Urban Thought Collective

We’ve got a group thing going on this week. Don’t worry, everything is PG-13…unless you’re a Mormon or live in Pennsylvania Dutch country, then all the videos will send you straight to Hades!

At any rate, my birthday is this Thursday. Yes, I’m accepting gifts! I need a new watch. Anyone? A card? No? OK, fine. I’ll be turning 32, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m supposedly still young, but I feel like Grandpa Irving.

Doing this blog is a double-edged sword. I get to look back on life from 15-20 years ago, and that’s pretty cool. But I also get to look back on life from 15-20 YEARS AGO!!! OMG! But, it’s all good. I’m not getting older, I’m getting better. At least that’s what I tell myself at night as I crouch in a puddle of piss and tears, mumbling incoherently, while rocking myself like Rain Man. Nah, I’m just playing…it’s not nearly as big as a puddle. Holla.

RUN DMC | “Run’s House”
“This is my motherfu**ing house!” Whoa! Why such language, Pastor? What? Oh, he wasn’t Reverend Run back then? Gotcha. Anyhoo, this is a classic Run-DMC joint. R.I.P Jam Master Jay.

p.s. What are the odds of getting a “Krush Groove” remake? Starring Outkast(Run-DMC), with Alicia keys(Sheila E.), Kanye(Blair Underwood), 50(Kurtis Blow), and Suge(JB). You can’t tell me you wouldn’t pay to see that.

BLACK MOON | “How Many MC’s”
“Whatever I see I attack.” Back in college, my boy Omar had an unhealthy obsession with “Enta Da Stage.” He loved his 300z and his “Enta Da Stage” cassette more than his mom, God, and apple pie. I’m not quite that devoted, but the album was dope. What Buckshot does to this track is so unsanitary, not even Mike Rowe would clean it up.

NEW EDITION | “N.E. Heartbreak (Remix)”
“Is it me she wants, or is it the fame?” Wish I had that problem. Couple of observations. 1.) Johnny Gill was not brought into the group because of his dancing proficiency. Mariah thinks his moves are ridiculous. 2.) Current acts should look to old NE videos for inspiration on true showmanship. 3.) “Theo” actually directed videos back in the day. I don’t know why, but that cracks me up.

THE FUGEES | “Ready or Not”
“I’ll be Nina Simone, and defecating on your microphone.” Come back Lauryn! We miss you. Just come back, and we’ll forget everything. Anyway, this is the joint that actually got me to like these cats. Pras’ verse on “Vocab” emotionally scarred me, consequently making me swear off everything Fugees. Nevertheless, this groove is dope. Lauryn rips it. And Pras doesn’t drag the song down to the 7th layer of Hell. I had no choice but to fall in line.

TLC | “No Scrubs”
RIP Left Eye. I love TLC because they always represented ATL to the fullest. They’d always break into some booty shake whenever they performed on awards shows. I loved that. Wanna know what else I loved? Chilly. My God was she FINE or what in this video! I have no idea why Dallas Austin and Usher let her get away. Maybe she was high maintenance. But some things? Dog, some things you just gotta deal with.

Diallo Tyson is a filmmaker, comedian and old school music junkie. When he’s not busy, he is a rapper with the group “Two Pimps and a Dream.” Step into a groovin’ time machine every week on UTC.