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When the subject of Christmas specials comes up, Charlie Brown’s Christmas is usually the first thing that comes to mind. That sucks because there are other cartoons and specials that are just as smart, intelligent and/or creative.

For whatever reason, you never see these shows on television during the holiday season and so most people don’t even know about them. Well, they do now.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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A Wish For Wings That Work (1991)

The animated special was released on December 13, 1991. It was directed by Skip Jones and produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblimation animation studio for Universal Cartoon Studios. Unfortunately, legendary comic writer Berkley Breathed did NOT like this adaptation of his comic and regularly panned it for it’s writing and direction. Notable actors involved in the project include Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and voice actor Micheal Bell.

Ziggy’s Gift (1982)

Ziggy’s Gift is short film directed by Richard Williams. It was written by Ziggy’s creator Tom Wilson and animators included Eric Goldberg and Tom Sito with music by Harry Nilsson. The film won an Emmy award.

A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)

This is one of the very few Muppet productions to feature Muppets associated with all four of the major Muppet franchises: The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and Muppet Babies. Check for the Jim Henson cameo.

In our patented, Drive-By format, Steez got another chance to sit down with the young emcee and discuss his new project, future plans, and brewing emcee rivalries that all come with blowing up in your independent scene.

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The crowd was real dope had a lot of familiar faces turn up. They helped get me going and the new faces left the show with me becoming their [new favorite artist]. I made a big impact.

2. Sorry I missed it, I planned to go and everything, even RSVP’d. How was the turnout, I heard it was great.

Yea man the show was reminiscent of MTV’s unplugged they streamed it live on ustream and the performance video that SpoiledBROKE did has got a lot of looks and love.

3. You’re almost a veteran to this now, do you feel you’ve developed a following?

With this being my second project the reception and buzz I got from the release date and the last few weeks showed me I have a strong following that keeps growing.

4. We last talked when you released “The Art of Cloud Hopping,” how was it received and what’re your plans with “Private Affairs?”

The Art of Cloud Hopping was my debut, like my first impression, so I really didn’t have too many expectations for it. I just wanted to put out something dope, which I did and from those [listeners] who got it, they love it. I hear its a classic. Private Affairs is the one I want people to hear and be like, “he got it.” I expect big things from this project.

5. What was the concept behind this album? Is there any specific idea you wanted to tackle with the project or is it an extension of “Cloud Hopping?”

Private Affairs was this vision I had like a short film. It was like a Bonnie and Clyde feeling: fast living, fast women and fast money. I tried to show the life had a good balance and every song played along with the theme perfectly. It exceeded my expectations i wasnt too happy with The Art Of Cloud Hopping. I felt something was missing. With Private Affairs, I feel it’s pure and a masterpiece.

6. There seems to be a collective developing among Md., emcees (Redline, Marcushizzle, ect.), do you find the support helpful?

Oh yea man, I love my crew and everyone around here loves us too. From Redlinerese to Ike and Ill Stafa like these are my favorite artists in the [DMV] area and the best hands down. So the fact that we all happen to fuck with each other and are in this together is a beautiful thing; trouble for the rest of them fools though.

7. With support there comes friction, are there any haters comin’ out the woodwork?

I wouldnt know, I’m sure there are some somewhere but I dont focus on nobody but my team. When you’re surrounded by so much love you dont care if one person or a group of people dont like it or you. I know I will have haters – that comes with the territory when you’re great. Besides I stamp, I’m the best artist in the DMV. So I know some people feel differently and they can holla at me. I dont do the beef, but the spirit of competition is fun for me. So I’m waiting to get tested because they will regret it. I’m not to be taken lightly.

If you wish to download Steph Castro’s new album Private Affairs, you can do so by visiting his page HERE!

Steez360: Tell us a bit about yourself…we can start with the Asian Avenue classic, a/s/l?

Samuel Wang: Wow, an AA reference. I still remember the time when I used it. 27/M/Pomona.

The name is Wang, Samuel Wang and I am the founder and CEO (hate using that term since we are still a small company) of Akufuncture.

Was there a defining moment that led to the creation of Akufuncture?

Before it was actually started, I had planned for this idea for about two years. I put it on hold while I was finishing school and started my life in the real world, but I heard that my friend started his own line and I realized it’s now or never. Then I just went ahead and found the necessary people to get Akufuncture going.

So why, “Akufuncture”? What was the inspiration behind the brand and the name?
Since we decided to focus on Chinese culture inspired casual wear, we wanted a name that reflects our emphasis in our designs. Therefore, we took acupuncture, which is very tradition Chinese and added FUNK to it. BAM!!! AKUFUNCTURE.

How long has the brand been around and what has that process been like?
This is our third year and it has been hard since there are so many other brands out there but we had progressed well this year. It felt like all of our hard work is starting to pay off. Seeing what it was in year one, Akufuncture has definitely come a long way and we really thank all of the Akufuncture customers, fans, and family that supported us then and now. LOVE!

What would you say is Akufuncture’s mantra?
The Modern Dynasty. We came up with this recently but it represents Akufuncture really well because it’s what we are striving to become: A Chinese Fashion Dynasty.What are Akufuncture’s goals in the next few years? I see that a lot of artists within the community rock your gear, are there any collaborations lined up that you’re especially excited about?
First, we definitely want to expand our product lines as we have outerwear in the works. Second, we want to exhibit at trade shows (Agenda, Magic, etc.) as we still haven’t gone to one yet. Last, we want to build a bigger Akufuncture family so we can support more creative/performing artists by providing a platform for them to showcase their talent.We are currently working with two companies for collaborations: Skunk Juice and The Imaginary Zebra. Skunk Juice is an earbuds/headphones company located in LA, and we are planning a special Akufuncture x Skunk Juice shirt/earbuds limited edition bundle. The Imaginary Zebra is a friend of mine up north and we have a collaboration shirt in the works.

A lot of the artwork is influenced by Chinese culture and folklore…any plans to expand that scope? Will we see other regional Asian influences in the future?
There are still much Chinese culture and folklore for us to explore, and we still would want to focus on that aspect for the foreseeable future. However, there are a lot of Chinese influences around the world, so we won’t say never. If the right opportunity comes up, we will give it a shot.

In a world with unlimited resources at your disposal, where would you next take Akufuncture?
I wish we were in that world!! I would probably expand our product line even more, but I would definitely use some money for scholarships for underprivileged kids in Asia (which is a goal of mine even if I don’t have unlimited resources). Also, I would probably further develop the platform for Asian American performing/creative artists to have a bigger audience to showcase their talent.

Who would be the ideal Akufuncture spokesperson?
ME! Hahahahaha I am kidding. Harry Shum Jr. would be a great spokesperson for us. He is good looking, very fit, a great dancer, and seems very down to earth. Sounds like a great fit for Akufuncture!!!

Any last comments for our readers?
Again, we just want to thank everyone who has supported us throughout the 3 years. Also, I want to thank our team for doing such a good job making Akufuncture great. LOVE!

Ok…One more question, Jet Li or Donnie Yen?
Donnie Yen. If you asked me 5 years ago, I would have said Jet Li, but sorry Jet, Expendables is no where as good as any movies Donnie Yen has been in lately.

Okay, I was wrong for ignoring the shit, I’ll admit. When it was just Occupy Wall Street in New York, I’s like, “So, y’all decidin’ to be homeless on purpose, tryna get back at some other folks who are so home-ful that they use their spare joints to store all the little fucks they forgot to give about ya poor ass? …Ooookay, my nigga, I guess you showed them.”

It didn’t make sense, but I figured New York niggas always been jive crazy anyway, right? Shit, they created Donald Trump; niggas gotta have crazy drippin’ from their butt cheeks up there, so just let it pass…

But it didn’t pass, it got bigger. It went from Occupy Wall Street to Occupy London, then it was Occupy Portland and Oakland, then, fuck me, OccupyDC.

And I just don’t get it.  Not only that, but niggas ain’t breakin’ shit down for me.

And trust me, a nigga been tryna find out what’s up, a nigga been reading…kinda. Like, I been trying to follow the shit, but every time I read an article about the movement, it’s from the perspective of a different nigga in the movement; and no two niggas seem to think alike. Some niggas want an end to corporate influence in politics, some want to end capitalism, then you got some niggas that wanta end the mistreatment of animals, then you got some that’re protesting the eating of animals…now I’m down with the first two, I guess, but you aint’ takin’ my bacon away.

Me and this nigga gonna have to think about this shit…

Apparently, I ain’t alone either. USAToday published an article today, talkin’ about how there ain’t just ONE idea behind these protests. You know how frustrating that is to a mothafucka like me? You mean this shit’s confusing…on purpose.

But yo, don’t get it twisted, I get why people are pissed. It’s a recession. And thanks to my nigga Jeezy breakin’ it down for me, I know what that means. It means niggas is out of work, out their houses, hungry and pissed. I dig that. I’m cool with that. It’s just…I don’t know, I don’t know what these Occupy dudes want. Know what I mean?

It’s like they’re all pissed about different shit. Like when I said some folks don’t like that corporations can put money into campaigns; like that’s a gripe, right? If that were the main one, it’d be cool…we could lean on them mothafuckas and get some shit changed. But it ain’t the only issue, it’s like, in the top 50 or some shit. So like, if tomorrow, some cats in D.C. pass a law that says, “corporations can’t fund political campaigns no more…” I mean, that’d be big. That’d be fuckin’ huge! It’d be overturning a Supreme Court ruling, right? But that wouldn’t even be 1/10th of the issues Occupiers have, so it’d be like a failure…and the protests would have to continue, right?

And to fuck with a nigga, there are even some people who say there ain’t a reason and, not only that, but shouldn’t be a fuckin’ reason for the prostests.

Nigga, fuck you for that!

At least the Occupy-a-Rich-Nigga Movement ain’t run by them dumbass Tea Party mah’fuckas. Them niggas prolly think Obama’s a robot being controlled by an alien in his head like ol’ dude from Men in Black.  

Told you that nigga’s from Kenya, look at dat African-ass fo’head!

But the problem with having all these smart people is that everyone wants to get their smart-assed opinion heard. And that only serves to confuse average ass dudes. Check it, I go on youtube and there are self-made documentaries; protestors actin’ like reporters, interviewing each other–each nigga using bigger words than the next; niggas writing blogs; niggas writing declarations; niggas writing manifestos, each one making it some way to some form of media for an average mothefucka like me to sift through. And yo’, I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t always understand the real in-depth shit these niggas be speakin’.

I mean, them tea party niggas was crazy, but at least I could understand them:

“Fuck Obama’s black ass!” — Tea Bagger

“Aight, then fuck you too, cracka…” — Me

 Shit made sense, know what I mean?

And that’s the shit that really gets me. In the end, I feel like I’m agreeing with these right-wing assholes just because I don’t know what’s going on.  But on the flip side, how can I side with niggas that don’t seem to have any one cause. I mean, I’m down to fight the power and all; I still got my tire-sized Flava Flav watch necklace out at my moms, so when it’s on it’s on. But I ain’t gonna do something just cause it seems like the cool thing to do, that’d be fake as shit and a nigga like me don’t even know how to spell fake…wait…

I just want someone, in my language, to explain to me what the fuck is going on? I don’t know dawg, half of me think these niggas don’t even want to explain it to a nigga like me. Fuck. Like why would they even want a nigga like me around, right? But fuck that. The shit can’t be that complex.

 There’s some niggas, mostly them bitch-ass Republicans, that say liberals are too smart for their own good and can’t relate to regular dudes.

They say that’s why Obama can never get an idea over with the people, cause most people — like me — don’t know what the fuck is going on anyway. They say that because niggas over-intellectualize shit, they lose a huge section of mothafuckas that dont’ even know they agree with each other. I don’t know about that. But I do  know these niggas ain’t goin’ out their way to help a nigga understand why traffic gotta be held up at 9 in the morning, during rush hour, when a nigga just want a Mcmuffin out this bitch. Still, that would kinda explain why Tea baggers, for all their bullshit, never had to clarify why they were pissed, everybody understood everybody. I don’t know man, maybe I’m just dumb as shit.

 Whatever the case, niggas is startin’ to feel the pinch now. New York, D.C., Philly, and L.A., are about to evict these mothafuckas and I’m a feel like a dick because I’m just now realizing shit was goin on in the first place.

So this is what I need. I need the niggas that read this, you know…all two of you, to break this shit down for me. I’m a hit up facebook, twitter, what the fuck ever, I need someone to break this down for me, in a way I can understand, before shit is all over.

Maybe we’ll all be able to work together on this.

Stagga Lee can be reached by email at staggaleeda1@gmail.com, or on Twitter at @ItsStaggDaDon.

Ok, Here we go…..lol. I thought that I’d begin posting some suggestions on how parents can deal with their teens concerning sex. Over the last 20+ years of working in the non-profit world and dealing with both students and parents on the issue of sex, it has become very clear that parents tend to be scared to talk about, try to become militant or try to become their kids bests friends when it comes to the discussion of sex..

Then there’s this constant denial in front of kids, like sex is not fun and good…. Well hell! how did we get here? How did they get here? If sex wasn’t a great thing, then why is so my of it being done? and why is so much money being made off of it in the world?….. Get real parents! Don’t lie to your kids, tell them the absolute truth.. SEX, MAKING LOVE, INTIMACY…. whatever name you want to call it, is a good thing…………………………………………………………………………

“WHEN YOU’RE READY!”…….

“WHEN YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO HANDLE WHAT MAY COME FROM THE EXPERIENCE”

Most parents just get caught up in the fear of imagining their daughter or son in the actions of sex…lol, I totally understand, I have 2 daughters and 4 boys, But the reality is that, the experience of sex only becomes a negative experience when its done irresponsibly, when guilt is involved, when its forced upon someone violently or from peer pressure or when you don’t have the ability to deal with the practical, physical or emotional responsibilities of the experience.

I believe that “REALITY” is the best birth control for young people and adults for that matter….lol.

For Example:

I’ve never told my kids “YOU BETTER NOT HAVE SEX”….. But I have told my daughters that if you ever decide to become sexually active with a young man, I want you to take in account, over and beyond his cuteness, his swagger, popularity etc etc…. And ask yourself, If I get pregnant by this boy, am I willing to leave my parents home and let this cute boy take care of me for the rest of my life?…. Does he even have the ability to take care of my needs (Shelter, Clothes, Food etc). If not, Then don’t participate in the activity until those basis are covered. (We haven’t even started on the issue of STD’s etc).

The same goes for my boys…. If they are ready to take on the responsibilities of a man, in providing for a woman, then be ready to remove yourself from your parents home and man up, because then you enjoy both the pleasures and the responsibilities of the actions.

WARNING: IF YOU TRY MY EXAMPLE, BE READY TO REALLY ENFORCE IT, IF YOUR CHILD CALLS YOU ON IT…… SOME WILL TEST YOU… BE STRONG…..lol

Unfortunately, there is a big trend in young girls getting pregnant (boys getting girls pregnant) and then wanting their parents to take care of the child while they go on living their lives as if they had no child, except when they want to play babydolls… Meaning: dress the baby up in the latest gear and go model their child around amongst peers… Aaaaaah Ain’t That Cute?…NO! it’s not! The fellas…. well! the fellas got it easy, because they can just move on to the next girl, no sense of responsibility really…

Now of course I’m speaking generally, because there are some responsible young people who have stepped up to the plate and are taking care of their children the best way that they can, But most will tell you that if they had to go back to the point of the sexual interaction that lead to a child, they would make a different decision.

My point is……. Be encouraged to talk very candidly with your children as early as they can understand what a penis and vagina is, about the responsibilities of sex….. Don’t fall victim to guilt from your past irresponsible acts….lol…. unless you’re still doing them. YOU ARE THE PARENT! We are responsible for training our children….. So how are they being trained?

So many parents get caught up on their own imperfections that you forget that most of us, over and beyond struggles and obstacles that life hands us, have turned out pretty ok… So stop the self sabotage and start passing on sound wisdom and instruction….

Again, this is just my thoughts and strategies, but be you….

Love you hear your thoughts or questions…

Click here for the original post: http://realteenbirthcontrol.blogspot.com/2011/10/sex-parents-what-are-you-afraid-of.html

Sure you had people like Public Enemy raging against the machine and KRS 1 edutaining the hell out of everyone; you had Ice T screamin’ on cops like they owed him money; and you had Ice Cube causing every non-black in America to quietly pinch a loaf in their collective underwear, but still…things weren’t all that dire, because we had the overweight lover…. Heavy D.

You can’t really overexagerrate Hev’s importance to Hip hop, especially during it’s fledgling and vulnerable stages. In the 80s, Hip hop was not only new, but scary. With all the aforementioned artists, there was never any guarantee that the artform would be allowed to survive into the next decade. Say what you want, but as bad as Rock got, Guns and Roses never got put on any FBI Watch lists.

Hip hop fans today have no idea how close Hip hop was to just…not being here anymore. The FBI was breathing down everyones’ necks, the government had Uncle Luke fighting for his right to peddle good old fashioned American smut, and Ice T was being…Ice T. Remember, this was a time when “good rap” still involved making veiled threats to the president while planning to overthrow the government.

“Fuck you…And by ‘you’ I mean every single last one of you honkeys!”

Hip hop pushed the envelope so hard, it was almost destined to remain (and ultimately die) as some fringe, over zealous and fanatic youth trend.

Hip hop was way too young to survive the kind of scrutiny its antics were bringing down on its own head. Therefore, it was very important that people like Heavy D carry the torch into mainstream America’s living room. It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it. Hev not only rocked the mic with a flow that, to this day, remains one of the most godly in rap history, but he (and this was the most important part) was commercially viable and acceptable in a time when rap may have been almost out the door.

 Heavy D, Jamaica-born Dwight Arrington Myers, started his career with band mates G-Whiz, “Trouble” T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and Eddie F. The friends comprised the Hip hop group Heavy D & The Boyz, releasing their first album in 1987 called Living Large. Despite dropping future classics like “Overweight Lover’s In The House” and “Mr. Big Stuff,” the album was released to modest sales. But it was their follow up in 1989, Big Tyme that would shoot them toward fame.

Sadly, following the platinum success of Big Tyme, the group would encounter tragedy when founding member, Troy Dixon, died from an accidental fall in 1990. Dixon’s death would inspire the next album, Peaceful Journey. Again, the group would find success with the singles, “Now That We’ve Found Love” and “Is It Good To You?”

The group would continue releasing music into the 90s, cementing Heavy as a Hip hop and as a pop music staple. Heavy quickly found himself as the go-to guy when it came to collaborations, penning songs with Janet Jackson (Alright), Michael Jackson (Jam),  and Levert (Just Coolin’). He was also asked to create the theme songs for In Living Color.

Still, even with all of this mainstream pull, Heavy never lost track of where he came from and what made him famous: his skills. This is something that young rappers today seeking popular appeal need to know. You don’t have to sacrifice skills to be successful. To be a pop rapper, doesn’t mean you have to be wack.

In his book, “There’s A God on the Mic,” old school rapper Kool Mo Dee says it’s “absurd” to discount Hev’s skills. “Heavy D’s rap faculty is still tighter than 90 percent of the hottest rappers today,” he said, ranking Heavy D #25 on his Top 50 Emcees of All Time list.

And he’s right. Anyone who’s heard Heavy D’s flow can attest to the fact that the dude could spit. And no matter how mainstream he got, no matter how many movies he did (and he did quite a few, landing memorable roles in “New Jersey Drive” and “The Cidar House Rules”) he never let his edge get dull.

Heavy would go on to drop more albums, some great (Nuttin’ But Love), some good (Waterbed Hev), and some not so much (Heavy). Heavy never went away and he never seemed to get old.

Sure he had missteps like the ill-conceived all-Raggea album, Vibes, which would be critically panned and, oh wait…it was nominated for a Grammy!

Heavy was proof that you could be anything you wanted to be as long as you were true to yourself. Heavy never fronted, he never pretended, he only wanted to have a good time. So that’s what he did, and we were all lucky to be taken along for the party.

RIP Heavy

Visit: http://o2andpaperson.bandcamp.com/album/charles for the full album.
(also on the site are the instrumentals, plus a remix album of Bambu’s Paper Cuts entitled “Paper Son Cuts”) – all free to download!

This album is fire, do not sleep on this!