THROWBACK RAP: Roc The Mic

Still gotta bop and dance when this joint comes on.

No this dude does not have a snake wrapped around his arm, lol

In related news, apparently this guy is actually a rapper. Or, this is a pretty good joke/hoax.

HA!

Oh My Damn Hip-Hop! Face, Nas, and (raised eyebrow) DJ Khaled

FACEMOB!!!! Also, Nas's verse on this was pretty freakin' good. This is right up his lane. The track is an ill double-entendre. Oh yeah, Dwight Howard got traded to the Lakers last night too (somewhere Chris Paul is pissed).

This commercial cracks me up every time

This Klondike commercial below makes me crack up every time because if you've ever been married or in a relationship you probably have felt this way at some point (both male and female but I'd think it happens to guys more often). The excitement after he realizes he's met the time limit is hilarious, lol.

This Effing Guy: Wiz Khalifa

The cover for Wiz's upcoming album O.N.I.F.C. ("Only Niggas In First Class"), which is kind of a tough title. But not as tough as "Why Aren't There More Ni99as In First Class?" But I guess that is a little too wordy.

Channeling that 60's rock star swag are we Wiz ("You can't hear JIMI!")?

The only thing that I think Wiz missed here was having that stupid Wiz Khalifa "I'm super high and loving it" grin on his face, lol.

Video: Bobby V (feat Lil Wayne) - In The Mirror

I don't care what none of ya'll say this shyt goes and I mess with this dude Bobby V.

My Memory & My Forgetter: Rest In Peace to My Uncle Bill

My uncle Bill passed away on July 20 of this year. He lived to be almost 80 years old which to me, is pretty amazing. He was pretty quiet but every time he spoke it was almost always something I found value in. He didn't waste words, he always meant something from the heart when he spoke, at least when it came to me. I appreciate that very much and I love him for it.

During his memorial service the preacher gave a really good sermon. It was so good it actually didn't feel much like a sermon, it felt like he was just up there droppin' knowledge on you. During his sermon he touched on something I'll probably never forget and I wanted to share that here.

He spoke about how sometimes he realizes that his memory isn't working very well anymore. He used the example of putting something down in his home and coming back to find it and it not being there, searching for it incessantly, even getting to the point where he would blame others and say they took it. I think this is something many of us have done before and coming from him and the way he delivered his sermon the crowd found it humorous because he was an older guy. But this was his example of how his memory just isn't there anymore. And the reason he surmised, was because his "Forgetter" was working far better than his memory (again, he was an older guy, like 60+ older). I thought this was pretty funny considering we "all have our moments".

He went on to speak on how what needed to be remembered most was that we were at a memorial, a celebration of life, and a celebration of what God gave. And most importantly, to not be sad because that day wasn't about what God had taken away but what he gave 80 years ago. He gave the world my uncle like he's given the world all of us. He gave my uncle 80 years in this world filled with memories, relationships, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. And because of those memories, relationships, and people, God continues to give through my uncle.

The more I thought about it, the more I appreciated the sentiment. Again, 80s years is a LONG time. We all say we want to live to be 70, 80, 90, maybe even 100 years old. But do we all really think we'll make it to 70, let alone 80 years of age? My uncle lived a great life and showed love daily and was loved by many. I am happy that he was a part of my life and that he was able to be recognized sincerely as a great man at his memorial service by those who knew him. It was a great service and I feel like I left with a few things that'll stick with me for a long time, my memory, my forgetter (lol), and the point that God taketh away but he also gives us more than we can fully appreciate.

Soooooooo, BET Banned the "Hold Me Back" Video

Really? I'm not even a fan of this song but the fact that BET decided to ban it kinda rubs me the wrong way. BET now has a conscience about the way black folks are portrayed? Really though?

Considering the fact that they banned that Little Brother video way back when (which was completely ridiculous), I don't understand what the point is. This song is no different than Juvenile's "Ha" (shown below) and they surely did not ban that video (shot out to Mannie Fresh by the way). I don't get it. BET apparently is very selective as to when they care about how Blacks are portrayed and it makes no sense. I guess Ross is a clairvoyant of sorts when you consider these (BET) ninjas trying to hold him back.

Hopefully God forgives Rick Ross for this album, I know Nas Will

I'll leave a full post about Ross's "God Forgives, I Don't" alone and just say that the album is below average by great hip-hop album standards and average if not below even by Ross album standards. A few stand-out cuts, "3 Kings", "Sixteen", "Diced Pineapples", and my personal favorite "Amsterdam". There are a couple others I like as well but overall the album disappointed me even when confining my thoughts to "how does this measure up compared to other Fat Ricky joints". Yep, I said that in my head I promise.

With all that said, Ross's album doesn't really come close to touching Nas's album and I'm not overwhelmingly impressed by Nas's album either. It's a good Nas album but I'm not convinced it's a classic like lots of Nas stans seem to be proclaiming. But I digress.

The real point of this post is to let you have a listen to what I think would be the best possible combination of tracks from the two albums, "God Forgives I Don't" and "Life's Good". These are two most important releases of the last month or so in hip-hop and I'm not blown away by either (in fact, I'm listening to Childish Gambino's "Royalty" mixtape more than either of these) so I decided to create a mash-up of the two (hence the title of this post). Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do.