I was plenty surprised too, but then the Rampart scandal came to light and made suspicion of framing by the LAPD a lot more plausible (not necessarily for the OJ case specifically, but as a general feeling among the populace from which the jury was selected).
Totally OT, but may I just say that the introduction of the word "hella" is proof positive that today's (or whenever) youth are pale pathetic idiot wastrals as compared to...well, us. That and the "shizzle my nizzle" shit are the linguistic bell-bottoms and mullets we'll remember angrily years from now.
I agree with you, Mitch. Hearing about the Rampart scandal, and hearing African-American friends describe encounters with the police made me realize how differently people see the police (and it's not as if I was a big fan myself) and how completely normal it would have sounded to the OJ jury for the cops to have tried to frame him.
Hella is acceptable, I think. "Izza"/"izzle" ubby-dubby language, by contrast, occupies the nadir of cultural lameness. One hopes that African-Americans are simply replaying the great grunge hoax on hapless white teenagers.
1. This suggests to me that Jay-Z is a lousy rapper. Can I get some suggestion for the good Jay-Z that has won so much acclaim? Fontana, SCMT, anyone?
2. Is this the cultural high-water mark for Nick Van Exel?
3. Has any other prominent rap featured a player subsequently traded to Golden State? [or any person who at time was listed on the roster of the Denver Nuggets?]
I think this says all that needs to be said about the LAPD:
The LAPD, The FBI, and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.
The CIA goes in. They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations they conclude that rabbits do not exist.
The FBI goes in. After two weeks with no leads they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it coming.
The LAPD goes in. They come out two hours later with a badly beaten bear. The bear is yelling: "Okay! Okay! I'm a rabbit! I'm a rabbit!"
A similar joke is told about the Chicago police, in which three people are trying out to join the Secret Service (let's say they're an FBI agent, a SEAL, and a Chicago police officer); they're told that they'll have to be absolutely ruthless and as a test must go into that room over there and kill the criminal inside, and are handed guns. They go in order; the agent and the SEAL return criminal unshot and say stuff like "you sick assholes, that was my wife in there!". The CPD guy goes in, there are sounds of struggle; he emerges and says that some fool forgot to load the gun so he had to strangle her.
Reading Sobchak's comment at the end, I thought this was the Robert Blake defense.
So I was going to defend izzle by linking to the lyrics to Frankie Smith's "Double Dutch Bus," but not only do the online lyrics fail to reproduce the best part--"Wilzay youzay plizay thizay double dizutch"; "(Rep with children)," that's total ass--but I discover that Safire wrote a column about it. Yuck-o. Baa, game, set, and match.
Apropos of nothing, someone who purportedly studies these things once told me that (a) the most corrupt police force in the US, by a long shot, was New Orleans, and (b) LA had most of its problems in large part b/c they tried to do policing on the cheap - they have a very low officer to citizen ratio.
To be honest, baa, I'm really not very knowledgeable about music. I'm basically stuck in the mid 80's - mid 90's: I'm listening to a little Smiths right now (to be followed by...wait for it, wait for it...Rick Astley (AKA White Man/Black Voice)). I'm afraid what little I've heard of Jay-Z I've hated. These days, I'm the guy muttering about "those damn kids and their music."
I will note that I'm pretty sure I've heard some hip-hop references to Earl Boykins.
Finally, I can't believe you like "hella". Compare it to "bomb," "stupid (stoopid)" "mad," "skillz," etc.; the 80s/90s had it all over these ponces.
"Mad" is an import from the Brits, and is much older than the 90s; "wicked," like "baked" was definitely around in the 80s, and is, AFAIK, ltd to New England. As for "hella"... it still sucks, and I disavow all knowledge of it until it showed up on my doorstep in the late 90s.
Haha! Much respect to any player who is streakier than I am. I love to watch Van Exel, but only if he's playing for the opposing team--sure, he'll do some amazing things to win games for them, but he will uncork some 0-11 streak when they can least afford it.
Ah yes, I did say that, but it was more like a year, rather than a week ago. But my on-court demeanor kinship is much closer with Rasheed Wallace than Nick the Quick. (Note: this was a long time ago; I've mellowed.)
Last week ogged gave an example of his back-talking his basketball coach; Mitch in comments pointed out that he'd posted the same anecdote last year, and those of us who clicked through got to read about Ogged's habit of picking up technicals.
My instinct is to say that I'm busted, but I'm squelching it. Tim wrote that "just last week [ogged] indicated," but I did no such thing. I "indicated" in April of 2004. Tim would have been correct to say that we "were reminded" or even "learned" last week, but that's not what he said.
Just FTR, I wasn't interested in busting anyone, just laying out the underlying facts so that the situation would be clear to all involved. (No, I haven't been kidnapped.)
I was plenty surprised too, but then the Rampart scandal came to light and made suspicion of framing by the LAPD a lot more plausible (not necessarily for the OJ case specifically, but as a general feeling among the populace from which the jury was selected).
Posted by Mitch Mills | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:16 AM
Totally OT, but may I just say that the introduction of the word "hella" is proof positive that today's (or whenever) youth are pale pathetic idiot wastrals as compared to...well, us. That and the "shizzle my nizzle" shit are the linguistic bell-bottoms and mullets we'll remember angrily years from now.
Must get second cup of coffee.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 6:06 AM
As opposed to what? Tubular? Decent? (As in, "That new Poison song is totally decent!")
Posted by Chopper | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 6:29 AM
"Bitching," Chopper. As in, "That new Ratt song is totally bitching."
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 7:45 AM
Hella bitchin?
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 8:24 AM
I agree with you, Mitch. Hearing about the Rampart scandal, and hearing African-American friends describe encounters with the police made me realize how differently people see the police (and it's not as if I was a big fan myself) and how completely normal it would have sounded to the OJ jury for the cops to have tried to frame him.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 9:17 AM
Hella is acceptable, I think. "Izza"/"izzle" ubby-dubby language, by contrast, occupies the nadir of cultural lameness. One hopes that African-Americans are simply replaying the great grunge hoax on hapless white teenagers.
Also, can someone explain to me what a HOVA is?
Posted by baa | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 9:33 AM
The urban dictionary says...
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 9:36 AM
Young hova
Ya'll know when the flow is loco
Young b and the r-o-c uh oh
O-G, big homie
The one and only
Stick boney but the pockets are fat like tony
Soprano the roc handle
Like van Exel
I shake phonies man, you can't get next to
A genuine article, i do not sing tho
I sling though , if anything i bling yo
Points to be made here:
1. This suggests to me that Jay-Z is a lousy rapper. Can I get some suggestion for the good Jay-Z that has won so much acclaim? Fontana, SCMT, anyone?
2. Is this the cultural high-water mark for Nick Van Exel?
3. Has any other prominent rap featured a player subsequently traded to Golden State? [or any person who at time was listed on the roster of the Denver Nuggets?]
Posted by baa | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 9:54 AM
I think this says all that needs to be said about the LAPD:
Posted by Walter Sobchak | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 12:20 PM
A similar joke is told about the Chicago police, in which three people are trying out to join the Secret Service (let's say they're an FBI agent, a SEAL, and a Chicago police officer); they're told that they'll have to be absolutely ruthless and as a test must go into that room over there and kill the criminal inside, and are handed guns. They go in order; the agent and the SEAL return criminal unshot and say stuff like "you sick assholes, that was my wife in there!". The CPD guy goes in, there are sounds of struggle; he emerges and says that some fool forgot to load the gun so he had to strangle her.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 12:24 PM
Yeah, that one's great too, Wolfson ("Some asshole loaded my gun with blanks, so I had to strangle the bitch.")
Posted by Walter Sobchak | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 12:29 PM
Reading Sobchak's comment at the end, I thought this was the Robert Blake defense.
So I was going to defend izzle by linking to the lyrics to Frankie Smith's "Double Dutch Bus," but not only do the online lyrics fail to reproduce the best part--"Wilzay youzay plizay thizay double dizutch"; "(Rep with children)," that's total ass--but I discover that Safire wrote a column about it. Yuck-o. Baa, game, set, and match.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 12:51 PM
Reading Sobchak's comment at the end, I thought this was the Robert Blake defense.
That is just wrong on so many levels.
Posted by Walter Sobchak | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 1:23 PM
I quote Dave Chappelle (in a sketch which, coincidentalyl, provides the definitive statement on the OJ Simpson case): "oh yeah, Baretta did that shit"
Posted by baa | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 1:54 PM
Apropos of nothing, someone who purportedly studies these things once told me that (a) the most corrupt police force in the US, by a long shot, was New Orleans, and (b) LA had most of its problems in large part b/c they tried to do policing on the cheap - they have a very low officer to citizen ratio.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:03 PM
SCMT, you owe me a referral to a good Jay-Z song. (and by owe, I mean, would do me a favor if you provided)
Posted by baa | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:19 PM
To be honest, baa, I'm really not very knowledgeable about music. I'm basically stuck in the mid 80's - mid 90's: I'm listening to a little Smiths right now (to be followed by...wait for it, wait for it...Rick Astley (AKA White Man/Black Voice)). I'm afraid what little I've heard of Jay-Z I've hated. These days, I'm the guy muttering about "those damn kids and their music."
I will note that I'm pretty sure I've heard some hip-hop references to Earl Boykins.
Finally, I can't believe you like "hella". Compare it to "bomb," "stupid (stoopid)" "mad," "skillz," etc.; the 80s/90s had it all over these ponces.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:30 PM
"hella", like "mad" and "wicked", is from the 90s.
A USENET post from 1996 describing a dangerous but hella fun science tip.
Another from 1995.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:34 PM
"Hella" sighted in 1990, and a more contentious sighting from 1986.
pwned, Tim.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:37 PM
"Mad" is an import from the Brits, and is much older than the 90s; "wicked," like "baked" was definitely around in the 80s, and is, AFAIK, ltd to New England. As for "hella"... it still sucks, and I disavow all knowledge of it until it showed up on my doorstep in the late 90s.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:37 PM
In reverse order:
I only said it was acceptable. It's no "stoopid," and it's hardly "dope," I agree.
Earl Boykins rules. In my dream world, he knocks the Lakers out of the playoffs by forcing a last second Kobe turnover.
Yeah, I, too, am trapped in the Golden Age of rap. If Fontana would stop "mentoring" his students, maybe he could stop by here and help us out.
Posted by baa | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:38 PM
"Wicked" is no longer limited to New England, though that is certainly its stronghold.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:39 PM
I imagine all sorts of perversions occurred in usenet before migrating to popular culture. I never heard hella in the second millenium.
Wicked has moved outside New England? Pissah
Posted by baa | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:48 PM
Should death occur, you must inter.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 2:51 PM
Guys, I hate to say this but "Wicked" was being used in OLD England in 1982 at the latest. Along wiv' "Sortid" etc.
Posted by Austro | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 3:02 PM
Isn't 26 ambiguous between whether "wicked" stopped being used in OLD England in 1982 or had certainly come into use by 1982?
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 3:43 PM
Quite Correct. lets try "...OLD England by 1982..."
Beg Pardon, won't happen again.
Posted by Austro | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 4:52 PM
Now I'd like you all to reconsider your comments in light of the fact that Tim's excursion into slang history was, as he noted, off topic.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:13 PM
See my comment 25. I can be on-topic too.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:16 PM
How do you feel about Van Exel's game, ogged? I'm a fan.
Posted by baa | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:27 PM
Haha! Much respect to any player who is streakier than I am. I love to watch Van Exel, but only if he's playing for the opposing team--sure, he'll do some amazing things to win games for them, but he will uncork some 0-11 streak when they can least afford it.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:31 PM
You had to know ogged would feel a certain fellowship with Van Exel; just last week he indicated he was a head-case on the court, too.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:35 PM
I did? I mean, it's true, but I don't remember admitting it.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:36 PM
You quit the team b/c of your temper, and joined debate. Pretty much Van Exel's 1998 season.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:41 PM
To get us back on topic, I can testify that I and my friends used "hella" in high school in Seattle, at least as early as 1986.
Or was that not the topic?
Posted by Big Ben | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:41 PM
Ah yes, I did say that, but it was more like a year, rather than a week ago. But my on-court demeanor kinship is much closer with Rasheed Wallace than Nick the Quick. (Note: this was a long time ago; I've mellowed.)
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 5:45 PM
Last week ogged gave an example of his back-talking his basketball coach; Mitch in comments pointed out that he'd posted the same anecdote last year, and those of us who clicked through got to read about Ogged's habit of picking up technicals.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 6:43 PM
My instinct is to say that I'm busted, but I'm squelching it. Tim wrote that "just last week [ogged] indicated," but I did no such thing. I "indicated" in April of 2004. Tim would have been correct to say that we "were reminded" or even "learned" last week, but that's not what he said.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 6:48 PM
habit of picking up technicals.
Celibacy leads to a lot of sublimated rage.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 6:54 PM
et tu, apostropher? This was high school!
So you might be right.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 6:55 PM
"Masturbation does too count as sex!"
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 03-30-05 7:03 PM
Just FTR, I wasn't interested in busting anyone, just laying out the underlying facts so that the situation would be clear to all involved. (No, I haven't been kidnapped.)
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 03-31-05 10:30 AM
That bar's name was... Calypso?
Posted by chiggins | Link to this comment | 03-31-05 5:17 PM