Happy Festivus Everyone!!

Please check out my Festivus post from last year.


http://and1grad.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-festivus.html

This is not an ad but...

...a brother like me ALMOST walked out of the store sporting this BEAST of a watch on his wrist. However, I exercised RESTRAINT and it has not been easy. Movado Fiero, you are on my mind playa.

What do you folks think of this timepiece? What are your favorites?

For You Facebook Users

Do this if you want to hide your profile from Google searches.

Privacy Settings --> Search --> then UN-CLICK the box that says 'Allow indexing'
 

Quotables

"Dedication without talent is a daydream, talent without dedication is a nightmare." -- Mike Ditka

Cablinasian

I FINALLY felt like blogging again after a brief hiatus. And, of course, the Tiger Woods debacle is seemingly forever unfolding in crumbs and pieces and everybody and they mama has weighed in. Let me weigh in real quick on that (as it isnt my focus)...yeah he cheated. Big deal. Get over it. In the scheme of things, its nothing that is being made into something, mainly by women, because Tiger is a famous athlete. Soon as he starts winning tourneys, this'll be nothing.

But the main focus of my blog is Tiger's choosing to distinguish himself as "cablinasian." First, good for you Tiger. Yeah I said it. I'm GLAD he decided on his own distinction. He essentially called himself mixed and black people are STILL butthurt about it. I was told that he was "weak" for not calling himself black. Please. He could've easily said he was black and caught NO grief at all. THAT would've been weak. I honestly cant think of a reason why he SHOULD'VE claimed "black." The black community doesnt claim Tiger. Why they mad?

Tiger, let me say this...fuck em. No...I dont mean your myriad ladies of leisure but people who's feelings are still hurt about "cablinasian." Fact of the matter is, you were a mixed kid that grew up playing golf. I DARE someone to try to tell me this guy was welcomed by the black community on the way up. Dude spent his LIFE surrounded by white folks and people are surprised all of his ladies are/were white? Surprised that he wouldnt associate himself with, or placate to, a community that doesnt/didnt give a damn about him either way? Really? You'd have to be stupid for that to surprise you. Tiger chose to distinguish himself in a manner that he knew would cause him grief publicly and he stood up to it. That isnt weakness.

Lastly, let me hit on one quick thing thats been annoying me. All these dopes trying to talk about how sloppy Tiger is and all that. Um...until he got into an accident, and this shit came tumbling out, you didnt know a goddamn thing. Shut up. Sloppy means you cant hide anything. Dude hid this shit for YEARS and the public found out due to DUMB LUCK. If he doesnt get behind the wheel, you STILL wouldnt know a damn thing. SMH...some of you are ridiculous. That is all.

For Old School Bball Heads

If you dig basketball, and remember the 80s, you should dig this

My Tattoo

"The plane! The Plane!"

Been meaning to do a blog on tattoos. It seems they are ubiquitous in society nowadays. I'm not particularly sure why but its become more rare to NOT have one now. There used to be this stigma that tattoos were only for thugs, convicts, bikers, soldiers, and so on. Now TONS of people express themselves through their ink in various ways. Sometimes, its a message to themselves. Sometimes, its to celebrate an important person in their life, and oftentimes, its just a fun symbol someone decided to get put on a miscellaneous body part. Honestly, I'm more of a fan of the first 2 instances to get a tattoo, than I am of the latter, because with the exception of those that opt for laser removal, tattoos are permanent. Taking that into account, I would think you'd want to get something that you will not only never be embarrassed by but also find particularly meaningful. I always tell people who are considering one, MAKE SURE it falls into one or both of those categories.

I wound up putting several years of thought into a few of my tattoos. I dont plan to ever need to get any of mine removed so I take it very seriously. I also prefer to be able to see them everyday, as well as conceal them easily, so placement plays a role in what I get and its size. I currently have 5 tattoos. I'm considering one more because of the amount of real estate I have left on my right arm...which you'll see. Lets start the show & tell.

Right Arm/Shoulder:
This is a pic of my first tattoo: The "and1grad"

As you can see, its simply a pic of the and1 logo with a graduation cap on its head. This signifies the year I graduated college...2001. There's more to it but I think that should hold you over.

I put 2 more tattoos right over the and1grad tattoo. On top is the word "Impact" in chinese script and directly under it is the word "Made" in some fancy script I found. I got the "Made" writing done the same day as the and1grad tattoo. It was to signify the importance of the year 2001 in my life. "Impact" is something of a life motto that I've had for a while now.

Left Arm/Shoulder:
Egyptian Symbology: A few years ago, I was really wanting to put something African in origin on my arm and looked to Egyptian symbols to do so. I've always found stories of different religions & beliefs to be interesting and found that the ankh fit the bill. I was fortunate enough to find a design that combined the ankh with a Djed and a Was. To make a long explanation short, the ankh is said to stand for "Life" or "Eternal Life." The djed stands for "stability" and the was stands for "power." Life, stability, and power. The Was is in front of the the Djed, which is in front of the ankh. Can you tell which is which?

Right over the ankh, I decided to get some more script done and had the word "FAM2US" written with the O looking like a 2 at the bottom. This is an amalgamation of other life mottos that I have; one of which was embedded into my brain by my Mom. I never told her that because she DESPISES tattoos lol.

In all, as you can probably tell, everything I have inked on my skin is very meaningful to me. So much so, that I obviously hesitate to reveal the full meaning to folks because it wont possibly mean as much to you as it does to me. Anyways, you'll probably find people that will tell you it only hurts so much and for so long. I'll only tell you to go into it expecting it to REALLY hurt...and then it might not be so bad. Also, only expect it to hurt for about as long as they are piercing your skin with a needle. It stops hurting after THATS over. Someone told me that you eventually get used to it and/or go numb. I say bullshit. Also, I'm not all about getting tattoos everywhere like some of these rappers & ballplayers. BUT...thats me tho. Do you. Go forth and conquer!!

"Now lets get back to this mic on my arm
If it ever left my side, it'd transform into a time bomb..." -- LL Cool J

Crazy Dream: The Snoop edition

I had another dream that was so crazy that it needed to be committed to paper for your review. Check THIS out:

The dream starts out with me & Snoop riding around in his car. For some reason, he's supposed to be giving me a ride to work, somewhere in LA. Knowing me, I'm cool...nothing wrong with the D-O-double G giving the A-O-N-E-G a ride to work sometimes, I guess. Except, this is no just average ride to work. And why should it be? But as it turns out, Snoop Dizzle is still gang related and he wants me to take part in these drivebys he's got scheduled around LA BEFORE he drops me off. Word? Apparently, he's got to let some motherfuckers know whats up. Damn. I didnt sign up for all that. So while he's attempting to do all 'at, I'm sitting there slumped in the seat and ducking so I dont get eyeballed and caught up in this madness. Of course, Snoop is hella annoyed at me for that but...*kanyeshrug*  I'm not trying to catch a case! Worse comes to worse, I'm saying that jigga kidnapped me against my will. Shit.

So we get to the last target, and wouldnt you know it, a rival gang starts chasing us in their ride. An EPIC gun battle takes place while on what looks like the 110. I'm talking real Dukes of Hazzard type ish mixed with a little Spy Hunter/Knight Rider. Since he's driving, Snoop hands me a revolver with 5 shots, that I shoot off real quick, then yell "THATS ALL YOU GOT!?!?" at him. I mean, whats he expecting me to do with 5 shots in a moving vehicle? Who am I, Bruce Willis? Out of bullets, I now have to improvise. I find a wrench in backseat and hurl it at our pursuers. Oddly enough, wrenches start getting thrown back n forth b/w cars during the chase. Then...things get weird.

All of a sudden, the car they're driving splits off into 3 motorcycles and they speed up and start coming up on the side of Snoop's car. One of em pulls up to the passenger side, and is ready shell me. Somehow, I'm able to reach out and grab him, before he can do anything, and take his gun. I then point it at his sister, who is another biker not far behind him, and force them both to back off. The 3rd biker, who was the original driver, and apparently the leader, turns out to be the dude from that movie Hoodlum who plays bad guy roles in like everything. After I'm able to end the shootout, we wind up having some kinda peace treaty negotiations like as though we've just ended a war. Snoop and I keep dude's gun, which is a small 5 shooter revolver. The dream ends with all of us arguing over the treaty or something.   [/Scene]

So I'm sure yall are wondering, what in the hell was I doing to have had such a CRAZY dream? Dunno. I DID watch Transformers 2 that day tho. That said, I dont think this is one of those dreams thats supposedly my subconscious trying to send my conscious mind a message. Unless the message is, dont get a ride to work from rap stars.

Come to think of it...that might be a great message for all of us.

ART Club: Vida Guerra

Ay! Dios Mio!! Would you believe that I had never heard of this Cubana before my cousin mentioned her a few months ago? Simply outrageous. Apparently she's been in a ton of things that I've seen and I just didnt know who she was. Well, now I know...and knowing's half the battle (c) GI Joe. If only "life" were REALLY this fly.

Vida, Bienvenidos a la ART Club! Hijole!!

Quotables

I put no stock in religion. By the word "religion," I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of God. I have seen too much religion in the eyes of murderers. Holiness is in right action, and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves...and goodness. -- Kingdom of Heaven

Quotables

"I am a can-do spirit in a get-it-done body." -- car commercial

The Pretty Girl/Hobo Conundrum

Throughout the years, I have CONSTANTLY heard, from women, about how women are approached by dopes for their phone numbers, dates, etc. I'm sure most men are bombarded with these stories as well. It usually entails some unsuspecting fine lady minding her own business and being approached by some dude under the guise of conversation. Both parties know the underlying cause of why this conversation has started or at least have a decent idea. The premise is ESSENTIALLY "lets see if we find each other interesting enough such that we can date." Let me back up and say that not EVERY convo started has this in mind but a decent amount. I'll estimate 60/40...depending on circumstances.

The ratio is quite drastically different when we speak about hobos, or transients. More than likely, when a transient engages you, he/she is tryna get some money off of you. I liken it to being a pretty girl. Here I am, minding my own business, and a transient will attempt to engage me. Sometimes with irrelevant conversation, sometimes they get right to the point. Most women also have a very well adapted "bitch face." Fellas, you know this as the face that tells you "You betsta NOT come try to talk to me right now." Some bitch faces are better than others. But, when dealing with transient-types, I have my own "bitch face." Two versions actually. There's my default Angry Black Man face that every guy has developed by the time they're out of high school. That "dont fuck with me b/c you might get FUUUGGGEEDDD up" face. For those that dont have one, get one. Practice in the mirror or something. Maybe throw on some DMX and bark at yourself if it helps. This face comes in handy.

But there's also the option of headphones. The beauty of headphones is that I dont really even NEED to be listening to anything. I have the freedom of ignoring you WHILE looking at you AND having heard what you asked or said. For someone, like me, who normally cant be bothered with strangers...this is a GIFT. I cant even tell you how many people, transients or not, that I've simply ignored under the guise of not knowing they were talking to me b/c of headphones.

So what I'm getting at is simply this: Hobos make us normal folk know what it is to be a pretty girl. I look better. I smell better. I know you want to talk to me b/c you keep looking at me. I even know that all you REALLY want is what I keep in my pants (pockets). I have to devise ways to let you know "no thanks" w/o being a dick about it. Or I can just figure out a way to outright ignore you and quite frankly, not care how you feel about it. Personally, I'm a fan of the latter but thats me. Pretty girls, I feel your pain.

But all of that aside...so, what are you doing later?

Stuck In My Head: Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop

Love this song. Love this video. I miss Lauryn Hill.

Fast Food Roundup

On my way to picking up some Jack in the Box* this morning, I thought "Why dont I break down the different fast food joints around here?" How do you tell these "fast" heffas from each other? I can help you. Lets start with the Jack

Jackie B: She is the consummate multi-tasker.  Jack of all trades.  Whatever you want, she can do it and do it better than most. Like Parker Lewis, with Jack, you cant lose. She's not the hottest or the smartest but she is one you want in your corner.

Mickey D's: She's Miss Popularity and she knows it. Everybody knows Mickey. She's lead cheerleader, class President, and the valedictorian of your class. You dont want to like her...you just have no real reason to DISLIKE her. Anything you want, she can get. Nice clubs? She has VIP access. Backstage? Sure, why not. Her only flaw is "Pretty Girl Syndrome." Thinks she can get away with ANYTHING b/c of her looks and a pretty smile. She often can.

Burger King: Lil BK is tryna to get like Mickey. She's the lil sister that STAYS trying to get OUT of Mickey's shadow but cant. She's not hot enough, smart enough, or different enough to distinguish herself. She's like the LA Clippers. This isnt to say she doesnt have her own quality, of course. Its just harder to find and underappreciated.

Wendy's: Wannabe Wendy is that heffa that come around in fancy adidas and try to act like she better than all this shit. "I'm not fast food!" Fuckouttahere Wendy. Everyone knows where she comes from and she aint no blue blood. "Where's the beef?" Wendy? My beef is with phonies like you. If you see a Wendy, pass her by without a second thought.

Carl's Jr: Carla is one of my faves. She might try to put on a lil but thats actually the way she is. She's not just tryna put on a front. In fact, consider her the better version of Wannabe Wendy. Carla is a lot like Jackie B just dresses nicer.

In n Out: She's that girl with the old soul. A real throwback. Old school values and such and you appreciate her for it. She's not about putting on but she does have some nice goodies about her if you get to know her well enough. She's also a real sweetheart.

Chick Fil A: Chick is one of my favorites. She's the one that does all the same type of #hoshit that all of the others do, except a slightly healthier version, but dont even THINK of calling her on Sunday. She spends the whole day at church, repenting.

Taco Bell: This is your Spanish friend that makes like she cant speak English when it suits her...but she'll be the FIRST one to get mad at you when you make a joke about Mexicans.

Del Taco:  BK version of Taco Bell.

Chipotle:  This is the half Spanish/half White girl we all know or have known at some point. More than half the time, she ONLY looks like a white girl but dresses & acts like she's a cholla straight outta Tijuana. And yes, she does rock the white top with the black bra (so...SO hood).

So there you have it. A short, concise look at characterizations of fast food restaurants. Have a great day.

Public Service Announcement: The Full Nelson

Say you and your women are arguing and its getting physical. You, of course, dont want to put hands on her and she isnt letting you get away to clear your head. Fellas, I recommend the Full Nelson. The damage done is minimal. MOST people dont know how to get out of it...and it makes your woman look kinda silly if you feel like laughing about the situation later. Maybe you can grind on her butt a little during, if you want, but thats a you-call.

Would we be hearing about Chris & Rihanna had Chris put her in one of these? I think not.

When The Music Stops

"People would rather sit around taking sides than discuss the realities of actual and potential domestic violence."

Last night, on 20/20, many people watched Rihanna discuss the altercation between her and Chris Brown.  If you are SOMEHOW unfamiliar with the story, Chris Brown damn near beat Rihanna's face in for reasons that I'm still unsure of.  I honestly dont think that matters.  Fact is, a man SHOULD NEVER hit a woman.  I was on twitter, as I normally am (@and1grad), and I saw a LOT of dialogue, mainly from women, during the episode.  The topic of domestic violence always elicits an emotional response BUT what I saw was so OD, I almost felt forced to make the above quoted comment.  To most of the women I am following, if you had ANYTHING negative, or somehow critical, to say about Rihanna, you were essentially in favor of domestic violence.  Or you thought it was ok that he hit her for whatever reason.  Some women seemed to be acting like Rihanna was practically a superhero for what she said last night and were recklessly KILLING Chris Brown for having talked about it earlier.  I even heard some insane nonsense about how she must be telling the truth because she sounded so much more composed or whatever.  I'm sorry but you have to be brand new to the world to believe that.  Not that I think Rihanna was lying (she might've been about some stuff), but if you think the truth always sounds better than a smooth ass lie, you're probably either lying to yourself or extremely gullible.



If Rihanna continues to be an advocate for domestic violence when she isn't promoting an album, then I will have respect for her. -- @eb-the-celeb


I purposely did not watch the Rihanna interview and only saw clips of Chris Brown's interview with Larry King, where everyone OD'd on his bowtie.  Ok, Rihanna finally spoke up.  Good for her.  But if you're expecting me to fall all over myself acting like she's some kinda advocate for women's rights...#fail.  The fact that she's doing all of this now that she has an album coming out is so egregiously self-serving that it kills her credibility.  Some of yall can eat that shit up if you want but she could've said ANYTHING MONTHS ago.  The fact that she went right back to him after he beat her also killed some sympathy in me.  I also hear that this wasnt the first incident of them beating on each other.  Just the worst.  And then I'm supposed to believe all this awareness junk NOW?  Now that she's got an album to push?  Sorry but that would make me a fool and if YOU are choosing to be one, have at it.  I'll pass.

But this brings me to the crux of this post.  This has all become just useless fingerpointing as opposed to discussing the realities of domestic violence.  Fingerpointing is a lot more fun but lets be real here.  Domestic violence is a terrible phenomenon that goes on WAY more than reported and is, in fact, a two-sided affair.  Although, its only taken seriously when a man is the culprit.  Like I said earlier, a man should never hit a woman.  I emphasized should and never earlier for a reason.  That is IDEAL.  The REALITY is it COULD happen to the best of us.  I dont believe there's very many men that intend on hitting a woman but I DO know that there are a LOT more people who react without thinking than the converse. 

So in the interest of having a PRODUCTIVE conversation, lets toss out the outliers of a man that commonly hits a woman and a woman that commonly beats on a man.  Lets assume we have two normal, average people who get into a verbal argument that is escalating out of control.  Most of us know to what level we're ready to push an altercation before we back up, leave, digest the situation, reflect, and then reapproach.  The reality is that isnt always going to happen.  Lets say in this scenario, that the argument got physical.  Literally, unless the woman attacks a guy with a weapon, the man is AUTOMATICALLY at fault in this situation.  Double standards aside, men know this as an understood aspect of society.  HOWEVER, some women seem to take this as either a way to excuse a woman's accountability in an abusive relationship, OR as a way to blame the women entirely for everything.  Why is it so difficult to stay in between? 

Sometimes women hit men. I have no idea whether or not it is as common as a man hitting a woman and I'm not about to theorize on that.  However, it is NOT taken anywhere NEAR as seriously.  In fact, if people see a woman hitting a man, they assume he's deserved it.  Also, its pretty widely accepted, by men, in society that if you let your woman beat on you or report her to the police over it, you are a punk.  The balance of the way domestic violence is viewed is tremendously skewed.  But it should be.  Men have a far greater capacity of inflicting damage on a woman than the reverse.  The responsibility behind that fact branches out to both parties though.  It seems like some women believe that if they hit you, you should just leave or restrain them.  I dont advocate for that in a real life situation because that isnt always going to happen.  I would hope that most men would do that but some MIGHT be inclined to clear out a woman's dental situation if she is swinging on him.  THAT can happen to the best-intentioned of us.

Let me use myself as an example.  I have never had the desire, as an adult, to get into a fight with another person, male or female, over an argument.  That whole phenomena is almost foreign to me.  I look at it, mainly, in 2 ways.  First, I'm a grown up.  Fisticuffs seems childish to me.  Second, I dont think you should hit someone and not be completely expectant of them hitting you back.  That said, you aint gonna just beat on me.  Not without SEVERE repercussions.  That doesnt make me a monster.  It makes me a human being. 

This is becoming entirely too long so let me address one last thing.  There are some women who are of the "I wish a nig would" mentality.  Let me disavow you of that absurd mentality.  No you dont wish that.  More than likely, any man you deal with is going to be at least twice as strong as you.  Do not attempt to fight him.  If a man has/is hitting you, get the hell out of there.  Fellas, if you need to hit something, find an inanimate object or take up boxing or something.  Nobody wins in a physical altercation.  Take whatever steps necessary to avoid it at all costs.

Is there anything I missed on this topic? Did you watch the Chris Brown and/or Rihanna interviews? What do YOU think?

Pet Peeves: Women who think they're inherently superior to men

This is one of my all time pet peeves. I recently read a comment that made a statement that essentially said that women are mentally superior to men. I'm SO TIRED of women who believe that they are mentally superior simply b/c they are female. (Yes this would apply to men too but I'm talking about women here) These people simply amaze me. Every man is simple and YOU'RE complex, right? Please. Its these same women that associate with simple ass men and then complain about it later. Hang around a higher caliber of person that challenges you mentally. They arent THAT hard to find. If you havent found that in the opposite sex, its b/c you've chosen to be around those who dont challenge you in that way. Thats a you problem.

These people annoy me to no end.

Public Service

Earlier today, I noted that some people seem to really struggle to find "common sense"...so I thought I'd provide some things to NOT do on your way to finding common sense. Think of it as me helping folks thru the maze on the back of the cereal box called Common Sense. I would say "Life" but nobody eats that shit. Lets get started.

THINGS TO NOT DO:

Drugs
Crimes
Hang Out With People Who Do Drugs
Hang Out With People Who Do Crimes
Argue With The Police (particularly if you are involved in any of the above)
Eat Only Fast Food
Pull On A Black Woman's Hair Without Prior Permission
Hit On Your Mom's Friend
Hit On Your Friend's Mom
Get An Absurd Amount/Size Of Tattoos
Date Women Who Say The N-Word A Lot (especially if she isnt black)
Watch A Lot Of BET, MTV, Or VH1
Approach Gangstas Thinking You Hard
Retweet Yourself Without a Valid Reason
Wear Magnums If You Cant Fit Em (Riddle me this: What if the magnum is snug? Muah hahahahahaa, I digress)

This is just a list to get SOME people started. Be proud of yourself if all of this is already known to you. You might make up more of a minority than you think.

ART Club: Audra McDonald

Ladies and Gentlemen, Audra McDonald.

This bombshell plays Dr. Naomi Bennett on Private Practice, which is a spinoff of Grey's Anatomy. She is DISTURBINGLY hot. I cant watch this show w/o thinking that Taye Diggs' character is a plum fool for divorcing this one. Not only that but she's CLEARLY needing to be a card-carrying member of the ART Club. Do you KNOW how much sick leave I would burn if...shhhhh maaaaaaaannnnnn.

The doctor is IN.

Big Men

While listening to The Herd on ESPN Radio this morning (btw, this is the best sports radio show), Colin Cowherd said something that I've been screaming for years now. And whenever I say it, nobody wants to hear me. Its simply this: NBA centers show you who they are when they ENTER the league. They dont normally somehow turn into a great player after starting as a mediocre one. If they stink at something when they come out, they more than likely will stink at it for their entire career. The exception MIGHT be made for some players that came straight out of high school. Colin brought up the examples of Kareem, Bill Walton, Patrick Ewing, & David Robinson as some examples of big men who came out and were great players, particularly offensively, their FIRST season. Conversely, look at Shaq, a great player in his own right. The things he stinks at now, are the things he stunk at when he came out of LSU. Centers dont change to a measurable degree. Another example is Dwight Howard. He is not gonna develop a jumper like Robinson & Ewing had. People keep saying they hope his game expands beyond what it is currently. Stop hoping. It isnt gonna happen. Greg Oden isnt going to become a great scorer. Good rebounder maybe. Shot blocker, sure. But putting the ball in the hoop? I bid thee nay.

Andrew Bynum, you saw promise early on. He COULD be a great player if he ever stops getting injured. Personally, not holding my breath. Injury-prone guys seem to stay injury-prone. But he has a much better chance of being a great player than Oden. I'm not trying to disparage these big guys. I'm just saying "they are who you thought they were." #kanyeshrug

Fraudulent Sports News

Every once in a while, I hear some news in the sports arena that I consider absolute garbage. Sometimes its a stat; oftentimes its an injury report. There were a few things today that I think are pretty much lies given to the public and/or extreme optimism. First example, Chris Cooley of the Washington Redskins. Dude broke his ankle during this past Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Usually when a player gets hurt, you very quickly hear how long he's expected to be out. In this case, nothing. Until the other day, Zorn finally said he might get put on IR. Today, I hear something about 4 weeks. My man broke. His. Ankle. AND he needs surgery to fix it. Four weeks? Thats among the more absurd things I've ever heard in terms of injury length. I've broken my ankle and have 2 screws in it from the surgery to repair it. If this dude is back to playing football in 4 weeks, I will buy a box of Grape Nuts and PAINFULLY eat this TERRIBLE TERRIBLE cereal every day until I finish it. The thought of doing this already is bringing me down. Thats how much I hate this cereal. But THATS how sure I am that there is no way on God's green Earth that this guy can play football in 4 weeks. 8 weeks? Maybe. 4? HAIL NAW!! Next example.

This example has to do with the NBA season having started last night. First, thank the lord for THAT. I miss basketball. BUT, I dont miss the CONSTANT jocking of LeBron James. Count me out. That said, he passed a milestone yesterday by reaching the 13,000 point mark and is apparently the youngest to do so (beating out Kobe). I HATE this stat. I think its fraudulent and lame. You have these guys coming out of high school and you're saying they were the youngest to do something? Its meaningless. To make this stat meaningful, base it on how many GAMES it took them to reach this plateau. THAT gives you a fair and honest comparison. Otherwise, you're just feeding the public garbage. Get your shit right, ESPN.

Another example of injury fraud...Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers. No, not his hair. This guy sprained his Medial Collateral Ligament during the 1st game of the season. When that happened, we were told he'd be out for 3 weeks. 3 weeks? How gullible or stupid do they think we are? If you sprain a ligament in your knee, it will HURT for 2 weeks, AT LEAST. Let alone you be able to rehab it and then be back to playing. And now look at him. I wanna say he was out for 4 weeks and then wound up hurting it again during his first game back. I wouldnt go as far as to say he's a liability out there right now, since he IS healing, but he isnt Polamalu yet b/c how could he be? The NFL commonly lies about injuries and rushes players back onto the field. If you watch the Steelers play, Polamalu is a GLARING example.

Lastly, something that really bothers me and should bother you to your very core. The NFL and concussions. The NFL is going to need to SERIOUSLY address this concussion issue...instead of trying to discredit published studies showing links b/w multiple concussions and the early onset of Alzheimer's Disease and dementia. First, not to be crass but the link b/w the two is a no-brainer. Seriously, we're talking about a person's mental processes and ability to FUNCTION in their later years. The NFL already doesnt do a whole lot to protect player's bodies, unless they play QB. PROTECT THEIR BRAIN AT LEAST. It is CRIMINAL that this is continually going on. We watched Brian Westbrook get a concussion during the MNF game. I'd be willing to bet that there's a player at least knocked dizzy in EVERY game, if not one that suffers a concussion. And having one concussion makes you susceptible to having another. I really cant stress enough how critical this is and I really hope it one day is adequately addressed.

A LITTLE discrimination

I guess I'm going to keep on in the vein of discrimination, real or imagined. Lately, I've spent a lot of time listening to who is being discriminated against. Black men vs. Black women; Morehouse vs transgenders...but no one has the GUTS to address THIS!!! Well, ladies and gentlemen, I. DO.

Women, PARTICULARLY minorities, BLATANTLY discriminate against short men. Its outrageous! A short man, almost universally, can NOT catch a break with women. The craziest part is that these women are normally not tall themselves. How are you 5'3 and need your man to be 6'2? That makes zero sense. What, do you want to be headbutting his belly button every time you go for a hug? The WORST are the women who have to take their (FRAUDULENT) height addition of their heels into consideration. "He needs to be 3 inches taller than I am when I decide to wear these tall ass heels that I will invariably complain about to him later b/c they make my feet hurt." Why do you want your men to be so overwhelmingly bigger than you? Why dont more people think thats odd and/or ridiculous? Tall men, why do you want to dwarf your women? I feel like a babysitter when I'm hanging around women who are shorter than 5'3 and I'm not absurdly tall.

I'll tell you one thing. Should I have boys, I'm gonna have them playing basketball, not just because I love the sport but because I know that if they arent tall, they will STRUGGLE to get a woman's attention. To women, if you arent AT LEAST 5'10", you're short. These same women can barely SNIFF 5'6". Really? The guy thats actually TALLER than YOU is too short? What about the amazons? [I consider a woman an amazon once she hits 5'9" and up.] They have to find men too. And the pixies are taking them all!! LMAO! (Sorry, it always cracks me up when I hear tall women complain about that #kanyeshrug)

Back to short men. Short guys are discriminated against all through LIFE itself. They're rarely ever picked first in sports, unless they're crazy fast. You're actually EXPECTED to be fast if you're short. That itself is unfair. Especially since they have such little legs...I kid. They have to look around tall people who might be standing or sitting in front. Thats no fun. What about all the short jokes dopes like me might tell? Short minorities might have the best argument of discrimination there is. All these other guys are depicted as athletes and soldiers and such.

Short guys are depicted as this guy:

I'm just saying. Its a tough world, if you're short. Cant women, who are LARGELY of that height or shorter, give these guys a break!?!? Damn!!

Gender Wage Gap? Please.

Every once in a while, I hear an argument spread, and co-signed, that irritates my very last nerve. This CRAP about women still earning 70 cents to the male dollar. I'm SO sick and tired of this FRAUDULENT stat and the people who mindlessly co-sign it without putting ANY kind of thought into the validity of the stat. So many men seem too afraid, or too dumb, to refute it for fear that they might be called a chauvinist. Thats lame. Dont just agree with something simply b/c someone tells it to you or simply b/c its the party line. We're better than that. Lets put a little common sense to this stat.

"A study of the gender wage gap conducted by economist June O' Neill, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, found that women earn 98 percent of what men do when controlled for experience, education, and number of years on the job."  -- Gender Wage Gap Is Feminist Fiction

Simply put, women are more likely to take lower paying jobs than men. An example is that men are more likely to take higher risk jobs (i.e. fire fighter) and women are more likely to take lower risk (i.e. secretarial). These factors have such an effect on this 70 cent stat that its disingenuous to not mention it in lieu of presenting the stat itself. There's maternity leave, there's the fact that women are more likely to be stay-at-home parents, and many seem to be of the opinion that women are less likely to ask for/demand a raise. Knowing this, how can people WILLINGLY continue to cosign this junk stat? Personally, I'd be willing to bet that, if it were possible to normalize these factors into the equation, women would be doing QUITE WELL in this comparison.

"The "wage gap" is not so much about employers discriminating against women as about women making discriminating choices in the labor market." -- The Wage Gap Myth

 

What do YOU believe?

Quotables

 This KILLED me today. Love it!!

"Can I wipe my smile on your cleavage?" -- some dope on Twitter

Papa Smurf

How many of us spent years of our childhood watching Papa Smurf, not fully realizing just how much of a pimp he was. I'm not saying this to ruin your childhood...but lets just face facts shall we? Papa Smurf barely ever lifted a finger to do ANYTHING. Just ran around in his fancy red pimpin' pajamas doing magic and shit. He had his whole tribe matching like an army of Don Magic Juans...I mean they KEPT IT "smurfy"...AND was able to keep a 100 dudes in line with just ONE ho. Word? Just one? Dont get it twisted, Smurfette had that entire village on lock. How many smurfs does Smurfette have WIDE OPEN just for a CHANCE? She plays dumb & innocent real well too...like Jessica Simpson (No Romo). Papa Smurf didnt even originally HAVE Smurfette...he stole'd her from some other jigga and dyed her hair blonde. Boom...instant profit. Papa Smurf is a straight hustler.

How come Papa Smurf knew princes and other royalty and had all those expensive books and shit? And STILL had all those smurfs living in mushroom village. Thats some pimp shit. That was acorn b4 there was ACORN. Didnt he have some kinda potions and magic dust too? Was Papa Smurf a pusher? Maybe. Brainy Smurf DID kinda act like a runner. Didnt you ever ask why Papa Smurf kept a joke like Brainy Smurf so close even tho he STAYED effing up? Because he knew Brainy could never be a REAL threat to the kingpin. Best threat would be Handy and he STAYED giving that dude projects. Smurfette knew it tho. She was always sniffing around Handy, wasnt she? But Handy knew that you cant turn a ho into a housewife, right?

So lets recap: Papa Smurf kept the fly threads, stole and made profitable a very serviceable ho, had money for trips (that he went on alone), new movers & shakers, had name recognition, possibly had & moved drugs,  DEFINITELY had a runner who wasnt gonna see him for his spot, AND kept his crew fitted and working on other stuff. Papa Smurf MIGHT be one of the illest kingpin gangstas on record and we didnt even know it.

Quotables

There's been talk of Rush Limbaugh being part of a group that owns a football team. For your viewing pleasure, here are some quotes* that should serve notice to people about Rush Limbaugh.

"They’re 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?"

"Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons."

"Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?"

"You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray. We miss you, James. Godspeed."

"I mean, let’s face it, we didn’t have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing; Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back, I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark."

*Quotes courtesy of @RaiderGeez

New Jersey

I was listening, on twitter, to all the hate and shade being thrown Brett Favre's way, including the subsequent lack of ability to talk shit when he wound up kicking Green Bay's ass the whole night, and I was reminded that I wanted to do a post about jerseys. We never really have discussed exactly when a jersey is outdated or just looks silly on an owner. I'll use myself as an example. I've probably spend close to $400 total on my last 2 jerseys. One white Brett Favre New York Jets jersey and one white Reggie Bush New Orleans Saints jersey. Personally, I dont have ANY buyer's remorse for either jersey. But of course, I have to wonder if it would be silly for me to wear the Favre jersey since he currently plays for another team. Is that a sports fashion faux pas? Not b/c he's played for another team but b/c he's ACTIVE for another team. Is there an issue here? When I bought my Bush jersey, it was a no-brainer. NOW? Well, I just hope he's still even on the team as of next year. I'll always root for him but even I cant make a great case for why the Saints should keep him around.

There's also the dilemma of what your jersey should look like. Granted, football and hockey jerseys ALWAYS look right no matter what...but basketball jerseys? No. If you look like you've swallowed a basketball, you prob shouldnt wear a basketball jersey. In some cases, it looks like 2 of the actual player can fit in your jersey. Not a good look. Super fat guy Kobe Bryant fan...maybe consider a t-shirt. Also, PLEASE retire your jersey after its washed out and depleted. There's little worse than a old, beat up jersey that you only use to lounge around the house. Not that I know anyone who does that. *wink*

What jerseys do you own? Do you know of any jersey fashion faux pas?

Chappelle's No Show

In the last few weeks, I've heard some commentary about whats on TV nowadays, especially concerning African American representation. The Jaded NYer actually spoke about this a week ago during her webcast (Monday nights, 10pm EST). One of the genres where African Americans have always had the most, or maybe best, representation has been sitcoms. My own experience digs back into the late 70s/early 80s with Good Times, Sanford & Son, and Whats Happening moving into shows like Diff'rent Strokes (kinda), The Cosby Show, A Different World, etc. Then transitioning through the 90s with shows like In Living Color, Martin, Living Single, etc. In my opinion, this transition seems to pretty much end with My Wife and Kids and the Bernie Mac Show. I dont know many people who find those Tyler Perry shows all that funny, plus it isnt network anyway, so I'll leave them out of the discussion altogether. During the run of this last piece of this timeline, Chappelle's Show was gaining steam and could legitimately be considered the funniest show on TV. A TON of us can randomly cite phrases from this show. You're probably doing so right now.

Only a small part of this post is to lament the lack of African American presence on TV. What I'm touching on right now is the simple fact that the lead parts of these sitcoms were mainly presented by a Black comedian. The only thing that made up for the lack of that is great writing. Lets face it, we arent seeing great writing for a Black show anymore. That means, we need a comedian to step up and carry the baton of African American comedy. That person was David Chappelle. I've never fully understood why he ran away from the stage when he was at his peak. Was he afraid of the moment? The responsibility of bringing comedy? Isnt that what he DOES for a living?

I kind of compare it to when Michael Jordan left to play baseball. Can you imagine if MJ never came back? What if the burden that comes with the responsibility of being exceptional had kept him away from the game? Look at all we would've missed. He came back and has passed the baton to those like Kobe, Lebron, and Wade. The baton of comedy needs to be passed and I feel like the lack of the greatness that Chappelle was displaying has left a void that is yet to be fulfilled. We unexpectedly lost Bernie Mac, who was carrying it. Now what do we have? I'd love to root for Michael Strahan's show but come on.

I fully believe that Chappelle's Show, including his cast & writers could STILL come back and be one of the funniest things on TV. Comedians dont stop being funny and having ideas. And people would fall all over themselves to watch it even if it was only meeehhh. Saturday Night Live is a good example of that. Not that I hold out hope for that show to come back but I cant help but wonder who will pick up the baton that he's left behind.

Is there a show on the horizon that might be able to fill the void? Wanda Sykes? Should I pay more attention to these Tyler Perry shows?

Book Learnin'

Now that school has started for most everybody that is a student or teacher, I want to post something in the spirit of higher education. I dont know for a fact, but I believe that a significant portion of new college students enter with at least some doubt as to what their major should be. I think I even read somewhere that the majority of students in colleges/universities change their major at least once. I'm included in that stat. I started as a biology major and eventually graduated with a major in "Applied Ecology" which is essentially a double major of bio & environmental science. But before I decided on THAT major, I took classes in every discipline besides fine arts, foreign language, and engineering. I fulfilled my foreign language in high school so I didnt need it and it only took 2 weeks for me to know that I did NOT have a gift for engineering.

I often try to recommend to anyone in college or going to college that they take classes in every discipline that they can. I think this is the only TRUE way to find out where your passion is. And believe me, when you've found it, you KNOW it. Some are lucky to find it right away. I believe they are the exception to the rule. I would have NEVER guessed that I would have a passion for environmental science. I thought I was medicine-bound. But I HATED learning all of that crap. I didnt enjoy ANY of it and bio classes DOMINATED my life all through college. And after a while, I realized that I really didnt actually WANT a career in medicine or biology anyway. That said, I urge people to NOT stick to a discipline simply because thats what your mommy wants you to do. It can be CATASTROPHIC to your ability to map out your future in a manner that is fulfilling. This is FACT.

So, let me give a special shout out to the people who went to college and had the foresight (and sometimes courage) to figure out who they ARE rather than letting someone else decide who they were SUPPOSED to be. To any college students or prospective college students that may stumble onto this, take advantage of the wealth of educational opportunity granted to you while you're in school. It will NOT be so easy to come by when you leave.

Text Questions: What advice would you give to prospective college students? Do any of you still have your old textbooks around? What class did you take that you never thought would mean anything but has wound up being influential in your life so far?

Weekend Quotables

Things I heard, read, or said, this weekend that really cracked me up:

RE: Superhead "There are more babies in her stomach than rocks in the Grand Canyon." -- "Smarty Jones" [@tsj2003grad]

"Why is Lamar Odom marrying that pro wrestler?" -- some dope on twitter

T.O. Stans

Even though I've seen it for years now, TO Stans never cease to amaze me. These folks will defend ANYTHING this fool says and does for absolutely NO reason whatsoever. I watched on twitter as these folks jumped down Rodney Harrison's throat for only telling the truth. TO IS a clown. If you dont know that, you're delusional. I always say he's WORSE than a clown. He's radioactive. A cancer to any team he plays on or will play on.

This guy TORCHES whatever team he's on for the entire time he's on the team and everyone just accepts it as him just being TO. Allow me to tell you to get THE FUCK outta here with that ol' bullshit. I wish I could give your brain steroids. Your thoughts might still be a lie but at least they'd be better developed. How do you show such RAMPANT loyalty to a guy that doesnt show any to ANY team? What kind of ironic, lamebrained nonsense is that?

Do people really need a history lesson about how this guy torches teams? How he lit up Jeff Garcia, calling him gay and all that? Have you seen Jeff Garcia's super hot wife? Who is on TO's arm? How bout when he went to Philly and rapidly took all the credit for their Super Bowl run? Told people that they lost the big game b/c Donovan lost his nerve? Really, big mouth? Donovan lost his nerve? The guy thats been CARRYING that Eagles team for years, INCLUDING the year that your ass was hurt watching the playoffs from the sidelines? THAT Donovan McNabb? Fuck outta here. And then they brought him out to Dallas, after he had FAMOUSLY shit on their star years ago. You got what you asked for with that one, didnt ya? And what happened when he left? He divided your locker room? Funny how THAT worked out. Oh and by the way, Cowboys fans, you now hate your Pro Bowl QB too, right? The only reason that team doesnt stink out loud. And they still root for TO, who had as many plays today as Rodney Harrison did from the booth.

But I guess you dont really need to go to the circus to support clowns, nowadays...do you?

Quotables

"I am as far beyond mutants as they are beyond you. I am ETERNAL. Your powers are useless against me. Annoying insects, nothing can stop the Apocalypse! I can not be harmed. Watch me and tremble...for I bring the purity of Oblivion to your world. -- Apocalypse (Xmen cartoon)

Quotables

"I'm not saying your phone is old but what happened to the other one Moses brought?"

"I heard your phone is so old that the instruction book is for morse code. Is that true? I mean "bump bump babumpbump bump." -- a certain dope was clowning another dope's old ass cell phone

ART Club: Rosie Perez

I consider Rosie to be one of the unsung heroes of my love affair with ART. I know I'm not the only one that remembers the scene in White Men Cant Jump when Woody pulls her into the shower and rips her shirt off. That was just fantastic movie-making right there. If only we could do something about that voice. So NOT the business but we're not here talking about her enunciation skills.

*Jay-Z voice* "I'm sorry Ms. Rosie Perez but I call a spade, a spade; it just is what it is."

This Boricuan bombshell can STILL make a brother like ME "do the right thing." Definitely a spot for her, VIP...in the ART Club.

Tough Guys

I always find it interesting when I hear about some miscellaneous football player running his mouth about who is or isnt a tough guy. I think a lot of people are very much miscategorized as being tough when they're really just another dope bumping their gums about nothing. I also think that beheading a guy who doesnt see you at all DOES NOT make you a tough guy. It makes you a cheap shot artist. There are of course guys who manage to blur the line. My #1 example of which being Hines Ward. I dont know of a bigger cheap shot artist than that guy. But he's also tough. I think of you as a tough guy if you're willing to, and are able to, run over a guy who actually DOES see you coming and is also coming at you. THATS being a tough guy.

Also, it seems like linebackers talk the most shit in football. Which is kinda funny to me b/c there's not really many people hitting linebackers really. They get to run around blowing everybody up but are rarely in a position of themselves being completely blown up. I dont put a whole lot of stock in a Bart Scott telling Randy Moss to "man up" and come across the middle b/c Moss is gonna be the one who doesnt see Scott coming. Sorry but in my opinion, #toughguyfail. Also, I dont put a lot of stock in people who have never been to prison telling Plaxico Burress he needs to be tougher. Shut the fuck up. The guy's going to jail...JAIL...for 2 YEARS...for something other people get a slap on the wrist for. Gimme a break.

There are a few positions in football that I DO think are played only by tough guys. And ODDLY ENOUGH, you rarely, if ever, hear them tooting their own horn or talking a lot of garbage. I'm talking about lineman. The offensive and defensive line, in my opinion, are inhabited by the toughest people in football. ESPECIALLY the nose tackle. Here's a guy that spends the ENTIRE game beating up and getting beat up by 1 or 2 guys that are about his size or bigger. For 60 minutes, lineman whack the hell out of each other on a football field for leverage. And nose tackles normally dont get to do a nifty spin move, swim move, or shake and bake to get around a guy. No sir. They need to MOVE somebody, and often 2 guys, if they want a piece of glory.

As far as I'm concerned, the line houses the true tough guys.

Oh my God... ANOTHER TREE HUGGER!!

While walking through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco , a man came upon another man hugging a tree with his ear firmly against the tree. Seeing this he inquired, 'Just out of curiosity, what the heck are you doing?' 

'I'm listening to the music of the tree,' the other man replied. 

'You've gotta be kiddin' me.' 



'No, would you like to give it a try?'

Understandably curious, the man says, 'Well, OK...' So he wrapped his arms around the tree and pressed his ear up against it. With this, the other guy slapped a pair of handcuffs on him, took his wallet, jewelry, car keys, then stripped him naked and left. 


Two hours later another nature lover strolled by, saw this guy handcuffed to the tree stark naked, and asked, 'What the heck happened to you?' 

He told the guy the whole terrible story about how he got there. 

When he finished telling his story, the other guy shook his head in sympathy, walked around behind him, kissed him gently behind the ear and said, 'This just ain't gonna be your day, cupcake...'

ART Club: Elvira

What can you say about this one? Elvira, mistress of the dark. A staple for Halloween when I was coming up. Did anyone ever find her scary with a body like that? Doubtful. Comfort ME in the dark, PLEASE!! With my b'day being so close to Halloween, its only right.

Elvira*, welcome to the ART Club.

*Real Name: Cassandra Wilson

ART Club: Serena Williams

I'm ashamed that I hadnt put this bombshell on sooner. Where was my head at? Dont answer that.

Serena Williams is the only thing I find interesting about tennis. And its not because of tennis. Serena, I am NOT staring at your titles. And as buff as you may be, I would still beat. Repeatedly. Ok now I'm just being crass but you get the idea. The girl is bad.

Its late so I'm gonna skip all of the bad tennis jokes I thought up and simply say this:



Serena Williams, please take your place amongst those in the ART Club.

This isnt about Kanye

Not really anyway. This is about the people that have been CONSTANTLY talking tough about what would have happened if Kanye would have done that to THEM. People, settle down and be real. ALL of us would have reacted almost identically to how Taylor Swift did. Utter shock. Stop acting like you knew what he would say when he went up there. And yeah yeah yeah, I know you're WAY too physically imposing and intimidating for him to have done that to you...you know, b/c drunken jackasses are taking that into account before engaging in jackassery. Some of you really need to get over yourselves. He would've done that to anyone. He was drunk.

Having processed all of that, and it being over 24 hours since the incident, I'm entirely over it. However, and someone (Prez?) mentioned this to me before, Kanye never slowed down to sincerely grieve the loss of his mom. That is CRITICAL. I'm gonna tell you right now, when I lose either of my parents, I will be an absolute mess and completely nonfunctional for some time. The dude is obviously still grieving and acting out. People love the phrase "you need more people." Hopefully he has some people that will slow him down or stop him before he does something that doesnt just go away with an apology.

Lastly, and I know that this has been said to death but, that little shrug he does before handing Taylor back that microphone was absolute hilarity. Fin.

(p.s. Ok it WAS a little about Kanye...so sue me)

My Harrowing Afternoon

I had a very interesting, to say the least, afternoon yesterday. September 1st...what a day. Here's what I tweeted:

Well folks. Mark it down. September 1st. The day I finally saw it. It being what it looks like when you're about to die on a motorcycle.

Let's debunk a quick myth, shall we?Youre prob not gonna scan your whole life and think up past regrets. None of that.

All I could think of was "let's avoid dying today." Quick & obvious lesson: Dont get a motorcycle if you're a nervous type.

Because if I were, it would be a wrap, ladies and gentlemen. No game. No blouses. Just curtains. So here's the long & short of it...

I underestimated how quickly that last bar of gas goes on this bike. And it went quickly. While on the freeway...in the fast lane.

If you wanna know what that's like, *Slick Rick voice* "There was a rumblejumble, 5 minutes it lasted..."

So guess who had to ease his way into the shoulder lane in speeding after work traffic? My 1st lane changewas in front of a Mack truck.

That was about 50 yards from me going a good 75 mph. If and1grad is going a solid 25 & decreasing, how long before he's a pulpy mess?

So I quickly dip into the next lane, forcing a Dodge Ram to break hard. Which of course gives me the gigglefits. One more lane!!

The excitement pretty much ended with me swerving in front of an angry Camry owner onto the shoulder. Crises averted!!

Since the engine kept cutting out on me, I had the drive the rest of way to the closest gas station with my finger on the ignition button.

Who says Tuesdays are boring!?!? Maybe later I'll do a wheelie.

So I tweeted all of that while at the gas station, thinking my afternoon entertainment was over. Ooohh no. That was only the intermission. I go to start the engine and all I hear is click click click...and I notice my bike's clock has reset itself. Guess what that means? My battery is dead. Great. I'm not smart enough to have AAA so I start running scenarios thru my head. The most viable of which being a jumpstart. In case you're unfamiliar, this means you get your vehicle moving fast enough such that you can pop the clutch and get the engine to turn over. You can do it with manual transmissions. To pop the clutch, you put your vehicle in gear and when you've gotten it going fast enough, you release the clutch and it will try to turn the engine over. Its not a fun process by any means. That simple fact was multiplied by about a dozen with a motorcycle. 

My bike weighs something around 450 lbs so holding it up when you're not on it is already NOT the business. But keeping it steady while you try to run with it just sucks altogether. Needless to say, run-starting a bike is pretty much a 2-man job. Just another thing I learned yesterday, in a spectacular and fun way. 

Strangely enough, one of the worst parts of the day was later on when I couldnt get to sleep b/c I kept replaying over & over in my head what could've happened had I not been able to react calmly and efficiently during that fiasco. I make a lot of jokes but honestly and bluntly...there is NO WAY I would've survived otherwise. Period. And thats a harrowing thought. Someone who rides a motorcycle DOES consider their mortality at times...but your possible end isnt thrust in your face very often or so blatantly. It makes you think.

So...to recap. I can now cross staring at impending death in the face (I didnt blink) and run-starting a motorcycle off the bucket list. And considering the experience, maybe a lesser version of post-traumatic stress also. Wow, what a day.

The Death of Hip Hop?

Recent comments, with fam and on twitter*, has me currently reflecting on hip hop. There's been myriad blogs on the status of the culture of the hip hop world but the topic came up and I enjoyed the discussion. Hopefully, I can relay to you all what I thought was interesting.

First, I know I titled this death of hip hop but I dont believe its dead. I think its more in a coma. The cause of which being the lack of love now on display. Hip hop is an art. Art demands that it be nurtured with love and is often driven by hunger and passion. There is almost none of that in hip hop today. No love, just lust. No hunger or passion...just flash in the pan "artists" with zero content but a beat you can bob your head to. Remember when we used to hold artists to a certain standard? Lets think back to the Renaissance Era. Think Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo...people who originated the term Renaissance Man. Do you remember them for substandard meaningless works? No. They took their time at their chosen form of art and made sure what they produced had meaning and was a masterpiece. Let me extend that on a lighter level to how hip hop used to be. A simple example is 2pac and his numerous unfinished tracks. By no means was he a lyrical giant, but look at the time and love he put into his work. Who would you say matches that now? And that was just the 90s.

Allow me to build on 2pac as an example for a minute. 2pac also references back to a time when up and coming emcees had to EARN their time on a mic while coming up under established emcees. For those that dont know, 2pac came up under Digital Underground. Another of my favorite emcees, Redman came up under EPMD. Examples to lesser extents include Snoop coming up under Dre and Nas coming up under the likes of Main Source and MC Search. There was a time when you established your credibility to a certain extent BEFORE you were given your own album. That time has passed. 95% of current artists couldnt get a deal in the 90s. Fresh Prince was barely taken seriously and he would DOMINATE this rap world. These new emcees are shoved into the spotlight, hot for a summer, and then gone again. So who do we blame for that?

Unfair as it might be, I blame the South movement. With the exception of Outkast, and few others, the majority of rap from the South was/is completely DEVOID of content and reliant on a beat. The prominence of Master P showed that you didnt need rhyme skills or content to make a lot of money and since then thats all its been about. There was a time when if you didnt have lyrical content, you were wack...PERIOD. That is no more. Hell, sometimes we cant even understand what the rappers are saying. Might as well be reggae. I digress. Most of rap is like that Southern rap now. Diversity is severely lacking. There was a time when there were rappers that represented each region. Now who represents for the East & West? We rely on rappers that would be considered aging or just plain old. Jay-Z & Nas on the East. The West? Who...Snoop? Maybe Ice Cube?

Another thing that I think is hurting hip hop and maybe music in general is that there's no anticipation for it anymore. Everything is leaked early. There was a time when we'd go to a music store to listen to or purchase new music when it came out. Release dates were like events. I think this was a significant part of the experience of available new music and its lost. I guess the quality is so low now that release dates are trivial. I'm guessing eventually we'll even be able to watch streams of artists actually experimenting with, and recording, songs. Also, how many of us grew up watching Yo MTV Raps and/or Rap City? Now, I cant even tell you the last rap video I watched on purpose. We used to debate what songs those shows had listed and the order. Now...who cares really.

So how do we fix things? PERSONALLY, I think more attention needs to be paid to the artists that still perform real hip hop. I can name off a list of them but you know who they are. They were probably at some point featured on the Rock The Bells tour, to give you an example. I think those artists from before the rampant dilution of hip hop started, need to step in and save it. A lot of them are still around...performing to lesser fanfare than should be the case. We've spent this last decade watching our best rappers turn into actors and its left us with people who act like they can rap. I'm getting tired of watching hip hop languish away with assisted breathing tubes into a seemingly inevitable oblivion of nonsense and rampant buffoonery. Unearned rap sales & popularity has enabled uninspired mediocrity. Hip hop used to be "ill." Now it just makes me sick. Hopefully we dont reach the point where its just too late to save it altogether.

*special shout out to @Ron_Julio for inspiring the discussion