Shout Outs

Recently, I’ve been re-turned-on to the Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor album. If you know that album, you probably know the last track, Outro. It’s a 12 minute shout out to all those who made him what he is, got him to where he is, influenced him in some way. And he is not alone, artists have used their albums, both tracks and booklets, as opportunities to say thank you (and &$!# you) to many people. People also call in to radio stations all the time just to say their friends names on the air. Oscar acceptance speeches get cut short because people want say too many thank you. But it’s not just people; you only need to listen to about three rap songs before you get to a song that rattles off US cities, or area codes, or airport abbreviations to let you know the places they’re sending their love. It got me thinking what would my shout out be.

I wanna use nicknames, be as esoteric as a can be, I want a dope beat, I wanna shout old street names and I wanna make people feel special when they hear their city or name. Though I know I have enough people to thank, places to verbally visit, and influences to cite that I should be able to lay down a track but I always have trouble picturing it coming out some fluidly. I was about to start to write a blurb of thanks but where to begin. Can you start it without slighting someone? Does the order matter? Chronological? Alphabetical? What if you forget someone? But the people who should be included in any list of mine would not want me to hide behind fears such as these.

The Original JV’s for making it all possible. L-boogie for expanding the possibilities. Those leading way; Holland’s finest, the hen of the Roost, Garlic Grandad and my Kifli Queen. Jennie Jr. Branch 2, preach! Uncs in Decatuville. My pitcrew leader, Steve. Konczer, Suzy-Q and all the K-zee-zees. Cedar Point to Vegas. Folks lounging in SB, Chad and Damann. St. Francis, Gema, Mario, Madrid Mafia. Imperial-izeri, Matt ‘Twin Falls’ Gillis. Amy, Pat, Lisa, Critical Mass, Byron, ATL pot hole crew. Bru, the Rud, Open Air Transmissions, Jon Whitaker, The Middle Men, Hog Operation Melsesse and the STA drumline, Denny & Randy cruisin with two brakes. J-hedge, J-Free, J-Feez, Jim Skura and Jerry D, the early J-dilla. Smells Like Karma Police and Killer Potatoes. CSG and all the OSC, Asad, Student Government, NHS, Rotary Club Decatur players, IceHouse, BGhs, John, Shannon, Bodhito. Papa Boner, tha Bhoplaya, Edgar. Ponce Place, hold it down. Migrizzle, Baby-D, Chernoff, LPS, Jeff-O, K-weezy, Omar Sharif, Kristof. Tha Wu, Jeff Foucault, Boards of Canada, Orbital, Slide Hampton. Tonkin Bay down to Saigon - Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien and Phuong Huang. Much love from tay ba lo, cu teo. St. Pius, and Trenton travelin’. Big ups to TC, Tom Senior and the Maltese Matriarch. Brickstore, JavaMonkey, DSC keep doin’ what you’re doin’. Ajay, my sharona, P-trak, SCOPE Town & Country. Return to get some Kulcher back in the Shelter of Fordline. Vinay, Trish, and Billy Barnes, T-Koons, J-Bud, Mike MacBride, all my EAGLES, Saluto and Dunaway. Rocking lunch with Vanstinkus, K. Wright, Sertage, and Plunkett. Mr. Long. Juan Felipe, Jorge, Caro, Desiy Mazy, Cazu, everyone keeping the BOG wet.
Akzo Nobel, Nelson Miller Parkway to Hong Kong. Dave and Liza. Jesse, Allsion, Martling. La Septima, Casa de Babylon, runnin the Chapinero, Futbol Cinco and Germania. Paul, Leah, Mark. Christmas Pageants. FAMO, Tony, Christina, Daisy, Phuc, Chip Chip, my Tet familia. Uptown Jon, Muna and Rhysito, Garden Groove to Chinatown. Raul and O’Bradiviches, Bluegrass, much love, Woody and Grits. 540 Packard, Michael, Bilskar, Carp, Gill, Mikey, Davis in the Annex, Freeman the honorary, and the guy that lived with Davis. Olga Lucia, FES Luis Fernando, UniAndes, Mike & Tom, CQGRD, CDC, GTMCRP, RSPH, GH, GEH, EOH. Biggie & Pac, much love to both coasts. Paul & Hil, the most engaging duo. The Spindlers, Howard – Mr. Belvedere. Carps of the Bay. Pac Heights. Woodlawn. Back up north for fond memories yet to happen. Duke V, do your thing. Van An, Hang. Quan mot represent, di choi. G-raffe, Bon-Scott, tanrthanU, Li-dizzy, Cherokee Triangle, Bardstown Rd. Cahoots, burritos as big as your head, cafes on the world, and TARC.

Once you start going, it’s easier than you think. You can even get carried away. I made sure that I put the most important people first. There’s not really anyway to say enough about them so I made sure that I made some conscience decision to put them first. Then I went through places and phases of my life and then shuffled the whole order. Than you start to think about who you’re leaving out and more come to mind, but you can’t keep going like that forever. If you feel left out I apologize. Give me a comment and I will amend it. Anyway, I encourage you to take this chance to make your own shout out. Feel free to use the comment space to send your love out to whomever is deserving.