Midnight Makeout Session

So I woke up this morning and had a little bit of a panic attack because my play, “Midnight Makeout Session,” opens in two weeks from tomorrow on Dec. 3rd. Now I say “my” play, because I not only star in it, but I also wrote it.

What the play is about and all that, can be found out at midnightmakeoutsession.com, but I’m sitting down right now to talk about why I wrote it… Well see, it’s kinda like a love note to all those who we’re here in Los Angeles in the 90’s, running around this crazy town we call home, Hollywood. We we’re all just kids back then, hustling our careers by day and by night, chasing adventure in the golden age of the LA club scene. Now we’re all grown up and this play discusses all the things I want to talk about to all my friends from those times. Some of us are still here working, some have passed away, some have left town to return to wherever they came from to continue their lives.

I hope friends around town can come check it out and reminisce about some of those times, but anyone who wants to revisit a more romantic time in life, this is for you. It’s also for people who love 90’s Hip Hop and R&B, the play is full of that because that was the soundtrack of my life… For all of us really, back then, every club spun everything from Jay-Z, Usher, R. Kelly t0 Biggie, Tupac… Man, back then, if you we’re at the right clubs, there would be a good chance you would be partying with them! (Shout out to “Joseph’s”, “Dublins”, “B-Sides”…)

And if you’re just a fan of me, well, you’re invited too… If you come see the play, you probably get to know me better. All the male characters are basically different aspects of me, mixed in with my closest friends and the girls… well, you know how that goes, if we’ve dated in the past, chance are you might see a glimpse of you showing up in this piece.

Now, it’s not a perfect play in any way… in fact, it’s the first play I wrote, but it’s me.

So… I personally invite you to the Midnight Makeout Session.

Yo, you gotta watch “Straight Outta Compton”

Tonight I was invited to watch a preview of the upcoming movie, “Straight Outta Compton.” Wow… this movie took me back! As I started my August blogathon because it’s my birthday month and around this time of year I get reflective, it’s suiting to go watch a movie that brings us back to the 90’s to relive stories and a time that feels like so much of my own personal history.

So in the 1990’s I grew up in a town called Paramount which just so happens to be the next city over from Compton and the stories that get told in this movie are like legendary tales from around my way. In those days, our high school football team, Paramount Pirates, we’re state champions and Eazy E and MC Ren would show up at the games. I can remember hearing gangsta rap for the first time, they all looked like guys from our neighborhood and the stories they rapped about we’re about things that happened close by, even on our own streets sometimes. I mean, the 90’s we’re the height of gang culture, we all kind of looked like we were in gangs, it was just part of the fashion… baggy pants, flannels, bomber jackets, baseball hats. If you’re from, where we’re from, the gang culture, seeing it, dealing with it was an every day thing. From being bullied by gang members to hanging out with friends that happen to be in gangs to be mistaken by other gang members or cops for being in a gang… it’s just part of life back then… I’m sure it still a part of life for folks in the neighborhood.

And this movie took me back to those times. Sure there were rough moments… but a lot fun times too. Hearing gangsta rap for the first time was something that was exciting and scary at the same time. And knowing that these were guys from around our way was even cooler. It’s like you hear, “so and so is Dr. Dre’s cousin” or “that girl is dating EZ.”

And that era was such a different time in Hollywood. African American culture was everywhere, it was actually more diverse than now in many ways. Hip Hop ruled the pop charts, they’re we’re several Black shows on the network television, from “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” to “Moesha” to “Hangin With Mr. Cooper” and so many more… I was on most of them! The great thing is there was a lot more work in Hollywood for actors of color… myself included. Not only that, there were so many African American movies being made, sometimes I think of them as LA Hood films… again, I was in some of these like, “Fakin Da Funk.”

Yeah, many people know me from mainstream projects like “Hook” or “Avatar the Last Airbender,” but for a whole generation, people from my neighborhood and neighborhoods all over the country remember as part of “Black Hollywood.” I mean, there wasn’t any Asian American projects getting made and not a lot of roles in mainstream or “white” Hollywood, I found work in the Black Community and got to work with some of the greatest artist like Will Smith, Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Jai White, Pam Grier, Brandy and so many more. Sometimes I miss the diversity we used have on television.

Just growing up in LA and seeing all those guys from the movie at parties or clubs back in the day, I mean seeing Tupac by himself at a club just hanging out days before his death or knowing Suge Knight was in the club and trying to stay away from wherever he was because of fear of anything going down around him. It was just great to see this movie made and done right. Bravo to the whole crew and the director F. Gary Gray. Its a great story to see kids from around my way make it and gives me pride, that I too, like them, were one of the “Boyz In the Hood.”

Headphones

So headphones have been in style for awhile now… From the picture, you can probably see I have a bunch. Why do I have a lot of them? The real reason is… there is no reason. It’s funny, I love accessories, as I’m sure a bunch of guys do, yet we don’t have a lot of things to buy. You shouldn’t O.D. on jewelry, though some of us do. You can only buy so many belts and scarfs (which you can’t wear that often) and sometime we just find something new that comes into fashion and we end up buying them, maybe more then we need to sometimes. Sure, yeah, they’re functional, we all have smart phones these days and we can use them but… I definitely don’t use them as much as they’re price tags would make you think you would. Ok… If you’re from New York or a metropolitan city, and you spend your time trooping around town on and off buses and trains… yeah, then I think it’s all worth it… But I live in LA, I spend my time trooping around town in the atmosphere and privacy of my car (which has a better stereo system then any headphones) and find my self rarely using my expensive trendy headphon
All that being said, I’ll give you a quick review on the favoriteones I have:es. When I get home, again, I have a great home stereo system and never put on these damned headphones… So, when do I use them? When I’m working out at the gym, sometimes when I’m getting into a zone before an audition, when I’m playing poker (to look cool and look like a pro) and they spend most the time chilling in my house looking cool by themselves. Certainly I use them enough to have one pair, but the I admit, I’m O.D.ing a bit having the four or five pairs I currently have.

Beats by Dre: Sound is good, a lot of bass, great for hip hop, the most popular of all headphones right now, (matter fact mine got stolen from a valet) yet, for some reason they feel cheap. Come to think of it, the ear part fell apart a few times and I had to put them pack in myself.

V-Moda: I really love these headphones, great sound, even more important, they have a great feel, they are well made, just feel solid. Plus they give you a bunch of stuff. A hard carrying case and even extra headphone chords. Also, their cords are wrapped in nylon material, which I prefer to rubber.

Skull Candy Aviators: Very cool retro looking headphones, also great sound, not as bass drivin as the the Beats, but a real clean sound. I love the look, yet I would never work out in them, also cord isn’t removable like the other headphones, could easily get damaged.

That’s what I think, you probably only need one pair of really dope headphones, I should hook my brothers or cousins with the extras I have… Sometimes it’s trial and era when you’r trying look good.