Dear J. Cole (re: Cole World)

I was beginning to think you were going to be relegated to the fate of Dr. Dre and the artist formerly known as Young Jeezy, Jermaine. No, seriously... It has been a long time coming, but finally, the kid from Fayettenam who came to the city of New York with his beat machine and a matriculation to St. John's has released his oft-delayed debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story. I'll admit, Jermaine. I was a bit reticent to give this a listen. As of late, I'd gotten disillusioned again with the direction rap was taking; valuing names and sensation over actual skills, placing novelty over quality, and deeming anything with two decent songs a 'classic'. And in your case, I'd grown bored of your 'struggle raps'. Yet, to veer from what makes you great rapper would be stupid. I eat my words at what was a precursor to a seemingly illustrious career ahead of you.

To accurately touch on Cole World, though, I have to hearken back to a line from 'Friday Night Lights' that describes your position at the moment:

To the college kids no scholarships starting your semester / unpacking your suitcases filling up your dresser / enjoy it while you got it, after that it’s God bless ya / life is your professor, you know that b*tch is gon test ya

That line exemplifies your music, Jermaine; the hardships of transitioning into true maturity. Cole, to be honest, I feel like I've become an adult listening to you over the past two years. Your music has been the soundtrack to the strife that a college student goes through, not only before, but after graduation. Embarking on my own life's journey, it's hard not to embrace your genre of 'struggle music'. If the three mixtapes were college, Cole World is definitely the culmination of an undergraduate tenure and the start of a promising life and career. As a graduate, to see you in the throes of a world tour, a successful (by today's standards) album, and a promising future, is inspiration.

Starting off with the story of your signing to Jay-Z's Roc Nation is akin to the offer letter a grad gets from the huge firm. Add 'Dollar and a Dream III' and 'Can't Get Enough', to that, and you have the perfect juxtaposition of seeing the spoils of victory arisen from the mire of hard work. The next track, 'Lights Please', a holdover from 'The Warm Up', makes the perfect transition to the 'Interlude'. Even as a successful black man, it is nearly impossible to evade the long arm of the law. The album starts out showing how many aspects there are to such a caricature, from the diligent, to the frivolous, to the pensive, to the sensual.

My favorite song is the secondary titular track 'The Sideline Story' because it brings all of those aspects into view, along with reaching for the loftiest of goals. Your assertion that 'Can't nobody tell me what I ain't gonna be no more / You thinking I'mma fall, don't be so sure' is a thumbing of the nose to a system that tries to put everyone from college graduates to rappers and everyone in between in boxes. Rather than follow a pattern or formula, you do what is in your nature, and nothing more. In that same song you say 'Some niggas ask me why Jay never shout me out like I’m supposed to give a f*ck.' That line does wonders for so many reasons. Despite the fact that Jay is a mentor to you, and is on your album (albeit on the next song), you not needing him to cosign you is the greatest sign of independence I've seen in hip-hop today. Everyone in rap is trying to be the next Jay, and here you are espousing your freedom from that delineation. You, the graduate, the next up at bat, are standing up on your own two. Rather than look to the top for guidance, you looked to yourself, something that I want to do in my own life. Much like LeBron dropping the number 23 to leave his own legacy as number 6, you are making your own path.

Cole World goes on with another titular track that sounds as grimy as its namesake. The song, while a huge pat on the back, seems a bit misplaced. I suppose when the first half is as loaded as yours, you can't help but get a little sloppy. 'In the Morning' and 'Lost Ones' pick the album back up, juxtaposing the sultriness of mid-morning lust with the pain of fathering a son out of wedlock. Frivolity versus futility, salaciousness versus subjection, Cole, you show the duality that ails the young black. It is a weighty discussion that has been in our minds since we knew what sex was, and that you explore both sides in 'Lost Ones' is exceptional.

The album hits a short a lull after this, to me, Jermaine. It seems as if the postgrad world indeed has its peaks and valleys. A lot of the subject matter you touched on in the first half is revisited, albeit in a different manner, but still rehashed. The track with Missy, while valiant, sounded sluggish aside from Missy's chorus. 'Rise and Shine' didn't really do much for me, and seemed like a filler track that could have honestly been left out, as did 'God's Gift'. 'Never Told' takes the issues of non-communication in a somewhat roundabout way, while in an ascending fashion, 'Breakdown' shows the weakness that our generation has when faced with trying situations. Yet as the Missy song implies, no one is perfect. One of the things that our generation of young adults must contend with is learning about life while living it. That means making mistakes, and letting go of old things. That second part is the theme of 'Nothing Lasts Forever', where you recant on love lost and learning to move on. For me, that was a welcome song, having a new chapter of my life to start.

Your original lead single, 'Who Dat', is the perfect way to end Cole World, as it signals a changing of the guards. Your name is a non-issue if you continue to improve and spit flames, Cole. This album had no 'certified bangers', which honestly was a high point for me. Rather than relying on a single to do your work for you, you put out something that has to be listened to. One can't passively listen to you, Jermaine, although songs like 'Work Out' and 'Can't Get Enough' are certainly radio-friendly enough to draw a buzz. Is it a turning point in hip-hop? I'm not sure. With the way that Wayne, and Ye-Z (see what I did there?) sold, we might not see the rise of a oft-called 'conscious MC' for a while. But it starts with the college kids and graduates. #occupywallstreet, Obama's election and a new youth movement are certainly examples of this shift, and your debut album can be one of the many sounds to march to. Your ideal seems to be warming up to the world, Cole.

Dear Dez Bryant (re: Sagging Pants)

I'm gonna guess Dez was in the middle of the spectrum...

via NewsOK

Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant was ejected from an upscale Dallas shopping mall after a dispute over the sagging pants worn by him and some companions.

A Tuesday police statement says officers working off-duty Saturday as security at NorthPark Center encountered Bryant and three companions wearing the drooping pants.

According to the statement, when the officers asked the four to pull up their trousers, Bryant launched into a profanity-laced tirade that prompted the officers to escort the four from the mall.

Let's do a re-enactment, for old times sake!

-START RE-ENACTMENT-

- Enter any public venue, be it a mall, restaurant, AIDS clinic or what have you -

Security guard (probably white): Hey, you! Pull those pants up or you're out of here!!

Minority youth 1 (with sagging pants): I know you're not looking at me. I know my rights and you can't tell me anything about my apparel. *proceeds to continue discussion with friends about Libyan missile strike*

- Security guard walks away feeling silly and goes to bust teenagers riding escalators the wrong way -

-END RE-ENACTMENT-

 That re-enactment is how the above news story probably should have gone. Then again, this is the real world, not the ideal world where people handle situations with grace. I've always been of the school of thought that no one should or can tell you how to wear your clothes. For any legislative body to try and regulate how a man decides to wear his pants is an egregious violation of civil liberties. It's like telling a woman not to wear a tramp stamp or telling a redneck to cut his mullet off. How can you enact a law or enforce a regulation on a person's physical appearance? Regardless, Dez, you know you f*cked up right?

Dez, I am all for self-expression, and could care less about what you wear, but your sponsors and the media sure as hell do. When White America and their ultra-discerning eye looks upon black youth, they don't see the upstanding young men and women in college or the work force adding to the economy. They see you and your Merry Band of N*ggers, tattoos emblazoned on your bodies, adorning garrulous jewels, mouths agape with profanities and pants scraping the earth with your designer boxers and belts showing. That you represent the spectrum of black youth unable to contain themselves is indicative of your own immaturity and ultimately casts a shadow on the rest of us. Even if one of us does choose to sag his pants, AND responds to a challenge with an educated retort, we probably will get the same treatment, simply because we're lumped in with you.

Yes, the police officer (whose pants probably were up to his armpits) was probably overstepping his boundaries in his request. At the same time, you could have definitely handled it in a better way. How about letting the man catch a glimpse of your Black Card, or carrying a highlight reel of your rookie year, or handing him a card for your lawyer? Or better yet, engaging him in a battle of wits on the merits of individuality and the cultural divide between black youth and White America? Any way you parsed it, NOT cursing him out would definitely be a better course of action. At the end of the day, this probably won't make you bat an eye because you've got enough money to where it doesn't matter what mall you shop at. But for the rest of our sakes, try and find a different mode of rebellion other than anger. It will make for a better story and a stupid-looking security guard, rather than another news piece about 'those n*ggers'...

Dear Waka Flocka

Happenings like this have me worried about the future of Black America. As for the N*igga Moment Hall of Fame, this exchange qualifies as an automatic entry. Along with your less than masterful handle of the English language, to the dumbfounded look plastered on your face when you couldn't answer the simplest of questions, to Rocsi and Terrence's fumbling of your faux pas and idiotic statements, Flocka, you really don't have much to laugh about. No, I didn't think you'd have much to say anyway, but you couldn't even piece together a coherent sentence!

SIDENOTE: Why do Terrence and Rocsi allow this fool to get off the hook so easily? BET is really just condoning ignorance by letting that slide.

Seriously. While I don't think everyone is suitable to be an expert on the US political system, it stands to say you should have some idea as to how to respond to that question. It's bad enough that your music is like Teletubbies for rap, Waka. That you perpetuated an age old stereotype that black people are is secondary to the effect this has on young people. We're already living in a day and age where involvement in the political cycle is not a priority. You're setting such a good example for the 15 and 16 year-olds out there who'll be voting in the next few years. That's what the future of the nation needs: lack of speaking skills and political apathy. I guess a career of shaking your dreads does much more than get you stage time. Brain damage is looking like a serious side effect of listening to you, Mr. Flocka...

Faces in the Crowd - Nile Overton

NOTE: Here's a new feature on Dear Whoever. I've been seeing a lot of negativity in the blogosphere as of late, and I'm tired of it. Faces in the Crowd is a section dealing with the young people making big moves out here. Check it out...

I was blessed this past term to meet a young man by the name of Nile Overton. Along with being a three-sport athlete, the Philadelphia high school resident is a rising poet and. That's not the reason behind the post, though. In July, Nile will be taking a trip to Australia for a Student Ambassador program, where he'll be doing a homestay, exploring the Great Barrier Reef and examining the historical areas inhabited by the Maori people. To some, this may seem trite, but especially after the negative imagery of Philadelphia teenagers in violent flash mobs over the past few weeks, it's refreshing to see a young man expanding his horizons on such a grand scale. Nile was even featured in the Philadelphia Tribune (the picture is too big to post, so check the article here). I'm honestly excited to hear what's next on this young man's agenda, because it's so easy to get the negative news about young people. Also, if you do happen to be in Philadelphia this week, make sure you check Nile out performing some of his poetry at Drexel University on Thursday. Need more info??? Click the GMail icon to the right, and I can direct you. Last, but not least if you want to contact Nile directly with good wishes or just to see what the young man is about, hit his Facebook here. Hope this was a breath of fresh air, and I wish the best to Nile for the trip...

PS: I got the info for Nile's performance. It's at the Creese Center at Drexel University on Chestnut St (btw 32nd & 33rd Street), and starts at 8:30 PM. Keep it locked to Dear Whoever!!

Dear Philadelphia Youth

Have you guys lost your mind?? I mean really. Did you guys leave your brains somewhere and not remember to find them? It's a sad day when you can't even go out for an evening on the town without being harassed or scared by a group of teenagers. It's an even sadder day when that same group of teenagers grows into a multitude, and instead of simply being, begins looting stores and getting violent, calling themselves a 'flash mob'. Young people of Killadelphia, Pistolvania, let me school you on what a flash mob really is. Check it out:



THAT is a flash mob. In fact, let me define it for you, just so there's no mistake. A flash mob is "is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse." (Wikipedia)

Now, what of what you guys have been doing in the past few weeks is remotely reminiscent of an unusual or pointless act, in which you dispersed quickly? That's right. NOTHING. In essence, you who gathered on South Street were gallivanting around for hours, until you realized you had nothing to do. Then, upon realizing the sheer multitude of you, decided to levy those numbers in a destructive manner, looting stores, causing bedlam and even assaulting a pizza delivery guy or two. Nothing of that is fun, innocent or even cool. Leave it to inner-city youth to turn something novel and funny to passers-by into a special on the 6 o'clock news. Maybe it's the lack of things to do in Philadelphia, or maybe it's the mentality of you young people in the city. Whatever the cause, there's no reason UPenn & Drexel kids should be shook to go to McDonalds, because some Philly kids don't have anywhere to go after school or on weekends. Join a basketball team, go volunteer, go fly a kite, or hell, READ A DAMN BOOK!! If you want to do flash mobs, do one where everyone quotes their favorite philosophers, or does the hokey pokey, or wears a wacky outfit. Do something. ANYTHING!! Just stop giving yourselves reasons to be vilified, when you could really be enriching yourselves. Lord knows there's never any stories about that on the 6 o'clock news...

Did this pizza guy really have to get the business end of a group of misguided teenagers? Get it together, kids...

Dear NFL

How many NFL players can say they've been to (or even know) Stonehenge??

You would think that Myron Rolle, the NFL super-stud who also happens to be a Rhodes Scholar, would be the kind of man who makes us proud. You would expect that his status as being the man who represents the future of the black athlete in America would make the NFL happy to have him on the roster of one of their teams. Not only is Rolle brilliant, but he is also tough as nails and fast as lightning. The man has the whole package. But at least according to some NFL coaches, Rolle may not be committed enough to be a part of their league.

"We'll have to find out how committed he is," an NFC assistant coach said, repeating the sentiment of five other NFL officials who said the same thing.

Trainer Tom Shaw, who worked with Rolle over the past year, finds the criticism to be almost silly. Shaw has trained guys like Peyton Mannin and Deion Sanders, along with 118 former first-round draft picks and NFL MVPs. He argues that the critique against Rolle shows ignorance.

"I hear all the negative things that he has too many things going on in his life," Shaw (his trainer) said. "But if [the NFL] is saying that Myron Rolle is a bad example, that's a joke. ... Myron is what you want all these kids to be. Every one of these kids should want to be Myron Rolle. "The reason I say he's going to be a 10-year veteran is he's a guy who is going to out-work everybody. He's not just going to rest on his athletic ability."

"When coaches ask you what's important in your life, usually you can get away with saying God, then family, then football. But a lot of coaches out there want to hear football, then God, then family."

It's a sad day in society when we begin to value a person's time in the 40-yard-dash or their vertical more so than their overall intelligence and aptitude to do more for humanity than chase around a pigskin ball. Unfortunately, that is indeed the case in the NFL, where under the guise of 'making the team better', your scouts are trying to downplay intellect as lack of loyalty. Every year, prior to the NFL Draft, you administer the Wonderlic exam, which tests every potential draftee's intelligence, and their aptitude for problem solving. Most players end up around the late teens and twenties (a perfect score is 50), with safeties clocking in at 19. That said, should Myron Rolle have even had to take the exam? I mean, the guy is a freaking Rhodes Scholar!!! He's hobknobbing with the brightest minds in our age, and representing black male athletes in the way they ought to be; not dumb lumps of muscle, but intelligent human beings with interests outside of football.

By criticizing Rolle and his 'committment', NFL, you're coming outright in saying that you'd rather have a fast idiot on the field than a faster genius. While his interests outside of football may cause conflict with the rigors of being an NFL player, has Myron Rolle disappointed at all? For God's sake, the guy had a Rhodes interview in Alabama on the same day as a game in Maryland, aced the interview, then got back to Maryland for the second half of the game (which they won). Rolle's been holding up both sides of the title student-athlete since high school, so why would he start half-stepping now that he's being considered for the NFL and has the most prestigious fellowship in the world? NFL, it doesn't make sense to ostracize one of the best role models to step into the NFL conversation. Lord knows with that neuroscience degree he'll probably be putting a stop to all the concussion problems you've been having lately...

Dear JD Salinger

It's a rarity that one book can define the mindset of an entire progeny (look it up), and even more rare that the author lives to see the generation touched by his work. Mr. Salinger, 'Catcher in the Rye' is one of my favorite books, not only because of the main character, Holden Caulfied, but because of the vivid explication of the society that he lived in. The vapid, underwhelming world around the high school dropout only served to harden Holden even more. Not to say that I'm the spitting image of Caulfield, but as a person of the same age, I notice the one similarity in our mindsets: cynicism. Mr. Salinger, your book solidified that it is quite okay to be disillusioned with the way everything is going so long as your values and ideologies are kept pure. Also, the work showed how precious youth is, in that innocence lost too quickly is worse than not having innocence in the first place. This is more of my own personal obituary than a letter, JD. And I suppose that because your protagonist was okay with delving into the personal in different forums, such a post is warranted. JD, your memory will not be in vain. There's a whole new generation of Holdens, ready to catch the children in the rye if they venture too near to the cliff. Hopefully you're guarding us as well...

RIP Jerome David Salinger

Safe Sex - (NSFW)

If obscenity isn't your thing, scroll down or click next post..

Yes, this French sex education commercial is a bit on the lewd side. Regardless, the commercial gets a very simple point across to everyone. Protection is a necessity in today's world of loosened sexual boundaries. It's really no wonder European countries have a lesser STD (and HIV) rate than the United States, with how open and frank the dialogue on sex is. Not to say that Americans are prude (we're probably the most lewd country, actually), but we shirk at talking about and dealing with sex. If we took a less reserved attitude about it, there's no telling how many lives can be saved from better sexual education. Pass the video on, if you agree...

Dear Teddy Riley

The phrase is correct, but the actions are dead wrong...

Okay Teddy, I will not lie. Blackstreet was one of my favorite groups. I still sing No Diggity, Baby Be Mine and Don't Leave Me Girl to this day. You guys paved the way for the R&B group explosion of the late 90's and were innovators in terms of sound. You however, have truly disappointed me. I've always been a firm believer that discipline in a child's life is second only to love. Whether corporal, or simple positive reinforcement, the discipline in a child's life is one of the more prevalent factors in shaping them as an adult. That said, what the hell, Teddy?? Since when has it been okay to beat a child with their Christmas present? You see, Teddy, there is a HUGE difference between discipline and abuse, and you crossed it.

According to the ridiculous Twitter argument between you and your daughter (readers, you can find that for yourself; I refuse to cite TMZ or MTO), she was unhappy with your new girlfriend and decided to voice that opinion. Call me new school, or progressive, but when a child reaches a certain age (18 in your daughter's case), they have a pretty good scope of relationships, even if they haven't been in one themselves. Now this is just an assumption, but your new girlfriend probably isn't your first of that variety (young, and money hungry), and probably won't be your last. You may even love the woman, which is cool. But at what point do you take your daughter's feelings into consideration?

Even if you didn't agree with what she was saying, I'm sure hitting her with a Rock Band guitar probably isn't the best way to leave your fatherly imprint on her. In fact, I'm even more sure that doing that will make her despise you even more. I'm no family expert. Nor was I there when the incident, and subsequent Twitter argument (funny that there is such a thing, isn't it?) took place. But your daughter was there before your girlfriend, and will be there after (not trying to put a hex on your girl; I'm just telling it how it is) her. Don't alienate and abuse her because she told you that you need to stop putting p*ssy on a pedestal...

Little Girl Types at 119 Words per Minute

While this is a wondrous feat, I can't help but think that there is something seriously wrong with a 10 year old girl that can type 119 words per minute. In this day and age, it's not unnatural for children to have a great aptitude for computing. However, where do you as a parent, or as an educator, put your foot down and tell that little girl to GO OUTSIDE!! Seriously. Have we as a society grown so attached to computers, that instead of raising children ourselves, we allow the computers to do it?? Oh wait, yeah we have.

Parents, do yourselves and your children a favor, and TURN OFF THE COMPUTER. It's ironic that I'm saying this from a computer. At the same time, though, I can say that I was never glued to a computer. Oregon Trail day came and went, and though it was always a big deal, electronics never seemed to trump the thrill of going down a slide or kicking the ball out of the park playing kickball. To say that we are in a digital age is an understatement when you see things like this. At this point, it's really really disheartening to see a girl, no older than the concept of the modern internet, so drawn in by computing that she has made a hobby out of typing. Does this girl have friends? Do her parents just not care?? Whatever the case, I feel bad for her if her career goals ever go anywhere north of secretary...

Dear MTV

Good God Almighty. Just when I thought you guys' programming couldn't be more idiotic, I flipped on what was once the bane of my mornings, and flipped right back in fear of losing my mind. What is Jersey Shore? I mean, other than a reality show based off the stupidity, vanity and vapid lifestyles of young New Jerseyans (sp?)? I can guarantee that whoever is creating these shows has the attention span of Heidi and Spencer put together, which isn't much. But in all seriousness, is this what we're really feeding to 15 and 16-year-old kids?? MTV, this is detestable. If it isn't 'The Hills' making a season out of stupid catfights, or 'Parental Control' making it funny to disrespect parents, or glamorizing teen pregnancy with '16 and Pregnant', you guys have NO decent programming.

Hell, think about your name: MTV. MUSIC TELEVISION. I cannot tell you the last time I have turned on MTV to anything musical. If it's not reality TV, then it's not MTV. What happened to the cartoons? What happened to Daria, Beavis and Butthead, Celebrity Deathmatch, Andy Milonakis? What happened to Rock-N-Jock Sports? What happened to GOOD original programming? Every time I hear about a new show, it's one of three things: A) a spin-off from an old show, B) a distasteful, yet generic game show or C) a feeble attempt at shock humor. MTV, what happened to the music???

So many times I heard adults in the 90's chastize you guys for the music and for how outlandish everything was. Now, I don't know any adults that even care to criticize you guys. Clearly, the adults who were hating on you before, are NOW you. From an adult perspective, THIS is the MTV we should have been watching 10 years ago: mindless, inane and repetitive. I shudder to think what's going to happen in another 10 years, so I will just say my goodbye now. MTV, you were good while you were young. A network full of awkward laughter and musical vibes that could only peak during its adolescence. In your own adulthood, you became the very thing that you had poised us against: the Man. Your channel is now corporately sponsored and corporately-run. The organic feel that made me wake up every morning at 7 to watch Coolio's 'Fantastic Voyage' is gone, but at least I still have BET... Wait, no.. BET is the coon network... I guess we stil have the blogs. MTV, check out where you were, and where you are now. Lord knows these growing pains didn't work out as planned...

Youth of the Nation

When I came to college, this is what I imagined. Instead of the vapid party and drinking scene I've grown accustomed to, I expected to find a mecca of learning and inspiration. Call it naivety, but my idea of what education should be has always been above and beyond what it was. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there either feeling like this. The ignorance of my peers was ultimately the straw that broke my camel's back in terms of my faith in education. That's why this video makes me smile for so much. All of the time, I hear adults chastise my generation because 'we don't stand for anything.' Now here we are protesting for our rights as students?? AND we got footage of it on Youtube?? Kudos UCLA. We can only hope that the rest of the nation's youth can make statements like that. Take THAT, Baby Boomers and Generation Y'ers!!

PS: I completely forgot to tell you what the video is of!! The students at UCLA were fed up with a 32% tuition increase and decided to protest. As you can see they got pretty heated and when the smoke cleared, there were 14 arrest and a student tasered (you know campus police did that shit). It's so nice to see students speak out and GET HEARD. Hopefully they lower that tuition...

Dear Black Youth

I thought we were past this but it seems like during my residence in Philadelphia, I've grown desensitized to violence. Black youth, is this really what we want our lives to be? A never-ending cycle of violence, mourning, short waves of activism and MORE violence? For the longest, it seemed like we were getting the picture. It seemed like the election of Barack Obama and the bringing of personal responsibility for students to the forefront were starting to take hold in our minds. It seemed like we were turning the corner that our forefathers had been working for decades to push us around. But alas, there's not much light that can be salvaged from this blight of darkness. Murder rates among black teens (aged 14-17) have risen almost 40% this decade alone, and with the grizzly murder of Derrion Albert, it doesn't look like this trend will tail off soon. To my peers, I have only one question: When will we stop? When will territorial vendettas and color wars become less important than our livelihood? How many more people have to die before we realize we are killing OURSELVES?!?! Okay, that was three questions, but all ones that needed to be asked. I'm sick of hearing about death. I know (or at least I hope) you are too. Be the change you want to see in yourself, people. It's an easy task for something with such difficult consequences...