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dominaecaede · 6 years

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Tomorrow Never Comes

Chapter 4 results: 65% chose to see who it is

〘 twitter 〙

The following story will have themes such as blood, gore, situations that may cause anxiety and major character death. If you are sensitive to any of these, please do not proceed.

Chapter 5: It's A Small World After All

They watched the knob shake and jangle and the door banging in. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of their foreheads as their brains pounded with what to do. If they let this mysterious person continue, those creatures will hear the knocks and they'll kill him. If not, then they could save a life. The life of someone they don't know whether they were trustworthy or not.

"We... We have to let him in," Kirishima stood up. "Those things are gonna get him if we don't!"

Enji only grunted. He was always hard to read but surely his inner conscience knew it was the right thing to do. The man took out a hunting knife he had holsted in his belt and held it on guard, using his other hand to unlock the door.

"Try anything funny and I'm gonna slice your damn head off," he spoke firmly before holding the door wide open.

The hooded figure immediately ran in, followed by Enji slamming the door closed and locking it. He held up his knife at the stranger's head point. It prompted the figure to raise his hands up.

"Alright. Now take off your hood and show your face."

The figure nodded and obliged. When he put his hood down, a face was revealed that Enji would never forget. That thick spiky black hair and stapled scarred flesh were unforgettable. It made Enji hostile.

"...! You damn villain...!" Enji snarled and charged at him.

Dabi was prepared, though. He dodged Enji's attack and pulled out a gun he had in his belt, using it to wack the knife out of his hand and point it at him effortlessly. He chuckled, and the group knew full well that this man wasn't intimidated in the least. Midoriya watched. His reflexes were fast and swift.

"Now, now," Dabi began. "I know I have quite the reputation, but the world's gone to shit. Without quirks, should I even be called a villain anymore? Since without quirks, I don't consider you a hero anymore, oh powerful Endeavor."

His tone of voice was mocking, the smirk on his face as the cherry on top. It pissed the man off. Todoroki stood up and was in front of his mother as he held up his metal baton in a protective position.

"You killed people even before this happened," Bakugou spoke up. "Why the hell should we trust you?"

"I killed heroes who weren't worthy of that title, not random people on the streets," Dabi clarified. "And I may just so happen to have information you'll need, so put your weapons down, or kill me and you'll be left in the dark."

There was a moment of silence as everyone darted their eyes around the room. When the group came to a silent agreement, they put their weapons down. However, Enji still had his weapon up with fierce eyes. Dabi blinked.

"You really think I'm stupid enough to put down my weapon for you?" Enji barked.

Dabi only sighed. "Whatever. You were always a bitter old man, anyway."

Todoroki sat down next to Rei again, who was quiet the entire time. The woman didn't seem scared by the former villain. In fact, her storm colored eyes only observed Dabi from where she was. Dabi sat down in the chair not too far from the door. Midoriya took his spot back on the floor, crossing his arms at him.

"Okay, so start talking," Todoroki spoke. "Why'd you come to this room specifically when you could've escaped the hospital?"

"For the same reason you all did," Dabi answered and looked up at Rei. "To see her. I just didn't expect a full party here."

Todoroki got defensive. "But why? What the hell do you have planned with my mother?"

Dabi snorted. "Relax, kid. I came here to see if what I heard was true, only it turns out it wasn't."

"...?" Todoroki blinked. "If what was true?"

Enji sighed, in which caught everyone's attention. The man looked down. "... If Clearnox got to her."

Dabi raised his brow at the man and gave an amused smirk. "So you and I thought the same thing, huh?"

"There's that name again. Clearnox...," Midoriya muttered. "What did they want with Todoroki-san?"

That's when Enji stood up to look out the window, having an almost visible concerned look on his face. Those who knew him would be surprised to see such a face. "Back to when everything wasn't like this, Clearnox contacted my agency. Yura Hana was seeking subjects for their upcoming project and that Rei was chosen among the 'lucky people' who would take part in it. Rei was under strict protection under me, so I assumed Yura discovered this. 'She would be a completely new person than before,' she said. 'It's not good to keep her cooped up in a hospital room knowing she has so much potential to be something more.' It seemed sketchy but then it seemed... tempting when she put it that way."

"But you declined her, right?" Todoroki raised his brow.

"No, but I didn't accept her offer either. I told her that I'd think it over," Enji responded. "But... Something wasn't right. So I sent spies to their company and see what this project was all about. What I found out was... beyond words."

Midoriya furrowed his brows. "And what did you find out?"

Enji turned his gaze towards the greenette and then the rest od the group. "That they were actually experimenting on people."

Their breath hitched. Kirishima winced. "Experimenting?"

"Yes," Enji nodded. "My associates sent pictures they took of people strapped into these beds and these people in suits injecting something in them. I didn't know what it was but I kept the photos as proof to warn others and to intentionally bring their organization down. From what it looks like, it seemed to have been going on for a while. Here, take a look yourselves."

He tossed three photographs onto Rei's hospital bed where they could see. They were hidden photos of people screaming, deteriorating and dying. That would explain why her name was on that list. Todoroki was horrified. "And... They wanted to experiment on my mother? To do this to her? But why?"

"That I don't know," Enji responded. "But after one of my associates reported to me, something happened. I remember his breathing began to get heavier and he screamed... Then there was silence. The same thing happened to the others. Only one survived long enough to send this last photo to me."

Enji then tossed the one last photo and Midoriya picked it up to examine it. He gasped. It showed the face of one of those creatures, blurred out as if the photographer was running for their life in the process. "Those things were people? What the hell?" Bakugou whispered.

"When that happened, I didn't hesitate to make my way to Rei's room. But by the time I got to the hospital, it was already infested with those things. I can only assume that the hospital was one of the first buildings to go down."

Todoroki was in disbelief. "That's... That's insane. So... Clearnox caused this to happen..."

"That's so fucked up," Kirishima blinked. "Who would do something like this?"

"Someone who probably thought that they'd make a big profit for themselves," Dabi spoke up as he reloaded his gun. "From what I've seen on the way here, those things are contagious too. There was this survivor running away from one of them. They got her, but not even a couple minutes later she began making those deafening noises."

"Are you fucking serious?" Bakugou huffed. "If we get bit by one of those things, we become one?"

"Seems like it," Dabi shrugged.

"I'm still confused though," Todoroki stood up. "You didn't just come to this room specifically just to see if some rumours were true. What's my mom to you? Why are you really here?"

Dabi didn't respond at first, but he didn't want to answer that anyway. However, he didn't have to after all. Rei stood up and began walking towards him, in which made the former villain stand up as well. Her hands reached up to touch his face and the woman's eyes began tearing up.

"... Because you never forgot about me... Like I never forgot about you...," Rei whispered. "Isn't that right... Touya?"

Both Enji's and Dabi's eyes widened. He instantly walked towards the woman and the former villain and put a hand on her shoulder. "Rei, that's not Touya. Touya is gone... He's been missing for years. He's never coming back."

"And why do you think that is?! You made my child disappear!" Rei snapped back, causing Enji's hand to fall off her shoulder. "But a mother never forgets her child's face, no matter how many years have gone by... And that is my son. That's my Touya...! He came back! Just look at his eyes, Enji! Don't you dare deny that truth!"

The large man looked back up at Dabi to see for himself, and the villain stayed silent. In fact, Dabi's expression changed. He looked sad. Enji's own facial expression began to change in realization, followed by disbelief.

"No...," Enji shook his head. "You can't be..."

Rei began sobbing and took Dabi in her arms, holding him tight and not letting go. The former villain didn't do anything, however. He stayed silent and let it be, but he began blinking rapidly as if he was going to cry as well. He couldn't form any words.

However, their time of sentimentality was cut short. The screeching noises seemed to be getting louder and closer towards the door, with the sound of their feet making loud thuds on the floor from running. Bakugou backed up.

"Shit, they're coming...!"

"Dammit...!" Dabi's eyes darted every corner of the room for a way out, but the only way was through the window. He snatched Todoroki's metal baton and broke the window open, then looked out of it. "There's a shade over the second story window and a large patch of grass underneath. It'll hurt but it's our only way out. We have to hurry!"

But by the time anyone could make a choice, those things were already at the door trying to break it down. Enji darted towards it and used his strength to keep it closed. Eventually the door broke open, but Enji was still pushing through and forcing it closed. The group had begun lunging out of the window; Bakugou was already down, Todoroki carefully guiding Rei out and Midoriya was soon to follow.

"Shit, it's not gonna stay closed...!" Kirishima darted to help Enji keep it closed, trying to find anything to barricade it but he couldn't find anything within reach. Enji grunted and looked back at the group before looking at Kirishima.

"You have to get out of here, boy! Or else you won't make it!"

"But then you'll die!" Kirishima shouted.

Midoriya was already at the edge of the window to jump down, but when he heard both Enji and Kirishima shouting in the back, he knew they weren't following. The greenette rushed to look behind. "BOTH OF YOU, COME ON! WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!"

"SOMEONE HAS TO STAY BEHIND TO KEEP THESE THINGS AT BAY WHILE YOU ALL ESCAPE. YOU HAVE TO GO, BOY! NOW!!"

Who should stay behind?

• Enji?

• Or Kirishima?

#tw: anxiety cause #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha apocalypse au #todoroki shouto #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #kirishima eijirou #todoroki rei #todoroki enji #endeavor #dabi bnha #bnha #mha #my au

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xtruss · 4 years

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Americans Used to Eat Pigeon All the Time—and It Could Be Making a Comeback

It’s reviled by city slickers, but revered by chefs.

— By Eleanor Cummins | February 16, 2018 | Popular Science

A vintage postcard of a pigeon plant. Wikimedia Commons

Brobson Lutz remembers his first squab with perfect clarity. It was the 1970s at the now-closed French restaurant Lutèce in New York City. “I came from North Alabama where there was a lot of dove and quail hunting and I knew how tasty little birds were,” the fast-talking Southerner recalls. “I’m not even sure if I knew then if it was a baby pigeon or not. But I became enamored with them.”

When he returned home, however, the New Orleans-based physician found pigeon meat in short supply. The bird was occasionally served in the Big Easy, but to satiate his need for squab, Lutz had to get creative. For a time, he says, he would call Palmetto Pigeon Plant, the country’s largest squab producer, and try to buy in bulk. “I pretended like I was a restaurant chef on the telephone to buy some from them, because they were only wholesale,” he says.

Eventually, Lutz decided to take matters into his own hands—and onto his own property. He bought some land along the Mississippi River, retrofitted a building into a pigeon loft, and bought a few pairs of breeding birds. “My initial plan was to go commercial, and I had a restaurant that wanted ‘em,” he says. But he’s found out he’s gotten a quarter of the production he expected. “I don’t know if it’s too hot here in the summer or if they’re not happy here or something, I’m lucky if I get from one pair six babies a year.” It’s enough to fill Lutz, but not enough to share his passion for pigeon meat with his fellow Louisianans.

Squab, once among the most common sources of protein in the United States, has fallen out of favor in the last century. The speedy, handsome, tender, and tasty pigeon of yesteryear was replaced in the hearts and minds of post-World War II Americans with the firsthand experience of the city pigeon, whose excrement encrusts our cities. It was replaced on the plate, too, by the factory-farmed chicken. But thanks to foodies like Lutz, squab is making a slow and steady comeback in French and Chinese restaurants around the country. Trouble is, the bird’s unique development needs mean farmers struggle to meet the growing demand.

A kit of passenger pigeons called for a shoot-out. Wikimedia Commons

Allen Easterly of Rendezvous Farm in Virginia sells his squabs in the Washington, D.C. area. He says most people are ignorant of the pigeon's culinary value—and that many seem to wish they could stay in the dark. "At the farmer's market, people say, 'What are squab?' And you say, 'Young pigeons.' And they go, 'Ew,'" he says. "They're thinking of the city birds pooping all over statues."

Pigeons may be reviled in the United States today, but as any squab enthusiast will tell you, for most of human history, the 310-ish species in the pigeon-dove family were revered. The little birds were a common theme for Pablo Picasso, who named his daughter Paloma, the Spanish word for dove. And physicist and futurist Nikola Tesla sought solace in his avian neighbors. One night in 1922, his favorite pigeon flew into his window looking distressed and eventually died. He reportedly said, "I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me."

Since at least ancient Egypt, domesticated pigeons have served as a messengers. Their enviable speed and pristine sense of direction made them an important communication strategy well into the 20th century. Even when telegrams and eventually phone lines criss-crossed the continent, pigeons were often more reliable. During World War I, homing pigeons were used to discreetly deliver messages across enemy lines. One bird, Cher Ami, famously delivered a life-saving note to Army headquarters, despite being shot through the breast and blinded on her flight across the battlefield. She was awarded a French military honor, the Croix de Guerre, and her one-legged body (Cher Ami's right limb was also lost in her fated journey) sits taxidermied in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

The pigeon's descent into the proverbial gutter is hard to chart, but its fate appears to have been sealed by 1914. That year, the last of the wild passenger pigeons, a little bird named Martha, died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. The birds were once so plentiful in North America that a kit (that's the collective noun for a group of pigeons) in the midst of migration could black out the sun. As they traipsed across the Midwest and Eastern United States, snacking in farmer's fields along the way, hungry humans would pull the babies from the nest and cook them for a quick meal. But deforestation and overhunting—people not only stole the babies, but shot the adults from the sky—drove them to extinction in just a few centuries.

For those who remembered the passenger pigeon's prime, squab remained a popular dish. The birds merely morphed from a kitchen staple to a rare treat sourced from local farms or shipped in from faraway poultry plants. But these days, pigeon is a dish best served defensively. For the generations after World War II, who have grown up on factory-farmed chicken at the expense of other birds, the pigeon is a nuisance, not a source of nutrition. In the 1960s, prices for pigeon meat dropped as demand for pest control skyrocketed. In 1980, Woody Allen dubbed the same New York City pigeons Tesla adored "rats with wings" in his film Stardust Memories.

While it's true that city pigeons shouldn't be eaten, rumors that they are a particularly diseased bird are just that—rumors. Pigeons are no more likely to carry avian disease than any other bird, but we have made these feral birds moderately dangerous by feeding them our trash. Unlike farm breeds, which are carefully controlled and fed a special diet, city pigeons clean up our forgotten pizza crusts... and likely ingest rodenticide, battery acid, and lead along the way.

Around the same time that enterprising businessmen began putting up spikes and spreading poisons in pigeon-dense parks, the chicken, previously a fragile and finicky bird prized primarily for its eggs, became the nation's leading source of poultry. In 1916, just two years after Martha the passenger pigeon died in captivity, scientists began work to develop a "broiler" chicken, bred specifically for meat production. The hope was the bird would grow big and grow fast. After years of tinkering, the Cobb company launched its breeding program in the 1940s and other poultry producers soon followed. By 1960, the National Chicken Council reports, the per capita consumption of chicken was around 28 pounds. In 2018, the council projects we'll each consume about 92.5 pounds of the bird.

Despite the public vitriol and stiff competition from chicken, a few folks, motivated by the pigeon's gastronomic promise, have preserved the squab-eating tradition. Scott Schroeder is the owner and chef of Hungry Pigeon, a restaurant in Philadelphia. Trained in French cooking, he started eating squab early in his career, and has only become more enamored of its taste. "I really fell deeply in love with them in a way," he says of squab carcasses. "The breast in particular tastes like a mixture of duck and steak at the same time, which to me sounds really good."

There are two reasons for this unique flavor. First, pigeons are an entirely dark meat bird, meaning they have a high concentration of myoglobin, the oxygen-storing protein that gives dark meat its unique color and taste. Where myoglobin is concentrated in a chicken’s legs, it courses through a pigeon’s entire body, allowing for a more succulent, if iron-intense, eating experience. The second factor is the age at which a pigeon is killed. Like veal, the prized meat of young cows, farmers kill squab when they’re young and their meat is tender. By trapping them just days before they take their first flight—typically around four weeks old—farmers ensure that the meat around a baby pigeon’s wings are never used and therefore never hardened.

In France, squab is often pan-roasted, with a cream-colored crispy skin. In Chinese cuisine, the squab is usually fried, so it's served up whole and bronzed like Peking duck. In Morocco, squab is commonly served in a pastilla, an elaborate and pastry-centric take on the pot pie. While the first two preparations require a young, supple bird, the pastilla can use adult pigeon, too, as the slow-cooked process is enough to soften the more mature meat.

In the United States, the taste for pigeon meat remains rare, but the meat itself is rarer still. Schroeder recently had to remove squab from his menu at the Hungry Pigeon. His supplier—"a really nice Mennonite man named Joe Weaver who is the opposite of Purdue Chicken"—stopped selling the birds and the chef hasn't found another source of squab at a reasonable price. While a generic whole chicken costs around $1.50 a pound, a one-pound squab is typically 10 times that; depending on who you buy it from, prices for a whole pigeon can trend north of $25. “A hundred years ago, everyone was eating them,” Schroeder says. “Now, you can’t find them, unless you’re filthy rich.”

From the National Standard Squab Book (1921). Left page, top: "Squabs one week old." Left page, bottom: "Squabs two weeks old." Right page, top: "Squabs three weeks old." Right page, bottom: "Squabs four weeks old. Ready to be killed for market." Biodiversity Heritage Library

Tony Barwick is the owner of Palmetto Pigeon Plant, the largest squab producer in the United States. When he isn't dealing with calls from pigeon fiends like Lutz masquerading as restaurateurs, Barwick manages farm's 100,000 breeding pairs of pigeon. Each month, he says, the Sumter, South Carolina-based business aims to sell 40,000 to 50,000 squab. Barwick's birds can be found in "white tablecloth restaurants" and Chinatowns from New York to Los Angeles. "I've been backordered for 15 years," he says.

Though Palmetto's monthly output may sound big, it's nothing compared to pigeon's peers in poultry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn't even track the nation's pigeon population, instead focusing primarily on chickens, chicken eggs, and turkeys. "We're a minor species," Barwick says. "I don't know how many squab are produced in the United States, but… let's say 22,000 a week. There's one chicken company in Sumter, South Carolina, they do 30,000 an hour in just that plant." After a poignant pause he adds, "In a hour what our entire industry does in a week."

Barwick acknowledges that part of the pigeon's problem is its bad reputation. But from an agricultural perspective, the real bottleneck is the bird's long babyhood. In the avian universe, most species develop quickly. Chickens, ducks, geese, and many other birds, are all precocial animals, meaning the newborns are mobile and reasonably mature from birth. While they still need to be protected, an infant chicken can start waddling—and, crucially, eating everyday food—from about the moment it cracks through its egg.

The pigeon, however, is an altricial bird, meaning the babies are helpless at birth. While it's possible that scientific manipulation could eventually turn squab into mass-produced meat, this fundamental facet of the pigeon's development makes things difficult. "A human baby is altricial," says Barwick. "So is a pigeon… It's born with its eyes shut, which means their parents have to regurgitate feed to them." Because the young are helpless, family units have to be kept relatively intact, and birds can't be forcibly fattened up. In the beginning, baby pigeons won't eat scattered bird seed, instead relying on so-called "pigeon milk," which is gurgled up from mom or dad's craw. This is why, on average, a pair of pigeons only produces two babies every 45 days. By contrast, a single female chicken in an artificially-lit environment can produce as much as one egg everyday, which, if they're inseminated and incubated, can turn into new chickens.

Pigeon problems aren't just a matter of maturity, however. They're also a matter of pure poundage: a pigeon doesn't weigh much. In four or five weeks, a squab tops out around a pound. In the same amount of time, a factory-farmed chicken will hit five pounds, thanks to selective breeding for broiler birds and other mass-production techniques like growth hormones. "It's like oysters," Schroder says of squab. "There's just not a whole lot there."

Still, it’s clear that some of squab’s inconveniences are also a part of its charm. Because it’s hard to produce and familiar primarily to foodies, it’s treated with more reverence than a chicken. While this keeps squabs out of the mouths of the masses, it’s actually great for business. After a severe decline in the 1960s and 70s, Barwick says demand for pigeon is back—even if most Americans remain oblivious to this particular source of protein.

“Most of our squab we sell into Asian markets in the United States,” he says. “They love squab.” In China, young pigeon meat pairs well with special occasions including weddings and holidays like Lunar New Year. Barwick says that the domestic squab industry started to bounce back after England and China brokered a deal to return Hong Kong to China. Hong Kong residents emigrated to the United States en masse in the 1980s, he explains, and brought their penchant for Peking duck and roast squab with them.

In more recent years, upscale restaurants have started to sell more squab, too. “We have these celebrities [like Julia Child, Alice Waters, and Emeril] who love squab and they’ve really pushed it, so we’ve seen domestic demand start to grow again and it’s that TV effect,” Barwick says. The unique taste and, of course, the relative scarcity of the bird, make it a mouth-watering menu item—for those who can afford it.

The combination of increased demand, a stagnated supply, and the bigger budgets of these white tablecloth establishments have all conspired to raise the price of the bird. While it’s easy to track down a host of midtown Manhattan restaurants, where one or six courses might be squab, finding the little bird in Chinatown is much harder. I found five Chinese restaurants in New York City that had squab on the menu, but only one actually kept it stocked—$18.95 a bird, head and all.

Arguably the worst part of city living. Pixnio

In many ways, the squab's spotty history is not unusual. At the turn of the 19th century, horse meat was all the rage. And during the Gold Rush, miners relied on turtles as a steady source of protein. What food appears unethical or unappetizing has always changed with the shifting sands of supply and demand.

What’s peculiar about the pigeon is our over-familiarity with the bird. We’ve all seen cows, pigs, and chickens, but few Americans encounter them on a daily basis, let alone share their stoops and streets with the critters. For devotees of French cuisine, the love of pigeon meat has actually enhanced their respect for the squab’s urbane cousin. “I like their resiliency and that they survive our environment,” Schroeder the chef says. “To me, they’re such an iconic bird.” But for the majority of people, negative encounters with the city bird means, even for a reasonable price, this particular meat will never make it on the menu.

Still, Barwick says Palmetto is planning to increase it production by nearly 50 percent. Over the next three years, he says, Palmetto intends to add 40,000 new breeding pairs. This increase may not be enough to substantially lower the price or convert chicken-lovers to the ways of the pigeon, but it's sure to provide pigeon devotees some relief. “Squab is perfect for one,” Lutz says, his Southern accent speeding up to deliver this final determination. “If I went with someone, I’d make them get their own. I wouldn’t share it.” If all goes well, he'll no longer have to.

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thelocalshooter · 4 years

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The Local Shooter Vs. B-LIFE

(LS) Hello thank you being apart of a great come up and welcome, may we get a small introduction for the people reading who don’t know who you are, where are you from? Who are you? And what do you do?

(B) I'm B-L1FE or B to most. I am an Indiana native but for the last 4 years I've been in the Houston, TX area. I do everything except make beats. I'm a recording artist myself, I engineer, DJ, design, visuals, animations, curate. To add to all that I'm also the CEO of my own record label, FAITH×VICTORY Records. I also am the CEO of three other companies: SupportArt which is a promotion company that also houses a collective, and MeditatedMerch which is my clothing line. There is stuff I'm missing I'm sure but I'm basically the one stop shop for good underground business.

(LS) Being a Texas native how do you feel that the music scene has impacted you and your creativeness?

(B) The scene in the H has never really impacted me much but surround regions have amazingly unique sounds that are almost nice accents to a style like mine that blends hip hop with metal and alt rock. The Dallas FT. Worth area is full of this new wave sound that people like Jah or $not really helped catapult. Then south Florida is known for the wild hype sounds they give us like Pouya. I think these regions influenced me by just kind of telling me hey its ight to let go and just be me. I used to be signed under a different stage name and to be honest it was all bullshit. All the rules and what they wanted me to be. This area in general just let the monster loose I guess you could say.

(LS) You also run a blog on your own called supportart where its a platform for many creative artist in the underground, how did that come about and how long have you been running it?

(B) We are gonna be two years old in June which is unreal. We house 20 artists at the moment including myself. It honestly all started as a group chat of artists trying to put together a collective mixtape. Most people didnt come through but it actually opened a networking portal that led us to our first client who was King Kap who at the time was signed to Quality Control. We continue to work with him to this day and alongside the leaders I make the calls with (Yung N ICy, Fat Daddy J, Psych Ward, Penny the Shabba, Waveon, wa55up, & Kaster) we just had the flood gates opened on us. Alot of trial and error but never once have we been exposed or finessed. We work hard for the underground and have new ways coming soon to showcase hidden talent.

(LS) you seem to be a jack of all trades with graphics, producing, and much more! What do you feel is your strongest creative outlet for you and why?

(B) All the other crafts came from being a recording artist. I think I truly shine there. Away from the art and visuals, I've had some pretty big accomplishments as the rapper B-L1FE. Sometimes I forget to push my own stuff when I'm so busy pushing the underground or my artists. In 2019 I dropped my first and sophomore album which did well. Underviews did an article naming me a young mogul. I made the underground freshman list which was amazing to be with the likes of GNAR, Lord Xan, 916frosty, and more. But if anything compares it's my graphic design. I've been doing design since I was 14 and I'm almost 28 now. I still have every graphic I've done and my portfolio now have close to 6000 pieces. It's the main reason I could leave the day job life behind.

(LS) You also happen to be on all major platforms with a couple single releases, where did you first find your passion for music? Also how did you know that it was going to be a career for you?

(B) My parents didnt really do much parenting but they did raise me around terrific music. I have right now I believe 83 songs on all major platforms which is quite a bit since my contract from the previous record label didnt expire until April of 2018. My parents raised me around Dr. Dre, Bone Thugs, Snoop, Nas, Destinys Child, Master P, and all the greats. So I had this around me so much at 12 I started writing structured songs and didnt even realize it. Football was passion #1 but when I decided to rescend my commitment to Eastern Michigan University, I started toying around with being in a band. After awhile my vocal cords suffered from pure metal music. So I turned to rap which was also like a hobby. Then once I began to network in around 2012 I noticed I had something alot of others didnt. So it was then I knew. The rest was waiting for the contract I signed stupidly to expire. My biggest influences would be Chronic 2001 by Dr. Dre and Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park.

(LS) Your most recent single regurgitate and there’s a single called “Welcome To Hell” which did amazing numbers on Twitter! What was the whole process behind those songs and why did you pick that specific song to shows case the project?

(B) The process behind these two singles were both random to be honest. I put out my second EP back in December and wanted to take my time on my third album so I do what I call SINGLE SZN. I drop a new song on major platforms every week. It started with my first single of 2020 which was 'Never' and 'Welcome to Hell' was the second. With that one it was Angry Orphan's concept (featured artist) and he sent me his parts and a rough idea and I thought since we both are lyrical artists let's do what Em and Royce do when they collab and take these same schemes but change our words and small parts of our flows. It made a very cohesive song. The marketing is always the same for me. I let people know way before something drops that it's coming. The main key is promoting stuff more than once. So many people drop a track, run it through some group chats for that day, and then leave it to die. You gotta keep pushing content towards people. With 'Regurgitate' I hadn't even planned a part of it. I woke up to an email from SupportArt's head engineer, Penny the Shabba, that two beats. One was the beat for that song. Wrote it in 15 mins recorded it mixed it, he mastered it while I did the cover, and within 4 or so hours a full song was ready and off to distrubution.

(LS) What’s a regular day in the life of B-LIFE? Do you wake up in the morning go to the studio? Do you wake up in the morning and start interviewing people and check on your blog? What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

(B) The minute I wake up I need a shower. Cant start the day right without it. My studio and everything is at home so I just go off my daily planner. I keep everything written down including my own personal stuff and I usually pick whatever project I really dont wanna do to start. That way I'm getting through the 'blah' jobs with full energy and the shit I'll enjoy doing I save for later when I'm drained. Usually first thing I do business wise is touch base with my team. We use telegram so we can avoid social media. We a family so they come first. Next is clients. Always touch base with any clients waiting still or people I may have had halfway to the payment phase.

(LS) juggling music, blogs, graphics, and also a clothing brand how do you know when to find time for each creative outlet? Do you set a certain schedule for certain things? Do you have a certain day for certain things how does that work for you?

(B) I wish I knew. Everyday is dedicated to everything. I didnt want to say okay Tuesday we design only covers and logos but sell 5 videos the night before that Tuesday. I ask my clients for deadlines and bundle clients I tell them the timeframes. To be honest my turnaround is so quick and I've done this for so long I do it super fast. Some AMV clients get their video back in an hour with their mind blown. I try not to look at it as such a big work load. Whenever I do feel overwhelmed then its time for like 30 mins on the xbox or a jog. Somehow I never run out of creativity which certainly helps.

(LS) What’s your main goal as far as music? Do you plan on getting signed, are you looking to stay independent? Is music even your full on passion or are you looking to stay more on the blog and manager/artist development side or what is your main goal?

(B) Main goal is to get my label signed how Travis Scott did with Cactus Jack. It keeps the artist safe and in it's own way allows you to stay independent but with proper funding. Music is the main passion. I never say I manage my artists. We push them to build their own brands and we help them with that. I'm simply just keeping a platform all about love. The rest does it's own thing all by itself. Truly amazing.

(LS) Thank you again for being a part of this great come up, is there anything else you would like for the readers to know about you? Or should we keep our eyes peeled for anything to come in 2020? What are some links that you can share were new readers can go ahead and find your work?

(B) You can find everything related to be via my linktree which is linktr.ee/lifewitha1

Album 3's first single drops May 1st and you can already pre order it on Apple Music. Its titled 'Bob Ross' and ensomber produced it. Tune in. Tap in. We out here not just for us but for everybody with the it's always love approach. Just dont get shit twisted haha. You can find me everywhere but soundcloud. Bless up everybody and much love to The Local Shooter. Houston we strong!!

The Local Shooter Vs. B-L1FE

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flauntpage · 7 years

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Five Cheerleaders Kneeled for the Anthem: 'The Scariest Thing I've Ever Done'

It began like any other football game. On the last day of September, just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, the Kennesaw State University Owls were hoping to build on a two-game win streak.

Before kickoff, the band tuned up for the national anthem. The crowd at Fifth Third Bank Stadium rose to its feet. Then, just as the band hit the first note of the Star Spangled Banner, five Kennesaw State cheerleaders dropped to a knee.

Right before the big moment, the cheerleaders had prayed together. They were Michaelyn Wright, Tommia Dean, Taylor Mclver, Kennedy Town, and Shlondra Young. They said they had put a lot of thought into the possible reactions they may face. They had all consulted with their parents.

“It was the scariest thing I've ever done,” said Wright. “I was shaking.”

In a video posted to Instagram, you can hear an audible gasp come from the crowd. But the loudest reactions came much later.

When former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began protesting during the national anthem in the 2016 NFL preseason, he was objecting to unchecked police violence against people of color. He made this extremely clear.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media at the time. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

It has been more than a year, and many football fans (and owners) still refuse to hear his message. However, other athletes have heard it—including those five college cheerleaders at Kennesaw State University.

For weeks before the September 30 game, the five women talked about what they could do. They each had their own reasons, but all five knew they needed to make a statement. Something public. As cheerleaders, taking a knee seemed like the appropriate action, given that their protest would take place within the context of a football game.

In the weeks that have passed since their demonstration, the Kennesaw Five, as they have come to be known, have learned that kneeling in protest during the national anthem can bring resentment and anger, media obsession, and a surprising amount of support.

On the day of their first protest, Young posted a message on Facebook:

“Today, I kneel for equality, I kneel for social injustice and I kneel for those who unjustly lost their lives and are no longer here to kneel for themselves I kneel in a city where a Confederate culture still exists among some and issues such as this are often placed on the back burner. I kneel in a city where I am a minority. But most importantly, I kneel for unity in a country that needs it the most right now.”

Other members of the group had specific instances of police violence or racism in mind when they acted.

“I just don't think people deserve to die like that. I have watched all these events and they touch me,” said Dean. “Alton Sterling was killed in my home state of Louisiana. That was close.”

Sterling, 37, was shot in the chest and back while two police officers pinned him to the ground. The July 2016 incident caused public outcry from the Baton Rouge community.

“We go to school in Cobb County and this is where a white cop said we only shoot black people,” said Town. “That told me I have to do something in Cobb County to make a change.”

Town was referring to an incident outside of Atlanta, Georgia last July when during a traffic stop a Cobb County police officer jokingly tried to assure a white motorist not to be scared by saying, “But you're not black. Remember, we only kill black people.”

The interaction was caught on the officer’s dashcam, which was leaked to the public at the end of August.

Wright said that it was simply her inability to imagine what it was like for a mother to lose her child to police violence that drove her to take part.

“I know if I was a parent and that happened to my child I would be highly upset,” she said. “Even though I am not, I can feel that pain. That's not the way you should lose a child, or someone should die. That's why it speaks to my heart.”

Kennesaw State, which boasts the third largest campus in Georgia, fielded its first official football team in 2015. The Owls play in the Division 1 Big South Conference. Even without the added attention of protesting cheerleaders, this has shaped up to be a landmark year for the fledgling football program. After losing the season opener, they have won eight straight games and are at the top of their conference with just two games left in the season.

In Kennesaw, a town that just saw its first black City Council member elected in 2016, and has an unusual city law requiring gun ownership, the negative response to the cheerleaders came swiftly, with numerous comments on social media claiming that the five were disrespecting the flag and the country.

So far, the football team’s head coach and the cheerleading coach have publically remained quiet in response to the protest, but the Kennesaw Five said that their fellow cheerleaders have been supportive, even as those outside of the school’s sports programs have been less so.

Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren and state Rep. Earl Ehrhart bragged about pressuring Kennesaw State University President Sam Olens to take action against the quintet, according to a report from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, which featured text messages between the three.

At football games after the protest, the entire cheerleading squad was made to wait in the tunnel that leads to the field during the anthem. The administration repeatedly claimed that the decision to keep the cheerleaders off the field was part of a series of changes that had already been planned. Other changes included adding metal detectors at the stadium entrances and painting the school’s logo at midfield, according to a statement released by the university’s athletic department.

In the wake of their protest, the cheerleaders were inundated with media requests. News crews repeatedly showed up to their practices. “It's tiring, I didn't realize so many people want to talk to us. I run out of things to say,” said Dean. “Glad, my brother has been there to help.” Once the maelstrom hit, Dean’s older brother, Davante Lewis, stepped in to help deal with members of the media.

“The media has asked many questions. However, we are getting the story out there and starting the conversation,”said Young. “I don't focus on nothing negative. There is too much positive going on for me to do that.”

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The five women were surprised by how much positive feedback they received. Young posted on Facebook that a member of the Army handed her a challenge coin. In the military there is a tradition of giving challenge coins to fellow soldiers for brave acts of courage.

Meanwhile, Dean mentioned another veteran who emailed them, emphasizing that he fought overseas to protect the right to protest and praising them for exercising that freedom.

“He stressed for us to ignore those who say we were being disrespectful,” Dean said.

More recently, the five women were also presented with plaques from the families of victims of police violence, including Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin.

“She gave us all one, and the love we have seen blows my mind sometimes,” said McIver. “To receive this plaque from a mother in the movement is an amazing gift and I will cherish it forever.”

Martin’s death at the hands of a self-styled neighborhood watchman who was subsequently acquitted of murder was one of the first major sparks for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“This family and their case was among the many that started building my passion for the issue of police brutality and social injustice,” Young wrote on Facebook after receiving the plaque.

After the cheerleaders were removed from the field during the anthem, the student body rose up to support them. Just over two weeks after the cheerleaders first took a knee, dozens of students marched on campus. The school’s mascot even made an unsanctioned appearance. Wright was shocked by the show of support from her fellow students.

“I just didn't think we would have all these protest on campus and reaction from faculty and students would be that big,” she said. “We all talked to our family first hand to make sure we got their support.”

Since then, the cheerleaders have continued to take a knee (albeit in the tunnel), and in many ways the furor on campus has died down.

“I tend to tune out the negative, and look at the amount of support we have gotten. We have been so blessed to have so many people all over the country support us. I have seen nothing but love from those close to me,” said Young, who, as the eldest member of the quintet, is closest to graduation. She said she hopes to pursue a law degree.

Although there were rumors that the women were in danger of losing their scholarships, they never received official word that it was even considered and, the Georgia Board of Regents recently announced that it plans to investigate whether or not university president Olens was coerced into retaliating against them.

“I would do it all over again,” said Wright. “While I wasn't expecting this reaction, we wouldn't be having this conversation without this action.”

On November 8, the school announced that it would rescind the policy change that cloistered the cheerleaders during the anthem.

Five Cheerleaders Kneeled for the Anthem: 'The Scariest Thing I've Ever Done' published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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