KENCING SEMBARANGAN: Sorry I Left Y'all Hanging - Devin the Dude Montreal Thursday

Yooooo um forgive me people for I have sinned. I wrote all that shit about Hurricane Rita and how we were finna sit on our asses here in Houston and ride it out and blah blah blah... and then pretty much stepped away from HoustonSoRealland for like almost a week.

Thing is we did get out, Friday morning there was no traffic -- there were plenty of cars on the road, just on the side of the road stalled and out of gas -- so we hit the road at 6 a.m. and got to Austin by 9 a.m. or so, fairly normal.

But yeah it was quite a scene. Seriously I had a lump in my throat the entire drive. We had the car packed down with babies and baby stuff and had no room for anyone to ride along with us. But as we drove to Austin we saw literally THOUSANDS of people stranded in and around their cars waiting for gas. I'm talking about the entire way. In the median, on the shoulder, along the feeders, every parking lot along the way looked like a camp ground, every gas station looked like a mob scene (or a party kind of -- lines around the block for the rest room, lines outside the door like crazy. More in a minute).

I'm saying it was Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome come to life. Minus the guns and the crazy hairdos. I saw mothers holding babies... it was fucked up. I was thinking how I would feel if I were standing along I-10 holding Elena and watching that Eva doesn't run out into the middle of traffic because she is NUTS. I thank God we had a full tank of gas and that there was no traffic because there was NO gas from Houston to Smithville straight up.

The only slow part was around Columbus (forgive me if you don't know your Austin to Houston geography, but Columbus is the point at I-10 where you cut down 71 to Austin. Generally exactly one hour drive outside Houston). Just about 5 miles east of Columbus, the fear set in. Remember, the morning before we had spent 5 hours in the car and only got ten miles. I saw the craziest line of traffic I have ever seen in my life with no end in site, and on this morning I just thought to myself, "Oh great I bet this bitch is backed up to here from San Antonio AND Austin and we aren't going anywhere.

Well I was wrong. The traffic only lasted for about 5 miles and that only took about 45 minutes or so. When we approiached the exit at Columbus -- where there's like 4 gas stations or some shit -- you would have thought you were outside the Super Bowl or some shit. I'm talking about THOUSANDS of cars at that point EVERYWHERE. Lanes closed because the lines from the gas stations extended out onto the highway. Contraflow lanes going slow because cars were parked 3 deep along the entire shoulder on each side and just randomly left in the median. As we passed over the bridge and could get a good look at the street below I saw the line outside the Chevron extend like 50 feet at least 5 deep. I'm talking about it looked like what you see when you walk outside Reliant Stadium before a big soccer game, only these people were just trying to get something to eat or maybe use a rest room.

Dog, it was crazy. And it really made me think. I thought about how stressed I was just seeing all that shit, and dealing with the MINIMAL amount of shit I had to deal with to get out of this city. Then I thought about how those people must feel being stranded on the road. Then I thought about how all that ain't shit compared to what the people of New Orleans went through. And then I thought about how that ain't shit compared to the people of New Orleans, Mississippi, etc who are STILL going through the shit weeks later. And then I just got really depressed.

Help someone if you can. It's hard to fathom what's really going on out there in that region, I know. But when the TV cameras leave, these people will still be fucked. I got 6 families worth of step family who lost everything basically. Saw my step mothers parents in San Antonio this weekend, both in their 70's, lost their house. Barely brought any clothes with them. Car gone. Their childrens homes destroyed. And they're some of the lucky ones. They have a house to stay in. Man, this shit is insane.

Thank you Rita for sparing us.

On a much lighter note, I hope someone is reading this blog in Montreal and can tell all their friends to come out to the Main Hall for Devin the Dude's appearance at POP MONTREAL! He's appearing with Chromeo -- a wild band that features my boy A-Trak's brother -- and resident DJ's Simahlak and Jordan Dare.

Before that I'ma try and see Boom Bip (does that surprise you? yes I always thought Anticon was a little um, well, I'm not gonna talk down, but Boom Bip has some SHIT!) and then after it's all about my people Caps and Jones and my boy Lemon-Red along for the ride with Ghislain Poirier at Blizzarts 3956A St-Laurent (near Duluth) 10PM- 3AM / $3. Feel that realness, it's going down.

Someone bring me some hash please. That's all I want in Canada. I love me some Canada. Civilization here we come.

Tonight on Damage Control I invited like a million people and don't really remember who to be honest but I do know that KB THE KIDNAPPA from Street Military will be in the house, so if you wanna learn something about REAL HOUSTON, tune in tonight. Click here for the website round about midnight - 2 a.m. central time.

Also, I still don't have a ton of details regarding the death of K-Ruger. Many are saying he killed himself. How? I am not sure. All I know is there will be a memorial service for him Thursday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. at Duncan Funeral Home. Meechie sent me a text with that info. I really know nothing else.

K-Ruger Rest in Peace.

Canada Stand Up.

Houston, help your brothers and sister.

And the rest of y'all, hold tight for Devin the Dude in Denmark. New York October jump off at Sway TBA. Roxy and Atrak Kanye After Party Houston Steez at a venue to be announced (AND MAN WILL THIS BE A FUCKING ANNOUNCEMENT HOUSTON GET READY WE GOT BIG TINGS A GWAN VENUE WISE BYE BYE SHIT HOUSES HELLO SOREAL WEEKLY JUMPO THE FUCK OFF).

Oh yeah and don't let me forget, my man RAY TAMARRA hooked us up photo wise for the Screwed Up Click show in New York. His flicks made it to VIBE.COM and he's also got a gang of great stuff up on THE CRUSADE. Click the links and go check 'em out. It was truely a magical night y'all. Try to relive it. I know I am...