Death is not the end. It’s more of a... stepping off point

Celebrity deaths don't usually hit me hard. There is a general sadness of course that someone has left behind family members, friends and what not but in general if I didn't know them rarely does it bring a tear to my eye.

With the sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman I have been hit with such an astonishing level of grief that it's hard to put into word. I knew him only through movies and interviews but  he was so much more than an actor to me, and to black people in general. 

I came to really follow his work after it was announced that he would portray Black Panther on the big screen. Now Black Panther is a character that is deeply personal to me for many reasons. The main reason being growing up there was such a lack of black superheroes and one day, I saw this character with the Fantastic Four. It was amazing. A black character that wasn't like a caricature of a pimp or something. Wasn't the butt of jokes or obviously made to be inferior to his white counterparts, he was a god damn king. I was convinced I would never see him on the big screen and given his proper due.

Chadwick Boseman has entered the chat! He took a role and a character that if we're being honest the masses had not been introduced to and took us on a journey. He completely owned the role to the point that if people saw him in the street, they gave him the Wakandan salute as the royalty that he was. 

He could have stopped right there but he proceeded to portray all of our heroes. Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown. To the point that the running joke was he was eventually going to portray every black person on the planet. 

The man was so immensely talented and making sure our heroes got their roses. The love and recognition that they deserved while they were here. And now he has joined the greats of the past without I feel ever getting his proper due. Maybe because we took him being on our screens  for granted, maybe because it's human nature not to appreciate greatness until it no longer walks amongst us.

So Mr. Boseman, forever king of Wakanda, I thank you. I thank you as the father of a young boy who LOVES Black Panther. Who wears his mask and will only answer you if you call him the Black Panther. I thank you for the 8 year old boy who got that comic in a Mississippi gas station, I thank you as the 35 year old man who giddily put on his Wakandan sweatshirt and showed up an hour before the movie started to see his hero. The solace that I can take from this however is that for as awesome as T'Challa is, the man behind the portrayal was was even more of a superhero than the Wakandan royalty he portrayed. When I declared it the movie of the decade this is how I felt: 

"I get chills when I think about Black Panther. Was it the cinematic masterpiece that some would expect from the movie of the decade? Probably not. You can even make the argument that it wasn't the best Marvel movie of the decade. But what it was, was this beautiful piece of blackness that we don't get to see enough of, and that representation matters baby. After seeing it opening night I wrote this:

"I...I don't even really have words for what I just saw. Thank you Marvel and thank you Ryan Coogler. That awkward 8 year old who got a copy of Fantastic Four with a black super hero in it from a gas station in Mississippi is so damn happy with what he saw tonight." "

So King, as you said in Black Panther, “Death is not the end. It’s more of a... stepping off point.”

Best Music Runs in Recent History

As I was driving into work a few days ago I had an internal monologue with myself. I said "Self...who has the best run of albums in your lifetime?" And for the life of me I couldn't come up with a definitive answer. I looked for some music writer who has sat down and reviewed the music and written a thoughtful look into what I thought was a pretty interesting query. Well then I had another internal conversation with myself. I said "self, people suck for the most part. You should write it because hey at least you'll like the writer of the list." Thus my dive into the music of my playlists, thoughts and twitter feed happened, and the following list was birthed. Enjoy. Or don't. It's a free country. 

Ludacris: Back for the First Time, Word of Mouf, Chicken N Beer.

There may not be a more entertaining rapper to me than Ludacris. An example of this? Why look no further than his song "Ho" from Back for the First Time. Is it problematic? You bet. That however does not take away from the sheer hilarity of the song to me. 

"Y'all professional like DJ Clue, pulling on my coat tail

An why do you think you take a ho to a hotel?
Hotel everybody, even the mayor
Reach up in the sky for the ho-zone layer"

"Ho" aside, you have What's Your Fantasy, Phat Rabbit, and the ultimate banger Southern Hospitality. Throw Word of Mouf and Chicken N Beer in and you have 3 albums with nary a skippable track. 

MVP Track of the Run: Stand Up

T.I.: Trap Muzik, Urban Legend, King

Tip catches a lot of hell for using big ass words almost as if he had a word of the day calendar and had to use the newfound vocabulary immediately. That said, I cam remember the first time I heard a single from Clifford. I was in the lounge of my dorm, BET was on and the video for Be Easy came on. From the moment you hear the piano and his southern drawl it was just this cool ass video with a rapping ass dude with a too big shirt on and a hat that somehow balanced on the side of his head like Adebisi from Oz (Google the character, not the show). The next album gives us U Don't Know, ASAP, and Bring Em Out. May not have been the music critic's fave or the darling of the backpack crowd but put on TIP and you'll be hard pressed to skip any tracks.

MVP Track of the Run: Be Easy

Kanye West: College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

This one hurts to put on here. Because since their release dates Yeezy has become damn near unrecognizable. And a lot of my disappointment in the man comes from me projecting things onto him that he may not have felt himself. THAT said, his first five albums are as close to perfect production wise that I have heard. All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, Get Em High, Spaceship, Through the Wire and we haven't even gotten to Late Registration and Graduation which gave us Diamonds from Sierra Leone, Touch the Sky, Stronger, and on and on and on. We get to 808s and MBDTF, which were a change in his sound but gave us Love Lockdown, Paranoid, Heartless, Power, Devil in a New Dress and Flashing Lights, a song so good it played at my wedding. Numerous times.

MVP Track of the Run: Devil In A New Dress

Jay-Z: The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, The Black Album

Jay-Z's best album to me, which if we're being honest is the only opinion that matters since I'm writing this was probably Reasonable Doubt. That said, the best run of albums for the Jigga Man was from the Blueprint to the Black Album. From the Blueprint when you say The Ruler's Back is the weakest track on an album, that's not a knock on the track, it just goes to show how damn amazing that album is! Then we get the Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse which successfully did something most double albums can't, and give us completely different moods and feelings on different discs. Not just a random assorting of songs just to fill out the cds. And what should have been his swan song, the Black Album. Just an amazing album, Change Clothes, Threat, 99 Problems, and if it had been his last album My First Song is probably the best damn send off of any artist regardless of genre. 

MVP Track of the Run: Takeover

Outkast: THE WHOLE DAMN DISCOGRAPHY

I tried to come up with what would be Outkast's run by album and I couldn't do it. You know why? Because everything they have put out is the hottest of fire. And if you disagree, go argue with your mama so she can tell you that you're an idiot too. Player's Ball, Southernplayalisticadilacmuzik, Elevators, Da Art of Storytelling, Rosa Parks, B.o.B, and I have barely cracked into their wallet of hits baby! I understand that music is subjective, and it's quality is determined by the listener. That said there are exceptions to every rule, and if one does not like Outkast, I do not trust you in the slightest. Andre was out here dressing in furry pants and shoulder pads and dropping hotter verses than anybody on this mortal coil. And Big Boi? If you look up "rapping ass bastard" in the dictionary it will be a picture of Antwan Patton. Because that is a rapping ass bastard. Every Kast album has it's own feel and sound that is nothing like the previous one. Hell, they don't even have singles that resemble each other! Diverse array of tracks? Check. Impeccable production? Check. Consistent verbal excellence? CHECK! 

MVP of the Run: Da Art of Storytellin' Feat. Slick Rick

Better than your favorites.

Well folks, there you have it, the unsolicited opinion of a man who often has long form conversations with himself during his commute. So let me know what your favorite run of albums may be, I realize mine are all hip-hop but damn it that's what I listen to. So until next post, ya'll be easy. Peace.

Thoughts and Takeaways from Bubble Ball!

 Oh man, while it looks like we won't be getting football but we have been able to enjoy the greatest sport in the entire world. That's right I said it. And while a few months back I didn't think that there would be an end to the season but credit to the NBA for taking things seriously, creating a bubble and quarantining so we get to enjoy some sense of normalcy. The playoffs have begun and while there have been a few upsets this post is going to be basically my awards and thoughts on everything leading up to the playoffs. Enjoy this free content my babies. 

* The Philadelphia 76ers need a new coach to ever get to the next level. 

I like Brett Brown, and definitely thought he deserved a chance to coach the team once they got good especially after he had to sit through the process. Since then though, this team has consistently not reached expectations despite having two of the most talented players in the league in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. His insistence on not adjusting lineups to more shooter friendly lineups also is mind boggling. 

*The Houston Rockets are unwatchable.

I can't believe the refs missed another 3!

James Harden is a generational talent. There may not be a coach with a better offensive mind than Mike D'antoni. All that said, I hate watching the Rockets play basketball. There was one game where they took 60 three pointers. IN REGULATION! And what makes it worse, they are constant whiners. I'm not talking about on the court, I mean their front office once drafted a report and sent it to the league office to show missed calls cost them a playoff game. Conveniently overlooking the lead they blew and the 27 missed threes in a row. They may always blow it in the playoffs but they always leave with the most annoying award.

*Monty Williams is probably the most likable coach in the NBA.

One of the most surprising things during the restart was the Phoenix Suns going undefeated. And while the top level play of Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton were on display the thing that jumped out most to me? Guys really like Monty Williams. And not just guys who play for the Suns, just the way opposing players spoke so highly of the man, it was quite refreshing to see. 

*Michael Porter Jr. is going to be a problem

Coming out of college I wanted the Bulls to draft MPJ so bad. They didn't and I get it. Back injuries are a tricky thing to evaluate. However now that he is fully healthy he is giving Denver a wing scorer that they have never really had. Now if they can get him to stop with the anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theory shit, he could be a person I'd love to cheer for. 

All Bubble Team:

G-Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

G-Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

G- James Harden, Houston Rockets

G- Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

F- TJ Warren, Indiana Pacers

Coach of the Bubble: Monty Williams

The Suns went 8-0. Nothing else needs to be said now does it? 

Most Valuable Player of the Bubble: Damian Lillard

The worst decision anyone in the bubble made was when the Clippers pissed off Dame Lillard. He has been a man possessed since he missed free throws against them and caused the Clipper bench, particularly Pat Beverly and Paul George to just have a grand old time. That was not a wise move. He exploded for 51 points, then 61 points, then 42 points. This season, from 30 to 40 feet away, he hit 54 3 pointers at a 43% clip. In this moment, there is no more valuable player than Dame Lillard. I don't care how you decide it. 

Well folks there you have it. The return of basketball has been a joyous occasion for your boy and I have no idea who is going to win it all which makes it that much better. 

Until next time, ya'll be easy. Peace.

Sit Your Ass Down Award for Old Times Sake

Oh boy. This is one of the funniest damn things I have ever written about and I am probably not going to get through this without completely losing all composure. So over the weekend Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion released a delightful little ditty for the ladies. So you know that it had some of the more petulant man-children upset and clutching their pearls. The most prominent of those man-boys who caught the vapors for women daring to uh let's say boast about the quality of a tryst with them was Ben Shapiro.

Shapiro seen here with friends.

You might remember Ben Shapiro from such classics as complaining about Star Wars having too many women in it, and going on an unhinged rant saying he was going to "pick up a gun" if someone tried to indoctrinate his kids into a LGBT lifestyle. Never mind the fact he looks like he isn't even strong enough to pick up a gun. 

I'll get my gunnnnnn! 

The thought of two women making a song about them actually enjoying sex ruffled his feathers to the point that he read the lyrics and with the voice of a man who had never even accidentally given either himself or a woman any joy whatsoever, he preceded to kill any and all feelings of arousal and turned it into the funniest thing I've seen. He proudly boasted "as I also discussed on the show, my only real concern is that the women involved -- who apparently require a "bucket and a mop" -- get the medical care they require. My doctor wife's differential diagnosis: bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection, or trichomonis." Wow. So one of two things is happening here. The first option is Shapiro and the Mrs. are both so unappealing that they actually believe this. Or the second, and frankly funnier option is his wife told him that the dryness was normal and she is hiding the truth from him and he is going to burst into his house and angrily shake his little baby hands at her while she tries not to laugh.

Mrs. Shapiro sitting and waiting for Benny to find out the truth.

And then to make this more annoying, we had a shit ton of dudes who are my age, going all Helen Lovejoy on us.

I speak directly to the men making these pleas, usually from the front seat of their car in an oddly abandoned parking lot, I implore you to please, and with all due respect...shut the hell up. We listened to Eminem in high school, and he was talking about decapitating his wife. Let the ladies have fun, lord knows they have earned it. Also the claims of "well I got a daughter and these girls look up to you." Stop bro. Don't depend on Cardi B to raise your daughter and be an example by not ridiculously criticizing something that clearly wasn't made for you. I'll never forget, my niece who was about 7 or so at the time, heard me bitching about some remake of a cartoon, and she told me "of course you don't like it, it wasn't made for you. Now leave me alone." And she was absolutely right. So fellas, with all due respect, it wasn't made for us, now leave these women alone and let them have fun.

Until next time, ya'll be easy.