Rated R for... RaShaun

Moment of Clarity

r8edr — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:19:06 +0000

I like to think of myself as the type of person you have to read into. I finally learned how to be in my own lane and love every second of it. My preference is to leave some things to the imagination rather than lay all my cards out on the table. Very seldom do like to be the focus of anyone’s attention or do things that draw attention to my presence. There are certain things that I just do not go into great detail about because I like to have things that are mine and mine only. Sometimes there is just nothing that compels me to share things with the world. I think inhibition is necessary in order just to get by in life. I had to think all of this through as I was deciding whether or not to start a blog. I knew that I wanted an outlet to express what I wanted to say about certain things in life, even though people may not care about what I have to say. Sometimes you just have to let things out. Up until now, you probably wouldn’t know very much about me unless you are an individual who has personal interaction with me on a consistent basis. That could change soon. For the purpose of trying to make a point, I will go into some personal things on this blog. Just in case you were wondering, I actually do have things going on that I will share. I don’t ever want people to get sick of me or get tired of me, so I try to sit down and not to be doing too much. A simple life is what I try to aim for, but sometimes it ends up on the opposite end of the spectrum. So, as I develop this blog and its content, hopefully you will understand why I chose to highlight some of the things and people that you will read about.

Black His’try, Part 1.0

r8edr — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:32:37 +0000

http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=174

I remember having to read this article during my undergrad days at the University of Oklahoma. Thanks to Khepra Khem for exposing me to this type of material. He lit a fire in me for black literature that has yet to burn out. Now, I would like to share it with you all in honor of Black Hisotry Month. Enjoy.

Dial “F” for F***ery

r8edr — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:04:30 +0000

Everyone watched the Grammy Awards this past Sunday, right? Well if not, I am sure that you heard the news that Taylor Swift won the biggest honor of the night, Album of the Year, by now. This only after she delievered one of the most God-awful performances I have ever experienced in terms of vocal capability. Let’s start with my initial introduction to Taylor Swift. Back in September she appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards show to accept an award, only to be interruped by my favorite bipolar rapper, Mr. Kanye West. I felt bad for the poor girl, even though I feel like Beyonce should have won as well. The live awards show stage was not the time and place for him to state that observation and her happy moment was ruined. Before that particular moment, I had never heard of a Taylor, a Swift, or a Taylor Swift. Then here comes the media backlash. Sob, sob, sob. Cry, cry, cry. Wipe snot. Sniff. Sob some more. Kill Kanye. Viva La Taylor. Everybody in America was going hard for Taylor Swift, so I had to find out what was the big deal about this chick. I pirated her latest album, Fearless, from the Internet and, of course, anything on it failed to wow me. Come to find out, it was the top-selling album of 2009. Baffling. After that I was done. I didn’t need to hear anything else from her. I am still trying to figure out what everybody in America likes about that album. Kanye was clearly right, but I guess we are not suposed to tell the truth until the cameras cut to a commercial. Fast forward to Grammy night, which was last Sunday. John Legend and Carlos Santa announce that Taylor Swift beat out The Black Eyed Peas, The Dave Matthews Band, Lady Gaga, and again, Beyonce for the top honor of the ceremony. I immediately drove to the nearest cemetery in search of a plot that I could bury myself in. What I do believe is that this is nothing less than a sympathy award, carrying over from the moment Kanye West interrupted her speech back in September. Yeah, she had the biggest selling album of 2009, but I thought people get Billboard awards for that. I understood the Grammys to be about more than album sales. I’m glad for her other wins of the evening, but I cannot be happy about her winning Album of the Year… and if you are wondering, my choice would have been Black Eyed Peas, not Beyonce. All of the other nominees, aside of Lady Gaga Ooh La La, have been releasing albums for years and are quite seasoned. So how on earth did this chick, who sucks at live performances, who has only been in the game since 2006, deliver an album that was so genius and artisically superior? I think I will save my answer for another blog entry because it will be too long and very politically incorrect. I suppose I shouldn’t really show any opposition to Taylor Swift, I should be opposing the members of the recording academy for making such an abysmal judgment. I am officially done with the Grammys. If receiving an unwarranted award wasn’t enough disgust for anyone, Taylor Swift attempted to take a picture while holding all of her trophies and one of them ended up like James Frey, in “A Million Little Pieces” on the ground. That was a sign from the Lord to us all. I just hope she and the recording academy were paying attention.

Soldier Girl

r8edr — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:02:51 +0000

Most people who know me would know that Sade is to me what kryptonite is to Superman. Imagine how I was gasping for air when word first broke that the band had a new album coming. Well, after nearly a year of asphyxiation, Soldier of Love is finally scheduled to arrive on February 9th. Some sites have already leaked the album and the reviews are all favorable. However, being the dedicated Sade fan that I am, I refuse to review an illegal, advanced copy of the album. I would rather wait until its official release and not kill my suspense. The album is available for preview on iTunes, and I am sure many other media sites would provide the same 30-second samples. Sade has not released a studio album since 2000′s Lover’s Rock. Hell, I figured that since we have been waiting ten years for this new album already, it wouldn’t kill me to wait two more weeks before I delve into the new material. I’m so sure it will be worth all the wait. Hopefully the band will put a tour together and release some tour dates soon, so govern yourselves accordingly when an announcement is made. Sidebar: my niece was born on February 9th, so there will be two things to celebrate that day. Coincidence?