The Black Athlete

Salutations World,

I write this about a week or so after the events that lead to Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg at a club in NYC. When originally hearing this, I automatically knew that there would be an uprising from sports commentators alike about how this is another Black man with millions, acting stupid. True to form, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN fame lends his take on the situation..


And after listing to this, I was somewhat upset that such a major figure in sports entertainment would not take an easier approach to addressing this situation. Ultimately, all athletes are adults and should be held responsible for their transgressions, but does it make us any better to automatically assume that if a young black man is given millions, that somewhere along in his career he will mess it up?

There are a few things that really made me mad about this rant. First of all, black athletes are very rarely ever examined for the good that they do. All we ever hear is whether they have been arrested or how hard and tough their upbringing was. We never hear stories about guys like Allan Houston, who runs a father/son basketball camp, as a tribute to his close relationship with his father. We never hear stories about Grant Hill or even college stars like Gerald Henderson of Duke, and Stephen Curry of Davidson, who both came from NBA household and who are both excelling at top notch universities..

Allan Houston and Jeff Young. In Philly

No, we only hear about Pac Man..Or Plax..Or Allen Iverson.

And who is usually ready at the front lines ready to pounce on our black athletes..Black People. I find it disappointing that instead of taking an angle where he illustrates the number of black athletes that do not engage in extreme acts of coonery and buffoonery, Stephen A. Smith ranted and raved that the black athlete is somewhat of a plague to today's sport. Citing examples of the NBA instituting a dress code as an example of the negative black influence..

My plea to black sports writers as well as blacks in general..PLEASE uplift and educate. Uplift the black athletes that are doing good in their respective sports as well as in the community. And educate those who are unaware or who are ignorant enough to believe that every young black man with millions is merely in training to 'make it rain'..

Like always, until next time..

Peace.

-Yeezy

The Lake Show

Yo!

Just giving a heads up on new posts on 24 seconds!!

Great interviews from Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom

Until Later,

Peace

-Yeezy

Blast From The Past

Salutations World,

Sorry for another lengthy hiatus (blame that on the ridiculous workload handed out by Fox School of Business professors) but I am bizzack with a rather light-hearted post..

So, as I am doing my daily rounds of channel/Internet surfing, I turn to MTV Jams. And low and behold I see a video of one of my childhood idols...MC HAMMER! Yea I said it, when I was 5, I wanted to be MC HAMMER (Either him or Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). So I dug into my hammer files, no homo, and pulled out a few videos that should take you down memory lane..

Slight Disclaimer: If you were born after 1990, you may not fully appreciate this post.

Now MC Hammer, next to Michael Jackson and James Brown, had to be one of the greatest show men that the industry has ever seen..



And of course you have classics like..





But I feel Hammer was at his best when he hit his raunchy stage. When he became aligned with Suge Knight, the true MC Hammer came out with one of my childhood favorites..



Man, I wish MC Hammer could have stayed around and been a factor in today's music scene. Just imagine MC Hammer using the "Autotune" effect?!?!?!

Until later,

Happy Turkey Day from RealTalkDC

Peace Out,

-Yeezy

Stick To Your Day Job

Salutations as always,

Now recently, I have been taking a more serious tone in my posts. Well guess what, to hell with that. Today I am angry. And you say, "Jeff how can you be angry?" Well, while enjoying a day of football, my cousin feels the need to send me a link of Allen Iverson rapping..YES I SAID IT, Allen Iverson rapping!..

So this got me the thinking, why can't they just stick to their damn day jobs?!

I mean is making millions doing what you love to do too tough these days? I mean, can a man who makes 20 million a year really convince me that he is struggling and that he will "murder me in the second and first degree"!!..

So in true RealTalk DC form, I give you a list of sorts, of the Top 5 worst songs ever conjured up by your favorite sports star!!

No. 5, our good friend Allen Iverson aka Jewels, with his song "40 Barz"


I mean the beat is tough..that's about it..

No.4, The Mamba (Kobe for you non-basketball lovers)ft. Tyra Banks, "K.O.B.E."


This was wrong for so many reasons..

No.3, Rasheed Wallace..Shit sheed!


And, well the No.2 and No.1 spots belong to Shaq Fu, sit back and try not to break your monitors..



And last but not least..



If you guys think like me, the next time your favorite baller makes a song, throw a cup of sprite onto the court while he is on a fast break, and with the hope of the masses, he looses his ability to make words rhyme forever..

Until later, Peace.

-Yeezy

Yes We Can..

"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high.."
-President Barack Obama, Jan. 4th, 2008

On the evening of November 4th, 2008, I was witness to what I believe is the most monumental event in the history of our nation..



Now, as I thought out this post, I tried to think of all the angles to present this story to you. To talk about how our people have shown the ability to overcome adversity and ban together to make a change. Or how children from now on, of all races can one day aspire to be President. But only one story really seemed to capture the true essence of this moment..

You see, this story is about the sacrifice of these two people, and how they paved the way for my family and helped to make me the man that I am today. These two happen to be Thomas and Lillian Jones, my grandparents. These two, neither of whom graduated high school, scratched and clawed their way through every obstacle thrown their way to achieve a better life for their children and the rest of their family. The fact that they came up in a time where they could not even fathom the idea of there being a black president speaks to how far this country has progressed. And the fact that today, on Nov. 4, they had a hand in re-writing the history books. It gave them a sense that their sacrifices and hard work did not go in vain. And their sacrifice was no more evident then when at 11:26pm, I received a call from my grandmother, just for her to simply tell me that "she loved me." The pride and hope that beamed through that simple "I love you", really let me know how important this victory was to the people who helped set the foundation of our lives..

I say this to you guys because I want you to appreciate what is happening and what we are a part of. But to also realize that things are not going to change overnight. But with the patience and faith of those two in the picture, maybe one day the change that we so desperately need will be manifested in the lives of our children and their children and so on..

But until that day, keep this in mind...YES WE CAN!!



Peace.

-Yeezy