Category Archives: pop culture

Going Nowhere Fast, We’ve Reached Our Climax

Posted on by
792

Heed the signs ninja.

One of my absolute favorite songs right now is Usher’s “Climax”. For various reasons: 1) its a sadly beautiful song that most people I’ve talked think has to do with sex, which I find humorous; 2) Diplo did the beat and I’ve never heard him make something so subdued and sleek; and 3) I’m just glad to hear Usher back making quality music instead of chasing trends. Usher’s had a fairly non-monumental go of it the past few years. Culminating in him jumping on the dance-music craze and making songs where the artist doesn’t matter at all because the music is what people know. Though, I can’t front “OMG” was my sh*t. But you could have given that to David Hung and it would have been a hit.

The main reason though (aside from just being dope) is because I’ve been there. The lyrics of the song are about two people who have basically reached the apex of their relationship and are letting go because the lows kept getting in the way of the highs. And neither person wants to give in so they let go. And sometimes, that’s what you have to do.

This might go against what everybody always preaches about the ability to work through things and that being the true definition of love. And maybe it is. But the TRUTH of the matter is that sometimes, you’ve made it as far as you can as a unit. Sometimes the best relationship decision that you can make is to “love each other separately”.

Every relationship has highs and lows. We all know this. The only way to thrive in those relationships is if the highs are higher than the lows are lower. For some odd reason, people seem to have an issue with letting go though. No matter how low we’ve been, we just need one high to convince us that we can regain all of those high moments that we had. We’re all relationship crackheads. One hit of possibility can erase all impasses we see in front of us. At least temporarily. But it allows us to believe in the potential. We have to right? That’s how we even got there in the first place, the potential. But maybe, just maybe, there is a climax to certain relationships.

I think most people know if the relationship they are in can make it. Or they at least have some idea. A lot of us hold on because we don’t know how to let go so we just stick around for whatever reason hoping to be convinced in one direction or another. That’s a somber way to look at relationships, but I don’t know that its totally off. Yes, you have people who are absolutely crazy in love and thats beautiful and something to aspire towards. You also have people who KNOW they should let go but refuse to do so for whatever reason. And that’s not a man or woman thing, its a people thing. We refuse to believe what we know; that we’ve gone as far as we can with this person because we’ve gone through too much to go on, and too much to go back. You’re at a place where you are ACTUALLY at the climax of your relationship.

When you get there you either choose to stay and slide back into the negativity, or you break up, move on, and miss that person while accepting that you’ve done what you had to in order to live your life being able to breathe. For many of us, love is our air. When you’re in a relationship with somebody that you love, being with that person is like breathing. For better or worse. If that relationship ends then you can’t breathe on your own…you need a ventilator of sorts which can be family, friends, a journal, etc. But eventually you have to choose to learn to breathe without that person. And that’s the circle of life. Everybody has been there. Love can make you feel 9 feet tall or make you feel as if you’ve been beaten up with a brick.

But you learn to breath again. The world ends until it starts again. And it always starts again. The key is to realize when you need to lock in for the long haul or when you need to bail so that you two can both move on and remember, but never forget. It is totally possible to go nowhere fast in a relationship. The sooner we all realize what type of situation we’re in, the better.

Recognize the climax. It’s okay to love somebody forever. But you have to realize what that love is costing you. It could be your forever.

So, VSBers, have you ever been in a relationship where you realized it had an expiration or had reached its climax? Were you able to let go for the betterment of everybody involved? Or did you have to learn the hard way?

Do tell.

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka MR. WE WERE TOGETHER, NOW WE’RE UNDONE aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

Pete Rock vs. Lupe Fiasco: Out With The Old, Out With The New

Posted on by
593

If you follow Twitter and hip-hop sites over the past few days, you no doubt came across a new song by Lupe Fiasco entitled, “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)”. If you’re like me you intended to ignore it completely because you’re not a fan of Lupe at all. But apparently most lots of people like Lupe for whatever reason. I was going to ignore it but then I read the description and I noticed that Lupe rocked over a sort of refurbished version of “T.R.O.Y.” by Pete Rock and CL Smooth.

Scrrrrrrrrrrr?

Okay, let’s lay it all out. I listened to a recent (like few hours old) radio interview with Lupe Fiasco at WGCI in Chicago, where he explained that he spoke to Pete about remaking the seminally classic record beforehand. That’s nice. I don’t really feel that was necessary but its nice that Lupe felt a need to reach out and respect the elders so-to-speak to get his blessing. So let’s assume that Pete Rock gave his (unnecessary but understandable) blessing to remake the track. Lupe then enlists some producers to remake the record and then he rocks out to it.

Cool beans. He then releases the record and the Internets, who often clamor for Lupe records, go nuts. That’s where we were Monday when the joint dropped.

Then Pete Rock chimes in. I’ll just provide his entire Twitter rant for your pleasure:

No disrespect to lupe fiasco and i like him alot but TROY should be left alone. Feel so violated,the beat is next to my heart and was made. Outta anguish and pain. When it’s like that it should not be touched by no one! It’s so hard for folks to make original music, I possess that, but these dudes are scared of that and this is supposed to be HIP HOP? Man I’m a lupe fan and everything but TROY was my homie man. I think about him and Hev every fucking day!!!! Smh

Who ever Re-created that didn’t do a good job @ all. #nohate.This business can be so lame, sometimes I make beats blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back and still these cats can’t be original to. So untalented and unoriginal. Makes me feel like I’m truly the best that ever did it. Yo hev and t-Roy I love and miss da shit outta y’all. U guys have been violated with no Vaseline. So fucked up this business smmfh!!! And I don’t care who got something to say about it, kiss my.. I’m not flattered @ all. Dat shit is wack, and the producer should be ashamed of his fuckin self. Smh That record is dear to me yo fuck deez niggas!!!! I’m still Dat nigga out here believe it or don’t. Ur ignorance not mine, lame duck bullshit. I think lupe is a great artist, I’m that angry with him but it’s a major label idea. I can feel it. And y’all need to stop the childish games, I’m a fan of lupe and he is a great artist and a great person.

Alright, so that’s where we’ll start.

Full disclosure, I’m a huge Pete Rock fan. He’s probably my favorite producer of all time. And anybody who knows me knows that “T.R.O.Y.” is hands down my favorite hip-hop record of all time. I even spent $30 bucks to have the Tom Scott album that the sample came from, Honeysuckle Breeze, shipped to me from Japan. Hell, the monthly party I throw is called “Reminisce”. Point is, I’m emotionally invested in that song.

[By the way, I only feel comfortable with putting out that sample source, long considered snitching in the hip-hop world, because everybody and their grandmother has posted the original sample on sites. Even though I've seen it online in a few places one, you'll never hear me disclose the sample for Gangstarr's "Mass Appeal".]

Which is why I understand where Pete Rock is coming from. His issue isn’t that the song was made. No. His issue is that the song was remade and it…

…sucks.

The beat is little bit faster and whole lot suckier than the original. They Drake/40′d it up a bit with the filtering, which does exist on the original “T.R.O.Y.” but something about it is just off.  If you’re going to remake a track, but do it only slightly differently, and it doesn’t sound as good, you should probably just not release it. Or try again. Which I think is Pete’s point. You said you wanted to remake the joint, but you did nothing different and somehow made it worse. Either you flip it or leave it alone. Not mess it up. It’s a classic dammit. When they reminisce over you (my God) you’d be pissed too.

Of course the hiphop Internets went ham with some folks claiming Pete needed to shut the f*ck up and others claiming that Pete was right and that some joints just shouldn’t be touched because they’re too classic. And here’s my issue: both sides are right.

See, I understand where Pete is coming from but at the same time, folks remake stuff all the time and rarely does it sound as good as the original. In fact, I can only think of a few times where somebody attempted to remake something that came out as good if not better (K-Ci’s remake of LTD/Jeffery Osborne’s ”Love Ballad” comes to mind…WHAT!!! SAY SOMETHING!!!). At least they asked for your blessing. Since you gave it, at that point, you just have to accept whatever comes out. Nobody owns a loop. Nobody.

Further, I do find it somewhat (again somewhat) ironic that a person who made his entire living off of sampling would take issue with somebody doing the same, just not doing it as well as he’d like. I’m aware that Pete is one of the best to ever do it, but I’m fairly certain that there are artists that he’s sampled who weren’t happy with the final product. Especially with his later productions (which definitely fell off), if the artists even got a notice about their music being used at all. I remember reading an interview with Bob James talking about people sampling “Nautilus” and he said the only version he realy liked was RZA’s flip of it for Ghostface on “Daytona 500″. So Pete’s beef isn’t a new one, it’s just…ironic that he’s beefing about a remake of a beat that isn’t even wholly original in the first place. Hell, Tom Scott’s song “Today” is a remake of the Jefferson Airplane song of the same name from their Surrealistic Pillow album (a dope album by the way, white people drug music is way better than gangsta rap/drug music). Point is, no idea’s original. Some stuff is just good. Some stuff is just bad. But it’s all just stuff.

So while Pete has a point, its really that he just doesn’t like what they did because they just tried to recreate his beat and didn’t do a good job at it. That’s a fair point. It’s lazy and unoriginal. Which is what he said. But I have to wonder if he’s listened to much of Lupe’s catalog anyway? Lupe the rapper is phenomenal, even if I think he’s a pretentious douche. But Lupe the beat miner is pretty much on Nas levels of craptasticness. His beat selections often suck at the highest caliber of sucktitude. If there’s any reason to beef, that’s the reason. He should be mad at himself for letting somebody who sucks with the beats attempt to remake  his classic song.

Touching classic records is going to happen so all old school producers and rappers need to just let that go. In every other genre there are standards (hell they’re called standards for cripes sake) that get reinterpreted frequently. Hell, there are at LEAST three different versions of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You” has numerous versions even if we associate that song with him. It’s part of music. Reinterpretation happens. But it shouldn’t be noticeably worse than the original if its going to sound similar. Either make it different or just don’t f*ck it up. And Lupe f*cked it up. His lyrics? Eh, passable. I don’t care. But the beat immediately sounded off. No passion. No something. Whatever it took to make “T.R.O.Y.” special is totally missing from Lupe’s record. And that’s why I get the issue with it. But ultimately, it’s one he just needs to let go.

They reminisce Pete. They just don’t know how to do it like you did.

That’s what makes you Pete Rock. Embrace it and move on.

Community, thoughts? Reactions? How many f*cks do you give?

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka MR. 4532 BEST PRODUCER OF ALL TIME aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

***Speaking of REMINISCE, you can now RSVP for free entry before 11pm ($10 after) for the June 2nd edition, which just so happens to be the Panama birthday jammy jam!!! If you’re in DC, make sure you come out to party with P…for free!!! And drink for free…reminiscedc.eventbrite.com. Peep the Facebook event notice here!!***

Hova Speaks, Will Hip-Hop Follow (Again)?: Will Jay-Z’s Support of Gay Marriage Help Hip-Hop Become Less Homophobic?

Posted on by
379

Although it was a forgettable song (well, forgettable sans for Pharrell’s hook) on an even more forgettable album, the video for “Excuse Me Miss” remains underrated in regards to how much of an influence it had on pop culture.

There’s a scene in it that shows Jay-Z typing on a very cumbersome and very cool looking device that was far too big to be a Motorola two-way and far two small to be a laptop. This mysterious device was the first T-Mobile Sidekick, and it’s inherent coolness combined with the coolness of Jay-Z using one made it the “it” electronic device of the year. I bought one a week after seeing the video. (And, because of T-Mobile’s draconian termination fee and contracts, I hold the dubious distinction of being the only person on Earth to own a Sidekick in 2002 and in 2009)

If you remember, at that time cell phones were getting smaller and smaller — a point parodied in this hilarious SNL skit. The Sidekick was the first phone to start the shift back to big  — leading to today’s behemoths — and Jay-Z deserves (at least) partial credit for spearheading that trend.

I’m bringing this up because, regardless of how you feel about Jay-Z the artist/former drug dealer/freemason/”business, man” you can’t deny the fact that he’s wielded a major influence on Black culture in the last 15 years. If the Sidekick story isn’t proof enough for you, think about this: Remember how cats used to spend hundreds of dollars on throwback sports jerseys; rocking them to night clubs, weddings, proms, and funerals and sh*t? Jay-Z managed to pretty much dead that trend with half of a bar .

“I don’t rock jerseys, I’m 30 plus…”

 

Now, unless you’ve been hiding in James Harden’s beard over the past week, you’ve undoubtedly heard that Jay-Z came out in support of same-sex marriage. I’m not going to spend today breaking down the apparent hypocrisy and lack of sincerity of someone who has repeatedly used the word “faggot” in his work denouncing people who oppose gay marriage. Whether this is a political move to impress (and keep) his high society friends is not my concern.

What I am concerned about, though, is whether Hov has the type of pull to change the attitude of what is arguably the only billion-dollar entity in the world where it’s not just ok to be violently homophobic, it’s encouraged: Hip-Hop. (And yes, today, in 2012, Hip-Hop/Rap is more violently and vehemently homophobic than any other major “thing” you can possibly name. Nothing else beats us it right now.)

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Hova isn’t the first prominent Hip-Hop artist to start the homophobia is bad train. Both KRS-One and Chuck D have spoken out against it, and Drake’s entire career seems to be a pro-gay PSA. Eminem’s Grammy performance with Elton John still remains the awkwardest five minutes of TV I’ve ever seen.

Also, Jay’s protege has done more to spearhead this current era of skinny-jeaned Hip-Hop androgyny we live in than any other person, and the most popular female rapper ever has cultivated a persona that’s somehow asexual, bisexual, and hyperheterosexual all at the same time.

Basically, while I won’t go as far as to say that hip-hop was already becoming more gay friendly before Jay-Z’s statement, it does seem like it’s been progressively less antagonistic towards homosexuality. Will Jay-Z’s considerable voice and presence be enough to help hip-hop evolve past accepted homophobia? I don’t know. I do know that the fact that I’m somehow still tied into my T-Mobile contract means I wouldn’t bet against it happening.

—Damon Young (aka “The Champ”)

“Why Won’t Kevin Durant Brush His Hair?”…And More Questions That Need Answered Right. Now.

Posted on by
485

Kevin Durant, making his own personal protest for not winning MVP

Earlier in the week, I joked that a degree in Black Studies is about as useless as thumbs on a roach. Now, I obviously wasn’t serious — I wouldn’t be arrogant enough to dismiss an entire field of study (I’ll let Naomi Riley do that) — but I do think that the Black Studies’ curriculum offered at most universities should expand their horizons a bit and include some things we really, really, really need to get to the bottom of, including…

Why won’t Kevin Durant brush his hair?¹

Is it a silent protest for not winning MVP? Do his naps give him power the same way Rick Ross gets his from his areolas? Did he lose a bet with a genie? Is he allergic to brush bristles? Is he actually just the grown up version of Dookie from “The Wire?” Are him and Russell Westbrook having a year-long contest to “out nerd” each other?

Seriously, I’m actually more interested in why Kevin Durant — a man who happens to be the second best basketball player on Earth — has apparently never brushed his hair than I am in any current unsolved mystery, including who really shot JFK, what the hell happened to Lark Voorhies, and what do vegans eat to make their farts smell like the tree frog from “Pan’s Labyrinth?”

Who invented the booty clap?

Look, while I have an active YouTube account, I’m no expert on bootyology. Despite this, I know that ratchet women weren’t clapping their ass cheeks together 15 years ago the way they all seem to be able to now. (Btw, the only way that link is safe for work is if you happen to work at Waffle House)

I concede the possibility that, 15 years ago, I just wasn’t in the type of circles where ass clapping was frequent, but I doubt this to be true. I get the feeling that if there was ass clapping to be found 15 years ago, I would have found it. I have a nose for ass.

Anyway, since all evidence points to the fact that it’s a recent invention, I’m curious to find out who the hell invented it. Very curious. In fact, I’d greatly appreciate it if somehow could put me in contact with her so I can, um, contact her for an interview.

How did we allow a typical hoodrat Puerto Rican from the Bronx become the most popular character on “Black” TV and the symbol for all that’s wrong with Black women?

Clutch’s Kirsten West Savali already touched on this subject much more thoroughly than I plan to, but really Black America? We have a show created by, catering to, and featuring Black women at their most ratchet, and we allowed a Puerto Rican from the Bronx — the freakin Bronx!!! — to hijack it? What’s up with that? 

(Oh, and for those who want to claim that some African ancestry makes her Black, I’m not claiming her ass. I just barely got over the fact that we need to claim Allen West. There’s no way I’m making room at the table for Evelyn too)

Did anyone ever find Toure’s cousin?

A couple years ago, Toure’ — the world’s newest negro ever invented — caught a bit of heat for suggesting that slaves occasionally seduced their masters. When the heat got too hot, he blamed his cousin for hacking into his Twitter account and making those remarks.

It’s been two years since this occurred, and not only has there still been no sign of this cousin, it seems as if we’ve just stopped searching for him. Perhaps he’s hiding in Kevin Durant’s hair.

Anyway, that’s it for me today. Can you think of any other pressing questions/mysteries that we need to get to the bottom of? Also, if anyone has any answers to any of my questions, please let me know.

¹Why do I get the feeling that the real answer to this question is on some uber-sad “He doesn’t brush his hair because he wants to honor the memory of his dead uncle, who was killed while only carrying a hairbrush”-type shit?

—Damon Young (aka “The Champ”)

***Btw, we’re still receiving submissions for Very Smart Singles, but there’s something I wanted to make clear. While it’s true that each single will get a post devoted to them when we publish the profiles, comments will be closed. I repeat, comments will be closed.  While people here generally behave themselves, I wouldn’t let a person put themselves out there to get critiqued and pick apart. People interested in the single will have to email us at contact@verysmartbrothas.com***

Shaq Got a #doctorit And All I Got Was This T-Shirt

Posted on by
242

The Big Ph.D.

So why for come ain’t nobody not tell me that Shaquille O’Neal got a Ph.D. in some Ph.D. sh*t from Barry University?

By the way, that last sentence was brought to you by publicly funded education.

So the homey Cheekie sends me an email talking about Shaq getting his Ph.D. last weekend and I immediately hit her with the virtual Chris from Family Guy, “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?”

Let me tell you something. That made me smile. Big and wide. Kind of how I like my white women. With there being so much drama in the LBC, you rarely hear stories about athletes making vast educational achievements. Turns out, the Big Aristotle also has an MBA. Sure its from the University of Phoenix-Online, but hell, do YOU have an MBA…from anywhere? (If you do just shut up and sit there silently as to not destroy my point. Thanks. — Management)

I feel like its very to easy to read article after article about low graduation rates from college for athletes. Especially basketball playing (read ninja-like) athletes. But I’m fairly certain that if it wasn’t for Twitter, I wouldn’t know about Shaq getting a Ph.D. (from Barry University in Miami) in leadership and education with a concentration on human resource development. What does that mean? I don’t know. But I’ll bet the other folks with Ph.D.s in that know.

I feel like stories such as this one should be well reported everywhere. I remember some years ago when Vince Carter decided to possibly miss a playoff game to go to his graduation from UNC. People were in an uproar. How could he not be devoted to his teammates at such a pivotal time. Vince Carter was like, “dude, this is my life. You go to college to walk across the stage and graduate, and that’s what I’m going to do.” I couldn’t be mad at him or blame him. The NBA, is his job. Getting an education is a life goal that so many of us have and that achievement gets acknowledge by walking across the stage so that friends and family can witness what was such a lofty goal for so many of our ancestors.

I also remember some years ago when Myron Rolle, from Florida State, ended up becoming a Rhodes Scholar and decided to go to Oxford for a year and pasing up the NFL draft to get a Master’s degree first. His coaches, some players, and analysts thought he had lost his damn mind, but he was very focused on his education and getting to his ultimate goal of becoming a doctor. He plays in the NFL now. And is well on his way. Hell his Wikipedia page might be the most interesting athlete page ever.

I did a google search trying to find out how many professional athletes have graduate degrees (or hell degrees period) and couldn’t find anything. But if I wanted to know which school didn’t graduate the most athletes I’m sure that’s available (my guess is Kentucky). And this isn’t a race thing. Athletes, especially, professional athletes get credited as being dumb jocks a lot but the truth is that a lot of them (not all, obviously not all) do value getting an education. And finish those degrees. It’s just some rich white man was willing to pay them millions of dollars to hold a ball. I remember telling my father that if I had a chance to play professionally, I’d finish college first and my father looked at me like I was crazy. He said if somebody’s willing to pay you for that, school isn’t going anywhere. So the incentive to roll out is substantial.

But numbers of these guys go back and finish their degrees. Which is why hearing that Shaq has a Ph.D. is such a great story to me. I don’t even know him and I’m proud of him. He knows the value of an education and kept at it. You go Shaq.

I think I wrote all that to just say, “you go Shaq!”

Yay.

So, happy Friday! Um…isn’t that great?

By the way, I do realize the inherent “low standardism” that I displayed by being excited that an athlete actually got a degree. Maybe that says a lot about me. Maybe that says a lot about how I view athletes. N.E.R.D. has a song called “Maybe”.

*takes ball and goes home*

The floor is yours.

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka MR. TAKES BALL AND GOES HOME aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

Also, I feel like I should introduce for those who haven’t been, an interesting webseries that I’m sure all of you cubicle-n*ggas can understand and relate too: The Unwritten Rules. Peep the trailer then go check out the two episodes. It’s worth the watch.