iKnowTANK and DJ Buttafingaz take a field trip...Little 5 Points ATL,GA

The rules are very simple when going on a road trip with me...
1)I don't mind driving
2)We always have fun
3)The more people the better
4) If we go to NY we always can stay at my grandmothers house, she has 9 bedrooms and only uses 2 of them.
5)Be prepared to for a last minute call that usually goes like this:

ME: Yo, you trying to go to ______________???
YOU: When?
ME: Now. I'm about to leave the crib now.You in or what?
YOU: When we coming back?
ME: Whenever, probably in 2 or 3 days
YOU: Nah. My money ain't right.
ME: What you need money for? We only going and coming right back?
YOU: Nah I'm cool.
ME: You a sucka...What you gonna do here? NOTHING
[five minutes later]
YOU: ok, ok, ok...I'M IN

That's pretty much how the conversation between me and Buttafingaz went this past Tuesday when we took a 22 hour none stop trip to Atlanta...our mission "DTP SHOWCASE and Shopping." We also had DJ Mongee with us to fill the quota of a "black guy, an arab, and a puerto rican wall into a bar..."If you ever wanna make that trip just let me know. In a matter of 12 hours visited 1 mall, 13 stores[wish,true religion,walters,rocheter big and tall,new era,sole,nike,louis vuitton,standard,stratousphere,sk8tique],ate at 2 restaurants [Gladys Knight Chicken and Waffles and STRAITS by Ludacris], drank 15 Jack and Cokes,took 4 meetings, and saw 6 artist perform.

Along the way we met some pretty interesting people, Heads of labels, executives,CEO,interns, and aspiring dreamers...but nothing could prepare us for this four man circus we came across in Little 5 Points...Meet "The Ohio Playa," "Dance Fever," "The Silent Salesman", and "SpitFIRE the folk-rapper"
ATL SHAWTY!!!

Before you heard it anywhere else...B.o.B. "Lonely People "

I would just like to go on the record and say that I LOVE this record. i would also like to go on the record and say I didn't always like B.o.B., in fact I once didn't like him at all and told my man "Sal the A&R," that he was wack for liking B.o.B.

Since then I've eaten those words and realized how much I really do like B.o.B. especially when he put out the "Hi My Name is B.o.B." mixtape with Mick Boogie but in the words of the great Levar Burton "...you don't have to take my word for it." After you watch the video [CLICK THE PICTURE]

"...I'm Swagin' I'm Surfin'...I'm Cool Like Dish Detergent"

Ladies and Gentlemen I think I've done it again...iKnowTANK may have uncovered yet another song/dance/movement that will make the young kids go crazy and eventually have old folks and white Hollywood mega stars dancing and looking crazy.

Allow me to introduce you to the safest extreme sport ever...SWAG SURFIN'. There is no board or wet suit required just a mean "swag," and a set of strong ankles. The song was made by F.L.Y [Fast Life Yungstaz] and is definitely killing the clubs in Atlanta.

I can personally say that when I was in Magic City on New Years Eve they played the song 6 times and the dancers went CRAZY...which lead me to the theory that if your getting a lap dance and the dancer enjoys the song soooooooo much that she dances away from the table...why should she get paid?

NONETHELESS, here's "Swag Surfin'," and I CAN do this dance....TOTALLY DUDE!!!!

sidebar:this dance looks a lot like LL Cool J in "I'm BAD"

WHO REMEMBERS...MTV's "Da Shoppe"

I remember when MTV had a show called "Da Shoppe" about a barbershop in Queens,NY. They used to have a lot of talk and jokes like every other barbershop but they also had celebrities stop by the shop...and none of them ever got a haircut.

Now that i think of it...this is similar to another famous Queens barbershop called "My-T-Sharp"

...who's NEXT???

MEET another REGULAR STAR...Zariff, Presidential Barber

iKnowTANK would like to introduce you to the man responsible for the Presidential Caesar of President Barack Obama. His name is Zariff and he's the master barber at Hyde Park BarberShop in Chicago.

The tale goes that he wasn't even the original barber to cut Barack's hair....in typical barbershop fashion, President Obama came to the shop one saturday afternoon and it was packed (as it always is,) "WALLY," who usually cuts his hair had to make a "run"

SIDENOTE:where the HELL do barbers REALLY go when they have to make these "RUNS?" I say they might be movin' packs on the side,eating,in the car crying about how much they should have been faithful to their ex-wife,or studying a SHAPE-UPS for DUMMIES book...but they always take too long to get back.

Nonetheless, he asked the age old question when you need that quick cut "How many you got?" Everyone in the shop was full,or about to make a run except Zariff who had no one...ON A SATURDAY. While this made Barack a little hesitant, he said to himself..."I ain't trying to be up in this hot ASS barbershop all day" and Zariff got appointed "barber pro-tem."

17 years later Zariff is still in position and now cuts the hair of the President of the United States of America. As for Wally, he's retired now but I know he's probably somewhere still telling stories that start with "BOYYYY...back in the day..." and kicking himself in the ass right now for making that "RUN" to go play lotto.


props to THEM and THEM for the video...but the story is all mine

ANOTHER SIDENOTE: when I was a kid I would ask for haircuts based on who had them. "Can i get a Larry Johnson" which was really a fade with a part in the middle of my head.

...we all stand on SOMEONE's sholders.

Inaugural SlideShow from DTP TV on Vimeo...BE THE SHOULDERS THE NEXT GENERATION STANDS ON [a message from Ludacris and The Ludacris Foundation]

...don't laugh if you don't think its funny.

I found this video in youtube. I watched it and I didn't laugh(actually I did a little). I wasn't sure if it was funny or not but I'm also the guy that laughs at things that only a loser like myself would think are funny...all the time.

YOU BE THE JUDGE...

...remembering the DREAM by not going to SLEEP

In commemoration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, JR and the Inauguration of 45Th President Barack Hussein Obama let us also remember that the struggle continues. We must still fight the battles and beat the odds. Things are expected to CHANGE and they will but the CHANGE that we expect must come from the work we are prepared to do...

Below is an except from an early iKnowTANK post entitled "6:01," his legacy will always be celebrated but it is still our responsibility to carry on his message...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. KING

As you may have heard today marks the 40Th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I'm not sure what angle to go about this so I'll just type and hope it all comes together (the same way I used to do in high school.)

We are all familiar with his work and his legacy, his passion to make a difference and his continuous drive for change but he was "TOO TIRED?" What would happen if he decided to miss his flight to Memphis on April 3rd, the same flight that had been delayed due to a bomb threat. Imagine Dr. King "TOO TIRED" to march or "TOO TIRED" of boycotting the bus system of Montgomery,AL.

It makes me think to myself, if I'm trying to make an impact,tired is not an option...

On another note, the picture above shows that Dr. King didn't die alone. During what would be the last moments of his life, James Bevel, Chauncey Eskridge (SCLC lawyer), Jesse Jackson, Hosea Williams and Andrew Young stood with him. Imagine if any of them had been "TOO TIRED" to support a movement that was not their own...

BUT...they were not "TOO TIRED" and they stood tall and continued the work of the team.

Today we seem to be playing for ourselves and only ourselves. Take notice that we could be getting a lot more done for ourselves if we helped each other.

Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder
"...if every n***a in your clique is rich,your clique is rugged/No one would fall because everyone would be each others crutches" - Jay- Z "Feelin' It"

I knew things were getting tight around here, we all did. The price of gas went down but have you purchased a gallon of milk lately? No matter how you slice it, we are in a recession and its hitting eveyone from the top to the bottom. My neighborhood "trapstar's," are even looking for jobs.

The following piece is a "true" testimoney to what things will look like in the near future [say...January 21st,2009] if we don't start to take better care of ourselves and "leave some in the shoe box" for that rainy day...

...all I wanna say it that...they don't really care about us.

There is no rhyme or reason for this post. I njust felt that if I typed long enough something would come together. Still typing and so far I have...NOTHING.

Maybe I'll just try the "THINGS IN MY HEAD" theory and let loose some bullets in my life right now:

• Its crazy cold in NY right now
• Why am I where I told myself I no longer wanted to be
• I've beeen going to church a lot lately and really enjoy it
• That RushmoreDrive parry was crazy
• Watch what happenes to Rudy Currence
• Will they let me out of the country?
• Why hasn't Takera called me?
• I must be on the "Things I will NO LONGER BE A PART OF in 2009" list
• Why did the Panters Lose?
• Is Renaldo really going to the army?
• Whats up with DTLR?
• Once she gets here how much will things change?
• iKnowTANK is about to be a REAL tv show
• Patients is more important that anything else
• The gym is my new hang out
• I scared to take off my shoes...I may get too comfortable
• I wonder what we will be doing in France?
• I wonder where I'll be sitting,I hope its not a middle seat or I'll just stay at home

Still haven't come up with anything of substance. So I'll just say that in this upcoming year we shouls all try to express ourselves a little more. If you really want it, speak of it as if its all ready yours. CLAIM IT...but becareful of what you ask for becasue you can talk things into existance.

That will be all for now...

...cause I see some ladies tonight that should be havin' my baby...baby

So iKnowTANK and the guys at IV Horseman Ent. thought it would be a dope idea to throw a tribute party for the late great NOTORIOUS B.I.G. to coincide with the release of the his bio-pic, appropriately entitled "NOTORIOUS."

This promises to be like no other [copy cat,can't come up with your own ideas] party thrown by no other [I'm not creative enough to create an original concept and there are all ready too many other promoters copying each other with FAKE Inauguration Ball's]

-2 DJ's playing nothing but joints [and not just Biggie joints...party joint's]
-Free until 10 pm
-DRINK SPECIALS ALL NIGHT
-THE FEATURE MARTINI: The B.I.G. Poppa (I'll have 2,please)
-OFFICIAL GIVEAWAYS from FoxSearchLight Films from the movie "NOTORIOUS"
-Free passes to check out the movie "NOTORIOUS" in theaters 1.16.09
-NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Gift bags courtesy of Bad Boy Records

What more do you need from us...a new diss track from Tupac...you got it (just kidding...I think)

The party is JANUARY 17th, 2009 at RUSTIC MARTINI (616 North Tryon b/w 9th and 10th,UPTOWN)...see you there.

...How the HELL did you get this number?

This post has nothing to do with anyone in the picture but I thought I would just post it anyway. Check your boy out with the red clip-on tie...CLASSIC.

This is what you should do next time you get a call from a telemarketer...

motivation...by KENNY BURNS

By now you are probably reading this from the comfort (of discomfort) of your desk. The holiday season has passed, a new year has dawned and we are back in business.

I don't feel the need to remind you that last year there may have been 2 or 3 extra people sitting next you. There's no need for a reminder that it used to be a little harder to find the "good" parking space at work or that you used to have serval lunch buddies to eat with...but they may not be here anymore.

With all that being said...you're still here, and its for a reason. 2008 is in the can and now is the time for you to show the world and yourself why you made the cut when others didn't. Let this be the motivation you need to go extra hard this year and work towards a goal and not towards a paycheck.

"I really don't like to get into the "this is my year" business but I will say that the only reason I won't have something is because I don't want it...iKnow..."

Enjoy this video of the Best of Kenny Burns,2008 and let it serve as proof that you can do anything if your willing to work hard at it.

The Kenny Burns Show: A Great 08!!! from KENNY BURNS on Vimeo.

SKILLZ "2008 wrap-up"

I look forward to the SKILLZ year end wrap up...but is it me or does he only do a wrap-up and nothing else for the year? SKILLZ, I'm not trying to front on you 'cuz I definitely had the "Nod Factor" cassette single in '95 but you need to make a few more records.

Nonetheless, this is the 2008 wrap-up by SKILLZ and I love it. Welcome to 2009 and thanks for stopping by iKnowTANK.com

2008 Rap Up - Skillz

True Hip Hop Stories...Kwame

So of you may or may not remember Kwame...with the polka-dot's but iKnowTANK definitely does. In fact i've seen him at least 4 times in the last 5 years. He definitely is more successful now than he was with hit's like "Ownlee U" and "The Rhythm." He is actually a well known producer and song writer that has worked with the likes of Lloyd Banks, Keyisha Cole, and Christina Aguilara to name a few.

iKnowTANK had the pleasure of sitting with him while he crafted beates in the studio for hours and even had the duty to make sure he made it back to his hotel in one piece...and I would do it all again...FOR HIP HOP. Enjoy the video

True Hip-Hop Stories - Kwame from D-Nice on Vimeo.