This is what happens when you watch too many hip-hop videos

Who would've thought that "Flyying High" could bring you so low/
Since when is it cool to wash your homeboys hands with Mo'/
E-go got you trippin', obssessed to be cool/
Throwing money in the crowd, man you look like a fool/
All these beautiful women, but you're self-absorbed/
Only women think you're cool, on the low is whores/
Who else flocks to money like it's not the root of all evil/
I swear shyt like this gon' be the downfall of my people/

You're in a club and there are probably about a thousand people there. There are so many beautiful women there your head is on a swivel all night. And the majority of the guys there are pretty well-dressed in their blazers, button-ups, or otherwise trendy, grown-and-sexy attire. Everyone's checking each-other out, drinking, getting ready to party.

About halfway through the night, the promoters for the party jump on the small stage (music still bangin') at the front of the club and you see what appears to be a wad of money in one of their hands. The next thing you know, these guys are all re-enacting the "Let It Rain" and "We Flyy High (remix)" videos on stage. Don't get me wrong, "We Flyy High" is a song I dance to, throw up the ballin' sign, and enjoy. But these guys are literally throwing money into the crowd and that's taking it a little too far. On top of just wack! Between the 4 of you guys standing on stage all you threw into the crowd was about $30? What makes it even funnier is that as they're throwing the money into the crowd the guy who is on the microphone is screaming: "Yeah, this his how we ball!!" $30 in $1-bills? Yeah bruh, that's definitely ballin' considering that's only $10 more than the cover charge to get into the club.

But (unfortunately) this is not where it stops.

About a half-hour after this, the same set of guys get up on stage again and this time all of them except one have bottles of Moet champagne. I specifically mention the type of champagne to make the point that they had to have Moet or something more expensive like Dom Perignon, Armand de Brokeback, or Cristal. Anything like the $7 Cook's champagne I buy to make mimosa's or Kir Royale's or simply drink champagne would not do the job. But I digress.

They all proceed to pop the corks on their bottles and one guy stands in the middle while the other three guys pour their bottles of Moet onto his hands as if he's washing his hands with champagne. Of course this creates a HUGE puddle of champagne in the dance floor but I guess that's the price of "ballin'". At this point you're in a state of stupor, shock, and awe. You honestly can't believe what you saw. But why shouldn't you believe it? I mean, that's so (today's) hip-hop, right?

This was my reality on Saturday night.

I couldn't resist making this post because these two acts really saddened, upset, disappointed, and made me laugh all at the same time.

In my eye, this is what happens when you watch too many hip-hop videos and don't have the ability separate fact from fiction. Or maybe you just like to create a fictional world for yourself when it's convenient. Or maybe the people that you have around you think that this is cool so it's become normalcy for you.

I ask all of you that read this, why is it that some people measure how cool (and seemingly important) they are by how many people they can get into a club where they putthemselves on a pedestal (literally and figuratively) to show people that they're "ballin"? It's pathetic. Throwing money into a crowd of people, regardless of how much it is, is just wack. But I guess it makes some people feel confident about themselves. And to follow that up by pouring bottles of overpriced champagne onto your boy's hands is just hilariously sad. Sad because the you actually think it's cool to pay a $100 markup on champagne. Sad because you then wasted it. Sad because you actually think this makes you cool. Hilarious because it's hard to believe someone could be so dumb or pressed to show-off.

Why do we seem to value ourselves based on how much we spend or how much money we can convince people we have? Why do we think it's cool to throw away money rather than invest it? Why? And there are still so many other questions that Saturday night begs me to ask that I won't even mention.

When it comes to beautiful women, this was probably the best party I've been to in a year or two. I swear some of the most beautiful women I've ever seen live in (or are from) the DC/MD/VA area and I am reminded of this every time I go back home and go out to party. But when it comes to fun, this party was not fun at all. All the beautiful young ladies couldn't make up for it. I can't stand an environment where everyone is obsessed with being cool or creating an aura of self-importance and self-confidence. But based on what I saw Saturday night, it appears that I am in the minority. But knowing that is what makes ME feel good and confident. I guess I like to be different. That's so (old-school) hip-hop, right?

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For another perspective on this, check out Dane. He was there with me and I'm sure he has some thoughts on this too!