Throwin' Down with Big Boi at the Yorktown

Last night Patriots Point lit up with the very much-anticipated Big Boi and MSTRKRFT show. Reggae and dancehall group Dub Island, which I missed because no cabs were available, and a solo act by the name of Jake Troth preceded the two headlining acts. I was able to catch the last four songs by Troth, and personally they were garbage—Sam Sparro without the talent. Throughout the crowd that was eagerly building for Big Boi there were muddles of “Who the hell is this guy?”

Although he didn’t close the Throwdown, Big Boi was definitely the main attraction, which was made evident by the crowd’s zealous response when he appeared on stage, wearing black head-to-toe, highlighted by some tasteful shades and a couple chains. Blackowned C-Bone and DJ Swiff were alongside providing the supplemental MC skills and beats, respectively. Both of which have been with OutKast since the early days.

The show itself was nothing short of an absolute crowd pleaser with Big Boi and C-Bone strutting across the stage, seeming like the coolest guys on the planet (I came to find out after the show, they are). In front of the stage it was a hot mess, the overwhelmingly Caucasian mass doing their best to get their hip-hop on, and Big Boi took notice. After the show he mentioned, “everyone [was] enjoyin’ the show,” humble, because there was energy for weeks in that crowd. The show featured some OutKast favorites including “Bombs Over Baghdad,” “So Fresh, So Clean,” and “Ms. Jackson,” on all of which C-Bone did Andre 3000 justice. Since it was a Big Boi show the set list included “Kryptonite,” a Purple Ribbon All Stars Track, and Boi’s latest solo single “Shutterbug.”

After the set, thanks to my good pal Monik hookin' it up with an all access press pass, I was able to kick it on the bus with Big Boi, C-Bone, and Swiff. Needless to say, we're all best bros now and we've been Tweeting @eachother all day. Got to know the guys a little better, the tour takes them to Europe next week, so I was like, "Yo, Antwan (Big Boi and I are on a first name basis) hit me with your #1 European chill spot." He takes a second, mulls it over, then BOOM, Mallorca! At that moment I knew I would spend the rest of my life striving to achieve the move-makin,' ballin' machine status of my Boi 'Twan. After that I was like, "Yo Swiff, same question, playa." He laid it down real smooth saying he loved London for the Victoria & Albert museum and that he was a huge fan of Van Gogh and Amsterdam. A 45-minute discussion on post-impressionist art ensued. I would have asked C-Bone the same question, but he was in the back of the bus gettin' his grown man on, also I needed to check out the rest of the Throwdown.

The night's closer was Canadian electro-duo MSTRKRFT. To classify their brand of electronic music I would describe it as the grimiest house music ever, and I mean that in the best way possible. Just as an aside, I asked Big Boi what he thought of MSTRKRFT and he had never heard of them. Anyways if Boi, Bone, and Swiff didn’t already get the crowd moving, Jesse and Alex made it happen, creating a sweaty dance party beneath strobe lit trees. The last time I saw MSTRKRFT their entire set was composed of hitting buttons, twisting knobs, vicious head bobs, rips of Crown straight from the bottle, and the duo blasting cigarettes throughout. What set this show apart was they had a few beers next to their Macbooks—awesome.

Booze Infused Energy

As a student, I am well aware of popularity and prevalence of alcohol infused energy drinks. They’re everywhere, and understandably so, they are cheap, effective, and they allow the consumer to Go, Go, Go, into the wee hours of the night. But now these drinks have come under scrutiny from major media outlets, nutritionists, and pharmacology experts because of their questionable, and unknown contents. This is primarily due to reports of widespread abuse and injury by students across the country.

And its not just alcoholic beverages like Four Loko that are being looked into, all energy drinks are being examined for their potential health hazards. Yesterday I was watching a program on ESPN that covered a story of a high school football player who had a seizure after drinking two cans of the Coca-Cola produced NOS. In the sports world, athletes at all levels use these “legal performance-enhancing drugs.”

So what is it about these things that make them so damn potent? Because it is more relevant to my immediate experience I’m going to concentrate on those drinks that contain alcohol. In Four Loko, which is made by Phusion Projects, there are four main ingredients (hence the name): taurine, gaurana, caffeine, and the college crowd pleaser, booze. Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is used in just about every energy drink out there and touted as a physiological performance enhancer, but there has been little scientific evidence to offer validity to this claim, not to mention there is so little in the drinks that its presence is more marketing strategy than anything else. Guarana is caffeine-containing berry found in South America. The gaurana seed has twice the amount of caffeine of coffee. Companies like guarana because it masks the actual amount of caffeine in their products. I doubt many drinkers out there are aware of gaurana’s effect, who knows they may not be concerned.

Essentially with these drinks you are getting the best of both worlds, with the most bang for your buck. You’re able to get drunk fast, most alcoholic energy beverages, coming in flashy 24 ounce cans, contain 6-12% abv, depending on the state you live, and you’re able to be inebriated while maintaining a high level of energy. They hark on two of the foremost desires in a college student’s mind, and the marketing strategy is a synch, the product sells itself by combining two beverages regularly consumed by the most viable demographic out there—18-24 year olds are always looking “for that next big thing”—even if its dangerous and unhealthy, because at this point we think we’re invincible.

Personally, I’m not a fan of alcoholic energy drinks. I find them to be tacky in appearance and to alter age-old adage, “you are what you drink.” As it is these drinks have come represent group of primarily underage drinkers who are in market for a cheap thrills and a “blackout in a can,” with their neon dyed lips and tongues they make for an excellent advertising street team.

Gazette Gets Serious

What I have seen through the recession is this, I know my parents and the parents of my peers of the same socioeconomic class lost money in some way in the stock, bond, and free markets through loss of business, but I personally don’t know anyone who has lost a job. I hear and read of unfortunate cases of foreclosures on families whose husband has been spending the better part of the last two years submitting one application after another, and if one is accepted, it is often for a job they are overqualified, one that doesn’t earn the means necessary to support their pre-recession lifestyle, let alone one that supports a family.

In my immediate situation what was lost due to unethical lenders and banker, and greedy gamblers in our free market is my future security and investment opportunities. The money held in various stocks, bonds, and mutual funds that (for example was intended for law school) have been significantly diminished and the same goes for what would have been made available after my parents passing, I don't intend to sound insensitive, just realistic.

Keeping in line with that same thought and my potential and future holdings, let us consider our stimulus legislation. And by “our,” I mean myself and cohorts, the echo of the baby boomer generation; our country will default without us paying for it through higher taxes in the not-so-distant future. It will be our incomes that are to take the hit when we out there in the workforce. Since I brought up our generation, the offspring of the baby boomers, there are tons of us. Here is why, the baby boomer cohort is massive, hence the name associated with the generation. Back in the ‘60s new schools had to be built just to accommodate all of the children being produced in the years after WWII. Since our parent’s generation is a huge cohort, their procreation turned out a mammoth generation.

With huge amounts of unemployment, huge amounts of grads looking for jobs, and huge amounts of Federal debt, things out there in the “real world” are more competitive than ever. Never has it been more important to cut the bullshit and get serious about improving ourselves so we can find a place in the opportunity deprived work environment in which we are to enter. My advice is this, work hard echo boomers and set yourselves apart so you can afford to pay off what I like to call the “boomer bailout,” as it is in large part a fruitless program that has placed a great burden on my echo boomer brethren and me.

Girls, Ladies, Women and Reminders

I find it very interesting, very telling, and above all amusing to see what girls, ladies, or women leave behind on their stays to my house, room, bathroom, whatever. Before I indulge in my strange intrigue, I would like to just say that all of the above female designations apply, I’m a ladies man. Now, however brief or long the stay of the companion they have all had something to leave behind and not all of these stays were of a romantic or sexual nature. In any case, there are always clues to tell of their visit. I’m going to discuss three of these clues or what I like to call “reminders,” as these bits and pieces serve as a brief time portal into unforgettable and forgotten memories, for better and for worse.

I’ll begin with my dearest and weirdest reminder, my bathroom trashcan. So many sheets of toilet paper are thrown away; too many sheets of toilet paper are thrown away. Generally these little sheets are used to wipe off make up, blow a nose, and a plethora of other purposes and uses that will never be known to me, I just hope they aren’t behind the bathroom door crying, regretting there decision to come over, all in all not knowing is probably for the best. To offer an explanation I don’t go searching through my bathroom's rubbish, my bin is crosshatched wire and I can see through the sides while I read on the toilet or from above while I brush. What frustrates me is that I find toilet paper to be a precious commodity and it seems to disappear in the mere presence of a female. Why use so much, ladies? Why not flush instead of fill my tiny receptacle to the brim? I guess it really doesn't matter, I've decided I'm going to start stealing my TP from the library.

The next clue is the most sensual of my “reminders.” That of course is the scent left behind by the female visitor. Some scents are that of flowery body washes and shampoos (if it was an extended stay, where my man products would not suffice), some are of perfume (can be overpowering), but the scent I am attracted to the most is that which the hair leaves on the pillow. This particular scent may come from the above mentioned, flowery shampoos, but sometimes this flowery essence is muddled by a sweaty smell. Such an instance, although rare, is highly desirable as it means I have been getting laid. And every girl has her own distinct scent, mixtures of those flowery body washes, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, sprays, perfumes, and anything I left out. The combinations are endless and each combined with a woman’s natural pheromones and body odors produce that highly individualistic scent. As an aside, I am certain given a “scent test” I could match scent with its producer.

My final “reminder” is not one that is left behind. Rather, one that is taken away in the form of boxers, shorts, sweatpants, and t-shirts. I cannot recall all the items I’ve lost to girls. In some instances I have voluntarily leant them out with the expectation of not having them returned and even given t-shirts as gifts (my own "reminder" for them). But, there have been times when favorite chill-shorts have been nabbed or that super soft vintage tee was smuggled out of the house unbeknownst to me. These moments can be saddening when I’m digging through my laundry pile, wanting that tee to be in there and then realizing I wasn’t the last to wear it. A majority of these missing items are in the possession of one special lady so I assume they are safe. But, there are some to be lost and never seen again. Then again, it could just be my roommate.

Interior Design Style of 9 and 1/2 Jasper

It has happened on more than one occasion that my roommate and I have received compliments on our home decor. Not to be smug, but it seems our home exudes a heightened sense of "cool." I never thought much of interior decorating, always felt expertise in placing furniture, art, and other stuff in a stranger's domicile was an inflated occupation. Now in my second year of residence at 9 and 1/2 Jasper Street I have come to realize that my roommate and I have a true knack when it comes to home decoration.

Our current skills are limited, but a few weeks at some design school should allow us to expand our thematic palette. Until then I will discuss our current expertise, a motif we have dubbed "wild intellectual" or "grimy gentleman." The essential features to this look are books and a solid collection of what I like to call "art and shit." In our case, the latter features are acquired from parents, or grandparents, as it is rare to find an undergrad who has the means to afford quality framed wall pieces and tasteful knickknacks. Our pieces possess that authentic vintage aesthetic that is often unsuccessfully replicated by mainstream providers of household decorative goods.

But, preservation of such distinctive pieces ruins the "wild" and "grimy" components of our design model. Being polished is an absolute faux paus of our motif. It must be offset in some way to exude the "I don't care attitude," for which all proponents of cool constantly strive. I offer these easy to follow tips in giving your crib a more aloof, yet thoughtful look: hoard a massive collection of books and DVDs (works best when living in a small space), leave dirty designer laundry where visitors can see the tags, hang your nicest works of art at an angle, have a summertime bug infestation (if location permits), keep recent periodicals and bottles of liquor you can't afford, tilt fancy lamp shades just a touch, constantly have music no one else has heard playing through a MacBook, and maybe the most important, have a fine rug that never is vacuumed.

Remember, it is imperative that you have a riveting, true or imaginative, story to accompany all your decorative pieces as it adds validity to your wildly highbrow look. I would also like to mention this manner of decorating is impartial to gender, it is useable for both sexes. Once the roommate and I expand our decorative resumes (not likely to happen) more suggestions to achieving a variety of looks for your abode will be provided. Until then feel free to consult (consultations are not free) Dustin J. Pitts or Douglas T.T. Glenn for your decorative conundrums.

Do You Like House?

Ravers and house music lovers who are in the know are well aware of the upcoming release of Until One, Swedish House Mafia’s first full length. This lucky intern was able to get a weekend’s worth of listening before it drops this Tuesday, and was not disappointed, neither were the friends who were partying alongside.

Swedish House Mafia is comprised of three DJs who were placed in the top 25 of DJ Magazine’s Top 100 list in 2009. And if the troupes name didn’t give it away, their origins are Scandinavian.

Leading up to the album’s release the trio have released three singles from the collection of non-stop bangers, the almost transcendental “Leave the World Behind,” the album’s namesake “One” that has generated numerous remixes, one of which done by the Mafia features Pharell from N.E.R.D, and the club favorite “Miami 2 Ibiza.” All of which immediately make any room a shake, partly from the bass and heavy synth lines, and also because it is almost impossible for people not to move when these house jams blast, granted you have a pulse (even writing while listening to Until One, toes are tapping and head is bobbing).

To look at the album in as a whole, it is quite simply a party playlist. It is seamless in production and progression so much so that it may as well be a single 75-minute track. An absolute sure fire way to amp up any gathering as well as an effective way to get yourself up in the morning. The means to an end for Until One is essentially to “bring the heat.” Mission accomplished and a special thanks to Swedish House Mafia for a tremendous weekend.