David Ortez

I have been following Rapid Ric aka The Mixtape Mechanic ever since I arrived in Austin for college over 7 years ago. Seem like ages ago but I was introduced to The Fistful of Dollars Mixtape by my roommate and the rest is history.

A lot has happened in the mean time, from serving as Houston rapper Chamillionaire’s personal international disc jokey (DJ) to filming his first video (Pullin’ Up) … Rapid Ric has been on his grind. He moved to Houston as he became more intertwined with our local music scene.

Rapid Ric released his new album, Whut it Dew, this week for free. This should not be confused with his original Whut It Dew Mixtape that was released in 2004 and features a prominent image of Chamillionaire on the cover.

Although Houston heavy, in 16 tracks Rapid Ric was able to squeeze 27 guest rappers from all over the great state of Texas. You get dose of underground and established artists contributing to a mosaic that even the Greeks themselves would be proud of.

The album begins with the usual intro in which Rapid Ric demonstrates his skills. This is not my favorite intro since I have heard Rapid Ric scratch more impressive sets before but the track’s goal is to introduce you to the Mixtape Mechanic and his catch phrase, “Whut It Dew!”

This album will be known for “Actin’ Bad” featuring Lil’ Keke and Slim Thug. Rapid Ric samples 25 Lighters from DJ DMD (1999) for this track’s chorus. He takes a snippet from Lil’ Keke’s verse to set the theme for this hit.

The song is about whips (motor vehicles) and of course “actin bad” in the car. This song is reminiscent of “So Fly” from the Swishahouse album “The Day Hell Broke Loose 3″ (2006) in which Lil’ Keke, Paul Wall and Archie Lee employed a literary device where women and whips served as analogues. Slim Thug used this literary device when he states, “Blue panties on but my b*tch gone topless // Center of attention, she got all eyes on her // Soon as I hit the corner all the jackboys want her // But I still flaunt her and put her in they face.”

One must note that the colors, red and blue, referenced in this song serve as a reminder of the days when the color of your wardrobe reflected the geographic area where one was domiciled. Lil’ Keke reminds you that he is from the Southside (Red) and Slim Thug is conscious to use blue multiple times because he from the Northside (Blue).

The album features the hit club single “PLP (Parking Lot Pimpin)” where Gerald G, Dorrough Boy and Lil Boosie make guest appearances. Check out the video above!

Other notable songs that cannot be ignored are “All About my Change” featuring Chamillionaire, Z-Ro and Gerald G. Austin’s Gerald G aka Mr. 512 shines on “Trunk Got the Beat” in which delivers so fast that you think he is speaking in tongues. Not even prison can prevent South Park Mexican aka SPM from making a guest appearance in Live 4 the Dough.

No matter your taste there is something for everyone on this album. From club music to the smooth baby making music you will not be disappointed. Best of all, this album is free! What are you waiting for? Head over to whutitdew.com to catch your free copy.

While most of us enjoyed a day off celebrating Independence Day, Mayor Parker was working as late as 11:45 PM.

As her Twitter account reveals, Parker shut down a house party all by herself. She duly notes that her security team may not have appreciated her maverick moves but nonetheless it proves she is working for the people.

Whoever had their party crashed by the Mayor will have the best tale for years to come. How do you top next year’s July 4th? I can think of one suggestion … how about you invite the Mayor next time!

I do not support nor endorse this songs views. I merely share them with my audience for their satirical and humorous nature. Remember this is NSFW ergo Not Safe For Work due to adult language used.

Remember as we celebrate this Independence Day with family and friends the wise words of a humorous yet witty man: "America is a country founded by slaveowners who wanted to be free." – George Carlin.

Yet, it is George Santayana, a Spanish philosopher who really puts things into perspective with his famous quote: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Happy 4th of July! 

The Annise Parker campaign has confirmed that Adam Harris, who was instrumental in Parker’s first mayoral campaign, will be leaving the Parker team to launch Horizon Strategies, a political-consultant firm.

His replacement will be Ward Curtin who is no stranger to politics. Curtin "assembled and led" Parker’s grassroots field operations in 2009 and 2011. He has over a decade in the business has an expertise in field operations but is knowledgable of communications and fundraising aspects of a campaign.

The change of scenery is amicable. As Harris noted on his Twitter feed, "Congrats to my good friend @okieward [Ward Curtin] & many thanks to Mayor @anniseparker!"

 Curtin was an Oklahoma representative for Organizing for America (OFA) which was the offshoot Obama campaign team during the wait for 2012. Ward began his political career as a campaign driver earning $500 per month. He has also helped John Edwards on his presidential bids in 2004 and 2008. 

This announcement serves as an early birthday present for Curtin who turns 35 tomorrow.

In the legal world, a brief is anything but brief. On the other hand when the facts are stacked in your favor and a true and correct photograph is worth a thousand words … well then you do not need much of a legal argument.

Mark Cuban is currently in a legal battle for the Dallas Mavericks with Ross Perot, Jr. who is a minority owner of the team.  Perot filed a lawsuit in May 2010 alleging that Cuban has been "careless and reckless in his desicion-making" resulting in a substantial loss of "investment value." Furthermore, Cuban’s leadership has resulted in a dire situation where the Mavericks may be "insolvent and/or in imminent danger of insolvency" thus requiring for court intervention.

On June 22, 2011, ten-days after winning their first NBA championship, Cuban’s attorney filed the best ever Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment in the history of the legal world.

A motion for summary judgment is a formal request by a moving party (the side that asks for the court’s permission to grant the motion) that the court make a decision in the case without a full trial ever taking place. A request is granted if the court determines that there are no material issues of fact that a jury may entertain.

Cuban’s Motion for Summary Judgment states the following:

"On June 12, 2011, the World Champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat to claim the franchise’s first NBA championship. A true and correct photo of one of the many victory celebrations is incorporated herein:

Under Hillwood’s ownership, the team was deemed the "worst franchise" in all of professional sports. Under Cuban’s stewardship the Mavericks have become one of the league’s most successful teams and are now NBA champions. Accordingly, there can be no genuine question that Hillwood’s claims of mismanagement lack merit and Hil[l]wood’s claims should be disposed of on summary judgment."

Now we get to wait and see if the judge is persuaded. Read the entire brief … all four pages below for your entertainment pleasure.

The New York Times published a damning article last Sunday about the improper and unethical relationship shared by Supreme Court Right-Wing Activist Justice Clarence Thomas with influential Dallas real estate mogul and a major donor to conservative causes, Harlan Crow.

The New York Times notes: “The two men met in the mid-1990s, a few years after Justice Thomas joined the court. Since then, Mr. Crow has done many favors for the justice and his wife, Virginia, helping finance a Savannah library project dedicated to Justice Thomas, presenting him with a Bible that belonged to Frederick Douglass and reportedly providing $500,000 for Ms. Thomas to start a Tea Party-related group.”

The $500,000 given to Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas, was used to exploit the infamous Supreme Court decision of Citizens United and helped finance Liberty Central, a Tea Party-related group. Thomas solicited a multi-million donation from Crow to benefit his personal project, the Pin Point Heritage Museum.

The shenanigan’s does not stop with Crow. USA Today reported earlier this year that Thomas amended financial disclosure forms as far back as 1989. In other words, Thomas was correcting information that has been wrong for 20+ years which occurred during his tenure as Supreme Court Justice.

Common Cause filed a complaint in January based on a section of law governing judges and conflicts of interest: 28 U.S.C. § 455 which states:

a) Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States
shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his
impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

(b) He shall also disqualify himself in the following
circumstances:

(1) Where he has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a
party, or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts
concerning the proceeding;

§ 455 (b)(4) specifically expands potential conflict of interest to cases that could bring financial benefit to the spouse or child of a judge. The Ethics in Government Act (5 U.S.C. § 102(e)(1)(A)) also requires federal officials, including Supreme Court justices, to disclose spousal income.

This is where now resigned New York Congressman Anthony Weiner comes into play. The Huffington Post reports: “Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) spent his Friday afternoon pestering Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for executing a classic news dump: a release of his financial disclosure filing on the eve of Memorial Day Weekend.” The Huffington Post adds: “Shortly thereafter, Weiner let it be known that it was Thomas whose financial disclosure filing he was awaiting. Around 4:30, he had a link to send, showing that Thomas had served on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Horatio Alger Association and had made $10,000 for a speech at University of Minnesota School of Law.”

Guess who came to the rescue of Thomas? None other than the notorious right-wing demagogue, Andrew Breitbart, who is responsible for distorted lies, due to clever video editing, of the Acorn, Planned Parenthood and Shirley Sherrod controversies.

Breitbart quickly shifted the conversation to Weiner and his sexting scandal. At the time it was still early but the media caught wind and the rest is history. While the media and the rest of the United States were lollygagging about Weiner and his wiener, Thomas avoided any spotlight or scrutiny for his illegal behavior.

After the dust settled it was Weiner who had to resign over a trivial personal matter and Thomas retained his lifetime appointment even though he committed egregious acts that betrayed his judicial oath.
It’s time for Clarence Thomas to resign. I have signed the petition; will you?

Did you forget to go to the Free Press Summerfest this year? Have you even heard of this Houston two-day music festival?

It takes place on an early June weekend at Buffalo Bayou’s Eleanor Tinsley Park located in the Fourth Ward. This festival is still young but continues to grow dramatically each year. Next year’s festival will be the fourth one and will take place on June 2-3, 2012. For more information, check out the Free Press Summerfest website for details.

If you have heard of Smashburger and have not tried it yet or you love the place … well click here to access a certificate that entitles you to a "Free Smash or 1/3LB Smashburger" until Tuesday, June 21, 2011.

What’s the catch? You have to purchase an entree or kids meal to take advantage of the deal. To get your custom certificate, replace the bolded "first=David&last=Ortez" with your first and last name. Enjoy!

TIL: I found out that President Obama jammed to "Turn My Swag On" Monday morning in the White House after addressing the nation that previous night and informing them that Osama bin Laden had expired. 

Instead of singing the original chorus though, he instituted some creative freedom and said, "Hopped up out of bed // Turn my swag on // Took a look in the mirror said What’s up? (What’s up) /// Yeah!, I’m getting reelected (ohh) // I send the Navy Seals and jammed to this theme song // Now it is time to turn it up // Yeah, yeah Obama tell them // I got a question; Why the GOP hating on me? // I got a question; Why the GOP hating on me? // I did not do anything to them but send the Navy Seals to kill Osama! // Yeah! I’m getting reelected!

On May 1, 2011, President Obama addressed the United States and the world to inform them that Osama bin Laden had been killed.