Video: Beejus – “iParty”

Bay Area rapstar Beejus and his buddies hit the Vegas strip for a raucous good time in this clip for “iParty,” off his stellar album BeeSmoove.

It’s time to get down, down, down … but let’s just hope they didn’t find Mike Tyson‘s tiger in their bathroom the following morning.

#FingersFollows: Today’s Recommendation – @KarenDiscoball – #FF

miami disco bitch!

I suck. No really, I’m supposed to do the #FingersFollows posts every day but I’ve been slacking; not only that, but I was supposed to do this particular #FF a few days ago but I failed to do so. You see, today’s recommendation is one of my best friends in the entire universe, the lovely, incomparable Karen Discoball. And I meant to post this on her birthday, which was last Friday. Womp.

Karen and I go back like four flats on a Cadillac, like high-top fades, like eight-tracks, like Bartles & Jaymes. We met as co-workers at now-defunct South Beach nightclub Suite Lounge and have been thick as thieves ever since. In addition to being a great friend, Karen is also the world’s biggest house music fiend. No, seriously, she’s like the Quentin Tarantino of house music—she knows every DJ, every song, every remix. And don’t think she’s gonna champion the commercial sound either. Karen is strictly underground, son. When I met her, I knew nothing about EDM; now, I know … a little bit more, haha. And she’s super talented, having done everything from managing top-notch, world renowned DJs to booking shows to event planning.

Writers: The 25 Most Influential Black Fiction Writers on Twitter

Being both a writer and compulsive Tweeter, it’d only make sense for me to follow some notable black authors, journalists, bloggers, and the like. However, a lot of the people I’ve encountered on the microblogging service with #writer in their Twitter bio and tweets are, um, decidedly non-black. Don’t get me wrong, I love all my Twitter writing buddies, but it’d be nice to build with some of the black folks finding success as published authors.

Well, fortunately, The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog‘s Cortnee Howard has compiled a list of the Top 25 Most Influential Black Fiction Writers on Twitter. The list, which ranked authors by their Klout score, features writers “who are not only influential, but who are redefining what it means to be a successful black writer in the 21st century.” Among those listed include Terry McMillan, Colson Whitehead, Carleen Brice, Danielle Evans, and the homie Erica Kennedy.

New Music: Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4Eva

I have a slightly embarrassing confession to make: before yesterday, I wasn’t up on Big K.R.I.T.

I mean, I knew he’s a Mississippi-bred MC/producer who recently appeared on the cover of XXL‘s Freshmen 2011 issue. And I knew he’d amassed quite a large following the past year with the critically acclaimed K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. But I wouldn’t have been able to name one K.R.I.T. song if my life depended on it, and feeling mostly blah about the artists people champion these days, I wasn’t itching to give him a chance.

But yesterday he dropped the highly anticipated Return of 4Eva and every-damn-body I knew was salivating over it. So I decided to download it.

Color me pleased.

Reutrn of 4Eva is 21 tracks of soulful Southern thump, each one produced, mixed and mastered by K.R.I.T. himself, and features guests like Bun B, Ludacris, Chamillionaire and David Banner. The vibe reminds me of early Dungeon Family mixed with a bit of New South swag and East Coast lyricism, and I love the subtle shout outs to classic Southern hip-hop. K.R.I.T. knows his history.

Lemme tell you, I’ve been jammin’ to this while sipping on some Café Bustelo and I am sufficiently crunk. Shout to my Skull Candy headphones. Tracklisting and download link below.

Photo: Brooklyn We Go Hard For Japan Photoshoot in Fort Greene Park

Last Sunday afternoon, I met with a group of friends and neighbors in Fort Greene Park for Brooklyn We Go Hard For Japan, a photoshoot to show support for those affected by the recent disasters in Japan.

Roughly 30-40 Brooklynites came out for the shoot, which was a fun, lively affair. Photographers Colin “Soul Boy” Williams, Maxime Giordani and Megga Waters kept the crowd entertained with jokes in-between shots. And while some people complained about it being too cold, I though the weather was great.

The photo above was taken by Megga Waters. See more photos from the event below.

Quote: Wanna Thank My Parents for Raising Me to Have Confidence

“Wanna thank my parents for raising me to have confidence that is disproportioned with my looks and abilities.”
—Tina Fey

I remember once being told that someone had been talking about me behind my back. “Jay thinks he’s all that,” I was told the person said. “But he’s not, so why would he even think that?”

I have no idea if this person really said these things, but it’s something that always stuck with me because, well, yeah, I do think I’m “all that.” I know I’m not the most beautiful person on earth (though I am damn handsome) and I’m not the best writer to ever live … but shit, I think I’m pretty fucking boss.

Writing: I’m Participating in Script Frenzy

Yes, that’s right. I’m planning on tackling the challenge set forth by Script Frenzy. Can I do it? Why of course, don’t be ridiculous.

Oh, my bad, some of you are unfamiliar with Script Frenzy. Okay, here’s the scoop: much like NaNoWriMo and the 3-Day Novel Writing Contest, Script Frenzy is a writing marathon, one that takes place during the month of April and focuses on screenwriting. Well, it used to anyway; now any scripted material (including stage plays and graphic novels) is allowed.

The goal: to write 100 pages in 30 days.

And like the aforementioned marathons, there are no official prizes for reaching the goal other than the satisfaction of having a complete screenplay. That works for me. And unlike the aforementioned marathons, which summarily kicked my ass, I am confident I can hammer out 100 pages of screenplay in 30 days.

I’ve got an idea in mind already, a script I’m tentatively calling The Husband. But don’t worry, I’ll tell you more about it in another post. Ha!

Want to know more about Script Frenzy? Contest details and rules are below.