Now that I’m back, let’s keep the madness going this weekend at Walnut Room. My mellow, DJ San Gabriel is in town this week from Berlin and joining me on the mix at Walnut Room to take an already epic weekly party to another level. Don’t miss it. Details below.

I’m running so I don’t have a lot of time today. To my folks in Cape Town and Jo-Burg, I can’t wait to see you all this weekend. The Party People Reunion is going to be epic to say the least. I was also informed that it will be the last two Party People events ever so don’t miss out. Aight, promo info below. Squeeze em.

Promo first. To my readers in South Africa, catch me alongside Bahamadia, Masta Ace, J-Live, Kev Brown, and more in Cape Town and Johannesburg this weekend for the Party People Reunion. Info below.

As I began gathering my belongings for another long flight abroad, I started to think; What if I forget something extremely important? Going over my packing list with a fine tooth comb, I figured it would be helpful to share some insight on what to pack for long trips for those of you who may not be as versed in it. Certain items are instantly on a packing list, such as toothbrushes, hair products, and extra sneakers but I’m thinking about less commonly thought of items that could be just as important.

Merch:

The product you are planning to promote or sell can be just as important as the performance itself. Especially for those of us who don’t have a huge catalogue of hits in people’s iPods. Performing well is always key but having material i.e. CDs, vinyl, collectibles for folks to take home and play or wear can be an essential factor in getting invited back to certain markets. Basically, your presence is still there even after you’ve left and gone home or to the next market. Not to mention, if you hustle, you can make some extra loot.

Earbuds:

I’ve learned after going through 4 pairs of expensive headphones a year that things can break very easily even in a carry on bag. Now I board with earbuds in my pocket. Small and easy to manage for on flight listening. They have even come in handy when on stage and dealing with inexperienced sound engineers who tweak the volumes during sound check and damn near blow the monitor 2 feet away from me.

Book:

I used to be really into reading. Not to say I’m not now but during my days of catching the bus regularly, there seemed to be much more time to finish books. Now that I drive everywhere and stay busy, it’s tougher than ever to finish more than 2 chapters at a time. Take advantage of long flights to catch up on reading.

Analog Watches:

I’m a fanatic for watches. I think as a man, it’s the best accessory to showcase. Lots of women do pay attention to your watch game too. However, when you’re changing time zones several times a week, it can be a pain in the ass to keep having to set digital watches. I prefer watches by Nooka and Timex and those things can be really difficult to reset. So particularly if you don’t have one of those fancy jawns with multiple time zones on the face, bring an analog watch. The time can be changed in about 10 seconds.

Condoms:

I can’t stress this enough. If you’re into casual sex or even if you think you’ve met someone special in a distant land, be smart. A disease is probably the wackest souvenir you could bring back home.

Vitamins/Herbs/Health Tonics:

Climate changes, unexpected rain, and a coughing passenger in the seat next to you are waiting to get you sick when you’re planning to have a ball across the pond. Take it from me. I’ve spent more trips nursing myself back to health (when not on stage) than taking in the sights. Taking Airborne or EmergenC can boost your immune system and make the trip much more fun.

Travel Phone/Calling Card:

A lot of artists including me at times, when traveling far away, really like to be away. In other words, whatever is going on at home can wait til we get back. That helps us focus on what we flew 22 hours to do. For those of you who feel otherwise, make sure you’re Skype account is current, get a calling card, and sort out your travel plan for your cellphone. Also I’d recommend getting a cheap travel phone in case you need to touch base with the promoter or host in an emergency.

Gifts For Hosts:

A huge reason we are able to do what we do without having sold a billion records is our relationships. I respect the risk involved with putting up money to fly us all over the place for years and I never take it lightly. When possible I like to bring some gifts for the people making it happen. Something small like a shirt from your host’s favorite cheese steak spot can make a big difference, so be generous and show that you appreciate what they’re doing to make it happen.

There are a few more but that’s what comes to mind at the moment. Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to catching up with the fam in the mother land and tearing these stages up. Updates soon.

To say I had a good time in Germany with the HHDS crew would be an understatement. Hip Hop Don’t Stop in Berlin and Munich were both crackin. And even though Bavaria had an ordinance preventing people from dancing this past weekend, the people still came out and got down in full force. No love to the police who raided the party at 4am though. SMH. Nuff respect to DJ San Gabriel (who will be playing in Philly December 10th), DJ Jumpy, Karin O, Martin, B-Ski, Beware, Kamikaze, Raphael Saadiq, Kelo, Thomas @ Crux, Yarah Bravo, Daniel Best, Clausse (Jazzanova), House Shoes, and all the new friends I made in Germany. Let’s keep building. I didn’t take all the pics and footage I really wanted to but there’s only so much I can capture while focusing on what I came to do. Nonetheless, pic gallery below. Give it a click.

One love to everyone who came out to Department last night in Berlin. I had fun playing the first house set in quite some time to folks who were ready to hear some good tunes. Made some new friends as well so big shout to DJs Beware, Kamikaze, Jumpy, and San Gabriel who threw down last night. As DJs we come from separate corners of the planet but we all manage to speak the same language. Loving it.

Hip Hop Don’t Stop was a raging party the other night and tonight we fly to Munich to do it all over. Definitely looking forward to seeing you out at Crux if you’re in the area. Philadelphians can catch my man DJ Phillee Blunt in for me tonight at Walnut Room. It’s seldom that Illvibe is able to rock there on a Saturday so don’t miss it. I heard DJ A Run and White Mike Oz had the place on ten last week so much respect to them as well. My mans and nem.