Last night St. Louis DJs saved my socially distant life. I’ve given shine to D-Nice -who is still doing his thing on IG Live – we saw you low-key thirsting for him, Halle Berry. But let me take a moment to share some with the locals who have made my Facebook feed, a for-real bop. DJ AJ, can I ask you how you managed to make the visuals of wherever you are spinning from an exact replica of the lighting, scenery and overall vibe of AJ’s inside the late, great Adam’s Mark? I need answers. Once I got over the awe of the uncanny resemblance that was so real that it had me ready to talk with somebody about how hard it was for me to find a parking space, I got into the music. Listen, he served up the blue-eyed funk and soul for the ages! “Another One Bites The Dust,” “I Keep Forgetting” “I Can’t Go For That,” “Sweet Dreams” and the late great Lady T’s “Square Biz” were mixed in with ease and reminded me how integrated those grooves were in the 70s and 80s. I got my life! A special shout out to Dre Whitt for inviting me to his watch party. And since I’m talking about ambiences, shout out to DJ Cuddy for having a quiet storm session that featured him and his wife taking a slow dance break. And that doggone Charlie Chan soprano went hard in the paint in his special spin session Saturday night. Oh, and James Biko was jamming on the one (remember that old tattered piece of slang) yet again as he raised money for small black businesses over the past two Wednesday evenings. If you feel like I’ve left somebody off the list of locals, we have a whole ‘nother month (at least) of breaking it down from our love seats, so I’m certain I will get to them before our Rona stay at home stint is over. I must say that this moment has made me realize how we’ve underappreciated the DJ’s role in our kicking it and listening experience for quite a while. I’m hoping that it will translate from social media spaces into live social settings once we are able to get back in these streets.
Much love for Murphy Lee. After instinctively becoming a nervous wreck, I was over the moon to see my boy Murphy Lee getting love from all across the world on Twitter for his ability to slay a track and steal a whole song when he’s featured on a track. What? Y’all know when a celebrity’s name pops up in the trending news during this pandemic that it has been all bad. I’m so happy Murph was the exception to the rule. He deserves it. I must say that his verse on Big Tuck’s “Not A Stain On Me” to glory with me. I don’t care where I am, when they play it, I lose my mind and start rapping along like I’m giving a mini performance…” Lunatic, certified rap star. St. Louis the crib and Dallas is my back yard. We get money, it ain’t a thang home. Hybrid Navigator with exclusive J’s on it…” see what I mean. But anyway, shout out to Murph and all the St. Louis hip-hop stars that get plenty of love at home, but have gone unsung on the national and international rap scene.
More social media shows coming. Last Friday I stopped by Stokley from Mint Condition’s little quarantine concert. I must say that while I got life from how he coordinated his COVID-19 mask with his poncho, he didn’t give me what I was expecting as far as energy. I’m going to charge it to the game as the limited space of that tiny studio didn’t let him spread out and do the most. He sounded good though. Tomorrow night (Thursday, April 2) Teddy Riley will be following suit with his own show that will have Blackstreet and some other special guests. I’m wondering if he will have enough room in his den for his usual segue scooter grand entrance.
All the way live with Mario The Great and Jami Dolby. On Tuesday night I hopped up in the Instagram Live shenanigans of Mario “The Great” and Jami Dolby as they sipped drinks and answered questions that came into the session. I promise you it was like Mario was a ten times more fabulous Andy Cohen, and Jami was the standout star of “The Real Housewives of North St. Louis.” I got my whole entire life as they got tipsy and spilled tea about everything from one-night stands to the amount of money they’ve spent on significant others.
“I spent $500 on a hair dryer, but it was his money,” Mario said. I hollered. I really felt like I was in their studio audience. And while they talked about everything under the sun and it was all in good fun – but they did hit a serious note when they gave extremely helpful tips on personal and professional networking. “Be sure you have something to offer when you connect with people,” Jami said. “And are willing to offer the same support that you are looking to receive. It has to be an authentic mutual exchange.”
What to watch. I know the folks that have been complaining that there is simply too much TV to stay caught up on are good and quiet now that they have all the time in the world. I know my Roku box is as hot as a space heater thanks to me hitting up all these shows. Between all the NPR tiny desk shows I’ve managed to rediscover on YouTube (get into Burna Boy Anderson. Paak & The Free Nationals, Christian Scott and The Roots featuring Bilal to start with), I have been on that Netflix honey. I know I’m a couple of weeks behind with my recommendations, but I have two words if you are looking for something to make you forget you are involuntarily glued to the TV: “Tiger King!” It’s so nuts that I don’t even know where to start with on how to describe it, except to say that these people risking their lives handling these dangerous exotic animals are the most normal part of the show.
