In Case You Missed It...

In case you missed it: TMZ apparently has more clout than the NFL and Ray Rice shows us his football skills...on his wife, Adrian Peterson gets a lesson in parenting by the best teachers: SOCIETY, T.I.'s "Road to Redemption" tour ends with the keys of a city he doesn't belong to, Obama's ability to multitask riles up Americans, and Amber Rose shows us how to come-up.

These are some hot topics from over the past couple of weeks and I'll try my best to keep my thoughts about all this foolishness brief, but then again...it is a lot of foolishness.

TMZ, where you can get all your ratchet A-D list celebrity news, acquired and released footage of Ray Rice and his then fiance having a back-and-forth pow wow turned beatdown in a hotel elevator. The complication comes because the video was made public in September, but the actual incident happened in February. NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell took Rice's words as truth when Rice explained the incident, and was only suspended for two games... with pay, which is apparently legit punishment for beating your spouse. After the release of  the video, however, Goodell was singing a different tune. He and Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, claimed to have never seen the video, which surprises me because I mean it is the NFL. I know TMZ is famous for supplying people with the latest tea, but for the NFL to say not only did they not see it, but could not obtain the video when asked, is just plain foolishness. In an effort to redeem themselves, Rice's two-day game suspension was beefed up to an indefinite suspension. I'm happy for a more accurate punishment, though I feel it only happened because the NFL was backed in a corner.

Adrian Peterson, another NFL star, is going through a similar situation, but with his child. Peterson is accused of allegedly abusing his four-year-old son with a "switch." Pictures of the child's  lacerations surfaced on the Internet, and caused quite a stir. With this case, it brings about the age old question, "To spare the rod or use it?" I am personally a believer of using the rod, a common practice for southerners, and especially African-Americans, but what do I know. I'm currently apart of #teamnokids. I do think Peterson did a bit much though. I mean he's a BIG guy. I'm sure hitting his son with his hand would have left a mark. The lesson of this story: Try not to let people in to your parenting or your life. They will DEFINITELY have their opinions.

So T.I. received the key to the city of Jackson, Mississippi. While I'm glad about all that he is doing on what seems to be the longest road to redemption, I don't think he should have been given key to the city. It's not like he's a prominent figure in the capitol city, and he's in Jackson often talking about his life in prison. I mean...does he even have key to his own city???

On a somewhat political note, a video of President Obama attempting to salute a Marine veteran with a coffe cup in his hand, while exiting off an airplane, caused quite a ruckus for Americans. I'm more than positive there are more important things going on, but that didn't stop people from taking the time out to complain about something so trivial. I mean REALLY??? What did they want him to do, set his cup down and then salute??? Smh. 

Well there's sad news for those that thought Wiz and his bald bombshell would make it last forever: They didn't. Surprisingly, Amber Rose was the one to call it quits. She's on to the next one now, but not before getting a little extra something from her soon-to-be ex-husband. In a prenup agreement, before the short-lived marriage, Rose asked for a $1 million pay out. Go ahead girl! A milli, a georgous baby that she will have full custody of...I think she made it out pretty nicely. Let's just hope her next celeb beau doesn't have the cheating bug, but I'm sure Amber will have a million dollar back-up plan. 

Racism:The Loudest Silence-Michael Brown Gunned Down

So I've been trying to gather all of my thoughts so that I can attempt to speak about the shooting of Mike Brown and the impact that has followed not only in the city of Ferguson, but over the U.S.  

Over the past few days, I've heard it all regarding the situation. Everything from "black on black crime contributing to police looking at black lives as valueless," to information about Brown allegedly being involved in a crime prior to him being gunned down, which quite frankly is irrelevant anyway. 

The fact of the matter, in case people are clueless or slightly confused, is that a black, teenage male was gunned down because the people that are paid to SERVE AND PROTECT are the very ones killing the innocent for what THEY THINK are justifiable reasons. 

But from my point of view, and I'm sure from many others, there is no justice. Well there isn't any when I hear of a police officer shooting an unarmed kid. Or a self-glorified street monitor taking the law into his own hands and then being found not guilty, but I digress. 

We are living in a post-Trayvon society, in that after the not guilty verdict for the Zimmerman trial, it made any black kid who came across someone of the law or someone who thought they had the power of the law, a justified target.

"Race is not the issue," a comment that has been said a few times, by whom I'm sure was a white person attempting to distract from the REAL issue. 

This is what I have to say to that comment: puhLEASE! Race is ALWAYS an issue when you have cases like this. Racism is that silent thing that no one likes to publicly address, but in actuality, it causes so much rumble. 

I don't know what they are teaching at these police academies, but correct protocol doesn't seem to be it. Or maybe their is a different protocol when white officers come across black people. Somebody PLAEASE give me the scoop so that I can better understand how this type of behavior is possible. 

It's a sad reality that growing up black, especially black male, that not only do parents have to teach basics like stranger danger or look both ways when you cross the street, but also things like WHEN you come in contact with an officer keep your hands up so you can expose yourself to them or be careful of what you wear or try not to walk alone...EVER, things that shouldn't have to be said. 

My only hope is that things TRULY start to change for the better, and that it doesn't take the loss of anymore lives for that to happen. 

Let Me RE-Introduce Myself: My Name Is D-O-M-I-N-I-Q-U-E

So I always hear/see from my friends, random people, and sometimes even myself, that having a "special person" is what's needed. While that is the DREAM, at this point in my life, as a 22-year-old straight out of college, the only "special person" I need is MYSELF. Lol. I'm in the "getting to know myself" stage, and I must admit that it has been FUN. I've learned and am still learning lots. Here are a few things:

1. After 3 and a half years of chugging down bottles of liquid poison, I am no longer a fan. However, I will occasionally partake in fruity drinks. 

2. I hate to admit it, but I can be pretty emotional. I'M SUCH A CRAZY PERSON!!! Lol. 

3. I speak fluent sarcasm and am always ready to speak my language to others. 

4. I'm conservative when it comes to some things, despite my often seen liberal attitude. 

5. I'm stubborn. I appreciate people's advice and opinions, but I'm probably still not budging. 

6. I don't like missing church on Sundays. It feels so weird. 

7. I would prefer to watch a Harry Potter marathon than go out clubbing. I'm kind of a home-body. 

8. I'm a LITTLE judgey. Smh. I'm working on that. 

9. I LOVE a good adventure. It's fun to go exploring, even when things don't exactly turn out the best. 

10. I'm apparently a cat-person. They are just the cutest and then they are pretty self-sufficient. Let's just hope I don't become a cat lady. Smh. No ma'm. 

And these are just things that I have learned since I graduated! I know there's more for me to learn. Just take the time to learn about YOU. You might surprise yourself. 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, But What Are Guys Doing

As someone who has grown up in a household with a sibling of the opposite sex, I can DEFINITELY say that there are different standards in how parents treat a son as oppose to a daughter. WHY? I don't really know, but I do know there have been times that I have been unable to do things that if my brother, who is 4 years younger than I am did, it wouldn't be a big deal. REALLY?! Like I'm in COLLEGE!!! I guess my parents think, well mainly my mom, smh, that high school until marriage means very 😏 behavior, which is SOOOOO not the case. My brother and I are actually pretty opposite, even with that whole college experience thing. *sighs* Those were GREAT times. Lol. I've had my wild moments, mainly crazy, which I'm SLOWLY accepting, but I really don't do much compared to what they THINK I'm doing. Idk how this gender discrepancy started but...YEAH. It's time to end it...NOW. Maybe when I have kids, YEARS and YEARS from now, I'll understand. Right now, it's the parents that need some clarification. 

HBCU vs. PWI

So in case you haven't checked your Twitter today, or you just didn't care enough to pay attention to what others were tweeting, the big topic of discussion was HBCU's vs. PWI's. I didn't really respond or tweet anything about the subject at the time, but as the discussion went on, I began to really feel some type of way.

First of all I would like to say, in the year 2014, the discussion of HBCU vs. PWI is just STUPID, especially as African-Americans. Instead of tearing each other down about what schools we go to, we should be encouraging each other to just ATTEND a college and celebrating one another when we FINISH. Like is that so hard?!

Secondly, instead of arguing about something so trivial, the real discussion should be about what you plan to do with your degree. What good is the degree that you earned at a PWI or at an HBCU if you don't even work after the degree to get where you want to be?

Now as a PROUD graduate of my HBCU, Jackson State University, I will say that I wouldn't change ANYTHING. Not downing PWI's at all, because initially that's where I wanted to go, but the experience I got at Jackson State is one that I would have never received at a PWI. I love my school and I learned a LOT. The close-knit family of students along with the fact that my professors knew my name and genuinely wanted to help me, was aMAZING! Not saying that PWI's don't have the same thing, I'm just speaking on what I know about MY school, MY HBCU, the same HBCU that some people don't think is good enough. #imjustsaying

Well...that's pretty much all I had to say about the subject. Let me know what YOU have to say.

Camkudo$a: "Up & Coming"

“What's the odds of a Jackson ni**a making it? I'll take that odd and killed whoever created it.”

            Not one for many words in person, this 18-year-old up and coming rapper beasts on the mic with his word play, as he declares that one day people will know his name, despite living in an area code that is not pumping out many musical talents.    

Cameron Jamal Triplett, better known as Camkudo$a, got his name by merely meshing his first name and the word kudos, so to say Cameron, job well done.

The teen rapper started rapping when he was just in middle school, but didn’t get really serious with it until high school.

“In high school I really realized my passion for music and people would come up to tell me that I had a true talent for rapping, so that’s why I decided to get a little more serious with it,” said Cam.

He credits rappers such as Drake, Tory Lanez and J.Cole as some of his influences.

“I like the fact that they don’t rap just to be rapping, but they actually tell stories of stuff that they go through, and I try to do the same with my songs,” said Cam.

His latest song is called “Progression,” and he is also working on a mixtape to be released in the near future.  His first two songs, “Up & Coming,” and “Higher Places,” are introductory songs for him, and showcase him as an artist. He talks about being up and coming and the dreams he have to get bigger and better in his craft and just as a person.  

“It ain't what it seems. We living out our dreams. We up on a rise. You can see it in our eyes. Up and Coming. We up and coming.”

His ultimate goal simply put is to make it.

“I just want to be able to put my people on,” said Cam.

To achieve that goal, he’s been sharing his music on his countless social media accounts: Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook. He has yet to perform though.

“I thought about doing that with the release of my mixtape. I wanted to wait until I had longer repertoire of songs to perform.”

The teen dream continues to make songs for his growing fan base to hopefully one day big as the artist that he admires. 

Check out his music here:

 

22

In honor of my 22nd birthday, which is this Friday, April 25th, I want to share 22 things that I've learned from my undergraduate experience at Jackson State University, which will come to an end on May 3rd.

1. Meet new people. This is kind of inevitable unless you live under a rock, but whether you go to a community college or 4 year institution, there are always new people to talk to.

2. Don't be so serious. Of course you're in college to get an education, but at the same time, this is COLLEGE!!! The stuff you do here, you will more than likely NEVER be able to do again. Find a happy medium between "I can't leave my room. I have so much work to do," and "F*** this work! TURN UP".

3. Your school has amenities...USE THEM! There is a freaking gym on campus...GO!!! When you graduate college a gym membership might not be that affordable, so go now...for FREE! Use the things your campus provides for you.

4. B-U-D-G-E-T. There are always lots of things going on or around campus that you may want to partake in, but FIRST check your finances. Plan out what is REALLY worth the money. Maybe you don't have to eat out every week or buy a new outfit for every event. It could be the difference between spending Spring Break in Jamaica and spending it in your dorm room.

5. It's okay to skip class. I know this may be a little politically incorrect, but whatever. Sometimes its honestly okay to not go. Things happen or you could just realize that your class isn't "real." Just don't go overboard. Some professors have a skip limit. Don't exceed that.

6. Get Involved. College would be way better if you involve yourself with some activities. It will give you a better sense of connection to your peers and the school as a whole.

7. Be lowkey. "It ain't nobody's business." You don't need people all in your life. That can get messy.

8. Get to know your professors. Eventually you will need these people to write recommendation letters. Talk to them.

9. Don't be so quick to give people titles. Bestfriend, boo, brother...BLAH. None of that is real, because all it takes is one incident and your "brother" is now your friends with benefits.

10. Don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. Try new things. You'll be happy you did.

11. Don't feel obligated to text unwanted people. Sometimes we are super-friendly and give our numbers out, or maybe we think that person is cool at the time, until we text/call them and they are annoying. You don't have to  keep conversing. It's easy to ignore people in college. You don't always see them.

12. Get some "you" time. It's nice being around friends, but having "you" time is necessary. College can get CRAZY!

13. Social media should NOT be used as a journal. It is NEVER okay to air your life on social media. REMEMBER: BE LOWKEY.

14. Cuffing season is REAL, but then again it's not. This is a time period between September-December where people usually get together/"hook-up". These are fake relationships usually. Only the strong survive. Don't feel discouraged if you never get cuffed during this time. Wait for something a little more real.

15. Keep your fridge stocked with snacks. Food in your room is definitely a life saver for late night studying.

16. Capture memories. Take as many pics and make as many videos as you can. When you look back over all the pics and videos when graduation approaches, it'll make you smile.

17. Do you. Don't follow others. Just be yourself. Be your own trend.

18. Being drunk in public...NO BUENO. Drinking is cool, my sentiments, but don't be "that crazy drunk person." It's not a good look. people will definitely remember.

19. People grow apart and its okay. That person you come in to college with from high school, might not be close with you when graduation comes. Things happen and people change. Don't feel bad. It probably is for the best.

20. Make copies of ALL important papers. Don't trust the school with important documents. Sometimes they can play crazy, but with those copies, you can whip them out and tell them they're wrong you paid your balance.

21. Sharing isn't always fun. Sure you and your roommate are close after a semester, but there are still ground rules that need to be set so they don't think they can just do whatever or take whatever of yours.

22. JUST HAVE FUN! This is college. Do random things. Talk to strangers. Enjoy yourself. This is the best time of your life!!!