Surin West Cultural Center, and the Food is Great Too

In the previous post, I barely mentioned that Surin is a Thai restaurant. In addition to great food, what is the draw of Surin? For an interculturalist, the fact that one seems to step into an entirely different world within a few feet is transformative. The large photos of Thailand on the walls, the staff, the music and of course, the food, take me into another space.

If I am by myself, I sit at the bar and eat the usual. Since having my son, I usually grab 'to go' items. I frequently run into new-old friends meaning we developed a relationship after I graduated from college. One is often greeted by someone from Thailand, India or Nepal. I also meet new people from Birmingham, visitors who are residing at the Pickwick, or people who like Thai food. 'To go' often leads to eating at the bar from the 'to go' box as I attempt to multitask--eat and catch up on their lives.

Surin's Martinis and desserts were good enough for them to open a late night cafe where the Sushi Bar is now. Only one of my desserts remains--the ginger lime square. I love just about anything with ginger in it.

Although Surin pipes in satellite radio or something like that, I refer to all funky, electro, techno, fusion music as Surin music. I developed a love for Six Degrees compilations as a result of Surin's background music.

So for the people that have a Cheer in their lives, I have Surin. What is your favorite Birmingham restaurant or waterhole?

Surin West, A Staple of Birmingham's Southside

So one of my friends asked, where should we meet for lunch? Why Surin of course. When I used to say that, unless you lived in Atlanta, there was only one location-- Surin West on 11th Avenue South. I believe it was named Surin West since it is west of the location in the ATL. Then came Nirus, Surin Mountain Brook, Surin & Co. on 3rd Avenue North, Surin 280...Not familiar with Nirus? It was another Surin incarnation. It was Surin spelled backwards. It was located in the old Rube Burrows suite across from the old Texas Taco suite in the Pickwick Plaza. Yes, I am talkin' in 'Birminghampastspeak' again. I can't help it. I frequented both places back in the day.

Anyway, there was only one location. I discovered it when my colleague was the advertising director for the UAB student newspaper. I went with her to Surin to sell ad space and to try to develop a campaign to introduce the business. They wanted Surin to not just be a restaurant for people who liked Thai, but a restaurant and bar where anyone could meet and be comfortable. The 'buy one get one half off or get one free' coupon with your UAB ID was born. At the time, the catfish came whole. I miss those whiskers and little eyes looking at me as I tried to navigate the bones. Sushi was nowhere to be found. The berry crumble made me cry when I ate it.

I used to refer to Surin as the old Clyde Houstons and/or AJ's. When you are sitting in the window, to the left as you enter, you are sitting in the area that used to be a patio for previous establishments. Now, if the unspeakable happens and Surin were to move, I would refer to the space as the old Surin.

So what makes it so special? Since I am not there three times per week anymore, I don't see the owner and his family as much as I used to. However, the managers and the bartenders and some of the wait staff are familiar faces. I can still show up on certain days of the week and run into old friends. I can call in my order and most of the time, the person on the other line recognizes my number. I rarely have to identify myself when I pick up food.

Anyway, what makes Surin so special? Are you a Surin patron? Why do you like it? What is your favorite location.

In the next post, I will discuss Surin's South Asia connection.

The B'ham Hip Hop Scene According to Jona Crooner

I was invited to the Onyx a few months ago to support Tee Huffman who was the featured poet at 'Afterwords'. Jona Crooner, 'Afterwords' organizer, was leaving town for an opportunity to promote his latest venture. I caught up with him last week. He took the time to draft his thoughts regarding the Birmingham Hip Hop Scene.

According to Jona Croner...

The Hip Hop Scene is alive but not well....From time to time you can see glimpses of what could be if the Artists,Poets,and supporters of the Culture would come together and actually build it up, but I personally hold each contributor accountable for the upkeep and cultivation of Hip Hop in the raw form..I am a music lover so to point the demise of Hip Hop to the now trendy "Rap" scene of today in my opinion is a Cop-out...Music is about expression and it just so happened that the Hip Hop Artist paints the picture on a canvas and many of today's rap artist only feel the need to crayola on a track... nevertheless...As a Artist I never judge (often criticize) but when its all said and done, as far as Birmingham is concerned, I celebrate the musicians and talents on any level.

I first was introduced to Hip Hop and Rap in the days of WENN and later experienced the actual culture that is Hip Hop while living in Japan for some years. The break dancing battles at the train-station, the weekend rap battles that changed clubs more than I care to mention pulled me into a totally new yet vibrant practice I use from time to time in my music though the lifestyle is far different than in Nippon.

I noticed the emergence of Soul Artists and troops of Poets as I toured throughout Alabama in early 2005, I often would run into many of the Artists that I grew up listening to as a young beatbox toting youngin'. My older cousin, Cano, was very vital in me truly respecting the art of beatmaking and I contribute a large part of my musical prowess as it pertains to rhyming to him and others such as S.Fly and Red Light District.

Fast-forward...you can see the rise of Birmingham artists such as Jaafar, J.Gray and many others that I feel if collaborated with a Hip Hop feel in mind could create some dynamic music as well as aid and assist in Birmingham attaining the level and respect musically we deserve. I appreciate all the contributors who keep the flame of what the essence of Hip Hop is about alive and I am never surprised when I hear the talent being displayed by anyone from Bham because I always knew the city has a "Magic"--foreal--that if used often can spark some genius sounds in any genre especially Hip Hop.

I would address the role that the radio station plays in the strangulation of Real Hip Hop talent in Birmingham and the genre as a whole, but words can't get passed the disgust I have for how "real" Artists are treated by the "powers that be"...

See posts by Chris Coleman and Jon DJ Supreme Malone.

B'ham's Own Hip Hop Historian

DJ Supreme is known around the Birmingham area for his Classic Hip Hop Show on 107.7 FM. Every morning from 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m., Birminghamians and on-line fans are taken back to the '80's and '90's with old school hip hop music and history. Below he shares little known facts about Birmingham's Hip Hop History.

The Birmingham hip hop scene seemed to lack trendsetters. I noticed this when I was an artist (yes, I did and occasionally still do rap) on the B-ham scene in the mid to late '90s. I officially arrived in Birmingham via Butler County, AL via Detroit, MI in '96. Prior to that year I spent 4 years at the University of Montevallo.

My first Birmingham hip hop experience was at a Luke (Campbell) show at Mama's and Sons where Legion of Doom was the opening act. Didn't get to see them perform because the members of the group got into an all out bar fight with a rival group.

While at UM I met and bonded with Patrick "S-Fly" Johnson. (His future wife also attended UM.) At the time we were still trying to gauge what our place would be in the hip hop world. His group was still known as Southern Comfort and hadn't officially become Red Light District. I was part of a group known as Joint Effort. They were working on "I Know" while I was crafting "Supreme's Lounge" (my first solo LP) in my dorm room.

Patrick and I pretty much forged a friendship that is still strong to this day and we reminisce about our humble beginnings in this game. Our triumphs always seemed to parallel each other. "I Know" became a Birmingham anthem long before the BA Boys (no disrespect). At the same time, I obtained a considerable amount of fans on the talent show circuit, namely Chris Coleman. He may not remember this but when we first met, I had won a talent show he was judging. I congratulated him for his appearance on KRS ONE's album that year. It caught him off guard because I don't think he thought anyone in Birmingham would appreciate that accomplishment let alone pay attention to it.

From there my demos were forwarded to folks like Kori White, B-Brian, and Dwight Stone and subsequently I ended up doing intros for those jocks. There was a time when I actually had an intro on every jocks show. 5 times a day, 5 or 6 days a week, my raps would be the first thing you hear before a DJ popped the mic. I utilized that recognition to secure a career in radio.

In '99, I realized it was time to fill the void, and The Eargasm was born. As Chris said, most of the emcees in B-Ham emulated what they heard from our neighbors in ATL. We didn't play that at The Eargasm. You either had to be original or get booed off the stage. That's how serious it was. I still take pride in the fact that The Eargasm was the only place you could get real hip hop culture. We had emcees and crews like The Metaphizx and Abstract Chemistry. We also introduced the city to DJ's like F/X, Heron and Rahdu, as well as b-boy crews like BMW Crew. It was a proving ground, a battlefield of sorts, and it came naturally. When we chanted "Who's next? Who's next?" and it was your turn to rock the mic, you better have all the showmanship, rhyming ability, and crowd control in your arsenal. Lack of any of this spelled disaster, but if you came with it, prepare for ghetto stardom. Just ask Attitude or R-Tist, two of many emcees to sharpen their skills on The Eargasm stage. Two emcees with styles all their own.

I often boasted that we were the "world famous" Eargasm, simply for the fact that out of all the national acts we featured (peace to Ishues, Lacks, and Onebelo) nothing made me more proud than when we got a visit from the New York City Breakers and they battled our very own BMW Crew. That was a memorable night and NYC Breakers enjoyed the experience.

I often dream of bringing it back like it was, but that will never happen due to the climate of the game right now. I attempted to bring back the Eargasm last year. I even got Akil The MC from Jurassic 5 to perform. No one showed up, only a few of my old Eargasm fans who were nostalgic for the old times.

I think the hip hop fans of today are so stuck on everyone sounding alike that they are numb to it. There was a term used back in the day for this cardinal sin: BITING. Back in the day biting was a serious no-no and if you were caught doing this the repercussions were often times severe. Nowadays it's commonplace to use each others sound, even rhymes. So much to the point that some of our pioneers like Busta Rhymes and LL Cool J succumb to this by having T Pain or The Dream on their records so they can be relevant to today's fickle hip hop audience.

I interviewed Biz Markie last year and in this conversation he recalled an incident where an emcee was caught biting and ended up getting robbed and catching a beat down. Maybe we as authentic hip hop practitioners need to go back to this type of severity, at least by addressing it. Nowadays though, you can't be critical of today's hip hop without being labeled a hater. Jay Z made a valiant effort by dropping "Death of Autotune", but it's sort of contradictory because he still works with Kanye West, one of autotune's poster children. I have yet to hear Birmingham's artists embrace the autotune trend, but give it time. Like Chris said Birmingham is usually late on everything.

For more info on the history of the career of Supreme, check out:
http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Supreme

also check out:
http://www.the-eargasm.blogspot.com

Remember when the DJ was featured in songs? Ever wonder where Missy gets her intros? Click here to listen to Request Line.

B'ham Hip Hop: Last Night A DJ Saved My Life

Homegrown and transplanted members of the Birmingham area responded to the post Birmingham's Hip Hop Scene. DJ 'Warm It Up' Chris Coleman shares his thoughts below.

Wow!! What defines the hip hop scene for Birmingham? Hmmm that's a good but complex question because the Hip Hop artists here in Birmingham have not defined themselves...Besides Patrick Johnson(S-Fly in Red Light District) NONE of the Hip Hop Artists stand out. They all sound like Atlanta to me, I am being truthful, I am not stepping on anyone toes and I'm not calling anyone out, but I am an OG in this game...one of the GODFATHERS of hip hop here in Birmingham so I can speak on it.

I don't think these artists know what the essence of Hip Hop is...now lets get one thing straight if you think that Lil Wayne is the greatest rapper alive..then you got to be 14 years old...Lil Wayne is not in the top 20 of the greatest rappers of Hip Hop. A lot of our Hip Hop artists gauge their careers off what's out today and what's out today is NOT a good look at all. One thing that made hip hop stand out is that every artist had their own sound and brand. You could tell the difference from Run-DMC and Whodini, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 to the Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow to LL Cool J...they all sound different but they stood out! Nowadays...EVERYBODY is T-Paining except Jay-Z(thank god for JIGGA!), and maybe Common, Talib Kwelie and Slum Village!

I had a conversation with some people in the industry and I told them that I don't think there is an artist out today that I'll be able to play 10 years from now and pack the dance floor..But If I play Peter Piper, Friends or 5 minutess of Funk at a party this weekend (oh by the way these are hip hop CLASSICS) I bet I'll pack the dance floor.

I bet there's not a Hip Hop artist in Birmingham that can tell me the MOST important element of Hip Hop...and I'll give you a hint...None of them HAVE ONE!

Now there are some artists here that have potential..like Modesty XO...that's my man...got a lot of heart and talent, just got to channel that energy in another direction. A lot of you guys might not know this but I am a core DJ..one of the originals...Tony Neal is my DAWG!! I had it fixed up where we were going to do a Birmingham night at his conference(where about 700 DJ's attend). The cost was 5g's, I contacted some of the well known artist here and all but about 3 of them backed out. I was like, maybe being heard by 700 of the top DJ's in the country wasn't appealing to them. If I would've gave Supreme, Red Light, ROA and PTG that deal 10-12 years ago it would've been on!!

Just getting your record on the radio in Birmingham is not the answer...Birmingham is ALWAYS late on everything, it's time to tell your story to several millions. Once you make it away from here...Birmingham will have your back...just ask Reuben! I might sound hard on our up and coming artists here in B'ham but y'all know that it's out of love and I love every last one of ya'll and you know it, keep in mind..we got a Soulja Boy, we got a Lil Wayne, we got a Lil Jon...Just be you and define yourself as an original...

Peace to Supreme, Red Light District, Dirty, ROA, PTG, Pop Boogaloo, The MC Crew and ALL the Pioneers who remained true to hip hop..it's essence and it's elements..so Bettina in a nutshell the Hip Hop culture in Birmingham will remain stagnant until one of our up and coming artists git up get out and get something!!

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life by Indeep.

Also this week: DJ Supreme, Thed Weller, S-Fly and more....

The Birmingham Hip Hop Scene

Lately, I have been getting a lot of announcements regarding hip hop music and spoken word events in Birmingham. There are several cafes and night clubs that are hosting events. Malcolm's Reading Room is holding events. The Birmingham Museum of Art has even gotten into the game. So when one thinks of the Birmingham Hip Hop Scene, what comes to mind?

What is hip hop? So many people think of hip hop as rap music only. You betta ask somebody. If you ever attended the Hip Hop Summit at UA, you would know. Most people don't think of the poetry, the graffiti, the moves and the gear. Since I was living in Birmingham at the time that popular hip hop music hit the radio, it started with Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Kurtis Blow for me. My uncles liked to DJ so we listened to music all of the time. I also recall my cousin Ced performing "Rappers Delight" at all family fish fries and card games.

The Original Homeboy, Chris Coleman, 'Soul Night' DJ at Holiday Skating Rink on Valley Avenue, always had a spot for rap. He was always featured at the 'blue light in the basement' parties in the Thomas' basement in Fairfield too. Holla Fairfied, Ramsay and John Carroll! Since I had cousins on the East side, we also hit Skate Haven from time to time.

Eventually, Rap City and Yo MTV Raps made hip pop more visual. Hip hop is considered a New York creation. New York urban life portrayed through video was emulated all over the country and eventually the world. The dancers, the graffiti artists, the rappers and the DJ's were imported to us on a daily basis. Movies such as Beat Street, Krush Groove and more recent flicks such as Brown Sugar and Love Jones made additional imprints of hip hop.

The Hip Hop Diaspora, mostly rap music, exploded in other large urban centers such as Los Angeles, Oakland and Miami. Chicago, Atlanta, and even St. Louis would claim some well known rappers. Each region had a distinct sound. LA became known for Gangsta Rap. Oakland had an eclectic mix in my opinion ranging from MC Hammer to Digital Underground. The Miami scene was known for 2 Live Crew. You may recall their beef with Tipper Gore. The southern scene, known as the Dirty South, gave rise to a group of young rappers. T.I., Ludacris and even more mainstream R & B artists like Usher and TLC grew out of the southern Hip Hop scene. Missy Elliot and Pharrell were representin' the Tidewater area.

In the mid-nineties, as a result of a connection to the Seventh Sun, I recall going to spots such as the Cipher in Fairfield and the 22nd Street Jazz Club. Daagye Hendricks opened her family's doors at Harambee Room where many poets were introduced to a broad Birmingham base for the first time. I still remember a call and response poem, "Can I Kick It." Daagye also opened her doors and forced some of us to show up to hear Just a Few Cats featuring a local singer by the name of Ruben Studdard. Perhaps that will appear in another post.

So how would one characterize the Birmingham Hip Hop Scene? Stay tuned for local rappers, poets, DJ's, musicians, artists and fans to share their perspectives--past and present. In future posts, you will hear from Chris Coleman, Real Life Poets, DJ Supreme, Jona Crooner and more...

What characterizes the Birmingham Hip Hop Scene for you?

For more information on the history of rap, check out Kurtis Blow's History of Rap Music.

Click here for more posts on the Birmingham Hip Hop S

UAB fosters cross-cultural interaction

A friend sent a copy of this AL.com article last week regarding student perceptions of their colleges and universities. UAB ranks highest among universities where students interact across cultures. It defies some of the stereotypes of Birmingham. Check it out. What do you think?

Soul Food in Japan, India and the Middle East might interest you as well. It is about some of the international students at UAB taking advantage of local culture.