justeezy.

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” ~Tim Cahill

I went back home to Edmonton for Ally’s wedding this past weekend, and ended up having one of the most eventful five days that I’ve had in awhile. Some flicks from Friday night at our usual watering hole, The Common:

One of the hugest things I miss about being away from my girls is vibin and dancing with them.

I met this girl when we were 15 years old.. And what I loved most, she had so much soul. Forrealington – Annaliza is bomb.

Daniel – one of my oldest friends and a huge influence on my life!

Patrick is the best dancing partner ever. Ladies, he also has developed some muscley arms from all that rock climbing. Just so you know.

Okay enough of this cheese.

HAVEN boys

Kurly

RoRo

Nori is one crazy mofo.

No idea what’s going on here…

This month’s art on the walls.

justeezy x krispi | Santa Monica, California | August 2010 << this night was tha bomb diggity.

I wish we could have done a regular “josti & krispi night out,” and celebrated your birthday with ya, but “I’m comin’ home for the holidays!” (c) J. Cole xoxo

(oh the photos you take when you’re pre-drinking and waiting for a cab…)

Every year, we are the queens of last minute halloween costumes… I think part of the reason why is because I enjoy the fast-paced and spontaneous creativity that you can make out of it. Kristi originally was going to be a nudist on strike, and I was thinking of being a Leo/Lion. But… Kristi saw the pimp hat, and I saw the army shirt…and then Bam! Change of plans. Flexibility is key here. Yes, an army girl and pimp are pretty average, but I love that every army girl and every pimp will never look the same if you don’t buy that shit as an ensemble! There’s nothing like using mustaches as your credentials. (Peep the pimp mustache cane that Kristi pieced together out of a plastic stick, two plastic bags, and duck tape… that’s what I call resourceful.)
Thanks to our good friends Crown and Mary, Value Village and Walmart (and the kind folk who left their package of mustaches at a coffee shop), our Halloween was a success! Hope everyone had a fun and safe Hallows Eve!

If I could define my trip to Cali (San Bernadino/Manhattan Beach area) for Rock the Bells with just one word, it would be: Classic. My favorite classic artists performed their classic albums. Every bar we ended up at, had straight up classic tunes. Met up with Kristi and Megs, who are classic homies. Every cab we got into, the radio was blasting – you got it – mu’fuckin classics.

“If it’s classic it’s gonna last forever than I’m everywhere you never been and better than I ever been.”

This trip will always be very dear to my heart for many reasons. First of all, it was like the line up for RTB was carved specifically for us girls. I don’t even want to get into it because I will talk forever. Just google it. Trust. Second, it was the first time seeing (some of) my girls after I had moved to Victoria. It felt damn good to be around my peoples. It was beyond just enjoying our time together and catching up. We all share the same love for Hip Hop in the same way, so it was also about sharing this whole experience together. Home really is where the heart is. Third, cali vibe is unforgettable. Fourth, it was our first time traveling to another country just for the sole purpose of music. I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel pretty good! I can’t even comprehend what my life would be like without music Hip Hop. Whenever we got to chatting to people about how we came to Cali “all the way” from Canada for RTB, they acted like we were crazy. *shrugs* Speaking of crazy, fifth, Kristi and I extended our trip for one more day. We literally packed all our shit, cabbed to LAX, went to the counter, called each other and switched it. I’ve never done that before!

Anyways, there were times during the trip, when I was thought to myself “damn, I really need to capture this right now.” Like when Tribe performed “Scenario,” and Busta came out for his verse. Or just for proof’s sake that I ACTUALLY got to see Lauryn Hill perform. Or all the dope t-shirts I saw. Or the way it sounded when everybody in the crowd sang “..and you even licked my balls” during Snoop’s “Ain’t No Fun”. Or when Kristi and I got to hear our song live and sing along on top of our lungs (Regulaaatorrrrrrrs! Mount up!). Or when that night when we scored some free Lollipipes. Or that night at the beach under the moonlight. Or when we passed by El Segundo (didn’t leave our wallets though). Or when we fell asleep to D’Angelo on the beach. Or when Kristi was having a hay day jumping the waves. Oh wait nevermind, I did catch that. But I guess my point is, there’s a reason why I only took 11 photos with my camera. I just wanted to be in the present and enjoy every single bit of each moment (and I did). I don’t regret it at all, because those moments that I wanted to desperately capture and relive over and over again, are ingrained in my membrane forever. And besides, I kinda dig that I can paint a picture with my words to people who I chose to share my mental visuals with!

That being said, here are some of the flicks from Kristi and Meg’s camera :
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Sometimes, the after-party can be a lot more fun then the actual event itself. I use the term “after-party” loosely…Let me explain. After a good night of joltin’ positive vibes, I often consider those times when you’re standing outside with a group of randoms conversing over the event/smoking/drunk bantering/bullshit & party – whatever – an after-party because once you catch that wavelength with certain people, you know more fun is in store. Not the Kellz remix to ignition kinda of fun, just simply good ol’ wholesome interacting with PEOPLE peoples. Whether it’s just hanging out in the parking lot for the rest of the night, or moving it on to another locale, the fun that often goes along with it is enough for me to label it an after-party. And anyway, once you decide you want your night to continue, it usually leads to a whole ‘nother chain of events that can outshine the reason you went out for in the first place.

Upon arriving onto the cold tour bus, Kristi and I announced that we had to do a number 1 (forreal, I think Kristi even assured everybody that it wasn’t a number 2). Post number 1 (Kristi later told me that they thought I was doing Coke in the bathroom.. ew, not my thing – I move at turtle speed when Im hammed), we snuck back into the tiny bathroom and started giggling and whispering about the spontaneity of it all (we both arrived in separate cars). Once we calmed down, we looked (1 foot) ahead and saw our mirrored selves staring back at us, rosy cheeks and all. What do 2 inebriated girls do when they find themselves alone in a bathroom with good lighting, a huge mirror, and a camera? They take photos of themselves of course. After we were satisfied with our self-portraits (more like Kristi was satisfied with our shots *cough cough*.. more on this another time), we mirthfully barged out of the bathroom and checked out the rest of the tour bus. Sense suddenly hit one of us (I forget which one), and blurted out “Where the hell are we?!” “Jersey, mayne,” our host laughed. “JERSEY!?” we crowed back, sides splitting so hard our bellies ached. “Yeah, Jersey Waterfront!”

The reasons how and why we got onto this tour bus, and who the tour bus belonged to is not relevant in this story. I will say though, the bus was pretty pimpin, and was parked right out in front of the Sheraton. Right by the Jersey Waterfront, indeed.

When planning for our trip, we had a list of things that we wanted to do. We were content with the fact that we were not going to check every single item off that list, but we definitely wanted to see the view of Manhattan from the Jersey Waterfront view. That being said, we had certain things planned in advance, but most items like this one, was not.

This impromptu encounter is the exact reason why I love leaving things to chance. So often we rack our brains on the HOW. I mean, it’s what we’ve all been taught growing up! “How are you going to find a job?” “How are you going to get your money?” How How How? I am definitely not saying those questions are irrelevant. The focus on “the how” beforehand is not as important as just simply trusting that the universe will bring you what you need in proper time. You just need to know what you want. We only know of the options learned from our past experiences… it’s impossible to even fathom the possibilities in this world… they are endless. Next time you have your panties tied up in a knot, worrying how you’re going to survive or make your next move, just chill and trust. What’s meant to be won’t pass you by… besides, isn’t it more fun to discuss “the how” after “it” all happens?!

The after-party was a success: walking along the waterfront, fatties in rotation, cracking jokes (“sherington”, aries men), good conversations, sippin on Vitamin water (hydrating is key), tons of laughter all around.

And, the view was glorious.

The aftermath… (more…)

It’s been a little over a week since we came back from NY. With 3 failed attempts at trying to blog about the trip, I’ve decided to just post sporadic stories from now on, photos and all. It’s hard to sum up a good vacation that was fulfilling in ever single way in one sitting y’know!? Moving forward…

So this isn’t really a story (haha I know, dope first attempt right?), but I couldn’t wait to post these videos up. This was one of the dopest shows I’ve ever been to in my life! Time practically stood still as Nicholas Payton and his SeXXXtet were out for their set. The second set was Revive Da Live Big Band (worked with artists such as Phonte of Little Brother, Pete Rock and Robert Glasper).. their sound was so full and satisfying, so powerful that it brought out the tap dancers haha! (first vid) After a short break, Talib came out for a few songs and all 3 acts did a set together…Imagine “Get By” performed by an 18 piece brass band, with jazzy undertones. Oh wait, you can just check it out yourselves – 2nd video. Enjoy!