UPDATE: this is a throwback post, only to entertain in the downtime. and since i wrote this, i broke my rule on 7.18.09, when i went to station 9 and was leaning so hard that a clever girl with a great eye for a drunk guy got me. oh well. she was just at the right place at the right time. at least she was kinda cool.

i enjoyed my first weekend as (somewhat of) a college graduate recently, and i won’t lie – it’s more powerful than the typical college dorm get together. not to say that it’s better or anything; the two environments have completely different dynamics. at the college house party, you can have some b-ball shorts and one of these russian hats on and do better work than the guy who went to barney’s co-op and bought a whole outfit as long as you are smooth and keep people entertained. this “going out” stuff however, things aren’t as casual. you have to come presentable! if you’ll check the picture above, i’m the underdressed chump in the middle. if i didn’t have my man melvin (he’s in the all black. no games. promotes hard. let’s get it.) get me in for the freeskee, i’d be outside assed out with the promoters that hand out the flyers. pay close attention to the picture. i will refer to it again shortly.

friday i went to this afro beat event hosted by the lovely ladies behind lunch box theory (pics are here so you can get a nice visual…i think i’m in one.) and it was marvelous. i’m talking more east african nubian princesses than east africa itself. a very diverse crowd of people who came to have a good time and enjoy the eclectic sounds of DJ undadog and his african drummers rather than to stunt like the typical club/lounge situation. i think it was the best party i’ve been to in a while, and i thank everybody involved for that epic night.

saturday was also powerful in its own way. the picture you see above, with all smiles, is from an outing at a spot called republic. more for OG’s, me and my man spencer (checkered shirt, left-hand side. @drspaceman for you twitter fiends) somehow finagled our way in there without paying that $20 hit to the wallet. the hardest part about going out is the money for the alcohol. now, melvin and my homie daniel (aka @yebies for you twitter fiends) hooked us up with the majority of our drinks, but i did make it to the bar once to purchase my own concoction for me and spence. as i was ordering my drink, i heard some chit chatter to my left. as i turn, i discover it is the young woman pictured above. she’s talking about “…why don’t you add a jack and coke to that tab…” and tries to smile at me.

WHAT!?

chamillionaire once taught me, “if a skeezer, wants me to feed her, with my visa, then i’ma leave her.” now, she wasn’t a skeezer. that just sounds so god-awful. but how come when i was posted up like a stamp earlier she weren’t talkin about anything!? only when i hit the bar was she trying to milk me like a cow’s teats for some free drank. no way, josé. i don’t get it. i didn’t say anything crazy. instead, i pretended i didn’t hear what she said. “what was that?” she smirked and gave me one of those “nevermind” looks, visibly agitated. a few minutes later, she hopped in this picture with us.

what was my point behind writing this? that i will never ever purchase a drink for anybody i don’t know. it’s not my place. i know i’ll feel like if i buy them a drink, i deserve something in return. who knows what, and who knows why i feel like that. it’s only right if you purchase something, you get a product! conversation shouldn’t be purchased, should it!? but i know people who feel like buying drinks ain’t $#!t. that’s just how they get the night started. to each their own.

i want to know how guys and gals feel about drinks at the bar. hit the comment section and let me know.

What were you thinking? Also, in soccer-related incidents, I need your prayers for my ninja Charlie Davies, a Boston College alum and professional soccer player and U.S. team member. He was in a car accident in DC last night that left one of his friends dead, and him and his other friend in the hospital requiring surgery. More of the developing story here. Get better dude.

DC-based streetwear brand Durkl teamed up with producer/rapper/label owner Judah, one of the metropolitan area’s favorite producers, to celebrate two things: the grand opening of the Durkl studio / store (443 I St NW in Chinatown, 11-6 Mon-Fri!) and the release of the first installment of Judah’s Survivor Series mixtape. The masses were out, the drinks were pouring, the merch was flying off the shelves, and everybody had a good time.

RA threw me some of the flicks she took with her beautiful SLR camera, so I figured I’d throw them up so you guys could live vicariously through them. Enjoy, and shout out to everybody I dapped up out there, especially the Durkl boys.

Oh, and I can’t forget the mixtape Judah dropped that night either. Get it HERE. More photos from the event can be found over at my man Bryan’s photo blog, Go-Fresco.

Talk about eclectic. I’ll be out at the Kia Soul Collective Warehouse in DC to check all these FREE shows. Wale, Ponytail, Dan Deacon, The Creepers, and much more. DJ sets by the best from our area, including Dave Nada, Chris Burns, and Stereofaith. I’m especially amped for MGMT’s Sunday show, because I’ve never seen them perform.

Like I said, the shows are free. What are you doing this weekend? Exactly. So don’t miss this stuff. For ALL the info that you need, hit up kiasoulcollective.com (click that link because it takes you directly to the DC info). Whipless (read: do you have no transportation)? No worries. My people over at Brightest Young Things let me know that there’s FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE! More info on that here.

You should also test drive one of their vehicles while you’re there, too. I heard they’re giving away some free stuff for that. Let’s get it.

one of my goals with this blog is to shed light on anything major going on in my area. durkl is an emerging streetwear brand that was founded a couple years ago and is beginning to take DC and the surrounding neighborhoods by storm. the combination of skater influence mixed with a cleaned-up, organized version of second-hand ’80s and ’90s threads is pretty cool if you ask me. there was a trill party a little over a week ago at the new durkl heardquarters, housed in a recently converted taxi garage. the ‘09 merchandise was on display, which features everything you need to make it through the fall season. house DJ chris burns was killing the jams while people were getting live tattoos (by adam’s morgan’s tattoo paradise), in-place bike racing, getting their drink on, and enjoying a swag bag of products, courtesy of durkl and the party’s sponsors. ALL FOR FREE! don’t believe me? check out my man ricky parker’s video footage below.

crazy, right? vimby TV was also in the builing. shout out to my man luke pierce, the man in charge of durkl’s operations, for having impeccable execution for durkl’s first party. check out the ‘09 lookbook over at durkl’s site.

the nation’s capital represents on MTV. did they hold it down? let me know how you feel about them.

re-up. enough people didn’t get this joint, it’s way too trill for people to miss it.

off of tabi’s new album, coming soon (it’s either fresh or superstar, as he has two more albums coming. he’s on that plies album release schedule – every few months, baybeh.) probably my favorite of the tabi songs i’ve heard. the beat is too vicious, and the title alone deserves applause. raheem needs more respect in the R&B game, too. he’s top 5 in my opinion. show him that R-E-S-P-E-C-T! i’m demanding it now! his voice is sweeter than a plate of yams. with extra syrup. oh boy.

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DOWNLOAD: Tabi Bonney & Raheem DeVaughn – Fever [Peanut Butter Slow Jam]

the funniest comedian in the world to me. nobody does it like my man dave. and just when i really began to worry about his whereabouts, he pops up in portland, oregon for an impromptu show, advertised only by last-minute twitter updates and word-of-mouth. word on the street is, dave pulled in a gathering of thousands. MTV has more on the event here.

speaking of comedy, i’m anxious to see the talent that will be at the DC improv at the end of this month. for those who haven’t ever been there, the DC improv is the illest comedy club in DC. historic, even. you name them, and i bet they’ve performed in this modest-sized spot. kevin hart, donnell rawlings (better known as ashy larry from “chappelle show”), aries spears (MAD TV fame), charlie murphy and tommy davidson (from “in living color”) and many, many more are booked for gigs in the coming weeks.

for more info, check here. don’t sleep on comedy shows, they’re one of the best outings ever. better than bowling and mini golf combined, especially if they have cheap drinks. oh boy.  i know i only named black comedians, but there are funny people of all creeds at this place! i just don’t know them as well. put me on if you know of any, if you know me, you know i get down with demetri martin and the late and great mitch hedberg.

pro’verb, lyriciss, lord vada (EQuinox Professionals), and hallway jay (illRoots.com) head out to the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD for the DC leg of the Rock The Bells Tour as pro’verb opens up for the show. ppearances from Alchemist, Fashawn, Mickey Factz, Jabari (IAmJabari.com), Phil Ade, Rayne (WPGC 95.5 FM), and more.

i’ve never posted an AP the prince track on the blog, but i’ve heard a few joints, from freestyle videos to loosies on other sites and his myspace page, and his confidence and dare i say swagger is what won me over. he’s also not afraid to take risks, or rather, cross over genres. this joint is like an electro / hip-hop fusion, but don’t think he goes soft on it. the rock ‘n’ roll influence actually makes the track harder than most. off th new album entitled bella loona love. call me crazy, but i can hear chamillionaire on the remix of this with no problems. slightly reminds me of his collabo w/ weezy, “rock star”,  which you can hear below as well and tell me if you co-sign or disagree wholeheartedly. whatever. enjoy both.

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DOWNLOAD: AP The Prince – Bonafide

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DOWNLOAD: Chamillionaire & Lil Wayne – Rock Star

also, AP is one of the top breakout artists on this MTV contest thing, so if you liked the song, please support him by voting here.