A Family Affair

Brawl Ignites During High School Basketball Game In CharlotteThe Story (NBC17):  A parent is under arrest after inciting a brawl at a high school basketball game in Charlotte Friday night.  WCNC in Charlotte reports the incident occurred during a game between the Butler Bulldogs and the East Mecklenburg Eagles when a Butler player’s father started arguing with a school resource officer.


The argument began when the resource officer asked the man's daughter to move from the East Meck side of the gym back to the Butler side. The father became angry and got into an argument with the officer. The man’s wife and daughter then got involved and began hitting the officer on the head. The father was arrested and further arrests are possible.  WCNC says it is a common practice for students from different schools to sit separately at high school games.

No one was seriously hurt during the incident.

The Analysis:  Really, no one was seriously hurt?  Didn't look like it to me.  All I really have to say is "It All Starts at Home."  There is no place for such bufoonery (it's a word, i looked it up), especially at your child's basketball game.  I'm not going to go in on this situation because I wouldn't mind living in Charlotte one day soon.  However this incident coupled with the fact that The First 48 is now in Charlotte, I may have to move them a few cities down on my list.

The Cost of a Free of Education

Mom jailed for enrolling kids in wrong school districtThe Story(CNN): An Ohio mother is in jail after being convicted of tampering with records to enroll her children in a better school district.  Kelley Williams-Bolar, 40, of Akron, illegally registered her two daughters at her father's address in suburban Copley Township to get them into the Copley-Fairlawn school district rather than the urban Akron district, a jury decided.

The Akron City school district met only four of 26 standards on the latest Ohio Department of Education Report Card and had a 76% graduation rate. Copley-Fairlawn City Schools met 26 of 26 standards and had a 97.5% graduation rate.  Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Cosgrove sentenced Williams-Bolar last week to five years in prison, but suspended all but 10 days. Williams-Bolar also must serve 80 hours of community service and will be on probation for three years.

The Analysis:  If such rules were enforced all over the country, then the our correctional facilities would truly be over populated, especially in the state of Texas.  During a time where our President has placed a huge emphasis on Higher Education, a woman is penalized for wanting to put her children in the best position to succeeed academically.  School districts bend the rules all the time for student athletes.  The larger issue is why does one school across town have more resources than the other.  And I thought "seperate but equal" didn't exist anymore...

Part V. Home for the Holidays

This track is probably one of his most personal records on the mixtape. His lyrics speak to larger issues that deal with bullying and self-confidence. I’m trying to think of some instances where I was affected by such issues in high school.  I've noted a few instances below where I don't know who was actually behind the act, but nevertheless, I wanted to show them some love on my blog.  May they continue to be blessed.

Punchline 1: damn homie, in high school you was the man homie
*freak* happened to you,
used to beat *dudes* down at the buses after school
now you looking like a *muthafreakin* fool

Punchline 2: was just a freshman could used a little Kool-aid
crushing on them upper classmen but it was too late
buddy she was dating yeah he had the freshest shoes
but the *dude* graduated and he never made two a’s

I want to shout out whoever it was that stole my lunch money out of my pants pockets while I was in gym class in my freshman year of high school. And the person who rode the same bus as me that decided to pour water in my book bag and soaked up all my textbooks and notebooks. And whoever it was that stole the Pre-Calc teacher from Canada’s grade book and flushed down the toilet in the boys restroom across the hall from her classroom…punch line 1 is for you!

Part IV. Blow Up

“This is a song for my haters. Ya'll got me feeling like the greatest.” - J.Cole

I honestly think sometimes people misidentify the “haters” in their life. In addition, “haters” are not always people that are preventing you from blowing up! We should also be aware of these haters as well:

credit cards

student loans

a purse that cost over $100.00

sunglasses that cost over $20.00

a single clothing item that cost over $65.00

And that’s just name a few…

Punchline: Momma said I should reconsider law school
that means I wear a suit and bend the truth and feel awful
hell naw, got a degree but what that cost you
you make a good salary just to pay SallieMae CFNC

Part III. In the Morning

Renegade. Mr. Carter. Miss me. Most notably, the first two rap titles are songs where the featured artist on the song dropped the dopest lyrics and unanimously upstaged the other artist. Eminem hands down gained the respect of Jay-Z on renegade. However the self-proclaimed real President Carter while giving props to Lil Wayne took the opportunity to make it clear that he hasn’t lost his touch in a classic song that I only hear while listening to the Rickey Smiley Morning show out of Dallas and of course Q.93 while visiting New Orleans. The record below has Drake’s name and style written all over it and while J. Cole did his thing, Drake win’s round one of I’m sure, many more to come.

Punchline: I’m joking, I mean that thing is poking
I mean you kinda like that girl that’s in the US Open
I mean I got this hidden agenda that you provoking
I got bath water that you can soak in

What’s better: the morning rendezvous without taking a shower and brushing your teeth or something poking out “more” than the girl in the U.S. Open? LOL!

Part II. The Autograph

J. Cole impresses with humble lyrics about being broke while also possessing a confident swag about being in a better place now because of his music. Before last year, I couldn’t tell you the last time I bought a CD. It was probably when lymewire made my second laptop (I blame the first one on CCI/napster) crash and right around the time YouTube was getting popular so there was no need to. I’ve bought a few over the past year. Can’t wait to add J. Cole to the collection.

Punchline: “J. Cole homie, can you sign my burnt CD”
boy please, an album ten dollars
you act like it’s ten g’s
this food for thought cost the same as 2 number three’s
so at ease with that broke sh*t
we all tryna get a dollar boy, no sh*t

Society itself spends money on the things that are not healthy for the body and soul: fast food, beer, tobacco, etc. However we steal illegally borrow music and in the process cause more damage to our personal or work computes (some people) than we ever know. And I’m sure there is some flea market vendor right telling me to **** *** ***!

Part I. Villematic

I don’t think I’ve ever hear heard another rapper who’s not from one of the five boroughs in New York rep their city (Fayetteville, NC) as much as J. Cole. I’m not complaining either…(also check out “Too Deep for the Intro”)

Punchline: It's the feeling in the air you bout to drop a real classic
He said Cole, "a lil birdy told me on the low you got an Illmatic"
Nobody touching Nas *dude* it's more like Villematic
These fayettnam tales be paying off well
What story is my audio theatre gon tell
I know my debut will ship, but is it gon sell?

Cole raps over a smooth sample and beat with a first line that is relevant to every college student waiting on a refund check that’s going to get them through the next few months. He also presents the realization that with an economy that doesn’t seem to be getting better any time soon, life, like school, will have its challenges.

"Cole World"

I went home to visit my family in Louisiana, the exact time evades me, but when I returned to North Carolina, I started passing out cd’s to friends. The artist, as I had learned from my cousins Pye and Butta had aligned (unofficially) himself with the Young Money crew. He goes by the name of Drake. I opened up my blog with a 5 part series on his music.

A few years later I’m back with another artist from a city I also call home and this time, his cd was passed to me. I’m still getting warmed up to “The Warm Up” mixtape but ever since NS handed me his flash drive and presented me with a copy of “Friday Night Lights,” I’m not sure I’ve heard a better young and upcoming mainstream lyricists and I’m willing to argue that while his buzz may not be on the level of Drizzy Drake, his lyrics are just as good, maybe better. I’m back with a 5 part series on J. Cole. Part I from his latest mixtape is on tap. In the meantime, here is a teaser from one of his previous mixtapes.



I couldn't resist...had to give y'all another from his latest...