State of Hip-Hop/Rap Music Address

This morning at about 8:54 marks the 16th time this past week I've heard Future and Rihanna's "Love" song on the radio while I went up the street to get my hair cut. Now I didn't drive to my barbershop which is only two blocks away, I walked. But as I walked, I heard the song on the radio. A headache then came about me. Yeah I'm sick of hearing Future spelling out L-O-V-E like I didn't go to kindergarten and watch ENDLESS hours of Barney, Winnie the Pooh and Sesame Street when I was younger. We get it man, we know exactly what you want. Why do I have to keep being tortured? I really don't even like the song, but it's been drilled into me so much I know every lyric and when the snare kicks in at an exact second.And the song has been out for a few months. I'm surprised it's still getting airplay. I'm sure there is some other Rick Ross, French Montana, Future or Rihanna song that's about to come out and needs to be played over and over until my brain oozes out like creamy peanut butter.

I don't hate the radio. I actually love the radio, when select songs are played of course. Those days when they play old cuts like 01' Luda, some old school Kellz (R. Kelly for you who aren't hip to the game) or occasionally some Hov from the Blueprint. I remember one night WGCI played nothing but Kanye West, from College Dropout on, focusing more on his past works. That was a great refresher. Having the opportunity to listen to music from my childhood makes me that much closer to myself in my earlier ages. People older probably feel the same way reminiscing Pac and Big, Prince, The O'Jay's, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye etc. Satellite radio is personally my favorite because it isn't as censored. I can actually hear the music as it was made, explicit and all. I'm not a fiend for hearing curse words and nasty lyrics but it gives the music more meaning and more powerful, as long as it isn't done unnecessarily. But imagine hearing a 2Pac song censored, you might as well listen to a Barney sing-a-long. Also the artists are much more diverse. On the Hip-Hop/Rap radio, you can hear more than the people you see on MTV and BET. But more independent artists, Dom Kennedy, Curren$y, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Big K.R.I.T. are some of my favorites. And it's not just their popular stuff, but more of their songs that go unnoticed but is just as good. Little people know that Jay-Z's Allure is every bit as good as Encore or that In Cold Blood (Rick Ross off Deeper than Rap) is better than BMF. I went on a driving lesson with my brother and on our way to the range, Reasonable Doubt was being played. Screw learning how to drive, give me a glass of Hen and a Cubano and let me chill. It was bliss.

Now let me actually dig into the topic. A constant discussion about music nowadays is either how mainstream everything is, how artists have changed since getting noticed and how music is affecting people and influencing in the wrong way, especially the hood. Let's attack each.

In my opinion, I don't view music as mainstream and other as most do. Yes, there is music that is known more than other and is seen as "dominant". But, music is music. It's all in the hands of the people. The people determine the success of an artist and their work. If the people don't like what the artist puts out, then that artist can't eat. If the people like the music, and in this case, a lot of people, then you see how a lot is in place how it is now. Constant radio play and rotation, television takeover, and all of the other amenities. But you can't blame the artist for being mainstream. If their music is what the people like, and the people that like the music also happen to outnumber those who don't, unfortunately, that music is what you are going to get. And let's go ahead and kill this new trend of not liking "mainstream" music and thinking you're being different. Naw, you're just being goofy. Because like I said, music is music. Either you're going to like it or not. Just so happens when the power is shifted one way, it's a big factor in what you hear when you tune into the airwaves.

In terms of an artist going mainstream, is quite similar to the above. While a lot of artists say that they stay true to themselves, they are quite swayed by their fans. Let's use Wiz Khalifa and Kaye West as examples.

Back in the day, like 07, could you believe that Wiz Khalifa didn't have a tattoo or smoke weed? It's true. He had an independent album named Show and Prove (which flunked) where he discussed it and on the album cover you saw his skin was inkless (he did in fact sport a 4XL black tee though). However, it wasn't until Wiz made singles such as "Ink My Whole Body" (how ironic), Say Yeah, and Make it Hot, he started a transformation. Buddy started smoking more weed than dealers could sell and you couldn't find a blank space of skin on him. Almost like he's zebra. While that sounds like disaster, it turned Wiz into a star a started a trend. Think about all the skinny light-skinned guys who got tattoo sleeves, with snapbacks, fitted jeans and Rayban glasses. Then when Wiz got the colored stripe in his afro, ah man, it was an epidemic. All I saw were guys with blonde/red strips in their hair with skinny jeans, and Chuck Taylors.

Now let's jump into Yeezy's story. The man was a longtime beat maker before he even had the courage to jump in front of a mic. He produced numerous hits for Jay-Z, Common, Cam'Ron, The Game and others not to mention himself. It wasn't until 2004 he released his first album College Dropout and a year later Late Registration, both classics. In those albums, he touched on more inner and social topics, such as destruction in Africa (Diamonds from Sierra Leone), gold-digging (Kanye's New Workout Plan and Golddigger), triumph (Through the Wire) and struggle (All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, and Heard Em Say). Back then, Ye was known as the Louis Vuitton Don who was known to sport a little Ralph Lauren too. Graduation was an album of Kanye coming into his own, recognizing his success and all the hard work it took to get there with a little celebration and release. However, when his mother died and a nasty breakup with his fiancee, Kanye began transforming into the person he is now. Mason Martin Margiela, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Audemars Piguet and a bunch of other high end designer clothing I can't spell. As his money increased, the content of his music changed. It became more fitting of the braggadocio style, with the exception of 808's and Heartbreak and select songs (or all, it's about how you view em') on MBDTF (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy). Today, you can spot Yeezy driving the finest foreign automobiles, eating anywhere with a $25 appetizer and saving hoes, one day at a time (Yeah you Kim). And he's sure to let you know about all this too.

Many see the two as disappointing and both wasting their potential. I don't. Understand, Yeezy, Wiz Khalifa, or any other artists you may deem as changing or more common going "mainstream" are simply exercising their right to do what they want to. That's legal right? These are grown-ups we are talking about. They will do as they see pleasing. In terms of music, I think diversity is important as anything else in the industry. If you can't switch things up every once in a while, you can't survive, simple natural selection theory put in place. And is natural selection ever so present in music. Too many artists disappear during times where it seems they are hitting an upstart. Why? I don't really know. If you develop a strong fanbase, that fanbase should carry you to where you want to go. But sometimes you also have to adjust yourself to altering situations and the music game changes every so often and the demands of the people also change and need to be met. Those who can't adjust, don't survive. Going back to Kanye, the man is worth $50 million now he can't go back to his old self. Yeah he can still dig deep into his memories of being a broke boy working at GAP and not being able to afford KFC buckets, being that's kinda exhausted already. He's in a new chapter in his life and to me personally, his music now isn't bad and still quite in sync with how he was back then. He still touches on a few issues like he did in College Dropout and Late Registration, just not as often. With Wiz turning into Cruella De Vil and marrying Mr. Clean's ex-squeeze (Amber Rose), I have no thoughts.

On to controversy. This particular topic is mainly about the rap game today and how it is affecting the youth. Instantly, when this comes up Flocka, Chief Keef and associates, Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, and 2Pac are brought up. Their songs feature a lot of the lifestyle within hoods across America. The drilling, drug dealing, testosterone pounding, drug munching, poverty, struggle and all the etc with a little killing thrown in on occasion. With homicides, violence and crimes escalating year after year, especially in Chicago which is home to Keef, Lil Reese, Lil Durk, and King Louie, much blame is put on the people whose music content is composed of such. I don't think it's fair nor truth. Although I don't condone anything that artists such as them say in their music, it isn't their fault that things are the way it is now. Chief Keef is barely 17, Chicago had the same issues now as it did when he was still shitting himself. Is his music polluting the minds of youth in the city with corruption and false realities, possibly, but the extent of what his music does is on that specific person. They certainly aren't commanding black males to shoot people, smoke excess amounts weed, consume MDMA and not respect women. I listen to lots of rap music with controversial content and I'm a pretty decent young man if I say so myself. There are others just like me who listen to music like I just mentioned and it's left at just that, music we listen to and enjoy. It is up to each individual person as to what effect the music will have on them. There are definitely lots of weak-minded individuals out here that will take music like that seriously and go out and do drastic things, but that's only a minority and little can be done to stop it. (My neighbor and friend Josh Davis was killed a while ago for wearing a RIP Lil JoJo hoodie, who was a close friend of his, and was supposedly killed by someone in Chief Keef's corner).

All in all, music is just something that is supposed to make us feel a certain way and entertain us. It isn't supposed to be taken so seriously. My fellow Americans, yes the rap game is fucked up. But believe me when I say that there is hope in everything (Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T. just to name a few). The process of reconstruction starts soon. It won't be long until good days come back. End. Check out the music in the end.

He Rose from Concrete

Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

Tupac Shakur

One of Tupac's greatest masterpieces that wasn't accompanied with a beat and released on the radio airwaves. The poem is called "The Rose that Grew from Concrete", part of a collection of poems and other random writings from Tupac released in 2000. To interpret the poem, Pac' is using a rose, which usually grows in dirt or ideal soil, as a man or young boy developing into one. The concrete symbolizes the hood or ghetto, where the sidewalks and streets are cracked and laden with gang graffiti. Common sense tells you that there is no way a rose can grow in concrete, no nutrients, no way for water or sunshine to reach its roots. Pac is really saying that is it extremely hard to survive and make it out of the ghetto, considering all the death and destruction that takes place in it. "Nature's Law" is the expectations that were placed on the rose (man) to grow (survive) which were none. Therefore, the rose (man) defied all the odds of it becoming something and proved itself to everyone. Pac is telling us to never give up and keep focus of our dreams because no odds are strong enough to keep us from them. Just about what we are willing to do.

Speaking of Roses, how about that Derrick Rose fella? Well he's still hurt and down in the dumps about him still not being on the court. It seems like everyday there is a report about the status of Derrick Rose, how he's feeling, playing, thinking, what he's eating, etc. The report that millions of people are waiting for, whether he is going to actually step on the court and end speculation of his long awaited return. I mean, Adidas did do a mini series on Derrick Rose's recovery from his ACL injury. After watching DRose workout and speak on how much he wants to step on the court, the anticipation became more real everyday.

Unfortunately, the more anticipation that builds as his return looms in our minds, disappointment rises along with it as we still see no #1 on the hardwood. To some people it's heartbreaking. To others, it's skeptical and expected. Let's look into some facts and details. 

Derrick Rose was hurt in Game 1 of the 1st round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers in the closing moments of a clear win. The injury was a freak incident, with Rose making no contact with anyone while driving to the basket and seeing his knee twist awkwardly. Derrick is taken to Rush were it was determined he tore his ACL. That same day later on, Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks, tore his ACL on a similar freak incident type play. That day was April 28, 2012. That was 11 months ago. While Shumpert has been back on the court for about 3-4 months, although not completely playing at the level he was at before the injury, he is doing all he can to help the Knicks sustain the 2nd spot in the East. Derrick Rose is still on the bench, and about a month ago was allowed to take full contact, 5-on-5, practice with the squad. He also started traveling with the team again, which he once didn't do because he didn't want to be a distraction to his team. 

A few weeks ago, DRose was cleared by doctors to play. People were extremely excited and anxious for his return. However, that was soon scratched as Derrick claimed that he isn't ready psychologically and doesn't want to come back until he was 100% confident in his body. Many people were asking themselves "What is psychologically ready and what does that have to do with dribbling a damn basketball?" The man did just get through tough rehab of an injury that very well could have ended his career. It's normal to be hesitant in a situation like that. I got pasar fasciitis in my right foot in the summer during camp for football. It was extremely painful and inconvenient. I couldn't stand for long period of time, walk long distances or run. I was in a slump. I had to miss time that was supposed to be spent getting better and vying for a starting position on the team, showing the coach I belonged on the field this year after disappointment last year. Even worse, I couldn't be around my team, my brothers. When my foot specialists Ok'd me to come back, I felt hesitant because I didn't know if I could perform well enough. I was quite behind everyone else. Those two and a half weeks felt like forever in my mind. I can definitely relate to how Derrick is feeling now, with way less pressure and expectations however. 

After watching Adidas' The Return series, Rose looked like he sweated motivation and determination in that weight room, pool and court as he rehabbed. That motivation seems to not have resulted in him being back in uniform. Some believe it isn't an intrinsic issue, but an extrinsic one. Rose signed a 5 year/$95million contract extension last year with the Bulls, keeping him on the squad until 2018. Two months later, after having success with his signature shoe with Adidas, the adiZero Rose, the company gave him a 14year/$260million contract to keep him sporting their sneakers and attire. In a matter of 3 months, Rose got about $40+million richer. Rose also took another step in his life by welcoming his newborn son PJ. These are all big changes in his life that may all be on his mind along with trying to get back on the court. I mean, you got a little man with some spending money nursing a hurt knee, it can be easy to get a little too relaxed. There's also some worry about the people Derrick is listening to in his corner. Of course there are his brothers, most notably Reggie who is also his manager. Recently, Reggie criticized the Bulls for not making any moves during the trade deadline to help his brother. There you see Reggie looking out for his little brother, but in my opinion, Reggie is in no position to say anything like that. This is also the same guy who sits courtside next to Scottie Pippen at home Bulls games, not just somewhere close in the crowd, while his brother tosses his body around to get the Bulls Ws. Rose also lives with 8-9 of his closest friends from high school, who we can imagine are also his inner circle. I understand letting your team eat at the table with you, but damnnn that's a lot of niggas eating with you. What are they doing with themselves? Most likely waiting for Rose to throw them bones.

Now I'm not saying Rose is milking his injury at all. My family and I are very familiar with Rose and his family. We lived close to him and on occasion hooped with/against him at parks and at Westcott court across the street from Simeon. He is everything that we think he is, humble, geniune, kind, (not much intellect), and skilled. I have admirable respect for Rose, seeing as though we are both Englewood bred and that it is extremely hard to survive in this neighborhood AND make something out of yourself. Just a note, West Englewood and Englewood is yearly responsible for 30% of homicides within the city and has the highest poverty (at 44%, which is higher than Chicago's avg at 20% for the entire city), lowest graduation rate for high schoolers in a particular, highest unemployment (35%) and easily most crime ridden within the city (40% crime rate and while Chicago's murder rate has been down Englewood's has stayed stable, high). Look at a few of these links http://spotcrime.com/il/chicago/englewood http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Englewood-Chicago-IL.html http://crime.chicagotribune.com/chicago/community/englewood Yeah, it's real. Now the know the magnitude of DRose's greatness. And while it seems that maybe a lot of people are using DRose, much sacrifice was made to get him to where he is now. Introducing him to basketball, giving him a stable support system to keep him level, taking his ACT (it's true for those of you skeptical or in denial, the guy who took it for him went to WY) and helping him keep focus because as we know he can do foolish things (picture below). Yeah, you know why Derrick says he was always in the gym and nowhere else. 

Recovery is still tough regardless of how long it has been. And whenever Derrick does come back, have realistic expectations. There is a possibility Derrick comes back and plays average and it may take a while for the explosive torpedo we all came to know and love is visible. Yes, Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and broke his patella and was ready for camp in 6 months, completing one of the best seasons any NFL has ever had (8 yards short of Eric Dickerson's rushing record). But Adrian Peterson also isn't human and is a workout warrior. The rigorous workout and recovery he went through cannot be done by everyone. Also people disregard the fact that Adrian Peterson has had experience with going through tough injuries dating back to his days at Oklahoma (two season ending hamstring and knee injuries back-to-back). Same with RGIII, who suffered an ACL tear during his sophomore year at Baylor after a fantastic freshman year. You can't judge his recovery on someone like AP or RGIII because realistically his can very well be similar to Greg Oden's, Brandon Roy's, or Andrew Bynum's (all have arthritis in their knee joints). Everything we know is chance and everything is a possibility.

Instead of judging Rose and being overanxious for his return, we should just chill. Derrick Rose owes Chicago SHIT. Let me say that again. CHICAGO, DERRICK ROSE OWES YOU NOT A MOTHERFUCKING THING! There. While a lot of people associate hometowns with loyalty, that isn't so. Derrick owes loyalty to the people who helped get him to the status he is now, who is his family, friends, and former coaches, who are the exact people who is generous with to this day. Chicago, just like anyone else's hometown, is simply the place you were born. Whether you make something symbolic of that is up to you, but there is no rule, in writing or street, that says you owe your hometown anything. Rose is allowed to do whatever he wants, without judgement from others. We weren't with Derrick shooting in the gym (Derrick was a horrific shooter from Beasley to Simeon to Memphis, so he was probably dunking or laying up) or making those trips from practice to home surrounded by danger. He put in the work to become a superstar, so he owes it to himself to do what's best for him. We should be grateful Derrick was chosen by the Bulls because we could definitely be in the nightmare of Michael Beasely (in his defense, Beasley put up better numbers, more athletic and would have allowed the Bulls to ship out an under-performing Luol Deng for a PF, but Beasley is a lifetime knucklehead and junkie who went to three high schools in four years and got a bad NBA endorsement from Bob Huggins as being selfish, lazy and hard to get through to). We just better pray Derrick doesn't leave us in 2018 for the Lakers (Derrick spends most of his off-season training and relaxing in Los Angeles) How would you feel if the LakeShow sported a primed Rose and although 30yrs old still in his prime Dwight Howard? Shitty right? 

Appreciate the man while you can. Derrick Rose is every bit of that Rose that grew from concrete in Tupac's poem. He beat the odds. Personally, I think Rose shouldn't touch the floor this season. The Bulls would have to face either the Heat or Knicks, both looking like a sweep regardless if Rose is on the court or not. Honestly, how much better is a Bulls team with a rusty, out of sync Rose than it is now? To close, all I have to say is get better Pooh and keep doing you. I now leave you with highlights of the wonder. Also, I am posting the link to my man Terry Johnson (NovaTheGod) new mixtape. It's pretty nice. Check it out. Peace

http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/nova-the-god-in-g-o-d-we-trust-mixtape.78530.html

"Yeah, It's gotta be the shoes."

Above is a Nike commercial featuring the His Airness Michael Jeffrey Jordan and Mars Blackmon aka Spike Lee in his "She's Gotta Have It" character form. These ads ran in the late 80s-early 90s and were probably the most popular at the time, even with Bo Jackson in his prime years with the cross-training rise and Penny Hardaway introducing us to his charismatic doll figure of himself Lil Penny. Disagree if you want, even with the skill and dominance of MJ and the creativity and genius of Spike Lee, these commercials propelled the fame of both, giving each of them more global appeal. Nike even gave Spike Lee/Mars Blackmon his own shoe because of the commercials' popularity called the Spi'zikes (conjunction of Spike Lee Nike's). On Nike's website you will notice in the Nike ID section you can now customize your own pair of Spi'zikes. Spike probably wasn't too happy about that because he's all about being exclusive.

While Spike's name (and not his penis) is still on the tip of our tongues, he directed another movie that raised the popularity and stardom of another soon to be NBA great, Ray Allen. Also starring the OG Big Dawg Denzel Washington, Allen plays a high school star who is trying to be persuaded by his estranged, imprisoned father, under directions from his warden, to get his son to go to the warden's alma mater. Here you see Allen, whose name in the movie is Jesus Shuttlesworth (that name was probably the same as the guy whipped after Kunta Kente on Roots) hand his dad a pair of exclusive Air Jordans. From this scene on, the White-Black-True Red colorway of the Air Jordan 13's were nicknamed the "He Got Game's". I bring this up because the shoes were recently Retroed and rereleased yesterday morning, of course selling out in a matter of minutes like every other big Nike release. I'm indifferent to the shoe, like many other shoes. But this really got me thinking. If it weren't for Nice Kicks or any other shoe craze website informing people these shoes were "He Got Game", how many people would know these shoes were from the movie? How many people actually know Denzel wore the shoes and not Allen (often mistaken that Ray wore the shoes although he was laced in Foams and other Nike releases in the movie and didn't rock this exact colorway until he joined the Heat)? How many people have even seen "He Got Game"? Welcome to shoe fanaticism and sneakerheads. In this blog I'll be talking about the sudden craze over shoe copping and how it is ruining shoes.

Anybody remember when you were younger and your parents would take you shoe shopping? I loved those days. My mom would take me to Footlocker or Payless or a random outlet store (I was out of Payless sneakers by 1st grade when my dad started buying my shoes more often and I was fresh to def son) and I would gaze at all the shoes on the wall. The variety and different designs and colors always amazed me. There were times where I wanted every shoe, but of course with financial limitations I could only get one or two if my mom sold a few more kilos than she expected during times. Shoe shopping with my mom was a process. The shoe couldn't be too ugly, or pricey, or be a red and black colorway (the colorway of the Black P Stones gang in Chicago who were rampant in my neighborhood and were the rivals of the Gangster Disciple and Black Gangster Disciples). The shoe also had to be my size at the time or a half-size bigger, an attempt for my mom to be slick thinking that the shoes would last longer since my feet were sure to grow. I remember having to put on a black stocking every time I had to try on a shoe because for some reason I always had on socks with holes or no socks. And were feet were always ashy and stinky. Never knew you were supposed to wash your feet and lotion them in the summer. Welp, that's why shoe salesmen make the small bucks. I didn't like the foot measurer, I always thought it was going to smash my feet in. Bring that thing too far back and I was ready to pack. But after a lot of nos and shoes gracing my holy feet, I would come out with a new pair of shoes and a big smile. I couldn't wait to show everyone my shoes. I never got to wear new shoes out of the store, my mom didn't want me to mess them up. I had to wait until the first day of school or the next day of school or a family function to debut my new steez. The anticipation was real. I was always so anxious to wear new shoes, looking at the shoes multiple times, imagining how I would look with the shoes on and people's reactions while I strut in them. When the school came, believe me when I said it was a wrap, RIP to those shoes instantly. I wore the hell outta them. Wore them everyday. Went to the playground in them. Went to gym in them. Stepped in shit in them and kept walking off level as hell. Hooped in them. I would literally wear shoes until the front looked like it developed a face, eyes, cheeks, lips everything, screaming at me "PLEASE! TAKE ME OFF. I'M TIRED" and I would ignore them because I don't take orders from beat up shoes. I think my Creative Recs taught me how to dougie sophomore year now that I think about it. I busted the fuck outta those boys. Yeah I abused my shoes and I didn't take care of them that well, but I put no real value on my shoes. They were just things I put on my feet. However, when I had to throw away a pair or replace a pair, sadness did come upon me because I use to do so much in those shoes. But yet again, Jordan to Cliff Robinson shoulder shrug (you'll get that reference if you're a true Jordan fan).

Now let's get into modern day shoe culture. It's fucked up! Not to say that my experiences with shoes were ideal, but the way things are now are out of control. Every Saturday if you were to pass by a Footlocker, NikeTown, Finishline, or any other retail store that sells shoes, there will be a line for the newest Nike release, whether it be a pair of Jordans, Foamposites, LeBron's or Kobe's. Outside you will see a line of about 100 people at 4am in the morning trying to cop a shoe that the store has about 50 or less of. That means some people are going to be very disappointed. But don't tell that to them, because every one of them has the hope that they are gonna get a pair of that long coveted shoe, although we know better. Now let's talk about the price of shoes nowadays.

When Nike's first came out, anyone could afford them. Air Jordan's were about $90 when they were first introduced. Of course, those were still pretty pricey with the economy back in the day but manageable. Foamposites were almost a failure for Nike. The shoes were originally made for Scottie Pippen. However, Pippen didn't like the sneaker. It was chance that Penny Hardaway stumbled upon the sneaker during a meeting with a Nike designer and decided to sport the sneaker. Even then the NBA didn't approve of the shoe because it the colorway didn't have the Orlando Magic's primary color (black) more than it did the secondary color (blue). Fortunately a sharpie marker came in the clutch for Penny. Back to what I was going at, Nike had a hard time selling the Foams. They were often on the clearance racks, even when the retail price was only $125. I bring up the history to compare to the prices now. Avg Jordan prices are $180 with tax and Foams are $220 with tax. That's about a $100 price spike in a ten year period. That's nuts. It's not like the shoes weren't in high demand then, believe me everyone wanted a pair of Mike's and once Penny played enough games in the Foams it was likewise for those. But it's what people are willing to do to get them that makes them pricey.

I know people who will save every bit of cash they have to be able to cop an intriguing release in the future. That means no lunch money for a while, no haircuts, not being able to come with a group outings, all that. There are people who would rather be late on a bill or rent payment than not being able to buy the Air Jordan Grape 5's that will shortly be released this year. I've went to school with people whose parents would do anything in their power and grasp to make sure they were laced in the best shoes. Those people were not always the best off. And that's where it gets to a point where it is nonsensical. A shoe that will most likely be re-released in about 4-5 years is not worth standing in a line for hours, rain, sleet or snow, fighting off hordes of people and potential robbers, for one shoe. When Jordans were still premature, a school in the Northeast had to ban them from school after a student was killed, in the school, for the shoes. It still isn't far-fetched to think people are still being robbed and killed for shoes. In 5th grade, I remember my Navy Blue-Baby Blue Nike Air Max were stolen while I was changing for gym in the bathroom. I walked home 5 blocks, BAREFOOT crying like a bitch. Yeah, shit was that real.

Now I have no vendetta against Jordans or Foams or any shoe in general. Those two shoes are just the most notable one's I can think of to put this argument in true perspective. People are spending crazy money on Nike Dunks and retro Adidas as well.  I love shoes. Believe me. I love Air Jordans and I remember my first pair vividly. I got a pair of Flint Grey 15's when I was about 7. Nobody could touch me on the court when I was sporting those. In 6th grade, I got a pair of Midnight Navy 6's that I wore basically everyday. I remember I use to go to baseball practice in them until my coach told me I could play anymore until I wore my cleats. I would have to say out of all the one I owned (6), those were my favorite.

Ok, I went off into memory lane again. Back to the topic, although it seems that shoes are reaching their pinnacle because of all the releases and exclusiveness that's around, buying shoes and shoes in general are losing their luster. People aren't buying what they like anymore, they seem to buy what's popular. Same goes with clothing and electronics. It's gotten to a point where it's cool or being different to not buy shoes. I believe in supporting and buying what you genuinely like and not something that is being hyped up by people who sit on a computer most of their days. How many people buy shoes because they idolized the person who wore them? Believe it or not, there are a plenty of people who don't know much about MJ but will cop every sneaker he and Phil Knight release. How many of you know who Phil Knight is? (He made Nike for all of you who don't want to Google him) Buying shoes was a way we got closer to the athlete's we adored, not because we saw Kanye, Rick Ross or Drake rocking them. You didn't live until you tried to imitate Mike while wearing some Mike's. Some of the best times of my youth were spent trying to hit the right-left switch on muggs and doing the push-off crossover for a kush shot. Now think about when you actually get those coveted shoes and you see someone else with those same shoes on. Shitty right? Well, unfortunately, today's society has made things more about who had it first rather than what it should be. Is it fresh? For you sneakerheads, no matter what you say, somebody had it before you. End of story. Then you have everybody hating on everyone else, always claiming someone's shoes are fake or whack. Nobody compliments anyone else's sneaks anymore. Getting compliments when you bought shoes solidified your feelings of being that fucking man because you were already feeling good of having something dope in your possession. And most importantly, that feeling of shoes being special is gone. Usually when people buy sneakers, they are just added to an already overflowing collection. Remember when I said I use to be really anxious about getting new shoes and I'd look at them all day, every day until I could wear them? That doesn't happen anymore because people are more focused on the next release. A few things I don't understand is how you can buy a pair of sneakers and not wear them, especially not hooping in them. MJ made his living hooping in J's and you're telling me that you wouldn't step foot on the hardwood with a pair of em' on? Preposterous yo. Next pair of J's I get, fuck it, I'm doing work. Yeah you paid almost two bills for them and you would like to preserve them, but that's even more reason to enjoy the hell out of them. Why buy $200 gym shoes to wear sparingly? That's lame. And to resellers, death to you inconsiderate fucks. There are people who genuinely want this shoe and you are making your living by buying one or more pairs of the same shoe just to sell to someone who couldn't get the shoe because people like you were buying them all. And at an absurd price at that.

To conclude, this shoe craze shit gotta turn down a few decibels. There's so much more to the world than dedicating so much to a THING that is just to cover your feet. Now, don't let me take away from your love of shoes. I will always have a love of shoes, just wait until I see racks mannnnnnn. Until then, you'll see me studded in Vans, Nike SB's, Chucks and occasionally moccasins when I'm on my Pablo Escobar shit. I would never tell people what to do with their life or cash. Personally, I see nothing wrong with shoe collecting and idolizing, it's harmless. It's just it dehumanizes us sometimes. I'll leave you guys with a pretty decent song pertaining to the topic. Peace.

Success and Happiness

"I just wanna be, I just wanna be, I just wanna be successfullllllllllllllllllll" (in my Trey Songz voice). Probably one of the realest hooks I've heard in a song. Really simple, nothing that pumps you up, not bragging about anything, just a statement that many people feel and relate to and that's why the Drake song was so popular. That and he had a shirtless beige greyhound singing the hook. Especially after he came out with his whole own song about inventing sex where he was basically naked the whole video. But it was cool because the lady he was with was too so I didn't feel suspect. Last week I wrote about ambition and motivation. Now I'm writing on what ambition and motivation may lead to and what most of us all hope it leads to, success and happiness. Most of us also believe that if you experience happiness, you've found success and vice versa. But how can you say that when a lot of us don't know what either is or haven't experienced them enough because we're too busy being stressed and frustrated about life. Let's dig deeper.

What is being successful? What is being happy? Being as blunt as I can, success and happiness are all relative, meaning you define your own version of being successful and being happy. You will know when you are successful because you'll start feeling gratification and satisfaction more than you feel your feet touch the ground. In terms of being happy, I believe true happiness comes from satisfaction with the type of person you are and the way your life is, no matter the circumstances. Being happy is being rid of negative energy, taking criticism constructively, not necessarily disregarding it. Being happy is having respect and positive disposition towards everyone and everything disregarding how they may be towards you. Happiness is being able to extract all the joy and positives out of any situation and using it to build you and your character. Honestly, I believe happiness is with us from birth, a lot of us just have a hard time finding it and unlocking ourselves to be able to let it exist. I understand that life isn't bunny rabbits and sugarcoated candies. But it also isn't molten lava and thorn bushes. It's a good medium, all about adaptation and breaking the equilibrium until it's favorable to you. I don't think there is one thing in life to be stressed or frustrated over. Although, it is alright to feel down every once in a while and we are all human so emotion is sure to get the best of us a lot. If you want to experience happiness and even success, you have to limit the time you're down. Nobody accomplished anything while depressed. Think Louis Pasteur made vaccines stressed? Think Napoleon and Alexander the Great conquered nations with high blood pressure? Chief Keef nah. Real men never go down they just stay up, word to the Nature Boy Ric Flair.    

Because the success and happiness in all of us varies, from where we started from, how we got there, to what we are doing after all of that, so why judge something WE control from others, whether it be a dictionary or other people. Bill Gates is Bill Gates. Michael Jordan is Michael Jordan. Michael Jackson is (was, R.I.P.) Michael Jackson. Yes, upon society's standards they are(were) all successful and possibly extremely happy. They made billions of dollars (although Jordan stuck at around 750 million), made a dramatic impact on people's lives through their philanthropic, humanitarian and career works and can arguably be proclaimed the best at what they do (did). But what they did is what THEY did. It can't be replicated exactly. What we do to be deemed successful and happy will probably be different from how they got there, even if we follow the same professions. So why judge ourselves on people like them or others? Honestly, those are people who come once every so often who were made to leave their print on the world. Not everyone is meant or can do what they did in such a big way so if you judge yourself on what they did, good luck, your soul is sure to be exhausted. But, I'm not discouraging you from anything. If you want to reach their level, go do it. Nothing I like to see more than other people succeed and prosper. What I am saying is, because happiness and success are thing we each individually feel and, as individuals, so our definitions of success and happiness should be made by ourselves.

Now the million dollar question is how do we become successful and happy? First, refer to my ambition and motivation blog. http://joshdeucewilks.blogspot.com/2013/02/ambition-and-motivation.html  Now read my following sentences. Carry out your life plan and run over every fucking obstacle that might stop you. EVERYTHING! Ask yourself how much you want something and then ask yourself how far you are willing to get it. You shouldn't want something if you don't want it definitively. And if you want it definitively, you should want it bad. f you want it bad, you should do everything in your power to get it. Simple chain. But again, you control whether you are happy and successful. Whether one comes with the other is hard to say, but the way I look at it, if you find success, you feel happy about it. And anytime you find yourself happy, you've successfully found it.

One thing I will say is don't stress yourself trying to find success and be happy. Those two things happen naturally, meaning you have to live and keep going. Looking back means you've stopped moving forward. Success and happiness is very obtainable. It's all about release, mentality, and work (oh the horror). But I believe once you find success and feel happiness, life no longer feels like a reality. We all need a little time in the clouds.