Where the East meets West...firing synapse...at the right place, at the right time...

So ladies and gentlemen, hopefully I can cut to the chase quick enough that I can post all that I want to say in the next 20 minutes. I left my computer charger back in BK and I've been lucky enough to have Core lend me his, when he isn't Skyping with his girl (Shout out to Sarah-- let's see if she's really reading this...hmmmm...) or making the next banging beat...19 minutes...

Berlin is a city steeped in history and at the forefront of modernity. Walking around the streets, it's hard not to be taken back to the days of the Cold War. Bullet-holes still cover some of Berlin's most famous buildings. There are parts of Berlin where The Wall still stands. And yet, you're quickly brought back to reality when you find some of the most stunning examples of modern architecure, the trendiest of shops lining Friedrichstraße (street intersecting w/ Checkpoint Charlie), and a Starbuck's in almost every neighborhood (Modernity? Globalization? Annoying?).




Wednesday night was a great example of what can happen in Berlin. Core and I got the chance to check out the Check the Rhyme Tour, featuring Jeru the Damaja, The Beatnuts, The Alkaholiks, the Lordz of the Underground, and Paris at Club Maria in Ostbanhof. The capacity of this place had to have been near 1500 and it was packed to the brim! Core mentioned (and I quickly agreed--having organized and promoted shows in NYC for for about 7 years) that there's no way that this bill (regardless of how to dope it was) could draw 1000 people in the City. The people in attendance were live to say the least...its safe to say that Germans love classic American Hip Hop. And that Core, Alesh, Dowis and I had a hell of a time--minus the opening act--name unknown (heck, why is that the same throughout the world...how does the wackest dude always get to open up?).




Core and I missed the Lordz of the Underground (yeah, you heard that right! Straight from the 90's) because we had to get to Cassiopeia to set up to rock the after party. Though the club never really filled-in (I'm sure that the 5 hour show didn't end until around 2:00) we still managed to rock for about 100 - 150 people. I managed to sell all but 5 cd's that I had on me and we definitely had a chance to build with some important heads. Big ups to Bob from Beatevolution for lending us his stage and Iana the night manager from Cassiopeia for making sure that all was good. Pictures will be coming soon...

I woke up early on Thursday to run around Berlin and take care of some "business". I had a chance to interview MC Torch (aka DJ Haitian Star), one of Germany's early Hip Hop pioneers. Torch is credited w/ being the first German emcee to freestyle in German. Hip Hop traveled the Atlantic through movies like Beatstreet and Wild Style. For much of the 1980's many German emcees rapped only in English, with the goal of being considered authentic by American Hip Hop standards. Torch and his crew, Advanced Chemistry, were the forerunners of infusing German culture into their practice of Hip Hop. Needless to say, I learned a great deal...the ideas are spawning...keep an eye on this thread...




Alright ya'll, so I've got to get up and get ready to leave for Ceské Budejovice. Tonight will be our last show of the tour . . . I'm gonna let loose like no other (don't worry babe)! And sell the remainder of my CD's.

Hasta Luego,
Far