The Evolution of Man - Level Up!

This song opened me up to new perspectives of what music, love, and poetry could be.

Binary Star - Evolution of Man (1999)

Opening Lyrics:

[One Be Lo]

It's like... Beyond physical attraction, 

Your explosive personality blows my mentality.

Actually, my emotions on a rampage. 

We ain't the same age, but we in the same book, on the same page.

Your conversation calls for meditation.

Never amateur. Check the calendar, let's make a reservation.

Communication is the bridge.

At times, I wonder what you thinkin'.

The truth will set you free like Abe Lincoln.

[Brenda J]

Free, I'm totally emancipated.

Proclaiming is due to the love together we've created.

Our thoughts no longer separated,

Past barriers and roadblocks, 

You've opened my heart, no need to pick the lock.

[One Be Lo]

The key to my heart should be the sole controller,

Life is full of ups and downs like a roller coaster.

I'm hip to your vibe like Motorola...

...it goes on, and it don't stop.

I. This Song Bang Hard!

A hip hop looove track. Right up there with "The Light" by Common and "Beautiful" by Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Mary J. Blige. It's the softer side of hip hop, and without the major label.

So I posted a few weeks ago about how Binary Star opened me up to underground hip hop with the song "Honest Expression," but THIS song, "Evolution of Man" opened me up to new levels of poetry and love. The girl's lyrics are really poetic too.

What struck me most when I got introduced to this in 2005 WASN'T just the subject matter and clever rhymes, even though I love the subject matter and it's clever as shit, delivered over that smooth beat.... so lovely, enjoy the song!!! What struck me about "Evolution of Man" was that it sounded genuine, and authentic, as if he wrote it specifically for his loved one, and not to sell a million records to a mass audience. Just look at the first line! There must be someone special that this song was inspired by, and THAT's what stuck with me... inspired rhyming!


Words packed with emotion are much more powerful compared to words that lack feeling and passion.

II. Songs don't change your life, YOU DO!

From that point on, I did something that changed my life: I adopted the habit of writing whenever I got inspired. Started when I was bored in detention. Continued when I found poems to be a fun way to surprise a girl I liked. Didn't always charm them, but sometimes it did. My early rhymes were pretty terrible, but they got better over time. Writing has become a habit that exercises my creativity muscle and keeps me producing. I'm doing it right now. I can't ever stop, and I have no reason to because it's fun and enriches my life.

Wise words/Free plug for a respected bboy's blog: 1nspiration is Free.
Inspiration could come from a girl (as it often has), from a story/picture/song/video, from dancing, or from a specific event or experience. From family. From clouds. From the weather. From Morgan Freeman's voice. From natural patterns I notice. From social/economic/political issues that need to be addressed. Just like hip hop, it's FREE. The point is, after falling in love with this song, something was triggered in my poor head to find inspiration through MANY sources, and convert that inspiration into inspired words.

I'm inspired by people who write better than me, those who are more accomplished than me, and that's what keeps me hungry to improve my writing, making new rhymes, and blogging. I want to get better... I'm not ready to plateau!

I'm inspired by great people, accomplished people, genuinely happy people, passionate people, responsible people, disciplined people, entrepreneurs, people with skills and abilities...

III. In Conclusion:

I know I talk about myself a lot, BUT... It's not about me, it's about everyone around me, friends, family, and students. Future children and grandchildren. I wish for their lives to be better. That's what this blog is for. I wish for my energy to be contagious. Some people who don't know me well talk ill on me/my blog/my videos, but I just wish the best for them. I don't wish to spend my time spewing hate... I'd rather spend my time doing great. Haha. Rhymetime!


Back to the topic, Evolution of Man.

Here's what I learned from writing/dancing/living, and here's what matters most: When your mind changes, your life changes. That's why teachers, mentors, friends, and family are important! They affect your mind, and can help you grow. When you learn new skills, you evolve. Life IS like an RPG game, in the sense that you explore the world collect new experiences; when you fight through battles, you gain "experience points," and when you get better, you level up! And LIFE IS AWESOME!

There's no limit to what humans are capable of learning and doing. Evolve yourself!

to infinity

Like the late great business philosopher Jim Rohn said:

"Don't wish for things to get easier, wish for yourself to get BETTER.

Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills!"

Nice philosophy! It works in reverse too: When you get better, things that were once difficult become easier for you. Think... walking, dancing, driving a car, etc.. It's not about magic, it's about good habits!

So in high school when I focused on evolving MYSELF, and getting better at things that I wasn't good at, my life got better! My dancing, my rhyming, my relationships all get better, when I improve myself.

More recently, I had this revelation (self-talk): "Stop trying to prove yourself to people. Stop trying to prove that you're knowledgeable about hip hop culture, and that you can dance, and rhyme, etc.... Focus instead on IMproving yourself; do what you're meant to do on this earth, and let others think what they will anyway."


Live with purpose, and on purpose. Always striving for the next level. It's the evolution of man.

~~~

Haha, just noticed another pattern as I was writing this:

Bored during lunch/after-school => started breaking.
Bored during detention => started writing/rhyming.
Bored during non-work hours => started blogging/business planning.


Last words:

Consistency is the Key.
That's what I learned from L-I-F-E.
And my friends agree.
Consistency is the Key.

Advice on Navigating the Friend Zone

Here's a really good song that pretty much nobody knows.

Take a few minutes to stream it.

It's a FRIEND ZONE song!

Jurassic 5 - Thin Line (ft. Nelly Furtado)

Opening by Chali 2na: 

This is a lesson in friendship.

The depths of a kinship.

What women and men begin with,

And then slip.

My pen drips

As I scribble my thoughts on thin strips

Of emotion...

And the hook from Nelly Furtado:

We been friends for a long time, a very close friend of mine,

Love you like you was mine, but respect the thin line.

I love you like you was mine, think about you all the time,

A very close friend of mine, but respect the thin line.

[You can get the rest of the lyrics here]

Sounds like she's not gonna let him out of the Friend Zone, but then.....

Nelly's verse:

I can't do this anymore,

See my heart just falls out when you walk in the door.

Friendship turned into lust, and this only tip

That I can't comprehend even if I knew it.

Can't do justice to these things that I'm feeling,

You got someone else don't wanna be caught stealing,

Hell if she knew she would never leave us alone in the roo-oo-oom.

Then the song wraps up:

This was a listen in friendship.

I stress in this sentence:

Should men and women be friends first, and then slip?

My pen drips as I scribble my thoughts on thin strips 

Of devotion...

Opposites attract...

And best friends make a perfect match,

If you only knew that...

~~~~

So in CONCLUSION, not all Friend Zone stories end like that, but some do.

Also, Nelly Furtado was super illy before she had that pop phase. 

Still it's just a song.

The reality is that situations like this happen, where both sides are friends, 

but one is romantically attracted, and the other is not...

And she seems to frequently run into boy problems.

Here's the tip from Nelly's verse - she can't even comprehend! 

Girls have no idea what they want sometimes.

So take charge. Be a man, lead the way. 

Grow some cajones...

Also from the song, the guy says "Yo watchu doin after this?"

Not a bad question! It expresses interest without crossing the line.

I'm gonna come from a guy's perspective, having had a thing for a girl who gets attracted to jerks and losers who mistreat her, because that's the perspective I know.

So for guys in the Friend Zone:

Be understanding that girls aren't perfect either, and many just don't know their real worth, so that's why some end up with jerkhead guys... or settle with someone that they know is not right for them. Also, girls like to have fun too, so just being "nice" isn't enough. Gotta be MORE than just nice.

You have to BE more... so you can HAVE more. In order to BE more, you just have to DO more. And in order to DO more, you just have to KNOW more.

Most guys in the Friend Zone just don't know what they're missing, or what they can do differently...

I will go into more depth on that in my next post.

Stay tuned :)

"To express oneself honestly is very hard to do." -Bruce Lee/"Honest Expression" -Binary Star

^for the ladies

Ultimately "Martial Art" means honestly expressing yourself.
It is easy for me to put on a show and be cocky,
So I can show you some really fancy movement.

But to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself,
And to express myself honestly, that, my friend, is very hard to do.

Bruce Lee
(From a soundbyte used as an intro to a Binary Star song)



THIS SHIT BLEW MY MIND WHEN I WAS 15 YRS OLD.
And it was THE SONG got me into NON-COMMERCIAL Hip Hop.
If you've never been introduced to underground, let this be your introduction.
If you've been into it, then you already know the deal. Classic track:


Binary Star {HONEST EXPRESSION}

Like sands through the hourglass,

So are the days of our lives.

And for that live moment we thrive.

Awakening as we make the dead come alive.

Rise and walk, my son, come into the light.

Inside the dark, we illuminate mics.

Give Knowledge to Mediocre,

The Will to Neanderthal.

Filter to the smog,

Digital to analog.

We steady advancing,

Rhyme enhancing,

Simple minds can't keep up with this.

[Senim Silla]

Imma put it on the table.

I ain't a thug n***a and player, I ain't playful.

I'm just Senim Silla a man without label.

Standing on my own 2, just trynna stay stable.

Speaking what I know, doing only what I'm able.

...

[One Be Lo]

I ain't hardcore, I don't pack a 9 millimeter,

Most of y'all gangsta rappers ain't hardcore neither.

Whoever get mad, then I'm talkin' bout you.

Claim you fear no man but never walk without crew.

...

I ain't got nothing against nobody trynna make a decent living,

It ain't the money that's the issue.

Only if that's the reason why you ain't making decent music,

THAT'S what I got beef with you.

This stuff hits the heart, and transferred a feeling that I hadn't gotten from Pop music.

But I knew from FEELING it, that I was into it.

I can't do this song justice by just writing/talking about it... You just have to isolate yourself from other distractions and be focused on the music.

-I know for many people who dig underground, there is that moment when you realize the difference between what you THOUGHT was hip hop on the TV/Radio, and what was ACTUALLY hip hop in the Underground and in Real Life. 

-And the main distinction with that is that the REAL RAW hip hop is an organic thing, not a manufactured thing. It's not cooked, processed, and presented on a platter for sale. But you don't need me to tell you what "REAL hip hop" is, you can see it for yourself if you know someone involved in the culture, OR if you are that involved person yourself. The manufacturing/packaging/marketing side is the business side, the commercial, it's commerce, which is important too, but that's not what makes it RAW. 

How does it become NOT raw?

-When an artists' sound gets TOO manufactured, and taken away from the essence in which it was created, it loses authenticity. (See: Nelly Furtado, Black Eyed Peas) 

-The plus side is that artists get money, the down side is that the culture, or whatever they originally stood for, is slightly watered down. It seems to be the pattern, the more you water something down, the wider an audience it can reach. Another way of saying it is "the best way to destroy a good counterculture is to water it down and turn it into popular culture." (See: Beats, Hippies, Rock n Roll, Punk, and Hip Hop)

-Change is necessary though, and so is making money, to an extent, so you can't fault any artist for that.

BACK TO HONEST EXPRESSION

-For me, It just blew my mind, back in 2003. And it blew the door open for a whole undiscovered genre of music to flood my brain.

-But this song (along with "Reality Check") particularly changed my perception of what HIP HOP music could be.

-I didn't know this type of stuff could have even existed.

After discovering Binary Star, I got into BLACKALICIOUS....GIFT OF GAB and CHIEF XL.... Alphabet Aerobics,  then Chemical Calisthenics, then 

Make You Feel That Way

 and Swan Lake... Then I got into Pete Rock & CL, and once the floodgates open. They don't close. 

"85 percent represent ignorant"
^the significance of this single line was not realized to me until college when I learned about the 5% Lessons.

But BACK TO HONEST EXPRESSION.

-Maybe it was the Bruce Lee sound clip too. 

Listen to the song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSeE4QvYC7o

What you must hear is Binary Star's MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE album. 1998 Classic!

"Hip Hop Lives." -KRS-ONE

If you haven't seen this video, view it immediately:

KRS-ONE & MARLEY MARL - HIP HOP LIVES (2007)

Because the Harlem Shake viral videos have made a joke out of a real dance, and a low-income area that is rich in history, I figure it's important to reaffirm that hip hop is still alive. There are forces watering it down, but hip hop lives.


Here are lyrics from the song about HIP HOP:


Hip means "to know" it's a form of intelligence.
To be hip means is "to be update and relevant."

Hop is a form of movement
You can't just observe a hop, you gotta hop up and do it.

Hip and Hop is more than music.

Hip is the knowledge
Hop is the movement.
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement.
Or relevant movement
We selling them music.

So write this down on your blackbooks and journals:
Hip Hop Culture is Eternal

Run and tell all your friends,
An ancient civilization has been born again.


These are the lyrics of KRS-ONE.
He's expressing the view that Hip Hop is ancient. Different people's scope of hip hop is different, so some people might think it's just music, some just fashion. For some it goes deeper than that. It's like some timeless, borderless, formless Bruce Lee shit. Many think hip hop is some commercial shit, which it is ALSO. There's an entrepreneurial side, a sort of hustler mentality.

But now that it's here, IT'LL REMAIN HERE, from '73 til infinity.


HIP HOP
Her Infinite Power Helping Oppressed People

Holy Integrated People Having Omnipresent Power


I have more to say, but will save for later, and wrap it up for now.

Even Jesus Never Saw His Real Father

Been thinking about Christmas. It's kinda funny...

On your birthday, you get presents, right?
On Jesus' birthday, everyone gets presents!

Haha, but check this out:

"Even Jesus never saw his real Father /
It don't bother me at all though.
Said it don't bother me at all.
Got me thinking bout my Mom though."

That's a little snippet from a good song by J. Cole, called "2 face," talking about how there's always at least 2 sides to everything.

If there's light on one side of the Earth, best believe the other side is shrouded in darkness.
Same with everything. Same with the Moon. It's Yin and Yang, mang.

UNLESS you're the Sun itself, then you just shine light and warmth out to everything in range.

My goal's to be like God's Sun, and just share my light with the people on Earth. That means my rhymes, my thoughts, my advice, my blogs, my videos, my dance lessons, etc. And I do it for anyone who feels like they're in the darkness, or are coming out of the darkness.

Alternately, if certain situation looks bad, you better believe there's a brighter side to it!

For example, I'm not the only one who knows what it's like to grow up without a father around. Granted my Dad was there for the first 12 years of my life, but he's been gone for the last 12, and it's not likely that he'll be coming back (though I put faith on that thought for a few years).

I really think my Father worked hard, toiled, and sacrificed his life so that I could live a better one. For that, I'm eternally grateful for him.

It wasn't an easy situation for me, and it's still not, but I learned from it! With relatively little male guidance from age 12 til now, I had to figure things out for myself, and that's been one of the biggest blessings of my life. It has given me the chance to decide where I want to go, instead of having someone else dictate it for me.

I remember one guy said "Don't do everything for your kids, and rob them the opportunity of doing something for themselves." Good quote!

Now obviously I'm not qualified to give parenting advice, but from the KID's perspective, learning to do shit for myself, and solving problems for myself, figuring out relationships for myself, was GOOD. Did I make mistakes? Yes! Was it hard? Yes! Did I get hurt a few times? Yes! ....but it was worth it!

Fuck being spoon-fed, you can feed yourself if you're not a baby anymore.

This looks like a westernized Jesus flashing gang signs!

So yeah, even Jesus never saw his real Father, but that didn't stop him from living a significant life and impacting a lot of people. Even after his death, his legacy carried on. From a non-Christian, areligious standpoint, I think Jesus is not a bad person to model your life after.

There Were Always Renegades...

...People willing to do something different,

Moving against the dominant culture.

"Since the Prehistoric Ages.

And the days of Ancient Greece.

Right down through the Middle Ages.

Planet Earth kept going through changes.

Then the Renaissance came.

And times continued to change.

Nothing stayed the same,

But there were always Renegades.

Like Chief Sitting Bull.

Tom Paine,

Dr. Martin Luther King,

Malcolm X,

They were Renegades

Of this Time and Age.

The Mighty Renegades."

A lot of people don't realize that this song was written by Afrika Bambaataa,

The Godfather of Hip Hop, 

Former Black Spades gang member, 

and founder of the Universal Zulu Nation.

It was made popular more recently by Rage Against the Machine.

Of course, bboys usually dance to the RATM version.

but WHO ARE the Renegades?

"Renegades are the people.

With their own philosophy.

They change the course of history.

Everyday people like you and me."

And the Renegades of FUNK? Who are they?

Of course, the generation born out of Funk,

Which is the HIP HOP Generation.

HIP HOP HEADS.

The Renegades of TODAY's Time and Age.

Half of yall don't realize your own significance.

Hip Hoppers are the Renegades of Funk.

They changed the course of history.

It would be incorrect to discuss the Origins of Hip Hop without mentioning Funk.

And it would be incomplete to talk about the origins of Funk without mention of the Civil Rights movement, and Blues music before that. It's all part of a larger struggle.

Are you taking part in changing the world for the better?

If you love Hip Hop culture, then you very well may be!

You heard it here: Hip Hop is a sustainable culture for the future.

The culture is tied to Knowledge, which invariably ties it to Education.

Ever heard the phrase "Each one, Teach one"?

If you have a light, you can light 1000 candles.

Know what I mean?

Because of that, Hip Hop is here to stay.

Still only 40 years young.

Still going strong.

What lays ahead?

Consider the famous first words of the song...

"No matter how hard you try, you can't stop us now."

Viciously, I Make History Instantly

GURU Rest in Peace!

He's Above the Clouds.

From my perspective, I will address hip hop figures as historical figures. 

These artists, educators, revolutionaries, and entrepreneurs have made an impact on the world. 

Economically and Socially.

Often, they are not given the credit they deserve. 

The world hasn't fully realized it yet, but the history they've made is profound.

Society tends to downplay the accomplishments of certain groups. 

More on that later.

Hip Hop is still a young culture,

But it has produced some historical figures in the past 50 years.

I will explain that further in future updates also.

This is one of many Gangstarr songs that changed my life. 2007-2009.

"Work" - off the Moment of Truth album:

Albums are meant to be played as a whole, not as single songs.

You wouldn't read just a chapter from a book. 

Read the whole book.

That's how quality albums are designed.

With single lines enough to blow minds.

If you put in work, you can watch your status escalate.

"I'm doing my thing now to lamp later on."

Great words from the G.U.R.U.

Moment of Truth album....peep the title track.

Other G.U.R.U. lines that stuck with me:

"It's often easier for one to give advice,

Than it is for person to run one's own life."

"I can visit any city, get respect in the streets /

While you alone in your room, shook to death of the streets."

Keith Elam aka GURU - Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal.

I will end with the legend bringing realness to the studio, in Europe.

Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now" w/ Busta Rhymes+Lil Wayne

First of all, I'll battle Chris Brown any day...and I'll smoke him! As far as dancing goes, I haven't seen 1 original dance move from him, but I'll admit he's good at choreography. Chris Brown, if you're reading this, I've seen some dancing from you (breaking, popping, house, etc.), it's not all bad, so let's battle! FUCKA.

2ndly, he gets minus points for his relationship with Rihanna. He fucking sucks as a person. He also fucking socks. Women. with his fist. 

3rd, his rap verse is a joke, but I do like the line "Ladies love me, I'm on my Cool J," that's clever, shout to LL Cool J. 


Onto the music... I like the song! Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, and that phat beat really make this song for me. I'm happy to see it get popular. Why? BUSTA RHYMES! I'm not surprised that Busta Rhymes is still doing his thing, he's been beasting since early 90s, Leaders of the New School... but now even the new gen of kids know him. And he's beastlier than ever (see below). Lil Wayne also had a really ill verse. "What's poppin' slime?!" The beat was produced by Diplo and Afrojack, no wonder! Solid production. The music video's cool too.


Chris Brown, he's got a smooth voice when he sings, but I'm not feeling his rap, and he doesn't deserve all the credit for this song, cuz he got some major help. 


At the end of it all, I don't wanna be hating behind a blog. Credit is due to the artists involved, and as I said, I like the song. But I can dance and write better than Chris Brown! Hip hop's come a long way. Busta Rhymes is still slayin' em. Enjoy this:

Peace, understanding, and hip hop.