Kicks: M7 Advance

Ahhhhh... The joys of being a Knicks fan... Not only do I get to endure constant ostrasization from sports fans across the world, I am also left out of the loop when special edition gear comes out.

I can remember years ago, desperately wanting for a home Sprewell jersey. Good luck getting those anywhere besides the Garden itself, circa 1999. Truth be told though, I probably dodged a bullet since the jersey was obsolete the next year and downright embarrassing shortly thereafter. Oh, the joys of hindsight.

Despite this wisdom, I am still a stupid and emotional Knickerbocker die-hard, and the current objects of my fashion affections are Carmelo Anthony's latest in the Jumpman collection: The M7 Advances.


I'm not a big fan of the blue/white/orange variation, but these black and whites are hella sick to me and would look great on the rack next to my CP3s.

Just my luck though, they are only gong to be available at the NEW YORK Nike Town, and probably won't even be made available for online purchase. Being that I live in Portland, Oregon, that blows chunks. But... this is the Black Collar Movement and we make our own luck around these parts.

I'm praying these shoes don't sell out like Scottie Pippin, because I'm actually planning a road trip back East at the end of June. No, not just for the shoes. I'm going to visit my parents in Richmond and planned to make a NY stop on the way anyway. So if these are still available when I get there, you might catch me in a pair of the most exclusive sneaks this side of the Appalachians!

NOTE: I'm still looking for a driving partner, so hit me up if interested. (Driving there, flying back.)

Wish me luck!


~Mac Smiff (Knickerbockers/Mets West Coast Afficionado)

Music: Shane Eli

Despite the fact that I listen to a ton of music, create music, and love music, I rarely blog about music. This has to change. So here goes...

When I was down in Austin for SXSW, I had the pleasure of meeting a friendly and charismatic fellow named Shane Eli. He was kinda holding up the wall at the 2DopeBoyz Showcase and while I can't recall how our conversation started, we quickly found ourselves laughing and exchanging info. When I asked what brought him to SXSW, he told me he was a producer, and that he rapped a little too. I told him that I rap, but that I've been slacking on my game and needed to get refocused. He shared some encouragement and let me know he had a free mixtape coming out soon. I promised to check it out.

A few weeks later, I was going through the contacts I'd gained and found Shane's rather stylish business card. So I went to ShaneEli.com and downloaded his mixtape I Can Do Better. I'd highly suggest you do the same.

Little did I know that this guy writes, records, produces and raps on his own music. I also did not expect to download a 19-track album with top-to-bottom quality. After my first play through, my initial reaction was, "This is free?" I was also surprised to learn that Shane has produced for a range of artists from Diggy Simmons to Earth, Wind & Fire. I'm going to say that again... Earth, Wind & Fire... Wait, is this the same humble dude I met in Austin?

I can't lie, I had to completely re-think my project once I heard this album. Guillotine is my favorite track on the record - there's just something real Black Collar about it - while Bo Jackson, City Never Sleeps (ft. Jenny Bapst), and Let’s Ride (ft. Playboy Tre & Rittz) are in a tight race for second place. Two months later, I'm still banging this in my car on a daily basis. Without doubt, this is in my top 5 albums of 2011, and I don't see it falling off the list. The only knock I can offer are that the intros provided by DJ Skee seem out of place and are kind of annoying.

Enough with the jibber-jabber, do yourself a favor and download I Can Do Better (via DJ Booth) by clicking on the picture below. And yes, I know he looks lke Drake. OK, I'm out.

Debauchery - My Drunken Epiphany at Luck One's True Theory Album Release Party at the Crown Room.

This post is dedicated to my good buddy Amsterdam, who should have rolled with us but instead elected to drive back to Salem at 8pm.

SATURDAY - April 10, 2011


My youngest son's first game on the "farm team" (read: coach-pitch baseball) was a barn-burner and he scored 3 runs, batted .500 and forced 5 outs while playing first baseman. Like a child he displayed an eager excitement, but at the same time exerted his will through passion and determination.

While he got the shine, I got to play proud poppa. I happily rooted for him, became vocally frustrated when he missed opportunities, and took compliments and looks of approval from other parents and onlookers. One of the people in the audience was none other than DJ Gen Erik (of Animal Farm) who stopped by with his family while taking a walk on that rare sunny Spring day in Portland, Oregon.

What did that have to do with Luck One's album release party? Nothing at all, but it certainly set the stage for what was clearly an excellent day from the get go. See, in Mac's World winning days turn into debaucherous nights... It also allowed me to brag about my ultra-athletic and undeniably handsome - albeit slightly undersized - 7 year old son, so ha!

Fast forward a few hours and I'm kissing my son on the forehead and kissing my mom on the cheek. She tells me to have fun and be safe, as always. I grin, as always, and promise to do the former, but that I can't guarantee the latter. She rolls her eyes and smiles as I jump in my whip, as always.

Forward another hour :: Goodwill and I are walking up to The Crown Room. It's 9:10 and there is a line around the corner. Doors are scheduled to open at 9:30, and the first hour is an open bar. When the doors open, Goodwill and I look at the bartender from our seats and he asks, "What can I get ya?" (Word to Eric, my favorite club security guy!)

Kevin, Craig and Brynden from V1Creative were there with the camaras already and documented the first few drinks of the night. People began pouring in and by the fourth round we were surrounded at the bar. Familiar and new faces came and went and some hellacious conversation ensued. Trox was an early enterer and wasted no time getting red-faced with us. I'm pretty sure I met a few Twitter followers and I certainly made a few new ones. My favorite bartender in the world, Christina, was not present that evening though, so I decided not to make it a Hennessy night and just chill with a half-dozen or so rum & cokes. Sonny, on the other hand, couldn't wait for open bar to end and at 10:30 on the dot he promptly purchased his cup of Heem.

It was around this time that I decided I needed to do the Stand Up After Drinking A Lot Test. See, just a few hours ago I was asked by Luck One to perform with him at his album release. My acceptance of this task meant that I wouldn't be wearing a button-up, so minor wardrobe adjustments were made before leaving the house. Had to get back in rapper mode. But I digress... I passed the test with nary a wobble and was confident that my clear intoxication had me right in the pocket. I felt like Jackie Chan in The Legend of Drunken Master. I mean, I'm nice in my right mind, but I go Level 7 off a good one.

A bathroom break with no lines involved (#winning!) had me feeling kind of Charlie Sheen-ish and after washing my hands like several others didn't (I see you nasty effers and that's why you don't get daps from me!) it was about time to rock. I made no attempt to estimate the number of people in the building, but the building was clearly at, if not beyond, capacity. Maybe I'll ask Leigh for the official numbers later, but the point is that the place was packed, obviously.

We took the stage and once again I saw DJ Gen Erik attending one of my family events. Then I watched my younger brother maturely focus his excitement and masterfully exert his will on a captive crowd, much like I'd watched my son do earlier. This time, I was a little closer to the action though, and my rooting was magnified not only by my BAC, but also by the size of the moment.

As a respectable emcee in my own right, I'm often asked what it's like to hype for my little brother. To me, I'm doing the same thing on the stage with Luck One that I do at my son's games; that is, anxiously and unapologetically supporting my family while basking in the glow of potential greatness. On the days when it's my turn to be the star, they do the same for me and that's what family is about.

Yet and still, that does not answer how I feel. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a nonillion sentances. So I'll give you two videos and leave you with some math homework. Oh, and Keak da Sneak still rocked after us. Brave guy.

Intro + 80's Back




Freestyle + I Believe



Over and out,


~Mac Smitty (the 7th Science Assassin)

Mac's Journey at SXSW

The following story was run last week on www.weouthere.net. Biggups to Jake Espinoza for putting me on.

Without divulging too much, I can tell you that the last few months have been an amazingly difficult for me. In desperate need of a temporary change of scenery, I decided to go to the music convention known as SXSW (South by Southwest) this year with my little brother Hanif, aka Luck One. Not having any current project of my own, I figured I'd use this trip to help promote his upcoming project (True Theory), network with the music community, and maybe inspire myself to get more serious with my music. I accomplished all of these these things during my trip, and not without a few stories to tell. So let's just go ahead and jump in, shall we?

Click here to read the rest of this story. Trust me, it'd be a wise decision. 

Debauchery: Victor Shade Album Release + Twista Show

So it's been a while... For that I apologize, but I'm back like I never left (in fact, I never left) with more stories for ya. I know you're thirsty... So as I sit and listen to Trox's "Small Hands Big Slaps" beat tape, I contemplate the last few wild days I've had.

Victor Shade Album Release
I drove up to Seattle on Saturday night (and missed Massive, sadly enough) to rock with Luck One at the Victor Shade album release party. Now I had no idea who Victor Shade was, nor am I particularly impressed with his music after the fact, but I'll tell you who I was impressed with. But first...

So Luck and I arrived to the party location at 11 - an underground loading zone in the heart of downtown Seattle - and the only person there was a setup guy who insisted that they'd get started around midnight and that "it's gonna crack". Doubtful and upset I'd driven to Seattle for a wack show, I went and got some food and an energy drink. By 11:30, people were circling the block and hanging out near the building... By 12, the doors were open and there were a few dozen people dancing to the smooth spins of DJ 100 Proof and picking up drinks from the makeshift bar.

So DJ 100 Proof... Now that's one cool white dude! Even though he'd done a monster job scratching over my track "For the Gifted" for the Cut Em Or Pay Em record, I'd never actually met him and was really impressed with how he spun for our set. Also, he works with an entertainment group called Members Only, and I think we might see some collaborations in the future.

Oh yeah, our set... So Luck wanted to do They Don't Want It and let me tell you IT WENT HARD!!! We rocked about 12:30 and the place was packed. There were at least a hundred people packed in that cargo bay and they were jumping up and down, W's up still from when we did Warrior, yelling THEY DON'T WANT IT!!! Ha ha... Then the homies Jose and Nelson started getting me drunk... Yup, It "cracked"!

But before I took in too much liquor, I peeped a set by another Seattle mainstay I'd never actually met, Fatal Lucciano. Dude's only about 5'2" but he gets busy! His cadence is eerily similar to Biggie's so perhaps I'm partial to his style. Regardless, dude knows how to rock a crowd and we had some good convo afterwards.

Oh, highlight of my night actually came the next morning when I came out of Luck's apartment to find that my car had been towed... Boo!!!!

Twista in Eugene
After taking a day of rest on Sunday, the homie Nick drove me down to Eugene where I opened for Twista with my Salem family, Matty and Payne at The Blueprint This whole day was a crazy one and I'd love to explain why but I fear the FCC. Anyway, I just want to say ON THE RECORD that I'm hella jealous of Twista's security detail. Them dudes took over the club and at one point - while Twista was sound checking - they moved all of the "other artists" into a lobby and guarded all exits.  I felt like I was in a refugee camp.

The team performance went very well. The crowd was huge, and we owned it. After we finished, Mr. D.O.G. (who is really should not rap with his t-shirt tucked in) took the stage and continued yelling "They Don't Want It, heyyy!!!" Effin biter. LOL. On a random thought tip, I found that there's a nice population of Black folks that live in Eugene and are not students. This was very surprising to me, but very interesting...

Twista's set was amazing. As we already know, dude's got an incredible repertoire of hit records and he peeled them off effortlessly. From hard hitters to panty droppers, he wrecked shop for about 40 minutes before his security escorted him to the VIP area - as if he were the president.

Then came the hater move. Twista's impressive security squad - which appeared to be made up of former football players, MMA fighters and WWF stars - locked down the VIP section (which the other performers previously had access to) and only admitted pretty women. Sooo... after Twista rocked, the party was full of underage kids, thirsty men and goofy gals. This one thirsty male groupie followed me around the entire night and kept wanting to shake my hand... Who does that??? So we dipped back to Portland; and I had to drive because my "driver" got drunk. Ha ha!

Still had a blast tho... See?

Games - Call of Duty 6: Modern Warfare 2

 - A nearly new PS3 (courtesy of the homie Aracelia (twitter.com/celiabarba): $200

 - Bluetooth Headset: $30

 - Used copy of Modern Warfare 2: $55

 - Cursing at little kids that play M-Rated games online: Priceless

OK... So I know I'm late but I must admit that while I have no problem paying $45 bucks for a bottle of Hennessy Privilege, I sincerely disdain paying the sticker price for new video games. So I am the type that waits a few weeks for everyone to agree that a game is super-dope, then I go buy it used when some kid's overly-strict mom returns the terribly inappropriate birthday gift. Yes, I win.

So for the last month or so, rather than standing in line so I could be first to buy the most expensive copy of Modern Warfare 2 available to man ($70), I borrowed a co-worker's husband's copy - yes, with his permission - of the first Modern Warfare and decided I'd treat it like a bootleg movie. Needless to say, I was rather impressed with the game, spent countless hours playing it, and built up my own internal anticipation for the new one. In fact, I enjoyed the first installment so much that I started to question what could possibly be improved upon and debated whether I should even get the second!

But everything can be improved on, right? So this weekend (which just happens to be my birthday weekend - details of debauchery to come) I went out and bought Modern Warfare 2 for myself. I was also gifted with a wireless headset. I win again.

I haven't even begun playing the critically acclaimed Campaign Mode yet - which apparently has a level so offensive that the game has an option upon first load to turn the level off (yes!!!) - and I'm already saying that this might be the most amazing game I've ever played. The online multiplayer mode is amazingly clean, and I think I'm actually better at the new one than I was at the prior! There are so many options, and the level-up system in online mode is as intriguing and addictive as I've ever seen in any multiplayer game. The graphics are cleaner, the precision is ridiculous, the arsenal's are nuts, and the competition is amazing. Seriously, I played a little in the evening, went to bed at 11 PM, woke up at 1 AM and played till nearly 6 AM. And I'm not really even into games all like that... 

So anyway, I woke up this morning (I know, I don't sleep much) and had the urge to blog on it. If you own a next-gen system, I implore you to acquire a copy of MW2. If you own a PS3 - and you should - I dare you to add me online and get whooped! My gamer tag is "MacSmiff"... Imagine that. 

Aaaaand I'm out!

~Mac Smiff