2013 Wishlist

Since we're all talking about the years, I might as well keep it going with a wishlist. Most of these things are pretty shallow but who cares I don't believe in resolutions anyway. So here it is, my 2013 wishlist in no particular order. Off the top of the dome

• Kobe retires
• Detox finally comes out
• The Simpsons end 
• The Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole collabo drops and debuts #1
• Kanye releases at least one more solo album before he becomes soft and whiter because of his annoying in-laws Kardashians 
• LeBron gets at least 4 more triple doubles
• I never see anything about Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian in the tabloids and the same goes for pictures of Mason
• Reality TV dies out and those people get real jobs
• The Real Househusbands of Hollywood becomes the next big thing
• Dubstep dies and Jazz comes back 
• The new generation of prosperous black actors and black actresses storm in and in affect a Renaissance of black advancement starts
• Kate Upton has a boyfriend, preferably an athlete... or me
• Marvel stops making movies and a sequel to Undercover Brother is released
• Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart and Martin Lawrence team up with other black comedians and make a Harlem Nights for the next generation
• Chris Tucker actually does another Friday movie
• OutKast reunite for one last album 
• Lil Wayne stops being this generation's Flava Flav

That's all I can think of right now, anyone agree? disagree? Let me know, maybe I left out something..

Year in Review and 2013 Predictions

With 2012 being less than 4 hours from being gone let's discuss the ups and downs of the former last year of the world. From what I've observed, every year follows a template- there's a pop culture phenomenon, shocking untimely deaths, big movie releases, controversial news stories, and celebrity hook ups and break ups

Here's 2012 according to the template
Pop Phenomenon- Psy (Gangnam Style Man), Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me Maybe",  Linsanity?
Shocking Untimely Deaths- Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Paul Hagman to name a few
Big Movie Releases- The Avengers, Dark Knight Rises, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2, the last Twilight Movie
Controversial New Stories- 2012 Election, Olympics, Sandy Hook Shooting, no more twinkies
Hook Ups/Break Ups- Kimye, TomKat, Ash and Demi, Selena and Justin

My personal best moment of this year has to be going to the Black Friday Ferstival and seeing Kendrick Lamar live (My first concert), and witnessing the Miami Heat win the Championship and going to the parade. My biggest disappointments are Taken 2, and Eddie Murphy dropping out of hosting the Oscars.

What are my predictions of next year? I can't really say, you never know what to expect in life, especially in America. What do you think is gonna happen next year? and what were some of your best and worst moments of this year?

Why I Love You... good kid, mA.A.d city

It's been a while since a rapper's debut album has made a significant amount of buzz. Better yet, it's been a while since a rap ALBUM has made an impact in the game. Yeah I said it! Hip hop has been in hibernation for a while and this radio friendly gangsta pop has took its place. But along comes Kendrick Lamar, the up and coming phenomenon that woke the sleeping bear and has got the competition petrified.

good kid, mA.A.d city is the critically acclaimed big label debut from Kendrick Lamar. Many say that it's one of the best rap albums of the decade but I believe that it is one of the GOATs. That's right, one of the Greatest of All Time.  It's better than Ready to Die, better than Reasonable Doubt, it's even better than Illmatic! YES! I've been waiting for an album to come along for me to rightfully say that.

GKMC is a concept album. Which already sets it apart from the rest. On the album cover it says "a short film" and that's exactly how it feels. From the tape recorder playing in the beginning, the prayer of the homies, and the haunting woos with the bass hums. An atmosphere is already set and listeners know that KDot is gonna take us for a ride.

In track 1 we find Kendrick encountering Sherane, a love interest with dangerous gang connections that leads to the conflict in the story. At the songs end we here the voice mail messages from Kendrick's parents and his dad transitions us to the soothing Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe. A commentary on the rap game of today . The story picks up at Backseat Freestyle in which Kendrick is a young teen immersed in the culture around him. The Art of Peer Pressure is a special song because of its minute prelude with a nostalgic beat and the pimp whistle ftw. I would go on with this, but you can hear the album for yourself.

I could say that this album is Straight Outta Compton for the new generation but that can be considered disrespectful. This album is pure gold, it's an hour and eight minutes of something we haven't heard before and it is definitely one tough act to follow

GKMC reminds me alot of a Woody Allen movie, the way that the artist pays such a loving homage to his hometown is very admirable. This album is as much of an I Love You to Compton as it is a long Thank You letter. Thank You Compton for introducing me to gang violence, police brutality, and thug life recklessness. Thank you for the endless nights of peer pressure induced adventures with the homies, thank you for big booty hoodrats, thank you for West coast hip hop, NWA, Tupac, Dre.

Thank you Kendrick for showing us the good bad and ugly of the notorious city. Thanks for waking the sleeping bear and being the Luke Skywalker of Hip Hop.

A friend asked me what I think the next album title is going to be, my first guess is good kid, mA.A.d world but Kendrick doesn't linger on the same project. Always gives us something fresh. I'm going to be bumping this album for a long time.

And that's why I love you- good kid, mA.A.d city

Why I Love You... NBA 2K

With Christmas gone I just want to take the time to discuss one of the most important video game franchises of my life... NBA 2k. Our love affair started in early 2001 when a young 5 year old played his first game of NBA 2k2. I was young and dumb and didn't know much about basketball except for Mike, Kobe and Shaq. Then we progress to 2K3 where I started getting a better feel for the game and used Iverson more often. The real maturity came when I got 2k5 with Ben Wallace on the cover. It was one of the top games of my childhood. This is for two reasons.

1) I played it for 4 years because I didn't get another game until 2K9

2) LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, and Dwyane Wade were all present in the game but I stuck to the Cavs with the yellow hardwood classic jersey.

I remember the day I got 2K9. I was making a deposit and my cousin came in the house looking for me. He gave me the game as a late birthday present and I was so happy that I took it and embraced him without even washing my hands. 2K9 was a continuation of my obsessive use of the Cavaliers and LeBron James, every game I played LeBron was there. Bulls vs Cavs, Spurs vs Cavs, Grizzlies vs Cavs, 2K Development Team vs Cavs...

Then comes 2k11 that game was significant because it was my first time creating a My Player, and the triumphant return of Michael Jordan, 10 years since I controlled him on the PS2. The collectible Jordans caused my new found love for sneakers and the Jordan challenges were simply magnificent. One of the proudest moments of my life was when I did the Flu Game after two attempts in one sitting. My first MP was a 6'9 big man from Haiti named Deon Sandford. After some annoying rookie showcases with the ball hogging John Wall I was drafted by the Grizzlies and immediately wanted a trade after 7 games with an average of 4ppg. My last day at Memphis, the fans were chanting "TRAAAAAADE HIM, TRAAAAAAADE HIM!!" while I was shooting my free throws. I went to OKC where Kevin Durant and I kept fighting over who was the best on the team. My career high 44 point game proved my dominance.

2k12 brought in more classic match-ups and blew me away with the Greatest Challenges. My favorite was the Pippen challenge where I scored over 30 with Scottie and only 9 with Mike.

 I got 2k13 as a Christmas gift and I’m currently in a career with the Rockets. Let's hope that goes well...

2k increased my love for basketball, introduced me to players I haven't heard of and gave me something to do on my weekends instead of getting out of the house and mingling. There were some memories that weren't good. From getting pissed off because T-Mac was impossible to defend in 2k5 to popping the left trigger off my controller from throwing it because I got mad that I blew an 18 point lead to the Kings in 2k12. But I had more victorious ones such as a game winning near half court 3 with Nick Young in Association mode 2k11, clutch 3 pointer with Anthony Parker in 2k12, and 40 point games with LeBron throughout. NBA 2k has been a larger than life figure in my life and millions of others.

And that's why I love you- NBA 2K

Dubstep, what's the big deal?

What do druggies, socially awkward teens, and white kids with bad taste in music all have in common? A love for Dubstep. If you're one of those middle aged parents who stop trying to keep up with the times, Dubstep is basically techno music but with "distinct differences"

Normally it isn't in my nature to insult anyone's taste but I feel like it will be doing justice to do so. Let me tell you why-
    Lately a good friend of mine who is an avid Dubstep fan has made some bold statements lately and when I asked others at my school, I realized that a good percentage of teens actually feel the same way. He said that Electronic Dance Music is better than rap, WRONG! Then another friend told me that Dubstep is on the rise and rap will perish, ALSO WRONG. Although hip hop is in a critical condition right now it's not going anywhere. And last time I checked, I haven't seen any EDM album create any buzz nor captivate the charts. Has Skrillex gone double platinum? I don't think so.

People who like Dubstep don't have much knowledge of music nor do they have a lot in their life that has importance, so they cling on to this obscure clankity clank music. They find acceptance through liking this genre and become engulfed in this sort of cult, its pretty sad. I always say Dubstep has no lyrics. Where's the meaning? the message? the story? whats the point? And you know what they say?
    In a snooty defensive tone "Well, what's the message behind getting b*tches and money ?" then they say "You don't need lyrics, and there are many different sub genres of EDM. Its about the experience of hearing sounds that you've never heard before and being blown away" ... You know what that sounds like? JAZZ. But jazz is soft and boring to their ears. They need noise, mosquito synthesizers and bass drops.

I asked my same friend if he knew who Stevie Wonder is and this was his response "Isn't he blind, deaf, and dumb? HAR HAR HAR" In a nutshell, music is getting worse by the generation and our tastes have gone sour. Dubstep is diarrhea for the ears and makes your brain turn to elctro-poo, one bass drop at a time.

Anybody else missing the Walking Dead right now?

CAUTION CONTAINS SPOILERS
Going a Sunday without seeing what happens to Darryl and Merle is making me go crazy! I can't tell the future, but I know for a fact that they aren't going to die in that angry mob circle. Either Andrea will speak up or The Governor will either spare them, have them banished, or receive a harsher treatment. But I know for a fact that they won't die in that scene, they just can't! But if by any chance they do, at least they will die with each other (it's corny but true) My main concern throughout the whole season is that they see each other. Wish granted.

While we're on the subject of The Walking Dead, how do you feel about Andrea? Is there anyone who actually agrees with anything she does? I personally don't agree with what she does but she is a vital character to the story. She proves that regardless of a zombie apocalypse, female stereotypes are still present. I'm not going to say which one, you take your pick. And Why did she want to stay in Woodbury? Shouldn't she know by now that there really isn't anyplace safe to stay anymore. The farm in season 2, the lab in season 1 where she almost KILLED HERSELF. And whats up with her choice of men? Why does she seem to be attracted to sneaky villainous jerks? Guess that's another stereotype that will never change. HA!

I say that at the end of the season, if everyone makes it out alive, Glen and Maggie need to get married and the Hillbilly Bros. need a therapy session. They've been through enough. As for that new group Carl discovered in the prison, I don't know what the writers have planned for them. Another defiant black woman and shy guy black man, yay! Can they at least give the guy a story and not do with him like T-Dog and what's his name?  How long do they plan to stay in the prison anyway? And are we really going to see Rick's daughter be raised in the middle of a zombie apocalypse as some cliche symbolism of hope? Will Carol and the creepy inmate find love? Tune in  next week to find out on the next episode of- I'll just stop.