Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Failin'...oops...I mean 'Palin". My Bad...

So, I'm in a local pizzaria, right?

I called in my order and expected it to be ready when I got there. When I walked in, the place reeked of something burning. I have no idea of how these folks couldn't smell anything BURNING!! They have to be experts right...at least when it comes to shyt BURNING? Even the customers who were dining in the spot said nothing. WTF??

I swear, when I walked in, I smelt the scent of 'burned-ness". I've frequented this spot for MANY times in the past couple of years (read: two point five) and I've never experienced that.

**What I've said has NOTHING to do with this post...LMAO!!!! but not really.**

Anyways, I know it may perceieved as 'childish', this pic is funny to me:

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Maybe I'm wrong for finding humor in this...maybe some folks just need to lighten the fuck up.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Lost Videos part TWO!!

Now I know most of y'all have already seen this parody of the homie Lil' Duval's take on the BET interview with R. Kelly. Even though the subject matter is of a serious nature, I can't help but crack the fugg up every time I watch this.

Hilarious!!

LIL DUVAL INTERVIEWS R KELLY


Maybe I'm sick for thinking this, but the funniest part of this parody doesn't even come for Duval...It's when Robert, with a serious ass face says, "When you say TEENage, how old we talkin'?" WTF????

I've worked with R.Kelly years ago when the whole tape thing was really hitting the fan and I know his management (at the time...not sure if he's still represented by them) was EXTREMELY protective of EVERY small detail of the production. To think that someone stood around, heard him say that, and didn't immediately press to have that answer stricken from the final cut is beyond me. Nevertheless, it's funny as hell.

Oh shyt!! I got off track (not the first time, won't be the last). Anyway, I'll leave you with this video we directed for Do Or Die feat. R. Kelly. "Magic Chic".

We shot this up in the Chi and we had a BLAST!! The guys from DOD were real cool and hospitable to say the least. Truly legends but very humble. This was also my first time meeting Bishop Don Magic Juan. We kicked it with him in his hotel room and the dude is full of stories. Don't let the gaudy outfits fool you, he's really a wise and good dude. Enough about that though...here's the video.

Magic Chic


Monday, September 22, 2008

Raise Ya Got Damn Kids!!

You know what, I believe that the youth of today do some silly shyt. Hold up, I take that back...looking at history, I'd adjust that last sentence and take "of today" out. Now, I a firm believer that being young and discovering the world and learning about yourself, others, and your enviornment directly affects your actions and your way of thinking. Also, when you really think about it, a child comes into this world with a blank slate and it's others (namely adults) who are around them whom have the power of influence - be it good or bad.

After watching this video, I was speechless.



Now I don't know who the older woman was videotaping and eggin' the little girls, but I'd assume it was their mother or someone with close ties with the family. Not only is she basically coaching the kids to cuss out this other lady, but she had a stroke of brilliance and decided to video tape it. I ain't one to snitch, but fugg it, if I knew these individuals, the authorities might have to get a link to this shyt. Call me 'punk ass Chauncey' if you want. Sticks and stones. That's only after I checked her for her ignorant ass behavior and made her explain to the children that she was wrong for enticing them to make such a hate-filled video. Judging by the tone of the older chick though, she would've rejected my requests so that's why her ass would have contributing to the delinquency of minors charges or at the very least reported to DFACS. This is insane.

I don't have any children and I'm not one to tell parents how to raise theirs, but they should know that there are consequences for their actions.

***SIDENOTE: Actually, I do have children. My tax dollars is paying for hella kids whose parents aren't mature or responsible enough to care for their own so shiiiddd, you might as well call me 'daddy'. END SIDENOTE***

And just to set the record straight, don't try to blame this shyt on rap music. That cop out is OLD, TIRED, and just FALSE!! People just need to raise their damn kids in a more responsible manner.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

You GOTTA Love This Guy part TWO!!

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The first installment of "You GOTTA Love This Guy" took a good look at my homeboy's, Michael Moore, youtube videos as he represents countless times for people who don't neccessarily have a voice...or at least one that isn't heard too often in mainstream America. I just ran across a blog by Tim Wise that has prompted me to throw Mr. Wise in the same category. I encourage you all to do the knowledge on Tim Wise and recognize his work and his activism. Thanks to Sista Toldja for the link also.

Anyway, I lifted this from this website and decided to repost because I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments mentioned. Feel free to foward this to as many people you know because it contains points of views that not only pertain to life in present-day America, but also the entire globe - past, present, and future.

Check it out:

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September 13, 2008, 2:01 pm

This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise


For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”


White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.


White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.


White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.


White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.


White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”


White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.


White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.


White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.


White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a “light” burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain…


White privilege is, in short, the problem.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

"Silly Of Me..."

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"To think that I..." - Deniese Williams

This may be my last post about politrix (tics) until John McCain is elected and I tell y'all "I Told You So".

I love what Barack Obama stands for. His ideas for America are right along with mine. Of course our nation needs a lightning speed kick in the ass to change the status quo, better our economy, and improve our relationships with foreign countries and I believe that President Barack Obama has the power to do that...somewhere in his second term (nevertheless). Of course there's a multitude of other ISSUES that CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, other blogs, and common folk aren't really talking about.

**SIDENOTE: There's a lot of people talking greasy about Palin right now and even though I'm not a fan of the chick (I mean) bytch (hahahaha...that was funny. Laugh, I didn't mean it like that, but you probably would've said it too...lol), there's a lot of folks posting reckless things out there about her. And even though it's RIGHT, it's not right...why we gotta sling mud on each an' other?? I Hate Politics. And just for the record, SHE'S NOT ATTRACTIVE!! END SIDENOTE**

But, then again, who gives a fuck about EDUCATION, Poverty, Equal-Rights, HEALTH CARE, Illegal Drugs Shipped Into Our Country, Diminishing Economy, Rampant Violence In Our Cities, Police Brutality AND Profiling, Discrimination PERIOD, etc.,etc.????

I think we ALL do (care that is). However, the American media is SO FUCKED UP that our news outlets are focusing on BULLSHYT!! The media sources are SO biased in their broadcasting and journalism because they are tied into specific parties/relationships so they adjust what they put out there accordingly to the favor of the different factions. In addition, they take the most asinine topics and PROMOTE them like they ARE issues. This Is Fact. EVEN MUAFUGGIN' BLOGGERS LIKE YOU, YEAH YOU!!, TAKE WHOMEVER SIDE AND THROW SHYT ON THE OPPOSING SIDE...WTF!!

*taking breath*

Yeah, I'm guilty too, so what.

However, politrix are totally out of control when the public focuses on shyt like:

***in my Arsenio Hall comedic/interviewing voice*

"WHO's your Reh-verend, Barack?"
or
"What about all these kiiiiiiidddsss, Sarah?"
or
"How you a self-proclaimed "maverick" but they had you locked up and shyt, John??

***EXIT Arsenio*

My main point is:

The media (internet included) is making the election a Barnum's and Bailey's Circus Fiasco to distract people from the REAL ISSUES. Who gives a fuck if Obama attended a church who's pastor at the time told the got damn truth about America?? Why is a soildier who got CAUGHT UP, imprisoned, considered a 'prisoner of war' considered a HERO??
**SIDENOTE: I'm STILL scratchin' my head on that one.END SIDENOTE*** Why is a mother of five,six, or whatever the count is at such an issue???? And if she's so incompetent, why did she overshadow 'the dude that's running with Obama'?? Biden, right? Is that his name?? I kid. I kid. But that's how it is...

I can say, this is nothing new. THIS is actually what they've been doing for hundreds of years. In ALL situations, the candidate that appeals to the states with the most electoral votes come out as the winners. Popular votes don't count across the country so much.

Or, as we've learned in previous elections, THEY may put whomever they want into office.

Hey, this is Amerikkka, what can you do?

Anyhow, I REALLY wish the public got more involved in the ISSUES as oppose to the tabloid-worthy headlines talking about an old man being a "maverick", a Black dude with hope, a white broad from Alaska whom SOME think is "Hot!", and another cat who's thunder has been swept right below his feet...because of a "Jill-In-A-Box" from the GOP.

Another Point: I've ALWAYS thought that McCain would win against Obama just because of my experience and knowledge of the country. In the polls (which I don't neccessarily subscribe to), they say, it's neck-to-neck when it comes to "likely/probable" voters.

Let me repeat that:

"it's neck-to-neck when it comes to "likely/probable" voters."

Broken down into laymen's words, that means:

If y'all niggas (I use it as a term of endearment...I really do) don't get out there and REGISTER to vote, and VOTE, then uhhhhhh....it's on YOU!!

I already got my passport...and Toronto's lookin' REAL good.

I'm out.

P.S.

By the way, it was "Silly Of Me" to think that this election would be any different from the other name-calling, immature, mud-slinging, low-down politics of past years.

That's where my title came from. I like that song :-)

*Monk steps off soap box, tucks it under arm and exits stage left*

Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Lost Videos part 1

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I started this series about 2 years ago on my myspace blog and thought I'd take the time to resuccitate it here...so here goes:

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What's Up my Good People!! Here's an installment of "Lost Videos". *Trumpets blare..."Duh-Duh Duh-Duuuhhh"* This is the place where I delve WAAAAAAYYYYY deep into my video archives and give you CLASSIC BANGERS that I've directed in the past.

This time, I have an EXTRA SPECIAL treat for you. See, this is a little known fact but, back in the day, yours truly used to dibble and dabble around with emceeing. You know, spittin' hot 16's...setting the m-i-c on fire...things of that nature. *smile* And if I do say so myself (which I do), the kid was NICE!! Actually nicer than NICE!! Who else but me can spit lines like these...

"...never holidin' a picket sign, just comin' with these wicked rhymes / I'm the shit and like a psychiatrist, I'll leave you hypnotized / But I don't need a swingin' clock, and I'm never singin' pop / Been rappin' since back in the day, ever since I heard "King Of Rock" / and it don't stop, I always flow rhymes / Niggas be sayin' it's wack but I know they like it cause they quote lines / These dope rhymes, I author them, battle me nigga? Ya know it's hard to win / I'm takin' these wack ass rappers into a "Different World" like Kadeem Hardison / and Jasmine cause I'm that man that be never comin' false / Damien, West Side Detroit beyotch! What the fuck you thought!!"

*18-year-old Damon drops the mic and strike his B-Boy pose* LOL!!

Yeah, I used to go by the name Damien and now it pisses me the hell off when someone calls me "Damien" as oppose to my birth name "Damon". Go figure. Anyhow, I used to be a member in this rap group called The Lyrical Linx with a few homies at Clark Atlanta (What Up Von, Yemi, and Boss!!) We were the shyt...fa real!! We were doing shows around the campus AND we were the first cats out there who had our own videos.

I dug up this joint we did that was like a freakin' hit around the AUC (Atlanta University Center - for those not in the know). It's funny because we shot this video on January, 1997 and now it's 2008. Damn!! 11.75 whole years have flew by. This video was SO much fun to make. We shot all around the AUC and just had a blast. It's a special "making of..." at the end of the video that is HILARIOUS!! You can see for yourself how much fun we had. Without further ado...I present to you "Ladies Of The AUC" by the Lyrical Linx feat. D. Lorenzo...



You can also check out D. Lorenzo (the vocalist) here. Now, just so you know, the Lyrical Linx were Lavon (Gooch da Lyrical Bully) who I went to Cass in the D with as well as CAU, my man Yemi from DC who we linked up with, *SIDENOTE: Yemi still wrecks the mic but he does it WORLDWIDE now. You can holla at him here. END SIDENOTE* and myself, Damien (The Omen)...yes, nice name, I know :) Anyway, we recorded a number of songs as a group and we also did solo joints. As years went by, we went different ways but I can't help but think what could have been. Now, I look at the music industry and I can't help but be happy that I left that phase in life because of all the snakes and shady muhfuckas out there (and I'm not really knockin' the music industry cause believe me, there are similar demons in damn near EVERY industry).

Anyway, this was another banger we did in the Spring of '97..."Ain't Shit Changed"...



And there you have it...two videos that I directed AND starred in ELEVEN years ago. Hope you enjoyed this episode of "Lost Videos". Until next time...Take Care of Yourself, and Each Other.

**Damn, I LOVE that line from Jery Springer...I need to use that more often..lol!**

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Just Like Music

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I love music.

Like, I really, REAL-LY LOVE music.

Spanning an array of genre's, I've always looked at music as being a soundtrack to life (as many of us do). When done properly, Music conjures spirits and emotions of long lasting love, abominable anger, jubilant joy and celebration, threatening fear, utopian hope, admonitory caution, dreadful sadness, compassionate reconciliation, extreme hate, wonderful insight, lustful passion, and just ignant shyt.

I feel like many songs/artists have been specifically placed on this third rock from the sun for the sole purpose to speak to me. Whether it's...

...Souljah Boy's "Yaah Trick Yaah" providing me with endless comical fodder, or DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (I refuse to call him Will Smith) giving me early relationship advice with "Girls Of The World Ain't Nothin' But Trouble", or Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" played sequentially with "Feels So Good" by Chuck Mangione when I first wake up shielding me completely of having a bad day, or Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald's "This Is It" providing an inpirational kick-in-the-ass...

...All of these songs serves its purpose.

**SIDENOTE: I HAVE to be the first person in the history of EVER to mention Souljah Boy in the same sentence as Kenny Loggins. END SIDENOTE**

There's something very special about music. It's a universal language that may be striking to some and dismal to others depending on the song. Some people gravitate to orchestration and musicianship, some to pounding beats and intricate samples, others to introspective lyrics that they can relate to or give a window into the soul of an artist.

*hearing someone breaking out the Dave Chappelle "Wrap It Up" device*

Ok, I say all that to say, I've only bought TWO CD's this year (so far). Not saying that there's not other quality joints out there, but I have my reasons.

One being Killer Mike's "Pledge Allegiance To The Grind part 2" and most recently Solange's "Sol- Angel and The Hadley St. Dreams".

I must say that I'm throughly impressed with Solange's CD...the joint is BANGIN'!!

Bangin'....BANGIN'!!

Pick it up!! Pick it up!! *blanket Poison Clan reference*

I usually don't care for CG (computer generated) and I stay away from it, but I likes both of Solange's videos...them shyt's tight.

I'm not gonna give a review of "Sol-Angel..." but if you love quality music (with an old school feel), you needs that in your life...fa' real.