Van City

Back at home. It's raining here (no surprise) and I'm catching up on email and listening to Moka Only's new album, The Desired Effect. Apparently Moka did a kick-ass show on Wednesday night in Kitchener with Maestro Fresh Wes and Divine Brown.

Really feeling Moka's pop song "Once Again." Absolutely loving Mad Child's verse on it. The dude has swagger for miles. And, for the record, Mad's verse on "Sitting on the Porch" is the ultimate in grown-man hip-hop. He raps: "I'm sitting rocking back and forth/Been thinking I've been back and forth/Across the country on these rapping tours/And I got what I was asking for/My manager calls me, but I can't no more/Cause it'll cause me damage, that's for sure." And: "Not so concerned with the club scene/I like to stay home--to me that shit is lovely/Write and watch movies in front of the fire/I'll be back to the grind, but for now I'm retired."

I hear that. Was just emailing with a friend of mine in the industry about that. We're all getting older, and it's time to stop hustling so hard, get the hell out of the clubs, and sit still a while. For me that means cooking for my friends, actually making it to my yoga classes, going to sleep at a decent hour, and staying in one city for more than a few weeks at a time. Not quite there yet, but that's what I am shooting for.

Also been listening to Maestro's greatest hits album Urban Landmark, especially the poignant "Criminal Minded" and "Stick to Your Vision" (produced by 2Rude). While I was in T.O., he played me a collabo with Rochester that was bananas.