts, if you will!), and I prolly missed a few, but the biggest go to my team. Marcel for just always being there and getting things done in crunch time, Lamine of DYDC for inviting me to partake in his vision, as well as being the motivational speaker at times when I needed it the most, and theConArtistsGuild for their various contributions too. We all hustled in crunch time and made it work. Enough text, though. Videos are the future. So allow me to show you what Child’s Play looked like.

Yeah, exactly. If you missed it, you blew it. That’s Dre Eastwood who chopped up that awesome footage like a master chef before I even left the park (I’m not lying. I got in my car at like 11, checked my tweets, and he already had a link for me. Ridiculous. What’s more ridiculous is that he also lives deep in the abyss of Virginia and had it up that fast. My goodness.) Oh, and my brother Adrian, get better soon!!! He took a spill during the dunk contest and may or may not need some surgical procedures done on his leg, but things will be okay! Send your well wishes his way via Twitter.

Until the next epic event…which is this Tuesday (9.14), for my first of a couple birthday celebrations. This joint is at Recess. Another Rock Creek Social Club production, my friends. Crazy awesome DJs, Spinser Tracy and Jerome on the slipmats, and that Belvedere openbar from 9:30-10:30. Let’s go. RockCreekSocialClub.com / @RockCreekSocial for more information.