Do Better: NFL players f***king up with women

I'm lost on this. More people wanna talk about the Dolphins bullying and Michael Sam the gay prospect instead of some serous character flaws in successful current and former players. Maybe it's just me, if I feel like I need to put hands on my lady, I'm probably gonna "cancel her" (Nino Brown quote) before going Kimbo Slice on her. Plus because of my mom's crafty personality, I grew up believing my mom would get my dad back in his sleep if he ever put hands on her; I took that to heart. So when I saw the video of Ravens running back Ray Rice dragging his fiance out of the elevator of a casino after (allegedly) knocking her out cold. I've heard of couples having a fight cutting each other up a little bit, but she looked sleep like Manny Pacquiao after the Marquez fight. She looked like a World Star Hip Hop fight comp victim or something while he looked very non-chalant while dragging her (not carrying her, not throwing her over his shoulder, but dragging) and setting her on the hallway floor face down. I'll be the first to admit: I don't know what she did, she might have been just as culpable in things getting physical but yet and still, it's on you as a young Black man (much less a rich, recognizable young Black man) to keep the situation contained. If she's hitting you (which I don't condone either, women gotta stop using the "I'm a woman" excuse to beat the shit out of a dude) grab her to restrain her or something. Shit looks bad for Ray Rice right now. And following a subpar season anyway, you may have really fucked up. And now (drum roll please)...Darren motherfucking Sharper. ***closes eyes, shakes head*** I don't know where to start. The 'fine ass' (as reported by several women over the years) retired football player is accused of drugging and raping up to about 10 women in a few different states. They're calling this man a serial rapist. I'll repeat: he's "fine", in shape, famous, former athlete, well off (if not still str8 up rich) with a TV commentator position and you're drugging women and stealing the pussy? Are you fucking kidding me?? If you have any semblance of charm or personality (he got hired to be commentator after all), women should be throwing the box at you. Look above, this dude pulled Gabrielle Union back in the day for God's sake. How the fuck you go from that to stealing the box from everyday women? Are you drugging the few who say no? Are you drugging them to save time talking them up? I don't fucking understand. I realize these situations are still in the investigation stage and I may be jumping to early conclusion. But (excuse my N-word), these violating ass niggas need a preemptive Do Better...

Long Live Richard Sherman

Cocky bastard or Community activist? Accused thug or Stanford educated Masters scholar? Classless shit talker or confident shut down corner? Don't let perception convince you that Richard Sherman is something that he is not. I started this blog entry right after he set social media on fire by going off in an off-field interview right after he made a great play that sealed a trip to the Super Bowl for his team. Since you can't badmouth his game after such a play, his detractors resorted to calling him a thug or racially derogatory terms. For those who don't know, cornerback is a position that attracts cocky characters. As diva-like as receivers can become, corners have to feel that they can react and neutralize anything the receiver can do. In Sherman's case, not only does he shut them down, he's also proficient at winning the mental battle with the opponent by getting in their head and ultimately under their skin. This reminds me of the greatest cover corner - and one of my favorite players - of all time: Deion "Primetime" Sanders. Sherman is the Deion Sanders remix but with a brash "thug-like" appearance but a prestigious academic background. Deion was hated early in his career for being too cocky, talking too much, and being too many theatrics to a sport that didn't value them. Does Sherman talk too much? Anyone could easily say 'yes' to that question. But better question: do you want him on your team, or on the opposing team working his way into your star receiver's head? I'll take him on my squad any day. I get how middle America feels about outwardly cocky young Black men; so much of the reaction doesn't surprise me. But as a young black man, I can look past him having dredlocks and being an animated shit talker. He's a beloved teammate, he's very intelligent (3.7 GPA and a Master's degree from Stanford), and he's already at the top of his position in the NFL at just 25 years old. Not to mention, he goes back to Compton to work with kids to help them make it out and beat the odds the way he did. So to call him a thug is to dismiss all he had to overcome to make it, and for that reason it's disrespectful; especially coming from cashiers in middle America who didn't face or overcome odds the way a kid in Compton did. But love him or hate him, you're talking about him. Love him or hate him, in the end, all thug accusations fall by the wayside as there's no logical proof. Love him or hate him, his meager $500K salary (pennies by NFL standards, especially when the 2nd best corner is making $14 million this year) is now being tremendously boosted by endorsements borne of his newfound attention. And now he's got a Super Bowl ring too. Long live Richard Sherman...

RIP Madiba Mandela: "Terrorist" turned prisoner turned International Symbol of Peace

Nelson "Madiba" Mandela passed away at 95 years old. I started this the day after his death but am finishing it today after seeing the movie "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" based on his phenomenal autobiography. As crazy as it sounds being overly sad at the death of someone almost a century old, it was very sad news for me when I heard it. My first memories of Mandela were learning of his election to the presidency of South Africa and the effect it had on his country and the world as a whole. As I learned more, the most amazing part of the man's story was his ability to forgive and truly push peace and reconciliation after being stripped of everything by the system of apartheid. But until recently (I'm grown now) I still never asked the question: what exactly was he imprisoned for? Not long before his death, I researched and learned that he was imprisoned for actions to sabotage that would be widely considered domestic terrorism against the establishment; such as bombing unmanned logistical targets to weaken government communication or resources. He started out pushing non-violent resistance but was pushed to take a more extreme position after repeated incidents of innocent Black South Africans (including women and children) being killed by Afrikaner soldiers. While in prison, the institution imprisoned and tortured his wife, Winnie, to the point where she took a more extreme position than he had; she was advocating all out war and murder of Black Africans who cooperated with the whites. By the time he was released, it was inevitable that all-white rule could not sustain much longer in South Africa. Violence was rampant, Black South Africans were looking for revenge and expected Madiba to be the military leader for the revenge effort beside his wife. But something unexpected happened in the hell that is prison, Mandela emerged championing forgiveness and reconciliation. This was not popular and drove him away from his wife; however he did what was difficult. And he did what was right. Gradually, the angry population, out of trust for Madiba, followed suit and have formed the much more unified nation. It was a lesson that the world could benefit from and he will always be seen as a foremost warrior for forgiveness and peace. He will never die in our hearts. If I could, I'd rename the Nobel Peace Prize after him. Rest in Peace Madiba.

Stop Me When I Start Lying: Did This Fucker Say Affluenza????

Yeah, you correctly read the picture above. A 16-year old rich kid got behind the wheel of a car drunk and ended up killing for people in Texas. What's his punishment you ask? Well, he's getting rehab and therapy because the judge bought that he had 'affluenza' meaning his parents are so wealthy and privileged that he couldn't be expected to know right from wrong....Are you fucking kidding me? U're telling me that professional experts are taking the witness stand and insisting that affluenza is a defense to keep killers out of prison? I thought the legal system claimed to enforce the law period rather than trying to psycho-analyze why the defendant doesn't know right from wrong. Where was this case for kids whose poor parents were working too much to teach their kids right from wrong? Or kids raising themselves because their parents weren't worth a damn? Is there such thing as poor-fluenza? How about Black-fluenza? This may be the most asinine modern legal ruling I've heard of in decades. I've contended for some time now that in the post-segregation era, money and social status serve as more of enabler or obstruction than race; this is another example. No matter how the judge justifies her decision, what will be taken away from this case for future legal precedent is that "affluenza" is a viable defense if the defendant is rich enough to qualify. That scares me. Like society needs another highly publicized example of how kids born with a silver spoon in their mouths can do whatever they want with whatever punishment their parents can afford (in this case, dad pays for $450K rehab sessions) while lower or even middle class Americans would have been looking at jail time, at least some. So judge, what you actually did by succumbing to the ridiculous 'affluenza' defense was you made the "condition" worse and allowed it to become ingrained in legal precedent going forward. I don't even know you, but I hate your guts. But you probably don't care about my opinion because I'm not rich enough anyway. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

Kanye West: A Study in Fearlessness, Creative Ambition, and Egomania

You remember the kid from Chicago that Dame and Jay found to produce for the rest of the Roc? The one back in the studio right after a car accident with his jaw half wired shut? The one striving to be successful rapping because everyone said he could only ever make it as a producer? Yeah, that's the Kanye West we fell in love with. If you haven't noticed, that kid is hard to recognize in the borderline 2013 version by the same name. He's a deliberate attention whore - in a relationship with a beautiful but talent-less attention whore famous for her sex life - who's wearing Confederate flags, calling himself a God, and vocally challenging everyone from fashion moguls to the Obamas. He seems constantly upset and at times seems to be losing his grip on reality. I never thought I'd say this: but I'm starting to understand him. Not saying I agree with him, or can even vouch for all of his bullshit, but I think I get it. He's acting out in a combination of anger and envy for those who possess the true power and freedom he wants; I read an interesting article referring to this as a Frantz Fanon complex (here's the article, http://ourlegaci.com/2013/12/02/kanyes-frantz-fanon-complex/). Just the way producing was not enough for him when he wanted to rap, hip hop culture itself is not enough for Kanye now. His experimental creativity agency DONDA, named for his deceased mother, is an embodiment of his desire to be an all-around creative genius without bounds;  we're talking music, fashion, art, cinema, marketing, technology, the works. He states that his calling is to leave a creative imprint on the world as significant as that of Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, or Michelangelo. He also thinks Kim Khardashian is the new Marilyn Monroe. That being said, he's on a crusade to increase his global profile to force the hand of those - especially in the fashion and footwear industries - who he believes seek to pigeonhole and marginalize his influence because they can't control him. He doesn't want to be Jay-Z or Russell Simmons running "urban" clothing labels, he wants to be the neo-Marc Jacobs or Ralph Lauren with the power to sell anywhere to anyone at any price as he feels. He's gotten his feet wet in the industry (designing shoes and clothes) just enough to encounter the glass ceiling stopping him from. His focus has switched to getting as much attention, money, and power as he can attain so that no one can ever deny him ANYTHING ever again. Hell, he doesn't care what anything thinks or listen to anyone (except Jay-Z sometimes) now, but he seeks the power that billionaires (or maybe secret societies) possess so that he can bring any idea of his to fruition without needing anyone. Even as rich and fearless as he is, he's already lost $13 million and can't afford to keep misfiring without backers. So to get there, he's frequently pushing whatever bounds exist to stay in the spotlight even when he's not making music; because his relevance is powerful. But that's where it can go off track. It goes as blasphemous as trying to make Confederate flags fashionable or bringing Jesus out on stage. Or something as fearless as wearing women's clothing or giving an album cover vile cover art of his darkest fantasy. Or as ego-maniacal and brash as taking to radio waves calling for fashion protests of those who denied him meetings to "stifle his influence" and claiming he and Kim should be getting all the fashion-related attention the Obamas get. I think he frequently misfires and goes way overboard. How the fuck you really gonna put Kim and Michelle Obama in the same sentence? Michelle is the first lady while the first time I saw Kim it's because she was just the pretty girl spit-shining Ray J's dick on a sextape. Oh word, people are supposed to get over their feeling towards the Confederate flag because you made a song called "New Slaves" and said it's ok? Really nigga?  But rather than dismissing him as a lunatic, I'm trying to see the bigger picture of what he's trying to achieve. He's a dreamer with all the passion imaginable to chase it and I"ll always admire that. He just has to refine his technique. For the record, I hope he creates the imprint he seeks to, I'd love to see what come out of it.

Stop Me When I Stop Lying: Catching Up

Every once in a while, my life gets complicated and I get slack posting on events in real time when they happen the way I should. I'm not apologizing, just explaining. If u were expecting an apology, get over it, you still reading this, ain't u? But I digress, here's a quick rap up of how I feel about some of those issues:

• Kanye, Kanye, Kanye. SMH. I still deeply respect his music, creativity, entrepreneurship, and his boldness (only to a point though). In terms of his personality, I've lately decided that he's not just another cocky celebrity, he's become an all-out blasphemous, attention whore for whom I'm losing the ability to take serious. You're Yeezus and bring Jesus out on stage? You're a God? Really? You've decided that since you made a song called "New Slaves", you can re-purpose the Confederate flag as your own? Really? You're offended that Vogue has chosen Michelle Obama for their cover over your wifey who was shot to stardom by a sextape with Ray J?  Really? You felt that North West was the best name for your daughter? If they make Versace straight jackets, that may be a good fashion move for you; add a confederate flag pin if it makes you feel better. I loved you: your passion, your story, and everything. What happened to you? 
• I've decided that Drake is the in the category of ppl who I admit are good at what they do but whose personalities I can not stand. Just cuz u roll with street cats now doesn't mean u're hard? "Started from the Bottom" fa real? Weren't you a child actor from a middle class fam? "No New Friends", really? Name 2 famous rapper you were friends with in 2007? I guess "Started from the Middle" and "Some New Friends" didn't sound as appealing. And quit starting fights in clubs if you're gonna hide behind Meek Mills when hands start flying. That's why they call your album emotional...
• Although I give her credit for somehow being the catalyst that put twerking back in the spotlight, I can not call what Miley Cyrus does twerking because she has no lower half meat (ass, thighs, hamstrings, etc.) to shake. Eat some steak, do some squats, and holla at me. I'm waiting for reports of footage of Miley either taking or sucking some Black dick; I'd bet money, it's coming. She's already pseudo-twerking, making naked music videos, and doing drugs with rappers, it's the natural next step. Stay tuned...
• Ladies, I'll say this once and keep it brief: Olivia Pope is a well written character on an entertaining show, not a role model. Treat her that way. Don't think YOU can operate without morality or integrity in your personal and professional life and turn out wildly successful and immaculately dressed like her. From the reactions I get from women when I make a "Scandal" comment, you would think I punched a nun in the face or something by not idolizing her too. Chill with that.
• Fuck the Falcons (division rival). Fuck UGA (in-state college rival). I'm glad both of their seasons have been disappointing. Period.
• And yes, finally, the Miami Dolphins "bullying" scandal. More information will inevitably come out on both sides continuing to thicken the plot. But my main point about it is this: In a work environment like the NFL, stand up for yourself. I'm not saying you have the right to hit someone in the face if they piss you off, but walking out on your team is not a good answer. In a league full of hazing and verbal abuse (for lack of a better word) I think Richie Incognito went overboard with each and I don't feel sorry for him getting punished. I don't know how far he overstepped I don't know how much is normal in the locker room. Who's responsibility is it to put your foot down and let him know where the line is? Martin's. Grab Richie and the offensive line coach and have that "Come to Jesus meeting" behind closed doors; get it out and understood. They'll respect you for that. But just walking out on the rest of the team makes it look like you're not mentally tough enough for the uniquely mentally and physically demanding work environment you've chose. Go work for Wells Fargo if you can't handle it. Please believe, the opposition is gonna say plenty to get in your head on the field for the rest of your NFL career. I hope you don't try to sue them too...

More coming soon. Just cuz my shit talking was tardy didn't mean it wasn't coming. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

Do Better: Ochocinco's Lacking Courtroom Manor

Today's study in misunderstanding the situation you're involved in is Chad Ochocinco (formerly Chad Johnson's) recent court date for domestic violence charges. Chad, the biggest self-promotion whore in recent NFL history, had a short-lived whirlwind marriage to reality Evelyn Lozada, who's hot-headed, unstable, and violent herself. What's the worse that could happen, right? Well, the marriage fell apart when Chad allegedly head-butted her during an impassioned argument. Chad's lawyer had worked out a plea deal for probation without jail time; the court appearance was a formality. The deal is finished, what's the worse that can happen? Well, Chad shows up to court in a short sleeved shirt and jeans. And at the end of the hearing, the judge, clearly resentful of Chad and the entire situation, asks Chad if he's satisfied with the deal his lawyer negotiated. Rather than a simple "yes, ma'am", Chad answers with something playful and slaps his lawyer on the ass, prompting the entire courtroom crowd to laugh. This upsets the judge to the point that she rescinds the plea dealing sentencing Chad to a month in prison. Let's break this down, the judge clearly abused her power by reneging on the plea deal (Chad only ended up serving one week), but that's not the story, Chad is. Regardless of whether the judge was an impulsive bitch for her actions, there are things you can't do which Chad did. First of all, you're in court. Wear a fucking suit; you've played over a decade of pro ball, you can afford one. Secondly and most importantly, when dealing with judges, police, or anyone else representing law enforcement or penal systems, take the situation seriously. You don't have to do something wrong/illegal to get shot or killed if you rub such officials the wrong way; ask the countless people who've been wrongfully incarcerated, wrongfully convicted, beaten, shot, or worse over a cop's or judge's bullshit. No matter how playful your personality, this is the time to be serious if there was ever one. Furthermore, if you're a young Black men with a less than glossy reputation who's in a white female judge's courtroom for domestic violence, don't expect her to have any extra tolerance for any bullshit. I'm not trying to get butt-fucked in a jail cell somewhere because even though the charges shouldn't have stuck, I pissed off the wrong officer or judge somewhere along the line. I like my sphincter intact and unexplored. Mr. Ocho-Johnson, Do Better. you may still have a job with your hometown Dolphins if you had.