There’s only so much Jay Z stuff you can show. He’s the best. Period. The Roc Boy In Da Room owns the rap game.

I felt like putting up this really cool 4th December remix video about the day he was born featuring his Mom discussing his upbringing from a sports kid to rap stardom. It’s shot really well but what else would ya expect?

“December 4th” (remix)

[Jay-Z's Mom:]
Sean Carter was born December 4th
Weighing in at 10 pounds 8 ounces
He was the last of my 4 children
The only one who didn’t give me any pain when i gave birth to him
And that’s how i knew that he was a special child

If you can’t respect that your whole perspective is wack
Maybe you’ll love me when i fade to black
[repeat 2 more times to fade]

Here’s the original with a kickass beat that’s even better:

I’m a December birthday too. Dec.8.

I was over my main boy’s place chilling and listening to beats. Which got me thinking of some other local NY rappers.

Ja Rule had some pretty strong stuff back in the day. I guess the whole New York theme was in the back of my head tonight or something.

 

Great video. Anytime you can get NY rappers and the city scene together, it’s a pretty good mix. This city is special and shall always be no matter what cause we’re strong and together.

It’s a cool late February night on Staten Island and my main boy’s on the phone with one of his homies discussing the latest sad tale of how he got played by a hot bitch who promised to come over to the crib and chill. Would he get a little action finally from one of his hottest customers who’s with someone else?

Instead, her evasive details screwed up his plans to bring over Giant and finish mixing some tracks they’d worked on. This is how it is with women who have you by the balls literally at times. She is a good customer who has never given him a problem since last Fall. She even showed for the New Year’s Eve party leading him to believe he’d get some. But with the clock ticking on this Thursday with 32 minutes and counting, it looks like her promise to return will go unfulfilled.

Such are how things can be for one of the working kids you ever knew in this area of Shaolin where there’s not much to do on a night except hangout with friends and stay true to yourself. Over the past year since the sad death of his loving Mom, I’ve grown closer to the dedicated young man who has remained very close to my brother when the two grew up together. Nothing can faze him. Even the untimely passing of his Mom who he was extremely close to. It only forced him to clean up the house getting it redone with plans to rent out the other two rooms for a decent price. People pop in and out of this place all the time smoking blunts, freestyling to beats and playing NBA Live 09 on the state of the art Samsung big screen bought a couple of months ago.

When thinking back on what the living room looked like before last summer and how it looks now, you’d think it was an entirely different place instead of at the same exact address in VG. No longer is there an old rug and 1970′s style couch like when his family first moved in during a different more relaxed era which I can certinly relate to having been raised here. Let’s just say it was less crowded and a lot more laid back and fun without every possible square root legal or illegal having houses built.

Fast forward and here I am sitting on a chair facing one of two couches purchased along with a much more ideal wooden floor with plenty of space between it and big screen that also works double by blaring out the unknown rapper’s favorite selections including some recent stuff he worked on with a talented cast of characters who added their freestyling prowess.

Amazingly, when listening to the shit they worked hard on, it’s easy to notice the talent each possess allowing me to even picture them shooting a rap video for the songs they created. There are so many unknowns in this game which becomes apparent everytime the unknown rapper kicks it. He clearly has the God given ability to do this for real but sometimes, I wonder if it’ll ever happen. He wants to turn the front of the house into a studio. A novel idea which I can definitely see. But like in any business, it’s who you know with a bit of luck. Something, this aspiring writer knows well from a couple of stints living on my own in Bristol, Connecticut working for ESPN.

On one side of the couch sits a spiral notebook filled with many lyrics he wrote. On one page lies the words I wrote about my brother and how hard he battles everyday with his own unique challenge. This place is like being somewhere else far far away from any problems. Life’s never dull often dealing you blows you never saw coming. It’s the ability to pick oneself back up and fight through it that determines where you wind up.

For the unknown rapper who works in advertising for a close friend’s Dad, he is fully aware it’s not dependable despite having done it for three years. He went almost all of December home due to how poor the economy remains. Can the new President Barack Obama really fix the worst depression since before World War II? Will the bailout work? If you’re him or even me, you can’t worry about it just doing the best we can everyday. However, his situation is far worse minus a Dad like mine who has always given me great support to carry on with my career.

Does he really have any choice other than hustling? Before, I never fully grasped why people deal marijuana in the streets. A lot has happened since that has made me understand why sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do to survive.

It turns out all that stuff Tupac talked about in the song Changes was true. Do whatever you can to survive.

BROOKLYN, NY- First-year Berkeley Carroll Lions Boys Varsity basketball coach Mike Kubera knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Trying to dethrone defending ACIS League champion Dwight proved too much of a challenge as Kubera’s Lions fell 67-38 in the playoff semifinals played at Brooklyn Friends gym in lower Brooklyn ending their season.

In the early going, both teams struggled to adjust to the miniscule court where even raised baskets got in the path of three long range attempts including two on the BC side which didn’t help matters against the league’s top seed.

Dwight got on the board first never trailing while jumping out to a 12-4 lead forcing Kubera to take a full timeout. Though his team responded hanging around thanks to timely buckets from leading scorer Giancarlo Hirsch (19 points), they never could match their bigger opponent’s firepower.

Much like they did in their come from behind quarter win over Packer the day before, the pesky Lions hung around much of the half staying within striking distance. But just when it seemed they could keep it close giving themselves a realistic chance at the upset, Dwight senior big man Maliek Patterson sparked a 14-1 run stretching a four point lead to 32-15 the final three minutes of the half.

An undersized BC frontcourt had no answer for the 6-9 center who hurt them on the offensive glass with a couple of monster dunks following free throws  as well as keeping possessions alive. His D also resulted in a couple of steals and easy flushes which energized the Dwight bench.

With Patterson wreaking havoc, other teammates stepped up getting uncontested lay-ups along with eight foot runners building the lead to 17 by intermission.

Despite an early trey from Hirsch who hit for three from downtown, Berkeley Carroll couldn’t crack the defending champs who answered every challenge getting at least four players into double digits including junior power forward Peru Kovacevic, who used his size down low to hurt the smaller team from Park Slope netting 12.

Eight came in the third quarter where Dwight continued to execute a perfect screen and roll resulting in lay-ins for Kovacevic. That along with the contribution of at least three other guards scoring in a variety of ways helped the defending champs stretch the margin to 25.

The Lions got most of their points from Hirsch and senior guard Phil Seay, who added 10 including a couple of trifectas for the defensive stopper who gave his best against the much bigger Patterson.

With the senior duo receiving little support outside of junior Sean Cunningham and freshman Cole Kitchen who each had four, the much thinner Lions didn’t have enough arsenal to stay with Dwight.

Kubera went mostly with a seven man rotation while Dwight countered with 10 deep even allowing some of their lesser experienced players to get a taste of playoff basketball during an uncompetitive final quarter.

Still, the first-year Varsity coach did the classy thing allowing Hirsch and Seay to play until the final minute while also getting in fellow seniors Alex Pierre and Max Rainey. When they finally subbed out the two emotional leaders, both received well deserved applause from the crowd for all they’d given to the program.

Dwight will next meet Friends Seminary for the championship Thursday at Poly Technical Institute College. Seminary used 12 three-pointers to help offset a 29 point 15 rebound performance from Dylan Bulger as they held on to edge Staten Island Academy 64-62 in the other semi played in lower Manhattan.

Lady Lions Ousted: It wasn’t much better for the Berkeley Carroll Lady Lions who fell by 20 to Martin Luther in the PSAA playoff semifinals in Queens concluding their first season under new coach Morgan Sevigny.

It was the final game for senior Ashley Privett, who along with sophomore leading scorer Keyanka Bailey were the only holdovers from the 2006-07 championship team. Congrats to Privett on making The University of Vermont.

It also marked the final games for Stephanie Boyle and Elsie Vieira.

Sometimes, going back is fun. There are some good tracks today with anything Akon just rolling it in.

However, I felt like some LL Cool J featuring the talented Boyz II Men before they disappeared to parts unknown. Year. The four boys from Philly could sing. What’s your name? What’s YOUR NAME?!?!?!?!?!

Haha. Little Motown Philly reference there for those who catch my drift.

Anyway, here’s a hot LL track and video which rocked called, “Hey Lover” off the Mr. Smith album.

And one more hot number for good measure from that album:

Great video! Hot lyrics. Sexy shit.

 

And of course the hottest track on it Loungin’ (Remix). I forgot how dope this was!

PARK SLOPE, BK- They trailed most of the way but when it got down to crunch time, the resilient Berkeley Carroll Lions roared past league rival Packer 70-67 advancing to a semifinal tomorrow versus defending ACIS champion Dwight.

In the third consecutive quarterfinal meeting with each splitting the first couple, the Boys Varsity got out of the gate quick led by senior Giancarlo Hirsch who scored 13 of a game high 36 to keep them afloat against a balanced Packer attack which got untracked following an early timeout by coach George Boutis.

The gritty road foe which trailed by half a dozen early got a spark from a junior forward off the bench who scored at will down low off some nice baseline backdoor cuts on his way to 21. With their leading scorer in early foul trouble, he did most of the damage leading Packer back in front by one at quarter’s end.

With a few Lions having two fouls including Hirsch who couldn’t be as aggressive defensively, Packer attacked with vigor finishing strong down low while sprinkling in some timely treys opening a 12-point lead that forced first-year BC coach Mike Kubera to call for time.

“Yeah. In the second quarter, we lied back on our defense a little bit.  We weren’t doing a good job. One kid. Baseline a bunch of times. … We talked about it at halftime and then when we came out, we stopped him,” one of the many heroes junior John O’Shaughnessy assessed after contributing six points along with splendid D despite four fouls.

Though his star player went an eight minute stretch without scoring while secondary option Phil Seay (10 points) struggled throughout, Kubera’s club was able to hang around thanks to timely hoops from junior Sean Cunningham (5 points) and freshman Cole Kitchen (8 points), who drained a big three late in the first half to keep the margin reasonable trailing 41-34 at the half.

The third quarter saw momentum swings as Packer got the lead back up to 11 but never could put the feisty hosts away reminding some of the quarterfinal the same teams played two years prior on the very court in Park Slope. Only that time, it was the underdog road team who fought back from 18 down getting a last second three winning by one to stun a more experienced Lion team.

However, circumstances were reversed with Berkeley Carroll without key starting freshman guard Joe Longo, who’s done for the season with a sprained ankle he sustained in their road win over St. Ann’s last week.

Somehow, the Lions hung in thanks to big buckets from Hirsch along with a long distance bomb from Seay. But everytime they got close, Packer came back with a couple of baskets pushing it back to eight.

A huge hoop from Cunningham in which he drew a foul scoring a circus shot banker converting a pivotal three-point play got the crowd into it. With the lead down to three, Packer cameback with a strong lay-in as time wound down taking a 55-50 lead into the final quarter.

Early in the fourth, neither team scored when Kubera wisely used his third timeout. Though they fell behind by seven twice, it was the Lions who were more aggressive with Hirsch and Seay taking the ball hard finishing off some acrobatic lay-ups along with a few free throws pulling them closer.

Encouraged by a home crowd with chants of “D—fense,” BC turned up the heat going to halfcourt pressure with a triangular two that seemed to throw Packer’s timing off. An offensive foul to the early star which he vehemently disagreed with landed him on the bench permanently.

Hirsch and Seay got plenty of help from O’Shaughnessy, who played oustanding defense despite having four fouls since midway through the third quarter admitting to nerves but was able to stay composed.

“Well, pretty much what [Kubera] was telling us was was what we’ve been saying the whole game,” O’Shaughnessy noted of the big difference.  

“Just stepping up on defense. Switching on their guards.  Make sure they don’t get any three’s. Keeping up our defense. We really picked it up in the second half and at the end of the game.“

He along with Cunningham and Hirsch cleaned up the glass while Kitchen chipped in with some great defensive work coming up with two steals and strong finishes in transition igniting teammates. The second gave the Lions a one-point lead- their first since the opening minutes.

“Cole’s really stepped up. He’s a freshman this year. I mean he knocks down three’s. He gets ya lay-ups. All through the season, he’s been getting better at decision making and getting around the court,” O’Shaughnessy pointed out. 

With Seay playing strong defense along with ’mates forcing turnovers, they made it a 16-5 run with Hirsch scoring four straight including an athletic putback along with a 16-foot stepback suddenly making it 66-60 BC.

“Giancarlo always been like that I suppose. He always picks up the team doing absolutely everything. Shooting three’s. Getting rebounds. Crazy buckets,” O’Shaughnessy praised of the theatrics.

After Packer’s senior who paced them with 24 cut it to four, the Lions wisely used the shot clock before Kitchen dished off to a cutting Hirsch who then found a wide open O’Shaughnessy for an easy bucket for a 68-62 lead with under a minute left.

But Packer wouldn’t go away with No.3 nailing his second long range bomb of the quarter from 22 feet out again making it a one possession game allowing Boutis to take his final timeout with under 20 ticks left.

Following the stoppage, the Lions inbounded to O’Shaughnessy who was fouled right away putting him at the line for a crucial one and one. If he made it, Packer was sunk.

Explained a chuckling O’Shaughnessy:

“I was just thinking, ‘I got to hit these. I got to hit these right now.’ And as I was walking towards the free throw line, coach was telling me I only got to hit one and I didn’t feel really nervous about it. Calmed my nerves. I felt good about the free throws. I knew I was gonna hit them.“

Up five with plenty of instructions not to foul or allow a three, the Lions let Packer’s leading scorer convert a lay-up with four seconds and then Hirsch went long to Kitchen who dribbled it out taking a hit but pumping his fist while celebrating with the rest of his proud teammates.

Start time for Tuesday’s ACIS semifinal between the No.4 seeded Lions and top seed Dwight is 6 PM at Brooklyn Friends gym.

JV Ousted By Friends Seminary: Meanwhile over in Manhattan, the third time wasn’t the charm with the BC JV Boys getting ousted by Friends Seminary in a game that never was a contest.

Varsity Girls Face Martin Luther In PSAA Semis: While the boys got underway today, the BC Lady Lions will visit No.2 Martin Luther for a PSAA semifinal at 4 PM in Queens.

A win would put them in a second straight league final with possibly top seed Staten Island Academy waiting. The Lions are led by sophomore Keyanka Bailey along with senior Ashley Privett and improving junior guard Olivia Wilson.

We’ll see if they can get a playoff win for first-year coach Morgan Sevigny tomorrow.

PARK SLOPE, BK- They hung around all day but a late push wasn’t enough in the Berkeley Carroll JV Lions’ 52-45 loss to United Federations at the home gym in Park Slope concluding the regular season part of the schedule.

Their 19-point win over St. Ann’s Thursday helped them qualify for the postseason ACIS League tournament. Falling to the second place visitor from Manhattan wasn’t all bad considering the first time they met, UNIS blew them out of the gym.

This time, coach Walter Paller’s club stuck around long enough to make a run before ultimately falling short.

“Tough loss. We hung in there. We pulled it back. We were down by 10 with seven minutes left in the fourth. Made a nice run and got it down to five. … They hit their free throws and that was it,” freshman Adam Kochman assessed following a career day that included eight treys along with a team high 26 points.

They trailed most of the way falling behind by as much as 12 but everytime it looked over, Kochman would drain a big three. A trey from the left corner along with a couple of buckets in transition from teammates Andrew Timko and Rob Paller suddenly got them within five with over three minutes left.

“The penetration from the guards to the top. We had that most of the game. But without Adam’s hot shooting, I don’t think we could’ve hung in there,” point guard Jesse Chalfin analyzed.

“Just felt it man. When shooters feel it, they feel it. I got open. My teammates were hitting me with nice passes. It felt beautiful out of my hands. I don’t know what else to say,” Kochman chuckled.

Urged on by a strong BC contingent that included the Girls Varsity who won their season finale 47-38 at Dwight Thursday, the Lions made things even more interesting getting it all the way down to one.

But when push came to shove, UNIS’ best player delivered in crunch time hitting a couple of shots and converting at the charity stripe scoring more than half his 29 after intermission.

“It’s just really holding him in the interior because he was basically getting all his points inside. It’s defensive rebounds. Holding onto that and stopping him from getting those easy putbacks which took the game out of hand last time and a little bit today,” Chalfin pointed out on if they’ll get another crack depending on how they fare in the quarters at Friends Seminary Monday.

Still, they were encouraged by the effort which has improved leaps and bounds since getting back sophomore guard Rob Paller.

“Robbie makes a huge difference. He’s great at boxing out. Very athletic. He’s smart. He makes good decisions and has really helped us,” Kochman noted.

“They beat us by 25 there  and this time, we almost beat them. A few shots falling here or there and we had them.”

They’ll be facing a quarterfinal foe that swept the regular season series rallying back to beat them at BC Athletic Center in overtime while winning by double digits last Friday. So, it certainly won’t be easy.

“We gotta keep the ball under control. Keep hitting those threes and keep the penetration going to the basket. And as long as we play good defense,we can get a win,” Chalfin said while adding:

“We should’ve won the first one. We’re going to get it back this time. Third time’s a charm baby.”

He also mentioned that he enjoys Coach Paller’s “fire and passion.”

Hopefully, he won’t be too fired up needing to remind his students what must get done in order for them to advance. 

Varsity Boys Hot Heading Into Quarter Showdown: The Varsity Boys might just be heating up at the right time having won a season high four straight concluding the regular season with wins over LREI, Friends Seminary, Loyola and St. Ann’s to earn a quarterfinal home date versus ACIS league rival Packer.

In particular, the 61-55 road triumph over Friends Seminary last Friday The 13th had to be extra special as it was their first win over them in three years.

Freshman Cole Kitchen noted that senior leader Giancarlo Hirsch “just went off” and they did a better job defensively on a long distance shooter who killed them in a home loss last December.

The news isn’t all great for the Lions who likely will be without starting freshman point guard Joe Longo, who suffered a sprained ankle in their win Thursday.

However, first-year coach Mike Kubera’s club will try to take their momentum into Monday’s match-up against a club they’re quite familiar with meeting them on their home turf a third consecutive year in this round. The teams split the last two years with Packer beating them on a last second three in 2007 before BC turned the tables last year.

Each school won on their home floor. So, BC will hope form holds with some home cooking with tipoff set for 4:30 PM Monday.

PARK SLOPE, BK- Adam Kochman’s hot shooting turned a close game into a comfortable win for the Berkeley Carroll JV Boys, who posted a 48-29 victory over St. Ann’s at the BC Athletic Center in Park Slope Thursday.

He nailed five triples finishing with a game high 19 to help lead the Lions to the ACIS playoffs. They still don’t know who they’ll play next Monday with tomorrow’s season finale at home versus United Federations helping determine who the road quarterfinal opponent will be.

Early on, Kochman’s teammates helped build a 9-2 lead with a finally healthy starter Rob Paller contributing a couple of his 10 while running the offense. With guard Jesse Chalfin finishing off a tough lay-in while getting fouled at the end of the first quarter, BC was firmly in control up double digits.

But St. Ann’s slowly chipped away playing an inspired second quarter with one of their players doing most of the damage inside to spark them all the way back. They outscored the Lions by 11 with a teammate draining an uncontested trey with two seconds left to give them a 20-19 halftime lead.

Following another three to start the second half, fill-in coach/AD Joe Wood saw his team respond well to the adversity outscoring their opponent 29-6 the rest of the way.

In particular, Kochman’s torrid shooting changed the game. After working a nice give-and-go with Paller cutting for a 15 footer, he then went to work nailing a three from the left wing. He would make St. Ann’s pay with a couple of more daggers.

Also contributing was Milo Ben-Amotz, who came off the bench for six including a big three from the key off a nice pass.

The hot perimeter shooting proved to be too much for St. Ann’s to overcome. The Lions continued to execute in the final quarter breaking a full court press with ease getting uncontested lay-ups from a host of players including Blaise Cohen.

Center Mike Andria flashed and found trailers helping the host club pull away.

Varsity Boys Earn Home Playoff Game: The Varsity BC Lions completed a successful final couple of days of the regulat season with road wins over Loyola and St. Ann’s earning a home playoff game versus Packer Monday.

The two ACIS league rivals who split the season series will be meeting in the quarters for a third consecutive year on the Lions’ home court. Two years ago, Packer stunned them with a come from behind win thanks to a last second three but last year, Berkeley Carroll returned the favor advancing to the semis before falling to eventual league champ Dwight.

It should make for an intriguing rubber match at the BC gym with tipoff scheduled for 4:30 PM.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers can always ring it up thanks to the energy of Anthony Kiedis along with bandmates Flea, John Frusciante and Chad Smith.

So, today I felt like some Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) cause they totally rule and are one of the most dominant bands standing the test of time for three decades.

What’s not to admire about the pure energy you get from the zany Anthony Kiedis? He, Flea, John Frusciante and Chad Smith are a fun innovative act who can recreate themselves giving their fans much to enjoy.

I was a huge fan of Californication a decade prior but the last double album Stadium Arcadium was sensational featuring prominent hit single “Dani California” which also was a cool ass video with them dressing up as different infamous acts over time as only they can pull off.

Thank God for this extremely gifted quartet which seems to churn out big albums every 3-4 years. Does that mean we can expect something by next year? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

In the mean time, here are a couple of chief selections I enjoy:

Everyone always talks about Kiedis high flying act on the stage and Flea but both Smith (drums/percussion) and Frusciante (guitar) don’t take a back seat with each fairly overlooked with the latter providing strong backup vocals as he did on the ultrafast “Right On Time.”

It’s there to be heard and appreciated.

I have a tough time deciding which is better. Snow (Hey oh) or Tell Me Baby above. Both are flat out awesome featuring great lyrics which we all can identify with.

RHCP: “Snow (Hey Oh)”

Come to decide that the things that I tried were in my life just to get high on.
When I sit alone, come get a little known
But I need more than myself this time.
Step from the road to the sea to the sky, and I do believe that we rely on
When I lay it on, come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice.

Hey oh… listen what I say oh
I got your hey oh, now listen what I say oh

When will I know that I really can’t go
To the well once more – time to decide on.
Well it’s killing me, when will I really see, all that I need to look inside.
Come to belive that I better not leave before I get my chance to ride,
Well it’s killing me, what do I really need – all that I need to look inside.

Hey oh… listen what I say oh
Come back and hey oh, look at what I say oh

The more I see the less I know
The more I like to let it go – hey oh, woah…
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it’s so white as snow,
Finally divided by a word so undecided and there’s nowhere to go;
Inbetween the cover of another perfect wonder and it’s so white as snow,
Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed and there’s nowhere to go.

Ho!
Went to descend to ammend for a friend of the channels that had broken down.
Now you bring it up, I’m gonna ring it up – just to hear you sing it out.
Step from the road to the sea to the sky, and I do belive what we rely on,
When I lay it on, come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice

Hey oh… listen what I say oh
I got your hey oh… listen what I say oh

The more I see, the less I know
The more I like to let it go – hey oh, woah…
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it’s so white as snow.
Finally divided by a word so undecided and there’s nowhere to go
Inbetween the cover of another perfect wonder where it’s so white as snow
Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed and there’s nowhere to go.

I said hey hey yeah oh yeah, tell my love now.
Hey hey yeah oh yeah, tell my love now.

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it’s so white as snow,
Finaly divided by a word so undecided and there’s nowhere to go.
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it’s so white as snow…
Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed and there’s nowhere to go.

I said hey oh yeah oh yeah… tell my love now
Hey yeah yeah… oh yeah.