The Good Son

Country Ass Question of the Day

2006-08-25T18:35:00.000-04:00

I'm from Augusta and my parents are from Lincolnton, GA. So there's a fair amount of country in my veins. I try to play it off sometimes. The accent is back in check. The clothes don't necessarily say Augusta. I've developed some fine dining habits. But sometimes it's just too apparent to ignore. I have a million stories about this. On to today's country ass question of the day...

The Setup: Friday Afternoon at the Wall Street job. I'm still in class in training nonetheless. My mom calls my cell and I pick it up whispering, thinking it may be an emergency... oh but it was

Me:Hello?!
Mom:HEEEEY BEH BEH!!!!! HOW MANY POUNDS IN A BUSHEL?

So at this point I'm immediately thinking - what in the hell are they buying that is still measured in bushels?

Me:I honestly have no idea. I can look it up real quick. What are y'all buying?
Mom:Crabs!

Country Grammar

2006-08-15T18:33:00.000-04:00

Anybody out there still read this thing? NO? Good.

Anyways, I've always prided myself on my accent or lack thereof.. If you know a Georgia boy then you are aware it can get a little thick at times. Last summer in New York was my first real test and I seemed to pass ok. I'd go around to meetings with my manager and introduce myself and people would be like "You're really from Georgia? I'd have never known." And then my manager would say, "Just wait a while, it'll come out."

Well apparently there's no waiting for it to come out now. Several people have told me the twang is in full effect. There's nothing like asking a question in a room of 200 during training only to hear some Russian dude go "WTF did he just say?!"

Who to blame? My country ass roommates of the past year. Preciate it fellas. But on the bright side, I think the accent can actually get you some play up here. We shall see..

Falling Down

2006-08-13T16:32:00.000-04:00

So I've fallen off the blogosphere yet again, driven away by the stress and chaos of moving to the last place I ever thought I'd end up - New York City. That alone is enough to drive someone crazy. But its been everything else in the past few weeks that has combined to nearly push me over the edge. I've visited places within myself recently that I never knew even existed and that I would rather never glimpse again.

What do you do when everything that you knew was - suddenly isn't? What do you do when you've spent your whole life having everything come so easy - and in a span of two weeks everything is so wrong that you feel like it may never be right again? What if you tried to live life never depending on someone else for fear they might let you down - and then when you felt you needed them most they did just that? What then happens if you've tried to go at everything alone - and then when you really are alone you have no one to turn to? What happens if you mess up and instead of stopping and fixing it right then - you just close your eyes and keep running to the point of no return? What if you missed out on the best things life had to offer because you were afraid to completely let go?

In a span of a few months, I went from the highest highs to the lowest lows and every point imaginable in between. If you read all of this and think the kid is going mad, no need to worry. I think the impending quarter-life crisis tends to do it to even the best of us.

What i've come to realize is that you can't make it through life alone and you damn sure can't trying to hold everything in and by playing it safe. So with a new station in life, I find it necessary to adopt a new attitude. No more safe choices. We run away from the familiar. More selfishness. We make shit happen today, damn tomorrow. Less logic, more emotion. Let the chips fall where they may.

So I guess I'll finally be getting some things off my chest. And through it all, maybe I'll share a story not about falling down - but about getting up.

Hello World

2006-06-08T12:24:00.000-04:00

Anyone still out there? I doubt it.. Someone remarked a while ago that the blog trend pretty much seemed to have peaked and the blogspot landscape over the past few months seems to bear that out. Last Update: March, April, etc. - and mine was no different. So if anyone is reading this - Welcome back. If not - then this will just have to be somewhere for me to post my thoughts on the internet so I can feel important.

Where has your boy been? Didn't have anything that interesting to say. Didn't want to be shown up by some people who were really doing the damn thing (more on that in a minute). Too busy reveling in the amazing final few weeks of what has been the longest six years of my life.

And now it's over. And after sitting around doing absolutely nothing for a few weeks (I really wish this never had to end, maybe I'll hit the lottery) - I seem to have regained the swag. I got shit to say. I think I was too PC before, so within reason (gotta not offend the folks at the job) I'm sayin more of what's really on my mind in the future.

So let's catch up real quick:

1. I just realized that I never posted after I got back from Jamaica. Jamaica was 100% DOPE. The people, the land, the attitudes. Maybe I'll devote an entire blog soon to the splendor of Montego Bay, Negril, and all points in between.

2. I graduated!!!! Hells Yeah!! Everyone who saw me said I was smiling all week like crazy. May 7 - May 14 is easily in the top 2 for the greatest weeks of my life. I simply can't do it justice with words. Thanks to everyone who made it happen and for the crew who made this semester the best post-Morehouse. You know who you are.

3. Shoutouts to JSC and What Fresh Hell Is This!?! - There were a couple of weeks about a month and a half ago when yall were on like the blog equivalent of Kobe going for 80. Masterpieces day in and day out. Thank y'all for the great reads.

4. The I'm In Luv with a Stripper remix with Pimp C, Paul Wall, MJG, Too Short, and R. Kelly became the absolute greatest club song to get worked over to since the Whisper Song. Guaranteed fun everytime - Thanks T-Pain! Although R. Kelly's verse is really really disturbing.

5. What's old is new again - announcements coming soon perhaps after I check with someone.

6. I really need to find an apartment before I come home from work to my deluxe cardboard box. If you know somethin, pass it along.

7. Enigma started bloggin again! We gotta talk soon! And start working on our secret society! lol

8. The link below needs no introduction - you probably have already seen it. So hot that they went back and changed the last X-Men movie just to throw this in. You'll either love it or hate it. Starring someone many of us know and love (we'll call him Frank), as the Juggernaut.

The Juggernaut

Until next time.

Innocence Lost

2006-03-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

Went to see Curious George yesterday with my nephew since he's always a good excuse to see a kids' movie that I want to see. Cute movie overall. A few thoughts...

1. Will Ferrell is the man! Even in a cartoon.

2. I walked out of that movie really wanting a monkey, although I'll settle for a dog.

3. Here cometh the rant - what the hell is up with product placements in a cartoon? Is nothing sacred anymore? I read a bunch of those books when I was little and not once do I recall George only eating Dole bananas. Really?! And The Man in the Yellow Hat drives a VW Jetta? Who knew? If I'm a 7 year old in about 10-15 years, I'll be sure to remember that when I'm looking to purchase a car.

4. Following up on 3 - what's good with Disney pimpin all of their classics on straight to DVD trash? The Lion King and Aladdin were fire, but Aladdin 3 and the Lion King 2 on DVD were absolutely not. And when I saw Bambi too, I lost all respect....

On that note, your boy is on vacay - hopefully back at you next week a few shades darker. A month plus til graduation!

Being a New Age Negro Is...

2006-03-11T14:22:00.000-05:00

Growing up in Augusta, GA I eventually realized that there were essentially two types of black men around me:

1. Those who were doing something and would get out of Augusta (usually went to school, played ball, or joined the military)

2. Those who weren't doing a damn thing (and would end up stuck in Augusta, working at the mall, Wal-Mart, on the corner, etc.)

The absolute best part of coming to Morehouse for me was that it introduced me to an entire spectrum of black men that I never knew existed or at least that I would not have had the opportunity to interact with otherwise. Intellectual black man, preppy black man, militant black man, fake militant black man - you name it, he's at the House. Can't imagine who I'd be if I had chose Duke, Princeton, (or God forbid) Georgia Tech instead.

So anyways, over the 6 years that I've spent at and around Morehouse and the AUC, I've managed to pick up the mannerisms of a number of different people. Upon journeying home, the new me would inevitably raise eyebrows and draw greetings of "Hey Kanye!" or "What up Pharrell!" If nothing else, a good landmark for my drive towards FGB (a topic for another time).

I've managed to come to grips with the quirks and occasional contradictions that now compose my personality and describe them by jokingly calling myself "A New Age Negro." (It's a work in progress, please propose something else if offended by my use of "Negro") Anyways - I will be sharing them from time to time. Enjoy.

Being a New Age Negro Is:

-Wearing a lilac-colored shirt to a party, but being afraid to get gas in the West End lest somebody look at you funny.

-Riding down Ponce listening to the new Project Pat Gangsta Grillz mixtape while sipping a peach yogurt d-lite smoothie from Smoothie King.

-Finally getting over the fact that they changed Structure to Express for Men.

-Discovering Brooks Brothers for the first time.

-Realizing it's been over 3 years since you bought anything made by Roc-a-Wear, Enyce, or the like.

~W2

Driving 55 in ATL

2006-03-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

Something that those of you who've enjoyed a stay in Atlanta can appreciate...

A group of Georgia State students entered this film in the Atlanta Campus Moviefest and won Best Comedy. The five-minute film explores that happens when a group of drivers obey the posted 55mph speed limit on I-285 aka "the perimeter."

A Meditation on the Speed Limit

BTW, you're definitely from or went to school in Atlanta if you know there's a HUGE difference between ITP and OTP.

~W2

The Great Divide

2006-02-28T16:56:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know I absolutely love Creative Loafing, a weekly alt-news publication in Atlanta. So I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up the paper this week and saw the Rev. Herman "Skip" Mason on the cover. In addition to being "the bruhs," Skip currently serves as the Morehouse archivist and was in CL discussing the disappearing face of Black History in Atlanta. The article was excellent overall, but what jumped out at me most was the discussion of how Black culture in general has evolved since the Civil Rights Movement.

Much has been made of the Generational War among African-Americans as we all wait on the next group of leaders to emerge. The Kings, Jesse, Maynard - their time has come and gone. Who will be next? We are a people who depend heavily on the messenger - but what becomes of that message when the messenger is nowhere to be found?

Mason and many others believe that focus on self-success has caused us to abandon the selfless mentality of the Civil Rights era and he may have a point. Being at Morehouse College (and around Spelman), I met many future Wall-Streeters, entrepreneurs, doctors, dentists and the like, for whom only the most fantastic personal successes will suffice. Is that a bad thing?

I myself am no stranger to the mentality. My mother tells me stories about being a maid for an elderly Caucasian woman in Jim Crow Georgia and in a few months, I'm going to be working on Wall Street. That's sacrifice and a testament to how far we've come, but where are we going? Is it a lack of willingness to sacrifice or is there still even a singular movement for us to sacrifice for?

As the article says, the message has morphed from "the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence" to "by any means necessary" and, finally to "get rich or die tryin'." Our culture today is such that for a significant portion of our youth (if not the majority), T.I., Jeezy, and Ludacris are more viable role models than Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Cornel West.

I could (and often do) go on about this topic forever, but stop and ask yourself - am I doing my part to build a bridge? To the past? And the future?

~W2

P.S.: Skip Mason is one of the foremost authorities on Atlanta's Black History and just a good dude to know for history buffs period. www.skipmason.com

It's Hard Being 7

2006-02-24T00:37:00.000-05:00

Today, I had the privilege of skipping out on my 3 o'clock class and driving 90 mph down I-20 to catch the next-to-last basketball game of my 7-year old (going on 30) nephew at 6 pm. I promised the lil boy that I would come to at least one of his games even though they are absolutely horrible for my schedule. Among other things, the trip reminded me of why being a kid is so great. Allow me to recount the highlights of his day:

3pm - He gets in trouble leaving school for spitting on a girl. She also spat on him, if that makes it any better. When I asked him why he did it, the following words were exchanged:

Me: So why did you spit on her again?
Him: Because she wouldn't leave me alone!
Me: Leave you alone how?
Him: She kept hugging and kissing on me!
Me: Ummm.... Ok

6pm - My lil man plays in the greatest basketball game that I have ever witnessed with a final score of 6 to 4. Absolute comedy. He also managed to shake the absolute shit out of somebody's 6 year-old and lay it up to score his first 2 points of the season. Couldn't have asked for more.

8pm - At some point during dinner, he manages to lose his TV privileges for the next 6 weeks. Buddy has the smartest mouth ever and the whuppings to prove it.

All in all, he had a great day. And even when he has a bad day, it's never really that bad. No bills, no stress, no worries. Just no "Proud Family" for over a month. I wish it could still be so simple.

24

2006-02-20T18:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me!

Nothing much to say today - maybe I'll have time to really get some stuff off my mind next week.

Random bday questions:
What does it mean when you're 24 and you look 18?

When exactly is the tipping point when this ceases to be a negative and turns into a plus?

Can i grow a goatee just once before my hairline starts receding?

~W2

Buried

2006-02-16T01:40:00.000-05:00

The good times couldn't possibly last forever, so of course the weekend preceding my birthday finds me buried in a mountain of work....

This weekend found me buried in the WORST snowstorm in the history of New York City - I'm talking 29 inches of snow and blizzard conditions. I literally had never seen anything like it. Rethinking this move to New York. Is it too late to go to law school? Pray for the kid.

~W2

Subliminal

2006-02-06T11:17:00.000-05:00

1. During his interview with Oprah on Friday (excellent by the way), Dave Chappelle recounts an experience where he was in a movie with Martin Lawrence and the producers wanted him to wear a dress. He refused to do it, being uncomfortable with the scene. He then stated that nearly every major black male comedian has been put into a dress in a role at some point in their careers.......

2. Weekend Box Office (Feb 3-5)

1. When a Stranger Calls $22M
2. Big Momma's House 2 $13M
.
.
7. Something New $5M

Big Momma still going strong.
However, it seems like we weren't quite ready for "Something New." Small victory.

~W2

Body Rock, Body Rock

2006-02-01T17:21:00.000-05:00

Random reason No. 1001 to love Atlanta:

So during my quick jaunt through Lenox Mall yesterday, who should I happen to end up in the same store with? None other than video model extraordinaire - Buffie the Body.

If you don't know who Buffie the Body is, may I suggest that you Google her now. Or better yet, just visit www.buffiethebody.com

Your reaction (depending on your gender - then again, after watchin groups of girls staring yesterday, maybe not) will probably be something similar to John J's...... JESUS. My sentiments exactly. Highest of high comedy.

~W2

Maybe in an Alternate Universe...

2006-01-31T17:10:00.000-05:00

Shoutouts to Reesy for putting me up on this one...

Quoting "Lil" Bow Wow in XXL:

"I'm not tryna be like Will Smith cause Will Smith is not a real rapper. He was more of a bubble gum rapper. The only real rappers out there right now are Me, Kanye, 50, and maybe Jay. But Jay ain't in it like that no more."

Kanye, 50, Jay-Z - and "Mr. Fresh Azimiz." Without even delving into omissions such as Nas, I'ma just say - WTF??

I admit, I did like that one bar about being "Under 21 with a Black Card"
But still dude - you trippin

~W2

The Itis

2006-01-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen... I have a bad case of "the itis." Not the chitlins (i don't know what a chitterling is), neckbones, and mac and cheese induced itis. Although I do kinda miss the pork. Nah, I have senior senior senior itis.

I'm usually a pretty focused dude, so it's interesting to say the least. I go to a school known for having some of the unhappiest students in the entire country due to the workload and for the last month I haven't really done a damn thing school related. Sorta kinda go to class. Except for that 9am, that's a beast. Homework? Next week. Pick up a textbook? Next month. Just let me know when the tests start.

I've spent waaay too much time and money at Hooters on Peachtree on beer and wings. My Live 06 game is sick right now, ask Best Man Steve. Sleeping like there's no tomorrow. Tryin to get swole. Trying to pick up some bad habits that I swore off a while ago just because I can. It's been like grandma's cooking round here - it might not be healthy but it sure is good!

I know that when the time comes, I'll get the job done. Always have, always will. But in the meantime, i'm enjoying being the me that I haven't been able to be for the past two years. Gotta make room for a second helping.

Who??

2006-01-26T11:20:00.000-05:00

Running on the treadmill yesterday, I found out Mike Jones has a new shoe coming out through Reebok. This morning watching SportsCenter, an anchor (and not Stuart Scott) commented on a dunk by a college player named Mike Jones with a "Mike Jones, Who!?"

My feelings about the rapper shoe trend aside(waaay to common nowadays - The Game got a shoe? Dude has one album and it was co-written by 50!), I have to respect dude's hustle. He's managed to take one of the most vanilla names you could ever have and make it a national phenomenon. Your grandma probably knows Mike Jones' phone number at this point.

So my thing is, where would Mike Jones be if he had been steered down a slightly different path? You're tellin me dude couldn't be a marketing genius for somebody's Fortune 500 company? But instead for a lot of our kids, the only avenues appealing to them are sports, entertainment, and the trap. For all this talk about how far we've come, we still get stuck in sub-standard schools, with libraries without books and lacking the other resources to give us a truly equal chance.

Hip-Hop is undoubtedly the dominant force in pop culture and dudes are definitely stepping up their game by branching out into clothing, restaurants, and the like. Jay running Def Jam. Jay and Nelly own parts of NBA franchises. But will there ever be a point when a kid from my hood is as likely to sign to Prudential as The Roc?

Caught Up

2006-01-20T02:25:00.000-05:00

"I feel like I'm in purgatory," I said to a friend recently.
"Purgatory is hell," they said.
"No it's not," I responded. "It's that place in-between."

In-between, caught up, purgatory - call it what you will but that's where I feel I am in life right now. In a few weeks - 15 to be exact - I will finally complete the never-ending journey that has been undergrad and embark on a new career and life in New York City. From the AUG to NYC - who knew? In the meantime, here I am stuck in the middle.

I will graduate with the Morehouse College Class of 2006, but aside from that being the year that I will walk across the stage there exists no connection whatsoever. Nearly two years ago, I watched my peers enjoy our Senior Week and move on to the next stage of their lives, while I just got back to the grind of this damn dual-degree thing. It may be very necessary for what I want to do in life, but that doesn't change the fact that there have been few days as depressing as that one. Yes I'm slightly bitter.

Why? Because I'm stuck in the middle. Too old to hang around and do the school thing. That's cool, because I already did about everything you could hope to do in college. I allowed myself a 5th senior year and let it go gracefully (I think). At the same time, I lack the schedule and disposable income to allow me to run much with the young professional crowd. Maybe I'm bitching, but it's something that few people truly understand.

Most of my friends complain about work and bills and say they wish that college had never come to an end. For me, it seemed for so long that it would never end. I can't for something, ANYTHING new to begin.

This is It?

2006-01-16T18:49:00.000-05:00

Not what I originally planned to post today, but it's what's fresh on my mind...

If you didn't catch it last night, do yourself a favor and catch the "The Return of the King" episode of The Boondocks that aired last night. Re-runs on Cartoon Network this Friday and Saturday.

The Boondocks is my second favorite comic strip of all time - right after Calvin and Hobbes - so you know your boy was amped when McGruder landed a tv show. Reviews were mixed upon the debut (I liked it) but almost everyone admits the show is now hitting its stride. Check out "The Trial of R. Kelly" and I dare you not to almost die laughing.

So anyways, the premise of last night's show was - what would have happened if MLK had not died in the attempt on his life, but instead lapsed into a 30+ year coma, awakening in 2000? Long story short, MLK was like "This is it?" That's where I'm at too. Working with kids in Atlanta Public Schools and just observing life in general, I'd be making an understatement if I said I was concerned with where our people are headed. I could go on and on about this, but I'll end with two random things I have heard or witnessed recently that are endemic of the problem at hand....

1. TOOKIE WILLIAMS got nominated for an NAACP Image Award. I won't even discuss the argument that me and my mother had yesterday about this. Yes he reformed. It's still just plain wrong.

2. The dude dressed up as Uncle Sam on Candler Rd. for Liberty Tax Service doing the "Laffy Taffy" as I drove by. I don't know why this made me mad, but boy was I...

In the words of Dr. King -
"This is what I took all dem ass-whuppings for?"

Lessons of 2005

2006-01-06T12:05:00.000-05:00

In no order whatsoever, my retrospective on the year that was 2005:

1. Homecoming is 100 times better when you actually get to tailgate.
2. New York? Yeah, I like that.
3. Damn Starbucks. Where's the nearest QT?!
4. Engineering. Law. Wall Street. I does it all.... just call me "The Apprentice."
5. Champagne flutes are dangerous. No. Really. Stay away.
6. Life in Atlanta was just a bit funnier with 505 in residence.
7. When around Randall, it's always a good idea to take notes.
8. If there's a guy alive who I would describe myself as an unabashed groupie of - it's gotta be Jay-Z.
9. Brother Steve will always and forever be "The Best Man."
10. Roommate Vic? The real "Ultimate Hustler."
11. No bruhs + No girl = 3.8 GPA.
12. One of my favorite new hobbies? Making new friends on a flight. Gotta love meeting Fat Joe randomly in the Ft. Lauderdale airport.
13. Doesn't mean that you don't love the bruhs.
14. Entourage - Like Sex and the City for guys.
15. Doesn't mean that you don't miss the girl.
16. Jarrod - perhaps the funniest person ever whose last name isn't Rock, Chappelle, or Murphy. Seriously.
17. I'd just like to state for the record, that I've still got it.
18. Watermelon Twist Smirnoff seems really fruity huh? Well it's still dangerous.
19. When you think it can't get any worse, OH but it can...
20. Sometimes it's what didn't happen that keeps you up late at night.
21. So SHE still runs it huh?
22. Growing up is telling the boys that yes - I like Hoobastank, Maroon 5, and Linkin Park.
23. Growing old is realizing that you really want to buy that new Ne-Yo album and you kinda like Nelly.

Trading Spaces

2006-01-03T18:26:00.000-05:00

Hello again. Due to certain circumstances beyond my control, I've been without decent internet access for over a week. Never realize how much you miss it til it's gone. Anyways, I had planned to post a year in review/resolutions thing and I probably still will, because if there's ever been a time for introspection and changes in my life, it is most definitely right now. 06 is about to be that year for your boy. But for today just a random thought.

Anyone who knows me knows that I represent GA hard. Love it, no place like it. In fact, I've decided that there is only one other place that I would rather be from if I wasn't from the great state of Georgia. But first, a quick list of my factors for a suitable place to call home.

1. I Love Black People (Sorry Maine, Iowa, Montana, and any other place like that)
2. I require my home to have "flavor." (Read: distinctive culture, food, slang, dress, etc.)
3. I must actually like said "flavor." (DC/Baltimore is cool but I can't get with the pots and pans and the glitter clothes. Sorry)
4. I must be able to live in a house with grass in the yard. (Really New York City?)
5. I must not feel that most of the people from said home are crazy in some way (California is just on some other ish)
6. The Snow Rule - If it snows and I have to go to work or school, I can't live there.

So, taking all of my qualifiers into consideration, where's the only other place I'd be proud to call home? Texas, my friend. There's just so much to like about the place. The people I meet from Texas are all cool as hell, and they rep it like a damn country. If you don't believe me, just start an argument with a Texan about Krispy Kreme vs. Shipley's, Blue Bell Ice Cream, or Big Red soda. I also owe Texas for screw music, "already," "plex," Mike Jones, and a bunch of other stuff. Black people seem to be doing it big in Houston, much like Atlanta, and that's always a plus.

And last but not least - Texas produced Beyonce. Beyonce. I really can't express my thanks enough.

Theme Music

2005-12-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

So a friend and I have a great idea for a television show. Without going into too much detail, it's essentially the lives of a group of young people with a twist - it's only the highlights. So it got me to thinking, if your life was a highlight show, or a movie even, who would you want providing the soundtrack? My top two:

1. The wonderful people behind the music of NFL Films.
If you have no idea of what i'm talking about, simply turn to ESPN on a weekday afternoon and wait for The (insert team here) 2005 Yearbook. These shows can manage to make a 2-14 season by the Cleveland Browns look like they won the Super Bowl. And the best part - you guessed it, the music. You want epic music? This is it at it's finest.

2. The people responsible for the music of Rocky I-IV.
First of all, it's only Rocky I-IV because Rocky V never happened. I'm very serious about this. So anyways, these are probably the most underrated soundtracks ever. Big exam, presentation, date, meeting the in-laws? Doesn't matter. Throw on the Rocky and you'll be ready to kick the world's ass. (You'll probably find yourself shadowboxing too, but that's cool as long as you're by yourself.) The recent Starbucks commercial with "Survivor" only reinforced this fact for me. Classic. I can't overstate the importance of this music in getting your boy through school.

One...

The Passion of Kanye West

2005-12-19T21:56:00.000-05:00

Ask me from the heart y'all all frontin
Everybody feel a way about K, but at least y'all feel something
~Kanye West, Bring Me Down (2005)

Before I get started, I don't refer to the passion to be blasphemous, but with Ye's penchant for religious imagery, it seems appropriate. Mr. West views himself as the savior of hip-hop, and what's a savior without the crucifixion? The backlash began after his seminal debut album the College Dropout and the subsequent chest beating by Kanye. The stones really began to be thrown following the infamous quote, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." And now following yet another critically acclaimed album, with the Grammys approaching, the inevitable crucifixion is seemingly at hand. So I only have one question - What's up with the hate hip-hop?

For years, people have bemoaned the death of "true hip hop." Everybody sounds the same. The media controls who blows up and who doesn't. Hip-hop demeans black women. Everybody is trying to be gangsta. No arguments from me on any of those.

So along comes someone who breaks the mold, who is puttin it down for real hip hop, and everybody hates on dude? I confused. (Yes that was intentional) Yes, he can be a bit much at times. Hey, if I put out one of the dopest debut and sophomore album combos in music history, I'd be big on myself too. I'm not going to say that he's the first artist recently to spit "conscious" lyrics (Mos, Kweli, Little Brother, and others have done that without mainstream acceptance), but can he get a lil love? No guns, no drugs, no "I Got Shot!" (Boondocks!). Instead we get relationships, school, family - real life issues that we can all relate to. Dude's videos are hot without video hoes - and he brought Stacey Dash out of hiding. Gotta love that.

My other big issue is that he speaks out against homophobia and you know what happens next - HE'S GAY! Stop it, please. That's the attitude that has us dealing with the Down Low syndrome as I speak. Gay or not, his music is hot.

So, I have a few minor issues with Mr. West:

1. The anti-school thing - I think people took this the wrong way, but I can see how it can be viewed as irresponsible. (Happy?)

2. As a friend of mine says, he's a blatant GDI... can somebody put him on already?

3. He has a bad habit of mispronouncing words to fit his rhyme schemes (Ben-Gay, hable ingle, sin-gle? - come on dog)

But I can live with these. He's arrogant, but if that confidence forces him to put out product this good to back up his claims, we could all stand to go hard off a bit more pride. So people, put away the pitchforks and appreciate the genius of Mr. West.....

Delete Entry?

2005-12-18T03:26:00.000-05:00

So I recently took my trusty phone to my friendly neighborhood Sprint store for some much needed repairs. To my dismay, the technician informed me that my phone was beyond repair and then said something I was totally unprepared for:

"Your dataport is broken so we can't perform a phone book transfer or print out your phone book."

Meaning that I had to write down all of my contacts by hand. Since the cell phone contact list has definitely replaced the "little black book" as the ultimate manifestation of one's social life, that hour and a half at the Sprint Store provided ample time for my hand to cramp up, as well as a life lesson.

Going through the list trying to decide what numbers were worth keeping, I started to think about all of the people on that list who I had either lost contact with, or who i simply avoided contacting. Names annotated with helpful hints (CAU, HK, 505, crazy, etc) and names that required no reminders whatsoever. People I should have called and didn't and people who I absolutely should have never called and did. Numbers I knew by heart and numbers that I had absolutely no idea how they even got in my phone.

What got me the most were the freshman year friends who I no longer talked to. I'm talking about people who I got into all kinds of trouble with, ran Madden franchises with, who I went to FAMU homecoming with and slept with in a car one night because there was no other option. In short, the people who made one of the best years of my life. Some of them left school, some of it can be attributed to greek affiliations, girls, money, and all other kinds of drama. Perhaps some of it can be attibuted to me.

Whatever the reason, it was sobering to think about how much can change in such a short span of time. I never would have thought 6 years ago that some things would be the way they are today but I guess people come and go. Things that seem so certain today are sure to change come tomorrow.

To summarize:
# of people in contact list before = 415
# of peole in contact list after = 387

Damn I hate growing up.

Allow Me to Introduce Myself...

2005-12-18T02:52:00.000-05:00

"I hate blogs."

The above words pretty much summed up my feeling on the phenomenon of blogging until very recently. I've always thought that the majority of blogs were written by people with nothing interesting to say, trying too hard to come off as exceptionally witty or intelligent and usually failing miserably. So why the change of heart?

1. I've had the chance recently to discover a number of great blogs through friends, associates, and out in the general abyss of the internet. A bad blog is really bad. But a good blog represents the internet at it's best - the free flowing exchange of ideas, equally accessible to all people. A good blog can be hilarious, thought-provoking, sexy, and moving all at the same time. In our celebrity obsessed culture, I think it's a good thing when we can become caught up for a moment in the fascinating lives of "ordinary" people. And I've decided that everybody has something interesting to say at least some of the time....

2. A close friend of mine recently informed me that I have a major problem opening up and sharing myself with people. The inevitable result of a tragic childhood? Perhaps.... So I decided, what better way to start opening up than to post your innermost thoughts for the viewing pleasure of complete strangers?! Exactly - let the healing begin. Woosah bitches....

3. Hey, it's my last semester in school and if nothing else, I've got plenty of time on my hands.

So - in this space, I plan to share the random thoughts that cross my mind from sunup to sundown and even in the evil late-night hours.... Nothing too serious. I don't consider myself to be racist, homophobic, sexist (well someone insists that I'm sexist, but hey-I'm from the South), or anything of the sort - but I will probably say some ignorant stuff from time to time. But it's all in fun - I love everybody!

Last thing... Why The Good Son? It's actually one of my nicknames from my brothers and sisters and honestly it's pretty appropriate, although not completely for the reasons you'd think...
You remember the 1993 movie of the same title with Macaulay Culkin? That's me.... Good grades, well-behaved, perfect young gentleman. No one ever sees the other side coming until it's too late. Don't say I didn't warn you...

So... feel free to stop by and leave your thoughts and comments. One.