Flavor of the Month Freestyles

(50 cent who helped popularize "jacking" hit songs for freestyles)

 I know a lot of up and coming/aspiring rappers aren't going to like this but just consider it tough love.(lol) Something that irks me about most basement/bedroom rappers is their choice to freestyle over the current "hot record" Its gone on for long enough and its really starting to get played out. Freestyles over known beats isn't new its been around since the 90's blend tape days and continued in the 2000's with G-unit, D-Block, Dipset and Lil Wayne. The only difference is that usually MC's would rhyme over instrumentals whether they were popular or not. So it could be an Old school beat, a random album cut and an occasional hit song or two. 

You didn't know what to expect and mixtapes were more fresh and exciting. Then around 2008 something happened the song "A Millie" dropped. I don't know what it was about that beat but the whole Hip Hop world(even KRS-ONE...thats insane) decided to spit there verses over it. I don't know if other fans are like me but I DO NOT listen to "Flavor of the month" freestyles. I'm a die-hard Jay-z fan and to this day I still haven't listened to him rapping over "A Millie" So aspiring MC I ask you what chance do you stand that someone will listen to your rendition of "Otis" when 50 rappers already made their own version of it? 

In my opinion what helps a rapper gain an audience is his/her ability to stand out and be original(if you want longevity) How original is it to not only rap over someone's beat but also a beat everyone and their cousin is rapping on? How about you make a song that rappers are going to want to make remixes of? I know that's a crazy concept right?!

In todays climate there are only two rappers I can think of that can jack a song and make it more popular....50 Cent and Lil Wayne. That's just my opinion. These two already have already established large fanbases. A lot of new rappers are good but they seem to lack creativity and imagination.The mindstate of today's rapper seems to be "I killed (current hot song) I should be signed". Look at most new rappers that are buzzing they have there own sound. A sound that was built over the course of an LP or multiple mixtapes. Before I get "Oh you're just old school" let me give you a completely "Non-backpack" example.

Gucci Mane gained prominence when he started releasing mixtapes with producer Zaytoven. They created a trend that many southern rappers followed. Then Gucci's protege Wacka Flocka Flame discovered young beatsmith Lex Luger and started his own movement. But fuck it I'm giving away too much. I'm out.

The Yes Men/Brothers in failure mentality...

 (This is Dwight Schrute the biggest "Yes Man" on TV.lol)

I read a book not too long ago(surprise, surprise) called "Black Players" about the psychology of the pimp game(another shocker). One of the theories that fascinated me the most was something referred to as the "lobsters in a barrel" or "Brothers in failure" mentality. They talked about how an aspiring model would get beat up by the neighborhood women whenever she would appear in a print ad. That's an obvious manifestation of jealousy; an attempt to keep her from going further in her career and eventually earning enough money to leave the hood. Another example was something a little more subtle. The book continuously made distinctions between the "Boss player" and the "Simple Pimp"

 One of the quotes was(I'm paraphrasing) "A Boss player arrives alone and leaves alone" The "Simple Pimp" on the other hand usually travels with a group of friends who he feels obligated to share with. In reality these aren't friends they're just a group of people who make sure that everyone around them stays at the same level. When someone in the group/click/squad "hits a lick" or gets a large(or even small) quantity of money the "lobsters in the barrel" come along like a pack of vultures and beg for a piece.The person who EARNED the money pretty much always gives it up to his begging "friends" for the good of the brotherhood. This leaves them right back where they started.

This brings me to the "Yes Man" aspect of this phenomenon. Whenever there's a Rapper/Singer/Athlete(or even low level Dope slinger) an entourage isn't too far behind. In the presence of these "Yes Men" the rapper/singer/athlete can do NO wrong. Every move they make is the right one. In exchange for this flattery/cheer-leading/dickriding these "Yes Men" get whatever the successful leader throws their way. To be/stay successful in life I feel as though you need people around you to be somewhat honest with you. What if you develop a serious drug habit and when you ask a "Yes man" if they think its a problem? They'll tell you whatever they have to, to keep receiving gifts and perks. So when that drug problem lands you in rehab and you lose your deal/endorsement/ and the money dries up....they've already moved onto the next person to leech off.

There are times in every persons life when the shit we do isn't on point.......You're with the wrong chick, you're drinking too much, you're spending too much money. If the people around you are ALWAYS telling you "Its all good"...then maybe you should evaluate who your true friends are...

But fuck it I'm tired of typing. peace

Men and their Love(Like)/Hate relationship with hoes...

 

I'm going to make a statement that isn't going to be very popular with women: Hoes are necessary. I always see women downing hoes and saying how much they hate them but truth be told some of them are hoes too....they're just in denial. I think women are confused because they associate sex with love and men don't. 

A man can HATE a woman and still find her sexually desirable. We see it like sports thats the reason why some men refer to sex as "scoring". Sex is no different from a pickup basketball game-its fun, relieves stress, and is good exercise. Women on the other hand usually get emotionally attached to whoever they have sex with. So when men say "We don't love them hoes" We really mean it. You might see men kickin it with them but it isn't out of love. 

Where the average woman will make us wait just to prove their purity, hoes have sex whenever they get the urge. Men know this so most times we play along and then find a freak so we can get what we want. The thing is these freaky, easy women are usually egotistical, self important and scandalous....men just TOLERATE it. Today as I type there are a bunch of confused sluts wondering why they can't find a man to hold them, love them and put a ring on their finger. They figure they're sexy, desirable, know how to fuck and have been told by men how cool they are(lies). 

The problem is we only LIKE them....and liking someone isn't enough to treat them like a spouse. 

But fuck it, I'm tired of typing PEACE

The Cycle continues...

 

There's a scene in the movie "Baby Boy" where Ving Rhames(I forget his name in the movie) is telling a young Jody about the concept of "guns and butter" He said(I'm paraphrasing) That the guns is the stuff that appreciates in value(stocks and bonds, property, fine art) and the butter is all the stuff that will melt or depreciate in value(cars, clothes, customized jewelry). Its one of my favorite parts of the movie.

Of course I don't mean this in the literal sense. I don't want people going out and building an armory and getting indicted(T.I. style). I'm asking people to just use their brains when it comes to money management. I feel like black youth today are more concerned with LOOKING rich than actually being wealthy. Now we all like nice things and jewelry is cool but do people really need a custom Kellogs Cornflakes box chain? Say this guy in above picture gets low on money or is just tired of being a walking advertisement.....does that shit really have any resale value? I mean would you buy that...even if was only like 5 bucks?lol

I'm also like most people and like certain brands and designers(if you want to get my something for my upcoming birthday buy me some Polo.)but I just don't understand how someone could be broke and still be head to toe in their favorite fashion label. I think the problem is broke-ness isn't something people like to admit-to themselves or others-so they just ignore it and spend to look like they have doe. Everybody nowadays is "gettin money" but thats a lie in the same way that every girl says she's only slept with 3 guys and every man says he can only fit Magnums.lol

Not to be pretentious....all I'm saying don't try to keep up with the Joneses' becuase the Joneses' are usually in DEBT. 

In the zone....

Now for the record....NO I'm not a Yankees fan(Mets all day). This is from a World Series game vs. the Dodgers where Reggie Jackson hit THREE homeruns off three different pitchers on three consecutive pitches.  He was in the zone that night.

We've all had a point in our lives where we felt like everything was clicking. Our money was right women were feeling us and we had nice rides. Maybe it wasn't even that drastic for some of us.....maybe it only a really good stretch of days or months...or it could've been just ONE great day. If you're like me.....you want to know what was behind it so you can have more days like that. You retrace your steps, see what you ate that day(or during time period), what movies you may have watched or what songs could've inspired you to be that focused.

In the book "Think and Grow Rich"(that I'm currently reading) it tells you to think of a time when you had success. Thats proof that success is possible. So when you want to get back into that zone I think its most important to just remember how you FELT. Because most likely these great times were when you were younger and more open and willing to take risks(within reason). It really had nothing to do with the car you drove, the food you ate, the chick you were with....but it was your attitude and mind state.

Lately I've been giving thought to meditation and visualizations because I want to control the "zone". I'm willing to look into it if it gives me a mental edge.....

But anyway I'm tired of typing. Peace

Friends with benefits? Does it work?

Before you even get the thought into your head.....NO I do not intend on watching this film.lol But seeing the trailer for it made me contemplate the whole "friends with benefits" thing. I started to think about the positives, negatives and possible outcomes of a FWB agreement.

For one I've yet to meet a woman who will admit to wanting to be a part of or ever being involved in a FWB relationship. I've actually had women tell me that I had better not be expecting one because it wasn't gonna happen. I know they exist though(shhhh.lol) so that tells me its an unspoken thing. I don't know if women that are involved in them are in denial or they just wanna keep it quiet. I'm guessing its the latter....because I know women don't want the word going around and every dude they meet from that point on only wanting sex.(Its bad enough as it is for women with that)

Whats the best way to keep it strictly physical and keep emotions out of it? Is that even possible? Women connect emotions to sex and men are very territorial so it would be pretty difficult to keep it on  "friends" only terms. I personally think the only way it can work is if both people lack the time and energy for a real full time relationship. Just because you're busy doesn't mean that portion of your life has to be missing. For example if a woman is working and going to school and a man works crazy hours....then it can definitely work.

So if both participants know what it is and its the best thing for both of them....then its definitely doable. But I'm tired of typing....

How big is too big?.....The age old question

I saw this advertisement on a forum not too long ago, for those that don't know this is Lisa Raye's daughter-Kai Morae. I thought to myself...."I'm not really sure if she's 'model material'." Then I played the game that most if not all men play in their minds whenever they see a woman....the "would you" game. It didn't take more than 15 seconds to decide that yes I would....and I would enjoy it.lol

She's a big girl.....but I ain't gonna lie I would take her around town without shame.Which makes me wonder if she were bigger would I feel the same way? Is she the limit? Now before all the thick/plus sized/bigger women get all angry......ask yourself...do you have height requirements? Yup...you probably do so you have no room to talk.lol

So how big is too big? Well for me that's not a black and white numerical answer. It depends on a few different variables. Personality-I know what you're thinking..."You're so full of shit!" but I wish more women would realize that a great personality goes a LONG way and can turn a 5 into a 7. If a woman has a pleasant attitude and is respectful they get major points. Does she have a pretty face? I don't like a woman of any size with an ugly mug....but I've seen some very pretty bigger women....and it made me forget about the weight.lol Last but certainly not least....Her shape. If a woman has curves in all the right places and is proportioned the right way then its all good.

So any women out there that have asked that question but never felt they got a "real" or honest answer...there you go. This is my honest opinion on it. But I'm tired of typing.....Peace.

So much wrong with this minute long clip.....lol

If my girl was built like a brick shit house I wouldn't let her go out like that....so I DEFINITELY wouldn't let her get anywhere near a group of rappers. She knew what she was doing when she put that outfit on. Women know the effect that spandex pants have on men(and the way it makes their asses and thighs look perfect.)
Not only that but her cleavage was out(a personal favorite of mine)....what did she expect?

But the other part of the video is the way these guys act when they see her. You would think they'd never seen a good looking girl before. The only one that kept his composure was French(the light skinned dude if you don't know) he just calmly called her over and posed for the picture. The other guys lost their minds. One dude even went as far as to lick his finger and slide it down her breast(I would've wanted to do that but I wouldn't have acted on it.lol) Its obvious that dude isn't used to being around women(pretty ones at least) because he didn't know how to act. Guys like this ruin it for the rest of us.....How can I approach a woman who has had men act like that in her presence? She'll be too cynical to even listen to what I'm saying.

And her man.....He looks like one of them black talking white dudes and he's with HER?! Whenever I see them type of dudes(wiggers) with bad spanish broads(like the one in this video)it burns my soul.lol Why did he let her approach 10 dudes dressed like that? If I was a rapper and a woman looking like that came up to me I would think she was a groupie(Its just the way I think. Sue me). Then he proceeds to yell at them and they start copping pleas(???) They don't really get loud till he's out camera-shot....

What a cluster-fuck.

But I'm tired of typing.

Womens' dating site profile demands....

This post is going to be a little short but its something that I want to get off my chest. I've been on a few dating sites here and there to see what was out there outside of the club scene. Apparently its high standards and low quality. I've seen profiles that said stuff like...."I want a man that is over 6 feet tall, drives a luxury car, makes six figures, and looks like Will Smith......I know I look like Precious but if you can't accept that then look elsewhere....and I have 5 kids so you have to like children."

Now keep in mind I'm trying to AVOID hoodrats....but they've even infiltrated dating sites. How delusional can someone be to make crazy demands and have NOTHING to offer? Another favorite of mine is when women (of ALL races) make sure to specify...."No black guys" or "No ghetto people". The funniest is when I see thick or big women say this.....my question to them is if you don't date black men then WHO is checking for you? (Yeah I just said that) That seems like a harsh statement to make but ask yourself....what kind of men appreciate thicker women?(Exactly.lol) I don't think some of these women are thinking things through like that.

I've talked to women who told me the flimsiest lie I've ever heard..."I'm single but I live with my EX....we don't have sex its just that we split the rent." Ladies....how stupid do you think men are? If you still have feelings for your EX....stay the fuck away from me or any other good men trying to better themselves.

And I know there will be women who say...."Oh I do the things he says and I still have men hollerin at me." Keep in mind as a woman its not hard to get sex.....but the question is do you have a ring? Can you find a man to "wife" you?


But fuck it I'm tired of typing.


Shout out to Tariq Nasheed
for puttin me up on some game and helping me navigate this CRAZY modern dating scene. BUY HIS BOOK.
The Mack Within

How Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg stayed relevant...The 48 Laws of Hip Hop power

The rap game is fickle and fair weathered, careers are short lived. In my estimation you have about 3 years to be the hottest rapper before the Hip Hop audience gets tired of you. When people still have an interest in you beyond that you start to reach an almost iconic status. Why do some rappers keep their relevance for many years while some just have their moment and disappear? There are many factors and I'll discuss them with a few examples.

When Snoop Dogg Jumped ship to No Limit records it was a big risk. He was leaving behind platinum territory(although dangerous) and a producer who helped make him a household name. This could've meant the end of his career but he took the chaos and turned it into something positive. His last album on No Limit was titled "Tha Last Meal". It was his way of saying that is was the last time people would eat off his success. As he moved on in his career he gained more and more freedom. After getting a buzz from a freestyle he did with Big Daddy Kane and a single with Original Flavors Jay-Z still couldn't get a deal. Instead of quitting and going back to dealing he started his own label, Roc-A-Fella Records with Dame Dash.

Trends in music change every 3-5 years(Styles, beats, artists, etc.) Jay and Snoop embraced the changes and used them to their advantage. When production start to evolve around 2000(moving away from sampling) Producers Swizz Beatz, The Neptunes, and Timbaland exemplified that evolution. There's a story I heard about Kool G. Rap traveling all the way to Virginia to the Neptunes studio. Legend has it that Pharrel(member of the Neptunes) played him a beat he said would make him hot and would be a big hit. When G. Rap heard the beat he criticized it and went home. In 1998 Queens, NY rapper(and member of the duo CNN) Noreaga released the song "Superthug"(produced by the Neptunes) and it became a breakout hit. He then surpassed it with his song "Nothin"(also produced by the Neptunes) in 2002. Snoop teamed up with The Neptunes and released one of his biggest hits "Beautiful" and then made an even bigger hit "Drop it like its hot" two years later. Jay-Z rhymed over beats from Timbaland, The Neptunes, and Swizz beatz and then spearheaded the sample resurgence with his 2001 album "The Blueprint". Using then unknowns Just Blaze and Kanye West to reintroduce the "vintage" sound.

Basically what I'm saying is that the reason they survived the times is by taking control of their careers and keeping their sound current. Some may call this selling out but I call it smart.

Those are just my thoughts on it but.....I'm tired of typing. Peace

Click here to buy 48 Laws of Power

The 48 Laws of Power

What I find so interesting about.....Iceberg Slim

Lately I've found myself fascinated by the life, codes and principals of Iceberg Slim. A lot of people(mostly women) are downright repulsed by that. How could I find anything positive or useful in the story of a misogynistic pimp? Lets talk about that word..."Pimp". Its a commonly (mis)used term in the Hip Hop culture and black culture in general. You might turn on the radio and hear a rapper say he's pimpin' or your friend might say "I was at the strip club throwin money straight pimpin". The truth is....the rapper probably isn't and your friend DEFINITELY isn't(he's a trick a man pimps have no respect for). Robert Beck(Iceberg Slim) is the prototypical pimp. He wouldn't have sex with a woman unless she paid him first. This is the complete opposite of the mentality of most men. The average man is powerless against the seductive prowess of women. According to Robert Greene(in his book "Art Of Seduction") seduction is the one aspect of life where women are more powerful than men. Some of the most influential women in history are known for their looks and seduction skills(From Cleopatra to Marilyn Monroe...all the way down to Kim Kardashian). Being able to resist a womans sexual charms in order to adhere to the "pimps code" takes discipline and makes you more powerful than the average man.

There is also a principal "Fair exchange" that changed the way I viewed intimate relationships between a man and a woman.

"She nibbled and sucked hundreds of tingling bruises on every square inch of my body. Fair exchange as the old saw goes is never robbery."-Iceberg Slim

Typically when a man is offered sex by a pretty female he feels blessed(oral sex is sometimes referred to as being "blessed" or getting "blessings") or as though its his lucky day(sex was at one point referred to as "getting lucky") But this proves that the woman is feeling blessed and lucky as well. You're both getting something out of the deal. This is why when a man pays for sex he is called a "trick" because the woman is getting sex and money while he's only getting sex.

Another thing I liked about Iceberg was his thirst for knowledge about "the game". He would ask the older more experienced pimps for advice. (This is rare, there are so many know-it-alls that think they don't need to learn) Iceberg valued knowledge so much that he even took a beating from his mentor when he broke a rule-but to him it was worth it. 

Something else I got from reading his life story is something the pimps refer to as "Cop n Blow"(to gain and lose).

Click here to purchase "Pimp" by Iceberg Slim off Amazon.com

According to them "Cop n Blow" is what "the game" is all about. What you have in this World means NOTHING...the question is do you have the skills to get it back if you lose it.There were times in the book where Slim would lose everything(his girls, money, and vehicle) and he would become a wanted man in the area he was in and he'd have to move to somewhere unfamiliar. Instead of panicking and being scared he'd move on. I find that people are so afraid to start from scratch. Its because it makes you question yourself-do you have what it takes to rebuild your life? In "the game" the answer is an emphatic "yes".Pimp