OHHHH SHHHNAP

... as a follow up to my last post, I'd like to mention that BOOOOOYAH you can find a HIP HOP section in Norton Anthology's African American Literature canon.

Check out the Table of Contents if you don't believe me:

The Norton Anthology of African American Literature: Book Contents

Scroll down. Works include some Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, Biggie, Nas, and Rakim. Not to mention Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder appear in the Rhythm & Blues section. WHUT WHUT hip hop, legitimized. Now, if we could only introduce it into the larger, American Lit canon... but that might still be a while.

What are our favorite old school rappers doing now?

Well, I'll tell you.

Funny some of the ways these roots-of-hip-hop-as-we-know-it stars are popping up in the mainstream world today. Who knew that Tone-Loc played an animated lizard in a kid's film, or Biz Markie is now teaching children to beat box on Nick Jr. every week. I'm sure you can share my sentiments, and laugh with me now as we see what began as a highly controversial noise-pollution movement evolve into a legitimate section of culture that the 70s, 80s, and 90s generations are now teaching their kids. It goes to show that every movement received with negative feedback in one stage of its existence ultimately lives on and perhaps even prospers, as those rebellious youths who embraced it inevitably have children and pass on what they dug. Cheers, hip hop.

We got Tone-Loc bustin' a fat beat in the 20th Century Fox Australian film Fern Gully as Goanna the purple lizard singing, "If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody, It Might As Well Be You." Favorite lines: "Kick it one time," and "Welcome to da food chain".


We got Schoolly D breakin' it out in the Cartoon Network Adult Swim cult hit Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme song.
"Meatwad makin' money, see, Meatwad get the honeys, see...
Ice on my fingers and my toes and I'm a Taurus":


...and finally, "Just a Friend" star Biz Markie appears on Nick Jr.'s Yo Gabba Gabba with his own segment called "Biz's Beat of the Day." He marks out simple beat boxing so that children can follow along. WHO KNEW this is amazing!!!


Also, lemme just throw out there that Yo Gabba Gabba sounds like it's kind of the bomb. It's a hit kids show hosted by one "DJ Lance Rock" (score) that's recently gained steam with college students and even older crowds for its retro stylistic taste, with regular guest appearances from super cool music and film stars like Jack Black, The Shins, Andy Samberg, Shiny Toy Guns, Sugarland, Tony Hawk, The Roots, Laila Ali, Elijah Wood, Mýa, Sean Kingston, The Aquabats, MGMT, The Ting Tings, "Weird Al" Yankovic, The Killers, Weezer, and Devo.

Here's the opening theme song: I'm just saying, no wonder so many little babies have ADD.


YO GABBA GABBA

Dexter

Ummmm I found Dexter episodes online.

HOLY CRAP How will I ever get myself to leave my room now.

ver-series.net

Yessssss get on it... as long as you don't mind Spanish subtitles

We are on Argentine TV, people !!!

CHECK THIS CLIP

That's right, St. Patty's day Night, our cute little group of American touries headed out to the strip... Night was described a few posts back.

BUT!!!

I failed to mention that we were met at one point by a reporter... with a camera... which we naturally assumed was off... but then he started asking us questions...

Watch Da Clip!

Katie is the first to speak on camera, blonde-ing-ly introducing us with, "Somos de los Estados Unidos!" Haha love you Katie ;).

Then Tia is on the scene speakin' her sexy French to the reporter, sayin' "Zis is my fif-ss beerghhh" 'n shit. LIES it was her very first illegally bought (and over-priced) beer of the evening. HOTT

MY favorite part is when Katie leans in and corrects her on the "Fifth" with "EIGHTYTH" as only Katie could. Hahaha I'm dyin.

Also featured in video: Benedict (house British guy), Kayla (green sweater-ed momma), Danielle (brown hair, makes crazy faces), and Weird Creepy Guy Who We All Recognize From Our Program But Who Is Totally Weird And Creepy And Followed Us Around All Night (far right, blond hair, creepy gaze).

AND DON'T MISS: Danielle's cameo appearance at the beginning of the video, in which she starts off the news report's "Short Clips To Show How Crazy These People Be Gettin In The Streets" montage with some rap hands in the air and a trademark "Crunkface" WHUT WHUT WE IS ARRIVED

I, unfortunately, am nowhere to be found.

BUT CHECK IT ANYWAYS:



Number one in the hood, G.

Siamese cats are everywhere

One more: What is up with Siamese cats in this biznatch?? Anyone who has been to Buenos Aires, don't try and tell me you haven't noticed an Argentine fascination for these fuzzy oddly-shaded creatures. And also calicos. The cats are goddam everywhere, like the dogs, wandering about the streets with presumably no homes nor families. Lounging in shady spots. Asking for pets. Chilling out in old-ass tombs with dead guys... wait, WHAT

Yes, that is a Satan kitteh chillin in a broken ass crypt with a dead guy on some glass. In the words of a criminal psychology friend:

"OK, with my psychological experience, this one has antisocial personality disorder with depressive tendencies. This one experienced a troubled kittenhood. This one doesn't have buddies and enjoys the presence of tombs, laying on glass, and being behind bars... very troubled fuzzaaayy."

I couldn't have said it better mah-self. Pobresito little killing devil kitteh.

That was a lil detour from the real focus here: What's with Argentines loving Siamese cats. This is another of the little cultural issues that keep popping up... my Nona had a Siamese kitteh when we were growing up named Chirra (DECEIVING. I thought her name was Cheetah my entire life, because with an Argentine accent the two words are almost exact homonyms. 'Bout two years ago my aunt mentions her, and I find out it's Chirra, short for chirrola, which is slang for cash monayyy. That's another thing. What's up with Argentines and pet names. I mean, Colita? "Little butt?" How rude). Just one more odd connection.

This one's name is Domi.


And this is a video of me now that I'm settled in to life in Buenos Aires.

That's right. I like it here. And I've found a great fish place to eat at. And I have a twin. Oh, and I'm a cat now.

eNd.

On Argentine plantitas

I haven't mentioned yet how this trip reminds me so much of home in a lot of ways. In coming to Argentina, something has happened which I never expected to in the way it has... Of course I knew I would recognize things in the culture from home, from my Nona's house and the rest of my dad's side of the family. But the phenomenon is totally manifesting in things I would never have guessed it to. Example: Everywhere I look, the plantitas on the street and in parks are ones I recognize almost exclusively from my Nona's backyard in Pasadena, as well as in my Tio Alberto's (her younger brother's) front garden in Córdoba: geraniums, hoya blossoms, spider plants, particular ivys, crown of thorns, everything is the same. It's like when my Nona transplanted to California she recreated Argentine landscape in her own backyard.

Not to mention everyone has a frikkin crazy green thumb out here... every high rise apartment balcony has some kind of greenery on it, and looking up at Buenos Aires from the streets you would never know it was a tall place for all the tree-lined avenues. It's only when looking out on the city from the 19th floor of your university tower that you notice the height and amount of gray man-made all around and above you. Large patches of super low greenery mark the spots from which street-level masses do not notice the concrete rising in canyons all about them in the way New York City displays.

Interesting. So Nona's ridiculous green thumb springs from her culture and perhaps not her personal being. Maybe that's why it's not hereditary, and I have to stick to succulents if any green thing in my house is to survive.

Another observation: I always wondered why some people on my dad's side of the family took so many showers. Like, 2 and 3 times a day, my cousins are in the shower when they wake up, after they hit the gym, and again before they come over for dinner. Well that question was answered almost immediately when I arrived in sticky, hot, humid Buenos Aires. Seriously, if I didn't shower three times a day in this kind of weather and grime from living in the city, I would just want to kill myself. There have been times when I've waited in line at the doctor's, toured around with friends, or lounged at the RoadHouse just wishing I could take a scraper and slough off my own skin. Ugh then thought about having to ride the subte full of other grimy miserable people in order to reach an appropriate showering location. Mmmmmarinating in sweat. And I wanted to barf. So I now understand where the extreme showering cultural trait comes from.

Also: "Why is there rice in Nona's salt shakers?" three-year-old Ginita brain used to ask itself. Here in Argentina there are many variations of this trick, I've even seen coffee beans in salt shakers at some restaurants. It's so the salt doesn't congeal from the constant moisture in the air. Genius.

As I think of more I'll let you know, but these are interesting lil' factitos, no?