#wolf juice

Nothing earth-shattering happened this episode, but you know what? I'm happy with that. The Strawhats deserve a break after all the shit they've been through trying to reach the sacrificial altar. A raucous, fucked up wolf-juice party is just what they needed to blow off some steam.

The Shandians, however, are another story. They can't seem to catch a break.

Episode 195 opened right smack bang in the middle of the battle between Ohm and the Shandian warriors. The Shandians were giving it their all, but Ohm and Holy were proving too strong a team. Laki, the female warrior who was holding onto Aisa's bag of soil, screwed up and almost cost Wiper his best fighter. Ohm had caught her on his sword and the only thing supporting her were the soil bag straps. She did attempt to shoot him in the face, but when he deflected the gun barrel, she freaked, noticed the bag was in danger, and tried to save it. Ohm, of course, spotted he had an in and took advantage. Kamakiri leapt in front of her and dragged her to safety, but he was injured in the process.

With Kamakiri down, Wiper called a retreat. The Shandians fled the forest and regrouped on another island.

That said, however, the battle didn't go too well from Ohm's point of view, either. He wanted to stay and finish off the Shandian invaders, but another priest (I cannot remember his name. The one who is not Shura. Gedatsu?) appeared and said that he'd to chill with the fighting because Enel had summoned them.

I seriously hope that moment will not be off-panelled. After all the hype, I am desperate to see Slim Shady god Enel in action.

Back at rendezvous camp Shandia, morale was low. Laki was frustrated. She blamed herself for Kamakiri's injuries. Wiper revealed himself to be short on empathy. He basically told Laki, straight up, that yes, it was her fault, and if she hadn't been so concerned about that damned bag of soil, Kamakiri wouldn't have needed to jump in and save her. Kamakiri insisted that he was alright, that he could fight, but with those wounds, I'm not sure it'd be the greatest idea to push through.

The most interesting thing revealed about the Shandians in this episode is that the Vearth itself is holy to them and that they yearn to return to their home of four-hundred years ago. That was roughly when Noland last saw the city of gold. Were the Shandians originally inhabitants of Jaya who had been blasted up into the sky along with the island? That would be awesome.

While the Shandians were licking their wounds at their dark and dismal camp, the Strawhats were having a great time at theirs! Honestly, I know I keep saying this, but the Strawhats during downtime are the best. Luffy getting bored literally watching a pot boil, Sanji keeping a close eye on him in case he eats everything, Chopper and Zoro out collecting plants, Usopp collecting wood to fix the Merry, Robin hauling home a massive salt crystal (well done, Robin!), and Nami strategising. They work so well together. I don't want them to split up again!

Sat around the campfire, Nami chaired a revision session. The Strawhats chipped in everything they knew about the island. They knew that Upper Yard was once a part of Jaya that had been blown into the sky by Knock Up Stream around four hundred years ago. The big trees and animals are an effect of the composition of island and sea cloud, which explains the massive southbirds that arrived to save Chopper, Gan Fall and Pierre in the nick of time.

Once again, Sanji, however, asked an important question: why did the southbirds save Chopper?

Chopper said he wasn't sure, but that the southbirds kept calling the weird ossan "god". The Strawhats now know there are two gods in Skypiea, though there wasn't much fuss made about it, for some reason. The most important thing to them was the gold.

Nami, being the resident genuis cartographer, spliced together the old map of Skypiea and a map of Jaya to reveal that 'the skull's right eye' where Noland saw the gold referred to the skull shape both islands made when they were still of one piece.

Now they know where the gold is, I cannot see anything stopping them going for it.

Except Enel, maybe. He might like shinies.

After that, the episode turned a bit crazy, though in a totally wonderful, "damn, I wish I was there" way. Some wolves turned up, told the Strawhats to quiet the fuck down and Nami ended up punching one. For some reason, this endeared her to the head wolf and they all got together and had a massive party! I cannot even.

It’s been nearly a month since Kanye West unexpectedly popped up at the Wolf Juice Open Mic in Jersey City, a monthly event series hosted by Wolf Juice and DJ Mega Mission that I’ve been privileged to be a part of, not only as a patron and a performer but as a contributor. The Wolf Juice Open Mic was established earlier this year and has quickly become a mainstay of the local underground hip hop scene. It’s getting harder and harder to even call it an open mic because it really is so much more than that. Each time we gather, it’s a cultural celebration but last month’s installment was a true spectacle.

On Wednesday, October 29th, approximately 25 performers, many who had signed up in advance online, began arriving to The Dopeness around 8pm. Among the earliest to arrive was Jay Hype, a young female emcee originally from Chicago. When I told her the performances go by the order people check in at the door, she asked if she could come back later to officially check in. She seemed nervous about going first, which I understood, being a new performer myself. By 9pm, the place was packed and the first set of performances were about to begin. Just as I had placed Jay Hype on the list for the second round of performances, she came up to me and said Kanye West was coming to see her perform. In fact, he was already on the way. She asked if I could get her on stage as soon as Kanye arrived because he couldn’t stay long. So of course, I said yes! I didn’t even have time to doubt it or process it because in a matter of minutes, Kanye walked through the door with a small entourage wearing a baggy grey sweatshirt and a gold chain. The performances hadn’t even started yet.

In a bit of a frenzy, I rushed to get her music to DJ Mega Mission and got her microphone ready. Kanye settled at a table to the left of the stage. He was all smiles, shaking people’s hands and graciously posing for a few photos. The crowd’s excitement was tempered with a calm reverence. Mr. Kanye West was in the building. But as soon as Jay Hype got on the mic, it was all eyes on her and she delivered. She performed a song called “K.O.W.” which stands for Kanye Omari West. Kanye is reportedly a close friend of Jay Hype’s father, who was also present, and regards Jay Hype as a niece. After she performed, she immediately went over to Kanye and gave him a hug. You could tell how excited and appreciative she was that he came out to support her. The crowd was thick so I cleared a path for Kanye so he could make his way to the exit. Outside The Dopeness, he posed for a couple more photos but said he was in a rush to get to Brooklyn. It all happened so fast. Knowing that everyone needed a few moments to process what had just occurred, DJ Mega Mission put on some music, fittingly a Kanye West song and we all just vibed out for a bit. But then it was business as usual at the Wolf Juice Open Mic—back to back performances, each one different from the last, showcasing the scene’s eclectic disposition. The buzz lingered throughout the night as people were tweeting, instagramming and recounting the story to latecomers, saying things like “You just missed it! Kanye West was here!” You had to be there.

Indie rapper La Brea, who regularly attends and performs at the open mic, had this to say about the impromptu Kanye appearance—“It didn’t make sense. Yeezus at the Wolf Juice Open Mic?! In what world does that happen in? I was just really happy and trying to stop myself from being a groupie.” The difference between La Brea’s first open mic performance and his performance that night is proof positive that the Wolf Juice stage is a powerful platform for up-and-coming music artists. “It’s taught me how to connect more with other artists. I tend to not be that social or network with other people but the community at these shows is so strong and supportive. It’s helped me get out of my shell. As a performer, it’s allowed me to improve my skills by learning from all the other dope MCs I get to see. And of course, performing each month has helped as well.” He continues, “It’s very live and interactive. It has a friendly atmosphere. DJ Mega Mission plays great music. The crowd is very supportive. The people there always show a lot of love.”

The Wolf Juice Open Mic is more than just an event. It’s a place where hip hop culture thrives and is constantly nourished. Tomorrow night, it goes down once again at The Dopeness in Jersey City and we have about 30 performers lined up! For more information, contact Earl “Ego” Davis, Wolf Juice Creator/Owner at [email protected].

Media Coverage:

XXL Mag

Complex

Jersey City Duo Petey and Kraze drop a tribute to Aaliyah with a verse by Nizz Sentine and Gabriela Nicole on the hook.