Chewing Sugar . . .

It is no secret that we are no longer eating fresh healthy foods. The economy of sugar is a feat that drives the sweet tooth's of the modern world. We as a people, have no option but to be addicted to the sugary products we eat. How many things, have sugar in it and we do not know of? Sugar is what we do.

Think of how important sugar has been to the world. There have been wars fought over control of land that produce sugar. Generally speaking, there have been many politics on sugar. For example, in colonial times the habit of dieing sugar to be white in color was developed. Bleaching food is not good for you. People believed that making a cosmetic change to the sugar would separate them from the evils done in making the product.



The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of New York City is now trying a campaign to eliminate the use of sugar sweetened beverages. Today, a sugar is not only a part of the drinks and the foods we eat, but moreover, they are the basis of it. Their message is that we are drinking ourselves fat. It ties on to the themes of good health that have been a part of the media in this past decade. We as a people are now being slowly weened into feeling guilty about being overweight in certain parts of the media.

The campaign though may not be completely accurate. Moderation is the key to good health. A person who is healthy for example would live an active lifestyle that would ideally incorporate a well rounded diet. Health is like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. There is no standard with which to measure what is healthy, however there is a model for healthy person. The model is as follows, semi-athletic fit person who lives a balanced lifestyle (which in itself, completely inaccurate).



This report does a good job in at least delivering the other side to this debate. The anti-thesis to the debate is the American Beverage Association who does have a point. The video is not completely accurate.

There is one idea that is not spoke about. Generally, we do not eat food that is fresh. Fact, the food that sits in most stores in the city was not grown locally or full of nutrition. Why? Food that is sold in convenience stores in one word convenient. The convenience of food and healthy foods do not run parallel of one another. In order to achieve a greater food world, we as a people should try and make those ends meet.

Best Rap Lines In History

This is an open forum. I do not know all the best lines ever. Sorry.



No, these are not the best rap lines in history.

What does it qualify to have a high quality rap line? there are many qualifications toward which make someone have a high quality line. Metaphor is probably one of the qualities that enhance lyrics.

Rap has evolved. There have been many trends that have predetermined what makes lines hot. There are some underlying themes to which makes lines crazy. One thing that is and cannot be denied is delivery. Delivery is the method in which you say what you are saying. Whether you are a battle rapper and you need to jump out and act out your line (Murda Mook effect), or you are on a track and you have to set up a line.

What makes a line hard(Pause, sorry I watched Boondocks)? The heart behind lyrics and the message you say makes lines hard. Case In Point, take The Notorious B.I.G.'s verses on separate songs. The flossy verse he gave Mo' Money Mo' Problems is not as hard as his song Everyday Struggle. Song content is what makes lines in songs pop out.

Another important factor that needs to be mentioned is flow. A rappers flow on a track is how he continues they continue their speech on a instrument. Flowing on beat is the what makes rap what it is. There have been many flows fast and slow. The best flows though go with instrumentals and stay with them. Some rappers have done well with offbeat flows (Ras Kass) and others have not (Papoose).

In the past ten years, there have been many prevalent themes in lyrics in Rap. We went through many trends as as an audience. There was the overly simple lines on many club songs. there were the gun play lyrics, and the many way in which people have delivered punchlines.

The lyrics in this video are not the best rap lines ever. This is due to even those rappers having better lyrics.

Case in point 5 better Lines by some of the rappers in the video.

"I'm jealous of you how come you so beautiful?
Smelling fresh youthful intelligent while I'm stressin' and shit
Ayo I envy you 'cause all you do is smile and things come your way
Such a innocent child is what some say
I get upset 'cause I just want to be treated the way you are
Like a star not a worry in this world thus far
But wait a minute we both need ya mother's attention
I must be crazy jealous of my own baby infant"- Nas

"Gotta go, Coolio mean it's gettin Too Hot
If Fey' had twins, she'd probably have two Pacs
Get it? Tu-pac's?"- The Notorious B.I.G.

"First off, fuck your bitch and the click you claim
West side when we ride come equipped with game
You claim to be a player but I fucked your wife
We bust on Bad Boy niggaz fucked for life" - 2pac (I put this because, well, it was hard. Next time I'll put a deep lyric if you want.)

"I said this: 'Let's play fair and we can stay here
I'm trying to transform you Boyz II Men like daycare'" Jay-Z

"Reverse that, I curse at the first wack nigga with the worst rap
Cuz he ain't worth jack
hit 'em with a thousand pounds of pressure per slap
Make his whole body jerk back, watch the earth crack
hand him his purse back"- Big Pun

Bring Back Comedy to HBO!!!

So, it had been a few years. Def Comedy Jam changed a lot of things in terms of comedy. For years, it was the premier stage for up and coming comedians on HBO. Sean Combs of Bad Boy brought comedy back with his series. Both shows had their run and had their results. Here is a list of reasons why we need it back.



The new generation was good. The old generation had some people that became legends. They were Dave Chappelle, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey and Martin Lawerence just to mention a few. These comedians had their own unique views on things. They were great. For that generation it was fun and new.



They talked about issues. The one thing that comedian's do is give you clues on what the major pop trends are. VH1 made a living by having comedians make fun of the dumb things we seem like. It is the basis for things like 'Best Week Ever.' I remember in one episode the pope died and there was a movie coming out that incorporated the devil, and Satan was having the 'Best Week Ever.'

They also give indicators for trends in what is happening. Different ideas of thought on how silly the world is. The next video is of Russell Peters. His take on racism is hilarious.


The run of the latest series of comedians were good. There is potential for them to become stars. I mean look, we all love our fabled comedians of the 1990's but this is a new time. We should be looking forward to hear from new comedians. So P. Diddy, or Russell Simmons, one of you guys, try and bring these shows back, thank you.



R.I.P. Rasheed, you had the funniest set on Bad Boys of Comedy.

5 Reasons Why This Is Not Corny . . .

1) The original song was okay. Nothing to be cherished or made sacred.

2) There is one part around the 1:29 mark that is interesting. He does the Lil' Wayne trademark laugh. You know, the say a line, laugh in the middle of it, wait for people to get it, and then keep going. It's trademark to him because he always, always, does it. The Weatherman did it perfectly here.

3) The Shades. Rappers where shades and he at least admits that if he is to rap he is to wear shades. Why do rapper wear shades, EVERYWHERE they go? I do not know if you knew this, but, at night, it is hard to see with sunglasses on. (*sigh)

4) His Posse. The cameramen are cool. One of them has a clock around his neck, very Flavor Flav, if I do say so myself. They do their job. One thing that as an audience can appreciate is that they do not even try to rap. Lord knows we need more rappers.

5) HE ACTUALLY TELLS US THE FORECAST. He does not spare the fact that he is a weatherman. He did his job and the people of that town can appreciate that.

Rich Kids and Rap

"Rap has never been the same since '88, ever since it became a lucrative profession, there's a missconception that a movement in any direction is progression" Canibus.

The history of rap is simple. One day people were at a party and they were doing "toasting," a Jamaican tradition of hosting parties, and boom it stuck. It was a party and political statement for people from the street.

Rap grew and today, everyone does it. The sad part is, that a lot of people make really bad music, sell it, and make money in this form.

So what is the difference when rich kids do it? Well they get publicity, and people like them, and they grow.


Now this last track was not horrible. It just was not special. Look everyone is entitled to try and create music. It is annoying though to always be exposed to these recordings. Say something unique or archive it and put out something unique.

Hip hop is missing that. There is no more uniqueness anymore. Case 2.


My man "one less lonely girl" is hot. He is the next one expected to blow and be a big deal. Jaden Smith is the son of a rapper. He does it too on this record and well. As rap's go it is not the worst thing I ever heard. It just was not hard, but you cannot expect much from this song in terms of rap. Justin goes in though.

So in the case of rich kids rapping. There is not really much to talk about. Life for them is pretty cut and dry in many cases. Think of all the kids that rapped young, I'm saying from Jaden Smith to Lil Romeo. Remember how bad Lil Romeo was. Well he is on the same boat as other people who rap and have nothing to talk about except money and girls.



But it gets worse, Shoutout my man Juan.