14 Almost Completely Random Things I Love

Okay so, I'm 'historically' (like I'm a religion or something) pretty bad with dates in general, but I finally got one right! So I thought that I'd dazzle and devastate you on this, this most romantic of days with what? A list of my favourite Lover's Rock tunes of the past decade? No (although now that I write it, that's a pretty good idea)! Another list of really attractive singers??? No (another good idea)! I submit for your approval (but I don't care if you like it) an almost completely random 'list', in an almost completely random order, of . . . Stuff that I love.

#1. I Love Nice Pictures!

Although I’ve been running around here for almost two years now and the most you’ve ever (and will ever) see of me are my morbidly obese hands, I do like looking at nice pictures - I’m a visual creature in some respects. And thankfully, with doing lists and general randomness like this here post, we get an opportunity to search for pictures quite often and even when I’m not looking for something in particular, I’ll save one or two just for future usage perhaps (I have a really nice one of Tiwony that I’ve had for almost two years now that I’m dying to use - May get a chance soon because apparently he has a new album coming out in April). I like sexy pictures, I like different pictures (you get a little of both here from Ms. Stevy Mahy, more on her in a bit) and just general eye-grabbing shots (especially on album covers).

#2. I Love Apples!

I fancy myself to be somewhat of a pretty good cook. I can make a very nice menu of stuff (I was once told by my Mother’s sister, who is a chef, that you know you can cook really well when you can make good food which you don’t like and I can do that), but BY FAR my favourite food are apples. Just about whatever you can do with an apple - The apple itself, apple juice, apple cider, apple accentuated dishes - Red apples, green apples, yellow apples. APPLE. APPLE. APPLE.

#3. I Love “Being Human”!

While I have no direct complaints with the actual state itself (aside from that whole pain thing . . . And mental illness and . . . Aging . . . Actually I do have a lot of complaints about literally being human, but that isn’t going anywhere so why complain), what I’m specifically talking about here is the television program, “Being Human” which originates in the UK and is quickly flooded online around the world. I’m pretty sure I love it - That or I really just like staring at one of the co-stars of the show, Lenora Crichlow, who I mentioned a couple of weeks ago is SERIOUSLY a stunning creature (I have no complaints to her being human), but having caught up on it over the past couple of weeks or so, it is an EXCELLENT program and while I HATE TV in general, but this thing is nice!

#4. I Love To Watch People Fight!

In the sporting sense of course. I LOVE football, but I don’t follow it as closely as I should (although I did see Wayne Rooney and his . . . Madness a couple of days ago). The only sports I do regularly follow with any type of regularity are Boxing and MMA. Something about that kind of physical chess match and strategy of it all is just intoxicating to me. Currently, my favourite boxers are Jean Pascal from Haiti, Glen Johnson from Jamaica (who has been fighting FOREVER) and definitely Andre Ward from California (who may fight Johnson later this year). I also like Manny Pacquiao (of course), Andre Berto and Nonito Donaire. In MMA, I don’t have too many favourites. I did used to really like Gary Goodridge and Carlos Newton (DUH!) and I did see that one of the old fighters that I used to like, Fedor Emelianenko, just lost and is retiring so big him up and congratulations and I do actually like people such as Rampage, of course Anderson Silva and Roger Gracie.

#5. I Love Passion!

I don’t consider myself as a person with a great range of interests and I’m not terribly difficult to get to know in that respect, but while I may not have ANY tangible interest in something I always admire people who CLEARLY do. For example, somewhere out there is a blog for Hip-Hop music and there’s some guy going crazy writing ridiculous articles and big reviews and just generally delivering madness on something that I know absolutely nothing about - And I love that! Just when people have certain interests that they take to an extreme level and it’s present in so many or such big platforms in their lives. I love that kind of passion.

#6. I Love Old Lady Saw!

One of the greatest losses of the current age of Dancehall music and even the one before it (from maybe ~2001-04) is the ‘loss’ of one of the greatest Dancehall artists of all time, Lady Saw. Stop! I know what you’re thinking - Yes, she’s still around, but she’s not what she used to be. If you should ever be so inclined to go back and vibe songs from before the turn of the century from Lady Saw, what you hear is nearly PERFECT Dancehall and that’s something you can’t even say about some of her slightly more well known peers. When Lady Saw was at her absolute peak, she had very few ‘rivals’ who could literally dig their claws into a riddim and WRECK it!

#7. "I Love Everything About You!"

#8. I Love This Fucking Album!

I typically wait until the beginning of the month to let you know “What I’m Listening To”, but I’m going to give you an ‘advance’ of sorts right here - ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip” has been running on my players from the beginning of the month and doesn’t seem prepared to vacate its position anytime soon. I was almost tempted to write a ‘modern classic’ feature for this one at the end of 2010 (for special circumstances) also and there’s no way in the world I’ll still be writing next year, but if I am, you won’t have to wait too long for it. The album just so perfectly fulfilled on its main attraction and its title as well and these days I find myself giving a ‘second life’ to big tunes such as ‘Yenki Pou Vou’, definitely ‘Divine Magic Joy’ and as of late, ‘Fame Is Gone’ and they were still big when we first spun through - even bigger now. The album PERMANENTLY put Stevy Mahy on my own personal map and hopefully yours also as she QUIETLY made love to our ears in 2010 and beyond.

#9. I Love Lyrics!

Thankfully I don’t get them as much anymore, but I did receive quite a few in 2009 and the first half of last year and such - Messages from people who say that I post(ed) lyrics entirely too much. I don’t care! Not even a tiny bit. I’ve always thought that when you can actually see the words to a song printed and be able to read them, that they have more of an impact and you can very well appreciate what is being said, whether it’s something socially significant or just absolute GENIUS rubbish such as what Beenie Man does here. And when you take that and combine it with the slight language gap that exists, I have no intention on even kind of slowing down.

#10. I Love Clashes!

Perhaps as an extension to the previous entry on this post, I do have to say that probably my favourite display of #9 is when two SKILLED Dancehall artists put their respective bests against one another’s. Now, it doesn’t have to be like that either, you can take the word ’clash’ and apply it over different surfaces, but I love the back-and-forth style from lyricists, particularly live and in person, but even if it is spread out over tune and counteraction style, isn’t it still so nice. These days the ’art’ has essentially become a dinosaur of sorts really, but it’s still never too far off and hopefully someone will remember that despite the mantra of “it’s a mission not a competition”, prevailing - Is there really anything wrong with competing??? Of course not (oh and you love it too!).

#11. I Love Sara Lugo’s Music!

Seriously, can May 6 come in any slower now? With Reggae music SHORTLY set to take over the entire world, we’ll declare Sara Lugo: Minister of Defense. Should you make any sort of threat in ANY way at all, she’ll promptly proceed to drop a bomb of love on your house. In the meantime, however, I’d settle for an album drop (and we also love Da Ville from where Bredz stole this picture).

#12. I Love The Pepper Riddim!

Stephen ‘Di Genius’ McGregor has impressed me to the heights with his very first offering of 2011, the RIDICULOUS Pepper Riddim. When I heard this piece it actually got me to thinking about some of his 2010 pieces and how McGregor has definitely been following an impressive course over the past 18 months or so. When you think of pieces such as the ChampionShip, the Winnings, the Catalog, the Bad People and a few others, McGregor has been making AUTHENTIC Dancehall music and he’s probably just outdone himself in recent memory with the Pepper and it’s crazy dynamic sound, one which is going to be hard to beat in 2011 I predict. Also, in terms of making genuine Dancehall music, I think that I’d have to say that ‘Di Genius’ is number one at this point.

#13. I Love Madness!

If ever you get to thinking that I deal with Soca music entirely too much - Just remind yourself of something - I DON’T CARE! As I sit here now, I’m currently watching Destra Garcia mash up a Groovy Soca Semifinal Monarch stage (not going to even attempt to speak on this gentleman who has now followed her) an d for me this (in theory, not literally) is simply one of the BEST moments in music. There is a certain theatre which comes with Soca, even in the purely audio-sense which does not come with any other type of music in the world. There is something almost overwhelming about it and not to mention that some of the actual music is GOLD! I try to make the distinction that when you “vibe” other genres, you “vibe” them or you “listen” to them. Soca, when at its highest level, is different - It is an experience and I’m not stopping!

#14. I Love To Sleep!

Blessed night everyone! Biggup Buju for winning the Grammy this year and biggup Destra and everybody else who ran Monarch, definitely looking towards the finals. See you tomorrow with Ele’s review.