THE YEAR

I wrote this poem a few years ago. It is basically a combination of things I've experienced and stories I've heard. The metaphors are based on how relationships are like seasons. As we enter 2012, its good to reflect, but remember its always better to look foward to the future. New Year, New Beginnings.

Your Typical Average Online Black Dude

by Corey

A few weeks ago I saw a post describing the stereotypical black woman on social networks. I thought it was pretty awesome and felt the need to share my input, concerning the fellas of course. I've been seeing way too much pillow-boy material on my newfeed and timeline. Maybe I'm tripping, but since when did everyone leave Mansville? If you feel that the following material is a direct shot at you, or that I am talking about you personally, good. Maybe you will negotiate your conduct and correct yourself accordingly.



So, here is my run-down of the Average Black Dude via Social Networks.


10. The Fitness Trainer

Yo, there isn't anything wrong with working out, but you don't need to give me a run down of your routines at the gym. I could've went my entire life without knowing how many reps you are knocking out at Gold's or your daily protein assumption. I could care less about how many calories you burned on the tredmill. I get it! You work out. You eat Muscle Milk and bricks for breakfast. You love wearing your Under Armor 24/7. Take it easy fam, it's just the gym.

9. Chef Boy-Are-You-Cool

Wow! You can cook? Amazing! All this time I thought you only ate at restaurants and fast food. You don't have to post ever struggle meal you devour though. Its nice to know that you have a camera readily accessible by your food, but you aren't the first person to ever feast on Swine Chops, Macaroni, Potatoes and Green Beans. To make matters worst, you have the audacity to recommend to anyone that veiws the picture to, "get like me"... Oh, okay.

8. Dr. Love

You know just what to say. Smooth talking quips and flowerful quotes makes your day go by. The more likes and retweets you get, the harder you go in... We get it. You read up on a few philosophers and watched a few chick-flix, suddenly you know how to solve relationship problems? Cool. Keep hitting them over the head with those "if he likes you, he'll give you the stars, if he loves you, he'll give you the universe" gems. You have it all figured out.

7. Hate Me Now

Its you against the world. Everyday you are battling with some opposing force that was destined to be a thorn in your side. You can't let a day go by without acknowledging any and everyone getting in the way of the fulfillment of your dreams. Those evil haters, they want to destroy you, and you must confess your undying resentment to them constantly. Only if you could ignore them just for a few moments, maybe just long enough to take a picture of your food...

6.Corn Wallace

You have maximized your ability to be the thirstiest man in the history of civilization. Adorned with that impecable charm and laced with delusions of granduer, you somehow have managed to unknowingly get on everyone's last nerve. You just can't get enough of yourself. You RT anything pertaining to you, you even like you own statuses and comments. All hail Corn Wallace: King of Swag.

5. Money Machine

You ride around, and you get it. You believe in, "if it don't make dollars, then it don't make sense," and it shows buddy. You don't seem to talk about anything except the money you make, the money you lose, the money you spend, the money you blow, and the money you don't even have. (Money money money money money money, just in case I lost you) You're a self-made, go-getting, hustling machine, and you have the facebook page and tweets to prove it! Money.

4. Huey Malcolm Martin Garvey

The revolution will be tweeted. You are so pro-active and in tune with the community, all for the sake of change. Even though you aren't a people person, you have a way of letting the entire internet know what's going on in this jacked up society. You've occupied Wall Street, boycotted Basketball Wives, and banned Soldier Boy Tell 'Em from playing Bishop in the remake of Juice. I know you have to be the change you want to see. All power to the people, unless you lose your internet connection.

3. Mr. Antagonist

Its imperative that you go against the grain fam. If everyone is praising it, you shoot it down. You solemnly refuse to hop aboard anything that resembles a bandwagon. Everybody hates Chris? You love him. The new Drake is hot? Not on your thermostat. President Obama killed Bin Laden? Show me the photos. You turn every single post/tweet into a debate all for the sake of making others feel un-hip, yet all they while, you never say anything of true value or meaning. Go figure.

2. Kid-N-Play by Play

Hey man, you are the only human being with cable television. You feel the need to live out your Marv Albert fantasies during all sporting events, award shows, and you've even taken it as far as to rapid fire updates of your day-to-day activity. Look my dude, I understand you want to feel connected to people, but c'mon man. You can't really be that blind to not see the 54 posts/tweets you've blasted in a matter of minutes. I know you think "the internet" is a hobby, but someone lied to to you jack.

1. The Local Celebrity

You sir are the creme de la creme. You have managed to shut down every party you have ever attended. You love being tagged in photos with your beverage of choice, or maybe standing next to others with lackluster significance. You love your followers, fans, supporters, and haters. You live a very normal, average life, but the moment you touchdown at that empty field on your facebook/twitter page, you become a star. You bask in the glow of the limelight and refuse to settle for being mediocre. You are applauded by your peers for being the most flamboyant person they know on the internet. You are constantly in rare form and will never miss a beat. You've stuck to your guns and have faithfully reminded us that you don't have to be a star to be in the show.

Honorable Mentions go to Spam The Wall Ent. Promotions, Seymour N. Box, DJ Youtube and The-Wierd-Dude-With-His-Shirt-Off. - PHOTOS Courtesy of Google


(Note: This is for promotional use only)

When The Internet Kills

by Tasha Burton

 Last week, I saw my share of the most gullible people on earth. No one stole money from them, they weren't cheated on and they weren't accused of anything, but one thing they did do, was believe a lie. Not just your ordinary lie either. Typically, you have "reports" as I like to call them sometimes, on Facebook or Twitter about how a person's man or relative lied to them about something. Thing is, there's a lot of investigating that goes down in order to prove that lie. Yet, in the case of celebrities being whacked off by the internet, people take it at face value.

 The recent story, was about the inevitable death of Bon Jovi. Apparently, he's been sick for some time and like wildfire, one solitary link spread all over my timeline and newsfeed about him croaking out at home. I saw many reactions like, "WOW" and "R.I.P. Bon Jovi," followed by statements of supposed "grief." Internet grief is different from real life grief. Internet grief lasts about 24-48 hours. Just thought I'd note that.

 I chose to do some investigating to determine the validity of this story. I clicked on the link and was taken to a Wordpress blog that had only ONE entry. That one entry was about Bon Jovi's death. It's as if this person who created the blog, created it for just this reason, to get a lot of clicks and views. I'm sure that went through the roof, as so many gullible people out there just couldn't believe it! Matter of fact, it appears that the same day they started the Wordpress blog is the same day they posted the story.

 Now, in typical fashion, I comment somewhere along the lines of "if I don't see it on CNN, it's not true." Even when Michael Jackson died, I didn't believe it, despite the internet going crazy, until I saw it on CNN and the national news networks. Now, the person who posted the link, decided to keep going along with this hoax. For some reason, they chose to continue to believe it, until they find out otherwise. From who? Remember when Tyler Perry was a trending topic on Twitter for buying American Airlines? This same person believed that too. The link they provided was from a tabloid site that likes to make up silly stories (think The Onion News Network). I don't think this person even bothered to look at the other articles on the site: stories about Kim K's butt exploding and a "Virgin Mary" who was auctioning herself up for marriage (in today's world, the latter story may actually be real lol). I tried to reiterate to this person over and over that if the story does not come from a reputable news source, consider it false until then.

 It wasn't until about 10 people or so commented, stating that this story was false, that this person finally realized they got, got. Which reminds me of just one other instance, of this same person's gullibleness (not a word, but for the sake of this story, it is). On Youtube, the cool thing to do now, is to put "(Official Video)" in the title. Well, this person posted an "official video" of Kanye & Jay-Z's "No Church In The Wild." This person was even moved to call the video and images, "deep." The video consisted of black people playing the role of slave masters and white people being the slaves. See the video for yourself here and then tell me if UrbanMusicVEVO is owned by VEVO. I'll wait. If you think that this video is official, please disconnect your internet service and read a book.

 Twitter and Facebook's ability to let us retweet and share with a click of a button has a lot of people out there looking…stupid. "Think before you tweet" is a true prophecy nowadays. There's a lot of things you can put out into the cyber space world, that you can't get back. Don't get caught up and certainly, read and research before you tweet. You never know, the internet may very well one day, kill you off too.

-Tasha Burton
Part-time writer, full-time biz owner

Twitter: @heytasha

Waiting For Thirty

by Corey

I was one of the 137,547 people that actually spent their hard earned money on the 2006 tragedy known as Jay-Z: Kingdom Come. Adding insult to injury, I actually listened to it repeatedly, and sort of hated myself for doing so. To be even more specific, I had a light-weight gripe with the whole "Grown & Sexy" thing and that entire "30-is-the-new-20" declaration. To this day, I am still pondering why anyone would want to re-live their wicked 20's. I'm currently on the the exit ramp of my 20's. Truth be told, it was the decade that defined me, but its the one I pray I never see again.

No matter what knife you use, it slices the same: You are stupid in your 20's. I did a lot if idiotic things and I saw even more blatant ignorance around me. I messed up opportunities at great jobs. I got involved in unhealthy relationships. I wasted precious time spending money I didn't have on things I didn't need. I was being irresponsible, immature, selfish,young and reckless.

My excuse for such behavior: I'm old enough to know better, but young enough to not give a damn. Plus, it doesn't help when you're enlisted in the military during two wars. The GAF meter drops below average and I was living life by the unforgiving mantra "LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG, LEAVE A HANDSOME CORPSE".

The reality is that I was living fast, but I didn't die young. Fortunately, I have been blessed beyond all comprehension. I've dodged the bullet a number of times, which only meant one thing to me: I must be invincible! What other explanation is there for my stupidity being garnished with such immaculate protection? That naiive train of thought only added fuel to the blaze, but that fire eventually burns out.

At some point you have to just man-up and be an adult. All that childish stuff gets old right around age 27, but that's if you are actually growing and maturing. The "Tender Ten" years between age 18-28 was meant to be spent getting as much understanding of the world as possible. From then on, you're being judged. Not by how you look, what you know, what you like, or who you are. You are categorized and thrown into the stereotype of Adulthood. If you haven't evaluated yourself and determined what type of person you are destined to be by now, you will ulitmately be looked upon as irresponsible, unfocused, immature.

 "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."- 1Corithians 13:11

When I was younger, my cousin Ronnie and I would always talk about our fears. Our biggest fear was getting old and not realizing it. We didn't want to be the old guys that would make fun of the videos the kids were watching or the music that the teenagers were listening to. We didn't want to be in our 30's and 40's and still trying to dress like we were young. We ultimately wanted to embrace getting older because being grown seemed cool.

There is a certain swagger that comes along with knowledge of self. My experiences have taught me valuable life lessons and I genuinely am honored to have gone through them. The good, the bad, and the ugly have made me the man I am today. As long as I can avoid a mid-life crisis, I'll be just fine, but for now, I'm waiting for thirty.

Michael Jordan vs. Black People

Michael Jordan is a basketball icon, a living legend to say, but are his shoes really that important?  Sneakerheads cherish and adore a great pair of Jays, especially the XI-Concords (my personal favorite).

My people... smh.

The re-re-re-release of them December 23,2011 proved yet again that black people don't know how to act. The saying that comes to mind is, "Country Lou, got something new, don't know what to do..." We have go to do better as a people.

I opted out on a pair mainly because I'll be 30 next year and my genetic encrypted codes prohibit me to anxiously wait in lines for sneakers. I drooled over them for 4 weeks and even convinced myself I NEEDED a pair of Concords, but now that today is here, I'd rather have something more dope.

What's more dope than the Concords? Answer: $180 sitting in my savings account. 

There is no denying how beautiful this sneaker is, but it truly does bring out the ugly.

Let's get it together ya'll.

Can I Kick It?

Click picture for details

Check it:

A Tribe Called Quest. De La Soul. Leaders of the New School. Queen Latifah. Monie Love. Black Sheep. Chi-Ali. Busta Rhymes. Common. Mos Def. J Dilla. Pharrell Williams. Soulquarians. Erykah Badu. Vinia Mojica. D'Angelo. Brand Nubian. The Beatnuts. N*E*R*D. Jung...le Brothers. Slum Village. Prince Paul. Fu-Schnickens. Kool DJ Red Alert. Afrika Bambaataa. Zulu Nation. Forever...

On Saturday, December 24th...come celebrate the Legendary sound of the "Native Tongues". Relive rich memories+moments through sonic motivation..."Man, I remember when this came out! I was... (your memory)".

But yo, not one to get too wordy...

DJ REMINISE+DJ NEEDLES+CUZZIN B (Saint Louis' own TRUE SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE)+CHRIS HANSON (PERCUSSION EXTRAORDINAIRE)+Some loud mouthed grey haired dude named SHADZILLA = SOME DOPE SH_T!

Plus...word on the street is...there will be a NATIVE GIVE-A-WAY of some sort. Im thinkin...3 DOPE DJ's...possibly a DOPE ASS MIXTAPE of some sort?

Hmmmm. You just gotta come and see. -Zilla

*The Vaporz*

Dope DJ's | Dope Instrumentation | Dope Sounds | Dope People.

Do For Self + Live Poets Society + Gya Arts Gallery Presents: The Rhapsody Initiative

SPOKEN WORD IS BACK ST. LOUIS!(...but it never left...)
Once a month we bring you this event featuring poets, graph artist, visual artist of all kinds, poetry slams, guest speakers, and food. Hosted by yours truly, Corey Black.

Spot: Gya Art Gallery | 2100 Locust
Time: 8pm
When: January 21,2012
Damage: Only $5
Go to TheDoForSelfInitiative.com​ for more info. If you want to become a guest poet or speaker email at: Info@TheDoForSelfintiative​.com

Strictly Real talk, no cliche...

Corey Warhol | Self Portrait

Kingdom. Power. Glory.

Africa: Amnesty International Calls For Bush's Arrest

With former President George W. Bush traveling this week in Africa to promote AIDS relief efforts and to raise awareness of cervical and breast cancer, Amnesty International is urging three nations to arrest him during his visit for "crimes under international law."

The world's largest human rights group said Thursday that "there is enough evidence in the public domain" to justify either Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia arresting the former president during his expected visit to the region, which started Thursday and lasts until Monday. Bush is traveling with his wife, Laura, and daughter, Barbara.

The three nations should investigate "his alleged involvement in and responsibility for torture," the group said.

Read more at FOX News

Memory Lane: I Used To Napster

I remember back when I was in high school, my boy Tony and I would take roadtrips on the weekend up to Truman State University in Kirksville, MO to hang out with our friend Dave. He was up there on a football scholarship and we would post in his dorm room and hit the parties up. I was only 17 at the time, but I would use my brother's military ID to get into the parties. Good times were had indeed.

Around this time, Napster was officially the coolest website on Earth. I would spend a few hours every trip downloading music and burning cd's. The I became known as "The Guy From St. Louis That Knew Every Song."

What do you remember about Napster?

When The Coons Come Marching In

This is going to be very hard to write without me sounding like I am about to stereotype, because I'm not, but within the black culture, there is a separation. Amongst that divide, there is one constant variable: Most of us can trace our ancestry back to the hood. That hood can either be the ones worn by the murderers of our father's fathers, or it could be the hood we called home. Regardless, its there, and we have to deal with it. The product of this environment, is the birth of the coon. The ignorant, fearless, brave beacon of hope. Our constant reminder that we have yet to overcome.

This Can't Be Life

I really wish the ignorant mentality would fall off a cliff. There are too many brothers and sisters that just don't care. Brothers don't take pride in the way they carry themselves. For the most part, they just gave up and are unwilling to be better men. The same goes for Sisters too. Way too many of our women have let themselves go and are not being the queens they are destined to be.

Each generation is granted their very own Stephin Fetchit. I wonder if we are the generation that has too many.  This is happening on more levels than just the hood. Even with politics, on one side you have President Barack Obama, and on the other side there is Herman Cain. We just have to do better as a people all across the board.

Get involved with programs in urban communities and your own. Help out these Teen Mothers and children living in broken homes. Little things like this go a long way.

I don't want to be in that number when the coons come marching in.

The Throne: 2011 Victoria Secret Fashion Show (Live)

GQ- Wear It Now

Photograph by Mei Tao


Suit, $1,470 and sweater-vest, $148, Gant by Michael Bastian. Shirt, $108 by Saturdays NYC. Tie, $125 by David Hart & Co. Shoes, $1,750 by Giorgio Armani. Socks, $30 (three-pack) by Lands' End. Scarf, $99 by Smart Turnout. Hat, $20 by Topman. Gloves, $100 by LaCrasia Gloves.

Operation:Dress Code

When I'm heading to school & work, I make the conscious effort to dress for success. I don't have much money, but it doesn't stop me from looking like a million bucks on some days. It's not about how much you spend on your clothes, its how you wear them. Today is one of those days. Check, man make the clothes, clothes never make the man. Went to the thrift store this past weekend with The Hauteness and scored.

Powder Blue Calvin Klein Sweater-$3, EXPRESS Design Studio Pant-$4

Banana Republic Striped Oxford-$3

Oscar De La Renta Tie-$1

Not bad for an $11 dollar outfit...

BLACK EVERYDAY

Happy Holidays! No need to wait until Friday to be Black! Starting today until December 14,2011, we are offering  25% off all  copies of "THE BLACK GENTLEMAN! Don't wait too late! BUY BLACK!

Use Coupon Code: BUYMYBOOK305 at checkout.

Coupon expires December 14, 2011

$50 Max Savings

Thank you for the support!

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"i wake up in my dreams."-Corey Wright

Supernatural vs The Weave & Perms

I said something on facebook last night relating to the fact that most women feel confident when they wear their hair with a weave in it, but most brothers translate weave into "I'm insecure".

I was told this was ignorant and offensive (like I care) but it got me to thinking:

"Are weaves really a neccesity?"

As black people, we always find a way to seperate ourselves. Its always some battle occuring within our race. It's either light-skin vs dark skin, dredlocks vs bald heads, natural hair vs synthetic... WAIT!

Synthetic hair and chemical products are actually something we have control over. I can understand the fued between complextions and skin tones because of The American Complex . I also can see why people choose a preferred hair style, but when it comes to knowingly wanting to put lye and polyester on your scalp and wearing it like an accessory, I just don't understand it.

(It's not for me to understand, but keep reading)

My daughter is 3-years old. At the rate things are going, she's probably going to question why her hair is different than the hair on the dolls she plays with. That's where I step in and will have to say to her, "Your hair is different because you are real baby, and these dolls, they aren't real. so they have fake hair." Would I be wrong in saying that? Nope, not at all. Will she understand that? Of course, my daughter's a genius. I can't change the mindset of every black woman in America, but I don't want to. I do however pray I have an impact on one, my daughter, and that's more than enough.

I'm not trying to bash black women or make them feel any less than the greatness they already possess, I'm just saying, be yourself. BE YOURSELF. Is that too much to ask? If you have a head full of wiry, nappy hair, rock it! If your hair is as thick as cotton, twist it up and get it in. There ain't nothing wrong with being black.  If you feel like you look ugly with the hair God gave you, and you want to put a perm in or sew some weave in, then do you. BY ALL MEANS! If you can feel beautiful with the extraordinary, beautiful, supernatural hair God betowed upon you, you probably can feel beautiful with yaki in your head.

But this isn't about me and what I like, nor is it about what women like. At the end of the day, its all about the kids. Are we really going to raise our kids to believe they have to be synthetic to look good? Are we going to raise your sons to think that a woman is only beautiful if she has light-skin and silky hair? Are our daughters going to feel insecure and ugly because their roots are nappy?

I can't get with that.

So when it all falls down, and we are still grudging with Nappy Hair vs Relaxed Hair/Weaves, the real question is:  "Do we love ourselves enough to be who we are?"


Peace

WE GOT THAT BELLE BUTTERS ON DECK!

There are certain things I don't discuss with my friends, mainly because certain topics never come up. In the midst of talking about the new Drake album, NBA lockout, the Pacman fight, and how the NFL season is going, no one is about to bust out and say, "Yo, what kinda lotion you use fam?" It just doesn't happen in my circle. Granted, that is an inquiry I have never conceived, but lucky me, I have a platform to  brag about what's keeping the chalk off my knuckles.

As a black man, there are certain things that I can not allow myself to succumb to. One main thing is the dreadful plague known as "Ashyness". Yep, I'm a man, but I do care about the condition of my skin, as should any other men. I enjoy looking good, smelling good, and above all, feeling good. Just as much as I pay attention to the food I put inside my body, I have to give the same to what I put on it.

I've been buying the products they have been whippin up at Belle Butters for some time now. Of course, like most brothas, I kept the jar of Palmer's Cocoa Butter on deck, but I have long surpassed the standardized methods and upgraded to some Grade A Shea Butter. They say black don't crack, and the Unyevu Butter will see to it that it doesn't.

(Plus, fellas, if you truly want to make your lady happy, buy her some of the Coconut Butter. TRUST ME!)

It's the winter time, and I can't be walking around looking like I got into an altercation with a bag of flour. If you haven't had the opportunity to check out this product ,don't wait, head over to bellebutters.com and throw it in the bag. Get this in your life, like now.

Peace

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Dear God

Brenda's Got A Baby | R.I.P. Tyler Dasher

Just when I thought the insanity would digress, the aftermath of Casey Anthony's verdict is still echoing in my heart. Yesterday in St. Louis, I find out that 13-month-old Tyler Dasher was found dead in the woods behind a cemetery. His mother, Shelby A. Dasher said she went to sleep Monday night and woke up late Tuesday morning to discover that her child was missing. That story would add up if it came with a + sign. She hasn't been charged with anything yet, but I have a feeling this isn't going to be a good look.

Shelby A. Dasher Facebook Picture

I don't know if its just me, but I feel like as of late, there has been a lot of neglect, abuse, and violence directed towards small children. So sick of seeing these mothers killing their own child. One of the first bible stories I can remember was the one of Solomon's Wisdom. This particular story was with two women, both claiming to be the mother of a child. King Solomon hit them with "Cut the baby in half and give one portion to each mother." Pow, that's how you define what a mother is. One woman who's first child had already died in the middle of the night said, "Cool, let's do it", The other woman said, "She can have the child, just don't harm that baby!" Solomon does what any wise person should do: Give the child to the person that doesn't want that child hurt.

Sounds like common sense, but just like in Solomon's time, we still deal with the issue of mother's having the hearts of murderers. There will always be this epic battle between women having to defend their title as "Mother" with women that don't know their womb from a hole in the wall. Sickening. It's been in the media a lot lately, but this isn't anything new. I can't even pin this on teenage pregnacy though, my mother gave birth to my oldest brother when she was a senior in high school. MTV has made some money broadcasting "16 & Pregnant", like that's the thing to be at 16-years-old, but its older women just as immature as these young girls, and race isn't even an issue with this subject.




Let's not forget, Tupac Shakur hit the nail on the head with "Brenda's Got A  Baby". This song will forever be relevant as long as we ignore the signs of our women and our youth. This song came out in 1991, and 20 years later, it hits very close to home. I'm sending up prayers for all of the families that have been victims of child abduction, abuse, molestation, and murder. The devil is busy. Pray for our children.

Peace.

Can You Keep A Secret?

Click here to order "The Black Gentleman"

Buy 1 copy of "THE BLACK GENTLEMAN" by C.B. WRIGHT and get the second  copy for 50% off when you use coupon code SECRET305 at checkout. Maximum savings with this promotion is $50. Print and tax amounts are excluded. You can only use the code once per account, and you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. This great offer ends on November 18, 2011 at 11:59 PM so try not to procrastinate!

Life + Times | Ball So Hard

Asa’s Retro French/Nigerian Soul | MTV IGGY

Asa’s Retro French/Nigerian Soul | MTV IGGY

Vague Flashes

I was blessed this year to help my buddy L-vis 1990 with a spoken word piece for the intro on his debut album "Neon Dreams". A few guys in France got hold of it and created a very awesome remix. One love to The Svens for this LA to NY edit!

L-Vis 1990 — Vague Flashes ft. Corey Black (the Svens's "LA to NY" edit) by the Svens

THE BLACK MAN IN AMERICA: AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF HOLLYWOOD

This post is going to be kind of vague because I really don't feel like detailing too much, so bare with me.

I know this particular topic gets touched on a lot, but I recently posted the picture of Kanye West and it brought up a lot of pondering questions. It seems like we pay too much attention to rappers or artist that hit the stage or film dressed in feminine attire, but what is the root of this? I feel like the black man in America will lose his identity, and leave it up to Hollywood and the governement to decide how we should be as men.

A majority of brothers don't have fathers or father figures. That alone means we have an entire generation of young men that will not know what direction to go into because that crucial entity is absent in their lives. I don't really want to get into all the statistics, we all know the facts. My question is how can we change this? I think I have an answer. Its not the most popular one, but its better than nothing.

I feel like media, Hollywood and the United States Government has destroyed the black community in America, and if not the rest of the world. The people are hurt. The Willie Lynch Letter has proven true on all accounts and its no better time than now to take a stand and uplift the people. President Obama set a great example for the people, but his competition is strong. One black man can't change the world, especially when you have thousands of black men chasing after fame, fortune, and materialistic things.

Click Here To Read Entire Letter

Its a neverending battle. This isn't the 60's, yet we are still fighting for our civil rights (The Murder of Troy Davis). The government has killed a majority of black leaders such as Huey, Martin, Malcolm, Tupac, etc. I feel like the hope is almost gone. It's definitely up to Generation X to take back what is being withheld. We've lived through the Reagan Era, The Crack Epidemic, and 3 wars in the past 30 years.I had the pleasure to attend the Eugene B. Redmond Writer's Club 25th Birthday Celebration last week and was blessed with the inspiration given by Dr. Haki Madhubuti and Amiri Baraka. Mr. Baraka said it best when he explained how he loved what hip-hop stood for but was saddened at how the corporations got it and corrupted it. Dr. Madhubuti also touched me when he remind us that if we don't keep our story alive, no one will.

 Amiri Baraka  | Me

We lost our way somewhere. Spike Lee Joints captured the late 80's, and those cinematic classics got traded in for Tyler Perry Productions. I just don't get it. Black men in America, if you are reading this, we have to take back our communities. We have to stop being so Hollywood and be men. We need to stop putting on the dress and acting like women. We must be men. It gets said over and over and over, but its serious. Our sons need to know what it means to be a man. Our daughters need to recognize what a man looks like and does. If we can do that, just instill a little self-respect, the rest will be easy. We don't need to look at hip-hop stars as role models or for guidance. If you are an artist, then make art for God, yourself, and your people so they can recieve it as a blessing. We have to stop mimicing the things we see on television and the words we hear on radio. Most of it is just poison. We are such a chosen people.

This rant has gotten a little of course, but understand the place where this is coming from. I just want Black Men to take a stand and stop giving in to what the media tells us to do. I used to hear a lot of artist say they wanted to get their songs on the radio, and I would tell them, "They play the same songs on the radio, you should try to be different."

If we are to be artist and express ourselves as such, we need to stop letting Hollywood define us. In other NEWS: we need to start disciplining our children and teaching them about God's will. Let's rebuild Black Hollywood. Let's rebuild Black Wall Street. Let's just get back to a simplier time when men didn't wear dresses.

(P.S.- Sorry for getting off the subject, it happens.)

REMEMBER THE TIME?

"MJ Gone... our n*gga dead."- Kanye West

I saw this picture and immediately thought of Remember The Time.

Funny how times change, yet stay the same. How images from 20 years ago resemble the things we see today.

But has Kanye West taken it too far? Is there a limit to where artist can go when expressing themselves? I'm not going to run out and buy a kilt and act like I'm steezing, but is this a little too much?

HOW TO BE A CHAMPION

To be a winner, you simple need not lose. To be a champion, you need not quit.

Remember these three simple words: Never give up.

No magic tricks. No rally squirrels. No talisman from Carlos Santana. All you need is faith.

St. Louis is now the home of the 2011 MLB World Champions.

Take this into consideration: Your season may not be the brightest, but you always have time to pull it together and finish out on top. Everyone will count you out, but you have to be the one to count you in. No matter how difficult a situation seems. The odds may be against you and a sense of defeat may be upon you, but don't stop believing.

No time to worry about the haters.
OccupySuccess.
You have to give it you all.

It's not how you start. Its how you finish.

HOW TO HAVE FUN AND AVOID LAME EVENTS

I am not a concierge service, but for some reason, people always assume I know what is going on in St. Louis. So this blog is created for all the people that want to get out and enjoy what this city has to offer. I know, I know, there is nothing to do in St. Louis, right? WRONG! This city is always hosting great events and outings, you just have to know where to look.

(Those facebook event invites get on my nerves!)

The title of this article has nothing to do with the subject matter if you haven't caught on by now. For whatever reason, St.Louisans love topics that center around the things wrong with people's attitudes and outlooks. You'll notice that if you pay close attention to us. This will all change very soon, bare with us.

The best way in my opinion to have an awesome time in this city is to hang out with people that have traveled. It may seem like a no-brainer, but trust me: PEOPLE WITH CULTURE ARE FUN TO BE AROUND. This city is enriched with different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. On any given evening you can stumble into a venue that will make you feel like you're in an underground dubstep party in Camden. Seriously.

Another thing to remember: "BEWARE OF THE "IN CROWD". These people will look like they are the socialites of the city, but trust when I say they have been clubbing and partying for 10+ years. People that want to go out every weekend usually are out just to be seen, and will only go to places they think the cameras are flashing. That's not how you want to enjoy yourself in St. Louis because eventually, you're gonna notice just how wack the club scene is. Instead, you want to find the DJ that plays music YOU  like and try to make it to their events when possible. Maybe purchase their mixtapes and support them whenever you can. This way you don't get burnt out with going to the same venue over and over and over again.

Last but not least: EXPLORE NEW THINGS! You have to expand on the things you've been used to. St. Louis offers so much, its hard not to be exposed to something fresh and dope. Sure, 1 out of 8 people you meet here are either an artist, promoter, or producer, but find out what interest you have and then look for some worthwhile events and alternatives to start enjoying yourself in STL!

THINGS TO COME:

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HOW TO LOVE THE 90'S

  Who sat around and decided that "30" was the official age of maturity? Whoever the culprits, I appluad you. They hit the nail on the head with such a proclamation. I've been twenty-nine years old for all of two weeks and in celebrating the year long departure of the "Brutal Twenties", I have begun to realize how certain things have changed. I mean, really changed. Not to say there is anything wrong with that, but somethings could have just stayed the same. Not to sound cliche, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

  With that being said, what happened to the 90's? Its evident that with the resurrection of snapback caps, bleached hi-top fades, and nostalgic sports apparel that the younger generation is catching wind of just how awesome the decade was. Sometimes, taking a trip down memory lane is always worth the drive, but there is something deeper withing the culture that Generation X birthed. For an era in time, it seemed we reached the pinnacle of all the things we'd hoped for as a whole. Bill Clinton was in office. Hip-Hop was phenomenal. Michael Jackson was unstoppable. The Simpsons, whether it be Bart and Homer or O.J.,were entertaining the entire country. Fashion was discovering a new frontier and technology was covering uncharted territory. In the midst of all these things, there was one entity that had its fingers on the pulse of it all: MTV.

  By the late 80's, it seems as though MTV's format was converting to a more urban and younger audience. Yo! MTV Raps jumped on air in '88 and opened the door for hip-hop artist to target a broader arena. Then somewhere around 1992, things went into overdrive. I was only 10 years old, but I still remember Kevin Powell being on the first season of  "The Real World": New York and telling Julie, "Black people don't have the power to be racist." That scene with them arguing in front of the apartment has been embedded into my psyche. Even to see Heather B. grind it out as she worked on her album was something that resided deep inside me. Before then, I had no clue what young black men and women did, or was supposed to do, when they left home and was force to take on the world on their own. Sure, I had older siblings and relatives that taught me many life lessons, but I was still influenced by what I saw on television, and this was a groundbreaking show. It wasn't a Spike Lee Joint. This wasn't House Party. This was, at the time, real life, in the real world.

  Not only was I increasing my scope on life, I was introduced to politics. Schools can break social studies and the government works, but for whatever reason, there seems to be an unwritten law for Gen X that says, "If you want to do something new, make sure it looks cool." MTV was all about making things cooler than the 80's, so what better way to get young America involved with presidental elections? Choose Or Lose. I had no idea who or what Bill Clinton had to offer as a candidate for presidency, but I knew one thing: He was on MTV. Those are moments in time that will never be duplicated. This was a network that was all about being in tune with the youth.

  As I approach my "Awesome Thirties", I'm lightly saddened at how things just won't be like the good ole days. Someone one should really consider a network that strictly focuses on showing the revolution that took place during the 90's. The magnitude of such a new-age hyper modernistic era would give a new life to a culture that is so evidently influenced by it. As the good book says, there is nothing new under the sun.

  Hopefully, MTV catches wind of this petition and does something about it as soon as possible. Of course, that's only if the ball hasn't started rolling on this concept already. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed and wish its the latter of the two.

Peace

HOW TO WATCH THE THRONE

With the upcoming release of “Watch The Throne” on its way, I feel now is a perfect time to put this out there: Kanye’s music is better than Jay-Z.

I’ll begin this the right way by saying I am a Jigga fan.  I’ve purchased Reasonable Doubt about 4 times already [in my lifetime], and I’m probably gonna need to cop it again around my 30^th birthday just cause.  Hov is in my personal Top 5 Dead or Alive and the connection I have with his music hits very close to home.  As a kid growing up in the ghetto, crack, murder, guns, poverty, and chaos surrounded me.  My older brother was a dope boy in the late 80’s and I was fascinated with his lifestyle.  The money, jewelry, sneakers, girls, cars… it all had an effect on the way I perceived things, that was until he got locked up.

On one visit to see him in ‘96, he’d asked me if I had listened to Jay-Z.  Around this time, I was heavily engulfed with BONE, Pac, Biggie, and Nas.  He was like, “You need to sit down and listen to Reasonable Doubt”.  So I got the tape, popped it in my walkman, and vibed out… The first time I heard “Can I Live”, I swear I thought my brother had wrote it, because most of those bars were things my brother had said to me when he was in the dope game.  It was a very personable experience, and to be honest, I didn’t feel the way I felt then about music until the first time I heard “Through The Wire”

Fast forward to 2004: I’m a 21-year-old Lance Corporal in the United Stated Marine Corps stationed in Pyongtaek, South Korea and my only objective on February 10^th was to buy “The College Dropout” and Usher’s “Confessions”.  I was literally on the other side of the world and felt like I was chopping it up with my boys back at home. I would play “Last Call” on repeat over and over just to listen to Ye’s story.  Not only was the Bette Midler sample hypnotizing, but I just felt like his struggle to get on reached me on so many levels.

So now that we’ve established the first encounters from each via the first albums, we jump to now.  Been 7 years since The College Dropout and 15 years since Reasonable Doubt and I have come to the conclusion that Kanye makes better music than Jay. 2001 saw The Blueprint, where which Kanye along with Just Blaze led the production. Sonically, Jay owes Kanye for giving him the sound that transcended Jigga to Hova. Even on Dynasty Roc La Familia, and any other joint we got to see “FaceMob” get on a Yeezy track, it was monumental.  Kanye’s production is flat-out amazing. Jay-Z can make great songs, yes, but Kanye makes great music.

Because Jay is such a diverse, animated, intelligent, and gifted artist, he has to work with other’s that are equally yoked in order for his music to breathe. Not every rapper can lyrically express themselves like Jay-Z, nor have the business savvy and charisma that he possesses.  Jay’s trendsetting in culture and music is the soundtrack for modern day Black America, i.e.: “You did it, I done it before. You get it? I had it, got mad at it, I don’t want it no more…”

Within the hip-hop community, most artist strive to have a career as illustrious as Hovi’s, and pattern a lot of their marketing and branding from him and Roc-A-Fella Records. And amongst those artists, the only one that seems to be equal or greater is: Kanye West.

Kanye is making music that breaks barriers and bridges genres. No one else in hip-hop was sampling Daft Punk and giving it the appeal Ye does. A lot of artist will never be able to write and produce a “Flashing Lights”; it’s just not going to happen. Rappers aren’t making “Hey Mama”, “Jesus Walks”, and “See You In My Nightmares”. Kanye is growing as a strong artist lyrically with each new project and his production is peeking to becoming “Stadium Rap”. Soon, he will be doing Kanyepalooza (kinda catchy) and turning out arenas all over the world.  I’m not taking anything away from Jay-Z, he’s a phenomenal artist, but as of right now, Kanye has elevated and moved pass him, and there is nothing wrong with that.  “Otis” and “H.A.M.” both have me very excited and anxious to hear the rest of “Watch the Throne” and I can only expect nothing but great, classic, innovative hip-hop from these two heavyweights.

In conclusion, I didn’t sell drugs, but I watched my “Big Brother” do it, and learned lessons from him to make me a better man, something he wanted me to be from the beginning.

Peace.