Pretty Lights: NRL of 2LiveBoys Drops His Mixtape

So I know these guys... and they're 2 LIVE!! This is a track off of NRL's mixtape Living A Dream ... LISTEN! And if you like download the whole mixtape HERE! Enjoy!

What's Next? A Brief History of Generation X

Where did we come from? Where are we going? Where are we now? These questions have plagued mankind for many generations, and yet, it seems, questions of time and place have never been more relevant than this day and age. Ironically, existential questions are now intrinsically intertwined with those of the collective consciousness (i.e. how did "I" become "we"?). How did we, the generation of great change, arrive at this point in history? Let's site the temperment of this point in Time. We are living through what feels like the craziest times EVER. The word "conflict" is a universally understood term and many people are conflicted. Many things are at odds. But history is a chain of events and the present does not exist without the past. Our generation is a RESULT of the choices and circumstances made by those who made decisions for our parents. Every generation is a solution to the previous generation's limitations.

The Baby Boomers were limited in their scope of vision for the future. Their lack of vision foresaw the invention of madness. The Vietnam War, the Housewife, the Ghetto, the MAN, the Hippie, the Cold War, the advertising, the toys, the sex symbols were all resulting factors of their generation and contributing factors of madness. They severed the very essence of togetherness that  many policy makers had worked so hard to uphold. The "Golden Age of Television" played a destructive game of show and tell with the American people, who, again, found themselves conflicted. Are we the democratic robocops of the world or the intrusive judgmental eye on differing ways of life? Is a soldier a hero or a villain? Is perspective everything? The Baby Boomers were torn apart by the dangerous double edges of such rhetorical questions, but CONTINUED to digress from REAL resolution. 


They had seen too much. Their bubbles had been "POP"-ed by the mainstream. "Popular culture," as it became known, took a note from "the hippies" they once ostracized.The youth started dancing their stresses and pain away with the arrival of the MTV Network and the advent of the music video. Of course, once an independent lifestyle becomes mainstream, it becomes detrimental. The glorification of the vices of "Miami life" confused the first wave of the "MTV generation." They began abusing drugs and desensitcizing relationships by romanticizing romance wiith larger than life stars and surreal movie scenes. It seems that after the war, everyone went "fucking" nuts! The G.I. Joe Act from decades before had created a schism between suburbia and the inner city ghetto, and the affects of popular culture on low-income "hoods" created several subcultures to perpetuate the vicious cycle of capitalism. They overpopulated the already over-crowded inner city and masked the problem by distorting hip hop culture, BLACK culture into something gaudy and materialistic. Meanwhile, the upper class increased their wealth. Big Businesses were on the rise again after an industrial collapse. And together, the classes, with their varying institutions of thought, continued to increase the birth rate...

And birthed GENERATION X. The most CONFUSED generation to date...

We may have discovered AOL and advanced technology, but the Baby Boomers saw TRUE LOVE. For that, they forever have one up on us. Generation X, the "Second Wave" of the MTV generation, is also the ADD generation. We can't focus on any one thing for too long because we have too many options. The Vietnam War, the first televised war, made the parents of Generation X insane. Women were fighting to get out of the kitchen and into the work force. Pedophiles moved into the neighborhoods. Veterans were drinking in cardboard boxes on street corners, raving mad about a system that had forgotten about them. Overworked fathers, still clinging onto the American Dream, became alcoholics. Psychology and Sigmund Freud began diagnosing after the fact. The time span of wars became highly concentrated and people lived in fear of the Soviets, of Communism, of Atomic Energy. Generation X was birthed into a world that worked on fear. Kids were kept indoors and in front of a TV, being programmed to obsess about "things" they didn't need to boost the suffering economy.

The parents of Generation X were being swindled by prospering "Mad Men." The TV became a baby sitter. The baby sitter became a gossip, attentive in all the wrong ways. And the advent of Home Entertainment became a new psychological addiction. Video games, Teen Dramas, Wrestling, Commercials, Hollywood...The Industry! Big TVs, big stereos, COMPUTERS! The Patriarchy, once upheld by the nuclear family, was now upheld by a new type of "digitized" Matrix! Sound waves and high frequencies from all directions blocked people from thinking on their own. Subliminal messages were everywhere and inescapable and the media, with it's negative overcast, pretended to be confused about Columbine, JonBonet Ramsey, Anorexia, armed robbery and unabombers when they perpetuated the insane images to begin with!

And so, Generation X, a generation born into fear, clung onto the fairy tales that the "Disney World" provided them. But cartoons "stopped being polite, and started getting REAL." Then violent. The "anti-hero" was placed on a pedestal as a protagonist, while supermarkets profited. Cartoons were used to advertise foods lacking nutrients and kids were more concerned with the toy in the happy meal than they were with the fat saturated burger. GENERATION X became obsessed with bringing to life a fantasy that wasn't real to begin with. We started making barbies and robots out of ourselves, without even realizing what we were doing! Divorce rates sky rocketed. It seemed the parents of the era of the first wave were late in concluding that fairytales don't exist. They were stubborn and couldn't give up on their American dream. They fooled themselves into believing they were making progress, despite the fact that their minds and their spirits were conflicted.


With depleting resources and down sizing, the Middle Class and their youth became the topic of debate. Politics became entertainment as Liberals and Conservatives took the stage, playing two sides of the same coin. And here we are, the second wave of the final current. A generation with so much potential for change, but no direction. We have no definitive stand points but progression at any cost. Knowledge, science, numbers, are the only universal truths. Religion is not the crazy glue for most families and communities that it once was. 

Today's youth barely pray and are desperately searching for their spirituality, often turning to basic Astrology as means for knowledge of self. So NOW... our generation faces our own set of double-edged questions. Do we progress in an unhealthy direction or regress to aid those suffering at the hands of neglect? Do we continue to seek enlightenment, perhaps to the defeat of morality, or do we remain ignorant behind the veil of comforting fairy tales?

We don't know. We don't give a fizzuck. "SHOTS,SHOTS, SHOTS!!!"

So, we smoke more potent marijuana then the hippies did. So much so, its legalization has become politically debated as a solution to yet another recessing economy.  We self-medicate worse than the first wave so we can escape the fact we're feeling pressured by the uncertainty of the future. And because its fun. Middle school students are drinking. High school students are fainting from intoxication. College students are dying, for the relationships they wished they had or that their parents had. We party to the beat of hypersexuality. Contraception is wide spread and necessary. It's also unhealthy and unnatural. And scientists are claiming that the end of the human being is close, with the nearing of the next stage of our evolution...Homo Evolutus. The World is over populated. China instituted the "one-child rule." Other countries let people STARVE. Water will soon be an expensive commodity and, if we are not careful, the endangerment of the middle class will be REAL. Socialism is coming to America and it's not coincidence that music videos have begun portraying the militia-state.


Learn from your past. We are NOT exempt from drastic change. We are change.... A beat poet was handed a lobotomy for dishing out the truth about the Vietnam War and politics. Now, the beat poets are heroes...and vegetables... Or dead. People should have heeded the warning of the concerned for the unaware.

Unfortunately, it's about time for a civil war.It's about time for a renaissance. It's about time for a reconstruction of the system. It's about time for self-awareness. In 50 years, we will be history. What will they be saying about us? They'll say we lived through terrorism, lived through cloning, lived to see the first Black president. What's next for Generation X? Z...the end, because no one can figure out why.

Coming full circle, how did "I" become "we"? Group think. Help yourself and afford yourself a life. Social entrepreneurs will see the future. They handed you a dream but remember you have your own. Resist brainwashing.

The Rangers 2010 Update + Some Jerkin.

So, THE RANGERS are doing there thinggggg in LA. You might've heard their song on HBO's hit series ENTOURAGE 2wks ago. I'm such a fan because I love boys that can dance. Julian Goins is my celeb crush. Watch him work, watch him jerk!!!! Follow him on twitter, too @TheRealJuliann.

Freaks...

Titi Freak definitely knows how to find the order in the chaotic. The Brazilian/ Japanese artist is a mad man with a method, never wasting a single brush stroke in any of his pieces. Currently, he has a solo show entitled Sempre (meaning "ALWAYS") in Brazil that is doing mightily well. 

Lost Art Magazine stated about the talented artist and his solo show: 

“Everything has a purpose and Titi's vision is sharp and clear. The gallery was packed with family, friends, admirers, collectors, and media. The use of the gallery space including some empty space and benches to sit allows for the visitors/viewers to contemplate his art without distractions. This is Titi's best show ever and it was a privilege to see it in person.”

Check out more of his work below:

(Check out his process!!! SO ILL!!!) 

*Pictures courtesy of juxtapoz.com

Wyclef Jean Can't Be President of Haiti...

For Hip Hop News & Entertainment at DimeWars.Com

I guess he doesn't satisfy all the legal requirements. If he was legit, this wouldn't even be an issue...

Kingfold & The Folding Bike!

Courtesy of Habitat.com

It's not the first, but it's the first that's this aesthetically pleasing. Featured in Wallpaper Magazine, this bike folds perfectly into a stylish bag! The bike is going for a ridiculous international rate...the bike is going for £2,450 and the bag by Nivaldo de Lima of COAT designs is another £2,500. Yes. The bag is more expensive than the bike. SMH. 

Party in the Evening of Eden

The PARTY

was invite ONLY!

And the way that they drank,

you'd swear  that this union was Holy.

Solely,

designer labels

and

white-clothed tables...

ripping and roaring

like A N I M A L S

released from their stables.

They spoke of their lives.

Their stories

sounded  like fables!

They pigged out on food

just because  they were A B L E.

Champagne dripped

from their lips

to their navels,

stumblin'  about

like their limbs were disabled.

Their networks were merged...

with servers,

programmed like cable,

to dish out the spread

. . .'cause they F I N A G L E D  the BAGEL.

The music was L I V E

and they shucked  and they jived.

They loosened their ties

and laughed  'til they cried

with the darkest mascara

runnin' down from their eyes.

This is a S C E N E

you might've seen

in your D R E A M S

where the setting was clean

and the less that you gave

then the more you RECEIVED

of whatever you need.

Heaven for fiends

in a Garden of Green.

DEATH OF A KING, BIRTH OF A G: POWER by Kanye West

A powerful position is such a pivotal place, especially in American society. We fight for it, crave it, struggle for it. Power has become the focal point concerning American politics in every aspect. Kanye West's new music video for his song POWER illustrates a working definition for the term and his means for achieving it. Mixed with occult imagery, Kanye has truly made a piece of art.

Similar to the famous painting in the US Capitol, The Apotheosis of Washington...this is a portrait of Kanye West becoming a god. Recognizing major occult symbolism is the first step to understanding the meaning of the portrait. ENLIGHTENMENT is a big theme these days in popular culture. I believe the media is sending a "save yourself" type of subliminal message to encourage the youth of this generation to seek enlightenment as a means for survival and success. So, the video begins with a close up on Kanye with his eyes illuminated, signifying that HE has a light glowing from within himself. As the camera pulls out from the close up, we see that he is standing in the middle of two white pillars, echoing into the background...as if greatness is calling him. After looking up the symbols, I've learned that this is a replica of the gateway to a "new [enlightened] world," represented by the PILLARS OF HERCULES. Kanye, the black pillar in between, is representing himself as an initiate in the Masonic order.

Piece by piece, the camera reveals more symbols...including Kanye's gaudy "Horus" piece. Horus is the god of enlightenment and the god of the sky. This is why the background looks like the scene is taking place in the heavens.The eye of Horus is pretty popular symbol at this point in Time, known as the eye in the center of the pyramid. The symmetry of the portrait represents the duality of realizing enlightenment, and we see that Kanye is standing right at the border between the gates of enlightenment and the chaos of the ordered world. Also, the symmetry alludes to the idea of division. You've heard the mantra before..."DIVIDE AND CONQUER" and Kanye is doing just that by splitting the image right down the middle. GENIUS.

The camera PULLS OUT even more (perhaps because the whole concept of power means 'fuckin' with ya), to reveal what appears to be two horned goddesses equidistant Kanye, on opposing sides. The horned goddesses are ISIS and HATHOR, ancient Egyptian mythological characters, representing black, magical nature and musical liveliness and fertility, respectively. This also represents the very duality of KANYE and the nature of his music. It is also understood that the goddess Isis crowns the Pharaoh, the god of Egypt.

Speaking of kings... the haloed sword floating above Kanye's head, the SWORD OF DAMOCLES,  is symbolic of another aspect of power. It seems that those at the highest echelons of power also stand to fall to the lowest heights...sometimes even to their deaths. It's a symbol of death and rebirth, a ritual of apotheosis. "The death of a king" is a masonic ritual for the 33rd degree of masonry. I believe this to be a direct allusion to the "Taylor Swift incident" at the 2009 MTV VMAs... where Kanye literally put his career in jeopardy in a public forum. KANYE HAS BEEN INITIATED into the 33rd degree of Masonry!

Pulling out further, we see maidens on their heads, revealing more symmetry and more duality. When one of the maidens drops her cloth in the air it floats, as does the water from the water bearer. This represents the defying of gravity, floating, and the achievement of the impossible, while simultaneously alluding to the satanic mantra, "AS ABOVE, SO BELOW." I also think Kanye is being funny, making a joke about how he can get females to do anything...including dropping clothes and getting wet. FUNNY (especially since I  think he's gay, but whatever, "we rollin").

As the full expanse of the portrait is revealed, we see a number of conflicting realities...symbolizing earth and life. This is the ordered chaos I referred to earlier. Sin and sexuality, beauty, lust, conflict, control, mediums... all representations of the realities of human nature (according to Kanye, lol). Kanye's world begins to take SHAPE...as the portrait begins Squaring the Circle, a well-known concept of masonry.This is reinforced with the two conflicting men, fighting with swords...drawing a compass with Kanye at the center (Kanye's a G, yo, lol). He's got people fighting over him.

Courtesy of Vigilant Citizen

Now, if you're asking yourself how you were ever supposed to figure all this out on your own, that is exactly the point. You weren't. ENLIGHTENMENT is the key. Both in the video and in the real world, there is so much going on that it is hard to see the full picture unless it is fully exposed to you. Power is realized by those who seek to understand it. Look up the symbols. Become a symbol.

What If Life Was Random?

The only thing that makes me believe that life isn't random is random synchronicity. My faith in anything (God, parents, friends, love...) is confirmed by patterns. I connect dots. I see continued success when I move in a certain direction and that makes me BELIEVE that what I am doing is right. Is it possible that synchronicity and coincidence are one in the same? Is it coincidence that I was born in the United States and someone was born in Indonesia? Either it was foreseen that we would happen to live or we live to foresee what happens.What makes you believe that life isn't random?

True Blood: I Got A Right To Sing The Blues

Popular Culture has an obsession with vampires these days and it's scary. TRUE BLOOD is the new black and black is definitely in. I can't even lie, the show is amazing but this weeks episode, I Got A Right to Sing the Blues, portrayed the show's minority characters in a quite disturbing light. As a good friend of mine said to me while we were watching: "This is what all of America is watching right now". (SPOILER WARNING) Tara, who is not a vampire, bites someone in the neck and breaks through the skin after a questionable sexual abduction. I happened to be watching the episode with some spanish boyfriends and they were offended to see that the only hispanic character on the show was a homosexual, pursuing an African-American character. Later, we watched ENTOURAGE and the only African-American character on the show was the maid.

The television line up made me think about the correlation between classism and premium cable. It might be a stretch to connect the dots but I'd like to make the argument that premium channels have a unique  political battle that has already been fought over basic cable but to a lesser degree. In my experience, minority characters on channels like Showtime and HBO are made to be wildly exotic, if present at all...a splash of color to a very traditional setting. Am I being sensitive? If you watched the show this week, feel free to comment.  

Appreciating Art: Jamie Wardley

Have you ever gotten sand in your eye? Well, you should. Not actual sand, but UK artist Jamie Wardley's Sand in Your Eye collection. This artist spends his time traveling all over the world making sculptures out of sand and ice!

ADD SUV

My friend Rich posted this video on my facebook wall the other day and I think the sound is so fresh. Pharrell is such a sick beat maker and Uffie is an original..."When you don't like what you see...Hiding's easy in an SUV." True, haha. Check out the video.

Look At The Cloud Over China

Courtesy of inhabitat.com

Excerpt from inhabitat.com:


"Floating" above the city of Xiamen, China like a cloud, this lofty museum takes art and culture to new heights. The brainchild of MAD Architects, the structure's organic, molten metal shape is mirrored, reflecting the beauty of the surrounding environment right onto its walls. The museum will make good use of the city's sunny climate by placing solar panels on its roof, and because it rests upon 5 relatively slender "legs," residents of the city still have space to enjoy the natural landscape of the park-like site.

Read more: Green design will save the world | Inhabitat 

My Constant

Amidst the flashing beams of light,

I travel 

back and forth 

in Life. 

Relative to where I am,

My echo shouts:

"my Constant!"

Mirror me, 

you know

to hold my shape.

You've carved and scraped,

with love and hate,

what neither Time nor state 

could initiate.

You facilitate 

what man 

and sand 

and Saturn's plan

had always known would consummate 

when enlightenment 

struck primal apes. 

Yes,

You truly are: 

my Constant. 

Stay right there. 

Don't change,

Don't move. 

I've seen all hell...

I'll see the moon.

Far beyond, 

you're my looming star 

that loves to rest;

so never stress...

YOU ARE MY BEST.

I'll wake-up call you in autotune,

and only you 

will know my voice.

So, 

by NO choice

are you

my Constant. 

If I run, you know 

it's all for fun.

I'll win the race.

I'll jump the gun.

and track our chase 

to outer space.

They think I'm deep 

or, rather, strange.

Well, 

I think of them 

about the same, 

so, truly here

now who's to blame?

They see I'm not from any one set place

and they're barely here, 

merely tears

speeding down

with quickened pace,

to an empty, 

dark and dismal space.

But you...

You're so matter of fact,

my Constant. 

House Passes $59 Billion Emergency Spending Bill

Courtesy of CNN

On July 27th, 2010 the House passed the emergency spending bill.
CNN reported:

"Specifically, the bill includes almost $33 billion for Afghanistan, along with over $5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, almost $3 billion for Haiti relief programs and $68 million for the oil disaster response in the Gulf of Mexico."


Liberals in the House fought against the bill in defense of the rising number of teacher layoffs across the nation. I think the larger issue arises when we consider how much money the country has already spent on the war. The $33 billion towards situating more troops in Afghanistan only prolongs the war. 

You Think You're Cooler Than Me...

Mike Posner - New Music - More Music Videos

This is my new favorite song. Mike Posner has captured something real that everyone can relate to no matter how fly you are: unrequited love (sigh). Enjoy the video. 

Clever Investor Turns $45 into $200 Million

courtesy of BBC News

It's not everyday that you go to a yard sale and find something worthwhile. Painter, investor and collector Rick Norsigian did in 2000 when he bought photography icon Ansel Adams "lost" negatives.

It was no easy feat. He's spent years working with his lawyer to prove the origin of the negatives and expert art buyers have determined that Norsigian has, indeed, stumbled upon on a pop culture artifact. He purchased 65 negatives for $45 dollars and it turns out the collection is worth $200 million!

"Hope my baby girl grows up to be a hust-la..."

Shout out to SimoneLesley for putting me on to the new CD from  
THE ROOTS...and check out her blog @
BlackWhiteandSequinsALLOVER.blogspot.com

How I Got Over by Sundae