Trevor Traynor Makes You Look

Born and raised in New York amidst hip-hop’s golden era, photographer Trevor Traynor is a product of the culture. Combining his love for the music with his artistic eye, Traynor has built a career for himself documenting the artists in their rawest form. His latest installment, I Shoot People, consists of 200 photos of some of hip-hop’s finest, including Nas and E-40, capturing unforgettable moments from a crowd-surfing Method Man to David Banner lost in a sea of fans. From studio shots to live action, Traynor manages to catch the true character of each artist. His images are clean, sharp, and beaming with energy. Sacramento is the last stop on his five-city tour and will undoubtedly be the jewel among all the oil paintings depicting the downtown bridge. For more information and a glimpse into what the show has to offer check out www.ishooteverything.com.

How long have you been making a living off of photography?
I’ve been shooting for about 14 years. I made my first sale and had my first gig at 19, and have been shooting commercial since 2004. I quit my full-time job three years ago.

And all your work now is on a freelance basis? Is there a company you operate under?
It’s all freelance; Trevor Traynor Photography. I started a blog about two years ago, and I came up with and trademarked the gun logo with a camera lens as the barrel for the blog. That logo started out as a sticker, then T-Shirts and now a five-city tour.

So is the show a culmination of the past two years then?
Nah, I actually went to University of Colorado, Boulder, for photography about six years ago. I started shooting hip-hop then, but it was always a part of my life, and it was in my family. I used to rap, my older brother was a producer and my youngest brother had a label.

So in that time you started taking pictures, documenting the music and culture?
Yeah, that’s how it started. I would take pictures of people in exchange for a 16-bar verse for my brother’s albums. The first rapper I shot was AG from D.I.T.C., then Truth Enola and then Dres of Black Sheep. I kept pushing with pictures, my brother ended up in the New York Fire Department, but those were good times. My pops was always a sort of Renaissance man though and always took slides, so the camera was always there for me.

How would you describe your style as a photographer?
Organized raw color. Raw organization.

Can you break it down further and explain how each of those words pertains to your work?
I would say raw for the content, the minimal post production and just the minimal floss. Organized is for my subconscious addiction to framing. I see frames all day. I have a friend who draws super detailed lines and creations. He sees in shapes. I have another friend who draws cartoons for Disney, he sees people in cartoon form. Everything I see is in frames. I like to balance color with a minimal mind puzzle style, like plucking pieces out of the air and building a brain frame. I think it shows in the wild style presentation of I Shoot People. Just the way I hang the 200 photos, they’re all different sizes and colors.

I’ve heard you use the term “wild style” in previous interviews. Can you explain the significance of the sort of controlled/highly organized presentation which, like you said, is all sizes and shapes and how it all comes together?
Wild style is like no levels and no blueprint to work from. I start with one piece and assemble the puzzle according to size, color, angle. Each show was a different maze and had a different flow.

So the presentation is just as much the art as the photos are?
Oh definitely, for me at least.

You feature a lot of rappers, but they’re not all you shoot. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed shooting a rapper opposed to a regular person?
Well you have your divas and just busy bees.

Does that make things harder or does it bring the character out?
I’ve gotten used to the three-minute photoshoot, but if an artist is down and gives the time and vibes, the shots show it. Sometimes those three-minute shots show the character and they work, but it’s definitely made my skills sharper.

As you get deeper into your career what have you learned about photography and yourself?
As I get older I’ve realized that having control is more of an illusion, and that letting go and living is the essence of photography. I will learn technical aspects ’til I die, but with photography I have learned that memory is minimal and these prints are a visual memento of my life. Photography is truly an organic art form, and without it we would miss a lot.

I Shoot People opens at Artifacts on Nov. 14. The exhibit will run through Dec. 5, 2009.

It’s so good to be here with you. Really, the pleasure is all mine. It’s hard to believe it’s been more than six months but not quite a year that I have been writing to you about local restaurants. I’m sure if you’ve followed throughout you could get a good idea where I live, because while I’m down to experiment and try new restaurants, I’m not as willing to explore the Sacramento’s outer regions. I feel I have tried almost every kind of food available in the six-mile region, and while it could be said I’m easy to please, I’m glad that for the most part I haven’t had to write a negative review. Congratulations to you, Sacramento restaurants. People don’t refer to this city as a dine-out town just because of the abundance of eating establishments.

This week, instead of spending money and then trying to convince you to try a spot out, I’m going to save a couple bucks and remind you of all the great restaurants I visited in the first volume of this column. Don’t worry; it’s not another “best of” list, but rather a refresher on what’s fresh—and, of course, what’s not.

In my time at the dinner table that is Sacramento, by far the one restaurant where I wish I could eat every day is Tamaya, located at 2131 J St. It is the best sushi in town, and they crush the competition across the board. One of my biggest peeves with sushi restaurants is that some places use the same sauce(s) on every roll to the point that everything starts to taste the same. That is not the case with Tamaya, which has an extensive menu and equally creative pairings of flavors. The prices match or beat any other sushi restaurant, and their quantities are ridiculous in the best way possible. I had a sushi spot I frequented regularly, but after one meal at Tamaya, I haven’t been back. Trust that.

From the uncooked to the slow-cooked, my most memorable review has to be my visit to Sandra Dee’s (601 15th St.). My Southern state experience doesn’t venture out of Austin, Texas, so you could say my BBQ palate is amateur at best, but Sandra Dee’s has turned me out. When friends come to town, it’s where I take them—and needless to say, they get turned out too. Their ribs literally fall off the bone, and their BBQ sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Their Po’ Boy sandwiches are packed with flavor, their fried chicken is flawless and their seafood is everything I’ve mentioned and then some. I’ve been countless times since and have never had anything short of an incredible meal. Deciding what to eat is hard enough, but choosing a side order even more difficult when faced with options like mac and cheese, hush puppies, red beans and rice and more. As the saying goes, “It’s all good.”

I suppose from the slow-cooked, a good segue would be cooked on a spit? Opa! Opa! was the biggest surprise of all the spots I have reviewed. I’d driven by this place hundreds of times, but I couldn’t get past the decor from the outside. It looked like it could be a chain restaurant, but I couldn’t have been more off. There aren’t many affordable lunch/dinner spots that can boast a menu created by an in-house chef, but Opa! Opa! not only has an incredibly dense menu, it is also very unique from other Mediterranean restaurants. They definitely had fun with the menu: alongside Mediterranean mainstays like the beef and lamb or chicken gyro, they also offered up interesting dishes such as a Greek meatloaf (lamb) and pita pizzas. I still have flashbacks to my barbecued leg of lamb sandwich and the rich feta and goat cheese spread. Opa! Opa! is located at 5644 J St., don’t sleep!

With the good comes the bad. Coincidentally, the one bad review I gave is to a restaurant that is no longer open. My apologies to Fins. I didn’t know my words held so much weight in this town, but you honestly didn’t think that white linen tablecloths, high prices and red plastic baskets would be a winning formula, did you?

The Grouch Set to Leave Paradise for West Coast Tour

Over the past decade, Oakland, Calif. native The Grouch has proven to be the embodiment of the independent musician. Alongside his crew the Living Legends, Grouch built an underground empire from the ground up, building a reputation by pounding the pavement with dope product, selling his music to fans hand-to-hand. He always made himself visible and bridged the often-murky area between supplier and consumer. Hustle aside, it was his music that resonated with fans. Instead of a fast food filling, Grouch based his lyrics in reality—honest and candid, intelligent and insightful. Through 10 solo albums, five group collaborations and more than a handful of Living Legends projects, Grouch has never led fans astray. An inspiration for anyone looking to make it happen by doing it their way, his career has shown that hard work and dedication go a long way.

In support of How the Grouch Stole Christmas, his aptly titled 11-city West Coast tour, the man whose fuzzy 4-track songs I once put on a Maxell mixtape spoke from his newly settled island paradise on topics ranging from modern-day subsistence living to Dr. Seuss—and of course, music.

I understand you’re out in Hawaii at the moment. Is that for work or pleasure?
Nah, I’m living out here doing the family life, growing vegetables and chillin’. Working of course, every day, all day, grinding over the Internet and over the telephone. It’s not a permanent thing, I don’t think, but we like it out here a lot so we wanted to give it a trial period. We were supposed to stay six months, but at the end of the six months we were like, we got to go for another six months. We’re taking it as it comes.

You said growing vegetables, are you really on some subsistence level shit out there or what?
Nah, we’re just living. We’re staying at a house that get its water from the rain and has solar power, and we have a good vegetable garden going. We’re just doing natural family life: kicking it, and jumping in the ocean and drinking coconuts.

That sounds amazing.
Yeah, it’s been a real good experience. It’s a good change, and we did it at a good time. It’s still the United States, but it feels a little bit detached out here. There is less advertising, less TVs around.

Your latest tour, How the Grouch Stole Christmas, is going to take you away from your paradise for a couple days. Off the top, it was nice to see fellow Living Legend Eligh’s name right there with yours.
Yeah, it worked out good because me and Eligh have an album coming out March or April of next year. People always ask when the next G&E album is coming out. Me and Eligh are good friends so when we do shows, it’s always fun, and people love to see the combination of us two. We’re both on the same page, as far as us both doing sober shows and all that, and we’re both at a time in our careers where we are taking everything very seriously and trying to step our games up.

I was going to say, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard mention of G&E as a group. What can you say about the album so far?
We’ve got a strong single with Gift of Gab, so you’ll hear that. But as far as everyone else, we have Mistah Fab on there, Sage Francis and Slug on a couple different songs. We’ve got a song produced by Flying Lotus, a joint produced by Amp Live of Zion I. It’s going to be a good release. I’m really proud of the music so far.

The Bayliens are also scheduled to play, but there is one name that I didn’t recognize: Paul Dateh.
Yeah, he’s dope. He’s from L.A. and played violin on my last album; he’s also a vocalist too. If you Google him, there are some pretty amazing videos of his violin skills, and how he combines them with hip-hop. He’s just coming up and making a name for himself. When you watch the set though, you’re like damn that was dope. Every time I have him open up for me, he gets a really good response. The Bayliens, they’ve been working real hard and I like the way they do their stuff, so it all works together.

Alright, last one to wrap it all up. Looking at Dr. Seuss as a writer, in terms of his story telling, his structure, his rhymes, how would you rate him in MC terms?
Dr. Seuss is a dope poet, and would make a dope MC. I think if he wanted to rap, he could probably have some tight raps. I don’t know how much of a coincidence it is that I’m using one of his themes, but I’ve had a lot of people tell me that my rhyme style reminds them of Dr. Seuss. I don’t know if that’s a diss or not [laughs]. It wasn’t like, “You have the most Simple Simon rhymes in rap,” but I have been told that they can see a resemblance, and I take that as a compliment. I like the dude’s style. He’s not the most complex, but he’s successful for a reason. The way he put his books out there, and the content in them with the pictures and the whole package, I really respect the dude.

Simple or not, at the end of the day he’s saying something of substance, which can always be said of your music.
Exactly.

Over the past two years I have, for the most part, cut fast food out of my life. I don’t know if it’s a coming of age thing or realizing that cooking is fun and often times more economically the way to go, but for the most part I don’t miss fast food. I get the cravings, though, and when they come on, they hit hard. It’s like I’ll wake up, and my body will tell me that I need a gordita and my mission for that day will be to get a gordita. I didn’t wake up today with that craving, but for this installment of Refined Tastes, I will contradict that claim and discuss the coveted dollar menus. I’m broke, and it seems fitting.

In my opinion, the best dollar menu item has to be Jack in the Box’s two-taco deal. I know it seems a little sacrilegious to dub a taco the ruler in a hamburger nation, but for years these questionable pockets of fried stuff have held me down. It’s never really been clear what the meat it is, but it’s masked by something that’s sharp to the tongue so it gets a pass. In fact, when at Jack in the Box, I approach the dollar menu strategically. After some tacos drenched in additional hot sauce, a chicken sandwich makes for a nice palette cleanser, leaving the taste buds with a nice gluttonous mayonnaise flavor. Basically, every time I walk into Jack in the Box, I come in with exact change. $2.12, out the door with a full and balanced lunch (in terms of low grade meats). Their fries are arguably the best, and the dollar portion is proper, and before the Jumbo Jack graduated to the regular menu, they made an awesome combination. If a letter grade had to be given, they’d get a B+

I can’t front though. In terms of tacos, Taco Bell trumps Jack, but when going cheap, quantity plays a major factor. However, Taco Bell recently stepped up their dollar menu game a couple notches, launching the .79, 89 and .99-cent menu. In terms of dollar options, Taco Bell has got the game in a stranglehold. It’s basically the same five ingredients, but they dress them up well. I’m a fan of the newly introduced, and .89-cent, volcano taco, although the red shell is a little suspect. I’m not mad at .79-cent triple layer nachos, and I’ll go to town on some .89-cent soft tacos. As ridiculous as it sounds, the .99-cent menu is almost off limits with so many great and cheap options. Letter grade: a strong B.

I’m not a McDonald’s fan, but I have been known to wreck their Wednesday/Sunday hamburger or cheeseburger specials. I guess McDonald’s dollar menu turns me off on the strength of the parfait. It seems so out of place, and almost comical to me. The McChicken is decent and the apple pies get props, but I don’t go to McDonalds because of their dollar menu. Overall grade: C+

Wendy’s is the sleeper dollar menu. They’ve got quality items, from a Frosty and junior bacon cheeseburger, down to the five-piece chicken nuggets. It’s not the most extensive, but what they offer for cheap they do it well. Despite what BK might try to plant in your head, I’m a big fan of the sour cream and chive baked potato, and while never an urge, the chili gets a pass too. Dave, you’ve got the right formula and earned yourself a comfy A.

At first I was quick to crown Burger King, thinking back to summer of ’97 when a van full of stoned teenagers would combine to eat 15 Big Kings, but in hindsight BK is not the King. In fact, their dollar menu is pretty wack, and I’m ashamed to have even held the idea that it was on point. The chicken nuggets are bomb, but the hamburger is pretty lack luster. I mean, it has the word “regular” in it, so that shows that there is not much going on. Bring back the Big King, and we can talk, but until you step up your game, BK shall reside somewhere in the B/C range.

The winner: Wendy’s. Congratulations! HA!

Tamaya Sushi & Grill
2131 J St., Sacramento

By Corey Bloom

It seems odd that in spite of the worst economic conditions this country has seen in decades that we are just now coming around to reviewing a sushi restaurant. Trust me, my wallet is just as malnourished as yours, but if I’m going to indulge in one meal, it would have to be sushi. For one, I can’t make it (very well), so going out to sushi is always a treat. Most importantly though, whenever I eat sushi I always feel good afterward, not greasy or bloated, but refreshed and in a Zen-like food coma. If I’m going to splurge, at the very least I want to feel good about myself afterward, and sushi is always that meal for me.

In the time I’ve been in Sacramento, I’ve tried a good chunk of the sushi restaurants. I’ve gone through phases where one spot will be my favorite, and I will frequent that spot almost exclusively. About six months into my Sacramento experience, I discovered Tamaya Sushi & Grill, located at 2131 J St., a couple doors down from Tappa the World, and directly across the street from the One Man Band if you come on a weekend night. The décor is modern, and the energy is lively in both the main dining area and in the back bar area, which also doubles as a nice place to chill and grab a drink. The wait staff is attentive and helpful while giving you space and letting you enjoy your experience. Yes, this is going to be another one of those glowing reviews, but in all the times that I have been to Tamaya I have never had a bad meal, or even a bad dish.

It’s hard to look past Tamaya’s extensive menu. Picking it up is like lifting a book, with detailed descriptions of each dish or roll. I’m not even going to begin to count everything they offer, but sections include over 30 appetizers, noodles, Donburi, a healthy amount of Nigiri rolls, as well as 17 special rolls, 13 for “everyone” and 20 spicy rolls (which I generally choose from). Deciding what to get is the biggest dilemma you will face at Tamaya.

Starting with the appetizers, the spicy sashimi salad has always been a favorite to kick the meal off. The hot factor is not overbearing, and pairs nicely with the bite sized pieces of fish and the flavor of the marinated onions. I can also testify to the barbecued albacore, which is not comparable to another local variation, but nonetheless a nice start to any meal. I’m a sucker for barbecued tuna and garlic. Glancing down the menu, though, all the appetizers appear to be excellent and elegant.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ve never ventured into the entrees section of the menu, because, let’s face it, if you’re going to Japanese food, you’ve got to get sushi. With that said, let’s get into the good stuff.

To be honest, I don’t even know where to start. There are so many good features on the menu, but perhaps what stands out the most is the portions and quality of Tamaya’s fish. The portions are so generous that sometimes two rolls can make a perfect meal for two, especially for lunch. All the rolls are huge, sometimes almost too big to fit in your mouth in one bite. Oftentimes my girlfriend will get three bites out of a roll, which she has convinced herself helps her savor it more. This could hold some truth, but it’s just something I can’t do. Aside from the rolls, the sauces vary, so unlike some places that use the same three sauces on every roll, Tamaya’s rolls are all very distinct. Some of my favorite rolls on the menu include the 007, which has creamy spicy tuna, with torched salmon and avocado on the top. The Used Car Salesmen (quite a paradox) is also delectable, boasting spicy tuna, crab, avocado, shrimp tempura and then topped with red and white tuna.

Special and spicy rolls range from $9-$18, but as mentioned you can get by getting one or two. Love is a powerful word, but I love Tamaya.

I’ve been waiting weeks for this one, often fighting cravings in fear of burning out on America’s crown jewel of ground beef and its accompanying deep fried golden strands of starch. Yes, friends, I’m talking about the cheeseburger and freedom fries. Say what you will, but few meals beat the comfort and subsequent comatose of a fat greasy burger and crispy fries. And now that I’ve planted a seed in your subconscious cravings, let me now give you the only successful plan of attack: four great burger spots in the greater Downtown area.

Mind you it wouldn’t be fair to try just one, so instead I enlisted a team of Submerge staffers to help make the call and most importantly finish the food. Hunger overcame creativity, and thus was born the glorious challenge dubbed “Burger-Off.”

We tried to make the playing field as even as possible, so we decided to try each restaurant at the most basic level with the cheeseburger/fries combination. With that established, we created a complex rating system that involved tasting and thinking.

First off, the contenders: Located on 816 12th St., and with over 74 years of experience, our first spot is Jim Denny’s, a classic All-American burger joint.

For our second contender, located at 1948 Sutterville Rd. we chose Ford’s Real Hamburger, with an emphasis on the real.

The third contender, nestled at 7918 Fruitridge Rd., is the Squeeze Inn, which boasts over three decades of hamburger excellence.

And last but not least, located at 1630 J St., we have a local downtown favorite: Hamburger Patties.
Four heavyweights, three hungry judges. Let’s get it on.

Jim Denny’s
James Barone: Loved the thin, fast food-style fries—not as plastic-y tasting as the shit you’ll get at McDonald’s. Grilled onions on the burger were a plus, flavorful patty, but the bun was pretty weak.
James Pitner: Strong mustard flavor, quality meat, good cheese and grilled onions. The grilled onions made this burger.
Corey Bloom: The patty and fries were a little thin for my liking, but the flavors are good. A good burger, not a great one.

Ford’s Real Hamburger
James Barone: Biggest patty by far, but not as well seasoned as the other entrants. Tasty onions and fresh-tasting fixings, but the fries were also pretty boring.
James Pitner: This one comes with a cool layer of shredded lettuce and fresh fixings. I think they could have been a little more liberal with the seasoning.
Corey Bloom: I like a homemade patty, and this is definitely one of those. Very big and juicy, great bun and a good secret sauce. I remember them having different fries, which I liked better; but again, not bad.

Squeeze Inn
James Barone: Delicious hamburger patty and toppings plus a sesame seed bun all made for a great sandwich, but the copious melted cheese and cheese flap were a bit much—too salty
and distracting.
James Pitner: This burger is not for the weak hearted. The bun is delicious, the fixings handle their biz and the place is greasy as hell!
Corey Bloom: Great fresh, hand-cut, unfrozen fries. The cheese skirt that draped the burger was a little much for me, but once you get past that the rest is great.

Hamburger Patties
Corey Bloom: A good burger, and the most straightforward of the bunch. The fries were okay as well.
James Barone: Tastiest hamburger patty for sure, though the fries were pretty bland.
James Pitner: The charbroiled taste of this burger set it apart from its competition.

In the end, it was the Squeeze Inn who took it all, winning unanimously in the fries category and tied Hamburger Patties in the meat department. Propelled by great fries, their overall victory was an upset and a surprise to some (mainly me). However, as much as we tried to make it a competition, everyone agreed that all of the burgers were good in their own right and we would undoubtedly eat at each spot again.

Bigger Than Mother Earth

Days before heading out on his Paint the Nation tour that will put him on the road through November, Slug is faced with a daunting four hours of interviews. If anything were to deter me from the rap life, that just might be it, but just as he does with his music, Slug puts things into a whole new perspective. “I try to treat it like a job,” he says. “This is the best job I’ve ever had and I don’t want to get fired. I try and give it my all and prove to myself and my 80,000 19-year-old bosses that I want to keep my job.”

A dedicated and hard working employee of rap for the past decade, Slug has continually delivered dope product. Alongside his producer Ant, as Atmosphere they’ve released six albums, a handful of EPs and garnered an army of followers. If you know them, you love them and if you don’t, then you’re tripping. The following is 10 minutes with Slug, so read along and be sure to catch Atmosphere on Sept. 19 at Empire.

In preparation for this interview, I noticed in a Google search that Atmosphere (the rap group) shows up twice before the thing that protects Earth. What does that say to you?
[Laughs] I guess my Internet presence is pretty powerful. I’m one of those artists who kind of lives on the Internet. I’m much more relevant online than I am in your mall’s record store. I’m still surprised though [laughs]! Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t me going, “Yeah, I earned that.” But uh, damn. Sorry Mother Earth.

I’ve been able to watch your career unfold for over a decade now, and it seems you guys have made strategic steps to build things up to what you have today. In reality, how much of that was actually planned?
Well, I mean I was just about to correct you when you used the adjective strategic, because I don’t see any of it as strategic. I think everything we’ve done has been a common sense move. It’s kind of like something presents itself and a decision needs to be made, so we have gone with what makes sense at the time. Rhymesayers, in general, it was so simple to navigate because it was a small label with a small roster and staff. It just came down to what was necessary to do and what made sense.

Would you credit that to the label’s success, that it’s not some over-thought business operation?
Well, that’s not necessarily true either because, me, I’m a pothead, so I over-think everything. But it wasn’t a situation where we had a business model to go with. We didn’t have anything to base it off of so it was just a matter of what do you want to do about this or that. It’s not that I don’t over-think the decisions when those moments arrive, but more so I guess we didn’t really know exactly what was going to happen so we just took it as it came. The label itself was born around the same time as the Internet, and we knew we couldn’t follow the model of the majors.

I was looking at the pictures sent for this story, and there was a poster on your basement wall that looks like it was sent to you from an elementary school classroom. How does it feel to be recognized on a level like that?
Yeah, that was from some students in Palo Alto, Calif. They were fourth graders and their teacher must have been like 28 or something. I mean there are a million rappers she could have probably chosen to teach what she was teaching. She was just trying to teach her students how to think outside the box and write in rhythm while applying hip-hop to her curriculum. But yeah, that was a trip, to have a bunch of fourth graders autograph a poster and send it to me. That stuff trips me out, but at the same time I’m just trying to take it for what it is. You got to realize in the world, you’re your own universe, but you’re not the universe. You are what you are to you, but how other people take you and use you for their universe, you don’t have control over that. I try not to be too tripped out, and just think this isn’t about me, it’s about that person and what they took from it. When they relay that to me, I try not to let that go to my head or get too freaked out because it’s not a part of me and what I am, it’s a part of that person and how they took what I do. It’s funny though because I get e-mails from people that use our music in their classroom, just college professors and stuff like that, and it’s weird for me. I’m not a very academic person. I didn’t go to college, and I don’t know what those situations are like, but I assume that if they’re using me and Anthony [producer Ant] in any of their teachings, it must be pretty loose.

As a writer do you think about the individuals who you are touching or is it more for you, and just that creative release or I guess what people refer to as a therapy for you?
I don’t know that I would call it a therapy. People used to ask me that around Seven’s Travels, and I would say yeah because it seemed like an easy answer, but this was never a catharsis for me. It was more like, I want to be a rapper so I got to keep writing songs, so that’s what I did. As far as who I’m trying to impress or who am I trying to get a reaction out of, it’s always been Ant. If I can make him react, then I know I’m on the right page because he is a lot like me. He sees things the way I see them, and we agree on a lot of things. If he hears what I’m saying and he feels it, then I know I’m conveying it correctly. Where it goes from there is beyond me. Honestly, I can’t imagine why a bunch of 18-year-old kids would care about a song about parenthood. If they do, so be it, but I don’t know why. I got a son who is 14. He thinks I’m the Dave Matthews of hip-hop”¦in a bad way. All my homies, though, he thinks they’re the shit. Brother Ali is his favorite rapper, but he looks at me like a sell-out.

1309 21st Street | Sacramento, California

I never use this phrase, and I mean it in the most endearing and honorary sense, but Pieces Pizza is that crack! In terms of pizza by the slice restaurants, I will go on record as saying that Pieces is quite possibly the best pizza I have ever devoured. It’s the most expensive, but the heartiest and freshest slice you’ll find.

Located on 1309 21st St., across from Washington Mutual, Pieces is a little tricky to spot if you don’t know it exists. An illegible neon sign hangs in the window, but it is best recognized by the many patrons who dine in the restaurant’s outside seating. The atmosphere inside is equally modest, with home-style tables and chairs, a mural and a dizzying amount of flyers for upcoming local shows. One thing that immediately struck me about the joint prior to indulging in my first slice was the music they had playing. On my first visit they were playing Organized Konfusions’ Stress: The Extinction Agenda (I pay very close attention to these things and never forget such trivial moments), and have continually proven their fine taste in music with my every visit. Eating in at Pieces is almost like hanging out in your living room, and while some might scoff at that, I happen to enjoy the low key comfort and casual vibe of the restaurant.

Upon entering, there are always at least three different pizzas to choose your slice from. Pesto and pepperoni are the mainstay slices, and combinations, Hawaiian or vegetarian are also frequently ready. On occasion, you can find more unusual slices like a sun-dried tomato and blue cheese crumble, or maybe a chicken and bacon and slice. If you don’t find something you like, they will make to order, but be prepared to hang out for a minute. One of the restaurant’s defining traits is they use only fresh ingredients. The vegetables are still full of life and taste, and the meats are always juicy and full of flavor. They serve light on the sauce (which I like) and lay on a thick layer of cheese (again, which I thoroughly enjoy). As mentioned, a slice is a little expensive (running from $4 to $6), but they are huge and fitting for an entire meal. A regular slice is often too big to fit entirely on a plate. I’m telling you, one slice is a meal, and while I’ve seen the brave try to take on two slices they inevitably fall short.

Their portions and fresh ingredients are all worthy of praise, but what makes Pieces that crack is the crust. I don’t know what they do to it, (I suspect a lot of butter) but it is fucking incredible. If you’re there with me, I will give you uncomfortable glares until you offer me your crust; it’s that good. I swear it’s in the crust that lays that secret to all my cravings. It’s not overly thick or fluffy, but again just right (due to the hand-tossing no doubt) with the ends rolled into tunnels of buttery and cheesy awesomeness. It’s crispy and never soggy, and also makes for a sturdy handle if you’re eating with the taco fold method. They need to make bread sticks of the crust, and if they do, I hope they name it after me, because there is no way a mans life can be immortalized with more honor than having a doughy stick of carbs named after him.

If the above-mentioned facts weren’t enough, Pieces is open late into the night and come 2 a.m. is often full of like-minded drunkards looking to consume a sponge for all the liquor. They also serve beer (I believe four different kinds including Stella), but don’t go in at 1:45 with the intention of furthering your night of drinking as all alcoholic beverages are collected as soon as the clock strikes 2″¦trust me, I made the mistake last night and watched four full pints whisked away to who knows where. Also worth noting, their tip jar is a pitcher full of water, which I was told is to deter theft. Ingenious!

So yeah, I jock Pieces pretty tough. The food is great, they’re open late and the staff is always real cool. I ate twice there last night so pardon me while I lace up my running shoes.

I support taco trucks, hot dog vendors (especially those dudes who mix in the bacon, onions and peppers), ice cream trucks (and handcarts) and basically almost any mobile food service. I admire their entrepreneurship, and most importantly, their food. They work hard, so I have no problem breaking bread with them. For this installment, I’m giving shine to a gem on wheels that some of you may or may not be familiar: the fruit cart vendor.

I have no clue if there is an official name for these. All I know is that on a hot day there are few things as refreshing as a huge 32 oz. cup filled with freshly cut fruits. From what I remember, there weren’t many of any of these carts around town last summer, but I feel like this year they are all over the place; Broadway, Florin, Franklin, Fruitridge, etc. Spotting them is easy, just look for the colorful umbrella on the side of the road; and I swear once you’re aware of them, you’ll notice their abundance.

My first experience with these delights was out in Oakland on International St., where the portions were far less favorable and served in a plastic bag that was not nearly as easy to eat out of as the durable plastic containers found at my Broadway location (I’m gonna keep it real ridiculous and hold onto mine for future leftovers). Ordering is simple; just pick and choose what fruits you want. Choices usually include: watermelon, pineapple, mango, oranges, cantaloupe and cucumber, and you have the option of adding chili powder and limejuice. The chili powder and limejuice sounds a little odd considering all the natural flavors involved, but consider it an added bonus. Maybe on your first trip, try the chili powder in a small dose at first as I can see it not being for everybody, but my thinking goes if they do it, so should I.

For some it might be just a snack, but I can usually maintain with one cup for lunch. Prices vary, but expect to pay somewhere between $4 and $5, and while it might sound like a lot for fruit it’s a small price to pay for a truly healthy lunch. Alright that sounded mad corny, and instead of trying to further convince you I’ll stop by promising you won’t be disappointed.

By Corey Bloom

Life Advice from the Dude

I believe in the Dude, 100 percent.

For over a decade and through four solo albums, plus a handful of group collaborations, the animated MC from Houston known as Devin the Dude has always filled his rhymes with a level of honesty and wisdom that most rappers are scared to embrace. He admits to putting $5 in the tank and buying a beer with his last few dollars. He gets denied by women, and might tell a lie from time to time. He has vices too, but at the end of the day he’s just tryin’ to live and make the best of what he’s got.

During his one night stay in Sacramento for a performance with Bun-B, we caught up with Devin at the beginning of a two-month excursion that will take him from New York to Alaska and everywhere in between. With a new album dropping on April 1 alongside his group the Coughee Brothers entitled Smoke Sessions Vol. 1, and in the wake of splitting with his label of 15 years and venturing out independently for the first time in his career, there was plenty to talk about. However, we took a left and decided to hit up our friends to ask the Dude for some life advice. He abided, as any Dude of honor would, and the result”¦well, take heed. And of course, keep an eye out for Smoke Sessions Vol. 1.

Devin is the truth.

First, I had a homie fly to go see a girl he messed with or whatever, thinking he was gonna go down there and it was gonna be on. Anyway, he got there and everything was cool. They start kissing and whatnot, and then she springs it on him that she has a boyfriend. What would have been the proper way to handle that situation?
Awwww man, that shoulda been handled before he got the ticket and left. You gotta get that understood before you spend time and money and emotions. Sometimes an old fling ain’t what it used to be, both of you pretty much know each other’s conversation and emotions can get lost. Sometimes you just gotta let em know that when you get back that way to see them there is gonna be something in it for them too. It can’t just be I’m gonna come down there, rekindle some shit, and you gonna give me some pussy [laughs]. You gotta come with something: a night out, or bring something she would remember; an item or conversational piece that y’all shared, and just warm it up before you make that big trip.

Next one, you’ve cheated and you got caught. How do you go about making it up?
Well, that’s a matter of time and how much love that woman has for you. Really, it’s what made you do it. Sometimes there is no excuse, other times you tend not to get treated as well as you’ve been treated before and you venture off. Females, they understand that too, but they just don’t want to say it. A little time will heal a lot, and small gestures here and there will work until things patch up.

Where is the best place in the country to find a woman with no teeth and a heart of gold? And why do these attributes seem to always go together?
No teeth and a heart of gold? There is a nursing home in Houston that I know of that we deliver lunches to, you might be able to find what you’re looking for there. There are plenty of them there [laughs].

What do you do when you’re boy is the weed man, and he’s selling garbage?
You tell him he needs to go down on the prices [laughs].

This is my favorite, how do I tell my boss I don’t respect him anymore?
Land a new job [laughs].

Is pillow talk more dangerous than it is beneficial?
Yes, yes it is. It gets you caught up. The blood rushes to different places in your body, and your brain isn’t really comprehending everything ’cause you’re just going after this one target. There are so many ways to get to it, and sometimes you choose that wrong path and you fuck up everything. You use the wrong word in the wrong line, and everything gets intertwined. But you can get caught up ’cause the women will ask you questions like why do you like this? When you’re laying down it’s hard to come up with the right answers, and while you’re trying to make sure it sounds right, sometimes they’ll read through it and it doesn’t go as well.

I have a friend who lives by the famous adage, ‘Don’t fuck up your fasho pussy, trying to get some more pussy.’ [quoting Devin’s “Fasho” off the 1994 Odd Squad album Fadanuf Fa Erybody] He played by the rules, but his fasho left him.
Ok, well there is no perfect way to keep your fasho pussy even if you don’t try to get some more pussy. Just trying to get some more pussy is one of the most common reasons why people don’t have their fasho. But just keep that same spirit, and the next woman he’ll run across, it will be fine. Just stick to the format. But keeping and fucking over are two different things, so you gotta find out what it means. If you fuck someone over and just dog them and disrespect them, like if you listen to the song, having this lady in the same bed as your woman, that ain’t cool. There are ways to go about getting yours, without getting nothing.

Is it OK to move back in with your baby momma when she wants you, but you don’t want her and your pockets are hurting?
Wow, well man, it’s tough to move in with anyone who wants you and you don’t have any money. If you don’t want her, it won’t last. I would not do it strictly because of money, but if there is any kind of love involved and you feel it might have some chance to grow, you might as well take that chance.

Am I punk for not getting high before this interview?
Oh no, I’m not high either, so we both trippin’ [laughs].

Have you thought about charging for advice?
Well actually I’m about ready to come out with a cartoon with a guy who gives advice to a lot of people who wouldn’t think he would have that advice to give. He kinda shocks them into making them realize the right choices. He has a little help from his friend from another galaxy named Zeldar [laughs]. That’s just a blueprint, we’re still working on some stuff. I still need a lot of advice myself, but if I can convey it good enough and give the right answers, it feels good to give people advice.