Michigan Church Shooting. This is a really really sad tragedy.
1. Guy walks into church and asks his girlfriend's mom where her daughter is...
2. She refuses to tell him
3. He opens fire on her, killing her and wounding a little girl
4. He runs out of the church and tries to carjack a couple.
5. A brave husband tries to protect his wife and the gunman shoots him (the man succombs to his wounds and passes today)
6. The gunman then kills himself shortly thereafter.
There's gonna be a lot of really spirited church services this weekend after something like this happens. I honestly cannot believe that someone had the audacity to do something like this. The guys HAD to be mentally disturbed. All you can do for people at this time is pray for them...
Monday, February 27, 2006
Weekend in Review: Sunday (Baby and Bowling)
So by now you know that Dylan was born yesterday and I'm a godfather now. I actually didn't get to see the little guy until Sunday afternoon. It was great to see WG and his family together at the hospital and how excited he was about his newborn. That is the type of excitement I hope that I feel when my first child is born. Prince and I stayed at the hospital for about 2 hours or so.
Later on that evening my friend Brandi and I went bowling. We met up with BHill and a friend and had a pretty good time at the alley. *Someone* beat the cRAP out of me in Pacman prior to bowling. And *someone* also showed they're a pretty good bowler.
All-in-all, it was a nice day. I wish I had more weekends like this...
Later on that evening my friend Brandi and I went bowling. We met up with BHill and a friend and had a pretty good time at the alley. *Someone* beat the cRAP out of me in Pacman prior to bowling. And *someone* also showed they're a pretty good bowler.
All-in-all, it was a nice day. I wish I had more weekends like this...
Weekend in Review: Saturday (Football & Broken Windows & A BABY)
Saturday was pretty fun. The fellas all got together and played football in PG. The games were pretty competitive and humorous (shot out to Randy). However, the second game ended prematurely when we all realized that one of our cars was being broken into. So we abruptly stopped to run to the parking lot and try to catch the fool who had broken into the car. Unfortunately, the made it to his car and out of the parking lot before we could catch him. Prince is still upset that we didn't catch him because he wanted to "stop a mudhole in his a$$". NICE! We all did!
All the theif got was some clothes and a couple cellphones, but he did leave behind a broken window. That sucks! Fortunately no one was hurt during all this.
A short time after all this is happening, Dylan Terrell Gardiner is being born in PG County Hospital. So it's official that I (along with 4 of my best friends) am a god-father. Born at 7:58pm on Feb. 25...7 pounds, 7 ounces...The newest addition to the Gardiner family was born (shot out to W-G)...
All the theif got was some clothes and a couple cellphones, but he did leave behind a broken window. That sucks! Fortunately no one was hurt during all this.
A short time after all this is happening, Dylan Terrell Gardiner is being born in PG County Hospital. So it's official that I (along with 4 of my best friends) am a god-father. Born at 7:58pm on Feb. 25...7 pounds, 7 ounces...The newest addition to the Gardiner family was born (shot out to W-G)...
Weekend in Review: Friday (Go to Brooklyn and Get me a CHEESECAKE!)
Osei's BDay dinner with the fellas (Osei, Vinny, BHill, Lionel) at the Cheesebake Factory downtown in Bmore...Jambalaya Pasta...I highly recommend it. Afterwards was a trip to Club ONE...Pretty below-average night at the club. Music was okay. It was definitely 10 guys for every girl in there and at times I felt like this was a cross between a taping of the WIRE and Making Da Band...Don't ask me how, because I don't know...It just felt that way. LOL.
Some flicks:
It's the BIRTHDAY BOY, Osei!!! He's still accepting gifts and alladat...So if you need to get in contact with him, holla at me and I can give you his info...
The crew...
Some flicks:
It's the BIRTHDAY BOY, Osei!!! He's still accepting gifts and alladat...So if you need to get in contact with him, holla at me and I can give you his info...
The crew...
Friday, February 24, 2006
Public Service Announcemens: Paperless Society/Sex Offenders in your area???
First item of business: Don't use checks
I was in class last night and we had a small discussion about electronic banking which led one of my classmates stating that we should not use checks. Basically, the reasoning behind it is that on the bottom of your check is your account number and your bank's routing number. This is all an indivudal needs to make a withdrawal from your account or a payment to another vendor out of your checking account.
Think about it this way...When you set-up your direct deposit for your job, you have to give them a voided blank check. All they do is take your account number and routing number from that blank check and set you up in the payroll system. Another example is when you sign up online for your credit card company's bill payment system or paypal (or some other company) and you use your bank account as the source for payments. You supply them with your account number, routing number, and the type of account (checking or savings). From there, they can withdraw money from your checking account or deposit money into your account (paypal).
So imagine if someone you sent a check to wrote down your routing and account numbers prior to cashing your check. They could then, go online, set up a bill payment account with their credit card company, and pay THEIR BILLS from YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT!!!
So my suggestion is to leave the checks alone unless you are sending them to a trusted company. I will never again send a check to an individual. Money orders (they're free at a lot of spots or very very cheap) here I come.
Second item: Find sexual predators in your area
I know I'm probably late on this website, but just in case I figured I'd send it out. Family Watchdog allows you to enter your address and it will display the registered sexual offenders in your area. This is a very useful tool for those of you who have lil crumb-snatchers running around.
I was in class last night and we had a small discussion about electronic banking which led one of my classmates stating that we should not use checks. Basically, the reasoning behind it is that on the bottom of your check is your account number and your bank's routing number. This is all an indivudal needs to make a withdrawal from your account or a payment to another vendor out of your checking account.
Think about it this way...When you set-up your direct deposit for your job, you have to give them a voided blank check. All they do is take your account number and routing number from that blank check and set you up in the payroll system. Another example is when you sign up online for your credit card company's bill payment system or paypal (or some other company) and you use your bank account as the source for payments. You supply them with your account number, routing number, and the type of account (checking or savings). From there, they can withdraw money from your checking account or deposit money into your account (paypal).
So imagine if someone you sent a check to wrote down your routing and account numbers prior to cashing your check. They could then, go online, set up a bill payment account with their credit card company, and pay THEIR BILLS from YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT!!!
So my suggestion is to leave the checks alone unless you are sending them to a trusted company. I will never again send a check to an individual. Money orders (they're free at a lot of spots or very very cheap) here I come.
Second item: Find sexual predators in your area
I know I'm probably late on this website, but just in case I figured I'd send it out. Family Watchdog allows you to enter your address and it will display the registered sexual offenders in your area. This is a very useful tool for those of you who have lil crumb-snatchers running around.
MC Hammer...Revisited...
The video below is probably one of the ALL-TIME WORST hip-hop videos ever made. This is the so-called "uncensored" version of MC Hammer's Pumps and Bump video..LMAO! I can't even say/type it without bursting out in laughter. LMAO!
What I find hilarious is that this is the uncensored version and this could easily be the regular BET version for a video today if MC Hammer just put on some d&mn sweatpants (nasty motha...)! Being a former fan of Hammer (remember Let's Get It Started, hammer-pants, etc.) I kinda find it funny that I was so enamored with this cat back then. Once this video hit the airwaves I could no longer claim to be a fan. But my mom did take me to one Hammer concert and I have the picture of Hammer to prove it. He used to be the shyt...Don't front cuz you probably had a pair of those damn pants too!
Anyway, if you can watch this without laughing or without wanting to throw up everything you've ate the last 3 meals, you are either dead to the world or have absolutely no sense of humor!
Some questions to ponder while watching:
1. Why does the dude have on some gloves, a speedo, and some old Hi-Tec boots?
2. What's the only thing that should be censored in this video? Your boy's groin area!!!
3. Why is he doing the "Matrix" at the end of the video? Maybe this is why that guy from Dem Franchise Boyz says "Do the Matrix" in Lean Wit It Rock Wit It.
4. How vicious is that house he USED to have?
5. Why am I laughing so hard?
6. Didn't the pelvic thrust go out with Michael Jackson?
7. Why would I subject you all to this horrendously hilarious video?
8. Is that zebra print? LMMFAO!
"I don't like em figgity-fat, I like em stiggity-stacked/" Word! Hammer... Word!
What I find hilarious is that this is the uncensored version and this could easily be the regular BET version for a video today if MC Hammer just put on some d&mn sweatpants (nasty motha...)! Being a former fan of Hammer (remember Let's Get It Started, hammer-pants, etc.) I kinda find it funny that I was so enamored with this cat back then. Once this video hit the airwaves I could no longer claim to be a fan. But my mom did take me to one Hammer concert and I have the picture of Hammer to prove it. He used to be the shyt...Don't front cuz you probably had a pair of those damn pants too!
Anyway, if you can watch this without laughing or without wanting to throw up everything you've ate the last 3 meals, you are either dead to the world or have absolutely no sense of humor!
Some questions to ponder while watching:
1. Why does the dude have on some gloves, a speedo, and some old Hi-Tec boots?
2. What's the only thing that should be censored in this video? Your boy's groin area!!!
3. Why is he doing the "Matrix" at the end of the video? Maybe this is why that guy from Dem Franchise Boyz says "Do the Matrix" in Lean Wit It Rock Wit It.
4. How vicious is that house he USED to have?
5. Why am I laughing so hard?
6. Didn't the pelvic thrust go out with Michael Jackson?
7. Why would I subject you all to this horrendously hilarious video?
8. Is that zebra print? LMMFAO!
"I don't like em figgity-fat, I like em stiggity-stacked/" Word! Hammer... Word!
Hey Damon Wayans! [BAPPP!] Homie don't play dat!
I just read this about ten minutes ago and I am kinda shocked. Check it out for yourself...Damon Wayans trying to patent the word/phrase/term/slur (depending on your point of view) "nigga".
"Comedian Damon Wayans tries to trademark the "N-Word." It was bound to happen sooner or later but who would have thought it would have been a Wayans. Word is "In Living Color" funny man Damon Wayans has been attempting to trademark the word "Nigga" for well over a year now. While the US patent and trademark offices have repeatedly declined his request Wayans is bent on dressing consumers in clothes brandishing the term. According to his applications he also wants to use the word for other enterprises including "books, music and general merchandise," as well as movies, TV and the internet. Trademark examiner Kelly Boulton most recently turned him down citing a law that rejects words that are "immoral or scandalous."
To quote Tupac "I'd rather be a N-I-G-G-A, so we can get drunk and smoke weed all day". With a term that causes so much anger, tension, and discussion among Black folks nowadays, I CAN understand why someone would want to patent the term and make a profit off of it. I mean, controversy will sell. At the least it'll get Mr. Wayans some attention. However, I can't believe that it's a Black man who thinks this is a good idea. This is akin in my mind to a Chinese guy patenting the word "chenk" (no offense anyone).
It's a thin line between saying "what's up my nigga" and walking around sporting "nigga" t-shirts, shoes, and socks like that's really okay to do. I think that Damon Wayans might find that his bright idea of patenting the word nigga (if it ever goes through) will backfire and he'll see that the people who jump all over this stuff probably won't even be Black. I wonder how he'll feel then when he's got people of "other" ethnic backgrounds running up to him with the word "nigga" over their apparel. Personally, I'd feel like an a$$ and I'd feel like I did a disservice/disrespect to my culture. But hey, that's just me. Maybe Mr. Wayans, the comedian, thinks that would be funny. Man, some stuff just isn't funny! And more importantly, money isn't everything.
1. Would you buy this stuff?
2. Do you think he has any intentions other than making money?
3. Why do I feel like I should be questioning his character and integrity because of this?
I'd love to learn more about his reasons for wanting to do this because this is my initial reaction based on what was printed in an article I read on sohh.com. Hopefully there's something positive and ground-breaking he's trying to do with this potential patent. That remains to be seen though...
"Comedian Damon Wayans tries to trademark the "N-Word." It was bound to happen sooner or later but who would have thought it would have been a Wayans. Word is "In Living Color" funny man Damon Wayans has been attempting to trademark the word "Nigga" for well over a year now. While the US patent and trademark offices have repeatedly declined his request Wayans is bent on dressing consumers in clothes brandishing the term. According to his applications he also wants to use the word for other enterprises including "books, music and general merchandise," as well as movies, TV and the internet. Trademark examiner Kelly Boulton most recently turned him down citing a law that rejects words that are "immoral or scandalous."
To quote Tupac "I'd rather be a N-I-G-G-A, so we can get drunk and smoke weed all day". With a term that causes so much anger, tension, and discussion among Black folks nowadays, I CAN understand why someone would want to patent the term and make a profit off of it. I mean, controversy will sell. At the least it'll get Mr. Wayans some attention. However, I can't believe that it's a Black man who thinks this is a good idea. This is akin in my mind to a Chinese guy patenting the word "chenk" (no offense anyone).
It's a thin line between saying "what's up my nigga" and walking around sporting "nigga" t-shirts, shoes, and socks like that's really okay to do. I think that Damon Wayans might find that his bright idea of patenting the word nigga (if it ever goes through) will backfire and he'll see that the people who jump all over this stuff probably won't even be Black. I wonder how he'll feel then when he's got people of "other" ethnic backgrounds running up to him with the word "nigga" over their apparel. Personally, I'd feel like an a$$ and I'd feel like I did a disservice/disrespect to my culture. But hey, that's just me. Maybe Mr. Wayans, the comedian, thinks that would be funny. Man, some stuff just isn't funny! And more importantly, money isn't everything.
1. Would you buy this stuff?
2. Do you think he has any intentions other than making money?
3. Why do I feel like I should be questioning his character and integrity because of this?
I'd love to learn more about his reasons for wanting to do this because this is my initial reaction based on what was printed in an article I read on sohh.com. Hopefully there's something positive and ground-breaking he's trying to do with this potential patent. That remains to be seen though...
Thursday, February 23, 2006
VIDEO: Juvenile - Hustle
I think Juvenile is somehow trying to make a statement here. I can't lie and say I completely understand what he's trying to convey but at least he's saying something. He still mixes in his drug talk and car talk and alladat, but in between the barely understandable bars he's spitting, there's a lot of imagery going on in the video that makes you keep thinking about Katrina and how the people there still need assistance.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Thought-provoking: Imma Hustla Homie!
Yet another good article from the Dallas Penn crew...
"ViaCom is the top dog of cultural hustlers on the planet today. They use their multiple platforms to program adults, and more importantly, the youth into what the cultural norms for the future shall be. Hip-Hop music is one of their key tools. It is loved by working class kids from the center city all the way into the middle class enclaves in the suburbs and the exurbs. This is where ViaCom penetrates the deepest because there isn’t the presence of the ‘other’ to refute the images presented on the television screen.
Their cultural programming is just as effective in the center city because there is visual access to markers of wealth and opulence. The sight of a Bentley sportscar outside of a television set confirms its existence within the world described on television.
I thought that I would be upset with the network chiefs at ViaCom for allowing the program called ‘The Shop’ to air on M.T.V. instead of the sister station B.E.T. but after previewing trailers from the program I realize that the target demographic for this program are the kids in the suburbs and the exurbs. This program is supposed to be their indoctrination into the actual lives of people from the center city. I thought of this program as some sort of corporate media attempt at Black People 101.
What are the jigs saying? What are the jigs wearing? Why does that woman have a child and not a husband?!? Everything I wanted to know about Negroes but I was afraid to ask them because I was afraid. M.T.V. has struck suburban gold platinum again and I suspect that I will be seeing kids at the mall this spring with aluminum foil covering their teeth."
http://dallaspenn.com/weblog/?p=496
"ViaCom is the top dog of cultural hustlers on the planet today. They use their multiple platforms to program adults, and more importantly, the youth into what the cultural norms for the future shall be. Hip-Hop music is one of their key tools. It is loved by working class kids from the center city all the way into the middle class enclaves in the suburbs and the exurbs. This is where ViaCom penetrates the deepest because there isn’t the presence of the ‘other’ to refute the images presented on the television screen.
Their cultural programming is just as effective in the center city because there is visual access to markers of wealth and opulence. The sight of a Bentley sportscar outside of a television set confirms its existence within the world described on television.
I thought that I would be upset with the network chiefs at ViaCom for allowing the program called ‘The Shop’ to air on M.T.V. instead of the sister station B.E.T. but after previewing trailers from the program I realize that the target demographic for this program are the kids in the suburbs and the exurbs. This program is supposed to be their indoctrination into the actual lives of people from the center city. I thought of this program as some sort of corporate media attempt at Black People 101.
What are the jigs saying? What are the jigs wearing? Why does that woman have a child and not a husband?!? Everything I wanted to know about Negroes but I was afraid to ask them because I was afraid. M.T.V. has struck suburban gold platinum again and I suspect that I will be seeing kids at the mall this spring with aluminum foil covering their teeth."
http://dallaspenn.com/weblog/?p=496
These are our heroes: Black leaders for the future
"Tavis Smiley, Michael Eric Dyson/
Stokely Carmichael, let's try to be like them/
Nicky Giovanni poetical black female/
Jim Brown to the people who sing well from/
Fela to Miriam Makeba/
The mirror says you are the next American leader/"
-- Nas, These Are Our Heroes
I've had conversations with people over and over about who will be the next African-American leaders that my generation (I think I'm actually a generation-Y member rather than X since I was born in 1980) will follow.
I know in generations past it was people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, and perhaps Al Sharpton. But now we've got a new generation of young people who have different issues that need to be uncovered, discussed, and addressed. In having a conversation with a co-worker the other day, I found out that 76% of black males in Baltimore DO NOT graduate from high school. That was pretty staggering. I am not sure what the numbers are in other urban areas, but I can't say that after hearing that I'd be surprised if other cities have similar numbers (though I hope not).
So this would lead me to believe that education should be one of the top priorities our next Black leaders address.
Another issue that I ALWAYS end up discussing is what I would term White Flight and Black Follow...In what seems to be a lot of urban areas in this country the city starts off being inhabited by white people and black folks try to squeeze their way into the same areas even though it may be more expensive and less financially feasible. Then, the white people move out to the suburbs. A lot of people say this is because they want to get away from black folks but I don't think that's 100% the case. Once they move back out to the suburbs, what do black folks do? Move out to the 'burbs too! We seem to always be a step behind. But part of the issue here is being educated about real estate and building wealth. This is something alot of blacks (including myself) don't readily have access to when they're growing up. Some people seem to be brought up in an environment of good money-management, spending habits, and financial planning. But others can only dream of that.
So another issue that needs to be addressed is economic empowerment. This comes through educating people about their finances and the power of the dollar. I'm still learning (trying to catch up) just like a lot of people I know.
So who do I think can possibly be the leaders to pull this off?
1. Barack Obama
Seems like he's the "trendy" guy to pick as far as who will be the next solid black leader. But we shall see. He's a Congressman from Illinois who has been garnering support from both blacks and whites and has a lot of positive momentum.
2. Kweisi Mfume
Kweisi's my pick for the best black leader out there. I would say I think he's going to be the first black president, but he might have to change his name from Kweisi to Marcus to pull that one off.
3. Russell Simmons
A lot of you may chuckle at this one, but you have to think about him this way. He's a man who has tons of respect throughout the hip-hop and social activist community. His hip-hop summit action network does a lot of good for the hip-hop generation. And my belief is that the next great black leader will HAVE TO HAVE full support from the hip-hop generation/culture or he'll have NO CHANCE of really getting anywhere. Russell Simmons is probably the one man out of these 3 that has that. Whether or not he really decides to "go long" politically remains to be seen though.
Unfortunately, I only have 3 guys to nominate because I am just not as informed as I should be. If you guys have any knowledge of great leaders I should know about, please share.
Stokely Carmichael, let's try to be like them/
Nicky Giovanni poetical black female/
Jim Brown to the people who sing well from/
Fela to Miriam Makeba/
The mirror says you are the next American leader/"
-- Nas, These Are Our Heroes
I've had conversations with people over and over about who will be the next African-American leaders that my generation (I think I'm actually a generation-Y member rather than X since I was born in 1980) will follow.
I know in generations past it was people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, and perhaps Al Sharpton. But now we've got a new generation of young people who have different issues that need to be uncovered, discussed, and addressed. In having a conversation with a co-worker the other day, I found out that 76% of black males in Baltimore DO NOT graduate from high school. That was pretty staggering. I am not sure what the numbers are in other urban areas, but I can't say that after hearing that I'd be surprised if other cities have similar numbers (though I hope not).
So this would lead me to believe that education should be one of the top priorities our next Black leaders address.
Another issue that I ALWAYS end up discussing is what I would term White Flight and Black Follow...In what seems to be a lot of urban areas in this country the city starts off being inhabited by white people and black folks try to squeeze their way into the same areas even though it may be more expensive and less financially feasible. Then, the white people move out to the suburbs. A lot of people say this is because they want to get away from black folks but I don't think that's 100% the case. Once they move back out to the suburbs, what do black folks do? Move out to the 'burbs too! We seem to always be a step behind. But part of the issue here is being educated about real estate and building wealth. This is something alot of blacks (including myself) don't readily have access to when they're growing up. Some people seem to be brought up in an environment of good money-management, spending habits, and financial planning. But others can only dream of that.
So another issue that needs to be addressed is economic empowerment. This comes through educating people about their finances and the power of the dollar. I'm still learning (trying to catch up) just like a lot of people I know.
So who do I think can possibly be the leaders to pull this off?
1. Barack Obama
Seems like he's the "trendy" guy to pick as far as who will be the next solid black leader. But we shall see. He's a Congressman from Illinois who has been garnering support from both blacks and whites and has a lot of positive momentum.
2. Kweisi Mfume
Kweisi's my pick for the best black leader out there. I would say I think he's going to be the first black president, but he might have to change his name from Kweisi to Marcus to pull that one off.
3. Russell Simmons
A lot of you may chuckle at this one, but you have to think about him this way. He's a man who has tons of respect throughout the hip-hop and social activist community. His hip-hop summit action network does a lot of good for the hip-hop generation. And my belief is that the next great black leader will HAVE TO HAVE full support from the hip-hop generation/culture or he'll have NO CHANCE of really getting anywhere. Russell Simmons is probably the one man out of these 3 that has that. Whether or not he really decides to "go long" politically remains to be seen though.
Unfortunately, I only have 3 guys to nominate because I am just not as informed as I should be. If you guys have any knowledge of great leaders I should know about, please share.
Suge Knight sues another grimey underworld boss...
Okay, so Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo and his brother get investigated by the FBI on suspicion that Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff (or whatever his legal name is) supplied drug money to start the Murder Inc. label. Unless you've been under a rock for like a year or so, you've heard about this. Fortunately the Lorenzo's got off.
In what I think is an ironic announcement, Suge Knight is suing the former DRUG DEALER (Harry-O Harris) who helped him START DEATH ROW RECORDS for $106 million. This is not to say that Death Row was started with drug money [laughing as I type]...
"Harris, who is serving a 28-year-sentence in a California State prison for attempted murder and drug dealing, attempted to blackmail people and businesses in the music industry, by threatening to allege that proceeds from his drug enterprise were invested in legitimate businesses."
BUT....
"In 1997, Harris told the Los Angeles Times that he struck a deal with Knight to fund Death Row Records. Harris said he helped create Death Row along with Suge Knight and his lawyer David Kenner"
The kicker here is that:
"Harry O's wife Lydia Harris filed a lawsuit against Knight and in March of 2005, Knight was ordered to pay Mrs. Harris $106 million dollars...Mrs. Harris was awarded the judgment because Knight failed to respond to legal inquires about the case and missed various court dates."
So basically, Suge wants his money back. I'm assuming he thinks that Harry-O's wife is holding the money for Mr. O when he comes home. I don't blame Suge (I guess) but I think it's kind of funny how Death Row has never been investigated like Murder Inc. We all know Suge Knight is no saint so I guess he's getting what's due to him.
If I disappear after this post...
In what I think is an ironic announcement, Suge Knight is suing the former DRUG DEALER (Harry-O Harris) who helped him START DEATH ROW RECORDS for $106 million. This is not to say that Death Row was started with drug money [laughing as I type]...
"Harris, who is serving a 28-year-sentence in a California State prison for attempted murder and drug dealing, attempted to blackmail people and businesses in the music industry, by threatening to allege that proceeds from his drug enterprise were invested in legitimate businesses."
BUT....
"In 1997, Harris told the Los Angeles Times that he struck a deal with Knight to fund Death Row Records. Harris said he helped create Death Row along with Suge Knight and his lawyer David Kenner"
The kicker here is that:
"Harry O's wife Lydia Harris filed a lawsuit against Knight and in March of 2005, Knight was ordered to pay Mrs. Harris $106 million dollars...Mrs. Harris was awarded the judgment because Knight failed to respond to legal inquires about the case and missed various court dates."
So basically, Suge wants his money back. I'm assuming he thinks that Harry-O's wife is holding the money for Mr. O when he comes home. I don't blame Suge (I guess) but I think it's kind of funny how Death Row has never been investigated like Murder Inc. We all know Suge Knight is no saint so I guess he's getting what's due to him.
If I disappear after this post...
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
GAME ON!
This Saturday it looks like (weather-permitting) the fellas are getting together again for a game of football. This is gonna be a shot at redemption for the losers from the last time we played. It was a pretty good game last time. Snow, touchdowns, curses, and tackles (even though we were playing flag football). I'm expecting more of the same this time. Hopefully the game will be closer though.
I'll keep the location to myself to save anyone public embarassment (including myself). Of course there will be pictures from this posted very very shortly after the game is played.
I'll keep the location to myself to save anyone public embarassment (including myself). Of course there will be pictures from this posted very very shortly after the game is played.
Monday, February 20, 2006
NBA All-Star Weekend: My favorite moments...
- Beyonce and them rocking the National Anthem before the game on Sunday
- The Eastern conference starters doing their dance before they were announced
- Lebron throwing up the diamond symbol when he was introduced
- Shaq and Kobe getting along
- My pick, Nate Robinson, winning the dunk contest
- Andre Igudola (sp?) making that dunk from behind the backboard. One of the top 5 dunks I've ever seen! Also, watching all the fellas reaction to this dunk being made.
- Nate Robinson jumping over Spud Webb
- Being upset that Jason Richardson's reverse dunk didn't win the "Greatest Dunk Ever" award
- Charles Barkley
- Randy drunkenly holding everybody up from leaving his house after the dunk contest
- That Big Skillet combo I had right before the dunk contest..."Mmmmmm-mmmmnn! Nice choice!"
- LeBron winning the All-Star MVP Award
- The Eastern conference starters doing their dance before they were announced
- Lebron throwing up the diamond symbol when he was introduced
- Shaq and Kobe getting along
- My pick, Nate Robinson, winning the dunk contest
- Andre Igudola (sp?) making that dunk from behind the backboard. One of the top 5 dunks I've ever seen! Also, watching all the fellas reaction to this dunk being made.
- Nate Robinson jumping over Spud Webb
- Being upset that Jason Richardson's reverse dunk didn't win the "Greatest Dunk Ever" award
- Charles Barkley
- Randy drunkenly holding everybody up from leaving his house after the dunk contest
- That Big Skillet combo I had right before the dunk contest..."Mmmmmm-mmmmnn! Nice choice!"
- LeBron winning the All-Star MVP Award
Ephipany...
Moments ago I realized what my favorite candy of all-time was. Most of you may think this is pretty silly for me to talk about. But, you may not know my history with candy. Since I was in the 4th grade I have been a junk-food junkie! Most of my friends who grew up with me since that time can vouch for my addiction to junk food. From jolly ranchers to cherry chans to lemonheads to mambas to now & laters to bar-b-q David Sunflower seeds to salt & vinegar chips to twizzlers to honey buns to koffee cake to Twix to Baby Ruth to....Well, the list could go on even further.
But today, after grabbing a cherry jolly rancher out of the candy dish at work, I realized that the cherry jolly rancher is my favorite. Something about that artificial cherry flavor that just does it for me.
Friday, February 17, 2006
WEB NERD ALERT: Firefox Users Beware!!!
There was an article on Yahoo! today about Firefox and a "memory leak" issue. However, what I found most interesting in this article is how to get to the config file for Firefox and what you can do when you get there...
If you use Firefox, type "about:config" in the location bar and hit enter. You'll get all the configuration settings. Scroll through and you can probably figure out some interesting settings for your browser. I haven't thoroughly went through them all (and I probably never will) but I did take a quick glance and noted that there are a few that I will probably go back and play around with when I have some "free" time.
Here's another article about the memory leak by a guy who works for Google and is a lead developer on the Mozilla browser project.
If you use Firefox, type "about:config" in the location bar and hit enter. You'll get all the configuration settings. Scroll through and you can probably figure out some interesting settings for your browser. I haven't thoroughly went through them all (and I probably never will) but I did take a quick glance and noted that there are a few that I will probably go back and play around with when I have some "free" time.
Here's another article about the memory leak by a guy who works for Google and is a lead developer on the Mozilla browser project.
Who sells WEED for $3???
Crazy story about a lady who called her local police dispatcher asking where she can buy weed:
"(2/12/06 - KTRK/FARGO, ND) - Here's another case going into the dumb criminal file. A North Dakota woman went to a police station for marijuana.
West Fargo police say Grace Sium, 20, called them Saturday morning and asked where she could buy marijuana. The dispatcher told her the drug is illegal, but she persisted. The dispatcher told her they had some in a locker.
Needless to say, she was arrested after showing up at the police station with $3 for drugs. "
Huh-huh...You big DUMMY!
Anyway, I'd like to know who in North Dakota is selling weed for $3. Whoever it is ain't making NO MONEY whatsoever. Who knows anybody that sells weed for $3? I mean you gotta come with at least $5! Dag.
"(2/12/06 - KTRK/FARGO, ND) - Here's another case going into the dumb criminal file. A North Dakota woman went to a police station for marijuana.
West Fargo police say Grace Sium, 20, called them Saturday morning and asked where she could buy marijuana. The dispatcher told her the drug is illegal, but she persisted. The dispatcher told her they had some in a locker.
Needless to say, she was arrested after showing up at the police station with $3 for drugs. "
Huh-huh...You big DUMMY!
Anyway, I'd like to know who in North Dakota is selling weed for $3. Whoever it is ain't making NO MONEY whatsoever. Who knows anybody that sells weed for $3? I mean you gotta come with at least $5! Dag.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Did You Know: History of the Wrench
Dr. James West
I found out today at a speech given by Dr. James West (inventor of the foil-electret transducers for sound recording and voice communication) that Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion ALSO invented the wrench. Somehow, someway, this invention became known as the "Monkey wrench"...I wonder why.
Jack Johnson
Anyway, I thought it was interesting that the first black heavyweight champ is also an inventor. And I thought it was quite interesting that his invention was coined the "monkey" wrench. Now I feel like I can't use that term again. Very interesting. It just goes to show that a lot of facts and history is covered up. We have to seek out the knowledge ourselves.
WET-WIPES: Yeah Jay, you don't even need to respond...
Man, that big-a$$ hat just makes me laugh!
In case any of you are like me and you still have thoughts from time-to-time about whether Jay-Z is gonna retaliate at CamRon....Here's the latest reason why he SHOULD NOT waste his time, energy, or breath on it...
CamRon - Wet Wipes (4.1 Mb)
Joint is just WACK! I was talking with my co-worker about it and he said that Cam has talent and a knack for catchy lines, but he has no content whatsoever so it's a waste of talent. I agree with that to a certain extent. CamRon has his moments where I can listen to his music and get a laugh/kick/entertainment out of what he is saying. And there have been a couple times where I've actually said "Damn, that's a kinda dope line." But for the most part, he is just another average rapper.
A verse from the song I like the most by Cam (you can make of this verse what you wish...excuse the blatant use of expletive). This is typical Cam...Can't really figure out everything he's talking about. Fortunately, Kanye helps him out on this one with a TIGHT beat!
Uh uh aiyyo street mergers I legislated
The nerve I never hated
On murders pre-meditated
Absurd I hesitated
Observe cock and spray
Hit you from a block away
Drinking Saki on a Suzuki we in Osaka Bay
Playing soccer stupid stay in a sucker's place
Pluck ya ace take ya girl f$ck her face
She dealing with Killa so you love her taste
She swallowing Killa cause she love the taste
I got brought up with crooking
Kitchen orders that I'm cooking
But got caught up with the chicks who woulda thought I was from Brooklyn
It gets boring just looking
I feel like Bill Cosby pouring in the pudding
Now the dashboard is wooden from a hard tangled grammar
Interior inferior star-spangled banner
Car game bananas
Ma man and Tana
Guns everywhere like the car came with hammers
He's back
POSTERIZED!!!
I know I am not the only person who saw this highlight last night on Sportscenter:
OUCH! Prince George's County's own, Delonte West, getting posterized by KING JAMES. Dag! That looked like it might have hurt.
But, nothing tops this Lebron poster-ization:
This was last season when Lebron EMBARASSED Damon Jones on that dunk! Why even jump Damon? Why? Fortunately for Jones, he's now Lebron's teammate. The funniest part of this whole clip is the announcer's commentary when they replay the joint.
OUCH! Prince George's County's own, Delonte West, getting posterized by KING JAMES. Dag! That looked like it might have hurt.
But, nothing tops this Lebron poster-ization:
This was last season when Lebron EMBARASSED Damon Jones on that dunk! Why even jump Damon? Why? Fortunately for Jones, he's now Lebron's teammate. The funniest part of this whole clip is the announcer's commentary when they replay the joint.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
So Mike you just gon' do your taxes? That's what's goin' on in the streets???
Yesterday I finally got around to doing my taxes. I know some of you are probably saying "Finally, you've got until April 15th!!!!" Well, I normally knock my taxes out by Feb. 15th just to get them out of the way and have a lil extra money to get "creative" with...Feel me?
Anywho, I used taxact.com for the second-year in a row, filing my state and federal taxes for a whopping total of $16. Although that $16 set back my weekly lunches a bit, I HIGHLY recommend this site for folks who have yet to file their taxes. It's very well organized and does a good job of explaining everything to you in regard to tax benefits, incentives, credits, etc. Not to mention you can electronically file everything so you don't have to mail anything to anybody or get a check in the mail (it'll be directly deposited into your account).
If you are wondering where to go to do your taxes or if you are one of those people who's afraid to do their taxes on your own, just go check out the site and see if you like it. You can go all the way through the entire process and just stop and save all your information. That way you can go back and file through the website if you want or you can say forget it and file your taxes whatever other way you choose.
Anywho, I used taxact.com for the second-year in a row, filing my state and federal taxes for a whopping total of $16. Although that $16 set back my weekly lunches a bit, I HIGHLY recommend this site for folks who have yet to file their taxes. It's very well organized and does a good job of explaining everything to you in regard to tax benefits, incentives, credits, etc. Not to mention you can electronically file everything so you don't have to mail anything to anybody or get a check in the mail (it'll be directly deposited into your account).
If you are wondering where to go to do your taxes or if you are one of those people who's afraid to do their taxes on your own, just go check out the site and see if you like it. You can go all the way through the entire process and just stop and save all your information. That way you can go back and file through the website if you want or you can say forget it and file your taxes whatever other way you choose.
MYSPACE.COM
Is it just me or is Myspace just a less overtly ghetto-fabulous version of Blackplanet? I am NOT a member of myspace...Not yet at least but I have visited a couple friends' pages on myspace. It's cool...It's okay. But for me there doesn't appear to be much of anything special about it. And there's definitely nothing that separates it from what I experienced in my college days on Blackplanet.com.
I actually think the folks at blackplanet should look into some sort of litigation against myspace b/c from what I have seen in myspace and recall from blackplanet, they are essentially the same thing. One just (and now this seems quite silly and bad marketing) has "black" in it's name. Of course, myspace will out-do blackplanet just like MTV will out-do BET. But this has nothing to do with reality shows, video shows, or just better marketing and programming in general. This has more to do with hype.
myspace.com is being hyped now like google was hyped 3-6 months ago and how ebay was hyped years ago. It's nothing wrong with it. It just makes me wish that blackplanet had the same sort of hype back when I used to use it. Now blackplanet will eventually have to either step their game up even more or fall to the wayside as it's users inevitably decide that myspace is more trendy, chic, and cool.
It's all about social networking online now (at least that's what the media says) and pretty soon myspace will probably be synonymous with social networking like google is with web-searching. Personally, I like this blogger.com thing a lot better. It's pretty easy to use, more organized, and a little more structured than myspace appears to be. But being a web guy, I'll probably end up with a myspace account sometime soon just off G-P.
I actually think the folks at blackplanet should look into some sort of litigation against myspace b/c from what I have seen in myspace and recall from blackplanet, they are essentially the same thing. One just (and now this seems quite silly and bad marketing) has "black" in it's name. Of course, myspace will out-do blackplanet just like MTV will out-do BET. But this has nothing to do with reality shows, video shows, or just better marketing and programming in general. This has more to do with hype.
myspace.com is being hyped now like google was hyped 3-6 months ago and how ebay was hyped years ago. It's nothing wrong with it. It just makes me wish that blackplanet had the same sort of hype back when I used to use it. Now blackplanet will eventually have to either step their game up even more or fall to the wayside as it's users inevitably decide that myspace is more trendy, chic, and cool.
It's all about social networking online now (at least that's what the media says) and pretty soon myspace will probably be synonymous with social networking like google is with web-searching. Personally, I like this blogger.com thing a lot better. It's pretty easy to use, more organized, and a little more structured than myspace appears to be. But being a web guy, I'll probably end up with a myspace account sometime soon just off G-P.
Nick Cannon: Can I Live
Hands down the BEST SONG Nick Cannon has EVER MADE! I don't even know that he can make one better than this no matter how much he blows up!
Wild N' Out is cool. The movie roles are cool. The dude is definitely doing his young tycoon in the making thing. I ain't mad at all. But I can honestly say that this is the ONLY thing he's been a part of that has really touched ya boy. Yeah, this one got to me. I dunno why to be honest, but this joint is one of those songs that's just real to me. Anyway, like Jay-Z said (Reasonable Doubt, circa 1996)...Can I Live!?!? Check it out...
Wild N' Out is cool. The movie roles are cool. The dude is definitely doing his young tycoon in the making thing. I ain't mad at all. But I can honestly say that this is the ONLY thing he's been a part of that has really touched ya boy. Yeah, this one got to me. I dunno why to be honest, but this joint is one of those songs that's just real to me. Anyway, like Jay-Z said (Reasonable Doubt, circa 1996)...Can I Live!?!? Check it out...
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
History of the word "Nigger"
http://dallaspenn.com/weblog/?p=462
I am not sure of this guy's sources or whether or not he really knows what he's talking about, but this seems plausible. I thought it was interesting and even if it's only half-accurate, it invokes thought, which is great!
I am not sure of this guy's sources or whether or not he really knows what he's talking about, but this seems plausible. I thought it was interesting and even if it's only half-accurate, it invokes thought, which is great!
Black women called out...
The boys over at dallaspenn.com have this blog entry posted:
HOE SIT DOWN
I'd like to know people's thoughts on this topic. Personally, I tend to agree with the following comments:
"Who in the world told her it was that kind of party?...who raised this broad up so that when she would have her best chance to signify who she was as a person (fuck the whole Black shit for a second), this is what comes to her mind?...You are embarrassing me, and most of all you are embarrassing yourself"
I think these are the kind of things people need to think about prior to going out and "showing they're a$$" literally or figuratively.
Yet I disagree with the following:
"I blame Black women. It’s not like I could blame the men anyhoo."
This issue to me, is far more complicated than placing the blame on either black men or black women. It's about how you were raised; what outside factors affected your idea of what pretty is or what being sexy is; what you have been conditioned to think the opposite sex wants to see from you; etc. It's a much deeper topic than I'll delve into in this post, but I think it's something that needs to be brought up more often and discussed.
HOE SIT DOWN
I'd like to know people's thoughts on this topic. Personally, I tend to agree with the following comments:
"Who in the world told her it was that kind of party?...who raised this broad up so that when she would have her best chance to signify who she was as a person (fuck the whole Black shit for a second), this is what comes to her mind?...You are embarrassing me, and most of all you are embarrassing yourself"
I think these are the kind of things people need to think about prior to going out and "showing they're a$$" literally or figuratively.
Yet I disagree with the following:
"I blame Black women. It’s not like I could blame the men anyhoo."
This issue to me, is far more complicated than placing the blame on either black men or black women. It's about how you were raised; what outside factors affected your idea of what pretty is or what being sexy is; what you have been conditioned to think the opposite sex wants to see from you; etc. It's a much deeper topic than I'll delve into in this post, but I think it's something that needs to be brought up more often and discussed.
Two in the Bush, One in the CHENEY
Would YOU go hunting with this DUDE??? "They shooting...Ah Made you look!"
TOP TEN REASONS...Well, you'll figure it out!
10. "Heart palpitation caused trigger finger to spasm"
9. "Wanted to get the Iraq mess off the front page"
8. "Not enough Jim Beam"
7. "Trying to stop the spread of bird flu"
6. "I love to shoot people"
5. "Guy was making cracks about my lesbian daughter"
4. "I thought the guy was trying to go 'gay cowboy' on me"
3. "Excuse? I hit him, didn't I?"
2. "Until Democrats approve medicare reform, we have to make some tough choices for the elderly"
1. "Made a bet with Gretzky's wife"
LMAO! My favorites are numbers 10, 4, and 1. This is hilarious! There's even an online version of the Duck Hunt Nintendo game to go with it. Dag! People like ME have wayyyyy too much time on their hands.
THE OLYMPICS!!!!
I've recently read articles about how there are no black people participating in or at the Winter Olympic games; the olympics are boring; there are no hot people participating....HOLD UP HOLD UP!
1. There are some black people participating in the Olympics. I remember a story about a black male speedskater from the U.S. who is expected to do well. So there's at least one! But everybody knows that Black folk ain't really trying to be out in that cold weather unless we have to! LOL.
2. The Olympics are pretty boring, but for some reason we all at some point in time will find ourselve watching. I'm not sure if it's some sort of repressed national pride we all have or the 4-hour block of time that's alloted to showing various events OR the scandal of Wayne Gretzky (well mainly Rick Tocchet), the Michelle Kwan withdrawal, or the drunken underachieving Bode Miller, or...
3. HOT OLYMPIANS! Yes! There are some decent looking Winter Olympic athletest. Check out this website http://www.hotolympians.com/ for a list of Winter Olympians who have been labeled as "HOT" (also known as "cute", "pretty", "handsome", "fine", "dimed-out", "sexy", etc. etc.)! Fellas, can scroll past the dudes as quickly as possible.
1. There are some black people participating in the Olympics. I remember a story about a black male speedskater from the U.S. who is expected to do well. So there's at least one! But everybody knows that Black folk ain't really trying to be out in that cold weather unless we have to! LOL.
2. The Olympics are pretty boring, but for some reason we all at some point in time will find ourselve watching. I'm not sure if it's some sort of repressed national pride we all have or the 4-hour block of time that's alloted to showing various events OR the scandal of Wayne Gretzky (well mainly Rick Tocchet), the Michelle Kwan withdrawal, or the drunken underachieving Bode Miller, or...
3. HOT OLYMPIANS! Yes! There are some decent looking Winter Olympic athletest. Check out this website http://www.hotolympians.com/ for a list of Winter Olympians who have been labeled as "HOT" (also known as "cute", "pretty", "handsome", "fine", "dimed-out", "sexy", etc. etc.)! Fellas, can scroll past the dudes as quickly as possible.
Kanye spits HOT FIRE???
Who's the greatest 5 rappers of all time according to Kanye West...
Kanye...Kanye...Kanye...Kanye-Kanye!!!!
"Trips to Maui outta town I was outtie/
Rocked so much polo they start to call me Ralphie/
Do me a favor if ya dollars up please pop ya collars up/
Otherwise it look lousy/"
I don't do the collar-popped up look, but that line was pretty hot.
Part of this joint below I've never heard before (like those bars above). But most of it will probably sound familiar b/c he used some of this stuff on his albums/mixtapes.
Kanye...Kanye...Kanye...Kanye-Kanye!!!!
"Trips to Maui outta town I was outtie/
Rocked so much polo they start to call me Ralphie/
Do me a favor if ya dollars up please pop ya collars up/
Otherwise it look lousy/"
I don't do the collar-popped up look, but that line was pretty hot.
Part of this joint below I've never heard before (like those bars above). But most of it will probably sound familiar b/c he used some of this stuff on his albums/mixtapes.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Kobe Bean Bryant: You are str8 commercial homie!
Love Me or Hate Me starring Young Kobe!
Let's dissect this one:
1. Hate/Love your game: On that court homie, you are UNSTOPPABLE! I like A-I better than you because he's a REAL dude off the court as well as on it. But on that court, you run -ish! Can't take nothing away from you man. Definitely not those 81 you dropped on Toronto...LMAO! I'll take LOVE on this one. And I can't hate your fade-away or hunger either. Nor the fact that you are a PROVEN veteran on the field. Nor that you're a 3 time champion. Love all that.
2. Hate/Love your swagger: You need that swagger. You gotta have the cockiness to your game like Jigga does in rap. But there's a thin line. It's fine to be cocky on the court and play it off like your a humble guy. That's cool. But when you try to front like you're really not cocky in general...I gotta HATE that. Do you cuz.
Not that I am a Kobe lover or a Kobe hater at all. I mean, I kinda love HIS WIFE (in case you can't tell, her shirt says "Fashionable M!th@rf$ck@r"...LMAO!) but that doesn't count. And I kinda hate that he embarassed himself by cheating on his wife.
But overall, if you are a guy, I think you have to have at least one issue with him and that's him snitching on Shaq when there was no need to. I mean come on! As if telling on Shaq was gonna make him look better; get him less jail time; or make Shaq look bad. I mean most people assume that NBA players cheat. It's not right and it shouldn't be acceptable, but that just seems to be the way it is. So, when everything hits the fan and your a$$ is on the line, one of two things happen. You revert back to the rules that men live by (see Google for "Carmelo" or "Stop Snitchin") or you get scared and decide it's okay to let some information slide out. We all know what Kobe chose to do. Even if it wasn't gonna help his cause at all, he just HAD to tell the cops that Shaq cheated on his wife and paid off the women he slept with in order to keep them quiet. To me, that's just something you don't do. It's not cool to protect people in every situation, especially if someone's life has been lost or if someone's life is on the line. But running off at the mouth when you don't have to is COMPLETELY and TOTALLY unnecessary and a chump move.
So with all that said, I have to say: LOVE Kobe on the court, but hate him off of it. I'd roll with A.I. before I hung with Kobe. He just seems like a real person who is who he is with no regrets or reservations. I can't say that about Kobe.
Oh yeah, Nas had a few things to say about Kobe's situation...Check it out:
Uh, Massa used to breed us to be bigger to go play
Athletes of today in the NBA, make me proud
But there's somethin' they don't say
Keep gettin' accused for abusin' White pussay
From OJ to Kobe, uh let's call him Tobe
First he played his life cool just like Michael
Now he rock ice too just like I do
Yo, you can't do better than that?
The hotel clerk who adjusts the bathroom mat?
Now you lose sponsorships that you thought had your back
Yeah, you beat the rap jiggaboo, fake nigga you
You turn around then you shit on Shaq
Who woulda knew, Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes
He love a little butt crack, got enough cash
Little kids with they bus pass who look up to you
To do something for the youth, stupid spoof
But you let them use you as an example
They would rep, but our heroes got they hands full
Check out another interesting article on Kobe.
Let's dissect this one:
1. Hate/Love your game: On that court homie, you are UNSTOPPABLE! I like A-I better than you because he's a REAL dude off the court as well as on it. But on that court, you run -ish! Can't take nothing away from you man. Definitely not those 81 you dropped on Toronto...LMAO! I'll take LOVE on this one. And I can't hate your fade-away or hunger either. Nor the fact that you are a PROVEN veteran on the field. Nor that you're a 3 time champion. Love all that.
2. Hate/Love your swagger: You need that swagger. You gotta have the cockiness to your game like Jigga does in rap. But there's a thin line. It's fine to be cocky on the court and play it off like your a humble guy. That's cool. But when you try to front like you're really not cocky in general...I gotta HATE that. Do you cuz.
Not that I am a Kobe lover or a Kobe hater at all. I mean, I kinda love HIS WIFE (in case you can't tell, her shirt says "Fashionable M!th@rf$ck@r"...LMAO!) but that doesn't count. And I kinda hate that he embarassed himself by cheating on his wife.
But overall, if you are a guy, I think you have to have at least one issue with him and that's him snitching on Shaq when there was no need to. I mean come on! As if telling on Shaq was gonna make him look better; get him less jail time; or make Shaq look bad. I mean most people assume that NBA players cheat. It's not right and it shouldn't be acceptable, but that just seems to be the way it is. So, when everything hits the fan and your a$$ is on the line, one of two things happen. You revert back to the rules that men live by (see Google for "Carmelo" or "Stop Snitchin") or you get scared and decide it's okay to let some information slide out. We all know what Kobe chose to do. Even if it wasn't gonna help his cause at all, he just HAD to tell the cops that Shaq cheated on his wife and paid off the women he slept with in order to keep them quiet. To me, that's just something you don't do. It's not cool to protect people in every situation, especially if someone's life has been lost or if someone's life is on the line. But running off at the mouth when you don't have to is COMPLETELY and TOTALLY unnecessary and a chump move.
So with all that said, I have to say: LOVE Kobe on the court, but hate him off of it. I'd roll with A.I. before I hung with Kobe. He just seems like a real person who is who he is with no regrets or reservations. I can't say that about Kobe.
Oh yeah, Nas had a few things to say about Kobe's situation...Check it out:
Uh, Massa used to breed us to be bigger to go play
Athletes of today in the NBA, make me proud
But there's somethin' they don't say
Keep gettin' accused for abusin' White pussay
From OJ to Kobe, uh let's call him Tobe
First he played his life cool just like Michael
Now he rock ice too just like I do
Yo, you can't do better than that?
The hotel clerk who adjusts the bathroom mat?
Now you lose sponsorships that you thought had your back
Yeah, you beat the rap jiggaboo, fake nigga you
You turn around then you shit on Shaq
Who woulda knew, Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes
He love a little butt crack, got enough cash
Little kids with they bus pass who look up to you
To do something for the youth, stupid spoof
But you let them use you as an example
They would rep, but our heroes got they hands full
Check out another interesting article on Kobe.
Mind-Blowing: The "L" Word on SHOWTIME
I happened to catch some of this show last night thanks to Brandi...All I can say is...WHOA! I am not sure yet if it's a good whoa or if it's a bad whoa, but it's a WHOA either way. And I'm sure I'm pretty late on this whole thing, but I can't resist posting about it...LOL.
I dedicate this video to that show...
I dedicate this video to that show...
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Controversy: Wassup Ni99a?
Check out this video:
White teacher calls student "ni99a"!
This is wild. I think it's interesting also because I know alot of US defend our usage of the word/slang-term "ni99a" versus us saying "ni99er". It seems like that's the same thing this dude is saying. Some of US might say: "I call my man my ni99a. Not my NI99ER! It's different. Man, you just don't understand."
But this situation is interesting because it's a white guy using "ni99a". It's not right for him to use any form of the word period. He should be intelligent enough to know that as a white man in this country you can't get away with using any form of the word ni99er. There's simply too much history and hatred attached to the term when it's being used by white males. And being a teaching means he has even more social responsibility than the average Joe so he should at least use some common sense.
I think the teacher really does feel like he wasn't doing anything the students don't do everyday. But what he seems to not realize is that because the students (presumably the black students) use the word, that doesn't make it cool for him to use it. It's like if the black students started using "honky" he'd run around saying that. I got the feeling that he was one of those teachers who tries too hard to be "cool" and too hard to be able to relate to his students. There are many other ways to accomplish that than trying to speak the same way a student speaks. These are kids! He's supposed to be setting an example for them, not trying to fit in and communicate on their level. On top of that, he's a damn honors English teacher! Silly guy.
A lot of old-school black leaders would probably use this situation as an example for people to stop using the word ni99a to greet our friends or refer to people (essentially as a slang term of endearment or a replacement for words like "dude", "guy", etc.). What do you guys think?
White teacher calls student "ni99a"!
This is wild. I think it's interesting also because I know alot of US defend our usage of the word/slang-term "ni99a" versus us saying "ni99er". It seems like that's the same thing this dude is saying. Some of US might say: "I call my man my ni99a. Not my NI99ER! It's different. Man, you just don't understand."
But this situation is interesting because it's a white guy using "ni99a". It's not right for him to use any form of the word period. He should be intelligent enough to know that as a white man in this country you can't get away with using any form of the word ni99er. There's simply too much history and hatred attached to the term when it's being used by white males. And being a teaching means he has even more social responsibility than the average Joe so he should at least use some common sense.
I think the teacher really does feel like he wasn't doing anything the students don't do everyday. But what he seems to not realize is that because the students (presumably the black students) use the word, that doesn't make it cool for him to use it. It's like if the black students started using "honky" he'd run around saying that. I got the feeling that he was one of those teachers who tries too hard to be "cool" and too hard to be able to relate to his students. There are many other ways to accomplish that than trying to speak the same way a student speaks. These are kids! He's supposed to be setting an example for them, not trying to fit in and communicate on their level. On top of that, he's a damn honors English teacher! Silly guy.
A lot of old-school black leaders would probably use this situation as an example for people to stop using the word ni99a to greet our friends or refer to people (essentially as a slang term of endearment or a replacement for words like "dude", "guy", etc.). What do you guys think?
Friday, February 10, 2006
Clothing: You heard it here first!
LL Cool J's clothing line, Todd Smith, is gonna be dope! I don't know why I think this other than seeing him with one polo joint that had Todd Smith on it, but I think his clothing line is going to be pretty nice. I'm looking forward to seeing some of this stuff. LL's older, but he's still got a pretty good sense of style and doesn't overdo it trying to be too young, too grown & sexy, or too classy.
I like his style as well as Puff's and Will Smith's and Jigga's (minus the sandals...Sorry Hov, I'm with Cam on that one).
I like his style as well as Puff's and Will Smith's and Jigga's (minus the sandals...Sorry Hov, I'm with Cam on that one).
Video Review: Kanye West, "Touch the Sky
First, the video:
I think this video is different. I don't know how TIGHT I think this joint is. It's definitely more funny than anything else. The song itself is DOPE. Kanye does good on it and Lupe Fiasco is a good change of pace on the track. I like the fact that Kanye isn't afraid to go out the box and do these types of videos. Not to mention the fact that he's not afraid to confront stereotypes (black men and white women; "What you want some t*tt*es...What about the a$$?!?!?!!). Those are some things that need to be brought up and discussed/addressed.
Between Kanye, Luda, and Missy, I think that they all express some real creativity in their videos. Throw Common in that mix as well. It seems like a lot of other artists just find Benny Boom to direct their joint and think they're shyt is hot. His videos are usually good, but it's a different type of creativity in Benny's videos than in videos like this one or like Luda's "Stand Up".
Anyway, the whole Evil Knievel theme to this thing kinda freaks me out. Especially Kanye's goatee (which my co-worker refers to as the 'face-pu$$y'...WHOA!). So anyway, the best part of the whole video is Nia Long playing the ghetto girl who is actually...Nia Long playing "Nia Long". That was great! Aside from that, I like how the video goes along (for the most part) with what the song's about and ends with Kanye dying, but "touching the sky" in Heaven at the end. I am not really sure what reason Pam Anderson is in the video for other than shock factor (the kiss) and to give a visual to the line "and when he get on he leave your a$$ for a white girl!" But Pam Anderson..."Go head girl get-down-get-down!" I ain't mad at ya. She knows how to keep her name out there in the mix, that's for sure.
Overall, even with all the fake-o stunts and the storyline somewhat paralleling the actual lyrics, I still have to give my man's video a 3.5/5. It just wasn't all that to me. Kanye's always screaming about how much work he puts into his videos and his love for vidoes and directing and how he wants people to leave work early to go catch his video's premiere...Well, maybe the next one because I wouldn't leave work for this one. I still believe that "Through the Wire" is HANDS-DOWN the best Kanye video. Followed by "All Falls Down" (Life IS...The DASH!!! Oh YES-IT-IS!)
I think this video is different. I don't know how TIGHT I think this joint is. It's definitely more funny than anything else. The song itself is DOPE. Kanye does good on it and Lupe Fiasco is a good change of pace on the track. I like the fact that Kanye isn't afraid to go out the box and do these types of videos. Not to mention the fact that he's not afraid to confront stereotypes (black men and white women; "What you want some t*tt*es...What about the a$$?!?!?!!). Those are some things that need to be brought up and discussed/addressed.
Between Kanye, Luda, and Missy, I think that they all express some real creativity in their videos. Throw Common in that mix as well. It seems like a lot of other artists just find Benny Boom to direct their joint and think they're shyt is hot. His videos are usually good, but it's a different type of creativity in Benny's videos than in videos like this one or like Luda's "Stand Up".
Anyway, the whole Evil Knievel theme to this thing kinda freaks me out. Especially Kanye's goatee (which my co-worker refers to as the 'face-pu$$y'...WHOA!). So anyway, the best part of the whole video is Nia Long playing the ghetto girl who is actually...Nia Long playing "Nia Long". That was great! Aside from that, I like how the video goes along (for the most part) with what the song's about and ends with Kanye dying, but "touching the sky" in Heaven at the end. I am not really sure what reason Pam Anderson is in the video for other than shock factor (the kiss) and to give a visual to the line "and when he get on he leave your a$$ for a white girl!" But Pam Anderson..."Go head girl get-down-get-down!" I ain't mad at ya. She knows how to keep her name out there in the mix, that's for sure.
Overall, even with all the fake-o stunts and the storyline somewhat paralleling the actual lyrics, I still have to give my man's video a 3.5/5. It just wasn't all that to me. Kanye's always screaming about how much work he puts into his videos and his love for vidoes and directing and how he wants people to leave work early to go catch his video's premiere...Well, maybe the next one because I wouldn't leave work for this one. I still believe that "Through the Wire" is HANDS-DOWN the best Kanye video. Followed by "All Falls Down" (Life IS...The DASH!!! Oh YES-IT-IS!)
Academia: Your ahead of the game and you don't even know it
Here's a little story of something that happened to me yesterday. I have a class on Thursday nights downtown in Baltimore, "Internet and Electronic Commerce". Yesterday I was under the impression that I had an assignment (an article critique) due. My class runs from 7:45pm to 9:45pm (a lil late, right?) so I had already read the article I had to critique a couple days ago and highlighted some key points. So when I got off work I went home and started writing my critique. I put some really good effort into this thing and finished it just in time to make my way out the door and to the class on time.
I get to class and the professor gives his lecture and he's about to let us go and he says: "So your critique is due next week."
And I'm thinking "Damn, I already submitted mine to him online. Is it really due next week or was it due today?" So I asked and he told me it was due the following week. I replied that I'd sent it to him already and the other 3 guys in the class looked at me like I just drew a picture of the Prophet Muhummad as "frightening and appalling to all those who treasure the freedom of expression." Basically, like I was Danish.
Anyway, so I tell the professor that he'll be able to read mine tonight and he's like "that's cool." So the guys in the class now sice me and say "Well at least you've got a week off while we'll be working on it." Yes! At least I do! Then the professor says "Let's make it due in two weeks!" And I smile both inside and out and walk out the class thinking "Man, you're such a BAMA Mike...But a smart one!"
I get to class and the professor gives his lecture and he's about to let us go and he says: "So your critique is due next week."
And I'm thinking "Damn, I already submitted mine to him online. Is it really due next week or was it due today?" So I asked and he told me it was due the following week. I replied that I'd sent it to him already and the other 3 guys in the class looked at me like I just drew a picture of the Prophet Muhummad as "frightening and appalling to all those who treasure the freedom of expression." Basically, like I was Danish.
Anyway, so I tell the professor that he'll be able to read mine tonight and he's like "that's cool." So the guys in the class now sice me and say "Well at least you've got a week off while we'll be working on it." Yes! At least I do! Then the professor says "Let's make it due in two weeks!" And I smile both inside and out and walk out the class thinking "Man, you're such a BAMA Mike...But a smart one!"
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
All-time LOW for people I supposedly look like
Comparisons of me and celebs has taken a turn for the worst everyone. Last night at Koopers I was told by a random busboy that I looked like Darryl M. Bell, also known as Ron Johnson from the TV show "A Different World". If you take a look at the A Different World link you'll see him (barely I admit) on the far right of the picture.
This further supports my theory/postulation that all light-skinned black men appear the same to those who aren't "in the loop". And you know precisely what I mean by "in the loop". I look ABSOLUTELY NOTHING like this dude other than...we're both light-skinned black guys. So there it is.
Of course this just brought up comments like "Nah son you look just like Swizz Beatz though!" Not to mention statements like "Yo, at least Swizz is rich!"
Allow me to retort. #1 - Nobody has ever ever ever said to me "Swizz Beatz is an ayight looking dude" (male) OR "Swizz Beatz is fine as hell" (female); #2 - Swizz is RICH! But guess who isn't! So yeah, being compared to a rich dude is cool. But being compared to a rich dude who ain't "ayight looking" or "fine". I don't know how good that is.
Some pictures of Swizz:
Now I will admit that since I am rocking the full beard (like Swizz in the last picture) that there is a resemblance there. So I can't completely deny the accusation that I look like him (yes, accusation). However, as soon as I cut the beard at the crack of summer people are no longer gonna be saying that I look like Swizz...It'll probably turn into Grant Hill or Joe Budden or something.
WACK JUICE! Here's a picture of me:
This further supports my theory/postulation that all light-skinned black men appear the same to those who aren't "in the loop". And you know precisely what I mean by "in the loop". I look ABSOLUTELY NOTHING like this dude other than...we're both light-skinned black guys. So there it is.
Of course this just brought up comments like "Nah son you look just like Swizz Beatz though!" Not to mention statements like "Yo, at least Swizz is rich!"
Allow me to retort. #1 - Nobody has ever ever ever said to me "Swizz Beatz is an ayight looking dude" (male) OR "Swizz Beatz is fine as hell" (female); #2 - Swizz is RICH! But guess who isn't! So yeah, being compared to a rich dude is cool. But being compared to a rich dude who ain't "ayight looking" or "fine". I don't know how good that is.
Some pictures of Swizz:
Now I will admit that since I am rocking the full beard (like Swizz in the last picture) that there is a resemblance there. So I can't completely deny the accusation that I look like him (yes, accusation). However, as soon as I cut the beard at the crack of summer people are no longer gonna be saying that I look like Swizz...It'll probably turn into Grant Hill or Joe Budden or something.
WACK JUICE! Here's a picture of me:
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Bussa-Bus...Nah! Bust a GAT
Another sad story that keeps hip-hop and violence in the same thought. It sucks that this dude got killed over what was probably some VERY DUMB SHYT!
Quick version of the story...At the Busta video shoot it was a RACK of different rap crews there and some didn't get along. So, in the end, someone got shot at for whatever reason and Busta's bodyguard/jewelry-holder got killed.
Full Story... I ain't gonna put Busta face on here like he shot anybody or like it was his fault. And if you read the other stories you'll also notice that I didn't mention any of the stars who are supposedly/allegedly involved in all this.
Damn shame!
Quick version of the story...At the Busta video shoot it was a RACK of different rap crews there and some didn't get along. So, in the end, someone got shot at for whatever reason and Busta's bodyguard/jewelry-holder got killed.
Full Story... I ain't gonna put Busta face on here like he shot anybody or like it was his fault. And if you read the other stories you'll also notice that I didn't mention any of the stars who are supposedly/allegedly involved in all this.
Damn shame!
WWW.YOURMUSIC.COM
yourmusic.com is a website that I found out about a while ago. It's a great site if you are a music-lover and you need some way to get old albums (of any genre) that you weren't able to buy originally or that are so old they weren't available in CD format.
The way the website works is that you join and become a member then setup a music queue. The music queue holds all the CDs that you like and want to buy. Every month a CD will be mailed to you from your queue. The cost will be $5.99 and the shipping is ALWAYS free! That's great!
As a member you'll be shipped one CD per month out of your queue. This is how they keep you as an active member I guess. But since you're the person putting CDs in your queue, you'll always get what you want. And it's cheaper than going to any store to buy a CD. Also, if you find that you want to buy other CDs, you can buy any CD available on the site for $5.99 with no shipping. Double-CD sets are $11.99. This is great for those of us who want to buy CDs for cheap and also need to go back and get those classics we missed.
Drawback: The only drawback is that yourmusic.com does not get CDs as soon as they are released. For example, say Jill Scott dropped an album tomorrow. Yourmusic.com probably won't get it on the site for another month or so. So if you're looking for new CDs that just came out for a cheap price, this is not the best site for that. But aside from that, the service is great. I get a new CD every month and the website takes the money directly out of my checking account so I don't have to do anything but put the CDs in my queue and wait for them to ship every month.
I thought I'd put this out there because I like this site a lot. Peace!
Monday, February 6, 2006
What NOT to do on Superbowl Sunday....
1. Start drinking at 4pm
2. Drink beer throughout the game
3. Drink vodka mixed with pineapple juice throughout the game
4. Go to a club after the game and drink more...How much more??? Well....
1 vodka/pineapple
1 glass of champagne
2 shots of Patron tequila
1 mango martini (don't ask me why...Mango tastes decent by itself)
1 more glass of vodka/pineapple
Keep in mind this is all in a 8-hour timeframe. This may seem like a lot of time, but believe me, it IS NOT! Your body needs way more time to process all that liquor than 8 hours. In fact, I'd say it takes about a day b/c ya boy is still recovering RIGHT NOW! Surprisingly, I wasn't really feeling wobbly or anything last night. I had a pretty good time hanging out with the fellas. Made it home fine, fell asleep within .01 seconds of hitting the bed. But in the morning....WHEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!
Okay, now that I just read this post I realized how completely dumb it was to drink all that stuff. Kids (hell, adults too) DON'T DO THIS! It's completely retarded and you will NOT be happy in the morning...Trust me!!! That was definitely my last time drinking that much (or should I say drinking like I was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan) EVER!
Again...I'm sure I don't have to tell most people who read my blog entries that they should not do this. But everybody has their day. Try your best to avoid YOUR day!!!!
2. Drink beer throughout the game
3. Drink vodka mixed with pineapple juice throughout the game
4. Go to a club after the game and drink more...How much more??? Well....
1 vodka/pineapple
1 glass of champagne
2 shots of Patron tequila
1 mango martini (don't ask me why...Mango tastes decent by itself)
1 more glass of vodka/pineapple
Keep in mind this is all in a 8-hour timeframe. This may seem like a lot of time, but believe me, it IS NOT! Your body needs way more time to process all that liquor than 8 hours. In fact, I'd say it takes about a day b/c ya boy is still recovering RIGHT NOW! Surprisingly, I wasn't really feeling wobbly or anything last night. I had a pretty good time hanging out with the fellas. Made it home fine, fell asleep within .01 seconds of hitting the bed. But in the morning....WHEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!
Okay, now that I just read this post I realized how completely dumb it was to drink all that stuff. Kids (hell, adults too) DON'T DO THIS! It's completely retarded and you will NOT be happy in the morning...Trust me!!! That was definitely my last time drinking that much (or should I say drinking like I was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan) EVER!
Again...I'm sure I don't have to tell most people who read my blog entries that they should not do this. But everybody has their day. Try your best to avoid YOUR day!!!!
Saturday, February 4, 2006
Everything ain't black and white
New series premiering next month on FX Network, Black and White.
It's produced by Ice Cube. I think this will be QUITE interesting to watch.
It's produced by Ice Cube. I think this will be QUITE interesting to watch.
Friday, February 3, 2006
Speaking of Brokeback...
I think that this term "Brokeback" will now be used in some circles to describe anything that appears to be, could be, is, or may be misinterpreted as a homosexual act. I can hear people now saying "Dude, what are you doing, that's so Brokeback!"
Kinda sucks that a movie that's supposed to be great (I haven't seen it) is gonna probably be remembered more as a joke to people than as a quality film. But hey, maybe this is just me thinking that way. I guess we'll see.
Brokeback Ballin': Jordan and Barkley get it on in Vegas
I won't tell you who that man is smacking another grown man's butt...Playfully of course.
I like to call this one "Brokeback Ballin'"
I like to call this one "Brokeback Ballin'"
Thursday, February 2, 2006
Weather the storm....Kinda: El Nino, La Nina, Iguana Cantina
El Nino, La Nina, Iguana Cantina (this one's a joke).
1. Why do all these crazy weather patterns have hispanic names? "La Nina, which means "infant girl" in Spanish, is generally the opposite of an El Nino weather pattern." What does an infant girl have to do with weather? This is weatherman slang ya'll, I'm telling you! Are they trying to make these weather patterns sound interesting or perhaps sexy? Well, there's nothing sexy about an infant girl. Interesting, maybe.
2. Am I the only person who sees that all the seasons are shifting? Winter is from December to March...Spring is from April to June...Summer is from July to September and there's two good months of Fall...October and November.
Personally, I think all this weather stuff is due to global warming and a depleted ozone layer anyway. So drop the aerosol bottles and reduce some of those CFCs (chloroflourocarbons...wheww) you're letting out into the earth's atmosphere. Unless of course, it's air freshner in the bathroom.
But the hotter the better. You know, until I melt, get skin cancer, or can't go outside without sunglasses. But until then, it makes Labor Day in Miami pretty d@mn sweet!
1. Why do all these crazy weather patterns have hispanic names? "La Nina, which means "infant girl" in Spanish, is generally the opposite of an El Nino weather pattern." What does an infant girl have to do with weather? This is weatherman slang ya'll, I'm telling you! Are they trying to make these weather patterns sound interesting or perhaps sexy? Well, there's nothing sexy about an infant girl. Interesting, maybe.
2. Am I the only person who sees that all the seasons are shifting? Winter is from December to March...Spring is from April to June...Summer is from July to September and there's two good months of Fall...October and November.
Personally, I think all this weather stuff is due to global warming and a depleted ozone layer anyway. So drop the aerosol bottles and reduce some of those CFCs (chloroflourocarbons...wheww) you're letting out into the earth's atmosphere. Unless of course, it's air freshner in the bathroom.
But the hotter the better. You know, until I melt, get skin cancer, or can't go outside without sunglasses. But until then, it makes Labor Day in Miami pretty d@mn sweet!
WEB NERD ALERT: Kama Sutra Prevention
Most of you have probably heard about the Kama Sutra (OH YES buddy!!!!!!) email worm that's supposed to strike against all mankind and end the world...Tomorrow! YES people, tomorrow. So do like me and repent your @$$ off TONIGHT!
Anyway, in case you haven't heard about the email worm, you can read about it here.
But what you really should do is just go here Saturday morning:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.blackmal@mm.removal.tool.html
This page gives you instructions on how to use the Symantec tool to remove the virus/worm/trojanhorse/inesrt-IT-buzzword-here. This way, if you wake up Saturday and realize that the world isn't destroyed and shockingly, your computer still works, you can go ahead and use this tool to remove the virus/worm/trojanhorse/insert-IT-buzzword-here from your computer if it exists.
FYI: Learn more about computer worms, trojan horses, and computer viruses.
Anyway, in case you haven't heard about the email worm, you can read about it here.
But what you really should do is just go here Saturday morning:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.blackmal@mm.removal.tool.html
This page gives you instructions on how to use the Symantec tool to remove the virus/worm/trojanhorse/inesrt-IT-buzzword-here. This way, if you wake up Saturday and realize that the world isn't destroyed and shockingly, your computer still works, you can go ahead and use this tool to remove the virus/worm/trojanhorse/insert-IT-buzzword-here from your computer if it exists.
FYI: Learn more about computer worms, trojan horses, and computer viruses.
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
MUSIC: This rap would be tight if it was in someone else's voice...
Ma$e dissin' Dipset. But he sounds so daggon funny I can't help but laugh. Worst part is...His rhyme is tight but his voice takes away from it.
Ma$on BETHA!
Ma$on BETHA!
RAGE-FEST: Hypocrite-HOP (that's hippo-crit-hop)
Disclaimer: This entire post is because of a moment of rage that I had earlier today. It may potentially be quite harsh. But oh well...
First, artists act like they are rough and tough and try to play other artists like Kanye or Common or Jay-Z or whoever else for dressing casual, grown-and-sexy, wearing flip-flops, sweaters, blazers, etc.
Then the same artists calling people out will go and do this:
http://blogs.sohh.com/mr_irreverent/past_thoughts/2006/02/black-skin-care.html
Or get a manicure, pedicure, etc. For those who can't tell. That's Jim Jones of the Dipset getting a facial. The same man who called Kanye out for wearing tight jeans. WTF? I guess wearing jeans that you can't fit two people in are tight jeans.
Here's what upsets me. Once the artist calling people out gets called out his/herself they acts as if they're just doing it because "Ni99a I got money...I stay fly, fresh, flashy..." etc. etc. Basically because they have the money to do all these lavish things and YOU DON'T. Like wear couture clothing or other high-end clothes. Get manicures, pedicures, facials. Because they got the money to do it and YOU DON'T. So you must be either broke or a wack rapper if you can't do all the lavish and expensive things I do.
Why does hip-hop culture seemingly have this "hate on you" subconscious mentality? Why?
Why can't an artist just do him and that be it? Everybody has to make themselves feel like they're better than someone else. When it comes to rapping, that's part of the game...You're supposed to think you're #1. When it comes to everything else in life that's materialistic...Dudes still just gotta be #1. They gotta dress better than you; have more girls than you; more cars than you; more houses; better weed; etc. The shyt is silly! It doesn't really matter considering these are all things that can be taken away. Who cares really? People are people. They wear/buy what they want. That doesn't change the person.
Artists like Jay-Z, CamRon, 50 Cent, Fabolous, etc. all do this type of stuff in some way. Making people feel like they're less than you because they don't have the possessions that you have or because you don't dress like they do, etc. That's wack!
It gets on my nerves personally because I know I dress more on the Kanye side of town (LOL) for the most part. So a dude might see me and assume I'm soft or even a "fruit" (see PG county native for explanation). Then you realize you've got a mutual friend with this person...You meet him/her and that person realizes you aren't any different from them...You just dress how you like. Then they all-of-a-sudden mess with you tough because they realize you are just like them in a lot of ways, but you ain't afraid to do you and dress how you like, talk how you naturally talk, etc.
It's a lot of dudes out here fronting like they are "doing them" when really they aren't comfortable with themselves at all. Dudes need to stop fronting so much and just be who they are. The shyt blows me, man! For real. It all kinda just came to a head in my mind a couple seconds ago after I read that article on Jim Jones. Cuz he's one of the first dudes to talk about someone else or just plain hate on a ni99a and then play himself by doing something contradictory to what he seems to "stand" for. But regardless of how hard you try to front, when ish hits the fan, your true colors shine...Check out CamRon here:
First, artists act like they are rough and tough and try to play other artists like Kanye or Common or Jay-Z or whoever else for dressing casual, grown-and-sexy, wearing flip-flops, sweaters, blazers, etc.
Then the same artists calling people out will go and do this:
http://blogs.sohh.com/mr_irreverent/past_thoughts/2006/02/black-skin-care.html
Or get a manicure, pedicure, etc. For those who can't tell. That's Jim Jones of the Dipset getting a facial. The same man who called Kanye out for wearing tight jeans. WTF? I guess wearing jeans that you can't fit two people in are tight jeans.
Here's what upsets me. Once the artist calling people out gets called out his/herself they acts as if they're just doing it because "Ni99a I got money...I stay fly, fresh, flashy..." etc. etc. Basically because they have the money to do all these lavish things and YOU DON'T. Like wear couture clothing or other high-end clothes. Get manicures, pedicures, facials. Because they got the money to do it and YOU DON'T. So you must be either broke or a wack rapper if you can't do all the lavish and expensive things I do.
Why does hip-hop culture seemingly have this "hate on you" subconscious mentality? Why?
Why can't an artist just do him and that be it? Everybody has to make themselves feel like they're better than someone else. When it comes to rapping, that's part of the game...You're supposed to think you're #1. When it comes to everything else in life that's materialistic...Dudes still just gotta be #1. They gotta dress better than you; have more girls than you; more cars than you; more houses; better weed; etc. The shyt is silly! It doesn't really matter considering these are all things that can be taken away. Who cares really? People are people. They wear/buy what they want. That doesn't change the person.
Artists like Jay-Z, CamRon, 50 Cent, Fabolous, etc. all do this type of stuff in some way. Making people feel like they're less than you because they don't have the possessions that you have or because you don't dress like they do, etc. That's wack!
It gets on my nerves personally because I know I dress more on the Kanye side of town (LOL) for the most part. So a dude might see me and assume I'm soft or even a "fruit" (see PG county native for explanation). Then you realize you've got a mutual friend with this person...You meet him/her and that person realizes you aren't any different from them...You just dress how you like. Then they all-of-a-sudden mess with you tough because they realize you are just like them in a lot of ways, but you ain't afraid to do you and dress how you like, talk how you naturally talk, etc.
It's a lot of dudes out here fronting like they are "doing them" when really they aren't comfortable with themselves at all. Dudes need to stop fronting so much and just be who they are. The shyt blows me, man! For real. It all kinda just came to a head in my mind a couple seconds ago after I read that article on Jim Jones. Cuz he's one of the first dudes to talk about someone else or just plain hate on a ni99a and then play himself by doing something contradictory to what he seems to "stand" for. But regardless of how hard you try to front, when ish hits the fan, your true colors shine...Check out CamRon here:
Who would do THIS?
1. Get locked up for a domestic dispute?
2. Then...Try to escape from jail once he's locked up?
3. Then...Escape from jail by riding on the bottom of a bus (jail bus or public, I'm not sure which)?
4. Then...Get from the jail to downtown D.C. (a good 5 miles) and then somehow fall from under the bus (or perhaps just let go) while it's still rolling.
5. Then..Get run over by 5-6 cars and die.
WHO? This dude we used to play little league football with...That's who!
Having been acquainted with this dude (not a friend necessarily but I knew him) through a couple of my best friends, I could see that he never was really wrapped too tightly. But, this is a sad story. Unfortunately, this is pretty much the first time I've heard anything about this dude in 6-7 years. Sucks that it has to be this type of news. I may have an actual link to the article about this later. But since it happened this morning, I don't think the Washington Post has anything published online about it yet.
2. Then...Try to escape from jail once he's locked up?
3. Then...Escape from jail by riding on the bottom of a bus (jail bus or public, I'm not sure which)?
4. Then...Get from the jail to downtown D.C. (a good 5 miles) and then somehow fall from under the bus (or perhaps just let go) while it's still rolling.
5. Then..Get run over by 5-6 cars and die.
WHO? This dude we used to play little league football with...That's who!
Having been acquainted with this dude (not a friend necessarily but I knew him) through a couple of my best friends, I could see that he never was really wrapped too tightly. But, this is a sad story. Unfortunately, this is pretty much the first time I've heard anything about this dude in 6-7 years. Sucks that it has to be this type of news. I may have an actual link to the article about this later. But since it happened this morning, I don't think the Washington Post has anything published online about it yet.
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