One of the most important elements of a Spring Break road trip back in the day was the sound track. This Old School Friday took me back to Spring Break 1995-1997. The brothers of Pi Omicron (A Phi!) rolled out to South Padre Island (trip #2) with Tupac as soundtrack.  Picture Me Rollin' was the cut!!! (EXPLICIT LYRICS) Track Two also has Spring Break memories. Me and my roomdog (featured in the Hurricane Ike interview) went from College Station to Arlington, to Paris (TX) to Austin to Houston and all points in between back in '95. We titled that trip "The Award Tour" with Q-Tip and Tribe providing the tracks. Happy Old School Friday!!!

This category took me back, way back.  First I thought I'd share a song from the first cassette tape that I ever bought.  That's right, it's the Mary Jane Girls.  I knew they were birthed by Rick James, but I didn't know where the "Mary Jane" really came from. Then there's En Vogue.  What can you say?  Beauty and pipes.  Too bad they couldn't get along and messed up a good thing.  Like most cats my age, I could never really pick between Terry and Dawn. HAPPY OSF!!!  Check out these other participants. - Electronic Village - Fresh And Fab - Danielle - Kim - Ms Grapevine -Quick -Marcus LANGFORD - Cassandra - Kevin - iriegal -Mahogany -Hagar's Daughter - Lisa C -Chocl8t - DP - Dallassouth - John - CC Groovy - Kreative Talk -Marvalus One ...

I had to break the rules with three Old School Friday joints for you today. Chic's Le Freak, KC & the Sunshine Band Boogie Man, and Turn the Beat Around Vicki Sue Robinson.   And try these other OSF participants: Regina | Celeb-Blitz | Marcus LANGFORD | MrsGrapevine | The Marvalus View | LaKeshia | Invisible Woman | Electronic Village | Miscellaneous Matters | Over Analyze It | The Punkin Patch | Sojourners Place | There Already | Dallas South | Fresh and Fab | irigal | Lisa C Writes | The True Urban Queen | Songs In The Key Of Life | What Would Thembi Do? | Wonderland or Not | Quick’s Catchup

Not my favorite category that we've had...but I'm a team player.

As you can imagine, this isn't my strongest category. I pride myself on width of knowledge, but that width doesn't include Rock. With that said, I choose Lenny Kravitz this week. Happy OSF!!!

I usually only post one video, so this week I'm breaking the rules...well sort of. I'm posting a couple of Motown videos and some pop locking from the Jacksons. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On Temptations - Just My Imagination The Jacksons Pop and Locking And check out these other great OSF Blogs. Electronic Village - Chatting Over Cocktails - Ms Grapevine - Quick - Marcus LANGFORD - Cassandra - Danielle -Lisa C -Chocl8t - DP - Kreative Talk -MarvalusOne ...

Does anyone else miss Lauryn Hill as much as I do? Here are some other Old School Friday joints. Electronic Village - Fresh And Fab - Kim - Ms Grapevine -Quick -Marcus LANGFORD - Cassandra - Danielle - iriegal -Hagar's Daughter - Lisa C -Chocl8t - DP - Dallassouth - Kreative Talk -Marvalus One - Regina - Clnmike - Vivrant Thing -AJ ...

Here's a couple of oldies but goodies for OSF in this week's theme kid groups. I wanted to reach deep and I think I found a winner with Candy Rain. Then I had to go with one a little more predictable, but still a jam from my wheelhouse which is 1990-1994. So ABC/Iesha was the joint (We Played Nintendo). Happy OSF!!!

The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board launched their Bridging Dallas' North-South Gap Project in Sunday's paper. They have had a number of articles and columns leading up to eight page spread. I'd suggest that everyone pick up a copy of Sunday's paper to pour through the massive amount of statistics and data that they present. The Bridging the Gap team is lead by deputy editorial page editor Sharon Grigsby. I must say the word "crusade" that the paper used to describe their effort is the only way to characterize what Ms. Grigsby has put into this project over the last year. Sharon has sat down with a number of stakeholders, advocates, and concerned citizens in Southern Dallas, including meeting with me on multiple occasions. The former Pleasant Grove resident is so passionate about this effort, even the most skeptical among us would concede here that her desire for change is genuine. The editorial board has selected five neighborhoods to focus the spotlight on as they advocate for progress in Southern Dallas. This week they will spend a day on each area which includes: West Dallas Gateway Grand South Dallas The Heart of Oak Cliff Red Bird Renewed Pleasant Grove Crossroads One idea the ...

It took me .01 seconds to decide who I was going with when I saw this week's Old School Friday theme. For me in the category of female artists, there is Mary J. Blige and then there is everybody else (sorry Jill). MJB came on the scene by way of Yonkers, New York just as I was entering college. Her music was the soundtrack for my days at Texas A&M. I must have played My Life all the way through 1,000 times. I even rocked the live album over and over. Back then, people tried to convince me that Mary couldn't sing. It was really never about the voice for me, it least not like that. I was feeling the soul and the pain that laced ever single, every stanza, every bar of Mary's Joints. It was how she sang about a love which always seemed so urgent, perpetually in flux and far too painful, which many of us in our early 20's could relate to. In a couple of weeks I'll have to come out with my MJB Top 10. The Queen of Hip Hop Soul Mary J. Blige, the best period.