It's about that time.

It's about that time for a new Black leader. This Al Sharpton guy is starting to get on my nerves now. I'm glad that he feels the need to step up and be a voice for our community, but now he is trying to take away things that are important to some of us. Some of us look at hip hop, rap, crunk music, hyphy music, whatever music as a way to float off to another place where we can freely express ourselves. Not only express ourselves, but also to pick ourselves up when we are down. To provide us joy when we are sad. A lot of us take this hip hop stuff to heart and really appreciate it. Tell me, where would this society be without Hip Hop?? Answer that for me. Who would have been the person to rock the fat laces in the Adidas if Run DMC hadn't done it? Who would have thought it was cool to rock the fat dookie gold chains if Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, and the likes weren't rocking them? What would Jay Z, Nas, 50 Cent, Kany West, and the boat load of other artist be if there weren't people like Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Grand Master Flash, Kurtis Blow, and KRS 1? Would they still be on the block supposedly slanging? I say supposedly because I don't know honestly how many of these cats are really out there making it happen. What I'm trying to say is that Hip Hop has molded and created this society that we live in. Turn on your "idiot box" and just watch the commercials that come on. Then tell me how many of them have your favorite rap song instrumental playing in the background. This is something that is just killing Mr. Sharpton so badly that he needs to go out and try to buy share in top Record Labels in an attempt to voice his opinion on raunchy and sexist lyrics. To be honest, I don't think it's worth it.

Now I know that Al Sharpton is upset with the degrading lyrics (Bitches and Hoes), but whats new? It's not like hip hop created those terms, or the way that they are used. Before rap there were Pimps and Hustlas using those terms. I'm sure Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and even Al Sharpton have called people "Bitches" and "Hoes." What about the movies? Go back to the Rudy Ray Moore's and Max Juliens' and Ron O'Neil... more "Bitches" and "Hoes." I am not saying that these terms are perfectly fine for everyday use, but they are not making or breaking this society or our community. What is breaking our Black community is the abundance of ignorance that the rappers and the listeners have. What's breaking our Black community is these crazy white men who are helping bring in these drugs to sell in our communities. I have always been upset with the way that rappers use their platforms. They have everyone's attention, but yet they choose to put down instead of uplift most of the time. Now I'm getting off track. But the raunchy lyrics are not bringing our community down. Those raunchy lyrics were around before 50 Cent existed. Even back before crack rock was invented and introduced to a neighborhood near you.

One person who I am glad to hear something from is that Obama cat. He let it be known that we can't just single out the rappers. He made it clear that he had heard offensive words in other places than rap music. Thats cool. I respect him for making that statement. There's a honest man who cant deny calling some chick in college a "Bitch."

This is truly a situation where Al Sharpton is running out of battles to fight. So now he is choosing battles that are exerting too much energy for little change. Do you really think that Time Warner, Sony, and Universal Music are going to revoke contracts or whatever Sharpton wants them to do just to not promote these raunchy lyrics? I mean these companies are bringing in millions of dollars off of these albums. That would be stupid, especially since these same offensive words are global. Everybody else is making money why not continue making money and tell Sharpton to beat it? If he wants to be the Big Black Leader, then he need to find another mountain to climb up instead of this mole hill.

I'll leave Mr Sharpton alone for right now.

Over and Out... DocBoone

Mayweather Vs Sherk... Not Shrek.

I have heard over the past couple weeks an interesting debate. The whispers have been floating around about who would win in a fight, a professional boxer or UFC competitor. That is interesting because here you have two different types of fighters. Both can be deadly in their own right, but which one would come out on top against the other? Boxers are trained at their craft, and they can be very skilled. Boxing truly is an art. Now getting in that octagon is a little different. I remember back in the day when I first tried to watch UFC fights. It was back when Ken Shamrock was that deal, and the sport was still kind of underground. UFC fighters are trained professionals as well. Many of them are trained in several arts of fighting, along with boxing. Kickboxing, Ju Jitsu, Wrestling... so they are just as athletic as most boxers if not more athletic. The octagon can be argued as more brutal, and besides the ref ain't jumping in as quickly to stop the fight if you have a guy's face oozing in blood. In boxing the referee can jump in and stop the fight on his own judgement leaving some fans feeling cheated out of some loot.

The real question though, is who would win in a fight between the two? In my opinion, its hard to say. I guess it depends on which domain they are fighting in. If you bring a UFC fighter into the squared ring against the 37-0 Floyd Mayweather, and make him actually box with the gloves on for 12 rounds... I'm taking "Pretty Boy" all day. Now if you take the same fighters and go inside the octagon... I don't know. Although it still takes discipline to fight in UFC... it's more of a free for all. This allows for each fighter, each man, to release the animal inside of him and go full fledged at the other man. Of course no biting gentlemen.

Mayweather has been going back and forth with UFC President Dana White, a former UFC fighter himself. Mayweather believes that he will crush any fighter in his weight class of course, and White believes that Weathers would get his block knocked off. I'm almost an inch away from saying that a Professional boxer would get crushed in the octagon. And here is my reason why. If you take a UFC fighter, a man who makes a living from fighting in an octagon ring. A man who takes punches and kicks to the chin, eye, nose, and head that boxers aren't used to taking. I'm not taking anything from Floyd's haymaker, jab, hook, or upper cut, but these UFC guys more than likely can take a shot... and a good one at that. If that first, second, third, or even fourth punch doesn't lay him out it could be over. Anything on the mat involving submission, wrestling, grappling... or whatever... the boxer loses. So unless you have a mean one hitter quitter in the octagon, you better be ready to fight a different kind of fight.

Mayweather has been compared with the lightweight champ of UFC, Sean Sherk. Not Shrek like the movie, but Sherk. He is 155 lbs compared to Mayweather's 154 lbs. Mayweather stands at 5'9" and Sherk stands only at 5'6". Sherk has been trained and mastered several fighting styles, including Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Kickboxing, Wrestling, and BOXING. This would be a very interesting fight, and I would love to see Mayweather come out on top just because I am a "Pretty Boy" fan. Sorry to say it though, but Mayweather does not win in a fight against this guy... in the octagon. In the squared ring Mayweather comes out on top 100 out of 100 fights against this guy though.

What do you think?

DocBoone.

Teaching you the Theory of the Game

The Roots have always been a sharp cornerstone of hip hop in America, especially on the East Coast. They have always brought nothing but heat with banging drums from ?uestlove and fire from the fire breathing dragon called Black Thought. I'll admit that I wasn't feeling The Roots from day one. I didn't start bobbing my head until "Illadelph Halflife" And even then I was just aware. Once "Things Fall Apart" dropped, I was open. The whole album came from a different angle than what I was used to. It grew on me daily, and pretty soon I had to get a new CD because it wore out. After that The Roots could not have done any wrong. Regardless of fans not appreciating these boys and giving them the respect that they deserved, and Black not being recognized as one of the coldest MCs... they still did their thing.



Game Theory is one of those CDs that I had to listen to seriously 5 times all the way through before I appreciated it. Each time there was something else that stood out to me. At first I felt that the production was lacking being that Scott Storch, the long time keyboardist of the group was missing. Then I hit the back button and started from the top again. All I kept hearing was Black spitting as usual, and that wasn't enough for me. Around that 4th and 5th time I was rocking, and the production was on point. I'm probably one of the few who feels that "The Tipping Point" was a quality album, but this album right here reminded me of what The Roots really were. They touch on most worldly topics in this album while at the same time flaring strings and guitars over slamming drums. They get political with "False Media." They let you know that something over at Geffen Records just "Don't Feel Right." Peedi Peedi spits nasty green phlegm all over "Long Time." And they even close the album out with a tribute to the great J. Dilla. The album actually is a complete Roots album. This IS a album that should be spinning a lot, and it could very easily be one of the highlights of Def Jam in recent years.

So, if you can uncover your third eye and open up your ears you might find yourself able to really appreciate the best Roots album since "Things Fall Apart." Go cop this, and beware that THIS IS TRUE HIP HOP AT ITS FINEST!

Over and Out DocBoone

Red Has Gone Wild!

It has been a long, disappointing, and anxious 6 years since the Brick City bred and raised lyricist gave his fans that Jersey heat. Redman, The Funk Dr has come back to reclaim his spot as a consistent lyricist and to help put Jersey back on the map. Since his last album Jersey has been shouting for attention with Joe Budden, the deep and personal lyricist. Redman is back and he is on some grown-up stuff, and definitely with something to lose now. After a so-so album for even The Funk Dr, he has completely gone wild now. In a hip hop world where you make a radio friendly track in order to make a buck, the essence of the art has been lost. Red is bringing that back with witty punch lines and hardcore flavor that makes you chuckle while nodding your head as if you're stuck saying yes. He may get one or two tracks at most on the radio air waves, but it's not Redman like to have radio heavy albums. Straight gutta music from the bricks.



Red Gone Wild starts off with hard pounding beats and strong lyrics on "Fire," and the LP goes on throughout with power. With tracks like "Walk in Gutta" featuring the old crew (Keith Murray & Erick Sermon), bangers like "Blow Treez," and all the way to the finale with "Suicide." And of course no Redman album would be complete without the oh so hilarious skits from W.K.Y.A Radio (We Kicking Yo Ass). Red admits to losing focus during periods of Malpractice, but it is apparent that he started off focused and stay focused througout on Red Gone Wild. The producers even brought it all on every track as well (Rockwilder, Erick Sermon, & Scott Storch). Guest appearances include members of the Gillahouse Nuthouse, Erick Sermon, Keith Murray, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Method Man.

If I'm The Source, I'm obviously giving the Dr 5 mics. If you don't have this album in your CD player or iPod... GO GET IT NOW!

Over and Out - DocBoone

Random Thoughts

I'm sitting here at work waiting on this school bell to ring signifying that it's time to go home for the day. It's currently 3:27pm and school gets out at 3:42pm. Obviously there is too much on my mind to have it all transcribed by 3:42pm, so I may have to carry this over to some writing at home.

I'm sitting here looking out the window at the wind blowing and the sun shining... and for some reason I smell popcorn from somewhere down the hall. I'm making a mental note to pop some popcorn right now when I get home. There are all kinds of things that are going on inside my mind right now though. I'm sitting here thinking about the thing that's standing out the most and that is this banging headache. Aside from that, I'm thinking about life in general and many of the things that it entails.

For instance... growing up. I'm only 25 years old, but I feel like I'm older than that. The Psychologist (older black man) that I share my office with at this school just said to me, "Don't feel too old, because it catches up to you." What in the hell did he mean by that? Did he mean that I probably shouldn't stop going out to the clubs? Did he mean that I probably shouldn't stop drinking? Or, did he mean that I should stop acting like my career as a School Social Worker is so important? I don't think he meant any of that, but I'm not so sure I'm ready to say I know exactly what he meant.

I live a life where I sometimes wonder if I did things too fast. I finished college and grad school at 23 years old. I also bought my first home when I was 23 years old. I started my career when I was 23 as well. Aside from having a family, those things have given me a different look on life. I have a lot more to lose than most people my age, especially black males. (The bell is about to ring in a few minutes, so I'm going to pack up and finish my thoughts when I get home).

... Ok. It's 6:32. I just finished watching The Pursuit of Happiness with a 5 minute nap in there somewhere. Damn this blog for today, I'm happy. I'm about to go play the Xbox. Later.

DocBoone