September 11, 2001…I was on the way to work at the business office at school. Normal day..nothing out of the blue at all..in fact it was a beautiful day. I got to work around 8am [Central Time]. I sit at my desk, greet the accountants coming in laughing and joking and our conversation was stopped by one of the Ladies named Maureen saying “DID YOU HEAR WHAT HAPPENED?!?! I was listening to the radio on the way in and they said A plane crashed into the World Trade Center!”

I looked and laughed a little bit like “WHAT!?! No way! Who is dumb enough to hit a building that big?” It wasn’t even registering this was a terrorist attack in my mind. In fact, I thought of it as more of a “Dumb or Bizarre News Story”….We listened to the radio and sure enough this was no joke and they said another plane was in the air. Then that crashed into the other building…My mind is BLOWN!

It really hit home when I was in The Commons with my friends and other students and actually seeing the planes hit the Towers. The smoke, fire, paper everywhere, people scattering…The hysteria and madness! Unforgettable.

We are still late teens or new 20’s so we don’t even get what this really means until we start talking. I remember one friend thinking this wasn’t such a big deal and I looked like..Dude, that was the Twin Towers…That could f**k up our economy forever! Till this day I think I had more of a grip on economics in that moment then I ever did in class…12 years later…I still remember and it’s still hard times in our great nation.

I remember waking up that day thinking..”Damn! That new Jigga coming out..I’m going to cop that! That H.O.V.A is so tight”. Wasn’t going to buy the Fabolous. Can’t Deny was a big record but I honestly wasn’t feeling Fab at the time and didn’t want to take a chance on the new kid from Brooklyn..Especially with the Brooklyn Vet Jay Z dropping.

My Roommate Joe bout the Fabolous and he skipped right to “Keeping It Gangsta” instantly fell in love with that song and 20 minutes later the majority of the album! Then it became a much needed purchase.

12 years later I still remember that day and these two albums are staples in my collection. It solidified Jay’s Greatness and it also Spawned one of the most solid and self serving careers in Hip-Hop. Jay made The Roc the strongest team and Fabolous came in on no ones back, no affiliation to a clique and dropped a solid gem. 12 years later, Fab and Jigga stand tall in New York much like the Twin Towers did…all more reason to NEVER Forget and Always Remember.

Prayers and Best of Blessings to those who were lost, helped and were traumatized by the cowardly terrorist acts that took place on 9/11.