Today’s top story is not about an event happening Downtown, but rather about an upcoming concert at the Levitt Shell.
When you think of classic, old-school rap, perhaps you think of Run DMC. The Beastie Boys. L.L. Cool J. Public Enemy.
But before there were any of those groups, there was Kurtis Blow.
1983 was the first full year the Ryburn household had cable. I’d tune in to MTV and watch videos from time to time. But in my opinion the coolest music videos were on another channel – BET. I’d watch most every night.
So, one day I turned on BET and this guy named Kurtis Blow was rapping.
Basketball is my favorite sport!
I like the way they dribble up and down the court!
Just like I’m the king of the microphone
So is Dr. J and Moses MaloneI like slam dunks that take it to the hoop
My favorite play is the alley oop!
I like the pick ‘n’ roll! I like the give ‘n’ go!
‘Cause it’s basketball for Mr. Kurtis Blow!
I liked the song so much that I went to the mall and bought The Best of Kurtis Blow cassette tape. (A CD player was too much of a luxury for me to own in 1983.) There I discovered other gems, including “Christmas Rap,” “These Are the Breaks,” and “Eight Million Stories.”
Anyway, if you want to see one of the true godfathers of rap, Kurtis Blow is performing at the Levitt Shell this Saturday, June 23. It’s part of an all-day free event presented by Soul Classics 103.5. It starts at 3 PM and some of Memphis’ best food vendors will be there. More info here.
In other news: The project to build a bike and pedestrian path across the Harahan railroad bridge has received a $15 million grant. The path will connect Memphis’ Main Street to West Memphis’ Broadway Avenue. This is a HUGE WIN for both cities. I know that Steve Cohen had a lot to do with making this grant happen. If you’re on Twitter you can thank him at @RepCohen.
Shelton Clothiers has invited everyone to their store Thursday evening for music, BBQ, and Ghost River beer for just a $5 donation. The money will go to support Wounded Warriors. This is a project that provides transportation for veterans who have free health care at the VA – but can’t afford gas to get there. You may remember a guy running down Main Street in a tiger head and Speedo earlier this year. That was also a Wounded Warriors fundraiser. Thank goodness Shelton doesn’t sell Speedos.
ABC 24 reports that police have found a way to keep crowds calm on Beale Street on the weekends. They simply stopped sweeping everyone off the streets, which in the past had led to confrontations. As one club owner pointed out, most of the people on the street were within an hour of leaving anyway when the sweeps were conducted.
ABC 24 also reports that the city is looking into buying Club Crave (a.k.a The Plush Club), tearing it down, and building a parking lot in its place. Yes yes yes yes YES!!!! That would be the best parking lot ever.
Memphis Pipe Kitty gets to go home with his new owners today, after spending a week and a half at the Humane Society. The kitty was dug out of a drain pipe a week ago Friday after having been stuck in there for days. Ladies, why not celebrate Memphis Pipe Kitty’s rescue by wearing a tube top today? After all, a pipe is kind of like a tube.
Lunch, meeting, more fun trying to get a CMS to publish to a static page. I’ll be out somewhere tonight. Still sticking with my plan to take a couple of weeks off from poker.