Sign O' The Times

Oh yeah
In France a skinny man
Died of a big disease with a little name
By chance his girlfriend came across a needle
And soon she did the same
At home there are seventeen-year-old boys
And their idea of fun
Is being in a gang called The Disciples
High on crack, totin' a machine gun

Time, time

Hurricane Annie ripped the ceiling off a church
And killed everyone inside
U turn on the telly and every other story
Is tellin' U somebody died
Sister killed her baby cuz she could afford 2 feed it
And yet we're sending people 2 the moon
In September my cousin tried reefer 4 the very first time
Now he's doing horse, it's June

Times, times

It's silly, no?
When a rocket ship explodes
And everybody still wants 2 fly
Some say a man ain't happy
Unless a man truly dies
Oh why
Time, time

Baby make a speech, Star Wars fly
Neighbors just shine it on
But if a night falls and a bomb falls
Will anybody see the dawn
Time, times

It's silly, no?
When a rocket blows
And everybody still wants 2 fly
Some say a man ain't happy, truly
Until a man truly dies
Oh why, oh why, Sign O the Times

Time, time

Sign O the Times mess with your mind
Hurry before it's 2 late
Let's fall in love, get married, have a baby
We'll call him Nate... if it's a boy

Time, time

Time, time

"Sign O' The Times" - Prince

I read somewhere that all of the lyrics to this song were written based on the news in one newspaper... I tried nosing around the Internet one boring afternoon years ago to see if I could find that paper to no avail. Nevertheless, it's amazing how this song is as relevant today as it was when it was released back in the Summer of 1987 - right before I turned 11.

As I enter my 31st year, the reflection has come rushing to me over the past few days as I ponder how I have lived my life and how I have so much more to live for. How I have let certain events in my past remain ingrained in my psyche instead of letting go.

I don't really know where I am going with this post, but I just wanted to point out once again that the more things change the more they stay the same. Letting the everyday mundane details get to you will eventually be your downfall and death. I have definitely learned a valuable lesson each and everyday of my life, and when the time comes, the person or persons fortunate enough to call me their father will have a damn near unfair advantage.

OK, folks - I have another one in the books. Thanks for all the messages and calls - I look forward to seeing all of you throughout the year!

Can’t Forget About You

[Nas]
There comes a day in your life when you wanna kick back
Straw hat on the porch when you're old perhaps
Wanna gather your thoughts, have a cold one
Brag, to your grandkids about how life is golden
So I will light a cigar in the corridor of the crib
Pictures on the wall of all the things that I did
All the money and fame,

8 by 10's
of the whole Rat Pack inside of a big frame
Collidin' with big names that could've made your career stop
All that, and your man is still here and I'm still hot
Wow, I need a moment y'all
See I almost felt a tear drop

[Chorus]
When was the last time you heard a real anthem
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme
Never on schedule, but always on time

[Chrisette Michelle]
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me [2x]

Ohh, I'm that history I'm that block
I'm that lifestyle I'm that spot
I'm that kid by the number spot
That's my past that made me hot
Here's my lifelong anthem
Can't forget about you
(Can't forget about, Can't forget about you) [2x]

[Nas]
Can't forget about the old school, Bam, Cas, Melle Mel, Flash
Rocksteady spinnin on they back
Can't forget when the first rap Grammy went to Jazzy, Fresh Prince
Fat Boys broke up, rap hasn't been the same since
So irregular, how it messed you up
when Mr. T became a wrestler
Can't forget about Jordan's retirement
The shot Robert Horry hit to win the game in the finals kid
Some things are forever, some things are not
It's the things we remember that gave the world shock
They stay in a place in your mind so snug
Like who the person was with whom you first make love

When was the last time you heard a real anthem
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme
Never on schedule, but always on time

[Chrisette Michelle]

These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me [2x]

Ohh, I'm that history I'm that block
I'm that lifestyle I'm that spot
I'm that kid by the number spot
That's my past that made me hot
Here's my lifelong anthem
Can't forget about you
(Can't forget about, Can't forget about you) [2x]


[Nas]
Unforgettable, un-submittable, I go by N now
Just one syllable, it's the end cause the game's tired
It's the same vibe, Good Times had right after James died
That's why the gangsta rhymers ain't inspired
Heinous crimes help record sales more than creative lines
And I don't wanna keep bringing up the greater times
But I'm a dreamer nostalgic with the state of mind
The past the past enough of it, aight then
But nothing gives me chills like Douglas and Tyson
Or Mike when his talk was live
Or when he first did the moon walk on Motown 25

When was the last time you heard a real anthem
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme
Never on schedule, but always on time

[Chrisette Michelle]
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me [2x]

Ohh, I'm that history I'm that block
I'm that lifestyle I'm that spot
I'm that kid by the number spot
That's my past that made me hot
Here's my lifelong anthem
Can't forget about you
(Can't forget about, Can't forget about you) [2x]

[Nat King Cole sample]
That's why, darling, it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too

• "Can't Forget About You" – Nas featuring Chrisette Michelle
  

I have been described by several of my friends and acquaintances as an old soul on more than one occasion, and it's never been a description that I have tried to avoid. I make no apologies about my dislike for a great deal of today's music, media, and with several things that are considered acceptable in today's culture. Maybe I should have grown up in the 50s and 60s, because lately I've been feeling like almost everything that's going on is just plain garbage… until last night.

Most native ATLiens are aware of and have attended at least one FunkJazzKafe event. This past Saturday, FunkJazz came back after a 2 year hiatus. I admittedly left the last event in 2005 upset and almost wanting my $25 back. I honestly thought the event that I came to look forward to about 4 times a year had run out of gas. All good things must come to an end right? From 1997-2000, it was pretty much a given that on Thursday night, you'd find me at the Yin Yang Café just a bit north of the Varsity. My heart was broken when they closed down. Apache Café is a decent venue, but that same feeling you used to get from Yin Yang just isn't there anymore.

This past Saturday was indeed a blast from the past for me – walking into the Tabernacle for the first time in 2 years was an exciting moment for me. Seeing the artists creating beautiful painting on the spot in the hallway – the Poetry suite on the 3^rd floor with the band – just the good vibe was exhilarating. People stopping to let you walk by – people apologizing for merely brushing against you… just an great feeling that I understand has to be somewhat controlled, but it's a shame that we just can't be like this all the time anymore. The event wasn't without the surprise guests either – Angie Stone, Dead Prez, Bonecrusher, and Dawn from EnVogue each made an appearance and rocked the house. It was yet another incredible experience and I'm once again a fan. After all, a bad FunkJazz still beats the best night in a club in Atlanta.

As a side note – this Chrisette Michelle is off the chain… once you get over hearing the one song that the radio is running into the ground the rest of the CD is indeed one for the collections, as that is something that is hard to get me to say these days.

If you need to travel with kids, rent a car dammit.

** NOTE ** I typed this up months ago, but didn't publish it for some reason - I apologize.

I was going through my emails this morning as I was getting ready for a trip to Houston and came across this commercial that a friend sent several weeks ago. I sometimes never read forwarded emails, much less click on the links that someone sent me anymore, but occasionally I get the inclination to do so…

Up comes this commercial with a man walked through the grocery store with his son. The child starts putting a bunch of candy in the shopping cart, and the man immediately takes the candy out and puts it back on the shelf. After going back and forth a couple of times, the child then decides to throw a tantrum and goes on a tirade throughout the store, complete with the onlooker stare and the embarrassment that goes with it. The camera pans back to the man, and the caption pops up on the screen – "Why you should wear condoms."

No further commentary needed on that one, but it does bring me to what prompted me to write this in the first place. I'm sitting on the plane on the way to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (why the hell International wasn't enough I'll never figure out) in one of those middle seats – fortunate for me the ladies on each side of me were very attractive (but I digress) – and the kids sitting behind me and to the left were some of the loudest, annoying brats I've had to listen to through my noise-cancelling headphones. The kids behind me had some loud game or video system that kept on making me wonder if I had my MP3 player up too loud. Thank goodness "the Captain has turned on the seatbelt signs indicating we are making our final approach" and the kid that kept running up and down the aisle will have to sit down.

Don't get me wrong – I love kids, and want some in the future. When I grew up, when I was told to sit down and shut up, I knew my parents meant it. I knew my grandparents meant it. I rarely moved until they said I could. Plain and simple. If I acted half the way I remembered acting when I was a child, I now realize why my parents used to get all kinds of compliments about my behavior. I knew that if I acted up in public, my parents were going to act worse when we got home.

If at first you don't succeed...

Timbaland's Intro:
It's been a long time,
we shouldn't have left you left you,
without a dope beat to step to step to, step to, step to

Verse 1:
What would you do, to get to me?
What would say, to have your way?
Would you give up or try again,
If I hesitate to let you in?
Now would you be yourself, or play role?
Tell all the boys, or keep it low?
If I say no, would you turn away,
Or play me off or would you stay (oooohhh)...

Chorus:
If at first you don't succeed
(first you don't succeed),
then dust yourself off and try again
You can dust if off and try again, try again
'Cause if at first you don't succeed
(at first you don't succeed)
You can dust it off and try again,
dust yourself off and try again, try again,

Verse 2:
I'm into you, you into me,
but I can't let it go, so easily,
Not 'till I see, where this could be,
could be eternally, or just week,
You know our chemistry, is off the chain
It's perfect now, but will it change?
This ain't a yes, this ain't a no
Just do your thang,
and we'll see how it goes (oooohhh)...

Chorus

Bridge:
See you don't wanna throw it all away,
I might be shy on the first day,
but what about the next day (huh, huh, huh, huh)
See you don't wanna throw it all away,
I might be buggin' on the first day but
what about the next day (huh, huh, huh, huh)

Chorus

Timbaland's Outro:
It's been a long time, we shouldn't have left you left you,
without a dope beat to step to step to, step to, step to

"Try Again" - Aaliyah

A bit corny, I know - but hey it has been a while, right? What can I say - things have been busy for me. Traveling for work, traveling for pleasure, and working on a new project - my parent's old house.

I would have moved into this house a long time ago had it not been for the tenants that were in the house... these same tenants were responsible for setting some furniture on fire in the basement... and had the nerve to try and tell investigators that the house had faulty wiring...

It's quite a humbling experience to see the house that you grew up in get damaged in a fire by some people that obviously didn't care about the place I once called home.

I have a long way to go with this project, and I certainly have already learned a valuable and costly lesson or two... but with any luck, I think that I have turned a corner, and things are going to work out.