I am not an E-Gangsta or an iTHUG

1st off let me get something established I can't stand internet or E-gangstas and iThugs and the reason 4 this blog is because I was inspired by a story I read as well as some of the things I see people do & say on such places as Twitter or JBTV (Joe Budden TV). If you hide behind a keyboard and talk shit you are straight corny & a fucking sucker. Most people that fall in this category had no friends in high school, they werent popular, probably got ridiculed on a daily basis so they come online behind the power of their keyboards and distance they may have with someone else & they take that and run with it. Behind the safety of a PC or a Macbook heads think they can just talk reckless to any and everyone they come across until they come in contact with some real mutherfuckers who are more than willing to test your credibility. I am not built like that, wasn't raised under those principles, i was born and raised in Plainfield, NJ (primarily on 6th street) no it wasn't the the toughest place to live & grow up but it damn sure wasn't the easiest either BELIEVE ME (look it up if you think im lying) I also spent many years & many summers with my father out in Newark, NJ at Seth Boyden Housing Projects off of Frelinghuysen Ave near Weequahic Park and I am not glorifying that life but this is to say that nothing I say is fabricated or false and I know where I am from and what can happen thus why I never take it there online. I've seen people shot, been shot at just because I was standing with someone that was involved in a beef so I am all about real life shit not imaginary thug shit. People think cause they listen to a few Pac albums or cause they own a hoodie & some Timbs that they are thugs...slang doesn't make you a gangsta, talking loud doesnt make you a gangsta or tough. Im not a thug but I was raised in an environment where if you talk shit a nigga gonna approach you on it face to face on some shit when you gotta prove your knuckle game is nice or you have 2 pull that piece out from the waistband but either way your shit was gonna get tested. I am about nothing but positivity on Twitter & in my regular day to day life but I am not about the bullshit so please tread a fine line when speaking 2 me with any type of aggression or any degrading comments. I am that way because I have to be, because I know what can happen if I allow myself to lose control of a situation and revert back to what I knew & saw practiced in & around me growing up. Keep in mind yall im not talking or acting "tough" nor am I speaking for anyone else i am just tellin you how I am, I am not the internet gangsta I will not argue with you over no silly shit and if I feel disrespected and things need to be handled there isn't a word I could type to truly express what or how I feel but I will at that point extend an olive branch to you for a face to face chat to discuss whatever issue it is that you may have. Some call it crazy I call it normal, because taken out of my comfort zone (which is positivity) i must become whatever it is that you are turning me into. So again I stress be very careful on the things you say to not only myself but to the array of people online because you have no idea what someone is capable of, addresses can be looked up easily with the click of a button online, people can find out where you work, where your mother shops, kids go to school at so be careful before you go out there trying to be a "thug" because one day you may come across a real one and you will be the next lead story on the local news because it's all fun & games till someone is at your door with something shiny pointed in your face. So let's keep it positive and if you can't just don't say nothing, and please don't pull me out of my positive zone because as I stated I don't handle beef with a keyboard or on an iPhone (bad boys move in silence...and with black gloves), thank you.

And always remember what Mos Def said in that "What's Beef" song: "Beef is when a gangsta aint doing it right and other gangstas done decided what to do with his life"

Defining Moment in Hip Hop

I go in a lot of times when it comes to music because I view music as a personal passion of mine. No I am not a rapper, dj, producer, hype man, promoter, or any of the above I just have a ear for good music always have and I always will...some have even gone as far as to say its a gift of mine but that's not to say everyone will agree with my musical tastes but if you know me you know I don't expect everyone to agree with me at all times. The reason for this blog is because of the new Jay-Z song D.O.A. (Death Of Autotune), now before any clicks the X button like "damn not someone else talking about that song" just bear with me because that's not what this is about, it's just the springboard. Aside from really liking the song & the over all direction that Hov took it musically the song has a bigger impact than just that. Hip hop has always had what I like to call "Defining Moments" and Jay-Z has been a part of many of them in his own right (Beef with Nas, truce with Nas, Hard Knock Life tour, selling out the Garden etc) and this one is no different. Think about it for a second when was the last time everyone got hype with something pertaining to hip-hop in this manner, blowing up blog sites, people fighting and having E-arguments over it, that means musically it had an impact and whether you like it or not that is what it was supposed to do. It's not the lead single (that's going to be a song with Drake so they say which again is another smart move by Hov), its not even radio friendly its a wake up, similar to Lawrence Fishburn yelling at the end of the movie "School Dayz" WAAAAAAKE UUUUUPPP!!! Music got stale and stagnant and whether you like it or not Jay kicked it up a notch, like for instance how many rappers do you think are out there right now writing bars over that beat (shit some of you reading this are probably in the lab cooking up some crack lol) and then there are going to be songs with guys saying death to this and death to that (like skinny jeans, dyed hair on a man, skulls & all that bullshit)...all kinds of silly shit, and why because Jay-Z voiced his opinion about something which is what hip hop is supposed to be, an art form of expression. I can hear it now, someone is going to make a song saying "Death To Jay-Z' or old rappers or something like that because that's what people who aren't creative do, they complain about something then copy it in one fell swoop. Hip hop is a flooded market I mean you can't turn anywhere without someone passing a demo at you, without going on YouTube and seeing someone standing out in front of a store spitting off the top but that is a gift and a curse. As a lover of music I love hearing good music, I have heard my share of it from things friends of mine in my day to day life let me hear to various tracks from some of my dudes on Twitter (such as @DontBeASkeptik & @MAS_LO) but I have also heard my share of garbage too. The purpose of the song was to say its too much and that's how I feel about a lot of stuff its just too much, the coonery, fuckery, or whatever kind of "ery" you want to apply. Hip hop as a whole needed this song as a defining moment because we were being let down time & time again by the likes of such songs as "Do The Ricky Bobby" or "Halle Berry" and we needed some real music not all this dance flick bullshit I see with the singles coming out (Stanky Leg or Swag Sufring). Call him old, or whatever you want but Jay is solid ALWAYS & music is supposed to be timeless but only those that create good music will understand that one. Could any other rapper right now shit could any of you have released a song on Friday then performed it on Sunday with the crowd knowing all the lyrics...I highly doubt it, could any of you be able to stand in the face of hate and constant ridicule for being the top dog in the game but never waver from who you are or what you represent (also applies to my boy Kobe Bryant who is about to shut all you "he can't do it without Shaq" haters the fuck up)...see that's the part that hip hop is missing the most that "YOU" element. Stop telling me who you want to be, tell me who you are...don't be like the next man be your own man. Hip Hop used to stand for something it used to live with defining moments throughout the 80's and the 90's but now they are almost nonexistent i mean what do we rely on now as a defining moment "Balling" or "Turn My Swag On"...*SMH*. Here are some things I consider defining moments in hip hop over the past few years...Nas/Jay-Z truce at the 'I Declare War" concert, Kanye West releasing 808's & Heartbreaks knowing the backlash he would receive (great album to me personally), Lil Wayne selling 1 mill in the 1st week (tainted to me by the fact that he pays ghostwriters), Nas's "Untitled" or "NIGGER" album, there are a few others but I've talked long enough. I say all that to say this hip hop & true fans of hip hop needed D.O.A. whether you agree with me or not, don't believe me look around on the web, look at the stir it has caused both positive & negative, look at the angry rappers all tight cuz now they will be afraid to go in the studio and use it in fear they shit may not sell & look at the happy rappers & DJ's that have been tired of it as well. One man has enough power with his voice to cause all of this & that's why I say D.O.A. is a "MOMENT" not a "RECORD"....do you think people would have cared if Jim Jones (who I will annihilate in my next blog) or Soulja Boy would have made a song like that....in the words of my favorite rapper from the beginning of the "Change Clothes" video...."NOPE"

"I wake up HIP HOP got to sleep HIP HOP dream about HIP HOP cause I am HIP HOP" - Joell Ortiz

King's Lack Of Sportsmanship

This is why the whole issue of him not shaking hands was not right, because there is a thing called sportsmanship...this is the same guy that dances and shit with his teammates when they blow people out, the same guy that is on the sidelines laughing and making faces when opposing players get dunked on and etc. NO PASS for this, stop making feeble excuses. Funny shit is people always want to call Kobe an asshole but after Kobe & the Lakers got wrecked last year in the Finals & what did Kobe do...hug Doc Rivers, Pierce, Garnett, stayed around and let confetti & shit fall on his face so he could say good game, he stood at the press conference clearly upset but he did it, he faced it. Lebron should be mad at the 4 points in the 4th quarter that he scored...speaking of which here is his quote:

"It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them," he said. "I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."

There is a difference in being a competitor and being a poor sport, clearly he is the latter...

This whole Lebron thing will blow over of course & even myself who is being super critical right now will forgive him for it just as I have done others BUT TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY. Be a man Lebron admit defeat, your team was outplayed, out coached, out worked, out hustled, and any other OUT you can think of. He is a great player, PHENOMENAL player but I cant condone that behavior no matter how upset he was, if my son did that I would have got in his ass (PAUSE) because thats not how you do it...sure athletes are not role models but is that the image you want to portray to all these kids that watch your every move, i guess its only good for them 2 see you clowning on the sidelines during a blowout but not when you have to show characteristics of being a man & a stand up dude. I am critical of many things & he has been no exception throughout these playoffs if any of you remember some of my tweets on Twitter but I always have good reason & because I dont see things like many of you do, im not caught in the Matrix aka the media system of being told whats good & whats not. He was wrong dont take up for him, you call Kobe an asshole, say he is arrogant, & selfish well Lebron's actions from saturday night are just that...Selfish & Arrogant. I play Madden & firmly believe I am a good player & one of the best of anybody I have played but if I lose I will congratulate the other man, I will say good game but imma get you next time, not throw my controller down storm out the house and pull off in my car, that would make me look like a baby. This just shows me Lebron has a little bitchassness in him and he needs to fix that...say what you want about Kobe but I have that memory of last year etched into my head from when the Lakers lost to the Celtics & that Kobe was on the sideline, stone faced, but he went and congratulated each and every one of the Celtics down to the equipment guy...he let confetti & streamers fall all over & around him...he went to the press conference and faced the media with an angry yet determined look on his face, determination to not suffer defeat like that again and work to get back there next year & the proof is in the pudding as he will be playing in the Finals this week, but the one thing about all that i just said is he did all this and he ALREADY HAS 3 RINGS, he could just coast it out for the rest of his career and rack up all the numbers to be the greatest STAT in league history but he doesnt, he just keeps staying focused on winning and that Lebron "King" James (and also anyone reading this saying Kobe sucks & Lebron is the best) is the definition of a winner, of a competitor, of a champion.

I again say these are my thoughts & opinions, like em or not I dont give a fuck...told you im an asshole when it comes to sports....1

Lebron Has No Team Around Him

To anyone that says "Lebron has no team around him" he sure did have a team for them to win 66 games or whatever they won, to have the best record in the league, to have the MVP & Coach Of The Year and start the playoffs off with an 8-0 record, none of that can be accomplished without a strong TEAM unfortunately they ran into Orlando. You cant blame the other players that is such a lame excuse blame the coach for not believing in them, what kind of message do you send to your team when you let a guy bring the ball up the floor for the entire 4th quarter run the shotclock down to about 9 seconds and then let him do everything while the other 4 guys stand around, great confidence boost...lets stroke Lebron's ego while the other guys just play the random bitches on the team. You know why Phil Jackson is such a successful coach its because his teams play as teams & like Kenny Smith said "the Triangle Offense makes each guy accountable for his part". I am also getting sick of hearing "Well Kobe cant win without Shaq" that is perhaps the most idiodic comment i have ever heard, the Lakers won not Kobe, not Shaq...Shaq doesnt win it without Kobe, Horry, Fisher, etc. Shaq doesn't win in Miami if not for the great play of Dwayne Wade that year, or Haslem, Mourning, etc...Shaq never smells the Finals in Orlando if not for Penny, Anderson, & Scott and I say all of that to say Shaq is merely a component of the team. What do you say if Kobe wins the Finals this week, well Kobe has a better team around him...if you say that then that in itself contradicts your "Kobe can't win without Shaq" theory so shut the fuck up. Lebron is great and I believe eventually he will win one but its not going to be until he and the team realize you can start the race on fire blazing the path but when you get to the end of the race what do you have left, when its not as easy then what do you do...do you laugh and joke on the sidelines like all during the regular season & early part of the playoffs, do you score 4 total points in what is a do or die Game 6 or do you show why you are the best TEAM in the league? All the Cavs proved was that no matter what you do STATS & NUMBERS DONT WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!

"Agree or don't agree but this is my opinion" - Dwight James Allen