eXcapeyourmatriX

Success (By Donald Mitchell)

2010-09-03T14:31:00.001-04:00

OK...first of all, I just want to say, that this has been a thought in my mind for some time now.

So with that said...what defines "success"? Is it defined by the way you look? Or is it defined by how much money you make? Could it even be defined by what your social status is? Or there are those who think of success as if you achieved what you set out to do in life. Could it be that? What defines your meaning of success?

As for me, I'm one of those who is happy when what I set out to do gets accomplished. Prime example...there was a time when I wasn't happy with life....in general. I wasn't happy with my job, and because I wasn't happy with that, it started to affect the other aspects of my life. But I decided that I would make moves to change that...and with the help from God, I did just that. Hence why I chose the song that I did for today's post.

Now honestly, I wouldn't have expected a collabo between Trey Songz and Drake to be as hot as it is. But as always, a bangin beat would catch the attention when otherwise it would have gotten a real evil side eye when mentioned. It gives me a feel of the old school music that once attracted me to hip-hop in the first place. I could see this on the soundtrack of one of the hood gangsta movies that we used to watch back in the day.

Now I'm not really the biggest Drake fan (or even Trey Songz for that matter :-P), but I'm a big fan of this duo on this song. Who's to say that they can't do it again...I don't believe it, but as for right now, I'm content with saying that this is up there on my top list of favorite collaborations. Drake brings a flow to this song that I believe is a personal testimony of sorts, which makes this song that much more likeable.

Yeah, I want things to go my way
But as of late, alot of shit been going sideways

Who's to say that you haven't had this type of day...or month...or even year. I know 2009 wasn't the best for me, but at this point, '10 is definitely becoming more memorable than '09 was.

I want the money...money and the cars.
Cars and the clothes....I suppose
I just wanna be....I just wanna be
SUCCESSFUL

Maybe you don't want that same exact thing that Drizzy and Trey want...but in the end, don't we all want the same result: to be successful?

I know I do.

How Easy It Is To Recover (Thoughtful Thursday by Donald Mitchell)

2010-08-05T20:03:00.002-04:00

Being an recovering undercover over love, Erykah seems to think is a hard task to overcome. So much that she lists a whole slew of things that she would do for the one she loves, even though she knows he doesn't feel the same about her.

This song poses very deep and thought-provoking questions: exactly how far do you go for the one you love? Is it worth you losing your sanity over? And if so, exactly how far into the realm of insanity do you go before you say enough is enough? And most importantly (at least to me): what makes this person the one that is worthy of you losing your sanity?

Erykah says that because she's trying to recover from this love, that it's too much for the brain, all the while, it's not enough to make her leave him alone. She says she would

And I’d lie for you
I’d cry for you
I’d pop for you
I’d break for you
And hate for you
And I’ll hate you too
If you want me too
I gotta do

That's deep. What's even more is that this person is someone that she's shared her love, innermost secrets, and even her living quarters with. And after all of this, the dude wants someone else...after all that she's said she would do for this dude, he wants someone else. That's gotta hurt somethin awful.

But even through all of that, she still is speaking highly of the man...all because she can't let go. Or is it that she doesn't WANT to let him go. I think it's a combination of both, although it probably falls moreso on she doesn't want vs. she can't. But honestly, let's think about that. Doesn't it always end up that way?

So how do you deal with the madness surrounding being an undercover overlover? Speak your mind readers!

Be peace.

eXactly what do Signs mean? (By Donald Mitchell)

2010-07-27T12:15:00.001-04:00

Being as though this month's issue of eXcapethematix is about Zodiac signs, I figured it only be fitting that today's column is about the Zodiac. I mean, we all to some point, believe in the Zodiac...and if not the entire thing, then some part(s) of it. Beyoncè touched a lot on the Virgo side of this in this song:

Me personally, I'm not really big into the whole astrology thing, but I must say that the description of a Pisces (my sign) is ON POINT. Not just for me, but all of the Pisceans that I come across are pretty much the same across the board...give or take a few things. I think that's pretty cool right there.

Now here is the kicker. How far should/would you take the Zodiac reading? I mean do you let it guide your life...or do you just read them for kicks and giggles? Do you let it guide who/what you date simply because "some signs are more compatible than others"? Do you believe that because you mate with your most compatible sign, that you'll end up in eternal bliss? Or do you just let the chips lay where they fall, and once you are involved with that person, you read about how yours and their signs match up?

I think that some of that can be taken seriously, and some of it should be taken with a grain of salt. Reason I say this is because if I know the description regarding a Pisces is pretty on point, then I can assume that the ones describing the rest of the signs are pretty key as well. So with that being said, I guess it's not a crime to take this kinda seriously when trying to figure out if a relationship will work with it. I still don't...but hey...if you do...then do you. #nojudgmentzone here.

I think Bey put it best at this part:

I was in love with a Sagittarius he blew my mind
He also had a flip side too much like a Gemini
He was freaky like a Taurus the way he handled me yeah
Flirtatious like and Aries
Which sign is best for me?

Guess it's up to you to figure out which one.

Be peace my readers.

The Book I've Been Writing... (As Told By Northernstar)

2010-07-19T12:39:00.001-04:00

Can Gay Relationships Be Successful? (As Told By Northernstar)

2010-07-16T01:09:00.002-04:00

Thoughtful Thursday (When You Say You Love Someone by Donald Mitchell)

2010-07-15T11:42:00.002-04:00

How much do you really love that person? You say that you would go to the ends of the earth for them...and that's all well and dandy, but what happens when someone else catches your eye? You know your heart belongs to the person that you're with, but for some reason, this other person has caught your interest so tough, that you're in a dilemma. Donell Jones described how he would handle this situation.

I had a full blown discussion with a couple of people that I follow on Twitter about this topic. They said that this type of stuff can happen to anyone, no matter what the situation or how long they've been in a relationship. I tend to agree with them. You can't help who you fall in love with, and if you put yourself in their vicinity for long enough, you'll find yourself mixed up in an emotional battle that you weren't prepared for.

This sucks for a number of reasons: #1 being that the person that you're involved with has NO clue what's going on. They think that all is well in their life, when all along, they have no clue that the world that they know and love is about to come crashing down around them. #2 is because all the while, more than likely, you're about to lose something good because you allowed yourself to get caught up in the game. It's bad all the way around, but you got yourself into this situation....so it's up to you to get yourself out of it. There's plenty more reasons I could list, but we'd be here all day!

Now here's the kicker: I actually agree with the sentiment that he poses in this song. I'd rather you leave me alone, than to play me for the fool by juggling (or attempting to at least) a bunch of folks around while keeping me in the dark. So if you've got to roll out because of this, then I'll chuck you the deuces quick, fast, and in a hurry. It may hurt like hell, and we may not talk for quite some time, but in the end, I think I'd respect you more for ending what we have, than running around trying to hide it. I know this sounds strange, but it's the honest to God truth. I don't know if I can think of a single person who would say otherwise (at least truthfully). Think about it long and hard.

How do you feel about this topic? Readers...drop your thoughts!

Thoughtful Thursday (Let's Crawl by Donald Mitchell)

2010-07-15T11:39:00.002-04:00

So here's my question: how far are we willing to go with the one that we truly love? I mean, of course people say that they are willing to do almost anything (and in some cases, anything) for that one special person. So what happens when you have to go farther than where you've been willing to go before? Do you give up? Or do you start from the very beginning?

Chris Brown summed it up right here.....and honestly, I think he's the one who can do this. Because as we all know...he made the mistake. Men (or even women) should learn that relationships can be as a newborn child....you may have to take them gently during the course of them, or more damage than good can come out of them. If you get upset, don't take it out on your spouse...unless they are the cause of your anger/irritation. But even then, that doesn't mean you put their forehead into a window (no matter how much you want to..lol)

But what happens when YOU'RE the cause of the drama that's happening at home? What do you do when your significant other is mad at you? Of course, you're going to want to do whatever you can to make things better...unless you're the type who enjoys the drama. Then you just may do things to make it worse...lol. But for those of us who enjoy peace and quiet at the end of a day, then here comes the time when you want to run as much damage control as possible.

In the case of extreme issues, you may have to crawl. This is when you don't have any other choice....BUT start over, if you want things to get back to how they used to be. I'm not talking about literal crawling on your hands and knees, but just as a baby learns to crawl before they walk, that's what your relationship will have to do as well. In my eyes, this is one step short of being reborn again. This is where you will start to learn that person again (or maybe the first time) and maybe, just maybe, you will actually know the person that you say you love.

Now be careful when crawling...you may get to some rough spots and places that may be hard to get over. But keep on striving, because the more you press on, the more you will learn to crawl to heights unknown...which in turn will make you realize that you're no longer crawling....but walking. Pretty soon, you'll be running before you know what hit you, and you're in that love that you proclaimed at first.

So where do we go from here
With all the fear in our eyes?
And where can love take us now?
We've been so far down, we can still touch the sky

If we crawl 'til we can walk again
Then we'll run until we're strong enough to jump
Then we'll fly until there is no wind

But you can't get to the point of no wind until you determine that you want to
crawl, crawl, crawl
Back to love, yeah

Lyrically Speaking (Signs by Beyonce)

2010-07-08T21:21:00.002-04:00

Written by: Ccep J. Dew

I must admit: I learned all 12 zodiac signs, in order, by listening to this song. Similarly, Tyrese has a song called, “Signs of Love Making”, but this isn’t that type of article. (Look it up if you’re trying to get your grown and sexy on…)

I don’t know about you, but I’m always tickled when a song shouts out my zodiac sign. I’m a proud Taurus. Are we freaky? Yes… Yes, we are… Are we stubborn? Yup! But, we have other sides, too. And in corresponding and building relationships with people under different signs, I can’t help but take some delight in astrology.

It’s hard to say everything about astrology is accurate because, if you tweak your perspective of any given situation, things can be interpreted to mean whatever you want them to. I always bring up the fact that my big sister Chenita, a fellow Taurean goddess, said to me one day, “April Taurus are sweet. May Taurus are mean.” I immediately took offense, replying, “No, we’re not!” She then described how April Taurus deal with situations head-on and are very blunt and honest (just like my April 30th born dad!), whereas May Taurus are slow to anger, but, when we blow up, it’s catastrophic. I had to agree.

Similarly, Taureans are lovers of aesthetics. The April Taurus in my sister appreciates the finer things in life, like Vera Wang perfume and diamonds (her birth stone), whereas the May Taurus in me loves Bath & Body Works fragrance spray and cubic zirconia (emerald is my birth stone). Oddly enough, my niece Bajel, who was due in May, yet came early in April, seems to be caught in the middle. As far as appearance and aesthetics, she is an April Taurus just like her mom. But, as for her temper and stubbornness, she is just like her Aunt Nisey!

I say all this because knowing someone’s sign not only makes for great entertainment, but it can eXplain a lot about a person. One of my best guy friends has been classified as “arrogant” for as long as I’ve known him. So, of course I was not surprised to learn that he was an Aries: the most “arrogant” and “self-centered” of the zodiac. In a lot of aspects, he’s true to his sign, but to know his life’s story, you understand how he went from lacking confidence as a child to having the best self-esteem ever! And I appreciate that aspect of him, along with his overall caring nature and dedication to whatever he puts his mind to.

To View the article in its entirety, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/Editorials/2010/articles/07/2010_07_lyricallyxix.html

Signs of the Times

2010-07-08T21:16:00.002-04:00

The Internet Music Superstar
Written by: Billy Winn

When I was growing up, the idea of having my music heard all over the world was both fantastic and elusive. It was a time when the idea of getting a record deal seemed like a chance that few had the opportunity to partake in, and even fewer were fortunate enough to keep if they did manage to achieve it. But in recent years, that seemingly farfetched idea has changed drastically—as the internet has helped to launch dozens of music careers all across the globe. Artists like American pop singer Cassie and U.K. soul sensation Adele are just two eXamples of major music careers that started with the help of online sites like MySpace.com and YouTube. Internet radio stations are also helping to foster lucrative careers for artists who would otherwise go unnoticed. The question is, however: are most of these artists really being taken seriously by the public and the industry? Or will they simply be written off as overnight internet wonders?

It is a question that one would assume is asked often, or at least should be, especially if you are an artist working to gain success in this way. On the surface, it would appear to be a surefire way to skyrocket to stardom—post a song online and get as many people as you can to listen to it, until the hits reach the millions. But, is it really as easy as it sounds? With so many people who are not trying to become serious artists, but rather, gain their fifteen minutes of fame through shameless online antics, it is difficult to imagine that record companies and consumers of music are prone to jump on an artist’s bandwagon simply because they have a popular online page. Serious artists have to not only utilize the great resources of the internet—but, also continue to go about achieving their dream the old-fashioned way—which means getting to the top is really no easier than it ever was.

That doesn’t mean, however, that overnight fame via the internet is impossible. Many serious artists have taken a new age approach to the old ways of gaining eXposure, using sites like YouTube.com to post footage of live events and shows, informal unplugged performances, and even conducting interviews to tell the world just who they are. Many aspiring artists have also taken to garnering airplay on internet radio stations, which has not only led to great success for so many, but has helped to usher in the golden age of the independent artist. With stations like Pandora radio and Jango willing to play the music of the relatively unknown, as well as post links of where to find and purchase the music, many artists have abandoned the hopes of major label success and are focusing their attention on their internet fans. And considering that they’re able to do so and sell hundreds of thousands of records worldwide, it is easy to conclude that their careers are substantial.

To view the entire article, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2010/articles/07/2010_07_signsofthe.html

Music Hits on the Spot (You're Like A Mirror to My Soul by Donald Mitchell)

2010-06-28T11:38:00.005-04:00

...but a queen
And finally now I know just what that means

I'm not sure why this particular song has been runnin TUFF in my mind over the past few days. I DO know that it's been on constant repeat in my brain (and on the iPod, and on YouTube as well), but eh, it is what it is.

This is a deep line right here. I don't know what exactly is going on here, but if you find this type of woman that fits you like a glove....chances are, you're not going to want to leave her alone. Honestly....I have one question that always sticks out in the back of my mind:

Is there a such thing as the PERFECT woman or man?

Honestly, I can't say that there is that such person....BUT there is a such person as the perfect one for YOU. One that takes your breath away in one fell swoop...one that only has YOUR eyes. One that has you so caught up, that (in the words of the great Lauryn Hill) "Nothing even matters....no more".

When a person is in love...you've found that person. You're willing to look past their faults, and love their promises; their abilities; their love. And in that alone, makes that person perfect...for YOU.

"No matter how far I go
And no matter how long it takes
No one or nothing can change
Forever yours here I stand"

Stop Taking Shit For Granted (As Told By Northernstar)

2010-06-22T16:01:00.003-04:00

Self-Explanatory...

Leave your comments, rate & subscribe! (And excuse the way I looked lol... I was tired but had to get this off my chest)

Music Hits The Spot (Thoughtful By Donald Mitchell)

2010-06-22T15:16:00.003-04:00

I know I've chatted about this song before, but as I listened to it more and more, it made me think about some things that I never would have thought about before.

Loveaholism....is there a cure for that?

Raheem DeVaughn seems to think that there is. Unfortunately, the problem is this: once you have it the first time, it would seem that you would be addicted to it. Now there's not a problem with being addicted to this "Love Drug"; but the real question is this: do you have to have this drug ALL the time, or is it that you can have it in doses?

I would think that this is one of those things that you SHOULD have in doses; yet and still, it's one of those that you WANT to have all the time. Let's face it; if you are deep in love, then you'll need it all the time. And there's definitely nothing wrong with that...especially if the love that you feel is requited by the object of your desires.

This "prescription" should be handled with care though. Cause it's been known to take you sky high when you're lip locked with that special someone. It should probably be dubbed "The Starship Enterprise"....cause it takes you where "no man has gone before". LOL. But on the real though, I've been there before. It definitely had me addicted, and not where I couldn't kick it, but I didn't WANT to kick it.

The sad part is that whenever you happen to kick this habit, that means that you're no longer in love. And nobody wants to be there...because being in love can be one of the best feelings in the world: to know that you love a special someone, and that special someone loves you back. So whenever you come across this particular drug, make sure that you get as much of it as you can.

The demand is always there, but the supply can run low at times. But I always got what you need.....

Cause I'm your Mr. Midnight pusher man.

Music Hits the Spot Series (Rainy Days by Donald Mitchell)

2010-05-24T11:06:00.004-04:00

Nah this ain't about that Ja Rule song featuring MJB...lol. It's a dedication to the weather outside, and if you know me, then you'll know that rain puts me in a relaxed state of mind. One where you wanna throw on some chill type music, kick back, and just enjoy....whether it be with your boo, or even by yourself.

This song is a perfect example of what's on my "Rainy Days" playlist. Soft soulful music like this, to help clear the mind of the day's ills. I've always loved this song even though this was nearing the end of what we knew as SWV, but they def went out with a bang.

Here is another one on my playlist:

This is a throwback/shoutout to 1994 when soundtracks were all the rage. This one is coming from the Sugar Hill Soundtrack featuring Kevon Edmonds (baby brother of great producing legend Babyface). Back in the time when harmonizing was what you wanted in life. Still love this song to this day. I'm sure all my REAL musicheads remember this one.

And you can't have a rainy day mix without the all-time favorite song about "rain":

New Edition's Heartbreak. Every black teen had a copy of this album (or at least should have..lol). Hearing these 5 dudes croon about how they had a love, and lost it, and having to stand the rain....granted, we were too young to know what they were talking about, but we loved the song nonetheless. Either way, we sang like we knew exactly what they meant. (At least I did).

And for good measure...here is a bonus track:

No explanation needed....at least I hope not. lol

REJECTED!!! (As Told By ^NorthernStar*)

2010-05-05T16:54:00.004-04:00

Have you ever “beat yourself up” for not getting that promotion at your job you’ve desperately wanted? Or have you ever gone through a breakup with someone, you loved very much but they didn’t want to compromise with you? Or what about getting “shut out” from football team, you’ve hoped to be the quarterback for?! We’ve all faced rejection in our lives, but we must not allow those clouds to hang over our heads! Deal with the pain, but move on with your life. There will be many more opportunities in the future, and that obviously mean that what you were rejected by (job, boyfriend/ girlfriend, sports team, modeling agencies, record labels, etc.) it wasn’t for you.

If you were rejected by that job you passionately wanted, then maybe it wasn’t in God’s plan to allow you to work at that specific place. Maybe, you weren’t ready or you were TOO good for the environment! Or if Tavon isn’t interested in you anymore, maybe you need to work on self-love first or he just might not be the one for you. These things happen for a reason, and you will have to always face rejection wherever you go. Live in positivity, and stay motivated to prove to yourself that you can accomplish your goals & it will be the rejectors who will regret not giving you the fair opportunity.

I look at the story of a group Girls Tyme, whom lost against their opponents on the now-defunct “Star Search”. They later became Destiny’s Child… auditioned for Columbia Records, but were not signed. A year later, they were signed to Elektra Records and were dropped before releasing any material. The girls auditioned for the executives of Columbia Records, once again… and received a recording contract. They released their first two albums, and after getting their feet wet… two girls from the group left! But the remainder of the group, Beyonce Knowles & Kelly Rowland, kept working and found two new members. Five months later, one of the new girls left & they became a trio. After all of the drama, blood, sweat & tears… Destiny’s Child has become the world’s biggest girl groups ever!

If these girls could go through the leaps and bounds of life & still survive, then so can you! Don’t chase after anything that isn’t worth the while… everything works out in the end for you, but you must be able to accept rejection & grow from it!

Below is an inspirational song by Mariah Carey, which has helped me in the past, deal with rejection:

I Choose... Me (As Told By ^Northernstar)

2010-04-23T11:04:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you've found yourself fighting against the odds & living in fear of what others might say?! Or felt like your decisions was based off the emotions of a loved one?! Or have you ever had good intentions about something, and it goes terribly wrong?! Ask yourself this question... do you base your decisions around yourself or others! Because at the end of the day, you can risk your happiness for someone else & they will NOT do the same for you. They will continue to do the things they want to do regardless.

In India.Arie's song "I Choose"... she expresses how she's tired of feeling guilty by being human & learning life's lessons. Why should we feel ashamed to make decisions for ourselves?! Yeah, we may hurt many people in the process of our decision making, but no matter how good our intentions are, or how honest we can be... someone will always get hurt in the end. As insensitive as it may sound, it's called life, and "I can't live for everybody, I gotta live my life for me".

Lady Gaga on Beyonce's Level?! (As Told By ^Northernstar*)

2010-04-09T11:07:00.004-04:00

Okay, I would like to start off by saying I love Lady Gaga to death... I love her innovative style, her tone (voice), songs & "IDGAF" attitude. However, I'm hearing people say she's on Beyonce's level/ status... and I am APPALLED by that. I'm happy to see another woman (Gaga) be on top of her shit because I'm tired of Beyonce being the only one bringing something to the table.But people have to remember that Beyonce has been in the game since 1997, that is THIRTEEN years. Gaga has been in the game, since 2008. Yeah, she's headlining her own tour after a short amount of time & she has also won two Grammys so far in her career. But we've seen how fast "pop stars" can easily gain popularity & within one mistake, their career is over. Beyonce has experienced the leaps & bounds of stardom, and has managed to sustain longevity in a tough industry. And the girl is still getting better & better with each album. Only in due's time could I say the same about Gaga.

Performance wise, they both bring something interesting to the table. Gaga, is known for her crazy costumes, tantrum-piano playing, & singing-dancing simultaneously. Beyonce is known for her ability to sing & dance at the same time, throw around her lace fronts and still HIT notes. And let's not forget about her undeniable stage presence. I'd say Gaga only has one thing over Bey, and that's the ability to play the piano. However, her singing & dancing simultaneously has resulted to her fainting at a few concerts recently, and she has only been touring for about 3/4 months. Beyonce has a BIGGER catalogue than Gaga, her shows are 2hrs plus, and her recent "I Am.." tour ran from March 2009 to February 2010.. And not once has she passed out at a show!

Songs, I think it's a matter of preference. Gaga mainly sings dance music, but occasionally sings ballads & even sing acoustic versions of her dance records live. Beyonce is known for her uptempo songs, as well... but she can also rip a ballad to shreds. They both are versatile artists... but in my opinion, Beyonce could sing "Pokerface", "Bad Romance", & "LoveGame" in a heartbeat. However, can you really imagine Lady Gaga singing "Listen", "Single Ladies", "Dangerously in Love", "If I Were A Boy", or even "Crazy in Love", and still share the same brilliance Beyonce brought to those songs?!

Videos: I think is Gaga's strongest point, and she does take things to the next level. The "Bad Romance" video was pure brilliance & maybe one of the best videos I've seen in the past five years. And "Paparazzi" is awesome, as well. The video for "Telephone" featuring Beyonce is not one of my favorites. I believe the beginning & overused sexuality was very uncalled for. And I think her usage of sexuality may hurt her a bit... in the same sense that it almost hurt Madonna in the early 90s. Yes, it's a different generation, but many people aren't accepting of it!!! In my honest opinion, videos aren't Beyonce's strongest point.. but she has made a classic out of the "Single Ladies" video which she recorded in ONE take, and was VERY popular on YouTube with fans doing many renditions of the video! And her underrated video for "If I Were A Boy" was definitely one of her best!

Accomplishments: They were both honored by Billboard as the "Rising Star of 2009" (Gaga) & "Artist of the Year" (Beyonce) respectively. I have to say for Gaga to be 23 years old, and to have been in the game for two plus years... she is doing the damn thing. Two Grammys, a world wide tour, two number ones on Billboard Hot 100 & she's a fashion trendsetter. Beyonce, I don't even know where to begin. She has many endorsement deals, broke a record of 16 Grammys (13 solo), five number ones on Billboard Hot 100, sung for the Obamas, sung at the Oscars five times in her career, first black woman to win an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award, Number one in Forbes highest paid celebrities two years in a row, Billboard's Female Artist of the DECADE... so on & so forth! Come on now... do I need to say to more?!

In my honest opinion, I do think Gaga is one of the most creative artists I've seen in a very very long time. But will she last in this industry is the real question. Because at the end of the day, Beyonce has NOTHING to prove... she could retire today if she wanted to. On the other hand, Gaga has ALOT to prove... and she is NOT on Beyonce's level.

Embracing Your Personal Beauty (Written by: Chenita “Infinite Apex” Dickerson)

2010-04-09T11:04:00.001-04:00

…And a child shall lead them; how amadamaphus it is to see the pure innocence that comes from children as it relates to their self-confidence, and acceptance of themselves and others. Often we want the opposite of what we are blessed or born with. There is nothing wrong with enhancing, changing, perfecting, embellishing, and molding all that we want to be different about our selves. But, loathing ourselves, sadly, is why the beauty industry is raking in all the dollars that everyone swears is lost to a so-called recession.

Being in the beauty industry myself, I witness first-hand those who I wish would embrace their own natural beauty and take enhancing as a “want” and not a “I’ll just take my rent money and get my hair done” thing. If a man’s hair is too thick, he wants it thinned. If it’s too thin, he wishes for thicker hair. When hair is long, they want short. Too short, they want long. People pay for perms to have curly and others pay for the curls to be straight with relaxers or keratin treatments. We fry, dye, and weave just to be able to eXcape from the reality of who we are.

“I’m too thin… I should eat…”

“I’m too fat… I should eXercise…”

“I’m too tall; my feet are too big; my nose is ugly; I’m not smart enough, funny enough, White enough, (this one kills me) BLACK enough…”

Why worry about what name is on your jeans? They are not paying you to advertise on your butt. It costs all of around $5.00 to make a pair of Nikes and we shell out upwards of $150 by the time our senses tell us we must have them, because we don’t love ourselves without the latest pair.

My gracious, no wonder we need pills to get up in the morning and another pill to go to bed at night; pills to stop constipation and another to stop diarrhea. We are a confused generation.

To view the entire article, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2010/articles/04/2010_04_embracingyour.html

The History of Tampons (Written by: Kenneth- Michael)

2010-04-09T11:03:00.001-04:00

Female readers will definitely understand and appreciate this article, but I am not certain if male readers will. This is because it focuses on the history of the tampon. For over a thousand years, the tampon has been one of the best inventions for the female body. The tampon has saved the female during her most frustrating times.Today’s tampon is made of cotton and rayon (a synthetic fiber), and used to absorb body fluids (mainly blood). The tampon supports the female during the menstrual period when inserted inside the vagina. The tampon is one of two options for women. The pad is a second option. Many women rely on tampons because it allows them to be physically active in their daily activities. Pads or panty liners can be uncomfortable for women because of the bulkiness and visibility of the pad’s outline.

The Egyptians invented the first tampon, which was made from papyrus: a tall, aquatic plant. The Greeks followed suit using a piece of wood covered in lint as their tampon. Several other counties used materials such as wool, paper, trees, and other fibers to construct their tampons.

The first tampon with an application was created in the United States in 1929 by Colorado physician Dr. Earle Haas. His invention was the first with an inner and outer tube with removal string. The outer tube is placed against the vagina, as the inner tube is pushed through the outer tube. This allows the inner tube, which has the removal string, to enter the vagina without using the fingers. The application tampon was patented in 1931, and trademarked under the name “Tampax”. Haas went on to sell the patent and the trademark to Gertrude Tendrich and the Tampax Company was founded.

To view the entire history of "Tampons", click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/future/2010/articles/04/2010_04_historyoftampons.html

Never Underestimate a Great Playlist (Written by: Billy Winn)

2010-04-09T11:00:00.001-04:00

Never underestimate a great playlist—it’s a thought I know well, having created and ardently refined a number of them since purchasing my iPod two years ago. But, what’s so great about a playlist? For someone like me who eats, sleeps, and breathes music, a playlist is an eXhibition of my musical insight—showing off my knowledge of the timeless, the classic, and the cutting edge. What’s also great is that for someone whose life does not revolve around music, a playlist gives them an opportunity to eXpress themselves through the music they hold dear. Music is one of the universe’s oldest languages, and it helps us to define ourselves and claim our individuality. Scrolling through the contents of an mp3 player or checking out the music section of one’s Facebook page can tell you a lot about a person—just by taking note of the music they listen to.

Even when we are not aware of it, we turn to music for comfort, peace of mind, and inspiration—and having an awesome playlist only heightens those times, helping to ease the pain or to energize the eXcitement.So, what makes a great playlist? Although I’ve been making them since I was introduced to Napster in high school, I didn’t become a playlist junkie until after getting my iPod. The convenience of downloading all the music I’ve ever loved and adding it to the compact little device soon led to organizing particular songs into soundtracks for my moods. I have the typical playlists—for working out and for parties—but, I also have playlists simply to match how I was feeling when I created them. For me, a great playlist is one where you never have to skip through. No matter what plays next, you’re happy to listen and eager to hear what comes after—even though you’ve heard all the songs dozens of times. Every time the songs play, it’s an all new eXperience—and if you’re a shuffler like I am, listening to your playlist will never happen the same way twice, though the way the songs make you feel will never change.

To read the entire Playlist article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2010/articles/04/2010_04_neverunderestimate.html

Lyrically Speaking XVIII (By Written by: Ccep J. Dew, West Coast Editor)

2010-04-09T10:57:00.001-04:00

“It’s the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive. That’swhat helps me face these days that are all the same,these mute crystals on the shelves, and lunch and dinner at that same horrible café. I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living.”–The Merchant in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

I feel like I’ve been dumbing myself down because I am afraid of my own power. How do I embrace it? How do I let go? I have always tried my best to hide from the spotlight while knowing full well that’s where I’m destined to be. And there are excuses that have helped me to reason with why I cannot or have not done all of the things that I know I am beyond capable of doing: My own timeline… Perfectionism… Work… Stress… That’s why I have three “unfinished” novels, countless writings (plays, songs, poems, etc.), and other ideas that have yet to even reach page. That’s why I haven’t done a poetry cd and don’t promote my book: I am afraid of supplying a demand that I am not sure I am prepared for. It’s also why I could never bring myself to slam. [For those of you unfamiliar with “slam”, simply put, it is a poetry competition where judges rate your performance/reading of your poetry based on their own definition of what “poetry” and “spoken word” should be. And you go up against other poets whose style, “skill level”, appearance, etc. may differ completely from yours. And there is no way of knowing what the judges will respond to and appreciate…]

Ironically enough, yesterday (a Thursday), I agreed to slam simply to fill an empty spot. I keep poems memorized, but I hadn’t practiced to compete. I wasn’t prepared for judgment on a 0 to 10 scale. But, with encouragement from my sistah Jerrica, I went up there and gave it my best.

I sit in front of this computer screen today, still trying to grasp that fact that, not only did I make it through to the second round, but I tied both rounds, perfect scores (by slam rules of dropping the lowest and highest score), with Jason O’Neil. I’d seen Jason on stage before and was always captured by what I consider a Broadway-theater presence. His voice and the animation of his movement are far different from the “B-more attitude” that I tap into on stage. And, yet, we were pitted against one another. At the end of the night, with a tie-breaker round, we both still came out with perfect scores, but, by a slight point-something advantage, I was announced the winner.

To view the entire article, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/Editorials/2010/articles/04/lyrically18.html

Music Hits The Spot Series (What's On My Mind By Donald Mitchell)

2010-04-08T12:01:00.003-04:00

So the long awaited cd has finally dropped. People heard the first single, and then was amazed at the video that came along with it. I don't think that people were ready to see you strip down in real life in the middle of a major street in Dallas, TX. Well guess what, she's here, and she's letting the world know that she ain't playing the game anymore, because the game is hers for the taking.

This is definitely a change-up in the game from her first cd "New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War". It reminds me of her old style, which drew me to love her in the first place. I'm not going to go into that, mainly because I've done that already here, so you can read my thoughts on the first two cds. Only thing I didn't like about this is that it's super short...by the time you get into it, it's about to go off.

But she ended it on a great note with this song:

This song right here is the perfect song to end it on. It's almost like she's having flashbacks to when she and ole dude were together, but on the brink of being separated for good. Not sure if anyone else thought about this (although I know one person already has..lol), but this is giving me Green Eyes precedence. Think about it...she's talking bout all the things that she'd do for him, and all the while, realizing that she's been the fool for him. Green Eyes is just picking up where she left off. I also like the way she sampled different songs (such as Junior Mafia's Get Money and Sweet Sable's Old Time Sake).

All in all, I'll give this a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I think that if she would have made it a bit longer then I would have given it a higher rating. But I must say, this was a good comeback, cause in my opinion, she hadn't had a banger since Mama's Gun. This is a good rideout cd. It's somewhat a bitter in a love lost sort of way, but I don't see it making women want to go out and start stabbin up people's tires or bustin out windows. I endorse it.

Good job Erykah! You ain't lost it after all.

Correction to Kirk Whalum Breaking News....

2010-04-02T09:36:00.003-04:00

ETM prides itself on making sure our stories are always accurate. It's of great importance that our Misfits know we would never just "make things up".

For this reason we touched base with Kirk Whalum to get more clarity on his "CEO of Stax" comment during our interview. He shared with us that his title is actually CEO of The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and the Stax Music Academy.

Now everything has been cleared up. We would like to once again thank Mr. Whalum and we can't wait for everyone to check out the interview in our Health and Fitness issue of ETM which drops this month.

Kirk Whalum becomes CEO of Stax Records

2010-03-19T22:06:00.003-04:00

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!

Saxophonist Kirk Whalum broke news to me this evening that he has become the CEO of Stax Records.

Stax Records was founded in 1957 in Memphis, Tennessee by Jim Stewart and was originally named Satellite Records.

Past Artists signed to Stax:

Isaac Hayes

Johnnie Taylor

Rufus Thomas

Otis Redding

The Staple Singers

The Dramatics

That's just to name a few.

Artists Signed to Stax (Present Day)

Lalah Hathaway

Angie Stone

Leela James

N'dambi

Teena Marie

Nikka Costa

Again, just to name a few.

Kirk didn't go into much detail but he shared with us that ETM/EYM was the first publication to find out so we want to send out a BIG congrats to Kirk Whalum and we hope you check out his cover story in the Health & Fitness issue of eXcapethematriX.com dropping in April.

CONGRATS KIRK and thank you for an amadamaphus interview, it was truly an honor.

Music Hits the Spot Series (Your Like A Mirror to My Soul By Donald Mitchell)

2010-03-18T13:29:00.002-04:00

...but a queen
And finally now I know just what that means

I'm not sure why this particular song has been runnin TUFF in my mind over the past few days. I DO know that it's been on constant repeat in my brain (and on the iPod, and on YouTube as well), but eh, it is what it is.

For those of you who remember pudgy Usher singin "Just Call Me a Mack", here is the new and improved, grown up Usher. I attest a lot of this "maturity" to what he's been through in the past few years between relationship issues with Chilli, getting married and becoming a father, not to mention coming into his own as an artist. I also think that what he has endured enabled him to sing this song with such conviction that makes you believe that whomever he's singing this song to is "The One" for him.

Previously, I did a post on wedding songs, but I'd definitely add this one to my list. Only thing is that instead of him singin it, I'd sing it to my wife (yeah, betcha didn't know I could keep a tune...lol). Or if not that, this would definitely be the first dance song....cause this is the impression that I'd want to leave in her mind from the moment that I say "I Do".

No matter how far I go
And no matter how long it takes
No one or nothing can change
Forever yours here I stand

Watch Me Fly: The Janice B interview Part II

2010-03-15T02:36:00.006-04:00

Written By: Raven Ekundayo
Photography By: Quill Wordsmith

FINALLY! For all of you patient Janice B. fans out there I apologize on behalf of all the Misfits for taking so long to get this to you. We missed February but here ya go, Part II of my conversation with my big sis Janice B, eXclusively on the EYM blog. We discuss Racism, meeting Mo-rece and joining Stinkiface music and why music tastes like Popyes to her. We pick up the convo where we left off in the magazine on part I. I wanted to know what "Blue eyed soul" meant to her. Enjoy....

Janice – Well, that’s a good question. I think “Blue eyed soul” is a term that the record industry puts out there to promote their “blue eyed” singers (Laughs). Usually the people that fits that category like Joss Stone and people like that have voices that sound, I don’t want to say African American, but they sound like a sister. You know? I think that’s the way they market it. I don’t think that’s me and I don’t put myself in that category. I don’t think I sound like that, country maybe (Laughs). I think that’s kind of why I say I do music with soul, not soul music. That goes back to my age again because when I was growing up there wasn’t an R&B section it was a soul section. The music was soul music and if the person who was singing it was Black they were in the soul music section. If you’re Black you’re in the soul music section, that’s how it was….eXcept for the Doobie Brothers (Laughs). Now while I don’t think I fit in the “Blue eyed soul” category I do think I’m different in the sense that you can’t label me. I tend to write for me and I write what I feel. Some things are my story and some things are other people’s stories or whatever I feel at the moment. But yeah, so I don’t think I’m “Blue eyed soul”, “Brown eyed soul”, Light skin soul”, whatever (Laughs).

Raven – (Laughs). Light skin soul!

Janice – I’ve had people think I was Black before when they hear me speak.

Raven – Of which I could understand.

Janice – And I think I told you when I did my first interview on Blog talk radio with Barron.

Raven – That was your first interview?

Janice – Yes!

Raven – Oh wow I didn’t know that! That makes me feel so good that I was a part of that.

Janice – That was SO much fun (Laughs). A lot of people from my job heard it and one guy said to me “Wow, you really turned on the street”. I was like no honey I was turning off the corporate (Laughs). People are funny because they want to put you in a box and that makes me so angry. I think my purpose is to blur those lines of what people think a white vocalist is and a country singer is. To me if a song is good it doesn’t matter how you sing it. A lot of people don’t agree with me on this but I think a song takes on its own life according to who’s performing it. India.Irie has songs that sound country. It doesn’t matter what your skin color is but people want to put you in that category and I don’t do well with that. If you’re a true musician color means nothing.

Raven – Ok, if I can take a step back a little bit. We talked about how you first got into music and when you met Earl and Brian O’Neal and all but we need to discuss Maurice (Mo-rece) and Stinkiface music. I know you’ve told me things came to you through prayer it seems.

Janice – When you visualize it and you act it out and you speak it, it’ll come to you if it’s supposed to be for you. Before I met Earl I prayed; we had gone to see this band, it was my birthday, and it was an acoustic Latin band. There was something about that night where I told myself I need to do this. I didn’t know what capacity because I wasn’t even writing songs then but I knew I needed to be in that energy.

Raven – Ok, was this like the last year before you decided to leave the group?

Janice – This was 2002.

Raven – Ok

Janice – So I went home and I prayed on it. I never say “gimme this” (Laughs). God doesn’t like that.

Raven – Right, like “I want this now!”

Janice – Right (Laughs). I say this is what I feel and if this is what you want from me I’m ready so show me what I need to do. Literally within a week I was talking to Earl and he had songs he wanted me to hear. You have to be open to change. A lot of people talk about the big things they want to do and are going to do but they don’t want to step out….you know all about that.

Raven – (Laughs) Yes I do. lord knows I do.

Janice – We’re going to make a lot of friends with this conversation. Lol. But yeah, I believe Maurice (Founder of Stinkiface music), contact me initially. He came to the bands myspace page and asked about a sound person.

Raven – What year was this?

Janice – This was (Thinking) Oh lord. What year are we in again?

Raven – Oh boy. Lol

Janice – We probably started talking at the end of 2007 and Brian O’Neal sent me some tracks and I wrote lyrics to them and Maurice worked with me on them and recorded them. That’s how we started together. A lot of people have approached me lately because (in a sarcastic tone) we’re so popular now (laughs). It trips me out when someone’s like “You’re Janice B” and I’m like “Yes” (Laughs).

Raven – (Laughs).

Raven – Ok, so we’re winding down with the questions.

Janice – What does music smell like?

Raven – Why? Why Misfits? (Laughs). Why is she already prepared? What is going on (Laughs)?

Janice – I read (Laughs). I do my work. I don’t have an answer for it (Laughs), but I read.

Raven – Ok (Laughs). Well here we go. What does music taste like to you?

Janice – Oh wow (Thinks for a minute). I think music tastes like everything like chicken wings and hot sauce and macaroni and cheese and popyes and lake trout and.

Raven – (Falling out laughing). Wow, well alright.

Janice – And that’s my answer.

Raven – I’m not mad at you. (Laughs). What does music look like to you?

Janice – Wow. These questions are tough (Laughs). I think it looks like all of us. I don’t think there’s a face on music. Whatever God looks like is what I think it looks like, though I don’t know what God looks like.

Raven – Wow.

Janice – (Smiles) is that a good answer?

Raven – Yeah, even though you’re not supposed to ask me that (Laughs).

Janice – I just think music is heavenly. It’s like life blood.

Raven – I’m feeling that. What does music smell like to you?

Janice – You’re killing me, I hate you (Laughs).

Raven (Laughs).

Janice – I think it smells like earth (Pause followed by a laugh). It smells like arm pits.

Raven – Oh boy (Laughs). This works perfectly because the label you’re signed to is stinki!

Janice – (Laughs). See you took it there.

Raven – (Laughs). So now we’re to the final question. When Janice B. thinks of eXcaping the matriX, what does that mean to her?

Janice – I wasn’t prepared for that. I think it’s like everything we talked about. Blurring the edges, looking at things differently. I think it’s stepping outside of the box that society tries to put us in and persevering through that. People talk about what they want to do but I think that you need to decide what you think success is because it’s not always walking the red carpet at the MTV awards. You know? There were so many people trying to hold me back and telling me it was too late or I’m too old and I’m like huh? If it’s in you it’s in you. Your magazine and your company is a whole different world and you feel what I’m talking about all around you guys.

Raven – Thank you!

Janice – Was that a good answer? Where’s Vanna?

Raven – (Laughs). You’re hilarious. I would like to say that I have truly enjoyed this. Thank you so much.

Janice – Thank you. I enjoyed this too.

For More information on Janice B:

http://www.stinkifacemusic.com

What's Beef (Music on the Spot Series) By: Donald Mitchell

2010-03-10T10:36:00.002-05:00

And nah, I ain't talkin about what's for dinner...or even where is it. I'm talkin about that stuff that got niggas shot up about....that stuff that produced many a bangin track, cause someone decided to rip someone apart.

Here is how beef is described by Biggie:

What's beef? Beef is when you need two gats to go to sleep
Beef is when your moms ain't safe up in the streets
Beef is when I see you
Guaranteed to be in ICU, one more time
What's beef? Beef is when you make your enemies start your Jeep
Beef is when you roll no less than thirty deep
Beef is when I see you
Guaranteed to be in ICU...

Today is a special day in the life of hip-hop, because this is the day that the great Notorious B.I.G. was murdered. Biggie was one half of one of the greatest beefs to ever hit music (2Pac being the other). I know folks loved to hear those two go back and forth about everything from style/swagger to cliques they rolled with. To me, Biggie kept it real, raw, and uncut. It was what it was. And that's all it was goin to be.

Even though he only dropped 3 albums (well some say 2, but eh #kanyeshrug), his flow and music was nothin to be effed with. Biggie dropped tracks that were club bangers (and some of them still are), those that were ride outs in the car, and even those that riled up the inner thug in you (that's if you got some of that).

I already posted once about my favorite song by Biggie - see here, but here are some of my other favorites that I always bang on the iPod...even though they all came out in the 90s.

10 Crack Commandments: Rules that all street pharmaceutical salesmen should live by.

Who Shot Ya?: During the height of the Biggie/Pac battles. Biggie wasn't playin. lol

One More Chance (remix): This song was so great, that even Ashanti could bite the music and make a hit. lol

You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You): This is the real though. People don't know you til you're no longer here.

Fuck Me: Real raunchy, but this interlude was HILARIOUS!

Livin the Life: One of the best tributes to Biggie....HANDS.DOWN. Snoop, Luda, and Bobby V set it out on this one.

Biggie, your lyrical mastermind will always live on. RIP Christopher Wallace

Sex is Complicated?!

2010-03-10T10:30:00.004-05:00

On How Love Is:The Complications of S-E-X
Written by: Billy Winn

Why does the introduction of sex always seem to complicate things?! It’s a question I’ve asked myself time and time again—never seeming to find an answer that satisfies the circumstances. A relationship that has not yet made it to romance could be going in the perfect direction for romance—then, out of nowhere, the act of sex changes the perspectives of everyone involved, leaving the situation in utter ruin. It’s happened to me time after time, and, as I once again find myself surveying not just mine, but the circumstances of others, I wonder if the question isn’t “Why does sex complicate things?” but rather “Why do we allow it to?”

We started off as friends—sharing many of the same interests, frequenting the same places, and running in the same social circles, so upon first glance it looked like it could be a match made in heaven. For whatever reason, though, the relationship stalled at a friendship, which is by no means a bad thing, but the thought of taking it to another level still loomed large. Neither of us shared our feelings out right—perhaps we hinted around to it, but that only proved to be anti-productive, because at the end of the day, we remained just friends. That is of, course, until that faithful night when it became clear we both had feelings that transcended the “friends” line, and, before I knew it, we’d crossed that line, never to return again.

What I realized in this situation was that we both did, in fact, have feelings beyond a friendship. But, because we never actually stated what those feelings were, we each assumed that the other felt the same way—when in truth—we were in two different places altogether. While one of us was considering the possibility of love, the other considered the possibility of sex. We both obliged to the latter however, and that’s when the complications took over. I didn’t know this was a situation all too familiar to many, so when I shared it with a friend, I was shocked, but relieved to know someone else had eXperienced what I was going through. It made me stop and think—for real this time—about our approach to relationships and where eXactly we were going wrong with it all. My answer: we were going wrong by offering sex with the hopes that love will eventually manifest.

To see the entire article, click the link below:
http://etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2010/articles/03/2010_03_howloveis.html

Who’s the Most Judgmental Amongst Males & Females?

2010-03-10T10:25:00.003-05:00

Written by: ^Northernstar*

judg·men·tal (jj-mntl)
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or dependent on judgment: a judgmental error.
2. Inclined to make judgments, especially moral or personal ones: a marriage counselor who tries not to be judgmental.

In a world where many people like to criticize others for the things they say or do, I find it common that most of us (teens, adults, elderly) have been guilty of judging someone (at least one time, including myself). Is it good to judge anyone? Well, no. Nine times out of ten, the individuals being judged are battling uncontrollable situations that have overtaken their lives.

Scenario I:
Tonya & Ashley are walking to the bus stop and they stand next to a beautiful, dark skinned woman with no eyebrows & a short haircut. Tonya whispers to Ashley, while they both laugh at the woman’s close cut, not realizing the woman has been battling breast cancer for two years and has been receiving radiation/ chemotherapy treatments.

The statements many people make about others are ridiculous, especially when they don’t personally know the individuals or judge them by their appearance. In general, people can be very judgmental… but, the question is… who is worst amongst males & females?! I asked the same question to many of my followers on Twitter & Facebook, and a few people from the streets. A great number seemed to think women are the most judgmental! Below are REAL responses from people ages 16-22 I received about women:

“I think women are judgmental because they seem to carry their bad past eXperiences in their newfound relationships/friendships.”

“Women are by far the most judgmental... probably because they are often insecure… That’s how it usually goes… If a woman sees another woman as a threat or isn’t feeling good about herself, it makes her feel better if there’s negative attention shifted towards someone else, reflecting it away from her...”

“I’d say females! Hard to say why. I just think of females gossiping about one another and about other guys. Of course, guys can do that, too, but I find females will do it more openly… They eXpress themselves more to each other.”

To see the conclusion to who's the most judgmental, click the link below:
http://etmmagazine.info/future/2010/articles/03/2010_03_whosmostjudgemental.html

Male Comedians Take on Women Roles!

2010-03-10T10:23:00.002-05:00

The Stereotypes of Gender Reversal-Bending in Films

Written by: Kenneth-Michael

Comedic actor Robin Williams’ portrayal of a middle-aged nanny and maid in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire earned the film over $219 million. When Martin Lawrence wore a red dress to play the matriarch of the family in Big Momma House 1 and 2, the movies grossed over $ 117 million. And then, there is Tyler Perry, whose role as a pistol-packing grandmother made him a multi-millionaire.

All of these gentlemen had their highest box office figures once they put on the wig. This type of acting, when men are chosen to portray women or vice versa, is known as gender bending or reversal.

Gender bending dates to the era of playwright William Shakespeare where the roles of women were performed solely by men. Young boys would play the female role because, at the time, their voices were high-pitched and bodies weren’t developed. The women were forbidden to perform in theatrical stage plays.

The 21st century saw many actors put on a wig and pair of heels to portray the female role. Many of the actors were comedians, so their performance was seen merely as laughable and a way to entertain the audience. Critics say dressing in drag is a requirement for some Black comedians if they want to be successful and bypass any hurdles.

Funny man Dave Chappelle says that he felt pressured to dress up as a woman, but declined the offer. Chappelle felt that succumbing to the pressures would lessen his masculinity and aid to racism. He likened that dressing up in drag for a quick laugh was similar to minstrel shows and the blackface caricatures.

To see more Gender-Bending, click the link below:
http://etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2010/articles/03/2010_03_gender.html

(Music Series on the Spot) RIP Baby Girl by Donald Mitchell

2010-02-24T11:08:00.000-05:00

This was one of the many Aaliyah songs that I loved, simply because even though Aaliyah wasn't the greatest artist vocally, but she brought her own Detroit style to the table. (not to mention, she looks DAYUM good in a 2 split skirt). Even though her beginnings started off with that scandalous pedophilic musical mastermind R'rah Kelly, she eventually bloomed into her own, and realized that the girly look was gonna take her farther in the business than the "thug misses" look ever would. (and I agree...leave that to Da Brat..lol).

Aaliyah's life was taken way before her time shoulda been gone, but honestly I guess that's not really my decision to make. She gave us 3 good to great albums before her untimely passing, but if given the chance, I bet that she had a lot more to offer the world. Aaliyah paved the way for such folks like Ciara and Teyana Taylor...but I betcha that if she was still alive, that she woulda been blowin them to pieces. Some of my favorites by the Baby Girl herself are listed below (and low key, I still bump some of them to this day. lol)Back and Forth- The first single from her first CD "Age Ain't Nothin But a Number". This was the song that introduced us to the female protege of R'rah.

Street Thing- This wasn't a mainstream hit, but it was a banger. Loved the feeling she put into it.

Age Ain't Nothin But a Number- The title track from her 1st cd that let folks know that even though she may be young, she still know how to get down.

One in a Million- A re-used title with a bangin beat and different words. The title track from her second CD: this was the beginning of a Timbo era.

If Your Girl Only Knew- The first single released from the second CD. Probably was the theme song for all those fly girls back in the day. LOL

We Need a Resolution- First track from her self-titled and last CD. She really came wit it. Gotta love the Timbo beat.

I Care 4 U- Love the sincerity in this video. She vows to make things all better after a broken relationship. Fellas, how many of us are lookin for someone like that?

I Don't Wanna Be- From the Romeo Must Die Soundtrack....acting was pretty bad, but the song knocks tho!

There were plenty of others that could and should be mentioned here, but if I listed all of the songs that banged throughout her career, we'd be here all day. I know that you guys got more to list, but these are the ones that stood out to me. The world is missing an angel, but she's in Heaven right now performing for those people up there now.

R.I.P. Aaliyah

"Dinner Fo' Show" By: Luminous

2010-02-22T12:15:00.001-05:00

Toby’s Dinner Theater ain’t got nothing on this. Yes, I said “ain’t got,” but when you are writing a review of “Dinner fo’ Show: The Dinner Show,” how else would you describe it. The overall show left you with a twang in your toes, broken vernacular and an urge to contort your face… all in a good way. I mean have you ever heard some feel good music that made you step outside of the constrictions of your 9-5 box and just get loose?

Hosted by the hip-hop duo AXIOM, the show started off with the dinner portion. The menu consisted of baked chicken, macaroni & cheese, green beans and a choice between sweet potato biscuit or a dinner roll. I must add that the staff were pretty accommodating after finding out that I didn’t eat meat, and for that I awarded the first gold dinner plate of the night. The premise was to let the patrons enjoy a hearty meal and then push the tables back to party. I thought it was a rather fulfilling idea being as though you were being feed both physically and mentally with food and music. Plus, the dancing portion provided a great opportunity to burn off the calories from the previous meal. Four bands and a full belly, you can’t beat such a thing for $15.

First up to the stage was Old Man Brown, a band who named themselves after the owner of the barn where they originally held rehearsals. I’m not sure I can accurately describe their sound or musical genre but if you were to take funk, blues, R&B and soul and threw it into your juicer the finely strained liquid would be the sound of Old Man Brown. I know that my musical ear and brain process things in a different manor than most but, I immediately think of a mesh between Washington D.C.’s W. Ellington Felton, Maxwell and Christion. Smooth, nutritious and filling. Similar to an appetizer, just enough to hit the spot but leaving you with enough room for more, from original songs to covers this band was an eXcellent way to start the show.

Dinner is served. Presented before you on a piping hot plate but cool enough to not burn your musical palate, A Cool Stick fed a meal that may have been deceiving to the naked eye. Dressed in typical “B-Boy” lounge gear, these guys took the stage and commanded it and the crowd with much more style and grace than their small frames are looked to be able to handle. Spitting verses in tempos that most wouldn’t be able to keep up with, these guys laced the lounge area of Club Reality with lyrical fire and warmed the crowd up for the final act. Slowly but surely, the audience members began to vacate their seats and vibe along with flow of the music. Once they got to the cover of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” many audience members were dancing and singing along.

Funk Friday slid in right behind A Cool Stick and hypnotized the crowd with their melodic instrumentals. J Pope joined in to season the third course with just enough flavor to keep the audience salivating for more. AXIOM hit the stage with tons of energy, as they are known to do and they brought the final flavor to top off a perfect meal. Similar to the ultimate sundae that brings a smile and a happy dance at the conclusion of your meal, everyone was out of their seats. Then again, most didn’t have a choice because the tables and chairs were taken away for the specific reason of partying. LOVE the poet and J Pope made guest appearances in the song “Money Matters” and AXIOM performed tracks off of both albums “The Mixtape” and “Heat Rises.” They even did a flash back segment with the help of the DJ where they sang snippets of oldie but goodies.

All in all, I give the show 4 out of 5 gold dinner plates and the lack of the last plate wasn’t due to the line up or the energy level of the performers. I was kind of disappointed that everyone in the building wasn’t on their feet rocking out with the performers. This show was well thought out and put together and although everyone isn’t the dancing type, it doesn’t take much to throw your hands in the air, bob your head and throw a bit of energy and enthusiasm towards the artist. After all, they are pouring their heart into the show that they are putting before you. Great price, great food and great performances, I can honestly say that I left well fed and got a dance workout in the process.

Much peace, love and light

For more on the groups:
http://www.oldmanbrown.com
http://www.acoolstick.com
http://www.mindstatemix.com

Rise of the Aryans By Jamal Greene

2010-02-11T16:01:00.002-05:00

Never again. It is a phrase that calls to remembrance the horrors of the Holocaust and the genocides that followed; to never forget that in order for atrocities to occur, the world must turn its back and allow them to. At this present time the world faces another totalitarian regime bent on dominating the energy rich region of the Persian Gulf, and destroying an Ancient people, already having suffered under the Holocaust, by embroiling them in the flames on a nuclear attack. Iran, a regime the US government claims to be the world’s leading exporter of Terrorism around the world; a regime that has been responsible for hundreds, maybe thousands, of US deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan due to its shipment of explosive devices to Terrorists and Militia fighters.

Today the Islamic Republic declared itself A Nuclear State, with the ability to enrich uranium up to 80%, which is weapons grade. Iran claims to have produced its first batch of 20 % enriched uranium, a feat that many did not expect so soon. In his inaugural address, President Obama said, “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” In response, the Iranian Supreme leader in short told America to stuff it and he considered it disgusting to negotiate with America, even with the Anointed One as President. Throughout 2009, Iran tests fired several short to medium range missiles with little to no action on the part of the US administration and the international community. In 2009 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood in the UN general assembly and assailed the world for allowing a dictatorial mad man like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to once again make a mockery of the world and Jewish people worldwide by denying the holocaust and routinely calling for Israel’s destruction. The Israeli Prime Minister, and indeed the world, is now asking themselves, have the time for sanctions pasts?

There are some that would argue that the time for sanctions have pasts and that’s it time for the US or Israel to take out the Iranian facilities. However, the regional and international repercussions of such a strike would be major to say the least. Some believe a surgical airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities would be a quick, slam dunk, operation but there are many reasons to believe such thoughts are based in idealism, not Realism. We have learned over the past few months of a secret Iranian enrichment facility located in the Shiite holy city of Qom, and there are many who believe there are more such facilities yet to be uncovered. An airstrike against the known Iranian facilities would be relatively easy for an Air Force as technologically advanced as America or Israel but the strike would fail to hit the facilities we believe may exist but don’t know there locations; and it’s the unknown facilities that should cause concern. Soon after the air strike to take out the known nuclear facilities, ground forces would need to be sent in to find the other facilities and troops in the region would have to be put on high alert as the Iranians seek retaliation. Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other allies in the region would need to be protected from a bombardment of Iranian missiles, plus Israel and Lebanon would also have to defend against incoming rocket and missile attacks from Iranian proxies Hezbollah and Hamas. The region could diverge into regional war causing massive shock waves through the financial markets as oil prices soared. These are very possible scenarios that could unfold in the event of a surgical strike to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. The strike would have to be on a massive scale if we are to downgrade Iran’s retaliatory measures and protect our troops and allies in the region. Not only would we have to go after known Nuke facilities but also high level military installations and bases. The question American and Israeli policy makers must ask themselves: Are we ready to put a substantial amount of human life on the line by green lighting the strikes?

Currently the US and other western nations are calling for a new round of international sanctions on Iran targeting their financial sectors and refined petroleum imports. The United States and others such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom could move quickly to impose unilateral economic sanctions on Iran, barring any company doing business with Iran from doing business within their perspective countries. The hope of sanctions is that companies and individuals doing business with Iran would be so adversely affected by not having access to US and Western markets that they’d divest from Iran thereby crippling Iran’s economy. However, Iran, similar to Iraq and North Korea, has survived sanctions in the past and would most likely survive these due to Iran’s trade and economic agreements with China and Russian; these are the same nations by the way that are standing in the way of meaningful sanctions. China has repeatedly voiced their opposition to new sanctions on Iran via the UN Security Council and although the Obama administration claims to be making inroads with convincing Russia, the real story tells another tale. Russia has economic, political, and diplomatic relations with Iran and as late as 2009 there was much reported in the international press on the pending Natural Gas cartel to be headed by Russia and Iran; these are the two nations with the largest known world reserves. Without Russia and China onboard, and with those nations continuing to support Iran’s economy, there are only minimal effects sanctions can have. It should be the policy of the United States of America to use every tool in its diplomatic and political arsenal to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. This means the US congress should pass and President Obama should sign the Refined Petroleum Act forbidding companies and individuals from doing business with both Iran and American financial institutions. The Obama administration should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I believe war with Iran is inevitable because I understand the mentality of the radical fundamentalists that control Iran. Religiously, these individuals are what are known as “twelvers”, and they are called “twelvers” because they believe in the ultimate return of the Twelfth Imam, their version of an Islamic Messiah. The leaders of Iran believe that in order for this Figure to appear, the world must first warrant his coming through war and bloodshed. Only in a time a severe chaos, do they believe the Imam will appear and save his people from destruction. The Iranian’s believe they can bring about such calamity with a nuclear weapon. As outlandish as this may sound to some who have not studied the different schools within Islam, it is a reality. Many would have thought it was just as outlandish to say that 19 men of Middle Eastern descent and sharing a common Islamic faith would highjack airplanes on a bright September’s morning and change this nation’s history forever. But it happened. In the event that sanctions have minimal effect on dissuading Iran’s activities, then the US should quickly move to take out the known facilities, buying Israel and the world more time to locate the other facilities, take them out, and help the Iranian people to topple the current regime. I’ll leave you all with an interesting and thought provoking account of contemporary Iranian history. Persia, the name Iran was known by until more modern times; but when and why did Persia become Iran? During the years of Adolf Hitler’s rule in Germany, the Iranian Ambassador to Germany and the Nazi’s decided that during the “war to end all wars”, or WWII, that Iran should declare its alliance with Nazi Germany, and it was to be public. Sadly it is rarely mentioned in the media or foreign policy publications as to why Persia became Iran; and there are scant sources found by a simple Google search. Since 1935 and the secret alliance with Nazi Germany Persia has been known as Iran. The name Iran means in their native language “Land of the Aryans”. Never Again.

Music Hits The Spot Series (All Night Long By Donald Mitchell)

2010-02-11T15:55:00.004-05:00

I must say...this was one of my favorite songs by the First Lady of Bad Boy, Faith Evans. I always get into an upbeat jam that'll make me nod my head to the beat, and this is what it did. Low key, I always felt like taking a trip to the roller skating rink and doin a couple of laps around the rink for old times sakes. LOL. I think what really attracted me to this song is that you don't really hear much upbeat music from Faith, so when I heard this one, it instantly caught my ear...

Another song that I love from her is this one right here:

Actually, I think this is my favorite song of hers...with All Night Long coming in a close second, both hailing from her "Keep the Faith" cd. I think that the pairing of her and 112 really hit the mark. Don't get me wrong, she's done some really great work with other people, but this song right here, will (and already has) go on the playlist that gets rotated while we groovin. (Keepin it PC...this is a family oriented site people..lol).

This song right here used to knock...and actually it still does:

Featuring an up and coming Carl Thomas, this song is one that goes on the chill playlist. I was feelin this song the moment it came out, and the beat goes HARD. For real though...it's too bad Carl didn't blow up like he should have. But then again, he was a product of Bad Boy...so what were we supposed to expect? lol
And although I wasn't the biggest fan of her 2005 album:

This was one of the few silver linings that saved that CD from being a total flop to me. I wasn't really impressed with it, because it seemed that she tried to be too "hip" and the features of Mario Winans, they DEFINITELY could kept. But for some reason, I really liked this song. It kinda had a "lounge club" feel to it. Like I need to be sittin in a darkened club with a glass of Henny at my table and just kinda noddin my head to the beat while she serenades the entire room. LOL

Faith, we're waiting for another cd to drop from you. We need some good R&B to touch our ears once again, and I think that you're the just the lady to do it.

Music Hits the Spot Series (The Soul of a Man By: Donald Mitchell)

2010-02-06T14:45:00.002-05:00

Hey ladies....you ever wondered what it would be like to look into the deepest innards of a man and figure out what he's thinking? Do you ever wonder if he's into you as much as he says that he is. What would you think if a man ever told you that this is how he thinks of you:

That's right...he's just THAT into you. This song here should bring any doubts you have to a crumbling pile. I mean listen to the lyrics that he sings.
If I ever leave you baby
You can say I told you so
And if I ever hurt you
You know I'd hurt myself as well
Is that any way for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
I love you...more than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know

The original, sung by the late great Donny Hathaway, inspired Kenny to cover this, and I must say, he covered and quite well. Unlike other covers, where they tried to channel the spirit of Donny himself, Kenny took this song, and made it his. Of all the versions of this song, Kenny's, I must say, is the best one (maybe this is what he sang to Chante').

Coming from the CD Soul of a Man, I think that this is the best song on that cd. Not sayin that the other songs aren't good, cause this is a great cd, but I think that this song is what puts it over the top. Of course it came from a great mind, so all Kenny had to do is put his own personal spin on it.

So tell me..how do you feel if your significant other told you this:

I'm only flesh and blood
But I'll be anything that you demand
I could be king of everything
or just a tiny grain of sand
Is that way for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
I love you.....more than you'll ever know

Hopefully, you'll love him just as much if not more.

Under the Obama Economy: Delusions of Grandeur (By Jamal R Greene)

2010-02-05T12:40:00.004-05:00

The Department of Commerce released its first set of figures accessing the health of the US economy during the fourth quarter of last year and to the surprise of many, mainly in the Obama Administration, the economy supposedly grew at a rate of 5.7%. On the surface, and without dissecting the numbers first, it appears that the Administrations claim that the recession may be over could be valid. Fortunately many Americans have learned they have to take many of the things coming out of this White House with an objective suspicion. After all, this is the administration that pledged to the American people that if congress passed its Trillion dollar so called stimulus unemployment would not rise above 8%; today the national unemployment rate stands at 10%. This is the same President that promised to hold HealthCare negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people could see who were in bed with the special interests and corporations. The American people never had a chance to see these negotiations of C-SPAN but what they did see was one of the most corrupt congresses in History lead by Reid and Pelosi in a slew of backroom multi-million dollar deals in an effort to buy votes for Obama unpopular agenda. This is a President that railed against the influence of lobbyist on the US political landscape and swore he would never hire them to work in his administration. This promise, like the others, was short lived, as the President hired lobbyists for top positions within his administration.

The prospect that the economy appears to be growing again is something of good news, even if the actual growth is overstated. The Obama administration was quick to pounce on the news of potential growth but they should have learned from experience by now that they often pounce too quickly. What the administration failed to mention as they attempted to take credit for the GDP figure was the fact that an overwhelming majority of that growth came from private business inventories not his economic policies. According to the Commerce Department report, “The U.S. economy grew at a faster-than-expected 5.7 percent pace in the fourth quarter, the quickest in more than six years, as businesses made less-aggressive cuts to inventories and stepped up spending.” Amazing, not a mention of the “stimulus” in the reported growth figure, but the administration seems to think they played a part in it. The fact of the matter is this administration has not created a climate for private business growth and job creation to occur; in fact they’ve did the opposite as a recent poll shows 77% of investors consider this administration hostile toward business.

The Labor department released its jobless claims report and we found that initial claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly. The only people in the nation that were expecting a decrease in claims were the Obama Administration and their allies in the mainstream media outlets and it’s because they live in a land called Delusion. The President and his party fail to realize how jobs are actually created in a Free and open society, a Capitalist system, and their performance on jobs and the economy shows just how in the dark they are. In a Free and Open Market economy, businesses need Capital and Credit in order to operate and expand but unfortunately all they received from this Administration in more regulation and taxation on the industry that supplies this much needed credit: The Banks. In order for business to expand and new businesses to open, the climate for business ventures must be solidly in place and most Americans simply don’t see this kind of climate being produced and nurtured in Washington. The American people understand that when the President says he is serious about job creation, he’s just blowing smoke. The American people understand that when you heavily regulate or tax something, you received less of it or less from it. When small businesses see their tax burden increase, they do like any American family would do when they see expenses begin to reach parity with income; they trim the budget and the quickest way to do so is to cut Payroll. When mid to large corporations see their taxes increased, some offset the increase by slashing payrolls while others simply pass them on to the consumer in the forms of higher prices. Increasing taxes on corporations sounds good to some in theory but in practice it often results in an economic debacle. When will some in Washington learn that Corporations don’t pay taxes? When most major corporations see their tax burdens increase they often offset these new liabilities by passing the tax on to the consumer at consumption. In an unfriendly business environment companies have to do what they have to do to meet, and hopefully exceed, growth and revenue projections and if that means passing on Obama’s tax in the form of higher prices to the consumer then so be it. It is beyond idiotic to believe that business can be overtaxed, over regulated, and overburdened and still be expected to created jobs and bring down the nation’s unemployment rate.

Even as Washington touts a supposed drop in the national unemployment rate from 10% to 9.7%, the American people seem to have lost trust in our government. The people understand that the national unemployment rate is much higher than 9.7% and they know this because they live in the real world and have seen themselves, love ones, and friends lose jobs in 2009. It is now becoming aware to more and more citizens that the government actually manipulates Labor statistics in order to show a lower unemployment rate than reality yields. The unemployment rate is calculated one of two ways and at times both methods are use. The best way to count the number of Americans employed is to survey all US businesses payroll and count from there. However, our government refuses to be an honest broker. The government decided it would count the number of employed persons, but “Adjusted seasonally”. This means that the government is basing the number on past hiring seasonal trends, and NOT hard data. The evidence shows that these numbers are actually derived from telephone surveys, and not an accurate headcount. The government acknowledges this counting method and does not dispute that if it were not used the nation’s unemployment rate would have “RISEN FROM 10.0% TO 10.6%”. This is nothing more than accounting tricks and the American people deserve more, they deserve the Truth, a characteristic lacking from our current government. The second way the government calculates unemployment figures is by the Establishment survey. This report only surveys about 370,000 US employers and the list of companies surveyed rarely changes year to year meaning that newer businesses are rarely accounted for. So the figures given are based on almost the same companies surveyed every year. What about the small businesses that lay off thousands of workers? Most are not counted. What about millions of workers who don’t work for one of the 370,000 businesses surveyed? These people are simply not counted, and many of them are unemployed. Therefore no matter how the White House tries to steer the news cycle on the day, the people, the true guardians of our great Republic, see through the media hype and rhetoric and can see the truth. This Truth is that the nation’s economy is in shambles and most of it, but not all of it, is due to the Statists and their anti-business, anti-growth, and most of all Anti-Capitalism agenda.

Music Hits The Spot Series (Snowy Day! By Donald Mitchell)

2010-02-04T00:26:00.002-05:00

As I sit here looking out the window at the snow (for the 23789329703 time this year), I think about music that I'd listen to if I was sittin there with that special someone. Sometimes, music is all that's needed in order to get the mood right and tight. And here's one song that I definitely would have playing (and maybe more than once):

This is, has, and always will be my favorite Luther song. True enough, it's talkin about creepin around, but that withstanding, it's the perfect song to play while sittin in front of a fire with the boo, while drinkin some hot chocolate with Bailey's (~~or Henny #dontjudgeme~~). lol. Really, he's promoting steppin out on the one you're with to be with the one you're diggin, but let's be real, how many of us have done (or even thought) about doing the same thing. Especially when it seems that the grass is greener on the other side.

In reality, he's tellin her that he's willin to be her "one night stand", and that it'll be worth it to hold her for one night. (she must got that good stuff...lol)

Your eyes say things I'll never hear from you
And my knees are shakin too
But I'm willin, willin, too go through

I must be crazy
Standin in this place,
But I'm feelin your disgrace
For askin

Hey...you both know what it is. It's just a one time thing (which might turn into something more in the future), but for right now, all you wanna do is:

Let me hold you tight
If only for one night
Lemme keep you near
To ease away your fears
It would be so nice
If only for one night...

The Famed Monster...

2010-02-01T16:17:00.002-05:00

A Generation Obsessed with Perfection, Fame, and Materialistic Things
Written by: Renee BlackStar

Allow me to start off this topic by saying… I think that our society is doomed to be fucked if we continue on this warpath we’ve engaged in with ourselves and with each other. That’s a crass statement, I know, but being straightforward is the simplest way to express how I really feel. It seems as if the air of reason has changed within the last thirty years with regard to our priorities. We have become a society of people that puts the love of “things” and “money” before the welfare of their fellow man and, often times, even themselves.

What has happened to our morals? Why are we bingeing so shamelessly and so unapologetically on vanity, gluttony, and jealousy?

History stands to remind us that we are not the first generation, nor the first civilization for that matter (and probably not the last), to have been ignorant and short-sighted enough to fall prey to the temptations of envy, easy money, beauty, opulence, attention, and the acceptance by others that go along with living a materialistic lifestyle. Most of those guys managed to wipe themselves right off the face of this earth worshipping power and greed. Every generation has its idiots, I suppose. And ours is no exception. Our generation is merrily sinking in to an abyss of shallowness, and it is a very painful thing to watch from a humble perspective.

Now, I know that I am not the only person that sees how overly obsessed people are becoming with perpetuating the illusion of a seemingly effortless and “perfect” image of themselves to the masses. Spending more than half of their income on shit that makes them look good, they forget about putting money away for the future. But, maybe we’ve lost faith in the future, and that’s the reason why we live like there’s no tomorrow. We have lost our respect for life, giving in to all of the vices a human being could have ever possibly given in to, only to lose respect for ourselves, all in the name of perfection. However, the cliché phrase “nobody is perfect” will soon be phased out because, in the future, capturing the ideal of “perfection” will be as simple as having a whole body transplant. That’s right! If you don’t like who you are, just get a new body all together. Yep… that’s the ticket for the train we’re looking to ride on.

To read the entire article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2010/articles/02/2010_02_famedmonsters.html

Cultural Diver...

2010-02-01T16:12:00.002-05:00

Cultural Diversity:
Are We Really That Different?

Written by: Chenita “Infinite Apex” Dickerson

I am writing this article on the eve of Martin Luther King’s birthday, a few weeks before Black History Month, and just days after a devastating earthquake took the lives of many in Haiti and injured millions more physically and emotionally. It’s not hard to put myself in another’s shoes, but walking in them is another story.

Although I cannot imagine a time when equal rights didn’t exist, and I feel that the world is one big melting pot, often there are differences that seem to divide and conquer even if only in our minds. People will do things that don’t correlate to their thought process; give money to a cause, but won’t help the guy down the street. The disaster in Haiti appears to be the cause of the moment. I mean, why else would Former President Clinton and Bush come together and have a website combining both of their names in order to raise funds and awareness geared towards the victims in Haiti? The NFL paid 1.5 million dollars for a commercial to tell people to give money to the American Red Cross. Call me crazy, but give the 1.5 million to the Red Cross and hold a FREE press conference saying you did it to encourage others to give what they can. I just hope that the money raised far surpasses the money spent, although there is no real way of tracking the true numbers.

Fraudulent criminals are already sending out false e-mails and letters trying to swindle money from people who are attempting to get the funds to those in need. Are we really that different? Hell, No! One man’s disaster is another man’s dream come true… a politician’s chance to get his face in the place and in the good graces. We all want peace in the midst of the storm, but pray for change to come. Sad to say, one fellow’s found dollar is another’s lost one. A great price on a foreclosure is another’s homeless ticket. Everyone finds a way to make it about them.

Every race has had a hand at slavery and at being a slave master. Check your history, folks, and you will see that, yes, even Blacks (Africans, African-American, or whatever you identify by) have been slave owners (Michael Jackson’s song titled “Remember The Time” was about just that).

To see the entire article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2010/articles/02/2010_02_culturaldiver.html

What is Swagger?!

2010-02-01T16:06:00.003-05:00

Swagger”:
The Attraction Factor Amongst Teens
Written by: Kenneth-Michael

The word “swagger” has been mentioned in just about every record on the radio today. But, just what is the meaning of “swagger” and how is it affecting teenagers today? So, I decided to interview youth in Baltimore City to get the scoop on the term and just what it means to this generation.

Shakera Lawson, 17, is a student at Western High School. Lawson credits her swagger to her individuality…

What is swagger?

To me, swagger is the way someone carries themselves, such as the way they dress and the personality that comes with it. It mean there is not a set swagger; it can be a switch-up type thing, like if they have on sweatpants, tennis, and a shirt, they may have a swagger that goes along with that particular outfit. Some people have that swagger where it is a constant thing everyday, but, to me, it is something that can be switched. It is not a set or ongoing thing.

So, you could be dressed in a suit and still have swagger?

Right.

Describe your swagger, if you could? Do you have a swagger?

I think I do have swagger. I feel that my swagger is different from everyone else because I feel as though, I don’t try to replicate anyone. I am my own person and there are people that will come up to me and say, “Well, yeah. I like what you have on.” Then, there are people that say a thing like, “That is different,” and, “I don’t think I will ever wear that, but it looks cute on you.” So, my swagger is very out of the normal. I think that I am very odd in my style. For me, I like bright colors, but I can’t really explain how I put them together. So, I do think that I have swagger.

“Boys who chose to wear their pants off their butts… They don’t have no type of swagger. I think you have to
have a belt on at least. No one wears pants hanging off their butt no more. That was like so three years ago…”

Do you have a boyfriend right now?

No.

But, you have had a boyfriend?

Yes.

So, when it comes to swagger in males, what do you look for?

I’m not really into the baggy clothes style, to be honest. I like a guy who can be sophisticated in a way, but calm and laid back. For me, I like nice pair of jeans, fitted (hats), slacks, boots or clean tennis. I love a guy in a cardigan sweater or button-up shirt, or a regular t-shirt with a cardigan. Let me go back, I do like fitted at times, but it depends on your particular style. But, I like real calm and chill, but nothing like a suit and tie everyday.

So, that is what attracts you to the opposite sex, you would say?

Yes, if it was a first glance kind of thing. I would be like, “Yeah, he is cute or whatever.”

So, if a guy approached you and he didn’t have those things on, but he had a nice swagger and confidence, would you still talk to this person?

Yes, I think that you can be dingy and still have swag—It is a confidence boost. If you feel as though you can come up to me, and I feel that you have swag, then, of course, I will. Because it could just be a bad day, really, so I would talk to them.

It is important that someone has to have a swagger to talk to you?

Yes, I would say, just because I want someone who can be their own person. Say, if you are in a group or with friends, and maybe I know one of those friends and I see that you are trying to be too much like one of his friends in the group, then no. But, if he is around that person and he seems to be his own person and not stuck on that bandwagon, then, yeah, I would talk to him.

To read the entire article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/future/2010/articles/02/2010_02_swagger.html

Instructions for Alchemy!

2010-02-01T15:59:00.002-05:00

Instructions for Alchemy. Ingredients of Ether.
by David “Judah 1” Oliver
Book review by: Ccep J. Dew, West Coast Editor

“If poetry were my religion, your book would be my Bible…”

There is truly no other way to describe how I feel about this book. Having met the author and seen him perform his poetry in person a few months prior to the book’s release, I had an idea of what to eXpect: poems, haiku, personal reflections, and religion. As soon as I pulled the book from the mail, I knew I had underestimated the author and, soon after, realized I had underestimated myself, as well.

Instructions for Alchemy. Ingredients of Ether. is not your typical book of poetry, so I cannot give a typical review. In fact, I think simply calling it a 134-page, 6 chapters, nearly 8 ½ by 11-sized “book of poetry” or “collection of writings” is an insult. One can flip through the pages to see that time, research, and thought went into crafting this completed work. One can also conclude some things about the author if one looks closely at some details:

--there is a firm order to the disorder upon the pages…
--it is not your typically-sized chapbook or poetic collection…
--it has an in-dept introduction by an Associate Vice President of a university…
--“Alchemy” and “Ether” are defined, analyzed, and given new meaning at the start of the book…
--the Table of Contents is “incomplete” and without page numbers, but there is one…
--there are bonus writings, haikus, and “Dear Sanity” letters “scattered” throughout the pages…

Haiku for you:
You are but a Breath
And a Word of God; how I
Love when He speaks you.

To say that David Oliver breathes life and knowledge into his writings would be an immense understatement. The author appears to be one who doesn’t accept the confines of what is typical of a poetic collection, so it is no wonder that each piece of writing, itself, should not eXhibit the same rebellion. From love and self-awareness to religion and society, the author tackles each subject with a breathtaking consciousness that is backed up with historical references where appropriate.

To view the entire review, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2010/articles/02/2010_02_instructions.html

2010-01-29T18:15:00.002-05:00

I really feel like I want to discuss this in some depth. Being one who will always ride that music from the 90s and even EARLY 2000s could run circles around this crap that we listen to these days, prompted me to post about songs that you give side eyes to in the public eye, but yet and still find yourself tappin your foot to in your car or at the crib. Maybe it's the beat, or maybe it's the silliness of the lyrics...iono. But either way, before you realize it, that song has made its way into your rotation on the sneak tip, and you don't know how.

Let's start off with the latest trendsetter: the infamous "LOL/:-)" by Trey Songz.

I'm not sure how Trey got this one off the ground, but coupled with the popularity of Twitter, now it became a household staple. I mean...seriously? WTH? "Shawty sent a twit pic, sayin come and get this. LOL :) LOL :)" I think Trey had to be smokin some serious sticky to come up with this one. The teeny boppers went in for it the moment that it came out. Me on the other hand...not so much. Only after hearing it EVERYWHERE in DC did I become one of the zombie heads of this song. I still feel like I lose more and more brain cells everytime I listen to this song though. LOL
Next on the list: "Stanky Leg" by the GS Boyz

Now I must admit, this was a catchy dance, and normally those dances that look the silliest are the ones that are the most popular. Not really sure why, maybe our people like lookin stupid....but if that's the case, then we may as well put on blackface and sooper white lips and dance around for Massa. The strange thing about this is that this isn't a hard dance to learn. Put your leg out (doesn't matter which one), and just shake it like you're having a seizure, and that's it. WTF? What ever happened to those dances that required that you have some sort of rhythm? I guess we've fallen into the realm of the Rhythmless Nation (remember that from In Living Color? lol)

Now let's move on to the next annoying ass catchy song: "You're a Jerk" by the New Boyz:
Who gets a kick off someone callin them a jerk? I know I don't...but then again, I guess I grew up in a time where we had some sense. But the song itself is kinda hot tho. Funny thing is this, when I was working with some teens from my church, I found myself doin the jerk with them. They were kinda shocked cause they ain't think that Mr. D had it in em. Had to show em how "old school" do it. LOL. Either way, the lyrics to this song are the worst dot com, but it's the beat that catches you and reels you in for the score.

Last but definitely not least, we got the trendiest song of em all; the one that was so popular that spinoffs popped up left and right, and it still outlasted ALL of the spinoffs: "Crank That Superman" by Soulja Boy Tell Em.
Soulja Boy - Crank That

This song became like the unofficial anthem of the hip hop nation. The dance became a must play at all parties, clubs, bar mitzvahs and the like. If you didn't know how to "Crank That", then you were considered a lame, and nobody wanted to hang with you. I dunno how Soulja Boy did it, but because of this song, we were learned to Crank that Spiderman (which by the way I saw used in a stepshow by my chapter brothers, and it was hot the way they used it), the Lion King, the Lawn Mower, the Old Man, and countless others with no point to them. lol. For that alone, I think that Soulja Boy earned the "Pointless song of the Decade" award from me.

Upon first hearing, these songs irritated the shit outta me, but once you hear them over and over again, you can't help but be mindlessly tappin your foot and hummin the beat to yourself while going about your day. Not to mention, it doesn't help that at every turn, I have to deal with some teenage crony blastin it on their iPod, or wailing it out while walkin down the street. I wish that it wasn't like this, but unfortunately, music will get worse before it gets better.

Music Hits The Spot Series (What's On My Mind) By: Donald Mitchell

2010-01-26T13:51:00.003-05:00

This is something that I'm gonna be doing weekly. A post dedicated to what's on my mind at that time, while using music to illustrate the point.

Last night, I was watching "Intervention" (which is a good show BTW), and Robby from City High was on there. He was having a serious alcohol problem, and his family/friends were trying to get him to participate in an alcohol abuse substance program. Anywho, his girlfriend/mother of his daughter was telling him how much she loved him, and that she couldn't stand to see him like this anymore. Well a friend and I got into a discussion as to what "love" is vs. settling/subjecting yourself to unhealthy relationships, etc. Well as we talked more and more about it and subjects relating to it, this song came into my mind.

Rachelle Ferrell and Will Downing...I mean, I could end the post right here. This song is very powerful, from the first note she sings, til the end when they are damn near professing their love for each other. She sings with such raw power in her voice, and of course, what better person to compliment her than the ultimate crooner himself. I don't think that this song would have been half as good if it wasn't those two singing it. Maybe I'm bias....but hey, shoot me if you think so. Lol

I think this is a perfect example of what love is. She says that even though she's not perfect, but she hopes that he accepts her in spite of her flaws. He returns by saying that she is the perfect person FOR HIM, which is what I think that is what true love is. Someone who loves you in spite of what you think may be a dealbreaker to that person in a relationship. And when you can accept that person for what they are, then nothing else matters in life.
Nothing has ever felt this good
Nothing has ever felt this right
Nothing so sweet
in my life.

Her: I really love you.
Him: I love my life with you
Both: We'll share a life together
I love you for now and forever.

Hey...one day, I'll be there. And when I do, nothing will ever be so sweet.

Is This for Real? By: Donald Mitchell

2010-01-20T19:32:00.002-05:00

What's good my people? You know, normally, I'm the one who is good for writing a piece on some music, because that's my life. I am music...music is me. BUT, there comes a point when you've gotta take a stand on other topics that may come into your life. Today, would be one of those days. Today, I am writing to voice my opinion on something so drastic, so serious, so unequivocally saddening, that it even hurts my heart to think about it; yet alone try and write about it.

Last week, the people of Haiti experienced an earthquake like they've never seen before. Buildings were crushed, lives were taken, and those whose lives weren't taken, were ruined. The capital city of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, looked like a former shell of itself...as what was a great city now lies in rubble. Once word of this NATURAL disaster hit the world news, countries all over sent aid and supplies to help out our fellow man in trouble; which is what we're supposed to do, right? Our beloved United States not only sent aid and supplies, but we sent our love, support, prayers and sympathy along with all the tangibles. Wellllllll....one person didn't agree one red cent with what was being done to help out the people of Haiti. Here's why:

Mr. Pat Robertson, evangelist and ~~prophet extrodinaire~~, has gone the extra mile to say that the reason why Haiti is being struck like this is because they made a pact with Satan himself to rid themselves of French tyranny. Soooo, like most televangelists, I normally would ignore him simply because people like that are all about making money for themselves as opposed to trying to "lead people to the Promised Land". But this isht right here...needs to be spoken about.

Pat, I for one think that YOU may be Satan in human form. Cause if you had the FOGGIEST idea, then you'd realize that the Haitians are one of the most religious countries in the world. Even in the aftermath of the "Big One", they were still walking around singing hymns to God, praising Him for saving their lives. Now if Pat was real, then he wouldn't try to place the negatives, but instead see the positives in the situation. Now here's what's even more funny:

You mean to tell me that now after he's condemned them to being in cohorts with Satan, that now he's "raising money" to help them out? GTFOH. Past times have shown, that YOU, my friend, have used worthy causes to raise money, and the money raised has gone toward your own evil agenda....prime example, he bitched and moaned about the starving kids in Africa; so he raises money for them. Only thing is that money NEVER made it to the kids in Africa, but for the helicopters to take him to keep watch on his diamond mines IN Africa. *smh*

All in all...I think that Pat is full of rubbage, trash, and everything in between. I think that Pat needs to have a hawt plate of go the hell on somewhere with a nice cup of sit the hell down to wash it down. Pat, you have NO couth about yourself, and all the other televangelists (~~which I also ignore btw lol~~) need to band up and lock you away never to be seen again. But then again, this is America, land of the free and blah blah blah, where that whole "freedom of speech" deal will always apply to everyone...even the scum of the earth. Well since that applies to me as well, guess what? Mr. Pat Robertson, this is for you:

Hate in the Wake of the Haitian Tragedy By: Jamal R Greene

2010-01-19T16:06:00.004-05:00

In the wake of the recent Earthquake that rocked the nation of Haiti, all eyes from around the world are focused on the tiny island that for years has been on the verge of total collapse and ensuing anarchy. Haiti is the poorest nations in the western hemisphere with a GDP of only $ 7 Billion dollars while the majority of Haitians live on about $2 a day. The unemployment rate is more than 50%, compare that to only 10% in the US, and the country's illiteracy rate is at a dismal 50%. Foreign Aid, largely US, accounts for nearly 40% of Haiti's national budget. Haiti's political system is in complete Chaos and even in this time of tragedy, there is a question as to who is in charge in Haiti. Haiti is bankrupt as a nation and does not have the ability to rebuild itself; Haiti will require major world aid to restore some resemblance to a functioning state. In the 1990s the then President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, faced a no confidence vote with many members of the Legislature voting against Aristide. A coup followed as Aristide went into exile and a Justice of the Supreme Court was assumed temporary power. From 1991 until 1994, the country was embroiled in chaos as the central authority lost control and confidence throughout the island nation; the turmoil erupted so in 1994 that then President Bill Clinton contemplated a military invasion to restore order to the country. In 2000 Aristide was re-elected president but soon after face charges of wide spread corruption and was eventually removed from power in a military coup and sent into exile.

Not all of Haiti's history is full of corruption, anarchy, and widespread poverty; Haiti is a nation with a rich legacy of fighting colonialism and stands as an example of how a people's uprising can take power in a country. In 1804, Haiti was declared to be a free republic after a war against the French and Haitian military leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines became leader, and eventually emperor of the island nation. Haiti became the first independent country in Latin America and the first to be led by a person of African descent. But Haiti, like other poorer nations of today, had a rich beginning but eventually developed into what they are today. In Haiti the richest One percent owes almost half of the country's wealth and hundreds of thousands of children are forced into modern day slavery just to survive.

As the world media descends on Haiti, it is a reminder of the poverty and despair that faces not only Haiti, but other poor nations around the world. Nations from Central America to Sub-Saharan Africa face widespread hunger, poverty, political instability, and civil unrest. Many of these nations have been ravished by the scourges of war and many of the people living in these countries have given up hope of ever leaving there destitute situations.

It’s been a week since the devastating earthquake that rocked the small island nation of Haiti and the people there are still waiting for the food and supplies they were promised. It has been an interesting week of commentary on the ongoing humanitarian efforts taking place; some comments have received more attention than other. After the earthquake Christian televangelist Pat Robertson, on his television The 700 Club, said of the earthquake and the Haitian people: “They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal." So Pat Robertson, and millions of his followers believe that the devil is the root cause of Haiti ongoing crisis; however if one were to look at the context of Pat’s comments it seems that the devil isn’t the true culprit, it’s the Haitian people and the pact they made with the Great Adversary.

This is a sad, but common belief among a sect of evangelical Christians today and is promoted regularly on Christian television networks; Pat Robertson owns one of such networks. Pat Robertson sits on top of, what some may call, a Christian media empire that includes the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), International Family Entertainment (ABC Family Channel), and he hosts the daily 700 Club television broadcast. In addition to Pat Robertson’s media ventures, he also founded Regent University, The American Center for Law and Justice, and many other organizations. It is estimated that Robertson has a net worth upwards of $1 billion. At a time when the world should be coming together to aid the devastated people of Haiti, some evangelical pastors and leaders are using the crisis to make ignorant and outrages statements about the people of Haiti and their history. As stated previously, Pat Robertson isn’t the only Christian leader to share these radical views or the only one spewing them to his followers. Kimberly Daniels, a fiery female pastor, or as she prefers to call herself “Apostle”, from Jacksonville, FL who also refers to herself as a “demon –buster” , recently sent out a disturbing email that I feel needs to be share with the general public.

The following are excerpts from an email that Kimberly sent out to her followers and other church leaders in her circle:
“A lot of people are upset with Pat Robinson for addressing the issue of the dedication of the land to voodoo. I understand what he is saying because Haiti needs more than food, medical supplies and shelter. The book of Leviticus teaches that it is the responsibility of the priests to teach the difference in what is holy and unholy. Somebody needs to speak on behalf of the church of Jesus Christ. One lady even said that Pat Robinson was not a Christian for what he said. I disagree...real Christians will speak the truth even if it hurts. This lady is operating in what I call sympathetic magic.”………………….. “Yes, they were the first blacks to be liberated from slavery but it is no secret that pacts were made with the gods of Santeria and Yoruba. The demons have not forgotten the promises that Haitian ancestors made to them.”…………….. “The spiritual leaders of the country must cry out in repentance from witchcraft and pride.”…………….. “America is still in denial about Katrina and God's judgment in that situation. Everybody is ignoring the fact that Katrina came the weekend of the Decadence Parade (which is organized by homosexuals to mock God). I am very comfortable without the secular world's approval to speak truth that will make men free. Haiti has been under the curse of the list of voodoo for too long and the people need truth.”

In America, hate speech and ignorance is not something that should be tolerated, it should be confronted. These statements are, without question, beyond the pale of reality and those who make such comments should check the true source of their so called morality. To Pat, Kimberly, and those of like mind the earthquake that occurred in Haiti was not the result of a pact with demons or Haiti’s rebellion toward God. The earthquake was caused by, as they all are, a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust. The sudden burst of energy causes seismic waves that travel through the earth and cause the ensuing quake. The earthquake in Haiti, just as the Hurricane in New Orleans and Asian Tsunami, were acts of Mother Nature, not extraterrestrials and demons fighting the souls of humanity. The people of Haiti need help right now, not hate.

To donate to the relief effort visit http://www.redcross.org and to voice your outrage to Pat Robertson and Kimberly Daniels, visit their perspective websites at http://www.cbn.com/contact/feedback-cbnnewswatch.aspx and www.Kimberlydaniels.com.

Where Are the Jobs?! By: Jamal Greene

2010-01-14T12:11:00.007-05:00

The Recovery that Wasn’t
By Jamal R. Greene

WHERE ARE THE JOBS MR. PRESIDENT
Mr. President, I think it’s time for a tutorial in Business and Economics. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, then Senator Obama, promised to repair the American economy, create millions of new jobs, fix the healthcare system, control spending, and cut the national debt. While sitting down for a serious policy interview, with Oprah (it’s come to this), the President was asked to give himself a grade for his handling of the Presidency; the President gives himself a B. Isn’t a rule of thumb not to grade one’s self? Nevertheless, most Americans, and I’m included in that number, wouldn’t give the President a B; heck he wouldn’t even get a passing grade. The President deserves a “D-“, and I’ll explain why it is not an “F” later.

For a few weeks, the story line in most mainstream media outlets was: The US Economy is in Recovery, a slow Recovery but still a Recovery. Unfortunately my fellow Americans this assumption couldn’t be further from the Truth. Last month’s jobs report, the underlying problems with home values, sky rocketing debt, low consumer and investor confidence, and Washington’s hostile business environment all give me cause to pause on the so called Recovery.

Looking at the real barometer of an economic recovery, Employment, or in this case unemployment, the US department of Labor has reported truly disheartening statistics. For the month of December the US Economy shed 85,000 jobs and the national unemployment rate remained at 10%. One of the odd things about this report is that most economist, and I’m sure the Obama Administration, were not expecting such a dismal analysis; many of them are still under the delusion that the $787 billion so called stimulus bill actually accomplished anything good. As bad as the numbers were reported by the government, they still paint a rosier picture than reality. In reality, the job crisis is far from over and this jobs report shows that on Main Street, where it counts, the recession is far from over. The Obama administration and its media allies continue to report on the unemployment figure of 10%, while ignoring the reality that the true unemployment figure is much higher. According to the report some 661,000 people left the workforce last month; these are not people who retired, these are people who have given up hope in finding a new job. Now that these 600,000 plus people are no longer looking for employment or reporting to the unemployment system, they are no longer counted. Let me say that again. Those 661,000 people who left the workforce due to the lack of opportunities are no longer being counted by the government in the unemployment figures. If these unemployed people were counted the national unemployment rate would have risen last month to 10.4%, instead of remaining at 10. The most alarming of the report was that the real unemployment rate, this is the number of unemployed plus the number of underemployed, which stands at 17.3%, up from 17.2% the previous month. Even so, the 17.3% real unemployment figure still does not take into account the 661,000 who left the workforce last month. When those people are counted the Real Unemployment rate is actually around 22%.

Back in January of 2009, President Obama and his administration claimed that the massive stimulus bill they were preparing to pass would “save or created” over 3 million jobs and that the unemployment rate would not rise above 8%. I regretfully report to the President that his plan has not succeeded. As stated earlier, the Real unemployment rate in this country stands at nearly 22%, while government statistics report the figure at 10%. Either way, both figures are higher than what that President and his team promised it would be. The president promised to create millions of jobs, but since passing his stimulus bill the United States has lost more than 3.5 million jobs. This President and this congress haven’t the slightest idea on how to create jobs in the private economy, most likely because none of them ever had to. Well for the President and his brilliant team of economic advisors, this is how jobs are created. A steady and productive economic climate is fundamental for job creation in America. Businesses and individuals are not going to invest in new business ventures when they have to deal with a federal government that is doing everything in its power to suppress growth. If you want to promote job creation, lower both personal and corporate income taxes so that people have more disposable income to save and invest. When businesses are able to keep more of the revenue they generate, the business can expand, and when business expands it hires more workers. More people working equals more tax revenue to the government.

Unfortunately the political leaders of the day, specifically the liberal ones, still chose to follow the broken economic practices of the past. Our government is lead today by those who believe in the failed economic policies of economists John Maynard Keynes. Keynes believed that the government could stimulate economic growth and job creation through spending massive amounts of money, mostly borrowed, on infrastructure and public works projects and this would somehow “jump start” the economy. This theory has been proven folly time and time again but for the sake of those unfamiliar, I’ll do it again. The problem with this theory, called Keynesianism, is that in order for the government to spend money via a “stimulus”, it first must take it out of the private economy through taxation, borrowing, or inflating the money supply. Remember, the government operates on the money tax payers pay into the treasury every year. Keynesianism is basically robbing Peter to pay Paul. The Obama administration has chosen to borrow and tax to pay for its reckless spending. During his first year, the President shattered all previous spending records for past Presidents spending an astonishing $3.5 trillion dollars with a $1.4 trillion dollar budget deficit that followed. The United States, because of the massive amounts of spending under Obama, is now projected to run Trillion dollar deficits for years to come and this is not an amount of debt any nation can sustain. Because of the massive spending, initiated by the Bush Administration, and kicked into overdrive by the Obama administration, the value of the US dollar has been put in serious jeopardy as the world’s reserve currency. When a country expands its money supply without demand first coming from the free market for those new dollars, we experience inflation. This occurs when we have too many dollars chasing too few goods; this also results in higher consumer prices. At present, the US dollar stands as the sole currency in which oil is traded on world markets and when our dollar is weak, the price of oil rises. For months there have been calls by foreign governments, most notably the Chinese and Russians, for a new world reserve currency; to abandon the US dollar. Our foreign investors and debt holders are becoming ever more alarmed at the levels of US debt and the amount of red ink already on our books. There is even talk about the US losing its AAA credit rating; this would not be a good thing. The Obama administration campaigned on a promise of no new taxes on the middle class but just recently endorsed a plan to tax the healthcare benefits of middle class to pay for his Health plan. The Obama administration also plans to raise taxes on Energy, causing energy prices for consumers to skyrocket. They plan to levy heavy taxes on corporations and small businesses, which of course is a backwards policy since businesses are the job creators in America. The Obama administration plans to increases taxes on capital gains from investments at a time when they should be cutting taxes to encourage investment. After all, businesses need people to invest capital in order for them to grow and then in turn create jobs. The President and his policies will not create the prosperity he has promised; if his policies don’t change soon I’m afraid he’ll be remembered as the President that Triple the nation’s debt and saw national unemployment rise to the levels not seen since the Great Depression.

THE HOUSING MARKET MUST BE ALLOW TO BOTTOM OUT
The root of the financial crisis that erupted in the fall of 2007 was the bursting of the housing market bubble; after the bubble burst it bleed over into the financial markets causing the US Economy to seriously hemorrhage. But how did we get here? In short, it wasn’t the “policies of George W Bush”, as democrats and certain media outlets would have the American people believe. The creation of the bubble and the resulting burst were both planned and orchestrated by the Federal Reserve Bank. For those who don’t know what the FED is, in short it is America’s central bank. It is not a government owed entity as many think; the Federal Reserve is a private bank that controls the nation’s money supply through its monetary policies. The Federal Reserve regulates and controls the money supply, and therefore large sectors of the Economy, by controlling interest rates. The two key rates the FED regulates are the Federal Funds Rate and the Discount rate; these are the rates that banks charge one another to borrow money. When the Federal Reserve raises interest rates banks borrow less because it is more expensive. When banks borrow less and save more it decreases the nation’s money supply. When the Fed lowers interest rates banks borrow more and when banks borrow more they lend more to consumers. In order to attract consumers, banks lower their rates and qualifications for credit and as consumers borrow more the nation’s money supply expands. The Federal Reserve, back in 2001, begins to lower interest rates at a dramatic pace to curve that year’s recession and the economic aftershocks of 9/11. In what they claimed was an effort to strengthen the economy, the Fed kept interest rates at historic lows for years causing banks to have a massive amount of credit to lend. The banks, with the full knowledge of the Federal Reserve, devised a way to pull the US out of its recession; they decided to create a housing boom. Banks begin to encourage non-prime or sub-prime level borrowers to apply for risky sup-prime and adjustable rate mortgages with the added carrots of low to no down payments. This caused home sales to soar resulting in the intended boom and other sectors of the economy soon begin to benefit from the nations new source of wealth. The crises in the housing market begin when the Federal Reserve, seeing signs that the economy was starting to overcook, begin to raise interest rates. During this time those individuals in sub-prime and Adjustable Rate Mortgages saw the interest rates on their mortgages balloon; leaving many with mortgages they could no longer afford. Many of these sub-prime mortgages securities were sold, sliced and dice, repackaged, and then re-sold. Let’s just say that this created many situations where many investors own a single mortgage. When borrowers begin to default on their loans and home foreclosures rose, the mortgage securities banks and investors were holding became worthless and trillions of dollars were eventually lost.
In order for the Housing market to heal, the government must allow the market to correct itself by allowing housing prices to continue to fall and then bottom out. The Current, and Previous, Administration has sought to do the exact opposite. They have appropriated billions of dollars to help homeowners in default stay in their homes. History has shown us over and over again that government intervention helps exacerbate a problem, not fix it. After the so called “Housing market bailouts”, more than half of delinquent homeowners whose mortgages were modified ended up re-defaulting within six months. Home prices are still artificially to high and as a result existing home sales are down; people are not buying because prices are too high for them to risk an investment in this still shaky market. Mr. President and Fed Chairman, reflating the housing bubble is not the answer; it’s how we got in this mess in the first place.

Finally Mr. President, the nation’s debt, for years, has been spiraling out of control, and since you’ve enter office a year ago you’ve added upwards of $1.7 Trillion to the debt with economic forecasters predicting you will more than double the national debt to more than $20 Trillion. When accounting for the outstanding promised benefits from Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, the US is on the hook for an astounding $56 Trillion, $56 Trillion that we don’t have. Mr. President you shouldn’t be trying to create another entitlement program when the 3 largest currently operating are in serious crisis and due to go bankrupt in the coming years. There are simple and free solutions, market solutions, to address the high cost of healthcare. Allowing individuals to buy health insurance across state lines would dramatically increase competition among the 1300 insurance companies across American and drive down cost. Medical malpractice reform, or Tort reform, would bring down the cost doctors charge patients since they would no longer need to carry expensive malpractice insurance to protect themselves from frivolous lawsuits. The President could also move to reform our 3rd party payer medical system and encourage individuals to purchase insurance directly from insurance companies instead of going through the employer, which would be cheaper since employers add fees to healthcare cost. Health services can be delivered to low income individuals at a fraction of what Obamacare would cost through the expansion of free clinics to treat everyday illnesses, and providing tax credits to help low income individuals purchase policies. So why not give the President an “F” on his job performance? Because he hasn’t sunken the country into complete depression, and I suspect he won’t be able too. However, Americans should not be overly optimistic about America’s economic recovery in the near future. It’s possible that the Trillions of dollars the government and the Fed are pouring into the economy will cause a slight bounce in our fortunes, but if it occurs, it’ll be short lived, and we will be headed for a “double dip recession”.

for more of Jamal visit facebook.com/JamalGreene

Music Hits The Spot Series (The Sweetest Thing I've Ever Known) - By: Donald Mitchell

2010-01-12T17:17:00.003-05:00

Was like the kiss on a collar bone
the soft caress of happiness
the way you walk, your style of dress

Not really sure why I chose this song...it came across the iPod, and it made me fall back into the time of young innocent teenage love (not Alicia style..lol). I remember this was the Lauryn Hill that everyone fell in love with...right off of a bumpin LP with the Fugees (don't trip...the Score was off the chains), and right before she went bananas on everyone. This was the bump on the radio for quite a long time, and in all actuality, the Love Jones Soundtrack (where the song came from) was and still is one that gets rotation.

But during that time, Lauryn took the nation by storm with quite a few songs from her first solo joint, the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

When she released her first single from that cd, Doo-wop (That Thing), I was instantly hooked. True enough, it was a different sound for the time that it came out, but it was a refreshing sound. To me, she first came into her own when the Fugees did the remake of Killing Me Softly (although it seemed like a little bit of EVERYONE did that remake), so it was only a matter of time that she would drop her own joint; and when she did, she made MOVES.

Even though the entire Miseducation cd was bangin, there were a few cuts that stood out from the rest to me. In no particular order they are:

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - The title track was a slower, smooth, "Miss Independent" type of track...and the pianist on this track was off the chains.

Every Ghetto, Every City - Now even though some of you didn't grow up in the hood, I know you can relate to some of the stuff that she sings about.

Nothing Even Matters - One of the most banginest duets out there....she ripped this track, and D'Angelo held his own right along with her.

Can't Take My Eyes Off You - I'on know why, but I always wanted to go roller skating when I heard this song. lol

I Used to Love Him - Another bangin duet...but this time, the Queen of Hip-Hop, MJB, is producing the vocal talent.

I wish Lauryn would get out of her funk and produce another timeless classic like this one. I'm sure she could be one of the few to revitalize the game to where it used to be, and where it needs to be now. The world needs another woman who can sing, rap, combine the two, and make it flawless.

Music Hits The Spot Series (The Last Time) - By: Donald Mitchell

2010-01-12T17:14:00.004-05:00

Today's post is inspired by a trending topic on Twitter I recently participated in (which is funny cause I usually don't participate in those things): best feeling. Actually it's both best and worst, but I like to not think about the worst feeling, cause Lord knows I've been through a few of those lately, so I'm writing about the best feeling. As I was participating in the trending topic, this song popped into my mind, simply because the majority of my tweets were about romantic things involving someone of the opposite sex.

How many folks have ever hoped that the person that you're currently dating would be "it"? The last one. The last time for just about everything involved in dating. I think that Eric Benet hit the nail on the head on this one.

"Now don't hold back, just let me know
Could I be moving much too fast, or way too slow.
Cause all of my life, I've waited for this day,
To find that once in a lifetime,
this is it, I'll never be the same.
You'll never know, what it's taken me to say these words,
and now that I've said them, they could never be enough.
As far as I can see, there's only you, and only me.
This is the LAST TIME, I'll fall in love"

These are some really deep words right here, and said to the right person, I'm sure they would make all the world in your relationship. I dunno that I can say that right now, but I know that when I do, it's a wrap for the kid. I just hope that will be sooner than later. There are quite a few songs that could describe these feelings just the same, but to be honest, I'm sure we're all looking for "The Last Time".

Music Hits The Spot Series (Do You Know What Today Is?) - By: Donald Mitchell

2010-01-06T12:04:00.001-05:00

It's our Anniversary.....made for you and me

This post is dedicated to those dudes that I like to think created what we now know as the "Neo-Soul movement". From back in the 80's these three guys known as Tony! Toni! Tonè! set out the movement of songs that could make you bump your head, or just feel it in the setting of a dimly lit room with the one you love (or was crushin..lol). The song posted above was one of my favorites for a multitude of reasons...1 of em being that the album that it was listed on, was the first CD I had owned...so you know it got madd play from me. But the lyrics let you know that he was excited that it was another year (or month or whatever) for them, and he was glad to be able to experience it with her.

The pleasure's all mine, we have seen good times
It's our Anniversary
Victoria won't be no secret at the end of the day
It's our anniversary
A small cup of tea
and YOU can have me
it's our anniversary

Tony! Toni! Toneè! (or as I call them, the 3Ts) had a number of hits spanning over about 10 years or so, and every time they released a new album, it always had a different style to it, but the best part about it, is that all the styles had a unique yet similar look to them. It was like you'd expect the 3Ts to fit into each style...they never tried to be something that they couldn't be.

Although they had a bunch of hits between the 3 of them, here are some of my favorites right here:

Slow Wine: Another banger from the Sons of Soul CD

Little Walter: One of their early hits...talkin about the ultimate horrid roommate situation. And Sinbad as the roommate was hilarious.

Whatever You Want: This is probably my favorite song by them.

It Never Rains in Southern California: Who lied to them?! LOL

Thinking of You: Using that old Al Green sample, but they brought a 90s feel to it.

Ask of You: Yeah I know that this was Raphael by himself, but he was still a member of the group at that time!

Just Me and You: From the Boyz in the Hood Soundtrack...definitely a banger.

Feels Good: Jams from the early 90s.

House Party (I Don't Know What You Come to Do): Don't act like yall ain't wanna be up in the Pajama Jammy Jam watchin that movie! LOL

Watch Her Fly, By Raven Ekundayo

2010-01-05T13:09:00.003-05:00

Janice B and I met in 2009. Listening to us talk you would never get the impression that we just met. One might even assume it’s been years. It’s the Scorpio bond we share. She and I worked towards this interview for awhile but neither of our schedules ever seemed to want to make room. In December we finally met at Barnes & Noble at The Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore to have a talk about how she started singing, how she started performing professionally and how she had the faith to take it to the next level. So check it out Misfits, Janice B’s eXclusive interview with ETM.

Raven – I know you’re from Washington, DC. I also know that you’ve been singing since you were a little kid. So how did the singing come about? Are there singers in your family?

Janice – My mom sings. My grandmother plays piano and sang in a band. I’ve been singing since I was little but not really out there singing, not professional. I think that when everyone in your family already does that naturally; unless their already out their performing and making money from it, it’s not really something you think about. My mom sang in the church, I sang in the shower. You know?

Raven – (Laughs) the shower. Silly.

Janice – (Laughs) But in school I was in the chorus. I’ve always been involved in music and entertainment of some kind. It didn’t really hit me that this is something I could do, or that I could write. The writing part was a whole different factor. I’ve written since I was younger, like poems. But I never put poetry and music together, even though I always have songs in my head. It makes no sense. (Laughs). luminoUS has told me that as a writer she always has a script going through her head, you know, like a narrative, and that’s how I am. It’s always a song. It may not make sense (laughs).

Raven – Has it always been that way or did it happen at a certain age?

Janice – It think it has always been that way. I’ve always made songs like that but I think because I’ve always done it I didn’t I didn’t really know that was weird or that I was strange (Laughs).

Raven – (Laughs)

Janice – But yeah, I think it’s always been that way. I just think as I get older it starts to come together.

Raven – Coolage. So I noticed that the musical lineage is on your mother’s side of the family.

Janice – Yup.

Raven – That’s cool. It’s real “Charmed”. Real witch like. Lol.

Janice – It is! I didn’t think about that (Laughs).

Raven – The power is all through the females (Laughs)

Janice – My mother was a big influence but my grandmother put that performing spark in me. She would have me stand by the piano when I was little and ask me what do I want to sing…..

Raven – How old were you at the time?

Janice – Three.

Raven – Wow!

Janice – I haven’t been at this point for that long. It was 2002 when I started. That was the year of the first song we recorded.

Raven – So what was it like from Middle School until 30?

Janice – Insanity! (Laughs) Honestly, I really felt like something was missing out of my life. I didn’t really know what it was. It was like “Duh” (Laughs). I was doing other artistic things like drawn and stuff. I knew I wanted to do something creative but I wasn’t aware that I had the talent to make songs. I use to write poems but I don’t consider myself a poet at all. I’m a much better song writer. I don’t think poets are good song writers and vice versa. Just because you write a good poem doesn’t mean it’s going to be a song. There’s a different process. Writing songs just comes to me naturally. I’m a better baseball player that I am a poet (bursts out laughing)

Raven – Wow! Misfits you will never meet anyone so gifted who continually puts themselves down like this woman. Stop that (Laughs)

Janice – I’ve very critical of my work.

Raven – Understatement (Laughs)

Janice – Whether it’s drawing a portrait or anything else, it’s never ever done to me. I can draw a portrait and you can think it’s amazing and I’ll think “No, it’s not right”. You have to take it away from me because I’ll keep picking at it. I’m learning more discipline now thanks to Stinkiface music. I’m learning how to let go of control which is difficult for me and Scorpio’s in general.

To view Janice B's article in its entirety, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2010/articles/01/2010_01_janiceb.html

How To Talk To Your Parents About Sex, By Renee Blackstarr

2010-01-05T13:02:00.003-05:00

Talk about a tough topic. When I was young, I would have rather pulled my teeth out one by one with a rusty pair of pliers than talk to my parents about sex. It is undoubtedly one of the most uncomfortable conversations you can have with your parents. Even to this day, I just don’t have that open kind of a relationship with them that I would bring the topic of sex up in any conversation… and I’m thirty! And it goes both ways. Just as much as I would rather not have to sit and listen to my mom tell me about her sexual encounters (yuck, I cringe at the thought of having to endure such a thing), I’m sure she feels exactly the same way. And that’s okay for us because that’s the kind of relationship we have.

Let me put it this way: you know your own parents better than a stranger ever could. So, it would be insensitive of me to throw out a guideline on what you should do and how you should do it knowing that it might not work in everyone’s situation. You know which discussions work with your parents and which ones have a better chance of turning into a catastrophic event. It just depends on what kind of relationship you share with them and the level of communication that you have with one another.

Some of you may have fairly conservative parents: the type that get squeamish just hearing the word “sex” or get nervous watching movies containing sexual content when they know you’re in the room. If you know your mom or dad would probably suffer a light heart attack if you brought up the topic of sex, it might be a good alternative to talk to a friend or a close relative, or someone who you feel comfortable sharing your personal business with and that you trust will give you usable advice on the matter.

To learn more about the "parent-sex" talk, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/future/2010/articles/01/2010_01_howtotalk.html

Lyrically Speaking (Use Somebody), By Ccep J. Dew

2010-01-05T12:54:00.006-05:00

“I’ve been roaming around… I was looking down at all I see… Painted faces fill the places I can’t reach… You know that I could use somebody… You know that I could use somebody… Someone like you and all you know and how you speak… Countless lovers under cover of the street… You know that I could use somebody… You know that I could use somebody… Someone like you… Off in the night, while you live it up, I’m off to sleep… Waging war to shake the poet and the beat… I hope it’s gonna make you notice… I hope it’s gonna make you notice… Someone like me…” –Kings of Leon, “Use Somebody”

Due to a very serious, very personal matter that has knocked me completely off my block—and who doesn’t have one of those from time to time?—I will admit, I have been completely uninspired to write this month’s edition of this editorial. To be quite honest, the new issue comes out tomorrow and I am sitting at this computer, glancing over at the above lyrics written on a notepad, with no idea what will come out or if anything will even come. There were a few songs I contemplated writing on, but, the more I listened to them for inspiration, the less writing I was able to do.

I thought about simply giving you quotes from a few songs that I find inspirational or that otherwise speak to my current situation. I know that a lot of you out there are gradually shedding the weighted burdens of 2009 in exchange for the newness of 2010, so I figured that you could find inspiration in them, as well. But, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to be completely honest with you.

2009 was a horrible year. Granted, there were a few good things that happened, but, for the most part, 2009 was a mess—at least, for me it was. December alone had me experiencing the worst heartache I have ever felt from the one person in the world I thought would never, ever hurt me so blindly and continuously. I fought shamelessly to help and heal someone who knew all along that they had betrayed me, yet blamed me and took me through hell instead of being honest. I came out of it much more aware and a helluva lot stronger, but the numbness that I still feel sometimes doesn’t always seem like a fair trade. For one month, I lashed out in frustration and selfishness at people close to me. I later apologized, of course, or otherwise made advances to show that I was sorry. I tried to ignore feelings that, of course, never went away and had to make confessions that I, otherwise, would never have had the courage to make. I wrote poetry. I sketched. I cried. I held my breath in my sleep and woke up crying. I woke from my sleep screaming in anger. I didn’t want to admit it, but I needed somebody…

Slowly, but surely, I had to “spread my needs around” and turn to friends and family members for support. I believe that everyone in our lives has a role: motherly figure, fatherly figure, spiritual advisor, jokester… You know who to turn to in your time of need no matter how stubborn you would rather be. And that’s eXactly what I did.

To view the entire article, click the link below:
http://etmmagazine.info/Editorials/2010/articles/01/2010_01_lyricallyspeakingny.html

A Safe Secret! By luminoUS, Editor at Large

2010-01-05T12:46:00.003-05:00

For some reason, many people need to see numbers before they believe in something. Whether money or statistics, numbers provide facts and most tend to rest easier when facts are involved. Well, here are a few facts when dealing with child sexual abuse: 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18 and there is an estimated 39 million child sexual abuse survivors in America today. Out of those children who have been sexual abused, family members have abused 30-40% and over 30% never disclose the eXperience to anyone

When Mackenzie Phillips appeared on Oprah last year and disclosed the sexual abuse that she suffered at the hands of her father, the nation was in an uproar. Many people turned a side-eye in her direction and raised numerous questions, namely, why did she allow it to happen and why did she choose to discuss such a family taboo on national television. As wrong as it may sound, sexual abuse occurs more often than people would like to believe [see the statistics in the first paragraph] and if they do know about it, they tend to brush it under the rug and pretend that all is well. No one wants to talk about it, but healing cannot be achieved properly if the incident isn’t discussed.

When you turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to sexual abuse it becomes a cyclical pattern. The attacker is liable to strike again since fear has been instilled in the victim and this, in turn, leads to damaged adults who will either abuse others or partner up with an abusive mate. Being creatures of habit, many continue with what they know instead of seeking out resolution. It’s much harder to break cycles as opposed to going along with them and it is because of this fact that silence becomes a saving grace. For whatever reason, the victim keeps quiet and their silence allows the cycle to continue on. This silence falls over families in a heavy fashion and weighs down for generations until someone finally has the courage to speak up and break the weight of secrecy.

To view the entire article, click the link below:
http://etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2010/articles/01/2010_01_asafesecret.html

The Rebirth of Islamic Terrorism - By: Jamal Greene

2009-12-29T16:14:00.003-05:00

You would have had to be living under a rock over the Christmas Holiday if you haven’t heard by now that there was an attempted hijack of a Northwest Airlines plane by a Nigerian Islamists by the name of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The suspect, western educated and according to media reports, living the good life, boarded the flight going to Detroit, which by the way has the largest Muslim population of any American city, in an attempt to detonate an explosive device and take down the plan along with its 300 passengers.

Luckily, the plot was foiled, not by the Obama Administration, but by a courageous passenger on board. This incident, along with the terrorists acts of Fort Hood, leave me to believe that in this “age of terrorism”, we are more vulnerable, not safer, under the watchful eye of the Obama White House. Say what you will, but after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush and his national security team put measures in place to protect America, both domestic and our international interests. President Bush understood the nature of the threat we faced and he was determined that it would not happen again on his watch, and it didn’t. There were no more domestic terrorist’s attacks that occurred on Bush’s watch because of the robust, and often controversial, remedies he put in place. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the Terror surveillance programs, enhance terrorists interrogations, the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the detention of terrorist in Guantanamo Bay are all measure put in place to keep American safe; all of which have been undermined by the current administration.

Since President Obama took office in January of this year, the nation has had to deal with the tragedy of Ft Hood, the first executed Terror attack on this country since 9/11, and a kind of complacency from the President in the war against Terror. President Obama and his team would benefit from studying the history of the Fundamentalists Islamic Movement and the ideals that guide them.

At times I find it hard to believe that this movement is fueled by only a small sect of Islam, and that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peace loving disciples of the Prophet; the evidence tends to point to the contrary. The Origins of the Contemporary Fundamentalists Islamic movement has it genesis in the 18th century, in what is now modern day Saudi Arabia. In the 1700s, there was a man by the name of Mohammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, who after studying in the Iraqi city of Basra, came to the conclusion that Islam had become too modern and this modernity was not what the Prophet had intended. He preached a puritanical version of Islam which called for a return to Fundamentals and strict interpretation of the Sharia, or Islamic Law. Originally this version of Islam was rejected by the inhabitants of Arabia because most of them were pagans and had no concept of the “one God”; this doctrine was foreign to them. Wahhab’s fortune changed after meeting Muhammad Ibn Saud; the two formed an alliance in which they would retake Arabia by both the Sword and Quran. Saud would become the head of state and Wahhab the architect of social society; that state would become known as The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, a stated US ally, is also one of the leading state sponsors of terror around the world; after all 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s oil revenue routinely goes to fund racial madrasahs, or religious schools, where anti Americanism is preached and hatred against Israel and Non-Wahhabi Muslims is nurtured. Many of the Saudi princes and oil Sheiks regularly invest in the proselytizing of non-Fundamentalists and non-Muslims throughout the Muslim world and Europe.

However, the man credited with the modern rise of radical Islam is an Egyptian by the name of Sayyid Qutb. Qutb, an Egyptian born writer and later political prisoner, who after spending time in America and learning of American democracy and civil society, decided that it was because of Classical Liberalism that the world was in decay and that a return to fundamentalists Islam was necessary.

In what some consider to be his master work, Milestone, Qutb articulated the need for a reemergence of Jihad, or Holy War; no longer would it mean the inner struggle against personal demons, Jihad became the war cry of Extremists throughout the Muslim world. Libya, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and now Yemen are some of the biggest sponsors of terrorism on the planet and Anti Americanism isn’t receding in some of these countries, it’s increasing.

The history of contemporary Islamic terrorism is something that every free man should be cognitive of, after all, those who forget the lessons of History are due to repeat its failures. The US government must realize that these are not people that can be persuaded or negotiated with. Islamists see their only mission and purpose in life is Jihad; and no amount of incentives will convince them to change their minds. The Islamists sees their mission as divinely order and orchestrated; and believe it or not, they fear the eternal retribution of Allah more than the AK-47’s carried by Western forces. Just a few of the attacks are as follows:
November 1979 - Hostages taken at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran

April 1983 - Bombing of U.S. Embassy in Beirut
October 1983 - Bombing of Marine barracks in Beirut
December 1983 - Bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait
June 1985 - Hijacking of TWA Flight 847
December 1988 - Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
February 1993 – World Trade Center Bombing
August 1998 – African Embassy Bombings
December 2000 – USS Cole Bombing
September 2001 – 9/11 Attacks

This list is a very short version of the thousands, over 9000 since 9/11, terror attacks throughout the world. Everyday Radicals are planning the demise of America and our way of life. To defeat this enemy we must remain of the offensive; we must seek out and destroyed terror cells worldwide targeting them both financially and militarily. Under President Bush, the Treasury began to track, freeze, and seize assets under American jurisdiction that was found to be aiding terrorism and thankfully President Obama has continued some of these policies. However if the President wants to avoid another situation like the attempted Detroit bombing or even worse, another 9/11, he would be wise to embrace more of the Bush/Cheney national security policies implemented after 9/11; after all they worked. Terrorist surveillance programs should be increased, faster location and seizing of Terrorist assets is needed, along with a policy to deal aggressively with nations that support and harbor terrorists. The US must not lose heart in this, the epic battle that will determine the future of Western Civilization as we know it. The US must defeat the Taliban in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and deny them a safe haven anywhere on the planet. This is not something the US can do alone; we need support: economically, diplomatically, and militarily from our allies, after all their way of life also hangs in the balance. We must remember that Freedom and Liberty are fragile things and are never more than one generation away from extinction.

Music Hits The Spot Series (How Good It Is?) - By: Donald Mitchell

2009-12-27T12:08:00.003-05:00

Yeah I know it's been a minute since I last posted, but there's been a good reason for this: #1 being that I'm in my hometown and there's no internet connection at the parental units crib. (yeah I'm thievin...but don't tell nobody! lol) But onto the subject at hand...and that's to discuss the music of the moment.

For some reason, Erykah Badu has been on my mind heavy lately. I'm not sure why, because I've never been the biggest E. fan, but there are some of her songs that I get into. To me, she's always been good for the songs where you can sit down with that special boo, pop open a bottle of your favorite wine, listen to her music, and just enjoy the company that you're in. I'm actually gonna discuss my top 4 today...startin with this song:

Now this has been, and will always be my favorite song. She poured her heart and soul into this song, singin about her jealousy for a past love and his current lady. She's caught up in the game, and she can't leave. I've been there before and it's not a nice sight. But then again, ain't nothin you can do about it but wipe up your feelings and move on to the next one.

Next up:

I think it was one of my Twitter friends who put this song in my head (and if it was then *shakin fist at you*), but in a way, I'm glad they did. I didn't realize how tight this song is...and I had to go back and revisit it. Now that I've done so, this song has bumped itself into the #2 spot of my faves of Erykah. Hailing from her second CD "Mama's Gun", this was one of many bangers from this CD. I think that Erykah's best work was done on her first 2 CDs. Honestly, she lost some of her touch after Mama's Gun. Don't get me wrong, the ones after MG was ok to good, but not on the levels of Baduizm and MG.

Now let's move to my favorite song from Baduizm:

Have you ever had that one person that you was really feelin, but have the strangest idea that you two won't ever make it to that level? This is what E was singin about in this song. Now she's involved in a relationship, but she's really diggin this other dude. So because she can't get with dude, she says that they'll be together...next lifetime. Hopefully it'll work out for them next time when they are butterflies. LOL

And last but not least, This wasn't on any one CD, yet a soundtrack, but it definitely makes it onto my list.

This was around the time that Erykah was messin with Common (and even though she had him all kinds of open....but I digress..lol). But this was a very fun song, and this is a good dance song in the club, or even in the privacy of your own home. All I'ma say is quit frontin like the one you with ain't the one that you lovin on day in and day out. E didn't.

Music Hits The Spot Series (Let It Snow!) - By: Donald Mitchell

2009-12-18T17:15:00.006-05:00

Today's post is dedicated to the weather...since here in DC, we're supposed to get at least a foot ~~and a half~~ of snow tomorrow. Seriously, I don't see that happening, BUT in lieu of it coming during the Christmas season (thank you Jesus), today will be about those holiday songs that bring out the Merry Ho Ho in us all.

This is one of quite a few songs that tend to excite the young lad in me. Honestly, music in general does this, but being as though I'm out on my own now, it's songs like this that remind me of my youth. I believe that Christmas is a time that you spend with your loved ones, and a lot of these songs, I've been hearing since childhood. You'd think that I would get tired of hearing em, but one can never get tired of things that bring joy to your life. (pause...)

With that being said, here are some of my favorites:

N'Sync - O Holy Night: Yeah I know....but these white boys KILT this version!

Donny Hathaway - This Christmas: God rest his soul. Nobody ever since has been able to do an edition of this song like he did.

The Temptations - Silent Night: Christmas just ain't Christmas without them wailing this song out over the radio waves.

Vanessa Williams - What Child is This: I love this version because it's very soulful and chill. But then again, when have you ever really known V. Dubb to be extra krunk.

Whitney Houston - Who Would Imagine a King: This lady has PLENTY o' Christmas hits I coulda said...but this one just stands out as it describes the REAL reason for Christmas.

Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song: This is one of my FAVORITE Christmas songs...everytime this song comes on, I'm goin IN!

Alvin and the Chipmunks - Hula Hoop: If anything is indicative of one's childhood, this would be it.....old school video and all.

Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby: One of the sexiest songs ever sang about Kris Kringle. LOL.

Listening to these songs always put me in a good mood. What are some of your favorites?

Music Hits The Spot Series (The NEW Robin Thicke) - By: Donald Mitchell

2009-12-15T17:38:00.003-05:00

The title to this post has a double meaning to it. Yes it is about the new Robin Thicke joint that just came out today, but it's also in meaning to a new person. A new Robin Thicke if you will. As you read on, you'll see what I mean by the double meaning.

Sex Therapy is pretty much not what I thought it would be, classic Robin if you will. A bunch of ballads and lounge songs that made RT known for what he is. I know that many people (myself included) thought that it would be like albums from the past: a bunch of kick back and relax, enjoy the breeze in the sunset, ride along in your car on a hot summer day type songs. But Robin had another thought in mind for all of his fans.

This is where the new Robin comes into play. Sure enough, he's done duets with rappers (one of my favorites being Shooter w/ Weezy), but even in those, he's always stayed true to his form....a singer. Never has he tried to take on the role of the person that he's doing the song with. Well I guess this is a new era...a new decade....a new Robin. Cause on the first half of the cd, that's all it is...the hip hop, "rappin" Robin. IMO it's a different look on him, but given some more practice, one that the world could (and would) get used to. Now I will admit, I think he ran into some writers' block on those songs (see Shakin It 4 Daddy, and Meiplè), but they introduce a more upbeat, fun Robin w/ looks from Hov, Nicki Minaj, and the Doggfather himself, Snoop. Even Kid Cudi makes a hot track with Robin in Elevatas.

Now that's not to say that classic Robin doesn't come out...cause on the last half of the cd, that's when true to form, what we're used to Robin shines through. "Jus Right" is a personal favorite from this part of the cd, and even "Mona Lisa" does it for me. Let's not forget the song that put this CD on the map in the first place: Sex Therapy. That song just drips all kinds of sex from the first intro to the end. Honestly, it's a look that Robin should never COMPLETELY stray away from, cause it's what created who he is, and it'll continue to bring him success in life.

But all in all, even though it seems like 2 separate cds from the first half to the second half, I still think it's a pretty good cd in all. I'd give it a B+, simply because he still needs to work at the "new" Robin more before I can give him an A on that type of effort. But as of right now, I like it, and I give it my stamp of approval.

Good job Robin!

Music Hits The Spot Series (We Must Be In Love)

2009-12-13T21:04:00.003-05:00

This post is actually dedicated to one of my B.L.A.C.K. brothers who is gettin married this weekend (congrats M. Moore...do it big homie!). As he and I had a conversation about the whole marriage deal, it made me think, which songs would define my wedding? Now I know that there are PLENTY o songs out there that could convert as wedding songs, but I believe that wedding music should be specific to the couple that's getting married.

Now I know that I'd have to compromise some things, because my tastes aren't going to always directly line up with my wife's; but there are some songs that are MUSTS in my wedding. Now everything is not going to be all slow dances, and tearjerkers. But these songs are those that I would recommend in ANY wedding (now the reception..thats' a whole different post right there.

In my opinion, music for the wedding should fit the occasion at hand. A serious moment where you and your bride (or groom) to be are about to join as one under the eyes of God. Me personally, I don't think that coming down the aisle to some uptempo beat (insert any of the millions on deck) should be incorporated into your ceremony. You may get a few side eyes from the guests, and definitely the evil eye from the mothers. lol. Not a good way to start off relations with your new in-laws. LOL

But below are some songs that I would love to have in my wedding (if I ever have one...I'm still prayin on that one. lol)

Boyz II Men - I Do: This song is definitely a wedding song. I mean, if you listen to the lyrics, they pretty much give you the vows to say. LOL

Kenny Lattimore - For You: Classic wedding song. If you really love this woman, then this song will show everyone through song.

Jaheim - Forever: A nice ghetto swing to it...but still appropriate for all age limits.

Intro - Ribbon in the Sky: Now I know folx will not feel me on this one, but guess what, I think that Intro's version was better than Stevie's. *shrugs*

Beyoncè & Luther - The Closer I Get to You: Now I tried to get away from Luther, since we all know that the majority of his slow ballads were wedding/baby makers lmao, but hey, we gotta give the man props when props are due.

Brian McKnight - Never Felt This Way: This here...coupled with a beautiful bride, will have not a DRY EYE in the building if played while she's walking down the aisle. Alicia Keys did a wonderful version of this song as well, but only as an interlude.

and even this one:

will work out what you want to say to her, especially if you can't figure out the right words for her. Just listen to Jesse....he can give you some pointers (as long as you don't plaigarize his song).

The way you walk
the way you talk
the way you say my name, your smile
The way you move,
the way you soothe me
the way you sing softly through the night
Every morning you rise
and open your eyes
I just wanna be with you baby
I just wanna be yours
From this day forth.

Music Hits The Spot series (RIP Baby Girl) - By: Donald Mitchell

2009-12-11T13:57:00.003-05:00

As I was listening to my Pandora station, tryin to get a topic for my new post, this song came on, and I instantly had an epiphany (not Chrisette Michele style..lol)

This was one of the many Aaliyah songs that I loved, simply because even though Aaliyah wasn't the greatest artist vocally, but she brought her own Detroit style to the table. (not to mention, she looks DAYUM good in a 2 split skirt). Even though her beginnings started off with that scandalous pedophilic musical mastermind R'rah Kelly, she eventually bloomed into her own, and realized that the girly look was gonna take her farther in the business than the "thug misses" look ever would. (and I agree...leave that to Da Brat..lol).

Aaliyah's life was taken way before her time shoulda been gone, but honestly I guess that's not really my decision to make. She gave us 3 good to great albums before her untimely passing, but if given the chance, I bet that she had a lot more to offer the world. Aaliyah paved the way for such folks like Ciara and Teyana Taylor...but I betcha that if she was still alive, that she woulda been blowin them to pieces. Some of my favorites by the Baby Girl herself are listed below (and low key, I still bump some of them to this day. lol)

Back and Forth- The first single from her first CD "Age Ain't Nothin But a Number". This was the song that introduced us to the female protege of R'rah.

Street Thing- This wasn't a mainstream hit, but it was a banger. Loved the feeling she put into it.

Age Ain't Nothin But a Number- The title track from her 1st cd that let folks know that even though she may be young, she still know how to get down.

One in a Million- A re-used title with a bangin beat and different words. The title track from her second CD: this was the beginning of a Timbo era.

If Your Girl Only Knew- The first single released from the second CD. Probably was the theme song for all those fly girls back in the day. LOL

We Need a Resolution- First track from her self-titled and last CD. She really came wit it. Gotta love the Timbo beat.

I Care 4 U- Love the sincerity in this video. She vows to make things all better after a broken relationship. Fellas, how many of us are lookin for someone like that?

I Don't Wanna Be- From the Romeo Must Die Soundtrack....acting was pretty bad, but the song knocks tho!

There were plenty of others that could and should be mentioned here, but if I listed all of the songs that banged throughout her career, we'd be here all day. I know that you guys got more to list, but these are the ones that stood out to me. The world is missing an angel, but she's in Heaven right now performing for those people up there now.

R.I.P. Aaliyah

U Can Learn Alot from Your 'Elders'!

2009-12-09T13:37:00.005-05:00

Elder Conversation

Written by: Kenneth-Michael

In the living room of the northwest Baltimore home, sixty-eight year-old Eli Hinton reclines in this over-sized chair, as he watches television. Hinton is originally from Chester County, South Carolina, but moved to Baltimore in 1964. Chester County is 72 miles away from Columbia, South Carolina. He says that growing up in the south, all he knew was farm life and hard work. Slouched in the chair, Hinton reminiscences about growing up in the south, working hard, the things he cherishes, and the biggest challenge he deals with daily…

What kind of jobs have you had?

I worked as person planting trees. I worked in a lumber yard. All of that was in Lauren, South Carolina, which is just a couple miles from Chester. In Charlotte—I worked in Charlotte, too, before I moved here [to Baltimore]. In Charlotte, I worked for the construction and repair shop and I tried demolition, but I didn’t like that. I only worked like three days in demolition and I had to give it up.

How much were you getting paid at the time you held these jobs?

I think I was getting paid a dollar and half an hour I believe at the lumber. In construction, I was making about $2.00 an hour. Even when I lived in Baltimore, I was only making about $3.10.

What could a dollar and a half get you?

The price of living was real cheap. So, a dollar and a half an hour then was about like $20.00 an hour today. Basically, a lot of times you worked by the day. A lot of jobs you had, they paid you by the day. So, when I was picking cotton, they paid you by the hundred pounds and I never picked over two hundred pounds in my life. They only paid you $2.00 per a hundred pounds. I never picked over two hundred pounds, so I never made over $4.00 a day. Growing up in the south, the things that you might have faced depended on the area you lived. Now, the part of the south I was in, it wasn’t too bad, but down like in Georgia, Alabama, and all them places, it was hard. When I was going to plant the trees, I planted some trees in Georgia and I hated Georgia. It was some times in Georgia that I wouldn’t even leave the site. Back then, you had segregation. You couldn’t go into stores.

The stories that we’ve read about and seen on television, Mr. Eli says that he lived it. He said that he decided to move to Baltimore, Maryland for a change. The moved landed him a job in the Baltimore County Public School system as a custodian…

Interview of an Elder

Written by: MARKEZZACKUI

***For this assignment, ETM West Correspondent MARKEZZACUI conducted an interview with his mother via email…

What were the popular hairstyles and clothes while you were growing up?

Ponytails, bobs, french roll, natural (afro) & braids. Bell bottom pants, neru/dashiki tops, hot pants/mini skirts, platform shoes. (lol)

What were the popular T.V. shows you enjoyed watching the most?

Bugs Bunny, Marcus Welby, M.D., Julia (1st black nurse/black woman with own TV sitcom), Star Trek, Perry Mason, Roller Derby, Dark Shadows, Bewitched, I Love Lucy…

Was there a strong unity amongst African-American women? What is the difference today?

Strong unity among the women in the family. In general, not too much competition. Today, it’s beautiful. Women are talking, trusting, helping, [and] truly befriending each other again.

What was the economy like when you were growing up?

Economy—compared to today—very inexpensive. Didn't have all these regulations. California-specific laws driving up prices.

Who were the most popular role models of the day? Who were yours?

Role models: women in the church, my mother & sister. Popular role models [were] like today: models, singers, TV stars…

A Conversation With An Elder:
Eugene McWilliams

Written by: Renee BlackStar

As I’m typing this up, I am really wishing that I could give you this conversation with my grandfather in its entirety. I love talking with him and hearing stories from his bottomless bag of adventures. But, it would probably take a good year of listening to hear them all, or even ten years for me to type them all up! My grandpa has an absolutely fantastic sense of humor (I can’t tell you how hard I laughed throughout this entire interview). Not only is he very funny, but he is also very intelligent, in a street-wise way, and he’s not afraid to keep it all the way real. It’s part of what I love most about him. I’m telling you, there was just so much material that I was forced to edit out a lot of it. So, depending on the feedback I get on this, I will most definitely have to revisit this topic and write up the complete interview for a future ETM article. I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for reading!

Eugene McWilliams, born in Chicago, Nov. 23, 1938

On being married 48 years…

It’s okay.

That’s it? It’s just been okay?

Yeah. [We both burst into laughter.]

Honest message to his wife…

Hang in there! [laughs]

“Don’t think that every person that’s got old got wisdom. They done had fools since before I was born. They
was back there talking crazy as hell! You got just as good a chance of having an analytical mind at fourteen or fifteen as you would at eighty…”

Life lesson he wished he’d learned sooner than later…

I would say, I wish I had learned… shit, damn near everything. [chuckles] No, but let me think. I would have to say Algebra and Calculus and all of that math stuff.

Advice to young people…

Go to school as much as you can, even if it’s hard. No matter what you have to sacrifice, stay in school. Save your money! Budget your money and save it the best you can. Always put something up and remember to pay yourself first.

Thoughts on today’s violence…

People like to talk about “now-a-day’s people this, now-a-day’s people that”. The only difference is then people didn’t have automatic weapons, but every Friday and Saturday night the county hospital was full of people cutting people’s throat with razors.

Thoughts on today’s independent women…

More women got their own jobs, and they got better jobs. They got their own cars. When I was coming up, if a brotha had a car, he had every woman on the block. If he was the one that had a car, that was all you needed, and you were good. Now, every woman has a car, or two cars. That makes women more independent. There’s still some of the hangover from a lot of guys thinking that the guys are supposed to be the boss, even though when the guy was so-called “the boss” it was because he had the job and the money. And that’s what made him the boss. Not that he was any brighter.

To see more of the staff's Elderly Conversations, click on the link below:

http://etmmagazine.info/Editorials/2009/12/articles/2009_12_elders.html

New Year's RAVOlutions!

2009-12-09T13:06:00.011-05:00

Ravolution for 2010
Written By: Raven Ekundayo

For 2009 I wanted to work on taking another step toward my freedom from some of the matriX’s that still eXisted in my life. Through much prayer and hard work I was able to eXcape a good amount of them. For that I’m thankful.
In 2009 my company and magazine continued to grow and we have definitely hit our stride with much room to grow. Ccep, luminoUS, EN and ^Northerstar* have handled their areas within the magazine well and have made it easier for me to handle other areas of the Ravolution Multimedia brand. Because of this I was able to work on getting our mission out to even more people. I think we grew more in 2009 than in any other year.

This year I interviewed Cornel West. In starting this online publication I had certain people in mind that I wanted to interview, if you watch the intro to the magazine you will see many of them. Interviewing Brother West was a dream come true and it taught me the power of truly putting positive energy into the universe and what it can get you. In interviewing him I realized the impact this magazine could truly have on the lives of many. We were blessed to have more people than I could possibly name inside of ETM this year and if anything gave me the drive to keep our mission going it was this.

Faith.Knowledge.Wisdom.Understanding

Written by: Ccep J. Dew, West Coast Editor
Photo by: Quill Wordsmith, Marsalis Images

I usually don’t do well with brevity, which is why I usually don’t write good haikus. My two previous Ravolutions were eXtra long, but this one won’t be… because I am changing.

I have been living in fear and doubt, but not anymore. The end of the year is usually depression-filled for me, but not this year. Though I am physically and emotionally drained at the close of this year, I am mentally healthy and spiritually happy… I am changing.

Every December, I choose a quote and phrase that will guide me through the new year. This year, my quote found me on the last page of Instructions for Alchemy. Ingredients of Ether by David “Judah 1” Oliver:

FAITH is a skydive jump.
KNOWLEDGE is ground soon come.
WISDOM is enjoying the fall.
UNDERSTANDING that the fall may kill you.

Written by: luminoUS, Editor-at-Large

Each year, the staff of eXcapethematriX is asked to think of a “Ravolution” for the impending year, but this “Ravolution” has to be one that is realistic to upholding. In 2008, I set out for the following “Ravolution” for the 2009 year, “I will continuously strive to live a healthier lifestyle and invest time in building a family of my own,” and I feel like I’ve kept this “Ravolution” for this year. Although I have not started a family of my own as of yet, I am finding a newfound happiness and respect for dating. Hey, you have to start somewhere, right? I have also tried my best to maintain a healthier lifestyle. This “Ravolution” will carry over into 2010, but I will also add the fact that I will try at all cost to relinquish control. I try so hard to keep everything under wraps and control what isn’t in my power to control, which leaves me burned out and frustrated. For 2010, I will keep the serenity prayer on the tip of my lips and throw up my hands when I feel the need to wrangle a situation. I vow to myself to let things flow and to glide upon the tide of life.

2010 Ravolution:
Chavez’s Ravolution 2010

Written by: ^Northernstar*
Photo by: Quill Wordsmith, Marsalis Images

“Inhale Positivity, Exhale Anxiety” - Beyoncé

A few days ago, I watched the “I Am… Yours” DVD and before Beyoncé & her crew went on stage to perform in front of thousands, they all engaged in a passionate prayer when the diva stated the aforementioned quote. I rewind that part so many times to really allow the quote to marinate in my head. Something so simple was very affective. Life would be so easy if we all could just breathe positivity & let go of any negative energy.

In the past 10-11 months, I’ve had to make the best out of the worst-case scenarios to find out in the end, I am still the winner… I am undefeated. Many people say they are thankful for the great things they are blessed with, but I want to give thanks for all of those bad moments I had to endure. I am truly excited to give my thanks to God & the people in my life who have helped me grow. I can honestly say I've learned the power of forgiveness, the power of unconditional love, the power of harmony, and the power of letting go. I am truly grateful for the trials & tribulations. I feel like I've survived through situations individuals in their 40's are going through now.

2010 Ravolution:
New Year… Better Me

Written by: Renee BlackStar

2009 has turned out to be a great year for me, by far my best year yet! Outside of hitting the thirty year marker, I have managed to successfully accomplish many of the goals I set for myself at the start of 08’. I’ve finally found the courage and confidence to get up before a group of strangers and share my creative side. I’ve also effectively put anxiety in my back pocket and proved to myself that I won’t die if I pick up the mic. Score one point for me because I am a sufferer of stage fright, but through my fears I persevered. Score even more points for me because I was able to parlay that new found confidence into finding the nerve to actually sing in front of strangers as well! The idea of which, for me, was even more terrifying than the ladder situation. But, wouldn’t you know it… I’m still alive! On top of that, I got to meet and interview more than a few beautiful and talented people through my work with ETM and by joining other networking groups that work diligently toward the betterment of the people. On the downside though, for the “I don’t know how manyeth time”, I haven’t managed to accomplish the goal of shedding this baby fat I’ve been carrying around for the past six years! HA! I did put forth some effort, but not enough to make a difference. I’m not too hard on myself though. Me and exercise ain’t NEVER been friends! And so, I’ve learned that it’s better for me not to torture myself with New Year’s Resolutions. This next year I plan to just focus on the next level, whatever that may be. Self-improvement is a constant aspiration and I will continue to strive for a better me. Here’s to new beginnings… CHEERS!

To read the entire staff's RAVOlutions, click the link below:

http://etmmagazine.info/Editorials/2009/12/articles/2009_12_editorials_staff.html

Music Hits The Spot series (Take It Off) - By: Donald Mitchell

2009-12-04T17:27:00.002-05:00

As I muddled through the many various topics I could write about, I thought about something. I figured, how many of you women out here reading this post have thought about songs that you could "perform" to? Don't front, don't act like you've never thought about dancing for your boo, in the privacy of your (or his, or the hotel) room. It's cool...I ain't mad about it. I enjoy a good private dance too...9 times outta 10, it's gonna lead to somethin that will benefit you in the end.

Now coming up with this list was pretty easy actually. The first song that popped into my head was the below: I mean, seriously, listening to this song, you already got instructions. LOL

Pimp C just tells you off bat:

"Take it off bitch, bend over lemme see
if you lookin for a trill type nigga lemme be it."

And if you do that right, you bound to get yours in before you know it. But don't just get up there and think that because you got this song on, and somethin real scandalous, that we gone up and start bangin. (Well, we will, but you know..lol). Make sure you, "work somethin, twerk somethin".

And for the fellas, don't get psychotic and start humpin as soon as she start dancin. Let her make her way over to ya. It'll be worth the wait. If you lookin for some other suggestions to get her outta her shell and onto a make shift pole in the crib, look down below (not in ya pants, but at the list...lol):

50 Cent - Ayo Technology: Here's a bangin visual for you ladies if you want some pointers on how to work a pole. LOL

Jeremih - Birthday Sex: A great way to show the man you love, just how MUCH you love him on his birthday.

The Dream - Lemme See The Booty: Here is for you lap dancing gurls. I know you know what I'm talkin about. Or maybe you wanna do more than dance in that lap.

Crime Mob - Rock Yo Hips: If you one of those ladies that like to gyrate outta control, here is the theme song for you. Maybe this should be your starter song to get ya clothes off.

Ludacris - Splash Waterfalls I suggest this be your ending song right before you relax and let it gooooooooooo! SAY IT!

Lil Wayne feat Bobby V. - Mrs. Officer: Take notes ladies....ideas for after you go in for the kill.

I know this is different from the norm, but I am an equal opportunist, and the strippers should get their just do. We can't leave them out, cause they have provided us men with quality hours spent in shake junts, bachelor parties, and the like. Don't be afraid to show your man how you can work it behind closed doors....after all, we love a lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets. YUUU-WEH!!!!

Bad Habits - Written By: Donald Mitchell

2009-12-02T16:41:00.006-05:00

Have you ever had a jones for someone, someone that you knew you probably shouldn't or shouldn't have had no types of feelings for. Someone that you should leave the hell alone, but they are like your bad habit?

I think Maxwell spoke a for real truth in this song.

He speaks about someone that he knows is real wrong for him, especially because he's in a relationship at the time. From the beginning of the song, he recognizes that he's dead wrong for gettin the key from ole chick and then using it. But hey, we've all had those types of moments.

This is definitely one of those songs, that I'd recommend gettin play on a rainy night when you tryna get it in. Even if you just wanna play the entire CD (which by the way I do recommend for a good listen....the boy ain't lost his touch!), he sets off the mood right by startin the CD with this song. Very soulful, not too slutty (unless you watchin the video..then that's a Skinemax show lol), and with the right person, you gone get some draws dropped.

I know we done all been there before, hell, I been there recently, but you know what, sometimes, you just can't help yaself. I think Maxwell put it best when he said:

You're my bad habit baby you're my
You're taking my soul down to the letter O
Can't escape the way you got me locked out baby
I gotta break from you, break from you, break from you.

It was that serious....he had to get away 3 times. Don't tell me you ain't been there before.

Make sure to check out Donald's weekly blog:

www.musicaldramatics.blogspot.com

Have You Ever Been Lost, But Found?!

2009-11-24T15:10:00.003-05:00

Lyrically Speaking XV

Written by: Ccep J. Dew, West Coast Editor

"I never been so lost and found at the same time..." - Judah 1

For the last couple of weeks, I have never felt surer of my calling and more lost in its discovery. It's as if I know what steps to take, but anxiety (and, quite honestly, fear) has leadened my legs and kept me Tin Man stiff with no oil can in sight. Fear of what? I don't know. Perhaps, it's the fear of failure or the fear of succeeding. Perhaps, as I conveyed to my little sister and to my big sister on two separate occasions, it is the fear of becoming "a god". Perhaps, you've been feeling the same way for different reasons.

Recent interactions have challenged me to reveal sides of myself that only a select few are allowed to see. In sharing my fears, joys, goals, and things as simple as my favorite restaurant or color, I have similarly been able to see the vulnerability in others. It is the absence of this innocence and fellowship that chills the heart, cloaks the spirit, and leads to feelings of detachment from those in our surroundings and networks. And it is in these moments where the beauty and intricacies of humanity (others', as well as our own) can be found.

When my mother calls me from Baltimore sometimes, before she gets off the phone, she says, "I miss you," in a tone that is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. Naturally, my response is, "I miss you, too. I'll be there soon," but the recent passing of my grandfather has shown me that no one can be sure when "soon" will come, if it ever comes at all.

These and other experiences tend to leave me conflicted: Do I open myself up to another individual or continue to guard my precious heart? How much do I share? How much of myself am I willing to give (while thinking that the other person may not reciprocate or even care?) Do I break down and have a cryfest over the phone or do I stay strong and save the tears for when we are reunited?

To read more into the subliminal message, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/Editorials/2009/11/articles/2009_11_lyrically14.html

Mad Love for the DJ's!

2009-11-24T15:04:00.002-05:00

DJ HEROS:
Dedicated to Roc Raida & Mr. Magic
(R.I.P.)

Written by: Slangston Hughes

The foundation of the Hip-Hop culture is without a doubt the Deejay. Way before the emcee ever came anywhere near the mic to recite his first “yes, ya’ll” it was the Deejay who kept the crowd moving and laid the groundwork for the culture and the music that has come to be known as Hip-Hop. And within the past few weeks, Hip-Hop has lost two of its most pivotal historical figures on the 1’s and 2’s: turntablist X-traordinare Grand Master Roc Raida and Hip-Hop Disc Jockey (the very first in mainstream radio, that is) Mr. Magic. May their memory, legacy, and priceless contributions never be forgotten!

Although his family called him “Ant”, Anthony Williams became known worldwide as legendary DJ Roc Raida. In 1999, Grand Master status was bestowed upon him by a group of pioneering Hip-Hop DJs during a conference at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum. With a very aggressive swagger on the turntables, those who knew Roc Raida were floored by his battles, performances, recordings, documentaries, videos, DVDs. and even a Pepsi commercial. Roc Raida influenced thousands of DJs, both to party rock as well as to battle. He began DJing at the age of 12, spinning at local parties around Harlem. In 1991, he won the AS 1 DJ Battle. By 1995, Roc Raida represented the United States at the DMC World DJ Championships and won! He was the first DJ from NYC to hold this title. Throughout his life, he lived his passion being a professional Hip-Hop DJ and was blessed to tour the world. Williams was honored to have worked with artists including Showbiz & AG, Lord Finesse, Kool G Rap, and, most recently, he toured exclusively with Busta Rhymes. As a member of the legendary turntablist crews, The X-Men and later, The X-ecutioners, he along with his brothers in vinyl took the world by storm, innovating, influencing and inspiring at every turn. In 2006, to progress and contribute to the Hip-Hop DJ battle scene, he founded Roc Raida’s Gong DJ Battle, a national DJ battle that occurs annually, combining head-to-head turntablist dexterity with comedy and drama.

Anthony “Grand Master Roc Raida” Williams was born in Harlem, New York on May 17, 1972. He passed away on Saturday, September 19, 2009 from a cardiac arrest resulting from injuries he suffered in an accident while training in Krav Maga, a type of self-defense system that he had been studying weekly for the last two years. Without a doubt, he is one of the greatest turntable experts in the history of Hip-Hop culture and is on any and everyone’s top 5 list of most technically skilled turntablist who knows anything about the art-form. An innovator in the craft of the Deejay who was handed the torch directly by legends such as Grand Master Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore, Anthony “Grand Master Roc Raida” Williams truly transformed the turntable into an instrument in ways that both his contemporaries and predecessors alike could never have imagined possible. To the Grand Master Roc Raida: Hip-Hop is forever grateful and we will forever miss you, a true turntable ninja and vinyl X-ecutioner like none another, the John Coltrane of the zigga ziggas, Roc Raida, Rest In Peace!

To read the entire dedication, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2009/11/articles/2009_11_djheros.html

Gay Suicide!

2009-11-24T15:01:00.003-05:00

The Alarming Rate of Gay Students Who Drop Out of School (28%) and the 30% Who Commit Suicide

Written by: Mister Rowan

Sometimes, parents wonder what happens to their children when they leave early in the morning and go off to school. They even wonder why, sometimes, their children are rebellious or even the slightest standoffish. But, on most occasions, parents have endured the same treatment that their children currently are, so what is to be done to alleviate the situation?

Although many families are accepting of their off-spring’s sexual orientation, there are a large amount of families that honestly don’t want anything to do with that person. It’s sad to believe that some large amounts of people believe that a person’s sexual orientation is a choice and it leaves the person to question their own existence. Studies and personal experience prove that people honestly wonder whether their life is a mistake and if the life they live is really the one that was meant for them.

With all the problems of today, there is one that still exists: teenage death and exile. Ask yourself: did you know or were you the person in school that often faced ostracism? If so, then you know exactly how it feels to wonder why you look at the cards you were dealt. How do we change the remarkable numbers that face us today? Studies show that an alarming rate of High School dropouts is owned by 28% of homosexuals. They also show that of all those suicide cases each year, a mass amount of 30% belong to the LGBT community, as well.

Instead of this problem being faced head-on, it’s been shoved under a rug, shunned, and, even worse, not taken seriously. Is it not important that those of the “next generation” are disappearing because of the lack of assurance in their lives? Media plays a major part, as well. This year in California history revealed that hatred rules the courtroom and the decision to allow same-sex marriage was denied. That thought alone just governs the thought of a young man or woman facing a dilemma of wondering whether their life is in vain.

To check out more of this alarming article, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/future/2009/11/articles/2009_11_alarmingrate.html

Do You Procrastinate?

2009-11-24T14:55:00.002-05:00

Self-Sabotage:
The Negatives of Procrastination

Written by: ^Northernstar*

Have you ever waited ‘til the last minute to start developing your presentation due tomorrow? Do you ever make excuses not to call the jobs you’ve applied for? Or have you ever said, “I work best under pressure, so I’ll do it the night before”? At some point, we all have & we as humans are entitled to feel “anxious” or “lazy”. However, when a person begins to “put things off” excessively, the final product becomes an epic failure & it hinders the person from living to their full potential.

What is this type of person called? You guessed it. They are a procrastinator and as harmless as it seems… it can be very effective & harmful to an individual’s career and life. In David Glenn’s article, “Procrastination in College Students Is a Marker for Unhealthy Behaviors”, he explains how the biggest procrastinators happen to be college students because their priorities are backwards and they would rather party all weekend than study for a mid-term the following Monday. I am a college student and there have been many times where I would rather talk on the phone or go out to the club than read PowerPoints for a lecture I did not understand. But, in reality, understanding the PowerPoint is more important because if I am tested on the material, I would get a big fat zero. On the other hand, I may miss that party or phone call, but it will always be there! My education could be lost, so why risk it over something that’ll always exist?

“College students who procrastinate in their academic work are also likely to have unhealthy sleep, diet, and exercise patterns.” (Glenn, 2002) And it doesn’t come as a big surprise because college students (people in general), make ideas for what they want to do for themselves, but become lost by distractions & they say, “Well, shoot. This homework isn’t going anywhere. I want to take a break for five minutes”, then they never come back to it. It wasn’t until my mother told me she observed that I start things but never finish it that opened my eyes about how damaging procrastination can be. And no one wants to be perceived as a procrastinator, especially in the world of Journalism.

It is believed by many people that procrastination is stemmed from perfectionism, anger, hostility, low frustration tolerance, self-downing, difficulty levels, fears & too-time consuming. From personal experiences, many of these reasons are very true! But, what a person must keep in the back of their mind is the fact that the more work you put out, the greater advantages you will have. When a person procrastinates their entire life, they will only reach a certain point. The sky is the limit for the hard-worker.

Click the link below to find out the FIVE ways to eliminate procrastination:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/future/2009/11/articles/2009_11_selfsabotage.html

Editors Notes... Three Years Later!

2009-11-24T14:49:00.003-05:00

Ccep J. Dew,
West Coast Editor/Arts Director of “Free Your Mind”

Initially, my intention was to simply submit my poetry to ETM. To my surprise, I was thrust into journalism and quickly climbed the ladder from intern to full-time journalist. Though my love is for the arts, because of my age, I graduated to the Youth Director of “The Future” section and, when leadership began to shift, I eventually was able to make the switch to Arts Director of “Free Your Mind”. When our former West Coast Editor stepped down from her position, I stepped into it. And here I stand, two years after submitting a poem, as West Coast Editor and Arts Director of eXcape the matriX magazine…

During my 2 years with ETM, I have undergone changes both personally and professionally. This last year, in particular, has caused me to think about things differently as I have undertaken more responsibilities within the publication and the company.

A shy, introverted individual with leadership qualities, yet a preference not to be in the spotlight, it has been somewhat conflicting for me to be in the positions that I hold. Though I have all the skills to be a phenomenal leader, I would much rather seek comfort in the shadows where I can work my magic and not have people looking up at me with pools of questions about to swell over from their eyes. But, “for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” –Luke 12:48. So, in accepting the titles of my positions, I had to also accept the responsibility and transition myself to be the leader that is required of me.

The most difficult challenge that I have faced this year has been honesty. Not, “telling the truth as opposed to lying”, but “saying eXactly how I feel within the right capacity”. At times, I have feared coming off as too harsh when “reprimanding” journalists or fear seeming too opinionated with matters of the operation of the company. But, with encouragement, I have found my unapologetic voice and, in doing so, have taken an active role in the metamorphosis that the publication has undergone.

I’ve also become more comfortable with the interview process. It is always somewhat nerve-wrecking for me to call someone and the anxiety never truly goes away; however, I have gotten better at concealing the feeling. I have also taken the step to conduct an interview without prewritten questions. I figure, at some point, I may run into someone and that will be my only opportunity to interview them. Shouldn’t I be prepared to do impromptu interviews? Yes, I should.

Though I have come to terms with my responsibilities, I am prepared for all that the forthcoming year will require of me…

EN,
Sr. Editor/Webmaster

It is funny that I always have to stop and take a minute to reflect on the past eXperiences here with the magazine. Things often flow back to back so much that I turn around and it is time for the next “thing”. The past three years have been a growing and stretching process, but truly sometimes “you can’t see the forest for the trees”. So, in true logical fashion, I’ll make a list of ETM effects:

Capitalizing the X’s in words now…
Attending the Transformations event at MICA as a member of the press…
Finally getting business cards for myself (thank you ETM)…
Being on live radio via staff member Catalina Byrd…
Getting to learn everyone a little bit more through each anniversary dinner…
Enjoying the group photo shoots…
Having a good time as the doorman for Storytellers…
Seeing just how much behind-the-scenes web work can be done in a day…

I think it is beautiful to see us still moving forward with speed and new ideas. There is a huge pool of dedicated and loving people here, working towards a goal and honing their craft. Setbacks don’t steal our joy, but rather give us more energy to get things right. The biggest trait I’ve noticed is that I have learned to go with the flow in confidence. Everything can’t be planned out in advance and I am starting to implement that in my every day life…

To read the ENTIRE Editors & Directors Editorials, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/Editorials/2009/11/articles/2009_11_etm3years.html

Kimora Kimora Kimora!

2009-11-24T12:00:00.001-05:00

Fabulosity:
Profile of Kimora Lee Simmons

Written by: Chenita “Infinite Apex” Dickerson
oneandanoi@hotmail.com

Taurean goddess (yes, this is my opinion) Kimora Lee Simmons, born Kimora Lee Perkins, entered this world on May 4, 1975. She was raised and parented by her African-American (Black) dad Vernon Whitlock Jr. and her half-Japanese, half-Korean mom Joanne Kyoko Perkins in St. Louis, Missouri. She was often teased for her height and Asian features and was often called a “chinky giraffe”. Despite being labeled a “chinky giraffe”, she emerged as a fabulous business and fashion professional, supermodel, actress, published author, wife, and mom all to the tune of an estimated $9,400,000 a year! In this case, success is the best revenge.

Kimora’s mom enrolled her in modeling classes at the age of eleven and by age thirteen, she was discovered by Marie Christine Kollock for Paris Agency Glamour and sent to Paris. At age thirteen, as well, she was awarded a contract for modeling under Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld. She was six foot tall by age fourteen. Kimora graduated from Lutheran High School North in St. Louis Missouri. At age fifteen and with no driver’s license, Kimora purchased her first car, a BMW, which she crashed, injuring herself and needing forty stitches in her face. Along her modeling career, she met and is still best friends with Talk Show host and supermodel Tyra Banks, who is Godmother to at least one of her children.

Despite being labeled a “chinky giraffe”, she emerged as a fabulous business and fashion professional, super model, actress, published author, wife and mom all to the tune of an estimated $9,400,000 a year!

Kimora Lee Simmons is a mother to three children; two of her children are daughters with ex-husband Russell Simmons, former owner of Phat Fashions. Russell encouraged Kimora to go out with him by sending flower arrangements to her agency that were so big it took two delivery men to carry them. Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee were married in 1998 and their first daughter, Ming Lee Simmons, was born in 2000. Two years later, the couple had a second daughter, Aoki Lee Simmons. Despite being business partners with Baby Phat, the couple separated in March 2006 and finalized their divorce earlier this year in January of 2009; however, they remain friends and business colleagues. Kimora held the position of Creative Director for Baby Phat (a division of Phat Fashions), but after Russell Simmons sold Phat Fashions and stepped down as CEO, the new owners promoted Kimora to Creative Director and CEO of Phat Fashions where she remains today. Mrs. Simmons’ latest edition to her family, a son named Kenzo Lee Hounson, was born this year in May of 2009 with her new husband, actor and model Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, The Island) whom she began dating in March 2007. Both of Kimora’s daughters are models for the children’s division of Baby Phat Fashions. Little Kenzo appeared, debuting as the youngest child to ever grace a runway, during the 2010 Fashion Week at the end of the Baby Phat collection debut. Being held by his mom Kimora and with his two sisters walking on each side, he was shown to the world. Kimora was filming a new season of her reality show, “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane”, while preparing for the Fashion week show.

To see the entire article, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/Bizarre/2009/11/articles/2009_11_fabulosity.html

The Apocalypse Dawns at 30: Does Life Really End Here? (Two Perspectives)

2009-11-24T11:47:00.008-05:00

The Apocalypse Dawns at 30:
Does Life Really End Here?

Written by: luminoUS; Editor at Large
Photograph (left) by: Edith Williams of Diamond Digital Photography

It seems I have a disease, or at least that’s the way people gawk at me once they find out that I’m swiftly approaching 30, not married, have no prospects of potential suitors, and haven’t laid one egg, which leaves me without a child to proudly say that I’ve carried for nine months and endured 234 hours of labor to see their sweet little face. But, rest assured, people, I’m still alive and well. Although, I have my down days, my modern day leprosy of ushering from 20 to 30 isn’t deathly and I’m actually looking forward to it.

Yes, I look all of 25, which I was told by one of the 22 year-old cubs who recently tried to seek refuge in my den, but, I, my dears, am not a cougar and have no intentions of being any woman identified by the names of ferocious felines. I am simply a woman who will turn 30 this month. I’m single with no children—rare, but not eXtinct. I very much eXist and get tired of people looking down on me because of what I don’t have or haven’t become as of yet. I’m well aware that in many cultures I would have been married years ago. The Japanese woman at the local sushi bar made this known to me once she found out how old I was and then looked at me in astonishment when my response to her question about being married didn’t align with her customs. She even asked to see my ID because she didn’t believe that I was indeed knocking on the doorway to my 3rd decade in life. But, despite the stares and feedback that I receive from strangers, it’s the voice of my family that hit the hardest. These people have known me for 30 years, or at least the elders of the family have, and it hurts me that my mom thinks that I don’t have children because I’m selfish, or that my great-grandma thought that I was too career-oriented to focus on a family. I simply couldn’t see myself having a baby and bringing it into my mom’s home. Personally, I wanted to have a stable career and a stable home in which to place a child in the attempt that I would have to raise it alone. I believe in marriage, but coming from a place where single mothers seem to be as common as ordering a chicken box and half and half as a nutritional dinner, I didn’t want to depend on someone else to look after me or my child.

To read the entire article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/editorials/2009/11/articles/2009_11_apocalypseat30.html

Written By: Raven A. Ekundayo
Photo By: Savhad Lewis

It’s funny. At 21 it seemed like 30 was light years away. If I’m being honest it seemed like it was just as far away at 25. It’s not that far away now. As this magazine goes to cyber print I will officially have 10 days before I turn 30. Unlike most people I know who seem to dread turning the big 30, I’m actually really eXcited.

Each “significant” age in my 20’s came with something special. At 21 I realized my life’s purpose and gave myself my last name. When I was 25 I became a journalist and gave myself my middle name.

Spoiler Alert (LOL) – For those who don’t know, my parents didn’t name me Raven Ekundayo, but for the record, I WAS born Raven Ekundayo. You can figure that one out.

When looking at my 21st and 25th Birthdays I become more eXcited about turning 30. If such important parts of my life took place during those birthdays what can I eXpect from 30?

“My 30’s are when I will appear on Oprah and become close friends with Cornel West, Sean Carter and
Jill Scott.” - Raven

I’ll also be leaving behind my 20’s and boy am I ready to be done with them. The 20’s signify a decade of finding one’s self. I enjoyed the journey and I have more to know about me I’m sure, but for the most part I’m ready for the next chapter in life. I’m ready for the part where I’ve learned the most important lessons and can now move forward and create my proper place in history. It’s perplexing to me that people assume 30 is old; that couldn’t be further from the truth. You have lived but only 3 decades at 30. That’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. We are still quite young, just thankfully not as naïve and immature as we were at 20 (well….some of us anyway).

To read Raven's entire "Apocalypse", click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/editorials/2009/11/articles/2009_11_dawnof30.html

You Are What You Eat!

2009-11-24T11:43:00.002-05:00

You Are What You Eat?!

Written by: Mister Rowan

So, as time goes by, new products are being produced in order to increase sales... even if lives are at stake. But, who cares if a few years are shaved off due to the lack of nutritional necessities in the food we eat? Many different types of research on consumables (anything that can be consumed, depleted or worn out by use) are done every day on food in order to come up with new facts to enrich life for everyone. Since there tends to be a lot of conditions that revolve around unhealthy eating, I thought that I could do some help by researching which foods are the best for you.

Upon research, I found several websites that included information about common foods that we’re brought up on, not really knowing that they are dangerous for us. Now, there are the old folks’ tales that our grandparents tell us and we tend to let it go in one ear and out the other. But, scientists work hard to prove those tales right.

As a security measure in emergency situations, many people are advised to make sure to carry cases of bottled water to remain hydrated. Although that is most important to be hydrated, did you know that bottled water may be a bit more dangerous than your average tap water on top of being more expensive? It’s 2009 and WE ARE IN A RECESSION! We don’t need to spend unnecessary money, let alone get sick from spending that extra dollar or so on “convenient” refreshments.

***Some facts:

Producing the containers for bottled water in that year required more than 17 million barrels of oil and bottling the water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide. Are you aware that it takes 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottle water? What happens to the other 2 liters? Now, while we’re trying to quench our thirst, a lot of people tend to drain the earth by liter. The Container Recycling Institute reported that 86% of water bottles in the United States become garbage or liter.

Are the nutritional facts all of the contents in the product? Well, some companies, whose main product is bottled water, contain harmful contaminants, such as arsenic, chloroform, nitrate, TTHM (Total Trihalomethanes), and other variations of Trihalomethanes. FYI: TTHM is the chemical known to cause cancer so, “How you doin’?”

To read the entire article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2009/11/articles/2009_11_youarewhatyoueat.html

Melanie Fiona bridges Canada with B-more

2009-11-07T16:52:00.003-05:00

Written by: luminoUS, Editor at Large

Photography by: Edith Williams of Diamond Digital Portraits

On a beautifully marveloUS autumn day, I sat out to join my ETM family at Gypsy Soul’s monthly Ear Candy event. Gypsy Soul sets out to bring the public responsible music and the event scheduled for the evening of October 20^th did just that. Standing room only, people packed the urban chic walls of Teavolve, a local tea house locate in Harbor East Baltimore, for the digital release party of Melanie Fiona’s debut album. During an intermission following the performances of that Rock & B chick, Lydia Caesar and musical prodigy, John Bibbs, I sat down with three other journalist for a round table style interview with Canadian born Melanie Fiona.

How does the music scene in Canada differ from the music scene in the US?

MF: The music scene is really different in Canada because Canada is such a smaller market. We have as many people in the country of Canada; actually you guys have more people in the state of California than we do in our whole country. So, it’s a different market. Everything is taking a lot longer to develop there, on an industry basis. The music industry, eXpecially when it comes to Urban music, is a lot smaller. It’s definitely not at as big on a number sales scale. And then the actual labels up there, we don’t have many. The couple that we do have; Warner, EMI, Universal, you know, much smaller divisions and not as many artist signed. Urban music is a lot more difficult to break in Canada.

Let’s talk about the album, The Bridge, how did you come up with the title?

MF: We did an eXclusive release with iTunes today for $5.99. The album is [now] available and I’m very, very eXcited about it. For me, this has been a life long journey, a life long dream so, The Bridge is more of a symbol for me than it is a track title or a song. Bridges mean something. Bridges mean, to me, something that brings people together, you cross from one side to the next on a bridge, so I wanted my first album to definitely be that. I wanted it to be stories that people could relate to. I wanted it to be about real life, about real music, real instrumentation, real singing, but most importantly I wanted it to bridge things that separate people, because I feel like music should never be one of those things. Music should always be something that brings people together so different ethnicities are going to appreciate this music. For me, growing up in a multicultural city, I pulled from so many different influences from culture to different types of music and food and language so it definitely bridges the gap between genders, cultures and age groups. I’m a young girl with an old soul, always have been, and you know my parents listened to a lot of soul music from Sam Cooke to Nat King Cole and as I grew up listening to pop, R&B to hip-hop, I wanted to fuse the two together, you know the past and the present. That’s what The Bridge is for me and I just want it to be that for everybody else.

BET penned it but do you think of yourself as a “rising icon?”

MF: Oh my gosh! I’m rising, definitely. I don’t know about an icon. An icon comes with a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure, I’m so flattered that I’m even considered any type of icon; rising, falling, it doesn’t matter. It was such an honor for me because I was like I don’t even have an album out, I’m still developing and trying to promote myself as a new artist and they put me in a category of artist that are established, have albums, people know, support their music and that was a huge compliment because BET is really helping to eXpose me to an audience of new people that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be eXposed to as a new artist. So, it’s a really great thing. We taped the special. It’s getting ready to air. I’m not sure of what the final date is but I’m really eXcited about it. It will probably air close to the release of the physical album, which is November 10^th. It was a really great series and hopefully I will get to grow and evolve to think that one day I am an icon in my own right.

I know you come from a musical background but how did you get your actual break into the music industry?

MF: I was working in Toronto, where I’m from, just kind of developing what I was going to do in music and just learning the basics of what it was to recording and being an artist and I stopped working with the people I was involved with and I was like ‘what am I gonna do now?’ A mutual friend introduced me to my, now eXecutive producer, for my production company, Title Nine, her name is Carmen. She had a couple of artist that were signed at the time and was interested in doing artist development with new artist. She was in Toronto at the time that we met and she was kinda like, ‘If you’re serious, I like what I see in you, I love the tone of your voice, I love your personality. Let’s see what we can do.’ So, I packed up and would go to California with her on every holiday and every school break and every week that I had off and I just kinda like thru myself in that way. And then I would go back and forth until it became too much and then I just had to go over there full time.

What is your ultimate goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

MF: My ultimate goal, well definitely to still have a career in 10 years. That would be nice. I really think I want to make music that people remember and for me, its not about being the most famous artist but it’s about having a following of people that are really down for you and people who really love your music and will support you so that you can have a career to support your life and do the things that you want to do. I definitely would love to be an artist that’s won a couple Grammy’s, I would love to say that I’ve traveled to every country in the world with my music and I have a stamp in my passport. I would, hopefully, love to maybe have a family of my own at that time and start a new generation and leave a legacy that they can enjoy. And definitely for me, in the things that I’ve learned, I really want to in some area, whether I start my own record label, maybe I’ll start a mentorship program, maybe I’ll start something after I’ve gained that type of eXperience to educate new artist that are coming in and being an artist, it really gives you a different insight as to what it takes to break an artist, what it’s like to be an artist, what you need from a label, what you need from a manager, and sometimes artist don’t know that because they get so caught up in the idea of being an artist and being famous. So, I think it’s really important that there need to be more people to educate artist in how to have a good healthy career.

Earlier this year, I downloaded your mix CD with ?uestlove, which I absolutely adore.

MF: Thank you.

You’re welcome. It basically made me anticipate this album. My favorite song is “Cupid.” How did you hook up with The Roots? I know you met them in London, I believe.

MF: I met them in Paris actually. We were both on tour with Kanye West and I met ?uestlove. That was the day, actually, their bus had flipped over. So, we spoke that day and we were sharing the eXperience together and we kept in touch and started working in the studio and then I said, ‘Do you want to help me with a mix tape?’ and he was like, ‘Ok, yeah. Let’s do it.’ I had no idea what I was getting myself into because I had never done a mix tape before and I was thinking about doing some hip-hop tracks with The Roots and he was like, ‘Come to the studio on Sunday and we’ll figure it out.’ I got there and he had the Illadelphonics, Adam Blackstone, Randy Bowland and a keyboard player by the name of Eric Wortham, all from Philadelphia, amazing musicians that he works with and we went into the studio and we said, ‘all right, we don’t have a date for the album, but we want to give fans and listeners an opportunity to get familiar with the music before the album releases.’ So, we started free-styling music and he was like, ‘sing your song on top of this’ and I started following the beat and singing and improvising and changing melodies and changing lyrics and really just making it a really free-styled idea and that’s what you hear on the mix tape. Very raw, very organic, unrehearsed… we maybe went back to fix one line, other than that there was no editing. So, what you hear is really raw and organic and I love it because I did things like the “Monday Morning” version that I did on that, which is so completely opposite because all of the songs are remixed versions of what’s on my album, so they are different. If they were up tempo they became mids or ballads and “Monday Morning” is probably one of the things that I think that I’m so proud of to date that I did just totally free and I think it was the energy in the room that allowed me to go [places] really creatively that I totally wasn’t eXpected to go. We covered “Cupid” which is one of my favorite songs by Sam Cooke, we did “Heartless” by Kanye and that kinda became something that I was known for and then we just did the songs on the album. It was really a great thing and I’m happy that I made something that people can have and enjoy for years opposed to a DJ just spinning songs they’ve already heard.

How heavy was your hand in the writing process of the album?

MF: In my album, before I started this album, I was completely on my own. I was independent. I was writing and choosing tracks and vocal arranging and doing everything myself. When I started working on [this] album, I met Andrea Martin, who is an amazing producer/song writer, who’s written for Leona Lewis, Monica, SWV, all of the LaFace artist; just incredible. We met and we instantly had creative fireworks. She was like, ‘you are the artist I’ve been waiting for. I’m like, ‘you are the song writer/producer I’ve been looking for my whole life. Help me become better than what I am right now.’ And I’ve worked with Andrea almost on every song on the album, the majority of the album. Whether I wrote it and recorded it with her, whether we co-wrote it together, whether she wrote it, we definitely had a great relationship in creativity and it takes a lot as an artist to kind of feel like your trusting somebody to help you to be a mouth piece to tell your story but for me because this album was about telling other people’s stories as well as mine and making an album that was classic and timeless it was only the best eXperience for me to be able to have somebody who took me under their wing and said, ‘here I’m going to take you to another level.’ I think that’s why people enjoy this music so much because I feel like, even for me, I grew so much in doing this album. So for me, definitely, whether I write, which I do write, I’ve written for Rihanna. I have a publishing deal and I’ll be writing for future artist as well. I definitely never sing about anything that I don’t stand by. That is an absolute must for me. I’m not one of those artist that’s like, ‘this is a hit song so let’s just record it,’ and I don’t believe in it. I can’t do that. For me, I feel like my integrity comes so honestly in my performance that the audience will see it right away. So, for me, it’s always about real content that I believe in, that I know people can believe in, that people can believe me telling their story because if it’s not my story and it’s someone else’s I want them to be able to be like, ‘yeah girl I felt you, that was me I was going thru that.’ So, that’s where a lot of the records came from on this album and I’m going to continue to work with Andrea for the rest of my career hopefully.

You mentioned that you wrote for Rihanna, did you work with her on the upcoming album?

MF: I did not [write] on the upcoming album, I did a song on her second album called “Them Haters,” which had a reggae kind of feeling. Rihanna’s from the islands and my families from the Caribbean as well. So, I definitely wanted to have that reflected in my music. I was doing a lot of music that had that reggae influence at the time and I got that song placed on her album.

Are there any other artist or producers that you would like to work with?

MF: I would really love to work with Wyclef Jean because I feel like he’s got a great
understanding of music and he does a great job of bridging music together as well. I’ve been to a few of his shows and it’s totally international. His crowd is all over the place. The music is definitely international. I’d love to work with Kanye. As a new artist, I’d love to work with Ryan Leslie. He’s probably one of my new favorite artist and albums of this year. Love it! Love it! He’s just a musical genius and I would love to see Ryan Leslie put his stamp on Melanie Fiona and see what he can create for me. That would be really great.

What inspiration can you give to other young artist trying to where you are?

MF: Wow, I would say surround yourself with positive people. Your team needs to be your foundation. You cannot do this on your own. It is probably the most difficult thing in the world when you have to pick up and leave and you have nobody who’s fighting for you just as hard as you’re fighting for yourself. So a team, definitely who are out for your best interest and who will keep you on the right path as a person, not necessarily as an artist. Be very clear about what you want to do as an artist. It’s one thing to love music and to sing and to want to be an artist, but really, what it takes to be an artist is a lot of hard work, so be very clear about what you are getting yourself into and just push. Just push. No matter how many times people told me I should have changed the type of music that I do or I need to do more of this type of music or I need to be more of this type of artist or dress this type of way or do whatever, if I would’ve listened to what everybody said I would have no direction as to who I am so if you are sure of who you are and what you want to do, go with that and believe in that and follow that thru because the more you insist on who you are and what you want to do people won’t fight you on it anymore.

Much peace, love and light

*For more information on Melanie*

www.melaniefiona.com

The Jon Bibbs Interview from "Ear Candy" 10/09

2009-11-07T16:47:00.002-05:00

Written By: Natalie K. Pinkney

Photography By: Edith Williams of Diamond Digital Photography

Jon Bibbs is a talented artist who has so many skills under his belt, it’s true genius that he can keep up with himself. His new album is set for release in early 2010 and is sure to be what his fans have come to know and love about his music.

　

ETM: You’re a songwriter, singer, producer, and musician. Of all the hats you wear, which is your favorite?

JB: Singing…Definitely. I could be in my room singing and be the happiest person in the world.

ETM: You’ve worked alongside some of music’s most coveted artists. What have you learned from those eXperiences?

JB: Well, I’ll name a couple of people. From Ledisi, I learned a really positive view of what we do and a perseverance. From Chuck Brown, I learned a coolness..a calmness, being in control to realize that everything is going to be all right if you just relaX. From Bilal, I learned creative freedom, to be completely unafraid of any subject or any arrangement. I’m not anywhere near where he is [laughs] but I’m on the road to that path.

ETM: What can fans and new listeners eXpect from the new album?

JB: They can eXpect a lot of stripped down music. There is not going to be a lot of eXcessive production. Really a lot of live instrumentation. Its going to be very light but sincere. Very clean sound for the record.

ETM: Who or what has influenced your music the most?

JB: The 1960’s. I was a history major at Hampton, so that whole decade; creatively, politically, economically, socially. The movements that decade sparked. Even though I wasn’t alive, having studied those periods really resonated with me. That’s one of the reasons why I chose soul music because of that era and what it meant. I love it…I love the 60’s.

ETM: What advice would you give an artist coming from a similar background with aspirations to be where you are?

JB: Two things. Number one think less, do more. I spent a lot of time turning wheels in my head making no progress. And I turned the wheels and I stepped out on the plan and I still ended up making mistakes. So I learned I should have just went on my first instinct and even if I would have made a mistake, I would have been making progress earlier. You are going to make mistakes regardless. So don’t be afraid of it, step out there.

Then two, fear not. don’t be afraid. As artists we have a tendency to compare ourselves. The most important thing for us to realize is that the gift we are given is our gift, and our gift alone. No one else will ever be able to sound, sing, write or play eXactly as I do. Because that’s the gift I’ve been given.

　

ETM: If you had to pick one song from any of your albums to describe where you are in your life right now. What would it be and why?

JB: Liberation from my second record….I wanna be free. In my life I have a great deal of responsibility and sometimes I feel confined by it. I just want to let go! [laughs]

*For more information on Jon Bibbs*

www.jonbibbs.com/JonBibbs.com/Main.html

The Lydia Caesar interview from "Ear Candy" 10//09

2009-11-07T16:28:00.003-05:00

Written By: Natalie K. Pinkney

Photography By: Edith Williams of Diamond Digital Portraits

I had the unique opportunity to sit down and chat with Lydia Caesar before she performed at Gypsy Soul's "Ear Candy", an musical event which all of you EYM Misfits should be familiar with. We talked about her music and her life. Her addictive energy pulled me in but it was definitely her humble spirit that made me even more of a fan. Read on to find out a little more about this beautiful songstress.

ETM: Your genre is self identified as “Rock&B”. Describe in three words the “Rock&B” sound?

LC: I would say…and this may be cheating (laughs). Its Rock-Rhythm-Blues!

　

ETM: In the past you have worked eXtensively in musical theater. Do you see yourself returning to the stage in the future?

LC: Absolutely! I would love to be on the Broadway stage. Actually I would love to be on any stage.

I do a lot; I act, I have an accessories line. There’s a lot going on, but I find that as an artist you can spread yourself too thin trying to do everything at one time. My main focus is on my music right now, and when I get to a place where I’m happy with that, I feel like one hand will wash the other and doors will open.

ETM: Your sense of style is very eclectic. Do you think your personality on stage mirror your sense your style and personality in your day to day life?

LC: I do, I do…Honestly its hard for me because I’m so colorful on a regular day. Sometimes I don’t want to look the way I look everyday on the streets, on stage. My mom will say all the time on a regular day, “Where are you going?!”, but that’s just the way I am! So I find myself trying to do more for my look on stage so it doesn’t look the same. Because really its who I am. I’m a colorful person, I’m animated. So even if I didn’t do much I will still be very….who I am.

　

ETM: What responsibility, if any, do you feel you have to the future of the music industry?

LC: Oh wow, good question….I think I can be responsible for bringing an artistry back to music. I think a lot of times people look to the left and they look to the right to see what other people are doing and they see the mainstream. I know its hard to put blinders on and stay true to your sound. I think that’s what makes artists great, when you believe them. When it doesn’t seem like they are faking. And that’s something I would really love to see more of on a major scale. We see that everyday on the independent side because we have the freedom to do what we want. But also there are many people who are talented on majors [record labels] who don’t get to do what we do. That’s a policy of mine to stick to my guns.

　

ETM: What keeps you focused as a mother, student, and artist?

LC: I would have to say my relationship with God. It always comes back to that. He keeps me grounded and as focused as I can be.

ETM: If you had to pick one song from your album to describe where you are right now in your life. What would it be and why?

I would say Daughter of a Preacher, that’s because its my bio. If you listen to that song you will know who I am. It tells where I am. Just because I’ve made a song about it shows that I’ve embraced it. It was something that was hard for me growing up but being able to turn it into something that has really shown my growth. I’m at a stage in my life now where I can really own it and love it.

* More information on Lydia Caesar can be found on Facebook/Myspace/Youtube*

Beanpie – Volume 16 Episode 2: Invitation & Preperation

2009-10-18T22:15:00.004-04:00

Written by: Shaun Bolden
Illustrated by: Dino Diaz

Scene 4: Beanpie is in his kitchen preparing things with Lisa.

Beanpie: What do you think of these shirts? I bought them for everyone helping me.

Lisa: Why do they say, “I AM BEANPIE”?

Beanpie: I want everyone to know who they are getting products from.

Lisa: That’s fine and dandy….for you to wear. What about everyone else?

Beanpie: I guess I should have thought about that one. Oh well, I think they’ll like it.

*Enter Tailgate

Tailgate: Like what?

Beanpie: These new shirts I got for everyone to wear.

Tailgate: I am NOT wearing a shirt that has your name on it.

Beanpie: The only way we can get into the convention is to wear matching uniforms. It was in the letter little brov.

Tailgate: That is retarded!

Beanpie: And look, I even got you an extra-medium. Just they size you like.

Tailgate: You’d better be paying well once I help you out.

Scene 5: It is the day before the Convention and Beanpie has just stocked up on everything he needs. As he is loading the rented truck, Shaun walks by.

Shaun: What is all of this?

Beanpie: It’s for the “New-Sellers” Convention.

Shaun: This thing is really big news. Congrats man, I really am glad to see this going somewhere.

Beanpie: Thanks govy I appreciate it. Say, you want to lend me a hand?

Shaun: You know what? I think I will.

Beanpie: Why do you always say no? It will be nice and easy for you.

Shaun: I said I’ll do it.

Beanpie: Huh? You’ll do it?

Shaun: Sure. I think you may have a chance with this one.

Beanpie: WOW! Man, I really thank you for your help. All you have to do is meet me here at 9AM tomorrow. Then we’ll leave and head to the convention.

Scene 6: It’s Saturday, the day of the convention. Beanpie has all of his things packed and on the truck and waits for everyone to show up.

Tailgate: Who else is coming?

Beanpie: Ice Juicy and Tony.

Tailgate: How did you manage to convince Shaun to come?

Beanpie: I just used my never-fail sales pitch.

Tailgate: If you had one of those, you wouldn’t need to go to this convention.

*There is a knock on the door. It’s Shaun and Tony

Beanpie: The gang’s all here. Let’s get going so we can make it in time for the registration.

*Just then Lisa calls Beanpie on his phone

Beanpie: Hello.

Lisa: Did everyone get there yet?

Beanpie: Yeah. We’re getting ready to leave now.

Lisa: Hey can you wait 2 minutes? I have something for you.

Beanpie: Sure love. We’re all here early anyway.

*Lisa shows up and everyone’s eyes open wide.

Lisa: Hey, I thought Charlene could help you guys out.

Charlene: I hope you guys have room for one more.

Shaun: Wow, I never expected to see you.

Beanpie: Uh, I guess we do. Let’s get a move on.

Beanpie – Volume 16 Episode 1: Invitation & Preperation

2009-10-10T13:02:00.002-04:00

Written by Shaun Bolden

Opening Scene: Beanpie is listening to music and prepping for the next day when he hears a knock at the door.

Shaun: You have a letter that you need to sign for.

Beanpie: Oh really now.

*Beanpie signs for the letter

Beanpie: Who could this be from?

Shaun: I don’t know. I just deliver the mail.

*Beanpie opens the letter, and it reads:

Dear Beanpie,

You have been selected to participate in this year’s “New-Seller’s” Convention. You and up to 4 other guests have been added to the list. Please arrive this Saturday at the Convention Hall at 10AM for registration. The convention will begin at 12PM. Hope to see you there.

Beanpie: Ice Juicy, I just got an invite to the “New-Seller’s” Convention.

Shaun: Randolph, should I be happy?

Beanpie: I have to tell Lisa and Tony about this. I only have 3 days to get ready.

Shaun: So I assume you are not going downtown today.

Beanpie: No time. This could be my big break govy!

Shaun: Whatever. Take it easy.

Scene 2: Beanpie is on the computer typing a list of things that he needs when Tailgate enters the room.

Tailgate: Hey, why have you been so hyped lately?

Beanpie: I have to get ready for this convention on Saturday.

Tailgate: They are having the League of Idiots Convention this Saturday?

Beanpie: Listen brov, I would love to sit here and speak to you in your native language of nonsense, but I have things I need to do.

Tailgate: Whatever, I know you need to hurry up and get off of the computer soon.

Beanpie: Hey mate, what are you doing this Saturday?

Tailgate: I know what I’m not doing, and that’s helping you.

Beanpie: C’mon brov, all I need is an extra pair of hands at the show.

Tailgate: Ha, well you’d better ask another person because I’m not doing it.

Beanpie: I will make it worth your while.

Tailgate: That is the first smart thing I’ve heard you say. Keep going.

Beanpie: I will pay you to lend me a hand.

Tailgate: You’d better make sure you come through with that money.

Scene 3: Beanpie heads out to Mr. Hank’s store.

Beanpie: Hey Mr. Hank, guess what? I got invited to the convention!

Hank: You don’t say? That’s good Bean Paste.

Beanpie: So I have to get ready and have everything set to go by Saturday. Is there anything that I need to know?

Hank: The only thing I would suggest to you is that you don’t get overwhelmed, stay cool, and make as many connections as possible. It’s not so much about selling, it is more about getting in with the right people.

Beanpie: I will remember that. Thanks for your words. I have what I need, I must get going now.

Hank: Enjoy yourself.

*Beanpie is on his way home when he runs into Tony

Tony: What happened to you today?

Beanpie: What do you mean?

Tony: I thought I was supposed to meet you so we could go downtown.

Beanpie: Oh man. I forgot about that. I, I mean we got invited to a Seller’s Convention this Saturday, so no work for the rest of the week. Just meet me on Saturday morning, okay?

Tony: That’s fine with me.

William Soul performs @ The Hexagon

2009-10-09T14:18:00.004-04:00

Review Written By: luminoUS - Editor@Large

In a small club located on Charles Street in Baltimore, I was slated to view William Soul in concert. The Hexagon appeared to be a regular store situated among the row home structures on this Baltimore street but once inside, it was a quaint intimate concert space. I was greeted by smiling faces at William’s marketing table and I walked away with a CD and survey form. The survey served as a feedback medium between audience and musician in efforts of giving the musician pointers as to what the audience wished to hear.

Not unfamiliar with William Soul or his band Righteous Soul I settled into the sofa and prepared for some good, soul stirring music. Blending reggae, soul and blues into a sound all his own, William’s voice reminds me of a hearty blend of Maxwell and Curtis Mayfield if you will. Complete with twelve songs listed on the survey, I wondered if every song would be tackled during the show.

Performing seven out of the twelve songs listed, I was not disappointed although I did make a mental note of a few things. At times the high-powered band drowned out William’s voice, which can be very mellow and soothing at times. He started the show with “Walk in Beauty” and followed up with “Practice Love.” The high note that he hit in “Practice Love” was enough to bring a tear to my eyes and he followed up with my all time favorite, “Afro-Cuban.” “Afro-Cuban” has a nice groove and I felt like it was his most powerful and the strongest song of his set. Half way into his set, William did a cover of Maxwell’s “Sumthin Sumthin.” His cover wasn’t bad at all, but considering some of the high notes in the song, I think it would have been easier for him to perform it earlier in his set before his voice was a bit strained from performing the other highly demanding tunes.

Over all, the concert was great and I believe that William Soul is a promising artist. I love his sound and his songs I just want him to find a comfortable balance with his band so that it doesn’t seem like he is being drowned out and over powered.

Much peace, love and light

When A Loved One Is Lost

2009-10-06T15:12:00.003-04:00

Written by: Ccep J. Dew, West Coast Editor

Whether to suicide, homicide or natural causes, losing a loved one is never easy. Even when prolonged sickness seems to afford you time to prepare for your loved one’s last breath, you never know how you will react until the moment it hits; furthermore, weeks, months, and years after he or she has been laid to rest, emotions may overtake you like a monsoon.

I lost my grandfather in late August 2009. Though he had been fighting for his life 15 years, none of us was prepared for his departure from our lives. The day I found out about his passing, I cried tears from an ever-replenishing source. I felt numbness, then pain, then numbness again. I laid in my husband’s arms like a defenseless child, then stood up before walking aimlessly around the front of the house, I started washing the dishes; not because they had to be cleaned that very moment, but because I didn’t know what else to do. I wanted to drink (something I do socially, if at all) or take a sleeping aide just to eXcape the tingling ache in my chest and stomach. I started to pop the strap of my tank top against my back, unconsciously attempting to swap emotional pain for physical. Eventually, I folded my hands together behind my back or underneath me. The pain was almost as unbearable as the guilt.

In these moments, we always tend to remind ourselves of what we should’ve, could’ve, would’ve done without thinking instead of all the beautiful memories we have created. The soul of the deceased is not looking down on us, blaming us for not calling, visiting, or doing enough, so why do we torment ourselves instead of playing back all the great times that were shared? Easier said than done, I know, but it helps.

When a loved one is lost, our natural instinct is to withdraw. Though alone time to grieve is okay, you need to continue in your active lifestyle. Prolonged periods of seclusion will only extend depression. Your loved one would want you to forge on! Get together with good, positive people who can respect and acknowledge your feelings while still bringing laughter and enjoyment to your day. Spend time with your family members, either in person or over the phone.

If you live out of town and would like to attend the funeral service, keep in mind that although some airlines offer “bereavement rates” for last minute flights, those rates are not always cheaper than the regular flights. If you do find an airline with a decent “bereavement rate”, you will need to know the name of the deceased, your relationship to the deceased, the name of the funeral home, and the address to the funeral home in order to receive the discount. As with any airline ticket, the longer you wait to purchase your ticket, the more the price of the ticket will increase. Try your best to do adequate research to ensure you are getting the best rate.