Getting ANIMATED pt. 1

What's up y'all. Don't worry I'm keeping this brief. Just wanted to introduce my new banner with a little animation. For those that don't know, 2 years ago, I was trying to teach myself animation. But because of the threat of outsourcing at my job, all of the graphic artists were given a program & a DVD that taught us animation using Flash. I've only been learning it & trying to master it full-time at my job for almost 2 months.

It's not much, but I'm very proud of this & I got more to come once I master this bitch. LMAO. All I need is Dreamweaver & Fireworks & I'm on fire. But anyway, let me know what you think. And if anyone know of any tricks, feel free.

How I Avoid Myspace Drama?

How I Avoid Myspace Drama?

What up ppl. I missed my gym this morning cause I was inspired to write something. And I happened to come across a blog addressing how he's sick of Myspace Drama. This seems to be the popular vote nowadays. But where is the drama coming from? When did myspace become a Fight Club? Personally, I don't know, b/c in the 3 years I've been on. I've only had very few encounters, & basically they were mostly race related, but we weren't on each other's list to begin with. So it was small, & something I really wouldn't consider beef. Cuz we spoke each other's peace & kept it moving. I didn't call him out in a blog. (actually I did once. LMAO.) But bottom line, it was over the next day. I wasn't logging on looking for it, or entertaining it.

I guess that's why I'm glad I'm the last to know the Beef of the Week or what drama's transpired. Becuz, honestly, I don't take it too serious. I put my heart into my art & my writing. So what you know about me thru my writing, you all know. And I read others just to learn about them as individuals, not to see who's done what. Becuz anyone that knows me in real life, knows I hate talking about ppl, I don't know, unless they do something personal to me to piss me off. But awhile back, I did kinda almost slipped into it, but I had to check myself & keep my distance & keep my blogging experience about me. And those that read will get a taste of who I am, not who did what. What I'm about. Not what's poppin' between so & so.

But just like in real life, I've always managed to stay drama free for the most part. Mainly becuz I know who my true friends are. and with me, I don't use the term friend loosely. And the minute one turns against me or does something to make me question them.... it's done. I might stay cool with them, but you won't reap the benefits of the type of friend I can be. The one that'll go through the storm with you. The one that's gonna have your back when no one else does. The one that if you wrong, I'll let you know as a friend, but I'll never snitch you out. I'm that friend.

And I expect the same in return from a friend. It's called mutual respect & treating ppl the way you want to be treated. that's what I'm about. And the minute someone comes across to me as not sincere or shady, I might not drop them right away, but I will keep my distance & keep it cool & simple. Only if they get personal, will I drop them. I got too many others I'm feeling to worry about a handful not reciprocating my support.

But I'm glad to say that I haven't had too many problems with ppl on da space & that might shock a lot of ppl who've had rifts here & there & might think I'm blowing smoke or whatever. But here are some of the methods of how I stay myspace drama free.

1. Blog what I know & what I feel, but always be opened to other ppl's opinions.

I've always valued the opinions of others, especially if they're valid & from those willing to talk intelligently with you about it & not get all personal & extreme. Becuz, believe it or not, the world is not centered around one person. PERIOD. I've discussed race relations with whites without it resulting to name calling or blocking each other, & still cool til this day. And that's just one example. Debates are always cool, but keep emotions out of it & try to be opened to other's opinions. Hell. You might learn something.

2. Block assholes & move on. PERIOD!!!!

It's always gonna be assholes on the space, but that's life. But guess what? You choose to either accept or decline them. If they can't act right, decline, block, whatever & move on. So what if they say something on the same blog about you. Don't even look for it or entertain that shit, cuz eventually other folks are gonna see it too, if you're valid. Becuz if you talk negative about someone to one individual, you're opening yourself up to be judged or ridiculed. I'm very paranoid, so when I hear 2 ppl act cool with me & someone, & they talk negative about someone to me that I've assume are cool with one another. Guess what? I'm gonna assume you talk behind my back too. But I don't dwell on it. I just keep it cool, cuz as long as they don't disrespect me blatantly, then we cool. Cuz talking behind my back, only makes them fake & a coward.

3. Stay out of other ppl's drama & beefs.

This is hard to do, b/c it's some ppl on here I truly adore & respect. But sometimes, you have to stay neutral, & I don't mean America's definition what we learned in history class. But like
Switzerland. I'm guilty of such & I hate that, b/c I hate the idea of turning on A, b/c of what he/she did to B, when I've never had personal issues with A. Even though I might hear others turn against A, it's not in my heart to just turn on someone, if we never had issues. Cuz if I did that, I'd only be falling into a clique & basing it on ppl I know about as much as I know A, & that's hardly, which isn't fair. Now I might watch my back & be cautious of A, based on, but I wouldn't just join a "Fuck "A" Coalition." Becuz how would you feel if someone hated on you & turned others against you, too? And what if it's ppl you actually liked?

4. Avoid cliques & be open to everyone (even if they're not within the circle.)

One thing I hate is being judged by the ppl I'm (supposed to be) cool with. I feel like I'm a kid again, where I get into a fight with my cousin, & b/c he's the bossy one everyone listened to, except me, he'd turn everyone against me, saying, "don't play with Phellah." And they'd talk shit to me, when I've done nothing to them, but they're entertaining this nigga who (9 X's out of 10) started it to begin with. That's how it is on here sometimes. I actually lost friends b/c of my affiliation with La Familia, cuz of beef I knew nothing about. Originally, it pissed me off, but now I look at it as them being petty & childish, cuz they judged me without even knowing me or
trying to get to know me. But lump me in with the BS that I knew nothing about. That's past & it's done, & I feel stupid now letting it get to me. Cause to me, that was their loss. Not mine. Cuz if they were that petty to drop me based on an acquaintance, then get the fuck on then. Cuz how would they feel if I dropped them based on the same thing? It sums up to they were never a friend to begin with & not worth the trouble, so in the words of Keyshia Cole, Let it Go.

5. Keep some things to yourself.

This includes secrets you wouldn't want others to know. I don't care how a good of a "friend" someone appears on screen. That's just it. Appears!!! My best friend of 16 years didn't start off as us telling each other our personal business after a year or 2. Like any relationship it has to grow into a real friendship. I even have friends over a decade that I consider real friends, but don't tell them everything. Not becuz I don't like them, but I know they're known to talk a little too much. Especially when alcohol's involved. But that's who they are, & I accept that. But be damn, if they'll have my business on front street.

This also includes talks about others within the circle. In college, I turned on one of my friends after some shady shit he did to me, personally. But I kept it to myself, cuz I didn't want to cause
tension within, plus I didn't want to sacrifice the real friendships I did have. But I kept my convos with him to a minimal & just talked about petty stuff, just to keep up appearance. In the end, his shady spirit was exposed & they turned against him, too. And by the time that happened, that's when I confessed to my best friend that I'd never really liked him, & exposed the shit he did to me. Which made our circle closer, b/c we didn't have that baggage anymore that we had to pretend wasn't there. And the fact that we both kept quiet in hopes of not losing each other as friends, strengthened our friendship. And that's hard to find sometimes.

Bottom line, if X, Y, & Z are supposed friends, and if Y falls out with X, keep it to yourself. If X is wrong, Z will see it sooner or later. Y could be sacrificing he & Z's relationship, talking about
X. And who's to say Z won't go back & tell X. Let Z find out on his own, especially when you haven't known neither for a good period of time. But if you know X is a snake, then don't feed it information that could poison you with venom.

BTW.... This is no subliminal diss or bullshit... I just re-read what I typed & "X" is not who you think it is. So no breathing more into stuff that it isn't. That's another way to avoid beef & drama.....

6. Don't take everything so serious & personal.

If a person feels they're being talked about, so what? Fuck em. Personally, that's how I feel. I'm 35, I'm too old for back & forth B.S. LOL. But if you must know if you're being disrespected or
misrepresented, at least go to the person..... but in respect & not in anger. See, that's where we mess up & make a problem worse. Who knows, it might be a misunderstanding or it might be about you based on a misunderstanding. Either way, you can ressolve the issue at hand
& can once again enjoy your myspace experience.

Sometimes addressing someone, it's best to come with knowledge & wisdom, & not emotion. Cuz H-Town said it best, "Emotions'll make you cry sometimes."

And That's one to grow on. lol

Does anyone have any other drama-free methods to add based on their own experience?

What up peoples.

Right now, I'm feeling pretty good. Anyone that's been in touch with me for the past 4 or 5 years know that I was unhappy & miserable with my job. But luckily, 2007 has been a blessed year for me. For those that peeped my Apparatus rhyme, & wondered what happened to Part 1. Well it was still being processed in my head cause I still can't believe it. The Apparatus in this case was not a microphone, BUT a magazine concept I created for my job.

Recently, my responsibilities at my job took a turn for the better, because after years of being stuck doing the same tired redundant ads & doing more production work than creative work, I was getting more frustrated. And what was sicker, the artists that were the least creative, was doing more creative & career-growing things, while I felt like the token Black guy to run to when they wanted to know "how to do this in Photoshop", "how to do that in Illustrator", "what's a good font for that?" I was there to teach them, while letting my creative juices evaporate in the steam my boiling temper was creating.

After new management, especially from someone who has seen my contributions first hand in the past 6 years, I'm finally getting a chance to be heard. Right now, I'm assistant managing the magazines our paper are currently running. Great from a creative side, but annoying from a moral perspective, especially as a Black person. Especially on one of the spreads I built about a city in GA called Fort Valley. I chose to do it with pure excitement, cause that was where I went to college. This was a 112 y/o Historical Black University. Now as I read the article to get an idea what to put.... all they talked about was a Packaging Company that specialized in can peaches. WHAT? Now I'm pissed, but then I maintained & remember the establishment I work for. The same establishment that during Hurricane Katrina, after such travesty, they focused a lot of attention on picturing Black victims as looters, while whites were there struggling to survive. I was disgusted then, I didn't even trust the Red Cross there, instead I gave to the churches that were helping victims, cause I assumed Middle GA RED CROSS WOULD BE AS BIAS AS THE REST OF MIDDLE GA.

This leads me to "The Apparatus", my manager wanted us to think of some good ideas for her to present to the board for new concepts & ideas to generate more business to the newspaper. Currently, our marketing dept. is predominately middle-aged white women with no marketing experience. So everything they cater to is for them.... middle-aged white women.. which eliminates the buying power of men, minorities, & the youth. 2 other guys & I came up with a magazine catered to men (although I ended up doing most of the work, with little help from one, & none from the other.) But if that comes into play, they getting off their asses. But the Apparatus was 100% my idea, where I wanted to create an urban magazine that is going to cater to the urban-communities, which is predominately Blacks in this area.

On my premises, I just got real with them & didn't give a damn who I offended. But the place I worked has never been urban friendly, but more conservative. Honestly, I don't expect it to be what I want it to be. But I want to at least let the first one something I'm so proud of, I can put into my portfolio I said, "I created this, cause I wanted to give a voice to people like me." Which was why I called it the Apparatus, which in hip hop has always been a microphone. But here, it's the magazine.

Back to why I think it won't be the way I want it to be.. B/c the same middle-aged white women that knows absolutely nothing about urban or Black culture would probably to managing it. And probably instead of addressing black issues, they'd want to make it like the other lame magazines we have, but have Black people on it. Instead of race issues, Black History facts or police brutality issues, they'd want to put chitlins & collard green recipes on something. or maybe get risque & wanna showcase who has more bling, bling. lol. Either way, before it takes off, I want to get members of the MGBJA (Mid. GA Black Journalist Association) in our Editorial Dept. involved.

In addition, I've been wanting to join the 100 Black Men organization in my area. I finally got a contact number, but I've been too preoccupied to finally call him up. But if I can get in with them, I can advertise their contributions & help in their contributions. A win/win situation for me. And if I could, showcase some great blogs (of course, I'd have to do some editing, to show we don't cuss all the time.. lol. But I know how it is, in the heat of a debate.) BUt I don't just want to showcase Blacks, cause there are other ethnic groups (including whites) that go through things in the urban community as well, so I'd definitely welcome such diversity. Bottom line, I want to give a voice to those that don't get to be heard. cause as long as the ppl involved in the problems in our system are mute, the more it'll persist.

But I'm not putting all of my eggs in this basket, cause like I said. This is a corporate business I'm in. And to be honest, I'm using this opportunity to not only get our voices heard, but to prep myself in starting my own magazine, which I won't have to edit. I can be me all day everyday. I almost kept this idea from my job, but I thought about Ted Demme (R.I.P.) that started Yo! MTV Raps. Before that program, MJ, (like I said in previous blog) was the ONLY Black artist MTV played & they showed other black musicians, especially rap artists no love. But Ted Demme changed all that, all because of his love for hip hop. MTV might've played a part in exploiting Black artists later, but it didn't start off that way & wasn't meant to be that way. If anything, I think BET is doing more damage than MTV at the moment. But if not for MTV Raps, we probably wouldn't have "The Source magazines," "Rap City" & all these other programs, past & present, that cater to hip hop whether good or bad. I can't forsee the future, but I can do what I can while I'm here to try to make things better.

What is Real Hip Hop?

What's real hip hop?

Somebody tell me, cause nowadays, it's hard to tell.


Salt-n-Pepa were once accused of not being real hip hop. But in an article back in 94, who's to say if they were real or not. They were women being women on the mic & not playing the gangsta bitch or tomboy role that a lot of women fell into. And to have sistas doing the same thing later (e.g. Eve & Missy) but be considered hip hop, when S-N-P were labeled R&B. And not just women. Big Daddy Kane caught a lot of backlash when he started making his songs more R&B. But Jay Z does it & considered Hip hop royalty. So again, what's real hip hop?


I used to be accused of having a backpacker mentality b/c I chose conscious & or lyrical emcees over most gangsta rappers (except Cube & Ice T). However, I still kept a collection of LL, Heavy D, Kid 'n Play. I even had Hammer's 2nd cassette, & I don't apologize for it. Cause then, it was all hip hop to me. But because I preferred songs that entertained my mind & chose not to follow the norm (in the South at the time) I was considered hip hop & I felt like an outkast before Andre & Big Boi changed the game. Even though the South had it's own brand of hip hop, it was considered bass music, or booty or sometimes just "rap.", but not considered real hip hop, b/c it was more bass driven & less lyrical. But so was Afrikka Bambaattaa & many of the early artists.

So again, what's real hip hop?


After Master P came on & pushed his music into the mainstream, everybody & their mama were calling themselves hip hop. I used to be bitter about trying to get noticed in the game, but then turn around a lot whack bamas that couldn't spit nice, if Nas wrote it for them. But these cats selling records? I was "hip hop" & country before it was trendy or cool. Yeah, I was hating, but was it justified at the time? Especially with what I considered hip hop was becoming more of a get rich quick scheme for ninjas w/ crime records & a keyboard, while true artists had to either go underground or another route.

Now I ask what is real hip hop?

But on the flip side, a lot of Southern emcees have been attacked by those who consider themselves "real" hip hop fans... but question. If Dem Franchise Boyz is less hip hop, b/c either they're not lyrical, or b/c they're more catered more to the club than the coffee shops or Black summits. But if that's the case, wouldn't that make Afrikka Bambaattaa not hip hop?


I'm not a fan of Dem Franchise Boyz, D4L, LIL Jon & plenty other Southern rappers oversaturating the game with monotomy. But is it fair to blame the South for the negative in Hip hop when instead of others trying to bring something different, their following suit (e.g. Fat Joe & MIMS (both from NY) & E-40 (West Coast)). In fact the only new cat in the industry I've felt last year was Lupe Fiasco, while the rest have been underground artists that if I name, you'll probably be saying ... "who? huhh?" And as far as Southern emcees, I love Luda, Outkast, T.I., & Little Brother. The bottom line is, I don't hate any emcee for they do, (if they're being themselves....). Cause the truth is, there's enough pie for everyone, but who wants to keep eating the same flavor? I'm not anti-mainstream, I'm pro-diversity. Cause truth is, I'd rather hear some Lil' Jon & some "Throw Some D's" at a club instead of "Runaway Love" or "Hip Hop Is Dead.".

But Is one less hip hop than the other? And Who's to say?

I remember what real hip hop used to be for me. It used to be dope rhymes & dope beats. Even if you weren't the best lyricist, the music did something to you. It made you want to embrace the culture. And NO!! You didn't have to learn it in a book or a reality show, b/c you were so hypnotized, you let your ears do your research, not your eyes. Now I went through that gimmick phase of Cross Colours, parachute pants, fake thick rope, high top fade, The X-hat. Even to set myself apart from others as a wannabe emcee, I used to put a thin paint brush in my ear matching whatever gear I had. lol. But regardless, the music came first!! Not the image.


WHO'S MORE HIP HOP


The thing that's effed up about hip hop is that, it's become so popular that anything affiliated with Black (e.g. R&B, Soul or Reggae) is being considered hip hop. Black culture & hip hop are not the same. My mom is NOT hip hop. My sister, who's the same age as me, is NOT hip hop. Hip hop is inspired by Black culture, but not vice versa. It's not one of the same, just like all Blacks are not ghetto. But should non-ghetto breds be forbidden from rhyming although they're nice? Are they exempt from being considered real hip hop? What about Eminem because he's white, when this cat can probably name drop more hip hop influences than 95% of the new black rappers today who just jumping on a bandwagon with no legitament love for the culture? It pisses me off when rappers say they're not rappers, but a hustler. If this was 15 years ago, their career woulda been done as soon as they made that comment.

But does that make them less hip hop?

Now here's another thing that ponders me...... when did R&B artists started become classified as "hip hop?" I love my girl, Mary J. Blige. She's my absolute favorite female artist of my lifetime. She is the queen of Hip Hop Soul. But to me, She's Soul first, with hip hop influences. She uses a lot of hip hop influences yes. But Tribe, GangStarr & Dig. Planets were influenced by jazz. But you wouldn't see them getting acknowledge as Jazz artists. Not even The Roots, & they play their own instruments. Black Sheep was influenced by Rock. Dr. Dre & EPMD by Funk, Outkast & Snoop by 70's Funk & Soul. Geto Boys the Blues. But you'll never see them acknowledged as their influences. Hip Hop was built off other music, & now it's returning the favor by influencing other genres. But being hip hop influence, doesn't make it Hip Hop period.

So why when it comes to women in hip hop, a Mary J. or Beyonce would be acknowledged before a Roxanne Shante? And not just women, but why on Hip Hop countdown shows, I see as many R&B artists as rappers. I thought this was about hip hop? does anyone know that CL Smooth is back with a new album? No. But everybody know Justin Timberlake got a new video that sounds exactly like "Cry Me A River", but not as good. But it's hip hop according to media, because Timberland produced it. ok.


To me, that's not hip hop... much less real hip hop. But that's my opinion.


So is real Hip Hop dead? It's dead to the public. It's dead on the radio. But it's NOT dead, especially when there are underground cats & independent labels circulating. It's not dead as long as the few that's keeping it real still breath.

(A guide to Hip Hop's Underground Railroad coming soon....)

But my question for the day, what is real hip hop to you?