DROPPIN’ KNOWLEDGE: The Fresh Marcus Commentaries

"My pops used to listen to Johnny Cash,
but a brother like me had Grandmaster Flash . . .
 
pumpin' out the box on a Memorex,
and I was writin' my own cuz I was gonna be nex' . . ."
 
- Fresh Marcus on "Encyclopedia of Hip-Hop"
 
My dad passed earlier this month.  He was a hard worker (25 years with the company he ultimately retired from), always looking to help someone.  He visited all 50 of the United States in his lifetime, and climbed several 14,000-foot mountains.   He got baptized at age 70 after putting in some work on the spiritual tip. 
 
I had not experienced an end-of-life event like that before.  It was ill, but I could discern that there is a certain peace that accompanies the process when the deceased and the family are down with the Lord.
 
Blessings to the nursing staff at Lutheran Exempla Hospital and Collier Hospice for their care and diligence.  Blessings also to the neighbors and friends of my mom and I who found so many ways to serve us in recent weeks.
 
Peace and God Bless,
 
FM
 

To take a spin off the classic "Puerto Rico" break.  Spent last week in Costa Rica.  Great people, warm ocean, hype Afro-Latin music.  Spoke a lot of Spanish and may need to do some lyric writing in the language.
 
'Nuff respect to the Marriott in Guanacaste and its staff for the good fellowship and warm reception.
 
One.
 
FM
 

We are a little more than one month out from the earthquake in Haiti.  It will soon be considered a historical event rather than a current crisis.  Some of us probably have already not thought about it in a few days, unless reminded by something tangential like the release of the new "We are the World" video last night in conjunction with the opening of the Olympics or some casual TV news reference.
 
Check it, let us not forget the images, distress or poverty of Haiti.  On the real, it is unlikely there will be a material reduction in the level of need of the Haitian people during our lifetime.
 
Therefore, stay concerned and committed, and remind yourself on the regular of the extent to which your life is rich and abundant by the grace of God.
 
One.
 
FM

Listened to the classic "Christmas in Hollis" joint from Run-DMC yesterday. You should, too.

Peace and Merry Christmas to hip-hop headz, Fresh Marcus supporters, and those who are Down with the King (to name another Run-DMC classic)

One..

My wife and I went to check a fly breakdancing battle last night in a warehouse here in the A. You can probably peep some footage at www.AllTargetsLeveled.com (or "ATL," son!). The Brother Mark was up in there with the "Vote or Die" graf 3/4-sleeve joint that I got in '04 from a Russell Simmons/Rev Run political rally, of course. If you dig deep, you can probably find a post about that old event here on the site.

Most of the music spun was from about 15-20 years ago, which was pretty live to me. Probably the hypest jam was a re-mix of Naughty by Nature's "Craziest" that I had not heard before.

The vibe was real chill and everyone was there to appreciate the elements, not to get faded, etc. Somewhat contrary to the M.O.P. show in town last week, from what I hear. Brooklyn was apparently rep'n to the fullest among concertgoers, but some headz were afraid to attend and get "yapped," in the M.O.P. parlance.

Hope you had a good weekend. One.