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Lamar Odom is done with porn: Is his reasoning good enough for you?

Lamar Odom is done with porn.

As intrusive and, perhaps, overtly informative as that information may be, the 39-year-old former NBA star has had a whirlwind of a life the past couple of years and, apparently, abstinence from fapping has helped?

Earlier this week Odom was approached at the LAX airport by TMZ where he and his new fitness guru girlfriend, Sabrina Parr, we’re pressed about his recent ousting from Ice Cube’s BIG3 league due to reportedly being out of shape.

“We’re changing that,” starts Parr changing his pallets; he’s eating different things now; he’s drinking more water; he’s cut dairy out of his diet,” she continues. But when Lamar gets directed the same question he gives a much more color answer: “candy and porn.”

“I’m trying to be better,” Lamar went on to explain to the cameraman. “You can’t watch porn if you’re a sex addict or have a healthy life. Or be with me,” Sabrina added.

Now, before you say Odom is alone on this one or laugh at him, he and his girlfriend may be on to something.

One 2018 study and trusted Source found that participants were more likely to report feeling “out of control” over more frequent porn use when also feeling dissatisfied in their romantic relationships or sex life. In addition, there’s up to date research shows how porn harms the brain, damages relationships, and negatively affects society as a whole.

Porn creates perfect conditions and triggers the release of the right chemicals to make lasting changes in your brain that we’re unaware of. When overconsumed, one can become numb to the dopamine it initially gives, making craving escalate and can even expand appetites to uncharted areas.

While this sounds like an issue of moderation and discipline, porn is an escape disguised as entertainment. Many people don’t even realize they’re addicted or how the need for it has changed.

Like Lamar Odom, if you’re struggling, maybe it should be something to quit.

Without question, it’s safe to say that Lamar Odom has had one of the most unique basketball voyages that we’ve seen from the NBA in a long time.

From New York, high school basketball phenom to winning sixth-man of the year and eventually an NBA championship with the L.A. Lakers, the veteran forward’s life did a 180 when he was discovered unconscious in a brothel in 2015.

Since, however, Lamar has been vigilant and incredibly proactive with winning his life back, battling to get back to playing form and even writing a book — Darkness to Light: A Memoir. 

The road back hasn’t been easy, though. Remember when Odom first tried to ingratiate himself into the league with the Knicks and spoke with popular ESPN talking head, Stephen A Smith? The event went viral after Smith exclaimed Lamar was “on crack.”

It was so real that Odom’s lawyer had to release a statement.

Then, Lamar and his girlfriend alluded to, his dismissal from the BIG3. The former NBA star was deactivated from Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league for being out of shape and, initially, he didn’t like it one bit.

Odom was not only upset by Cube’s decision but also bothered by the way he received the news. According to Odom, he found out he was no longer active in the BIG3 via social media. Lamar talked about his disappointment on Instagram.

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As most of you have heard, the @thebig3 decided to deactivate me for the remainder of the 2019 season. I respect @icecube & the other league executives, however, I am extremely disappointed with the way that this has been handled. Besides the embarrassment, it’s disappointing to read on IG that this decision had been made, especially without sharing it with myself or my manager. Only after I heard from the media, I was then told that the big boys cutting checks decided that they had to deactivate me with no real specific explanation. TMZ apparently did manage to get a clear answer from Ice Cube, “my health was their concern.” I have been 100% transparent about my condition before signing the contract, but at that point it wasn't an issue. I was told after game #1 that I had been given extra time to get stronger. I have been working hard daily to get in better game shape. The willingness & intent has always been there to play. The Rhode Island game that is happening tomorrow was the game I have been looking forward to the most as many people know that this is where it all started for me. I am aware that at some point in life we have to accept & surrender to what God has planned or not planned for us — so I am staying positive. I worked very hard to make a comeback in my life & no rejection can stop me. Thank you @TheBig3. I would love for you all not to express any negativity towards the Big3 as I am proud & rooting hard for Ice Cube to build this league to the next level. He is the only black male owning a sports league in the USA, just let that one sink in for a moment. We must always think about the big picture, supporting our brothers & sisters. Let's all be open to live with the concept of feedback because this can help us to improve. I hope that we can use this situation as a lesson to grow, heal and become better people. I salute all of you, thank you for the love & energy. S/O to Ed Brown for letting me wear his jersey for the Slam photoshoot. Much love! -Lamar. #GO #TEAM #ENEMIES !

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Lamar now calls the BIG3 debacle a setback, telling TMZ this past July he stills plans on pursuing playing professional ball.

“I’mma play professional basketball again. Maybe in the Philippines or something like that. But, that’s just another setback. When one thing gets taken from you, another beautiful thing pops up.”

Redemption is something our society gives sparingly, so to see Lamar continue to fight the good fight is motivating to see. Even if that means giving up porn.

Who is Guapdad 4000? The scammer rapper opening doors for himself

You might have seen him in a viral video talking lavishly to himself on his birthday or footage of him walking down a highway in a Toronto Raptors mascot due to a losing a bet to Drake, or maybe you’ve seen him in the cut of Wale’s “On Chill” video.

Either way, whether you know him or not, the 27-year-old scammer-turned-rapper from Oakland, California who goes by Guapdad 4000, Farragoamo Falcon, Valentino Viper, Shia LeBustdown and too many other monikers to count, is everywhere and has proven that he isn’t waiting on anyone to open many doors for him.

 

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I still can’t get over the Dreamville shit. It was like being in the hyperbolic time chamber w 6 goku’s lmao

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Thanks to a great rap-voice, unique sense of style and an established online presence, it was only a matter of time before Guapdad paved his own lane in the rap game. The only missing ingredient was he needed to be the music scene, which he secured once he moved to L.A. a couple of years ago.

Usually rocking an extravagant du-rag, lounge-attire, and golds, the Bay Area star leveraged his online status and relationships with rap friends to manifest a music career, releasing his first (and only) project, ScamBoy Color in 2017.

At first it was a slow for Guapdad — still, only having released one project in three years — but this year both his smooth-talking scamming ways and relationships all came together for him.

He’s released four singles, including his most viewed video and crowd favorite “Flossin’,” as well as “Scammin'” which features fellow west-coast spitter, Mozzy.

But it wasn’t until Guapdad’s surprise invite to the Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers III sessions that things really started going to another level. Apparently, Guapdad met and shared mutual admiration with J.Cole at Drake NYE’s party this year  — a relationship that came into its own simply by Guapdad sliding in his DM’s — and led to the Dreamville invite.

After spending four days at the coveted Dreamville camp, he landed on three tracks: “Don’t Hit Me Right Now,” “Costa Rica,” and rambunctious fan-favorite “Wells Fargo.”

“I remember saying Wells Fargo because, you know, scam shit,” he tells HipHopDX in an interview. He continued:

“Then it just kind of spiraled into ‘Wells Fargo.’ I just remember our arms around each other and looking at these niggas like, damn I really fuck with these niggas. It was like a summer camp thing. It’s crazy to think about now because it was on the Billboard Hot 100. It was magic and people feel that magic.”

Not only did the sessions give Guapdad 4000 exposure to a newer and bigger audience, but it also gave him a Billboard Hot 100 hit with “Wells Fargo.”

If no one took him seriously as a rapper before, there’s no going back now and he got here by finessing his way through doors. He even got on the popular west coast hip-hop radio program L.A. Leakers and dropped bars on some real rapper shit.

Now, following his contributions on Dreamville’s sessions, Guapdad is preparing for his debut new album, Dior Deposits, and has all the momentum in the world to make it as official as any other rapper in the game.

Last week he released a video and got a verse from frequent chart-topper, G-Eazy for the song “First Things First,” the lead single off the album.

There really isn’t any excuse. Anyone can do what they want in life, especially, if you’re living in America in 2019.

With all the resources at hand, the ball is truly in our own court. If anyone is proof of that, it’s scammer, rapper, and viral social media sensation, Guapdad 4000.

Peep Guapdad 4000 on tour with P-Lo aka Lil Stunna.

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What’s happening in Hong Kong? A brief overview of the crisis out East

As tension over which fast-food chain has the tastiest fried chicken sandwich continues to heat up here in the States, Hong Kong has seen record-breaking numbers of protestors fighting for democracy this summer.

By now you’ve seen pictures of what looks to be unthinkable amounts of people — once two million — crammed into streets, heard of civil unrest or, in a series of unbelievable events that happened just a couple of weeks ago.

We witnessed Hong Kong’s airport completely shut down due to what the citizens of Hong Kong claims are an infringement on liberties which, as they now stand, are different than that of mainland China’s.

When protestors shut down the Hong Kong International Airport, which is Asia’s third busiest airport and the world’s eighth busiest by passenger numbers, they not only pushed the airport authority to cancel all operations Aug. 12 and 13 but also managed to get the world’s attention.

Although the protest had been going on since February, the airport occupancy had been only been for that week, which boiled to a head that Monday. As tensions at the airport rose, protestors found themselves at odds with riot police who tried to remove demonstrators.

In one instance protestors were caught on tape beating an officer with his own baton as well as turning on anyone who they’re suspicious of being a plant of the China main-land state.

So how did this all begin? What are the possible outcomes? I’m glad you asked. here’s a brief overview.

It all started when…

This genesis of this particular protest began in February when Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed government proposed an extradition law that would allow the deportation of people from Hong Kong — both residents and foreigners — to jurisdictions around the world, even to territories where there aren’t yet any formal agreements. That includes China.

This is bothersome to the people of Hong Kong because Beijing could use the law to apprehend people in Hong Kong and then transfer them to mainland China, where they would be subjected to the country’s dated legal system which does not promise due process.

However, the issues between the city of Hong Kong and China goes much deeper than this proposed bill.

https://twitter.com/Victor05843996/status/1163792885638205440

See, although Hong Kong is a part of China, they don’t exactly abide by the same laws. Hong Kong belonged to the United Kingdom all the way up until July 1, 1997, returning the city under to be governed under the so-called “one country, two systems” principle.

Under this agreement, China recognizes Hong Kong’s ability to administer its own governance, legal, economic and financial systems, while both sides agree that Hong Kong is part of one, re-unified China.

This system counters mainland China’s government-first approach and it’s what the people of Hong Kong been defending since.


What happens next?

China is going to be smart with how they quell these protests not only because of what infamously happened in Tiananmen Square in 1989 but because they want the government to remain to look powerful. So they’re fighting back in a number of ways.

One of the ways they’re combating the protest happening in Hong Kong is heavy propaganda in homeland China. Thanks to a trade war with the U.S. that’s already hurting the country, China has blamed the protest on the States, saying we have foreign agents insighting the unrest. They’ve even copied a page out of Russia’s book, using social media to spread misinformation.

Twitter on Monday (Aug. 19) said it had found “a significant state-backed information operation focused on the situation in Hong Kong, specifically the protest movement.”

https://twitter.com/Macharlazz/status/1163846760432832512

It’s suspended 936 accounts originating from within China that “were deliberately and specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong, including undermining the legitimacy and political positions of the protest movement on the ground.” It also created an archive of the accounts for further research.

China is also pressuring companies where protestors are employed. A major airline company is investigating “rumors circulating online” that employees are drafting a letter supporting the Hong Kong protests.

“They’re actually using these relationships for the interests of the Communist Party,” retired Air Force Gen. Rob Spalding, a China expert at the Hudson Institute, told the Washington Examiner.

In addition to the soft atm, China is threatening a strong one, too. So far, in what has been more the presence of a threat than an actual one, The People’s Liberation Army has about 6,000 soldiers stationed in the wider Hong Kong territory and has moved dozens of military vehicles to Shenzhen, the closest city to Hong Kong, just across the border and 25 miles north of Hong Kong’s central business district.

In terms of the protest ending, the city may not see peace until the bill is withdrawn. Until then, only time will tell.

Is Wale right, again? Should record deals come with mental health insurance

Wale has been in album mode ever since dropping the single “Gemini (2 Sides)” this past July and if there’s been any indication that he’s out here it’s been his heavy presence online.

Whether it’s his classic self-deprecating tweets on being single, sparking debate on breakfast, where to find the best sandwiches and ramen, or calling himself the greatest rapper of all-time, the D.C native has gone viral a couple of times over these past weeks.

He hasn’t even done a press run yet.

In the midst of his one-man promo campaign, the 34-year-old rapper managed to cause a stir on something a little more worthwhile than failed loved and fast food. Yesterday (Aug 8), Wale shared a clip on social media where he speaks on mental health issues that he’s dealt with in the past.

During the conversation, the “Ambition” artist listed reasons that record deals should encompass mental health insurance. Not only was Wale on to something, but other notable names also cosigned, further signifying that maybe something of the liking should be done.

“You’ve gotta remind yourself who you are especially with like celebrities,” Wale stated.

“People — Monday everybody– you going to bed, looking at your comments everybody telling you you’re the greatest and by Friday everybody telling you that you fell off and you’re the worst. It’s difficult. I think that record deal should come with mental health insurance, to be honest. I think it should be part of it.”

At the very least, Wale’s timing is on cue. The past couple of years have been a watershed moment for mental health and destigmatizing the conversations surrounding it. Kanye West, Chance The Rapper, Royce Da 5’9 and more have come forward admitting struggling with mental health not to mention Cudi checked into a rehab facility for treatment back in 2016. 

According to notes from the physician search firm Merritt Hawkins in a 2017 report, the United States is suffering from a dramatic shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health providers and online counseling sites like Talkspace have grown up to 80 percent in recent years.

Wale went on to say that when it comes to success “there’s no map” which makes it easy to “spiral at any time.”

“It’s hard to keep yourself in check because there’s a lot of enablers and the thing that’s even worse than enablers now is people who are so determined to not be an enabler that all they do is they think they giving you tough love but they kicking you when you’re down,” he added.

When you think about it, artists take on a lot — from their label wanting the numbers, critics wanting the same thing and fans wanting more — and unless you’re knowledgable of how to invest in doing so, seeking out the resources to properly tend to your mental health could be an overwhelming task.

What Wale is suggesting is instead of giving these SoundCloud rapping kids millions of dollars, to also give them a means of checking up on themselves with the burden that comes with fame.

Instead of drugs, why not provide, or even mandate, a therapist?

If labels really cared like they said they did, they’d listen to the “Lotus Flower Bomb” rapper and add mental health insurance to their label deals. Until then I guess we’ll see.


Until then peep Wale’s latest single “On Chill” below.

A self-honesty guide: 3 steps to evaluate how you’re handling things

Self-care has been quite the buzzword for the past year and a half or so, and, honestly, it’s been one of the most groundbreaking revelations that’s happened to our culture and society in a long time.

For years, people went through life focusing solely on the physical. It’s why gym culture is one of the biggest industries in America as is nutrition, although we’re the most obese nation in the world. How about the time in adolescence when everyone wanted braces and we all remember those inescapable Proactive commercials.

It hasn’t been until now — the grand awakening of society’s collective consciousness — that mental health, anxiety, and self-care became subjects that we truly understood and related to.

Nowadays, everyone from rappers, actors and even media pundits are saying they struggle with self-care, too. This has opened the door for countless people at home to confront it as well.

Chance, The Rapper puts $1 million up for mental health in Chicago, actress Taraji P Hensen founded a non-profit aimed at combating the stigma around mental health in the African-American community and radio personality Charlemagne released a book titled Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me. 

In the midst of this sweeping trend, however, many have discounted and dismissed themselves from the conversation simply because they feel unaffected or that there is nothing mentally going on with them.

While this may be true, as we all don’t share the same battles, it’s foolish to reduce self-care to simply physical and mental challenges. Sometimes self-care is looking at our actions and critiquing or own behavior and keeping ourselves in line.

I know nobody has said it yet but: self-improvement is self-care, too.

Sometimes we’re the ones causing ourselves unnecessary issues and standing in our own way. When we commit to staying honest, aware and focus, however, we can determine what’s not making us happy and we, ourselves, can switch it up.

You may be fine in the head and may even be in impeccable shape, but we all need self-improvement. And with these three steps, you’ll always know-how.

Stay Honest

The old adage of not being able to teach an old dog’s new trick is cute and relatable and all, but it does not get the shame and disapproval that it deserves.

We mustn’t be an old dog. Learning should be a never-ending process that we continue to do till the grave, however, it’s a practice we abandon as soon as we get to feeling ourselves.

We’re grown once we leave the house. We’re qualified once we graduate college, or we’re our own boss once we make a little money. These mindsets are not only wrong but they’re dishonest.

The first step to self-improvement is admitting and recognizing that there is something to improve, and if your head is too stuck up you’re own ass, you’ll never see.

Whether it’s because we’ve tasted a glimpse of success, because we see other people worse off than us or, whatever the case may be, too often do I see adults and even young adults plateau. Too often youngins are grossly satisfied with a fraction of the individual they have potential to be.

Being honest with ourselves means taking a gut-wrenching look inside and facing our shortcomings and areas in which we lack head-on. It’s humbling and it’s far from easy but it’s necessary for growth.

When things aren’t going the way we’d like or when we find ourselves unhappy with our current state,  we need to take a step back and have a moment of honesty with ourselves.

Then make the adjustments needed.


Stay Aware

We cannot be honest with ourselves to improve ourselves if we’re unaware of ourselves.

As simple as a concept of self-awareness sounds, it’s something so many of us lack and is the main reasons we struggle with self-improvement and happiness in the first place.

To be self-aware is to be intentional about our actions and to always self-criticize the good and the bad behaviors we display.

The reason a lot of us are unhappy and discontent with where we are in life is because we’re unwilling to give up a part of who we are to be who we want to be. It’s something we’re consciously aware of even if we don’t openly admit it to ourselves.

As a result, we end up ignoring who we are and all the behavior that comes with us — good or bad —  due to the fact that we’ve committed to the idea that we’re already who we want to be, which is a sad lie.

It’s imperative to be cognizant of our progress as humans, personalities and beings. Not for anyone else’s sake, but for the sake of our own livelihood and our ultimate state of being.

When we’re totally and consistently aware of our action we’d see just how much self-improvement we need and how it’s a journey that will never end.


Stay Focused

The main key to self-improvement is remembering that you’re always should be self-improving.

Focusing on our self-improvement doesn’t mean obsessing over ourselves and our problems as much as it’s about always being ready to be honest with ourselves and unafraid to see what ugly needs to be rectified.

A lot of times we ignore self-improvement simply because we’re afraid to change and evolve — we don’t want this chapter of us to die, regardless of all the signs saying that it should.

Focus allows us to make that difficult decision helps us see that there’s always a bigger picture that to be striving for.

Yeah, you may think you have anxiety or depression and that your self-care regimen is up to par, but if you’re not constantly working on and improving your self, it’s all for naught.

The Rich Paul Rule: Why the NCAA is big mad at the NBA’s hottest agent

The NCAA hasn’t been in the public’s good graces for some time now and at this point, nobody’s hiding it.

Apart from being a multi-billion dollar industry where coaches get millions and athletes barely get lunch — not allowing players to profit off their names even down to autographs and YouTube streams — the NCAA has this week, yet again, managed to one-up themselves. Not to mention the FBI investigation for paying players under the table just happened last year.

Wednesday, the NCAA made a splash in the sports world with an announcement of significant rule changes for NBA Draft-bound basketball players, stating that they could hire agents in an advisory role ahead of the Draft and still retain their eligibility… but only if that agent had a Bachelor’s degree.

While this may seem regulatory and on-brand with any high-level organization, there is more than what meets the eye here.

It just so happens that the most successful sports agent and, subsequently, the biggest threat to the NCAA today is a man named Rich Paul who represents Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons, Draymond Green, John Wall, and his buddy LeBron James, among others and, oh yeah, doesn’t have a degree.

And nonbody is seeing this as a coincidence.

Paul, 37, is the CEO of Klutch Sports and got his start in the sports agency due to his relationship with James. After meeting him at an airport in 2002 and bonding over streetwear, the two forged a partnership that led to a thriving representation business for sports and entertainment. After leaving Creative Artists in 2012, Paul created Klutch Sports Group, signing Bron as his first athlete.

Yet, despite his well-accomplished resume, according to the new NCAA criteria, Paul wouldn’t be able to represent underclassmen who are looking to test the NBA draft waters.

As he alluded to in his tweet, Bron feels like the 2012 ESPN story ruffled some feathers, highlighting a passage that accurately forecasted what’s currently going on.

“Rich is now a major threat to every large corporate agency that exists,” agent Chris Luchey told ESPN that year.

“The fact that the largest icon in the sport today has an agent from a boutique firm kills every myth these large agencies have been standing on.”

The NCAA, however, refutes that this rule-change takes aim at any singular individual but protects students against faulty fraudulent sports agents and simply bad decision making.

In the past, if you declared from the draft and did not withdraw before the deadline and ended up not being drafted, you were left in limbo. The NCAA rules allow future undrafted players to return to school — it’s not retroactive to the undrafted 2018 players.

Despite these protections, it still does not defend the laziness and unresponsible language the rule depicts, as it suggests that these athletes aren’t smart enough to weed through legit agents and that you somehow need a degree to be competent enough to do the job.

As NFL Network host Rich Eisen pointed out, plenty of other accomplished people don’t have college degrees. “Imagine if people in their industries lobbied to make sure they couldn’t ply their crafts with some silly rule about needing a degree,” he tweeted.

“Requiring Rich Paul to get a BA is BS.”

This rule hurts the league because it says that you can only succeed through life “their way” and that is through college and, ultimately, through them. But that’s not always the case.

Rich Paul himself defies that.

https://twitter.com/BazleyDarius/status/1158922421203808256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1158922421203808256&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fsports%2F2019%2F08%2F07%2Frich-paul-rule-ncaa-lebron%2F

If you don’t think NCAA’s rule is about Rich Paul, remember this: One of his youngest clients is top prospect Darius Bazley, who de-committed from Syracuse in March to land a first-of-its-kind three-month $1 million shoe-company internship with New Balance, a deal Paul brokered.

Bazley was the No. 13 prospect in 2018 by ESPN. You bet NCAA wanted him with them. But as LeBron said, this, won’t stop them.

And I doubt it will.

Think before you clapback: Why we shouldn’t legitimize opinions of scrubs

Why do we let people ruin our day? Out of all the factors out there ready to sabotage or peace, why is it that we give other people that privilege?

I can see if we got in a funk due to decisions we’ve made ourselves, our own mood swings or whatever we may be going through at the time, but why do we give strangers, co-workers and all these other individuals who don’t live our lives the time of day?

The answer is simple: ego.

The root of why we react and let other people get to us lies in the perception we have of ourselves and how we handle it when challenged.

You’ve seen it in the comment section of your favorite social media platform, on these sports debate programs on television and even in politics. Snap-back culture is not only alive, but it’s normalized. If someone offends you, offend back, regardless if it takes you out of pocket or character.

As good as impulsive reactions can feel and as justifiable as they may come across in our heads, what we too must understand is that in these moments our attention gives these subjects life.

The less we react to negativity, the less it will affect our lives. We think we’re doing something by giving a retort or that we’re defending some kind of honor by responding to trolls and haters when really we’re impacting our precious energy, which could be used elsewhere.

Negativity feeds on itself, so be aware of the things you may be giving life to or the character trait you’re building in yourself.

Whether it’s the jerk that cut you off in traffic, a boss who biasedly manages their employees or a television personality spewing nonsense, when we react and feed into it, we, as The Atlantic writer Jemele Hill so profoundly Tweeted the other day, legitimize their opinions.

Our job is to not react in anger but to respond with intention. It’s only then that we can control our lives, instead of it being the other way around.

You are better

One of the most important reasons why we should rethink why we react is because when we do, we abandon rules, precepts, and values we have for ourselves to meet our offender at theirs.

Each and every one of us should be in the business of character building. Every day, with a practice that best suite us, we should honing ourselves to be the most refined individual we can be. But when we respond to someone out of anger, shame or hurt, we jeopardize that progress.

Rethink why to respond not because you can’t or because you don’t have a clap-back good enough, but because you’re working on self — because you’re simply just better.


You don’t have time

Hurt people hurt people; meaning, when we experience someone lashing out at us, nine times out of ten it’s not even because of us, it’s them — it’s internal.

When we respond to these types of individuals it’s not the least bit constructive. It doesn’t validate who we are, it doesn’t make them respect us anymore and it ends up ultimately not being worth it. Not to mention, we simply don’t have the time.

Celebrate Pimp My Ride GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

We should be so focused on where we’re going and inthralled in our hustle that distractions like the people getting under our skin or any outside frustration don’t detour us.

The focus we have on our dreams and goals should never change or be compromised in any way; which is what we do every time we react and emit energy to something that ultimately isn’t of our interest.


Let the work do the talking

Probably the most important reason why we should react less and be conservatives of our energies is that the work we do can and will go farther than our words will.

When you think about it, when we engage in a verbal back and forth or end up investing our emotions in a reactionary fashion, we never really end up saying the best thing we can think of.

We get so emotional and caught up in giving a quick retort that our best stuff comes afterward anyway. When we elect not to respond, we not only preserve and protect our energy but we make way for the best comeback of all-time: success.

Kenrick Lamar Win GIF by Jay Rock - Find & Share on GIPHY

As tempting as clapping back maybe and as satisfying as reacting to situations that anger us may feel, it’s best when we choose not to.

Rethink before you react — save your energy, don’t give a scrub the time of day and just double down on what you know is right — and watch how things work out in the long-run

Meet Jaden Jefferson, the 11-year-old political media star in the making

Last night concluded the second Democratic Primary Debate of the 2020 election, where Presidential hopefuls like Senators Cory Booker (N.J.), Kamala D. Harris (Calif.), and former Vice President Joe Biden took the stage to show why they’re worthy of the oval office.

The debate was spicy. Booker told Biden he was dipping in the Kool-Aid but didn’t know the flavor, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called out Biden for failing to directly respond to his challenge on the millions of deportations under President Barack Obama.

Plus, entrepreneur Andrew Yang called the whole thing a reality television show.

None of them, however, seemed to make the splash or waves like one 11-year-old aspiring journalist from Ohio.

His name is Jaden Jefferson and after scoring an exclusive one-on-one interview with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) for Tuesday’s debate and checking Fox News pundits on Wednesday, the big story wasn’t who’s dethroning Trump but who the heck this kid is.

Well, Jaden is a native of Toledo, Ohio who has gained something of a celebrity status in his hometown by carrying around tripods, cameras, and microphones to record video news packages on everything from local sports to the closure of two Steak ‘n’ Shake restaurants and traffic accidents.

Much like anyone else in 2019, Jaden has used social media to boost his profile, sharing his videos on YouTube, Instagram, and accumulating a staggering 13.5K Twitter followers as part of his “Eyewitness News” coverage.

Jaden has a real passion for this, too. He reportedly wakes up at 5 a.m. to watch local TV news, and when he forgets to clean his room, his parents take away his reporting privileges.

“I wasn’t nervous,” the 11-year-old told Boston Magazine over the phone, as his parents drove him to Detroit for the debate. “Not at all,” he added.

Jaden says when he heard the debate was going to be in his hometown, he was determined to land an interview with someone. Little did he know it was going to be one of the leading Dems in an exclusive one-on-one.

“I visited her website and her Twitter pages,” he said. “I had a plan in mind to get an interview,” he told Boston Mag.

Well, after bravely getting a short, quick and effective question during a presser, he didn’t have to do much. Warren and her staff noticed him and invited him for the one-on-one and he didn’t decline.

That’s when he asked Warren a couple of hard-hitting questions that went on to go viral.

“What are you doing for equal opportunities for people of color?”

“So, that’s a really good question,” Warren responded, before launching into a description of the intersection of race and economics, the black/white wealth gap, and her housing policy. “We have to face up to what the government did wrong on behalf of all of America, and say we’re going to at least take steps to try to make that right,” she concluded.

The interview got him noticed by Fox News who had him on their program last night following the debate and, again, he didn’t disappoint. When asked to give his opinion on candidates like Marianne Williamson, he declined, stating what he thinks really didn’t matter.

“Well, when I think of Marianne, I can’t comment on that because that’s just one of my journalistic responsibilities,” Jefferson told Perino on The Daily Briefing. “That would be wrong because that would show bias, right,” Perino said backtracking and agreeing with Jefferson. “We are teaching people here.”

Fox News went on to ask where he got his passion for journalism and he replied that it was something that was always in him.

“The spark that interested me is the aspect of writing, shooting and editing video. Something I’ve always been good at and something I like to do. When you connect the dots, that spells out journalism,” he told Fox News.

As the election gears up it appears Jaden might be the clear winner, no matter how the candidates play out.

How Chance The Rapper is still winning even after ‘The Big Day’ slander

Chance The Rapper finally dropped his long-awaited debut studio album, The Big Day, this past weekend on July 26, his first project in a staggering three years.

After winning three Grammys for his 2016 mixtape, The Coloring Book, holding arguably the greatest feature on Kanye’s The Life of Pablo, and appearing on dozens of guest features, the hype and build-up surrounding the album alone made the 22-track debut easily one of the most anticipated projects in 2019.

Once The Big Day arrived, however, the reception did not reflect that at all.

We’re talking 22 records with contributions from names as big as actor John Witherspoon, En Vogue, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Megan Thee Stallion, Bon Iver, Nicki Minaj, Gucci Mane, and many others and the response has not only been bad, but flat out disrespectful.

For the past 48 hours since the album dropped, ‘Chance The Rapper makes music for’ has been trending everywhere. The joke has not stopped circulating with parody songs and memes attached.

In one sweeping instant, one of the most awaited efforts of the year became the biggest joke and everyone seems to have a punchline to add.

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Funny thing, tho? It literally didn’t phase him.

According to Hits Daily Double, Chance’s The Big Day is expected to generate 90,000 to 100,000 in album-equivalent units and 24,000-27,000 in pure album sales, making it Chance’s first effort to debut at the No. 1 spot (his prior project, Coloring Book, was streaming only).

Joke all you want and laugh until your face turns blue, but the expansive 77-minute effort of 22 tracks made the top 200 on US Apple Music. Thus, making the album a huge success.

You know why: because Chance The Rapper is bigger than rap!

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The failure of the internet’s slander to affect Chance’s album’s success is the most recent proof of the magnitude of his platform. If you think Chance is like every other rapper you see around here, you’re sorely mistaken.

Already, although having only dropped four and a half (the Surf mixtape partially counts) bodies of work, Chance is a part of the echelon of the Drakes, Rick Ross’s and dare I say… Kendricks of the world.

From his activism to the bold proclamation of his faith to his roots as a slam poetry competitor, his “audience” is far beyond “cool twitter” or even the rap culture in general.

This man has given a years worth of free groceries and put up a million for mental health in his hometown of Chicago. Not to mention, he bought a dying news publication in Chicago to hire black journalists of color to help provide a much-needed narrative to the region and has fought on the behalf of public schools in Chicago.

What else? He’s married with a kid before the age of 30, likes to hum, and wears Mickey-Mouse jeans. Simply put — Chance The Rapper doesn’t play by rap industry rules. So, not “liking” his music literally doesn’t matter.

Chance The Rapper has an audience that expands past urban inner cities. As you listen to The Big Day, you’ll clearly hear how he markets suburban middle-class families, Christians, and the concept of fun. If some of his album comes off as cheesy it’s because Chance is cheesy and his base is cheesy.

Yes, Chance The Rapper “loves his wife” as the now-viral parody snippet pokes fun at. But guess what, so does a good portion of Americans. Chance may get slandered, ridiculed, and even be the subject of jokes for some time. But at the end of the day — The Big Day — he’s going to have the last laugh.

Catch Chance the Rapper on his  35-stop North American tour supporting his debut album, The Big Day. It kicks off Sept. 13 in San Francisco and wraps up on Nov. 10 in Miami.

According to a press release, “special guests” on the trek are to be announced.

Check out The Big Day Tour poster below and get tickets here.

 

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on sale this Friday @ chanceraps.com

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Lessons in losses: Why adversity is the best f*cking thing for us

Everyone prefers the easy way out. You do, I do, we all do.

It’s not that we’re lazy or unwilling to put in the work nor is it an issue of not being committed to what the journey takes.

It’s just if there’s an easier route, we’re undoubtedly going to taking it.

America has conditioned us to the finer things in life where speed and quality are in high demand. Everything is laid out in baby-steps and made the easiest way possible in every industry you can imagine.

We don’t want to have to wait for what we want and it better be great when we get it but that doesn’t mean the “easiest route” is necessarily wrong.

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Since children, we were told to work smarter, not harder, and that efficiency is the best way to do business — it’s human nature to want to use less energy and it’s instinctive to avoid stress.

What it does mean, though, is that we should be wary of how our conditioning.

Life is not fair and misfortune is inevitable and if we’re not mentally prepared with how to deal with it, we’ll end up avoiding life’s biggest problems, never evolving and not achieving our dreams.

There are perks to the hard times, it’s just a matter of knowing how to navigate them.

Losses aren’t forever

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People are afraid to do what’s difficult because they think they will fail and people who are afraid of failing think failing defines who they are. But this is far from the case.

We can’t let the possibility of failure make us avoid the challenge altogether. This is not only misguided but it’s a cowardly way to live.

There are lessons in our losses and those lessons ultimately are what we need in order to advance as people. Also, losses aren’t forever.

Every time we dodge a challenge we’re missing out on a chance at learning what we need to equip ourselves with to better confront that same issue in the future.

And that’s the real gem here — trying at something and failing. Whether it be riding a horse, swimming or getting fit — the writing is not on the wall until you try it.


Confrontation leads to progress

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A lot of times the reason we’re not seeing the progress we’d like to see in our lives is because we’re running away from confrontation.

Instead of facing the demons, the difficulties, and things that make us uncomfortable, we run away. In turn, we never grow.

The reason we should cherish challenge instead of running from it is that running won’t make problems go away. They will still be there and will remain until they’re conquered.

When hardships arise and we’re vigilant in facing them it forces an outcome, as opposed to running away and avoiding them. Confrontation gives us the opportunity to put them to rest for good.


Leveling up

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For so many of us, the reward for the work we’ve been putting in is waiting behind the hard — not easy — way out.

Not only should we cherish challenges but we should constantly seek ways to challenge ourselves on a weekly basis. Challenges force us to change, and that is something we should always strive for.

P90x prides themselves on their muscle confusion technology which is a method that switches up the exercise routine to keep muscle growth from plateauing. This technology actually applies to the challenges we either avoid or confront on a day-to-day basis.

In order for us to grow as people we must face adversity, or else we risk the chance of plateauing in our personal lives. Tension breeds change and it’s up to us to either step up to the plate to overcome it or to learn how we can next time.

Next time we’re going through a tough time we should try and figure out what it’s teaching us, and instead of numbing it or trying to get out of it.

The very least you can do is try and if you’re able to get back up if you fall, there will be a new you waiting on the other side.