Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Poetic Heart: Who Are You (2011 Poem)


As I listened to Nas' song "Who Are You" I wrote this. It's a poem, but it could also be perceived as my verse in the song. Check out the poem "Who Are You?" below. 

Who Are You? (2011 Poem)

Who are you 
Trying to tell me what I not
Heard you got your masters degree
Went on 10 interviews 
They all wanted you
Chased you down
Dragged you into their offices
Showed you around
Didn’t have to start at the bottom
You became an executive
Determined to never be anyone’s assistant
No ghetto dreams
In your future only rich people schemes
But who are you 
Trying to tell me who I am
We both started out as seeds
Watered with knowledge
Grew up in the same environment
Went to the same kind of college
Learned about the black struggle
The black president
Also known as the Janitor
The clean-up man
How there will always be white power
At the end of the day the white man chills
Complains others beg for too much change
Now we’re both trying to make it in the white world
And you feel like instead of me they chose you
But who are you
Trying to direct my path
It’s the path least walked on
My struggles nobody
Not even you knows
My dream 
You can’t perfectly perceive
So who are you
You’re at a bitter young age
One day your mind will be changed
Your thinking won’t be the same
That job you’re at will be lame
So at the end of the day 
Your success and my struggles are the same
So who are you 
Trying to tell me what I can be


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Lyricist Lounge: Nas Who Are You

It's one of those moments. I need to write, but nothing will come to mind. Whenever I get into these moods, I search for inspirational music. The latest is a song called "Who Are You," by Nas.

"Who Are You" came out earlier this year and has somehow hit over 100 million views on youtube without me hearing it first. If you haven't listened to it, check the song out below.

Pet Peeve: The Fading Pet Peeve (People Watching You Eat)

I ate those alone recently. 
Food is an essential need. It provides the nutrition we need to live. All food provides some kind of nutrition, which means it's okay for us to eat the way we want. Some of us eat everything (and by everything I meant everything). Some us are very picky eaters. Some of us don't care who we eat around, how much we eat, or where we're eating it. Others, like myself, love to eat in privacy which brings me to a fading pet peeve of mine.

It's the pet peeve of people watching your every bite. Ugh, it still frustrates me a little.

There used to be this saying "Don't watch me watch tv." I forget exactly where it comes from, but I've always felt this way about food. When it comes to food, there's something extraordinarily wrong with someone watching you take every single bite of the food on your plate. What possesses a person to watch you that closely? Do they want to try your food, but are too afraid to ask? Are they mad because you're wasting food while the children of Africa are starving? All the commercials say the African children have no nutrition. Or could it be they just like to watch you eat? I don't know what it is, but it annoys me.

It annoys me so much that a while ago I developed this crazy habit. That habit involved sneaking and eating late at night. Well, it wasn't all about sneaking. Most of the time I just became hungry really late at night. However, it was a beautiful experience because no one was watching how many bites of a chicken I took. No one was seeing how many of the pancakes I was going to eat. No one was there to watch me stuff my face with popcorn, chips, crackers, cookies, etc. The experience was ruined the day my dad let me know that I didn't have to sneak and eat food. I didn't know they could hear me.

Anyway, I've had a history of people watching every single bite of food I took and it annoyed me, but the pet peeve is starting to fade. In the struggle to star status I now understand these moments are unavoidable. If you don't believe me ask Beyonce how it feels to be pregnant. She just announced that shit two days ago and people are treating her as if she could give birth any day now.

Point is I'm getting over it, but please don't take this as a invite to stare into my mouth or the mouth of any other future stars.


Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Face Of 30: Meagan Good Covers Rolling Out Magazine

Meagan Good talks about turning 30, being healthy, happy, and continuing her party ways in the latest edition of Rolling Out Magazine.

"I think the main thing is that I'm definitely a party animal. I love to go out, and have a great time. And I don't feel like there's anything wrong with that whatsoever, I just have to make sure that I practice healthy habits when I do go out. I do like to drink, but for me it's about making sure I stay in the pocket of what's appropriate."-- Meagan Good


 I've also focused on quitting smoking, working out more, and just living a healthier lifestyle. Outside of that, I'm pretty happy about everything else. I just want to improve my position and make better opportunities for girls coming behind me, and make sure that I stay in the pocket of what I need to be doing, so I can help young girls in juvenile jails and foster homes."-- Meagan Good

Do you think 30 is the age where it all starts to make sense? If you've discovered happiness and found a way to balance everything you enjoy, at what age did it happen? I'm taking notes from Ms. Good, because enjoying yourself and your life really is  the goal.


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Lyricist Lounge: Hear My Call by Jill Scott

Of all the songs on Jill Scott's "Light of The Sun" c.d., my favorite is "Hear My Call."

"Hear My Call" is the second single Jill Scott is releasing from the c.d. and she has also made a very special video to go along with it. Check out the video below.

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, The Movie: What's Your Fear?

This weekend is a big weekend for many horror movie lovers because "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" has finally arrived in theaters.

What's your fear and what were you afraid of as a child? At early ages most children are fearless. They gravitate toward anything and everything. A baby will try to touch a wall socket out of curiosity. A child will smile and talk to strangers because they don't see, know, or care about the possible danger. A child will play with a dog or cat because they don't know of any harmful acts that might involve the pet.

My very first babysitter in Houston owned cats. I was six at the time and was not afraid of the cats. I'd pick them up, play with them, and watch them just because I could. However, after a while something changed. A cat may have scratched me, attacked me, looked at me the wrong way, or maybe I read some tall tale about the dangers of cats. I'm not sure what it was, but that fear developed. After that fear arose cats were my worst enemy. Tears would stream from my eyes if I had to be around one for a lengthy period. Since then many other fears have developed, but one that I never had was a fear of the dark.

 "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" is about a little girl, Sally, who is forced to live with her dad and step mom in a mansion. The dad is a real estate broker whose career is dependent on the re-glorification of the mansion. While in the mansion Sally starts hearing voices. At first these voices are friendly, but then they become mean after they reveal what they really want. Instead of friendship, they want her life. The only weapon Sally has against these voices (which soon turn into creatures) is the light, so she develops a fear of the dark. It was that simple.

One minute Sally was sneaking into dark rooms and the next minute she was eating, sleeping, and breathing light because the darkness was dangerous to her. Fears are powerful tools that can develop in an instant. Sometimes they are good for you and sometimes they are detrimental to you well being. So what are some of your fears that you didn't have when you were younger? What fears did you have as a child, but stopped having? How do these fears help or hinder you?

(Side Note: Don't Be Afraid of The Dark reminded me of Gremlins, Critters, and Poltergeist with a few interruptions of advertisements from The Animal Planet. The movie also gave you a sense of the beauty of art and how unrealistic it came seem, even when it's mirroring real life.)

While you're pondering on your fears, I'm not going to tell you whether you should see "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" or not. You can decide for yourself.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Hard White (Up In The Club)- Yelawolf Ft. Lil Jon

"After me there'll only be wanna-be's and mostly ain't gonna-be's"

It's Friday, the weekend has began, and the first song I heard when I got in my car was Yelawolf's "Hard White (Up In The Club)" featuring Lil Jon.

"Hard White" is Yelawolf's Ghetto Visions/Shady Records debut. It's produced by The Hydrox. You can't deny that this song is hot. If you haven't heard it yet, check it out below.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Star Status Mugshots: Khia Gets Arrested For The 20th Time

Khia Looks Good In Jail
Some women look for success in the kitchen of their cozy home, some look for it in the success of their children, some look for it at the top of a corporation, and some women look for it in the amount of times they can be arrested.

Khia, famous rapper, is one of those women that finds success in breaking the law. Recently she broke the law by trying to hide her vehicle from the repo man. Apparently when you don't pay your bill you can't keep the vehicle that gave you a little thrill. These crime led Khia to her 20th arrest and 20th mugshot. 

Yeah, 20 mugshots. That's why she's smiling so hard. Check out a collection of Khia's other mugshots below. 


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

We're Just Talking (Online Television)

Earlier this month a new hot show hit the internet. It's called "We're Just Talking."

"We're Just Talking" is an online sitcom that tries to capture the essence of the black family shows we all grew up on and modernize them. The show highlights the experience several students have at a historically black universally. No matter where you went to school you'll be entertained. Check out the first episode below.

We're Just Talking- Moving In

Lauryn Hill Reminisces On The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

No one knows  how to sing a song about life, love, and the moment they're living in better than Lauryn Hill. That is exactly what happened in 1998 when Ms. Hill released her classic album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." Now more than a decade later Ms. Hill is speaking on an album many people can still listen and relate to. 

Check out Lauryn Hill's recent interview with Reebok Classics. She is a pretty woman. 

For This I Love You (2011Poem)

I hadn't written a poem in a couple of weeks, so it was time for something new. Here's some new food for thought. Remember I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit, but you can judge as much as you want.


For This I Love You (2011 Poem)

I love you
Because you know how to please me
It’s amazing how you knock me off my feet
Every time you come around me I get weak
At your weakest point they attack you
Tell you you’re not good enough
Say you’ll never accomplish those goals
They’re too hard and it takes too long
Where’s the money in it?
Find something worthwhile
Getting educated
K- high school
Too many college degrees
Running from job to job
Somewhere at one of them is the American dream
Lots of money
A fine man
A nice big house
And enough room for the kids to run wild
But at my weakest point it’s hard for me to believe
Someone once said the education means nothing
Getting the jobs is only a requirement
Moving out and being on your own is supposed to happen
Achievement is only a dream
All you’re chasing is a harsh reality
A reality filled with endless hope and bitter people
But I love you

Because sometimes you make my reality feel good
Remind me that this isn’t the hood
We’re not rich yet
But we’re far from asking for money
Far from begging for change
Waiting on others to get rid of some of our pain
The hot days and cold, lonely nights still hurt
But the healing process has began

And for that I love you
You’re teaching me to enjoy myself
Good food makes you forget the homies
And good movies erase the loneliness
The beauty of the park makes you smile
Spending your own money at the mall makes it all worthwhile

I love you
Because you know how to please me
It’s amazing how you knock me off my feet
Every time you come around me I get weak
But at your weakest point they attack you
Even after the accomplishments you’re nothing to them
The one that doesn’t do the dishes enough
Rather sleep in than get up for church
She’s a heathen cause she’s not in bed by midnight
The (supposed) friend that’s not pretty enough
She’ll never get a man cause she don’t listen
The girl with the distorted reality
They’re not happy so they have to drag you down with them
Then remind you
Every man for himself and every woman behind some man
But I love you

You know how to please me
Continue to find a new way to knock me off my feet
But what you missed is the new reality you created
The mean angry independent rich black woman
Rich with passion cause she’s not giving up
Independent cause she realized she didn’t need anyone
Angry cause you, you, and you pushed her away
Mean cause she’s giving back all the energy you taught her
But still I love you

It’s amazing how you managed to knock me off my feet
Made me weak
When you’re at your weakest they attack
You, you, and you all attacked
Do you like what you see?
I am the woman you created
And for that I love you.


Monday, August 22, 2011

Throwback: Slow Jams by Babyface and Tamia

It's been a couple weeks since I worked on the poetry, so I'm working on creating new poems. In the mean time, check out a throwback we all love. It's Babyface and Tamia with "Slow Jams."

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sunday Reflections: Always Remember You Deserve It (Treating Yourself)

Always Remember You Deserve It 

In several of Kanye West and Jay-Z's songs from their album "Watch The Throne" they talk about how far they've come. Well, Jay-Z has a line that says "I'm planking on a million" in the song "Gotta Have It." It's just one line, but it speaks volumes about Jay-Z's career.

First of all the line recognizes Jay-Z as a fun person. Planking is a game that became popular in the United States a few months ago. This game involves a person laying down in a position as if they are dead. While the game may seem crazy to some people, others find it hilarious and fun. Jay-Z happens to be one of those people that love it.

The line also says that Jay-Z is so rich he can relax and have fun with his money. According to Forbes Magazine, Jay-Z is currently worth $450 million. This means if Jay-Z decided to play with $1 million he'd still have $449 million in the bank. Because Jay-Z has worked so hard planking on a million dollars would mean nothing to him. It would be all fun and would not have any impact on his bank account at all. He would deserve to plank on that million dollars.

Okay, just because Jay-Z can play around with more money than many of us will ever see in our lifetime, doesn't mean you can't relate. No matter what it is that you're trying to do, you deserve it.

If you've been working hard for the last five years with no vacation time used, you deserve a break. If you worked your way through college, graduated, and then found it hard to move from your little job to bigger money, it's okay. You deserve to take a vacation and rejoice in your accomplishments. If you used to sell drugs like Jay-Z, then moved up to a legal job, but you're not worth $450 million it's okay. Take a break anyway and rejoice in living a good life where the cops are not watching your every move. Even if you're in the projects living a hood rich lifestyle, don't feel ashamed. Smile because you deserve to have the best and feel happy in your environment.

What do I deserve? Well, I deserve a trip to Los Angelos, California and it will be happening soon. It's the biggest birthday present to date that I'm giving myself and I deserve it. I always have to remind myself that I deserve anything special and you should remind yourself too.

Always remember you deserve it.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Writer's Block- Eminem and Royce Da 5'9

Lately I've been slacking on the music posts, but that's about to change. Everyday I listen to this radio station called Shade 45 and I hear some awesome songs. One that I've fell  in love with is "Writer's Block," a song by Eminem and Royce Da 5'9.

Some actually said Eminem's music is not the same anymore. Well, they went as far as to call his music garbage. Well, I'm not hearing that garbage. Instead, all I hear is excellent lyric's that shows Eminem's grown. Check out "Writer's Block" below.


This song is very relate-able, except I'm trying to decide on niggas.

From Hood Rich To Over $100 Million Dollars (The Evolution Of Money In The Black Community)

There's a myth that all black people do is spend their money on crazy unnecessary valuables. There's a myth that every black person lives from paycheck to paycheck. Half of the people, according to the myth, can't even pay their own rent, nothing is in their name because of bad credit, and the list goes on. Even if the myths were true at one point in time, it is definitely a lie now. The life of the hood rich niggas being the majority is over.


According to Urban Dictionary the definition of hood rich is someone who spends a lot of money that they don't even have and they live off of their parents. Back in the 90's The Big Tymerz, a rap group consisting of Baby and Mannie Fresh of Cash Money Millionaires label, made a song about being hood rich. The song was hot at the time because it described the lifestyle of many celebrities who went from being broke to not knowing what to do with their millions, except spend all of it.

Some examples of  black celebrities that lived the hood rich lifestyle before the 21st century are TLC, Toni Braxton, MC Hammer, George Clinton, Gary Coleman, and Latoya Jackson. Latoya Jackson filed bankruptcy in 1995. Gary Coleman filed bankruptcy in 1999 and used long term medical conditions and money mismanagement as his excuses. George Clinton filed bankruptcy in 1984 and as a result cannot make money of off songs he's wrote in the 10 years before that. M. C. Hammer filed bankruptcy in 1995 because he was being sued and he could no longer afford his lavish lifestyle. When Toni Braxton filed for bankruptcy in 1997 she was in debt by $3.9 million. TLC also had a debt of over $3 million when they filed for bankruptcy in 1995.

What all of these people had in common was quick money. They received money just for appearing on scenes, so it was just as easy to spend that money on lavish things. That's what being hood rich is all about. However, sometime between the early 21st century and now the hood rich lifestyle died. Instead of spending money as quickly as they got it, African Americans learned to save.

The hood rich lifestyle no longer exists. It's now about at least $100 million being in a black person's bank. If an African American does haven't $100 million or even a $1000 they're saving to get to that point. You probably think this is crazy. You're probably naming off your list of friends and people you associate with that are still living hood rich. They live at their parent's house, spend their money on frivolous things, and have no real goals. I agree with you. They are living hood rich, but there are more successful blacks and (future successful blacks) that are proving the myths wrong.

An example is the Forbes 2011 pick of future billionaires. Five black men made the cut and they were all rappers. Those names are:

P. Diddy ($475 Million)
50 Cent ($100 Million)
Jay-Z ($450 Million)
Dr. Dre ($300 Million)
Birdman ($100 Million)

Remember when Birdman made that song called "Still Fly" and rapped about being hood rich? That's no longer a lifestyle he can talk about. Remember when no one would sign 50 Cent because of his hood ways? I believe 50 Cent abandoned the hood rich lifestyle around the time he got the $50 million contract from Vitamin water. Do you remember when Jay-Z was a drug dealer hustling on the street corner? Only he remembers that lifestyle. Hood rich isn't even a word in Jay-Z's vocabulary. P. Diddy, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z have definitely put their earnings over everything else, but now they can all sincerely say they've made it. Wait, Jay-Z is expressing how he made it. 
This was just a short analysis of how African Americans are coming up. Let's drop the myth that we spend more than we make, because clearly more blacks are learning to make more than they spend. These were just my examples. Can you think of prominent African Americans that abandoned the hood rich lifestyle for real money? Are you that prominent African American that's making more than you spend? 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Look Like You Give A Damn (Nivea Ad Speaks To Black Men)

"Look Like You Give A Damn"
At least it's wasn't a man with dreads.
Football season is back and the body-advertising brand Nivea is taking advantage of it. In their new ad Nivea tells black men to get rid their their afro's and beards. Apparently someone doesn't find beards and afro's attractive on black men.

While it's all about the shaving cream, someone should have rethought this ad. the natural hair mafia is almost as big and scary as the gay mafia. But then again, is it so bad? Does this ad make you want to tell a black man to shave and get a haircut?

I actually find the clean shaved man sexy. The head in his hand looks like it could be my granddad though (not so hot in my streets). 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Triflin Friends- Generation Why? (Online Television Show)

Demar Richardson
Writer, Producer, And Original Series Creator

There's nothing better than coming across fresh new talent and that is exactly what can be found in "Triflin Friends- Generation Why."


"Triflin Friends- Generation Why" is a new comedy series that can be found on youtube. This show stars three friends that are always finding ways to get on each other's nerves, but at the end of the day they're still friends. The show was written, produced, created by Demar Richardson. Now that's talent.

Check out one of the episodes of "Triflin Friends" below.
     




A few months ago everyone started falling in love with "Misadventures Of Awkward Black Girl," an online show that expresses how everyone is awkward. It is created and written by Issa Rae, but there's also room for more talent. Stay tuned for more great online shows that keep you entertained.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Pet Peeve: Did You Write This?

The other day I was over my cousin's house and she asked if I'd written anything new. I'd already told her about my poetry experience last week, so I decided to let her read my poem I'd written. The poem is called "Going Hard" and Jay-Z and Kanye West helped inspire it. She quietly read the poem, which is posted on here, and afterwards told me it was real good. But then she asked the stupidest question. That question was.....

"Did you write this?"

Now why in the Hell would she ask that? If someone wants you to read something they wrote, why would you ask such a stupid question? I'm so lost on this one. She wanted to read it and afterwards said she liked it. Plus this was not her first time reading something of mines. She's visited my blog before and asked if I write everything on it. In fact, I've been asked a million times by people if I write a lot of the stuff that I actually come up with. Now why the Hell would they want to ask that?

The question is not just stupid. It's also disrespectful. When a person asks that question to a writer, they are also stating several things.

You're A Liar
One of those is they don't believe you. They think you're lying about your talents. The poem, letter, or article is too good for you to have written. What would you know about love, sex, politics, work, struggling, etc.? You can create ten more articles or poems in front of them and they still won't believe you. They find your work great, but they find you talentless.

You're Invisible
No matter what you do or how good you are, people will never think you are good enough. When you do show you're good enough, they'll only care for a second. A second? They only notice you for a second and then you become invisible again. It's similar to unknown talented rappers. They get boo'ed for coming out with whack shit. However, if Lil Wayne did that same whack shit he gets lots of love. He's already known, so he matters. You're unknown so your talent doesn't really matter to them, except for a split second. I guess it's kind of like a Jennifer Hudson album.

You're Not Good Enough
"Did You Write This" could also mean you're not good enough. It says "Damn, that girl spent her time just to put that together. She needs to work harder, but I'm not gonna to let her know." This is where that whole haters being motivators comes in. They truly do make you work harder at your craft, but at the same time that saying "Did you write this" still pisses you the hell  off."

Or maybe I should just say it pisses me the hell off. I don't know why people do it. I don't know why people continually repeat that damn question, but they need to stop. "Did you write this?"

If I say "Read what I wrote" then Hell Yeah I wrote it. It's not Rocket science or even algebra. It's simple listening skills.


Monday, August 15, 2011

Mean Girls Win: Tami Roman Covers Rolling Out Magazine


In my August 14th post about the movie "The Help" I talked about how society loves mean girls. They cheered for Minnie in "The Help, they continually keep NeNe Leakes employed just so they can see her yell, and everyone loves to see Tami Roman yell and hit some girl  in the face. Actually most people love Tami Roman because she's the only one on Basketball Wives that would rather throw fists than water.

Recently America's favorite mean girl Tami Roman received some more attention for covering the latest issue of Rolling Out Magazine. One of the pictures is shown above. Read the interview here

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sunday Reflections: Messages From The Help

This week a popular movie called The Help hit the scene. This movie was very special because it was originally a book in which maids revealed their experiences. As the movie was promoted critics quickly started talking.

One critic focused on how the movie was very unnecessary. Their focus was about how it was just another example of a white person saved some black people from their harsh lifestyle. There criticism made some strong points, but after watching the movie I found all of their comments irrelevant. I even found the sob stories people told about watching the movie irrelevant. Instead of some civil rights story about black people moving up or even some story about a white woman saving the day, I viewed the movie totally differently.

The first thing I pulled out of the movie was writers really are underestimated. Throughout the whole movie the writer in the movie was disrespected by her so-called friends and thrown unimportant demands. However, she didn't leave people with this childish attitude. Instead she used the power of writing and retaliated hard.

Another thing I pulled out of the movie was people really do like the NeNe's and Tami's of the entertainment industry. NeNe Leakes is one of the stars of Real Housewives of Atlanta. She's known for being mean, funny, and at times caring. While her actions can be seen as childish, many people has given her the strong black woman award. Tami Roman is one of the stars of Basketball Wives. Years ago she went through a messy divorce, but never let go of the anger. She's known to want to fight over things others never seen, create drama from rumors she's heard, and start drama. She's also known to turn into a nice lady once the drama has calmed down. They are both television stars, but the funny yet mean lady of The Help was Minnie.

Minnie had a lot of issues going on. One of those issues was acting and talking before thinking. That issue caused her to struggle for work, but make everyone in the city and everyone that eventually read the book laugh. Actually everyone in the movie  laughed, which proved the point that the mean black woman role always wins.

Overall, the movie was excellent. At first I thought I'd be watching another civil rights lecture, but that's not what it was. It was literally the story of what black maids went through.

(Sidenote: Some people are under the impression that black women don't give a damn about their children. They think black women party and always look for others to handle their responsibility. The Help definitely tells a different story.)

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Sesamie Street Refuses To Promote Marriage Equality

Their Image Isn't Confused Yet
Sesamie Street refuses to promote marriage equality. Recently someone created a petition on Change.org for Bert and Ernie, roommates, on Sesamie Street to get married and promote marriage equality to children. 

In this horrific age of LGBT kids taking their own lives, they need to know that they ARE BEAUTIFUL and their lives are worth living. Aside from those that are committing suicide, the bullies that facilitate these tragedies need to learn that homophobia is NOT okay.-- Lair Scott, Petition Starter

In a society where Republicans and Democrats love to hate each other, people are struggling to receive social security and disability checks, people are becoming unemployed at alarming rates, the debt limit continues to increase, and our first black president receives more hate than love for his hard work and achievements, all many people seem to care about is abortion issues and marriage equality issues.

It wasn't long ago that the House of Representative almost shut down because no one wanted to come to an agreement on what should be done with the abortion issue. This issue, if you don't already know, is some people think abortion is wrong because it ultimately takes a life. However, others think that it is up to the woman what she does with her body and a fetus isn't human until it reaches a certain amount of months in the mother's stomach. If the shut down would have happened, thousands of people (maybe millions) across the country would have been out of a job. However, jobs didn't matter. Abortion was the only issue worth fighting for at the time. 

Marriage for homosexuals is a similar issue that many people, especially politicians, put at the top of their issues. While homosexuals can get married in several states, there's still a majority of states across the country that does not allow. There's also hates crimes done against gay  people and young sexually confused children who commit suicide from being teased. I'm not ready to believe that a 10-year old is sure of his/her sexuality. 

With that being said if a 10-year old is confused, why would a 1-5 (the age of Sesamie Street watchers) even think about their sexuality? I don't know why, but Lair Scott seems to think it's important. 

Lair Scott started a petition on Change.org a few days ago for Bert and Ernie of Sesamie Street to get married and so far it has received over 6,000 signatures. According to Scott, these two getting married will teach tolerance. 

We are not asking that Sesame Street do anything crude or disrespectful. Only that they allow Bert & Ernie to marry or even add a transgender character to the show. It can be done in a tasteful way. Let us teach tolerance of those that are different. Let Sesame Street and PBS Kids be a big part in saving many worthy lives.-- Scott Lair

Sesamie Street has already said no to this petition and stated that Bert and Ernie are already promoting tolerance. 

The problem I have with this is grown people are not watching Sesamie Street. Teenagers are not even watching the show. The children watching cannot separate a fairy tale from the bible. These children can barely spell their own names and many are still in diapers. What would watching two men get marred do for them (except make them ask questions they won't understand for another 10 years)? 

As you can tell I think Scott is full of shit for creating this petition. What about you? Do you think marriage equality is so big that a 2 year old needs to learn about it while learning his/her ABC's and counting from 1-10 at the same time? 



Those Niggas Sat On The Throne Together (My Watch The Throne Review)

Have you listened to "Watch The Throne" yet? It's Kanye West and Jay'Z's new c.d., which dropped on iTunes Sunday night/Monday morning. This c.d. is huge for many reasons.

One reason is it has 15 songs. The majority of singers/rappers put (at the most of) 12 songs on their c.d. Two of those songs are usually bonus tracks, which means you pay for 10 songs. Another reasons it's huge is because it's the only c.d. in the the past five years that hasn't leaked before it officially came out. Beyonce's 4 C.D. even leaked weeks before the actual release. The final reason is because those niggas Kanye West and Jay-Z actually worked together to make this C.D. happen.

When is the last time you heard of two rappers doing something together? Just think about the name of the album. It's called "Watch The Throne." It hints that Jay-Z and Kanye West are at the top together. No rapper has wanted to be at the top with any other rapper for a while. Some examples of rappers fighting for the throne are below.

Chris Brown vs. Frank Ocean
Technically sometimes Chris Brown can be known as a rapper. Earlier in the year Chris and Frank had a little twitter war. It was the weirdest shit cause it actually started with a compliment from Chris. However, Frank Ocean was too dumb to understand the compliment or even google what it meant, so he responded with hateful words. See, niggas can't even be nice to each other without one of them getting the wrong idea.

Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift

I'm just playing.


50 Cent vs. Ja Rule
This is a real beef. At one point Ja Rule ruled the music scene. Every song on the radio was a Ja Rule song. He was on Jay-Z status, except lacking in a few Jay-Z funds. Then 50 Cent decided to hate on him. Somehow someway in some weird way 50 Cent was able to knock Ja Rule off his throne. For real, he did a serious disappearing act from the music scene. Last I heard all Ja Rule was capable of in 2011 was going to prison.

Tupac vs. B.I.G. 
Neither of them got the throne. Sad tragedies.

I could name more, but you get the point. Kanye West and Jay-Z really collaborated to get this album out. In the midst of putting it together they supported each other and praised each other's talents and hard work. But they didn't do it all alone. They had many other niggas, or should I just say talented men working with them. A few of those names are Pharrell Williams, Kasseem Dean Mike Dean, Russell Simmons, and Frank Ocean.

I wanted to point all this out because many people have focused on what Kanye and Jay-Z did not do. Supposedly to some the lyrics were very typical and unoriginal. To others Kanye and Jay-Z shouldn't have been bragging about money while our economy is falling apart. To many Kanye just came off as cocky as usual. However, the whole point of the album wasn't just about putting out quality music and bragging about money.

It was about showing that a couple of niggas could make it to Paris and sit on the throne together.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Going So Hard (New Poem) And New Poetry Experience

It's the middle of the week and another very long work week, but that hasn't kept me from enjoying myself this week. Who says you have to wait to the weekend? I didn't. Instead Tuesday night I went to the Taft Street Book Store (located downtown) for poetry night. It had been a while since I last went to a poetry spot, so it was very refreshing. While there I got brave and put my name on the reading list. The poem I chose to red is "Going So Hard."

I wrote this poem after listening to Kanye and Jay-Z's song "Niggas In Paris." While Kanye West is quite cocky, this poem just states the facts of a struggling girl. I'm nowhere near Paris. Now check "Going So Hard" out below.


I’m going so hard
5 years…A college degree… A good job to please everybody but…I’m going so hard… Working my ass off…but it’s never enough…8 long hours a day… 40 hours a week…Working just for the money, slave to health benefits, slave to bills being paid, slave to a warm place to lay my head…Dreams of love, cupid aiming his arrow at me, old school rap where the lyrics went hard, and where Disney World was the limit, higher than the sky, a funnel cake was enough to make a girl smile….I’m going so hard, learning so much, filling my mind, but it’s never enough…Too human, always a mistake…. Misspelled words haunt my dreams…People‘s criticism haunts my thinking, change the make-up, it‘s too loud, change the hairstyle, it‘s too wild, speak louder, talk more, write more, read less, forget the old, what’s new, crawl before you walk, but crawl fast so walking can come faster, focus on what‘s important, drop your goals…Goals are for hoes, people with a whole in their heart, trying to fulfill something that always has a start, but never an ending, cause even if a girl achieves something she has to create something new so life can continue to be worth living…I create, share, fail, stumble, fall, get back up but get knocked right back down again… I’m going so hard, going so hard…trying to figure out how to get back to happy again… trying to figure out if happy was ever…or always just a figment of my imagination….I‘m going so hard, sitting and typing, sitting and writing, just to get the thoughts out my head…Block out the rest of the world, live in a bubble, waits for it to pop, bring me back to reality…I’m going so hard…trying to hold onto a lifestyle, party every once in a while, date and pretend there’s hope for a love life, smile even though family doesn’t always know what’s right….I’m going so hard, fighting for what’s right but befriending wrong because seems like right abandoned me a long time ago….I’m gong so hard, trying to achieve the American dream, even though it seems as though in the midst of politics America abandoned me a long time ago…I’m going so hard, like 95% of the rest of the world I’m letting others guide my start…I’m going so hard, cause money’s the motivation, money’s the ultimate destination…So I’m going so hard, trying to block out the daily thoughts that cross my mind…Going so hard to be like everyone else. Original is so out of style 


BTW: Whole was spelled that way on purpose. If you didn't get it, think about it. 

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Clothes Do Wonders For The Body (Getting Carried Away)


Jean Addict
(This Is Going To Be Short)

Yesterday I went to Kohl's and allowed myself to get carried away. It's been a while since I purchased some jeans, so I bought 3 of them. They were long and flared (the best style). Along with that I bought a dress and several shirts. By the way, the dress might actually be a shirt that is just extra long on me but no one would know the difference. After picking up several articles of clothing (I didn't even try to pair anything up), I quickly ran to the cash register to keep from spending all my savings. Well I'm lying.

Everything was charged to the Kohl's card. In the past I've been scared to use anything that has credit in front of it, but not anymore. The Koh's card was put to use. Well, this isn't the first time it's been used but it was actually all the way paid off before the shopping trip. After getting the receipt (and enough temptation to go back in a week), I grabbed the big bag of clothes and drove home. As I drove home a few things occurred to me.


  • Spend Money Just Because 

One is spending more money doesn't change a situation. It just delivers a temporary fix.


  • Don't Expect Change And Don't Give Change

Another is you can't change people and people can't change you. I know a few people that wish they could put make-up on me and pick out a whole new wardrobe for me, but at the end of the day they can't.


  • Do You Love Your Job

The third is really a question. How many people are really working jobs that they don't love? There's a rumor that the majority of the world is not doing something that benefits their long term goals (or they've just given up).
the business look


  • Embrace Fashion 

The last (but not really final thought) is clothes do wonders for the body. Basketball Wives taught me this. No matter how ratchet those women get, they are always dressed to impressed. Evelyn Lozada and Jennifer Williams has the best style out of all the women. Shaunie O'Neal makes simple look great and Tami tries when she wants to. Royce has the perfect style for Royce (people need to leave where she shops alone). Suzie...well I've never paid attention to her clothes. Am I forgetting anyone?

People always talk about how the way you feel on the inside is important. Well, you get judged by how your physical features first, so embrace looking good. Get carried away and shop. I might have a problem, but there's no reason to solve it.


(Was That Short?)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Loyd and Andre 3000 Miss That Pussy (Dedication To My Ex)

One thing I love about great artists is the always come back with some songs you can't help but love. No, this is not another Beyonce post. Recently Lloyd came back with a song that features Andre 3000. It's called Miss That Pussy (Dedication To My Ex).

In the song Lloyd channels the sounds of classic music to get his point through. Check it out below.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Lyricist Lounge: Headlines Drake and Trey Songz Versions

A week ago Drake came out with his new song "Headlines" and now Trey Songz has decided to remix it. Both versions are listed below.



Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl Episode 7

Have you ever been on a date with a white guy? It's very awkward. In episode 7 of Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl J shows us how awkward dating a white guy can be. Check it out below. You will laugh.

Maybe He Needs To Be Chased (When A Woman Pursues A Man)

For some reason fairy tales won't stay out of my mind. According to Cinderella's story, she just wanted to feel normal and beautiful, but prince charming ultimately wanted to marry her. Prince Charming felt on every woman's feet in the town just to find her. In Snow White's tale, Prince Charming thought she was dead but still wanted to have her. There's something ironic about Snow White's story, but I'll concentrate on that one at a later time. The point is while some fairy tales show how far a man will go for a woman, in others it is starting to be clear that a woman needs to do 90% of the work to get and keep the attention of the man of her dreams.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Conservative Lie (Who Said We Were Liberal?)

There's this big myth about black people. It's been floating around since the beginning of time. I'm talking before slavery times. This myth, or should I just say lie, involves all of the issues that black people supposedly support. Those issues surround abortion, drugs, government checks, rap music, and being flat out lazy. For some reason whenever these issues come up the black population becomes the representatives for supporting them. How did that happen?

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Good Online Televison: Buttload Conditioner

In the world of funny commercials, the following video is definitely one of the funniest of 2011. It's called "Buttload Conditioner" and it makes fun of the girl looking for good hair and trying to show off the curves on her body. It's part of a serious of videos made by the "Cue Black Girls." I laughed at "Buttload Conditioner." You should watch it too so you can laugh with me.

Lyricist Lounge: So Emotional by Cyhi Da Prynce and Tity Boi

Cyhi Da Prynce
Lately I've been loving this song called "So Emotional" because lately I've discovered that niggas get real emotional. The song is by Cyhi Da Prynce and Tity Boi. Check it out below.



Tity Boi also had a song that I fell in love with last year (just cause the lyrics are so funny). It's called "Boo."

Being Seen With Him (This Girls' Biggest Battle)

Yesterday as I watched "Single Ladies" a specific scene caught my eyes. It was the part where Keisha met her boyfriend's ex-wife. When they saw each other, judgement immediately flooded their minds. Keisha was comparing the ex to herself while the ex was judging her ex-husband's choice in a new woman. While it was just a television show  it's how normal actions.

Monday, August 1, 2011

This Girl Needs A Miracle

It's Monday and all I can think of is receiving a miracle. It's long overdue. That miracle needs to come in the form of achievement of goals, getting to networking events, moving to the perfect place, and gaining a love life.

Lashuntrice

Lashuntrice