You're the reason people hate hip-hop

To all of the Soulja Boy's, Gucci Mane's, and Lil B's of the world. . . you are the reason people hate hip-hop.

It used to be that being an artist musically was something that was respected, but nowadays ANYONE can record a record and be called an artist. Hell, if I really wanted to I could write a song about animal crackers and have people swear up and down that it was the best thing that they've ever heard in their entire life. That is the most unfortunate thing. I'll admit that I listen to artists that I honestly wouldn't consider talented. Waka Flocka Flame, Travis Porter, and Gucci Mane are perfect examples. Their music IS fun; however, fun does NOT mean good. Nor does that mean they are talented.

I'll listen to your music, but that doesn't mean I will respect you as an artist. Shaking your dreads and screaming "FLOCKA!! FLOCKA!!" or "GUCCI! BURRR!" does not earn my respect musically. Sucks to be you if you assumed it would. Just to let you know, people do not take you seriously. You are a joke. You are not and will not ever be relevant or influential to the hip-hop game. I suggest you go get your GED and enroll into a community college so that you have some type of degree before reality hits, and people stop spending money on iTunes to hear you rap about doing a dance that makes you look ridiculous (Swizz Beatz voice)

One more thing, to all of the aspiring artists out there who believe that you can pursue rapping because your grades are awful and you don't apply yourself. . . let me be the first to tell you, you can't. If you want to try, by all means, go right ahead. . . but prepare yourself for the biggest rip session of your life from yours truly :)

Do us ALL a favor and stay in school, and stop trying to make it big. Don't quit your day job, because you'll regret it when you're collecting money from the government for Welfare and Food Stamps.

Top 5 MC's

Hip hop is my heart and soul. I think it. I dream it. I breathe it. I live for music itself actually. I can't believe that I haven't done this already, but here are my top 5 favorite rappers. Believe it or not my list doesn't consist of Jay Z, Tupac, or Lil Wayne. There are very few people who name their top 5 without at least one of those, and though all 3 have been influential to hip hop, none of them are personal favorites of mine. So. . . here goes nothing.

1) Eminem is without a doubt my favorite rapper. Everything that comes out of his mouth is so raw, and I love that about him. He doesn't sugarcoat things so that they sound better. He doesn't try to hide his past. He wants his fans to know who he is as a person, the good and the bad. Everything from Infinite to Recovery has been nothing less than amazing. . . though he has put out a few songs here and there that were BS. My favorite Eminem album is The Marshall Mathers LP by far. It's my favorite hip hop album of all time.

2) Number 2 on my list is a hip hop artist named Common, formerly known as Common Sense. There are few hip hop songs that I have listened to that compare to his "I Used To Love H.E.R.", a song about how hip hop as changed over the years. It is arguably one of the best hip hop songs of all times. He is a wonderful lyricist, and I love his flow. Though it seems that Common has lost himself with his most recent album, everything else has been dope. Be is in my top 10 hip hop albums of all time. . . and I believe it always will be.

3) Joe Budden is numero tres on my list. Unless you've already had a conversation with me about my favorite rappers. . . I bet you're shocked. Most people hear his name and automatically remember how terrible his single Pump It Up was. They overlook Mood Muzik 3, Padded Room, and Escape Route. If they actually listened to those albums they would know how dope Joey really is. He raps about real shit. Emotional shit. Relateable shit. If you haven't given him a fair chance, please do. Are you in that mood yetttt? No. . . ? Well you should be!

4) Andre Lauren Benjamin, better known as Andre 3000 of Outkast comes in at number four on my list. His style is just so fresh, and though that has nothing to do with his amazing ability to rap, it does help him a little. Lyrically he is one of the best in the game. No question about it. His voice is so unique, and I love it. He's been coming out with some new music lately, and I can't wait for his mixtape to drop!

5) Last, but certainly not least is Talib Kweli. I fell in love with him the moment I heard his poetry on Def Poetry Jam. He really opened my eyes about a lot of issues, especially religion. He performed a piece called Hell on Def Poetry that he later turned into a song that I feel everyone should listen to. We're going to see great things from him in the near future. Just wait and see.

Honorable mentions:
6)


7)


8)


9)


10)

Friends

"What are friends?
Friends are people that you think are your friends
But they're really your enemies with secret identities
And disguises to hide their true colors
So just when you think you're close enough to be brothers
They wanna come back and cut your throat when you ain't lookin'"
- If I Had, Eminem

In today's society it is difficult to recognize the difference between real and fake. When a person is real, they don't constantly feel the need to remind people that they are. Everyone already knows.

It is important to have a handful of real friends. Having a few real friends is way better than having tons of fake ones. Don't surround yourself with a bunch of Regina George's.

There are constantly going to be people coming and going from your life. There will be people that will want to surround you when you are at your highest, most successful point. . . but don't let them fool you. If they weren't there when you were at your lowest, they don't need to be there at your highest.

A real friend will remain in your life, regardless of the circumstances. Whether you are at your highest peak or your lowest point, they will not bail. Real friends will always be there to help you better yourself. They will help you in your time of need, no matter what. They are not worried about embarrassment because of the situation you are in. . . because they know that if they work hard enough and encourage you enough, you won't be in it for long. They will do whatever it takes to see that you are doing what you need to do in order to succeed. It's when you are going through a rough time that you see who your true friends are.

Try your best not to rely on other people, but remember that sometimes you need guidance. You will not always be strong. That is why it is necessary to have someone with strength to lean on when you're too weak to stand alone.

Real Men

We all know someone who has been in a relationship with a bad guy. They've been either physically or emotionally attacked, sometimes even both. Many women refuse to leave the bad relationships that they are in because they're afraid, not necessarily of the man. . . but afraid of being alone. Relationships shouldn't consist of putdowns, beatings, and cheating. If they do, get out! It's as simple as that. Though I understand that's easier said than done. Find a real man! Someone who knows how to treat a woman the proper way.

Determining whether or not the guy you're interested in is a real man can be rather tricky. Being 20 years old, going to college and having a career paying job does NOT make him a man. . . as much as I hate to admit it. It's SO much more than that.

He's a real man if:
He can recognize when he's wrong, admit it, apologize, and move on without making a big deal about things.
He isn't afraid to show his emotions.
He doesn't try to hide you from his friends and family.
He tells you how much he appreciates you.
He is always honest! No matter what.
He can remain faithful without a second thought.
He doesn't pressure you into doing things that you don't want to do.
He can sympathize with you.
He shows focus and dedication in all that he does.
He wears pink.

Obviously I was kidding about the last one, but you get my point. He shows you how much he cares, and isn't afraid to tell others. If the guy you are in a relationship with fits the description above, he's a keeper. But if he doesn't, you might be dating a man child. How can you tell?

He's a boy if:
He puts you down.
He doesn't support your dreams.
He won't make things official.
He runs back to his ex, CONSTANTLY!
He puts his hands on you.
He cheats on you.
He lies.
He tells you the sweetest things, but pretends he doesn't know you in front of his friends.



If the guy you're interested in fits this description, the best advice I can give you is to drop him. He's not worth the time and effort, and sure as hell doesn't deserve you. Don't get a relationship with a guy who has the mindset of a child. Believing you can change a guy is the biggest mistake in the world. You aren't anything special to him, and he is guaranteed to hurt you hurt you!

The sad thing is, 45% of "boys" will never mature into men. Not really 45%, I just made that up. The percentage is probably higher actually. Anyway, they think having multiple females and treating them however they want will always get them somewhere, but eventually it'll catch up to them. Whether it's 10 years from now, or 40 years from now when they're all wrinkly and old, it will bite them in the ass.


Just refuse to worry about it! Plain and simple. Silly childish boys aren't worth getting emotional over. Drop them, and move on to a real man. You'll be 13820 times happier. Promise.

I Had No Time To Hate

I had no time to hate, because
The grave would hinder me,
And life was not so ample I
Could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love, but since
Some industry must be,
The little toil of love, I thought,
Was large enough for me.

-Emily Dickinson

Same Girl?

I was inspired to write this blog after seeing Usher and R. Kelly's Same Girl video for the hundreth time. Everytime I see it, it pisses
me off. Not only is what happened in the music video highly unlikely, it's just dumb. But it's Usher and R. Kelly, so it doesn't have to make sense. . . right?

In the music video, Usher and R. Kelly are telling each other about the girls that they're seeing. After describing them to each other, they come to the conclusion that they're seeing the same girl. . . hence the title of the song. They decide to set the girl up. Usher calls the girl, and asked her to dinner. Instead of just Usher showing up, R. Kelly shows up to. The guys thought they were making the girl, dubbed "TT" in song, look dumb. . . but out of nowhere TT's identical twin shows up. And when I say identical, I'm not just talking about genetics.

The song makes perfect sense by itself, but the video messes everything up. For starters, everything about them is the EXACT same. They are both nicknamed TT. . . which I guess would make sense if they had parents that thought naming their twins similar names is an okay thing to do. Like Taneshia and Takeshia, or Tiana and Tajuana, or. . . well, you get the picture.


Not only are they both nicknamed "TT". . .they both drive black Durangos with a license plate that says "Angel." They share a car? Okay. They both live on Peace Street. They share a house? Okay. If "TT" is making pesos as the song claims, would they really need to share a vehicle and house? Probably not. And where in the hell are they living that they would be making pesos instead of US currency?



They both love them some Waffle House. I have this is common with "TT". I love Waffle House as much as anyone else. I can't even blame her, or them. . . depending on whether you're going along with what the song says, or what the video shows.

Anyway, back to the video not making any sense. They both have identical tattoos on their ankles. They both have beauty marks on the same side of their mouths. The left side to be exact. . . which is the best side. Just thought I'd throw that out there. They went to Georgia Tech together, and both work for TBS. They're doing a little too much. I for one would be sick of my sister if we did everything together.

I'll break it down for you. R. Kelly and Usher were both seeing girls named TT that love waffle house, live on Peace Street, drive black durangos with the same license plate, have the same tattoo and beauty mark, went to the same school, and work at the same place. Sure, they can still be twins. That's fine.

The thing is, Usher calls TT and tells her to meet him for dinner. R. Kelly doesn't call TT at all, because they're trying to set her up. How would his TT know to show up at dinner?

In the song, R. Kelly and Usher are trying to make TT look stupid. At the end of the video, they're left looking stupid. . . but really, the only person that's looking stupid is the director of this video. Lil X.

He's looking like. . .

Just kidding. This is what he looks like. . .

No wonder the video turned out the way it did.

Alexis Marie

I remember waking up to a phone call on June 26, 2009 . . . and being extremely pissed about it. I answered, but my calls kept dropping because of the hotel I was at. The next thing I know, I get a text message from your mom that said this:

"Loren, Alexis got hit by a truck last night. She's bleeding internally, and there's nothing they can do about it. They've already given her two pints of bloods. It doesn't look like she's going to make it."

I was in disbelief. I thought you two were playing some type of sick prank on me to be honest. I called her back, shitty. I remember saying:

"Regina, you're joking. It's really not funny."

But it wasn't a joke. At that point I started to hyperventilate, told her I was on my way to the hospital, and hung up. I told my mom what happened and we immediately started our four hour trip back to Evansville.

The next four hours were the longest four hours of my entire life. It was a combination of praying, outburts, tears, and loud music that drowned out my screams. I blamed myself most of the way there, thinking that if I had been in town I could have given you a ride to where you needed to go. . . then you wouldn't have been in the situation you were in.

I wouldn't have gotten through that four hours and kept my right mind had it not been for three important people. My mom, Andrew, and Iman. . . and even though I'm really not close with any of them anymore it's important that they know they're appreciated for trying to help me stay positive. I couldn't give the three of them enough thanks for the hope that they gave me.

After what had seemed like days on the road, we pulled up at the hospital. I ran in the entrance, turning into one hallway after the other trying to find where you were. In front of the hospital's chapel I received a text informing me that you passed. I fell to my knees and screamed. Never in my life have I cried as much as I did that day.

I walked into the room where all of your family was, and gave your brother the biggest hug in the entire world. I quickly found Shelby. . . and we began crying in each others arms. From that point on, everything that took place in the hospital is a blur.

That night, I spent the night at your house with Bria and Abbey. Bria and I slept in your bed. . . that is the hardest and stupidest thing that I think I have ever done. I woke up the next morning looking for you, and felt like dying when I remembered that you weren't there to look for.


Alexis, I constantly think about you. I miss you more than ever. The hardest part about you being gone is knowing that even if you could come back, you wouldn't. I know that I'm selfish in saying that I wish you were still here. . . but isn't everyone a little selfish? We always had fun together, even in the most boring situations. You did a lot for me that no one else did, and I thank you for that. You were probably my truest friend. I was reading the note you wrote me in my yearbook last year and part of it says:

"I don't know what I would ever do without you, and I hope I never have to find out."

I break down every single time I read that. You never had to find out sweetie, but I did. . . and it's the hardest thing that I have ever been through in my seventeen years of life. I love you and I miss you more than anything in the whole world. I can't wait to see you someday, hopefully sooner rather than later. . . but until then, rest easy.

Alexis Marie Stewart (3.3.1993-6.26.2009)