Keep your foot on the neck of the competition

While ladies and germs, its been awhile since I did a post but here we are. A lot has happened in the world in the month of August, and while i could go into detail about each topic, that would be a waste of mine and your time. I will discuss one thing that has the urban world shaken up. Everybody knows about it, but I believe has misinterpreted the meaning behind it.  Everybody thinks it was/is a diss, but I believe it is more than that. If you haven't guessed at what I am talking, then I will tell you. Of course I am talking about Kendrick Lamar's verse on the song "Control".

Now even through this is Big Sean's song, the main reason why this song is on the mind of the hip hop world is due to Kendrick Lamar verse. On his verse, there are two main verse that have him in the mouth of so many hip hop heads. First, he said he was the king of the West Coast and the King of New York. Then he called out a lot of hip hop giants int the game right now. He said ,
"I'm usually homeboys with the same niggas I'm rhymin' wit
But this is hip hop and them niggas should know what time it is
And that goes for Jermaine Cole' Big KRIT, Wale
Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake
Big Sean, Jay Electron', Tyler, Mac Miller
I got love for you all but I'm tryna murder you niggas
Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you niggas
They don't wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you niggas
What is competition? I'm tryna raise the bar high"
Now because of this, a lot of people feel that Kendrick is dissing this said names.At first glace, it does sound like this but if you really listen to the verse, he is actually giving these artist a complement.

Now you maybe he wondering how is he giving this artist a complement by calling people out. Well that is easy. You are supposed to be better than your competition. In his eyes, these people are his competition. Each one of this artist are great in their own right. Their albums/Mixtapes have down major numbers. Their works have received praise from hip hop fans and legends alike. That's why I believed he called out these people names. Aren't you supposed to be the best at what you do? I mean who wants to be the second greatest of all time? If you do, then you are falling in life. I know I am trying to be the best at whatever i do, no matter how big or small it is. And how does one become the best? By going up against the best. If this song is a diss, I believe it is a diss to everybody whose name wasn't mentioned by him.

Another effect that this verse has had is it's lighten a fire under everybody's ass. Not even 24 hours after the song was released did artist take to twitter to react to Kendrick. Then after the wave of tweets came in, the next wake of responses to the verse popped up all other the world. It seems like mostly NY rappers and the rappers who weren't mention make up the bulk of these responses. To me, Kendrick did more than just declare that he is coming for the throne of hip hop. He also started a wave of rappers stepping up their rap game, or at least trying to in some cases.

Whatever you are trying to be the best in, there will always be people who are equal to you, or better than you. The question is what will you do about it. Will you settle for being second best, or will you be the G.O.A.T? That means greatest of all time just in case you didn't know that. Never be afraid to be great. To close out this post, I will leave you with two quotes. As Charlamagne Tha God say, "Keep your foot on the neck of the competition". As Ricky Bobby once said, "If you're not first, then you're last". And yes, I did quote a movie character.

Things I don't get part 3

Beautys and beasts, before I start sharing some random thoughts, I just wanted to say thank you for stopping by and reading these random post of mine. I have been getting some awesome feed back about this blog, and for that I once again say thank you very much. Now that we have got all the mushing stuff got of the way, now it is thank to get the post of the night.

So lately, I have seen a trend that is starting to slowing come back into full affect once again. This trend started back around the second half of the year 2012. This trend had people wilding out more than usually. This trend had folks, in their eyes, living life to the fullest. This trend was had some folks not giving a damn about their actions or the consequence of these actions.  Have you guessed the trend that I an going on and on about? If not, I will give you one more hit. It all start with a lyric from the song "The Motto". That's right, I am talking about that four letter acronym that was made popular by Drake aka wheel chair Jimmy. That was a degressi reference for does who did not know. That trend, that acronym that is slowly but surely making a comeback is........*wait for it*.......Y.O.LO.

Now I know that most of the people who are reading this already knows what Y.O.L.O. means, but for the .01% of folks who don't know what it mean, Y.O.L.O. stands for you only live once. Now I thought folks already knew that before Drake pointed that out, but that is besides the point of this post. So after this acronym was broadcast upon the billions and billions across the world, people took that acronym really to heart. People began to throw cation to the wind, and started to really wild out. These actions would be posted to twitter, facebook, and instagram. Their excuse for these actions would be none other then Y.O.L.O. This is where I think people lost the real meaning, in my eyes, of Y.O.L.O. 

Here is what I don't get; since you only live once, why would you part take in actions that would shorten your life or put your future at risk? I mean it is cool to live in/for the moment every once in awhile, but not all the time. If you are always living in the moment, how can you life for your future? The answer is you can't. I sure people don't want to live in the world of "what if", and that can work on both ends of the coin. You don't want to miss out on fun and wonder "what if " as a young person but you don't want to regret doing something later on in life and wonder "what if" you didn't do a certain action. Since you only live once, wouldn't you want to extend your life as much as possible? Now I am not saying go live in a plastic bubble, but don't go running in the hallway with a pair of scissors in your hand. 

In the relaunch of the Y.O.L.O. trend, I believe there needs to be a relaunch of what it really means. Don't go all out and be reckless, but don't be afraid to live life. With everything in life, the key to Y.O.L.O. is balance when you look at. Take this acronym and use it to live your life to the fullest. Since you only life once, don't be afraid to follow/go after your dreams. Since you only life once, never let a moment go by without telling someone, that you really care for, how much they really mean to you. Since you only live one, help other people out in any way you can. Since you only live once, use your talents to change the world for the better. Most importantly, since you only live once, be who you want to be and not what others expect you to be.

Together we stand, divided we fall

Disclaimer....i wasn't going to doing a post on this topic but after a talk with a great friend of mine, I was encouraged to do this so here we go...thanks khris

On a rainy night on 2-26-2013, a 17 year old male by the name of Trayvon Martin was on his way home after leaving a seven eleven. During the same time, a volunteer neighborhood watchman bu the name of George Zimmerman was on his way to target. Little did these two people know that what would occur that night would send shock waves throughout America. Later that night, a 911 call would record a moment that no one will never forget: the sound of a gun shot fired by George Zimmerman killing Trayvon Martin. Fast forward to 7-13-2013, the verdict for the trail of the year was broadcast to the world. GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: NOT GUILTY. This would send outrage, sadness, and anger throughout America, especially in African American population.

As the verdict was read, people took to social media to share their reaction to this. Some voiced sadness, some voiced violence, and some voiced a sense of hopelessness for the treatment, and future of the African American race. This brought black together with a common thought; How and why did this tragic event take place?  What could we do to together to stop this from happening again? Well, this is an complex issue with many possible situations.  Before you can get an answer, you have to get to root of the problem. To must people, the root of this issue is racism. While this is a key factor of this case, it is not the only root of this problem. The other root of this people is, in fact, ourselve

While racism is a topic we can go on and go about, we can not expect others to the change the way other people treat/think about African American until we change ourselves. In my option, we as a race need to get back to the mindset we had back in the 60s/70s. During those times, we were united in everything we did. We shared common goals, cared about one another, and wanted to see one another go farther in life.We had pride in our race, and would take action if wrong was done to one of our own. What happened to these values and morals that we once had? Now a days, that is not the case. I'm not saying don't have those morals and values, but they are not as shown as other things. It seems as the only time we are united as a race is when a member of another race does wrong by us. When we do wrong by our own race, we don't take to the streets or the net to stop the violence. We have gotten accustomed to black on black violence and death. We rather bring people down than to let the up. We rather "turn up" than to do something positive. We rather work alone than to achieve as a race.Then we have the nerve to get mad other races when they do us wrong. How can we expect other races to treat us right if we don't do right by ourselves? They treat us how we treat ourselves.

So how can we fix this in order to better our ace and our stand in America? By standing together,  stop putting each other down, and stop killing each other. We as a race process more powerful than we realize. When we stand together and become united, we are a force to be reckon with. When we get focused and become united, shit will happen for the betterment of our people. How do you think things got achieved is the 60s/70s? By being on one accord. Together we stand, divided we fall. Now that a possible solution has be brought to light, now the question is what will it take for the African American race to be united and take a stand for ourselves??? 

Trapped inside the matrix

It is amazing how I think of the most randomness things and somehow find a way to make my thoughts make sense. I low-key believe my IQ could be so high that there isn't a way to measure it, but I digress.....I am not here to talk about how smart I secretly think I am. Today, my post is a somewhat squeal to a previous  blog I did about the movie THE MATRIX. In the post, I talked about how the movie how certain aspects of my life soft of mirrored that movie. In the post I will be talking about the real life matrix that so many people are trapped in. 98 % of the world is caught up inside this matrix.  Some people know it and some don't know it. Have you guessed what the real world matrix is? Well if you haven't, I will tell you. The matrix is none other than social media.

Since I don't know when social media actually popped of, I will use the year I was introduced to it.as a.starting point as far as a timeline for this. So back in 2004, social media begin to go mainstream with a site called blackplanet. That was a site mostly for black people. Now fast forward to about mid 2005, the world was introduced to MySpace. This really was a game changer because you could share your pics, music, videos, and more importantly your thoughts/feelings to any and everyone. Because of MySpace, the way we interacted with people changed forever. Soon after that, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and instagram became a must have in the world.

Another big millstone in the social matrix had to do with cell phones. Before smart phones came out, you had to use computers to use these sites. Now there's an app fora just about all social media sites. When a person sees something now, all it takes a few clicks of a button from your phone and all things can and will be shared from the comfort of your phone. When this happened, the social matrix began its takeover.

With this millstone, people began to broadcast everything they did/do for the world to read and see. People began to post more pics and videos of any and everything. More and more, people began to share their life's for the world to see. People began to  connect with people more through  cyberspace and disconnected from the real world. Folks would rather talk to someone through these sites than speak to a person in the real world. This led to an uprising epidemic know as cyber confidence.

Cyber confidence is the act of telling a person something that should be said in person. Because of the number game and  like this and I will tell you something, folks began to relayed on these sites more than ever before. What they couldn't tell someone face to face they told the person on a computer screen. In doing so, folks have lost the connection between person to person interaction and instead relied on technology for basic human interaction/interpersonal skills.

Then people stopped being themselves as well. Instead of being themselves, they portray a person that they think others want them to be. And for what, just to gain some new people that they may never meet in the real world? Or to be someone that they wish they  could be? By doing this, they begin to live in the matrix and disconnect from the real world. It gets to a point that some people act like their cyber self in the real world. The matrix has them believing that version of themselves is the only one people will like.

So now the question is how do people free themselves from the matrix. Well the only true way is to destroy social media all together. Since that's not going to happen, a more realistic solution is to spend less time in cyberspace and/or have more confidence in yourself. If folks they like you for being yourself, they you don't need to try to befriend them/impress them. Also by spending less time on social media, you can meet real life people, network, and gain enhance those interpersonal skills that will be so helpful down the road called life. So in the end, social media is OK as long as you don't let it consume you, guide you, and disconnect you from the real world.

Things I dont get part 2

Well once again, we have another installment in the things I don't series. For this installment, I will be dealing with a interesting topic to say the least. In this installment, I will be dealing with an epidemic that is sweeping across the African American community. The affect of this epidemic can be seen in both male and female. This will have people going against some of the very principles that are rooted deep down in their souls. It is more powerful than a F5 tornado, and it is more addictive than crack , so I've heard. It will make you stop doing everything you are doing at that time. In fact, some people will even leave work earlier just for it. If you haven't figured out what this epidemic is, I will tell you. This epidemic is........,*wait for it*..........is the t.v. show SCANDAL.

For does who don't know what this show is about. I will give you a brief description of the main plot of  the show. So the president of the USA is having an affair with his former employee which just so happen to be a black chick. The black chick helps out of sticking problems along with her team. If you want to know more, google, wiki, and Netflix are at your disposal. Now that we have that little bit of info, next get on with this blog post.

The thing I don't get about this show is why are black people, especially females, are so into this show. Don't get me wrong, this show sounds like it's good/interesting just based off the main plot of the show. If you be on any social media site during the time scandal is on, you will see black females rooting for the prez and the black chick AKA the side chick love.  I guess the prez is in a loveless marriage and really wants to be will the black chick. So basically, black females or supporting cheating.

In the black community, there are three main things that will hit a bad spot with our females 1. A black dude dating a white guy  2. Cheating 3. Realizing they been dating a nigga "read the first post to understand what I mean". So if cheating is a big no no, then why do they support this affair? I asked one my home girls this question and the response was interesting. "He doesn't love his wife, he would rather be with the black chick than his wife but can't. This is just a modern day Romeo and Juliet." If this is the case, why don't he just leave his wife. If it is really true love, then nothing should stop him from being with his true love.

Now I know this is just a show, but it means a lot in a bigger picture. By watching this show, black females are basically saying that it is ok to cheat in certain instances. Will this be a new trend among black females who are not in love with the person they are with? Or is it ok because this just a tv show? What if president Obama was in this same situation? Would our mothers, sisters, aunts and cousins support him or disown him? Something  for y'all to think about.

At the end of the day, this is just a t.v. show. These are not real people, and should not make us care about them but we do. What message are we sending the world when people watch this show? Better yet, what is this how relaying to us, especially the younger viewers? It is up to us  what we will allow, and support because this is not only a show, it is a representative of the African American female as well.

The Matrix

I found it interesting how some movies can describe certain or current views of our lives. Now most people would tend to have a realistic movie reflect their lives. It is rare that a SCI fi/fiction movie can describe our modes or our view points at the time. Well at the moment, the movie that I can relate to, at the moment, is the matrix. Now I bet you wondering how this movie applies to me. Well since you asked, I guess I will tell y'all.

In the matrix, Neo has a normal 9 to 5 like everyone else. When he meets Morpheus, he world gets turned upside down. Neo is offered two choices; take the blue pull and keep living the life he is living or take the red pill and learn the truth. After taking the red pill, Neo awakens in the true world where the machines have taken over the world  and humans are plugged into the matrix while being used as batteries for the machines. Now that you have a brief some what description of the movie, let's continue.

As I see it, at one point in life everyone is Neo. Right now, I'm Neo. For the most part of my life, I have been plugged into the matrix. Now everyone have their own matrix. Mine so happened to be school. Now I did the whole college route to in the hopes of getting a job. After I took the red pill aka graduated from college, I entered the real world. Boy I tell you life outside the matrix is no joke. You have bills to pay, student loans to pay, and other less desirable adult like things while trying to find my way in life.

While finding my  way, I deal with my fair share of Agent Smith.  Agent Smith was in charge of keep law and order in the matrix and fight the resistance. My Agent Smith consist of folks who want me to plug back into the matrix by saying either go to grad school or work at one of these jobs that basically turn you into a corporate robot. Ain't no one got time for that.

That's how the matrix applies to my life. As I continue to fight the matrix aka making it in the real world, I hope and pray I can find my way while also unplugging folks from the matrix. 

Things I don't get

"Nigga ain't Shit." "Where the real men at." "I need a real nigga in my life." If you are African America, or hang with some black people, then it's a strong possibility that you have heard the above quotes come out of the mouths of a black female. Time and time again, 8 out of 10 black females will complain about how hard it is to find a good man and how "niggas" ain't Shit. REALITY CHECK.....NIGGAS HAVE NEVER BEEN, ARE NOT, AND NEVER WILL BE SHIT.

The problem I see is that most black females are want a nigga with real man qualities. They want a guy with a nigga mind set that will treat them how a real man treats her will honor, respect, and all that other good stuff.  In my 24 years of life, I have never ever seen a nigga treat a women right. You can't expect a grown man who is known not to be faithful, not have a job, got a tom kids, and no ambition to change just because you with him now. Then after the female finally realize this, they develop a case of MBWS aka Mad Black Woman Syndrome. At this phrase, all men in their eyes are "niggas" and can't be trusted. 

When a real man comes to them, they will either get the cold shoulder, disrespected, get put in the friend zone, or simply get looked over for that nigga. After this happens a few times, the real man will either become a nigga, or commit the number one sin in the eyes of 7 out 10 black females.....date/marry a white female.
 
At the end of the day, there are real men in the world ladies. They will treat you right, support you, and give you everything they have to make you happy. When you meet him, don't chose a nigga over him, or let MBWS cloud your judgment. If you do, you will probably join the "where the real men" club along work the millions of other African American females.