Its funny how my biggest hero went by one letter too. 'X'!!! Malcolm El-Hajj Malik El Shabazz or Malcolm X to most of the world embodied courage, respect, boldness, defiance and just about every dope adjective you could possibly think of. Was he a hateful radical who wanted to kill white people and take over America? No! However, logic similar to this is what keeps Malcolm X classes from being taught universally across the country or his birthday being a national holiday like others. He is often omitted from the Civil Rights Era amongst other prominent name such as Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evars, and numerous others. But in my eyes he is just as if not more significant then anyone in Black History. His quotes are timeless, his speeches are timeless, his writings are all timeless. If I could sum him up in one word timeless would be just that. Malcolm's goal was simple. Spread the message that being Black is not a curse, it is a gift and there is nothing wrong with taking arms to protect yourself, your family, and your people. Ill sum him up with a bar of my own which is comprised of two of his most famous quotes: "Dreams and reality go hand and hand quite extraordinary. And Imma reach mine by any means necessary. Really, I'm way too ambitious and too confident. But that's only because tools are excuses of the weak and incompetent."
"I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark." - Muhammad Ali
It is the last day of Black History Month and I felt like I'd be a slight failure to my race and disrespectful if I didn't do a post on one of the most influential African Americans in terms of sports, civil rights and religion. One of Visions' (as a whole) heroes and an athletic icon Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. or as the world knows him Muhammad Ali. He is arguably (and in my opinion) one of the greatest pound for pound boxer of all time. He boxed not only against his opponents but against the nay-sayers and oppression. He became a professional boxer in a time when the United States was deeply segregated and was deeply rooted in racism. He dropped any opponent that came his way. Beating boxing greats Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. He finished his career with a record of 56-5 including 37 knockouts and won the championship title 3 times. He was also a fighter for human and civil rights. He was a member of the nation of Islam and shouldered the struggle of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (better known as Malcolm X). Fighting for African American rights and freedoms as a people. Using his fame and pull to help push the movement forward. He is one of my heroes and people I have looked to for inspiration for my every day life. His audacity, bravado, dedication and drive to be the best was almost unmatched. That same drive is what Visions (and all people) strive and should strive to emulate. I don't want to say too much more becuase I feel like I would go on for
Ali Interview Pt. 1
Ali Interview Pt. 2
"Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong."
It is always a good thing to see people who spend their time grinding. People who are working to get where they want to be. They don't want the 9-5. They are looking to follow their dreams. One group that embodies that is the Wyld Stylaz. Every time I see a facebook post or tweet from these guys its always about marketing themselves and getting their name out there. So I see (at least digitally) that they are working hard to make the Wyld Stylaz name known. I have had the chance to meet several members in the studio and I've watched them put in work there as well. So I know these guys are making moves. So much so that they have even started to get international radio play with one of the tracks called Get Wit IT (yet to be released in the US) which is a major step in the right direction. So I figured why not give these guys a little more promo and look at these men as inspiration on how to be motivated for your dreams. So like I always say about artist on the rise GET FAMILIAR or just don't listen and kick yourselves when I say "I told you so". So I will leave you guys with a little more info on these guys. That's it for now. ENJOI!
Decided to take it back a bit for this week's Jam of The Week folks. On the list of greatest rap duos of all time Phonte & Big Pooh are definitely up there. One of my biggest influences for rapping and not to mention their DJ is like one of my idols (9th Wonder) But this joint right here features Mr. West & fellow Good Music label mate Consequence. Check it out cuz it was my ringtone for a good 2 years. Duces!
We have them all the time. A bit of cognitive dissonance where you actions don't necessarily agree with your thinking. That is TOTALLY the case with the song Ha Ha (Slow Down) by Fat Joe ft. Jeezy. I am by far one of the last people on the planet that would even be by the slightest remote chance be considered a Fat Joe fan. I'm a huge Jeezy fan but fat joe.... not by any stretch of the imagination. So imagine my dilemma when this track came on and I am rocking out.. come to find out its from the Fat man himself. Not much actually because the track is so dope lol. So dope to me I'm posting it!.. so as much as I don't like Heavyset Joseph I love this song. My anthem for the moment... ENJOI!
Whats up folks.. I know you missed us. I'm working on having my fellow Questers post more so there isn't as much delay between post. Today my post is in part dedicated to my love of kicks and the other part is dedicated to the greatest basketball player of all time Michael Jeffrey Jordan. It's MJ's Birthday so I had to give him his just mention. I wear his sneaker brand religiously and I been a fan ever since I was small. So I'm sending all the Happy Birthdays to the homey MJ. But I digress, to the subject at hand. Today I been having a pretty decent day. Had a test which I did well on without studying (got lucky). So I decided to walk around New Brunswick for a little bit. I ended up wandering to NJ Skateshop which is a homely little Streetwear/skate/sneaker spot on Easton Ave. I go there periodically to look at what SBs I'll be looking to acquire when I have the funds. Since I have been quite literally cashless in recent history all I could do was gaze. On this day I saw THE DOPEST dunks I had seen in a while. The "Mr. Huxtable" Dunk based off the Sweaters Bill Cosby use to wear on The Cosby Show. I then realized that I have a huge list of kicks that I'm looking to cop. And Now I am adding the "Mr. Huxtables" to that list. So with that the idea came to me that I need to buy some more kicks. I will be getting a decent tax return back and so I made a list of sneakers that I want to get. So I'm going to buy 3 pairs of sneakers. I don't know which 3 yet so I want the followers of Visions to help me pick kicks. I have put them in categories and price range so that I would be making 3 diverse purchases. I'm a fan of democracy and I like throwing a little chaos in the mix so I figure why not have you guys choose! So here they are! Comment on which ones you think I should get. The best combination or the most mentioned sneakers are the ones I purchase now. (I'm eventually getting them all so just pick the ones you like for me to get as a part of my 3). Figured I make the reader-blogger dialogue a little more prevalent so have fun with it. (Pick one from each category that you think I should buy and leave it in the comment box). ENJOI!
Had to post this ASAP.. My boy Moruf is back at it with super dope freestyle that I had to throw up on the blog. Yes Its 3 in the morning. Yes I'm a little inebriated but this dope nonetheless. Have a listen tell what you think. ENJOI!
So as I searched for new sneaker releases and what heat would be coming our way in the year 2010. I stumbled upon some news that made be squeal (quite literally...smh). Two of the most sought after pair of Jordan XIs (next to the Space Jams) will be re-released in the latter part of 2010. The Jordan XI Cool Greys and the Jordan XI Concords. One release (Cool Grey) was confirmed and the other(Concords) is still rumored. It is exciting news nonetheless. I have been biding my time to properly upgrade my XI game (sneaker game overall but more so dunks and XIs) and the opportunity has arrived. The last time the Cool Greys were released was in 2001 and the last time the Concords dropped was a a part of the Defining Moments 6/11 pack. Highly sought after pack that can go for anywhere from $600+ if you are lucky. So this would help to soothe some of the more financially challenged (read: Broke) sneakerheads pockets. The expected release is the 2010 holiday season. More than enough time to save your pennies for this wondrous arrival. That is all for now but I will have you folks drool over these picks for now. ENJOI!
