Diatribes by Joah

Wait-and-See or Waiting?

Friends and Colleagues,

As many of you know, I have a couple of truly unfavorable qualities. By unfavorable, I don't mean I hate myself for them. I simply mean I make my life more difficult because of them. Most notably is my uber-confidence, which borders on cockiness the way Tijuana borders California. But, the other quality, impatience has probably caused me far more difficulty on a personal level over the course of my 24+ years of life.

In surrounding myself with bright and intellectual individuals who talk about things like virtues and personal development, I have found myself in a number of conversations about patience. Especially amongst the 20-somethings crowd. It seems, from my informal research, that this point in our lives is either when we're waiting for something or we learn to wait-and-see. There's a difference and I'll get to that later.

As for myself, I've always been terrible about being patient because I've always been great about improving my situation. Growing up poor led me to working by the time I was nine or 10. Going to less-than-stellar public schools led me to dreaming about going to a top (public, I don't do private) university as a 6th grader. Graduating from college led me to focusing on my career instead of the books to jump start my career. These are not bad tactics, on premise, but they become an indicator of impatience when one's method of getting from Point A to Point B entails speeding through Point A like it's the Autobahn.

So there I was, a middle schooler already thinking high school, a high schooler thinking college, a college student thinking career, and a young professional thinking boardroom. And this thinking was applicable to nearly every aspect of my life up until a short while ago. Now when add this mindset with the fact that a) no one likes impatient people, b) relationships can't be rushed, and c) you won't get far in your career if you're not succeeding in the job you're in today vs. tomorrow, you have a pretty good recipe for the complete opposite of personal development and virtue.

What this led me to realize is that my impatience and insistence on speeding through life put me in more situations where I was forced to "wait" instead of just being in the moment. On the other hand, I needed to become more "wait-and-see" about life and its occurences.

So eventually things were coming to a head and I had to admit I needed to become more patient or end up alone, unemployable, or with stress-induced ulcers. From that point on, I started praying to God for patience.

Well, like Morgan Freeman (God) says in Evan Almighty, "if you prayed for patience, I wouldn't just give you patience, I'd give you an opportunity to learn patience."

That's exactly what God has done.

First, it was my decision to be patient and not move to Austin (just yet) which has ultimately led to a dramatic increase in my overall quality of life. Then it was my decision not to will myself into a relationship as I've been prone to do and let's just say the results have been both a positive and unexpected shock wave of awesomeness. And now I've decided, rather accepted, another effect of my increased patience: I'm not going to publish Notes from the Class You Missed.

Over the course of the last few months, while working on Real Role Models (http://realrolemodel.blogspot.com/), I've started thinking about how much I've truly enjoyed the process of working on a book with such an intense and earnest purpose. Ultimately, I realized that only one of these books was going to go down in history as the first book I ever published, and after months of back-and-forth I decided Real Role Models should be that book.

Yes, that means you'll have to wait until 2009 to see my name on the New York Times bestseller list (shit, there goes that uber-confidence!). But don't worry, for those of you that have been (key word) patiently waiting for Notes from the Class You Missed, I have decided to make the manuscript available for $10 (that's how much it costs to print and mail it to you directly) starting this fall.

One of the big questions this book stuff has led me to ask myself is: What's going to happen in my life once I publish?

Up until recently I was waiting impatiently to find out, but now, I'm just going to wait-and-see.

Joah

P.S. I'll be enjoying today and chilling out with a glass of lemonade and banana split (my new favorite duo) while I wait (and see, it takes some getting used to).

Hip-Hop History

Hip hop culture has influenced American lifestyle since it was "introduced" in the mid-70s in New York. It has changed our music, our fashion, our vocabulary, our idea of success, and our way of life...especially for African-American children, myself included, growing up fully during the hip-hop explosion during the '80s, '90s and now '00s.

That said, I've written a lengthy, if not comprehensive, history of hip hop. Regardless of your liking or disliking of current rap music, this is a must-read if you don't know who DJ Kool Herc, Big Daddy Kane or Lupe Fiasco are.

A Hip-Hop History Lesson

DJ Kool Herc is considered the “pioneer of hip hop” because he brought the dancehall influences of his Jamaican childhood to Bronx, New York in the mid-1970s. As early as 1973, Herc would throw parking lot parties playing music with huge speakers in the backseat of his car. Eventually others caught on and by the late ‘70s and turn of the decade, Grandmaster Flash and The Sugarhill Gang, of “Rapper’s Delight” fame were notable hip hop artists in New York.

Based on the success of “Rapper’s Delight” and following Blondie’s “Rapture” and Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”, hip hop was starting to catch mainstream attention. By this point in the early 1980s, hip hop was well established in New York and had expanded to the streets of Los Angeles. Break dancing, rapping, graffiti (and to a lesser degree beatboxing) were the major tenets of the hip hop culture at this time. Fashion followed suit with jumpsuits, Kangol hats, Shell top adidas, and other trends that have influenced fashion for years since.

Just around the time MTV and BET were working out their early-year kinks, hip hop was getting ready for primetime and a young entrepreneur and his Jewish friend were ready to capitalize on the opportunity. With the creation of Def Jam Records by Russell Simmons and producer Rick Rubin, Run-DMC quickly rose to pop fame. The group consisting of Joseph “Run” Simmons who was Russell’s younger brother, his best friend Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and later the addition of DJ Jason Mizell, a.k.a. Jam Master Jay), released three albums from 1984 to 1986, including the smash hit album ‘Raisin’ Hell’ which featured the hit single and remix of Aerosmith’s “Walk this Way”. The album sold over 3 million copies and cemented hip hop’s place in popular music.

Further bolstering Def Jam’s success were the rise of hip hop’s first white rappers, a group called Beastie Boys. Their 1986 album “License to Ill” went five time platinum after being the first-ever hip hop album to go #1 on the Billboard chart and earned them a touring gig with Madonna before going on their own world tour with tracks like “Fight For Your Right to Party”.

Ladies Love Cool James, or LL Cool J, was another Def Jam artist to usher in hip hop to the mainstream. The young Queens native was Def Jam’s first official signing and he didn’t disappoint. His 1985 album ‘Radio’ launched a career with Def Jam that remains today, 12 albums later (his 13th album, tentatively titled ‘Exit 13’ will be out this winter). His female-geared tracks “I Need Love” and “’Round the Way Girl” weren’t popular amongst the hardcore rap fans who expected songs like “I’m Bad” and “Mama Said Knock You Out”, but rapping to the women has always been LL’s bread and butter.

By this time, another young rapper from Philadelphia called the Fresh Prince was bringing a pop feel to hip hop. Will Smith, who turned down the opportunity to attend M.I.T., and his DJ friend “Jazzy Jeff” Townes rose to fame on the pop strength of songs like “Girls Ain’t Nothin’ But Trouble” and “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, which also earned the duo a Grammy, making Will Smith the first Grammy-winning rap artist.

Grammys, platinum albums, and MTV’s Yo! MTV Raps and BET’s Rap City were popular programs showcase hip hop music. Just when it seemed hip hop was making the full transition into pop phenomenon, a few lyrical masters hit the scene to help make sure hip hop had some artistic stature as well.

KRS-One’s 1987 debut ‘Criminal Minded’ introduced the voice of the rapper commonly known as “the teacher” because of his education-themed songs. His song “South Bronx” was the battle track directed at Queens-natives Marley Marl and MC Shan who led the Juice Crew, which also featured notable rappers Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, and Kool G Rap. Kane would later go on to solo success in 1988 with his debut album ‘Long Live the Kane’ featuring the classic track “Ain’t No Half-Steppin”.

Also in the later ‘80s, Rakim’s ‘Paid in Full’ album with DJ Eric B. received critical acclaim when it was released that same year and many continue to consider Rakim to be the greatest rap lyricist of all time. Also in ’87, Public Enemy - led by politically-charged rapper Chuck D and hypeman Flavor Flav - released ‘Yo! The Bum Rush Show’ to critic’s delight.

However, the emergence of several artistically gifted and critically acclaimed hip hop artists was met with the full emergence of “gangsta rap” with a South Central Los Angeles group called N.W.A., short for Niggaz With Attitude. The combination of Easy-E, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, MC Ren, D.O.C., Ice Cube, and Arabian Prince and Krazy Dee (both would leave before NWA’s peak) would go on to record ‘Straight Outta Compton’ which went three times platinum and introduced America to street-life and anger like never before.

Counter-balancing the anger-infused songs of groups like NWA were the hip hop party and melodic tracks by New York’s newest hip hop innovators, known as the Native Tongues crew. Led by the 1988 debut success of Long Island-based trio De La Soul (‘3 Feet High and Rising’) and the 1989 follow-up by another trio called A Tribe Called Quest (‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’), hip hop had new voices. Queen Latifah also came out of this hip hop crew and her debut, ‘All Hail the Queen’, was commercially successful as well. The success of these artists coincided with the growing success of Source magazine, started by Harvard students David Mays and Jon Schecter in 1988. Source quickly became the go-to hip hop publication and it’s “5 Mic” designation certified an album as a classic. Many of the aforementioned albums by Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. and Rakim, KRS-One, N.W.A. and both De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest earned this designation.

However, with the decline of New York-based rappers like Rakim, Kane, Run-DMC, and KRS-One, NWA jumpstarted the West Coast takeover of rap music. The only concern was that hip hop was left in New York and gangsta rap would become the new norm. By the early ‘90s, Ice Cube had launched a successful solo career, Dr. Dre finagled his way out of his contract with NWA and Easy E to move to Death Row Records and join newly-signed rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg.

With the commercial success of artists like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice, West Coast rappers felt the need to continue showing America that rap music wasn’t all dance and gimmick. Just around this time, Ice Cube’s solo career was flourishing and rappers like Will Smith were crossing over into TV and film, landing Cube a role in the John Singleton 1991 film ‘Boyz in Da Hood’ which would jumpstart a new era in black cinematography by displaying ghetto life in places like Compton and Long Beach.

The following year, Dr. Dre’s masterpiece ‘Chronic’ hit stores and instantly became a rap classic with songs like “Nuthin’ But a G Thang” and “Let Me Ride” rising up the charts and helping the album sell millions of copies. In 1993, Snoop’s ‘Doggystyle’ nearly matched ‘Chronic’ with its album sales with chart-topping songs like “Gin and Juice”. The East Coast, especially New York, resented the high profile of West Coast rap and envied the millions they were seeing Dr. Dre, Snoop and Ice Cube making on a music form they felt they owned and built.

The East Coast retaliated with a slew of classic, critically if not all commercially successful, albums. From 1993 to 1996, several new New York artists gained notoriety for vivid street tales and a mixing the jazz-influenced style of Rakim with the syncopated flow of Big Daddy Kane. First it was Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, two members of the newly-formed Wu-Tang Clan, which featured nine rappers. With their 1993, debut ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ Rae and Ghostface, along with Method Man, established lengthy careers in rap and influenced an entire generation of up-and-coming rappers.

Among those influenced were Jay-Z, a former student of Big Daddy Kane’s, Nas, a friend of A Tribe Called Quest’s frontman Q-Tip, Notorious B.I.G., who was signed to Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs’ Bad Boy label, Mobb Deep, also from Queens natives like Nas, and Busta Rhymes, who was a part of Leaders of the New School and featured on the A Tribe Called Quest party-track “Scenario”.

Immediately following the success of Wu-Tang, was the success of Nas who was seen as the “next great thing from New York”. With Rakim-like poetic delivery, Nas elevated any beat he rapped on, even when they were produced by the best producers of the time including Q-Tip, Heavy D, MC Serch, Pete Rock (“The World is Yours”) and DJ Premier. His debut, ‘Illmatic’, was an instant classic but failed to do well commercially. Mobb Deep’s ‘The Infamous’ album was also designated a classic album, with its hit song “Shook Ones Part II” which is long-considered the mid-90s rap anthem.

Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace., started rapping just years earlier, and met Sean Combs, a young executive from Uptown Records (which had success with R&B acts such as Mary J. Blige) was looking for a young talent to start a new label on his own. Combs convinced B.I.G. to quit the drug game just in time to capitalize on his talents and record ‘Ready to Die’, which went on to multi-platinum and “5 Mic” status with hits like “Big Poppa” and “One More Chance”. Many considered B.I.G. the best rapper ever from that point on. Last of this New York group was the energetic Busta Rhymes whose “Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check” rose up the charts in 1996 and launched a still-going career of chart success.

Although some regional groups such as Houston-based Geto Boys, Bay Area rapper E-40 and Miami-based 2 Live Crew gained popularity amongst rap fans, it wasn’t the early-to-mid ‘90s that rap fully began spreading its tentacles beyond the Coasts. In 1994, Chicago’s Common experienced both success and resentment (from Ice Cube) for his single “I Used to Love Her (H.I.P.H.O.P.)” which talks about the history of hip hop and its artistic and creative downfall due to gangsta rap. Also in 1994, Outkast’s debut ‘Southernplayalisticadillacmusik” was dropped and earned recognition from true hip hop fans around the country, although it wasn’t until their follow-up ‘ATLiens’ dropped in ’96 that the group started getting wider national attention. Along with Jermaine Dupri, who produced Kriss Kross and Da Brat, Outkast - backed by Organized Noise and Goodie Mob - helped put Atlanta on the music map.

With hip hop’s arms spreading through the budding success of rappers all around the country, the overall success and growth of the music form still came down to the traditional battle of East Coast vs. West Coast. Unfortunately, these battles materialized themselves into the voices and lyrics of two popular rappers: B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, who had previously befriended the Brooklyn rapper.

Tupac had already experienced success from his first three studio albums ‘2Pacalypse Now’, ‘Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z’ and ‘Thug Life Volume 1’. Songs like “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and “I Get Around” demonstrated the contradictory themes that would highlight Tupac’s career. Also, Tupac was a budding actor, having starred in captivating roles in the 1992 film ‘Juice’ and the 1994 film ‘Above the Rim’. Tupac, however, still focused on his fast-rising rap career, at least until he was shot five times in 1994. After several legal run-ins, Tupac began serving a prison stint, and from jail his ‘Me Against the World’ album hit #1 on the Billboard chart. Fueled with conspiracy theories about his shooting, both in his head and in the media, and the continued star status of B.I.G. and Puff Daddy, Tupac was released from prison and joined Death Row Records where label owner Suge Knight was already made famous for hanging Vanilla Ice out of a balcony to force a pay-off for his “Ice Ice Baby” success.

With label owners Suge Knight and Puff Daddy taking jabs at each other, their respective rapper friends joined the fray. Tupac’s ‘All Eyez on Me’ and B.I.G.’s ‘Ready to Die’ took shots at each other’s credentials, consummating in an industry-wide East vs. West battle for rap music’s supremacy. The battle was short lived, but it survived long enough to lead to the shooting deaths of both Tupac (Sept. 7, 1996 in Las Vegas) and B.I.G. (March 9, 1997 in L.A.). Hip hop, from that point on officially died according to some critics, while others contend the music form had already been lost and rap music had formally taken over with the murders of two rap legends.

With hip hop music on the decline, highlighted by the breakup of A Tribe Called Quest, and the end of an era with West Coast rap, New York was back on top. Only this time, there were no guns involved in the battle for the throne. Instead, two friends - Jay-Z and DMX - put the music form on their backs and shared the load in the latter part of the ‘90s. Jay-Z’s 1998 “Hard Knock Life” and 1999 “Big Pimpin” were pop chart successes and DMX’s debut album ‘It’s Dark and Hell is Hot’ went on to sell four million copies on the strength of his single “Get at Me Dog”. The two would later co-headline the Hard Knock Life Tour, which was the first major rap tour since the Def Jam heyday in the late ‘80s.

While Jay-Z and DMX brought unique talents to the lyrical platform, it was their beatmakers - lead by Timbaland, Swizz Beats - who followed Dr. Dre and legendary Nas and Notorious B.I.G.-producer DJ Premier by raising the profile of the producer in making a hit album. Perhaps, more than anyone else, Puff Daddy benefited from this new transition since he was credited with having produced albums for dozens of artists even when it was not him, but one of his dozen or so “hit makers” who actually did the work. Puff Daddy’s ‘No Way Out’ album made the most of this producer-friendly environment, along with the death of his best friend, B.I.G.

Jay-Z and DMX were the kings of rap, but they weren’t alone at the top of the charts. New Orleans crashed the coastal party with the success of Juvenile ‘400 Degreez’ and Cash Money group Hot Boyz, which featured a young Lil’ Wayne who has since gone on to a mildly-successful solo career. Master P’s No Limit Records were also part of the onslaught of New Orleans-based hit records. And back in New York, the Latin rap scene exploded with the success of Fat Joe protégé Big Pun’s debut ‘Capital Punishment’.

Not to be forgotten, Dr. Dre returned to the production throne with his third album ‘Chronic 2001’ which featured his renewed collaboration with Snoop Dogg and more work from his most recent chart-topping artists protégé, Emimen. A white rapper from Detroit, Eminem stormed the scene with his debut ‘The Slim Shady LP’ taking jabs at Britney Spears, N*Sync and other pop acts of the day. “My Name Is” quickly rose up the charts of Total Request Live, the latest video show on MTV that helped push rap even further into the mainstream.

Following the continued success of Dr. Dre, several producers continued raising their profiles. The 2000s can be considered the “producer era” in rap music history with Timbaland, Swizz Beats, Pharrell and the Neptunes, Lil' Jon, and Kanye West all dropping solo albums after years of success as producers for popular rappers including Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, St. Louis-based Nelly and Atlanta-based Ludacris, who both became chart-topping regulars in the decade with their respective 2000 debuts, ‘Country Grammar’ and ‘Southern Hospitality’.

Another development of the early 2000s was the rapper-singer collaboration, which is not new to hip hop (LL Cool J did a song with Boyz II Men in the mid-90s), but greatly expanded in recent years. Ja Rule rose to fame on the strength of his songs with singers Jennifer Lopez, Ashanti and Christina Milian. His fancy for rapper-singer collaborations also drew the ire of fans and other rappers, including the up-and-coming rapper 50 Cent, who was shot nine times and nearly died in 2000. Regardless, rap-sung collaborations have grown to the point of requiring the Grammys create a new award category, and nearly every rap album features a song of this sort. Jay-Z’s relationship with Beyonce is but an example of the growing relationship between rap and R&B  music.

With producers having little to no obligation to produce for one particular artist, the 2000s have seen the enhanced role of collaboration and fostering of “camps” of rapper friends. As for the collaboration, this is most notable with production albums by the likes of Atlanta’s Lil’ Jon, Virginia natives the Neptunes led by Pharrell, and Timbaland (also from Virginia) whom have all showcased their production skills on albums featuring all the popular rappers of the last decade. The “camps” concept is evident with the launching of rap’s current stars, 50 Cent, Kanye West, and T.I.

50 Cent, discovered by Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, which is a strange circle-of-life type of story when one considers 50’s near-death experience in 2000 mirroring Tupac’s story and Jay’s 2002 death which came just months before 50’s debut album ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ went on to sell over 10 million copies in 2003 through Dr. Dre and Eminem’s joint-venture to sign the Queens rapper and create an offshoot label, G-Unit Records. The Game, Young Buck, and Lloyd Banks are other artists whom have experienced success while signed to G-Unit. The Game has since left G-Unit after the multi-platinum success of his 2005 debut ‘The Documentary’ led to a feud between himself and 50; the departure is discussed in “Doctor’s Advocate” on his 2006 follow-up of the same name.

Chicago-based producer Kanye, influenced by the Native Tongues crew and New York producers like DJ Premier, was able to raise his profile by aligning himself with Jay-Z, and hip hop acts such as fellow Chicago native Common, whom he would later help to gain his first major taste of commercial success with ‘Be’ in 2005. Singer-songwriter John Legend of “Ordinary People” Grammy-fame has also joined Common on Kanye’s label, G.O.O.D. Music, while Kanye himself remains on Jay-Z’s Rocafella Records. Recently, Pharrell, Kanye, and fellow Chicagoan Lupe Fiasco, whose 2006 ‘Food & Liquor’ won over critics, if not millions of fans, have joined to form a group that will feature their collaborative efforts.

In closing, the ‘80s saw the introduction of hip hop to the nation, the ‘90s saw the expansion of hip hop’s step-brother rap, and the 2000s have been about the enhanced role of the rapper-executive, regional allegiance (and collaboration) and the importance of the producer. Hip hop and rap are permanently married, but one can only hope they are the type of couple that grows more similar with each passing year. There are plenty of skeptics.

Noteworthy events of the still-unfinished decade include the battle and reconciliation of Jay-Z and Nas, Jay-Z’s ascension to CEO of Def Jam Records, a aforementioned battle between 50 Cent and The Game, the continued success of Atlanta, and other Southern rappers, and the “scratch my back” collaborative environment of rap and R&B these days. 

Perhaps intentionally I saved my mention of Atlanta-rapper T.I. for last because his career demonstrates the current trend and trajectory of rap music. He started out on the mixtape circuit rapping tales of drug trade and life on the streets that also made 50 Cent popular in the early part of the decade, then earned himself a label deal only to end up in jail during its peak (‘Trap Musik’) much like Tupac before him.

After his release from jail, T.I. quickly aligned himself with the top producers, rappers, and singers of the day on his platinum albums ‘Urban Legend’ and ‘King’ which featured The Neptunes, Mannie Fresh, Just Blaze, Nelly, and Jamie Foxx. He had a notable battle with Houston rapper Lil’ Flip and has had lyrical run-ins with both Lil’ Wayne and Ludacris. He’s been featured on hit songs with Destiny’s Child (“Soldier”) and Justin Timberlake (“My Love”), won Grammys, started himself a movie career (‘ATL’ and the upcoming Denzel-Crowe flick ‘American Gangster’), and befriended Will Smith and Jay-Z along the way.

Now, you can see T.I. in Chevy commercials with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., his songs are featured on ESPN (“Big Things Poppin”), his friends are having success (Young Dro’s “Shoulder Lean”), and he’s earned himself the “King of the South” title he proudly boast on his records. It’s only proper that his latest album has a track called “Help is Coming” which states “I got the game on lock, it ain’t gonna stop/say hello to the man that could save hip hop”.

Not bad for a guy that grew up in the ghetto, tried to make it 'up' as a drug dealer, ended up serving prison time, and has since become one of the most notable artist today.

Hip hop and rap music, like the yin/yang concept of T.I.’s current chart-topping album T.I. vs. T.I.P., is constantly at odds with itself, but at the end of the day they still need each other.

My Politics Speak For Me, Not Against Me

Friends and Colleagues,

Have you ever Googled someone you just met and were considering dating? Okay, you have...good, you'll understand part of what I'm going to talk about.

Recently, for the purpose of seeing if my Diatribes were searchable, I searched myself on Google. Nothing I hadn't seen before...articles related to various endeavors during my collegiate career, others with relation to my short-lived professional life.

However, there was one interesting link. It went to a Daily Texan op-ed I'd written in November of 2004 stating my preference for W over Senator Kerry in the election. There wasn't enough space, nor evidence, to prove the incumbent was doing a Mount Rushmore-worthy job while in the White House, but I felt - at that time, as I do now - that in November of 2004 Senator Kerry would not have made a formidable president. In hindsight, I would only edit my statement by saying that from 2004 to the current day that perhaps our nation was simply not destined for greatness out of that ballot.

Regardless, what brings this to mind (and diatribe) is how someone approaches two things: 1) who they date and 2) how they discuss politics. For sake of brevity, I will try to work the two into the same thought.

On the dating front I am completely unattached. Perhaps for the first time in my adult life, I am single and, as they used to say, ready to mingle. This has led me to many pleasantries in recent weeks and months. Even days. Not uncommon is it for me to meet an attractive woman with whom I would like to exchange more than unknowing smiles. Most times, these women share nothing beyond my keen eye. Different ethnicities, hair styles, eye colors, height, size, essence, profession, background, ambition, what-not. I have no type worth noting. I guess you can say I have a "wide net" and a deep interest in all the tastes of the sea.

I am a Republican. This is not to say I will always vote Republican, I support every Republican office-holder or candidate, or I support every Republican tenet. It is simply to say that after reading both the core principles and histories of both the Republican and Democratic Parties, I felt Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt were more in line with my political ideology than FDR and Kennedy. If that means I have to align with Nixon over LBJ, so be it. There are several Democratic politicians and statesman I greatly admire and agree with. At times, friends and colleagues wonder why I have an Elephant card.

Sometimes, these two things don't mesh. Women are not as predictable as politics. There is no "Democrat" or "Republican" for women. There is no simple "who did you vote for?" to determine one's ability to mesh with one another in terms of dating. Some people, unfortunately, are not mature enough either with regard to politics or relationships to handle dating someone outside of their common sightline. They have no periphery. For that reason, both their politics and their romance suffers.

So I write this to say, to whomever Googles my name in the future - after you get my phone number or ask a mutual friend about me or look at my credit card - not to judge me by the 149-word op-ed I wrote for the Daily Texan in November of 2004. For that matter, you don't have to judge me by this diatribe or by the March of Dimes National Scholarship I won in 2001 or my leadership of the charity event that raised $25,000 for a Children's hospital or the articles I wrote for the Texas Longhorns or the press releases I've written for various clients of mine in recent months.

Just judge me by the moment you were in front of me and thought "that Joah guy seems really cool/attractive/nice/smart and I'd like to get to know him" and wait until the next time we're lucky enough to see each other before you write me off because you voted for John Kerry. Or Hillary Clinton. And I didn't.

Sincerely,

Joah

P.S. I'm a fan of Senators John McCain and Barack Obama...that's gotta be good for something, right?

How the game is played: Part III

Last night was the baseball all-star game so what better time to give you another installment of "How the game is played". This week, I'm going to be a bit more brief than normal and share the awards and honors of "the game".

Most of us are familiar with the term MVP, or Most Valuable Player. Earlier, I mentioned that Justin Timberlake would be something like the reigning MVP because of his current run of Britney-Diaz-Scarlett-Biel. There's no questioning JT's status amongst the all-time greats...Cary Grant,  James Dean, John F. Kennedy, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Leo DiCaprio. You get the idea.

But those aren't the only MVPs. You see, those guys would fall under the category of triple-crown MVPs. In other words, they're good looking (fewest strike outs), they have sex with gorgeous women (home runs), and they get in relationships with beautiful women (RBIs, Runs Batted In). Not every guy can be a triple-crown type guy though.

Sometimes the MVP award goes not to the guy with the most home runs, but to the guy with the best batting average. Now getting a high batting average can be achieved like Timberlake when you're always seen with a hot lady, or it can be achieved by not being consistently on base. By being on base more often, you raise your On-Base Percentage, or OBP%. Those familiar with baseball know that term.

Now, in order to get a high OBP% you have to do three things: a) go to bat a lot, b) don't strike out often, and c) be able to get RBIs. In this case, RBIs stands for Relationships By Intent, I'll explain shortly. Going to bat a lot is easy...just don't be afraid to hit on any woman you feel like approaching and don't be fearful of rejection. The more at-bats, the more pitches you'll see. The more pitches you'll see, the more pitches you'll be able to recognize. The more pitches you recognize, the more hits you get and the fewer strikeouts (b). Simple stuff.

As for those RBIs though, this means you'll have to turn those on-base opportunities into scores. In other words, you can't just date and date and date, eventually you'll have to start getting in some relationships. Now a guy like Timberlake can hit home runs all day and night (he can get laid more than Ron Jeremy if he wanted to), but it's his willingness to get in relationships that makes him the MVP. First Britney then Cameron and now Jessica Biel. That means that not only is he able to get on base (and date these celeb women), but he's able to bring the runners home (get into tabloid-worthy relationships with them).

Now, there are some guys who think playing "the game" means staying single. Nonsense. Playing the game simply means figuring out how best to score enough runs to win the game. For some guys, hitting home runs is enough to score plenty (i.e. Jamie Foxx), but for most of us, you'll have to venture in and out of relationships if you really want to learn how the game is won.

Only when you're willing and able to get RBIs. Relationships By Intent means you're not just dating for the sake of dating, it means that sometimes you're actually dating because you would like to be in a relationship. My problem before recently was that I was trying to get RBIs without giving myself a chance to see the pitches, I was swinging at the first pitch. It worked so I kept doing it. Now, I realize I can get more RBIs by seeing more pitches, being patient at the plate and getting more runners on base.

That's how you make the jump from player to all-star to MVP...first you see more pitches, then you get more runners on base, then you get more RBIs.

So that pretty much explains what an all-star is...it's a guy that is able to get a lot of runners on base. Several guys simply do what's easier...which is what I used to do to. Swing early and hope for contact, then just wait and hope I hit a home run occasionally or hope I could sneak into an RBI situation. All-stars don't play that way. Being an all-star is about using the fundamentals of the game.

If you apply the fundamentals of baseball, you're called a five-tool player. That means you can hit for average, hit for power (home runs), run (stolen bases), throw and field (defense). Similarly, in "the game" playing with a fundamental state of mind means you're getting a lot of at-bats to raise your average, you're able to hit home runs, you find yourself in favorable situations, and you don't find yourself in bad situations very often.

Personally, I'm still working on my defense. I sometimes find myself wondering how the hell I fell for a "sinker" (Part II) again. Other times, I realize I'm still not being patient enough at the plate. But more than ever before, I'm starting to understand all the fundamentals of the game.

I'm on my way to perennial all-star status in "the game". That doesn't mean I'm trying to get laid every weekend with a different woman. It doesn't mean I'm trying to stay single forever. And it doesn't mean I'm an expert at dating. It just means I'm better than most.

Now, I'll quickly summarize the other awards:

Cy Young - Given to the best pitcher - In "the game" a Cy Young award goes to the woman that dates infrequently, but always dates up...think the opposite of Paris Hilton.

Golden Glove - Given to the best defender - In "the game" this award goes to the best wingman...the girl or guy that interprets the field and is able to still help out his team (or friend) either to score (guy) or to make sure she doesn't allow a home run unexpectedly (girl).

Silver Slugger - Given to the best hitter - In "the game" the Silver Slugger is given to the man that never has a girlfriend, but always has a girl to hang out with whenever he wants. I definitely know who wins this award in my inner circle.

I hope this is still making sense...feel free to ask any questions...I'm about to take it up a notch next week when I examine the difference between winning the Pennant and winning the World Series.

A better year for music

Now, what got me thinking about all the good music I'm listening to this year was the combination of a) all the concerts I've been seeing (and I have several more coming up) and b) the new T.I. album.

For those of you not that familiar with T.I. a.k.a. T.I.P. a.k.a. Rubberband Man a.k.a. King of the South, you should know a few things: 1) He's from Atlanta, 2) He's successfully turned to acting (last year's ATL and this year's upcoming Denzel-Russell Crowe film American Gangster), and 3) He's the closest thing to Jay-Z since...Jay-Z.

It started, much like Jay-Z, with him being a successful drug dealer. Obviously, that's nothing to tell your kids to emulate, but it's just stated to demonstrate he actually knows what he raps about...unlike other wannabe "dope boys". With that street cred, T.I. (real name Clifford "Tip" Harris) started flexing his rhyme skills on mixtapes...basically being the Atlanta version of 50 Cent in the late '90s and early '00s. Some of you may be familiar with his labelmate DJ Drama, who produces the most recognizable mixtapes in rap music.

When his first album I'm Serious was a strong effort but failed to succeed nationally, T.I. kept close to the drug game and landed himself in prison for more than a year. Unfortunately, T.I.'s jail time hindered the release of his second album Trap Muzik, which featured singles like "Rubberband Man" and "24s". The album did ultimately go platinum, but it wasn't until his third outing Urban Legend that T.I. really crossed over into commercial airwaves. "Bring 'Em Out" and "U Don't Know Me" were both hit singles, which drove the album past platinum status. Then last year's King sold over 520,000 copies in its first week, coinciding with the launch of his acting debut in ATL. The album's hits, "What You Know" and "Why You Wanna", were arguably two of the five biggest rap songs of 2007.

Now, T.I. is the most important artist on his label (Atlantic), has his own label (Grand Hustle) and is putting on his friends (Young Dro's "Shoulder Lean" was a chart topper and DJ Drama is the mixtape king). T.I. is in movies with Oscar winners (American Gangster), he's been Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher, he's friends with Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick, Jay-Z and Will Smith, and he's in Chevy commercials with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. And, like Jay-Z, he's got outside business interests in real estate (homes in Atlanta, LA, Miami and Cabo), clubs (Club Crucial), and he's been known to be a good citizen, having offered his home to several New Orleans natives who lost their homes after Hurricane Katrina.

All of this is important to note when you buy T.I. vs. T.I.P., which I recommend if you're a fan of rap music. Without knowing the background and about all the ventures T.I. is active in, you won't really be able to understand how significant it is to say that T.I. is the closest thing to Jay-Z since Jay-Z himself. He has the rhyme skills (not Jay-Z nice, but still very good), the street cred, the swagger, the city behind him (Atlanta, not New York), the business savvy, and the timing. Jay-Z's success was expedited (I'll never say created) by the deaths of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac; T.I.'s success comes when his predecessors - namely Jay-Z and Outkast - are aging, his competition for the top - Kanye West, 50 Cent - aren't in his neighborhood, and and his counterparts - Lil' Wayne, Young Jeezy, The Game, Lupe Fiasco - don't quite have all the parts to be the King of all of Hip-Hop/Rap.

Jay-Z's fifth album (excluding the compilation album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia) was a classic, Blueprint. T.I.'s fifth album is a classic. And it's not just me who thinks T.I. is the closest thing to Jay-Z...even Pharrell calls him "Jay-Z of the South." And Pharrell has his hands on the pulse of popular music...not only did he produce his own album, he also worked with Jay-Z, Robin Thicke, Gwen Stefani, and Clipse on their most recent projects.

Okay, so enough about T.I...obviously I'm a big fan.

Here are some albums that will give T.I. a run for his money in the "Best Album" category (in order of how excited I am to buy it).

1. Kanye West's Graduation - Already, his singles "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Stronger" have made my iPod very happy. He's graduated magna-cum-laude in the hip-hop game. Comes out September 4.
2. Common's Finding Forever - "The Game" and "The People" are classic Common tunes...definitely going to ensure his status among the greats. Comes out July 31.
3. Saigon's Greatest Story Never Told - Some of you may be familar with Saign's name from Entourage when Turtle was his manager. This album has been in the works for like three years, he's working with Just Blaze who does some of Jay-Z's best beats. Supposed to come out before Christmas.
4. Usher's next album - It may not come out this year, with the way albums are pushed back so often, but it's scheduled to come out in November after three years away. I can't wait...I know he feels pressure to top Justin Timberlake's album so he'll be a perfectionist.
5. Lupe Fiasco's The Cool - Food & Liquor was a great debut. Now he just needs to find some hits. Should be out in October.
6. Wu-Tang's 8 Diagrams - There's no way this album will live up to unreasonably-high expectations. Should be out in time for Christmas.
7. N.E.R.D.'s new album - Apparently Pharrell is never too busy producing mega hits for other artists to make an album with his best friends Chad and Shay. May get pushed back to early '08...I hope not.
8. Radiohead's new album - Word from Radiohead's site is they're "nearly there"...I can't wait.
9. Fugees' new album - Long-rumored, but this time Lauryn Hill is actually in the studio with Wyclef and Pras. This is another that may be more likely in '08, but I sure hope they get busy and get it out sooner.
10. 50 Cent's Curtis - Like his co-mentor Eminem before him, he's going with his real name as the title for his upcoming album. Let's hope he remembers his lyrics for the CD since he had trouble at the BET Awards.
11. Talib Kweli's Ear Drum - Rounding out a strong year for classic hip-hop, this half of BlackStar (with Mos Def) will hope to get Common and Kanye fans to cop his latest.
12. Mars Volta's The Bedlam in Goliath - Stay away if you're into simple, easy-to-follow, lyrically-driven music. These guys rock.
13. Interpol's Our Love to Admire - I have to figure out a way to see them live. They're awesome.
14. Angels & Airwaves' I-Empire - After the modest success of their debut We Don't Need to Whisper, I hope Tom DeLonge comes back even harder.
15. Will.i.am's Songs About Girls - He helped Fergie succeed as a solo artist this year...no reason he won't do the same.
16. James Blunt's All the Lost Souls - I wonder if Oprah will have him back on?
17. Nelly's new album - I've never purchased a Nelly album, but he always sells well. Comes out Aug. 28, supposedly.
18. Iron & Wine's Shepherd's Dog - Mostly known for their contribution to the Garden State soundtrack; album comes out September 25.
19. Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - They'll be at ACL so I plan to know their new songs. Out next week.
20. Smashing Pumpkins' Zeitgeist - Long-awaited, out next week! They had to come back to show  copycat band SilverSun Pickups how it's done.
21. Editors' The End Has a Start - Great live show, should be another solid album, hits stores July 17.
22. Rooney's Calling the World - Saw them put on a good show a few weeks ago, but I Don't think I'll buy this, though I'm willing to be convinced.
23. LL Cool J's Todd Smith Part II: Back to Cool - After all the bickering about Jay-Z's lack of support as CEO of Def Jam, LL has enlisted 50 Cent to help make his next album a success. They'll both go shirtless for the album cover.
24. Hot Hot Heat's Happiness Ltd. - Hits stores on September 11.
25. Michael Jackson's new album - This would be #1 if I was confidant it was actually going to come out this year.

A good year for music

No offense, but this year's music is kicking last year's music's ass. My favorites from last year are:

1. Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor - Kick Push Part II is my favorite...I'll be listening to that song in 10 years.
2. The Dears' Gang of Losers - They put on an absolutely awesome show at 9:30 Club earlier this year.
3. Justin Timberlake's FutureSexLoveSounds - SexyBack...need I say more?
4. T.I.'s King - Won a Grammy with JT (My Love), but should've won another for Best Rap Album (Ludacris' Release Therapy won).
5. Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere - Crazy was the Best Record/Song of 2007...Take that Dixie Chicks!
6. MuteMath's Mute Math - Another band that put on a great show at 9:30 Club in D.C...btw, one of my other favorite bands - Annuals - opened tremendously.
7. Beyonce's B'Day - The 25-year-old did a great job of showcasing herself on this birthday-inspired album.
8. Brett Dennen's So Much More - One of the best-kept secrets of '06...not for long.
9. John Mayer's Continuum - My least favorite album of his, but even Eric Clapton can't please everyone.
10. The Game's Doctor's Advocate - Classic West Coast rap. The Game is holding down Cali.
11. Beck's The Information - Saw him bring both his music and dance moves to Madison Square Garden.
12. Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke - Oprah caught on a bit late, but "Lost Without U" is a great song.
13. Ghostface Killah's Fishscale - "Underwater" is some classic Wu-Tang gallactical lyric-driven stuff.
14. Incubus' Light Grenades - As long as Brandon Boyd is penning the songs, they'll continue to get more mature, musically, with each album.
15. Keane's Under the Iron Sea - I didn't really fall in love with this album until this year, but it came out in '06.
16. Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury - Too bad this album didn't have a hit song, otherwise it'd be a classic.
17. The Killers' Sam's Town - Not nearly as good as their debut, Hot Fuss, but it's still deadly rock.
18. Pharrell's In My Mind - Didn't win over critics, but Pharrell continues to impress me with his other-worldly beats and lyrics.
19. Thom Yorke's Eraser - Not as good as any of the Radiohead albums, but still very sonic, chill album.
20. Rocco DeLuca's I Trust You to Kill Me - Another one in the best-kept secret category.

Honorable mention: Young Jeezy's The Inspiration - My brother rhetorically asked, "how long can you rap about the trap?"...Well, as long as Jeezy's tracks are trunk-bangers, he can rap about whatever he wants; Jay-Z's Kingdom Come - didn't have the classic beats I've come to expect, and a couple songs I typically skip; Badly Drawn Boy's Born in the UK - another solid outing from "the best singer/songwriter from England in the last 10 years" (take that James Blunt!); Outkast's Idlewild - as a soundtrack it's spectacular, as an album it's underwhelming; Annual's Be He Me - solid debut album by this North Carolina band who opened for MuteMath and Bloc Party on tour this year; Lily Allen's Alright, Still - another one that I really didn't get into until this year; and Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape, album has a song for every mood.

Funny thing is, even with 20-plus solid-to-great albums last year, 2007 is already shaping up to be a great music year. Here's my early Top 10 list for the year:

1. T.I.'s T.I. vs. T.I.P. - Just came out last Tuesday...already T.I.'s best and easily the best rap album of 2007. More on this later...
2. Bloc Party's A Weekend in the City - Top album to come out of Europe this year so far.
3. Dizzie Rascal's Maths and English - Dizzie gets better - lyrics and beats - with each album.
4. Wilco's Sky Blue Sky - It's a perfect mix of two of their other previous albums Foxtrot and Being There. 
5. Arcade Fire's Neon Bible - I can't wait to hear them perform this album at this year's ACL Festival! 
6. Amy Winehouse's Back to Black - She'll be at ACL too. After "Rehab".  
7. Pharaohe Monch's Desire - My brother says it's the best hip-hop album since Food & Liquor ... agreed.
8. The White Stripes' Icky Thump - They're like the alt-rock version of Outkast in terms of consistency.
9. The National's Boxer - Hadn't heard much of their music until recently, I'm still regretting not seeing them at 9:30 a couple of months ago.
10. Devin the Dude's Waitin' to Inhale - I have to thank my brother for putting me up on this album...I didn't even know it was out. I still listen to his earlier work Just Tryin' Ta Live though. 
10a. El-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead - I keep up with Top 40 more than my brother, but he schools me on underground types like El-P.