Blackstar at the Nokia Theater Newyork- & the Nairobi connection.

The Call
Last Tuesday, June 16th, I got a call from a journalist friend in Somalia, Mwas. He called me to set aside my Thursday to hit Nairobi streets that evening. With three of his boys Ned, Zaq & Slay. Mwas doesn’t drink alcohol but he sure can buy. That, by Kenyan standards, goes down a long way, week day or week end.

The plan
Grinding on two hustles is never easy but for good company, Nyama choma, kuku choma, kachumbariHeinekein, am down. I was acquainted to one of Mwas' boys Ned - Straight Newyorker - Hiphop head. Zaq, a photographer and former skateboarder were the guests Hargeysa and a warm


The rendezvous
First stop, Tribe at the Village market. An optimally Bourgeois spot. To pick up Ned & Zaq, we then headed to K1 for Nyama choma. I took the liberty of analyzing the interaction with these two Newyorkers. You have to be fast, their conversation is chopped up, in bits of exact proportions and topics . Back in NY they have restaurants unique to particular recipes. The passion in describing their menus is extremely intimate.

FYI
New Yorkers take it to task, to inform you on what not to expect. Overall don’t expect him or her to engage you in a chit chat while they hold the door for you.

Street Knowledge
Spontaneous aptitude tests in street knowledge were shot randomly. Ned threw one at Zaq, to gauge his Newyork state of mind. “What’s the first thing you should do when you attend a cocktail party with an open bar?” Quickly Zaq replied “Order for the high end shit and tip the waiter a good one. When the bar is closed, the waiter will single you out from a jostling crowd.” Ned Nods emphatically in approval. Conversations ranged from conflicts in Africa to the Blackstar's performance of Mos Def and Talib Kweli in Newyork at the Nokia Theatre that Ned had attended. He went on and on, on how Mos made Talib look like his junior. Mwas and Slay had jokes about the dancer at Zanze having a silver lining on her butt!

Ordering food protocol
When it came to Mwas and I ordering for the food, Ned and Zaq failed to understand why we had to take time,to explain what we want. "Hiyo choma ya kuku na mbuzi, isi come bila supu – uongeze mokimo na chapo. Ikuwe ni supu ya kuku, ka unaeza ulete chapo, Lakini zisikuwe zime burn unaskia- Mna kachumbari ?" The roast goat & chicken should not be served without soup add some mashed potatoes and chapattis that are not burnt, do you have kachumbari? -kenyan cusine guacamole . Ned and zaq unable to decipher continued conversing about the on goings inside an irish bar - When the hat is passed around for the IRA contributions.

Live Congolese music at Zanze
These folks cant chill in one spot for more than an hour. K1 to Zanze where my boy Junior Ngolo was playing. They loved it. We left when Junior Ngolo was singing,Ani Poutou by Ferre Gola. That was my downpoint that evening. Mwas' insisted we hit Club Afrique - . Slay, Zaq & Ted chatting up the beautiful Kenyan broads. You know the kind who would hit Club Afrique on a Thursday? and pay US $6 to watch an Eric Wainaina gig? That kind o' broads. Zaq Kept cursing "Dude, Nairobi is a terrible place". His face had 'Just married' written all over it. All the clubs were crawling with beautiful Nairobi women. Havana was the place to be on that Friday. The alternative playlist did us good. Especially the funk session kicked in. Lots of James Brown.

The High
I wasn't tipsy, on Heinekens. Dave Chappelle once said something about white folk. Its true, they get to mix all sorts of drinks . Save for Zaq, who continuously lamented on the quantity of his Jameson -Welcome to Nairobi ordering shots is a rip off. Ned on the hand drank anything that was in a vessel ! At Havana, the bar had run out of Heinekens, Zaq bought me a Tusker Malt - just because its green in color like a Heineken bottle.Somali twilight gals were all over our table, they smelt Benjamin Franklin’s breath off our pockets. The flock of broads,later stalked us to Madd House F1. It’s a small city.

Hiphop Rituals
The trading tradition, is a common gesture of respect amongst Hiphop heads. Last time I got a dope urban shirt from Ned. He got a funky tee from me as well. This time I had nothing. Well lets just say, he made home with a huge wall banner reminiscent of Havana. In return he gave me – A Breakbeat science NYC Black Flexifit cap. Lastly on Newyorkers, they tend to be dominant and assertive. This bossy nature, can be controlled, by doing the exact opposite, of what they want. So i said - 'Its time to go home its 5 in the morning' - They answered 'Fucking A we we're about to hit another club' .