So the story goes like this. I’ve been affiliated with Backside – the music and clothing store in Burbank, CA – for a long time. The co-owner, Eric, brought me on board years ago to do exactly what I’m doing for Fatlace and Illest. That, then, resulted in a position with Soul Assassins. I was a sales rep for a little bit and then started working with their weekly radio show on Sirius XM. Fast forward to tonight where things came full circle. Backside now hosts the radio show out of the store and I stopped by to say hello to my old friends, whom I owe a lot of my progression to.

That’s Ern-Dogg on the left and Mr. Choc on the right. These guys hold it down for Soul Assassins and the Beat Junkies, respectively.

Backside used to have music flyers posted on the wall as you walk in. Since they picked up hosting the radio show, they’ve turned it into a wall of fame.

This is Eric. We had a small meeting upstairs in the office to discuss our collaborative birthday party happening in October. Mark, if you’re reading, I’m going to need a sponsor!!

Eric introduced me to Joey, who’s part of the LiveMixtapes.com team. We conversed about digital media, blog platforms, exclusive Lil’ Wayne drops, and how their site gets 12M views per month (3M of those are unique). He also showed me the new app by their video partner site, Trill HD. It’s constantly refreshing music videos for your viewing pleasure, and cosigned by Bun B.

Shelly (best friend/Tastemakers) came through, too. We killed some time with a lesson in craps.

And that was it. It was funny because I wasn’t planning on going tonight. But I was reminded that I needed Fatlace material. I’m glad I did go, though; I got to catch up with some very supportive friends and remember what got me here. I also may or may not have landed upcoming interviews with really good people…

By the way, Backside does carry Illest. So if you’re in the area, please stop on by.