0 The Playoff Somewhat Payoff Posted by Unknown | at 4/18/2013 11:39:00 PM

 

Yes!!! Made it another year to get to this point of the year: NBA playoffs!! Can't lie. NBA Playoffs over any other playoffs but I established that already. So instead I'm goin to go on a ledge and do something I've never done before: make playoff pics. Now bear with me cuz this ain't your usual NBA playoff picks these are jus some vague ass sure fire statements I made you can prolly bet nothing more than a warm beer on. So crack that 40 open and get yo read on.

 

Lakers won't get swept

I've thought about this post loooong before Kobe took that fall. But something tells me this team won't get destroyed as bad ppl think. Now don't take that as they will win the series cuz going against the Spurs in the first round after San Antone got busted last yr against OKC will be a tough task. Lake show been struggling all yr and they seemed to have gotten their act together before losing Fearless Leader. They already beat the Spurs  earlier in the week and I think Dwight Howard is motivatd to take this team over for the time being. If he's not then he's ready to put on one hell of an audition tape, hopefully for the Rockets. I expect that good work to continue in the postseason.

 

Heat/Knicks will be in conf finals

 Ever since Melo came to NY that franchise has been completely different. This season has been especially remarkable. They are the 2 seed entering the playoffs, a lot of their stars are healthy coming into postseason play and even gave the Heat a run for their money a little. That latter statement is important cause last season's 5 game sweep was too devastating of an end for that team. The Heat seem invincible coming off a 27 game winning streak beating folks left and right with or without all of the new Big 3. I mean who else in the East really matters. Celtics are a yr away frm rebuilding, Bulls have no Derrick Rose, Brooklyn is not that playoff strong to me and every other team is irrelevant and unmentionable. Also this won't be a quick 5 or 6 game series. Get your DVR ready cuz this is going the full 7 games. So there will be plenty of chances for a classic Lebron/Melo matchup for the Conference Finals and you can bet the 6 pack on that.

 

Bulls and Heat are going 7 games

Both teams will be coming off lackluster opponents (Heat vs. Bucks; Bulls vs. Nets) so expect them to really get it going. The thing is since chicago is technically a lower seed they may be pushing the pedal a little harder and willl be warmed enough to take on the defending champions. And then there is this little problem with whether or not Derrick Rose is gonna play but that shit wont be happening as I mentioned earlier. The Heat may be sort of sluggish after barely wielding any effort in sweeping the Bucks. This means they will definitely let some games get close but that is not what you want to do with a team such as Chicago. Just like last year when the Pacers gave them their wake up call, expect the Bulls to do the same to the Heat. The same team that ended their historic winning streak will definitely look to put a championship streak before it even begins.

 

Spurs will find a way... to fuck it off

Sry San Antone, out of all the Central Texas sports teams (Mavs, Cowboys, Longhorns, Rangers) you are my fav fan base but you will not be makin that shine for a fifth title. Your drive for five is gonna crash. Now don't get me wrong y'all have a good squad but letting go of Stephen Jackson gave the Nuggets an extra confidence boost. Signing T-Mac was nice but everybody keeps thinking of the T-Mac in Addidas commercials and hittin 3's consecutively. That shit aint happenin anymore bruh. The Thunder still have Westbrook/Durant and Kevin Martin is not bad. He's no James Harden (who by the way needs to get MVP for taking the Rockets up a notch but i'll shut up) but he is sufficient enough.

 

So those are my picks. Feel free to comment on whether you like them or you think I need to stop sniffing glue. Hit me up with feedback at:

 

www.twitter.com/bsimmstexas

www.facebook.com/bsimmstexas

www.reverbnation.com/bsimms

 

Enjoy!!!!

0 Bad Rap Posted by Unknown | at 4/11/2013 09:57:00 PM

In 2006 Nas dropped the album Hip Hop is Dead and oh my damn Hip Hop went crazy. In 2013 I'm startin to ponder how true those words could be? Especially considering what the first few months of rap music has seemed to be in comparison to its supposed more sensitive and softer spoken sibling, r&b.

Gone are the days where the r&b singer is suppose to be masters of love: singing about significant others, heartache, and random love making (not sex, but makin love). No more playing in the background of a rapper's platinum pop hit or even playing background when a rapper features on their song. The current crop of R&B stars are stepping out with just as much swag as their hip hop counterparts.

So far some of the biggest songs that have dropped this year and got the hip hop sites buzzin have involved R&B artists. Everybody went crazy when Beyonce  dropped "I Been On". Yeh ppl have hated on it but in an artistic value. And yes there has been buzz about which rappers is and will be on the remix and future remixes but have to point out the fact that an R&B singer started this whole thing with a song. Beyonce's joint is just an indication of the aggression you can feel from these singers nowadays. Take Ray J for example. Drops a diss song "I Hit it First" against Kim Kardashian out of nowhere. Ray J!! Aint that Brandy's brother? But the one to really take the spotlight right now is Chris Brown. Last week a video was released where just tears through a freestyle on Hot97. Not to mention his much talked about verse (partially because of the Drake diss) on Young Jeezy's R.I.P. remix.
 

So all this talk about R&B but what noise have the rappers made lately? Oh I dont know maybe about nothing related to art too much. You want notoriety, how about Lil Wayne offending a civil rights activist during Black History Month? Or what about Rick Ross' rape line. It wasnt even his song!! That will get you noticed but that's not what hip hop is about. Yes rap music is controversial at times raping women comparing civil rights workers' faces to vaginas really aint helping the cause. Neither is the fact that the one anticipated song this year (Drake's Started from the Bottom) has lead to criticism that he really didnt start from the bottom.

So is hip hop dying right now? Hard to argue considering the things going on right now and hard to believe after the year of albums which has happened and those projected to happen. But how long is it going to last for R&B right now. Big Krit has just dropped a mixtape already crowned a classic and J. Cole is well on his way to drop this year. Cause while these singers may be trying out different styles, their taking away from the romantic aura of R&B which is gonna eventually that genre. and it wont be long before we're giving them a "Bad Rap".

0 Accident Needing to Happen? Posted by Unknown | at 4/09/2013 09:59:00 AM

 

 

Smmfh. Of all things to be done this year, a white has sparked a real conversation about racism. Brad Paisley dropped a new joint with LL Cool J titled "Accidental Racist" a song about a white man dealing with racial differences which in my opinion is like Kobe Bryant dealing with playing off the bench. But... I kid you not. I read the Entertainment Weekly online article and have heard the song and I'm completely sold on it.

 

 

“I just think art has a responsibility to lead the way, and I don’t know the answers, but I feel like asking the question is the first step, and we’re asking the question in a big way. How do I show my Southern pride? What is offensive to you? And he kind of replies, and his summation is really that whole let’s bygones be bygones and ‘If you don’t judge my do rag, I won’t judge your red flag.’ We don’t solve anything, but it’s two guys that believe in who they are and where they’re from very honestly having a conversation and trying to reconcile."

 

 

The song is an open look at racism frm a white man who starts out explaining to a Starbucks waiter why he was wearing his confederate flag shirt. Pretty nonsense oriented but pretty damn accurate in complaints made about the confederate flag. Like I implied earlier, I never saw white ppl as the ones who faced racial discrimination because they are the assumed majority (even though hispanics are projected to become the majority very soon.). Majority doesn't have to worry about racial profiling or bein called slurs because the majority for years has threw those at the minority. Times have changed and the minority isn't as meek as they once were. Now equality is not just in holding hands but trading jabs. The harsh reality to the oppressed is that they may be equal in oppression to even those that are the color of the majority.

 

Of course LL Cool J is in this blog as well. His verse is ok but rapping over this beat is kinda tricky and you can tell with his cadence. But dont let that take away from the message he is giving. He raps about how having saggy pants or dressed up in other certain ways shouldn't call for judgment. And what caught my attention was him talking about overlooking his gold chains and maybe he could overlook the iron chains. That was prob the most uncomfortable part of the song for me. Black people may never lean toward forgiving or forgetting the horrors of slavery once they learn about them. Jus the other day I heard white people used to use slave babies as alligator bait. Thas something that can never be forgotten especially in exchange for ignoring the fact I'm wearing some expensive jewelry.

 

To me, this song is more powerful than entertaining. A lot of ppl will tell you this song is wrong and what does a white man know about racism but exactly the reason why its needed. This conversation needs to happen. Every race is discriminatory to another in some form of fashion it doesnt matter what color you are.Why? Because as this country gets bigger and things become more televised and broadcasted globally, such as stereotypes,  ppl all over the world are looking at how different races are being treated by the majority and other minorities and will follow suit. Theres racism against asians, hispanics, middle easterners and many more. Perhaps that should be the remix. But when it comes to racism we need to remix our thoughts of prejudice, stereotypes and hatred we have toward certain groups. Thas the message Paisley prolly wants to give thru this song hopefully racists will get the message thru to them  and not jus by accident.

0 Gay Marriage and Gun Control Posted by Unknown | at 4/02/2013 11:29:00 PM

Whats the difference between gay marriage and gun control? Surely Im not mistaking you right now. Honestly when making a somewhat decent attempt to watch the news I see either one or the other. A month or so ago it was all about guns. Now lately it's been all about gays getting married. Quite frankly neither one is a step closer to having any decent resolve.

Unfortunately, guns have never really become a hot-button issue until last year when mass shooting after mass shooting seemed to be happening. Soon people I thought were liberal were taking conservative stances on keeping guns and vice versa. Everybody felt their right to bear arms was being taken away. Obama was talking about banning assault rifles but NRA was like fuck all that!! And that turned into everyone arguing back and forth (and when i say 'arguing' I mean with Tweets and memes on Facebook). This situation with the gays seem to be getting that same irelleveant feeling but it has always been a huge issue.Now since the Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week to make it legal, the usual 'arguing' is back. This time they have a picture of an equal sign in pink on a red back drop.

People just need to face facts: This shit is not going away regardless of any bill that is passed or ruling that is handed down. Let's take the gay marriage issue for example. I have Facebook friends who are Christians, serious Christians as well, and dont really see eye to eye with what conservatives do all the time but this gay marriage debate has brought out the Bible.  One status is about how marriage is defined for man and woman and all the other stuff. Then my other Facebook friends who are kinda teetering on the atheist side post about the Bible is interpreted one way and marriage is destroyed by celebrity infidelity and other crap. Guns argument as well although it may seem like its one sided to get rid of guns, I always hear a split argument of how they are needed to protect the family or go hunting.

So whats my viewpoint on gay marriage and guns: If they dont pass that marriage equality law, they better not give guns to the gays. But seriously does your opinion even matter? Yeh we will all vote it in or out either of these issues but I do not feel their hot topic life will ever die down. Why? Well youre talking about gun control and gay marriage youre talking about a person's personal protection and sex life respectivley. It's not like the economy issue where youre fussing at people to stop using a fucking credit card. No way. Youre intruding on how people survive and yes in both instances.