Tough Guy

bang,
OSharif82

Ed Bradley Remembered...

Ed Bradley, best known for his work on CBS' 60 Minutes, died on November 09, 2006 of Leukemia at the age of 65. A consummate professional, Bradley was a trailblazer in the field of journalism, characterized by his engaging personality, investigative approach, and of course, his earring. For decades, Bradley was a notable and prominent African-American journalist who served as an inspiration to many, including myself.

During the course of his career, Bradley won a number of awards, including 19 Emmy awards (Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2003), a Peabody award, a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism award, and a Lifetime Achievement award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Bradley covered many controversial, influential, and historic events worldwide, ranging from the Vietnam War to the Columbine shooting.

He will truly be missed.


R.I.P.
OSharif82

Drinking the Koolaid...

"I wear a mean, dark pair of shades...and you can't see my eyes, unless my head is bent..."
-Jim Jones "We Fly High"

Around many a schoolyard, college campus, work place, or shopping mall, you are very likely to hear the word, "Ballin" yelled out at any given moment. You can blame this guy, Jim Jones, for that epidemic, courtesy of his hit single "We Fly High". And I have to admit, even I have begun to drink the Kool-Aid, and have been infected with Tourette syndrome of the Ballin variety.


Some people may remember that another Jim Jones (who happened to wear a mean, dark pair of shades as well) also had people drinking Kool-Aid in his day. 914 members of Jones' Peoples Temple cult committed mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana at the behest of Mr. Jones.

And although the modern-day Jim Jones is developing a cult-like following, his movement isn't likely to result in death (except of hip-hop, depending on who you ask). In my opinion, Jones has breathed life into the rap game, in resurrecting the New York rap scene on a national stage, and by his all-out challenge to the "CEO of Hip-Hop", Jay-Z.

And similar to the Jigga man's ability to set trends, Jim Jones has left a mark with his "Ballin" chant, in a "Giant" way.



no lie, you know it,
OSharif82

One Nation?

Looks like Bush is developing a bit of a headache. There's a good chance that Dubya could be experiencing a 2-year migraine, now that control of both the House and Senate are in the hands of the Democrats. For the first time since 1994, the Legislative branch of our fair, Federal government will be dominated by a Left-wing perspective, which should provide more of a balance to the agenda of our Commander-In-Chief.

Was the midterm election a referendum on President Bush? For the most part, yes. A president with an approval rating in the 30's isn't going to do much in terms of exciting the Party base. A high body count in the third year of a war that people are increasingly becoming sick of isn't going to help either.

But, was Tuesday a nationwide ringing endorsement of a liberal shift in our social conscious? No. People voted for change, and courtesy of a Two-Party system, the Elephants and Donkeys traded spaces in Washington.

And although new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is looking forward to "working in a confidence-building way with the president," I'm sure there will be quite a few political conflicts in the future.


An early casualty in this political war is Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld "resigned" (which in Washington means fired) and will be replaced with another guy with ties to Bush Sr., Robert Gates. So, only time will tell if Rumsfeld's resignation will result in big policy changes in Iraq.


So in spite of the momentous Congress Party shift, some questions still remain.
Are our voices as American citizens going to be heard better with a Democratic Congress?
Will there be more of a focus on the issues that are relevant to the middle-class and the working-class?
Will partisanship and party politics create gridlock in Washington, or will the President and Congress be able to acheive compromise on common goals?

show me what you got baby,
OSharif82

Numbers Don't Lie

Has anyone noticed that cats with huge singles, that get lots of radio and video airplay are not seeing a translation into solid record sales?

Young Dro's "Shoulder Lean" was a smash this year, yet he's only sold about 271,000 copies of his album, The Best Thang Smokin.

Sammie had a R&B hit, "My Girl" feat Sean Paul, yet he's only sold about 33,000 copies of his new joint.

Jibbs' hit (a song I personally hate, but alot of people love) "Chain Hang Low" sold over a million ringtones, but the kid has only sold 47,000 records.

Even customary heavy hitters are not moving units like they have in the past. Numbers for Ludacris (Release Therapy - 596,763), Diddy (Press Play - 230,912), and Outkast (Idlewild - 430,553) are WAY below the typical sales these artists have pulled in their career.

How will a hit-driven, Internet-dominated music business evolve, and how will that adaptation affect us fans? Will record labels begin to focus more on singles, to capitalize on the popularity of downloading one or two songs from an artist, as opposed to buying their album? Or will it force artists to make solid albums, instead of focusing on catchy trends or regional sounds to make hits?

Don't forget, Lupe Fiasco made a great album and has only sold 175,000 copies of his CD, while Yung Joc has sold almost 800,000 records, mainly on the strength of his single, "It's Goin Down."

I'm interested to see how this winter's lineup of artists will fare, in terms of actual CD sales.
The Game, Clipse, Snoop, Ghostface, Young Jeezy, Nas, and Jay-Z will all be dropping albums during November and December. Let's see how the 4th Quarter plays out.

game time,
OSharif82