December 31, 2007 | Tags: none

In what was probably brought on by the holiday boredom of everything being shut down on Christmas, this past Wednesday I had this insatiable urge to get into the city (the city being D.C. for any of you who still may not have figured that out yet…where the hell have you been?). I wanted a fresh pair of kicks, some good cheap food, and a more potent dose of smog and pollution in my lungs and I was not about to be denied.

Now let me start off by saying that I love being in the city, but I hate getting there. I only have to drive all of like 15 minutes to get in the district but once you get in there, driving around is a headache. Parking sucks, there’s always some huge pothole that you don’t anticipate waiting to fuck up your tires, and pedestrians are always so much more belligerent in urban settings. Normally there’s a solution to this – hit the Metro, but I wanted to hit up Georgetown to be a bit indulgent and for some reason the city’s urban planners never stopped to think that one of the city’s largest centers for shopping might need a Metro stop. Right.

So to make matters worse, right when I leave my house it starts raining. This means it’s cold, traffic sucks, and I’m getting rained on. I wasn’t really happy and feeling friendly. You would think everyone else would be a bit cranky and bitter too. But such was not the case.

A lot of people who live in the countryside claim that a good thing about being there is the hospitality of the people in the area, whereas in cities people tend to have that reputation of being too busy to talk or too caught up in their own lives and business to care about what’s going on around them. In the experiences of my life, I’ve come to find that this isn’t always the case. Perhaps it’s because most of the time I spend in countryside settings is in the North, and most of my city dwelling is done in the South where that “Southern hospitality” thing supposedly runs rampant, but I’m not so sure.

In the mere span of the four or so hours that I spent in the city, more people sparked up random conversations with me than I can remember happening in the past month of my time here in Northern VA. Now, I do live in an area where you can’t read the local business’ signs because they aren’t in English, so perhaps the language barrier is a factor, but damn. I was amazed at how many complete strangers would talk to me about any and everything from house cleaning to the internet. Suddenly the rain wasn’t bothering me. OK maybe it was, but not quite as much.

Plus, some wings and fries with mumbo sauce for $3 and a trip to Ben’s Chili Bowl will make you forget about damn near any inconvenience you had to endure to get there anyway.

My point with this is that things aren’t always what they seem. Your surroundings may look rough, and the streets may be mean, but if you look hard enough you can damn near always find a beauty of some kind lying within it. And conversely, some of the friendliest looking places can be the most coldhearted. Go figure. But either way big ups to everybody who made it through that rainy day with a smile on their face, especially the guys holdin it down over at Major in G-town, the folks over at the Downtown Locker Room on 14th, and even moreso the random ass people out around Howard U that say hello to equally random ass people even despite the fact that they may not even look like they want to be approached in the first place. That’s true hospitality – the unconditional kind. And it’s surprising what it can do to brighten up a person’s day.

On that note…have a safe new years and all the festivities that come with it, and make sure you get your asses back from all those parties in one piece.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

The Top (and Bottom?) 100 of 2007

December 27, 2007 | Tags: none

Anybody who missed the more pleasant half of this post can get a re-up at http://www.hiphopdx.com/blogs/ambassador/2007/12/24/the-top-and-bottom-100-of-2007.html And you’re going to have to copy/paste that link into your browser, due to the issues that #95 on this list presents.

My hope for the second half of this 2007 recap is that you’ll be able to walk away having remembered a lesson learned in order to prevent potential fuckups in 2008. I mean let’s face it – some people really still didn’t learn their lessons in 2007, so how about we not make the same mistakes next year? Anyway, here it goes…the things that 2007 shouldn’t be remembered for but probably will be anyway. Oh, and some may be repeats of part one, but that’s because we all know there’s two sides to every story.

51. Spam. And I do mean the electronic variety, not the canned meat product. And not only did we have to deal with spam in our inboxes, we had to deal with it clogging up the comments of all of our favorite blogs and news stories. Make it stop! And don’t act like I didn’t see that incident a few months back when it was so bad that you couldn’t even log on to DX. Unnecessary.

52. The “Crank Dat” dances. I can’t even front – I laughed at some of the YouTube debauchery that ensued from these things, but the whole concept was far more obnoxious than it ever was entertaining. And the best ones got taken off YouTube for some reason (did anybody else see the “Crank Dat Mini Me” video where they’d grab their little sister or somebody and throw them across the room?).

53. Heroin. That shit kills – do yourself a favor and stay away from it.

54. The Virginia Tech shootings. This incident hit really close to home in more ways than one, and it took a huge toll on my local community.

55. Underground Kingz. Some people were going around claiming this was the album of the year and all sorts of craziness but for real…were you really feelin’ any other track besides International Player’s Anthem? I skipped over every other track without any regret at all.

56. Remy Ma and Foxy Brown. Um…what’s going on, female rappers that are actually in the (kind-of) spotlight? Get your shit together.

57. Shoes. In the last quarter of 2007, the shoes coming out (for the most part) have just been bland and boring. Come on fashion world, give my feet something to be happy about!

58. The internet. Yeah, it’s a wonderful thing and all, but it killed my productivity this year. There are far too many distractions on the internet. Shit, I bet some of you are reading this blog from work right now. I rest my case. Perhaps I’ll make that a resolution for ’08 – quit letting myself get distracted.

…who am I kidding? That’s never going to work.

59. Bill O’Reilly, Oprah Winfrey …you know all of those types. The ones that get kicks out of going on rants about how evil hip hop is, which always gets me in a debating mood since hip hop is quite near and dear to my arguably cold heart.

60. The people who buy into what all the people in #59 say to the world. Is everything they say a lie? No. But there is no doubt that the words these people speak need to be questioned and taken with a grain of salt. Actually, in all fairness, that applies to anybody’s words. But American media figures have a downright scary amount of power over people’s thoughts and actions.

61. Police. Wow, cops had a rough 2007. Between shooting kids in the head, killing people that possess hairbrushes, and ending lives with tasers, law enforcement is once again ending another year with their seemingly unshakeable bad reputation.

62. Paris Hilton. She couldn’t even suck it up and sit in jail for her sentence like the rest of us regular folk have to. Playin’ the sick card and crying like a baby? Come on. You do the crime, you do the time. Which leads to…

63. Our justice system. As corrupt as ever. You got money? Well then, you’re good to go. You broke? Well then, you’re pretty much screwed.

64. The fires out on the west coast. And what started it? A kid playing with matches or something like that? Now that’s some bullshit.

65. Kids in general. Am I just really turning into an old fart now, or are the youngins these days just all sorts of messed up? Their interests, priorities, style…I mean I’m not going to say that kids were all that when I was younger, but things these days just seem ridiculous. Um…parents, step your game up. Don’t let public schools raise your children.

66. Akon and his underage dry humping stage antics. Fourteen? Don’t get me wrong though, the blame ain’t all on him. Just sayin’ though…bad move, Akon. Find a new way to make your shows interesting. And that doesn’t include throwing people off stage.

67. Women’s jeans. On men. Why?! WHY?!?! The women’s skinny jeans on the men just look awful. Please world, can we kill this fashion habit in 2008? My eyes are hurting.

68. Celebrity DUI. Kiefer Sutherland, Mischa Barton, Eve, Lindsay Lohan, Pitbull…Way to set a good example when millions of people pay attention to you.

69. All the mainstream, big time media outlets who aired stories and footage of that celebrity bullshit. Isn’t that what E! is for? What in the world does Britney Spears’ newly shaved head have to do with my channel 7 local news?

70. President Bush. No further explanation needed.

71. The (White) Rapper Show. Actually, let me extend this one out to ridiculous VH1 shows like I Love New York as well. “Hallelujah, holla back”? Yeah, I’ll be happy if that show never returns.

72. The writers’ strike. I support what they’re doing and I see where they’re coming from, but TV sucks right now for people who don’t have that fancy-schmancy HBO type crap. Pay channels? Talk to me when I’m rich.

73. Michael Vick. Gee, thanks for giving Virginia a temporarily bad reputation. I wonder what the person who bought that house is going to do with all of those kennels?

74. Don Imus and the “nappy headed hoes” ordeal. The irony in this is that because of the attention that the situation received, the phrase “nappy headed hoes” found its way into every American’s library of vocabulary. Had people just sucked it up and not complained, it wouldn’t have turned into the go-to catchphrase or e-thug insult for a good three months straight.

75. Cam’ron on Bill O’Reilly’s show. Um…this is how to not be taken seriously by the public. Cam’ron…you’re a trip.

76. The Ray J and Kim Kardashian sex tape. What a waste of hard drive space and 90 minutes of your time.

77. The resulting mixtape that Ray J released due to his supposed sex tape fame. Once again – what a waste of hard drive space.

78. Speaking of mixtapes…Bad Ass Grasshopper. Weezy F. Babykisser? Perhaps you should lay off the drugs. This experiment just didn’t work.

79. The fact that in one two-hour car ride, I heard “Ay Bay Bay” a good six times on the radio. That’s once every 20 minutes. At least that hype has died down – too bad I still have to deal with Soulja Boy though. Even during my college hoops viewing sessions I can hear it in the background. Ugh.

80. Lupe messing up the lyrics. Oh Lupe, you just had to go and do that. Interestingly enough, people seem to have forgotten about that since his most recent album has been blasting through people’s speakers. I guess Lupe’s lyrics are too much for the e-thugs, since even they gave up on trying to insult the guy.

81. Tay Zonday. There’s no way that voice came out of that little ass guy. He’s like the William Hung of YouTube. And just like William Hung…he’s been catapulted to “fame” solely based off of his oddities. I’ll admit though, I definitely let out a giggle at John Mayer’s little remix to “Chocolate Rain” with Sherrod Small. At least a smile came out of all the nonsense.

82. Mairi Duncan and her fall down that hole in the floor that landed her an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. I stumbled upon this piece of video gold far before the Kimmel appearance, and had almost forgotten about her until I turned on my TV and caught her on Jimmy’s show. It might just be one of the best late night show appearances of 2007. I hope you didn’t miss it. And the video just never gets old…

83. Nooses. After the Jena 6 fiasco, it seemed to be the “in” thing to do to leave a noose lying around and stir up some racial controversy. Riiight. Meanwhile, while people were busy complaining about that, the KKK was busy passing out flyers to solicit funding and find new members. Interesting how many people forgot about racism in America until all of this decided to show it’s ugly face. Wake up, people! It’s still going on.

84. Iraq. Waitaminute, we’re still at war? Oh…right…the war. Yeah, time for that shit to stop. Although now that Benazir Bhutto has met her demise I’m sure things are far from over in the Mideast/South Asian region of the world. As if anyone thought they ever would be anyway. Start saving up your pennies for the boost in oil prices, folks…

85. Staph infections like MRSA. Perhaps this was just an occurrence local to the part of the country that I call home, but this was shutting down schools and having people getting all germophobic and all that great stuff. It’s a shame I didn’t get some days off of school when people were catching ringworm from the wrestling mats when I was in high school.

86. Auto-Tune. Making horrible singers everywhere sound like T-Pain.

87. TI and those damn guns. He had to have been being kinda stupid to get caught. I mean how hard is it to buy guns? Granted, I live in VA so um…it’s not hard at all, but for real? That should have been able to go off without a hitch. So #87 on the list goes out to the lack of common sense exemplified by people in 2007.

88. Sort of related to #87 is Yung Joc missing his damn court date. Didn’t anybody ever teach that guy that if you have a court date you better for damn sure be showing up for it? What a bullshit way to instantly make your life more difficult than it has to be. Anybody out there thinking of ditching their court dates – just suck it up and go.

89. Tila Tequila. Why…why did I find myself watching her show? Perhaps because nothing else is ever on TV these days but damn. A myspace “model” (read: chick who puts on a lot of makeup and takes off a proportionate amount of clothing) that gets her own TV show? Did you know it was ranked number one on cable shows amidst the 18-34 year old demographic? Wow. Um…nothing else to say about that one.

90. Crotch shots. We peered between the legs of Remy Ma, Beyonce (although that wasn’t a full blown view…), Paris Hilton (was that this year? Oh wait, that happens essentially everyday…),Britney Spears, etc., and not all results were pretty. Now it’s one thing to go commando with pants on…but with a miniskirt? Does logic really tell you that’s a good idea? Women - in 2008, how about we show some more class, mkay?

91. Karrine Steffans. Between spreading what has to be an itch by now to all of your favorite rappers (and perhaps even their baby mommas as well), and her damn books, I’m willing to bet that the word “superhead” found its way out of your mouth at some point during the year.

92. Barack Obama fucking up his own chances of the presidency by being real. Yeah, he smoked that sweet sticky green. And you better believe he inhaled it. It’s bad enough that he has a name that middle America has problems pronouncing, claims a minority status on his census bureau forms, and all that other good stuff. Sorry Obama, I don’t think ’08 will be your year.

93. The push back of damn near every release date we were told about. I mean what the hell happened to The Nacirema Dream? Detox? The Greatest Story Never Told? At this point, a lot of them have been pushed back so damn far that I’m not even anticipating them anymore. Sometimes it feels like the music industry is kicking its own ass.

94. The rising price of a college education. As if it wasn’t already hard enough to attain, it seems that every year tuition prices are increasing. One of these days somebody is going to slam the shit out of my car in one of the chicken games I end up playing with people for the lone empty parking spot in the parking lot that I need to be in, and it’s hard enough to think about car repairs for that bullshit. Now they wanna jack up the price just to attend the joint? To make me read books that I could check out of a library for free?

95. The program that DX uses to post blogs. Ever wonder why you click on a blog and it’s just one big ass paragraph? Or in the unfortunate case of one of Brillyance’s blogs, a whole bunch of nothing? That’s because posting blogs on here sometimes can be a big headache, not because we write in one insanely long paragraph. I mean we find a way to make it work, but cut us some slack if the formatting is fucked up. It’ll get fixed eventually. And side note: you gotta laugh at how that blank blog of Brillyance’s racked up 24 comments.

96. Censorship. Let me not get too deep into this, or else it’ll take you all day to read this list. But I think you get the point. It just sucks.

97. That bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. I can’t even imagine what it’d be like to be driving and then all of a sudden the road under you is, well, gone. It made me wonder about the structural stability of many bridges in our country. I mean I’m no engineer, I can’t tell if the bridge I’m about to drive over (or under) is safe, I just do it anyway because most of the time I have no choice.

98. A rise in prices at Starbucks. Come on, I need my caffeine. And I need to be able to afford it. Too bad Starbucks coffee is the strongest thing I can get my hands on aside from the pounds of Turkish coffee I have lying around my house. I just don’t feel like making that though. Going out and buying a latte is much better.

99. Technology. It gives me hand cramps. I’m sure typing up all these blogs is giving me a good case of carpal tunnel syndrome. And in that case…I guess I really should be scared of some of these e-thugs. If one of them ever shows up at my door ready to blast my head off, the carpal tunnel that they catch from typing up “insulting” comments all day may give them a twitchy finger prone to cramps. When in close vicinity to a trigger, that could actually be kind of intimidating.

100. The people who read my blogs faithfully and leave me their (sometimes?) insightful comments. You guys should try getting off the computer and getting some fresh air every now and then. No, I’m kidding. Seriously. I just hope DX isn’t killing your work productivity. Don’t get fired for reading this blog, OK? I didn’t want to end this list on the sap tip because normally the “aww” type stuff ain’t my steez, but I guess I can’t deny my genetically-programmed-to-be-emotional femalehood sometimes. Thanks for reading, thanks for the compliments, thanks for the random American Gangster remixes in my inbox, and even thanks for the hate.

In case I’m not around these parts until ’08, have a safe and wonderful rest of ’07. And of course, best of luck to all of you in 2008.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

The Top (and Bottom?) 100 of 2007

December 24, 2007 | Tags: none

2007 is coming to an end…but what a year it's been! 365 days of highs, lows, laughter, and tears. Aww, how precious. Well, in honor of another year (almost) past, I thought I'd make a top 100 list of the positives and negatives of the year, split evenly between the two. Yeah, negatives as well. Not only am I bitter like that, but how else can we grow in '08 if we don't remember our past mistakes? Due to the length of this list, I'll be breaking this up into two parts (part two will be the negatives), so keep your eyes on DX until the new year to catch it all. And this isn't really in any particular order of importance, either. Just whatever pops into my unable-to-sleep mind. Let's start it out with the things we can look back upon with a smile on our faces…

1. Rock the Bells. I didn't even get to go, but the stories I heard were good enough. Plus the lineup was sick! Hip hop is alive and well. Let's hope the babies conceived during the shows are also alive and well.

2. The internet. If it wasn't for this semi-evil advancement in technology, a lot of my hip hop knowledge would be lacking.

3. Wale. Need I say more? I mean it's not like I don't drown your ears with his shit enough already.

4. HipHopDX. Aside from the fact that DX took a chance on me and shot me this blog and I gotta love them for that, I have a lot of appreciation for this site. Hell, it used to be that the only reason I'd visit it was because out of all the hip hop sites I've ever been to this one was the most logically laid out. Word to other sites – easy navigation means a lot.

5. Elliott Wilson of XXL fame. As much as I'd like to one day be the GOAT of all hip hop bloggers, I gotta give it up to this guy right now. He just posted 24 blogs in 24 hours and they weren't nonsense, either. Giving up sleep to blog? That's dedication.

6. XXL. I hate you, but I still find myself buying you. Why? Who knows. I guess they're doing something right though.

7. American Gangster remixes. I have so many of these clogging up my hard drive right now – it's insane. But it's also beautiful to see the amount of creative effort people are putting into these.

8. Ernie Paniccioli. Some of you may remember Mr. Paniccioli from a blog I put up not too long ago, and for those who don't? Well, he probably knows more about hip hop than you do, he's a very talented man, and he does a tremendous part to keep this movement alive and educate the masses about the issues near and dear to his heart. He gets insane amounts of my respect.

9. INternets Celebrities. Oh, the laughter that resulted…

10. The writers that make the entertainment industry happen. Let's face it – TV has suffered because of this writing strike, and these writers really deserve more for their work. Actors are getting paid millions, but where would the actor be without a script to read?

11. Adult diapers. What would NASA employees do without them? Oh yeah, stay their asses at home and try not to steal people's men. Right.

12. 2dopeboyz. The two men that you all love to hate, Shake and Meka, really have a good thing going over there. And I'm not just saying that because I'm blatantly biased, either. I'll still clown on people I respect if they got it coming to them. You know, 'cause I'm a bitch like that. But these two? They deserve some props.

13. The masses that I lovingly refer to as the comment sluts. It's OK, we were all comment sluts at some point in time. But the feedback from the readers is priceless – seriously. How about in 2008 we stop the e-thuggery and moodiness though? And comment spam? Come on. How would you like it if I did that in your blog? OK then. Regardless of your shortcomings, I thank you for reading.

14. BMW. I love me some Mercedes Benz but the Chrysler merge really killed them. Those new S-class joints look like…well, they just look awful. It pains me to say it, but BMW is winning right now.

15. Meka said it before, but I'll say it again – Lessondary Radio and the VPND show. I still kick myself in the ass for how long it took me to figure out just what the fuck VPND stood for. But Von Pea and Donwill thoroughly held down this podcast and I faithfully waited for it every Thursday. Big ups to Pea's American Angster (available for download over at 2dopeboyz) and to Donwill's DX blog antics that always had me laughing.

16. Cheerleaders. Not just because I was one and all, because believe me, that'll make me hate it more than I'll ever love it, but rather for the laughs they gave me all year. Not only were coaches being fired for scoring a spot as Maxim's Hometown Hottie of the Month (word to my old high school) but they were partying with their kids off-hours while taking topless pictures, as well as doing cheers in the middle of class. Oh, and there are always these moments, too:

Don't worry, she's OK. Just had a concussion and ripped an ear off. Those videos just never get old. And yeah, it's from 2006, but I found it in 2007. I'm late, get over it.

17. FREE SHIT! Oh free shit, how I love thee. I even ate a free sample of a California roll in a grocery store despite the fact it was covered in sesame seeds (which I happen to be allergic to) just because it was free. Oh wow, giving up health and comfort for free things? I have a problem. But don't front, you do too.

18. Brother Ali and his album The Undisputed Truth. Not only did this album possess some good messages and damn good listening material, it was also the inspiration for the title of my blog. Thank you, Ali, now please don't sue me.

19. J-23 and those blogs he did for a little while that showcased some good old school sounds. Come on, early 80's babies! Get off your asses and teach these kids what's really good.

20. Barack Obama. At least he's trying. And at least it's not Al Sharpton. A president who did LoanMax ad's or whatever the fuck it was? Yeah, no thanks.

21. Re-runs of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I don't have that fancy-schmancy expensive cable with all the channels, so this is about all there is to watch at 5am when I can't sleep and I'm writing blogs like this one. You know you used to watch this show.

22. "International Players Anthem". This song made me not mind having to listen to the radio when I was stuck on a trip to hell (aka rural Pennsylvania) with my mom…well, until Soulja Boy came on.

23. DC's hip hop radio stations. I really fucking hate the radio sometimes, and yeah, they play all the bullshit too, but they threw in a really good mix of local artists too. I force myself to listen to the stations while I'm in the kitchen cooking, just to make sure I open my ears to some local stuff I may be missing in my internet research, and sometimes it surprises me. Mambo Sauce is blowing up the airwaves right now. Stop takin' us lightly. DC ain't goin nowhere. But can we get some representation, please?

24. Go go. Love it or hate it, it's representative of an area, and it's something that makes the place of my birth unique. And after all these years, it's still here. And it ain't going anywhere. Just like rap though, I have a soft spot for the older gogo.

25. Kim Kardashian. I'm not into women but even I have to give it up to this girl's ass. Or perhaps I should be giving props to…

26. The plastic surgeon who gave Kim that ass. That shit ain't real. Which leads me to…

27. All the women out there who are happy with themselves just the way they are. Anyone who talks to me on the regular knows I'm not one to be like "yay, womanhood!" because I am so not a feminist, but in this day and age you really have to give it up to a woman who is happy in her own skin despite the ridiculous images of beauty we're all bombarded with.

28. The concert at Virginia Tech after the shootings. That was just a nice gesture, for real.

29. VH1's Best Week Ever. They had more than enough material to run with this year, and they sure as shit did. Hilarious.

30. The DX bloggers. Every single one of you, from the lovable Aliya Ewing to the "racist cynical bastard" Meka Soul…from L.A. to VA and even up to Canada…even the ones we don't hear from much anymore (Andres and A-Plus, where the hell did you go?), I am proud to be amidst the ranks.

31. Everybody else at DX that makes this site happen. Everybody loves to hate, but what else would you do during your workday besides hit this place up? Give props to the people that make this place happen and give it the content that you all love to scrutinize.

32. Anybody who has helped me out at all in the past year. I've come a long way and I couldn't do it without you guys. Even if you just gave me a motivational kick in the ass or some encouraging words, or some good music to listen to, I appreciate it very much, and I'm sure you all know who you are. Oh, if you forgot, this is my blog so some of the things I appreciate about this year will be personal. Get over it, readers.

33. Cilvaringz and his album that nobody really talked about. Was it even all that great? No, but shit it's a rapper from the Mideast region who is connected to Wu-Tang. That's kind of a big deal. More on rap out of that region of the world to come on a later post – probably next year.

34. Graduation. Dammit, the album grew on me. Still not a favorite, and still a disappointment because I don't think it lived up to all the hype it got, but would you believe it? It grew on me. I still wonder about Kanye, though…

35. The names you loved to click on. TI, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West…you know, the people's names who us bloggers would shout out in a title if we supposedly wanted some hits, right? Well, sadly enough, name dropping of that variety always seemed to work. Now is that our fault, or yours?

36. Regional beef. Whatever coast you rep, whatever geographical region…I hate to say it, but the tension creates a competitiveness that furthers each region's unique sound and gives me lots of different variety to listen to. Let's keep the areas separate, please. Mid-Atlantic/South/East Coast stand up? Ahem…moving on…

37. Cunninlynguists. If you ever needed proof that decent (read: nothing that has to do with "crankin", snap music, or Lil Jon) music comes out of the South and Outkast wasn't good enough for you…

38. Ludacris. He did some work to help out the youth of our country and, well, that always deserves some credit.

39. Blogs. All blogs. Damn near every piece of digital information or material you could ever want or need can be found on some blog, somewhere, at any time. Shouts to the ones I frequent.

40. Shoes. As of late I've been disappointed with the world of shoes, but earlier this year there was some good stuff being released. And let's not forget I'm a girl so I'm not just talking about sneakers. And big, huge, monumental props go to the shoe designers who keep coming out with creative styles of flats. Fuck what a podiatrist says, the flat is the best thing to happen to a college girl who doesn't like to look bummish all the time.

41. Mixtapes. When it felt like no good albums were coming out, or the release date of the one you were waiting for just kept getting pushed back, the mixtape scene was always around to keep your interest alive.

42. The Ice Cube Scholarship. Another rapper doing good things, and a music scholarship nonetheless. Good fucking job, Ice Cube. Maybe this makes up for going from acting in Friday to doing movies like Are We There Yet? That's almost as crazy as Emma Roberts acting in Blow alongside Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz to doing that Nickelodeon show Unfabulous.

43. Pharoahe Monch. Not only did he bless our ears with Desire, but he also worked to stop gun violence amidst the youth this year by speaking at various colleges and involving himself in a program that allowed youth to trade in guns for cameras in hopes of being more productive with their lives. Perhaps this is why YouTube was so flooded with "Crank Dat" videos, but hey, even if it pains me to say it – crankin' dat Roosevelt or Mini Me on YouTube > shooting up your 16 year old enemies.

44. The Boondocks. Oh yes, one of the best cartoons ever is back! And even better? All of the episodes have been online. I don't even have to remember when the show comes on TV! Internet is the new cable.

45. Nas. For giving us so much shit to write about. Is hip hop dead? Is it alive? Is it just sick? Did it catch an itch? Yes, I'm aware the album dropped in '06, but you know damn well everybody was talking about it well into the new year. And of course, we all know that his "controversy" didn't stop well into the 2007 year either…I'll be interested into what he's up to in 2008.

46. Wu-Tang. They've really been prominent in this last quarter of 2007, making hip hop news headlines and dropping various pieces of audio – most recently and possibly most worth nothing being Ghostface's Big Doe Rehab. Longevity in this game is underrated.

47. Comedy Central's Roast of Flavor Flav. Aside from the fact that Flav is just an easy target…this was hilarious. I think I watched it twice, back to back.

48. The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. Once again, another one my broke and busy ass couldn't make it to (why can't VA get shows like NY? Oh wait…answered my own question…), but I peeped as much online footage as possible and read up on the stories people told about it. Nice. Looks like I need to start saving up money now to get to all these good summer shows, huh? I'm accepting donations…

49. Run's House. Reality TV – love it or hate it (I've been saying that a lot lately, huh?), but there's some lessons to be learned from this show. Plus, I'll always give them props for airing footage pertaining to something as personal and hard to deal with as the loss of their child and drawing an insane amount of positivity from that.

50. Last but not least, the story of my college life – being broke. Most of the time this just flat out sucks, but there is one thing about having no money that is just undeniably great: it keeps you on your grind. If I already had tons of money, why work for more, right? Well I don't, and I have been working my ass off accordingly. Funny though, I work and yet still see no money. Oh well. That's what 2008 is for, right? '08 = year of the C.R.E.A.M.

I'll be back with the 50 things in 2007 that we probably need to learn a lesson from…or just banish from our minds permanently. Stay tuned.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Wale > Britney Spears

December 20, 2007 | Tags: wale, Mark Ronson

In my incoherent rambling in yesterday’s blog, I mentioned Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy and all that good stuff. I figured I might as well take the random shit and run with it considering how much (or more accurately, how little) sleep I’ve been getting lately. So, let’s take it back to the Spears family for just a second – except this time let’s focus on Britney.

Remember a few years ago Britney came out with that song “Toxic”? Don’t front like this video didn’t catch your eye at least once. And in case you don’t remember, here’s a refresher:

That’s nice and all, but let’s take it back to someone who (at least according to the feedback I got) you guys seem to enjoy more.

…Wale? Yeah, I warned you a while ago that Wale was crazy versatile. Well, here he is performing with Mark Ronson and Daniel Merriweather, spittin a verse and doing some hype work over Ronson’s cover of “Toxic”*. It’s a surprisingly good quality video, and I’m feelin the live band action going on.

I’d ask you who’s version you thought was the dopest, but come on, is there really any question? Although maybe I’m just a little biased…

And one more matter of semi-random business: since I’m talking about Wale, and Wale is reppin the DMV, let me just say big ups to the district for finally getting the go-ahead to get its own quarter! That’s right, the D.C. quarter will be hitting your wallets (or the ubiquitous “black hole” of sorts that lies underneath all of our sofa cushions…) in the near future! I wonder what will be on the quarter though? An order of chicken wings and fries with mumbo sauce? Marion Barry holding a crackpipe? Ben’s Chili Bowl? Oh who am I kidding, it’ll probably be some cherry blossoms interspersed between small images of the various monuments. All I ask is this – any coin designers out there? If you’re gonna put the Washington Monument on the joint…design it so it looks like it did when all the construction was going on and all that scaffolding was around it. Much, much cooler looking. I think they should have never finished that construction project.

No taxation without representation!

Have a great Thursday, DX.

*On Ronson's album Version, the track is actually without Wale and instead features ODB spittin some rhymes. Mark Ronson is taking risks...but if you ask me, it's working.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Nothin Changed, I'ma Ball to the Death

December 19, 2007 | Tags: none

Well, DX, it’s been a while hasn’t it? Finals are over, school royally kicked my ass, and I think I spent about 90% of the first 24 hours of break sleeping. And now just when I think I have a vacation? The to-do list is already piling up. Oh well though. Such is life, right? In a day or two I’ll be good to go, but damn if the aftermath of all that hell didn’t make me temporarily brain dead. Y’all know the feeling? Like you just don’t have enough brain cells to remember everything you need to remember? Just a warning – that kind of mental state induces severe bouts of random shit. Anyway…

While you guys were busy forgetting about me during my absence, and apparently being excessively moody c-boys (and girls?), it seems that some notable things have happened in the hip hop world. Pimp C died, the internet was flooded with American Gangster remixes*, and Diddy gave the world a list of tips on how to have a good new years party (which should have been stamped “ONLY IF YOU’RE RICH, BITCH!” because my broke ass for damn sure can’t afford a wait staff…**)?!

So it seems that during my state of distraction hip hop did more losing than it did progressing…quite disappointing, but not surprising these days. I just wonder what it will take for the trend to start changing. I mean the good music is getting put out there, but why is it not getting attention? It seems like people care more about hearing that Britney Spears’ younger sister Jamie Lynn is pregnant. Hm, so the pregnancy of a sixteen year old Nickelodeon star is getting more national attention than Ghostface Killah’s latest release? Gee, and everybody loves to blame hip hop for everything. As if splattering some little kids’ favorite actress’ teen pregnancy with her technically statutory rape-worthy boyfriend all across the national news is helping matters at all either. There’s a lot of positivity that could be drawn from that, yet nobody is doing so.

Matter of fact, why don’t I stop yapping for once and take control of things? I’ll do the positivity honors.

Miss Spears could be risking her career as an actress (face it, those kid-oriented stations don’t play that scandal shit) just because she and her boyfriend chose to be irresponsible in their endeavors. What does that mean, kiddies? Well, aside from keeping it in your pants, think with your BRAIN if you insist on getting busy. A short amount of time spent endulging in pleasure can quickly turn into one hell of a headache and life changer if you aren’t careful. And no, you aren’t invincible just because your age ends with “-teen”. It can happen to you too. Don’t put all the government mandated time you had to spend in public school to waste by never utilizing your education towards a career pursuit because you’re too busy changing diapers and are too young to handle a career and a child at once.

Now that I got my lovely rant out of the way, one more matter of business – shouts to everybody out there who provided me with many an internet distraction when I needed to avert my eyes from Microsoft Word and the many essays I was working on and indulge in e-debauchery. And props to everybody else in the same situation as me who just finished their finals and shit too. IT’S OVER! Until January…but IT’S OVER! Celebration time.

*Props to 2dopeboyz for keeping steady coverage of those…Von Pea of Tanya Morgan fame’s American Angster and the American Godfather joint belonging to DJ Skee were standouts to me. I see you, Shake!

**At least he promoted responsible drinking…after shamelessly plugging Ciroc vodka, but whatever.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Friday Flashback

December 07, 2007 | Tags: reggae

What’s good, DX? Time for me to make apologies for the absence again. It seems like just yesterday I was dealing with midterms…now wouldn’t you know it? Today is the last day of classes before finals start. And yo, shit is rough. Fall 2007 = worst semester ever. Anybody ever feel like everything piles up all at once and wants to get hectic? Very frustrating. Anyway, this requires some prioritizing, and I have had to resort to putting the blogs to the side for a bit. Winter break, hurry up and get here! Until I can get back around the way though, I thought I’d take it back for a little bit. It’s Friday…we just need something to kick back and listen to, right? Well, it’s cold as shit outside and covered in snow, and for some reason all I want is to be down in Puerto Rico or Jamaica or some shit. So…enjoy some reggae while you fantasize about a nice vacation.

Mr. Vegas – Heads High

Nadine Sutherland ft. Terror Fabulous – Action

Bounty Killa & Barrington Levy – Living Dangerously

Capleton – Jah Jah City

Beres Hammond – Rockaway

*I hate the internet right now for not letting me find a good quality video of Buju Banton performing "Love Sponge". That is THE SONG, dammit. Just thought I'd mention that. Time for me to go back to work.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

World AIDS Day

December 01, 2007 | Tags: HIV, AIDS

For those that didn’t know, the first day of December every year is World AIDS Day. While I’m happy to see a day where this gets attention and in the process promotes awareness of the virus, it saddens me that AIDS is such a problem that it needs a worldwide day. HIV/AIDS has turned into an insanely huge problem that is plaguing every corner of the globe, and even with all of our advanced technologies, a cure still has yet to be found*.

I was stunned the other day at some statistics I heard. I knew D.C. had a very high HIV/AIDS rate, but the district now claims the highest rate in the United States, with 1 in 20 Washingtonians living with the virus. You know what that means? Let’s say you hit up a club in D.C. and 200 people are there. Statistically speaking, that means that there should be 10 HIV-positive people in that club. And you’ll have no idea who they are. Hell, they may have no idea who they are.

Worldwide there are upwards of 40 million people living with the virus.

It’s important to get tested if you know that you’re partaking in activities that put you at risk for this virus (or other STD’s as well). Unprotected sex, drug use that requires needles, etc. Even if you are damn near positive that you couldn’t have it…it’s always worth getting tested. Just do yourself that favor.

Don’t know where you can get tested?

Visit http://www.hivtest.org/, enter your zip code, and you will find a list of places you can go – as well as if they’re free or not, what method of testing they use (oral swabs or blood tests), and whether or not the testing site is confidential or anonymous. The resources are there – use them. People’s lives depend on it.

Other useful, easy to understand information can be found at..

http://www.aids.gov/ (Access to United States government info on the virus)

http://www.kff.org/hivaids/3029.cfm (Access to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s HIV/AIDS fact sheets for each year with very interesting statistics and charts).

http://www.avert.org/positive.htm (A site with useful information, but especially useful info on how to deal with a positive test result and what it means for other aspects of your life).

Yeah, some of the info out there comes off sort of informational pamphlet-like, but it still needs to be known and understood. It's for your own good.

Oh, and the word of the day? Condom. For real. Even if you’re dead broke – if you look hard enough you can find places that give them out for free. Having casual sex does not mean you should be casual in taking precautions.

Shit is real, and it can happen to you. So stay safe.

*I'm leaving conspiracy theories out of this post this time.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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Blogs

The Undisputed Truth

Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City

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The Top (and Bottom?) 100 of 2007

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The Top (and Bottom?) 100 of 2007

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Wale > Britney Spears

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Nothin Changed, I'ma Ball to the Death

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Friday Flashback

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World AIDS Day

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