Recently Played (On My iPod)

Hood Music- Right now I'm feeling Ice Cream Paint Job by Dorrough. Honestly it has no substance but it has a nice beat and I can vibe to it. If he sounds familiar he's the same dude that sings Walk that Walk.

Oldie- I was randomly listening to 92.3 and The O' Jays came on. I can't say I'm a fan because I never followed their music like that but I do know a few songs of theirs and this my friend is my sh*t!





Random- So it's a tie between these two songs. If you've seen Juno then you've heard "Anyone Else But You" and if you listen to gospel music or saw the BET Awards then you've heard Mary Mary's "God In Me." So I'm gonna go ahead and post both of them. I like the first song because it represents my silly personality. Although I'm a critic of religion as an institution, I'm still a believer and the second song shows that plus the song bangs!

Anyone Else But You



God In Me

BET: Do Better

So here's my issue with the Black Entertainment Television network. First for years they have focused mainly on depicting stereotypical images of the same people they are supposed to be representing. The countless hours of music videos that are played (or that was once played seeing as I haven't been a frequent viewer in quite some time) is ridiculous. Videos of blacks glorifying sex, violence and drugs in the morning, noon, night and every where in between that.

I need the station to promote positivity while also showing an accurate representation of Black people. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy watching music videos from time to time but after a while it becomes overbearing. I don't even think BET has its news show any longer. Outside of short clips that highlight some major event every once in a blue moon the station doesn't educate its viewers on the news. Yea I understand it's Black ENTERTAINMENT Television but when you are rarity such as this network you have a bigger responsibility.

The entertainment is cool but educate, inform and inspire our people. Give them a reason to want to do something with their lives outside of becoming a rapper or singer. Stop glorifying and reinforcing the negative images set upon our people. Videos that constantly portray our women as sexual objects and men as violent thugs and social deviants. I loved the idea of College Hill but as I watched it I realized they seldom showed the students in school. However they focused on the drama and the beef between the roommates.

Lastly the lack of originality within the network saddens me. It makes it seem as if Black people don't have the power to create, invent and expound upon things because of their programming. "College Hill" seems like a spin off of "The Real World", "106&Park" "TRL" and even this new show I saw today "Tiny and Toya" looks very familiar to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

I applaud the effort of the station because at times it does seem to attempt to create positive but then there's the numerous images they depict that nullifies it all. BET stop claiming to be the "Black station"if you don't step up to the plate and act as such. The Black experience encompasses more than just an entertainment aspect, our culture is richer and runs deeper than that.

The D

Hmmm let's see what I can rant about today. Well the weather as of late sucks. It's kinda like a reflection of Detroit lol. Don't get me wrong I love my city, born and raised here but things are looking pretty dim for the Motorcity/Motown. I don't know if either nickname is appropriate for the city. I haven't seen the true Motown except for in history and the building (which I believe is on Grand Blvd). Outside of that Detroit is no longer the epicenter of music like it once was. It is a thing of the past which can be recalled through listening to old albums of the number one hits. And Motorcity. The only positive thing about that name nowadays is the casino on Grand River. The Big Three are no longer so big, all trying to survive this recession and the end of the Industrial Age. These car companies employed thousands of people and seemed to hold the very fabric of Michigan's economy together and with its absence we can see how well things are turning out.

In addition to white flight, the brain drain and an absence of retailers and quality education Detroit is looking pretty glum. The only thing it seems to be doing well in is unemployment, violence and terrible schooling. BUT even with its flaws I must point out the positive because the city and the people are honestly great. If you've made a trip to Downtown lately you'll notice how things have changed within the last 5 years. It is actually looking like a downtown rather than a bunch of abandoned buildings. The museums seems to be flourishing and the schools in the area seem to be doing well (Wayne State, Creative Studies school, of course Cass Tech [lol] and a new school for the arts is being built down there). I love driving around downtown. You see the Fox and the sports arenas . Then you go down a little further and you're passing the People Mover and on both sides there a new stores surrounding you. And on top of those are lofts and condos for people who have faith in the city and want to be in the midst of it. You pass more clubs, stores and restaurants until you hit a dead end. Cobo is to your right and if you make a left you'll be riding alongside the river with the newly renovated riverfront. You can see the Windsor skyline in the distance and Belle Isle is a few miles down.

The city has potential and lots of it. There is beauty in Detroit, you just have to know where to look.

Recently Played (On My iPod)

I just updated my iTunes and my iPod so I figured I would let the world know what I'm listening to since you clearly care about my musical taste.

Hurricane Chris- She Fine

Let's start off the list with some hoodrat music. I think the dance to this song is very questionable since they look like AKAs/Kappas. Nonetheless, the chorus is catchy and the beat is nice.



All American Rejects- Gives You Hell

Someone told me about this song and it's kinda great! I like to listen to different genres of music and this song has made the playlist...kudos All American Rejects.



Kid Cudi- Day and Night

This is my ish! The beat is tight, the lyrics are decent and it's Kid Cudi. He has another song called Poker Face featuring Kanye and Common which is hot too.



Pleasure P- Boyfriend #2

I don't know how I feel about this video but I like the song.



DISCLAIMER: Don't judge me, give me evil glares,throw things at me or think of me differently because I like these songs. LOL. Enjoy. Music is Life.

Just a thought...

I think it's funny how his friends (and associates) are down to do anything social but when you need their help in regard to academics they wanna pull the disappearing act. That's why SHORT people are and will remain SHORT because they have their priorities mixed up. smh.

Where's the Funny!?!

So here are a few things that I've recently ran into that makes me laugh from a good hearty place(lol):


FMYLife. Ish is HILARIOUS...period. If you are ever feeling down just visit the site and I promise you'll start feeling better in moments. Reading about others misfortune somehow makes your life seem so much better.


I saw this video a while ago but someone just reminded me of it yesterday. I must say this is still freakin funny and when in public I still embarrass myself by laughing out loud at this guy.



Lastly is this Family Guy episode that I randomly watched. I kept hearing about how funny it was from my residents and friends and I finally saw it. Like all Family Guy episodes it's gonna make you laugh and have you beggin for more funny.




Hope you enjoy the funny...

For shame America...for shame!

If you want to see the true nature of a nation then look at how they treat those who are the least fortunate in that society...

I find that the United States is disgusting. We are really messed up and have our morals twisted. We may say we care about people but let's face it, that's a lie. We look out for ourselves at the expense of others and we have little to no remorse for doing so. Money is the root of all evil and unfortunately our eyes glisten with dollar signs. Our society is built upon climbing up the ladder to reach financial wealth which is why Americans are driven by money. Everyone wants to live the "American Dream" and live comfortably but at what cost? The poor work relentlessly to achieve this goal and the rich ignore the plights of others so they can maintain this dream. We are not a people that are concerned about the well being of our neighbors but how to exploit them in order to profit.

This idea came about after viewing Sicko. This is a great Michael Moore movie and I STRONGLY encourage you to watch it. I didn't watch it all but I watched enough and it really put a lot of things in perspective so much so that I was contemplating moving to Canada or the United States. The film is about the health care system in the U.S. It reveals the monstrosities that take place in our system while comparing it to those of socialized health care systems. Imagine your elected politicians selling their votes to multi-billion dollar companies, hospitals dumping patients off in the streets, someone having to choose whether they want to keep their index or middle finger, or losing a child due to a hospital's unwillingness to treat them. These are all truths within our health insurance system and it doesn't seem like it is going to get better. The rich are too concerned about gaining more wealth at the expense of others. If patients received financial help from an insurance company they were considered financial losses. How is potentially saving a life considered a loss!? Even worse doctors, who have taken an oath to treat anyone in need, receive bonuses based on how many people they deny for health coverage.

Now compare this corruption to Canada's system where all citizens receive free health care no matter what. All they have to do is walk into a clinic and they will be taken care of without any co-pays or expenses billed to their homes. They can stay as long as they need and all of their prescription drugs are $1o at the most. Homeless people and affluent moguls all receive the same treatment in order to ensure equal health care for all unlike the U.S. where the wealthy receive the best care and the rest of us are left to struggle. The U.S. puts a lot of propaganda out that portrays socialized health care as a bad thing but it's actually quite beneficial. All the citizens have care (in some countries you don't even have to be a citizen to receive care), preventative care is exercised, doctors and medical professionals are still paid well among a number of other benefits. It is no surprise then that the poorest of these countries outlive the wealthiest Americans.

When you are more concerned about increasing your wealth than saving a life that is a problem. When you coerce politicians into passing bills so you can maximize your profits that is a problem. When you tell a man that he has to choose which finger he wants to keep because he can't afford the surgery to keep both of them that is a problem. When someone denies a child treatment because their insurance isn't good at that hospital and she dies as a result of refusal that is a problem. When did we became so consumed with making money? Why don't we genuinely care for people anymore? Is the money really worth the lives of others?

I truly have a different understanding of the land of the free after watching Sicko. I am deeply disturbed by how money motivates the actions of others to the point of indirectly murdering people. After grad school, I am now considering organizing and creating free health clinics in the U.S while lobbying for universal health care so that people no longer have to suffer, choose which finger to keep or lose a child.