Take me to miami tonite

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South Beach!

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Hotel bound...

Laf, peep the shades sir.

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Teeth Unleashed

Lol @ the yellow glow. Whitestrips here I come!

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Vacation '09 is a little more than 24 hours away

By this time tomorrow I'll be on a landing approach at Miami International Airport eventually making my way to get my bags and hopping in a cab for South Beach. But right now, I'm dead tired, about to go to the orthodontist, the barbershop, and most likely Walmart. I'm definitely hitting the gym tonight so who knows when I'll make it back to my house.

I probably won't get to sleep as much as I'd like to tonite and I can never really get to sleep on an airplane (especially not in the morning) so more likely than not I won't really get to rest until sometime on Thursday when I plan - if the weather permits - to relax on the beach a little. Either that or I will be forced to take a nap which I very rarely do. Hmmmmmnnnn, maybe I should more often.

Anyway, I hope you all have safe and happy New Year celebrations wherever they may be. I'll be doing some mobile blogging today and throughout the vacation so be on the look-out but I won't be doing an official blogpost again until 2009.

And there's one big change for 2009 that's taking place this afternoon. Here's a hint...

What is wrong with this picture???

Chan's doesn't just deliver, they "delivery"!

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Happy Holidays from Baltimore!

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year!!!

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Holiday Flicks

This past weekend my family got together at my place (for the first time in a while) for family pictures. A co-worker of one of my very good friends happens to be a photographer (I recommend her if you are looking for a photographer for a family event or just a set of portraits) and I decided to request her services for a photo shoot of my family during the holidays. Naturally, my mother was 100% on-board with the idea.

So Sunday afternoon my dining room was turned into a photo studio and we took probably 150+ family pictures. We don't have the proofs yet but I did take a few with my camera phone that are shown below.







The best picture of the weekend however may have been the picture that my mother brought me from home. The picture below is from my step-brother's wedding day. My step-brother Manny is in the middle of this pic and my brother Marcus (whom a lot of you have met) is on the left. This picture is definitely on the list as one of my favorite family pictures. Funny thing is that my step-brother Manny probably looks younger than Marcus and me and he's the oldest. LOL.

A fusion of footwear

What do you get when you cross an Air Force 1 with the Jordan 6's???


Spotted @ Yeezy's.

Skwirl Brand Beer

My co-worker brews his own beer. Yes that says "SKWIRL". The last batch of beer he gave me was great but it did gimme the runs lol

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Counting down the days...

Until the next cruise!

15 days and counting until this again...

Virginity, FOR SALE!!!

For only $14!

I have no words... Artificial Virginity Hymen.

All I Want For Christmas is...

The Blackberry Storm



I haven't gotten it yet but I'll have it in my possession by February of next year. Per LC's advice - and the fact that I am about to drop a grip on my vacation in a couple weeks - I am waiting on all the problems with the first issue to be discovered and then I'll buy the updated version (or just buy it and get the software update, LOL).

iPod Classic



This is a necessity for any music fiend such as myself. I've already got like 80Gbs of music. Wait until I start getting video files.

1 Terabyte NAS



Yes, terabyte. Why go for the 100Gb, 500Gb, or 750Gb external hard drive when you can go for the 1 terabyte network attached drive that you can access from anywhere, anytime? Ah, the joys of technology.

Rocawear 9IX cologne



I rubbed the magazine sample all over myself and fell in love (have fun with that one). I refuse to wear Diddy or Usher's colognes just off general principle. But I do recognize that women seem to enjoy the Diddy cologne. Dahwell!

Chanel Allure cologne



My favorite cologne of all the times.

Burberry Touch cologne



Touch, along with Jean Paul and Issey Miyake are the staples of any guy's cologne collection (well at least most guys I know). It never lets me down so I never stop buying it.

Ermenegildo Zegna cologne



One of my secret colognes. Fellas, consider this a give-away.

Mosaic Kit



If you've been by my place lately, you know I have a collection of 40+ bottles in my basement that are going to be smashed (literally) and turned into a couple of "artsy" mosaics for hanging around my house. Fellas, consider this an artistic give-away.

Edge Trimmer



Plain-and-simple, I have a very small front yard so I use an edge trimmer to cut my grass and not a bad-azz kid from my neighborhood lawn mower. But, I broke the last one I had the last time I cut my grass so I need a replacement.

Intake manifold gaskets for my car



This is the most important thing I need at the moment. My d@mn car is on the outs and I need these gaskets in order to get it fixed. As most of you probably know, the problem with car fixes oftentimes is not the price of the parts but the cost of the labor. Well, picture this...

Intake manifold gaskets (upper and lower) - Roughly $20 each

Cost to take apart the engine, replace the old gaskets, and put the engine back together - ASTRO-FOCKING-NOMICAL!

Price of knowing better than to buy an American car - PRICELESS!

Christian Dior Black Tie Sunglasses



My man Laf keeps trying to get me to step up my sunglasses game but I just haven't done it. This would be a step in the right direction.

Gucci 1561 Sunglasses



Step 2. LOL.

I'm sure it's a shock to many of you (shot out to Laf) that there are no shoes on the list.

Santa, this is it!!! And for the record, I've been naughty AND nice.

Girl you got a 10-piece please don't be stin-jayyyyyy!

LMAO! This is hands-down the funniest commercial on television right now!

Every time I see the commercial below when the dude singing hits that line I completely LOSE IT!


He woke up and his girl had "creeped" to McDonald's...LOL.

Dude is outside in the rain singing about McNuggets, LOL.

He wants her to share her "love" (McDonald's Nuggets???) with him...Ah ha ha hahaaaaaaa!!!!

Then she "dip-dip-dip-dip...It just ain't fair" (I really start losing it at this point, LOL).

Then he grabs for the nuggets like he been starving for a couple days....LOL!

I can't take it!!!

McDonald's marketing plan for Black people = Shiddy R&B jingles

Shot out to AB who helped me remember that I wanted to do a post about this, LOL.

Watch out now!!!

Bush is pretty nimble isn't he? Shifty you might say. LOL

The "Birth-gasm": What a crock of you-know-what...

Hey ladies, did you ever imagine that you would be able to have an orgasm during childbirth? Maybe you did but I sure didn't.

I wouldn't get my hopes up too much though because I'd bet this is a crock of patootie. Most women are so doped up on medication during the natural childbirth process that they probably couldn't feel it if you hit them with a baseball bat on their forehead (as if I know, I don't have any kids). On top of that, the fear of something going wrong or something being wrong with the baby combined with the concentration it takes to push one of those little monsters out might just keep you from being able to concentrate on the potential "birth-gasm". And I'm not a scientist but I would imagine that for most women, a big azz football-sized head coming out of your vagina feels a bit different than a penis going in (as if I know, I don't a vagina). There's probably a difference between getting your "spot" hit verses having it obliterated.

Take some time and read the article for yourself. Ladies, I know you're going to be wishful thinkers on this and if you've already had a child an not experienced this you might even feel like you missed out on something. But something tells me the blood, sweet, and tears of childbirth might make it hard for you to get your climax on. But, maybe it's just me.

Insert into rotation...

NEW MUSIC!!!!

Wale (feat. Brother Ali) - 2nd Time: Brother Ali's (click this link) verse is sick.


TI - Message to the Government: TIPPORD is killin' stuff right now and this is no different.


Junior Reid (feat. Lil Wayne) - Ghetto Youths Rock: Surprisingly, I like this.


Shawty ELLO (feat. Trey Songz and Lil Wayne) - Supplier: This ELLO guys is hilarious! I'm entertained.


Young Jeezy (feat. Pharrell) - Rumor Has It: I read that this was a throw-away track from Jeezy's first or second CD. I've heard the verses on a couple mixtapes but the appeal in this track to me is hearing these two on a track together. Not bad.


Jay-Z (feat. MC Lyte) - BK Anthem: Better than that Brooklyn We Go Hard joint.


The Game (feat. Lil Wayne) - Red Magic: FIRE! "We in the HOUSE!"


Nina Sky (fine as hell) (feat. Pitbull and Ross) - Curtain Call (remix): Ross kinda kills his verse with a nice flow.


J. Holiday (feat. [Officer] Ross) - Wrong Lover: Again, Ross kills his verse. You might not want to like this guy but he can kill a feature verse. J. Holiday got a smooth banger on his hands.


The Game - Show is Over: Smooth! Game puts on his Shyne voice and goes in on this joint.


Just for posterity's sake I also through these in the playlist. I might have to do a post dedicated to Brother Ali's verse on the first song.

An Old Classic

The boy's swagger was on full blast, wasn't it? LOL!!!

Video of the Day: I hate to say it but...

...I think my kids are going to mess around and act like this, LOL. I listen to too much hip-hop for them not to get a listen at some point or time. No matter how much I'm going to try and monitor what my kids watch and listen to and change my own habits, I know something's gonna slip through the cracks. And when that happens...


Then again, I don't have any kids yet so maybe I won't even be listening to hip-hop by the time I do. The girl is a cutie doing her lil dance but I wish they'd have bought an edited version and played it around her.

Video snatched from Yeezy's blog.

The "N" word....

Shot out to Laf for sending me this one.

P.S.A.: How to Handle Being Laid Off By La Kaye

THIS is what...

This gives a whole new meaning to "sucking face"

Girl, I'll kiss you so passionately that you won't be able to hear shyt no mo'!

Seriously though..."The kiss reduced the pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear." (Source: BBC News)

Need a day off from work? Call in gay...

"Some same-sex marriage supporters are urging people to 'call in gay' Wednesday to show how much the country relies on gays and lesbians..." (Source: Yahoo! News)

It looks like this Wednesday you'll finally know which one of those well-dressed asexual guys at your office is really "out of the closet" on the "down low".

With that said though, is it just me or is calling in gay really taking things to the extreme? Yes desperate times call for desperate measures and I understand the point of people taking off from work in protest but telling people to "call in gay" is a bit much. You don't hear me calling in Black? I just come in late...Ummm, let me stop.

As an African-American with a little knowledge of the civil rights movement I completely understand why gays feel the need to stand up and protest for their rights but calling in gay is just lame. Just take Wednesday off and leave it at that.

For more information...

http://www.daywithoutagay.org/

I can't stop laughing...

And Plax says..."Take me to a hospital!"

A mental hospital perhaps. Read what happened (I was wrong but it's arguably an even dumber situation than I thought)...

"Around 1:50 a.m., as Burress fumbled with the glass in his hand, the .40-caliber Glock slipped down his leg, and as he grabbed at it, he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself in the thigh. Witnesses reported hearing a 'pop' as his legs started to quiver and the pistol dropped from his pant leg to the floor...Despite the gunfire and blood, no one at the club called police. In fact, investigators say, no one reported the incident at all. Not the players, nor the hospital where he was treated, even though the law states gunshot wounds must be reported." (Source: Yahoo! sports)

I repeat, Plaxi-gate.

WebNerd Alert: I am such a bama for liking this...LOL

Stack the Memory: A Nerdy Rap Song

The music isn't bad (in the words of Dame Diddy: "And it's not even wack!"). The lyrics are to be expected. But really, it's not a bad song.


Naturally, this comes from geekologie.com. Go ahead, rip me a new one....

Time to get jiggy

"What da fock is this? I cannot get jiggy wit this!!"

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Hit the liquor store...

...not that I'm drinking or anything.

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What do u do before goin into...

Aunt Minnie's house? ....

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We shall go to Queens!

Farmers Blvd and Baisley Blvd. Queens son.

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Why can't black people be on time?

Because they want me to have this look on my face.

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Floatin' like I'm on the north....

95 Interstate.

I call this "Travel Mix". In other words breakfast. 4am stop at 7-11.

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Imma G! Imma G!

Happy 1,000th post to ME!

Would you believe I started this blog back in May of 2005. That seems like it was so long ago now. Thanks to all of you that take the time to read this reckless banter of mine. See you at 2,000!

Now back to my regular bloggin' ways. Guess where I'm gonna be all weekend? New York! New York! JAC waddup?!?!

I'm gonna try to do some mobile bloggin' while I'm there so please bear with your boy!

I <3 the Internet

I've been searching for about 3 weeks now for a way to fix my ipod nano. I wasn't sure what happened to it but iTunes just stopped recognizing it. I was upset about it but I didn't really care all that much because it still played the music that was on there and I had a few nice playlists. But in the back of my mind I couldn't help but fear what might happen if I didn't have any NEW music for the vacation I'm going on at the end of the month. It's one thing to have a few playlists you've been listening to for a couple months, but when I go on vacation I like to create a playlist specifically for that trip and put in on my ipod.

So after search the google for ways to do a hard reset and then thinking to myself: "I know somebody has to have put the solution up on youtube! I'm not the only person who has had this problem, I'm sure." I went on youtube and did a search for "hard reset ipod" and as nature would have it, I found the video below and now I have a restored, working ipod.


Thank you InterWeb and thank you daxmaximum.

P.S. - My next post is # 1,000!!!

Hometown Hip-Hop

I don't really rock with the Nike boots like that but I gotta show Wale some love. Especially since he shouted out Capitol Heights in this track.

Don't touch right there girl, you gon' make my gun go off!

A few thoughts on the upcoming Plax-Gate that's going to happen...

1. How did this guy shoot himself? There's gotta be more to it than him mistakenly shooting himself in the leg (Cheddar Bob azz...). I have a theory.
2. Why doesn't he have security that has the gun(s) rather than himself?
3. Why does dude have an illegal gun when he can just register and buy a legal one? It's not like he doesn't have the money, right?
4. Why did Antonio Pierce (allegedly) take the gun back with him to (presumably) his home in New Jersey?
5. How much of the book do you think Commissioner Goodell is going to hit him with?

My theory: Plaxico was an idiot (this is undoubtedly true). He went to the club with an illegal gun (see, he's an idiot) and then someone must have approached him and made him think they were a threat. Then he (idiot) panics and reaches for the gun and shoots himself in the leg trying to pull the gun out. Again, this all hinges on the fact that he's a complete idiot. Now from there, it really doesn't matter what happened because there's an always a negative effect when the cause is idiocy.

The only guys that shoot themselves by mistake are the ones that are scared and panic. I understand why some of these guys feel the need to own guns. But in the home is one thing and out with you to a Manhattan nightclub is another. Did he hear Diddy/Shyne was going to be there? I don't get it. Can't he afford to have security? So what if no rich athlete wants to admit that he could use some extra security. Let's be smarter fellas, seriously. Aside from owning an illegal gun à la TIPPORD, you take it to a club! Stupid. It's no dumb assumption to make that people are probably out to "get you" in some way, but there are more intelligent and legal ways to go about protecting yourself. A 31-year old man with millions of dollars, a wife (I think), and children should know better. I understand the pride involved and guys feeling like they can take care of themselves but even if you're going to carry things that way, you need to be smarter about maintaining your d@mn gangster.

Best Pic of Beyonce EVER???

You thought I was going to post one of the crotch shots, didn't you?


This pic gets my vote for the best Beyonce picture of all times. I know you're going to wonder why but if you really think about it guys/gals, it's pretty simple.

• She does not appear to have a sheitload of make-up on.
• She looks to be expressing herself just like a normal person would (hence the smile) and not a programmed robot controlled by Daddy-Knowles (why do I always think of Ike Turner when I think of Beyonce's daddy?).
• She has on regular business (casual?) attire which I am a complete sucker for on a woman. I don't know if this is House of Dereon (which I doubt because there are no sequins) or not but I likes this outfit.
• She is showing some personality.

In a nutshell, sometimes the most beautiful moments for women are when they are just plain ole natural. Not in a ball gown. Not in an inch-think layer of makeup. Not in heels. Not in that cocktail dress. Not in lingerie. Aside from being nude (ha), the most beautiful moment for a woman can be when she's doing something she naturally does every day of her life like the way she brushes her teeth, a funny expression she makes, the way her posture is when she stands, or the way she smiles at you. The above picture just seems like a natural moment for Beyonce (who I almost always associate with being a programmed robot for some reason) and I think it's beautiful. I guess this is why Hov put a ring on it.

B.O.B. or T.I.P. --> You Make the Call

B.O.B. and T.I.P. - I'm Dat N*gga



"We could have 'em blog about it..." Sounds like they want to know who had the better verse. You make the call...

Album Review: Who the hell is 88 Keys?

No, that's not the album title. That's actually "The Death of Adam". But everybody I mention the name 88 Keys to asks me who the hell this guy is. Well, the short e-answer is here.

The somewhat circuitous answer may result after reading my review of The Death of Adam. Check it out...

I mentioned a day ago on Facebook that all fellas should listen to this album. The reason is because (as 88 Keys says) "[T]he entire album is about the power of the punani". And that's precisely correct. From beginning-to-end the album is about the power of the p-u...I-see-you. Based on this you might expect the typical hyper-sexual rapper's tales of sexual prowess, womanizing, pimpin', and an all-out desire to "get his". While there's some of that on the album, there's also evidecne on the album of the vulnerable, conflicted, confused, and frustrated sides of the male psyche as we interact with women. 88 does a good job of examining some of the potential trials and tribulations male/female relationships and dating (and relations) in addition to talking about the power of you know what.

From the onset the album flows very cohesively as story of Adam and everything "punani" (and/or woman) related that he goes through that eventually ends in his "death". In its entirety, the album is a solid and cohesive piece of work that reminded me a little of how American Gangster flowed in the way that the album's songs were arranged to make a point and/or tell a story. The Death of Adam probably has an even better flow in my opinion because of the narrator throughout that helps guide you through what's going on in a non-abrupt and disjointed way. Her soundbytes don't sound like awkwardly-placed skits but flow right along with the pace of the album turning her commentary into complementary narration that helps you wonder what's going to happen next as you follow Adam.

Musically, the album is a mash-up of a lot of different sounds but in a good way. It has a NERD meets Kanye meets soul-hop feel to it throughout the album. I'm not well-versed in instruments, musical production, or musical arrangements so I won't even try to give a solid review of the album from that perspective. But in general terms, it's an album you can listen to from beginning-to-end and skip maybe 3 times. That's not bad. But just like Kanye's CD, don't be fooled into thinking that this is a typical hip-hop album because it is not. It's more than that. And just like I am starting to realize Kanye's album is, this album is in a sense... Bigger than hip-hop.

My favorite song on the album is probably "Close Call" which I'll admit features one of my favorite rappers (Phonte of Little Brother). So if I had to recommend one song to listen to it would be that one followed by "Handcuff 'Em" and "Viagara (Stay Up)". The rest of the songs are probably better within the flow of the album rather than as individual tracks though some of them can still stand solidly on their own.

For what the star-rating is worth I'll give this album a 3.5/5 stars. I want to give it 4 but something's not letting me. It's a solid album and I'd recommend buying it.

Here's the track-by-track analysis...

Morning Wood...Fellas, you already know what this is about. You'll hear a lot of people say that the best sex is "morning sex" and "Adam" starts this album off by letting you know just how great his day will be if "she" takes care of his morning wood. The beat might throw a lot of the fellas off as a little too bubbly but if you listen to what he's saying you'll probably agree with me that you can relate. "Rolling over in my bed...I feel something's going on with my love down below/I hope she's not putting on her clothes cuz I don't want her to go...I don't wanna sound rude but I need head before she heads home/So now I'm thinking of a plan....Can I turn this thing around/Can I get her to go down to my love down below/I hope she's not putting on her clothes cuz I don't want her to go...We had a lot of fun but now I gotta run...It's time to say goodbye to my love down below/I hope she's putting on her clothes cuz it's time to go."

Nice Guys Finish Last...Here's where the Kanye-Tuda sound comes into play on the production. I was feeling this production the first time I heard the track so much that I had to go back a couple times just to pay more attention to what he was saying rather than the beat. This track is all about how being a nice guy can give you false hope and eventually land you in the dreaded "friend zone". A friend recently told me though that "nice guys finish last but finish best". Hmmmnnnn, whatever the fock that means!!! LOL

The Friends Zone (feat. Shitake Monkey)...Here's where the NERD-esque sound comes into play. If this album didn't flow as well as it does I would (almost) never listen to a track like this. But you may feel like you are going to miss a part of the story if you skip this song. My favorite line from this song is "my vision is doubled by the Viagara I popped, thinkin' bout your bubble girl". At this point Adam is getting tired of having conversation that's casual to her, but a little deeper for him because he's hoping to get some after listening to 3 hours of her opening up to him. All the listening turns out to be for naught though and Adam is pretty upset about it at the end, LOL.

Handcuff 'Em...This track might be my favorite beat on the album. I heard this sample before on a Little Brother mixtape and I was a bit shocked to hear it again on this album. Shocked in a good way though. At this point Adam is all about Adam so he's a bit more straightforward with his intentions. You know...Nice guy meets girl...gets put in friend zone...gets frustrated and gives up...meets new girl...drops nice guy routine...gets lucky. There was only one problem with Adam though...

Viagara (Stay Up feat. Kanye West)...That problem being, Adam can't "stay up". I'm pretty sure this track is old as dirt but it still rocks. Kanye does his thing..."What she got is so niagara/make a young nikkah straight need viagara/make a old nikkah give keys to jaguar/just to keep from all the tease and laughter/her telling her homegirls that he couldn't stay up...every time that she bang-bang he skeet skeet/and he so bullheaded, tried to 3-peat/try imagining something passionate, between you Cassie and Kim Kardashian/maybe that'll work when you get to hit that azz again/or you can grab a red bull and sip that twice...you said f*ck that dog I'm gon' tape it/and came for you barely even got the tape in/" LOL. I'm sure some of the ladies will be shaking their heads at this one.

There's Pleasure In It...More of a skit than a song. Nice beat though.

(Aww Man) Round 2?...This is where Adam loses that confidence he found back during Handcuff 'Em. "I'm headed to sleepsville, he's headed to smallsville...we just finished round one we shouldn't head into another session". Ladies, I'm sure you'll get a laugh out of this one too. I'd call this the segue that is the turning point in the album in terms of Adam's karma. After this it starts going downhill.

Dirty Peaches (feat J'Davey)...Musically, this is one of those smooth joints you want to listen/vibe to when you're in a good mood or just relaxing in general. Like I said earlier in this post, some of the songs have a soul-hop feel to them. I'm not gonna lie though, I'm still trying to figure out the "dirty peaches" metaphor.

Close Call (feat Phonte)...Before I talk about this track I just want to go on record and ask anyone who can, to provide me with an answer to the following equation/question...

??? > Phonte

If you know of the group Little Brother and have listened to their music or just kept up with Phonte in general, please help me out because I am having trouble deciding whether that's an answerable question or not. Let me proceed...Like I mentioned above, "Close Call" is probably my favorite track off the album. Phonte starts off rapping about how he makes the bad decision of having sex without a condom (yes fellas, that's not a good look) and getting false confidence that the girl was on the patch. From there it turns into the trap that most men fear..."so she switched from the patch and started taking the pill...one night she put my hand on her stomach and said baby we gon' be a family once I pop this kid/I said bullshyt, let me back it up/And explain to you exactly what yo options is/Option 1 take this nikkah to the Hoover/Or option 2 f*ck on I never knew ya'/I know it sounds crazy and it seems prideful/but I couldn't shake the feeling that I been lied to...left the pills on the dresser right by my copy of Getback/I poured 'em in my hand, then put one in my mouth/Sure enough all this time she been poppin' Tic Tacs".

The Burning Bush (feat Redman)...The title says it all. The song has a fun beat. It's one of those beats I'd love to hear live but overall the song doesn't really do it for me.

Ho' Is Short For Honey (feat Kid Cudi)...I've been hearing a bit about this Kid Cudi guy vis-&aagrave;-vis Kanye (including the song on his CD with Cudi) and Consequence but I've yet to really hear this guy rap. From what I understand his style is rap/sing. But that's not really saying much considering R. Kelly is kinda sing/rap and so is T Pain and so is Akon. And TIP (whatever you liiiiiiiike), 50 Cent (lol) are kinda rap/sing if you would like to stretch it that way, LOL. Anyway, Cudi doesn't obliterate the song with his presence which is all I was really hoping for. This song definitely feels/sounds like the song the Roots did with Cody Chestnut (The Seed 2.0) which was great for how seriously Cody wanted to put his seed in some chick's "bush for life". While this song succeeds musically like "The Seed" it does not succeed overall. I just can't get with the flow on this one. SKIP!

No I SAID I LIKED YOU...Instrumental interlude. You'll like it though.

M.I.L.F. (feat. Bilal)...Regardless of how he felt back during the "Close Call", Adam's gonna be a daddy. Bilal's distinct and soulful voice complements another one of those smooth soulful beats a la "Dirty Peachers". Bilal sings about having a child that looks just like him and a drama-bringin' baby's mother. "Thought I was macking....played the game too long". Yep.

Another Victim...Another victim of the "punani". Moral of the story: Chasing azz instead of love might just make you a victim of your own selfishness. You might love the game but the game doesn't always love you back, pimpin'!

If it was difficult to follow my half-review-half-story throughout this post I suggest you do yourself the favor of checking out 88 Keys on myspace or copping the album (it's worth it).

Cameron Giles entertains me

...and I guess that's kind of the point. He's supposed to be an "entertainer", right?
I oftentimes prefer to refer to Cam as Rico from Paid In Full because his role in that movie was legendary to me as far as rappers-turned-half-azzed-actors go (I mean Luda did play himself in Hustle and Flow, didn't he? All his other fantastic work notwithstanding). I came to realize that Cam's swag in real life might not be that far off from how he portrayed Rico in the movie. Not the violent side of Rico but just the unforgiving brash and cocky style Rico had. Cam had to bring some of that to the role from his real life because he's always been quite the cocky fellow. You have to be pretty confident to not only wear hot pink but paint your Range Rover pink as well.

Anyway, for some reason this morning I had the phrase "computers putin'" in my head which is a line from Cam's song, "Get Em Girls". This is one of the funniest songs of all-time to me. Why? I can't really focus in on one single reason but I can't deny that every time I listen to it I burst out in laughter. But I can't stop listening either. For that reason I am deciding to share this relatively old (but classic IMO) song with you. For your entertainment, I present Camron and "Get Em Girls" (lyrics after the jump with my favorite lines highlighted)...Just imagine me cracking up as I listen to this.


I get the boasters boasting, I get computers puting
Y'all get shot at, call me, I do the shooting
I do the recruiting, I tutor the students
I nurture they brain, I'm moving the movement
Whether buddist or budah, that's judist or juda
I got luger to ruger, hit from +Roota to Toota+
Chick from hooter to hooter, I put two in producers
I'm the real boss story, the hoolah of hoosiers
I rock mostly dosey [Dolce and Gabana], I roll mostly doly [dolo]
I'll leave you wholy, holy, you'll say "Holy Moly"
Here come the coroner get 'em, play "Rolly Poley"
I'll tell you true stories, how I coldly hold heat
When it's repping time, I get on extra grind
Fried to fricassee, pepperseed to pepperdine
Jeff Hamilton, +Genesis+, leather time
B*tches say I'm the man, I tell 'em "Nevermind"

[Chorus]
They getting nice, they got some ice
Let's get the dice and roll 'em (get 'em girls)
They getting chips, they flippin' bricks
Get the Rots and Pits, tell 'em (get 'em girls)
She acting fiesty, getting shiesty
Call her wifey, tell her (get 'em girls)
Just lay back, get your face slapped
We at the race track, eight stacks (get 'em girl)

You acting funny nigga, come dumb, dumby nigga
Killa keeps twenty blikers (I'm getting money nigga)
So you should move away, or join the dude in Play
Hey, so you can say (I'm getting money nigga)
First pal up in the rear, I style up in my gear
Stallion of the year, medallions in my ear
Whips on my fists, houses on my wrists
Your budget on my neck, your spouse on my d*ck
Posters on the wall, posted on my balls
D*ck in her mouth, I tell her (I'm getting money nigga)
Y'all faking the fizzle, I'm caking for shizzle
F*ck a Sizzler steak, my steak stay sizzled
Eight, boom, boom, my ace boon coon
Shake, bake, skate, vroom, vroom (We getting money nigga)
Seventh to eighth, zoom, zoom, boom, boom tune
For I get like that boom, boom room (I'm getting money nigga)
Wreck 'N Effects, zoom, zoom, meh poon, poon
Since the movie "Cacoon", had my uzi, platooned (I'm getting money nigga)

[Chorus]

My team is the "Goonies" we where seen with buffonies
Toonies, best dressed, stay up in Neimans, and Bloomies
Want to hit it from the back, she agreed that I'm looney
But proceeded to moon me (I'm getting money nigga)
Baby, BS in honey do, Cam, Vs 1 and 2
I'll help you get your son out of P.S. 22
Get him a maury flow, from the maury show
Fuck around, y'all gonna be up on the Maury Show
He in bootcamp, you on food stamps
Welfare, no healthcare, a true tramp
And I'm lockey, lockey, leave you pokey, pokey
No Rice a Roni, that's the Okey, Dokey
Me and Toby homie, make you do the hokey pokey
Pull the pound, up and down, turn yourself around shorty
Here's some weed, burn yourself a pound whodie
Here's a map, go load yourself a town, sporty
I was down forty, now I'm up fifty
Buck fifty, buck quickly, who could fuck with me?
Killa

[Chorus]

As you can see pretty much none of this makes sense to the layperson like myself. But he says it as all with such confidence and swagger as if everyone should know precisely what the hell he is talking about. And that in and of itself is hilarious to me. I understand the usage of slang but his whole style is just ridiculous. Oddly enough I think Cam's style is very unique and distinctive even though he sucks about 50% of the time. But you can't deny that dude is pretty entertaining most of the time, LOL.

Street Lights of NYC

Courtesy of DallasPenn and Kanye Tuda

This is definitely one of my favorite tracks off of 808s and Heartbreak and I am glad DP took the time to put this simple but effective video together. It just goes to show you how music can inspire people to do things.

Think before you shoot

I just received an email from my buddy L referencing an article on the Baltimore Sun website about Johns Hopkins University launching a gunfire detection system and I have to say that this is another example of how much I love technology. And it's also a great example of how technology can be used for good.

The way the system works is that sensors are put in place on buildings, lightposts, and other objects throughout an area and these sensors can detect a gunshot and distinguish it from other "similar" sounds like fireworks or a car backfiring with 90% accuracy (which is pretty good in my opinion). Once a gunshot is recognized, the sensor sends a signal to a receiving station that calculates the area of the gunshot and displays it on a GPS. From there, dispatchers can dispatch police to the area. This probably cuts down the police response time tremendously as it can all happen in a matter of seconds I'd assume.

Having done my undergraduate degree at the Hopkins Homewood campus where this system has been installed I can understand some of the issues/problems within the area so I think this is a great thing for the students and the community. It's a good testing area for a system like this because there aren't very many shootings in the area from what I see/hear so it's presumably a good low-violence starting point to see if this system may work city-wide. Anyone who lives in or near Baltimore knows that a system like this (if it really is affective) is probably a necessity in certain areas of Baltimore city. It's good to know that if someone shoots a gun that police and EMTs will be quicker to respond. This may help prevent shootings and also save lives in the case of a shooting. Now if we could only get these guns off the streets!

I work about 4 blocks from the Hopkins Homewood campus where the sensors have been installed and I think I am going to try to find a few of them just out of curiosity. I thought this was pretty tight considering the use of technology so I'm passing it along. For the full article and video, click here.