“Sex Sells…”

– March 20th, 2006 –

I guess what they say is true, “Cash rules everything around me…” (five pesos for the person who can do GZA’s verse and don’t look it up on OHHLA). In America, it seems like we’re dominated by those damn dead presidents. It’s sickening. Everything you hear, smell, taste, lick, suck — going too far, huh?! …Basically all is money and money is all when it comes to things here in the States. But, you gotta think that without it — what is possible? Without do-re-mi, I couldn’t pay my rent, eat food, drink, anything that makes life worth living. Now, nowhere in this post am I advocating prostitution or any type of pimpery (it’s already hard out there for them, anyway…) — but I can understand why most of this stuff sells…

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……..It’s friggin’ sexy……

Does anyone recall when Free was on the cover of KING Magazine? Better yet, did anyone else’s mouth drop when they read that she was 37 years old?!!? I remember I was with G-Money at the local Dairy Mart reading it and her and I both were in shock. But you know what… I bought that copy on the strength that it was Free in the magazine.

Kind of off subject, but…

Courtesy of Crunk + Disorderly

Isn’t Sammie looking quite the elder?!  I don’t remember what the single was off of his debut shit-brick album “From the Bottom to the Top” but — I heard that its E-Bay stock rose, just like he seems to have risen from the grave.

Lastly…

SOHH… MiJac is “supposedly” working with 50 and his G-Unit Guerillas…. Hmm… If the two Jacko’s got together — would their music be just as sweet? The repackaging of Mr. We Are The World’s image would be all 50 Cent’s idea.

Courtesy of SOHH.com (Fresh)

I’m out. I have work to finish up on before I head out of state. Keep aware. Also, keep my friend, Bomani Jones in your prayers, he’s suffered a tragedy in his inner circle. I’ll definitely keep you in mines, homie. One.

“What’s Eating Kevin Clark?!”

– March 18th, 2006 –

Congratulations to Tara Pringle and Thomas Jefferson on their engagement. It’s always refreshing to see dreams come true. Another person who’s dream has come true is “Hoopz” of “Flavor of Love” fame. If anyone seen the finale, you should know the morale of the story — “Make sure that your goodies stay in a jar… oh, oh, oh, uh-oh, yeah!” New York “supposedly” gave up her “treasured secret” to the black-chelor. The rumor is that she did it for a bootleg necklace, a pair of $54.11’s, and a bag of Lemonheads. Reality TV isn’t it exciting?!! The show did make it lightweight hard to determine a winner. Especially since “New York” was so convincing of declaring her love for the World’s Best Hypeman (not named Spliff Starr). “Flavor of Love” was just that, mad flavor — it was an interesting look at what women would do for something other than a klondike bar. If they did a spinoff series with Hoopz and Flav, I know they wouldn’t have a probably getting celebrities, as everyone from Denzel to Samuel Jackson would be trying to play one-on-one with Darling Nikki.

I’m still hoping for Hoopz even if SOHH.com beat me with the first step. But I do have some commentary about the show, though.

Allhiphop.com has some really good interviews (at least that I enjoyed reading) with Mimi Valdes of VIBE Magazine and Phat Matt of Elemental Magazine. I’m not really all that familiar with Elemental (I don’t think that we get it in massive dosages here in the Midwest), but I am with VIBE. Valdes (who has a nice looking picture at AHH, by the way), in my opinion, helped the mag out. I remember there was a period where no one was really checking for the mag. Maybe it was because E-Dub’s was running the game for a considerable amount of time? But I think that there are some mags that are really stepping out. URB, The Ave. Magazine, KING, Scratch are just a few that I enjoy on the regular. The exception is The Ave. – I really have to search for that one around here. The one thing that is eating me is how diverse the mag game is, yet how some of the faces that are running it are the same. If you’re not within those New York borders, it’s hard to get your foot in the door to establish a name.

I am working on my first pitch for a magazine. I know who the mag is. A few others do too. The rest will just have to wait it out and see.

Lastly…

A friend of mines asked me what I thought about the XXLMag.com situation and here’s what I have to say… I think that E-Dub was wrong for what he did. That was a ho-ish jack move on his part. I really respected and admired (no brokeback) the grind and career of Elliot Wilson and what he did for Hip-Hop magazines. With the Sauce lacking in credibility, XXL was the magazine to read… and I read it faithfully. Still do. But to invite bloggers to the table, under the auspice that you’re going to let them interview you (about that wack ass CD) and to turn around and jack SOHH.com was foul. No disrespect to anyone who got a job out of that, because I understand the grind. I really do. I give a lot of respect to cats like Bol (and others) who have put foot to pedal and gassed the game with his drive. But to show how much of a sucker I am — XXLMag.com is sho’nuff bookmarked as a favorite site. So, you either hate it or love it. Not much room for like.

I’m out. UHURU Magazine almost done (God willing), want to clean up the humble abode before the folks stop through, and will be on the grind. There’ll be a lot of post this week to supplement the fact that I may or may not be able to do it when I go to Biloxi, Mississippi for Spring Break. Adios.

“Everybody Wants What Everybody Wants”

– March 14th, 2005 –

No one has sent me any e-mails talking about how successful their “Steak and BJ” holiday is going. So, us men will not get our just due, I guess… Everyone has their wants. In this case, the woman’s wants outweigh the man’s. Think about it? The women know that they have the power hands down across the board and they can use that to enforce their will. The woman can be anal about it (over-domineering) or subtle (playful flirt) about making the pendulum of any situation go their way. As men, we try to use our sexual dominance (which is very little when you think about it) as a means of signifying strength. Another thing that I know I, as a man, want is the feeling of security. Which is basically universal on all accounts. But I really want to know that the things in life that I am working to achieve, associated with, and/or profiting from — will be there for the long haul. Now I know certain things are always transitional — jobs, relationships, even friends — but in the end, I want the same things to be there for me in the end. Is that wrong? Is it selfish of me to believe that that is possible?

I have made a lot of connections through this writing, a fact that wouldn’t have been possible without a firestarter in my corner like G-Money the Diva. I would love for these connections to continue to serve me as friends and allies in this ongoing battle of artistic freedom. It’s been a pleasure to know people like Panama, Bomani Jones, William Ketchum III, jimi izreal, Harold M. Clemens, and plenty of others who I am either a fan of or a friend of or worked for. Professionally, I have been doing this for only a year, but the seeds planted and cultivated continue to sprout full blossomed treats. From meeting with Kim from Room Serivce to eating some grub with Pam Smith (formerly of SOHH.com) in Harlem — I am blessed to be able to say that I am living out my dream. A dream that if not started now, may not have gotten started. Now, I have been writing since I was two-years-old. I understand that this is my gift here on Earth. Finally realizing that this is something that I want is really an eye-opening experience, yet a somber road to traverse. I mean — I am 23, jimi talked about his experiences as an intern with Vibe magazine and this part kind of worried me.

“At 25, I was also the oldest intern in the business department. There was an older one 38— I think—in the art department. “

Again, mind you — 23, and I have just now stepped into the realm of being a writer. Still with no critical praise or real in-depth knowledge of the game yet, I’ve been like a fish taking to water in this game. Does age matter in a game where image isn’t the key? My friend, Mr. Ketchum III, is 20, maybe 21 — his credits are lightweight deep with pieces in certain magazines and flooding the internet with hot (no brokeback) features. Before I even knew duke, I was envy of the skill. Coming from Kent, attending Kent State — our school is known for journalism, but not necessarily the type that I have been doing for a while now. Not much difference, you say?! But I think different.

College… is definitely a trip. I walked around the campus the other day and saw all the returning students come back from being at home. Just wondering to myself if they thought an inkling of what I thought.

“I’m in college. I want something in life.”

Sounds cliché, I know — but it’s an interesting specimen to check out. People pay tons of money just so they can attain a piece of paper that will allow them to earn the money to be able to pay back to the University. Slick hustle if you ask me. It just seems like everybody wants what everybody wants in life. Whether it’s happiness, sex, love, money, or an interview with Kanyé West — it’s all about that yearning for something.

“What’s New?!”

– March 9th, 2006 –

Another year passes as people remember the loss of the Notorious B.I.G. Now, 23 years old, I remember when I first heard the news. Admittedly, I am huge B.I.G. fan, but his death didn’t impact me like when ‘Pac had died some time earlier. Was that because B.I.G. didn’t have an affect on me? I don’t believe that to be true. Most people identify with the life of Tupac Shakur and how its dizzying highs and somber lows mirrored a lot of disenfranchised youth. But B.I.G. came from the slums too. Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn to be exact. Fulton Street to be right on the money. Was B.I.G. legacy the same as ‘Pac’s? I would disagree. The self-proclaimed “Frank White”, in my opinion, was a better and more diverse lyricist than ‘Pac. Biggie was the only guy who could go from playa, to gangsta, to keeping up with Bone, Thugs ‘n Harmony and not lose a step.

Regardless of who’s better, who’s the G.O.A.T., or whatever — they’re both gone and the memory of those two men live on. The only question I have is — Who’s going to carry the torch?

Changing the subject.

I have come to notice that in this world a lot of people want a lot of things, but only certain people do all that is necessary to get those things. The circle that is close to me has different career paths that they’ve chose but are doing what it takes to get to that plateau. Whether that’s staying in the books, not opening up that new Fight Night, Round 3 for the XBox 360. Or going to New York City to be a part of the Director’s Guild of America — the people closest to me are vying for a spot in the limelight. Do I believe that I am doing the same? No. I feel like I can only do what time allows. Juggling school, two jobs, writing for multiple publications, the responsibility of running a student magazine, seems too taxing for one person to be able to handle. But I do it with a smile on my face and a strength in my heart. In the end, it’ll all pay off.

What’s next?

Bokeem Woodbine, searching for Hoopz, and gearing up to go get my Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on in Biloxi, Mississippi. Until then — Be Blessed and Stay Righteous.

“So Sick”

– March 6th, 2006 –

Due to the fact that I do not have cable, I am missing all the shows.  So, I can’t really comment on the Punkin/New York spitting debacle or the first few episodes of College Hill. But what I can talk about is how I am lightweight happy to see R&B music making somewhat of an impact again. I got a chance to chop it up with Ne-Yo and I like where the brother’s head is at. Although, I am tired of hearing about musicians/rappers/entertainers coming out with clothing lines and bullish like that — I can understand that that is another means of living comfortably. Clinton Sparks is also doing it big with his “Touch the Sky” mixtape with Jesus.. er, I mean Kanyé. I know that I have been lackluster with the writing, but things have been hassled. I am trying to get things out there for the public to digest. So bear with me.

The next update will be tomorrow. R.I.P. to Gordon Parks.