Hey everyone, thank you for continuing to follow my blog! Real life has put a slight damper on my blogging schedule, but I should be back on board this week. In the meantime, you can check out my Tumblr, or, a couple of other great blog sites, The Culture LP and Let’s Press Rewind. Thanks again, and we’ll chat soon!
Category Archives: Cornucopia
Me, Myself, and I (co-authored by Anwar W.)
After a great discussion the other day about the demise of the beloved R&B group, Anwar (@A_Double_U) came up with the first in our series on R&B groups. Please comment, and enjoy!
For people who long for the days when lyrics mattered, Pandora and Spotify are godsend. The other day, I was truly jamming to my custom-made Jagged Edge station, which was playing everything from 112 to Allure (I know, I’m dating myself). As I sang along to some of my favorite songs from some of these groups, I began to get nostalgic thinking of the days of yester-year. Jagged Edge, Jodeci, TLC, Blackstreet, SWV, Brownstone. The list of groups was endless and you couldn’t turn on BET or The Box without their videos crowding your screen. If you were like me, you and your friends practiced their choreographed dance moves and tried to put together outfits from your closet that resembled theirs. Nowadays, though, I’m hard pressed to name even one active R&B group…or hip hop group for that matter (yeah, we still have The Roots, but they are more of a hip-hop band. I’m thinking more A Tribe Called Quest or Wu Tang).
So what happened to the group? Is it our “Me First” culture that celebrates the individual rather than the collective efforts of a group that brought the group’s demise? Maybe it’s a sign of the times. Facebook, for example, became open to everyone, not just college students, in 2006.That same year, Destiny’s Child gave their farewell performance at that year’s NBA All-Star Game. (Speaking of Facebook, their new Timeline allows users to curate posts, pictures and more from THEIR own life thus focuses more on the individual and less on their friends).
Maybe irreconcilable clashes over creativity killed them. Or maybe it was a combination of a few different factors. Whatever the cause(s), it seems to be afflicting these genres disproportionately. Groups like The Black Eyed Peas, Kings of Leon, and Coldplay have been together for years and continue to make music as groups so what is it about the R&B group?
It seems that instead of creating groups, the industry is churning out a bunch of boutique labels, with solo artists being featured on each other’s songs. This trick of the trade appears to be another factor that contributed to the eradication of the group. Now, instead of having to share your earnings with three or more people, you can actually MAKE money by selling your talent, depending on your popularity. The more in-demand you are, the more you can pillage from the up-and-coming artist who just need that exposure. And speaking of independent labels…they’ve also found a way around having to function as a group. The more in-demand you are, the more you can pillage from the up-and-coming artist who just need that exposure. Although they are a group of like-minded artists that all work together and pretty much function as a group, they get around that label by marketing themselves as solo artists who roll together.
I love a strong, powerhouse singer like Beyonce or Dave Hollister, but often, I truly miss the dynamic and range of personalities and style of a Destiny’s Child or Blackstreet. At its very essence, having a group of people who can come together and make entire album, makes the process that much more appreciated and the output that much more beautiful. Boyz II Men harmonized like few R&B groups ever could, and Brownstone shared their soul with us through their music. Those groups had that something…something that can never be replaced or replicated with the solo artist.
Don’t forget to check out past blog posts, and check at Anwar’s site, Let’s Press Rewind, and follow him on Twitter, @A_Double_U.
Posted in Cornucopia, Music
The Creative Corner
A lot of my colleagues will submit creative works to me, such as photographs, poetry, music, etc., that they’re proud of and want to share with the world. I’m all for the support of fellow creative peeps, so I decided to create a tumblr page to share some of that work with you, as well as some of my own. Check it out here.
Posted in Cornucopia, Randoms
Think Outside the (Chocolate) Box by @A_Double_U
I’ve been complaining about this all day, so it was by sheer chance that the homie @A_Double_U was kind enough to create this soliloquy that expresses my sentiments exactly. Enjoy and check out his blog, Let’s Press Rewind!
Think Outside the (Chocolate) Box
by ANWAR W. on FEBRUARY 14, 2012
If you are like me, you subscribe to the school of thought that thinks you show your love for your significant other through special and random acts of love all throughout the year NOT just on Valentine’s Day (unless Vday can work like a get out of jail free card where I can be a complete asshole all year, go hard on this one day and all of my insensitivity and debauchery will be absolved…no? Didn’t think so).
Generally accepted practice on this day is for lovers to exchange gifts.
“Oh boo, it’s what I always wanted…a heart-shaped ring made of chocolate. It will go with the chocolate covered roses from last year that I loved so much.”
The only thing worse than having a designated day for love is how uncreative people are (see the YouTube clip below for pointers).
My message to all of you wanna-be Cassanovas with your over-priced roses and your reservations at Le Bistro de Naive, try something she WON’T be expecting next time. Better yet, forego Vday and make her feel special the other 364 days of the year (365 in a leap year). Peace.
Posted in Cornucopia
Misconceptions in Relationships By @ISwearIAintHit
“Misconceptions in Relationships” By: @ISwearIAintHit
Posted on January 6, 2012
In today’s society we have a bunch of people who want and require relationships but ultimately don’t know what it takes. Whether it be too much or TV or horrible advice from friends but lawd lawd lawd you people are so misguided. In this blog I will tackle problems that plague this *breaks into song* generation of… not being in love *cut music* #TreykeCare. Seriously though we are a lost generation when it comes to such matters because of such misconceptions that I will tackle in this post. So im back with another one!! LET PAPPY COOK
Ladies: A RELATIONSHIP IS A TWO WAY STREET!!
I’ve come to realize that women have a hard time with this. Women get complacent with a man chasing them and think they don’t have to put in ANY work. Sorry to knock you all off of your high horse but it comes a point in time where the chase stops and its your turn. No man wants to chase a woman who isn’t doing her part. Sure a man is supposed to court a woman from the beginning but there’s a stage in the relationship where it becomes a 50/50 thing. The chase is over you have to show EACH OTHER that you’re worth the future headaches. You think a man is supposed to just make YOU happy while u just chill. Not. Women tend to see this as men getting comfortable. Biggest misconception. We want to see what work you’re willing to put in on your end. So if we see you not doing what you’re supposed to do then that’s when we fall back. Food for thought.
Fellas: SEX DOES NOT MEAN YOURE IN THE CLEARING!!
Fellas believe or not women are JUST LIKE US. They just hide it better. They want sex just as much as we do. Sex doesn’t necessarily mean you locked her down brother. It means she trusts you enough to share that bond with you. They want to test drive the stick before they buy the car as well. So just because she finally let you in there doesn’t mean you’re good. It means you have to go harder. Sex doesn’t define a relationship, it’s part of it. I was always the type to not have sex with a girl I really really dig in fear I may get complacent but truth be told when a woman is a good woman you have to put 100% forth regardless if you guys have done the do or not. Now if it’s a woman who you just wanted to take down then so be it but if not then my brother they are extra critical of you actions once it goes down. Stay on your toes and make that woman happy regardless.
Ladies: JUST CUZ HE DOESN’T @ YOU ON TWITTER or FB DOESN’T MEAN HE DOESN’T LIKE YOU!
There’s this issue that always comes up where a woman feels a man does not like her that much because he doesn’t show her love on a social network. Ladies this is COMPLETELY false. Most men not all most don’t like their business out there on front street. Main reason is if you’re a dude who’s popular or not, some dudes just want your woman just because she’s YOUR WOMAN. Which is one of the biggest headaches to deal with. Men also like to keep their relationships very low to avoid the extraness. Extraness as in once you make your relationship extra public .. the public become an extra in your relationship. Once again it’s another headache we DO NOT want. Of course he’s supposed to claim you and make it known he’s in a relationship but having to @ you and put up pictures of you every so often to make you feel “it’s official” is extremely immature and juvenile. You have a bond in real life, you spend time together. Why does it matter if he doesn’t always hit you up on a social network? You have to be secure in your relationship, it’s the only way its going to work.
Fellas: NOT BEING CREATIVE!!
Man listen… As men we go all out when we find that one at the beginning but once again we tend to stop doing all those cute things that made her fall for us. You know what im talking about: The random I miss you texts, random flowers, going out to eat, movie dates. All of those are things that are supposed to continue into the relationship. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been together you have to keep your relationship refreshing and new. Its tough I know I know. I’ve had this problem too but google is your best friend. Most of the time it’s not even the extravagant things she wants. It the small things she likes just to reassure her shes appreciated and thought of. If money is as tight, such as mine, you have to be even more creative especially in the winter because it limits outdoor options. If y’all chill in the crib, switch it up light some candles and just cater to your woman. Trust me fellas itll keep your woman.. YOUR WOMAN. You can take that however you want to take that.
Ladies: GOING OUT ALL THE TIME IS NOT OK!!
Ladies just like you we want our quality time. There’s a lot of women who just do too much. You think we want to sit around knowing you at a party and some guy is grinding his pelvis on you all crazy every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday….. NO! Sorry you made the choice to be in a relationship so act like it. Of course its okay to have your girls night out just like we need to take time to just chill with the fellas but DON’T OVER DO IT. If your man is asking you every weekend to come over and you say no you going to some party. Don’t be surprised if the requests become less frequent and someone else is taking advantage of his free time. Keep your man entertained. Parties last but so long, when 4am hits and the party is letting out and your man don’t want no parts what are you going to do? Think about that
Fellas: VOICING HOW YOU FEEL DOES NOT MAKE YOU SOFT!!
As men we tend to feel as if telling a woman how much we like her makes us soft. It’s the feeling of being vulnerable or looking a certain type of way. Fellas truth be told women LOVE that. Women like to hear it just as much as she likes to feel it. You have to assure woman its okay to tell her “Babe I like the dog sh*t out of you”. Lol maybe not like that but you get the point. Another thing we do is tend to act like we don’t care when she does something wrong. Voice how you feel let her know how you feel about things. That’s the only way she can know what type of man she’s dealing with. It’s okay to feel a type of way. We’re human not robots. Holding stuff in only makes you dislike the woman you’re dealing with. So much can get accomplished when you communicate with your lady constantly on feelings. Grow up man. The drake jokes probably scare you but trust a real woman appreciates these types of things. Get your drake on in her inbox if she laughs at you she’s just some immature chick who wants to be treated wrong. Let her go.
These are very very few misconceptions but these are some of the BIGGEST problems in relationships nowadays. Everyone is too cool to be in love. Stop the madness. You will be lonely FOREVER. Forget the masses and the twitter guru beliefs. Live your life for you. Your relationship is yours. Stop going to outside people for advice when you can ask the person you’re dealing with. When it comes to communication whats the need for advice? Everyone is different so if that person doesn’t know who he/she truly is they can’t help you. Good Luck with this cuffing season!!!
Also thanks for the support on the blog (http://conphlict3.blogspot.com) so far im at 2000+ views a post the love is much appreciate please keep passing the word on to your friends. Support me I support you.
I recently put out my first comedy skit with our entertainment group.@LamarKCheston @DionSulemen @NickyCharles #LetsWorkEnt. The video is at 1400+ views!! Once again thank you for the support. If you haven’t seen it yet —>
Pappy’s How To Get Out of A Hickey CHECK IT
Follow me on twitter @iSwearIAintHit
Posted in Cornucopia
“The Age of the Microwave” By @Mike_2pt0
“The Age of the Microwave” By: @Mike_2pt0
Posted on December 12, 2011
Look at your desktop… how many windows are active on your screen right now? How many tabs are open on your web browser? Is your phoneby your computer? Better yet, how many texts did you send today? …Tweets? Now compare that to how many minutes you’ve spent on the phone today (actually on the phone, not via voxer or whatever other social app we use to be anti-social). If you’re anything like me the # of texts you send versus anytime minutes used is a ‘No Contest.’… We hear it everyday — from those who still refer to marijuana as ‘pot’, a.k.a our parents, or maybe those are just my parents??– that “Ohh your generation is so consumed with technology,” “Everything moves too fast.” While times change and I’m hip to this, for the most part I agree with them, however as with anything, there are pros and cons to every situation.
We’re all virtually accessible at all times of day, it seems like we’re getting things done @ lightning speed. Technology makes it possible to check the weather, news, & markets on the go & even keep constant contact with all of our “friends”. In actuality we interact with each other all day without really saying a damn thing. Instant communication is dope at first thought, but as the saying goes “anything worth having is worth waiting for.” At what point do we begin compromising quality for quantity– or for quickness should I say?
Let’s use a food metaphor for kicks… It’s common knowledge that homemade mac & cheese (yeah… mac & cheese, if you don’t love baked mac & cheese I’m O.J Simpson percent sure you’re a terrorist and I don’t want you on my blog anyway) is better baked and that instant s#*@ is for the birds. While microwavable easy mac will keep you from starving and can be cheffed up in a minute, it’s surely not the quality option when it comes to taste. Dishes with slow cooked, homegrown ingredients, are always the best. To take it one step further, leftovers are even better(#DontDebateMeBro).
Now think about your ideas and relationships. Not saying you should literally be out here eating someone’s leftovers o_O, but when exploring your thoughts or making new connections with people… let them marinate for a minute, cook them slowly, maybe even keep the recipe aSECRET (secret? yeah.. wow, imagine that what a concept) –
Take your time with certain things… it’ll prove to be worth it. Stop microwaving your thoughts…
- Culture. Lifestyle. Progress
- #TheCultureLP @Mike_2pt0
Posted in Cornucopia
