Mr. Wonderful

Events, My Dudes, Stan Ipcus, Youth

I’m coming off three performances from last week, the most live appearances I’ve made all year. It felt good to be back in action. The first, an industry showcase down in the L.E.S., was a little too stuffy for me. The crowd was fairly wack, and I wasn’t digging the scene. It confirmed that I am not a fake industry cat, and I am proud to say that, though I must say I got busy on the mic for all the non-believers. The picture above is from the Bombin’ Magazine party at Premium Laces, which was VERY FUN. I rocked “My Ferris Buellers” and even pulled off an amazing performance of “Ippylicious” that had everyone dancing in the joint. Mad cool people and a great vibe, and Premium Laces is a fly store.

And finally, Max B and I joined Matisyahu in Baltimore at Ram’s Head Live this past Saturday night. So much fun, with lots of fam in the crowd including my beautiful fiancee. Max and Matis did an unbelievable beat box set, and I joined in for “WP”, “Victory”, and even an impromptu performance of “My Ferris Buellers” with the band in front of the sold out crowd. Awesome. I hope to get a hold of some footage and pics from the night, but until then, peep my new video, “Mr. Wonderful”, filmed, edited, directed, and produced by Stan Ipcus, ya heard?

Here’s a bonus video, all up in your GRILL PIECE. “Let’s Walk” might be my hottest song right now, KEEP UP WITH ME…

Finally, A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to Matisyahu, The Flobots, and the rest of the tour crew (thanks BEN!!!) for hooking my boy Lonnie from the BGC up with backstage passes to the show last Sunday in New Jersey. Lonnie is a very talented 9th grader that frequents my Cultural Arts Center, and he was the first person I knew that was up on The Flobots hit song “No Handlebars”. Of course, he is also a big Matisyahu fan, so I pulled some strings to get him and his Mom some tickets and V.I.P. access. Check the pics he got backstage. He told me he had the best night of his life…

Prime Time with Dan and Andrew

My Dudes, The Good Old Days, Youth

I first met Andrew Goldberg in the beginning of 10th grade at White Plains High School. He went to a private Jewish school for K-8th grade and lived on the other side of town, and it took a year of high school for us to finally cross paths. He was so funny, I remember getting a ride home with him one day from school and the two of us were in the backseat of our mutual friend Mike Friedland’s older brother’s car, and I could not stop laughing at his wisecracks. From that ride home on, we became great friends.

Sometime around the winter of 10th grade, we got the idea to start our own TV show. The school had its own TV studio, but no students used it for anything other than a fairly lame Television Production class. We wanted our own show. Our idea was to make it kind of like the Tonight Show, with Andrew as the host and me as the co-host on the couch with the guests. We also had ideas for skits, kind of along the lines of Saturday Night Live. So we wrote up a proposal and pitched it to the head of the TV studio. She loved the idea, and before we knew it, we were approved by the Asst. Principal to give it a shot.

The first Prime Time with Dan and Andrew show aired in the late winter of 1994, towards the end of our 10th grade year. We filmed it during lunch, and it featured a bunch of our friends sharing their special talents and us laughing along beside them cracking jokes. It wasn’t exactly a hit, but it was a decent start (and pretty entertaining).

By our second episode we were starting to get a bit of a following in the community. Our teachers were tuning in, and of course students and parents were too. It was becoming something special. The second episode started with a skit called “Name That S.T.D.”, a game show all where the contestants had to match the symptoms with the correct sexually transmitted disease, followed by this important info from sources like STD aware STD tests – www.STDAware.com/. It was hysterical. That same episode we aired a bit where Andrew played a character called “Grandpappy Goldberg”, and he was quite outlandish. Check out both clips…

Turns out some people on the Board of Education in White Plains were offended by our taste in humor, specifically “Name that S.T.D.” and “Grandpappy Goldberg”, and it looked for a second like we were going to get pulled off the air. But we had major support in the community and from our advisor at the TV station, so in the end the administration let us keep our show. So we continued, though I believe they pulled those two skits off the re-run version of the second episode. Here’s a couple clips of our guests from that second episode for you to watch. First, Dave Epstein, a big time fan of Prime Time, told us he would do anything to get on the show. So we let him. And to close out the show, our regular magician “Magic Mike” left us stunned as usual…

By our third episode, we had ourselves an SNL style intro and everything, and had a crew now called the Prime Time Players, made up of student friends who appeared on the show. It was official. Check it out…

We managed to interview the principal on the show, host an entire episode from Santa’s lap at the Galleria Mall, do a “Best Of” episode, and even get into some more musical acts. I’m still trying to get a hold of the Holiday Episode, but for now, check out these two musical doozies. First is our very own version of the Grease Classic “Summer Lovin'”, and after that is myself, Matty B, and Jiggs Telfair doing a remix of the Beastie Boys’ “Sure Shot”…

As of now, we have over 20 clips from the show up on our brand new Youtube channel. I’m still trying to get a hold of the missing episodes but for now I hope you loyal Westcheddar readers check out what we’ve got. There’s some funny stuff, clever and original, and way out there too. Not bad for a bunch of High School kids with too much free time on their hands. I recently interviewed Andrew, who is now a staff writer on The Family Guy, check that out too. Buh Bye!

Prime Time with Dan and Andrew Youtube Channel

Westcheddar interview with Andrew Goldberg

Mighty Healthy

Youth

A few of the middle school club members at my center entered a video contest sponsored by Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards called SMALL STEPS. The videos are all about ways to be more healthy in your daily lifestyle. The top ten videos with the most views on Youtube by the end of the month will be eligible to win $2,500 to spend at the NBA Store. Check it out, it’s shockingly hilarious, the kids totally GO IN. And then watch it again and again and again…

Watch it again!

Mr. Youtube

Events, Youth

The GET LIGHT style of dance is spreading quickly throughout New York, and every crew is trying to make a name for themselves both in the streets and on YOUTUBE. But there is only one Mr. Youtube. Also known as Swiss, Mr. Youtube hails from the Bronx (arguably where the GET LIGHT phenomenon started), and according to the kids in the streets he is the NICEST. Supposedly no one wants to battle him. I must say he looks older than the rest of the middle to high school age teens in most of the videos, but if you are familiar with the dance style you can clearly see why Mr. Youtube is highly respected. Check him out…

Mr. Youtube is also a heavy innovator of new dance moves, or “tricks”. He posts videos of himself dancing in his bedroom and suddenly his moves are all over the streets. Here’s one for you to watch…

Brotherhood is the name of Mr. Youtube’s crew, which also includes Kid Patt (who I featured a couple months ago click here to check out his battle with Mr. Styles it’s sick). According to the kids up here at the BGC in Mt. Kisco, most of whom live at group homes in the area but are originally from Harlem and the Bronx, Brotherhood is no joke. Here’s one of their sessions…

There’s others too, like my fam from White Plains TEAM GET RIGHT. I just saw them perform at the Westchester Arts Council this month during the Hip Hop Legacy event hosted by my dude Lord Judah. Most of these kids I’ve known since they first got to middle school. Check the video out below from the performance…

Check out more videos of TEAM GET RIGHT below, and stay tuned to the GET LIGHT movement…

TEAM GET RIGHT YOUTUBE PAGE

Sneaker and Ipod of the Week #3 and #4

Coloring Sheets, Youth

Wow, this contest has gotten very competitive. The summer campers at the BGC are pumping out new designs like HOT CAKES. Here are the week #3 and #4 winners…

WEEK #3 SNEAKER WINNER

WEEK #3 IPOD WINNER

WEEK #4 SNEAKER WINNER

WEEK #4 IPOD WINNER

So the same girl won both contests in WEEK #3, and then a new girl came along and won both contests in WEEK #4. The counselors have been getting into it too, check out the COUNSELOR SNEAKER OF THE WEEK from last week, it’s pretty sick…

The competition continues…

Step in the Name of Love

Events, Youth

The Souljah Steppers are the BGC step team made up of 3rd-6th grade club members and coached in-house by one of our after-school staff and led by one of our volunteer teen club members. 2007-2008 was their first year, and I was proud to be a part of getting the team off the ground. Check the video of their first full performance live from Mount Kisco…

More performances to come…

Good Look

My Dudes, Stan Ipcus, Youth

Upon arriving at the BGC last September 2007 in Mount Kisco, NY, I was excited to meet the teen population I would be working with. In my past efforts with middle school and high school kids, I was able to include hip-hop related programming quite easily, mainly because their was such a deep interest in the culture from them. I never had to force it, they simply embraced it.

My first day on the job, I met Xavier Simmons aka Sosa (above left), and shortly thereafter I figured out that not only did he love rap music but in fact he was DMX’s oldest son. He was 14 at the time, and HUNGRY FOR THE MIC. He would constantly come into the center, quoting Juelz Santana, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne verses, and I would see him writing raps on his I-Phone all the time.

Well it took me about two months to get my Mac lab completely popping with all the necessary equipment (six new 20 inch Macs, one Mac book, a mixing board, a midi keyboard, mics and speakers), but by November we had our own little in-house studio (see pics below), and Sosa and his younger boy Keran Stephans aka Young 1, started to “GO IN”. They would come through and record almost every day after school in the evenings, and right off the bat I noticed that they were both very talented. Sosa especially, a year older with a bit more studio experience under his belt, would one take all his verses, usually already memorized. And Young 1, 13 years old at the time, had an ill swag with a crazy flow, and for an 8th grader he could sure write DOPE HOOKS. They called themselves HOOD LEGACY, and began working on both group and solo tracks, taking advantage of the free studio time and bottomless supply of instrumentals I loaded onto the computer.

For me, it was a dream come true to work with such raw talent, helping them with their song structure and teaching them how to engineer and mix down their own sessions. They were pumping out material and all their peers were starting to realize these guys were for real. I began to put my buddies on to them, and it seemed as if everyone was in agreement. HOOD LEGACY WAS NO JOKE.

In addition to spitting over their favorite industry beats, Young 1 started making his own tracks on Garage Band which were pretty official. And with the success of Usher’s “Love in this Club” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, which both feature Garage Band loops in their instrumental tracks, it was clear to the kids that they could make hits without having to use high-tech production equipment. Sosa also had his own connects for beats through DMX, and I had my producer friends hook up some beat CDs for them to pick tracks from. And these two would EAT BEATS.

By January, HOOD LEGACY had a bunch of fly songs under their belt, so I set them up to perform at the BGC in the gym for an event we called “ROCK N JOCK”. We kept the gym open on a Friday night, set up the DJ equipment normally used for special events and teen parties, and let HOOD LEGACY close out the night with their set (see pic above). They picked their 5 favorite songs, and their stage show was a success. Sosa, the more gritty of the two, and Young 1, his laidback counterpart, complemented each other perfectly on stage. Everyone was impressed, especially me. “ROCK N JOCK” quickly became a monthly event, and the perfect place for HOOD LEGACY to showcase their new material.

Now, because of the legendary status of his father, Sosa is starting to get some well-deserved good looks (see his above article in XXL), working with DMX producer and industry giant Dame Grease, putting together a solo project. Still, the two find time to come through the BGC to work on material. It’s a scary to think that these kids haven’t even turned 16 yet. Watch out for HOOD LEGACY in the years to come. Check out some of their songs…

“GET IT IN“- produced by Young 1, this is the HOOD LEGACY anthem.

“GOOD LOOK“- I love how they ride this Alchemist beat.

“WE AINT DROPPIN“- They come hard body on this joint. Like Sosa says, “This is hell, welcome to my domain…”

“SUPERFRESH” featuring Stan Ipcus- We did this for the Dirty Jax mixtape, it came out dope.

Hood Legacy myspace

Check a couple solo joints from Young 1…

“NICE YOUNG THING“- Produced by my dude Bless from Backburner Productions.

“PARTY WITH YOUNG 1“- Keran found this beat on myspace and rocked it.

Young 1 myspace

And here’s two from Sosa…

“LEAVE YOU WHERE YOU STAY“- He calls himself “a walking pandemic”. Honestly, this is grown man rap.

“DEY KNOW FREESTYLE“- The lab was packed with kids after school, and he one-taked this. Everyone was blown away.

Sosa myspace

Stay tuned….

Sneaker and Ipod Design of the Week #1 and #2

Coloring Sheets, Youth

I’m running an ongoing contest this summer in my Cultural Arts Center for campers to come up with the sickest Sneaker and Ipod designs using my coloring sheets. Here are the winners from Week #1 and #2….

Week #1 Winners

10 Year Old Theresa swept Week #1…

Week #2 Winners

The competition is getting crazy. See you next week…

BGC Coloring Sheet Collection ’07-’08

Coloring Sheets, Youth

One thing I’ve learned in my decade of running youth programs is that kids (and staff!) love to color. Sometime back in my first year working with Kidsco, Inc. down in Gaithersburg, Maryland, I started making my own coloring sheets in response to the repetitive Disney ones that we kept using. I wanted them to reflect the culture of our program and what was going on in our world. My style kind of developed on its own, and the elementary school kids became obsessed with them. Eventually I had a bunch of original coloring sheets running through all the schools Kidsco had programs in.

When I began last September as the Cultural Arts Director at the Boys and Girls Club up in Mt. Kisco, I resurrected some of my old coloring sheets and gave them a new life. In the process, I made a bunch of new ones too that focused on the interests of our club kids. Everyone embraced them heavily. Even the older kids in middle and high school love them. It gives them a chance to design their own color schemes and patterns for sneakers, sports uniforms, Ipods, etc. They are fun to color, especially when kids are looking for a relaxing activity to do while they sit, talk with their friends, and listen to music. I do weekly contests for sneaker and Ipod of the week, the winners of which I will start posting soon (stay tuned!). They really come alive when they are all colored in. For now, check out my 2007-2008 school year collection raw and uncolored, which I recently compiled into a book:

BGC Photo Booth

Youth

Definitely one of the coolest features for kids on the new I Macs is the Photo Booth. With a built in camera on the top of the monitor and lots of special effects, it makes for a great way to spend time alone or with your friends inside. I recently went through each computer in the lab to find the most innovative pics taken using the photo booth to display in our spring Image Makers exhibit. Here are my favorites from the exhibit…