Wait a minute. This isn't Detroit?

So this past Saturday was Halloween. As some of you may know, this is the biggest excuse to party on most college campuses (here in the States). I took part in the celebration of all things wasted. Dressed up like an affirmative action GI Joe cameo, I witnessed the madness that was Halloween at Michigan State.

The day started with me waking up to a text message from my dear friend @nateem87, who was inviting me to lunch. I hadn't seen him since June, so I decided this would be awesome. Man was I right! My friends and I enjoyed lunch at Clara's in Lansing. The restaurant looks like a train station, and we actually ate on the train car section. The music was pumping out of the speakers (even though I would have preferred some more Motown) and the conversations about illness, sex, parties, and general losing, were hilarious as always.


After splitting the check, we then parted ways to get prepared for what the night had to offer. I witnessed my friend transform from @JYoungS2TS to Prince (yes, the man who made "Purple Rain") in a matter of 30 minutes, with the help of eye liner and make up. I suited up as GI Joe (not the classic soldier with kung-fu grip, but the armored badass from the 2009 summer blockbuster). My friend @Yellokake was trying to decide whether to be Barbie or Mars Blackmon. She ultimately went with Barbie.

After making sure our costumes were on point, we tried to get the rest of the pack to meet at one location, but people were being difficult. Yeah, y'all know...

Once we realized that the group meeting wasn't going to happen, I decided I would party with the under 21 crowd, so I was dropped off at Hubbard Hall. I met up with some of my best friends and then we headed to Grand River....*insert bad news music here*

Now for anybody who was following me that day, I had been tweeting (get hip to it) everything that occured. When we hit Grand River, my mind was off Twitter and more focused on the mass number of drunk "broskies" and Topangas that were in a variety of awesome (and sometimes offensive) costumes. Of course I saw my fair share of Ginas, but I surprisingly bumped into only one Hilary. If Saturday night on Grand River had been a television show, it would have been a jumbled reunion of Boy Meets World, Martin, and Fresh Prince, but the jokes would have been written by the president of the "Dude Where's My Car?" fan club.

I don't feel the specific events of the party I attended need to be addressed, but I will say this: 500+ people in one ugly house wit loud music and beer all over is not a safe mix. When you see a violent display of disgustingly off-rhythm dancing on the same dance floor as a passed out Hugh Hefner, you're in for quite a time.

Being at this party made me feel like Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Scarface on the day Kanye West sampled Harold Melvin in the studio: This Can't Be Life. People lost it down there, and probably everywhere else that had a party that night. I was in a state of confusion. I was entertained. At times I was concerned for the safety of my friends. I was definitely not looking forward to the cold weather that I would inevitably have to walk back to Hubbard in. To sum it all up, I felt like I was in Detroit.

Don't let me discourage you. I had a blast! And I can't wait to see what insanity will unfold when Halloween rolls around next year. Until then, stay safe. Peace!

Hasslehuff

PS: Tweet me down.
http://twitter.com/HassleHuff

What is it about this city?

Last night, October 17, the best of Detroit hip hop (minus Eminem) got together to perform a benefit concert for Hex Murda. Some may know him as the manager of Detroit's top acts (Black Milk, Elzhi, and Guilty Simpson among others) but to be honest he is actually one of the pivotal figures of the city's hip hop scene. All the acts he works with have been able to put out studio releases when they wanted, and a lot of those projects have been met with critical acclaim. On top of that, he just flat out knows the business of the industry back and forth. This is not a look at Hex's contributions though. I personally don't know his story well enough to do him justice. This is a look at why Detroit stands as one of the most renowned city's for musical output. If you have ever learned anything about music history you probably already have a few artists on your mind right now. What is it about this place? Let's take a look:

1. It's in the midwest:

This isn't a diss to other regions of the country, but the midwest has always been the place to turn out some stellar music. Detroit undoubtedly had Motown. Gary, IN was the hometown of Michael Jackson (and the rest of the clan). Chicago is responsible for Earth, Wind & Fire. And so on. It's important to recognize this, especially today when the majority of popular music seems to creep up from the South. I have no problem with the South, but I can't stand the fact that some of their seemlessly effortless attempts to make good music end up becoming the club bangers that Detroiters fall in love with ("Stanky Leg", Shawty Lo, "Make the trap aye", Plies, and Gucci Mane). There's the occasional joint from Fab or Jay-Z (Brooklyn!). And where would we be without hearing the 150+ names that The Game loves to drop over the course of 48 bars? Yeah we have Kanye West (and now Kid Cudi) but in the last few years Kanye has found himself dividing his fanbase (the auto-tune album, his guest spots on the Beyonce song, his verse on the Rick Ross album, and of course his "outbursts"). I love Mr. West, but in the last year I have found myself listening to his music more so because of him being Kanye West, and not necessarily because I liked what was being said. But I'm getting off topic. The point is that Detroit artists have been putting out music that you don't hear. In an industry dominated by "all sex, no talent" singers and "get swag, get cash" rappers, Detroit's music scene is the perfect getaway from the 95.5 flavor of popular music (yes, shots fired).

2. This city is responsible for some of your favorite music

Like I mentioned above, Detroit was the home of Motown records. I don't even have to dig deep to show you the impact it had on American culture. But in case you want to get into it, go find your favorite singer. Ask him or her who influenced the style. If they name 10 artists, I'm willing to bet more than 5 are going to be from the Motown era. And just in case you are asking a younger female singer, she'll probably say Aaliyah. The city is also the birthplace of techno (shoutout to the Belleville trio). Thousands of people flood the streets of downtown every summer to celebrate the legacy of electronic music that the city started. Not a techno fan? Fine. The city is also home to Alice Cooper and the White Stripes. Cooper being renowned for his illustroious live performances. The White Stripes being cited as the revival of the mainstream garage rock scene (which is huge in Detroit). And then we have this thing called Jazz...but I won't go over your head with that rich bit of history. Basically, it's only natural that a city that has done so much for music would be the home to so many artists who are continuing to push the envelope in hip hop.

3. It's rough in these streets

I won't get too deep into this, but if you have watched anything in the news about Detroit in the last few years you would know that things have been going haywire in the city. The economy, the politicians, the "worst of" lists, the tough break playoffs, the Lions, the schools...it's just too much. But in times of struggle, music always speaks to the masses. Think Marvin Gaye "What's going on" or even N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton". With so much stuff going on, artists have endless amounts of stuff to talk about.

These are the Big 3 (Detroit reference) that I believe have made this city a great place for music. Sure there are others that could be argued. Feel free to add your 2 cents.

Hasslehuff

Keep Your Head Up Detroit

A few weeks ago a close friend found it necessary to go on a rant about my writing skill, or lack there of (as he put it in some not so friendly words). I woke up this morning, and the argument that occurred a week or so ago was still upsetting me. I found it necessary to alter my plans today so that I didn't have to see this person because I know if I saw him… it would end in a fight. Now you may say to yourself, why is he writing so much about himself on a blog about Detroit? Simple. These is the same problems Detroit, my city, my people, my family, deal with on a daily basis. The school system is shit, and instead of lifting up all of our children, we put them down. The job market is non-existent so instead of enterprising we look down on ourselves and hope one-day things will better. Instead of saying, “fuck you, and fuck what you think of me” to my friend, I doubted myself. We cannot continue to do this! Detroit is great city. We created the car, we are the home of the greatest hockey team ever placed on the earth, and we have the hardest working, toughest, nicest citizens of any place in the world. So lift up your head Detroit because I promise there are so many more good days to come. As for me, when it comes to writing I'm a published author, the BIU blog has gotten rave reviews from Detroit journalists, and I am the writer behind an advertising campaign that has been seen throughout southeast Michigan. All I need to do now is talk to my friend, and continue to work on my writing because the only direction I’m moving is up, and if someone wants to try to pull me down... good luck trying.

I love you Detroit, but now its time to love yourself!

An Ode to Old Ass Gangsters

So, I was driving home from work, the usual 10 minute drive from the new center to downtown Detroit, and I saw a 55 year old guy wearing a huge red shirt with Ja Rule on it, so I felt it necessary to write this ode…

Oh! Old ass Gangsters with your Tims and Mink Coats,

Your clothes say its cold, but it’s your nignorance the weather supports.

Oh! Old ass Gangsters why are you wearing that hat?!?

If Baseball caps were meant to be mink, don’t you think the Eskimos would have patented that?

Oh! Old ass Gangsters you hangout with three young “Kats”,

56, 48, and 42, riding in your ‘94 Lincoln with bats

Talkin’ about how you have the hottest crew,

Well you did, back in 1932.

Back then you use to run the show

Until you crossed the Detroit River in a broken boat

Because you knew in Germany when you shoot at them,

They actually shoot back at you!

Oh! Old ass Gangsters why is everyone else “wack” but you?

You say “da bomb” who the fuck are you trying to fool?!?

You date women that have purple hair,

And the color of your hat always matches your underwear,

All your life they told you, you wouldn’t go no where,

AND THEY WERE RIGHT!

Oh! Old ass Gangsters you’re the only reason why “Belly” was ever made,

And you swear to God that you are “paid in the shade”

But everybody knows the only reason you stay paid

Is because you get unemployment from accidentally being shot in the leg

During your mandatory weekend with the army reserve.

Oh! Old ass Gangsters you make me laugh,

Doing nothing with your time and threatening to beat that ass,

Clownin around town complaining about the wind that almost knocked off your hat.

This is why I can’t wait for Suge Knight and Kwamye Kilpatrick to turn 70 and then move back.

Just another reason why I love my city!!!

--Mike G

Welcome to the 48222

So I was on Facebook or Twitter about two weeks ago when I saw somebody post a link to this awesome blog post that had some really cool facts about my beloved city. One of these interesting facts that I had never heard before was that Detroit has a floating post office (the only one in the US from what I have gained). It was believed that Venice had the only one, oh but this is Detroit, a city of innovation and originality. I found this to be dope as hell, so what did I do? Simple, I looked that shit up on the internet. I'm big into history (of things that I care about) so here's some info:

• The vessel is called the J.W. Westcott II
• The J.W. Wescott company is headquartered under the Ambassador Bridge
• It became an official US post office in 1895
• They deliver mail, candy, cigarettes and even pizza (or anything else requested by other ships)
• The boat meets with vessels mid-river to deliver things in 5 gallon steel buckets
• There is actually some physics that go into making the exchange
  
• During the shipping season the company is on duty 24/7

I know what you're thinking. And yeah, it's really ridiculous yet very cool. That's Detroit for you.

Check out where I pulled this info from and look into this when you get the chance:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/facts/archives/1840
http://continuouswave.com/boats/westcott/
http://www.elovethiscity.com/detroit/history/10-detroit-facts-you-should-know/ (that's the original blog post)

Until the next post,
Hasslehuff

Practice, Practice?!?! C'mon man we're talkin' about practice!

Hey, my name is Mike Gray, and I am one of the co-owners of Belle Isle University Clothing LLC, I am also a local filmmaker and a college student out east, if you want to find out more about me you can take a look at our upcoming website, but I’m going to keep introductions brief because I wanted to focus on my first blog post.

I’m 20, and an avid sports fan, but as most people know being an avid sports fan in the city of Detroit is a little different than most places. It means: I love basketball and hockey, it also means I have never witnessed a championship in baseball or football. Which is sad because I’ve lived, and can remember seeing; both the Tigers and the Lions achieve the highest totals for losses in a season in their respective sports. I say this all to say, does anyone else realize that there is no other city in the world that loves sports like we do? I mean think about it, the majority of people alive in the city have never seen the lions have serious success, super bowl success, yet there were 15,000 fans waiting in the rain to see the lions practice, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE,

and what makes that worse is the fact that it was simulcast on TV (I was definitely watching). Chicago doesn’t do that for their teams, New York has doesn’t do that, ask the rangers, and LA sure as hell has never done that, you can ask Blake Griffin about that! So, many say the city of Detroit is the best sports city in the country, with 27 championships across all of our major sports we have held the limelight a fair amount of time, but my position is that we have the best fans in the world and we care the more about sports than anywhere else. Where else do you see fans bounce back from an 0-16 season better than the team, or fans celebrate a positive season after their Wings loose a nail biting championship game seven (after booing the other team of course).

Now the best fans in the world have all the reasons in the world to be more excited. The Tigers lead the AL central, and are getting better everyday, plus weekday tickets are cheap as hell. The Lions can only get better. They have an intriguing young core mixed with some talented new veterans, and of course Megatron on offense, and my favorite player, who I consider to be the Megatron of defense, Ernie Sims. Then you look at the Red Wings and although they are not as good as last year they will still be one of the best teams in the NHL, and they will be fun to watch. The Shock, gotta give the WNBA some love, are not doing great, but they go out there and play hard as hell every game. Finally, my favorite team in Detroit the Pistons. I am a fan of Joe Dumars because as my college coach would say, “he gets it.” Many people would disagree with me, but think about this 6 years of eastern conference championships, there are teams in the NBA that have never been to the eastern conference championships,

ask Jordan about that. When complacency would have been easy, Joe D said screw it and changed everything, and the funny thing is six months later every other team in the Eastern Conference did the same thing, and although the pistons are no longer the best, but they are returning the same fun to watch team of 04. Charlie V, and Ben G can flat out play and will be fun to watch not to mention, we have rookies again! Besides Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince the pistons rookies in the last few years haven’t mattered because the team was already playing at such a high level, but now we know that this team is scrappier, faster, tougher, and more athletic than they have ever been which in my book equals fun to watch! And with all of this Detroit is set for a year of surprises, nail biters, and more reasons to love my city!

--Mike G.

WHAT UP DOE! and Congratulations

Dear Mr. or Ms. [Whatever your last name is]

We would like to congratulate you on your acceptance to Belle Isle University! Today you are entering into a brand new legacy of simplicity, style, and hometown pride. Founded in the heart of Detroit, MI, Belle Isle University is seeking to expand it's student body while helping to shape the community (locally and globally). You can be a part of the growth. Be proud of yourself on this day. Go Mallards!