#happy new year dmc gang

[cheeriochat]

ACTUALLY HAPPY NEW YEAR NOW!!! 2024 BABY!!

I may have drawn this right after midnight but who cares, its cute!!! The whole gang celebrating together

[sofreshsosoulful]

Pics that brought hip-hop into focus!

When we think of the music culture we love we often have a visual image in our head straight away. Music videos and photography have had a powerful impact, and have been very important in helping develop music icons for decades and decades. James Brown, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Bob Marley, Tupac, Biggie and Beyonce, are just a few artists that spring quickly to mind here, but in truth it can be almost anyone famous. The photographers who take these shots are unlikely to ever be celebrated as much, and are happy to stay behind the scenes, but it’s always worth acknowledging their contribution to the culture too.

  This year hip-hop has already lost two of it’s great photographers, in Ricky Powell and Chi Modu, and both left a huge mark on hip-hop culture. Closer to home we have amazing photographers too, and it’s always worth acknowledging that one of the most influential photographers in hip-hop history, Brian Cross, is originally from just up the road here in Limerick. 

When news of Chi Modu’s passing broke last weekend, his photos were quickly shared all over instagram and other social media sites. I had heard of Chi Modu and was aware of some of his most famous shots, but it only struck me then how much of them I actually knew. Album covers for Snoop, Method Man and Mobb Deep were accompanied by shots of Tupac, Biggie, Mary J Blige, Ice Cube and more legendary figures from most particularly the 90’s, the decade where hip-hop really became a commercial juggernaut that took over the world.

  These photos are all amazing and capture the transition of hip-hop from it’s 80’s innocence into a time where the innocence was left behind. The photographers own passing adds extra poignancy but many of these rappers would soon pass too, and it’s hard not to get nostalgic looking at the striking shots of Pac and Biggie and others. Biggie standing in front of the twin towers, which he had referenced in “Juicy”, captures hip-hop and indeed New York only a few years before the world changed forever. 

Ricky Powell, who died recently too, was an important figure in documenting the previous era of hip-hop, in the 80’s, at a time when hip-hop transformed itself from being a subculture in the Bronx into something much bigger. The other major elements of hip-hop, such as djing, breakdancing and graffiti, are still important now, but back in the late 70’s and 80’s all of these elements were much more pronounced. Acclaimed artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat were largely unknown by the time Powell started photographing them, but it was it his work with Run DMC and the Beastie Boys which helped expose this still relatively new music genre to the masses.

Both of these great photographers captured musical movements just at the right time, before the masses got on board. The art and photography was obviously important in promoting this music culture too. The fact that a guy from Limerick did the same over in Los Angeles always fascinated me, and in early 1994, I purchased “It’s not about a Salary”, an amazing book of essays, interviews and photos by Brian Cross (aka B+). Again, the photographer was there at the cusp of an amazing era, documenting artists such as N.W.A., Cypress Hill, The Pharcyde, Freestyle Fellowship in an era when the West coast was taking over.

In subsequent years B+ has become known as one of the most important photographers and film makers in hip-hop, and he has famously shot everyone from Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu to Kendrick Lamar and J Dilla. He also published the amazing “Ghostnotes: music of the Unplayed”, and he is very active promoting hip-hop and it’s many connected sub cultures. 

In Cork, Deirdre O’Callaghan, has created an unbelievable body of work over the last couple of decades, spanning the world of street culture, music, book publishing and advertising. From her work with the original Dazed and Confused team, right up until the present day, she has shot important music artists such as De La Soul, Gang Starr, Questlove, Tony Allen and more, and her book projects have been amazing too (these are well worth checking out!) Also in Cork, the photographer and film maker Lovro is currently documenting the underground drill scene here, and again, it’s another example of a talented photographer capturing a music genre just when it’s on the cusp of something special!

*This article appeared originally in the print edition of Corks Echolive on May 28th

hip-hop, photography, rap, soul, chi modu, Ricky Powell, B+, Deirde O’callaghan

[imagekeepr]

Songs for Halloween Parties

Halloween parties offer the most wide open subject possibilities of any type of celebration. Halloween is the one day of the year that lets you be any living thing or dead thing, any occupation, any human or non-human and any personality type. You can be a cartoon character if you like. Since Halloween can go hundreds of different directions, the playlist will likely be a diverse list of novelty songs. The Monster Mash by Bobby Boris Pickett Rock Lobster by The B-52's Creep by Radiohead Everyday Is Halloween by Ministry Space Oddity by David Bowie Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo It's the End of the World As We Know it (and I Feel Fine) by R.E.M. Planet Claire by The B-52's Mad World - Tears For Fears Hell by Squirrel Nut Zippers Wicked Game by Chris Isaak Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack by Andrew Lloyd Weber Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon Black Celebration by Depeche Mode Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles Walking On The Moon by The Police The Fly by U2 Lola by The Kinks Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress by The Hollies I Wanna Be a Cowboy by Boy Meets Girl 2000 Light Years From Home by The Rolling Stones The Munsters TV Theme Not Afraid by Eminem Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down Enter Sandman by Metallica Superstition by Stevie Wonder People Are Strange by The Doors Evil Ways by Santana 1999 by Prince Revolution 9 by The Beatles Twilight Zone TV Theme Hotel California by The Eagles Season of the Witch by Donovan Psycho Killer by Talking Heads The Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels Band Highway to Hell by AC/DC Devil Inside by INXS Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran Thriller by Michael Jackson Super Freak by Rick James Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. Le Freak by Chic Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang Girlfriend in a Coma by The Smiths Dark Lady by Cher Scary Monsters by David Bowie Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival Devil Woman by Cliff Richard Riders On The Storm by The Doors Runnin' With the Devil by Van Halen Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones Crocodile Rock by Elton John Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People Frankenstein by Edgar Winter Group Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince Time Warp from Rocky Horror Soundtrack Rapture by Blondie She Said She Said by The Beatles Wanted Dead or Alive by Jon Bon Jovi Out of Limits by The Marketts Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell Bad Girls by Donna Summer Black Magic Woman by Santana Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses Welcome to My Nightmare by Alice Cooper Boris the Spider by The Who Jungle Boogie by Kool & The Gang Roxanne by The Police Back in Black by AC/DC Addams Family TV Theme The Blob by The Five Blobs Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson Take the Money and Run by Steve Miller Band Mama Told Me Not to Come by Three Dog Night Witchy Woman by The Eagles Speed Racer TV Theme Let's Go Crazy by Prince King Tut by Steve Martin Another One Bites the Dust by Queen Erotic City by Prince White Wedding by Billy Idol Hells Bells by AC/DC Fly Like an Eagle by Steve Miller Band Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult Tarzan Boy by Baltimore Rocket Man by Elton John Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney & Wings Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera Copacabana by Barry Manilow Black Cat by Janet Jackson You Dropped a Bomb on Me by Gap Band Zoo Station by U2 My City Was Gone by The Pretenders Eye of the Tiger by Survivor 99 Red Balloons by Nena Spirits in the Material World by The Police Monster by Fred Schneider Union of the Snake by Duran Duran They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha by Napoleon XIV Rebel Rebel by David Bowie State of Shock by The Jacksons Walk Like an Egyptian by The Bangles Freakazoid by Midnight Star Low Rider by War Church of the Poison Mind by Culture Club Rebel Yell by Billy Idol Valley Girl by Frank Zappa E.T. by Katy Perry and Kanye West We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions by Queen All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix Strange Magic by Electric Light Orchestra Burning Down the House by Talking Heads Der Komissar by After The Fire Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive by Men at Work Taxman by The Beatles Monsters and Angels by Voice of the Beehive Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz Spiders and Snakes by Jim Stafford Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers 2001: A Space Odyssey (Also Sprach Zarathustra) by Deodato Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band by Meco Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead by XTC You Are a Tourist by Death Cab for Cutie The Joker by Steve Miller Band Run Through the Jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes Head Like a Hole by Nine Inch Nails Jerry Was a Race Car Driver by Primus Clap For the Wolfman by The Guess Who Fear of the Unknown by Siouxsie & The Banshees I Ran by A Flock of Seagulls Centerfold by J. Geils Band Black Velvet by Alannah Myles Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, also The English Beat You Be Illin' by Run DMC Criminal by Fiona Apple Shout At The Devil by Motley Crue Weird Science by Oingo Boingo Swing The Mood by Jive Bunny and the Mix Masters Wild Thing by Tone Loc Whip It by Devo Planet Claire by The B-52's Legend of Wooley Swamp by Charlie Daniels Band Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley The Freaks Come Out at Night by Houdini The Road To Hell by Chris Rea Billionaire by Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars Devil With a Blue Dress by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels Rock Me Amadeus by Falco Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield Space Cowboy by Steve Miller Band Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash, also Social Distortion Walk the Dinosaur by Was (Not Was) Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace N.W.O. by Ministry Paranomia by Art of Noise Birdhouse in Your Soul by They Might Be Giants If I Only Had a Brain by Lee Marvin from The Wizard of Oz Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini Orchestra Smuggler's Blues by Glenn Frey She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby Runnin' Down a Dream by Tom Petty Axel F by Crazy Frog (You've Got to) Fight For Your Right (To Party) by Beastie Boys In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans Major Tom by Peter Schilling Man On The Moon by R.E.M. Happy Days Theme by Pratt & McClain Send Me an Angel by Real Life Convoy by C.W. McCall Particle Man by They Might Be Giants Pinball Wizard by The Who Fire by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown It's a Mistake by Men At Work Synchronicity II by The Police Mr. Roboto by Styx Wipeout by Surfaris Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra King of Pain by The Police Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody by David Lee Roth Twilight Zone by Golden Earring Rockin' Robin by Michael Jackson Spooky by Classics IV Jungle Love by The Time A View To a Kill by Duran Duran Rain on the Scarecrow by John Mellencamp Love Potion #9 by The Searchers Cult of Personality by Living Colour The Candy Man by Sammy Davis Jr. Authority Song by John Mellencamp Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog The Bird by The Time Lil' Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs Canary in a Coalmine by The Police Octopus's Garden by The Beatles Maxwell's Silver Hammer by The Beatles Puttin' On The Ritz by Taco Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin The Streak by Ray Stevens Bat Dance by Prince Theme from Greatest American Hero by Joey Scarbury Fame by David Bowie Eye In The Sky by Alan Parsons Project Devil in Disguise by Elvis Presley Mommy's Little Monster by Social Distortion Deadman's Curve by Jan & Dean Creature from the Black Lagoon by Dave Edmunds Zombie by The Cranberries The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen Haunted House by Jumpin’ Gene Simmons It's Halloween by The Shaggs Dragula by Rob Zombie Witch Queen of New Orleans by Redbone I Was A Teenage Werewolf by The Cramps Eye of the Zombie by John Fogerty Halloween by Misfits Pet Sematary by The Ramones Horror Movie by Skyhooks The Raven by Alan Parsons Project Bloodletting by Concrete Blonde Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper Don't Be Afraid of the Dark by Robert Cray Hypnotized by Fleetwood Mac The Scientist by Coldplay Run For Your Life by The Beatles Dig My Grave by They Might Be Giants Waltz in Black by The Stranglers I Put a Spell on You by Screamin Jay Hawkins, Creedence Clearwater Revival Ghost Riders in the Sky by The Outlaws, Johnny Cash Ghost of Tom Joad by Rage Against the Machine, Bruce Springsteen Dead Souls by Joy Division, Nine Inch Nails Swamp Witch by Jim Stafford I'm a Goner by Matt and Kim w/ Soulja Boy & Andrew W.K. Mekong Delta - Night on a Bare Mountain Nightmare by Brainbug In the Hall of the Mountain King by Sounds Incorporated One Piece at a Time by Johnny Cash Tequila by The Champs I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night by The Electric Prunes Nasty by Janet Jackson No More Mr. Nice Guy by Alice Cooper Backstabbers by The O'Jays Pets by Porno For Pyros Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins Ghost of a Texas Ladies' Man by Concrete Blonde Dr. Tarr & Professor Feather by Alan Parsons Project To Live and Die in LA by Wang Chung Pictures of Matchstick Men by Status Quo, also Camper Van Beethoven Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves by Cher Land of Confusion by Genesis I Fought The Law by Bobby Fuller Four Naughty Girls by Samantha Fox Jimmy Olson's Blues by Spin Doctors Nightmares by Violent Femmes I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie 42 by Coldplay Haunted House of the Century by Tangent Sunset The Warrior by Scandal Pacman Fever by Buckner & Garcia Planet Earth by Duran Duran Skeleton River by Tangent Sunset Junk Food Junkie by Larry Groce Everything Is Broken by Bob Dylan The Gambler by Kenny Rogers Shark Attack by Wailing Souls Season of the Witch by Joan Jett Superman's Song by Crash Test Dummies Brain Damage by Pink Floyd Paranoid by Black Sabbath He's a Vampire by Archie King Mad Scientist by The Zanies

[alysemeadfad]

ₒₗd ₛcₕₒₒₗ

Grandmixer D.ST.

Derek Showard, better known by the stage name GrandMixer DXT, is an American musician, one of the earliest to use turntables as a musical instrument in the 1980s. Renowned for his scratching techniques and his showmanship on stage, such as breaking in to dance or scratching records with other parts of his body other than his hands

Early in his career, he was known as Grand Mixer D.ST, a reference to Delancey Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. He was featured in the influential hip hop film Wild Style.

Widely recognized as a pioneer, Grand Mixer DXT is credited as being the first turntablist. He was the first person to establish the turntable as a fully performable and improvisational musical instrument. Especially important is his technique of altering the pitch of the note or sound on the record.

He is also credited with helping to popularize DJing through his scratching on Herbie Hancock's single "Rockit", from the Bill Laswell and Material produced album Future Shock. He is featured in the 2001 documentary, Scratch.

D.ST’s original group was The Infinity Four MC’s consisting of Kingpin Shahiem, Mike Nice, Baron and Legendary female rapper Kimba.

While working with the Infinity Rappers n 1982, he was part of the first hip hop tour to Europe with Afrika Bambaataa, Rammellzee, Fab 5 Freddy, Rock Steady Crew, the Double Dutch Girls, and graffiti artists Phase 2, Futura, and Dondi.

Phase 2

In late 1972, Phase 2 first used an early version of the "bubble letter" or "softie", a style of writing which would become extremely influential and is considered a "giant leap" in the art form.The puffed-out, marshmallow-like letters drawn by Phase 2 were soon copied by other artists who added their own variations.

 Phase 2 quickly embellished on his original form, creating and naming dozens of varieties of softies, such as "phasemagorical phantastic" (bubble letters with stars), "bubble cloud", and "bubble drip".He described the thrill of tagging subway cars as "impact expressionalism".He is also credited with having pioneered the use of arrows in graffiti writing around this same time. Hip-hop journalist Jeff Chang has noted that Phase 2's canvasses from 1973 have "been widely recognized as defining the early genre."

Futura 2000

He started to paint illegally on New York City's subway in the early 1970s, working with other artists such as ALI. From 1974 to 1978, he served in the U.S. Navy and traveled all over the world. In the early 1980s he showed with Patti Astor at the Fun Gallery, along with Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hambleton and Kenny Scharf.

Futura painted backdrops live on-stage for British punk rock band The Clash's 1981 European tour.  In 1985, he was on the first meeting of the graffiti and urban art movement in Bondy (France), on the VLP's initiative, with Speedy Graphito, Miss Tic, SP 38, Epsylon Point, Blek le rat, Jef Aérosol, Nuklé-Art, Kim Prisu, Banlieue-Banlieue. More recently, he is a successful graphic designer and gallery artist.

One of the most distinctive features of Futura's work is his abstract approach to graffiti. While the primary focus, during the 1980s, of the majority of graffiti artists was lettering, Futura pioneered abstract street art, which has since become more popular. Conversely, his aerosol strokes are regarded as different from those of his peers, as they are as thin as the fine lines usually associated with the use of an airbrush.

Dondi

Graffiti became a serious part of Dondi's life in the mid-1970s. He tagged using "NACO" and "DONDI", and worked on refining his style, gradually moving from simple tagging to building more elaborate pieces. Using the name Dondi (a version of his own name) was considered very risky at the time, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York Police Department (NYPD) were trying to crack down on writers. In 1979, Dondi officially adopted his name when he painted a giant piece on the roof of his house.

He became a member of TOP crew (The Odd Partners) in 1977. In 1978, Dondi formed his own crew, named CIA (Crazy Inside Artists), which included other prominent artists such as his good friend DURO. For the next 20-odd years, Dondi became recognized as the stylistic standard, influencing generations of graffiti writers.

Dondi pioneered many of the styles and techniques still used by modern graffiti artists. Though he would often do wildstyle pieces for the benefit of other writers (like the famous 2MANY piece), he wanted the public to be able to read and enjoy his work, so he would focus on readable letters with intricate fills and characters.

scratch

Scratching, sometimes referred to as scrubbing, is a DJ and turntablist technique of moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable to produce percussive or rhythmic sounds. A crossfader on a DJ mixer may be used to fade between two records simultaneously.

While scratching is most associated with hip hop music, where it emerged in the mid-1970s, from the 1990s it has been used in some styles of rap rock, rap metal and nu metal. In hip hop culture, scratching is one of the measures of a DJ's skills. DJs compete in scratching competitions at the DMC World DJ Championship and IDA (International DJ Association), formerly known as ITF (International Turntablist Federation). At scratching competitions, DJs can use only scratch-oriented gear (turntables, DJ mixer, digital vinyl systems or vinyl records only). In recorded hip hop songs, scratched "hooks" often use portions of other songs.

Graffiti 

In the early days, the ‘taggers’ were part of street gangs who were concerned with marking their territory. They worked in groups called ‘crews’, and called what they did ‘writing’ – the term ‘graffiti’ was first used by The New York Times and the novelist Norman Mailer. Art galleries in New York began buying graffiti in the early seventies. But at the same time that it began to be regarded as an art form, John Lindsay, the then mayor of New York, declared the first war on graffiti. By the 1980s it became much harder to write on subway trains without being caught, and instead many of the more established graffiti artists began using roofs of buildings or canvases.

The link between hip hop and graffiti evolved as a competition, much like the dance moves of the hip hop culture. Graffiti began to show up on subways in New York and other cities as a form of expression of the culture who listened to rap music. Graffiti distiguished by "tags" or distinguishing marks of the originators and a way to distinguish or stand out from other graffiti artists. Graffiti quickly spread and was picked up by others.

Graffiti is viewed as a form of artistic expression by some and trash by others. Graffiti has been seen adorning the album covers of some rap artists, on sides of buildings, on busses, on clothing, and various imaginative places where you sometimes have to stop and wonder, "how in the world did they manage to get up there?"

Young rappers growing up and wandering the city streets still see graffiti all around them. For some, graffiti represents decay, but for hip hop culture, graffiti provided the visual inspiration that encouraged other forms of creativity and expression, such as emceeing.

Ed Piskor

Ed Piskor is an American alternative comic book artist. He gained his first fame illustrating stories in Harvey Pekar's 'American Splendor' series. Among his original works are the satirical comic 'Wizzywig' (2011) about hacking culture, and the educational graphic novel series 'Hip Hop Family Tree' (2012-2016), which deals with the history of hiphop. In 2017 he created another historical passion project, 'X-Men: Grand Design', a nostalgic look back at the history of Marvel Comics' 'X-Men' franchise.

Hip Hop Family Tree

In 2012 Piskor started a monumental project, named 'Hip Hop Family Tree' (2012-2016). It narrates the history of hiphop and various legendary artists and groups, among them the Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, Schoolly D., the Beastie Boys, Ice-T, Public Enemy, Dr. Dre, Rakim, Will Smith...  Piskor said he was inspired by Robert Crumb's biographical comics about old blues and country artists. Just like Crumb loves music from the interbellum, Piskor is a hardcore hiphop fan. Even as a child he'd try to dig up the oldest singles by certain hiphop artists, particularly trying to find out where a certain musical sample came from? He is so well-educated in the genre that he felt he would be the right artist to make a comic book about the genre. As a bonus he would learn more about its roots too. 'Hip Hop Family Tree' doesn't just focus on the historic facts, but Piskor also illustrated many fascinating and occasional funny anecdotes about certain artists. Graphically Piskor gave the stories a yellowish newsprint effect to match the "old school" feeling.

From January 2012 until December 2015, the stories ran weekly on the website 'Boing Boing'. Fantagraphics later published the series in comic book format. In 2015 'Hip Hop Family Tree, Volume 2' won the Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work. It also entered the New York Times Best Sellers list, landing the artist an interview in Time Magazine. Rap legend DMC (of Run DMC) praised 'Hip Hop Family Tree' with the words: "I'm happy this book is here, because it tells a truth." Fab Five Freddy (Grandmaster Flash) shared a panel from one of the comics on his Facebook page and stated: "Being in an Ed Piskor comic is cool enough to freeze hot water." Chuck D. (Public Enemy) also tweeted favorable comments about Piskor's work.

As a huge fan of comics and hiphop since childhood Piskor also saw a correlation between the two art forms. Both are trash pop culture, initially scorned by true art lovers but eventually gaining more critical respect. Many cartoonists and hiphop artists take pseudonyms to give themselves a different public persona and alter ego. Both rapping and cartooning are often said to be easy. Most importantly, Piskor noticed that both hiphoppers and cartoonists have a tendency to borrow material, or sample, from their predecessors and colleagues. It motivated him to pay more homage to other comics in some of his panels.

Hip Hop album covers

Idea influence

vision boards

[miss-rosen]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE CONZO ! THE CLASSICS | BORN IN THE BRONX: A VISUAL RECORD OF THE EARLY DAYS OF HIP HOP Miss Rosen for Rizzoli

Hip Hop first became a part of the mainstream music industry in the early 1980s, when major record labels released albums from such accessible groups as Run DMC and the Sugarhill Gang. But the true origins of one of the most powerful pop-cultural influences in the world are in the spontaneous, progressive musical culture that grew out of tough Bronx neighborhoods of the 1970s and led to a renaissance of poetry, music, and fashion.Through years of research, writer and curator Johan Kugelberg has pulled together the scattered remains of a movement that never had its eye on posterity.

Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop (Rizzoli, 2007) includes the improvisational artwork of previously unpublished street flyers of the era, Polaroids buried for decades in basements across the Bronx, and testimonials from influential figures such as Tony Tone, LA Sunshine, and Charlie Chase. Through the work of pioneering hip-hop photographer Joe Conzo—the man The New York Times calls “the chronicler who took hip hop’s baby pictures”—Born in the Bronx presents a unique introduction to an explosive and experimental period in music history.

Read the Full Story at Miss Rosen

Photo: Joe Conzo. Grandmaster Caz and JDL. 

[crittique]

Sunday positivity vol.1 :

1. went to see Happy Deathday 2 U with a friend. wasn’t as good as the first one but still damn enjoyable. curious if the 3rd movie is in makings...

2. reached minimum word count limit for the thesis. but still have 2 chapters to write so....

3. back to weekly DnD with my group after short break. mae and the gang is back yissss. i missed my changeling girl so much and she got to kick ass and tell bad puns

4. finally could see baby nephew (hes about 6 months old) and could hold him. he cries a lot but smiled at me

5. started flashing out plans for a short novel. still don’t know when i actually have time to write but i guess writing thesis helped my writing block a lot

6. playing BoTW and LOVING it. suck at combat but the exploring is damn fun. and that game is really gorgeous

7. AFTER 11 YEARS OF WAITING NEW DMC IS BACK. VERGIL IS BACK BABY. the game is great

[graemepark]

THIS IS GRAEME PARK: LONG LIVE HOUSE (NOT HOUSE) RADIO SHOW NEW YEAR SPECIAL 01JAN 2021

Happy New Year!

This week’s Long Live House (Not House) New Year Special Radio Show features Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers, Happy Mondays, Ice T, Maceo & The Macks, Marvin Gaye, Public Enemy, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Sister Sledge, SOS Band, The Fatback Band, Janet Jackson, Mantronix, Melba Moore, Röyksopp, Run DMC, The Sugarhill Gang and more.

THIS IS GRAEME PARK: LONG LIVE HOUSE (NOT HOUSE) RADIO SHOW NEW YEAR SPECIAL 01JAN 2021

Title (Mix), Artist

 We Need Some Money (Original Mix), Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers

Step On (Twisting My Melon Mix), Happy Mondays

New Jack Hustler (Stress Mix), Ice T

Wax The Van (Jon's Dub), Lola

Soul Power '74, Maceo & The Macks

Desperate Situation (Alkalino Edit), Marvin Gaye

Flashlight (Original Mix), Parliament

Fight The Power (Extended Mix), Public Enemy

Ain't Nobody (Frankie Knuckles Remix), Rufus & Chaka Khan

Thinking Of You (Sonny DJ vs Dimitri Reconstruction), Sister Sledge

Just The Way You Like It (Original Mix), SOS Band

Compulsion (Andrew Weatherall Remix), The Doves

I Found Lovin' (LP Version), The Fatback Band

More Bounce To The Ounce (Parts 1 & 2), Zapp

Everyman (Joe Clausell Remix), Double Exposure

Snappiness (Sweet Instrumental), BBG

Black Machine (Original Sax Mix), How Gee

If, Janet Jackson

Got To Have Your Love, Mantronix

Standing Right Here (Tom Moulton Remix), Melba Moore

Eple, Röyksopp

Peter Piper (Instrumental), Run DMC

The 900 Number, 45 King

8th Wonder (Original Mix), The Sugarhill Gang

Sleep Talk, Alyson Williams

Bad Habit (Dr Packer Remix), ATFC feat. Lisa Millett

Like Sugar (Extended Mix), Chaka Khan

[aggimaginary]

The Grinch 2: Happy New Year Chapter 12-We need all the help we can get

Back in Whoville, at the Light Maze entrance, Cindy Lou and Groopert were waiting for their other friends to come for their plans. Just then, three kids raced towards the entrance with their bike, trike and scooter where they saw two of their friends waiting for them.

"Alright, you call, we came," Ozzy said with a candy cane in his mouth.

"So, what's up?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah. What's the deal?" Axl added.

"Thanks for getting here so fast, guys. Follow me," Cindy Lou lead her gang through the entrance for a secret meeting.

While silently walked inside the entrance, Axl interrupted, "So, what's the big secret?

"Yeah, I don't have very long. My parents set the timer," Ozzy mentioned.

"Again?"

"Yeah. They decided to have that every night."

"Alright, everybody, brace yourselves! In exactly 48 hours, just before New Year, we're going to do something that no kids have ever done before!" Cindy Lou announced. "We're going to get a man and a woman fall in love with each other!"

"Getting a man and a woman falling in love with each other?" Ozzy inquired in disgust. "Why would you wanna do that?"

Axl slapped Ozzy behind his head, "Duh. Cindy Lou wants to be a cupid." Then, he turned to Cindy Lou, "But you do know it's not Valentine's day.

"I know it's not Valentine's day, and I don't want to be a Cupid. To uh... I just want to get them together."

"Do you know this man and the woman?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah. They are very close to me."

"Why would you wanna do that anyway?" Ozzy asked again.

"It's personal," Groopert tried to cover his friend's secret.

"Yeah, it's kind of personal," Cindy Lou nodded.

"I don't wanna do it if you won't tell me why," complained Ozzy. "It's like capturing Santa all over again."

"Yeah. What do you mean 'personal'?" added Axl.

Cindy Lou exhaled, "Alright. There are two personals: One is very top secret, and two is something that I have to share with all of you." She saw her friends are waiting for her explanation. "The man and the woman I was talking about, and they're very close to me were Mr. Grinch... and my mom."

"Wow! That's crazy!" Ozzy exclaimed.

"Yeah. I told her that!" Groopert told him.

"And I want them to be together," Cindy Lou finished the explanation.

Her friends then looked at each other in concern and quite worry.

"Are you sure about this?" Axl asked.

"What? You don't like Mr. Grinch? You don't want him to be with my mom."

"It's not we don't like him, Cindy Lou," Groopert corrected her. "We like Mr. Grinch. He's awesome."

"Yeah, and he can make amazing gadgets and gizmos. I wish I can be like him," Izzy sighed dreamingly.

"It's just that we're so worried that it's not cool for you if your mom fall in love with Mr. Grinch besides your dad," Ozzy added. "Do you still miss him?"

"Of course I miss my dad. I still love my dad, and I always remember him. But things are a different when he was gone," Cindy Lou sighed. "Ever since Dad died, Mom was so sad, work so hard every night, and took care of us every day. She did all of these things all by herself, and always said she's okay, but she's not. It's just not fair. I don't want her to be like this forever. I want her to have someone to keep her company, and help her taking care of me and my brothers. Besides, Dad doesn't want Mom to be unhappy. I know he wanted her to have someone to keep her happy and company. And I know, Mr. Grinch is the one. I want to be honest with all of you guys. You all have a complete family... I mean, having both parents with you, and I feel so jealous. I'm still happy that my mom and my brothers are the only family I got, but I always feel that something's missing, and I know it was my dad. I don't care if Grinch is gonna be my new dad if that's ever gonna happen. I like him. He's a good and fun guy, as long he keeps my mother happy. My brothers also needed a dad since they never got to meet our real dad. Dad would've wanted this. If my mom is happy with Mr. Grinch, then I'm happy with it."

Her friends stared at her in disbelief. They realized how humble Cindy Lou is, and how good that she's going to accept a new dad in her life, if this will make her mother happy.

"That's beautiful," Groopert said.

"Okay, okay, okay. You convinced me," Axl nodded.

"Count me in, too," Ozzy volunteered.

"Alright, we're in," Izzy added.

"Great. Now let's do this!" Cindy Lou smirked as she led her friends out of the maze.

The gang were riding their bikes and trikes in slow motion to the tune of Run-DMC's 'Christmas in Hollis', until they heard their parents' calls.

"Cindy Lou, it's time to come home!"

"Izzy, it's getting late!"

"Axl, time to eat!

"Groopert, dinner time!"

"Ooh, dinner," Groopert excitingly rubbed his stomach.

"Alright, we'll meet first thing in the morning," Cindy Lou announced.

"Alright" Axl agreed.

"See you tomorrow." Izzy waved them good-bye.

The gang rode away with their bikes and trikes, except for Ozzy, until...

"Ozzy, timer!"

"Okay, mom!" Ozzy groaned as he addled away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the edge of the land way of Mt. Crumpit, Aggie dragged the snowmobile outside the cave, the Grinch wore a belt with a monitor on the front, and Max was tied up with a helmet, headphones and cameras on his head and a drone on his back.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" doubted Aggie.

"Do you have a better idea?" Grinch asked.

"Well, I..."

"Ha! I don't think so!" He then turned to Max, "Okay, Max, all you have to do is to get this snowmobile to Donna Lou. Ne careful not to drop. I spent all day building that. I'll be in your ear the whole time, and whatever you're seeing, I'll be seeing on the monitor."

"You better hurry up. I saw Donna Lou is about to leave the house. I think it's her night shift," Aggie said.

"How did you know that? You're not even using a telescope," asked the Grinch.

"I have super vision; a vampire have this power. I'm also a 1/516th vampire. My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents on both of my parents' sides are vampires. That's where I got my vampire powers," Aggie replied.

This quite shock the Grinch, "Wow. You really have a big family."

"I know, right? I'm so proud of myself!" She squealed.

Grinch rolled his eyes, and turned to Max, "Alright, Max, you're ready to launch!" He used a remote control to let the drone fly with Max. "Hold on, and hold on the snowmobile. Try not to drop it, okay?" his mast instructed. Max barked and saluted as he grabbed the snowmobile's hand with his paws, and the drone sent him to town.

"This is not gonna work, Grinch," Aggie crossed her arms.

"It'll work. Trust me," Grinch fought back.

Meanwhile, Donna Lou bent down to kiss Cindy Lou on the cheek, and then, she kissed the twins before turning to the babysitter.

"Are you sure you can handle this, Mrs. Wilbur?" she asked.

"Your kids are gonna be fine, Ms. Who," Mrs. Wilbur nodded. "Just go or you'll miss the bus."

"Right!" Donna looked down to her daughter, "I'll see you in the morning, sweetie."

"I wish Mr. Grinch is gonna babysit us," Cindy Lou complained.

"I know, but we don't want to disturb him. He worked too much for us already. It's time for him to take a break," Donna explained before running towards the street. "I gotta go! Bye Cindy Lou!"

"Bye, Mom!" Cindy Lou waved at her before she and Mrs. Wilbur, carrying the twins, went back inside.

Donna Lou ran as fast as she can to catch up the bus, but it already drove away. She tried to call loudly to the bus to stop and wait for her, but it's already far away. Donna hung her head down in sadness. She's always been like this. Late to catch up the boss, and late for work.

Suddenly, from above, she noticed a cute pink sparkly snowmobile was lowered slowly in front of her. Donna also noticed that Max carried the mobile all the way while tying up with a drone.

"Alright, boy, release it slowly," Grinch commanded from his dog's headphone as Max put the snowmobile down, and he flew away.

Donna Lou made a big smile in appreciation. She knew it was the Grinch who made this snowmobile since he's the best inventor she ever know. Donna waved a Max, which the Grinch saw her on the monitor, happy to see his "friend" happy. He continued to watch Donna taking the snowmobile, and rode it happily on the street without stressing herself. The snowmobile is fast enough to take Donna to work in time.

"See, Aggie? I told you my plan worked," Grinch said proudly.

"Yeah, she really appreciate it," Aggie agreed, watching the scene with her super vision. "But it was supposed to be you who give her the snowmobile! Now Donna thought it was Max who gave her that!"

"That's exactly my point!" He shouted. "If I give it to her in person, I would probably say, 'Hey, Donna, I made this mobile just for you', and she'll think I have a crush on her."

"Which you have."

"But she didn't know that! Listen, Aggie, I already took your advice, gave Donna that snowmobile, and that's it. Everyone's happy! You know? I'm going to bed. Just get Max, and come inside the cave if you want." The Grinch went back in his cave in tiredness, and shut the door.

Aggie was left alone on the edge, and, while waiting for Max, she thought of something to make Grinch open his heart to Donna without turning back. This is a very hard mission than she thought. She also can't force someone to confess his feeling to the one he love. She needed some help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, in her room, Cindy Lou wore her pajamas and fixed her bed, ready to go to sleep. Suddenly, she heard loud taps from her window. She turned around and saw Aggie while holding Max in her arm on her window.

"Oh, Aggie," Cindy rushed to her window, and opened it.

Aggie flew in and sat on a small chair, "Sorry I came here do late, Cindy Lou. I can't use the front door. Your babysitter might not let me in."

"That's okay. I'm not sleep yet, but I'm just ready for bed," The little Who girl closed the window. "So, what's up?"

Aggie started to grunt in frustration, "It's the Grinch! He's so stubborn! He doesn't to listen to me!"

"Why? What did he do?" Cindy asked.

"I was right, Cindy Lou. The Grinch is indeed in love with your mom. He told me," the winged human replied.

"Yes!" Cindy Lou squealed happily.

"But he's too shy to admit it," Aggie continued. "He told me everything. He told me how he met your mother when she was your age. He fell in love with her the day after Christmas. I gave him advice of making a snowmobile for her so she won't be late for her work and miss the bus at the same time, and told him to give it to her in person. And you know what he did? He used Max to deliver the snowmobile to your mother!"

"But did she like it?" inquired Cindy Lou.

"Yeah, she likes it, but that's not part of the plan! I'm just trying to help him admit his feelings to Donna by him giving her the snowmobile face-to-face. It's like he gave her a sign that he likes her, but he didn't listen to me! He's so stubborn and shy!"

"Well, that's really Mr. Grinch. He's always grumpy. And when I invited him to my Christmas dinner, he's too shy and nervous. It's his first Christmas dinner after all."

"I completely understand that. I can't even force him to confess his feelings. That won't work. That's why I came to you because I need help. I don't know the Grinch as much as you do."

"Actually, Aggie, I only know the Grinch for only few days. I don't know him much. The only thing I know about him that he's alone in his cave with Max, he hates Christmas because no one has ever celebrate with him, he's a cool inventor, and he can be a good friend."

"I know. That's the only information I know about him." Aggie got up from the chair, and pace around the room. "This mission is harder than I thought. If I can't complete this mission soon, I can't celebrate New Year with my family."

Cindy Lou felt Aggie's sadness. It would be unfair if a friend, daughter, mother and wife can't celebrate New Year with her family. She has to work fast. The little girl had an idea, "You know, I know one Who who can help us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Bricklebaum's house, the door bell rang, and Bricklebaum opened the door, seeing Aggie, Cindy Lou and Max in front of him.

"Well, look who's here!" He was surprise to see three of the Grinch's good friend.

"Good evening, Mr. Bricklebaum," Cindy Lou greeted.

"Come on in. Make yourselves at home," Bricklebaum politely let the three visitors in.

"Sorry for coming here this late," Aggie apologized.

"Oh no. To me, it's not. I always stay awake this late," the joyful Who said. "Would you like some hot cocoa?"

"Thanks, Mr. Bricklebaum, we need some hot chocolate for now," the little Who girl nodded.

When Bricklebaum hot chocolate for his three visitors, Aggie and Cindy Lou drank from their mugs, while Max drank on a dog bowl. "So, what brings you three here at night?" He asked.

"Okay. First off: Grinch admitted it. We were right. He was in love with Donna," Aggie said first.

"I knew it!" Bricklebaum squealed. "Mr. Grinch. That sly dog! Woo!"

"I know. I'm surprised too," Aggie took another sip.

"Me too. I never thought there's someone who likes my mom," Cindy Lou chuckled.

"And second, that's my mission. I have to help Grinch confess his feelings for Donna."

"So, how did it go? Did that green guy make the first move?" Bricklebaum was excited to here the story.

Aggie cleared her throat to explain, "Well, he did admit he likes likes Donna Lou. He told me he had met her when she younger. I gave him an advice of making a snowmobile for her so she won't be late for work and catching the bus everyday. I also told him to give the mobile to her in person, but he didn't listen to me. He just do it his way! He used Max to give the snowmobile to Donna. Now she'll never know his feelings for her! Mr. Bricklebaum, you know Grinch more than we do, we want to know why he acted like that."

Bricklebaum sighed as he sat on his chair, "Mr. Grinch isn't like us or any other Who. He never got out of his cave, except when he needed to buy important things like food and dog food for his dog from the grocery. He never socialized with any Who for a long time or I never seen him socialized with anyone in town. Well, except for me. We have good times together. We talked, shared stories, telling each other's secrets. That's what we best friends for. Mr. Grinch was my neighbor for years."

"Huh, he wasn't kidding when he told me he was alone for 53 years," Aggie felt so guilty. She didn't quite believe of the Grinch's story about him being alone in his cave for decades, but she wasn't so sure until she was told by someone else. "No wonder he was not quite comfortable when I'm around."

"Give him time, Aggie. I'm sure he'll get over his pain very soon, and I'm sure he'll confess his feelings."

"I guess you're right, Bricklebaum. Really, I can't force him to finish my mission. As representative of the element of Imagination, my job is to help people showing what friendship is all about. But in Grinch's case, I'll help him show what love is, and how to use it."

"That's great, Aggie, but you can't to that alone," said the little girl. "I told my friends about this, and they agreed to help."

"Did you tell them about me and this as my mission?" Aggie asked.

"No, I only told them that we should get my mom and Mr. Grinch together."

"Great, because my mission is top secret. No one knows that this is my mission." The winged human then turned to Bricklebaum. "Sir, you have to help me. Grinch was so stubborn, he never listens to my word. I know he'll listen to you."

"I'll do what I can do best," The joyous Who replied.

"Thanks. Thanks to both of you. I need all the help I can get. No. We need all the help we can get," Aggie smiled.

"And we have to finish your mission before New Year, so you can go home," Cindy Lou added.

After few minutes, Cindy Lou and Aggie, who carried Max in her arm, walked out of Bricklebaum's house.

"Are you sure you know your way home?" He asked in concern.

"Don't worry, Mr. Bricklebaum, I know my way," Cindy said proudly.

"We don't have to," Aggie told her.

"What do you mean?"

Without answering the little girl's question, Aggie used her wand staff to zap Cindy Lou to teleport her back to her house in her bedroom, "Don't worry. She's already in her bedroom by now. We'll see you tomorrow at 7:30?"

"You bet. The guy really needs help," Bricklebaum answered.

"Thanks for your help. I really need that. See ya."

Aggie waved at him before flying all the way up to the Grinch's cave while carrying Max.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the Grinch left the door open for her, Aggie let herself in, and put Max down.

"Alright, Max, I'll see you tomorrow," She said as the dog rushed to the kitchen, where his bed is.

Aggie flew upstairs, until she reached her room at the mid-stairway. When she hopped on her bed, she remembered that she haven't called her family and friends this morning, so she quickly tapped the belly of her penguin wand staff, and it showed three holograms from the penguins mouth.

Three holograms means three divisions of the I team she contacted: the main, which they appeared two days ago, the honorary, and the back-up.

"AGGIE!" They all shouted happily.

"Hey, you guys!" She greeted back to them. "Gosh, I already missed you."

"You haven't contacted us this morning," Burn complained.

"Sorry, I'm a little busy... of finding my mission," Aggie replied.

"You found your mission?" Pirate Izzy inquired.

"Yep, but I'll tell you later. I want to know how are the Honorary and the Back-up are doing!" The leader to the other two divisions.

"We're fine, Aggie. You don't need to worry about us," Numbuh 3 giggled.

"Yeah, but as your friend and leader, I'm still worried. So, how was Martha II doing?"

"Pretty good," Vlad said. "When she got her fangs 10 years ago, I decided to train her full-time, and she was rather well, except she never shut up."

"Grandpa Vlad, she's a teenager. Teenagers are quite rebellious these days. Don't pressure her, like what you did to Dennis," Mavis reminded.

"I don't want to be reminded by an overprotective mother who almost TEARED THE FAMILY APART!" Aggie yelled angrily, until she calmed herself. "Sorry. I was a little stress there. Too much bad memories." Then, she turned to the Back-up, "And how about you guys? How's the egg?"

"Pretty good, Aggie. Quite warm, but it's going to hatch," Marlin held his and Dory's egg.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a big brother!" Nemo swam a loop in excitement.

"Yeah, don't get too excited. You'll get stomach ache if you keep doing this," SmurfWillow warned.

"So, what the mission is all about? What's the friendship problem?" Sally Carrera inquired.

" It wasn't a friendship problem I have to fix..., it's a LOVE problem." Aggie replied.

"WHAT?!" Her team shouted in horror.

"Why the heck your element sent you instead of us?!" Junior yelled.

"I don't know, but the element sent me," Aggie tried to calm the stork down.

"But we represent the Element of Love. It was supposed to be us to fix this problem!" Tulip added.

"I know your upset and confuse, but if the element chose me to fix the problem, then we'll respect that."

"That's not fair! You know that's our job! And besides, it must be hard for you to fix this love problem," the stork growled. "You know what? We're coming there. Where are you?"

"Junior, please, I can handle this. It sounds like you don't trust me."

"We trust you, Aggie, but..." Tulip tried to explain, but Aggie interrupted her.

"Like I said, we have to respect the element. Plus, I have done this before with almost all of you. It wasn't so hard or easy. If you let me do this and trust me on this, I'll finish this mission in no time."

Junior grunted, "Fine. We'll leave you to this, but please, make this possible. We all know you are a very capable matchmaker, alright?"

"Stand down, Junior, you may still be my boss in Stork Mountain, but I'm not there, and I am still your boss in the I team."

The stork just growled and rolled his eyes.

"So, who's having a problem in there?" Ginger asked.

Aggie explained, "His name is Grinch. He lived near the town called Whoville. He never lived within the town. He lived here in Mt. Crumpit in his cave with his dog, Max. He's the town hermit, just like you, honey."

"Thanks for reminding me that, Sweetheart," Red groaned, didn't want to discuss his past. "I think I'm probably related with this Grinch person."

"Grinch, huh? There's another funny word in this universe," SmurfBlossom laughed. "Grinch! Grinch! Grinchy! Granch!"

"SmurfBlossom, remember, it's not nice to play other people's names," La Muerte reminded.

"Yeah. When he was just a kid, he was an orphan. No one adopted him. He saw children at his age celebrate Christmas with their families, and he doesn't have one. So, he lived on his own, hated Christmas for 53 years, and didn't socialized with the Who for a long time." Aggie continued.

"Oh, that's sad." Babs commented.

"I know. I felt his pain. So, he planned to 'steal' Christmas from the Whos to fix something that happened years ago, but when he did, it didn't what he was expecting. One little Who girl, Cindy Lou Who, invited him for Christmas dinner, which it was his first Christmas dinner, and he confessed it wasn't Christmas he hated, it's being alone."

"I think I feel him," Red said.

"Me too," Basil added.

"So do I," Sherlock Gnomes admitted.

"Okay, first, that was sad, and second, the people there are called 'Whos'?" Kitka repeated.

"Yeah. They all look like humans, but different appearances," Aggie described.

"But Grinch's problem was already solved. Why you were sent there to help him?" inquired Kessie.

"That's not actually the problem, Kess," corrected Aggie. "You see, the Grinch has a crush on Cindy Lou's widowed hardworking mother, Donna Lou, but he's to nervous to tell her since he never had socialized with the Whos before."

"Wait. If that's the problem, then it was supposed to be us to be sent there!" Avery realized that. "We represent the Element of Confident. Grinch has no confidence to tell his crush his feelings for her."

"Yeah, but, Avery, I was sent here. Like I said seconds ago, let's respect it."

"Yeah, Avery, elements don't lie, you know," Tyler said.

"Shut up, Tyler!" Avery yelled at her step-brother.

"Anyway, I already started helping him, but it didn't work today," Aggie told her friends.

"Did you give him advice?" Danger Mouse asked.

"Yeah. Building a snowmobile for Donna Lou to get to her work is working, but giving the mobile to her in person isn't working."

"Okay, that's all I got." The white mouse shrugged.

"Aggie, do you really agree to this?" Judy asked. "I mean, his name is Grinch, which means 'an unpleasant person who spoils other people's fun or enjoyment'. Does he really need some friendship?"

"Oh, so you're dictionary now?!" Discord glared at the rabbit cop.

"Yeah, don't be so judge-y," Tootie added. "Like Zootopia, anyone can be anything, you know. Like being a bunny cop."

"Okay, everyone, enough," Aggie halted the argument. "I know the victim is exactly what you think, but that's why I'm here. I also taught all of you how to become friends with everyone despite all of your differences. I even reformed villains into good by teaching them about friendship, and revenge isn't always the answer, right guys?"

"You're right, girl," Joen nodded.

"Meow!" Kat gave her a thumb up with his claw.

"Uh-huh," Dr. Blest agreed.

All reformed villain nodded in agreement, trying to forget their evil days.

"I even teach you guys that family isn't about related and same-blood members, but also the people who are close to you and love you," Aggie added. "Despite our differences by personalities, appearances, and the world we lived, it didn't matter when comes to love and friendship. And Grinch. He never had a friend or a family besides his dog. We can't just leave him like this. Even I can't do it. He deserves to have family and friends like we do. He also deserves a love interest. We all do, even how different we are or even we're all different species. Love is stronger than race. You guys deserve to be my friends, and I deserved to be yours. If we all deserve to be happy, loved, and friended, then Grinch deserves the same as we have."

All of your friends and family stared at her in disbelief and in touch. They realized their leader and friend might be right. They all befriended each other and one another for 20 to 40 years already, and nothing has ever teared them apart before, and no one was alone anymore. If Aggie was right, then the Grinch should have what they all have: happiness, love and friendship.

"That beautiful, honey," Red smiled.

"Okay, okay, okay, you convinced us," Doc sighed.

"Count us in, too!" Skully exclaimed as he flapped his green wings.

"Alright, we're all in, baby girl!" Xibalba winked.

Aggie was so happy that her friends and family are willing to help, and supporting her mission, "Great! Now, let's do this!" Then, she turned and glared at her dark god best friend, "Hey, X! Don't call me baby girl!"

To get started for the plans for bringing two love birds together, Aggie set up a black board, pinned the Grinch and Donna Lou's picture on the upper part, and wrote branches and calculations. It's like she was writing equations about love, while her team observed and thought of solutions of how to bring a man and a woman together, still having their holograms on. That was until their element shards on their IDs blinked with alarm wrist watch sounds.

"Ooh, bedtime," Crimson Red.

"Alright, we'll call first thing in the morning," Aggie turned to her friends before turning off the holograms. "Night, you guys."

"Night, Aggie."

"See you, tomorrow."

"Don't forget to call!"

When her team said their goodnights, Aggie turned the holograms off, covered the blackboard with curtains, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I reused the "Power walk" scene for Cindy Lou and her gang from the movie.

Once again, this chapter has crossovers at the end: Numbuh 3-Codename: Kids Next Door Burn-Turbo F.A.S.T. Pirate Izzy-Jake and the Neverland Pirates Vlad-Hotel Transylvania Mavis-Hotel Transylvania Marlin-Finding Nemo/Finding Dory Nemo-Finding Nemo/Finding Dory SmurfWillow-Smurfs Sally Carrera-Cars Junior-Storks Tulip-Storks Ginger-Chicken Run SmurfBlossom-Smurfs La Muerte-Book of Life (2014) Babs-Chicken Run Basil-Great Mouse Detective Sherlock Gnomes-Sherlock Gnomes (movie) Kitka-Penguins of Madagascar Kessie-Winnie the Pooh Avery-Dog with a blog Tyler-Dog with a blog Danger Mouse-Danger Mouse (tv series) Judy-Zootopia Discord-My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Tootie-Fairly odd parents Joen (My OC)-Oggy and the Cockroaches Kat-Kid vs Kat Dr. Blest (My OC)-Penguins of Madagascar Red-Angry Birds Doc Hudson-Cars Skully-Jake and the Neverland Pirates Xibalba-Book of Life (2014) Crimson Red (My OC)

Enjoy this, because there's still another chapter tomorrow. Pls comment.

[miss-rosen]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE CONZO ! THE CLASSICS | BORN IN THE BRONX Featuring Essays by Miss Rosen

Hip Hop first became a part of the mainstream music industry in the early 1980s, when major record labels released albums from such accessible groups as Run DMC and the Sugarhill Gang. But the true origins of one of the most powerful pop-cultural influences in the world are in the spontaneous, progressive musical culture that grew out of tough Bronx neighborhoods of the 1970s and led to a renaissance of poetry, music, and fashion.Through years of research, writer and curator Johan Kugelberg has pulled together the scattered remains of a movement that never had its eye on posterity.

Born in the Bronx: A Visual History of the Early Days of Hip Hop (Rizzoli, 2007) includes the improvisational artwork of previously unpublished street flyers of the era, Polaroids buried for decades in basements across the Bronx, and testimonials from influential figures such as Tony Tone, LA Sunshine, and Charlie Chase. Through the work of pioneering hip-hop photographer Joe Conzo—the man The New York Times calls “the chronicler who took hip hop’s baby pictures”—Born in the Bronx presents a unique introduction to an explosive and experimental period in music history.

Read the Full Story at Miss Rosen

Photos: Copyright Joe Conzo