Holidays
Since it was Memorial Day weekend, I got a chance to sneak up to Arkansas (my home state), catch up with my mother and family. We are to never forget the reason for the meeting occasion, but we must embrace the opportunity that we have to gather, due to that reason.
The soldiers who have put their life on the line and continue to risk their lives in order for us to have our freedoms. Coming from a military family, Memorial Day always stood out to me and for that, I salute those troops. To those who have passed in the line of duty and to the troops are continuing to fall, may God rest their soul and bless their families.
The time that I got to spend with my family, allowed me to gain a positive perspective on my recent troubles that I’ve had lately and also, it brought me back to the place that made and gave me some inspiration.
Once again, I would like to thank our troops, as I one day look to be commissioned, and thank my family for giving me the vital support that I needed to have a great upbringing.
Tonight on TV- Game 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic
The Cleveland Cavaliers to keep pace with the Orlando Magic, as they continue to give them matchup problems.
Can Cleveland prevent Orlando from pushing the game to 3-1 and 1 game from elimination?
Let the script be written.
Busy Busy Busy!
I’ve been extremely busy this past week, so things have been running a lot slower than usual for me. Life has its times where things seem like the come to a standstill, only to heap more burdens onto your shoulders. =/ The thing all individuals must be able to do is stay focused and be very resolute in handling our business “and you know this mannnn!!” lol. We all go through it sooner or later, so I’ll just continue the play the cards I’m dealt, but I will be back to %100 by the end of the weekend! 
A lot in store for next week, lots of dating advice, even debate, and I’ll share a recent personal experience that’s hit me in the chest pretty hard.
…Until we meet again
- That Gentleman
Streetwear with a choice: The Pros and Cons
We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce to some good friends of ours, who have this refreshing clothing line, using hard work, pure talent, and grassroots efforts to brand their clothing line. The interview will provide a little bit more background to the creators of the line and the clothing line itself. Enjoy!
Big ups my dude to you and the fam at PNCLA
So, What’s the name of the line and when did you create it?
We are The Pros & Cons, the line was created in 2006 but it took us a while to get to where we are today. Over the course of the next couple years we created a slew of graphics then finally felt we were ready to go public in the fall of 2008. Our Spring/Summer09 line was the first time we decided to shop the line around and the response has been amazing.
The Pros & Cons was created by a couple of guys with some equipment and a lot of talent up their sleeves. We were kind of sick of all the cookie cutter bullshit that was being eaten up by the general public and honestly felt we could bring something new to the table. The head of our Art department was also sick of doing graphics for other brands, only to get a small percentage, so the two of us together decided to set off on our own and the rest is history.
Anything that you plan to achieve with the line?
Well, creating art, doing the stuff we love, and being able to provide for our families while doing so would be great start. Other then that, we would love to bring some awareness to the game. The term streetwear gets thrown around way too loosely these days and entire brands are faking a lifestyle they have never lived a day in their lives. Combine that with how over saturated everything has become, and it starts to make a mockery of the original idea of streetwear. I’d love to get to a place where the average consumer could tell the difference between original hand drawn illustrations and the hard work that goes into creating them, and free fonts mixed with google image searches. That would be great!
Where is the company based?
We are based in sunny Los Angeles, California.
You have a really clean and organized line, what makes it different from your competition?
Thank you. I think it starts with us. We are very picky and probably a little hard to please. The reason we didn’t just start dropping shirts back in 06 was because we are perfectionists. Even back then we could tell things were getting heavily saturated, so we wanted to make sure we had solid branding infused from the jump. We own our own printing equipment and a lot of these designs we have been sitting on for a long time, so we easily could have dropped long ago, but we wanted everything to have a certain look and feel for it, and we took no short cuts in doing so. It’s very gratifying when people notice that and this experience has been a humbling one to say the least.
How do you plan on reaching the masses with your product?
Word of mouth is a very powerful tool. With the current state of retail sales still in a slump, you have to be very smart with what you do with your advertising dollars. Street campaigning and social network sites go a long way in this day and age to creating brand awareness and have either very little cost or no cost at all. That’s definitely a great starting point.
It’s hard to deny the fact that the country is in a recession, are your products affordable?
I’d like to think so. I actually feel like we could charge more for some of our graphics. Especially when comparing to what else is out there in a similar price point. At the end of the day it’s up to the consumer to decide that though.
What type of style would you say your product has?
Luxurious streetwear (laughing). Nah in all seriousness, I feel like we are trying to create our own lane within the streetwear niche market. There is no denying we have a street style, but I feel like we incorporate a little more then your average streetwear brand within our designs.
What are your upcoming plans for the rest of 2009 and the line?
We hope to just keep growing in popularity and hope that people like what we are trying to do. We have a lot up our sleeves for the rest of the year and have graphics finished and just waiting to drop on the public. Expanding into more garments is also on the list but we are trying to gain awareness for our graphics first. This is a step by step procedure for us and like I said, we aren’t interested in half stepping or taking short cuts.
Where can we find the line and when are you dropping your newest releases?
Direct to the source is always the best bet. www.pncla.com is that source. Look for us in a boutique or skate store near you, and if your favorite store doesn’t already stock The Pros & Cons, let them know they should.
Random thoughts of Motivation
Today, I’ll just share some random thoughts of optimism and life’s ideals. The bold are quotes and the nonbolded print are my personal thoughts.
Make the most of what you have. Peace of mind comes from using what you possess. If there no is no peace, the internal struggles can cause a fight within, that peaks externally, forcing your actual persona to take a back seat.Accomplishment is a matter of great satisfaction to one. Neither riches nor poverty has the inherent power to make many happy. Instead, happiness comes from making the most of what we have, where little or much. While it is evident that wealth is a very convenient thing, it is also admitted that the poor person who enjoys little is much richer than the wealthy who get no joy from his plenty. So the only standard by which we can conclude is when we are really rich..it is because the peace of mind. Success isn’t defined by how much money you have, but rather by the happiness that you possess. Riches can’t buy you what feelings you hope to obtain through having a peace with your heart and your surroundings.
Selfishness destroys character, shrinks the soul, and makes us miserable. Becoming absorbed within the self, causes you to lose sight of what’s infront of you. In order to go forward, you must look ahead and envision yourself getting there. Those who seek joy for their selves only lose it. Material joys are temporary, but happiness obtained through successful work, can last a lifetime. On the other hand, those who drive away the clouds for others will make some sunshine for their selves. The clouds that are floating above do have sunlight behind them, but only a clear mind and optimism will allow you to see it.
“Look not every man on his own things, but every man als on on the things of others” [Pillipians 2:4]
“Success doesn’t come to you…you go to it.”
Ex’s, how they could damage your relationship (part 2)
QUICK RANT:
Okay, so I’ve been a little bit busy, but now I’m back to business…
I just spent hours in my email inbox. Guess that’s what I get for being away for a while, F MY LIFE =/
Today, I’m going to be talking about a topic that I’ve experienced personally that a lot of people can pretty much relate to. Last time I got into the basics of ex’s, but I’ll go a little bit deeper and more concentrated on this one. It’s another part to the DREADED “ex’s” series, but let’s get into this without further delay. 
One Phrase – FATAL ATTRACTION.
Well, a lot of people think it’s quite the idea to have an ex as part of their support system. I mean, in some respects, I CAN sympathize with that thought. It’s a different world today though, in which most relationships are heavily involved sexually. So, you’re asking your new boyfriend or girlfriend to be cool with you using your old cutty buddy as a “confidant”.
Really?
In some cases , it can actually be a good thing, seeing as how there ARE certain individuals with good intentions. I’m not saying that every ex has bad intentions, but a majority of the time, they aren’t staying cool with you to provide guidance. From a guy’s perspective, a lot of the reasons why he hold on to our ex’s is so that we may someday be able to go back to them, given a situation where things fall through. The feeling of having an ex that still wants you emotionally and physically is quite the feeling itself, but I digress. You may have just been in a relationship, where you didn’t quite see eye to eye, so you had to part ways. If that is the case, then I could see how you would want to remain as friends with that person. Now, let’s look at it from another angle. Let’s say you were cheated on by that guy or girl, causing you to end the relationship, but they apologized to you more than Ruben Studdard and you agreed to be friends. Doesn’t that sound a bit sketchy?
There’s a distinct difference between being “great friends” and “just friends”. You may never know if that ex wants to get back with you, so that automatically makes things a bit shady for your new love. If you continue to text/IM/MySpace/Facebook, it’s not going to look good to anyone outside of your previous relationship in ANY case.
Personally, I’ve been in the situation and it didn’t end well at all. To make the story short, I thought I could be friends with one of my ex’s and found out later that she STILL had feelings for me, knowing that I was in a relationship. She had those feelings all along and played the friends role brilliantly, only to cave in to her own heart. They say it’s hard to go in the opposite direction of where heart wants to go, right? Yeah, you may agree to be “just friends,” but in a lot of today’s situations, one of you still has feelings. Let me reiterate, I’m not saying that it isn’t a good idea to be friends with your ex’s. I’m “just” saying it’s not a good idea to be GREAT friends with your ex’s in light of your new relationship and future tension it could cause, when you say, “oh that’s my ex”.
“Oh, that’s just my ex” is what you’ll hear and the key part of that sentence that you will pull out for dissection is the word “just” lol. Why would that have to be thrown in there? For the life of me, I’m trying to figure out, but only a few logical reasons are coming to mind. The intentions your ex may have, could be good, but will they look good to your current lover? It could look completely the opposite to them, I assure you.
Take for instance the song by Trey Songz, “Can’t Help But Wait,”. He’s talking about his girl running back to her ex or vice versa, but why? I’ll tell you why, because even though you may be completely secure in your relationship, the thought of the person before you ALWAYS sits in the back of your mind. It’s in human nature to think of competition and that one person before you could possibly be your biggest competitor. In all seriousness, you could have a crazy ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, which isn’t something you would want in you or your new significant other’s life.
As soon as I thought of that idea, I thought of the movie, “A thin line between love and hate”. I’ll be sharing a little bit more of my stories, the further this series goes, so hold your judgement lol. People, you don’t any situation like that arising, so just do yourself a favor and keep the talk with your ex(s) to a minimum, it might just save you a couple of couch nights and trips to the relationship counselor in the long run
READ PART 1 – HERE
… Until we meet again,
- That Gentleman
Music Single Spotlight
QUICK RANT:
So Cassie Ventura, this lovely young lady who’s signed to Bad Boy Records,
had the internet going crazy last night, literally. Personally, I was scrambling around just like everyone else for the pictures too, yes I was on beastmode, but it was for a good reason…well I thought it was for a good reason lol.
Once again, I was reminded that celebrities are indeed nothing more out of the ordinary than a regular ass person.
MUSIC SPOTLIGHT
We’re not dropping any ONES, but we do have some pretty ill singles from some talented artists to introduce to you.
Download “License to Kill” – G.o.D Jewels
Download “The Instant Message” – G.o.D Jewels
Find more from G.o.D Jewels:
Interview with LifeHasNoScript
Download “Yup, I’m A Beast” – IAmBase
Find more from I Am Base:
IAmBase on MySpace
IamBase on Twitter
SUPPORT THESE ARTIST!
On tv tonight: NBA Playoffs tune in — Are you a witness?
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks – Game 2
Congrats to Lebron James on winning the league MVP, well deserved.
A long journey to the stage, a glimpse into the music of Eyeris
The female MC, a rare find to most hip-hop heads of this decade, once obtaining credit in the 90’s, has seemingly disappeared inside the belly of the music industry. A passion for sneakers and love for music led LifeHasNoScript to cross paths with a female MC by the name of Eyeris who’s rhymes ride melodic beats from The Brown Bomber, has allowed her to perform at events such as the heralded South by Southwest Music Festival all the way to Hip Hop Kemp in the Czech Republic. She’s definitely has some experience behind her mic, recently dropping the mixtape Tha Carter.5, as she continues to gain attention and fans around the globe with her dedication. We got the chance to pull her away from the mic stand for a minute to tell us about her and the music she creates, keeping female MC’s relevant despite the stereotypes and decreasing number of female artists.
No problem, it’s great to see NT fam supporting each other! So I was around 16-17, and my stage name then was “Kid Rumi”, which is pretty lame haha. My boy Dain was like “you need a new name ASAP”. At the time, I was really into Greek mythology. Iris was the messenger of the gods, and united the heavens and Earth with her messages. So we switched around the spelling and made it “Eyeris”.
In a lot of your songs you seem to tell a story, do you believe you can connect better with your audience by painting that picture for them?
Of course. People love to feel what you are saying. I know for a lot of people music is an escape- and if you can make those tracks that allows people to just zone out even for a few minutes, you’ve accomplished something great.
Many artists in the industry are sacrificing substance for better production in order to sell, why do you make your music?
I make my music for me, it’s therapy. But its not just about me- we have this scene in NYC with a lot of younger artists, designers, writers, etc and I do this for all of us as well. We all have a message and a story to tell; I want to show the world our everyday lives.
What do you think of artists who do end up sacrificing the quality of their music?
You know what, when I was younger I would knock people for this so bad. But at the end of the day we need to eat, provide for our families, etc. It saddens me when people take the art out of the art-form and ignore where they came from. I think to truly get a wide range fan base and make it- you need to have the balance of art/quality and that business drive, and thats what a lot of people don’t understand.
You made a song for “people working 9-5,” how has your background influenced you?
I wrote that song when I moved back to NY after dropping out of St Johns. I was living in a basement 1 bedroom apartment with two friends in Richmond Hill. At the time, I was working at this upscale bakery in the Time Warner building and was just fed up. Working like 50 hours a week, still being broke and hardly having time to do what I loved. Going into work mad early, then not getting home until around 1 am, having to deal with the dudes on the block. It was taking all of my energy, but I’ve realized that when I’m at my lowest points, that’s when I write my best stuff.
We can’t avoid it, but you’re a female MC and not too many female emcees have had wide success, what makes you different?
I wouldn’t say I’m extremely different from other dope female emcees, but I study a lot. Business, attitudes, sales, other songs, everything. I’ve been very aware of what’s going on around me and in the industry. I know that there’s like no female emcees on the radio, on MTV/BET, etc but I want to change that. I’m hungry as hell, and I want to show people that there IS a market for female emcees. I think it helps a lot that I have so many guy friends and I’m working in a male-driven industry. It sounds funny but when guys know that they can’t even “go there” with you, it makes the work a LOT easier because that opportunity for sex and all that is not even there so its straight to business.
Is there a particular reason you paid homage to Wayne and made the Tha Carter .5?
Haha, well at the time when it came out everyone was hating on me for liking his music. I think Lil Wayne is very talented, a smart business man, and honest. He has that formula you need in your music. But I wanted to think of something clever for my mixtape- and my last name is Carter as well, so we just went from there.
I started getting into the underground scenes when I was around 17, in Portland Oregon. But it wasn’t til I was around 18-19 and moved to New York that I really started taking things seriously and working hard. So it’s been about 4 years.
Give us some the names of artists you’ve worked with and how has it allowed you to grow?
I have a track on my mixtape with Steph Pockets, that right there was just crazy to me. Anyone who isn’t familiar with Steph, she is an emcee/producer from Philly but has a huge following overseas in Japan. She was on the top 10 hip hop charts there, but just makes amazing music. I added her on Myspace back in high school and she hit me up, it was really surreal to me. And we just became close friends. I’ve learned a lot about keeping the honesty in music through her. Rev Shines from The Lifesavas/ Quannum Projects was really crazy for me too. He is from Portland where I used to live and hit me up to give me a beat CD. I remember I went to his crib and his basement was just filled with vinyl, it’s really dope to see behind the scenes with producers. Working with them especially just made me realize “okay, this is for real now… I’m working with artists I’ve looked up to a while so it’s time to show and prove”.
You’ve been real busy lately,recently taking the stage at the infamous South by Southwest Music Festival, is there anywhere you would love to perform?
Last year I rocked at Hip Hop Kemp in Czech Republic, this weekend long festival (think Woodstock but hip hop). But we had an all female stage. I’d really love to perform there again but on the main stage- which usually has a crowd of about 20,000 people. Rock the Bells is on my list too. It really bothers me how there’s like never female emcee on the bill, I hope that changes soon.
Which group or solo artist, dead or alive, has influenced you the most?
Jean Grae, hands down. She has such a good balance of honesty/life/comedy and just straight spitting in her music. Her music has gotten me through so much, but on top of that her grind is crazy. She shows people what its really like to be a female in this industry, and just doesn’t give a fuck what you think because she knows that she’s one of the best, male or female.
What’s up next for you and your music?
I’m going to be working on a new EP with my boy/producer The Brown Bomber called The Chocolate Milk Sessions. Apart from that I’m going to be working on my new mixtape also. The Chocolate Milk Sessions we are planning to drop near the end of summer, and my mixtape sometime in the fall/winter.
What’s one quote, possibly a song lyric, that has a constant presence in your life?
“Stay far from timid, only make moves when ya hearts in it/ and live the phrase “skys the limit” – Notorious BIG
Find more from Eyeris at :
…The script is being written
they
Procrastination, a sworn enemy to most.
pro·cras·ti·nate
v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·natesv.intr.To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.v.tr.To postpone or delay needlessly.
Seriously, what the hell is with this beast, called “procrastination”. It is one of the only words that could send a chill down my spine, real talk haha. It’s something that will keep you from going to sleep, getting some food, or even calling your mom. I think most of us can relate when we hear that dreaded word, which probably resonates within some a lot more than others. The simple remedy is to “stop being so lazy,” but that’s easier said than done. You could have a day planned full of business that you have to take care of and be looking at that same list, in the same place, with nothing having been done.
Procrastination can make you feel like a bum, literally. People who say they haven’t experienced it are either extremely anal or is a habitual liar. Personally, I had an entire day blocked off in my planner and I only got half of my schedule done. I took a look at the schedule and just shook my head, conceding defeat to the beast that always rears its head at the WRONG times. It’s finals time and everybody is getting their cram + caffeine overdose on, trying to fight off procrastination like sleep as a kid lol.
I know a ton of people can relate, but damn, it doesn’t seem like a battle we can always win. When I say that, I’m not speaking of outside circumstances that force you to put something off, I’m talking about just being lazy, period. Some people might just even put off their own funerals at the rates that some of us are going. Several could probably attest that had they not procrastinated a lot of the time, their lives would be considerably different, in which I wholeheartedly agree.
Take a minute to think about this. What if some of America’s, better yet, the globe’s core issues had been “put off”, due to procrastination taking a firm hold of a person’s intentions? What about some of the issues that we face today, are we procrastinating heavily? Do YOU have something that you have been meaning to do, but you’ve been putting it off?
I guess if you do, you should get to it, or keep procrastinating..
Here’s two short quotes for you, which one could you live by?
“Why do now what can be done later?”
“Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage.”
Well, that was my little rant for today, make some progress… until we meet again
-That Gentleman
It’s Fight Night!
The Battle of EAST vs WEST
[ Phillipines vs UK ]
It’s definitely not Ali vs Frazier or Tyson vs Holyfield, but this fight right here, is certainly a marquee matchup and thee fight to see in 2009.
Pacquaio just handed Oscar, The Golden Boy, De La Hoya retirement papers in his last fight.
Who wants to put a W on their script instead of getting knocked out?
Let’s see if The Hitman, as the under dog, can beat the marked pound-for-pound BEST fighter in the world.
Break out your popcorn and Let’s get ready to RUMBLE !
..and if you like basketball, Game 7 of the Celtics vs Bulls series is on too.
Update: WINNER- Manny Pacquiao
Manny PacMan Pacquiao destroyed the so-called, Hitman, in the 2nd round by TKO. I’ve had quickies longer than that. SMH
Best 1st Round Playoffs Series Ever Winner: Boston
The Celtics took game 7 in a hard fought game,but congrats to D.Rose and the young Bulls on their competitive season.
The NBA Playoffs, Where Amazing DOES happen…
So the playoffs are underway and we’re starting to separate the pretenders from the contenders. Several superstars, but only one has what it takes to propel his TEAM to a NBA Championship. This is the one of those times of the year where you have to choose between watching the game,doing homework, improving your relationship, or working. I hope you make the right choice in multitasking haha.
What we have learned so far in this year’s playoffs:
- Detroit is done. Time to rebuild
- Philadelphia choked against a Howard-less Magic.
- Utah is a good team, but they’re not ready.
- The Bulls are for real, series against Boston has been one of thee best in recent memory.
- San Antonio needs to retire their entire team ASAP.
- Portland WILL be a problem in the future.
- Tracy McGrady is STILL a first round virgin.
- Don’t sleep on Denver
- Cleveland is setting up that throne.
One team, one goal, one championship.
That team is writing history before our eyes and superstars are being born, this is what the NBA playoffs are all about.
life has no script, write your own.
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- The Dating Guru
( That Gentleman)
- Mr. Real Life (The Realest JG)
- Music Mastermind (100K)
- The Fashion Bloke (Pablo)
- Lifestyle RealTalker (enPHANate)
- The Boy Illinois
- Young Rilla ( The Reality Checker)
- Chris Steez (All Around Team Player)
G.O.D. Jewels (The Chicago Bully)
Ms. Jama
King Lincey (Mr. Everywhere)
- John (SpeakEasy) Music Showcase
The Boy Illinois
"if you don't understand the understanding, then get it understood"
Click For More The Boy Illinois!
G.o.D Jewels
"Common sense is really not that common, I'll put you a coma period,no commas."
Click For More G.o.D Jewels!
Young Rilla
"Rilla Than Most"
Click For More Young Rilla!
Hollywood FLOSS
"New Direction Out of Houston"Click For More Hollywood FLOSS!-
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