In Dedication to the life of Allison Mahr Hunter

So today I remember a friend who has since passed away. She died violently, a truck ending her life and the lives of three other people in northern Vermont. She wanted to be a school teacher. She taught not the children of her future classroom but the rest of us left behind morning her tragic end. She taught me, most of all, that you only have today to be thankful for. Tomorrow doesn't exist yet and you might not live to see it so try to hold on to right now for as long as you can. In her memory I'm going to do something I've been itching to do; I'm throwing up some shout outs and love before I get into my thing.

Big Respect: Cheeks for leveling me sober when my blood gets up. MAC for having the balls to be the Real Deal. Double T for being the starter of something great. Floorock for teaching me about keeping it real. My moms for the respect to let me fall on my face when I needed to. Jim for being there when I needed someone to bail me out. JR for being the most down to earth person I know and for always reminding me that my people are my people. Ris for teaching me what life wasn't about and that if it doesn't work don't force it. Amber O for somehow, regardless of the distence, always keeping me grounded whenever I see something you've had a hand in. Amber, we go way back before everything was everything and I miss you. My Dad for teaching me how to be a man if not by example. My aunt Terry for being herself regardless of what it took. Jung for being the first to get what I'm saying. Bennie for being a fuck up but still refusing to not enjoy life. Mike D AKA Milky for getting me back into piecing. Richy Rich for being a good friend and understanding me enough to just let me be an asshole. To everyone who's given of themselves for either my gain or the selfless gain of others in my life: I owe you everything.

My Thing:

So, I had a talk with a good friend at work. He let me in on a lot. Not a lot about The Industry, The Culture, or The Scene but a lot about myself. He most likely didn't know he was doing so but even by just kicking it and shooting the shit my mind kind of opened up. I'm graduating in a few so I'm kind of sitting and waiting for life right now. I'm dancing nightly, a thing I'm very excited about, I'm piecing on the weekends, I'm rocking with a fly chick, and catching mad rec with some close friends but I don't feel like I'm behind the wheel of my own semi truck. I'm kind of tending the flock during the rain storm or polishing the brass on the titanic. I'm just kind of cruising. That shit has got to change so I'm gunna make it. I'm starting today by making it official.

But first I'm a doing a list.

Fuck Yeah: A company/person/house/product/whatever that has innovative vision, dedication to a set of ideals, respect for themselves, and/or a general sense of integrity in my point of view.

Fuck You: A company/person/house/product/whatever that has no innovative vision, dedication to a set of ideals, respect for themselves, and/or a general sense of integrity in my point of view.

Fucking Whatever: A company/person/house/product/whatever that has made too many concessions and is in danger of losing their innovative vision, dedication to a set of ideals, respect for themselves, and/or a general sense of integrity in my point of view.

So, with the classifications of what each rating is and equals I’m starting the list of with a bunch winners: Stussy and Martha “Marty” Cooper

Stussy = Fuck Yeah

Reasoning: The longevity. They never sold out on their original ideals. They keep it humble. I mean, if you don’t know about them then you better as somebody because the people working with this company have put in work and paved the way for all of these new upstart brands to be successful and most of the time Stussy gets slept on as an institution.

Martha Cooper = Fuck Yeah

Reasoning: Martha Cooper’s original photos of subway graffiti-along with many other culture based photographs-paved the way for today’s generation to get a feel of what the early crucial days of hip hop where all about: innovation, freedom, self expression and truly being original. Her work stands as a reminder that today’s mass-produced, type-casted, watered down hip hop culture has a lot to learn about what this thing is all about.