Reality TV

Reality TV. When will the madness stop. I was flipping thru the channels and its all over the place. I gave it some thought. Whose reality is? Its not mine. I'm not dancing with the stars. I'm not Americas next top model. I'm not a survivor in China although I survived living in Brooklyn. I think with all these so called reality shows we as a nation are losing touch with reality. We got kids shooting kids. Babies having babies. Adults drugged out. Women sleeping with 20 different men and don't know who the father is. This is crazy! Art imitates life. Now we got Youtube and all the craziness that goes on there on a daily basis. We are far gone people. What is reality? At times I think we all took the green pill and we are all stuck in the matrix. We need better shows on. Shows that attack today's real life issues and ways to solve some of these problems. I mean whats the point of me looking at someones crib while I'm living in a 2 bedroom. I will get my crib with hard work not fast money. I know I sound like a hater but I'm not. Its the people like us that watch these shows and get lulled into a false sense of reality. The show I want to see is Donald Trump in the hood being a single father to 2 kids making 800 dollars a month. To me that would be a good dose of reality........................

We Are Family

Family. Through a series of unfortunate events my family was reunited last week. We came from all over. North, south, east, and west. When we were all there I realized that your family is "your" family. We all argue and fight, but each of us bring something different to the table. I guess that's what makes up individuals. Its been close to a year since we have all been together. Seeing them all there I realized that at times you can take your family for granted. But its also good to know that when the chips are down you can count on them. Throughout the years I have seen countless families broken up over money, relationships and other petty issues. As a family we had our share of issues but in our own way we were able to squash the beef. I just wish other families are able to put away there differences and come together for the greater good. So with the holidays coming up, my plea to you is if your out of touch with your family call them. If you have beef make amends. Pick up the phone and make the call. Put aside your pride and ego and make it work. I know this is different from what I usually write. But if I can inspire you to do it and it works then I did my job. To my family it was great to see you and lets keep it going for the greater good.

Belief

Belief? Do we all believe in something? Some people believe in money, idols and other things. My belief is in GOD. I'm a Christian. I was saved about two years ago. I wasn't going to write about religion in my blog. But right now I feel compelled to. Over the last few weeks I been having an incredible movement of Christ in my life. Its something I cant explain. Its just something I feel everyday. Like God is holding my hand. By writing this I'm trying to find out what people believe in. What gets you by. Some people say they do it all by themselves. Is that possible. Can you take credit for your life and circumstances? Or do you like me have a belief that someone else is moving you along in life. With all the craziness in the world what do you hang on to. I hang on to God's word. That's all I can do. So let me throw this out there. What gets you by when the chips are down? Who do you hang on to? Comments are welcome and encouraged on this post..................

From Ashy To Classy

With the World Wide Web we are from all parts of the country and world. As for myself I'm live in Houston but I'm originally from New York. So I tend to keep up on news from there. The other day a story in the news caught my attention. When it was first reported it was about a woman who killed her husband. She choked him out with an electrical cord. They were a black couple just got married and moved into a mansion on the water in Merrick Long Island. First reported she did it because she was miserable in her million dollar house. Apparently she missed the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn. This is a story I have seen so many times and even experienced it myself. Boy meets girl. They hook up. Boy moves girl out of the hood. Girl gets mad at boy for doing it. To me that would be a fairytale romance. But to a person that only knows the hood its like character suicide. My question is what is our loyalty to the hood? Yes we might have grown up there but there are better things out there. I lived in the hood in Brooklyn and there is no way I'm going to be running back to that life. You can call me whatever. Uncle Tom, Sellout whatever. Just know I'm not going back. Look at all the rappers that left and went back to keep there respect. Forget that. There would be no way I'm parking my Benz in front of a building. I don't know why we feel like we owe the hood something. You bust your hump to make it out then you tarnish yourself by going back around the same bad element you used to run with. I don't have a friend from ten years ago. Most of them are doing the same thing in the same hood. I left and never went back. I can't see going to the top of the hill and rolling all the way back down. It was hard enough to get to the top. But to roll back down and getting dirty along the way just because your so called friends are questioning you. It doesn't make sense. In my case my hood girl left me for her hood friends and her hood mentality. I told her to go and take everything with you. I let her take everything. I just took my clothes and computer. I was on my way to the top of the mountain and I wasn't going to let anybody stop me. My man Biggie said it best. You was a Reebok vandal, now you where Chanel sandals, I made you why would I play you. It all peas and rice crispies in the fridge when you get home...................................

Legal Drug Money

I received a funny email the other day. It was about some back in the day things. Yes I'm stuck in the old school. The one thing I got from it was we didn't complain as much as we do today. OH Doctor I have bad headaches. Here take some Vicodin. OH Doctor my child is acting crazy. Here give him some Ritalin. The best one is my legs move when I sleep. Oh you have RLS. Restless Leg Syndrome. Here take some more medicine. This place is crazy now. And we wonder why we have so many addicts. Nobody takes responsibility for there own actions anymore. There is always a drug or a Doctor to blame. Plus kids are getting hooked on prescription drugs at an early age. It seems like we are setting them up for failure at an early age. Then we go to the hood where a lot of the parents aren't educated about prescription drugs and there side effects. They seek advice from the Doctors in the clinics and hospitals. Who in turn are getting pimped by the drug companies to push there products. It legal drug dealing. Pharmacies and hospitals are the new corners. Doctors are the new dealers. Patients are the new crackheads. Its all legal and everybody is getting paid without the danger of getting arrested. And my people are killing each other over corners they don't even own. Crazy! I'm not saying all drugs are bad. Some are very helpful but there alternate methods of healing. We should take another approach. Doctor my head hurts. Stop stressing yourself. Doctor my child is acting crazy. Why don't you beat his a**. Doctor my legs move when I sleep. Why don't you stop drinking coffee and all that soda during the day. See we need to examine ourselves before we take the easy way out by going to our friendly neighborhood Doctor/Drug dealer for some medicine. Lastly examine that word "Drugdealer" and tell me who the real pusher is.............................

Back In The Days

I think the Notorious B.I.G. said it best. "Remember back in the days when my boys had waves, Gazelle shades and corn braids, Honies had the high top jellies, shooting skelly, All my people were friendly, Lounging at the BBQ, drinking brews with the neighborhood crews, hanging on the avenues". Where did all that go? Back then it was fun. Running the streets, chilling with your boys. And you didn't really have to worry about coming home dead or shot up. When we fought the most you would get is cut up. Most of the time it was just straight up fist fights. I really miss the parties. Back then I used to DJ. I remember controlling the crowd with my music. Heads were bopping, people were grinding away. It was fun! You had your thugs up in the spot but they hardly got any play. Back then it wasn't fashionable to be with one. Around 93-94 the climate started to change. The west coast scene started to bump in the NYC. Then everybody in the hood traded in there backpack for a bandanna. Most of the people my age didn't know anything about gangs. But thru the music they were influenced. That's when I started to see the emergence of the bloods and crips in the NYC. And people tell me music doesn't influence the youth. Fast Forward late 90's. Puffy and Bad Boy Entertainment had everything on lock. Former gangsters traded in there bandannas for some bling. Gold wasn't the standard anymore it was stepped up to platinum. Then the dirty south started to emerge. That's when we started losing our black women to the pole. All women wanted to do was shake it fast, watch yourself. Again you tell me music doesn't influence the youth. I retired from DJing in 2000. I don't know if I got tired of doing it or if it was the music that turned me off. They say music is the soundtrack of life. It is. And I think if we get that back in the day feel to it we could influence the next generation in a positive way....................................

College Dropout

Yes I'm a college dropout. I'm the only one out of my brothers that never finished. Although the family forced me to go I never wanted to. College is part of the American dream. Finish high school, go to college get your degree then your guaranteed a job. Mind you this is not an attack on college. It's just different strokes for different folks. Education is great. Its something that they can never take away from you. But so is a trade or if you specialize in a particular field. That knowledge is just as good as a degree. I never wanted to go. My mind was always technical. And those things cant be taught in college. I think before we force a child to go to college we should sit with them and see what they want to do in life. We need as much blue collar workers as white collars. Like I tell my bosses. You cant do what I do. Just sit back chill and manage and let me do my thing. Then with the cost of college at an all time high, we really need to see if we are going to get a return on our investment. When I finished technical school I was making more than some of my college educated friends. When I finished my computer training I was on my way. And to top it off I make a real good living doing something I like. And the great thing about my student loans are minimal. Its 2007 and I think the playing fields are leveling out. Its not who you know anymore its what you know. With that being said why do we degrade our own people for not going to college? Why do we degrade some people for the jobs that they have? Remember in life we all have our duty and purpose. Everybody cant be a doctor or a lawyer. We also need garbage men and plumbers. The white collar workers need to get there head out of there a**** and realize we are all needed to make this world go around.

Role Models

According to Sir Charles Barkley "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail, should they be role models" I don't think so. If we know this, then who do we let our kids emulate? The flashy rappers on TV. The dealers on the corner? Who? Who should be our children's role models? Growing up my father was my role model. He did everything a man should do. He laid a path for me and my brothers to follow. Although I strayed off it a few times. His path was paved in concrete. His path was also a long path that is still withstanding the test of time. I'm still walking on it 34 years later. The other paths that I tried were paved with gold for a little bit then they quickly faded to dirt and mud and sometimes quicksand. All thanks to GOD, I always found a way out of the quicksand. When I cleaned myself off, my fathers path was still there waiting for me to hop back on it. Thanks Dad. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a place where other fathers were doing what my father was doing. And all these men helped in my development. These are the unsung heroes of the black community. They didn't have the fly cars and jewelry when they were young. But right now in life they definitely have the resources to get it. Why are we getting mad at Bill Cosby. He is just speaking the truth. We need to raise our children. We need to expose them to other things in life. We need to take them down to Madison ave and teach them to set there sights high. I take my boy to museums, monuments and at times we just sight seed in the city. Most of the time we were among a handful of black people there. The rest were white. I never let it deter us. And it taught him and I how to interact among the races. Theses are the things we as parents should be doing. No excuses. If we just take the time to raise and discipline our kids we wouldn't be going thru have the problems with our youth today. Parents we need to buckle down and be the role models for our children. Please play your part and don't let your legacy down. And if you can throw the rope to another child. Remember each one teach one. By the way thanks Dad...............................

The Joneses

Warm apple pie, Hot dogs, hamburgers, the 4Th of July and keeping up with the Joneses. Whats more American than that. The great American way. Mortgage up to your eyeballs and credit cards maxxed out. We do it all chasing the American dream. The American pipe dream. Materialism. How much crap can I accumulate before I die. We say its living life to its fullest but are we really doing that? Don't get me wrong, we all like nice things. But whats the price we are willing to pay to get it. I'm guilty of running out to get the latest gadget at a high price. Knowing I should wait a few months for the price to drop. I just want to be seen with the hottest toy so I can get some compliments. I'm so vain. Back to the Joneses. Who are these people? And why do they have so much influence in our lives? Hello America the Joneses don't exist. It's corporate America selling us a pipe dream. Look at all the commercials for cars, clothing, food and drugs. The corporate giants are getting into our heads. Telling us what we need and how to get it. And if you get into debt trying to get it, we can help you with that to. What makes a name brand. Nothing but good marketing. They put some pretty actors up in there to promote and sell there products. And they hit them off with some good money also. Do you think Diddy, JayZ and Russell approve everything they sell? If we know this why do we still chase after it. We do it for the American dream. My black people are known for getting the latest fashions and maxxing out credit cards. Do you realize that if you took that money and put it the stock market it would increase by 12% in a year. Multiply that a few times and tell me what you end up with. Ca Ching. All this while your hot car and clothes are losing value as some as you get it. I learned a lot of this late in life. These are the classes that need to be taught in high school. Finance 101. we need more people out there to stress these lessons. These are the commercials that need to be made. I'm asking you if you know it share the wealth with somebody. You never know who is listening................

Video Lifestyle

You can find me in the club. The other night I was invited to hang out and watch some Monday night football. When I drove into the spot. I saw rows of exotic automobiles with big rims and all sort of chrome parts. After I parked my Lexus/Uplander. I walked into the spot AKA Dave and Busters. The doorman checked my ID and saw I was a New Yorker. He shouted me out like I was a superstar. Walking in I'm like isn't this where I take my son to play video games. I'm telling you this place was transformed into a nightclub. Matter of fact it was like a music video. The guys were in there blinged out all with the latest kicks. The women. Oh my goodness it was crazy, the clothes they were wearing a lot of them were letting it all out. If I had my video camera I could definitely sell the footage. In my mind i was like damn I'm in a music video. It was like an amateur audition. Call me naive in my older age. But what is it all about. Why when we go out do we emulate the video lifestyle. Why are we so caught up in it. Don't people realize that these rappers have money. And even if they don't the record company is fronting them the money to produce it. Don't get me wrong there is nothing with wanting nice stuff but why are we in debt trying to obtain it. I've lived in the hood and worked in the hood and I see first hand the madness. Why are we driving a 90 grand Benz and living in a apartment sleeping on a mattress on top of milk crates. Wearing 20 grand around your neck living at your mommas house. How far are we willing to pimp ourselves in order to live this lifestyle. What do we gain debt. Bad credit. We need more people making videos about stocks and bonds, real estate and other areas where we can accumulate wealth. Cars and chains have no return on the investment. Before I'm out look around and see where some of these rappers are now. Who is still living the video lifestyle and who is dead BROKE...............

Freedom Of Sp****

Freedom of speech. Is speech really free. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Welcome to America, Home of free speech. Yeah right. When I started this blog a few people close to me told me to watch what I say. I say for what am I not protected by the 1st amendment. I have nothing to worry about. Sure. Why if we have this freedom why cat we say what we want to say. Look at poor Timmy Hardaway. He went on a tirade saying he didn't like homosexuals. Now he is taking sensitivity classes with them. Damn. I don't understand if you don't like a certain group of people and then speak out about them you have to pay the price. And yes you you will pay the price, either in your wallet or your reputation. There are way too many people on this earth for everybody to get along. And we are far from a Utopian society. So with that being said, why can't we hate each other without reprecussins. Why do we have to sugar coat things. Why do we need the ACLU. As long as its not physical, why cant I say I don't like you...........

HIP POP

Travel. I am fortunate enough to have a job that afforded me the opportunity to do this. I have been coast to coast as well as north to south. Along my travels I saw one common denominator among my people. Music. Our beloved Hip Hop. It doesn't matter where you are in this country, the same ten hottest songs will be bumping on the airwaves. This same music is leading to the downfall of our people. Flashback. Late 80's. Yes I'm old school. A lot of the music that was played raised the conscious amongst our people. From Public Enemy to KRS-One, these pioneers said and stood for something when the grabbed the mic. Fast forward to 2007. What the hell is going on? From the shoot them up bang bang to the bling bling my rims are bigger than yours. What happened to the music? Again the dumbing down of our society. Hip Pop, R&B or whatever they call it now is nothing but pop music. Turn on the radio and what do you hear. Some dude speaking about what he got, how his is bigger than yours and how many b****** he can get or got. Wow. Now look whose listening to it. The youth. The poisoning begins at an early age. This might as well be black on black crime. The dumbing down continues. Ask any high schooler what the last book they read. They don't know. But I bet they know all the lyrics to Little Wayne. I'm not killing all of Hip Pop some of it is cute. Half the time us as adults get caught up in the beats rather than listening to the lyrics. Remember go shorty its your birthday. What was 50 cent talking about in that song? Now what can we do about it? Who can we hold responsible? The record companies. I don't think they will go for that. With 7 out of 10 songs on the billboard top ten Hip Pop and R&B related I don't think they going let that money get away. Can we go to the artist? This might work but how many of them are willing to lose there street cred in order to uplift our people. I believe it will take one hot artist that is out right now and one super producer. Timbaland do you hear me. I think if they buck the trend and show you can still make money and uplift our people at the time the other artists will jump on the bandwagon and do the same. Hip Pop is filled with followers. We just need someone to lead.........................

The Beginning

Writing. I used to write back in the day. Local Stuff. College newspapers and stuff. Always heavily edited. I was never able to get my point across. Then I guess life got in the way. Just the ordinary everyday BS. I'm taking this writing back up to keep me sane. Moved to a new state. I'm trying to remain on the low to avoid the same life I had back in the NYC. I'm a little older and a lot wiser. I'm just focusing on things that matter in life. Being in a new place with lots of time on your hand makes you see the world in a different light. Being in touch with GOD also enables you to see things at all angles. I think he opens your eyes to a lot of the things of the world. I need to put this out there? Is anybody seeing what I'm seeing. The Blatant Tomfoolery of my black people. The prejudging, the guilty before innocent. Is it me or do you feel that there is no hope for the youth of tomorrow. To me it seems over the last seven years everything is getting dumbed down. I could blame it on Bush but that would be to easy and a whole other story I don't feel like touching on right now. I think a perfect storm hit my people. Between children raising children, the music and the crazy lifestyle my people want to live. Its just plain crazy, and whats more crazy is where do you start. Where do you begin? Who could you teach? It bewilders me. I try to speak to the youth but they get on me and tell me I'm old school. Well thank GOD for technology. I'm starting this blog to reach out to people out there. To see if anybody is feeling the same way I am. And what we can do to uplift our people. This is just a start. I hope it can lead into something big. If not I know I tried and played my part. More to come next week. I'm open to suggestions............