Jay Z for President

Okay how about more like CEO of Def Jam Records. But if this man was running for president I would have to give him serious thought. I guess I will start off by telling you that I have been a fan of the Jigga Man but I never given the man credit because when the industry came calling and he crossed over I began to wonder…how much of the music is really Jay and how much of it is million dollar beats, ghost writers, and high budget videos.
H to the IZZO

As we all know Jay has returned from retirement and he has a lot to say and do in the world of music and business. Where do we start, this man has amassed an empire fit for a king. With the help of Dame Dash, they started Roc-A-Fella Records and RocaWear clothing. Later follows the epic rise of the artist who then does the music merger of the decade and sells Roc-A-Fella to Def Jam Records and take over as big chief of the entire label. But lets not forget his ownership of the 40/40 Club in NYC and part ownership of the New Jersey Nets. Now my reason for writing this article…Jay Z has released an album after declaring his retirement. So many questions have swirled about Jay’s strange split from Damon Dash and his relationship with Beyonce. Well Jay may have put all those questions to rest with the record: “Lost One”. This is by far one of my favorite tracks my Jay and the reason is because with all the things he could rap about his chose to rap about things in his life in a simple but very skillful way. This laid back song has an old school feel and possibly has the lovely Jill Scott singing the hook. It is my belief that Jay may be finally speaking out about his relationship with Dame Dash, Beyonce, and the choices he’s been forced to make with these relationships. If you don’t believe me, check out these lyrics that I think he used to describe his relationship with (Broken down in parentheses):

Dame Dash

- I heard motherfucka’s sayin they made Hov, made Hov say okay so make another Hov (Common statement made by Dame, he has attempted to start another label)
- We parted ways like Ben and J-Lo (Reference to the split of Dame and Hov, involving Hov using his majority ownership to buy out Dame’s ownership of Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear clothing)
- Should have stayed in food and beverage…too much flossing, too much Sam Rothstein (Well known that Roc-A-Fella distributes Armadale, a vodka. And Sam Rothstein is a reference that comes from the movie Casino…Sam a well known mobster who was running a major mob owned casino, but got a big head, spent lots of money, and got away from what he was good at. It was obvious Dame loved the limelight and was in every video actin a fool)
- I ain’t a bitch but I gotta divorce them (Reference to the split)
- Fame, the worst drug known to man

Beyonce
- I don’t think its meant to be, “B”, for she loves her work more than she loves me
- So we aint we, its me and her, cause what she prefers over me is work, and that’s where we differ
- In times she mature, and maybe we can be we again like we were
- And to ask her now ain’t fair (It was rumor that Jay was going to ask “B” to marry him this year)

Indecent Proposal

Now you think you get a little slack for working in the music industry. You get to meet the biggest names in the industry of rock, pop, and hip hop. So working for magazines dedicated to this industry should be the greatest jobs in the world. Could you imagine working for Rolling Stone, Vibe, Source, and XXL. I have this picture that working for a music magazine must be similar to working for a tech company during the dot com era. You got the bean bags for chairs, ping pong tables, and the best cafeteria money can buy. These were the perks to foster innovative thinking and generate enormous profits. So read more to find out what working at the Source Hip Hop magazine gets you. Xtra Read All About It


The perks of working at a hip hop magazine probably include extravagant flights, "relations" with rappers and singers, maybe a little pharmaceutical drug use (and I'm not talking prescription), non stop foul language, and a few movies that probably get the > than R rating. Well its safe to say that no matter where you work we all have to play by the same rules. Kim Osorio, the former Editor In Chief at The Source magazine, filed charges against two executives at the Source at the time. Kim was awarded a $15 million dollar verdict which includes wrongful termination and defamation of character.

In closing, its amazing when art imititates life you are reminded that you still have to play by the rules. The workplace is not a music video and women can't be treated like objects, no matter what you're favorite musician says.

See a write up of the case here: http://sohh.com/articles/article.php/10081

Money, Morals, and Values

There's a story of a man named Brady...Whoa stop the press. You won't see me writing a story about the Brady Bunch. But wasn't it refreshing to see them resolve everyday events in a moral way that incorporated everyday values. Well click here to read a story about an all-star prep football player who definitely wasn't a part of the Brady family when he decided to commit armed robbery. However, the moral catch of today is this kid is receiving scholarships from schools across the country. I guess it is safe to say...It's All about the Benjamins.

This game is loaded
I first found out about this story while I was on the road for work in the great city of Columbus, OH. Now when it comes to Columbus not much comes to mind but they are know as a retail mecca with Gap, Limited, Abercrombie & Fitch located there. Also they get the nod for having a nice number of financial institutions located there. But man, you can't mention Columbus without saying correctly "THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY" and college football. OSU has done a great job over the years racking up the victories and sending players to the professional level. They have also done a great job not preparing some kids for the real world. Notice I did not say all and also its not just a OSU problem. But I decided to write this story shortly after I read another national article on the same subject and same kid a few hours later. What a coincidence! OSU sports bulletin was writing its normal story of top high school recruits possibly coming to the school, while The USA Today was writing about this same kid (Pat Lazear) getting a huge number of scholarships even though he and his friends were arrested for allegedly committing armed robbery. To make things even worse this is the second time he has had a run-in with the law. Lazear was previously in trouble for using a stolen credit card to buy some sneakers.

Now, I am not hating because I previously played HS football and realize today its a big deal. Games are now televised on ESPN and even MTV has a show called "Two a days" about high school football. But when are we going to demand more from our schools, officials, parents, and kids. This kids who resembles Andy Katzenmoyer of OSU has received over 20 scholarship offers from Division 1 schools. Of course, he has changed schools recently and with his new team, the kids have voted him TEAM CAPTAIN. Yep you heard me, the leader of the squad. Things are so crazy that my man has to wear an ankle monitor which he sports during the games.

To end this story what do we make of an institution like OSU when it appears there are repeated examples of the school failing on its students. Must I recall the days of storied LB Andy Katzenmoyer, who was taking cupcake classes to get by. Ohh and posterboy Maurice Clarrett is in the news everyday with a bulletproof vest and 4 guns on in his SUV. I guess we are giving our kids one consistent message of the world today...with reality shows, huge national football tournaments, magazine ranking of HS across the country we are saying ITS ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS BABY!/span>

America's New Pasttime

You may wonder what is America's new pasttime now that all of baseball is on steriods. Okay not all of baseball but most of the good players. Well basketball came and went with the era of Jabbar, Magic, Bird, Barkley, Isiah, Jordan. It may be on its way back with names like Kobe, Wade, Lebron, Amare, Dirk, and Nash. Could it be football with McNabb, Moss, T.O., Manning x2, Brady, and company. Naw, here is my theory its CAR RACING. So I decided to go undercover as a race car enthusiast and uncover the facts.

Welcome Race Fans


Okay so I lied car racing is not the country's favorite pasttime. But you can't deny that someone is watching. Ever since they went to a points format, racers started caring whether or not they smacked into a wall or not. But enough on my lack of knowledge, one thing I don't know is that it definitely is America's favorite tailgating event. Check out my venture down to the Indy 500. Let's just put it this way, people are so ready for this event...we did green jello shots for the green flag. And for yellow flags...yep you guessed it! Check out my latest experiment to find out what is the mystery behind the Indy 500. It's drinking, football, tents, heat, food...ohhh and did I mention drinking. Have a look:

Best Urban Movie

Now this article was started with with me sipping on an old school pack of Nat Ice. The best urban movie award goes to Menace II Society. If you haven't watched this movie, please do because it gets classic status. And the only other movies that make that level for me are: Crash, Boyz N Tha Hood, Unbreakable, Momento, Wall Street, Boileroom, Matrix, Lord of the Rings and a few others.
Read about Menace
This epic movie was directed by the Hughes brothers in 1993. It is a classic depiction of the tough life on the streets of California. The story follows Caine, a young hustler, whose likeable personality surrounds him with with love from his grandparents, friends, women, and the streets. However, Caine is still tormented between his quest for a better life and the fast life of the streets. The movie is filled with a soon to be All-Star cast of actors such as:

Lorenz Tate (Crash, Ray), Samuel Jackson(Pulp Fiction, Unbreakable), Glenn Plummer(South Central,Saw II), Khandi Alexander(CSI), and Jada Pinkett Smith(Ali,Matrix).

This is a movie for any person regardless of background or age. I don't make too many guarantees but if you cry I wouldn't be surprised. This movie connects and touches you in a very human way. The similar needs of us all to want a better life for ourselves and our family, but the constant struggle of the true realities of the real world.

Menace II Society receives a coveted five stars (*****) award.

Etha"NO"l

Ethanol, is it the hope of the future. Sources say no!! The hype might be a little overripe. Ethanol, touted by Bush and your local politicians is the next best thing to save the country from skyrocketing gas prices. Yes, and you've often heard my opinion on the subject...I'm torn between crying at the pump and smiling in my stock portfolio account because I've owned a number of different oil companies.
Don't believe the Hype
Yep you heard it here, ethanol will not be the wave of the future to save us from the huge energy crunch here in America. There are countless problems that are leading to high prices at the pump. The first is simply SUPPLY and DEMAND. The fact of the matter is (I'm included) that Americans are not great at conserving...simply put we're wasteful. Just live saving for a rainy day, Americans are poor at saving money and conserving energy. The boom of the SUV proved that bigger is definitely better. But I forgot to mention the one area where we don't have control over is the Supply piece. Yep, you guessed the majority of the world's oil is controlled by foreign countries. And I can almost safely say that there is a lukewarm reception about American from most of these countries. It is usually to be a love hate relationship with most of these countries. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Venezuela are big players but smaller countries are continuing to make a lot of noise. Both sides have always needed each other, America supplies the thirsty demand and the oil countries SUPPLY the oil whether we like them or not...its okay to say money talk. But what has changed about this scenario...leverage. The oil companies benefit from changing global situations such as Iran and Venezuela speaking out against American at a time where America is preoccupied with bigger issues. The other is the surprising growth of BRIC. That would be Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Again students the growth of these countries has fueled the global DEMAND for oil. And because oil is a beautiful natural resource it has a finite supply. There has even been talk that Saudi Arabia's oil supply has been overstated. And unfortunately for the rest of the world the Saudi's do a great job of keeping numbers like that secret. So a finite resource with increasing DEMAND brings us to where we are at today...Expensive oil. And our policies continue to put us in a bind because countries like China continue to ink deals with countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and the Sudan to shore up their countries need for the depleting resource.

That brings us finally to ETHANOL. The resource to save the day, maybe not. One of the biggest problems is that if America used 100% of the corn it produces for energy consumption for car, it would still only be able to supply the demand for 7% of the vehicles. To completely rely on ethanol as a source for energy, America would have to use 93% of its land for corn production...not possible. The last piece that I will mention that has been debated is the long term viability of ethanol production. Flat out...its takes more energy to produce say a gallon ethanol than is actually used from that gallon. Food for thought

Put a little Zen in your Birthday

In a effort to do my part to usher in a warm spring we got together and celebrated my roommate's birthday. Even though the weather was a little chilly that night, the fact that it was Cinco de Mayo brought out the best in everyone. Also you'll get a little bonus coverage while you read my review of club Zentra.

Cinco De Mayo

Well nothing says lets have a good celebration like a shot of Tequila...Patron that is. Yeah we had a great turnout for my roommates birthday. I was surprised when an old Boilermaker showed up, I call him Montell Jordan go figure why. We've got the Lake Shore girls who came and celebrated with us. Thanks to all the out of town people that stayed the weekend to live it up.




Bonus Coverage:
Club Zentra get ***1/2 stars for the overall setup. Mainly their main floor level setup is tight. The setup appears to be a mid eastern themed layout with red lights, silk, cushy booths with curtains and a good bar setup. However, the staff at Zentra get * star! The door people are outta control, the host is not very good and this is not the first time that I've witnessed this hear. They are rude at the door, quick to kick people out at times, and the music didn't take off until later in the night. Overall Zentra gets ** stars for being a club with great atmosphere, diverse people, and they have hookahs! These interesting looking contraptions are setup in their reserve tables for group of people who enjoy smoking the flavored tobaccos of the Near Eastern world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah