Yameen

I’m on a Philly potato chip roll, apparently, following up on my entry last week about Chumpies.

This week I found a bag of RAP SNACKS featuring Bell Biv DeVoe on the cover. The chip flavor? “Back at the Ranch”!

Rap Snacks, like Chumpies before it, was started in Philadelphia. Created by James Lindsay in 1994 according to Wikipedia, the company is currently headquartered out of Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2007, Lil Romeo bought the company for an undisclosed sum.

Philadelphia still represents heavily on the company’s website, with the Philly skyline draped in plain view and pictures of Allen Iverson sprinkled throughout.

Here’s a scan of the back of the packaging, with a little description about BBD and record stores in Philly, Baltimore, DC and Los Angeles where to pick the album up.

Be sure to check out this dope photo gallery of the various Rap Snacks covers. And here’s a great article with Lindsay discussing the company’s genesis, and how Poor Righteous Teachers fits into the equation!

I’ve been pretty hyped on Capcom’s upcoming HD remix of Street Fighter for Xbox Live and Playstation Network.

Capcom just sent out a press release announcing the game’s long-delayed, but finally cemented November 26th release date. But what caught my eye especially was mention of the Street Fighter Underground Remix album featuring the likes of Qbert, Hieroglyphics, DJ Toure (which I am assuming is Toure from Hiero), Zion I and others. Here’s a quote from the press release:

Capcom will be releasing a direct-to-download music album of hip-hop tracks inspired by the Street Fighter series. Street Fighter® Underground Remix will feature the musical flavor of artists such as DJ Qbert, Hieroglyphics, Redman, Oh No, DJ Toure, Mistah FAB and Zion I. Each artist has produced a Street Fighter tribute track that will be free of charge and exclusive to the PlayStation®Network when Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix launches.

A bit of a bummer it is for the PSN only (unless you own a PS3). But pretty cool nonetheless.

Here’s the link to the Capcom Press Release.

I was browsing through some old things around the crib, and oh snap! — look what I found: A bag of Chumpies!

Chumpies is a brand of potato chips started in Philadelphia in 1991. They were still around when I left Philadelphia and you could pick them up in bodegas and the like. They were fairly common and I took them for granted as a Philly thang (in other words, I assumed they were available nationwide which is not quite the case).

Chumpies, aside from having the flyest graphics on a bag of chips ever (not to mention the dopest name ever), were also positively-inspired: each bag has anti-drug messages, as well as no pork byproducts (non-cipher, kid). You should definitely check for them in your local markets.

UPDATE: I scanned the back of the bag in too, but the shiny packaging didn’t take well to the scanner, making it rather unreadable. But I wanted to transcribe the literature on the back of the product as well. It’s represented below:

Home Boys (H-Boys)

This product is an acknowledgement of our American urban experience, and culture. This experience can be found in the term “Home Boys”.

Many youth today are unaware that this term has been used in our community for over 25 years. And many of our “Home Boys” have gone on to become the pride of their neighborhood.

A lot of the time we weren’t the best kids on the block, but many of us went on to become Doctors, Lawyers, Judges, Ministers, and even Police. We salute the “Home Boys” of the past and dedicate ourselves to taking back the corner of today, from the dealers of drugs. We have to make the corners drug free again.

Also, be sure to check out my latest article about Rap Sancks, another Philly-born potato chip brand.

I kinda bugged the other day when I turned on my Xbox 360 to play some Gears of War 2, when who is staring back at me from my dashboard but Murs??!

From the screenshot, it appears you will be able to play against Murs over Xbox Live on November 16th, 2008 between 7PM - 9PM EST, in Rockstar Games’, Midnight Club Los Angeles (which just so happens to be the city Murs is from).

I did a website with Murs a few years ago. Dude is super talented, extremely hard-working and mad focused. If you’re not up on some Murs, git crankin.

And check out the latest album from Murs, Murs for President in stores now.

Wow, check out this clip of Lisa Wu-Hartwell rocking some dope Nicacelly fits on Bravo TV’s, Real Housewives of Atlanta television series:

Here’s a screencap from the video:

Nicacelly is a close friend of mine from way back. She has been working hard at this, and I think it shows in her original, one-of-a-kind women’s clothing.

To see more clothes from my homegirl, Nicacelly be sure to visit her website at: www.nicacelly.com.

Nicacelly clothing is available online at TheGiantPeach.com.

Just got back from seeing my man, Reef The Lost Cauze completely kill shit at Slim’s nightclub tonite here in San Francisco. The Philly native MC is currently on tour with Outerspace and Jedi Mind Tricks. The tour is steady rolling throughout the US, so be sure to check them all out. Here’s a few pics I snapped of Reef rocking the crowd:

Be sure to pick up Reef’s new album, A Vicious Cycle in stores now and available on iTunes.

And of course, be sure to check out Reef on a song we recorded together earlier today also featuring Philly’s own, Maylay Sparks. Big tings a gwan!

Reef’s MySpace. Hit him up!

Former Atban Klann member-cum-Black Eyed Peas frontman, Will.I.Am appeared out of nowhere during the 2008 Presidential election on CNN in holographic form. Oh yea, shit got real-real.

Straight out of Star Wars, I have no idea what Will said on the show because I was too busy bugging out at seeing Will beam onto the CNN stage and then bum-rushing my camera to take the pic you see above.

Here’s the video:

My homeboy, Travelin Matt hollered from Bangkok with some fresh new pix of the Yameen album making its Thailand debut:

“I shot these at the Grand Palace and Wat Pra Kao (The Temple of the Emerald Buddha). The most sacred place in Thailand.”

Word, duuk. Came out slamming!

Check out more pix from Travelin Matt in Thailand in the Photos section of the site.

And be sure to check out Matt’s internet radio station, Underground Bangkok Radio, broadcasting live from Thailand, at www.ubradio.net.