Merry Christmas, DMX

  If anything deserves to be turned into an album, this does.  I would pay between $10-$25 for 15 tracks & videos of DMX performing impromptu Christmas carols just like this. If you aren't excited for Christmas after watching this...you don't know joy

Rapid Fire: LeBron, Anti-Viral, & More

  Greetings, many moons have passed since my last update...what can I say, life happens.  The details don't matter nearly as much as the fact that you are, in deed, reading words that I've written with the express intent of you reading once again (You're Welcome).  I've had a few ideas for posts, but my desire to sit down and flesh them out would wane (Side note, I'd like to send a personal FUCK YOU to Bing & their "safe results" search filter.  I searched "wane" to ensure that I was spelling it correct and accidentally hit the image search to be greeted by a DVD cover of a porno. Yes, I'm aware that my first mistake was to use Bing in the first place, but I was being lazy...but enough about me, thanks for being useless, Bing).  So, I'm going to touch on a few things real quick and see how this goes.  You never know, I might revisit some of these again in more detail at some point.

  LeBron James: Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown



Milton Un for Grantland.com



  It seems that getting the championship monkey off of his back has cleansed LeBron of most of the vitriol that came with The Decision debacle & has allowed him to get a lot more of the respect that he deserves.  However, it seems that now he's being held to a higher standard outside of the arena.  The Urban League has bashed Nike & LeBron for selling a version of his latest shoes for $315.  Their complaint is that the price is too damn high (paraphrasing) & that it will lead to more shoe robberies. 

Stuck In A Moment

  A sense of finality was found, but closer wasn't.  This led my subconscious to revisit things more than I would have chosen.  Trying to tie up loose ends, my mind continued to process the past to make better sense of things through random thoughts, memories, and dreams.  The conscious mind is a hostage to the subconscious when there is something that it's fixated on.  The only thing I could do was give my mind new problems to solve.  This quieted the voices from the past.

  Without provocation, my mind returned to this unresolved issue in a dream last night.  It started by putting me in a position that has caused conflict, however, there was no conflict to be found.  It took this positive note and followed it with a major leap, regressing things to a more amicable state. 

  At this point in the dream, I because aware that it was a dream.  You know that state where you are still dreaming, yet you can sometimes make choices & wake yourself up at will.  With this new found level of choice, I let the dream continue to play out.  I was questioned if this new amicable state was what I was looking for (more or less) & I responded.  My response was not what my subconscious expected. 

New Sound: Ripple Cut 2: Daze Classic

Ripple Cut 2: Daze Classic by Steve.Be.

  Well, well, well. After 9 months in the oven, Steve Be has birthed the next installment in his Ripple Cut MixEP series entittled Daze Classic .  Steve raises the bar this go round, as he glides over some well crafted original production & one throwback sample for the title track (He's been sitting on that sample since 2004 & finally created something that fits it.  That's patience). For those keeping score at home, I DO NOT get a shout out & I am still endorsing it. 

Rant: Internet Simping

  The Internet is a strange place.  Where else can you buy plane tickets, research epilepsy in dogs, & find porn all with the same tool???  The E-co system (see what I did there?) encourages behavior that can be seen as lame in real life.  I'm just trying to figure it all out.  Below are some examples with my opinion of it, let me know what your thoughts are in the comments...or not (reverse psychology).

  
The Mass Complimenter 
  The "You Catch More Flies With Honey" Technique.  This person likes hundreds of pictures and posts daily of people they find attractive.  Chances are, if you go through a pretty girl's photo album on Facebook or Instagram (same difference) you will see the same people like and/or compliment the majority of her pictures.  The real life equivalent to this is complimenting someone about their outfit everyday.  Sure, it would be nice at first, but after a week of getting "you look great", "damn, gorgeous", or "You're so fine, I'd pay money to slow dance with your ugly sister" (or whatever these people say) you'd start to look at them funny.

Fact

Hunger Games Stays True & Racists Rage

  We (mostly minorities and some whites) know that racism still exists.  Granted, it's been a few years since I've been called a nigger in the streets, it's still around below the surface.  Hollywood has been aware of this for decades and has continued to market movies towards the white majority in order to maximize profits (racist motivations take a slight back seat to profit).

  The Hunger Games has a huge fan base around the country stemming from the success of the novel.  Safe to say the majority of the fans that went to see the movie adaptation read or have some familiarity with the book.  Funny thing is, they don't all remember some of the characters the same way the book described them. 

  Check out this blog for some examples of how seeing black actors representing beloved characters made some fans angry. 

http://jezebel.com/5896408/racist-hunger-games-fans-dont-care-how-much-money-the-movie-made

Extra Thought: Overused Memes that are Overused

  First and foremost, I tend to lose interest in something when it is overdone.  I love internet memes as much as the next left-footed, organ donor. However, I get tired of it when it gets stagnant or just isn't good.  That being said, I easily get annoyed when the latest meme starts to flood my news feed or timeline, all making the same joke in a slightly more lame way than the last.

Example #1





Example #2

  Those two became annoying almost immediately as everyone put their own twist on it, making it relevant to them and funny to few, and annoying to most.

Extra Thought: How is Culture Created?

  **Ok, I'm going to address the fact that it has felt like an eternity since my last post...because it has been.  Yeah, I didn't post anything, big whoop, wanna fight about it?!?!  I've been focusing on some other aspects of life lately, not that I couldn't have updated the blog...I just didn't.  So, that's my unapologetic way of apologizing, you're welcome** 

  Culture is not something that is as black and white as we make it seem.  If we look at a certain country, we'll say from a high level that 'this' is their culture, when in actuality, that's just what we know of it.  Depending on what region of the country the source was in to make those claims, the perceived culture could be drastically different.  Let's look at good ole Uh'Merica for a second. At a high level, our culture is that of excess, selfishness, blind nationalism, and ignorance of other parts of the world.  In general, most of this is accurate.  However, region by region the culture will shift and feel completely different.  From southern hospitality to the "get out of my way" aspect of the north east, cultures become unique as they are adapted & interpreted by those living it. 

  I'm curious about how these shared traits and values started though.  I'm not going to touch any of the actual sociology behind this (because I haven't studied it) but the way I see it, people will emulate others if they respect them.  Why do people follow & emulate celebrities?  Why does all it take for a new product to succeed is having the right spokesmen?  People see a lifestyle that they want and will do what they think it takes to emulate it so they can have that lifestyle themselves.  

Diddy Told Me To Drink Ciroc...So, I Drink Ciroc

The Dating BCS: Strength of Schedule

  As flawed and subjective as the system is, the college football Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and the dating game have a few similarities. Teams are ranked based on program strength, quality wins, and strength of Schedule amongst others. similarly, people in the dating game are evaluated on similar tenants of perceived quality, dating accomplishments, and strength of those dated in the past. As we want to be seen as a highly valued bachelor/bachelorette, we should understand that it is very qualitative in nature. With that said, its funny to me how some people seem to spend a lot of time hurting their rank by diminishing their strength of schedule.

Lauren, Pre-Weezy F's Baby

  For those that do it naturally by dating people that add little value to their line up of accomplishments or quality of ex's, they are getting what they deserve when their perceived quality goes down (Prime examples; Hoops' value plummeted when she kissed Flavor Flav.  Lauren London's did as well when she let Lil' Wayne knock her up).  This is the market correcting itself, as these people who make bad decisions are being devalued.  Not saying that they are no longer desirable...just tarnished. To keep with the BCS example, a team will drop in the rankings if they have a cupcake schedule and don't destroy the weaker teams.  It shows that they aren't what we thought they were.

Extra Thought: Back-Stabbers

  I've become a fan of Fabolous over the past few years. He's grown as an artist and has started putting out a lot of music that I can get behind.  This growth is shown on his Soul Tape mixtape, as he took a page out of Joe Budden's book and added a lot of real life into the songs.  There were many stand out lines on that mixtape, however, one in particular stood out the most:

"...to know a back-stabber, gotta turn your back to em'"

Support Quality

New Sound: Ripple Cut 1: Assorted Indulgence

Ripple Cut 1: Assorted Indulgence by Steve.Be.

  Well, well, well...If it isn't my boy Steve Be., dropping his first solo mixtape, Ripple Cut 1: Assorted Indulgence.  Steve & I go way back to rapping in the dorms at VT together.  I always put pen to paper, but Steve was the motivation to verbalize the analogies, and that's something I will always appreciate him for.  Fast forward a few years, I revisit the mic as a hobby when (rarely) inspired and Steve Be. is continuing his dream of making a living out of it. He's currently doing the local circuit in the 757 (Va Beach to be specific), but it's only a matter of time before his reach broadens.

5 Tips To Go From Good To Great

*Disclaimer: My advice is to be applied at your own risk. Upon the conclusion of you reading this sentence, I will assume credit for all of your life's successes & accomplishments only, both past and future.*

  Good is cool, but great is better.  Why not be great?  Well, some people just can't without a little help from their friendly neighborhood ass hole (that's me).  So, I'd like to give you some general advice to help improve things in your meager, down-trodden life...ok, that's probably more the exception than the rule, but I know somebody fits that description.  I do, however, see those that patronize this blog being the social elite in their collective circles, not following random trends because it's popular, looking for more substance than relying on style, drinking their red flavored Kool Aid from a champagne flute...you know, as I am & do.  Still, a word to the wise never hurt anybody, since the wise know what to ignore.

New Sound: Shady 2.0 Cypher

No explanation needed

New Sound: A Sucker For Pumps

  If you're looking for some new music to kick off the fall, here's a new option for you:  TiRon & Ayomari.  I was introduced to this album by an eclectic, brutiful, Brazillian bombshell. Give it a spin below and see what you think

Debate: I'm Just Saying, You Can Do Better

  This year has seen a lot of relationship milestones for my friends. 3 weddings, anniversaries, new relationships, exiting old relationships, etc. My close friends & I sometimes discuss our relationships (or casual situations) and give opinions/advice/motivation where applicable.  One thing that I will not do, however, is say that someone can do better based on my opinion of their significant other.  That lead me to ask the question:

Is it ever truly appropriate to tell someone they can do better?

How Long Before TI Returns to Jail? **Updated: 9/6/11**

***Update: I'd like to congratulate the winner, Royce Anthony (@Tree_Phiddy)! When asked how he knew when TI would return to jail (within 24 hours) he replied "the key was to not underestimate a hood nigga's stupidity."***


  Call me negative...but I don't think this is the last time TI will be in jail.  Listening to the things he says (usually after being arrested) sound like he knows right from wrong...but will do what he feels is necessary.  So, without touching on the morality/legality of his personal choices, let's skip to the fun part and predict when he'll be arrested again!

Courtesy of TMZ

One Carry-On Only Please: Too Much Baggage Will Cost You My Attention

courtesy of http://www.expats-moving-and-relocation-guide.com

  Baggage.  For those that don't know, emotional baggage is the term used for the idiosyncrasies we develop from our past relationships.  Everybody has them, but everybody carries them differently.  A show-stopper with one person could be a minor annoyance with another.  So I'm thinking that the airlines have the right idea on how much baggage to allow in your 757 of love jet-fueled relationShip mile-high club of monogamy ...relationships (Puns aren't easy, get off my back).

 

This blog does not condone or endorse inexplicably large head wraps. Via YouTube

Do You Know What Today Is??? It's Our Anniversary

*Throws confetti*

  It's been 1 year since I began this collection of randomness and ideological babble.  Whether you've been reading from day 1 or just stumbled across this recently, I'd like to thank you for reading and hope you have and will continue to enjoy my madness.

Rant: Infatuation

*** This following was tweeted at 1:30am outside of a strip club ***

Physical infatuation is only as deep as the pretty brown skin that creates it
Teasing and tempting me to touch & taste the tips of the tempest temptress until she trembles
When I'm in the moment, it feels like forever. I have no past, no future...she's my present and I'm trying to maximize my time in it

Rant: The Honesty in Infamy

***Disclaimer***

This rant was written at 12:30pm in a hotel room. As always, take it for what it's worth

  In college, I was known but I never considered myself to be popular. I feel like this is still the case today, and I'm happy about that.

  I remember saying to my friends at the beginning of our sophomore year that I didn't want to make any new friends this year. That may sound weird, but I had a reason for that.  Freshman year was all about "New" (Aside from my friends from high school, shout out to Stan & Maurice). New place, new classes, new routine, new people, new friends, & new enemies (Naturally, I found my fair share of those).  It was like a challenge to see how broad and large you could grow your network. It didn't really matter how many of these connections were meaningful, it was just a part of learning the lay of the land.  I got tired of that process.