#iTunesSounds: Four To Know – November 11, 2015

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture and By: Jordan Davis @JDavisPSB

I Lied – DJ Khaled

Keep an eye out for this one off of the latest Khaled release “I Changed A Lot.” Ironically, this track is a very standard cut off of a Khaled CD featuring French Montana on the hook. I got the assist thrown while attending the Keil Moore Showcase in Philadelphia at a Subway from Matt Jones as I was “breaking bread” with Rider assistant coach Sean “Sticks” Smith.

It’s been a rough fall for Meek Mill but the embattled rapper delivers a solid verse on this one. He teams up with fellow Northeast corridor rappers Beanie Sigel and Jadakiss to drop one of the more memorable tracks on the CD. – Brandon Clay

Kiss Me Quick – Nathan Sykes

I’ve been a fan of Sykes solo career since his duet with Ariana Grande on the track “Almost Is Never Enough” off of her Yours Truly album released in 2013. A former member of the band “The Wanted,” Sykes has a rich voice that over the Kiss Me Quick beat has a pop feel. This song has been in the rotation since the middle of October. Keep an eye on another Sykes’ track “Over and Over Again” as well. – Brandon Clay

Verge – Owl City

One of my favorite groups in the genre, Owl City, teams up with one of my favorite singers of the past 12 months in Aloe Blacc. In “Verge,” Owl City has another hit in their pocket similar to their “Fireflies” smash hit back in the summer of 2009. It’s an uptempo flow with Blacc playing his role well. – Brandon Clay

Vice City – Jay Rock feat. Black Hippy

“Black Hippy” is back since their last time being seen on the U.O.E.N.O remix (a performance that even my 40-year-old pops appreciates) and their incredible cypher at their BET Awards in 2013. A modern rap group that includes artist such as Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock. Black Hippy’s new song “Vice City” does an impressive job of displaying the versatility of the West Coast super group.

Kendrick starts off the song by making joking references to stereotypical ideology behind rap music saying, “I got big money, big booty women, man that stuff’s gonna be the death of me.” After his verse, Kendrick lets Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q obliterate the track. My personal favorite part of this batch of artist is the way each musician is able to bring in their own style to the group. – Jordan Davis

Brandon Clay is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com through his various genre reviews. A self-professed entertainment & music junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. You can follow him on Twitter @PSBPopCulture.

J-Davis-PSBPopCulture Jordan Davis is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com with a unique blend of #PSBPopCulture reviews. Davis has been rocking the latest trends since arriving here in 1995. He is currently a student at Kennesaw State, a Social Media Intern with PeachStateBasketball.com and is well on his way to being the youngest in charge sooner than later.

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#PSBSportsChop: University of Missouri – November 9, 2015

The University of Missouri has been the center of media attention this weekend and today due to the racial tension due to the treatment of issues involving minority students. The story itself has been well documented by every credible media outlet nationally. Take a minute to research the background.

Listen to more about this topic on the PSBPopCulture.com Report at the 9:00 min mark:

Our PSBPopCulture.com Group Message kept my iPhone 6S Plus buzzing for the majority of the past 48 hours as the stories kept coming in. Given the racial unrest that was front page just months ago during the Ferguson, Mo., situation, I decided to write about this situation from a different angle.

My point of view is from that of the “student-athlete.” Based on finances generated through booster donations, ticket sales and athletic apparel sponsorships, the current “Power 5” conference system in both men’s basketball and football are funded better than any Minor League organizations in the United States and most draw better average attendance than their pro sports counterparts. Located in Columbia, Mo., the University of Missouri football program is no different.

Even during a down season for the emerging SEC powerhouse so far at 4-5, coach Gary Pinkel and his program are the go-to for Saturday entertainment in the Show Me State. What they say, what they do and how they carry themselves goes a long way in setting trends statewide. It’s why Nike has an endorsement contract to pay the school through cash and product millions of dollars annually. I credit the 36 players who risked their scholarships had the protest lagged on for weeks by saying they would not play football again until change was made. Those young men taking a stand that great says a lot about the tension that existed on the Missouri campus.

Then Pinkel released this tweet that received over 15,000 retweets on Sunday morning:

I talked to Carl Reed Jr., coach of the Lutheran North High program based inside the State of Missouri. One of his former players from a different school, Ronnell Perkins, is on the Missouri roster and was one of the players involved in the initial stance against the President. Reed Jr. had this to say, “I believed that Pinkel would side with the players given the subject matter and sheer amount of guys who felt strongly enough to take a stand. Pinkel’s willingness to stand behind his team and program will go a long way in recruiting future in-state prospects regardless of color.”

I heard a lyric off of Drake’s “6 PM in New York” on his last solo album that I felt captured my sentiments about much of the unrest nationwide including the Missouri situation:

“We need protection from those protecting the block/Nobody looking out for nobody/Maybe we should try and help somebody instead of being somebody that makes the news so every body can tweet about it/And then they start to RIP about it/Four weeks later nobody even speaks about it/Man, I just had to say my piece about it.

In this case, the block is the university and all that it encompasses. Everyone involved in the protest stood up and looked out for each other. By banding together and staying peaceful in the protest, the focus remained on the injustice that the group was calling out as opposed to the protestors themselves. As a result, this situation and the resignation of the President as a result will be talked about much more than four years from now let alone four weeks.

Brandon Clay is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com through his various genre reviews. A self-professed entertainment & music junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. You can follow him on Twitter @bballplusmusic.

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#TeenLifeStyle: “Coach Charming” Series Premier – November 5, 2015

Wednesday marked the World Premier of the new TLC reality series, Coach Charming. The series hits close to home as my dad, Bill Alverson, is the focal point of the storyline. Coach Charming is based on my dad and his lifestyle as a father, lawyer, and, perhaps most importantly, a pageant coach. My brother (William), sister in law (Helen Anne) and sister (Blanche) are all in the show along with various clients and pageant girls of my dad. I even got to be a consistent part of the filming and appeared in both of the opening night episodes.

By: Stella Alverson @StellaAPSB

After making the 600-mile round trip drive from Buford, Ga., to Andalusia, Ala., to film multiple times this past summer, it was awesome to watch the footage rolled into televised episodes last night. Various clips that aired included contestants preparing for pageants as well as bickering between my dad and Helen Anne over foods to eat during her pregnancy. I thought I’d heard all of Dad’s sayings and other phrases he likes to use but I guess not. He had some ultra funny one liners during pageant prep that I had never heard him use before. I laughed harder watching it on TV last night than I did when we were filming.

The first episode was centered around a disagreement over what type of family portrait to take. Dad wanted to take a poolside picture mainly because he wants the world to know that he’s been working out. The rest of us outvoted him going with a studio based portrait instead. Even though he didn’t get his way, I think he was more than happy with the final result. In the second episode, he coached up Britain Bennett on how to overcome obstacles to reach her goals. It’s the same way he’s coached me since Day One and I thought it was awesome to watch it positively affect her life too!

Hopefully this is the start of even more episodes of dad helping his contestants shine on stage while the rest of the family keeps him busy trying to keep pace with our lives off of it. Coach Charming airs on TLC weekly each Wednesday at 10 pm EST/9 CST. It’s a MUST WATCH so make sure to tune in next week.

Brandon Clay’s NOTE: I’ve known the Alverson family over 10 years and thought the show was a very accurate depiction of their life as I’ve come to know it. I’ll be glued to the screen weekly for this. Job well done TLC.


Stella-A-PSBStella Alverson is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com with her #TeenLifeStyle articles. Alverson has been around the PSBPopCulture.com Team since her early days and is well versed in how we do things around here. She is currently a Honor Roll student at Buford High School and is on her way to playing college volleyball upon high school graduation.

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#FreshStyleFits: Epitome ATL – November 4, 2015

By: Jordan Davis @JDavisPSB

My friend, Evan Samuels, and I were in Buckhead a couple months ago when we stepped in Epitome for the first time. It’s located at 252 Pharr Road NE in Atlanta, Ga., a mile down the street from Lenox Mall. From the moment we walked in, we noticed the crisp displays and varieties of shoes the boutique carries. From wall to wall, there are shoes for sneaker heads of all backgrounds ranging from custom Nike Roshes to Vans and even old school Limited Edition Air Maxes. I knew immediately this was a heaven for both collectors and fans of nice kicks alike.

The staff is laid back and down to earth and give great service along with their ability to offer personal knowledge of every collection. My friend, Terah Moore, works there and says “the shoes there can’t be found at any other stores.” She told me, “I’m a sneaker girl so it’s awesome to work somewhere that has a very special selection that you can’t just find at the mall”. Epitome offers an abundance of unique shoes and should be checked out by my people riding through Buckhead. I knew anyone with a fresh shoe game like Brandon’s would like the boutique, so I had to drop the assist.

By: Brandon Clay @BBallPlusMusic

Epitome-Atlanta

I took the Chris Paul like assist from JD and slammed the alley-oop home like Blake Griffin making Epitome home for an hour on Tuesday evening. Like JD, I was immediately drawn to the crisp lines and white designs inside the store. Shoutout to both Terah and Justin Paul for all the help and providing the background of the store while I looked around. I’ve been focusing on tightening up my Jordan Collection the past 12 months but there was a Nike Backpack that caught my attention. The Nike MOG Bolt Bag on display was simply too saucy to let slide so I scooped and scored on my way out to the Daron Jones performance downtown. The staff also informed me that everything is available for purchase online at EpitomeATL.com as well. The store is definitely in the rotation when I visit Lenox and Phipps from here on out.

Brandon Clay is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com through his various genre reviews. A self-professed entertainment & music junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. You can follow him on Twitter @bballplusmusic.

J-Davis-PSBPopCulture Jordan Davis is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com with a unique blend of #PSBPopCulture reviews. Davis has been rocking the latest trends since arriving here in 1995. He is currently a student at Kennesaw State, a Social Media Intern with PeachStateBasketball.com and is well on his way to being the youngest in charge sooner than later.

You can follow him on Twitter @JDavisPSB.

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#EntertainmentPSB: “Up Close & Personal with Daron Jones” – November 4, 2015

We were in attendance for the “Up Close & Personal with Daron Jones” show last night at the A-Loft. The show was in conjunction with the release of his “The Unofficial Diary of Daron Jones” mixtape just over two weeks ago. With over 500 people in attendance including A-List celebrity Ludacris, the lounge was packed with fans and guests of the hotel drawn to the sounds of the performance flowing into the lobby.

By: Brandon Clay @bballplusmusic

His pre-show demeanor in the back before going on set was very much that of an artist embarking on a fresh start to his veteran career. Jones opened with the classic track “Crazy Over You” and rolled from there with some material from his days as a member of the RnB group 112.

With his eyes covered by designer shades, Jones did a quick cover of the Drake hit “Hotline Bling” getting full crowd participation on that one as well. He moved into his cover of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You” off of the mixtape then weaved into “Superstar” by the late Luther Vandross.

The Sports Utility Vehicle captured the performance in its’ entirety.

You can watch the show here:

Here’s a link to Jones’ website/discography

Brandon Clay is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com through his various genre reviews. A self-professed entertainment & music junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. You can follow him on Twitter @bballplusmusic.

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#TeenLifeStyle: “Sweet 16” – November 3, 2015

Every 15-year-old looks forward to two things: turning 16 and getting their license. For me, I was dreaming about my Sweet 16 months ahead of time. In March, I told my mom, “I want to have an awesome Sweet 16.” She told me it was possible, and we began planning for a party around my September birthday… in March.

By: Stella Alverson @StellaAPSB

My party evolved from being a huge Sadie Hawkins dance to being a party of 80 friends and family at the Sugar Hill Golf Club. The first object of focus was my dress. I dreamed about wearing this Sherri Hill light blue and white polka dot two-piece dress with a pearl halter top. We made it happen. After that, everything else was planned around my dress: the cake, the invitations and the decorations. The venue came next. My mom and I spent days scouring over the internet looking for a place that could hold a party like I wanted. We found the Golf Club relatively early in our search, and after our first visit, we knew it was the right place. The venue was confirmed. We set the date for August 29th.

Then, the invitations were ordered with light blue and white polka dots, to match the dress of course, and they were sent out a month in advance, and then the planning really hit high gear. The DJ was hired, a fireman by day, DJ by night; the three tiered cake was planned and ordered, vanilla with buttercream icing with three different designs; this party was definitely happening, and no one was more excited than I was. Throughout August, the excitement built up to the point where people were constantly asking me what to wear or who was coming. On the day of the party, my parents gave me my present—a new silver Buick Encore. I couldn’t believe my eyes after being told I was getting my dad’s brown Passat for years. I’m SO glad that didn’t actually happen!

Then, my best friend Savanna and I went to get our nails and hair done before leaving to the party. My dad drove us to the party in his new Buick LaCrosse (yes, he also got a new car), and the party officially began. I made it my mission to take a picture with everyone so that I remembered truly everything that happened. One of my friend’s mom was the photographer, and I appreciated her so much that night. We danced all night long, took group pictures, group selfies (thank you Cody for the selfie stick), and had a blast dying our tongues different colors with the Kona Ice sno cone truck’s delicious flavors. All in all, Twitter holds over a 100 of those memories along with Dropbox holding hundreds more, gotta love limited phone storage, and I love looking at them every day.

ED’s NOTE: I’m still mad I wasn’t invited. Stella, you are having another party next year so I can come and be a part.

Stella-A-PSBStella Alverson is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com with her #TeenLifeStyle articles. Alverson has been around the PSBPopCulture.com Team since her early days and is well versed in how we do things around here. She is currently a Honor Roll student at Buford High School and is on her way to playing college volleyball upon high school graduation.

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#iTunesSounds: The Unofficial Diary of Daron Jones – November 3, 2015

The “Up Close & Personal with Daron Jones” event is at the A-Loft Downtown Atlanta at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3.

A well accomplished R&B singer and songwriter, Jones will perform his “The Unofficial Diary of Daron Jones” mixtape that just released on October 17th. The former 112 group member recreated several of my favorite songs including Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed.” Jones nailed this one with a sound that stood out on the classic track.

If you can’t make it out, our friends at The Sports Utility Vehicle will live stream the performance.

You can watch the show here:

Here’s a link to Jones’ website/discography

Brandon Clay is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com through his various genre reviews. A self-professed entertainment & music junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. You can follow him on Twitter @bballplusmusic.

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#EntertainmentPSB: Beats Studio Wireless – November 2, 2015

Since 2008, Beats headphones have become the signature brand for a majority of music consumers worldwide. The company has had so much success that per Wikipedia, on August 1, 2014, Apple Inc. acquired Beats for US $3 billion in a cash and stock deal, the largest acquisition in Apple’s history.

By: Brandon Clay @bballplusmusic

The headphones range in price from around $179 to upwards of $400. The Studio Wireless are my favorite release to date. In talking with my friend and NBA Fantasy League counterpart, Joel Hemingway, he raised the question “are they worth it?”

My response is yes. Here are my thoughts on why:

They use Bluetooth technology to eliminate the need for wires connecting a music player to the headphones. The Studio Wireless also charge with a USB cord as opposed to needing batteries. Both are major positives in my book from a functionality standpoint. Toss in the various color ways and endorsers of the product itself and the Beats line is my go-to right now.

SIDENOTE: I remember my man Sean Darks walking around the gym with his pair on years ago while watching his daughter Taylor play. After that, I had to go scoop a pair myself.

Another member of the NBA Fantasy League crew, Dain Pool, asked me yesterday if there was another brand that I thought was worth a look. I told him for the time being Beats has control of the market in my eyes. I missed out on the “Straight Outta Compton” Limited Edition headphones and now have that on my Christmas Wish List.

Brandon Clay is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com through his various genre reviews. A self-professed entertainment & music junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. You can follow him on Twitter @bballplusmusic.

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#iTunesSounds: Apple Music – Five To Know – October 30, 2015

I subscribe to the monthly Apple Music package that allows me to download virtually any released song or album. The freedom it allows me to preview and download different genres of music is very attractive. I listen to Beats 1 Radio on a weekly basis, which often introduces me to new artists and sometimes reintroduces musicians from the past that may be out of the consciousness of the mainstream.

For instance, I heard Estelle’s “1980” on Beats 1 and immediately downloaded the song ‘free’ of charge onto my iPhone to play whenever I want.

Sample the song here:

By: Jonathan Hemingway @JLHemingwayPSB

Here are the last five songs that are in my Recently Added section in my music section:

“Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz – 2005

The Gorillaz are a British ‘virtual band.’ They were particularly popular ten or so years ago. I am a fan of their unique sound.

“Pretend” by Seinabo Sey – 2015

I heard Seinabo Sey for the first time last week on Beats 1 and immediately was drawn in by her rhythmic and international sound. Sey is actually Sweedish with a Gambian ancestry. Her unique background shows up in her art.

“Forever” by Drake, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Eminem – 2009

For some reason this hit was not in my playlist, so it is a must add. My favorite line: 
“Everyone who doubted me is asking for forgiveness,
If you ain’t be a part of it at least you got to witness”

“The Clown” by Maribou State featuring Pedistrian – 2015

Here is another new artist I was introduced to via Beats 1. This electronic duo is also from England. This is their single from their first album Portraits, which I am anxious to sample in future sittings while writing articles for PeachStateBasketball.com.

“Autonomy (Slave)” by Samm Henshaw – 2015

Henshaw released his debut EP this month. This song reveals his gospel and pop influences in his young music career. He is quoted as saying that he has been influenced by Paolo Nutini, Lauryn Hill and Frank Ocean. All those artists who are in my rotation. Check out the London born Nigerian’s song below.

HEMI-HEAD-SHOTJonathan Hemingway is a Chicago sports fan who reps the Bears, Bulls and Cubs. He’s also a diehard NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber. Hemingway’s music taste are wide-ranged and depend on the day. He is also a major part of PeachStateBasketball.com wearing multiple hats with the title of Director of Domestic Scouting and owning CoachHemi.com.
You can follow him on Twitter @JLHemingwayPSB

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#EntertainmentPSB: “The Walking Dead” – Glenn Dies – October 28, 2015

I became a fan of “The Walking Dead” about a year ago. It is an AMC original program and is currently the most popular series on television. My family convinced me to watch a few episodes and after that I was hooked. I went on a personal watching marathon though all the seasons to catch-up before this season’s finale.

By: Jonathan Hemingway @JLHemingwayPSB

Last week’s episode had fans buzzing as it appeared that Glenn (Steven Yeun) dies after being trapped by walkers. The once coward, turned mentally unstable Nicholas (Michael Traynor) chose to kill himself while standing upon a garbage dumpster. Just before he pulls the trigger he says ‘Thank You’ to Glenn, which appears to be an odd thing to say. The limp Nicholas falls onto Glenn and they both tumble into the crowd of zombies where the camera shows Glenn’s face and bloody intestines being strewn everywhere.

We all went into the commercial break believing that we had just seen one of our program’s heroes killed. An impossible, even maddening turn of events when you consider all of the jams that Glenn had helped the group get out of in past episodes. This could not be!!!

Our first clue that Glenn may NOT be dead is when “The Talking Dead” (the talk show that runs immediately following) does not put Glenn in the “In Memoriam.” This segment always gives one last tribute to those who died in the past episode. The producers of the show danced around the issue by saying that they will show Glenn in a ‘flashback’ scene in a future episode and after that they will put him rest.

That had everyone rushing to their DVR’s to look at the scene one last time to see if there were any clues that we could cling to hope that Glenn is in fact still alive. When looking at the tape, it seems plausible that Nicholas landed on Glenn and that the walkers were eating the guts of Nicholas and not Glenn.

The Walking Dead fans are anxiously awaiting the next episode this Sunday to see if our Glenn will be there.
Add your comments below. We would like to hear from you. Is Glenn still alive?

HEMI-HEAD-SHOTJonathan Hemingway is a Chicago sports fan who reps the Bears, Bulls and Cubs. He’s also a diehard NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber. Like Clay, Hemingway’s music taste are wide-ranged and depend on the day. He is also a major part of PeachStateBasketball.com wearing multiple hats with the title of Director of Domestic Scouting and owning CoachHemi.com.

You can follow him on Twitter @JLHemingwayPSB

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