We’re Sexy, We’re Great, We’re the Class of 88!

You know you are OLD, when you attend your 2oth high school reunion!! It’s official, I am MIDDLE AGED!!! I cannot believe its been 20 years since I graduated high school. In 1988, it was all about Keith Sweat, Al B. Sure, high-top fades, and stone-washed jeans. In 1988, I saw the movie “School Daze” and couldn’t wait to attend North Carolina Central University, a HBCU in Durham, NC. In 1988, I would vote in my first presidential election — Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro vs. George H.W. Bush and Dan Quayle. Who knew what a wacko Ms. Ferraro would turn out to be.

This weekend, I attended my 20th high school reunion. What a difference 20 years makes. Everyone in my class is now middle-aged. Gone are the high top fades, asymetrical hair cuts, and tight 18-year old bodies. Wide hips, pot bellies, gray hair, NO HAIR, and general middle-aged spread are the order of the day. Some people aged-well and some people…..not so much. The hell-raisers are now born-again Christians (one hell-raiser became a pastor) and many people are on their second, even third marriages. And unfortunately, we lost several classmates since the last reunion 10-years ago. The last reunion, I was single with no prospects. This time I a married mom of a two-year old.

High school reunion’s are a funny animal. I remember my mother talking about her own 20-year reunion when I was a teen, and she mentioned how she’d forgotten the names of many of her classmates. At the time I thought she was ridiculous, I just knew I would never forget my classmates. And yet this weekend, there were several times when a classmate approached me, I looked at their name badge first because I could not for the life of me remember their name. And those who didn’t wear a badge, I just smiled and laughed and acted like I knew who the hell they were.

In 1988, Kool Moe Dee had a hit with the “Wild, Wild West”. That was our theme song, since our school was named Westover. So I dedicate this to the Westover Senior High School Class of 1988!

Kool Moe Dee – Wild Wild West
Uploaded by coolfunk

BET Awards 2008: I’m Officially Old

Watching last night’s BET Awards made me realize just how middle-aged I’ve become. There were a number of performances (mainly the R&B artists) I enjoyed– Chris Brown, Usher, Ne-Yo, Rhianna, and Al Green (as any old person would). But some of the rappers……not so much. When Young Jeezy performed, I watched with confusion as everyone in the audience was standing up and reciting the words. Is “Put On” suppose to be a new hip-hop anthem? Maybe I’m watching too much Elmo, but I was not impressed. Even with Kanye performing. And I know that Lil Wayne is the hottest hip-hop artist out now, but I.do.not.get.it. Why is he selling a million albums in a week? Is ‘Lollipop’ the best thing hip-hop has to offer these days? The best performance of the night for me was Alicia Keys with TLC, SWV, and EnVogue. But of course those were groups I was rocking in college, so I guess that is to be expected. Sigh, what’s a old hip-hop head to do? Listen to jazz??? Check out Alicia’s performance from last night:

Friday Flashback: Bob Marley "No Woman No Cry"

Twenty-seven years ago this month (May 11, 1981) Bob Marley died of cancer. On this day (May 23) he was given an official funeral “by the people of Jamaica“. So today’s Friday Flashback is “No Woman No Cry” which is my favorite Bob Marley song.

Monday Funny

It’s Monday and yet another long work week begins. And we all need a little humor to get us through having our neck stomped on by the man. Eddie Murphy celebrated his birthday recently, and the good folks over at A Hot Mess posted one of his old videos “Whassup With U” to celebrate or make fun of. Anyway, that made me think of another song of his that I acutally liked “Put Your Mouth On Me”. I actually have the cassette single of that song. Wow, I am so OLD!!!! But when I look at it now, the video and song are hilarious, and I don’t think Eddie meant it to be. So without further adieu, “Put Your Mouth On Me”

Happy Monday!!!!!

Have you seen this rapper? Ice Cube

Watching a trailer for “First Sunday”, a few weeks ago, it dawned on me how much I miss Ice Cube, Ice Cube the rapper. I miss the “Amerikka’s Most Wanted”, “Kill at Will”, “Lethal Injection” Ice Cube. When Bomb Squad was producing his albums and when he was scaring White folks (and some black folks). When he was “The Nigga You Love to Hate”. Cube wasn’t your typical gangsta rapper. It wasn’t all guns, drugs, and girls in his songs. Although there were elements of that, Cube was more of a storyteller to me and many of his songs addressed the social issues facing the inner city, in particular South Central Los Angeles. One of his biggest hits “It Was a Good Day” described what an ideal day would be for young black man growing up in the ghetto. However, the song doesn’t become all sappy and sunny. At the end of the song Cube stops the beat and says “Hey wait, wait a minute fool/Stop the shit/What the fuck am I thinking about?”. Cube the realist or the cynic comes back.
I don’t know how I feel about Ice Cube the ‘actor’. He’s done good work in the past with “Boyz n tha Hood”, “Friday”, and “Barbershop”. But his most recent movies (especially First Sunday, which I will only see as a bootleg), had me longing for the old Ice Cube.

So in honor of the artist formerly know as “The Nigga You Love to Hate”, here are two of his videos that are my favorites:

True to tha Game — I loved this video, this was when rappers considered crossing over to the pop charts a mortal sin. Even though many of them were getting mad play on MTV and going platinum. I love how DJ Pooh plays a MC Hammer look-a-like. I wonder if the movie “Drop Squad” with Eriq LaSalle (remember that one) was based on this video or if the video was based on the movie? I can’t remember.

Steady Mobbin — Favorite quote “Went to mom’s house and dropped a load in the bathroom/Jumped back in my low rider/Comin out feelin about ten pounds lighter.”

Old School Video — Black Men United "You Will Know"

Continuing on the positive vibe from the “Yes We Can” video, I want to post this video “You Will Know” by Black Men United. The song was from the Jason’s Lyric soundtrack back in the mid 90s. It had just about every popular male r&b singers of that era. I think only R. Kelly is the only one still making records. But I absolutely loved this song, it was so inspirational and something different from all that Death Row gangsta rap that was popular at the time. Anyway, with Obama possibly becoming the HNIC of the USA and showing young black folks you can be something else other than a rapper, basketball player, or football player, I thought this would be an appropriate video. Enjoy!