Every now and then I like to throw a few things out there that help you understand the off-line conversations that take place among Ron, Dee, Trey, and myself. Most of the chatter involves music, movies, pop culture, and of course, sports. Every now and then we’ll even get into regular conversations about dating/married life, fatherhood, and even cooking. (Yes, cooking. Go figure.) So, I thought the “Lost and Found” title was fitting, given that some of what we talk about may be new, not so new, and at times relatively obscure. Without any further adieu, here are a few topics we’ve been mulling over the past couple of weeks. By the way, this is purely a brain dump. No narrative. No frills. Just the facts as I’ve interpreted them.
Let the Games Begin: All Selfies, All The Time
If you’re on Twitter, search the hashtag #SelfieOlympics. You’re welcome.
Movie Time: The Wolf of Wall Street
One of the more talked about movies in recent months, The Wolf of Wall Street is one of those movies that doesn’t really tell you anything new, but just gives you more details on what you think you already know. There are lots of crazy stories about Wall Street, and this flick gives you an uncut, up close and personal perspective on what the folks who manage your money actually do with your money. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio seem to really work well together, and this film is another example. It’s 3-hour buffet of money, sex, and drugs, with an additional late night binge of money, sex, and drugs. So…who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf?
Music: Rick Ross & Jay Z
Rick Ross takes a lot of grief in hip-hop circles for a variety of reasons, but one thing that you can’t deny: Rozay knows how to make great songs. Throw in some Jay Z, and he usually hits a homerun, as we’ve seen before on “Maybach Music” and “F#ck With Me You Know I Got It”. This latest collaboration with Hov yields the epic-sounding track, “The Devil Is a Lie”, in which Ross and Jigga trade verses over lots of blaring horns with easy rich-rap bravado.
Musing on Jay Z’s current collaborations made me think back to one of his earlier, lesser publicized ones, with Notorious B.I.G and Diddy (going by Puff Daddy back then). Diddy and Jigga aren’t so young anymore, but it’s interesting to hop into the hot-tub time machine to hear what they were talking about on “Young G’s”.
Music: The “Beast Coast” Movement
On a prior episode we talked about the state of New York hip-hop, including some of the external and internal challenges facing the music scene in the Big Apple. However, what we didn’t mention (too heavily) was a particular crop of NY artists who’ve been making waves in that alt-mainstream space (talk shows, music festivals, social media, etc.), namely Joey BadA$$, the Flatbush Zombies, and The Underachievers, all of which claim to rep a new movement under the banner “Beast Coast”. It seems like these younger rappers have particularly different focus than earlier generations of NY artists, and are carving out their own lane for success.
Table Manners: The Best of the Not-So-Bottom Feeders
What’s the best affordable dining restaurant chain? We considered Applebee’s, Olive Garden, TGIFriday’s, Ruby Tuesday, Houston’s, The Cheesecake Factory, and Longhorn Steakhouse. After much debate we decided that:
- Ruby Tuesday is off the radar, but still great for lunch.
- Olive Garden is great if you’re not trying to try too hard. (Read that however you want.)
- Houston’s is a good move if you want ambience, plus it’s easier to be low-key on a date there.
- TGIFriday’s is a better version of Applebee’s
- Longhorn Steakhouse is a good basic steak option, and good for impressing on first dates.
Well friends, that’s about it for now. Thanks for reading this far, and thanks for listening to The Section 357 Show. If you have any question, comments, or feedback, you can leave it below, or hit us up on Twitter. Be easy…
(Artwork by @AJGFX)
The Ball Street Journal 