Over my 22 years of life, I have already had about five bad experiences with cops because of being a black male.  I thought I would at least make it to 25 without being harassed for DWB, but I guess they figure once you’re able to place your feet on the pedals, it’s fair game.  So parents, watch your kids on them big wheels and bikes.

But I was pulled over for driving through a flashing red traffic signal going 25 miles per hour at 1:00 in the morning.  There was nobody on the road but me, but the officer felt the need to make a big deal about it.  Now I know when it gets late, they get bored and feel the need to make work if they have nothing to do.

But after him pulling me over and coming to the car talking to me, I knew the type of mess he was on.  He questioned me about why I stopped where I did on the road when I seen his lights, why I was moving around in my car, the exact place I was coming from, etc.

After I gave him my license and insurance card, he looked over them.  He then gave them back, and asked me to step out of the car.  I’m asking him for what, and he says because I was moving around in my car when he pulled me over.  So to make a long story short, I stepped out of the car and he patted me down, searched my car, had two officers come for backup, ticketed me for not having my seat belt on and checked my tints too make sure they weren’t too dark.

There was no reason for me to have to go through all of that over a traffic violation.  My tags are clean, he smelled no alcohol or marijuana in my car, I gave him my license and insurance card, and did not cause a scene when he came to my car.  So why was I patted down and violated by a car search like a criminal????

My people, things of this nature have been going on for a long time, and will probably never change.  But I told that cop how out of line and wrong he was.  I went and filed a complaint against that officer, and hopefully that won’t happen again in the future for myself or any other person.

Anytime we go through events like these as African-Americans, we need to make sure that we’re filing complaints against these officers.  The only way they’re going to be pulled off the streets is if we take the initiative.  We can’t be riding around with drugs, illegal tags, guns, warrants, etc.  Lets not give them any reasons to even bother us; and if they do, lets not make things harder for ourselves by not being clean.

Signing out to my kings and queens….until next time

Last night, we lost the talented Nathaniel “Nate Dogg” Hale at the age of 41.  As of now, the cause of his death is unknown.

Nate Dogg has been the man to go to as far as hooks if you wanted to crank out a true hit.  Before T-Pain and his played out autotunes took over the job, Nate Dogg was really getting it in.

What set him apart from any other artist in the game was his ability to mix and incorporate jazz, r & b,  and rap into his rhymes and flow, while still holding on to that g-funk style that we have all grown to love.

My favorite song by Nate Dogg is definitely “These Days”….Check it Out:

You don’t hear real music like that anymore.  It’s sad to say, but that’s definitely how things are nowadays.  Nobody has your back, so you have to look after yourself.  I thought this was a new age thing, as far cats not fighting anymore and pulling out guns over any and every issue.  But Nate said it all the way back in ’98.

His death at such a young age goes to show that anything can happen at any time.  He had two strokes back in 07 and 08, and his death is believed to be associated with complications from them.  Due to the strokes, he was unable to speak and lost basic movements, but was making a slow recovery.

At 37, Nate Dogg’s life was basically cut short and he couldn’t live a normal life.  We have to value the time we have here on Earth and make the best of it because at a blink of an eye, it can all be gone.

Nate was one of the realest to ever do it, and will forever be missed.  Much love playboy.

Signing out to my kings and queens….until next time

A call to all African-American women….YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

Welcome back people…..Hope everything has been well.  A lot of women have recently made the decision to go natural, and Raven Symone has been the latest.  This latest trend is one that I hope sticks around from now until the end of the time.

From my middle school days up until now, I have seen all kinds of hairstyles.  I laugh now and think back to my days as a kid when I would love to see a girl with long braids down her back, or a head full of straight hair that came down to her back.  Man was that sexy to me….lol

But now that I’m a grown man, I think nothing is more attractive than a woman with natural hair.  Though natural hair is technically hair that hasn’t been permed, I like to think of natural hair that is YOUR hair.  Nowadays, so many girls doctor themselves up with an abundance of weave on their head that it takes away from their natural beauty.

My girlfriend and future to be wife (love u ~Sarah~) has a head full of beautiful black hair.  She has never had a perm, and never fails to make that point when talking about her hair.  So from being with her, I realize how much time and care goes into straightening, caring for and styling hair that has never had chemicals on it (and man do I pay for this when it’s time to go somewhere…lol).

But seeing a woma in their natural state (no makeup, no extravagant hair) should be the eighth wonder of the world.  Ladies let me tell you…a man wants a woman who’s as comfortable with herself as he is with her.  We’ve all heard the cliche “beauty is skin deep,” and this saying could not be anymore true.  So ladies, peep game…

If you have to go the extra mile on a daily basis to feel secure with yourself, or to feel that you’re beautiful, I am here to tell you…that is not the way to go.  A real man loves his woman the way she is when she steps out of bed.  No hair pieces, weaves, wigs, ponytails, globs of makeup etc.

Now please don’t get me wrong and think that I have anything against these things.  They are creations that serves to be very helpful and beneficial, while also adding a sense of style.  But too many (way too many) women are making these the norm, rather than the occasional.

Long hair; Short hair; Don’t care…. BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL.  However you are, just be happy being you.  That’s when the real sexyness shows.

Signing out to my kings and queens….until next time

Welcome back my people….

I didn’t know the world-renowned black author Ms. Terry McMillan went in on Will and Jada’s Smith kids a few months back.  She had some very critical thoughts about the success of Jaden and Willow and the parenting that they are receiving.

“The Smith children already act like child stars. There’s an arrogance in their demeanor and behavior. I find it incredibly sad. It feels like the Smith children are being pimped and exploited. Or, they’re already hungry for fame. What about 4th grade?

These kids don’t already know what they “love”. Total bullshit. They’re not prodigies. They think Hollywood is real.”

Now I’m a journalist, so lord knows that I don’t believe in the suppression of the human voice.  But come on, some things should remain thoughts or opinions floating about in the head.

Will and Jada are millionaires who have had successful careers in the movie business.  So them pimping or exploiting their children is so far from the truth that it’s hard to imagine.  Anytime I see Jaden or Willow, the spotlight is on them for their talents and accomplishments.  So Will and Jada couldn’t be exploiting them for publicity of their own names either.

They seem to be two wonderful kids with drive and determination.  I never feel a glimpse of exorbitant arrogance  through their behaviors or the way they carry themselves.  They seem to be happy and content in what they do without any external forces at all pushing them over the edge.

Ms. McMillan is too smart, talented and too much of an influential figure in the black community to demean and put another fellow black down. Her opinion is her opinion, and nothing is wrong with that. But when you publicly blast your brothas and sistas with unwarranted criticism that holds no constructive value, you are fueling the naysayers with ammunition who say blacks can’t or never will achieve anything.  And we have had enough of that through our history already.

Instead of throwing shots in the direction of the Smith family, we need to praise them for their achievements and being an example in the black community.  There are many positives to focus on about the Smiths, so lets stick to them and be thankful that they’re one of us.

Signing out to my kings and queens….until next time

Whats going on people….hope everything been well.  I was watching the Monique show last night and she had Percy “Master P” Miller and his kids Romeo and Cymphonique on as guests.

I’ve admired P for some time now for his dedication to change and make a difference in the black community.  And not only has he made a transformation, he has instilled life values in his kids so that they too can have a positive influence on this earth.

Seeing the changes made throughout P’s career is crazy.  I remember and still bang his old skool joints; Mr. Ice Cream Man, I’m Bout It, Break ‘Em Off Somethin’, and countless other hits.  He was the first artist forreal to bridge the gap between the West Coast and the South in a major way with his various compilations and soundtracks.

Master P rapped about that gangsta life and tales of growing up in the hood.  It’s music that the older generation would definitely not want to hear.  “Boy you better turn off that music with all that cursing.  You know I don’t play that.”  I can hear moms now (lol).

But unlike majority of these rappers who get older and have kids, P made a change in his life and his music.  He didn’t want to rap about selling dope anymore because it was the life he was no longer living.  But bigger than that, it was the life he didn’t want his kids to live either.

Over the years, he has cleaned up his lyrics and put out profanity-free music.  He’s been an instrumental part in the black community by setting up various outreach projects, holiday drives, and anything else he can think of to give back and help turnaround problems he once was a part of.

As we get older, we have to become wiser and make better decisions for ourselves and our kids.  Rappers who talk about nothing more than money, sex and drugs have no real vision in life and are only continuing a track of failure for the youth.  You have rappers like 50 Cent who calls P a sellout and his music garbage.  But you have to realize; Master P did it all in the 90′s and monopolized the rap game in a way it had never been done before.

From putting out various movies, clothing line, writing books and running a multi-million dollar record label that helped make him the richest rapper of all-time, P has reached the mountaintop and has made his mark in the game.  But he decided to trade it all in for the betterment of his people for generations to come.  So who really is the sellout?

Signing out to my kings and queens….until next time

In an effort, he says, to lure readers who may be offended by the racist word “nigger” in Mark Twain’s book Huckleberry Finn, an Auburn University professor has revised the American novel.  In its place (all 219 times), he replaced the derogatory term with “slave.”

Now what some might see as a kind gesture to society and African-Americans, I see as a direct attempt to erase the cruelties of white America in the past.

Huckleberry Finn is a classic that I highly enjoyed reading.  Not only does it give readers insight into the segregated separatist views of whites and the demoralizing treatment of blacks during the time, it’s an adventurous read that draws readers from all ages, genders and ethnic groups, which helps promote the ever-important task of reading.

But attempting to erase and overlook the struggles of blacks and how we were seen by the same white colored people today is even more denigrating.  It sounds good by saying, “Were only doing this to help ease race relations.”  But in reality, the only thing being done is a head-turn to society’s past and present treatment of blacks and the application of make-up foundation over the black eyes of whites for their actions.

Throughout my life, I have met and had wonderful experiences with white people.  In fact, maybe more than with my own race.  So the fact of being bitter or the notion of “reverse racism” is out of the question.  But acknowledging the past to understand the present and the future is a must for any African-American living here in the United States.   Acts such as these, whether intentional or not, need to be spoken on and recognized for what they truly are; an attempt to delete the history of this country, but more importantly, the memory of every African-American who came before us today.

Race is such a touchy issue, which is why the conversation should be spoken rather than spoken over.  The lynchings, burnings, rapes, murders, marches, protests, rallies, sit-ins, and alike should never become a thing of the past, but rather acts of guidance for the future to review and understand the dichotomy of racial issues present in this country.

So when whites and blacks generations from now read Huck Finn and ask what the term “nigger” means, they can gain knowledge about the harsh times of the past.  I would much rather this to happen than being told a slave was just a black person who did work for free……SEE WHAT I MEAN.  The fight for justice is far from over, and its sad that some can’t see.  But until were taught how to fish, rather than given a fish (or a black president for that matter), we must remain persistent in claiming our full dignity and respect.

ONLY THEN CAN WE FORGIVE AND FORGET!

Signing out to my kings and queens….until next time

It  had been banned in over 11 countries with even parts of the sexually promiscuous U.S. being one.  I hadn’t seen the video nor had I heard the song, so I figured I’d take a look.

(Below is the song with lyrics, since Youtube doesn’t allow certain videos to be uploaded onto this site. Since the video is flagged as inappropriate, you must be 18 or older to log into Youtube to view it.)

After viewing the actual video, I was highly disappointed in what Rihanna, our black queen, was portraying and representing.  For her to not only disgrace herself, but more importantly the image of the black woman, was truly disturbing.

My problem with her is that if the black woman does not carry herself with honor, dignity and respect, it’s very hard (and damn near impossible) for anyone else to do the same.

We as African-Americans are fighting a battle everyday to be accepted as  human beings in this white establishment called America .  Now I don’t have any ill regards toward white people and respect them just as much as I do my fellow brother, if given in return.  But to not acknowledge the distance we still have to travel in this marathon called race discrimination and relations, would be dooming to myself and every black who came before and comes after me.

In order to move forward and get back to the roots of our culture, there has to be higher standards set among us.  The African Queen is the foundation of life that carries on the structure of the black race.  The African King is the rock to enforce standards of self-value and appreciation.  Without the two working hand in hand, the world stops.  The sight of any progression is gone.

Rihanna has much more talent than she gives herself credit for.  We all know the analogy “sex sells.”  But it gets to a point where too much becomes TOO MUCH.  When, as in the older days, will SELF-PRIDE sell?  Or SELF-RESPECT?  Or just, like Spike said, doing the right thing?

We are all kings and queens and have to start treating our brothas and sistas as such, while also expecting the utmost from each other.

Signing out to my kings and queens….until next time

At the present moment, the rap game is in a state of turmoil.  Not only has it transformed from a focus on music engulfed with substance and self-meaning to a purely commercial outlet, the artists themselves are now seen as monetary statues in their own regards.  Once a certain level of notoriety and fame is obtained, artists began to lose that hungry nature.

But staying true to his faith and love for music, THE JACKA has risen to bring back the standards of true artistry: diversity and being true to one’s self and the people.

Take a listen people to one of my favorite tracks by the man himself: