Absolute DMV
Absolute DMV
Farewell to U Street's Cloak & Dagger, High School Reunion Reflections, and Armenian Cultural Advocacy
Ever wondered how a night of nostalgic farewells and joyous reunions can shape our lives? Egogh takes us on a heartfelt journey back to U Street's iconic Cloak & Dagger for its final, unforgettable party, while Ace reflects on the profound impact of old friendships at his 20-year high school reunion. Join us as we celebrate the essence of community and the memories that continue to define us.
We also have a special treat for music and heritage enthusiasts. Listen to a passionate musician share his upcoming trip to Armenia, his new song "Honoring the High," and the heartfelt mission to support displaced Armenians from Artsakh. This episode doesn't shy away from the complexities of political disillusionment, either. From the idea of international relocation to the chaotic landscape of American politics, we explore it all with candid discussions and thought-provoking insights. Tune in for a rich tapestry of nostalgia, cultural appreciation, and critical political conversations.
Welcome everybody to another episode of the Absolute DMV Podcast. It's your man, ace Boogie. I am here back with a few good guys. We're back, not just ego. Ugly a**, stop playing.
Speaker 2:This motherfucker starting shit.
Speaker 1:Let me stop playing. We are back, guys. I'm here with a few good guys, man. I'm here with Mark, hey, what's going on? Everybody? And I'm here with my man, Ego, Ego's on the boat. Gentlemen, how are you guys doing Ego? I'm sorry. What's going on with you, man? I'm good.
Speaker 2:I'm good, I'm good, good, everything is good, like I think it was a lovely, lovely weekend. We passed whatever. How'd y'all feel, how?
Speaker 1:y'all do man, I was great.
Speaker 2:I was great, you getting anything good, y'all want to hear what I did, yes, okay, all right. So last pod we were talking about big ups of U Street, we were giving props and everything like that. So my brother, sonny Sonny Tran, aka LOZ, ghost Taking the whole government out.
Speaker 1:Let's fuck that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, He'd do that shit. He's Vietnamese motherfuckers, you know, but anyways. So he had his first club called Cloak Dagger Cloak Dagger officially is closed. He had his first club called Cloak Dagger Cloak Dagger officially is closed. We did a last party party going out party pretty much on Saturday, and it was lit. It was bringing back the old people, the original people bartenders, break dancers, promoters, Everything came out and it was fucking ridiculous, Like I almost caught a tear, that's how?
Speaker 2:and it was fucking ridiculous like I almost caught a tear. That's how crazy it was because, uh, it was like kind of like bringing back like the history of what a club used to be to now and it was crazy. Other than that, I'm just gonna say, sonny, next time you have the ac on. Motherfucker, it was hot as fuck. Yo, everybody was sweating, didn't do shit. I walked in and mother fucking start sweating. I, I swear I felt like I was a fat dude If the cups closed and he's not.
Speaker 2:I know, I know, I know, I know what he was. He didn't give a fuck His utility bill. He's like fuck that, I want to pay utility bill dude, I hear him on that, but it wasc heat.
Speaker 2:Oh my god, no dude, that day was huge. I think it was that saturday. You know, like that saturday, um, it was ridiculous, like, and it it was, but it was lit. It was like bringing back the old school like motherfuckers, sweating, didn't matter what, you didn't look cute, nothing, sweat and have a good fucking time that old school Nelly is getting hot and hurt oh no, it was like that, like the walls are sweating. That's how bad it was.
Speaker 1:And it was fun. That's how you close a place down.
Speaker 3:Even it nice for the next tenant Smelling like sweat.
Speaker 2:He didn't give a fuck. I love it. He was like keep your shit. So that was epic. It was a great time. Everybody was lit, everybody was fun and it was on fun level. It wasn't status of trying to show up or whatever and floss, it was literally just have a good time, nice. Other than that, what up with y'all.
Speaker 1:Oh man, I got to give a shout out. I had my uh high school reunion, my 20 year. Yes, I'm, I'm an old old ass, old ass. Hey man, let me rock. But yeah, uh, shout out to john f kennedy my ass 2004. Hey man, we, we went out, we did it big. We had a great time at the Terrapin Turf in College Park, nice. Yeah man, it was a great time. Like honestly, I like to say that I didn't really care about high school that much. I mean.
Speaker 1:I had some great times but I feel like I didn't really care. But going back and seeing all those people again, no, I really cared about high school. I loved seeing everybody, bro, it was crazy.
Speaker 2:I think that's typical for any high schooler. You don't look at the times, or whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but then when you go back now as an old dude or whatever, you're like holy shit, you never know when the good old times are the good old times. No, you didn't have to pay. Yeah, you didn't have to pay.
Speaker 2:You know, you didn't need a job, you literally just went to school yeah socialized, met people and went back home. Do you understand, fucking, how crazy being a teenager was?
Speaker 3:oh, you didn't have to deal with rent you didn't have to deal with a job. Any money you had was but that free money.
Speaker 1:You could do whatever you wanted with but that was your problem, though that's the whole thing. It's like the idea behind it is as a kid, you had your own struggles and since it was different, but since you didn't know, those struggles were the biggest struggles in the world and now, like that's the reason why you appreciate it when you went out and came back and you was like holy shit, it was easy.
Speaker 2:I appreciate all y'all knuckleheads what I grew up with.
Speaker 1:Yeah, loved them all, bro. That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:But you didn't. You know, it's so funny that, like in high school, you probably didn't see the same way.
Speaker 1:No, I didn't see you were getting by, I didn't realize how, how much I loved and appreciated those people for real, and it's true love, because the way I see it is like they mold you man. Yeah, every one of those people had a slight bit of who I became and it's just one of them things where it's like going back and seeing all those people and, honestly, the most surprising thing yo, we all look great. We all look great. Y'all were some beautiful, just everybody looks great, are you sure?
Speaker 2:are you sure that you? Nah bro, I have a feeling that die nah bro, like this day day, this day and age, die is so easy, nah bro we don't play none of that shit. We from I had some die we, we from 04.
Speaker 1:We don't do the. We don't do none of that. We don't do the. Beijing we don't do none of that. Bro, we let it go. I don't play none of that shit. We from I had some die. We, we from oh four we don't do the.
Speaker 2:We don't do none of that we don't do the beijing, we don't do none of that, bro. We let it go. I don't like y'all young. We let it go how it go, bro, like mark, and I'll have nothing to worry about nah, man, we.
Speaker 1:But like I said, everybody looked great like, I mean like a few people, you know I'm saying balded a couple pounds here and there, even me I packed on a couple pounds, but like overall everybody looked great. I recognized everybody by their face.
Speaker 2:Like nobody, like that's cool.
Speaker 1:Nobody changed, yeah like, and it seemed like no sickness, no, nothing. So once again, shout out to Terrapin Turf having us hosting us. Go check out, Terrapin Turf. We was out there. The younger kids came out. They didn't even know they was partying with old people. That's how good we look.
Speaker 2:That's different looking than moving. We move, fine, you on the side of the wall.
Speaker 1:Don't play us like that. Yeah, I'm going to play y Inside the wall. Don't play us like that. Yeah, I'm gonna play y'all. Don't play us like that. Yeah, yeah, class O4 Shout out to y'all. Look at these old.
Speaker 2:Look at these old motherfuckers, john F Kennedy.
Speaker 1:John F Kennedy Shout out to y'all man, I love y'all, but but yeah, but, but nah nothing, this guy.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, don't cut me off.
Speaker 1:This guy, he's been gone.
Speaker 3:Been MIA man.
Speaker 1:We missed you, man. How you been, I missed you guys too.
Speaker 2:It's different, it was different.
Speaker 1:What's been going on, man? What's going on, oh man.
Speaker 3:Well, I was up in Massachusetts last week. It was a memorial for my grandmother. She passed away during COVID and it's kind of crazy how it. It was like Rest in peace, meemaw, yeah, meemaw, thank you, thank you. No, it was like you know, just it was like over, I mean 2020. So we're talking four years ago now and it was like we still haven't had a chance to do like a commemoration. You know, have people together just because no one knew when COVID was and then when things started chilling down it. But it was really good to get the family together and everything Was it like a recharge, kind of getting away from the typical yeah and that was good.
Speaker 3:We went to a music festival. Afterwards got a chance to sort of just poke around, climb some mountains, you know, and just relax a little bit. Good white people shit, Exactly Hiking.
Speaker 4:and shit I.
Speaker 3:Good white people shit. Exactly, hiking is shit. I didn't wear no Patagonia, though I didn't wear any Patagonia.
Speaker 2:White people.
Speaker 3:That's true, though.
Speaker 2:White people love hiking, I know that, but it was this funny thing about it. I'm looking around and, like the only white guy over here, talking about hiking as a way to get away.
Speaker 1:Hey bro, even though Mark make hip hop music, yeah, he's, mark has married an.
Speaker 2:Afro-Latina, I'm calling him White Chocolate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean yeah, he's still white regardless. You know what I'm saying. He's still every now and then he got frolic. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:He got the cocaína.
Speaker 1:Let him do his thing, man Let him do his thing. Well, go ahead, mark Shit.
Speaker 2:I was a head guy.
Speaker 3:No, but you're right. White people love hiking and they always give you the weird look when you pass them. Though, too, they give you the little white people smile and the head nod.
Speaker 2:Not even a real nod.
Speaker 3:Not yet, it's just a little.
Speaker 2:Good job.
Speaker 3:And then if they're really white, they'll give you a little compliment about, like hang in there, You're almost at the top.
Speaker 1:It's a real good hike weather today, or something like some strong yeah, hang in there sport hey man, I do love white people, white people. Yeah, like, like, like when somebody said I think you even said it like when white people, white people, no, no, no, no, no, but it's white people. Terms are just the opposite of black people terms.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, I got black boots you know what I'm saying. Nah, it's like.
Speaker 1:I love white people. It's like try me, buddy. And it's like you know what I'm saying. You found the right one today. Yeah, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 3:Well, you know white people, people too also have very funny uh. Like you know you messed up when someone says like uh you know like yeah, like whoa there pal, yeah, you know, yeah, hang on a second there fella oh, actually I won't pull that up next time. The white term versus the black term oh yeah, that's just a lot of that is polar opposite. Yeah, it's so funny.
Speaker 2:It's the way you say it is. What the difference?
Speaker 3:But yeah.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, yeah, like so you did your, your, your family thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I feel what's next happening.
Speaker 3:I think Well, I'm unpacking, getting readjusted here and then repacking, and on Friday I'm heading out to Armenia. I'm going to be gone for about yeah, yeah, about close to two weeks and I'll be out there doing some work-related stuff with therapy for kids, speaking at a couple of places, but then also I'll be releasing a new song this Friday called Honoring the High, which is about just Armenians in general and what we've been able to overcome despite the, you know, adversities that we've faced. And, um that song also, I'm going to be uh, donating a portion of the proceeds to uh helping organizations that are sort of providing services for armenians who've been displaced from artsakh, which is a, an enclave of armenia, historic land which was taken by arzabajan uh last year. Um, so that's uh, you know, giving back to the community a little bit there.
Speaker 2:Do you want to play a snippet of it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think we got a little something.
Speaker 2:Let's play a little bit of it, see how it is.
Speaker 4:Let's do this of cultures, scholars and authors, paying respect to our forefathers, proper living, with an attitude of gratitude that includes educating other cultures, so we can rally you to stand up against this travesty of tragedy by helping us weave this tapestry of majesty, history of victory, the legacy we leave, delivery of liberty made for you and me. So let's come together, because we're never going to stop thriving and climbing until we reach that top, 3,000 years on, still strong, with the pride. Endured many wrongs, but we promise to survive, prosper and provide as long as we alive. Can't knock us down because we, honoring the high, we honoring the high, can't, can't, can't knock us down. Knock, knock us down. Can't knock us down because we, honoring the high.
Speaker 1:Honoring the high.
Speaker 3:Okay, yo.
Speaker 1:What was the name of that again?
Speaker 3:Honoring the high, honoring the high Yo.
Speaker 2:that shit was sick yo.
Speaker 3:Thanks, man, appreciate it. Yeah, no, it's a cool record. I think it's got a cool poppish vibe that we sort of deliberately planned to appeal to hip-hop listeners but then non-hip-hop listeners, to appeal to hip-hop listeners but then non-hip-hop listeners, and then the lyrics sort of pay tribute to a lot of Armenian sentiments, but then also are very universal as well, so hoping to reach a lot of big audience.
Speaker 2:Give props to you for putting that together and also again represent you know what I mean. Put in all the hard work you put in When's the last time you've been out there.
Speaker 1:I was going to say I was like I've never seen somebody represent a genocide as hard as Mark has.
Speaker 3:Or, I guess, advocate for genocide recognition.
Speaker 1:I should say Advocate.
Speaker 2:He can represent.
Speaker 3:No, but I know what you mean.
Speaker 1:You're representing it like it's, like it's a thing you know he's repping bro, yeah, no, no, no, I hear you man think about it yeah, you're doing it like you know, saying it's.
Speaker 2:It's so crazy that a lot, of, a lot of cultures don't actually bring back. It's not like you were born and you, but you're still. It's part of you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, and I mean honestly like this is a. It's an interesting thing because I've never been to Armenia itself. My mom has never been. You know, my grandfather escaped the genocide and he lost. It was him and my great grandmother. Everyone else, the family's wiped out and our home, the homeland where he was from, is gone. It's no longer. It's been taken as part of the territory. That was taken. So, like that's, one of the reasons why my mom never went is because we didn't have any relatives there. We didn't have a home to visit or see where my grandfather grew up.
Speaker 3:So it was like you know, after I released my song 1915, I got really close with the community and a lot of the followers that I have on social media everything are people in Armenia, so that was a reason I wanted to go. A lot of news segments and Armenian news networks covered it, so I've been very fortunate. I've always wanted to go and I was planning to go in 2020. I released my debut album and then COVID happened. Yeah, I dropped the album in January and then I was like all gearing up.
Speaker 2:And then of course, course by March everything had been shut down so, yeah, you know it's been go hard, go crazy yeah, yeah, but definitely don't go too crazy.
Speaker 1:Yes, we want you back we want you back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, please don't, please don't have us out to do a go for me. I know right to get your ass back here, no, no, I'll be back for sure Work back to the States, please, please, please, please. Yeah, but anything else, I mean honestly, what do you feel? I guess we're. Let's talk about politics.
Speaker 3:Well then I might actually buy a place in Armenia. It doesn't look like buying maybe Brazil or Armenia, I mean America is getting a little less appealing.
Speaker 2:You better talk to your wife about that. I'm like how about you know? Okay? I mean honestly it might be cheap enough to buy both right.
Speaker 3:I mean yeah, I mean honestly, buying a place in Brazil is something we wanted to do. We do want to do. That's the game plan, but we'll see how things go in november, because I mean it could be not a good look.
Speaker 2:I mean I know a lot of canada is going to be getting a lot of you know uh applications pretty soon yeah, speaking mexico is going to get applications too, I bet I guess you're going by what you saw on it on a tube, right, the debate. It was rough, the debate was rough, the bait was rough, oh man, mad rough. It was very rough. I think it was probably the roughest thing I ever saw in politics in my whole life, and I'm pretty old.
Speaker 1:Hey man, I saw one dude who yeah, highlights of it because I wasn't going to waste my time watching the whole thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, honestly, I watched the first bit and it just I killed me and then I turned it off. Yeah, and I watched the recap later on and it was just Basically it didn't change I was hoping it would get better.
Speaker 1:It didn't no One. Dude damn near falling asleep on stage, the other dude talking about golf, like it was like to what are we doing?
Speaker 3:well, yeah, like the problem, too, was like I mean, we know trump lies on on twitter, lies every chance you get blah, blah, blah. Like we know that he's not only been through the election cycle with the debates once and then been president and then had all this law. We know the dude is a certified liar, so the fact that the moderators were not prepped and calling him out actively is like yo, what are you doing? We all know who this dude is so the thing about it?
Speaker 2:I think the moderator was trying to figure out how this guy can dig himself a hole.
Speaker 1:They just weren't. They actually weren't going to fact check, they weren't live fact checking.
Speaker 2:They were thinking that Biden's job was to do that right.
Speaker 3:No, but that's not his job.
Speaker 2:If someone's saying, like Previously, a lot of during debates. They call them out during a debate, right.
Speaker 3:That's what they should do.
Speaker 2:That's what they should do, even when Trump out during the debate, right, sure, and that's what, that's what they should do. They should do so even when, when, like trump, actually said something back in the day. You remember, that's why he they fact-checked like, nah, you're fucking, they were like oh, biden or the other opponent would fact-check you mean?
Speaker 3:yeah, and that's how he was like yeah, this time biden was like, uh, well, yeah, that was a whole nother thing, but the moderators should always be the fact checkers If the opponents want to double back and say well, actually I disagree with this because that they can. They were playing it safe, but that's a problem.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the moderator's job this time wasn't. I mean, we got to think about it like this that wasn't an official debate.
Speaker 2:No, it wasn't so. It was a CNN debate.
Speaker 1:It was set up to get ratings, the idea behind it is, they were just going to let them do what they were going to do?
Speaker 3:They were just going to give them a platform.
Speaker 1:Let them talk and then go from there. So, whatever Trump said, hey, you can fact check it later. Whatever Biden said, hey, you can fact check it later. But the idea, like I said, the idea behind it was it was more set up for ratings. It was so horrible. Like I said, the idea behind it was it was more set up for ratings. It was so horrible.
Speaker 3:I think it was really bad for America because you have a candidate who's literally run on fake news and then you're not actively checking him. The dude is Bouting things that are fake and then he's saying slurs and then you got Biden, who is just the reality is. He's not where he was four years ago. Exactly and honestly. The Democratic Party has not done a good job of showing what other candidates it has, because it has younger people in it, young candidates who are in elected positions, who are even in the Biden administration. That would do a better job.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Or even like not to say that they're going to have to be the president to replace Biden, but just as a selling point, like if you vote for Biden even if he becomes unable to be president anymore, you've got so and so at this position, so and so at this position confidence in the ticket even if you don't have confidence in him as the president who's the current one.
Speaker 2:You know he's talking about the vice president should have stepped her game up.
Speaker 3:Well, not even that she should have stepped her game up, but like the party should have been, like yo. You are going to be a very important thing for the next election. Let's give you some good things to do from a PR standpoint, where people are going to know what you're doing. They're going to have good highlights and then be able to have confidence in you where it's like there hasn't really. The party didn't do its job.
Speaker 2:It didn't elevate Kamala the way they should have, or just the actual Democratic Party.
Speaker 1:I don't think the party backed Biden the way they needed to back Biden.
Speaker 3:But at the same time, like we said, we don't really know if Biden is in a position that another four years is going to be, beneficial to not even just us, to him, yeah, yeah, because like on top of that, it's like you got Pete Buttigieg, who's a young guy I mean, he's got to be in his like mid 40s or something. He's part of the administration, like like you've got young blood in the ticket, you know, like, but they're not doing the greatest job of highlighting that it's all about biden. And like, yes, I get he's the face of the ticket, but like no, he's not well, the the main thing with him. I don't want that face well, the bad, the bad side is he's old, he's really old.
Speaker 2:He's the oldest president ever if he was elected. No, so you gotta also like you know highlight After. I saw him like the highlights when he was like they did the Kirk Franklin and they were doing a little thing and he was in the concert and everybody's dancing and he's sitting there like oh, what's happening, like it was scary, like everybody's moving except him. He's just like Like everybody's moving except him. He's just like I don't want to fall, or there's a lot of black people around me.
Speaker 1:It's bad, it was really bad. It was bad, yeah, it was bad. I mean, and yeah, how can we feel confident in that gentleman? I mean, even though that gentleman's not going to be the one going across nations making deals?
Speaker 1:and talking to people, but how can we deal with that when the rest of the world is struggling or going through shit? Think of what the rest of the world might look at us as dude to a reality star racist. A reality star racist. To to a one of the oldest gentlemen ever to, potentially, but have another four years of one of the oldest gentlemen ever like, but again don't trump the same age.
Speaker 2:So like it's.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's only two or three years younger than biden, yeah, so either one of them, it's a historic election because either one of them well, last year was going to be last term was going to be the oldest president in us history ever and again. Like modern medicine, people live longer than they did back in like 1800s and whatnot, so that's a factor, but also just everyone is old, you know.
Speaker 2:Like even the old thing like carrying us like amer America, carrying themselves as a powerhouse, is so bad now Like we're relying on other countries to be a powerhouse now because of the way we carry ourselves internal you know what I'm saying Like we're battling stupid racism. We're battling stupid like politics or financial situations that like they're looking at us like yeah, these motherfuckers are just like clowns, and especially now the debate, when they get like all right, who's going to represent them? And they're laughing like okay, well, this is laughable.
Speaker 1:But that's what I'm saying. So you got a situation where you're looking at two old guys, one, like I said, falling asleep on stage, the other one trying to lie his ass off while talking about golf or distract us while talking like he was talking anything to the to get clickbait like he was literally trying to say things like it was like nothing like that.
Speaker 2:The question would be this.
Speaker 3:And he was like well, I'm gonna say something hateful and say I'm better than this guy and I'm like and that's that's where the moderators again this should be a real thing where they're like if you don't answer the question, then they cut your mic off or they interrupt you and redirect you.
Speaker 2:No, before they were like all right, that's not the question, that wasn't the question. How about I answer this? And then they're like you have two more seconds or two more minutes to answer the right. They're so scared of Donald Trump's tweets or like going back at him. They did like you know what? I'm just gonna sit back and let, I guess, social media pick their situation, and that's so bad and that's the worst because people are in the age of information, everywhere it's so stupid.
Speaker 3:Everyone is either stupid or willingly ignorant, or just ignorant, or it takes too much time to unpack. If you got one person spewing lies and that's unchecked in real time, everyone's thinking it's real, then you have to have someone convince you of what you just heard is not real and then you have to take the time to look it up and figure out the truth where. That's where the moderator should be like no, you can't say that because that's not true.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of sheep not enough exactly, but it's it's hard to be aware we're gonna keep going about this shit and we're not that kind of pocket I was like yo, I want to keep, keep.
Speaker 1:No, I chimed in a little bit, but I was just like.
Speaker 2:These guys love their politics man, like we just get into the rabbit hole on politics and we start going. I'm getting caught up into it because I love it. I live in a DMV that we have to be involved.
Speaker 1:DMV. I love it because it's like one of the only times Mark gets passionate.
Speaker 3:Oh my.
Speaker 2:God, you can kind of see where his heart is, besides his beats.
Speaker 1:But anywho All right, there goes our anywho.
Speaker 2:The anywho.
Speaker 1:There goes our anywho.
Speaker 2:But yeah so, yeah, everything is good on my part. Yo how y'all feel.
Speaker 1:Man, I am good, what, what, what?
Speaker 2:Happy 4th to everybody yeah, happy for the forest, happy we were still slaves day.
Speaker 1:y'all have a great time. This guy, I mean I'm happy I got the day off, yeah, but I mean we were still slaves If you were a slave.
Speaker 2:you wouldn't Exactly.
Speaker 1:There you go. All right, hey, we just getting this off white privilege. We'll do better next time, y'all be easy.
Speaker 2:Love y'all.
Speaker 1:Absolute DMV.
Speaker 2:Peace, peace, peace.