Killah Priest’s latest album, The Psychic World of Walter Reed, sits comfortably in a stratosphere above Commercial Rap Hell.  The beats on PWOWR are ill and the lyrics, per usual, are of the finest craftsmanship.  He’s got quite a few videos in support of this highly-recommended album but my favorite is the one for “Ein […]

The Japanese Yakuza is a notoriously secretive crime organization… inaccessible to outsiders.  But Belgian-based photographer Anton Kusters and his brother, Malik, became the first westerners invited into the criminal underworld in 2008, after 10 months of negotiations with the Shinseikai, who control Tokyo’s infamous red light district, Kabukicho. Kusters must be a master in the […]

When people think of Playboy Magazine they automatically think of sex, drugs and naked busty bunnies; a preconceived notion most definitely earned.  Still, Playboy is also one of the best and most innovative magazines in the history of journalism.  In fact, some of the all-time greatest interviews were published in its pages, hence the book […]

So-called “reality” TV is a distraction from genuine reality. On December 1st 2011 the US Senate wiped its ass with what was left of The Constitution and flushed it down the toilet.  Meanwhile all anyone can think about are Kimbella and Krissy rufflin’ feathers on Love & Hip-Hop.  Ah, television… the Great Pacifier. Look what […]

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREAS ROCHA First published in 1997, The Mafia Manager: A Guide To The  Corporate Machiavelli was allegedly written by a Mafia wiseguy simply known as V.  According to his bio, V is “a capo of distinguished fame” who “keeps several residences around the world.”  The business guidelines laid out in his now-famous book […]

TREATMENT WRITTEN BY DETECTIVE WILLIAM COURTNEY A can of worms was opened last week when prison inmate Dexter Issac, an associate of hip-hop mogul/gangster James “Jimmy Henchmen” Rosemon, claimed he was paid by Henchmen to rob Tupac at Quad Studios in 1994. There is currently a nationwide manhunt for Jimmy Henchmen, who is wanted by […]

BAD NEWS BY KHALID STRICKLAND a.k.a. BLACK PACINO *Sigh* This is a huge blow to my “Bucket List.” One of my goals in life is to travel to the Netherlands and get smoked-out at Amsterdam’s famed marijuana coffee shops.  But unless I beam over there right now via Star Trek transporter, that magical trip won’t […]

Damn! Even the crib ain’t a safe haven for tokers no more. Look what my cousin T showed me at The Gothamist: The Supreme Court has ruled that if cops are passing by your hotbox and they smell reefer, they’re legally entitled to kick your door down without a warrant if they think you’re destroying […]

WORDS BY KHALID STRICKLAND a.k.a. BLACK PACINO I’ma keep it funky. In the hood, multiple Arab-owned grocery stores peacefully co-exist on one block and swap workers every so often.  The same holds true with Chinese restaurants.  These businesses pool their money together for the good of their respective ethnic groups.  Meanwhile, black folks can’t even […]

PARANOIA BY BLACK PACINO Ding dong, the A-rab’s dead! Congrats to those who take everything at face value, you finally got your man.  Allegedly, Osama Bin laden was killed by U.S. troops in Pakistan on May 1st (the same day Hitler was declared dead).  On cue, Americans took to the streets to celebrate and rappers […]

WORDS BY PACINO718 Another postcard from sunny Mexico! You think your day was bad? This guy’s day was worse.  He’s a victim of the Zetas, one of Mexico’s most brutal and feared drug gangs.  I don’t know what the fuck homeboy did to deserve this but the Zetas sent a pretty powerful message.  Reincarnation won’t […]