I’ve always been a fan of Dwayne Carter Jr. Before Young Money Entertainment existed, before all the Carter albums, and even before the “bling bling” phenomena I liked Weezy. The pint-sized rapper from Hollygrove, New Orleans had a guttural delivery that was edgy and catchy at the same time. I can recall watching Hot Boys music videos after school and quickly turning the channel when my Mom walked in the room. In all honesty, I wouldn’t want my ten year old watching the “Block is Hot” either. Nevertheless, I grew up in the age of “Rap City the Basement” and “106 and Park”, it was hard to keep most of my friends from this music too.
I digress. Back to Mr. Weezy F. Baby, please say the baby. So today Mr. “No Ceilings” was sentenced to a year of nothing but ceilings and cinderblock walls in New York’s Riker Island. Although he plead guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree in October of 2009 he has been more evasive than O.J. Simpson in a White Bronco. Well that’s not too evasive. He’s been more evasive than Amy Winehouse at a detox center. Read more »
When I was young I had horrible dance moves. If Urkel and Carlton Banks could be synthesized into one super nerd they’d still be cooler than me. Whenever my mom would turn on the song “electric slide” in the living room I would always bump into her because my turn wasn’t that smooth. But that all changed the day I saw Deion Sanders juke in a Dallas Cowboys game. By juke I don’t mean evade a defender I, mean get funky in the end zone. This moment is the first time I recall seeing any kind of touchdown celebration. As Deion did the infamous stride into the end zone with the prance to the left, prance to the right shuffle, my eyes became fixated on the television screen. The next 2 weeks straight I practiced the “Deion Dance” so I could show it off to my family for Thanksgiving. I nailed it, but unfortunately my cousin upstaged me. Nevertheless, I still learned a valuable lesson- celebration in sports is awesome and should most definitely be permitted. So here are my 5 reasons why Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League, should reverse the ban on touchdown celebrations. Read more »
First and foremost I would like to apologize to my neighbors in my dormitory. At any given time you may have heard a loud “brrrrr” and wondered what it was. No, it was not me complaining about the brutal Chicago cold (it has actually been a temperate winter). More importantly, we have central heating. You may have also heard a loud “what”. No, it wasn’t me yelling into the phone because of poor signal. I always have perfect connection in my room. I’m almost positive that you have heard an unidentifiable language that sounded like pig Latin mixed with a foreign colloquial dialect. If I’ve been disturbing you I’m really sorry. But technically it hasn’t been my fault. I have a confession. Those sounds you heard weren’t me. They were the voices of Radric Davis, Johnathan Mortimor Smith, and Jauquan Molphers. These three individuals are better known as Gucci Mane, Lil’ Jon, and Wacka Flocka Flame. The “brrr” was from Gucci, the loud and probably obnoxious “what” was from Lil’ Jon, and the unidentifiable language was Wacka Flacka screaming OOOOOOlaaaaydooooit (Oh let’s do it). Ladies and gentlemen, I enjoy “crunk” music. There I said it. Read more »
Today I can sense another farce- the Tea Party Movement. They claim to be “watering the tree of liberty”, but if you ask me they are just being boisterous rabble-rousers. Read more »
Below is a short story inspired by a conversation I had with my father
He stood at the platform ready to deliver his address. Weeks of intense rehearsal had prepared him for this very moment. As he stood attentively in his grey seersucker suit with his crisp white shirt, and wing tip shoes, he looked like a man destined for success. Although he wasn’t too keen on going to the nail parlor, his advisors insisted that he get a manicure. Their motto was and still is “appearance is perception, and perception is reality.” Although he didn’t necessarily agree with this statement, subconsciously he knew there was remnant of truth to it. His résumé suggested that he had been destined to perform on this grand stage. Although he knew his pedigree was extraordinary, most of the time he felt limited by it. Was it people’s expectations or he himself that put him there? Read more »
I decided to take a break from politics and current events this week and focus more on creativity. Below is a fictional short story that I wrote about introspection. I hope you enjoy.
I can still feel the piercing cold and hear the howling wind.
I stood there paralyzed and dumbfounded. How could someone who looked like me treat me like a degenerate? We may have had different skin complexions, but he looked like me. He may have been a little taller, but I looked like him. I may have been 20 years younger, but we looked like each other. Yet, I can still see the wicked contortions on his face when he snapped my spinal cord with his words. Read more »
We all know that some parts of the Constitution are vague. Even though the document was ratified over 222 years ago, constitutional scholars still fiercely debate over what a “well-regulated militia” actually means. Depending on whom you ask, “cruel and unusual punishment” can be swatting a fly or it could be water boarding. Some people believe there should be a federal ban on gay marriage, and there are some who believe the decision should be left up to the states. The self-proclaimed “textualist”, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, said “[it] is the law that governs, not the intent of the lawgiver.” In a perfect world, this should be the case. However, the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission makes me wonder if it really is the case. Read more »
Yesterday after I arose from my slumber I thanked God for waking me up and giving me life, I thanked The University of Chicago for recognizing the holiday so I could sleep until noon, and I thanked Dr. King for giving me the opportunity to attend such an illustrious institution alongside students of all races and ethnicities. Read more »
“It’s all about the U”. Growing up in South Florida I heard this chant all the time, especially between the months of August and January. For those of you who don’t speak “college football”, the “U” is a reference to the University of Miami. During the late 80’s, early 90’s, and early 2000’s they were a college football dynasty. As a kid, I vividly recall listening to Trick Daddy’s “Take It To Da House” while watching Edgerrin James run down the sidelines for one of his many touchdowns as a Hurricane. University of Miami football was not just a powerhouse program, it was the epicenter of my universe during my middle school years.
During my little league football days I dreamt of suiting up in the orange and green and breaking every NCAA rushing record. I eventually grew up and realized that God had called me to do other things, but my love for that program never waned. A few weeks ago I watched Billy Corben’s documentary the “U” on Espn. Corben, a Miami filmmaker, had already won many awards for his documentary “Cocaine Cowboys”- a film about how the cocaine trade changed the culture of South Florida. Not only was I pumped to see a film about my favorite college team, I was excited that the rest of the United States was going to learn about how “The U” invented swagger. Surprisingly, after I finished watching the film I had mixed emotions.
Sometimes I feel like life is one big reality show. I can’t say that I’m an avid follower of “For the Love of Ray J”, “The Bad Girls Club, or “The Real World”. However, I do know that drama and ratings are positively correlated. Many of the stars on the reality shows go on to have lucrative careers in entertainment, not necessarily for their acting or musical prowess, but because of their star power. These days, people are just famous for being famous. I’m afraid that this attitude has spilled over into the realm of politics. We all know how dramatic politicians can be. In fact, I think Hillary Clinton deserves an Oscar for her star-studded performance in New Hampshire in 2008 for “the cry heard around the world”. Who can forget former Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich. It seems like criminal allegations have made him more famous than he was before. You get accused of trying to sell a Senate seat and before you know it every reality show producer wants you as a cast member. Read more »
There are certain things in life I just can’t explain: 
We all know that some parts of the Constitution are vague. Even though the document was ratified over 222 years ago, constitutional scholars still fiercely debate over what a “well-regulated militia” actually means. Depending on whom you ask, “cruel and unusual punishment” can be 
Sometimes I feel like life is one big reality show. I can’t say that I’m an avid follower of “For the Love of Ray J”, “The Bad Girls Club, or “The Real World”. However, I do know that drama and ratings are positively correlated. Many of the stars on the reality shows go on to have lucrative careers in entertainment, not necessarily for their acting or musical prowess, but because of their star power. These days, people are just famous for being famous. I’m afraid that this attitude has spilled over into the realm of politics. We all know how dramatic politicians can be. In fact, I think Hillary Clinton deserves an Oscar for her star-studded performance in New Hampshire in 2008 for 
