So here we are again.
Can you feel how often we get to this point, together? You have a 40 ounce bottle of Róse in your hand and perhaps grandeur visions of a bbq running through your mind. It's not quite the devils armpit that NYC will become in August, but it's warm enough for dudes to start selling early bird tickets to the gun show with tank tops on the subway, when it was only degrees and it wasn't really sunny. But that dude was carrying a bouquet of flowers, so maybe it was complexity and levels there that I just didn't understand.
But still, it's better than the other week, when the weather seemed to exist merely as a reason for human angst. But that was last week, this is this week, and these are some key events you should be checking out in the borough of Biggie and Kane...and always remember, if you don't like the events you can kick highway rocks. In fact, you can have a great time at all of my weekend event recommendations, and if you have a super extraordinary experience, please do tell.
Jordan Brand Classic, Barclays Center, Brooklyn $31.50 +, Friday, 1pm start, 4 games
If you're a basketball fan or a fan of young dudes that make millions of dollars but only did one year of college, and that's assuming they actually went to class, then you should get over to Barclay's this weekend to check out the Jordan Brand Classic game. It's a girls and a boys All American game, along with a regional game and a Global Showcase game, so you can see four games for the price of one ticket. That's value right there! See the players that will be hitting the lottery for 2018 and start talking up the next NBA superstar before he or she even gets a drivers license.
Legends Of The DJ Booth, Friends & Lovers, 641 Classon Avenue, Friday, 10pm, free (Crown Heights)
The world of DJs has grown by leaps and bounds since the heyday of Hip-Hop. It's been digitized and quantatized and can often leave us a bit traumatized. It's no longer a glamour position on the Hip-Hop scene, but when dudes like Grand Wizard Theordore was cutting and scratching, they were the key talent at the event and who the party people paid to see. Only when Hip-Hop morphed into rap music, did the DJ lose it's position as a pillar of the culture, but for a trip to a golden era, where it was no loops, no effects, no auto beat matching and all ingenuity and skill.
For context, It's been said that Theodore invented scratching, which is debatable, but speaks to how deep his roots go back. If you're a fan of the TV show "The Get Down", then this party will keep you in that pocket. Click here for more information, via the Facebook event page.
Open Mic Night, Island To Island Brewery, 642 Rogers Avenue, Saturday, 7pm, Free (Flatbush)
Talent will be in the building this Saturday...or should I say the brewery. This seed to spirt situation can get you healthy and get your mind right, with a range of offerings from Kombucha, beer and spirits, all made on site. It's a good look for your ears and insides. They have a New York State brewery license, so most of the products are keeping your fellow New Yorkers afloat and functioning. It's also Dating Night with
Barrow's Intense Ginger Liqueur tasting 6PM — 8PM, which precedes the Open Mic Night that's hosted by Eugene T. Barnes with DJ Dick At Night spinning tunes. Yes, that is me. Show starts at 7PM.
Cannabis Awareness Society, 250 Central Avenue, Saturday, 1pm-6pm, $10-$12 (Bushwick)
Cannibis is all the rage right now, but now without controversy. The camp that touts its medicinal value are vocal and steadfast in the position that it should be completely legalized. That's in contrast to the old schoolers who frame it as people trying to get dope on the shelves. Regardless of what you think about it, you should attend this event and get knowledgeable about the subject. It won't be a puff puff, pass situation and will be quite the pro-legalize outing, but it will also be live music, a DJ, food and drinks.
Just don't ask anyone if they're "the plug", which would be wildly improper of you, unless you're Yung Thug. Get more info by clicking here.
Easter Egg Hunt, Wyckoff Farm House, Saturday, 11am-2pm, Free (Bushwick)
This is pretty straight forward. Bring your little rug rats out to this house that's frozen in time and have them hunt for eggs on the property. It's Brooklyn, so you know the eggs will be organic and good for the environment. Wyckoff is a very New York City name. Not only are streets and subway stations named in the families honor, but this is the house where that family started in the new country. Click here for more information about the house and the Pieter Wyckoff House.
There you go, no get up, get out and get something!