9.26.19
Baby!
How’s my first born? I’m working, eating unsalted raw almonds, drinking coffee. It’s Joe’s birthday today. And Evan’s daughter Teagan’s too. You prob know her.
I’ve got an annoying call coming up in a few mins that I don’t want to be a part of. I also haven’t been to the gym at all this week. Sunday I played basketball, Monday went to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, Tuesday had a basketball game and last night I chilled. I’m gonna go tonight and try to go tomorrow morning too.
Random but I just watched a video that made me think of a song that made me realize that I never really told you how much I love Kanye West. Here in 2019 he’s pretty unstable and he’s done a lot shit that has pissed a lot of different people off. But MAN, that guy has been super influential to me. From his first album, The College Dropout I’ve been a big fan. I used to listen to that CD every night on my discman before I fell asleep. I had never heard music like that before. Chopped up samples, relatively positive message, fun wordplay, sing-song hooks. That album hasn’t been replicated. There have been songs here and there that use the same type of beat, but as a body of work The College Dropout stands alone. All Falls Down is a forever classic. I can talk to you all about his whole discography but damn this first one really set it off. He came on the scene way different. Everyone at the time was rapping gangster shit. G-Unit was the most poppin. Jay-Z, Biggie, 2Pac – all more on the gangster side. But Kanye came in wearing Polo and talked about shit I could relate to. And I knew there was a level I couldn’t access because I’m white, but his storytelling was so powerful. On Spaceship he talks about working at the Gap. Who couldn’t relate?! Maybe it just hit me in my formative years. The album dropped in 2004. I was a junior in high school at the time. My brain was still forming, I was starting to think on my own. Hadn’t seen too much of the world yet but I understood enough. I wonder who your artists are gonna be. Like I’ve got Kanye, John Mayer, the Killers. Those are my forever artists. I fuck with 90% of their work and will always give them a shot. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I have friends because of Kanye West. My first real job at my first Christmas party a woman Leanne said he you like Kanye right? Because you need to meet this guy Brian Witte. Off the bat, just started talking about Ye. College Dropout, Late Registration. Through Witte, became friends with Mike Macias. I had already linked up with Rich Mitchell. The four of us formed the Money Makin Maniakz – MMM. Georgie Turpin was inducted and we had a work crew. We used to get lunch every day and talk about all kinds of pop culture shit. All because Kanye was the common interest.
Okay now I gotta tell you about the time I MET KANYE WEST. It’s 2013. I’m working at MSL, normal day. All of a sudden the mail guy, Eddie, comes up to me and Witte and tells us our “boy” is gonna be in the office. Puzzling. We press a bit, who’s our boy? “Ya man Kanye!” Okay Ed. No fucking shot. “Nah yo, I swear, I put together a few binding books for a meeting he’s having here today”. Alright, we’ll believe it when we see him. An hour goes by, nothing. Then I get up to go to the bathroom, and I have to walk past the reception area to get there, and who’s sitting there? Kanye’s former security guard, Pascal. I know, the fact that I knew who he was is sad, but I was pretty Kanye-obsessed at the time. I race back and tell Witte. We’re floored. Eddie was right? About another half hour goes by and at this point me, Witte and Mike are circling the reception area doing fly-by’s in anticipation. This is prime Yeezy season. Yeezus just dropped in June and this all happened in September. Everyone in the office knows we stan. Then he arrives. Kanye West standing in my office, the 14th floor of MSL. I was confused, excited, floored. He goes into a meeting room behind reception, all glass so everyone can see in. Everyone’s doing walk-by’s to catch a glimpse. At this point MMM has met up and we’re trying to figure out how to meet him. After a few iterations, we decide to ask the receptionist Giyatri to call Witte and tell him when Ye has left the meeting room. Me, Mike and Witte are huddled around his desk waiting. Freaking out and waiting. Then we get the call, he’s on the move. We sprint. We get to the elevator bank and there he is. Kanye West. Witte asks if we can get a photo and he tells him after this quick phone call. He gets on the phone, waiting for the elevator and we’re just standing there waiting. Elevator comes and he starts to get on, Witte goes “Kanye, the photo?” and he says “If you want a pic you gotta get on this elevator.” So the three of us get on an elevator with Kanye. He had just done Fallon the night before so I told him his performance was dope and he said “yeah? You like that shit?” with a smile. I couldn’t believe it. OF COURSE the one time that elevator went straight from 14 to the lobby was the time we get in with Kanye. It was all a blur but we all got a pic with him! Truly unbelievable.
Alright that’s my story for today. Hope you enjoyed.
Love you big time,
Dad
