Katrina Day

"The hurricane came and took my Louisiana home / And all I got in return was a dern country song / This whole country wrong . . ." --Lil' Wayne on "Hollywood Divorce"



To all of my family and friends back in Mississippi and Louisiana, and the people all along the Gulf Coast, please know that some of us will never forget. Our thoughts and prayers will forever be with you until everyone that was scattered by the storm is home again.

Reminisce

As September fast approaches and marks the 11th year since 2Pac's death, I pause to think about what could have been. As the Hip Hop scene has devolved into a caricature of its former self, I find myself reminiscing about days past when the music provided both an outlet for expressing the ills of society and also the sheer jubilation of being young and just wanting to party. What separated that music from most of what you hear today is that many times they were on both contained on the same album, in the same song. You could be both the rapper that took and stand and the rapper that tore the club up. Now artists are put into different boxes with mainly the most superficial among them seeming to get the most promotion. How did we let this happen? When did we stop caring?

Here's one of my favorite verses from Pac that appears on the song "Nothin to Lose." However, I'm not a fan of the album version. This live performance (ironically in with a great assist from Biggie Smalls) captures emotions that just don't come through in the studio version.

Concise History of Black/White Relations in the U.S.A.

As I started my usual Sunday morning routine of browsing the Internet headlines, reading the papers, and throwing things at the television during the morning talk shows (especially M.T.P. and Chris Matthews); I paused to write because this cartoon caught my eye. In light of the recent decisions handed down by the Supreme Court that favor big corporations and other privileged segments of society and remove all semblance of fairness, justice, and restitution for past grievances; this political statement was especially poignant.

TDRS: The White T Edition

What Up Fam, What Up Folk? It’s ya boy and you know things are going well when I can churn out a TDRS on back-to-back weeks. Big shout out to my ace-J Jackson and my deuce of diamond 50-Gran, for replying to last week’s Nappy Head Edition. 50-Gran, I am still working on the Al Sharpton does not represent me edition, so be on the look-out for that masterpiece. Anyway, ya’ll know how I do in terms of writing a TDRS. I try to hit you with a title that makes you think about the edition before hand. It’s probably pretty clear to you what this TDRS will be all about and NO it is not about fashion, it’s about hip hop!

So yesterday, I watched part II of the Oprah town hall meeting on the state of hip-hop and its effect on the black community. Unfortunately, this town hall meeting was driven by the comments of Mr. Don I-mus be a nut, but it is what it is. Actually, it really shouldn’t be b/c Oprah, as well as a significant percentage of white and BLACK America have been tricked into thinking the problems in the black community stem from hip-hop. That men treating women wrong, stem from hip-hop. That drug and gang activity stem from hip-hop. That homophobia stems from hip-hop. That all things wrong with our children today, stem from hip-hop. Check out what Keith Clinkscales (a FAMU alumn) had to say on this issue. http://sports.aol.com/ncaabb/story/_a/whitlock-provides-diversion-from-imus/20070417114409990001

There were two very insightful points that were brought up during the town hall meeting. The first was by Mr. Russell Simmons who said that rappers are only waxing poetic about their experiences and that this should not be censored by any means. He compared rappers of today to the great poets and speakers of change of the past. I took some time to think about this and was close to being in 100% agreement with him. He is correct that a person’s views should not be censored. I mean this would be un-American to believe in such a thing. Mr. Simmons is also correct when he says that that most of the rap stars are a product of their environment. Last time I checked, the crips and bloods in south central L.A. pre-dated hip-hop, so when NWA, Snoop, and Dre came on the scene, their words and descriptions were not something new. Yes, it was new to those living in suburban Chicago and Atlanta, etc., but definitely not new to those who live and experience the gang wars on a daily.

Like I said, I was almost in 100% agreement with Mr. Simmons. The real question for Mr. Simmons and the rappers who he says are modern day poets is that are rappers waxing poetic in order to effect change or are they purely glorifying their experiences or more oftentimes their make-believe experiences for the almighty cash? I think Mr. Simmons would really have to think about this and retract his thoughts regarding rappers as modern day poets. Sure, Mos, Talib, even OuKast and others fit his description, but there are so few who even come close. Take for instance Mr. Big Snoop Dog; do you think he is really trying to effect change with his “smoke weed everyday bishop don juan magic make believe world”? Do you really think when Nelly slid that credit card down that girl’s booty that he was trying to effect change? [Sorry, Side note: As a single man, I was not at all offended. As a married man, I am still not appalled; b/c Nelly did not put a gun to that girl’s head to shoot that video. America looked at as if Nelly was demeaning towards women, but those women truly saw it as an opportunity]. I mention these two examples and of course I have plenty more (don’t get me started on Atlanta radio) to say to Russell Simmons that of course, the bulk of rappers in the game are not trying to effect change! They are truly glorifying a lifestyle that they themselves really don’t have, but wished they had. Everyone wants to be rich and famous. If folks just looked at this as a business/entertainment and stopped taking this personal or trying to make things seem better than they REALLY are (like calling rappers poets), then all would be fine. There are simply some rappers that are idiots and others who are truly poetic. It’s really that simple.

Side note #2: I wrote this TDRS a day before the VA Tech shootings and after two days of around the clock news coverage, it was interesting how this had turned into a national debate on gun control. Who’s to blame for that? A great man once said, the he didn’t have a problem with guns; it’s the stupid muthasuckers who carry them! Before you start ripping the NRA and other gun control proponents, think about that for second. And after you think about that, think about how trivial it is to think that hip-hop or what the media terms the hip-hop mentality is the cause of America’s problems, but I digress….

Now I can really take Simmons’ thought process (that is, that rappers are a reflection of their environment) and link this to the history of Black America, but that is the easy way out. It shouldn’t be b/c Blacks, unlike any other people were two steps behind when we landed on the rock. We took a step forward with the end to slavery and being considered more than 3/5’s of man. However, the Reconstruction Period (post civil war) was a major obstacle that has never been overcome and never will. Poverty in Black America didn’t just start 10-years ago, it started 150 years ago when we went from a very sick form of communism (working for the country aka, slave-owners, but receiving basic necessities, food, shelter, clothing) to the wills of capitalism where the rich get richer and the poor get…you know the story. I just wish someone would really take a step back and think and say, jeez, we were just given the ability to vote without being killed only 42 years ago, that’s barely a generation. To think that Black America could become some nation or society similar to that of our white countrymen in such a short time span is a pipedream, especially when over that time there have been numerous efforts squash any effort to rise. And believe me, I am not one to make excuses for the shiftless and lackadaisical attitudes of many of our black men and women. I live with them in Southwest Atlanta and it pains me every day to see kids wondering the streets after 10pm with white tees down to their ankles, but again, I digress…

I really appreciate Oprah in her efforts to bring on national television this town hall meeting, but I’m really not impressed, that is, with the inevitable outcome, which will be another summit, conference, million man march esque discussion that will be full of sound and fury, but signifying NOTHING! Don’t get me wrong; Oprah has done more than anyone in terms of taking the risk to air this live to a global audience. However, getting Russell Simmons, Ben Chavis, and other prominent Black Americans to get on TV and hash out our “perceived problems” was EASY! BET could have done this and probably would have a better reception in terms of “African Americans” watching. I think Oprah, in all of her power, could have taken this debate a step further and put the CEO’s of the major companies that REALLY own and operate what we see and hear. Let’s put Bob Johnson on the hot seat and ask him what he thought about BET UNCUT when he ran the company. Let’s ask the CEO of Viacom, which owns BET what he can do to stop the madness of what’s being shown on his networks. Heck, if folks REALLY wanted to effect change, let’s write down who the advertiser is for every commercial that is run during those shows which denigrate women and then rally against them. I bet you money those videos will not be aired. Staging protest against the artist is a waste of time because black folks don’t buy music. We listen via free radio and cable, which half us don’t really pay for either. You bootleggers know who you are. I applaud the girls of Spellman in their campaign against Nelly and that’s really sent shockwaves through his universe…yep, he’s at 40 million sold. Good Job!

I also want to say that the women of Spellman College (Oprah included them via satellite) who were just downright angry with the panel that they should pull their g-strings out of their arse and calm the heck down. So what you were called a ho/bitch at the club? I know that you have been called worse, but please don’t blame this on the rappers. By the way, they, the Spellman women said they don’t listen to hip-hop, which I translates to me that they don’t go to club’s where hip hop is played, otherwise they would be hypocrites. Let’s say they aren’t hypocrites and they only go to jazz clubs and in that venue they are called a bitch or ho. Who’s to blame then? Is Branford Marcellus? John Coltrane? Come on now! I’m sorry, but I have been to MANY clubs and it is RARE to hear brothas calling women ho’s…. unless you remember going to the famous Metropolis on wicked Wednesdays at FAMU. Now would could deny that the chant of “there some hos in this house” was off the chain! This was not a derogatory chant; it was chant of exuberance given the many dimes that were truly in the club! Now I have been known, not guilty, with respect to dropping the bitch line and in most cases it was truly warranted, but I aint going there today. All I’m saying is that if you know there is a party going on at 112 and there’s no dress code, then you should know better that there will be folks who aren’t civilized and educated. The key is to just not go and if you do go, you should learn to ignore the idiots. They went on and on about how they don’t listen to hip-hop and good for them, however they cannot expect the world to walk in their ways.

As mentioned earlier (about a 1000 words ago…sorry), there was another significant point that was mentioned in the meeting that I felt did not get enough airtime and that was that our views of society all start at home! Like I said, rappers should not be censored, but many of them should quite frankly be ignored. And ignored to the extent you feel their lyrics in some way harm or offend you. I think this statement shields me in the event there was ever a raid on my home and the feds found my collection of NWA, Cash Money, NO-Limit records.

It’s those that “know better” that I have a really big problem with and it’s not just the kids. It’s the parents that should’ve known better than to let their kids be exposed to such filth as BET Uncut. I use filth lightly here, b/c if any of you have been to the world famous “Blue Flame” in the ATL, then you would know that on a relative basis, BET Uncut is pretty much like watching Hanna Montana or Raven on the Disney channel. My home girl Spiceida Davis is famous for saying…”I don’t know what yall talking about, I don’t watch BET”! At the time, we thought it was quite funny, but it was truly brilliant.



I’m sorry for my rant today, but I had to get Tuesday’s episode of the Oprah show off my chest. Again, Oprah gets big props for giving hip-hop a forum on which to respond. If this ever gets to you, I am truly thankful. I’d like to end this with a quote that I should have started this TDRS with and it is from one of the TRUE poets of hip-hop, Mr. Andre 3000 Benjamin: “Your White Tee, Well To Me, Looks Like A Nightgown. Why Don't You Make Ya Mama Proud And Take It Two Sizes Down?”

HollaAtYaBoy!

The Hip Hop Knowledge Base Presents: A classic...

My favorite song as of March 15th 2007....


Classic (Nike Remix)- Nas, Kanye, Rakim, KRS-One

The Hip Hop Knowledge Base Presents: ...another Classic

Where were you when this was hot???

Self Destruction

The Hip Hop Knowledge Base Presents: The Return of the Funk Doctor Spot (Redman's Red Gone Wild: Thee Album---review)

A full six years since his last LP, Redman finally dropped what is

probably hip hop's most delayed album not named "Detox." "Red Gone Wild: Thee Album" is a completely refreshing, hilarious, and satisfying release from a hip hop legend that totally stands tall even when compared to his 90s classics. What I have always loved about Redman is that the more things change, the more he stays the same. His hilarious punchlines, wild flow, and unique quirks never grow old, although this album is very fresh sounding and sounds quite updated. Erick Sermon handles most of the production, which I was ecstatic about, because he is one of my favorite producers and he and Redman are a match made in heaven. Scott Storch and a Pete Rock, among others, also contribute beats. His funky, bass-heavy, and upbeat productions bring nostalgia of Def Squad's heyday but mostly just entertain. It wouldn't be a great Redman album without Soopaman Luva, and he appears in all his greatness on the album's last songs. The skits are hilarious, especially "Mr. Ice Cream Man." In the way that Ghostface Killah introduced his Theodore Unit Crew on "Fishscale" and "More Fish," Redman takes the opportunity to present his young rap posse, the Gilla House. These rappers appear on a good deal of the songs, and shouts of "Gilla House!" and "Brick City!" are heard throughout the album. While these rappers are all okay, they can't touch Reggie Noble, and I would rather hear him rap than any of them. The only other complaint I would have is the album's running length, it's a little too long and having less than 23 tracks might make it a little easier to digest. "Red Gone Wild" is probably the finest album of 2007 thus far and will please his longtime fans in a huge way.

The first song is the introductory "Fire," which features E3 and announces the return of Reggie Noble in grand fashion, and the punchline-filled "Bak Inda Buildin" serves the same purpose. The first single, "Put It Down," is a good mainstream track that I could see getting spins at the club, but it doesn't compromise any of his style at all and the beat is excellent. "Gimmie One" is a little odd sounding, but enjoyable. The posse cut "Sumtn 4 Urrbody" is okay, and the bouncy "How U Like Dat" makes up in its funkiness. I really liked "Freestyle Freestyle," which has a great beat and is a lyrical highlight. The Def Squad reunion "Walk in Gutta" also has an unlikely appearance from legend Biz Markie, and I just loved hearing Sermon, Redman, and Keith Murray together on the mic again, it's exactly what hip hop needs. "Wutchoogonnado" is classic Redman, sample lyric:

"I'm in your college campus corridor / they should call me Uno the way I make y'all draw four." Erick Sermon's beat on "Diz Iz Brick Easy" brings to mind something off the Def Squad album "El Nino." My favorite song, though, was definitely "Rite Now," which is blessed with Sermon's best beat on the album. The Al Green sample and funky instrumentals are quintessential Erick Sermon, and Reggie totally does it justice. "Blow Treez" is an ode to weed featuring partner-in-crime Method Man and Ready Roc, with a Mike Jones-style chorus. "Pimp Nutz" is anthemic, excellent, and the aforementioned hilarious skit precedes the crazy "Hold Dis Blaow!" Another Gilla House posse cut comes before the great "Merry Jane," which features Snoop and Nate Dogg. This collaboration has a great production vibe, it's a gorgeous summertime-type cut that brings out the best in all three performers. "Gilla House Check" uses a familiar sample from Nas's "Made You Look." The most exciting part for me came at the end, which marks the return of Reggie Noble's superpowered alter-ego, Soopaman Luva, as he embarks on yet another wild and crazy adventure, and like always, I can ensure it'll have you laughing quickly. From the opening lyric

"What up, yo, it's the Soopaman Luva / I'm about five minutes from out ya baby's motha," it's plain to see that Red is back in full effect. The album ends with "Suicide," which is based around a sample from Snoop Dogg's classic "Serial Killa."

This album was pretty much everything I could have hoped for in a new Redman album. He shows that even though his career is 15 years deep, he still is as entertaining as ever, and his fans will love it. I hope Def Jam will put some promotion behind this where they didn't for either of Ghostface's albums and Method Man's "4:21...The Day After," because it seems like those albums were ignored by the label. (Hell, pretty much everyone on Def Jam was ignored except for Jay-Z and Rihanna...) After this I know I'll eagerly be anticipating "Muddy Waters 2." This is a funny, musically interesting and complete work that can really only be described as a Redman album.



Rating: 4 out of 5

Still wondering if Betty Wright recorded an in studio version of "Tonight is the Night"

B. Holcomb

TDRS: The Cheaper to Keep Her Edition

Hmmm…It’s another year and ya boy is at it once again banging these keys. I’d like to give my homie Ben aka B- Holcomb and my wife a shout out b/c they provided TDRS with some info that just sparked the fingers to walk it out on the keyboard like the Andre 3000 remix of the song. Ben sent me an article on ESPN.com, which is discussed in detail later on. My wife, on the other hand did a really simple thing last week which I’ll discuss first to get this edition started. At least once or twice during the week, my wife wakes up and cooks breakfast, which for the most part consists of eggs, toast or waffles, and bacon. Last week, she cooked 5 pieces of bacon. I know that seems insignficant in the grand scheme of things, but at the time it really got me thinking. I thought because I was married, the right thing to do was to split the fifth piece in half. The thought made sense, but in reality things don’t necessarily happen that way, that is splitting things 50/50. For those who are wondering, I ended up getting the other half of the bacon, b/c (a) I wanted it more and (b) she either wanted it less or (c) she was more than likely being sweet.

Anyway, so I know the title is somewhat interesting given that I just got married back in October. Before the rumors swirl, all is well in married life. For those who are married, I think you know what that means…no divorce filings, private investigators, etc. Just kidding. Anway, I am not sure if everyone caught a recent story on ESPN.com regarding Michael Strahan and his recent divorce, but it is very good reading. We at HollaAtYaBoys understand you’re too lazy to find the story, so we have included the link for you…. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2730126

For the ladies who don’t follow football, Michael Strahan is a pro-bowl defensive lineman for the New York Giants, which means he’s pretty darn good and has probably made a few chips during his lifetime. To be more exact, he’s stacked a little more than $30 million, net of his liabilities. Unfortunately, for Mr. Strahan, he’s deep into a messy divorce settlement that will leave his ex-wife with $15.3MM, which is more than half of his $30 million chips PLUS $200K per year in child support for their TWIN children. The interesting point about this whole fiasco is that Michael Strahan and his attorney basically wrote this into the pre-nup, except for the child support. I mean was Mr Stahan listening to little Scrappy’s Money in the Bank song. It’s like he literally walked up to her at her part time job and said, “I got money in the bank, Shawty what you drink?”. I’m sure Shawty thought Strahan was crazy, but took a drink of whatever kool aid Strahan was buying. At the end of the day, Mrs. Strahan had a CONTRACT and as my girl Trish Hinton, Esq would tell you, contracts are BINDING!

Yes, I understand that contracts are binding, but for Ms Strahan to receive more than half is just plain ridiculous. Mrs Strahan actually said, “I never asked for a penny more than the prenup that Michael and his lawyers wrote and made me sign. And all I ever asked for was that to be upheld." Are you kidding me? They made you sign the prenup? What, did she not ask for a penny more b/c she felt it was the right thing to do? The right thing to do would have been to just walk away and insist on no prenup, but that wouldn’t have been smart huh?

In this age of corporate greed, I have to say that divorce settlements should be lumped in with these unbelievable CEO packages. Yes, I will admit that on a “regular” people level, divorce settlements are probably fair b/c the wife acutally does contribute to the net worth of the family, whether directly through cash or deferred fees, like taking care of the children in lieu of day care. Yes, I know there are some cases where the wife actually brings home the bacon (no pun intended), but we know that is less frequent in the sports world. However, in the case of Ms. Strahan, I’m going to guess that she did not clean the house, take care of the kids, or perform any of the stay at home spousal duties. Notice I didn’t say housewife, b/c my wife has promised to make me a stay at home dad, so I am not “hating” on housewives. Anyway, Mrs Strahan and all the other “plaintiffs” (Paul McCartney’s wife for example) are nothing more than a modern day Kenneth Lay. Yeah, Ebony, I’m talking about your boy at Enron. What’s the difference between Mrs Strahan and let’s say Bob Nardelli at Home Depot. Both joined their companies (yes, atheletes are like corporations these days), at their prime, stuck around for 6-8 years, and left with a package that seems a bit unreasonable given the performance of their corporations over that time or better said, their contributions to said corporations over time.

Because I’m in the business of using data to sell deals, let’s break down Strahan’s numbers. Mr. Strahan gets paid the big bucks to tackle or sack the quarterback, so basically the more sacks he gets, the more he gets paid. Anyway, you have to think that Micheal was making peanuts upon entereing the league b/c (i) he was a rookie, (ii) it was 1993, and (iii) he was drafted in the second round. In fact, he didn’t start making money until 1996 when he signed a 4-yr $12MM contract that included a $3MM signing bonus. Note this was a contract based on Michael’s potential, sort of like the equity markets giving value for future cash flows or business prospects that increase future cash flows.

Let’s look at the financial return for Micheal’s potential. From 1997-1998, Micheal Strahan had his best back-to-back seasons since entering the league in 1993. In the 1997 and 1998 seasons, Strahan had 14 and 15 sacks, respectively, so he was definitely a force in the league. But then came 1999 and boom, his sack total fell to 6 and you guessed it, this was the year Mr. Strahan married the now ex-Mrs Strahan. Before anyone tries to think of reasons, let me just say that Stahan played all 16 games that season, so don’t even try to give me the injury excuse. Was he in love? Did he lose focus? Maybe, but at the end of the day, he didn’t do well in the sack category that year.

Based on the numbers, Micheal Strahan did have a couple of great years after the 1999 marriage, as evidenced by the 23 sacks he had in 2001 and 19 in 2003. However, since 1999, Michael Strahan has had only two seasons where he beat his sack totals in 1997 and 1998. All this being said, Michael did break the bank with his second contract that basically paid for his past performance and not so much potential b/c he was over 30 and playing a position (Defensive End) that required speed and strength. The 2nd contract was great for Mrs Strahan, but bad for Micheal. The problem was that his pre-nup was drafted a few years before the 2nd contract, so in essence Mrs Strahan got a bargain.

The point of all of this is that Mrs Strahan didn’t contribute to Michael’s greatness. He was great before her and if anything struggled a bit with her…just like Home Depot and Bob Nardelli. I can understand paying the child support and something reasonable with respect to alimony, but paying her half of what he earned w/o her help is just WRONG. At the end of the day, TDRS is not “hating” on Mrs. Strahan, I am really “hating” the game.

At the time of writing this TDRS, I was alerted that other atheletes are having the same problem, like Jason Kidd and Michael Jordan. I have the opinion that Stahan’s situation is different than let’s say Juanita Jordan b/c she tried to get out a few years ago. Michael Jordan figured out that it was cheaper to keep her and they reconcilled. Unfortunatley, Michael Jordan kept on with his allegedley “cheating ways” and Juanita basically said that was it. While there aren’t any reports to prove my theory on why Juanita finally said enought, ya’ll know Mike was running serious game before, during, and after retirement. For all of those brothers that are single, the most eligle bachlorette is somewhere in Chicago waiting for Mike to pack everything in a box and to step to the left.

At the end of the day, TDRS thinks that Mike Jordan, Jason Kidd, Michael Strahan, Barry Bonds and all of the other atheletes should listen to the sage advice given by Johnny Taylor and that is it’s cheaper to keep her.

HollaAtYaBoy

The Hip Hop Knowledge Base Presents: An Open Forum

By now I'm sure most of you have heard two of the three latest

releases from Def Jam Records.

One is entitled Kingdom Come The other is entitled Hip Hop Is Dead

I just have one question to pose.

Why is it being rationalized that "Kingdom Come isn't being appreciated because Sean is now taking a more mature and grown approach in his rap.?"

But on the flip side Nas dropped an album and also took a mature approach (yet and still Nas is 4 years younger than Jay)? And everyone enjoys the "Hip Hop is Dead" effort?

Having just turned 30 myself, I realize a lot can happen in four years. But come on man...

People as I stated in my Great Expectations Post Let's expect more greatness from the alleged "BEST IN THE GAME", and quit making up excuses

"It has to grow on you"
"He's being more mature"

Great albums shouldn't have to grow on you (Unless you came out with something in 1993 and the members in your band have names such as RZA, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, the Ghostface Killah, Masta Killah, The Method Method Man, U God and The Old Dirty Bastard)

Jay-Z you've lost me. Nas, keep it movin' son!





Let me know your thoughts, because I know I'm not alone in my thoughts
Black Actors,
B. Holcomb