Blog 365

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 6 - Even Kissed

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 6 - Even Kissed

By Jiddoe S'Phatt

Warmest greetings! My name is Jiddoe S’Phatt. Welcome to day 6 of “To Develop: Blog 365”.

Inspiration to write comes from a number of places. For this blog I’ve been inspired by hip-hop artist Rick Chyme and producer David K. Manley of Man@Work Productions. Through a collaborative project titled #DailyPieces365 these two artists will release a new song every day for the next 365 consecutive days! Their impressive dedication has motivated me to write a new blog every day of 2018.

A little piece of me goes into each entry I write. I hope you enjoy this one!

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There’s a box inside my closet full I stuff I’ve refused to part with. Each one of them dates me.

One of those items is a copy of video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64. It was a big deal for my buddy Nelson and me to pre-order it from Toys R Us so we’d receive the limited edition cold cartridge. It harkened back to the gold Zelda’s from the original NES.

The night before it released we joined two of our brothers from TheGrooveSpot.com – Mark Smith and Joe Kelley (R.I.P.) – in Grand Rapids to attend WCW Monday Nitro. We had an awesome time! Before the show we ate wings at Hooters. While there Mark got hit on heavily by one of the Hooters girls.

Then while watching Nitro from our front row seats Mark got hit on heavily by Nitro Girl Fyre aka Teri Byrne, too! She even kissed him!

To end the show Bill Goldberg carried Big Show (The Giant) around the ring before finishing him with his Jackhammer slam, then to everyone’s delight scuffled with Kevin Nash and Bam Bam Bigelow (R.I.P.). We all left happy, especially Nelson and I, because we knew more fun was in store the next day.

All the stuff in that box dates me. But these are memories I’ve refused to part with.

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 5 - Violent Poultry

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 5 - Violent Poultry

By Jiddoe S'Phatt

Warmest greetings! My name is Jiddoe S’Phatt. Welcome to day 5 of “To Develop: Blog 365”.

A little piece of me goes into each entry I write. I hope you enjoy this one!

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One of the coolest gifts I’ve ever received is a replica of the Master Sword from video game series The Legend of Zelda. It’s sturdy and sharp too, but it’s nowhere close to being my mightiest gift. That honor goes to the first notebook and ink pen I was given. Writing in that thing led me to blessings and on adventures no video game could ever replicate.

I’ve never actually stabbed anything real with my Master Sword. On the video games I’ve sliced countless tree and plants, beasts, armored soldiers, pirates, and even a few frighteningly aggressive chickens. While writing in my notebook I’ve tangled with far greater challenges than violent poultry. Two of those is organizing ideas and listing my journalist goals before taking them on.

I can remember reading a ridiculous number of story ideas from my notebook to MLive’s iconic columnist John Gonzalez. Back in the day he was my features editor at Grand Rapids Press Newspaper. He’d look at me as though I was attempting to go too over and beyond. And I was. I knew only a few of those would ever make it to print in the Press, but I had backup to cut through my journalist goals list.

Those goals were to be published more times and in more publications than the previous year.

And I slayed them.

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 4 - Take a Stab At It

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 4 - Take a Stab At It

By Jiddoe S'Phatt

Warmest greetings! My name is Jiddoe S’Phatt. Welcome to day 4 of “To Develop: Blog 365”.

A little piece of me goes into each entry I write. I hope you enjoy this one!

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I have received some cool gifts in my time. One of my most prized is a replica of the Master Sword from video game series The Legend of Zelda.

The tales of sword-wielding hero Link, an often in-peril princess, and 3 conjoined triangles known as The Triforce have been occupying countless hours of my time since I was a grade schooler in the late 80s.

A pivotal commitment in the Zelda games is discovering the whereabouts of and retrieving the Master Sword. In real life I don’t have to find my way through enchanted forests or battle gargantuan monsters to get my hands on it. All I need to do is enter my mostly safe walk-in closet, push aside my winter coats, and grab its majestic blue hilt.

From time to time I pretend there’s a creature standing before me which is reason enough to grab the sword and take a stab at it.

Several years before connecting a Nintendo Entertainment System to my mother’s living room television I had to draw my own sword wielding heroes and troubled princesses. Not content with the pictures alone, every drawing needed words to tell their story.

All through elementary and middle school I saw this activity as simply having a fun hobby. Once in high school, though, I realized I’d been given an amazing gift. Looking ahead to what I could potentially accomplish as a writer, I decided once I graduated I’d take a stab at it.

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 3 - Kneel Before Black Thought

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 3 - Kneel Before Black Thought

By Jiddoe S'Phatt

Warmest greetings! My name is Jiddoe S’Phatt. Welcome to day 3 of “To Develop: Blog 365”.

A little piece of me goes into each entry I write. I hope you enjoy this one!

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I’ve been asked on numerous occasions what writers inspire me. Among those I mention I tell them one of my biggest inspirations is Tariq Trotter.

“Who?”

Tariq Trotter. Black Thought of The Roots.

With his recent run of freestyles on popular radio shows and frequently visited YouTube channels, the masses have found a greater appreciation of Black Thought’s remarkable word use. I’ve maintained an almost life savers appreciation of him since the first time I heard “Distortion of Static”. He’s one of my all-time favorite hip-hop artists.

I would listen to “Concerto of The Desperado” repeatedly. His rhythmic delivery of phrases with multiple syllables gave me chills. His flow has more pattern possibilities than 8 drum machines being played simultaneously by Goro and Kintaro.

Several years ago I literally bumped into Black Thought at an after party following the “Smokin’ Grooves Tour” in Detroit. While in VIP with my crew from TheGrooveSpot.com, I backed up so a waitress carrying a tray of drinks could get through the aisle we were clogging. Unbeknownst to me Thought was seated directly behind me. After making inadvertent contact I turned around to apologize. Seeing Black Thought I immediately transitioned from apologetic to giving him regal respect.

After he assured me no harm was done he extended his had to me. Instead of shaking it I clutched it, then kneeled before him. Like a subject to an admired king I professed by loyalty to his writing ability and heaped compliments on him.

Black Thought was gracious. Also embarrassed. He smiled and, with his voice hoarse, asked me to stand up. I told him who I was.

“Who?”

It was loud in there.

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 2 - Some Time

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 2 - Some Time

By Jiddoe S'Phatt

Warmest greetings! My name is Jiddoe S’Phatt. Welcome to day 2 of “To Develop: Blog 365”.

A little piece of me goes into each entry I write. I hope you enjoy this one!

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I’m having flashbacks. While celebrating a 20 year writing career, which I’m currently doing, you can imagine there’s lots to remember.

Several of those years ago a few friends and I – Chilla Pertilla, Thomas Rain, Mr. Rockwell aka Mark Smith, Joe Kelley (R.I.P.) and about 4 or 5 others – found ourselves at an after party as guests of Baatin and T3 of Slum Village following “The Smokin’ Grooves Tour” in Detroit.

Our entire click were big fans of every act on the bill, especially SV and The Roots. We never thought we’d spend some time partying with them. Well, Chilla Pertiila probably did. The rest of us were still finding our footing in entertainment journalism. Pertilla, our biggest supporter, had already been on a national platinum-selling album and moved thousands of units of his own music independently.

Every bit a star among stars, Pertilla maneuvered through VIP as though entertaining guests in his own recreation room. He received pounds, gave out and received hugs, and toasted others with his flute of champagne. I watched and took mingling notes as I drank soda from a regular glass.

During one of those moments of awe I stepped back to make way for a waitress carrying a tray of drinks. In doing so I bumped in to someone seated behind me. I turned around to apologize, discovering the person I’d accidently disturbed was none other than Black Thought!

As you can imagine there’s lots to remember.

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 1 - Don't Look Back

To Develop: Blog 365 Day 1 - Don't Look Back. What You Need is Ahead of You

By Jiddoe S'Phatt

Warmest greetings! My name is Jiddoe S’Phatt. Welcome to day 1 of “To Develop: Blog 365”.

A little piece of me goes into each entry I write. I hope you enjoy this one!

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Everything I’ve done up to this point in my life has prepared me for what’s to come. That’s experience. If you’re reading this please believe you have it too. Every second you’ve spent living means something. You have worth. Waking up allows for more opportunities.

I was 22 years old when the great C. J. Haynes created and launched The Groove Spot Online Hip-Hop Magazine TheGrooveSpot.com in 1998. He provided an outlet to showcase my writing beyond a Mead composition notebook I carried everywhere. In the course of 20 years I’ve experienced a tremendous amount of personal and professional achievement and failure. I’ve been both victorious and defeated. I’ve been praised and lamented. I have a past, present, and more importantly a future.

I received some terrific advice from gospel producer and executive Myron Williams. He told me not to pray for success, but to ask the Lord to grant me value and make me valuable.

What’s done is done and I thank God for all of it. I’ve learned. After 20 years as a writer, and even longer as a person, I have value.

What I have not done, and what I desire to do, what I need to do, I still can! That’s ahead of me! If you’re reading this please believe what you need is ahead of you too.

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