Bashment Review and Pics: Leisa Engel's birthnite bash 'Strawberry Fantasies/Lingerie Dreams'

See, I told you…

If you missed Leisa Engel’s “Strawberry Fantasies/Lingerie Dreams” Birthnite Bash last Friday at Caribbean Flavor (located at 321 Babbitt Road), what else can I say?

Well, where do I begin? I know what you are thinking… a lingerie party? Hmmmm, I don’t know…. But YES. Let me tell you the party was NICE y’all. I was loving it all – décor, the theme and especially the music! The masses were definitely in the house to support Cleveland’s first lady of Dancehall; all Cleveland promoters, crews, selectors were in the place to wish Leisa a happy birthday. (And the fellas to get a look at the ladies in their ling-ling, I’m sure).

Chat ‘Bout Cleveland decided to arrive at the venue a little on the early side and good thing! The parking lot gage was on FULL at about 12:30! Luckily, I grabbed one of the last few parking spots, and followed the booming sounds coming from the club. Ready to party, my mode was interrupted by a party patron ‘commenting’ about the admission. As the doorman explained there was a lingerie party, I chuckled to myself since she was obviously dressed for the theme (see, SOME men don’t even notice!). While the patron continues to ‘comment’ about the price - I was tempted to pay the extra money just so she could hurry the line and I can get in.

As I FINALLY entered Flavor, I noticed all the barmaids and Mrs. Lurlene in full lingerie/pajama mode. Okay, okay, I am feeling this… Then I see the deep red curtain accented with the beaded curtain and red balloons to create the boudoir look. To further add to the elements of the theme, guests were treated to strawberries with whipped cream and Leisa’s birthday cake? What else? But a cassata cake (filled with strawberries and cream)- adorned with her picture, of course.

After spotting the guest of honor taking a few pics, (looking cutey cute in her purple bustier with black slip and garter), taking a look around the venue, the lingerie/pajama theme was present as some fellas decided to do the silky pj or boxer thing and the ladies settled somewhere between the playful sleep date and sex kitten look. But, it was all in good taste and most importantly, good fun! The people came to have a great time as they danced to the tunes of DJ Chubbie as well as other Cleveland selectors, Super Dee and New Horizon Powerstone supplied a few tunes as well.

As the crowd grew thicker, the party kicked in full gear as guest selector, Jaime Hype ripped the set, WOW! Playing tunes like, ‘Tek wey Yourself’, ‘Doh’ and of course ‘Money Changer’, the masses couldn't help but to keep dancing! Let me tell you, the tunes were NICE and I will definitely be in the look out for Jaime Hype at the next bash!

Also in the place to wish Leisa a happy birthday, longtime supporter, Lady Spyda (showing the masses she still ‘got’ it), the Waistline Crew (Trini, I missed you again!), Punkie and Nunkie, the beautiful Ms. Lovie and Eva Ready Camille, CoCo Tea (loving the boxers), Maggie Untouchable alongside Naughty Nurse Sharon and French maid Michie Boo, The Barbie Doll Bashment crew (arriving fashionably late), New Horizon fam DJ Curly, Ms. Punkin, Shavon, Summer Body Suzette and Stacy.

All in all, this was a great dance! Big up yourself Cleveland for showing a lot of love, making this bash a blast and of course - keeping – it- classy!
(Next year, I won’t CHICKEN out – I promise!) In the meantime, enjoy the pics.....


Mad ‘cause I forgot to get some cake,


Bashy

Please excuse us...

Even Bloggettes get tired sometimes...

There has been A LOT going on this past week, so pardon us for not updating the blog for the past few days. Trust, we are still out and about, peeping the scene so be sure to stay tuned to Chat 'Bout Cleveland as we continue with our regularly scheduled postings on Tuesday, August 26th.

Thanking God that this is a new week,

Bashy

Jamaica being called 'World's Fastest nation'

In the spirit of the Olympics, we can't help but to watch as Jamaica makes history at these games with the FIRST gold medal (in the men's and women's 100m) and then with the FIRST sweep in country's history (taking first, and then tying for second place in the women's 100m). And with more track and field events to come this week, the excitement continues to build....

From Jamacian Observer.com

BY PAUL A REID

reidp@jamaicaobserver.com

Monday, August 18, 2008

MONTEGO BAY, St James - In addition to Jamaican athletes winning both 100m finals at the 29th Olympiad being held in Beijing, China, being a rare feat in and of itself, there are even more interesting similarities in the races run almost 24 hours apart.

Both Usain Bolt who won the men's 100m and Shelly-Ann Fraser who won the women's, won by margins of .20 seconds and both ran from lane four.
Shelly-Ann Fraser, running in lane three, in awesome form in her gold medal-winning run in the women's 100m at the 29th Olympiad in Beijing, China, yesterday.

Jamaica also had three runners in each final, two each from Fraser's MVP club, former World Record holder Asafa Powell and Michael Frater, while Sherone Simpson (MVP) and national champion Kerron Stewart who tied for silver.

Bolt's new World Record 9.69 seconds and Fraser's astounding 10.78 seconds, the second fastest ever by a Jamaican woman, bettered only by Merlene Ottey's National Record 10.74 seconds.
The last time runners from the same country won the 100m at the Olympics was 20 years ago in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, when Americans Carl Lewis and the late Florence Griffiths-Joyner stood on top of the podium.

Both Jamaicans who were 21 when they won would have been shy of their 22nd birthday when the feat was last achieved.

Usain Bolt (right), running out of lane three, celebrates after powering to the men's 100m gold and new world record at the 29th Olympiad in Beijing, China, on Saturday. (Photos: Bryan Cummings)

Lewis was upgraded to the gold a few days after the race after Jamaican-born Canadian Ben Johnson was stripped of the title after testing positive for a banned substance and was credited with a then World Record of 9.92 seconds.

Griffiths-Joyner, who owns the female World Record at 10.49 seconds, recorded a wind-aided 10.52 seconds to win the Olympic crown.

Then there was the unbridled joy from both champions after the event, and while Fraser stopped short of the dancehall moves that Bolt put on for the fans on Saturday, her elation was obvious.

Neither runner was considered threats to win the 100m say nine months ago. Bolt was considered a 200m specialist with some suggesting he try the 400m while Fraser was an unknown outside of the Jamaican track and field circles.

Bolt opened some eyes with a 10.03 seconds run at a low-keyed meet at GC Foster in March and then turned the track and field world on its ears with a series of fantastic runs - 9.76 seconds at the Jamaica International Invitational in early May, 9.92 seconds at the Hampton Games in Trinidad and Tobago and then the World Record 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York on May 31.

All this time Fraser worked in obscurity, and except for her win in the College Women's 100m at the Penn Relays in 11:86 seconds after running 11:39 seconds in the qualifying heats, did not have a major win to her name.

With her win yesterday (Jamaican time) practically every-thing has changed for the girl from the tough inner-city area of Waterhouse.

Fraser, who turns 22 in Decem-ber, has surpassed practically every Jamaican female sprinter before her after taking the most coveted title at the Olympics - the 100m.

She joins two other Olympic Champions - Deon Hemmings who won the 400m hurdles in Atlanta in 1996 and Veronica Campbell who won the 200m in Athens in 2004.

Usain Bolt: World's Fastest Man...

Too Bad. As Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica in the US, had to wait until 11:00 pm at night to see the World Record run by Usain Bolt, many people missed the race.....

No Worries! Click here to view the races live.....
www.dabahamianting.com (Click on upper right hand corner, then click on ZNS).

In the meantime, check this article about the race by Josh Peter....

World’s Fastest Man hasn’t hit top speed
By Josh Peter, Yahoo! Sports Aug 16, 3:47 pm EDT

BEIJING – Like the best of showmen, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt left us wanting more.
Twenty meters from the finish line, his celebration began. He relaxed his arms, looked toward the crowd and slapped his chest. And despite those theatrics, he still covered 100 meters faster than any man ever has.

He did it in 9.69 seconds, and immediately one had to wonder how much faster he could go. Faster than a speeding bullet?
The showman teased our imaginations. But he denied us the answer, shrugging off questions about why he coasted for the final 20 meters rather than obliterate the world record.
“I didn’t come here to run the world record because I am the world-record holder,’’ he said. “I came here to win.’’

This wasn’t so much an Olympic 100-meter final as a tantalizing one-man show. Because the World’s Fastest Man is also the World’s Biggest Ham.
He was dancing before the race even began.
Shimmying in front of the starting blocks, Bolt struck a pose during pre-race introductions as if the race was over before it started. Turns out it was, and Bolt had post-race entertainment planned for the enthralled sellout crowd of 91,000.
It took him fewer than 10 seconds to run 100 meters but at least 10 minutes to complete his victory lap. He pulled off his gold spikes and held them aloft, wrapped himself in a Jamaican flag and clowned as if he were on stage at a karaoke bar rather than on the biggest stage of the Olympics.

“I like to have fun,’’ he explained.

Munching on a post-race snack during a press conference, Bolt said there would be plenty of time to test his limits and lower the world record. That’s the most mind-boggling part about it – what might come next.

He is only 21, and his specialty is the 200 meters. Like a lot of things in life, Bolt runs the 100 for fun.

At 6 feet 5, he stands in stark contrast to the shorter and stockier sprinters. Too tall to run the 100, most experts thought before the jolly giant arrived on the scene. It took him five races as a pro before he broke the world record.

“He’s a freak of nature,’’ said Darvis Patton, one of seven runners who was vying for the silver medal in Saturday’s final, seeing that Bolt could have jogged his way to the gold.
Lightning Bolt, they call him. Prodigy, they called him before that.

At 15, Bolt became the youngest-ever world junior champion in the 200. He qualified for the 2004 Games at the age of 17, but an injury derailed his chance of medaling. His coaches then urged him to begin running the 400, too, but Bolt hated the 400 workouts. So earlier this year, he and his coach cut a deal.

If Bolt broke the Jamaican record for the 200, he could give up the 400 in favor of the 100. So Bolt promptly broke that record and began a mind-boggling dash to the title of World’s Fastest Man.

He earned it May 31 when he beat Tyson Gay, the reigning world champion, and lowered the world record to 9.72 seconds from the 9.74 Jamaica’s Asafa Powell had run. Six weeks later, at the U.S. Olympic trials, Gay ran a wind-aided 9.68, setting up a hotly anticipated showdown with the young phenom.

But six days later, Gay suffered a hamstring injury and he failed to regain his form by Saturday, when he finished fifth in his semifinal heat. The mention of that after the race was about the only time Bolt looked downcast.

“I was looking forward to racing Tyson,’’ he said. “To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.’’
But on Saturday, Bolt looked unbeatable. Next, he’ll turn his attention to the 200 meters, with the first rounds set for Monday and the finals scheduled for Wednesday. If he wins the event, he’ll become the first man to capture the gold in the 100 and 200 since Carl Lewis in 1984. Without anyone as talented as Lewis around to challenge him in the 200, he might be competing against history.
The world record of 19.32 seconds, set by Michael Johnson at the 1996 Olympics, looks within Bolt’s grasp. Marveling at Bolt’s performance, Johnson already has said of the 12-year-old record that he’s “ready to kiss it goodbye.’’

But if it happens, it might be incidental. Bolt looks and sounds more interested in winning gold medals and celebrating. When he had circled the track and finally completed his joyous and comical victory lap, he looked up at the crowd and took a bow.

Make no mistake. For the young showman, there will be an encore.

Bashment Review and Pics: Reggae Boyz Patrick's Leo Affair

It was all about the Leos as Reggae Boys Patrick present the annual installment of his Earthstrong bash, a night called ‘A Leo Affair’. As the years before, the people came to support Patrick’s bashes as they have been supporting this summer’s hottest weekly events, the ‘Sunday Soccer’ matches and The All Day Soccer Tourney – coming THIS Sunday. But Saturday was all about the bash as the tunes rocked Dailey’s Blue Mountain Inn well into 3:30am…..

As we reached Dailey’s the parking lot gage was at medium but it was still early. Based on last years event, Chat ‘bout scheduled to make an earlier than usual arrival, since the bash in 2007 was thick!

Once inside, partygoers were greeted by sounds of Leisa Engel and DJ Chubby on the mike spinning old and new tunes to get the crowd up to the party mode. It was definitely a nice mix by the duo and the crowd showed their love for the hot set…

Soon, New Horizon soundman, Powerstone took over the set by planning a few ‘crunk’ tunes like, Lil’ Wayne’s ‘A Milli’ and ‘Lollipop’ along with Rocko’s ‘Umma do me’ and a few other Rap tunes to get the masses from the back room extra hype. It was a great set, one that even the true reggae/dancehall fan could appreciated.

Star Temple Ricky Hype kept the dance up to the time with the latest dancehall favs by Bugle (can’t wait for September 6th – sell offfff!), Deseca and of course, the surest tune to get the crowd moving; ‘Money Changer’. (Did you see the part when someone tried to floss some dollars and picked them up as fast as they hit the floor? Did you say – ‘Money FAK-er’?)

Also in the place showing Patrick some support was Maggie Untouchable- holding it down, Michie Boo, KC Platinum, Blacka, The Barbie Doll/Bashment Crew, Makka B – (playing low key in the back room), Ms. Trini, New Horizon Fam, and blast from the past – Julie looking fly as ever representing with the newest dances straight from the JA – via Miami. Big up to Shavon in the place showing Chat ‘Bout Cleveland love (didn’t get your pic, I owe you one!)

Missed it again? No worries check out a few pics of the event!


Enjoy,

Bashy

Jamaica Independence Celebration at the Park (with pics!)

The Chat ‘Bout has been about the Sunday soccer matches at Luke Easter Park (located at 3090 MLK Blvd.) and this past Sunday was no exception as the masses came out to celebrate for the annual Jamaican Independence Celebration.

The hot weather made for a later event as the people didn’t seem to make it to the park until about 7pm (recovering from the night before, no less), but it still was a great time! It was all about family fun, music by Star Temple CB (flying solo these days), and of course soccer.

There were a few vendors on hand for the event. As usual, Dailey’s supplied smoothies, beef patties and other treats alongside the jump around – always popular with the kids. Uprising International was in the place selling t-shirts, CD’s and DVD’s of the past few dances. There was also great food; the grilled jerk chicken with rice and peas hit the spot!

It is always great to see the people ‘outside the dance’, as you can get a feel for them on a different level. …A little less makeup, a little less liquor, a little less posing – well for some. But, nonetheless it is good to see people with their families, since you don’t get to see that side at the dance.

Feeling the family vibe at the park were Sharon and her cute daughter, Maggie Untouchable, Michie Boo (recovering nicely from the Club Center), New Horizon, Punkie, Patrick-getting ready for his sell off bash THIS Saturday, KC Platinum with ‘My Wife and Kids’ – also took time to play in the soccer game, Leisa Engel (sipping Red Bull, she says), the Blaze Crew, Ocie, Ajoy, Makka B, The Barbie Doll/Bashment Crew sliding through with pics from Toya Barbie’s dance, First Class, Ms. Trini and Flavor Unit. Trust me, there were a lot of people out there……

Although this was a day to celebrate Jamaica Independence, it was still business as usual as the Sunday soccer continued with two soccer matches; Garfield VS. Uprising International at 6:30 followed by Rabbit VS. Village at 7:30. Although the games had many attendees full attention, here is an update if you happened to miss the games:

In the first game, it was an easy win for Garfield as Uprising had to forfeit the game since they didn’t have enough players to compete. But in the spirit of sportsmanship, both teams decided to complete the game for fun as Garfield beat Uprising, 1-0.

Game 2 featured Village VS. Rabbit as the teams played on well into dusk. Village earned 2 points from Team K-Pacca. Rabbit returned the favor by scoring 2 points from Banton and leading scorer for Village, Bust-Out-Head.

Big up Punkie for the updates (Chat ‘Bout was watching, but….)

After the great time I had Sunday, August 17th – for the Soccer Tournament is a must! Here are a few pics from the event.

Enjoy!

Bashy

CB on the mike, setting the vibes for the park....


It's still early....


The crowd watches the games with full attention...

New Horizon took the opportunity to spread the word....



These cute kids are at the park having a great time!


Ahhh, the jumparound - BEFORE....



..jumparound - AFTER! (note: there are STILL kids inside!)


The sun is setting and the crowd is getting thick....

Bashment Review and Pics: Toya Barbie Bash

One can easily say the Cleveland dancehall scene has certainly been on an upswing for the last 3 or so years; from the great stage shows; promoters stepping their up their game with nice bashes and now -must we say - a slight female movement on Cleveland’s dancehall scene.

Yes, we all know Maggie Untouchable as a promoter and it has been great to see triple threat Leisa Engel give ‘em a run on the scene. But one can say a few of Cleveland’s biggest dances to date has had ‘the female touch’. So now, after Saturday, we can add one more to the mix. As Toya Barbie put it, “…The Fellas had their turn; it’s time for the Ladies!”

Once again, the Cleveland masses came out in full support to show much love for Toya Barbie’s dance last Saturday at the Club Center. The bash called, ‘We No Worry ‘Bout Bad Minded People’ featured Baltimore sound King Raw Deal alongside Cleveland sounds Sample Jack and Youth High Power. The dance was a great success and we at Chat ‘Bout Cleveland are especially thrilled. Equally proud were the countless people that took a moment to show Toya Barbie some love during the dance.

As Chat ‘Bout entered the dance at about 3am, the crowd was still slowly filling up the place. It was great to see Toya Barbie and The Bashment Crew doing their thing on the dance floor. And why shouldn’t they? The looked absolutely fabulous! The guest of honor wore a custom dress –pink – of course complete with bling while Brina Bashment wore a dark purple and pink ruffled one piece she –tuxedo with matching gloves and garter. As usual, the whole crew was fly especially Kiwi Bashment with the black lace ruffle frock – can we say chic?

On hand giving Toya there full support were Flavor Unit (waiting on their next BIG bash), Maggie and Sharon Untouchable, KC Platinum, Lovely Lovie, Eva Ready Camille, Shavon and Summer Body Gal Suzzy Q. Also making an appearance - Ocean Wave Eye, Michie Boo (haven’t seen her in the CC since LAST July) and a few members of New Horizon family joined in on the bash after their event at Dailey’s.

The sounds of Youth High Power Super Dee filled the crowd with a few old and new tunes. It was definitely a great vibe in the place as everyone was in the Club Center having a good time. As Sample Jack Lava took over, the crowd got thicker and by the time featured sound King Raw Deal took over the bash, the party was in full hype mode. Like the flyer claimed, ‘Come Early, Stay Late’ the bash carried on until well past 5am.

So big up yourself Cleveland for once again representing to the fullest and showing your love! This was Baltimore sound King Raw Deal’s first visit to Clevelanda and they were loving our party vibe and look forward to coming back very soon! And with Toya’s promises of another bash in the (very) near future, those who missed King Raw Deal may have a second chance real soon!

Feeling the girl power,


Bashy