Amalgamated Culture: Ballet Jook

Another type of Asian fusion.  This video is a fawesome representation of why I love being a person of color.

Old-famed Yo-Yo Ma plays on while the newly-famed Lil' Buck does the Memphis Jook.  Love love love.  Courtesy of Spike Jonze.

art.jazz.life: Louis Armstrong's Fancy Kitchen

Stumbled into this article on The Kitchn today, and I fell in love with this piece.  Its jazz.  Its art.  Its epicurious.  Its Louis Armstrong's 1960's kitchen that has been preserved as part of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, NY.  All the doors on the glossy blue custom cabinets are mounted on piano hinges - snazzy!  See the slideshow here.

Quest M.C.O.D.Y.

Hailing from our sister city, Detroit, my friend, rapper/motivational speaker/musical politico Quest M.C.O.D.Y. has (yet again) graced TVs everywhere. He's been featured on Showtime, and MTV in the past, and most recently appeared on MTV's Made teaching Heather from Podunk, Nomansland how to rhyme. Watch the entire episode here.

Quest is unique because he's a visionary and he is highly ambitious. Quest about seeing and shining his light, and evoking the same spirit in others. His My Light Project site is chocked full of noteworthy things, as well as a bio and past successes.

Once he's a retired, old rapper, he could definitely make it as a high school teacher. A+

Avri Bijon

My homeboy Av has one of the best blogs out the Chi. Av and I go back like lumberjacks, and probably unbeknownst to him, I frequent his blog regularly. Av's RockBox contains the most up-to-date material on all things upbeat or off-beat. On top of all that, Av is also very talented musical genius, graphic artist, and videographer. Av is sound, light, and color all rolled into one. Peep his craft here.

The Boardroom

I've been to alot of shows, particularly in Chicago, but I have to say some of the most entertaining are those containing The Boardroom. Mike 100s, Jeff Jones, and Vic Lloyd can't go wrong with Tony Baines on the track, or anything else they do. These guys rap. Like, real rap. With real words, and real metaphorical phrases. None of that "one, two, buckle my shoe..."

Plus, they're pretty funny.

Ivy League

So, I love Ivy League. Not because we went to school together, or because I know one of them from our days at United Center (lol), but because they are actually a really dope group. I've been with these guys for awhile, and each track gets better and harder. Ivy League = real lyricism. The League consists of Novakane (the NoGoRilla) and Agacee, with Jay Illa on the turntables. Yes, they have a REAL DJ. And of course, they hail from the City of Wind. They've been most recently featured on MTV On The Rise New Year's Eve bash which aired on MTV2. I can't say enough about these dudes that hasn't already been said, or shown for that matter. If given the opportunity, I'd jump on stage and rock a mic with these guys.

Jay Illa

Jay Illa is probably my favorite DJ in Chicago...not that others aren't great, its just that, quite frankly, Jay actually plays shit I wanna hear. Consecutively. He never has an "off" night, or a "blah" set. The best thing about Jay is that he never sells out to the crowd. He plays whatever he wants, which alot of DJs cannot attest to. Never, never, never in my experience have I ever seen Jay not rock a venue. And I'm not just saying that cause I know him. Jay is most definitely "Illa Than Most".