A Work in Progress...

Wanted to have an article ready for the weekend, but it needs tweaking. (More Like Shawn didn't write it!) So here’s a Work  In Progress  pic of a John Haynes custom I’m working on. I’m hoping he’ll be joining the Isis action figures soon.

I was so pleased with the work on Winged E’steem I decided to tackle a bit more complicated for my next custom. A former Famous Covers Mr. Sinister, This custom of John Haynes was years in planning and things are still rough. Lot of sanding, shaping and sculpting left to do. I’m taking everything I learned about action figure customizing and trying to utilize it to get this figure just right. Sanding down joints, working on rebuilding the body to something a bit more natural looking and the face into something more like the character. I have a long way to go.

In between the sculpt work I’m trying to iron out the fleshtones (African-American skintones are a challenge.) Might go for a drybrush over a fleshtone basecoat. Still working things out…

Science can Prove Black women are Ugly- The Nonsense People write for Grant Dollars

According to an article in Psychology Today written by Dr. Satoshi Kanazawa it’s a scientific fact that Black women are ugly. In his article he states he can scientifically prove that Black women are less attractive than other races.

Wow. I didn’t know opinion could be proven a fact. The nonsense passing as science these days.

I didn’t know beauty, a relative concept which varies from culture to culture and person to person could be clearly stated as a fact.

 Black women ugly? Less attractive than other races?

Man please.

In my eyes, the most beautiful women in the World are Black. Strong, intelligent, articulate and charming, nothing beats a Beautiful Black Sista. Sistas have courage character and a heart that are second to none. There’s no love like that from a Black woman can give and there’s no one else I’d rather have on my arm.

For over a century, people from the Darwinists to the writers of The Bell Curve have tried to pass off their racist opinions about African-Americans as scientific fact. At the colleges and laboratories, they use intellectualism and logic as a way to justify turning their racist ideologies into policies designed to keep African Americans oppressed and degraded. This article is just another intellectual racist projecting their opinion as fact.

Here’s the truth Brothers and Sistas: Anyone can find information to make their point of view appear to be a fact. Hey, I could cull together a bunch of data and statistics that proves Black women are more beautiful than White women. Unfortunately, writing that article won’t make me any money. And that’s what this hustle all about.

Oh the things people write to get grant money. Mix a little racism and psedoscience together between some statistics formulated by some half-assed research study and BAM! Instant article generating controversy, and lots of press. Then some funder (usually some anonymous racist with fat pockets) somewhere to pays for their bills for the next five years. That’s how the con is run in academia.

And that’s if they haven’t paid for it already. These pseudoscience hucksters like Kanazawa work at every college and when they’re under pressure to produce results that will keep their funding going, they come up with nonsense like this to generate controversy. It’s how universities pay their bills, a dirty little secret they don’t want the rest of the world to know about. Kanazawa used a dataset from a study of teenagers to prove his facts. That’s hardly a representative group for a case study where facts are to be proven for such a relative concept.

I’m guessing he promised them $5 and a ginger snap for participating in his study.

And the things editors publish to get people buying magazines. Generate a little controversy, get some suckers to plunk down $8.99 (Yep, these journals are so OVERPRICED to take advantage of Library budgets) for a magazine no one usually cares about. The only reason Kanazawa has a platform like Psychology Today is because these journals NEED controversy to make people pay attention to them because the libraries that usually buy Psychology Today are kinda strapped for cash these days. They don’t care about dehumanizing black women, they want to antagonize the gullible Black masses in the hopes that many will be duped into running out and buying this poor selling magazine to read Kanazawa’s turgid psychobabble.

What deeply saddens me about this situation aren’t the opinions of the racists hucksters like Kanazawa or the greed of a racist publication like Psychology Today. No, what deeply disturbs me is the apathetic response from the leadership of the Black community. Where’s Jesse Jackson? Al Sharpton? Cornel West? The NAACP? Urban League? Tyler Perry? Oprah?

The fact that that there were no Black leaders or Black intellectuals to come out and denounce Kanazawa and his nonsensical ideas speaks volumes about the indifference swirling around in the African-American community. Twenty years ago there were protests regarding the publication of The Bell Curve for its racist opinions regarding black intelligence. Even a couple of years ago hundreds of Black women protested on a college campus when Nelly swiped a woman’s butt crack with a credit card. Yet not a soul has spoken out about this racism being published in Psychology Today as “scientific fact”. Not a soul in the Black Community has come out to denounce Kanazawa. Not a soul in the Black community has demanded an apology from this publication.

What’s truly sad is that the actions of the black community speak louder than words. If Black men and women valued our sistas they’d be standing up to defend our sisters from fools like Kanazawa.

But I guess the Black woman really isn’t regarded with value in the eyes of Black society. Scary how we prove these racists right without even trying.

Mourning the passing of Randy "Macho Man" Savage

Today one of the icons of my youth passed away. Randy Poffo, known to many as Randy “Macho Man” Savage died in a car accident from a heart attack. He was 58.


Randy Savage was one of the icons of my youth. From his raspy voice to his manic promos in the ring and for Slim Jim meat snacks, Macho Man Randy Savage was a part of every boy’s life growing up back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. His trademark catch phrase “oooooooh yeah!” is practically etched in my long-term memory.

I used to watch Randy Savage on WWF Superstars on Channel 9 at six on Saturday Nights when I was 11. Often accompanied to the ring by his valet Miss Elizabeth, Randy was one of the first wrestlers to make an entrance by coming down the aisle. Often dressed in sequined capes and other elaborate costumes, Randy made an impact on viewers from the first moment they saw him. From the first moment the audience heard “Pomp and Circumstance” before he came to the ring, they knew they were going to see something spectacular in the wrestling ring.

The Macho Man was one of the greatest pro wrestlers in the sport, his matches sheer poetry in motion to watch. Whether it was a jobber like Mario Mancini, a mid-carder like Junkyard Dog, or a World Champion like Hulk Hogan, Randy made every match feel like it was a main event. He had a presence and charisma that captivated viewers. In the ring he was a master performer who could tell a story with his body that compelled the viewer to watch the match from start to finish.

While many may remember how Hulk Hogan dominated the Main Event and the WWF Championship, it Savage’s run in the mid-card that kept me watching me watching wrestling as a kid. Back then he was the heel you wanted to see to beaten, the character you loved to hate. During his year-long reign as Intercontinental Champ he kept us glued to our seats with matches with the Junk Yard Dog, Hillbilly Jim, and Tito Santana. This run over face opponents built up to a head with a match with Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat. After the match Savage went wild and jumped off the top rope and crushed Steamboat’s larynx with the ring bell. Several times. Steamboat couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t speak It was the start of one of the greatest storylines in wrestling history.

In the aftermath, Steamboat took months to recover. The progress was slow. But as Steamboat regained his voice he issued a challenge to Randy Savage for Wrestlemania III for the Intercontinental Championship. As Savage continued to steamroll opponents in front of the camera, behind the camera, Savage and Steamboat prepared for their match at Wrestlemania III, rehearsing every move and spot until it was perfect.

Their hard work built to a powerful climax at Wrestlemainia III. The match between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania was a classic and one of the greatest matches in wrestling period. If you haven’t seen a wrestling match in your life, I highly recommend this one. Absolute perfection in the ring from start to finish.

While Savage lost the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemaina, he continued to build in popularity. Hulk Hogan was feuding with Akeem and The Big Boss Man and the two titanic forces proved to be too much even for a ringside superhero like him. Out of nowhere, Savage came out and cleared the ring. As the villain turned hero The Mega powers were established. Soon after, Randy Savage won his first World Championship at wrestlemania IV and became a bona fide main event Superstar.

But there was tension between the two superstars. Things built to a head one Friday Night when The Mega Powers Hogan and Savage took on the Big Boss Man and Akeem. As the match built up, Miss Elizabeth came to the ring to help. She was knocked off ringside to the floor A conflicted Hulk Hogan was torn between helping his tag team partner or getting his partner’s valet help. Being the consummate hero Hogan carried Elizabeth to the back to get her medical help. In the aftermath of the match, Macho Man would turn heel and attack Hulk Hogan for abandoning him in the ring. The mega powers became mega rivals. This would build into a climax at Wrestlemania V with Hogan beating Savage for the WWF championship.

As Savage would break up with Miss Elizabeth, he soon took up with Sensational Sherri and became King of the ring. The “Macho King” Complete with scepter, ruled the wrestling ring.

Savage soon turned face and reconciled with Elizabeth. Their character’s wedding was labeled “A Match Made in heaven” It was soon made into a Match made in Hell as Jake “The Snake” Roberts disrupted the proceedings. This built into Savage’s feud with Jake The Snake Roberts where Savage took a bite from a cobra in the middle of the ring.

My last memory of Randy Savage in the WWF was his feud with Ric Flair, the “real world’s champion.” Ric claimed that Randy’s wife Elizabeth was having an affair with Ric. It was all a ploy to get in the Macho Man’s head.

With the help of up and comer Razor Ramon, Savage lost the WWF championship to Flair and left the WWF in 1993. He would later would go on to work in WCW in 1994. Soon he made an impact as the man who took the fall in 1995 when Hulk Hogan became the third man in the nWo “Hollywood Hulk Hogan” in the greatest heel turn of all time. Savage would later join the nWo and then the nWo Wolfpac.

The last time I saw Savage in a wrestling ring was his world title run in 1999.And the last time I saw him perform as a wrestling character. in the Movie “Spider Man” playing Bonesaw McGraw, the wrestler Peter Parker beats in the first act of the movie.

Poffo as “Macho Man Randy Savage” shaped the way two generations of young wrestling fans saw sports entertainment. His face and heel turns were twists and turns worthy of the best soap operas. He kept viewers captivated at every turn and his matches the stuff of legend.

Reading about his death today on the net was out of nowhere; I haven’t been this shocked by a celebrity’s passing since Michael Jackson. As one of the icons of my youth, I felt I had to write something to pay my respects to his memory.

Rest in Peace Randy Poffo. You will be missed. Thank you so much for two decades of great memories and allowing me to see you make Pro wrestling history.

Mourning the passing of Randy "Macho Man" Savage

Today one of the icons of my youth passed away. Randy Poffo, known to many as Randy “Macho Man” Savage died in a car accident from a heart attack. He was 58.

Randy Savage was one of the icons of my youth. From his raspy voice to his manic promos in the ring and for Slim Jim meat snacks, Macho Man Randy Savage was a part of every boy’s life growing up back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. His trademark catch phrase “oooooooh yeah!” is practically etched in my long-term memory.

I used to watch Randy Savage on WWF Superstars on Channel 9 at six on Saturday Nights when I was 11. Often accompanied to the ring by his valet Miss Elizabeth, Randy was one of the first wrestlers to make an entrance by coming down the aisle. Often dressed in sequined capes and other elaborate costumes, Randy made an impact on viewers from the first moment they saw him. From the first moment the audience heard “Pomp and Circumstance” before he came to the ring, they knew they were going to see something spectacular in the wrestling ring.

The Macho Man was one of the greatest pro wrestlers in the sport, his matches sheer poetry in motion to watch. Whether it was a jobber like Mario Mancini, a mid-carder like Junkyard Dog, or a World Champion like Hulk Hogan, Randy made every match feel like it was a main event. He had a presence and charisma that captivated viewers. In the ring he was a master performer who could tell a story with his body that compelled the viewer to watch the match from start to finish.

While many may remember how Hulk Hogan dominated the Main Event and the WWF Championship, it Savage’s run in the mid-card that kept me watching me watching wrestling as a kid. Back then he was the heel you wanted to see to beaten, the character you loved to hate. During his year-long reign as Intercontinental Champ he kept us glued to our seats with matches with the Junk Yard Dog, Hillbilly Jim, and Tito Santana. This run over face opponents built up to a head with a match with Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat. After the match Savage went wild and jumped off the top rope and crushed Steamboat’s larynx with the ring bell. Several times. Steamboat couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t speak It was the start of one of the greatest storylines in wrestling history.

In the aftermath, Steamboat took months to recover. The progress was slow. But as Steamboat regained his voice he issued a challenge to Randy Savage for Wrestlemania III for the Intercontinental Championship. As Savage continued to steamroll opponents in front of the camera, behind the camera, Savage and Steamboat prepared for their match at Wrestlemania III, rehearsing every move and spot until it was perfect.

Their hard work built to a powerful climax at Wrestlemainia III. The match between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania was a classic and one of the greatest matches in wrestling period. If you haven’t seen a wrestling match in your life, I highly recommend this one. Absolute perfection in the ring from start to finish.

While Savage lost the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemaina, he continued to build in popularity. Hulk Hogan was feuding with Akeem and The Big Boss Man and the two titanic forces proved to be too much even for a ringside superhero like him. Out of nowhere, Savage came out and cleared the ring. As the villain turned hero The Mega powers were established. Soon after, Randy Savage won his first World Championship at Wrestlemania IV and became a bona fide main event Superstar.

But there was tension between the two superstars. Things built to a head one Friday Night when The Mega Powers Hogan and Savage took on the Big Boss Man and Akeem. As the match built up, Miss Elizabeth came to the ring to help. She was knocked off ringside to the floor A conflicted Hulk Hogan was torn between helping his tag team partner or getting his partner’s valet help. Being the consummate hero Hogan carried Elizabeth to the back to get her medical help. In the aftermath of the match, Macho Man would turn heel and attack Hulk Hogan for abandoning him in the ring. The mega powers became mega rivals. This would build into a climax at Wrestlemania V with Hogan beating Savage for the WWF championship.

As Savage would break up with Miss Elizabeth, he soon took up with Sensational Sherri and became King of the ring. The “Macho King” Complete with scepter, ruled the wrestling ring.

Savage soon turned face and reconciled with Elizabeth. Their character’s wedding was labeled “A Match Made in heaven” It was soon made into a Match made in Hell as Jake “The Snake” Roberts disrupted the proceedings. This built into Savage’s feud with Jake The Snake Roberts where Savage took a bite from a cobra in the middle of the ring.

My last memory of Randy Savage in the WWF was his feud with Ric Flair, the “real world’s champion.” Ric claimed that Randy’s wife Elizabeth was having an affair with Ric. It was all a ploy to get in the Macho Man’s head.

With the help of up and comer Razor Ramon, Savage lost the WWF championship to Flair and left the WWF in 1993. He would later would go on to work in WCW in 1994. Soon he made an impact as the man who took the fall in 1995 when Hulk Hogan became the third man in the nWo “Hollywood Hulk Hogan” in the greatest heel turn of all time. Savage would later join the nWo and then the nWo Wolfpac.

The last time I saw Savage in a wrestling ring was his world title run in 1999.And the last time I saw him perform as a wrestling character. in the Movie “Spider Man” playing Bonesaw McGraw, the wrestler Peter Parker beats in the first act of the movie.

Poffo as “Macho Man Randy Savage” shaped the way two generations of young wrestling fans saw sports entertainment. His face and heel turns were twists and turns worthy of the best soap operas. He kept viewers captivated at every turn and his matches the stuff of legend.

Reading about his death today on the net was out of nowhere; I haven’t been this shocked by a celebrity’s passing since Michael Jackson. As one of the icons of my youth, I felt I had to write something to pay my respects to his memory.

Rest in Peace Randy Poffo. You will be missed. Thank you so much for two decades of great memories and allowing me to see you make Pro wrestling history.

Is This The End For the Comic Book?

The comic book has been an American institution since World War II. While the strips themselves remain popular, the industry standard medium used to publish them in retail over the past 70 years, the 32-page comic book is becoming unsustainable. In the wake of changing economic forces, I have to ask: this the end of the Comic Book?

In its golden age, from the late 1930’s to the mid 1950’s comic books like Superman, Batman, and Shazam sold over 3-5 million copies a month. Today a bestselling comic book barely sells 70,000 copies and many struggle to sell on average 15,000-25,000 copies a month. In the wake of these declining numbers many publishers like Time Warner’s DC Comics and Disney’s Marvel Comics are relying more and more on product licensing such as toys, video games, movies and television to stay profitable and keep their characters relevant with younger audiences.

Currently the average age of a comic book reader is 35, and the audience for comic books is getting older, not younger. Since the Comic book industry bust of 1994 following The Death of Superman, the industry has not attracted any new readers from any demographic in over 16 years.

In the wake of the industry decline, the business model for publishing comic books is under tremendous pressure. With no new readers to sustain growth, publishers have been raising prices to cover their printing costs for a shrinking comic book audience. Unfortunately, those price hikes seem to have hit a market threshold. The few remaining older readers have balked at recent price hikes of $2.99 and $3.99, and aren’t willing to pay anymore for a 32-page comic book. Comparatively, a 300 page pocket paperback book only costs $6.99 and a 300 page trade paperback book is $15.00.

With prices at the market threshold, comic book publishers are reaching a breaking point for the medium in its current 32-page state. After paying their writers and artists for their work and then paying for printing of the books themselves, comic book publishers have to offer distributors like Diamond and retailers like Barnes & Noble a 55-60 percent discount to get their product on store shelves. With just a 30-day window for sales, and a 30-day shelf life for product at retail, the profit margin for comic book publishers has narrowed to just a few cents per copy.

In between a shrinking older audience, high production costs, and high retailer discounts, the business model for the 32-page comic book has become difficult to maintain over the past few years. Soon it will become unsustainable.

The 32-page comic book is dead. Only the comic fans don’t know it yet.

Most publishers have fought to keep the 32-page comic book in print out of tradition to that small base of readers and to maintain the trademarks to their large catalogs of characters, but soon this will not make any financial sense. There aren’t enough readers available from the older reading audience to sustain the business model for 32-page comic books long-term. Eventually publishers will have to look at more profitable products to present the medium of comic strips on.

In stores such as Rite Aid, CVS, Toys R Us, and Kmart the 32-page comic book has become irrelevant to consumers. With no children to notice them, the thin books easily get lost on retailer racks next to larger magazines and ignored by the largely female audience that frequents these venues to shop. At Bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders they’re routinely stuck on revolving racks in the back of the magazine section and also ignored by the largely female audiences who shop there. Over the course of 30 days, the books wind up damaged, soiled, and unsold.

Unfortunately, unlike magazines, comic books can’t be returned to the publisher for credit. So retailers who buy them are stuck with them until they sell all the inventories of titles they have regardless of what condition they’re in. As a result of this constant merchandise shrinkage and turnover of product with no profit, many retailers, bookstores and newsstands have stopped carrying comic books.

In order for the comic strip to survive, the medium will have to find a medium with a business model that’s more profitable than the current comic book. It’s clear publishers must find a product to present strips in with a longer shelf life, appeals to big box, and bookstore retailers in addition to comic shops, and can be visible to customers whether displayed spine out or cover forward on store shelves. Any new product will definitely be bigger than 32 pages.

Current products that will allow the comic book industry to adapt to a more profitable business model include digest magazines, hardcover books and trade paperbacks. Bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Amazon like the trade paperback and hardcover omnibus editions. These books have a shelf life that can last years. Moreover, they can be displayed spine out on or facing cover forward on a bookstore shelf.

Smaller retailers like Target, Kmart, Rite Aid, and CVS will probably prefer the wider, larger, digest sized comic books like Archie Comics currently produces and large 500 page magazine sized books like Shonen Jump. Both are cheaper to print, are more visible to casual customers and have a longer shelf life than 30 days. In addition, the digest and magazine sized comic offer more pages for advertising than the current 32-page comic book to cover the cost of printing and production.

These comic strip mediums can be competitively priced with paperback books, e-books and magazines. In the case of paperbacks, digests and hardcovers, retailer discounts offer an opportunity for publishers to lower prices and target new audiences of casual readers in addition to comic fans. $14.99 for a trade paperback or $7.00 for a 500 page digest magazine is more of a value to a casual consumer than paying $18-$24 for six 32-page comic books.

Currently the industry uses hardcovers, paperbacks and e-comics to present mostly reprint material. The obsolete 32-page books are still used to publish new stories. Moreover, the industry continues to use the obsolete business model for publishing 32-page comics to sell trade paperbacks and e-comics. 

That’s going to have to change if the comic book is going to survive into the next century.

Along with the change in comic mediums, comic book publishers will have to adapt to a new editorial and creative model for writing, drawing, and publishing comic strips. The Graphic novel, a self-contained story that tells a story using comic strips in one volume will have to become the new industry standard for publishing stories featuring comic book characters. They’ll probably be 96-180 pages long and be released on a bimonthly or quarterly schedule.

There will probably be an adjustment period as editors, writers and artists adapt to a longer production schedule of 60-180 days between titles. This larger window for production turnaround may mean fewer books being produced per year, but overall comic products that will have better editorial and creative control than the current 32-page comic book.

In addition the graphic novel model must offer more creative freedom for writers, artists and editors. Currently comic books published at Disney’s Marvel and Time Warner’s DC are restricted by a tight decades-long continuity where events in one comic book story directly affect events in another. This continuity is extremely difficult for new writers and artists to work with and for new readers to access on bookstore shelves.

When the industry transitions to graphic novels it must do away with the baggage of continuity and start fresh. It’s the only way to offer new readers access to characters. Moreover it allows writers and artists an opportunity to write stories where they aren’t restricted by the decisions of previous writers and artists. In most cases a graphic novels’ story should be resolved at the end of the single volume so readers can have the option to pick and choose stories they want to read.

The only thing preventing comic book industry from completely adapting to a new business model is their loyalty to a small audience of aging comic book readers. And unfortunately most of those older readers are resistant to change. However, as the declining business model forces publishers of the medium to meet a cross-road in the next few years, they’ll be forced to either adapt to a more profitable business model or die.

It’s the end of an era for the comic book. But it could be the beginning of a new era for the graphic novel.

Cassandra Cookbook Chapter 4

Still working on articles for  the weekend, so here's another chapter of my opus The Cassandra Cookbook

Chapter 4

On my way down the hall to the Director of Products office I open up the black binder and flip through the proposal Simon wrote. It looks like he’s detailed all the reasons why I want the company to purchase the Cassandra cookbook. Perfect. Today’s meeting with Rob is an important one and I don’t want any mistakes. I believe if we can acquire these recipes ITC could have its first national product line.


Pausing in front of Rob’s door I look over my athletic cut blue Armani suit, white Fendi shirt, and red paisley Hermes tie. When I see my smiling reflection in my black Ferragamo shoes I know I’m ready to make this presentation. I crack the heavy wooden door open and Rob catches a glimpse of me during the middle of his boisterous phone conversation. The stout bald caramel colored man dressed in a navy pinstripe Brooks Brothers suit, white Brooks Brothers shirt, and yellow Versace tie gestures for me to come in with a wave of his hand. I take a seat in the leather chair in front of his glass-topped desk as he abruptly ends the conversation with whoever he’s talking to on the phone.

“Herbie, I’ll have to call you back. My nine o’clock is here.” Rob says hanging up.

Rob smiles at me. We laugh loudly at his professional act as we pound fists. “Hey, what’s up Dave?” he greets.

“Remember that sweet potato pie you had at my house a month ago?” I say.

“You got some more of that? Hook me up with a slice man.”

“I don’t have any right now, but we could get as much as we wanted.”

“What are you getting at man?”

“I think those pies and the rest of the baked goods from that bakery could be our next big product line.” I say handing him the proposal.

Rob reviews the proposal nonchalantly for a few minutes and then slams the binder shut and drops it back down on his desk. I don’t think he’s as enthusiastic about this product as I am.

“You don’t need to be working on this right now.” He mumbles.

“Rob, Cassandra could be the next Entenmann’s if things go right.” I press. “We can make this deal today for a song. If they’re making this much in profits on a Brooklyn street corner, think about how much more money we could make.”

“David, I hear you. But Top Management wants you on the upcoming launch of the Hotties Hair Care line-”

“Aren’t foods ITC’s primary business?”

“ITC is looking to branch out of food products Dave. Research tells us that hair care products are bigger than food products in Black households. We’re getting ready to go for a piece of that market.”

“I still think we should go for this. Cassandra is very profitable. They’ve increased sales every year for the past five years. The products have an established local audience. With increased exposure they could go regional in a year and national in five years. Buying these rights would be a lot cheaper in the long-term than starting a premium dessert product line in-house.”

“Dave, I think the proposal is solid. It’s a good deal for the Baked Goods Division. But you really want to pass on this. For you, Cassandra is small potatoes compared to the Hotties project.”

That was Rob’s way of cryptically telling me he’s heard something through the company grapevine. I’ve been hearing rumors Top Management was considering me for a big project but dismissed them because the information came from assistants and interns. It must be true if he’s talking about it.

“Are they considering me for a position in the new Division?” I inquire curiously.

“They want you to lead the team.” Rob answers smiling. “They’re going to make you Director of Products for the whole Hair Care Division.”

I can’t hide the grin on my face. This is big news. Top Management must really be impressed with my work if they want me to oversee their new flagship line of hair care products.

“I’m going to manage a whole section of the company?” I snicker.

“You gonna be like me.” Rob laughs. “You’ll have your own advertising team, marketing team, and a big ass office. Not to mention an even bigger paycheck.”

“How much money they talking?”

“Starting salary is gonna be at least a hundred seventy five thousand dollars a year. And you’re going to get a fifteen million dollar operating budget and a ten million dollar advertising budget.”

From the sounds of it ITC is putting some serious effort into getting a share of the black hair care market. Top Management has never spent money like this. The whole budget for Baked Goods is barely seven million dollars and I’ve never gotten a separate advertising budget from Rob. And the raise they’re giving me is double my current salary. I’d definitely take the position if they offered it to me.

“I’m in Rob. What do I have to do next?” I say.

“Just get your house in order Dave.” Rob replies. “Do you have any unfinished projects you’re working on now?”

“I was going to start work on that Cassandra acquisition-”

“Hand that off to Simon. You need to prepare for this.”

“He’s inexperienced in some areas.”

“He’s been here eight years. How is he inexperienced?”

“His interpersonal skills aren’t as sharp as they should be.”

“He’ll work out the kinks. He’s more than ready to do an acquisition.”

“I think Laura should do the acquisition. She’s well versed in the company culture and she’s been here as long as Simon.”

Rob grimaces at me. “You playing politics Dave?”

“I just think Laura would be a better fit.”

“You slick David.” Rob laughs. “But I can’t let you cut your girl a break this time. I need someone I can trust on this project.”

“Why are you so sold on Simon all of a sudden?”

“I always liked his work. You were the one who kept pushing everyone else in front of him. Just cause a brother don’t talk much doesn’t mean his work doesn’t speak for itself.”

“I just felt he wasn’t ready.”

“You better get him ready then. He’s going to be to taking your spot.”

“Who’s playing politics now Rob?”

“I’m covering our asses. There’s too much riding on this product launch for me to do you any favors. You want to hook your girl up you do it when you get your promotion. Me, I’ve got to keep the rest of this company strong when you leave us.”

“Laura takes care of business too.”

“Laura will put ITC out of business. Simon is the man I’m going with. I’ve already cut him a raise in salary and issued him a company credit card.”

“You’re moving fast.”

“Hey, things are poppin’ man. Top Management is moving fast and I got to go with the flow.”

“I still have reservations about this. Simon doesn’t know anything but research. I don’t think he’ll do well working with clients-”

“The other Product Managers have interns interviewing focus groups and working on ad campaigns. Our senior research analyst should be able to pick up the rights to a small bakery cookbook for us. He needs to cut his teeth on a project before I give him the Baked Goods Division.”

“Why can’t I use him on the Hotties project? His research is second to none here.”

“I need to fill your spot with an in-house worker. We don’t have time for some outsider to get up to speed when you leave.”

“You don’t want Baked Goods getting sidetracked like Frozen Foods.”

Rob grimaces. He hates to think about that time four years ago when he hired that outside manager to run the Frozen Foods Division and it bit him in the ass. That guy made so many mistakes that it wasn’t funny. From repackaging the products to changing the logos, if it wasn’t broke that brother tried to fix it in his quest to make a name for himself. In the end Top Management fired the new guy and of Rob lost face. There was even talk of him being fired too.

“I’m not making that mistake again.” Rob snarls. “It took us three years to reclaim even half of the frozen food market share we lost. I’m not losing my job because some new jack fool wants to make his mark.”

“You just don’t want that mark to be on your ass.” I laugh.

“It’s not just me this time Dave. Baked Goods has to stay strong just in case Hotties has a rough time during the launch. With Simon managing the Division ITC runs all that more smoothly. We all look good in the long run.”

I think I can get Simon ready to take over my job in time. The Cassandra acquisition is an easy deal; it should be over by the time my promotion is announced. I could supervise Simon and help him learn the job and work on any professional weaknesses until then. Then when I get my promotion the Division will be in good hands. Everything should work out nicely.

“You’re right. This project would be an excellent way to prepare Simon for his promotion.” I concede. I’ll call him into my office today and let him know what the plan is.”

A Recipe for $ucce$$ Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Simon James

I hear the heavy thud of David’s footsteps marching towards my cubicle as I hang up my barn coat. Man, I thought coming into work five minutes early I’d actually be able to sit down take a break and eat breakfast this morning.

David pokes his head in my cubicle with an anxious look on his face. The expensive double-breasted navy blue suit he wears on his burly body makes him look intimidating; I’m afraid to look down to see what brand of designer shoes he’s wearing. He must have a big presentation today.

“Simon, do you have another copy of your Cassandra proposal?” David barks. “I seem to have lost mine.”

I knew he’d lose the first proposal I made for him. Lucky for him I printed out an extra one. “Yeah.” I reply picking up the black binder off my desk.

David snatches the binder out of my hands and marches back down the hall without as much as a thank you. I huff a sigh and stare up at the plastic Dead End road sign posted above my computer. For the past eight years it’s been this way. I do all the work that keeps this Division running while he promotes people who can barely sign their paychecks with an X to junior and senior level management positions.

I flop into my office chair and dump my breakfast out of the brown paper bag onto my desk. I’m frustrated about the whole situation. I’d love to storm into David’s office and demand he promote me. I’m the best research analyst he has and he barely talks to me unless he wants something. And if he didn’t promote me I’d tell him to take his job, shine it up real nice, turn it sideways and shove it straight up his candy-

Unfortunately, a brotha works for ITC Foods and not World Wrestling Entertainment. I can only have my catharsis in a dream sequence. The real consequences I would have to deal with from quitting this job are so severe I’d rather stay here until I died. The cause may be lost but at least I have a course to stay on.

Growing up in the South Bronx living off Section 8 and welfare, I’ve been poor and black. And a brotha don’t want to go back to being poor when he’s just getting used to being lower middle class. I do not want to lose all my hard work to spite some boss who wouldn’t care if I quit five minutes ago. No matter what I do to hurt him, he’ll still have his job and all I’ll feel is better. My Mother gave me that advice eight years ago when I first started working here. Me following it has kept a roof over our heads, food on our table, Christmas presents under the tree and allowed us to save some money in the bank.

Thinking about my Mother I really start feeling guilty about getting angry over David’s latest slight. She had to put up with crazier stuff from Welfare case managers and Section 8 recertification specialists back in the day than any of the stuff I’ve dealt with at ITC. I remember the condescending way they looked down on her as they scrutinized her personal records and asked her humiliating questions about her business. I remember the miserable look she had on her face when she came home after those annual interviews. I promised myself when I was a kid I wouldn’t let her go through that degradation when I got old enough to do something about it. If I have to put up with one greasy suit-wearing Negro for the rest of my life I’ll keep doing it if it keeps her smiling.

Well, I need to smile myself; today is special. I’m starting my ninth year working steady here at ITC Foods. Even though all I’ve got to show for it is my backpack and the shape-up I got on my fade at the barbershop last night I’m still going to celebrate. For breakfast I’m treating myself to a jumbo double chocolate chip muffin and bottle of Nesquik chocolate milk. I even bought myself a multicolored marbled birthday candle to put on top of the muffin. Cheesy, but it works for me.

I was hoping to have my private party over before nine, but it’s exactly nine o’clock. Time to get this party started so I don’t waste any more of ITC’s time. In the private solitude of my cubicle, I unwrap the candle and stick it in the top of the muffin. When the flame glows bright on the candle I blow it out making a wish for the promotion I deserve.

A Recipe for $ucce$$ Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Gerald Davis

I peer down at the clock in the dashboard of my sleek black Lexus GS as it cruises down the Brooklyn Bridge. Eight-twenty and still no response from my assistant to the e-mail I sent on the Blackberry earlier this morning. I hope the message got through about the abrupt change in our work location.

Thank goodness Cassie had to work today; I’ll have her house all to myself for most of the day and probably most of the evening. It’ll be a better place for our private rendezvous than my assistants’ cramped apartment in The Bronx. Because her neighborhood is so quiet around this time of day, there won’t be anyone around to ask questions. I can slip us in and out and be back home by evening to review the seating arrangements for the reception.

The cell phone in my blazer pocket chirps as I drive onto the exit of the Brooklyn Bridge. I let it ring once. Twice. Three times. My body tenses in anticipation of a fourth ring but the phone stops. My assistant got the message and is on his way.

The fast-moving rush hour traffic gets me back down to Pierrepont Street by eight forty. I ease my car into Cassie’s parking spot and step out of the vehicle. I don’t see my assistant yet, so I still have time to prepare my surprise. I pull my shopping bags out of the car and anxiously race up the concrete steps. I let out a sigh of relief after I unlock the door and slip myself into the house. Running around in secret gives me such a rush.

I hurry up the pink carpeted staircase and go straight into the bedroom. I told my assistant to be here at nine sharp, so I don’t have much time. After I push aside Cassie’s silver perfume tray I set up our romantic buffet of champagne, strawberries and chocolate sauce. I know those old Bobby Brown discs are here somewhere; there they are right between the Whitney Houston and Vanessa Williams discs. I slip Bobby Brown’s Don’t be Cruel and Bobby in the Bose CD changer and hit play. My body tingles when the music starts; Bobby’s crooning gets me in the mood faster than Viagra.

While Don’t Be Cruel pumps from the surround sound speakers in the room, I gingerly sprinkle red rose petals across the pink carpet as I walk out of the bedroom and tread softly down the stairs into the foyer. When the last handful of petals falls at the front door, I look up at the path I created. My assistant should know where to go.

I quickly hurry upstairs to finish getting the bedroom ready. As I’m making up the bed my cell phone rings once then stops. Yes! Elvin found the house.

My heart beats rapidly when I hear the locks on the door twisting. Following my instructions, he unlocks the door with the key I hid under the doormat for him. Hearing his soft footsteps trod up the stairs my body tenses.

My assistant strides into the doorway and gives me a cute smile. He runs his fingers through his short curly black hair in a sexy way that arouses me. I can’t wait to get my hands on him.

“You’re five minutes early.” I say checking my Rolex watch. “Did anyone see you?”

“Not a soul.” Elvin answers taking off his jacket.

“Ready to go to work?” I say removing my tie.

“I’m ready for any job you want me to do boss.” Elvin says unbuttoning his shirt.

Filler Photos

Shawn doesn't have  an article ready for Saturday (working on a couple of projects for some other authors)  so here's  some filler Photos of Isis action figures

Isis

E'steem

These are a hit all over the world, and people just seem to love this E'steem figure for some reason.  It was either this or the second  chapter of The Cassandra Cookbook.  I may still post that later on just to give people something to read. I know people want fresh content, but a brotha is stretched kinda thin these days.

Who Will be the Next Black Stars?

There’s an ongoing crisis in Black Hollywood. It has nothing to do with getting Black screenplays greenlit, financing to make Black flims, or getting Black films distributed. It’s finding young fresh Black faces to become the next Black stars.


Most of today’s current popular African-American performers are over 35 and getting older. Leading Men Will Smith, Terrence Howard, Jamie Foxx and Tyler Perry are in their 40s. Leading Ladies like Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton, Jada Pinkett, Taraji P. Henson, Vanessa Williams and Halle Berry are in their 40s to mid 40s, while Angela Bassett is over 50 and Whoopi Goldberg is close to 60. And veteran leading men like Denzel Washington and Laurence Fishburne are almost 60. And seasoned actors like Samuel L. Jackson are over 60 while Morgan Freeman is 73 years old.

Worse, the African-American up and coming performers are over 30 well. Actresses like Paula Patton and Zoe Saldana are in their mid to late 30s while the youngest actresses I can think of Jurnee Smollett, Raven Symone and Kyla Pratt are in their mid-20s. And the up and coming Black male lead performers? Not many working outside of Evan Ross. Oh and that curly haired brotha from High School Musical. What’s he doing right now?

Craft wise with so many Black performers being over 30, it means there’s no one around to take the place of veteran black performers and learn the craft of acting in the next few years. Worse, there are no new Black faces emerging who are strong enough to carry a movie on their own or open strongly at the box-office currently.

While I enjoy the work of many of the older Black performers, I feel there’s a desperate need for a youth movement in Black Hollywood and in Black Cinema. The average age of a young Black actor today is 35. To today’s young teen or twentysomething ticket buyer, those actors are OLD. For teens and twentysomethings today watching these performers is like watching, well their mothers and fathers telling their mother and father’s stories at the movies.

On the business side, I feel the glut of older stars is one of the reasons it’s so hard to get a Black film greenlit these days. Most studio executives are anxious about hiring older actors to lead films. Usually the older Black demographic isn’t as eager to pay money to go to the theater as younger audiences, and generally, films targeted to audiences over 40 often do very poorly at the box-office.

With Black films already having one strike against them because they target African-American audiences, the age issue often makes for a second strike against them. Couple these two strikes with the third strike of a history of poor performance at the box office and the fourth strike of an inability to sell to foreign audiences and it’s clear why African-American films are having a hard time getting out of development.

I also feel it’s one of the reasons most African-American films outside of Tyler Perry films are struggling to find audiences at the theater these days. Movies primarily are a youth-oriented business. It’s tween, teen, twentysomething and some thirtysomething performers who appeal to young audiences of ticket buyers. With most of today’s films appealing to older audiences, many of today’s Black youth don’t relate to or identify with the characters onscreen. Because they can’t see themselves in the characters onscreen, they have no reason to invest money in a movie ticket or the time to see the movie.

Where Are The Next Generation Of Stars in Black Hollywood Going to Come From?

There’s an ongoing crisis in Black Hollywood. It has nothing to do with getting Black screenplays greenlit, financing to make Black flims, or getting Black films distributed. It’s finding young fresh Black faces to become the next Black stars.

Most of today’s current popular African-American performers are over 35 and getting older. Leading Men Will Smith, Terrence Howard, Jamie Foxx and Tyler Perry are in their 40s. Leading Ladies like Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton, Jada Pinkett, Taraji P. Henson, Vanessa Williams and Halle Berry are in their 40s to mid 40s, while Angela Bassett is over 50 and Whoopi Goldberg is close to 60. And veteran leading men like Denzel Washington and Laurence Fishburne are almost 60. And seasoned actors like Samuel L. Jackson are over 60 while Morgan Freeman is 73 years old.

Worse, the African-American up and coming performers are over 30 well. Actresses like Paula Patton and Zoe Saldana are in their mid to late 30s while the youngest actresses I can think of Jurnee Smollett, Raven Symone and Kyla Pratt are in their mid-20s. And the up and coming Black male lead performers? Not many working outside of Evan Ross. Oh and that curly haired brotha from High School Musical. What’s he doing right now?

Craft wise with so many Black performers being over 30, it means there’s no one around to take the place of veteran black performers and learn the craft of acting in the next few years. Worse, there are no new Black faces emerging who are strong enough to carry a movie on their own or open strongly at the box-office currently.

While I enjoy the work of many of the older Black performers, I feel there’s a desperate need for a youth movement in Black Hollywood and in Black Cinema. The average age of a young Black actor today is 35. To today’s young teen or twentysomething ticket buyer, those actors are OLD. For teens and twentysomethings today watching these performers is like watching, well their mothers and fathers telling their mother and father’s stories at the movies.

On the business side, I feel the glut of older stars is one of the reasons it’s so hard to get a Black film greenlit these days. Most studio executives are anxious about hiring older actors to lead films. Usually the older Black demographic isn’t as eager to pay money to go to the theater as younger audiences, and generally, films targeted to audiences over 40 often do very poorly at the box-office.

With Black films already having one strike against them because they target African-American audiences, the age issue often makes for a second strike against them. Couple these two strikes with the third strike of a history of poor performance at the box office and the fourth strike of an inability to sell to foreign audiences and it’s clear why African-American films are having a hard time getting out of development.

I also feel it’s one of the reasons most African-American films outside of Tyler Perry films are struggling to find audiences at the theater these days. Movies primarily are a youth-oriented business. It’s tween, teen, twentysomething and some thirtysomething performers who appeal to young audiences of ticket buyers. With most of today’s Black films appealing to older audiences, many of today’s Black youth don’t relate to or identify with the characters onscreen. Because they can’t see themselves in the characters onscreen, they have no reason to invest money in a movie ticket or the time to see the movie.

Ironically many African-American Filmmakers prefer working with older, established stars because they think short-term they’ll draw bigger crowds and open stronger at the box-office. Unfortunately, many Black filmmakers are unaware their films skewer older and don’t appeal to younger audiences where the most money at the box-office usually is. Usually, younger audiences are often turned off watching people old enough to be their parents starring in movies.

Because so many Black filmmakers want to sell films with established black stars in the lead, they don’t see the long-term damage that’s being done to the future of black cinema by not developing fresh talent. Because no Black filmmakers are taking the time to develop new stars it may be harder to sell black movies in the future.

It takes years for a performer to establish a body of work, and many young black performers aren’t getting the opportunity to hone their crafts. While there have been noteworthy performances from black actresses and black actors There hasn’t been a breakout black star in over a decade. Moreover, those black actors and actresses who have had noteworthy performances haven’t been able to follow up on that work with a project that would allow them to break through and establish themselves as the next black star who can draw an audience. And without new stars, there won’t be anyone available to carry a Black film and help it open strongly in the future.

Long-term the impact of this shortage of young Black actors could cripple the Black film industry. With no young actors to be trained in the craft of acting or be mentored by seasoned performers, there’s no pool of new performers to draw on when older talent dies, retires or just doesn’t fit the role anymore. New Black producers and directors will struggle to get films greenlit because there’s no talent pool available to tell the stories of the Black experience on film and on stage.

I feel the time is NOW for Black film industry to seriously start cultivating and developing fresh new talent. While I enjoy the work of seasoned Black performers like Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Terrence Howard, Angela Bassett Halle Berry and others, I really think it’s time to start developing the next generation of young black lead performers who could become the next Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Terrence Howard Angela Bassett and Halle Berry. These are going to be the performers that sell to tomorrow’s movie audiences and will sell films to tomorrow’s ticket-buyers. I feel if Black filmmakers took some time to target younger audiences and spent a bit more time developing new performers African-American films would do much better at the box office and would be a bit easier to sell to distributors and studios. More importantly it’d get young Black viewers back buying tickets for Black movies.

The Sneakers Now Available for FREE on Smashwords

The Sneakers the first of four Monthly YA eBook exclusives is now available for FREE on Smashwords:



The Synopsis is detailed below:

Sometimes, the price paid for a pair of shoes is more than money.

Trakaim and Luis are best friends who love sneakers. When they spot the new Air Jordans in the window of the Dr. Jays on Fordham Road their friendship turns into a rivalry when they make a bet on who will be the first to have the new kicks.

Not wanting to look soft, the boys look for ways to hustle the cash to pay for their shoes. As their quest for the green takes them on two very different roads, the boys learn valuable life lessons worth more than the price of a pair of shoes.

And for those who want to support a brotha with some coin for the story, it’s 99 cents on Amazon and B&N:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sneakers-ebook/dp/B004ZH3HJK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1304742577&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Sneakers/Shawn-James/e/2940012520647

What happened to Hip-Hop?

What happened to Hip Hop?

You know that music with the lyrics that rhyme? Rhythm and Poetry? The music that originated in the South Bronx in the late 1970’s? The music that defined the brothers and sisters of Generation X?
I don’t know if any readers out there are old enough to remember, but I remember a time when hip-hop was creative and fun. When a rap song made you smile. When I used to run home from school to watch shows like Video Music Box and Video Trax. When I taped rap music videos so I could learn the dance moves and the lyrics.

Now everyone I know wants to change the channel when a rap video comes on.

And what happened to the content in hip hop songs? When the there was subtext between the lines of the rhymes? When there was RYTHYM AND POETRY? When rappers didn’t just rhyme about being the best on the mic, they told a story in between the beats?

Now Hip-Hop is so shallow. Everybody raps about taking drugs and committing crimes. And bling. Oh
and don’t forget fucking hoes and smacking bitches.

And what happened to diversity in hip hop? When rap acts actually made an effort to be unique? When I was a tween in 1985, The Fat Boys were fat, LL Cool J rapped Hard, RUN DMC were the Kings of Rock and Doug E Fresh mastered the beat box.

Then later on Heavy D was the overweight lover, De La Soul were the artists, Biz Markie was the comedian, Kid N’ Play were the comedy Duo, Big Daddy Kane was the lyrical gymnast, Rakim was intelligent master of his own technique, Ladies Loved Cool James. KRS-One preached street knowledge and life lessons, Public Enemy taught Self-awareness, De La Soul were one of a kind, and Digable Planets were the beatnik poets. Remember when Hip-Hop used to have something for everyone?

Now everybody is a thug and a gangsta. Or a Ho. Because Hoes are a hit with the kiddies these days.

And remember when rappers came together and collaborated on group songs? Classics like Marley Marl’s The Symphony, the Stop the Violence Movement’s Self-Destruction and All in The Same Gang? When rappers didn’t mind guesting on each other’s records like Positive K did on MC Lyte’s Excuse Me Miss…I’m Not Havin it?

Nowadays every rapper is “beefing” having a rivalry with another rapper. Cause that really sells records.

And remember when Rap feuds weren’t violent? Stuff like LL Cool J/Cannabis and LL Cool J/Kool Moe Dee were about being the best on the mic? When it was all about the lyrics? When after the battle on the mic people shook hands?

Now we have fools trying to kill each other over comments they made on a record.

Remember when Rappers had their own style when it came to fashion? When Run DMC rocked Adidas with no laces, LL Cool J had his Kangol Cap, and Kool Moe Dee had his hat and sunglasses. Later on Big Daddy Kane was dapper and smooth in his silk suit and Bally boots, Kid N’ Play rocked the Hi-top-fades, De La Soul wore Africa Medallions and MC Hammer wore the genie pants? Rap used to set fashion trends.

Now every rap act looks…well pretty much the same. Braids, Tats, Saggy jeans, oversized T-Shirts and bling. Lots of Bling cause kiddies love shiny stuff.

And what happened to comedy rap? I remember when there was room for rappers to have a little fun on the mic and tell a JOKE. A lot of the classic rappers like Fat Boys, Kid N’ Play, Big Daddy Kane, and DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince often took time to make a track or two just for laughs to show the lighter side of life. What happened to stuff like Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince’s I can beat Mike Tyson or Biz Markie’s Just a Friend? The kinds of songs that would have you bust out laughing to the jokes in between the lines of the lyrics? Man I miss those.

Now EVERY rapper is serious. Hard. Tough. A badass who is covered in tats, carries a gun, sells drugs and has a jail record. EVERY rapper.

And what happened to lyrical wordplay in hip hop? From 88-92 the Rap lyrics evolved and got really articulate with rappers making all types of words rhyme. I used to love listening to the smooth flow of words coming from rappers like Big Daddy Kane, the precision of Rakim, and the poetic storytelling of Kool G Rap. Those kinds of songs showed me that it was possible to really get creative with words as a writer.

Now rappers on records stumble and stutter in songs. Worse, most times they don’t even rhyme. People just REPEAT stuff thinking it’s RHYMING. Seriously, does anybody in hip hop know what PHONICS is nowadays? Was anyone who raps these days TAUGHT phonics? Or did they stay in school long enough to LEARN IT?

And what happened to rap videos? Remember when they were mini movies that told a story?

And also does anyone remember when rap videos featured MALE dancers doing cool moves? In between the quick cuts behind the rapper were these two dudes doing steps like The Running Man, and the Roger Rabbit. And the Kid N’ Play had Kick step/leg thing and other awesome dance moves. MC Hammer had his own style inspired by the late James Brown. Those were cool moves people would tape videos for so they could watch over and over again so they could learn how to do them when they went to a party.

Now lazy guys just swagger in front of rented luxury cars and rented mansions posing with borrowed bling and baggy clothes as video vixens in bikinis shake their butts around them.

And what happened to female rappers? I remember when female rappers rapped about respecting themselves and being a strong woman. Sistas like Queen Latifah, Antionette, Miss Melody, Precious, Monie Love and MC Lyte talked about being proud of their blackness and carried themselves with dignity. Salt-N-Pepa could get a party jumpin’ or get a laugh. Neneh Cherry made music that was one of a kind featuring complex and cerebral poetry set to a techno beat. The ladies of the Cookie Crew came from the UK with their own style. Female rappers used to be just as creative and unique as the guys back in the day.

Now every sista in the rap game is running around half-naked talking about how they’re bitches and hoes.

Over twenty years after I heard my first rap song in 1984 I ask myself: What happened to Hip-hop?
No, seriously what happened to Hip Hop?

Forget the misogyny, the sexism and the glamorization of crime and street culture. When did Hip-Hop get so homogenous? When did it get so bland? When did it get so BORING?
I’m just gonna come out and say it Hip-Hop music sucks. Underneath the surface of music glamorizing crime, bling, and thuggin’ today’s rap music feels so manufactured. Artificial. Plastic. Uninspired. Performers like Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy and Nicki Minaj feel like they come off an assembly line. They have no style, personality or creativity that makes them distinct and stand out. They’re a dime a dozen.

Nowadays EVERY rapper is a gangsta in saggy pants, Oversized T-shirts tattoos, and bling, or a scantily clad ho. Everyone comes from “the streets” and has a prison record of some type. Everyone is so focused on having a thug image their music has no heart soul, passion or a message.
The beats feel like canned music, and the lyrics have the depth of a Nyquil cup.

And from what I’ve been reading from kids on YouTube people HATE it. Many call it SHIT-HOP and CRAP MUSIC. For many youngsters it’s so bad they go back and listen to the stuff I grew up with. The music with a heart a soul. A message. The music that was FUN.

Because Hip-Hop is so pasteurized and homogenized these days no one buys the albums anymore. It’s why no one takes Hip-Hop music seriously anymore. It’s why no one CARES about Hip-Hop anymore. A&R people in the Music business are SO out of touch they are when it comes to developing Hip-Hop talent. They spend so much time looking for people who fit the image of a stereotype that they’ve abandoned the craft of music making.

I was a big fan of hip-hop back in the day. It was the music of my generation. That Hip-Hop used to be fresh, inspired and most of all FUN. It was music that made you laugh, smile and dance to it. It was music that rocked the party into the A.M. or made the time pass as you listened to it on your walkman. It was the music played on jeeps in the summertime with memorable rhymes that stayed in your mind.

Seriously, I have to ask: What happened to Hip-Hop?

Coming soon- YA Ebook Exclusives For the Summer reading season

I’m going to be offering some eBook exclusive titles for Young Adult and tween readers for the summer reading season. These are stories I really believe in, but can’t afford a print run for. In between 12-80 pages they’re just too short to print as single volumes. Maybe as a collection someday, but right now I just want to get them out there to readers.
What’s going to be great about these exclusive e-books is the price. Two will be just 99 cents. Two will be FREE. That’s right FREE. I’m hoping those low prices will give people an incentive to try my writing and take a risk on buying a paperback later on.

Three of the titles will be Isis related. I feel that’s easy-to-read action packed fantasy anyone from eight to eighty can get into. I really want to get more African-Americans reading fantasy and science fiction and I feel these short books will get more people excited about the genre.

One title will be an Urban YA story set in the Bronx. It’s based on an old story I wrote back in 1991 when I was in high school. I turned that story into a 12-chapter novella in 2003.

These eBooks will be available on Nook, Kindle, and Smashwords. I’m working on the formatting right now, and I hope to start having them up by June. Links, covers and synopses will be up soon!

Great news! I fixed the cooling fan in my laptop!

Great news! I fixed the cooling fan in my laptop.

Dell’s box never arrived, so I had to dust off my A+ training and repair my laptop myself. I had two clients depending on me to get their projects out and I couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

So I bought a fan off Ebay for $5.00 last week.
After the mailman delivered the fan this afternoon, I got straight to work on my laptop. The whole replacement took less than a half-hour, and I was surprised at how easy it was.

I admit I was a little nervous disassembling my computer. It got a little antsy when one of the clips that connected the wireless card popped off when I was separating the monitor from the motherboard, but I persevered, remembering everything I learned about PC repair from my MEOC training, going slow and taking note of how things were connected to each other.

When I got inside my computer’s case and took the old fan out, I learned why it wasn’t working. A huge block of dust was preventing the blades from spinning. That’s something I’ll have to check during routine maintenance next time.

Anyway, after I took the old fan out I put the new fan in, put the screws back in and reassembled the case. Inserted the Dell Diagnostics CD, hit F12, then did a diagnostic on the fan. Tests show the new fan is working perfectly, and the computer is working fine after doing some heavier processing tasks.
This was my first repair job on a PC I’m pretty pleased with my work. No marks on the case, and all the screws are in place they’re supposed to be. Maybe I could do this more regularly. Or do it for pay.