Since the world didn’t end May 21st as Harold Camping predicted, many of us rang in the New Year with a BANG! Gunfire aside, 2011 was “hit or miss” for the majority of Americans. While some folks spent their Saturday night working the extra shift they picked up to make this month’s rent, others enjoyed a tall glass of champagne and a kiss as the ball dropped and Dick Clark reminded us that he was still alive.
Twenty Eleven was, by far, the most challenging year I’ve ever experienced on Planet Earth. During the final few months of 2010, I was on tour with Biker Daughter and Hank and Cupcakes, traveling up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Having driven across country in an unregistered burgundy Chrysler Town & Country, complete with “baby” on board, I was just happy to be home safely for the holidays. I spent NYE 2011 playing a show at The Echo in Los Angeles, CA with Nite Jewel. The show went well, even though my mind was elsewhere, and I was looking forward to loading up my gear and heading to another NYE party not far from the venue.
After the show, my guitarist and bassist went to get the vehicle and left the door man in charge of our equipment, while I went in search of the promoter’s in order to settle up. I returned to the entrance/exit of the club, just in time to witness the tail end of a fight that had broken out curbside. One of the drunks caught up in the fisticuffs had gotten tangled up in the velvet rope and fell down on the sidewalk near our gear. Upon standing up, I noticed the deviant had stumbled upon my bag containing personal items such as car/house keys, gf’s baby picture, spare mustache and my hard drive, which contained all the files for the entire “31 Flavors” mixtape.
Now I could go on into elaborate detail, as I normally do, and explain how there were punches thrown, a high speed chase (on foot) and insults dished out in multiple languages before I finally retrieved the HD from the bed of a pick up truck, but those specifics are unimportant. My point is that the year started off on a lame foot and along with many others, I was anxious to say goodbye to 2011.
Last year wasn’t by any means all “bad”. It wasn’t anybody’s best calendar year economically, but here’s a list of some of my personal highs from the last four quarters:
- released Summer Solstice Volume I, II and III and 31 Flavors and Planes, Trains and Automobiles EP
- featured on MTV
- playing at the Eagle Rock Music Festival who set a record in attendance this year with over 18,000 people
- West Coast Mini Tour (LA – LBC – CO – NM – UT) with Gavin, Michael Gross and The Statuettes and Mane Rok/Deejay Tense
- featured on DATSWHATZUP VOL. 3 (internationally distributed mixtape series) with artists like E-40, Jadakiss and Jim Jones
- featured artist on We’re On Everything presented by Blood Is One
- guest-blogged for UK website Hip Hop Fiend
- played a Nate Dogg Tribute show in Texas at SXSW opening for Snoop Dogg at VIBE’s “RESPECT THE WEST” showcase
“Might as well, it’s 2012″
-tbkb via @thatn3wkid
