Lookin' In the Mirror - 11/16

Happy Birthday To ME!! November 16th

The man in the mirro is really my true hero / With me when I'm broke or when I'm blessed with dinero / Sometimes tearful, but never approaches life fearful / A cool ass guy, but at times, he's just a weirdo / Great parents - always listened to the things they said / Alpha male but still never felt the need to pledge / I can't explain it, he's somehow right and left brain-ed / Articulate, but still loves to cuss and use slanguage / Funny, ain't it? He's a cool nigga to hang wit' / Not picture perfect, but his work, you can frame it / Very creative and determined to never fail / Loving heart and spirit filled with passion unparralled / Never ask no one for nothin' he won't ask of himself / Funny guy and not afraid to laugh at himself / Multi-dimensional, some sides, you'll never see / Wise and never compromise his integrity / Thoughts be kinda random, been told he's kinda handsome / Respect? He demand some...all of that and then some / Just a brotha tryin' to pass on his wisdom to kids / And I ain't braggin' on my nigga, it's just is what it is

-Monk

Pursuit of...Happiness?

Just the other day, a friend of mine posted a status on her FB page that read: "Problems are a sign of life!! The only people that don't have problems live in cemetaries. In other words...if you don't have a problem, you don't have a life!"

I couldn't agree less.

I understand that her premise is based on the fact that problems are going to arise throughout our lives and we must learn from them because they strengthen us. The adversities that we face develops character and instead of shunning so-called problems, we should embrace them and tackle them because inherently, they are inevitable and we can't let them break us.

I call bullshyt.

I agree that life's adversities does all that it's suppose to do when looking at them in a positive light. It's the concept that if you lose, you really win because now you know what you did wrong and you can learn from that and be better...so therefore, in essence, you STILL "win". Or as Terrance Howard so eloquently stated in the film "Get Rich Or Die Trying": "Its like when I'm right I'm right, when I'm wrong I could been right, so I'm still right cause I coulda been wrong, you know, and I'm sorry cause I could be wrong right now, I could be wrong, but if I'm right..."

*Digressing*


But problems?

Problems??

C'mon now...I'm trying to steer away from those. I'm not going out in search of problems (sounds crazy but some people do) in order to "strengthen" my character. If I'm alleviated of financial problems, career set-backs, and drama amongst family and friends, my life will be no less boring. Actually, it'd be GREAT!!

As stated in a previous post, I don't want any "haters". I want people to love, respect, and accept me for who I am...but that's a different story.

*in my Jennifer HUDSON impersonation because it's no question, she did the song better*

"And you...and You...and YOU...YOU'RE GONNA LOVE MEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

Okay...that was gay.

I'm not though. NTTAWWT.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, problems and shyt.

As an adult, (you like how I didn't use the played-out, overrated, non-funny-no-mo' term "grown-ass-man"), I don't want, and don't need problems and drama. Call me simple, but I'm striving for a life free of problems.

Free.

That's a word we all love, right?

So to that, I say, "Fuck Problems!" I like to think of myself as a well-adjusted adult and my life is neither boring, nor typical. I'm by no means where I want to be, but granted, I don't want more problems. Call me unrealistic if you may, but I won't design my life in a way that welcomes problems. I'll be prepared when they derive, but my goal is to eliminate as many of those as they come.

The End.

P.S. I just realized why I titled this post with the title I did.

Bottomline: It's too many people living their WHOLE lives "In the PURSUIT of happiness", but missing out on the joy and bliss they are suppose to experience by merely living.

Hip Hop Quotable: Message To Pres. Obama

This is another one of your citizens and tax payers /
I fux with you tough, and don't care 'bout the nay sayers /
inspite of it all because I see the load you're tryin' to carry /
Man, you had my vote even before the primaries /
With that said, in this war, we don't stand a chance /
It's time to bring the troops back from Afghanistan /
Because the shyt we facin', is a no-win situation /
Plus war and death is not the real way to fix our nation /
Let's face it, the war is really just political /
And I'm not hatin' on you, I'm just being critical /
I've always been cynical when it came to politics /
Can't be a blind supporter like others on Obama's dick /
No disrespect but I'm just speakin' my views /
Sick of hearin' 'bout soldiers killed every week in the news /
I know it's tricky and it's a slippery, dangerous slope /
But you can do it 'cause I still believe in Change and Hope

Love vs. Hate

A few months ago, I wrote a satirical, hillariously funny, insightful, creative, well-worded, introspective, mind-boggling, masterpiece of a blog called "I'm A Hater, He's A Hater, She's A Hater, We Some Haters, Wouldn't You Like To Be A Hater Too?" It also probably deserves an award for the longest title. And no...that's no exaggeration. I just reread it myself and it's STILL that entertaining to me, myself, and my nigga I. I suggest you click the link I conviniently provided.
If you're not satisfied, you can get a full refund upon exiting out of this screen. Oh that's right...I drop this game for free. I call it community service and shyt. Thank me later.

Ok, let me get serious for a minute and I'll jock myself later.

Alright...so I wrote this great blog in which I proclaimed myself a hater. "Hater" is still a word that seems to keep extending its 15 minutes of fame longer than a celebreality show star on VH1. I hear or read this word no less than a dozen times a day from people, in songs, in blogs and other websites. Everybody's talkin' about their haters and how people hate on them.

This got me to thinkin'...

In my almost 33 years on this third rock from the sun, I can't recall a time when I came across someone or knew someone who I felt was really HATING on me. Sure my circle of friends, fam, and associates joke around and we talk shyt about one another, but I don't think I really have any HATERS per say.

Throughout the years, I have had my fair share of ups and downs. Whether it's been dealing with fickle high school and college cliques, working certain jobs, following my passion and seeing it materialize, being in certain relationships, or just living my life, people have never really hated on me like that.

One theory could be...well, he's just a cool cat who don't fuck with nobody and always seem to have a positive disposition so he ain't nobody to hate on. And that may very well be true. Who the hell am I to hate on? Except the dopest, most talented-est, funniest, charming-est, smartest, person you may or may never meet...

However, my theory is, I just surround myself with dyck riders positive people who are somewhat grounded in their ideas and they appreciate me for who I am.

Seriously, if you have all these haters in your life that you obviously pay an excessive amount of attention to, then maybe you have poor judgement in whom you choose to surround yourself with. My family and friends have always supported me in all of my life endeavors whether I succeeded or failed and I love them for that. I know we all can't choose our family, but as adults, we definitely can limit the amount of time or interaction we have with someone who always seem to piss in your Kool-Aid.

I'm not trying to brag in any way, shape, or form, that's a lie but I do know that I make a conscious effort to distance myself from negativity. I'm also a firm believer in the simple yet complex theorem that you get what you put out. It very well may be possible that no one has ever told me I couldn't be a film director or any of the other zillion things I want to do because I have never shytted on anyone else's dream. I never hated on anyone's success and never celebrated with an "I-Told-You-So" attitude in the midst of someone's failures.

Of course there are some people, like Beyonce, who people just hate on for no valid reason, but those folks are rare.

It's of my belief that some people just claim to have haters just because all the "cool" folks got 'em. In essence, it's fashionable to have haters...and let Katt Williams tell it, "If you don't have haters, you're doing something wrong (paraphrasing)."

I say Fuck that! Show me love...like Kilo. And cheer me on...I appreciate the shyt, fa' real.

As always, thanks for reading.

a film called (one frame)

Find more videos like this on Presidential Television and Film

"a film called (one frame)" is a collage of images captured by Damon L. Thomas set to music. Consisting of documentary photography, portraits, and landscapes, the powerful imagery takes you on a trip that keeps you on the edge of your seat always wondering what's next.

I'm NOT Kanye!!

I'd be the first to admit that I'm a big fan of Kanye West's music. I mean HUGE. "College Dropout", "Late Registration", and "Graduation" are ALL astounding masterpieces with an assembly of timeless ditties that draws an array of emotions that I thoroughly empathize with.

Laced with soul far pre-dating its years, the music speaks to me - the regular Black dude that's tryin' to do a lil' sumn' sumn' with the talent he was blessed with. The lures of being raised in a major metropolitan area that thrives on materialism and status - I share that in common with Kanye. Having a behemothic love for music and being from a city that has such a rich history in undeniable musical acts - I share that in common with Mr. West also. I'm emerged in the Hip Hop culture whether I like it or not and the influences that it has on me are seen in many aspects of my life. Kanye West is too. And just in case you missed it the first time, like I said, Kanye and I are both young Black males.

These are all facts that are irrefutable.

However, with all the similarities, I am NOT Kanye West.

I'm sure you've seen or heard about Kanye's incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in which he alledgedly (I say "alledgedly" because the whole thing may have been staged by MTV and the artists involved) snatched the limelight from country singer Taylor Swift who had just received an award for Best Female Video". Kanye took the microphone from the bewildered Swift and said, "Taylor, I'm really happy for you. I'll let you finish but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time."



Although very inappropriate for the time and place, what I find more appalling is the reaction and commentary his diva-esque action has resulted in. The Black community never cease to amaze me with how personal we take shyt. When I witnessed the spectacle last night and throughout today, I have heard and read countless numbers of Black people talk about how Kanye's actions was such a bad representation of our race. Everything from "He set us back centuries with that bafoonery" to "See, this is why they look at us the way they do" comments have passed through my ears or have crossed my eyes today. Why do we always do this?

Kanye West is NOT I and I am not KANYE WEST!!

Barack Obama gets elected as President of the United States and all of a sudden, we (Black people) feel like WE did it even though the majority of people who voted for Obama was un-Black. What.The.Fuck. are we acting like that's OUR President for when he's America's President? I have a great deal of respect for President Obama, but he isn't necessarily representative of our race as a whole and neither is Kanye.

Kanye does something that can only be classified as...well, "Kanye-esque" and all of a sudden he's a bad misrepresentation of HIP HOP or young Blacks or Blacks in general??

C'mon now. As I said, I'm a die-hard fan of his music and we share some similarities, but what that nigga did ain't got shyt to do with ME...nor my race...nor my culture. There's a great separation there. We don't share the same bank account and I love my mother enough to tell her, "Ma, you're BEAUTIFUL...you don't need any plastic surgery to keep up with the hollywood standards." I'm not Kanye.

Ok, maybe that was wrong, but you get my point...I'm NOT Kanye West and he is by no means a representation of me or my race.

As much as Black people don't wish to be seen as one-sided, we constantly generalize ourselves by raising certain public figures and viewing them as examples when they are just a mere portion of the whole. Kanye West and I have a lot of shyt in common but he doesn't encompass all that I am and neither does Barack Obama or any other public figure. I'm deeper than that. And WE have more layers than what's presented to us on a one-dimensional television screen.

I do believe we ALL have a little Kanye West in us. *waving my finger like young Tre' from "Boyz 'N Da Hood" in the classroom. All of y'all. At times, we all desire the ability to just truly speak how we feel with no regard to how others feel about it. There's a little bit inside us in which we all wish we didn't always have to be politically correct and we can say what's on our minds and hearts no matter who's in our presence. Don't front, you know you do.

But to say that that type of behavior is exclusive to one race is ridiculous and very laughable.

I don't hear white folks or even gays saying Lady GaGa made THEM look bad. Why are we?

Children Are The Future, But What About NOW?!?!

While everyone is trippin' off the controversy and/or how "good" President Obama's speech was to the children, I find it sad that the poingnant points can be applied to many (if not most) adults.

I didn't tune into the speech (I had shyt to do), but I did take the time to read the transcript online. Although there isn't anything in the speech that is new or ground-breaking that hasn't been said countless times, I guess it's kinda cool for the kids to hear it from someone who's not their parent or teacher. They probably could've gotten the same message from listening to R.Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" or even Nas' "I Know I Can" though. Don't hate me, Obama dyck ryders...you know it's true.

As I said before though, the speech is definitely not exclusive to children as our society is filled with grown ass adults who can definitely learn a thing or two from it. Who the hell am I kiddin'? If we ALL (no exemption of myself) was to seriously do a serious lil' self-evaluation, I'm sure none of us is completely living up to our absolute greatest potential. Lie to yourself if you want to.

Although I can rehash many times in my personal and professional life where I have slouched off a bit on this blog and have you all read them, I rather not. Instead, I'll just turn to my inner-self, do the evaluation, and correct any ongoing issues that I may still have. And instead you reading my laundry list, I suggest you just do the same.

Some kids may take something extremely inspiring and motivational from Obama's speech, but many won't. And even though I'm not the President of the United States, similarly, many adults won't even take the time to seriously evaluate their own life and see how they can improve, but if my "Presidential" blog here encourages at least one, I guess it serves its purpose.

Just Do better.

Hip Hop Quotable - Dom Kennedy "I Apologize"

*"Fuck being real wit' you, I'm just being real wit' me / We can make a home, Love, you just gotta build with me / I don't need that loud shit, you just gotta chill with me / If life's a bumpy road, it's a lot of hills with me / Never let 'em see you sweat, it's a lot concealed wit' me / I wanna do it the right way, it's a lot instilled in me" - Dom Kennedy "I Apologize"

Life Is But A Beach Chair *No Jay-Z*

"Speed of life...fast."
- Ice-T

Tracy ain't never lie when he spit those simple, yet introspective lyrics some 21 years ago at the start of the classic tale of "High Rollers". Life is fast; extremely quick-paced where at the blink of an eye, one's world may be shattered and turned upside down with no prior warning or even a premonition. Life is so quick, our loved ones are often here today, gone tomorrow leaving us reminiscing on the cherished times we've shared with them mourning and celebrating all at the same time. Life races by at such a rapid pace that time flies when you're even having fun. *No Janet* The speed of life is so damn fast it doesn't even seem like it was over TWO DECADES when I first heard Ice-T rapping about the speed of life being So. Damn. Fast.

People die every day all day. Although this is no revelation and it's the one part of life that is inevitable, death remains one thing that many people have a mixed array of emotions surrounding. Those who believe in an afterlife believe that it's a transitional period to (hopefully) a better existence. Those who don't, see it as just the end of the road. *No Boyz II Men* Regardless, life's a bitch and then you die. *No Nas* And the old me is dead and gone. *No T.I.mberlake*

Okay, where was I?

Oh yeah...

We're all gonna die.

Not to sound so morbid or anything, but my lady and I was discussing funerals and how different people conduct themselves during them and how we would want people to react to our deaths.

Happy topic, right?

Actually, it is. Fortunately, for the both of us, we love laughing and shyt so although neither of us want people dancing on our grave talkin' 'bout "Ding Dong, the witch is dead...", we also don't want people falling out, in classic over-dramatical fashion, boo-hooin' and hollerin' making the spectacle moreso about THEM as oppose to the folk in the box (or churn). I, for one, don't want to be remembered as a saint who can do no wrong 'cause Lord knows, I'm not perfect. Thus far though, I've been a pretty good dude (if I do say so myself...and I do) and I pray that I have impacted the lives of many already in an extremely positive and inspirational way in regards to all people I have come into contact with.

With that said though, I've decided to make a list of things that I DO want people to do in remembrance of me instead of locking themselves in a room and crying a river and shyt. God forbid, I pray that that time isn't coming soon (I've got shyt to do), but I don't want folks to steal my shine with all their crying and shyt.

1. Take heed and share my wisdom.

Even though I hope cats remember me as an all-around cool guy who always had something funny and entertaining to offer, I do drop gems that may either save or change your life if attention you pay. My personality, whether I'm being humorous or serious is often laced with subtle jewels and words that you can take with you (free of charge) and I'd say 94% of people I encounter don't realize the wealth that lay before them.

By no means is that meant to sound cocky or egotistical, it's just actual...and factual. *No TLC*

2. Rejoice in my art.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an artist...and I'm (admittedly) sensitive about my shyt. *No Erykah* Whether it's visual, written, or audible, I take my arts pretty darn seriously and I feel you should too. And I do not have a big ego. *No Beyonce and No Kanye*

I just think my shyt is dope. Maybe I'm biased. I'ont know. From all my writings, film and video projects, recordings, photographs...I just want my work to get its proper due. I'm not saying I'm the dopest who ever done any of these things, but I'm damn sure talented and want people to appreciate my art for what it is. Dope.

3. Respect my loved ones left behind.

Although I may be in pre-production for a "We're All In The Same Gang"-esque type video featuring Pac, Aaliyah, Big Pun, Biggie, Left Eye, Eazy-E, Big L, MC Trouble, dude from Millie Vanilli, and Jam Master Jay, I would still find time to haunt your ass on earth if you fuck with my folks. So don't do it.

4. Play that funky music. *No white boy*

I haven't started and God-willing, I'll have ample time to complete a music playlist that will serve as the quintessential soundtrack of my life. I'm talking about a multitude of musical masterpieces that span across a number of genres that will encompass different stages of my life. Every song will have it's own significance that some people may understand and connect with, or maybe not. Nevertheless, it's all ME.

This collection of tunes should be made available by free download on a website dedicated to my memory which will also contain other works by yours truly.

5. Party like it's yo' burfday. *No 50 Cent*

This is self-expalnatory. I encourage everyone to celebrate in their own special way, but when folks do gather together in my memory, I want everyone to thoroughly have a blast. I'd have it no other way. Not in a "dancing the night away" type of good time, but talking about how great I am/was, relishing in my accomplishments and legacy, eating, drinking and listening to my soundtrack. See #4. Don't pour out any liquor for moi, drink it up...or at least throw it up in the sky for me, sheesh.

This list is not all inclusive, but it's all I can think of right now.

In short, celebrate and cherish life RIGHT NOW. Find joy in the good and don't focus on the negative cause no matter how cliche-ish it may sound, life IS too short *No Too Short*...and the speed of life is indeed faster than a muafugga.

***SIDENOTE: This is the first and only post you'll hear me using the "No (fill in the blank)". Thank you.***

One In A Million

R.I.P. Aaliyah Dana Haughton