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:

Click here for more details.

    Click here for more details.

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