Fresh Cherries from Yakima

remember 1996? life seemed all so simple then, particularly because most of you who read my blog were still in elementary/middle/high school. it was the thick of the clinton-era, gas was like $1.15-per-gallon (ballpark figure, probably nowhere near accurate), and grunge had finally gasped its last breath (unless you count bush, who, aside from being a corporately manufactured band, admittedly wrote pretty decent songs). list season shouldn’t ONLY be about THIS year, should it? glad you agree!

trey kirby, known to friends and readers as “goathair,” is the proprietor of my favorite NBA blog, the blowtorch, and not just because he interviewed chuck klosterman (long-known in these parts as my favorite writer) exclusively with hypothetical questions regarding klosterman’s legendary sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs essay about the los angeles lakers/boston celtics rivalry of the 80’s. this means two things:

one. goathair, in addition to having a name that would fit perfectly in klosterman’s first novel, downtown owl, has the most entertaining NBA blog in the world.

now that we’ve cleared the air, and i’ve introduced my guest, let’s check the list.

1. No Diggity – Black Street feat. Dr. Dre

While Dickey Simpkins was never a star for the Chicago Bulls, he was certainly a hero. Much like Black Street, Simpkins was never astronomically successful but he was important to those in the know, mainly thousands of adolescent boys who couldn’t stop giggling at the name “Dickey.”

2. California Love – 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre

Dickey’s favorite line from this song was “Oakland. Oakland’s definitely in the house.” It was a line that would prove ironic when he was traded to the Golden State Warriors two years later.

3. Tha Crossroads – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

If you say you didn’t love this song in 1996, you’re a liar.

4. Woohah! Got You All in Check – Busta Rhymes

While Dickey preferred the Native Tongues-era Busta Rhymes, he would not deny the solo work of Mr. Trevor Smith. Simpkins was known to travel the streets of Chicago in glow-in-the-dark body paint looking for a place to dance. His Busta Rhymes fetish is not entirely unexpected.

5. C’Mon ‘N Ride It (The Train) – Quad City DJs

Speaking of dancing, it was during timeouts where Dickey would hone his craft. “C’Mon ‘N Ride It (The Train)” was played incessantly and Dickey would acquire the song in an effort to choreograph a routine that he would later pitch to the dance team, the Lovabulls. In fact, this routine is the basis for the recently formed dance troupe, the Matadors.

6. Killing Me Softly – the Fugees

In late 1995, Dickey experienced the first heartbreak of his life. Isolated from his family in Maryland, he immersed himself in melodramatic music. While initially taken with the stunning Lauryn Hill, Dickey found solace in the whimsical stylings of Pras and Wyclef. To this day, he claims The Ecleftic as his favorite album.

7. Un-Break My Heart – Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton’s effect on NBA players is legendary and Dickey Simpkins was no exception. He has amassed an unparalleled amount of Braxton memorabilia and plans to open a destination theme park in her honor in early 2010.

8. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) – Backstreet Boys

Though not keeping in line with Dickey’s other musical preferences, Dickey immediately identified with Backstreet Boy Howie Donough. The least famous of the Boys, Donough was forgotten behind the fame of Nick Carter and that little guy with the curls, much the same as Dickey being ignored behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2008 at 6:27 pm and is filed under the homies, hip-hop, lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.