What is going on? When will the Woj Bombs stop coming in? Will the NBA ever be the same? Nick Zablocki and Bogart Lipe sit down to discuss the free agency storylines making the biggest impact on the upcoming 2019-2020 NBA season.
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Pinata to Bandana
Five years ago, Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs (A.K.A. Gangsta Gibbs) and producer Madlib dropped Pinata, a west coast, gangster hip hop album that was hailed as a modern classic by many upon release. Before the release of Pinata, Madlib had collaborated with a rapper of this caliber for an entire album only once before- …
Honey Bun Horizons
An Ode to Hope in 2019.
Clarinets Express
The other night I was feeling restless and like I needed to move around, as is often the case around 12:30 am for me. It’s one of my brains most active periods. I decided to joyride around, get stoned, and explore some roads I don’t normally roam...
Brush
Wherein a severe car crash evokes meditations on the meaning of life, car culture, and the feasibility of riding a horse to work.
What We’re Watching (4/18/2019)
Welcome to What We’re Watching, a new segment on The Backyard where we will be discussing the latest TV shows and movies that our writers have been watching. Film is not only entertainment, but also an important medium of expression with the power to captivate and influence our cultural perception of the chaos surrounding us. …
An Unexpected Firestorm
How the Camp Fire, the deadliest fire in California's state history, changed a community, and an AmeriCorps Fellow's service year forever.
Oxymoron: Five Years Later
Five years ago, this week, ScHoolboy Q dropped his third studio album, Oxymoron, an album full of grimey, west coast jams. Oxymoron finds ScHoolboy at his best, mixing gritty gangster paraboles with catchy, infectious choruses and melodies on songs like “Collard Greens” and “Man of the Year”. It is his tightest, and most fully realized …
Green New Deal, Who Dis?
Green New Deal.... smart political strategy or doomed fantasy land of the Left?
Not Your Grandma’s (Green) New Deal
“When you are fighting for your very survival, you do not pinch pennies” - Robert Hockkett
Backyard Collusions 