Monday, June 23, 2008

Miscellaneous Randomness - The June Edition!

Well folks it's been almost a month since I have regurgitated random thoughts on this blog, so here is some randomness for the month of June.





So, the weather is officially HOT now, which means that we ladies are having the feet out more. Now, thus far I have seen quite a few infractions...ladies, please oil, grease, moisturize or whatever you do to your feet before you pull them out all willy nilly. People of color do get ash, and thus when we show more skin, moisture is important. Go ahead, splurge, get that pedicure, you'll love it and so will your feet. For some, it is just plain necessary.





It is with sadness that I report the death of comedian, George Carlin. I really liked him, I always thought his incredible wit, penchant for finding humor in a ridiculous government, and his courage to attack the wrongs of this country were what made him brilliant.


I think I was about ten or eleven, the first time I watched his stand up. That was the first time I heard the term "N.I.M.B.Y." otherwise known as Not In My Backyard. Nimby was Carlin's way of telling people that we are all okay with righting the wrongs of society, as long as it's not in our backyards. Put the prisoners, juvenile delinquents, drug addicts, etc. in some far away place and we'll all be okay. He will be greatly missed.


BEEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Clearly this weekend was the weekend for all of those with beef with someone else to let it rip. First up....Ice T and Soulja Boy????????? What?


As you can hear in this clip, Ice T basically feels that Souljah Boy singlehandedly ruined hip hop. I might be willing to agree, but I can't give the tike that much credit. While his song had soccer moms learning the dance, it is my belief in three years he will be long forgotten, thus he can't be given credit for such a feat in this great genre. No, in fact, many lame MC's contributed to the fall of hip hop.




Now, folks before you get the popcorn, there is a zippy and unexpected twist to this drama. Yes, another player has entered this Act and it is none other than Kanye West. Now as much as I support this hometown guy, he is a bit nuts at times. This is DEFINITELY one of those times.


His comments on the matter, according to Mediatakeout.com:


"Soulja Boy is fresh as hell and is actually the true meaning of what hip hop is 'sposed to be. He came from the hood, made his own beats, made up a new saying, new sound and a new dance with one song. He had all of America rapping this summer. If that ain't Hip Hop then what is? A bunch of wannabe keep it real rappers that ain't even relevant, recycling samples trying to act like it's 96 again and all they do is hate on new sh*t? N*ggas always talk about the golden age but for a 13 year old kid, this is the golden age!!! That song was so dope cause everything he said had a hidden meaning... that's Nas level shit... he just put it over some steel drums which is also some Nas shit if you had the 2nd album cassette with the bonus track "Silent Murder" on it. In closing... new n*ggas get ya money$$$$$$$$$$ Keep this sh*t fresh and original.... ain't no f*ckin' rules to this sh*t and that's what real hip hop is to me. "


WTFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Is Kanye smoking that stuff? Is he sipping the yak? Comparing Soulja Boy to Nas is like comparing that hooker on Madison and Halsted to the Bunny Ranch. Two separate worlds. To make matters worse, he went even further, by stating on his blog that they have similar styles and music!!! First of all, when Nas first hit, he didn't even have a label, manager or promotion. They dropped him thinking his underground hip hop style would fall flat, instead of getting five mics from The Source and becoming an instant classic. Soulja Boy has one hit, and he has soccer moms doing his dance. Nas didn't inspire a new dance, he inspired a new way of thinking in hip hop. He inspired a consciousness in hip hop with a very real street edge. The two are NOTHING alike. It is just....wait, I need to breathe....it is just unthinkable that Kanye would compare the two and go even further by saying they are just alike! This is insulting as hell, and real heads would have to give him a virtual pimp slap for that grave infraction.


And for HIM to diss mixing samples, something he has made a career out of, is just preposterous! No, it's not '96, but Nas never has cared about everybody loving him or his music. He has always made the kind of music he wants to make. Soulja Boy isn't rapping with hidden meaning. He knew very well that white kids and their moms wouldn't know that "Superman that Hoe" was a porn term. This is complete and utter bullshyt for Kanye to even try and defend such garbage! Clearly they caught him at a high moment.


I digress....




In other BEEF, Shaquille "Overrated and Trying to Be A Cop" O'Neal is running his fat mouth again. Dissing Kobe in a rap he gave at a NY club, he disses him in a "Kobe couldn't do it without me" fashion regarding the Lakers losing to the Celtics in the Finals.


Okay, I need about 30 seconds...


WTFFFFFFFF! Shaq couldn't do it without Dwayne Wade! Let's face it, Shaq has gotten lucky in his career, in that he has always played alongside superstars. Everyone knows the year the Heat won, they were lucky as hell, and if it hadn't been for Wade, the Heat wouldn't have won a damn thing. Shaq was almost nonexistent in the Finals that year, he played not even half the season, and then got hurt going into the playoffs. In fact, it was all that extra playing and compensating that has kept Wade on the bench the past year and a half. As soon as Wade went down, the team had the worst record they've had in years, got swept by the Bulls in the playoffs one year, and just plain didn't make it the next. And this year, the Lakers beat the Suns, so what the hell is Shaq talking about? With Nash, Stoudemaire and Hill, Shaq couldn't get it done, and before he waddled into the desert, they were the favorite in the West.


Did he really say, Kobe made him get a divorce??? Wasn't that slip-up like four or five years ago? Was he really wearing a large chain that said BIG?? See, this is why Shaq has become a joke - he spends too much time on buffoonery in the off season, and less time trying to stay in shape, thus being relevant once the season starts. The funny thing is Kobe will get it without Shaq, and I wonder what Mr. Bigmouth will say then. UUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH!


KNOCKED UP!




So, in the past year, 17 girls at Gloucester High School have gotten pregnant. That's four times the amount the school normally has. Almost all of the girls are high school sophomores, and the Mayor of Gloucester claims that this is because Mayor Patrick Duvall has cut funding for many of the school's programs and the "No Child Left Behind," plan has failed.


All of the girls took Sexual Education in their freshman year, however, the school stopped the practice of passing out contraceptives, when they fired the school doctor for giving out contraception. However, several parents and school officials not only admit to seeing the girls celebrate and high five upon hearing that they've conceived, but some have been hearing about this alleged pact from their kids for months now.


Gloucester, MA is a small fishing town off Cape Ann. Most of the industry for the town comes from fishing, an industry that has taken a hit in this failing economy. Many families have been broken as a result, and many believe that the pact is a quest for unconditional love. Whatever the case, clearly there is a problem and it starts with communicating and then educating the girls at this school. Being a parent is hard, and a lot of work, I pray that they continue with their lives and follow their dreams. We have fallen on hard times, but there is still hope. I just hope they realize this!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Boston Massacre!



Put it in the record books folks, because the 2007-2008 NBA season is over! The Boston Celtics are the champions and they did it in dramatic fashion. Let me start from the beginning...






Kevin Garnett was just a young man with a dream when he ended up being the 5th pick in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves. I knew him well, the high school phenom from the West Side of Chicago, who made a big name for himself at Farragut Academy, (consequently my father's Alma mater). Yet, he came into the league and quickly became a man. He played hard from day one, he had the drive, discipline and focus of someone much older, and he carried the spirit of the old league.

The following year, the Timberwolves get the 5th pick yet again, and they draft a young star from UCONN named Ray Allen, who basically came into the league a superstar. Having been nationally known in college, appeared in the movie "Blue Chips," and carrying the swagger of a model, Allen was closely watched.

Two years later, a pure shooter from the University of Kansas was picked 10th in the 1998 draft and went straight to Beantown to try to recapture the glory of old.

Over the next decade all three players would struggle in the league and have successes. Garnett stayed much too long in Minnesota showing the world how loyal he was, but also displaying a player with too much talent and humility to leave a situation doomed to fail. Allen would bounce from team to team out west, always contributing but never quite being the right fit. Pierce would emerge as a beast behind the arc, he would team would other hopefuls who fell short, and then somehow fate brought all three of these warriors together.

Now, I will be the first to admit, that in the 80's I couldn't stand the Celtics. They represented the good ole boy team of the start of professional basketball. I was a huge Lakers fan, cheering on Magic, Worthy and Kareem. But today, both teams look dramatically different. After several world wind trades, rumors of trades, contract re-negotiations and perseverance, we received the rematch of the millennium. Lakers/Celtics has so much history, you could feel the nostalgia even with so many new faces. But let's be honest, even with Kobe being the best player in the league, and HE is, that's indisputable. You also had to question the team. Lakers were not the best team, they were just a team with the best player. Tonight, Boston answered loud and clear - they were the BEST TEAM!






My heart is full...I am not jumping on any bandwagon, but I am just plain happy for KG, Pierce and Allen. KG holds a special place in my heart because he has shown so much hard work, humility and perseverance and just flat out deserved it. They outplayed the Lakers pretty much the entire series. They set a record with the largest margin of victory in a Finals game by beating their '65 counterparts. In the end, they brought a massacre to the Boston Garden but completely shutting the Lakers out by 39 points, winning their 17th championship on June 17th, and leaving no doubt that they are indeed CHAMPIONS!

Friday, June 6, 2008

HIDING in Hip Hop!

Last weekend when I was at Borders, I happened upon this book entitled, "Hiding in Hip-Hop" by Terrence Dean. I read the forward and skimmed a few pages and it seems like a Karrine Steffans-esque book about DL brothas in the hip hop industry, except Dean doesn't specifically name names. Instead, he gives them another name, which I would guess probably somehow references in some way the actual person.

So SOHH.com interviewd Mr. Dean and a few well-known rappers in hip hop, and I have to say some of the comments were more unnerving than this book. Not trying to put a tutu on anyone, well at least not yet, but sometimes, it's how you say something or what you don't say that can tip people off.

See for yourself.

Windows Vista Can Kiss It...


So a little over a year ago, I went to Best Buy and purchased a brand new computer, and unfortunately for me, not one computer that was on sale had Windows XP, every single one had Vista, and that should have told me something right there.

So, I don't get to use my computer right away because I left to work on a trial for a month. When I get back, I'm in my new spot, my comp is hooked up and now I finally get to use this Vista program. Well immediately I notice that it is a bit slow, and too eager to do all of the things I want to do for me, which I can't stand.

Since then, I have found out that I can't get files, music, etc. off of my old comp because the program isn't compatible with Vista. I have DSL with AT&T, of which I don't even have my AT&T program downloaded onto my comp, because guess what, that's right, it's not compatible with Vista. My old games can't be loaded into my comp, because Vista is still giving everything the finger!!!!!

So, I am here just over a year later, and I want a different operating system. In fact, I am considering investing in a MAC, because I have had it. My computer takes forever to do everything. Downloading music, syncing my Ipod, it doesn't matter, Vista is literally chuckling at it. I am at the point where I would marry an IT guy that could actually somehow fix this without me having to go out and purchase an entirely new computer.

But wait it gets better. So, one day my computer decided to shut down on its own. When I rebooted it, it gave me this cryptic message about files being contaminated, blah blah blah, bullshyt, bullshyt, bullshyt, and so I had enough. I call Microsoft customer service, and I (of course) end up on the phone with Habib from India. After an HOUR on the phone listening to Habib read the proverbial script he's been given, I get thrown to what sounded like three people from three different countries. I put my phone on speaker, sipped a glass of wine to calm my nerves and by the time the calls landed back to the U.S., Katie from Minnesota I suppose finally gets my comp back up and running.

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

So, in the words of Della Reese in the movie Harlem Nights...Microsoft and their crappy Vista operating system can kiss my ENTIRE ASS!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

The Hotness - Jazmine Sullivan!

I am in the car a few weeks back and I hear this joint on the radio and I turned it waaaaayyy up. Why? Because the voice was so darn good! Now, for those who know me, they know I can't stand regular/free radio. That endless cyclical format of the same garbage doesn't agree with me, so I usually bang cds in my car.

The voice is Ms. Jazmine Sullivan, she sounds like a cross between Sarah Vaughn and Lauryn Hill, which is pretty much amazing in this day in age. Jaz who once sang on Showtime at the Apollo Kids at the age of 11 and brought the house down with "Accept What God Allows", is now about to drop her debut album. The first single "I Need You Bad," a reggae/soul influenced track produced by Missy Elliott is blazing the airwaves and I see nothing but great things for this Philly songstress.

Check her out!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Looking Boy Remix!

In honor of Kells, who looks like he is on a one-way express train to the Cook County jail looking boy...couldn't help it. But this is the remix to the Hot Sylez and Young Joc joint featuring Kells, and I must say Kells brought it. This remix is just as funny and innovative as the original. Check it out!



Did he really say, "stripper with a bullet wound lookin girl..." LMAOOOOOOOOO! Kells is stupid!