Holy shit. It went down.
Willie D and DJ Good Grief outside the Radisson Hotel Norge, upon arrival.
Man straight up, this was a whirlwind trip. Going to Europe is something I treasure, and going there with one of my favorite MC's of all time is just something so surreal I can barely explain it. But straight up, going to 2 cities in Europe in 2 days and spending 40 hours over the course of just under 4 days travelling, is not the greatest thing in the world.
But it's worth it. I mean straight up, I got to go on the road with the rapper who pretty much ruled my world from 1989 to 1992. I always liked Scarface and put him pretty high on my top MC list too, but when you are talking about the Geto Boys, the man who held that shit down was Willie D. They were the most notorious group in rap ever. Yeah, NWA said thatthe FBI was after them, but the Geto Boys actually had their distribution refused and were practically shunned from the industry back in hip-hop's heyday. Still they persisted and today are regarded as one of the greatest groups of all time (by me anyway). That persistence, I am convinced came from the energy and aggression of Willie D. The man is one of the most passionate MC's of all time, and I mean that in the most hetero of manners. Dude's a hip-hop walking time bomb to this day.
Which made the trip all the more interesting.
See Scarface cancelled like his 4th scheduled European tour (whether he even knew about the bookings or not, I have no idea, but someone tries to book his ass over there every year and he never, ever goes. His loss.) So when the agents (many of them) called me to ask my help, all I could really say was, you need to book Willie D. The forward thinking promoters of Norway were with it (along with a few others, but I couldn't make the entire excursion this time around due to the impending 8 city Devin the Dude Euro tour) and we went and Willie D tore it down.
First night was in Bergen, second was in Oslo. Willie D opened for Saigon and Little Brother, both of whom were like "WTF, Willie D the Legend is opening for US?"
But it didn't matter if he went on first or last, in typical Geto Boys fashion, he set both venues on fire.
Willie D seen here in Bergen at Bergen Fest.
This dude might have been a Crip so I took his picture in hopes that he wouldn't smoke my muthafuckin ass. There was a dude with a red bandana there too but he wouldn't let me take his photo. I don't know man. I asked my dude if there were Bloods and Crips in Bergen and he just laughed.
I know if I was from Bergen, one of the most beautiful and tranquil and majestic and interesting cities in the world, the last thing on my mind would be gang banging.
Anyway...
Dude jumped in the crowd at both shows. Seen here rapping to a Bergen cop.
And in the crowd. I didn't get any pics of him in the crowd in Oslo really, cuz I was videotaping the whole thang. You'll see that whole performance, or most of it anyway, on the HoustonSoReal on the Road DVD coming SOON!
I know I keep saying that but it is.
Ane was our contact/liason in Bergen for the Bergen Fest. She handled business like getting us to and from the venue, showing me where the beer was and she taught Grief how to open a beer bottle with a water bottle. How come all Norwegians can do this? Well, at least all the ones I know anyway.
Willie D and Saigon. Reality Rap Vets from 2 different generations. But for real though, it was dope to see them both together. There's not a lot of rappers out there today like Saigon. These dudes ain't never scared.
Unlike most of the rappers today. Scared of what their manager or a&r is gonna say if they happen to step out of the box (cage) they set for them.
These girls helped us sell CD's and DVD's.
Little Brother got a lot of love in Bergen and Oslo. They informed us that it hath been WILLIE D MONTH on Okay Player. I had no idea! (Thought I oculdn't find anything about it except a thread).
Saigon and Scram Jones on the cut.
Then after the Bergen show, my heroes, Lars and Leca from Montana Bar had us over for a little after party.
Dopest bar in the world. See Devin the Dude there again on May 11th!
Grief did an improtmptu set. Killed it!
Ladies
Love
Cool Willie D
Killin' it!
Lars and Ida!
Leca's girl Thea!
Ida solo!
Leca, Lars and Ida are like some of my new favorite people ever. I want to open a bar and be just like them. Drunk in the mountains.
Look at me and Leca.
Chillin' like real dogs.
Grief and Lars chillin' like real dogs. Grief, Chill and Ric need to do a monthly there.
Imagine going to a small bar in Norway and the bulk of the posters on the wall feature DJ Chill, Rapid Ric and Devin. That means a lot to me.
This dude wanted me to take a photo of him with Willie D putting him in a headlock, then with his camera he had his friend take one of me putting him in a headlock or something. Weird.
He ain't always making fools read his Nikes.
Yep, bye bye Bergen. See you in a couple of weeks.
Then we went to Oslo and immediately upon arrival hooked up with Mira Craig (Scandanavian R&B SENSATION), Mona B (my favorite person on TV of all time) and Junn (My favorite photographer) and went for a walk along the water to a bar along the water where Willie D told stories, called out Junn's weave and we drank $12 beers.
Someone gave Mira this bike just before we got there and WIllie D immediately commissioned it. You haven't lived until you've seen Willie D riding a chopper bicycle in Scandanavia.
And no, it wasn't cold at all that day. I don't knwo what Mira was thinking in her parka and Russian style winter hat.
But whatever, the real story here is how WILLIE D KILLED IT IN OSLO! (Ask Raide!)
Ididn't get a lot of pics here cuz I taped most of it, but dude jumped in the crowd and had fools trippin'. You'll see it on the DVD. HoustonSoReal On The Road.
Coming Soon.
Mayne.
Everytime I see Mira Craig I somehow manage to get a blurry, softly lit picture of her somehow that looks kind of good. I also saw hernew video "Leo" like 15 times on the Norway SMS Video Channel, which I hear is coming to the US soon.
Saigon!
Scram Jones, Erika and Good Grief
Junn! Doing her photography thing. Unlike me she knows how to use a camera. If she sends her flicks I'll post them.
Then once again there was an after party, Grief was the official DJ tonight though and the boy KILLED IT!
Playing all down south hits.
KNow'm sayin'?
Know'm talm bout.
Somehow at this party though, I sat on a little chair/stool on the edge of the stage, and a leg of the chair fell off and I went falling from the stage to the ground and ended up with like 7 bruises. One of which is 10 inches long and 4 inches wide, on my ass. Ugh. It's fucked.
Anyway, it went down once again. Norway, you're the best. Fred from Tornado Booking, you're even better and I hope in '07 I can take even more Texas talent to your country. I'm thinking Trae and Chingo Bling need to be next.
I mean, after Devin. I'll post Devin's dates tomorrow. Copenhagen fell through, but the good folks in Bergen picked it up, which is fine with me. Bergen, Bergen, Bergen is like the greatest city, and also Bergen, Bergen, Bergen is one of the greatest songs. If you listen to Damage COntrol you know what I'm taling about.
Tomorrow we will post a Tribute to HAWK, who was killed one year ago May 1st. Wednesday Night Damage Control is all about him as well. I told DJ Chill we needed to do a Hawk Tribute and he said "Damn, it's been a year already?" And got depressed. And so did I. I'm still fucking depressed and angry that my big homey is gone. BIG HAWK REST IN PEACE!
Kenika's "All On My MySpace" has become the biggest song in the world. Expect big things.
And Crystal Lee sent me this. It was written by Lisa Gray and it is SOREAL.
See, Houston doesn't give a fuck about historic landmarks or buildings of significance, or culture or any of that shit. To me it seems like the powers that be here only care about ramshackle, bullshit condos (aka the projects of the future) and will knock down anything to build a new one.
Fuck that. Save the River Oaks Theater and the Alabama Theatre/Bookstop. As a youth I spent a lot of my time in that old, convereted theater. At the time it was an independent bookstore, now it's a fuckin' Barnes and Noble, but it's still better than a lot of bookstores out there. And the building itself is just majestic. Last year we lost Cactus Records, don't let the same thing happen to these beautiful Houston Landmarks.
Read on, and thanks to Lisa Gray for being active on this matter.
Dear all:
Weingarten Realty is preparing to demolish the River Oaks Shopping
Center building that holds the Black-Eyed Pea restaurant. It's a
lovely, historically significant Art Deco building -- and its
destruction would darken the survival prospects for two other historic
buildings that Weingarten owns.
Next would likely follow the destruction of the Alabama
Theatre/Bookstop. Then the River Oaks Theatre.
In today's Chronicle, I'm urging people to stage a buy-in, to make a
point of shopping at the Alabama Bookstop this week. A spike in sales
would show Weingarten and Barnes & Noble that we care about the places
that make Houston special -- and that our dollars will follow our
hearts:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/gray/4758297.html
Please drop by the Bookstop between now and next Sunday. And tell your friends.
As I say in the column: We won't have to make threats. We won't have
to hint what we'll do if the first domino falls, or scream that we'll
remember who destroyed Houston's landmarks.
Our dollars will say that for us, and they'll say it in the language
that Weingarten and Barnes & Noble understand.
Also this Thursday at the Proletariat, Witnes, Peter Beste and Lance Walker will present an exclusive public screening of the VBS.Tv Documentary on Houston Rap. Domo will be on the wheels and I bet a lot of Houston Legends will be in La Casita. Do not miss this!
And as I stated earlier, Kenika finna take over.
Why you all on her Myspace?
www.myspace.com/kenikamusic
I sleep now.
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