Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
More on Jeremiah Wright, Al Sharpton, Obama, and Scarface...
I repeat... What is so hateful, crazy, or racist about Jeremiah Wright's statements? The more I hear from his sermons, his statements are sounding more and more sensible. The man makes some valid points.
Props to SmartenUpNas for posting this video.
I have to admit that Rev. Al did a good job of explaining himself. And peep how after Al basically read her like Dr. Suess, she tried to set him up by saying "Do you agree..." presumably hoping to railroad him into a off-the-cuff answer.
This reminds me of a Scarface song, "Smartz"...
No secret, these m*thafuck*s figure I’m a threat
Cause I ain't falling short to the traps the demon set
Now sweat! Cause now I got my head in your books
And when I think 'cracker', my definition read 'crook'
Now look, we're living under laws that they set
Back then we were treated like dogs and wasn't shyt
And slowly but surely the shyt changed
They fault, but if you black, then you get blamed
A damn shame, that means this m*th*fuck*'s one-sided
And blacks, we get lost in the sauce, because we unguided
These muth*fuck*s had a plan from the start...
Let's take our minds behind enemy lines, so we can see how the demon acts
And how he set us up for failure in the first place...
You see, I'm hip to the games that you run
Like the games you run unfair, we can't get no fair one
Cause we was dealt the bad hand from the jump
And we can't deal, so we jack and get drunk
And might end up locked down or six feet
But in these streets a muth*fuck* gots to eat...
And these days were meant for all to keep trying
But we can't relate, so we fall and keep dying
Open your muth*fuck&ng eyes who your enemy
The muth*fuck*s dyin or the muth*fuck*s killin you? ...
You put your crack on my table
I turn my axe on my neighbor
And my back to my savior
You had me thinking you were almighty
But to the almighty you're just and as man we all tiny
The maker will open up our minds to see
That heaven ain't a place here on earth, you gots to leave
And once we leave, we stand between eternal peace and eternal pain
And you the beast shall meet eternal flame
So let it rain, wash away up all my bad things
And put some laughter in our hearts again
Now black men, stand up, let's come together as a whole race
And don't be fed up by the old days
They tried to do us like the indians, killin us like wild beast
And show more love for the chinese
And kept us trapped up in a small room
And made decisions on our life we accepted that left us all doomed
They sabotaged and they camouflaged
But if these ni99*s came to crank up some shit, then I be down to ride
These muth*fuck*s had a plan from the start
The only way to beat em is to think, cause they smart
Props to SmartenUpNas for posting this video.
I have to admit that Rev. Al did a good job of explaining himself. And peep how after Al basically read her like Dr. Suess, she tried to set him up by saying "Do you agree..." presumably hoping to railroad him into a off-the-cuff answer.
This reminds me of a Scarface song, "Smartz"...
No secret, these m*thafuck*s figure I’m a threat
Cause I ain't falling short to the traps the demon set
Now sweat! Cause now I got my head in your books
And when I think 'cracker', my definition read 'crook'
Now look, we're living under laws that they set
Back then we were treated like dogs and wasn't shyt
And slowly but surely the shyt changed
They fault, but if you black, then you get blamed
A damn shame, that means this m*th*fuck*'s one-sided
And blacks, we get lost in the sauce, because we unguided
These muth*fuck*s had a plan from the start...
Let's take our minds behind enemy lines, so we can see how the demon acts
And how he set us up for failure in the first place...
You see, I'm hip to the games that you run
Like the games you run unfair, we can't get no fair one
Cause we was dealt the bad hand from the jump
And we can't deal, so we jack and get drunk
And might end up locked down or six feet
But in these streets a muth*fuck* gots to eat...
And these days were meant for all to keep trying
But we can't relate, so we fall and keep dying
Open your muth*fuck&ng eyes who your enemy
The muth*fuck*s dyin or the muth*fuck*s killin you? ...
You put your crack on my table
I turn my axe on my neighbor
And my back to my savior
You had me thinking you were almighty
But to the almighty you're just and as man we all tiny
The maker will open up our minds to see
That heaven ain't a place here on earth, you gots to leave
And once we leave, we stand between eternal peace and eternal pain
And you the beast shall meet eternal flame
So let it rain, wash away up all my bad things
And put some laughter in our hearts again
Now black men, stand up, let's come together as a whole race
And don't be fed up by the old days
They tried to do us like the indians, killin us like wild beast
And show more love for the chinese
And kept us trapped up in a small room
And made decisions on our life we accepted that left us all doomed
They sabotaged and they camouflaged
But if these ni99*s came to crank up some shit, then I be down to ride
These muth*fuck*s had a plan from the start
The only way to beat em is to think, cause they smart
Monday, March 24, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Another reason for 50 to stick to G-Unit albums and mixtapes only!!!
I've mentioned before that I think G-Unit is at their best when they're just making music about whatever random, reckless shyt they want to talk about without caring what you think. And I've found yet another example of just that.
It seems like 50 has been doing a lot of mixtape type material lately and I've been listening to it all for the exact reason I mentioned above. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, some of it is "in-between". But it's tracks like the one below that reinforce within my head that the times I really enjoy the G-Unit is when they're doing these crew tracks and being unforgivingly brash, arrogant, aggressive, and humorous (you can't really take this shyt seriously).
G-Unit - Good to Me
UPDATE: And just as quickly as I state when I think G-Unit is at their best, they pop up with something craptastic. This video.
It seems like 50 has been doing a lot of mixtape type material lately and I've been listening to it all for the exact reason I mentioned above. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, some of it is "in-between". But it's tracks like the one below that reinforce within my head that the times I really enjoy the G-Unit is when they're doing these crew tracks and being unforgivingly brash, arrogant, aggressive, and humorous (you can't really take this shyt seriously).
G-Unit - Good to Me
UPDATE: And just as quickly as I state when I think G-Unit is at their best, they pop up with something craptastic. This video.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
What qualifies someone to be President of the United States
I was responding to a comment left on my blogpost, and had a subsequent email conversation with a friend that made me wonder, if the presidency was a job posting, what would the "qualifications" be?In the comment I referred to above, I stated that...
"Of all the candidates still left on both sides, I'd say the most qualified for the job are probably McCain, Clinton, and then Barack [in that order] if you're basing it on experience. If you're basing it on who your beliefs align with or who makes you feel like you're a part of something larger than just a single person, then that would be Barack."I still think this is a true statement. I won't dare say that Hillary is way more qualified than Barack, but she has more experience still.
However, I have to admit that neither experience nor whose beliefs coincide most closely with yours should be the sole qualifications for the presidency of the U.S. Other things you'd probably want to see are: leadership ability, sincerity (which is tough to gauge), compassion for those less-fortunate, level-headedness, etc. But most of those are actual personality traits. Most times when you apply for a job there are the boiler-plate personality traits that employers expect...works well with others, motivated, organized, etc. We all know those. But if the application was for the presidency, what would the job-specific qualifications be? I'm not sure.
What do you think?
Bonus Coverage: GOP about to bring em out bring em out (no pun intended...see picture above, LOL).
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Food for Thought: Obama Supporters
Email from a friend...
UPDATE: The ole' GOP is about to bring em out bring em out...
"Today I was walking home and saw a white man wearing a Barack pin and this black man was calling after him asking him about it and the white man was trying to scurry away and was like it's a Barack pin. And the black guy was like 'Hold on ur goin to fast I'm trying to read it' and then finally the scared white man decided to stop and tell the black man where he got it.Food for thought.
Even the barack supporters only want to see their ideal black candidate in office...a good wholesome Kenyan raised by whites."
UPDATE: The ole' GOP is about to bring em out bring em out...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Negros Need to Know: Where Does Barack Stand?
Finally something came along that forced Barack to address the race issue that is underlying every single facet of this Democratic race for the presidential nomination. Thank his former pastor (Jeremiah Wright) for forcing Barack's hand. I am glad that he did because now we should have a better idea of where Barack stands on the MLK/Malcolm scale. And you know what I am talking about when I am referring to Black men in power and the MLK/Malcolm scale.
From what I saw in the video below, Wright seems more like the Malcolm Little type. Outspoken, unafraid, and angry. And there's nothing wrong with a little angered channeled thewright way (hehe). Barack though, I'm not so sure. I guess that's still up for discussion. Or perhaps not after his speech below. Check them both out:
Barack's former pastor's (Jeremiah Wright) comments...
Barack's response...
What do you think?
Yet another great speech by Barack, but let's not get too caught up in the ability to give a great speech. What is he really saying? Better yet, what is he not saying?
I think that Barack does a masterful job of straddling the fence on whether he is pro-Black or pro-America and it's probably in his best interest at this point to do so. I'm sure we can all see that being pro-America does NOT inherently mean pro-Black. If you can't, then shame on you (you Republican, LOL). Right now I think Barack is more pro-America which makes sense considering he's not running for President of Black people in America but the President of the United States of America. Yet-and-still, there is a social responsibility - some might even say obligation - as the potential first Black president of all the times to find a way to serve some of the major needs of his people. Especially considering the fact that he identifies with his Black lineage and speaks on some of the trials and tribulations he faced growing up as a Black man in the U.S.
Barack has the unfortunate job of trying to maintain that straddling of the fence until he (perhaps) makes it into the Oval Office. Once in the Oval Office though, will he be more Malcolm than MLK? I'm sure his pastor (and many others) hopes that he will. But that remains to be seen.
I don't think that the pastor's remarks were derogatory to the point where they should be called stupid or outright denounced. They were perhaps simplistic and stereotypical (like Barack mentioned), but yet-and-still not that far from what many Black Americans have probably thought at some point in time. And comments that many Black Americans will not completely disagree with after hearing for the first time. Most Black people will probably agree to a certain extent with what the pastor said. I know I do.
These statements that Barack made summed up the pastor's remarks pretty well:
Barack is in a position I don't envy with regard to handling racial issues that will inevitably come up during this process. And to see how he handled this situation is almost a cause for concern in my mind because he is obviously playing things safe. I don't see anything wrong if that's just a position he will take until he wins the presidency. He may very well need to cater to all those who will/might vote for him until he wins the big ticket. You have to play the game to be in a position to take the big shot. But if he takes this "play it safe" and "straddle the fence" mentality into his tenure, I think it may turn out to be the most colossal waste of an opportunity any Black person has ever had to affect large-scale change not only for the United States as a whole, but also Blacks.
Again, what do you think?
Shot out to Honorable for being the first blog I've seen to post the video of Barack's speech.
UPDATE: 40 Diesel gives an interesting perspective on Jeremiah Wright's role in all this over at dallaspenn.com
UPDATE: Bol seems to agree with some of my sentiments. Albeit, much more harshly.
From what I saw in the video below, Wright seems more like the Malcolm Little type. Outspoken, unafraid, and angry. And there's nothing wrong with a little angered channeled the
Barack's former pastor's (Jeremiah Wright) comments...
Barack's response...
What do you think?
Yet another great speech by Barack, but let's not get too caught up in the ability to give a great speech. What is he really saying? Better yet, what is he not saying?
I think that Barack does a masterful job of straddling the fence on whether he is pro-Black or pro-America and it's probably in his best interest at this point to do so. I'm sure we can all see that being pro-America does NOT inherently mean pro-Black. If you can't, then shame on you (you Republican, LOL). Right now I think Barack is more pro-America which makes sense considering he's not running for President of Black people in America but the President of the United States of America. Yet-and-still, there is a social responsibility - some might even say obligation - as the potential first Black president of all the times to find a way to serve some of the major needs of his people. Especially considering the fact that he identifies with his Black lineage and speaks on some of the trials and tribulations he faced growing up as a Black man in the U.S.
Barack has the unfortunate job of trying to maintain that straddling of the fence until he (perhaps) makes it into the Oval Office. Once in the Oval Office though, will he be more Malcolm than MLK? I'm sure his pastor (and many others) hopes that he will. But that remains to be seen.
I don't think that the pastor's remarks were derogatory to the point where they should be called stupid or outright denounced. They were perhaps simplistic and stereotypical (like Barack mentioned), but yet-and-still not that far from what many Black Americans have probably thought at some point in time. And comments that many Black Americans will not completely disagree with after hearing for the first time. Most Black people will probably agree to a certain extent with what the pastor said. I know I do.
These statements that Barack made summed up the pastor's remarks pretty well:
"They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam....Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety – the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America."
Barack is in a position I don't envy with regard to handling racial issues that will inevitably come up during this process. And to see how he handled this situation is almost a cause for concern in my mind because he is obviously playing things safe. I don't see anything wrong if that's just a position he will take until he wins the presidency. He may very well need to cater to all those who will/might vote for him until he wins the big ticket. You have to play the game to be in a position to take the big shot. But if he takes this "play it safe" and "straddle the fence" mentality into his tenure, I think it may turn out to be the most colossal waste of an opportunity any Black person has ever had to affect large-scale change not only for the United States as a whole, but also Blacks.
Again, what do you think?
Shot out to Honorable for being the first blog I've seen to post the video of Barack's speech.
UPDATE: 40 Diesel gives an interesting perspective on Jeremiah Wright's role in all this over at dallaspenn.com
UPDATE: Bol seems to agree with some of my sentiments. Albeit, much more harshly.
Don't bite your tongue Dr. Julia Hare
Real talk.
Shot out to Jessica for sending me this video. More on Dr. Julia Hare...
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Houston Craigslist Ad
Disclaimer: I found the following link on a blogpost. Anyway, ... "We got a problem HOUSTON!"
All I can say is WTF while I LOL? It's some crazy a$$ people out here. But I guess it's whatever floats your boat.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
B-DAY SOIRÉE
This past Saturday was my homegirl ChokolatSoda's birthday. This year she decided to have a birthday party at her place which (to me) meant lots of drinking in the midst of fantastically interior-decorated spaces. Random, I know. Since she knows most of my close friends and I am pretty cool with all of her friends, I told her I'd be bringing a crew of guys to her party and we'd have bottles in tow... Lots of bottles.
It was a very nice party and there were lots of people there (she gets so much love from folks). It was almost like there was a full-service bar when we got there (LOL) so our beer and wine were really just a drop in the bucket compared to what was already there being consumed. We had a wonderful time and even though we were all sippin' good, we managed to stop for a few pictures...
The birthday girl and I
Prince and Vinny
My brother MAP and Woo
The bday cake
After we sand Happy Birthday, *someone* couldn't stop saying "How ooooold are you?" The birthday girl's reaction...
MAP, Woo, Wayne, and Sei
Me, L, and Prince
This guy...LOL.
Prince, me, and Vinny
It was a very nice party and there were lots of people there (she gets so much love from folks). It was almost like there was a full-service bar when we got there (LOL) so our beer and wine were really just a drop in the bucket compared to what was already there being consumed. We had a wonderful time and even though we were all sippin' good, we managed to stop for a few pictures...
The birthday girl and I
Prince and Vinny
My brother MAP and Woo
The bday cake
After we sand Happy Birthday, *someone* couldn't stop saying "How ooooold are you?" The birthday girl's reaction...
MAP, Woo, Wayne, and Sei
Me, L, and Prince
This guy...LOL.
Prince, me, and Vinny
Friday, March 7, 2008
Ski Trip: Seven Springs, PA
This past weekend Woo and I went on the "Casually Sophisticated" Ski Trip that my man J-Ron threw/hosted. Well, J-Ron, Nate, and Derek. Needless to say, we had a ball on the trip. Here are some flicks:
The party life
J-Ron and Derek
Woo on the slopes.
On the ski lift
Peace!
J-Ron, Me, and Woo
What was this about? LOL
Faking like I really knew what I was doing.
Snowboarding was actually a lot more fun that I thought it would be. And I enjoyed it more than skiing. We spent the majority of our weekend enjoying free food, an open bar, and laughing at everybody that was lunching in our group but overall, this was definitely on of the best 2 ski trips I've ever been on. It's an annual trip that J-Ron, Nate, and Derek throw so I think I'm going to put this one into my travel plans for next year. ALREADY!
The party life
J-Ron and Derek
Woo on the slopes.
On the ski lift
Peace!
J-Ron, Me, and Woo
What was this about? LOL
Faking like I really knew what I was doing.
Snowboarding was actually a lot more fun that I thought it would be. And I enjoyed it more than skiing. We spent the majority of our weekend enjoying free food, an open bar, and laughing at everybody that was lunching in our group but overall, this was definitely on of the best 2 ski trips I've ever been on. It's an annual trip that J-Ron, Nate, and Derek throw so I think I'm going to put this one into my travel plans for next year. ALREADY!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Before...After...
Photo courtesy of Bastardly.com. The only thing I can think of when I look at this picture is "WHY????" Is this like a messed-up joke or something?
PS - I promise I did not write the comments on that photo.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Video: What Do YOU Look Like?
Shot out to Laf for sending me this hilarious azz song...
This is like a cross between Laffy Taffy and ... a cartoon theme song gone very very wrong. It's hilarious to this Swizz Beatz looking boi!
Inevitably, this will end up becoming a hit. I can't lie, it had me laughing hard and I can definitely see people re-enacting this song making up their own version of it. I guess time will tell.
UPDATE: It's the REMIX BABY! (feat. Kellz)
This is like a cross between Laffy Taffy and ... a cartoon theme song gone very very wrong. It's hilarious to this Swizz Beatz looking boi!
Inevitably, this will end up becoming a hit. I can't lie, it had me laughing hard and I can definitely see people re-enacting this song making up their own version of it. I guess time will tell.
UPDATE: It's the REMIX BABY! (feat. Kellz)
Dallas Penn getting real acquainted with the new MacBook Air.
I'm not into Apple products like that, but I know a few people that go crazy over anything that Apple releases (or announces, LOL) and that makes this is EXTRA funny....
Video courtesy of DallasPenn.com.
Video courtesy of DallasPenn.com.
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