Remembering Jam Master Jay (RUN DMC)

I'll never forget the the time RUN DMC visited the US Virgin Islands. It was 1985, and Hip Hop, besides sports, was my focus.

I was enamored by the music that was pouring out of New York City, flowing as consistently as Niagra Falls.

RUN DMC has always been the group that epitomized the culture, the lifestyle and they set the fashion bar for many.

While Run and DMC did their thing on the microphone, my eyes were always glued on the disc jockey- Jam Master Jay (real name: Jason Mizell).

You see, Jam Master Jay had a way with working the "wheels of steel", the soon-to-be defunct Technics 1200s.

His scratches and cuts were always on cue, and even when one of them seemed out of synch, upon listening to the song a second time, it was then that I realized what Jay was intending.

To this day, I own a number of RUN DMC's albums, a few cassette tapes and the more common CDs and MP3s.

Today marks the 8-year anniversary of Jam Master Jay's (JMJ) murder.

I can remember it like it was yesterday when I heard the news: I was driving on the Long Island Expressway while listening to New York station, 97.1 FM.

To hear the news that the "silent one", as I had dubbed Jay, was killed in his recording studio in Queens was so disheartening that I had to pull over on the L.I.E. As Funk Master Flex reported the sad news........I cried.

I recall hearing, for the first time, songs "Sucker MCs", "Tougher Than Leather", "Rock Box" and "Walk This Way", and I always smiling, but it was "My Adidas" that spoke to my sole (pun intended).

I have always liked sneakers, and when Run DMC rapped about their love of the shell-toed sneakers, I immediately identified with the song.

When Run DMC rocked Madison Square Garden and told everyone to take off one of their Adidas sneakers and, "Hold them in the air!", I did and so did almost 15,000 other kids.

Little did I know the significance of that moment in sneaker history and how it would serve me in the future and today.

So, today I plan to listen to "Run DMCs Greatest Hits" and remember Jason Mizell a.k.a. Jam Master Jay and give thanks for the memories and him being a Hip Hop pioneer, and someone who motivated me to hear, listen and feel the music.

Walk GOOD JMJ, you're missed but not forgotten.

Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner found Guilty

Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner was found guilty on all 4 counts in his corruption case.

For a man that prided himself on "always being the conscience of the City Council," her sure got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Chuck was videotaped accepting money in a hand-to-hand that is too powerful to ignore. He even went as far as to state that he was going to take the stand to prove that he had nothing to hide from.

Well, Mr. Turner, you took the stand, pleaded your innocence, but the video footage was too much and you didn't have a leg to stand on. Bye-bye!

Sports: Boston Celtics....Up & Down

All the hype that was built up to Tuesday's NBA game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat made the game the hottest ticket in Boston and the NBA.

A number of celebrities made their way to Boston and The Garden: Donny and Mark Wahlberg, Houston rapper and member of UGK, Bun B, Ben Affleck, members of New Edition and a plethora of folks who wanted to "Witness" what the "Young Money Crew" (read: Wade, Bosh and James) would do against the Celtics.

The Celtics played some great basketball, shooting 46% from the field and 64% from the free-throw line; all the while, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo averaged 39-minutes played.

The 'Big 4' got some help from the "Big Shamrock", who chipped in 9 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and blocked 1 shot

The Celtics won 88-80.

Fast forward to last night's game versus the Kingless, Cleveland Cavaliers: The Celtics played well, but came up short and lost 95 to 87.


While the Celtics outplayed and outrebounded the Cavaliers, when a team scores only 14-points in the 4th quarter, that's never a good sign that the team is going to win the game.


Well, the Celtics have the night off and are back in Boston.  Tomorrow night they play host the the New York Knickerbockers and Nate Robinson will be able to say hello to his old teammates from his Knicks playing days.


This season, the Celtics have adopted the motto of "It's ON!" and I'm confident that this is going to be an exciting season. 

Stay tuned! 

Sports: NBA Season 2010-2011 begins TONIGHT

I like sports and love the lessons a child or person can learn from playing organized sports.  It doesn't matter what the game is, you're sure to learn coordination, communication, teamwork, how to play the game with a positive attitude and have fun.

Well, tonight the Boston Celtics start the 2010-2011 NBA Season versus "The Boys from South Beach" better known as the Miami Heat.

So you heard all the broo hahaaa about LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade as teammates this summer.  Well, now it get serious and it's the hottest ticket in Boston right now.

The Boston Celtics, with the return of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo are poised to make a run at winning another NBA title.  With the addition of Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal and Delonte West, the Celtics added  some big men down low in the post and a decent point guard that will allow Rondo to breathe a little easier and not play so many minutes.

I'm confident that tonight's game is going to be exciting and The Garden will be loud.  And you can expect that everytime LeBron touches the basketball, in the first half, he will be booed!

It's ON!