Child of Hip Hop

I can remember it like it was yesterday. My momma, my sister and I
went to Candler Road flee market. I stopped at the first bootleg music
stand, excited to cop my first piece of music with my own money.
Before this, it was shit that I borrowed from friends and shit that I
recorded off the radio. Dude was having a 2 for $10 sale so I browsed
around, looking for one thing in particular...and whatever else
tickled my fancy. I left an hour later with Goodie MOB's Soul Food and
Too Short's Gettin' It. Cassette tapes, of course.

I was eleven years old then. Fifteen years later and there are few
things I look forward to more than hopping in the Impala, shooting
over to Best Buy and copping that new Jay-Z or that new Outkast or
that new Nas. I've got an ongoing love affair with hip hop. And I
don't see it ending anytime soon. No matter how old I get. My tastes
may change. But not my love of the artform. And here's why...

Through hip hop, I've made a lot of friends. Good friends. Close
friends. Whenever I'm riding high off of something I've accomplished,
feeling myself too much, my nigga Jay-Z comes along and reminds me
that 'success is like lust...it's good to the touch...it's good for
the moment...but it's never enough'. When this kid Doug that I went to
school with was pushing my buttons, my man Styles reminded me to 'show
him ya gentleman first. If he don't respect that, then show him ya
gangsta!'. When I'm procrastinating on shit I know I need to get done,
Pimp lets me know that 'one day ya here, next day ya gone'. So I get
busy building my legacy.

Hip hop speaks to me; and I speak back.

A few weeks ago when m Michael Jackson died, I saw a lot of people on
television crying. Apparently they we so touched by Michael Jackson's
music that they felt that their lives would never be the same. Me? It
took me by surprise at first. But a few hours later, I was over it. In
fact I was irritated that coverage of his death seemed to be on every
channel that I turned to. I was 13 when Tupac got shot the second
time. I remember coming home from basketball practice everyday, and
turning on the news, sure I'd see that he had come out of his coma. I
figured it was only a matter of time before he was back to his old
self and making records a out how 'real niggas don't die!'. When he
died, it fucked me up for a while. I had lost a friend; someone I
could lean on when times were tough. Michael Jackson might have been
the 'King of Pop' but Pac affected me on deeper level. The power of
hip hop.

No other artform is more taylor-made for people like me. People who
came from little or nothing. Underdogs who are determined to make
something of themselves. The love affair has been burning hot for a
long time. And it won't be cooling off anytime soon.

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY

I'm in my 20's so a new Nas joint used to give me the chills!
-Joell Ortiz, 'This is hip hop'

Test to see if mobile blogging works

From my iPhone to infinity!!!!!

Been a while.

Hello world. Haven't blogged in a minute. And, boy, has a lot happened. I guess the most obvious would be the birth of my son, Aj. Long story short, my better half woke up with crazy strong contractions at about 2am on June 8th. 27 hours, 3 shifts of nurses, 2 midwives, 3 failed epidurals and 3 anesthesiologists (did I spell that right, Brenna?) later, my son was born. 7 lbs, 3 oz's, 19 inches. It was quite a sobering experience. One that I will never forget. My son is lying right next to me on the couch, and I am realizing that he is simultaneously my greatest accomplishment and my biggest challenge. That's all I'll say about that.

I guess the next biggest thing that has happened in my life is the fact that I got a promotion and a raise at work. First of all, let me express how much I love my job. It is literally the only job that I have ever had that i enjoy getting up and going to everyday. The importance of that facet cannot be understated. When I started at Apple last May, I decided that I would put my all into the job and see where it took me. What I'm getting in return is a stable career (at least until I sell a screenplay!) and a sense of accomplishment everyday when I get off that I have never had before. I'm excited about my future at Apple. That's all I'll say about that.

I am also rediculously excited about my upcoming trip to Atlanta at the end of the year. I haven't been home since 2005 and I can imagine how much the city has changed since then. Also, I'm excited to introduce KT to Atlanta, as she has never been. I keep telling her that she'll find it...interesting. She doesn't really understand what I mean. But she'll get it when we touch down. I've been trying to coordinate a get-together with all my boys. Hopefully, they can all make it to Atlanta and we can see each other. I have a feeling it probably won't happen again, with most of us getting married, having kids, buying houses, etc. We'll see. I'm excited to see if any of them have stepped their Monopoly game. Cause as I recall, I still have the crown on my head!  That's all I'll say about that.

I haven't been able to write a word in a month. I haven't really gotten myself on any real schedule as far as work, writing taking care of my house and taking care of my son. I've learned the hard way that something has to give. And it looks like that thing will have to be...sleep. I've been experimenting with getting some writing done while I am up in the middle of the night feeding Aj and trying to get him back to sleep (like I am right now). IT's looking promising. But we'll see how it turns out. That's all I'll say about that.

That's pretty much it, people. Until next time...

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY

Bang bang, nigga let's get it on/ I've always been a monster but it's worse now that my son's been born

-Sheek

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090404/ap_on_re_us/one_man_s_apology

I know the article is loooooong, but please take a few minutes to read through it.

Is anyone else as unmoved by this as I am?

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY:

Don't give the black man food, or the red man liquor/red man fool, black man nigga!

Lupe Fiasco, American Terrorist

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/21/boy.homicide/index.html

As I write this, the 11 year-old kid who committed this crime is sitting in jail. Not juvenile, not youth authority and not a detention center...JAIL! He is being tried as an adult. Does anyone reading this think that that is right?

Before you answer, read a little further:

-In our country, we have deemed 11 year olds not mature enough to decide rationally whether or not they want to have sex. So we arrest and imprison the adults who 'victimize' them.

-In our country, we have deemed 11 year olds not mature enough to decide rationally whether or not they want to fight, and possibly die, to defend our freedoms. So we forbid them from joining the military.

-In our country, we have deemed 11 year olds not mature enough to get behind the wheel of a car and drive. So we make them wait five more years before they get a driver's license. 

-In our country, we have deemed 11 year olds not mature enough to responsibly ingest alcohol. So we have made it illegal for them to do so.

But apparently, 11 year-olds are mature enough to be imprisoned for the rest of their lives for a crime that they commit. I think that is a bit ridiculous. 

I am not saying that is was not a heinous crime. I am not saying that this kid should be set free without some sort of punishment. I think they should have professionals evaluate whether or not he is mentally stable. If he is, he needs to put into a facility and rehabilitated, educated and monitered until he is 18 or 21. At which time, his record should be expunged or sealed and he can go on about his life.

This kid is obviously not an adult, so he should not be tried as an adult in a court of law.

Let's be reasonable people!

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY:

It's as easy as cake/simple as 'Whistling Dixie'/as I'm waving a pistol/ at 60 Christians against me/go to war with Mormon's/take a bath with the Catholics/in holy water/no wonder they try to hold me under longer

Renegade

-Eminem

OMG! Am I one of THOSE people now?

I used to laugh at THOSE people. Now I totally get it! I apologize to all you quasi-upper-crust, over-caffinated yuppies. I was wrong.

POP QUIZ, HOTSHOT!!!

Here I am, working on this re-write that seems to be taking FOREVER. I decide to take a break. That's when I realize where I am. Here's skinny:

-It smells like French roast coffee, chocolate and cinnamon.

-I see two middle-aged women sipping coffee and having a conversation in Russian (probably about me, my slightly tilted fitted hat, black thermal and black shelltoe adidas!)

-There is a young couple on the couch across from me who just wrapped up a thrilling game of chess.

-To me left, there are 3 teenage Asian girls working on there homework. (One looks like she is on the verge of collapse, but she probably needs at least a 'C' on her next Chemistry test to have a chance of not having to take the class over, so she is pushing through it like a soldier).

-50's-era Rock and Roll, Bobby Darin or Buddy Holly, plays softly on the speakers.

Where am I?

Starbucks! And I am loving every minute of it! Oh, and PLEASE, just walk on by when you see me. Because I'm WAY to Hollywood to speak to you! =)

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY:

First I snatched the streets/then I snatched the charts/First I grabbed they ears/now I have they hearts

Jay-Z, 'Let Me Down'

Stop spending my money on BULLSHIT!

Okay, so this past weekend I was watching the news and they were talking about the first bailout that was issued to the banks and financial institutions. Now by no means am I an expert on politics or financial matters, but the whole thing seems very unorganized to me. I didn't see any checks and balances in place to make sure that these entities didn't abuse the money that they borrowed. 

This morning, I came across this:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090204/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bailout_executive_pay

Something like that never crossed my mind. But what better way to make sure that these companies are doing everything they can to make sure that this doesn't happen again and are using the gift that the American people gave them wisely, than to put a cap on the salaries of the men in charge of those companies?

Is it enough? Nope

Will it be effective? Who knows?!

But it least someone is sending them a message that, 'Hey, we've got our eyes on you, Mr. Executive!'

That is all.

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY:

I guess it's gon' be what it's gon' be/but there is one thing y'all gotta hear/I'ma tell you like george Bush told me/'Fuck y'all niggas! I'm outta here!

Kanye West 

-Go Hard