Christmas for me was a family affair - I ate the usual – goose (The family hates turkey!!),
sprouts, carrots, roast potatoes, Christmas pud and drank lots and lots of sherry a-la- Dot Cotton. If you haven't tried it, you best get to know....sherry is a serious tipple and should be sipped with your little finger in the air - GANGSTA!!
With a full and super fat belly it was time to prepare for my New Year in Atlanta - the home of Dr. Martin Luther King JR (R.I.P.) , chicken & waffles (the pancake type - not potato) and of course the creme de la creme of hip hop & RnB - Usher, Ludacris, TLC, Outkast, Jermaine Dupri ...
I've lived in L.A before so was quite accustomed to the U.S. way of life, but ATL still managed to surprise me with its rather erm… "unique" culture....So here is my guide / observations of A – Town for those of you who haven't been:
ATL Airport
Ok, so I flew out on New Year's eve and was in a rush to go pick my girl Cathy up, as we of course were partying for New Years. After arriving at ATL Airport, collecting my luggage and preparing to go pick up our hire car - I was stopped by some dude who asked me to check my luggage back in??!?!
Thinking that he was joking I smile and walk off, but he was serious?! Apparently you MUST get re- searched with all your belongings when you LEAVE the airport - as in all liquids, creams and anything else you bought in the airport (once you have already been searched in London before you get on the plane) are confiscated AGAIN! Do you know how vex I was? Especially as I bought some expensive cream at Heathrow - apparently they don't want you bringing in any of these potentially hazardous materials into the State. I just wish I was told that before...So, an hour after initially picking up my luggage I finally pick up my car! Sorry Cathy!!
"Making it rain"
- now call me naive but i thought the term "make it rain" was strictly reserved for a Fat Joe song
but after going to a Floyd Mayweather party in ATL and actually seeing the man himself "making it rain" by dashing $10,000 in $1 bills into the crowd, I realized that this was not just an urban myth! People actually DO carry on like that and women over there seem to love it! I couldn't believe it! Call me a feminist, but I personally find the whole concept incredibly patronizing & totally disrespectful to us females. I don't need some overpaid athelete with a super size ego throwing money at me like I'm begging – ya get me??!?! I think I take particular offense to this act, because the tradition actually originates in Nigeria, where money is given at weddings as a gift and showered at the married coupling while dancing. To adopt this tradition is one thing, but to turn it completely on it's head in such a disrespectful manner is another….
"Southern Hospitality"
Don't get me wrong, the people of ATL are super friendly, they always smile and greet you in passing. Thanks to all of you who looked after us while we were there...you know who you are....They are genuinely interested in you and your foreign background and none of the clubs we went to had any bad vibes or attitude. Even the guy who told me that I spoke good English was very polite ?!?! (yep - you read correctly - he didn't clock that London was in England or where the language came from!).
Luda was right when he spat about "Southern Hospitality"
Luda - Southern Hospitality
At Club Compound – I actually saw a guy rocking a pimp cup – I swear that was just a Lil Jon ting?!?!?
Anyways - some dude rocked up to the bar in some stunners, a fur coat and a diamond encrusted pimp cup and asked the bar guy to put some lemonade in it….! Easy!!?!?!?
This is me with my fake pimp cup – you like?
Dirrrty South Hip Hop
Now these are the club bangers that are being rinsed out there at the moment – if you don't know then you better get to know some of these babies….
Flo Rida Feat. T Pain – Get Low
-Playaz Circle Feat. Lil Wayne - Duffle Bag Boy
-DJ Khaled - I'm so hood remix ( feat . Young Jeezy, Luda, Lil Wayne, Big Boi, Fat Joe etc...)
-Snoop - Sensual Seduction
-The Dream - Falsetto
-Keyshia Cole - Shoulda Let you go
- Missy Elliot - Ching -A-Ling
That's it for now - ATL was seriously an amazing experience - If you haven't been then you gots to go....
Happy 2008 people!
