Today we’re going with Ice Cube’s You Know How We Do It. I’m going with this song because it was on in the background of one of these fine drinking establishments in Brooklyn and after I tagged Ice Cube on social media, he (or his PR Team) viewed the post.
I tag a ton of athletes, artists, and brands on social media so 99% of the time nothing much comes of it. Truthfully even if I do get a “view” it’s not really like I think of this as a win or anything, it’s more like “Oh woah, cool, Ice Cube (or his PR Team) may have seen the Week to Week Notes logo and the Guinness Challenge.”
It’s not like I message him afterward:
Hey Mr. Ice Cube,
I was not yet around to hear You Know How We Do It chart at #30 on US Billboard’s Hot 100 in February of 1994, but I’ve been a fan since I first saw Friday and Are We There Yet? When the Big3 is back in New York in ‘24, can Week to Week Notes get a sports media credential pass to cover the weekend? Also just want to say that your son did a great job portraying you in Straight Outta Compton, good movie.
Cheers,
Tom Davis
…but maybe I should. Let’s get into the song…
This song gives a glimpse at O’Shea Jackson Jr. aka Ice Cube’s experience growing up in South Central Los Angeles. He wrote this song when he was 24 years old. At this point in his music career, Ice Cube was 4 years removed from NWA. Not only was Ice Cube still a solo hip-hop artist, but he has begun acting such as his role in Boyz n the Hood in 1991.
He’s describing a same old, same old setting with not much going on at night except this West Coast classic beat that is sampled by “The Show Is Over” by Evelyn King, “All Night Long” by Mary Jane Girls, and “Summer Madness” by Kool & The Gang.
Even on a day when he’s just relaxing, things can escalate in an instant. Sleeping with the Fishes is a Godfather reference.
Lennox is in LA and about a 15-minute drive to Venice Beach. People wanted Ice Cube in jail wearing stripes. Dennis the Menace, in the cartoon strip, would always where a stripped shirt. Plus the Dennis The Menace movie had just come out in 1993 so this was an even more topical line.
Ice Cube is hanging out in a parking lot with his friends and the reefer is present. He’s specifically talking to WC, a fellow rapper who lived in South Central.
WC held his ear down to the streets and was in the know of all things, good and bad, but mostly bad.
Here he is using a play on words of the saying Jack Be Nimble by saying you’ll have to be nimble and quick if you want to have a chance at robbing him because he has street smarts from growing up in South Central.
Even in Ice Cube’s gangsta rap days in South Central, he wasn’t drinking and driving. What makes you think you should?
On to the pints of Guinness…
#GuinnessChallengeSeason
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, who I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Bit of Context
These Pints of Guinness were drunken on the 14th of July. It was a Friday and I had the day off. Zuck placed Week to Week Notes’ social media platform in the Metaverse Jail because I was following too many people on Threads at once in an effort to become the World’s 1st Thread Influencer, in fairness I thought we all liked Tom on Myspace. Anyway, before I had a sip of Guinness I visited the New York Transit Museum to learn a bit of history about The City’s buses and trains, as one does.
Song On In The Background: Music Sounds Better With You by Neil Frances
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Ray is the bartender. Very cool design on the ceilings and walls, just needs to be Noted. The head top of the Guinness is on the large side. Ray is from Brooklyn and is confirmed a Nets fan. They are switching up their menu to an oven-style kitchen next week. Dart board upstairs and they have a Dart league starting up this fall (now currently). Ray also wanted to get a fantasy football and basketball league running as well. The pink squirrel is recommended, it’s like a Long Island Iced Tea if it met a Shirley Temple. Ray has been bartending for 9 years and is grateful. “People keep coming back and want to come here.” He loves bartending because “I love drinking and talking to people. I’m an introvert by nature so I like putting myself in situations where I need to be social.” From one introvert to another, I concur, sometimes you gotta force yourself out of your shell.
Notebook #8 ✅ (48 x 8= ~384 for those scoring at home). That Bar has over 15 rotating beers and lots of specialty cocktails to choose from. They offer a unique bar experience in that everything is baked not fried. Every Wednesday Night at 9 PM That Bar hosts a Karaoke Party. On Fridays, they do Mixtape Bingo where NYC Trivia League gives you a bingo card and plays some of your favorite tunes from the 80s to today. They close out the weekend on Sundays with DJ Fritzo Sunday Beats, which is perfect for mellowing out and watching football. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at That Bar again soon!
Song On In The Background: You Know How We Do It by Ice Cube
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Packer’s bar. Best AC in the area, it’s quite cool in here. Gretchen is the bartender. The bar’s name comes from 2 owners being cousins and one of their dad/uncle’s name is Barry. They host trivia night every Wednesday which is a very busy night of the week for Uncle Barry’s. The crowd is a mix of neighborhoods and depends on the concert or game going on at the Barclay’s Center. Their Gingervitis is their specialty cocktail. They have a beer and shot special, you can do Jameson for $9 or well for $7. They have a rare picture of Babe Ruth with an alligator. In August, they do a beer challenge where people come in for 1 different beer a day, the record is currently at 31 beers. Anthony from the UK is next to me and he also just ordered a pint of Guinness. He thinks the Guinness Challenge is funny, “It’s always a great time for a pint, even in the summer.”
The winner of Wednesday Night Trivia gets $50 off their tab, just saying that sounds like a deal if you know your stuff. They have 2 dartboards that are always ready to be thrown at. Their latest Dart League Champion, Lay Owunwanne won $300, an awesome trophy, and gets his name on their wall. Anthony from the UK wasn’t kidding when he said enjoys a fine pint of Guinness year round, he’s had a pint in Michigan over the summer as well as in the UK this fall. Much appreciated! It’s pretty cool that Ice Cube (or his PR Team) now knows that Uncle Barry’s plays You Know How We Do It, right? Uncle Barry’s just last week celebrated their 12th Birthday on 11/9, Happy Belated! I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Uncle Barry’s again soon!
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: They have cool custom Budweiser coasters. Dahlia is the bartender. “She was in The Walking Dead,” says Ashton sitting next to me. Dahlia has been in Brooklyn for 5 years and loves it. The North Pole used to be called the Black Sheep. No food, bar’s bar. The North Pole isn’t really a bar with fancy cocktails but they make nice margaritas and they have a projector they put on for sports. Dahlia is a big Tampa Bay Lightning fan. They have a foosball table in the corner that the neighborhood bar with regulars who enjoy playing. They also have an old jukebox that gets played when concerts are at the Barclay’s. Ashton ghostwrites for K-Pop bands and she is not a fan of the @You_The_Reader Instagram page. “It’s giving me an aneurysm.”
The Walking Dead fans, please be cool, but you might see Francine if you make your way up the North Pole. The bar is home to the $6 beer and shot special. They also do a Pickle Martini as well. After Ashton said that the @You_The_Reader Reels made her epileptic, I fired my head of social media and took on the role myself. Hopefully, it has become a bit more aesthetically pleasing! I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at North Pole Pub again soon!
Song On In The Background: Tezeta (Nostalgia) by Mulatu Astatke
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Hoops and Hops Happy Hour goes on here 2 hours before every Liberty or Nets game. John is the bartender. He is from Texas and he loves New York. This is more of a craft beer bar. They get a sports crowd, a concert crowd, and neighbors. They have a patio in the back. For food, you bring stuff in and they have a popcorn machine, otherwise, it’s a bar’s bar. 4th Avenue Pub is dimly lit with dollar beers behind the bar that customers put up. Hanging up on the wall is a picture of Chewbacca and Hans Solo chilling at the beach.
Fourth Avenue Pub is a laid-back neighborhood watering hole with a nice beer garden out back. With 27 selections on tap, 60+ bottles, and their own cask-conditioned ale, you have plenty of beer options to pick from. They have a weekday happy hour opening to 7 PM from Monday to Friday where everything is $1 off. It is a great spot for before or after you head to Barclay’s Center to catch a game or a concert. I look forward to getting another pint of Guinness at Fourth Avenue Pub again soon!
*A Week to Week Notes executive decision was made to award them a +.3 bonus point because of a very kind public gesture.*
YouTube Rabbithole
Ice Cube - You Know How We Do It (Official Music Video)