The Whole Gangs Here!

It's been a minute since I had something really heartfelt to write about. There hasn't been any really hot underground hits, or any new hot movies (I need to see Pan's Labyrinth though), or anything really exciting in the realm of politics (except that beautiful State of the Union). But I'm back anyway, to touch a few topics, nothing too specific. First, I want to talk about President Bush and his address to the Congress (the standing ovations weren't needed). Bush didn't really say anything about the actual "State" of the Union, he stated everything that he still had left to accomplish (contrary to that banner on the ship). Yet, these congressmen and women stood and applauded his unfinished job (and even asked for autographs at the end). Now to a more important topic, the "State of Hip-Hop" (or lack of). Its been a month since I realized "Hip-Hop Is Dead", and I'm still mourning. There hasn't been any revival or anything (on the up side, Saigon's new video is out). Rap has gotten so corny, I watch romantic comedies instead of Rap City. These beefs between artist was cool when it was between hot artist (and when 50 destroyed Ja), but now any dude with a crew has beef with someone else. You've got artist, okay not artist, rappers, like Jim Jones, The Game, Lil Wayne, Cam'ron (where has he been) and others shooting at other rappers like they have the skills to. Jim Jones and the Diplomats got beef with RocaFella and Def Jam, but mostly with Jay-Z and Nas. The Game has beef with Vida and other video broads (even though he too is a video broad). Lil Wayne has been running his mouth off about being the best, better than Hov. He also has beef with anybody that calls him gay for kissing Baby (I've finally found out what Weezy F. Baby really means). Cam'ron has beef with Jay, Nas, his own crew and himself. I think he's just mad that Juelz and Jim Jones are getting more love than him right now. And also, everybody around the Hip-Hop community has beef with Nas for claiming that "Hip-Hop Is Dead". I just have one statement for all the Nas haters, if you disagree with the statement, then you're probably the reason "Hip-Hop Is Dead". For the last topic, I must delve into my favorite form of entertainment, television. Television has been disappointing me on a regular basis in the past year. From BET actually believing that they're entertaining, to MTV not playing music, or the lack of good television in general. Lets start the week on Sunday, HBO has no programming currently (I hate Rome, bring back the Soprano's already), VH1 moved all the good shows to Monday, and the Simpson's and Family Guy are the only two out of FOX's six shows that are actually funny. Monday is totally empty besides Heroes, which is annoyingly drawn out, yet entertaining. Oh, I almost forgot, I Love New York also comes on, as well as The White Rapper Show (what I have begun watching is appalling). Tuesday, for me, is Law & Order SVU and Criminal Intent, even though they are all the same. Somebody walks, drives, jogs, sleeps, etc. by a dead body and says "somebody call the cops", then they commence to solving the case, going to court, messing up the case, resolving the case, then back to court. Wednesday is my day of rest, since nothing entertaining is on television on Wednesday (unless you find Beauty and the Geek entertaining). Thursday is probably the best day for television (has been for a while, Seinfeld, Friends, Will & Grace, ER). It starts with My Name is Earl, then the Office, then Scrubs, 30 Rock, and ER. There are also two good shows on Fox ('Til Death and the War at Home), or Ugly Betty (surprisingly entertaining) or Smallville. The next day is Friday and that means back to Law & Order (regular). Saturday is a day of rest as well, being as that the only thing on television is Cops (how many times can you watch the same people running from cops). During the whole week of television, I'm only angry when American Idol is on, how can three non-talented idiots judge talent. And the saving grace for most of the week (Monday thru Thursday) is the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, the funniest yet most honest "news" shows on television. Most of the time I watch either Anderson Cooper 360, Hardball with Chris Matthews or the DIY network (even though I don't 'do anything myself'). I hope as we get into this new year, the politicians that were elected can do something about the drunk driver in the car, I hope that rappers can actually become emcees, and I hope that program directors start getting fired (especially at BET). And, since I haven't did this in a while, I'm tired of seeing Diddy on television selling ProActiv. I didn't realize that you had sexy in need of preserving in the first place, and it's lewd to moisturize your situation in public. On an ending note, one question, will you be the downfall or the upliftment of society as we know it?

Peace, I mean WAR!

Here's my life-long anthem, can't forget about you!

"These streets hold my deepest days / this hood taught me golden ways / made me, truly this is what made me / break me, not a thing's gonna break me"

These are lyrics from Nas' "Can't Forget About You". When I first heard this song, I just thought it was a hot song. But after a few listens, I realized it was a real anthem for change. I just moved from the neighborhood and house that I lived in for twenty-five years. I had wonderful memories on that block, in that hood, on that stoop, and in that house. As I look back, I realized that the time I spent in Far Rockaway made me who I am. When I was younger, my father nicknamed me Rock, a name I still go by 'til this day, because I was hardheaded. But that name means so much more to me, being that I'm from The Rock. I love my hood because it's my hood, it belongs to me and I to it. I know a lot of people think that its ignorant of me to love this place, what a slum it is. But I can tell you, I had all my first's in Far Rockaway. I was born four blocks from my first home, I went to my first school seven blocks from my house, I smoked my first blunt across the street in my cousin's stairwell, I spit my first rhyme in my aunt's living room, I had my first kiss, my first word, my first step, my first fight, the first time I got jumped, the first time I got drunk, etc, it all happened there. Those are memories that can't be erased. That's why even though my zip-code has change, I still refer to myself as Far Rockaway Rah Rah. I'm that boy spitting on the back of the Q113 until that day, I'm that dude with the headphones on the A train until they come, I'm that kid on that stoop watching the scene pass by until the moment I die. I think everybody should think back and remember that first quarter of their life and what made you who you are. They say that your first years are the formative ones, which is the truest statement to me. So every now and then I get all nostalgic and reminisce about my formative years. So don't think it immature when I say "I'm Far Rock born, Far Rock bred, and when I die I'll be Far Rock dead", it just means that Far Rockaway will always live in me even if I don't live in it. I know that everybody has that place that they will never forget, I have the Sixth Borough, Far Rockaway. In closing to all my Far Rockaway representatives, let's continue to "Rock The World".

Peace, I mean WAR!

Tomorrow may never show up, for you and me this life is not promised!

Television, considered one of the twentieth century's greatest inventions, until now. I watch a lot of television, a lot. But lately I've been disgusted with the selection that I've been given to choose from. The most disgusting, yet entertaining television is on VH1, its called "Celebreality". There's the "Surreal Life", "Hogan Knows Best", "Shooting Sizemore", "I Love New York" and "The White Rapper Show". The "Surreal Life" is a group of, at best C-Listers, competing for money (very sad crap). "Hogan Knows Best" follows around wrestler Hulk Hogan and family. "Shooting Sizemore" is like "Breaking Bonaduce" only with Tom Sizemore as the nutty actor (not as psycho as Bonaduce). "I Love New York" has the two time loser from "Flavor of Love" searching for true love. "The White Rapper Show" is a showcase of the worst Caucasian rappers VH1 could find (it also has two Far Rock representatives, Persia and MC Serch). These shows are all idiotic displays of a lack of talent, but are still entertaining. For shows that are completely idiotic with no entertainment value, turn to MTV. They have "My Super Sweet Sixteen", "The Hills", "Maui Fever", "Dance Life" and "Engaged & Underage". "My Super Sweet Sixteen", "The Hills" and "Maui Fever" are all about retarded rich kids partying. "Dance Life" is Jennifer Lopez's newest attempt at becoming a bona-fide star. And "Engaged & Underage" is about two heavily Christian young adults about to get married (where's the entertainment in that). MTV has the worst programming on TV next to BET (read my blog entry on that crappy station too). While writing this, I realized what all the channels I hate have in common, Viacom (except Comedy Central, they have Colbert). I turned to Nickelodeon to test my theory, and I came back with more brain damage. From "Zoey 101" with Britney Spears sister to "Sponge Bob Squarepants", there's bad acting and cartoons full of idiocy. As I watched the Viacom stations, I could feel myself getting dumber. With the youth of today watching these channels, I really fear the future. What is in store for us when the government is controlled by viewers of "106 & Park"? What will happen to this great nation when the power is turned over from coke-heads and given to meth addicts and pill poppers? What can the future hold when most of the youth of America cares more about a spoiled brats Sweet Sixteen than what President Bush is doing to the world we live in? It is said that you are what you eat, I say that you are what you watch! And if you're watching "Jackass", that would make you a jackass! I suggest the children start watching The Discovery, Learning and History channels, discover and learn something about history. I hope that the saying, "everything is greater, later", is actually true, because as of now I see a very bleak future coming our way.

Peace, I mean WAR!

And hold on, because the driver of the mission is a pro!

I have this little saying I use to close out my blog entries, bulletins, e-mails, etc. It goes like this, "Peace, I mean WAR!". To anybody that looks at this as a call for arms, you are mistaken (last year, it was a call for 'get the guns'). As most of my friends know, I'm all about a modern day American Revolution. But understand that I fully comprehend that it cannot be the same as the past revolution. It can't be a war with guns and bombs (the American government can't be overthrown, they blow shit up), it must be a war of ideologies and knowledge. We are on our way to destruction, and we need to turn around and change this. Peace is defined as the cessation of or freedom from any dissension. It can also be defined as a state of mutual harmony between people or groups. At this moment in America or even most of the world, there is no mutual harmony between people or groups. At this point we don't need to cease dissension, we need to disagree with our government now more than we have. War can be define as a concerted effort or campaign to combat or put an end to something considered injurious (like President Bush) or simply as a struggle. We are heading towards disaster and we need to combat and campaign against the idiocy leading us there. In the words of Talib Kweli, we need a "Beautiful Struggle". So, know that when I say the word "war", I don't mean the taking of lives (I'm not an animal, like Bush), I mean a change. Herbert Hoover said "Older men declare war. But it's the youth who must fight and die!", these words should mean something to young America. I don't know about you, but I'm not dying for a lying government (already gave them seven years out of my life). Remember when I say "Peace, I mean WAR!"; I'm saying "idiocy, I mean a change!".

Peace, I mean WAR!

What is your life really worth?

So I'm watching my homeboy Anderson Cooper, and a story about a baby that was just born comes on. This baby was "special" because he "survived" Hurricane Katrina. I put survived in quotations for one reason, Katrina was sixteen months ago and the baby was born on January 16th. Now ask yourself, how is this baby a Katrina survivor? The answer is that eggs for in vitro fertilization were saved by state police in New Orleans during Katrina. Now you are probably asking yourself, what makes this story important to me? The answer to this question is simple, twelve months after Katrina, bodies were still being found, sixteen months later, people are still homeless or without gas and water. During Katrina, news flashes showed people standing on roofs and swimming through poisonous water getting no form of aid (while President Bush did what exactly?). The staff of the fertilization center received aid from state police saving these eggs, yet the residents of the 9th Ward received no aid. My theory is that the price of in vitro fertilization is a few thousand (which most of the refugees could not afford) and they were already promised to people, so they had a value to them. But the residents of the 9th Ward and other neighborhoods weren't worth as much as the frozen eggs. I don't really have an opinion about if a life starts as an egg or at conception or at birth, my concern is why one life is worth more than another. On a parallel statement, there was another story about payment for families of Iraqi civilians killed during this debacle called a war. Iraqi civilian casualties are not tallied by the Pentagon, so they pay whatever families they want. They were funded to give families up to $2500 for losing their love ones (that's more than some Katrina victims and U.S. soldiers' families), even though not many, if any, got that. So I ask, who determines whose life is more valuable? Most American prisoners live better than most American soldiers. The question is, what is your life worth? .

Peace, I mean WAR!

Help me Wanda, help, help me Wanda! - Parrish of EPMD

I was watching 106 and Park yesterday (sorry Big Bro, relapsed again), and I realized that the youth ofAmerica is most likely brain-dead. I'm going to start with the "personalities" that BET chose to steer this train wreck, Rocsi and Terrence J. These scholars should be hosting Hardball or Terrence J 360 (niglets, turn the channel once and a while); sense the sarcasm. They bring out a guest and proceed to jerk off the guest like a $10 hooker up in the South Bronx. They also have a creepy thing they do with each other, it's like an almost flirting thing, which is sickening. Now for the "livest audience", these niglets should be in school learning something besides why Omarion has an icebox where his heart used to be. They seem so enthused to see the same whack videos everyday. Then there's "Wild Out Wednesday", and "Freestyle Friday" (they should have "Tasteless Tuesday" and "Tacky Thursday"), the worst possible displays of dancing and rapping can be witnessed on these two days, respectively. 106 and Park isn't even the worst show on BET, you have The Center (I have a strong hatred for Julissa, even though I'd give her the bidness), The Black Carpet (niggas don't have high class gatherings), College Hill (blatant Real World rip-off), Hotwyred (that dude, Lamorne is corny as hell), they have the artist themed shows, like Lil Kim, DMX, and Keisha Cole, and then they have the Beef series (making niglets into ignorant niggas). Don't even get me started on the lack of programming on Sunday, they have televised church all day long (I'm an angry Muslim, I hate church). The highest quality show on BET is Rap City, once they find a host for it, it might actually be a good show. It is a shame that this is what we have as "Black Entertainment" (TV One, is just a series of unsuccessful black shows and Good Times and Amen). Another channel that annoys me is MTV, if its "Music Television", where is the damn music. Real World and Real World/Road Rules Duel are the worst pieces of trash on television. I won't even comment on My Super Sweet Sixteen (I hate rich kids so much) or True Life (they ran out of good topics). The only shows I watch on MTV is Rob & Big (it's pretty entertaining) and Wonder Showzen (the greatest kids show ever made next to Reading Rainbow and Lambchops). In closing, niglets do me and the future a favor and change the channel to CNN, Fox News or MSNBC for just an hour a day (you might learn something besides that Ciara promises). Come on niglets, smoke a blunt and watch The History Channel, A&E Biography, or one of the many Discovery channels (that's what people my age due during slow weeks).

Peace, I mean WAR!

30's the new 20, I'm so hot still!

So, I was listening to Hov today, specifically "30 Something". It is a great premise for a song and it also adds to my disdain for niglets. Jay-Z said "I'm from the era where niggas don't snitch / ya'll from the era where snitching is the shit", a well stated point. These niglets don't have respect for the "G Code". Not to romanticize the street life or the hustle, but in the words of Charlie Murphy as Gusto in CB4, "I'm three generations deep in gangster-dom, three generations". A brief history of my lineage is needed at this point, my father was a hustler, my uncle, my aunt's husband (not a good one), my grandmother's husband and numerous other kin. As a youth, I observed the game and learned the parameters and rules of engagement. The eighties and early nineties had rules, those were the years of the "Ten Crack Commandments". But these "Timberland Hustlers", that do it to buy Air Force Ones, they don't live by the same rules. When did going to jail make you a good hustler, staying out of jail means your games on point. Why do these niglets respect the niggas that get shot, that means somebody got the drop on them (again, game not on point). Why are you walking up to me telling me you have weed for sale, learn the rules of supply and demand, the hypes come to you (what are you trying to get indicted?). I know that currently I am breaking one of the rules, "the game is to be sold, not told", but in the words of KRS-One, "you must learn". So if anybody reading this is trying to get their hustle on, respect the game and the game will respect you.

Peace, I mean WAR!

Rock 6:59

I worked retail for the holiday season to get a little extra scrilla, and I watch the niglets in my hood, and it disgusted me. Why is every little niglet dressing like Jim Jones and Lil Wayne? What's with the tight long sleeve tee's and long johns and the colorful oversized hoodies? What's the deal with the wallet chains with no money in the wallet? Ed Hardy is some of the ugliest clothing ever made! I couldn't even walk in the "urban" section. Akademiks (it's ironic that academics is a word linked to education and they can't even spell it right) is outrageous with their name written across the ass of the jeans. ENYCE ( is it pronounced "en-each-ee" or "n-y-c") has their name sprawled across their clothing also. Then you have Rocawear, Sean John, LRG, Coogi, etc, and they all look the same. Why would anybody want to be a billboard for any company is boggling to me (I say that even though all my shirts have a little polo player on them)? How do these niglets buy pants without knowing their waist size, they obviously don't know what a waist is, they can't where their pants on it (I sound like an old person). It just irks me to see these kids imitating these idiot rappers. At least imitate somebody with real deep pockets like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or the Walton family (read a magazine besides XXL or The Source niglets). Lil Wayne and Jim Jones will never be in Forbes (my dudes Hova and 50 were). When your favorite rappers talk about money, they are speaking about something they don't know about either. In the words of TLC, "don't go chasing waterfalls", that rapper you idolize isn't going to grab your hand when you're falling off the edge.

Peace, I mean WAR!

P.S.- Jay-Z lyric is needed to end this entry - "....Fortune Five, top five in the Forbes, you'll see / as you thumb through the Source, I read the Robb Report...."

Life is a movie, not living by rules!

I've been gone for a minute, but I'm back. I got a new zip code and a new front stoop, but I'm still Far Rockaway Rah Rah 'til I sit on a stoop up there in Jannah next to Isa and Musa. I have to postpone the coming of a Rock Diggie movement (moving is stressful). But I want everybody to be on the lookout for me and my folks doing some big things (Jay, it's time to W.I.N.). Like that dude Cavalier said on "Dionne" (second video on my profile), "Roll that shit up, it's the last stop on the 'Smoke Them Troubles Away Tour'...". That's how I'm feeling right now, I'm at that turning point in my life. Nas said on "Life's a Bitch", "..I'm twenty....one quarter of my life...". Well I'm twenty-five now (and I plan to live pass eighty, at least one hundred), I'm going to call that a quarter of my life. This is the second quarter of the game, I'm looking to get a good lead and push hard through the third quarter, so when I reach that fourth quarter I can put my feet up and ride the bench. I'm not going to say I wasted a quarter of my life, I had some good experiences. I'm going to say I'm just a couple of points behind the other team (whoever that is). I know some smart ass out there in my group of friends is going to say "that life is a game where you play against yourself, so at the end of the game you win anyway you play" (I call bullshit on that one). I'm going to play life like a game and at the end nobody will compare me to the New York Knicks. Like the title of this entry and Kanye and Jay-Z said, "Life is a movie", the opening credits have been viewed, you've met the main characters, now it's time for the real action (Big Bro, we going for Die Hard or Action Jackson stunts). When the roll the credits on my life, I want everybody to stand up and clap, like they at a white movie theatre (why do white folks do that anyway, the director and producers aren't present).

Peace, I mean WAR!

P.S.- Check out the soundtrack to the movie of my life also on my blog.