Get Used To Getting Used

"Get used to getting used."

There are a lot of aspects of daily life that we have become accustomed to that we don’t find particularly pleasing, but because they happen so regularly, we get used to them.  For example, we get used to rush hour traffic every day of the week.  We’ve gotten used to hearing crappy techno-party-synthesizer music on the radio.  Southerners have even been forced to get used to having a mixed (that’s probably as close as we’ll ever get to black) president.  I think?  Anyways, my point is that, at first, none of these events were particularly pleasing, but as time went on and the more that we were around them, they became acceptable.  Kanye saying that he had become used to being used was just his own way of flipping something that is generally viewed as negative into something positive.  “Use” in this context isn’t negative because we use and get used every day.  When you go to Mcdonalds’ (again, this is a terrible idea) you use the cashier and other employees there to get food in your belly.  The employees use you and your order to make money.  There is an order to using and being used, so get used to the process and understand how it can be beneficial.  If someone uses you for something and you give them a product only worthy of the bottom of a dumpster (recycling bin for my environmentalists), then why should they come use you again?  Understand that every time that you are using or being used that it is an opportunity to prove yourself and provide a new avenue to pursue whatever it is that you decide makes you a success.  So when your boss has you doing what you consider a purposeless task, think of it as a grand opportunity to prove your worth to him.  It puts you in a position to be promoted when you do what is asked of you to the best of your ability; therefore, you are using him for that chance just as he is using you to get his work done.  Kanye also calls this the “Thank you and you’re welcome” effect, which I will expound upon more in depth in the coming days.   Though I believe in “getting used” and the thinking that goes along with it, it isn’t to say that we should allow ourselves to be taken advantage of, but to, instead, help us understand that in order to get to where we want in life, we will be used by someone.  That is it for the first round, but I’ll be back later today to speak on the next part of the quote.  "To use someone is necessary. What's negative is to misuse, overuse or abuse somebody.”  

Comment on these to let me know what you think.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE and like us on Facebook HERE.  Deuces, for now, Brodies!  

Yeezy Taught Me

Yo, first thing is first: my bad with the posts.  I forgot how hard it was to do this thing in the middle of a basketball season.  I’m not making excuses though, it just means that I’ll have to make more time for it.  Ok, enough with the sentimental apologies and tish.  It’s really not my thing.  Anyways… Well, I’m back like a new season of Jersey Shore (thank God they’re done with that nonsense… or are they?) Since I left you hanging the last couple days, I want to still give you something to think about, especially since I hear the best things about my posts whenever I talk about some real ideas.  Today I would like to expound on some quotes by my favorite musician of all-time…OF ALL-TIME, Kanye West that he has in his book “Thank You & You’re Welcome”.  I remember hearing him say it in an interview a couple years back, and though the connotation of it may sound a bit callous at first, the message associated with it sheds light on the reality of the world.  Besides, who wouldn’t want hear about a little Yeezy philosophy?  Either you can hate it forever, or you can love it.  So what I’m going to do is post three different posts throughout the day that include a piece of the quote that I have, and then elaborate on the points deeper than face value to get to the true meaning of them and to give you an example or two.  Hopefully this will give you something productive for your mind to ponder on topic, so that you can start using your brain in a truly productive manner instead of stalking on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram (whichever is your preferred method of social media), playing that 34^th straight game of Ruzzle against that guy who keeps requesting a rematch because he can’t beat you, or taking yet another shot of the forever attractive duck-face picture to send some dude on SnapChat.  Here is a video of Yeezy talking about his book and using the quote that I want to discuss for the day... 

(FAST FORWARD TO 3:04)

     I'll be back soon brodies!

Promo!

      Hello world!  I'm back like season 3 of the Walking Dead.  You think it's all over then...BOOM!  All of a sudden I'm back on.  It's like Jordan from retirement; one day I'm chilling on the couch trying figure out my next move then...BAM! I'm back getting buckets in the blogosphere.  It's like Manti Te'o's chick; one day you think I'm dead then...RING RING!  You get a phone call that says I really haven't gone anywhere.  Anyways, I know I've been missing a lot lately, but I feel as though I have a viable reason.  Notice I said reason, not excuse.  We've just had a lot of games lately, school just started back up, and I've been sick.  I guess that makes reasons.  Plural.  But yeah, this post isn't going to be very long because I don't really have time for that today.  I've been working on something a little bigger when I have had any spare time, and I'll be posting that up tomorrow and the next couple days after.
     I recently purchased Kanye West's book, Thank You & You're Welcome.  He is by far my favorite musical artist, and I heard a few years ago that he had written a small book of what he called "Kanyeisms", or his own personal proverbs.  The book is a spiral-bound 50-something page long book that only has a few words on every page, but they speak a lot to how he lives and his thought process behind a lot of the things he does.  So instead of giving you some random wisdom, I wanted to share with you some of the things that he said that registered in my mind the most, then comment on them with how I interpreted his meanings.  There's still wisdom to be gained, but it isn't solely mine that I'll be distributing.  I hope you guys enjoy it.
      Ok. Well that's all for now.  I'll send you off with a funny video to entertain you guys.  I saw it a couple years ago, and thought it was hilarious.  Give it a chance.  You can comment and suggest to me some ideas on the bottom of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check THIS out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I haven’t done the YouTube thing yet because I don’t know what people want to see or hear yet, so hit up the comment or question section to give me some ideas.  I'll be back tomorrow yo.  Deuces Brodies!!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Distractions

     Hello world.  I'm back like where kids want to sit in class, and ready to take my syringe of wisdom and inject a healthy dose of knowledge into your minds.  It won't hurt, I swear.  Well I don't see any need for an introduction, so let's get into this shall we?

   Everyone of us has goals that we would one day like to achieve.  Some of these goals are short-term, so that they may be met by the end of the day or end of next week.  A reasonable short-term goal for most young people is to make sure that they finish their homework for the night.  Some of these goals are long-term goals, so they will take years and years to accomplish.  A twenty-something year old with ambitions of one day establishing a Fortune 500 company, owning a yacht, and marrying the mate of their dreams would have long-term goals.  There are also goals that we all have that go in-between those.  Any reasonable goal that one sets for themselves is attainable, regardless of what anyone tells you.  SideNote: I only say reasonable because you can't exactly do whatever you want.  For instance,  if you were cut from your high school basketball team and barely play JV, then it's highly unlikely that you're going to ever play in the NBA.  Statistics would probably prove this.  And don't give me the Michael Jordan story of him being cut from his varsity team.  He played JV.  He averaged 30.  Set tough, yet attainable goals.  The most inhibiting factors that come between us being an average person and being able to fulfill our successful ambitions are distractions.

     Everyday I use a computer at some point.  About 90% of the time it is because I need to take care of something or I need to work on a new post for the day on this here blog.  I am very serious about it when I say that I want to post something up here every single day.  So when i don't, I feel like I have let myself down.  The main reason that disallows me the time and concentration power to provide the internet my thoughts is one word:  YouTube.  I love/hate Youtube.  It is the greatest/worst website on the entire internet. It is more wonderful/sinister than Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace (in it's heyday), and any other social network that you may use combined.  I'm not even joking when I say that I have spent entire days on YouTube just watching video after video on anything from laughing babies to "The Weird Part of YouTube" (we've all been there...).  At the time of watching all of the incredible things you can find there, it seems as though I'm not wasting time, but instead I'm just taking a break.  In reality and in hindsight it is quite disheartening to see how much time I've really wasted.  YouTube is by far my largest distraction.  So much so, in fact, that I currently have the goal to completely stay off of the website unless it is for homework or the blog.  I located my biggest distraction and am attempting to eliminate it in order to give myself a better chance at reaching the goals I have set for myself.

      I understand that sometimes it can be hard to realize some of our distractions because they tend to be things that give us instant satisfaction.  Let's be honest, would you rather watch Love & Basketball on BET for the umpteenth time or study for the final exam that is worth 50% of your grade.  Now fast forward two weeks when your final grade comes out and tell me which one you'd be happier with:  knowing all of Omar Epps lines or having an A because you avoided distractions and got your work done.  Don't allow the allure of the immediate gratification of a distraction to cloud your judgement on what is important in the big picture.  Look at it like this:  Is what you're doing bettering you come any closer to accomplishing your dreams?  If you answer that question with more no's than yes's, then you need to review what you consider a distraction and what isn't.

     I know that we all need entertainment at some point.  I would just say to be conscious of how much you need and how much you want.  That is a huge difference and part of being a mature adult requires you to differentiate between the two.  For example, we all have friends that we like to hang out with, and that is great.  It is healthy to have regular social interaction.  That doesn't mean that every time your friends go out to the mall or movies that you always have to go.  If you know that it distracts you from what you need to do for the day to get closer to being successful, then it is alright to sit one out.  Establish in your mind what is a distraction for you and eliminate them for the sake of your dreams.  Detract Distractions!


      Well that's all I have.  I hope someone liked it and let's me know.  You can comment and suggest to me some ideas on the bottom of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check THIS out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I haven’t done the YouTube thing yet because I don’t know what people want to see or hear yet, so hit up the comment or question section to give me some ideas.  I'm out! Oh, and I'll be back with some Throwback Thursday, in case you care.  But, yeah.  Anyways... Deuces Brodies!

Today on Tuesday: Manti Te'o

     Hello world.  I'm back again like cops to your neighborhood Dunkin Doughnuts.  I'm really trying my best to stay on my blog thing, so I had to have a follow-up to last night's post, which was a really fun one to do.  But as we all know, today is a new day which means we have to talk about new things.  So since I went on a hiatus last week, I wasn't able to bring you my thoughts on this whole Manti Te'o fiasco.  It's probably a good thing that I didn't rush to it because the full story (we think) has come out and my opinions on the mater have changed.  Don't get me wrong!  I still think Mr. Te'o's intuition is still pretty laughable, but I have to call out these hoaxers as well.  Let's dance, shall we?

      Alright so, I have an app on my iPhone that gives me SportsCenter updates on anything that ESPN deems important news.  My phone will vibrate like I have a Twitter DM, so I get all excited to see who hit me up only to see that it's an update that I usually don't care about.  This time was different though because I read this: Manti Te'o girlfriend was hoax.  Huh?  How can your chick be a hoax?  I had to do investigate this one further. SideNote: Who decides what is breaking news?  Is there a committee on this?  Is it one guy's opinion on what he considers "breaking news"?  Can I be that guy? "Breaking news: Aye yo, my dude Obama got re-Inaugurated yesterday cuz."  "Breaking News:  Can I get a shout out from Hayden Panettiere on Twitter doe?!"  I would be the most popular news breaker since the debut of television, and that's real.  Anyways...  If you aren't familiar with the whole situation go HERE to catch up because it's more confusing than Vin Diesel's sexuality (yeah, go ahead and click on that link and tell me what he is).  I just want to share my opinion about the two sides that are involved.  First off, Manti.  C'mon yo...

      Yo, you're one of the best football players in the country.  You are a Heisman runner-up.  You are THE most recognizable guy on the entire Notre Dame campus, and you're going to tell me that you decided to have a relationship with a chick who you've never met?  C'mon son.  That's like having free cheeseburgers all around you, but you'd rather starve thinking about a steak.  Get outta here with that.  I know that some of y'all are probably reading this and know of someone that has been "catfished" or maybe you yourself have been "catfished".  To you, I say this: Stop It!  This social media thing is getting out of control with our generation to the point of where people are able to fall in love with a computer screen and pictures instead of going and finding a real relationship in real life.  I don't have a problem with meeting a "soul mate" online.  What I have a problem with is having emotional attachments to inanimate objects instead of real life.  I mean how can you call someone your girlfriend or boyfriend when you haven't hugged, or kissed, or even laid eyes on on them?  That's just a tough one for me to grasp.  Maybe someone can comment on this to give me some insight on how that works.  I really thought for a while that the best ending for this was for him to come out in the end and just say he was scared to admit his sexuality because he would have a legitimate reason for that.  He plays the most popular, masculine, testosterone-driven sport in America, so how well would a gay athlete be accepted within the sport?  It would have extremely interesting to see how that all played out, but instead he just admitted to being a dummy.  I wish they had soundbites of all the trash talking that he's going to have to go through in his career.  I predict that he isn't going to be very good for too long.  Just a thought.

     My next "C'mon son" has to go to these pranksters.  Why?!?!?!?!  Manti is a nice dude, excessively naive, but nice.  You can see that from his interviews, so why mess with him?  How much of a lame are you to do some sucker tish like that?  For one, it was done by some dude named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.  A dude "catfishing" another dude?  That's got more question marks on it than the Riddler.  I have no problem with homosexuals, but if that's your thing then don't try and hide behind a text message or computer screen to live it out.  That just makes you a lame.  He even used 3 other squares to do his best Punk'd impersonation  Apparently this isn't Mr. Tuiasosopo's first rodeo either because it has been said that he's done this a few other times to family members and friends.  So this dude's suspect level out of 10 is about a 32.  Anyways, my point here is to put your time to good use.  According to my calculations, there are about 437,724,546 other things that he could have been doing instead of having his way with Manti's irrational emotions.  Just my thoughts...

  

     Welp, that's all.  I think both sides need to do some serious soul searching because Manti has no business falling in love with a Twitter account, and Ronaiah AKA the most suspect dude since Drake has no business being intimately involved with another guy through text messages.  I'm done.  This was just a message to all those who don't think about what they do before it's done.  Anyways, comment and suggest to me some ideas on the right side of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check THIS out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I haven’t done the YouTube thing yet because I don’t know what people want to see or hear yet, so it up the comment or question section to give me some ideas.  Wednesday's Words of Wisdom should be pretty dope tomorrow so stay tuned.  I'm out! Deuces Brodies!

Music Monday: Chance the Rapper

     Hi.  I know it's been a week, and yeah I know, I suck blah blah blah and all that.  Just give me time to get my schedule for school and basketball straightened out so I can get these posts done on time and give them to you right.  Anyways, I'm still back like the snap on your hat and ready to deliver like the milkman in the 60s.  It's a little late for me to be posting about a Music Monday, but I do what I want so hush.  I was going to do the same type of thing that I did last week with the music and just give you a bunch of what I had heard recently on my musical journeys, but as Google Chrome and I were on one of these adventures to discover something that I hadn't heard yet, I found Chance the Rapper's mixtape 10 Day...

   
    Chance's debut mixtape was originally conceived during his 10 Day suspension from the high school that he was attending in Chicago, as you can kind of decipher from his lyrics.  In order to give you this review the best way that I can, I'm going to go through this song by song and sum it all up in the end.  That's how Ghostface does it, and since he has the best blog that I've seen, that's how I'm going to do it.  LehGo!

14,400 minutes - Chance let's you know his inspiration immediately as he raps "I got suspended, ooh you got suspended/for chiefin' a hundred blunts fourteen four-hundred minutes".  The beat kind of is like this goofy, circus kind of introduction which is kind of perfect to go with Chance's unorthodox delivery.  It's more of an introduction to himself as a rapper and where he's from and his situation of being suspended than an actual song.  We have to get introduced before we get to know someone right?

Nostalgia - Aww man, as soon as this came through my speakers I knew I'd be riding to it next time I was Black Betty (my black Malibu).  Chance takes a moment to have a flashback to his childhood and previous experiences that he has had in his life as some smooth drums and a sweet piano paint a picture that allows the listener to imagine each moment that is relived.

Missing You -  I'm not a huge fan of the distorted voice on this one.  It makes him sound like he recorded it on a amateur home recording mic with rocks in his mouth.  The beat is solid for the first 2 minutes, nothing spectacular though.  Then all of a sudden he gets his Trey Songz on and swoons to his passed homie for a bit, while the beat slowly transitions into an Alicia Keys song...  Not really my favorite song on here.

Windows - Now THIS is the Chance I like.  He's just spitting about how wack he thinks his school is and sending shout outs every which direction all over Chicago.  Also, another Windy City native that you probably haven't heard of that features on here is Alex Wiley.  He looks like Andy Milonakis, but he's got some solid bars on here, so we'll let him live today.

Brain Cells -  This one was definitely made for all my druggies out there.  He captures the vibe of the track with his lyrics and chorus that says: "I burned too many brain cells down/to be worried bout my brain cells now"  It's definitely a cool track to just chill with.

Long Time - This is a bit of a darker song from Chance as he describes some of his tougher times coming up off of this rap hustle.  Going as far as describing his passed great Grandmother and how he imagined seeing her face in the water of the toilet bowl after having a long night, which I KNOW about 93% of you have experienced.  He samples a band called Beirut that has an ominous sound to go along with the beat and lyrics.

22 Offs - This joint here is just another one of Chance speaking on his suspension from school and how the whole situation unfolded.  The beat is some throwback Lupe Fiasco, soulful, Buddhist priest doing tai-chi in the mountains of Tibet type tish.  Anyways, I like it.

U Got Me F***** Up -  Definitely a favorite off the tape.  It's just Chance rapping off-kilter about how not to mess up anything between him and his money to another smooth beat that you just put the windows down to in the summer and cruise.

Family -  Chance and his homies get on their thankful tip on this joint.  It's nothing too crazy, but it's always nice to hear someone be thankful for the things that they have instead of always having to tell us about the next car, Jesus Piece, or latest vacation.  Yo!  Message to rappers: Your fans can't relate to any of that, we're normal people living normal lives, so bring the extravagant lifestyle down a bit.

Juke Juke - Is that a Biggie sample I hear at the beginning?! This is too smooth from the jump.  It's just some more of Chance that we've gotten used to throughout the project.  I has a perfect sound for a chill party or a slower dance song for the club.  Chalk up another win for Chance.

F*** You Talm Bout -  Oh Boy...  This is a problem right here.  The beat sounds like some stuff that you'd see Tight Eyez crump to while Lil' Jon screams "YEAH!" over and over until you understand how tough this song really is.  Chance took a visit to the mean, Chief Keef, murder capital side of Chicago.  If you're a fan of that hood stuff then this is probably where you should start.

Long Time II - I don't really understand why there was need for 2 versions of basically the same song on the same tape, but it's whatever.  It just has an extra verse and switched up the beat and sample.

Prom Night -  Between this one and the next, I can't decide which is my favorite.  This one has that College-Dropout-Kanye feel to it because of the soulful sample of it.  Chance is rapping on his Prom Night and giving us a portrait of what prom is like in the hood.  It really is just a smooth cool track.  It kind of makes you want to relive Prom Night all over again.

Hey Ma -  What's a classic debut without a momma song?  Chance takes a moment to tell his mom and all of the other influential women in his life not to worry because one day he is going to make it.  I swear this makes me just want to give my mom a hug and kiss while this plays in the background.  Shout out to my mom, gosh dang it!  Love ya!  Anyways, I really love this one too.

    Welp,  as you can see, I am a huge Chance the Rapper fan, and if you are a fan of hip-hop, you should be converted if you actually listen to the tape.  He's got a soulful sound with a bit of an awkward, but dope flow that makes him instantly recognizable on any song that he appears on.  It just goes to show that every rapper isn't trash, and there are some with real skills that do it for the art itself. Go get 10 Day HERE.  He also is supposed to be having another mixtape come out in a few weeks or so, so you know I'll be on the look out for that too.  But umm, comment and suggest to me some ideas on the right side of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check THIS out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I haven’t done the YouTube thing yet because I don’t know what people want to see or hear yet, so it up the comment or question section to give me some ideas.  I'm about to start the Today on Tuesday ASAP.  Manti Te'o, I'm coming for you.  Deuces Brodies!

Music Monday: Variety

      What up doe! It's me and I'm back again like a zombie.  I know that most of us don't like Mondays whatsoever, so I'm going to kick a little bit of personal philosophy your way.  I used to despise Mondays with a passion.  I hated them more than a dread-head hates a haircut (trust me, that's a lot; Side Note:  I haven't had a haircut in over three years, so the sight of scissors, clippers, or anything else that is excessively sharp makes me feel like that kid in class who gets called on to read since he's nervous because he reads slower than Ruben Studdard in a sprint.  I literally have nightmares about losing my hair or getting a haircut.  It's Scary.)  I didn't enjoy having this feeling, and I wanted a change in mentality.  I watched a video by Eric Thomas about how great Mondays are.  He essentially just said that to change how we felt about Monday's that we just needed to change our mentality.  So instead of viewing it as the day that is furthest away from you getting/giving twerks on the weekend, view it as a day that begins the start of a new week in which you want to better yourself.  Make it a day that starts the week in which you become closer to your next goal.  Make it the day that places you on the right path to achieving your dreams.  A change into a positive mentality will positively affect your attitude towards the hardships that you will go through to reach what you desire.  Whew!  I might have to change today to Monday's Motivation now...  Sike!  Well if that message didn't have any affect on you, then I still have some cool music for you to listen to that can hopefully brighten your day.  If not, then I don't know what to do for you.  You might just want to go back to sleep and wait for Tuesday to roll around.  Anyways, let's talk some music.  I want to give you a few genres to play with, so I'm going to give you a couple party tracks, a chill hip-hop track, a hood hip-hop track, an acoustic track that a friend of mine said I had listen to (you know who you are), and a old school joint to make sure that you get schooled a little bit.

      Let's get this started correct. First up, Willy Moon - "Yeah Yeah".  I love this song.  It sounds like an ancient African house party, then all of a sudden a white man with an Australian accent comes in to spread his swag.  He isn't rapping, but he isn't really singing.  He's just doing his thing, and y'all know I love that!  It's one of my favorite songs of the past few months.   But uhh, yeah...

Tell me that he ain't Swaggin' doe! Anyways, next up is something that you've probably heard on the radio, and if not, you probably will soon.  Its sounds too crazy!  It’s like King Kong is fist pumping through the jungle with his Beats on, smashing trees and stepping on crazy amounts of undiscovered wildlife.  The beat is tooooooo live.  Anyways, the song is called“Everyday Birthday” - Swizz Beatz, Chris Brown, Ludacris.

Got me in here sweating! Woo! *Trinidad James voice*  Enough with all these party songs, dang it.  Cudder is back!  I hope that there’s an album in the near future.  This joint sounds like some stuff you’d beef it up to at like 6 AM when you’re getting ready for a long day at work.  It makes me want to get out a lighter and hold it up (isn’t there an App for that?)  Kid Cudi ft. King Chip - Just What I Am

Yep.  I believe it is safe to say that Scott Mescudi still has it.  It's on to the hood track now.  A$AP has been on my Music Monday before with Lana Del Ray.  His album officially comes out today, so I thought that it'd be fit to feature him again.  He still has his classic Rocky sound that sounds like he's on about 17 different drugs, so you know it still goes hard.  A$AP Rocky - "Long.Live.A$AP"

Ok, now for a couple alternative picks that you probably wouldn't here me listen to anywhere outside of my room.  I'm a fan of music because it can alter my mood immediately, and even if it isn't what I typically listen to on a daily basis, I'll still give it a chance.  Since this is a blog and the title of the post is Music Monday, I have to deliver from all types of genres, so here I go.  Don't judge me.  Ok, fine you can.  You'll just get Shaq-faced.  "Skin" - Boy

Last of the day is a old school joint.  Some stuff that makes you want to sit down in your custom chair of comfort in front of your fire place with your slippered feet on your white bearskin rug in your tailored burgundy robe with your first initial in gold on the left breast while you sip on some of the finest brandy that money can buy.  All of this while you're with your chick.  Yeah, that's some realness huh?  Anyways...  I'll be back with you guys tomorrow for Today On Tuesday to give some shoutouts to those who really earned it this week.  Go like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.  Deuces Brodies!

Nat King Cole - "Unforgettable"

Seriously, BOM

                Hello world!  I’m back again like a fat boy to the cookie jar, and ready to share some more insight on my views and such.  I don’t know about y’all, but where I’m at (Bristol, TN.  Don’t judge me) it’s been about 70 degrees for the past couple days which has kept me in a great mood because it is like seeing light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel being the spring semester and the light being summer.  Anyways, due to this feeling, I’ve been able to bring you my first Seriously, BOM of the New Year.

    Sunday is a day of spiritual practice for some, and a day of reflection for others.  That’s why every other Sunday I like to post on something serious or on whatever is going on with me at the time.  Considering that it is the first serious Sunday post of 2013 and that for this gloriously unlucky year, I want to get some things going with this whole Boss of Me thing; I wanted to speak on the meaning of BOM. 

    No one enjoys being told what to do.  For example, think about how rebellious we all are or used to be with our parents.  We are supposed to love them more than anyone, but due to our nature of not wanting to be bossed around, we resist their authority.  Interestingly, though we don’t enjoy being ordered about, there are very few who actually do much about it.  We tend to surrender our autonomy to a system of authority of some sort at an early age and find it troublesome to discover its full potential as we mature.  That is not a knock on parents or parental figures because without good ones, as some have been forced to learn, life is tough.  I will say that as we become older, we should realize our own independence more.  We recognize when we become “of age” or when we are legally able to participate in particular activities, but when does the full realization of sovereignty in our existence begin? 

    I have only recently discovered and began to implement my own power.  I’ve realized that no one can really make me do anything that I don’t want to.  Just because I’ve been able to grasp this empowering concept, doesn’t mean that I’ve become disrespectful to those that are in positions of authority.  It only means that I understand that I am in control of me.  My ambitions control my future.  I create my own destiny.  I am the boss of me.   I will listen to other’s input or suggestions, but, at the end of the day, I am the one who is entitled to do whatever it is that I believe in. I have confidence in myself becoming successful and going about it in my own way.  I don’t have to do what someone else says or go their route in life because we are all individuals who have to find our own individual way.  American author Wilfred Peterson said, “Champion the right to be yourself; dare to be different and to set your own pattern, live your own life, and follow your own star.”

    I don’t want anyone to interpret this as me saying that we don’t need authority in our world because that would only leave us in an anarchic, order less state.  I like order and organization.  What I don’t like is people perceiving themselves as powerless because of what employers, friends, family, or society tells us.  You have the power to do, think, and believe in whatever you want.  Therefore, you are the boss of yourself.  Only you can decide what it is that makes you happy, and what makes you determined to achieve your dreams.  Do you, I’m doing me.  

   

    I hope that helped someone out there somewhere because like I have written in my description of this blog, this is more than a brand, it's an idea and it's my views on real subjects that affect our daily lives.  We all have a chance to be ourselves and I hate that we allow other's opinions to impede our progress of realizing our full potential of being successful human beings.  Anyways!  Comment and suggest to me some ideas on the right side of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check THIS out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I haven’t done the YouTube thing yet because I don’t know what people want to see or hear yet, so it up the comment or question section to give me some ideas.  Music Monday is tomorrow, so I'll holla.  Deuces Brodies!

Fab 5 Friday: Comedians

    What it do yo?!  I'm back like a crazy ex-girlfriend (does she actually ever leave?)  to bring you some more of that funny tish.  I know you are probably thinking: "Aye cuz, you didn't bless us with a post yesterday! Whattup?!"   To which I reply: "You right."  But there was just a lot going on all day yesterday, so I only got about half of the post done.  I know I could've wrote something quick, but it wouldn't have been good.  I'd rather wait an extra day and give you some real good stuff instead of cranking out crap on a regular basis like I got snuck some ex-lax.  Welp, anyways... I like to make people laugh, and I try my best.  It's part of why I started to do this blog thing because I perceive myself to be pretty funny (I mean, perception is reality right? It doesn't work in this case? Oh.. well are you sure? Ok, forget I said anything...).  But today instead of me taking hours to come with something humorous to make you laugh, I want to share with you who I think is funny and my favorite jokes of theirs.  Let the countdown of my favorite comedians commence!  Numbered in order of hilarity.  Starting now.  After this sentence. Ok, go. WAIT!  **Disclaimer:  The links in this post will direct you to videos that contain vulgar, explicit, and, occasionally, obscene (but still funny) content.  This probably isn't meant for your school, or workplace.  Especially not your children.  Just saying.  Hide ya kids. Hide ya wife.**

5. Katt Williams

    Well if anyone has kept up with my dude Katt, then you know that he's been acting a little strange as of late.  But! He was still the funniest guy in comedy at one point not too long ago.  I believe he's been listed officially at 5'1", which also makes him the funniest comic per square inch, while also possessing the best hair in comedy.  Oops, wrong link! HERE you go.  Ha gotcha! But Katt does curse a lot, so don't watch these clips in front of your parents.  You could end up like this guy at Target.  Anyways, here you go: Hustlin'; Tigers; Def

4. Dane Cook

  Somebody had to hold it down for the white folks! **white people cheer**  I thought Dane was dope ever since I saw him on the Vicious Circle.  He had me laughing like a baby at ripped paper.   He's been chilling lately, so maybe he'll see this and come out with something.  Probably not.  Oh well. Check these out: A good cry & The BK Lounge


3. Kevin Hart

    Chocolate Droppa!  This dude has been funny since the Scary Movie days.  Real talk, continues to do the things that he's been doing then he'll move up this list because as of right now he is the funnies dude in the game.  I'll let him prove it in the links: Dolphins; Uncle Richard Jr.; Comedy All-Star


2. Eddie Murphy

    An OG of the game, Eddie revolutionized how comedy is delivered to the public while also having a large impact on almost every comedian who has come after him.  For you youngins that don't know any better, Ed hasn't always been the family man who makes lame family movies.  No way.  In the 80s, he was as big as Michael Jackson and even could sing like him as you can see HERE and HERE.  Same thing as Katt, Eddie curses a lot, which is what made him so funny and different for the times.  So sorry bout it!  Enough talk, mo' links!! Ice Cream; McDonalds; CookOut; Fart Game


1. Dave Chappelle

    Killing Em Softly was the first stand-up I ever saw, so Dave has to be my number one ever.  From the baby on the corner, to Rick James, to Prince, Dave has it on lock on the stage and in the skits.  They said he went crazy and that's why he went to Africa, but we all know the Illuminati works in mysterious ways!  But  here's the links to some classic funny stuff: Wayne Brady; Native Americans; Grape Drink.  And here's some new stuff:  Secret of Life; Kramer


    Welp, that's all I got.  Comment and suggest to me some ideas on the right side of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check THIS out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I haven't done the YouTube thing yet because I don't know what people want to see or hear yet, so it up the comment or question section to give me some ideas.  I'll be back with some BOM tish Sunday, so stay tuned.  Deuces Brodie!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Surroundings

Yo, bro.  I’m back like a lumbar, and ready to spread a little of my Wisdom on a Wednesday using my Words (see what I did there…).  Anyways, I think that’s enough of an intro.  Today I just wanted to talk about something that has recently affected me, and that always has, even though I’ve only just recently been able to identify it.  My surroundings have a profound affect on me and how I act, so when I am up or down, I’ve found that the things around me are what cause it.  So uh, yeah.  Let’s do this…

    Though we don’t always consider, our surroundings have a much larger affect on us than we consciously give them credit to.  In other words, we don’t really give a lot of thought to what influences us as individuals.  Our surroundings are what make us who we are and how we act.  They can be responsible for the change in our emotions.  If we aren’t careful, they can lead us into being what something that we told ourselves we’d never become.  Or they can deliver the desire for us to become everything that we’ve ever dreamed.  
    I went through a recent spell of procrastination and laziness that disallowed me to post regularly because I couldn’t stay focused on my task long enough to provide the type of writing that I am capable of.  I kept looking over at my computer and telling myself that I would take care of it later, which never happened.  I was in search for sympathy of some sort, and I didn’t understand why I was in that mood when nothing in particular had gone wrong.  This wasn’t just a passing wave of emotion either.  Me being “in my feelings” lasted about three days when I finally realized what had been going on.  I realized that I recently hadn’t been doing a good job of keeping my surroundings positive.  The more I sat around and didn’t stimulate my mind, the more my mind had the opportunity to wander towards the negative aspects of my life that I am looking to improve.  Since I was only thinking about the negativity, I wasn’t taking the actions that need to be taken to begin to rid myself of them.  I was extremely fortunate to have been able to have a 2-hour phone conversation with a long time friend, who spread some light on my situation and gave me positivity to look forward to.  The change of my attitude from being reclusive and detrimental to my desires, to talking to someone who could give uplifting advice impacted my subconscious enough to help get my drive back.  That attitude change came because of a surroundings change.
    Our surroundings don’t only affect our present, but they also change our future. Everything that we intake from what is around us has a some type of affect whether we fully recognize it now or not.  This ranges from the music we listen to, to the movies we watch, to what type of friends we have.  Let’s take a piece cinema for example: The Notebook.  Fellas, think about how your girl reacts to this movie and how it suddenly changed all standards for a guy to behave in a rational relationship.  Ryan Gosling upped the stakes for every female that has seen that movie.  It molded what many females would consider ‘The Perfect Guy’. Do you see how easy it is to change a viewpoint?  That example is a little big since it involves a life scenario so, let’s also take a look at music.  When you listen to a certain song, you get into a particular mood.  Some people will listen to a sad country love song, and then begin to think about how terrible their love life is.  Some people listen to rap and it makes them ‘hype’ or want to dance and move.  These subtle but abrupt mood changes can affect a entire day.  This can even affect our relationships with friends.  So what if we changed all of our surroundings?  What if instead of hanging out with people who have no desires or ambitions, you were surrounded by people passionate about what they wanted?  What if instead of being around people with no jobs, you hung out with those who have already made themselves successful?  Would those people not eventually rub off on us?    Musician Gordon Lightfoot has been quoted as saying, “You just get the vibes of your surroundings and it rubs off on you.”  Sorry I couldn’t find a Lil’ Wayne or Taylor Swift quote like this, but what Mr. Lightfoot says is still the truth regardless.
    To wrap this up, I just want to say that we should be more conscious of what we intake and dwell upon.  Stay away from self-pity and gravitate towards self-realization.  Distance yourself from those whose negative notions are detrimental to your growth and ambitions.  The more that we are surrounded by people and imagery that is positively motivating us, the more likely it is that we will become successful.
    Whew! Ok, I’m done.  I promise.  Anyways…  Comment and suggest to me some ideas on the right side of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check THIS out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I haven’t done the YouTube thing yet because I don’t know what people want to see or hear yet, so it up the comment or question section to give me some ideas.  Throwback Thursday tomorrow! TBT! But umm, yeah.  Deuces Brodies!

Today On Tuesday: Biebs & Dame

   Aye yo! What's up world.  Sorry that I've been away so long.  I'm still trying to figure out what times in the day that I should write up these posts.  I have like three of them that are like half way done, but I ran out of time to finish.  Smh at me! But for now I'm back like a rerun on Nick at Nite, and ready to send some shoutouts to a few deserving individuals.  Let's get into it!

    The first shout out of the day goes to my boy JB.  Yeah, that's right, I sent a shout out to Mr. Justin Bieber himself.  In case you missed out on the recent news, the little homie JB got a picture snapped of him while it appeared he was hanging out Miss Mary Jane.  It also appears that he's having a little drink with his compadres, which, for someone of his age, isn't exactly legal either.  But!  My problem doesn't sit with Biebs and his choice to sip a little and get his smoke on.  Not at all.  He's 18, which legally makes him a grown man, which means he can make his own decisions.  I know right, thinking of Justin Bieber as a grown man is tough, but do you see how he does Nicki Minaj in his video?  You have to accept that he's grown, and that he may do some grown people tish from time to time.  And I'm pretty sure we all know that the best music comes from the worst drug addicts, ie. Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, every rockstar since 1962, every rapper for the past 20 years, etc...  My problem is: where are you at JB?  It looks like it smells like hot feet and Tostito's in there!  He looks like he's in the same place as Carlton on the Fresh Prince when Carlton got his hood pass.  The place looks like a college apartment the morning after a party that everyone passed out on the spot and woke up saying, "Yo, what happened last night bro?"  Like they woke up next to Ashton Kutcher like, "Dude, where's my car?"  They have their Corona's and blue "po' up" cups sitting on my Grandmother's coffee table.  You mean to tell me that a multi-millionaire such as himself can't find a decent place to get his smoke on?  C'mon yo! Why are you getting high in Bert and Ernie's apartment?  I think this whole break up with Selena Gomez is getting to his head, so he's looking for a release because THIS isn't working.  If you want to smoke, then do your thing Biebs.  You might lose a lot of little girls and parents as fans, but maybe now you appeal a little more to the pot-head populous.  I'm no smoker, so I can't say that I'm proud of him or anything, but I feel like if you're a celebrity and you want to partake in the use of illegal substances, do it in a private area with no cameras.  Just a thought...

    I want to send one last quick shout out to Notre Dame, who got SMACKED by Alabama in the National Championship.  These were the best two teams, huh? I have 42 to 14 reasons why they weren't.  The Crimson Tide absolutely should have been in this game, but the "Fighting" Irish had no business being there.  For one, there was no fighting, but a lot of THIS HERE.  Actually, I believe that it is disrespectful to people who have ever fought for Notre Dame to even be called "Fighting" Irish.  For now on, they will be called the "We Got Blasted (Bang Bang) On National Television After America Was Forced To Wait Over A Month For What We Thought Was Going To Be An Entertaining Game" Irish.  Thank you for the disappointment.  Jerks.

    So for JB's lack of sense, and for Notre Dame's lack of worth, I give you a SHAQ-FACE.

   C'mon son...

    Ok, that's enough with the shout outs for the day.  I have more things I can do with my life right now.  Comment and suggest to me some ideas on the right side of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check Us Out On Tumblr Too out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I haven't done the YouTube thing yet because I don't know what people want to see or hear yet, so it up the comment or question section to give me some ideas.  Anyways, I'll be back tomorrow for a little wisdom that I want to distribute.  Holla at me! Decues Brodies!

Throwback Thursday: Tall Tees & Baggy Jeans

    Yo, what up!  I’m back at it like a crack addict, after a LONG day yesterday that included waking up at 6:45 AM for practice, making a 5 hour bus ride to North Carolina and a bedtime at 2 AM.  It isn’t a big deal though.  I still love you guys enough to wake up at 8 AM to work on giving you the first installment of Throwback Thursday.  Now I can’t lie to you be cause that’s not what I’m about, so let me tell you, when I woke up this morning I had no idea what this post should be about.  But then I had me a nice hot shower, and a complimentary Holiday Inn cup of coffee and it hit me!  Tall tees and Baggy Jeans…

    I’m going to apologize up front for the guys and gals that have yet to make the transition to clothes that fit.  I know that for some of you that it isn’t a choice because you’re broke like me and that there’s more important purchases that need to be made.  BUT! There are some that have consciously made the decision to be baggy t-shirt wearing, overly large fitted hat rocking, sagging baggy jeans…oh goodness.  Don’t get it twisted though, for I was once one of these guys that believed I looked dope because me and a 300 pound man could fit in the same shirt.  Seriously, the bigger the better was always the rule.  You couldn’t ever find a shirt that was too big for me about 6 years ago.  I literally had the rule that if my elbows could be seen while I wore my shirts that the shirt was too small.  Isn’t that sad?  Another trend that was set back in my days as an adolescent was the sagging of the excessively large jeans.  It was bad enough that dudes were wearing jean Parachute pants, but to make matters worse, they’d sag them to mid-thigh. It ended up having dudes looking like THIS.  I know you’re probably thinking, “But Keenan, there are still people who sag.”  And yes, I know this.  But!  The combination of a tall tee, baggy jeans, AND a sag? It was what was hot in the streets, and was probably one of the biggest fashion faux pas in recent memory.  It is the equivalent of how we’re going to eventually look back on Crocs. 

    The reason that this look took off was because of the glorification that it was given in Hip-Hop music.  Every rapper, and do I mean every, that was popular in this time was equipped with a t-shirt that resembled a Snuggie, a huge chain, and pants that looked borrowed from Precious’ closet.  Now if you’re still rocking the t-shirt that makes you look like you woke up and said, “Aye dawg, I thank I’ma just go head n cut some holes in ya boy’s bedsheet and throw it on bruh” then I’m sorry. I really promise that I’m not trying to roast you.  I just think it looks funny. Just like I think a clown looks funny.  So I swear I’m not judging you.  Do your thing, and if you’re thing is looking like these fellas…

…then I can’t stop you. But I will say: HAHAHAHAHAHA. And thank you for making me chuckle.

    I’ll be back tomorrow with Fab 5 on Friday, even though I don’t know what I want to talk about yet.  Comment and suggest to me some ideas on the right side of the page if you’re on your computer or touch the arrow next to the follow button if you’re on your phone.  Go follow us on Twitter HERE, ‘Like’ us on Facebook HERE, check THIS out, and the YouTube account is still coming soon.  I’ll be posting pics of more clothes and styles that we rocked a couple years ago.  So be on the lookout.  Anyways cuz, I’ll Holla!  Deuces Brodies!