Episode 10- Konkrete Soul

Hip Hop From Mom's Basement- Konkrete Soul from Mr. Mark on Vimeo.

ahhh, the voices...

mistadobalina

the character of a city is really about the characters within it, right? i wonder who's the local flavor for oslo? who gets people shakin' their heads in san salvador? who rocks the streets of addis ababa spoutin' duran duran lyrics for cash?

more importantly, what old coot lived in prehistoric times to become the town crazy when everyone around him was bashin' heads, rapin', and shittin' themselves?

oh yeah, he was standin' upright. duh.

washington post, 2008

mr. mark doesn't have enough lyrical memory to be mr. marky mark in your town.

my favorite things

what's the strangest thing a human can collect? i'll tell ya, it's otha human beings. that's why you don't see it so often. when it comes down to it, most humans be grabbing all the other resources, but spend their lifetime tryin' to get space between them and otha humans. and definitively, a slave owner and a serial killer aren't necessarily human collectors, since their desires aren't in keeping their collectibles well kept.

no, no. i'd say the closest you'd get are foster parents; the folks i'd really like to see on antiques roadshow. keep doin' yo thing.

taiwan, 1989

mr. mark has no idea why his dad thought stamp collecting would be a good idea when he had a perfectly good hobby of keeping bugs in jars. duh.

cession at da doghillee

if all dogs go to heaven, do we have to pick it up there too?

even in the former soviet bloc you can't get away from it, son.

prague, czech republic, 2009

mr. mark is thinkin' that everyone's poop gets picked up in heaven. even pavarotti's.

in my continental

the germans and hasselhoff. the french and jerry lewis. the japanese and everything. it's funny what others pick and choose for their pop culture imports. i love how the world can make you feel pride abroad for somethin' you for shame for stateside.

santiago de chile, 2005

mr. mark would like to thank morrocans for keeping dire straits alive.

just to get a rep

sometimes, the smaller the country, the harder the history looks. you got more to prove, yo. if you hit up these small countries on the pacific rim, western african nations, or anywhere that's fought for its independence in the last 200 years, you'll find some monuments celebratin' the fight and verve with grimaces and incrementally bigger testaments. in most cases, i give y'all some props. you get shadowed by the bigger forces out there. keep dustin' off your shoulder, playa.

on the other hand, no disrespect to the democratic peoples of north korea, but you gotta do somethin' about that midget you got in office, yo. talk about a complex. all them statues and paintings of the lil' guy all around your country. sucka's got it worse than a 45-year-old needle dick revvin' his corvette near a high school while blastin' peter cetera.

la paz, bolivia, 2006

mr. mark is the man who will fight for your honor.

orange pineapple juice

what is nostalgia? was the past really a better time or is it safer to bet on something that can't change? maybe we just need a few things that won't alter in our lives. so much does and it'd be nice to have somethin' be consistent. maybe that's why dick clark won't die. that's nice of him.

st. laurent, qc, 2006

mr. mark misses michael j. fox sitting still.

crewz pop

in tribal life, are there subcultures that scoff at the actions of the majority? is there a small group of outsiders in the amahuaca tribe sittin' on the sides, watchin' a tribal feast, and saying somethin' like "no wonder the world hates us?"

friendsville, md, 1997

mr. mark likes the idea of living in trees. that's all.

que eso

you can tell a lot about a country by their tourist industry. where in da world are they directin' people to travel? now, there are many reasons to love canada. but if the superbowl existed up there, you'd get cats comin' off the field and being asked what they're gonna do now that they won. betcha bottom dollar that disneyworld ain't gonna be on that list. in a heavy québécois accent, famed quarterback "ma" boucher would yell, "i'm going to cuba" followed by images of nfl players sugar canin' and rummin' it up revolutionary style. i love my northern neighbors for givin' me that fantasy.

or maybe i'm just jealous 'cause i'm not allowed to get my butt on the big isle south of disneyworld. you a punk, uncle sam.

montreal, quebec, 2000

mr. mark is being forced into a family vacation at mt. rushmore this year. he plans on ruining it by sulking.

the world is yours

if you were a country, which would you be? imma have to stick to my childhood choice of italy. you're apparently born with a whistle (i can't), loafers and slacks are prerequisites, if you scream out to someone else during sex, you've got a 90% chance of naming the person you're already boinkin' (maria or antonio), and you can become a superhero simply by robbing people. ya gotta love that.

but i don't eat much pasta no more and probably gotta start looking at my carb intake. let's say japan for a minute because it's fresh food, slippers, men that "humphf," gals that giggle in mini skirts, and a mom's basement blog would probably lead to a second career as an anime style superhero.

florence, italy, 2008

mr. mark is going back to the first 'cause he can get away with chest hair and a lack of spf in the mediterranean.