Zebra Karma

a comic by pimpchilla

Comic used courtesy of pimpchilla.com

The Notorious BIG was a great rapper. But listening to his music, sometimes you gotta stop and think, “What? What the fuck did he just say?”

How did people understand him on any given day? Do you think Faith Evans smiled and nodded a lot? Is that where Diddy’s trademark “Uh-huh, yeah” came from? That awkward little laugh and “yeah” response you do when you can’t understand what the hell the dude in front of you is saying?

Biggie left us with a large legacy (get it, ’cause he was fat). But none more hilarious than the idea that he kinda sounded the way you think a bulldog would sound if the bulldog learned to rap.

1. An alien intelligence dispersed through the universe to communicate information concerning consciousness seasoned with love and interconnectedness.
2. Manna from God.
3. A projected shadow of the 5th dimension.
4. Some drug that compliments your brain chemistry.

Did a little fishing.

• What is that?
• That sun is a cock sucking sun.
• What does Jesus have to do with all these Gears?
• I’m pretty sure this will go away.
• Technically someone could fly in here right now in a helicopter and take us to rape-cages.
• I’m 70% sure the Gears are connected to the sun somehow.
• If I see a bear I’m getting my bang stick.
• I have no idea how anything really works.
• I like pleasure.
• Some people live in houses, made of various minerals in various places.  How did I end up on a rock with you fucks?
• These purple flowers are cute.
• These cunty mosquitoes are cunty mcfuck planks.
• I wish a helicopter would drop my kids off up here – no probably too dangerous.
• All this shit looks Mayan and Aztec but I don’t want to rip anyone’s heart out of their chest.
• My legs are made of bones and various minerals, it will run red if I cut my flesh – I don’t like pain.
• I definitely don’t want to build a pyramid right now.
• I’m 95% sure I don’t have the legs to carry my ass out of here.
• This is how it happens. Three dead hikers discovered in the mountains today…

70% sure this was a good idea.

And so on and so forth.  I spent a long time making obvious observations:

• That cup is red.
• Trees grow.
• I don’t like pain.
• The Gears are getting further away.
• and on and on…

Then it passed.  I popped up, hollered at my buddies and hiked off the mountain.
Rejuvenated.
I know what you are thinking: ‘What the fuck Estes?  I don’t care about your hippie, drug induced, bull-shit.  Where is your app review?  Pussy!’
And you are correct.  Mushroom eating isn’t practical. It’s not to be consumed casually.  It is positively transformative and life-affirming however.  Buzzing around the hive of commerce I begin to think I have a pretty good grip on things.  Then I met those Gears and remembered I don’t know shit.  It’s a humbling and beautiful feeling.  It’s important I think. Critical even.  
Unfortunately the ‘60’s pioneers of counter-culture left a deep stain on the reputation of psychedelic substances.  Tim Leary famously said, ‘Turn on, tune in and drop out.’  Leary and his contemporaries scared the shit out of society with their separatist arguments.  As a result, tripping is connotated with the youth of your hairy grandparents.  With organic cotton socks.  With the Una-bomber. We can however agree to move beyond the fear, and the classic-rock.
After a 40 year hiatus on research, scientists are beginning again to give serious attention to psychedelic experience.  Specifically the therapeutic qualities of mushrooms in patients who are nearing the end of their life.  Psychedelics have a stunning success rate in the treatment of alcoholics and drug addicts.  Not to mention these assertions:

• “Stoned ape” theory suggests mushrooms contributed to the evolution of human consciousness.
• Christmas mythology is straight-up mushroom business.
• And of course, the alien shit.

I hear you Gears, but I'm not going up there.

Sitting at this keyboard is about as far as it gets from that mountain.  That’s a good thing.  Those Gears can wait.  They rest assured I’ll be back.  This article is not an endorsement of any kind.  It is damn near unreadable in it’s randomness.  I think that’s the message. You can discuss your psychedelic experiences in the comments below. – Estes

PIMPCHILLA

A pair of past ThursDRE participating CP+B employees (via http://thursdre.com)

In all of my days, I have been witness to so many cases of hip-hop and minority stereotypes breathing and living in corporate culture — the most recent culprit is advertising giant CP+B.  Today, staff members are asked to put on their hip-hop suits and essentially carry out the stereotype of what they THINK hip-hop may mean.   A few “helpful” hints are listed on the official CP+B ThursDRE site:

New Era hats cocked to the side. Black bandannas. Double piercings with hooped or studded earrings. Waistlines that start halfway down your ass. Marking a day when people do what they do and have some fun while doing it. Representing with OG smiles and competing Dre renditions, this is ThursDRE at CP+B.

More than just a style, it’s a camaraderie shared among those who dare to try. A bond of those that work their asses off – so hard their pants can barely stay on. It’s an outlet to smile with your pearly whites under one shared roof. It’s a time to appear out of your comfort zone but never stop being the talented rock star you always are. Even if you look more like an unsigned rapper.

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As a media professional and also as an advocate for hip-hop culture, I can tell you one thing:  SHIT LIKE THIS HAS TO STOP. At some point, logic, reason, and an open mind toward culture needs to be apparent — especially in the workplace.

My good friend Anthony Coleman, a super creative minority who works in the same industry, took the time this morning to craft a letter to CP+B explaining how he felt about their push for ThursDRE.  Check out the letter below and please spread the word.  — Rachel

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Dear CP+B,

I write this letter to you not without malice in heart and with an open mind.  For years, I have looked up to the brilliance that exuded from within the walls of your office. I snickered at your ad and wished as any young creative would they had a chance to work with the mind that live under the CP+B moniker but that has changed. You see I’m a minority and within the advertising world I’m sure you are well aware we are as rare as a double rainbow. In fact just today at my current agency Deutsch LA there was a panel on just that topic which may have spurred on my reaction to your #ThursDRE celebration even more. Celebrating an individual for her hard work, determination, and overall positivity is one thing. To do so in such a juvenile, tasteless, and surprisingly non creative manner as what you have displayed is irresponsible and shows complete ignorance on your behalf. Surely someone Senior should have stepped in and saw how dangerous of a notion this could have been and decided against it right?

Minority CHECK, creative at ad agency CHECK, but more important, a person of lives breathes and will die a lover of the Hip-Hop CULTURE CHECK. I’m sure DRE is as equal of a lover of the culture as I am so in a way your celebration not only salutes but degrades its namesake.  #ThursDRE may stand as a tribute to DRE’s PERSONAL style but it isn’t an excuse for an agency to perpetuate stereotypes in such a juvenile manner. For far to long the advertising world has taken from cultures / sub cultures they deem “cool” or “in” to support the creative driving their campaigns without given back or acknowledgment. For the outside world to see this, which was suppose to only be an “internal thing”, only perpetuates just those thoughts. Let us not forget the world of minstrel shows, blackface and Sambo, but I digress.

I challenge CP+B to instead of encouraging your co-workers to dress up in such a way that degrades an ENTIRE race and culture to support their co-worker wouldn’t it be more productive as an agency to learn about and from the culture, style, and creatives which have inspired her and everyone that lives it still today?

Anthony Coleman

A few days ago, while I was tweeting aimlessly about watermelons & Justin Bieber, I heard that Sade had apparently agreed to do a song with Jay-Z. So, as part of my regular routine, I tweeted my one hundred and forty characters on the subject, and carried on with my day of classes. About an hour later, I was sitting in a lecture when my phone buzzed to let me know that I had a new follower. A couple seconds later, another buzz. Then another, and another. Soon, my phone was vibrating off the table, and I could not figure out what was going on. Little did I realize, my tweet about Jay-Z & Sade had been retweeted by a friend of Jay-Z’s, the legendary drummer Questlove, and then subsequently by a few hundred of his one and a half million followers. It was kind of cool, but I was more surprised than anything. I wasn’t trying to get attention, I was simply sharing my feelings on a potential Sade & Jay-Z collaboration. But as I soon discovered, other people felt very strongly about the collaboration as well: among the hundreds of @replies I received, there was a decent mixture of people for and people against the project.

The truth is, when it comes to Sade, people are very protective. Remember when she turned down Drake for a collaboration, at a time when he was at the height of his buzz? Drake fans were shocked and disappointed that someone could say no to the greatest singer and rapper to ever walk the planet, but Sade fans were mostly relieved. Sade has developed and perfected her own musical style, and everyone knows not to mess with perfection. There’s no call from her fans, asking her to experiment or do something new. However, it seems that people are more open to the idea of a track with Jay-Z, perhaps because he has a good track record with collaborations, or perhaps simply because he’s a better emcee. Either way, the excitement does not give Hov a free pass: he still has a huge responsibility to deliver some stellar work on this track. I’m sure that if he doesn’t, his die-hard fans will forget it ever happened, but Sade fans like myself will never let him live it down. For now, I’ll just keep my fingers crossed.