Like many hip-hop fans in Los Angeles, I spent the last weeks of 2024 listening to Kendrick Lamar's GNX. While listening, I couldn't help but review the Kendrick-Drake battle that erupted after years of bubbling tension. There was one thing in particular that incensed Kendrick (and Tupac fans like myself). That was Drake's use of … Continue reading GNX Was Inspired by Seven Day Theory
Author: JC Gonzalez
A New Dodgers Story in 2024
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to pick up their 8th World Series championship. And you couldn't dream up a better finish to the 2024 season. This victory put 2020 in a new light and got everyone again telling the old stories of 1981 and 1988. The 2020 Story: COVID The 2020 … Continue reading A New Dodgers Story in 2024
From Slappy to Saviors: 35 Years of Green Day
As I began listening to Saviors — Green Day's latest album — I was instantly reminded why this band has meant so much over my life. I decided then to run their discography and revisit my thoughts and feelings on a band that’s meant so much and survived over three decades. I found Dookie as … Continue reading From Slappy to Saviors: 35 Years of Green Day
Rain, Graff, Kobe, and a Quake: A Week So L.A.
Last week began with three days of nonstop rain that challenged the concrete walls of the Los Angeles River. As the rains started, we also started to see graffiti pieces on the tall, abandoned Oceanwide towers across from Staples Center (I refuse to use its current official name). As the unveiling of the Kobe Bryant … Continue reading Rain, Graff, Kobe, and a Quake: A Week So L.A.
Gotta Love That Los Angeles Christmas
You won't get a white Christmas in Los Angeles. At least, not a natural one. You can go to the Grove or the Americana, where they will make it "snow" nightly for a few minutes. You can go to Pershing Square or L.A. Live to ice skate outdoors. And if that's your thing, great! Most … Continue reading Gotta Love That Los Angeles Christmas
Angeleno, Angelino, or Angeleño — Which is Right?
As I was reading DJ Waldie's Becoming Los Angeles: Myth, Memory, and a Sense of Place, I came across one particular essay that hit close to home — literally. "A 2015 report to the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission, in a filing to give historical status to an Edwardian-era house, named its location as Angelino … Continue reading Angeleno, Angelino, or Angeleño — Which is Right?
Los Angeles Noise 