Dear Jordan Brand

Must this letter be written every six months? JB, it's been a while since I've been excited for anything from you guys, but like every other thing that has a future, 2010 is looking like a big year. Regardless, there's no excuse for such debauchery. These both look like they were inspired by an LL Bean catalog. I had no idea that you guys were going to start selling your hyperstrike drops at Bass Pro Shops. It looks like your board of directors might have finally gotten on the whole going green tip, but I didn't know it would extend to the sneakers. At this rate, I'm praying that 2010 comes sooner rather than later if you guys at Jordan are gonna keep releasing granola bar shit like this. Just hurry up and release the Infrared VI's so I can go back to not caring about Jordan's again...

Drake - Heartbreak Drake (Part 2)

What's up people, it's Music Monday!!! This week we have drop from none other than Drake, who's buzz has gotten so big, that he probably could just sell a blank disc. The new mixtape "Heartbreak Drake - Part 2" dropped this weekend, boasting some new music, as well as some old ish, for those of you coming out from under your domestic rocks. To tell you the truth, if you know Drake, you know what you're getting in this offering: slick wordplay and good song-writing. In terms of song-writing (via Devin, so we don't have anymore plagiarism, nigga), Drake is really up there. Whether singing in that 'I can sing, but I'm not Trey Songz' voice, or penning an excellent hook, Drake has his eyes set on the mainstream, and makes no mistake of showing that in this mixtape. In all honesty, my words aren't gonna do much for Drake considering his buzz is its own animal at this point. Check the d/l link, my picks, the tracklist and some leaks and videos...

Drake - Heartbreak Drake (Part 2)

Cream of the Crop:
The Winner
Slow it Down
Stunt on You
Juice
The whole 2nd half of the mixtape was songs from previous mixtapes, all of which are fire...

Cream of the Crap:
NONE

Drake - The Winner
Drake - Juice
Drake - Stunt On You

1. Drake Signs (Intro)
2. Do It Now
3. Juice
4. The Winner
5. Slow It Down
6. Something
7. Stunt On You
8. Belly Shit
9. The One ft. Mary J Blige
10. Invented Sex ft. Trey Songz
11. Digital Girl ft. Jamie Foxx & Kanye West
12. Successful ft. Trey Songz
13. Unstoppable ft. Lil Wayne & Santogold
14. Goin In ft. Lil Wayne & Young Jeezy
15. Take You Down
16. Best I Ever Had (Remix) ft. Ma$e
17. Thank Me Later Coming Soon (Outro)

RIP Arturo Gatti

Yesterday we learned that Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was found dead in a hotel room in Brazil, and that his wife was a prime suspect in the case. Now, along with being unbelievably mild climate-wise, this summer has been a death adder for public figures, with icons such as Michael Jackson, Steve McNair and now, Arturo Gatti dying. There's definitely something above our heads going on right now. Regardless, I feel harder for boxers than I do for any other athletes for the simple fact that they take more punishment on one part of their body in one night than most see in an entire season. It's without a doubt that Gatti will go down as one of the best ever, just due to his sheer power of will. Also, his image was unmistakable. I'll sorely miss this warrior of the ring. Check some of his best moments and remember to pay whatever respects you can to Arturo Gatti and other of the departed from this month...

The Mailing List: July 2009 (#3)

3. Fabolous - Loso's Way



After what seemed like a million and a half leaks, two million pushbacks and a few hot singles, Fabolous is finally dropping his highly-anticipated fifth studio album, "Loso's Way". Now if you know Fab, you know he's always been one with the wordplay. His mixtapes and freestyles have always been piff, but then his albums disappoint, mainly due to too many songs for the shorties. While I can understand that you need radio bangers and stuff that's palpable for the masses, Fab needed to come with a hard album (not 'hood' hard, but musically hard) to etch himself a place at the top of rap where he should be. So far, it's evident he's been going hard in the lab. All of the songs seem inspired. I guess we can attribute that to the concept album being loosely based around the movie 'Carlito's Way'. His songs all center around a violent rise to power and the repercussions and spoils of doing so. I really think this is the one that's going to put Fab over the edge. "Loso's Way" drops on July 28th. Be on the lookout for more coverage, but in the meantime check some videos, leaks and the tracklisting:

Fabolous ft. Keri Hilson & Ryan Leslie - Everything, Everyday, Everywhere

Fabolous feat. Ryan Leslie - The Fabolous Life

1. "The Way" (Intro)
2. "My Time" (featuring Jeremih)
3. "Imma Do It" (featuring Kobe)
4. "Feel Like I'm Back"
5. "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere (Your Baby)" (featuring Keri Hilson)
6. "Throw It In the Bag" (featuring The-Dream)
7. "When the Money Goes" (Remix) (featuring Jay-Z)
8. "Salute" (featuring Lil' Wayne)
9. "There He Go" (feat. Paul Cain, Red Cafe & Freck Billionaire)
10. "The Fabolous Life" (featuring Ryan Leslie)
11. "Makin' Love" (featuring Ne-Yo)
12. "Last Time (Gotta Go)" (featuring Trey Songz)
13. "Pachanga"
14. "Lullaby"
15. "Stay" (featuring Marsha Ambrosius)
16. "I Miss My Love"

Barack's Wandering Eye

If that doesn't prove how regular of a guy Barack is, I don't know what does. Even better is the look on Sarkozy's face. He looks like he's been up in that ass and is letting Barack know the dilly... You know what? Enough talk. Let the picture speak for itself...

Freestyle Friday

What's up people? Today's Friday, so you know we had to hit you off with two dope tracks off the dome. That's right!! It's Freestyle Friday, and this week we have two Roc Boys spittin. The first is the original Roc Boy, Jay-Z going a Capella in Chicago, and most notably, taking a few calculated shots at Game, Jim Jones and Dame Dash just for kicks. The quality is a little off, just because it's a live show, but otherwise Jigga goes in. The second one is from the Roc Nation signee out of Fayette-nam, J. Cole. He does his thing over "Shook Ones", and I must say, he's got a little more edge when he goes off the top. Plus, his beat selection is really good. I haven't heard J. Cole on a beat that I couldn't listen to, if not rock out to. But that's enough talk. Check these two freestyles and keep it posted on Dear Whoever...

Dear LeBron

I guess getting dunked on wasn't as embarrassing as this...

It's commendable that you do your little camp every year. It's nice to give back to the kids in the community and to have other up-and-coming stars roll through and show some love as well. It's even better, when the exhibition games that they play at these camps gets serious, or even heated (we all know the shit is not supposed to be competitive). So, when word got out that at your summer camp you got dunked HARD on by Xavier sophomore Jordan Crawford, the basketball world went CRAZY. But the basketball world went right past crazy and moved on to suspicious when it found out that you whispered in a Nike exec's ear right after, and the suit promptly confiscated the tape.

One question LeBron: so what? So what if some no name, mid-major, Atlantic 10 sophomore got one over on you? Is he the reigning MVP of the NBA? Is he possibly the most recognized basketball player in the world, and the face of the NBA? Does Jordan Crawford inspire fear in opposing defenses like you do? I don't think so, Bron. This, simply put, was a bitch move. If the video got out, what would happen? There would be a Youtube and ESPN explosion for about 3 days, and blogs (much like this one) would have a field day with it. But then everyone would go back to necking you off on the daily, and wouldn't even remember Jordan Crawford other than this incident. That said, if you really had to have the video confiscated, how bad was that dunk?? Was it as bad as Devin Harris getting hustled by a British streetballer? If you need a comparison point, check the video below:

Nike "Class of 2010"

Looks like the NBA isn't the only place where 2010 might shake things up. Nike looks poised to hit the sneaker world with a barrage of highly sought after retros such as Jordans, Air Maxes, Air Garnetts, Blazers and Foamposites. There's nothing much that can be said here but DAMN. Peep the best of Nike's Class of 2010 (there'll probably more to follow later this yea, so keep posted!!):

Philadelphia, PA

Greetings from Philly people; the place where Junior is residing at the moment. This isn't a pleasant Greetings From though. In Northeast Philadelphia, a group of about 60 minority campers was sent packing from a private pool club that cited the children would "change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club." Apparently when the children got to the pool, the predominantly white patrons took their children out of the pool, clearly perturbed. The pool club's ownership promptly requested that the campers leave, and offered them a refund, leaving them with no place to beat the heat. My question is, how is a place like this still standing?? Didn't we leave shit like this alone in the 60s, 70s and 80s? Or better yet, shouldn't the presence of a black president make such thinking either obsolete or just plain old ignorant? It's a damn shame that this could even happen. I hope these kids get the justice they deserve...

The Mailing List: July 2009 (#4)

4. Entourage: Season 6

Ooooooo davey!! This Sunday (July 13th), the new season of Entourage starts on HBO. I've only been watching since the 3rd season, but in all honesty, this is one of the best-written shows on television. Today, the whole buddy-comedy series is convoluted with shows that adhere to boring archetypes of characters instead of actual characters, with actual stories, and actual personalities, with actual things to say. The latter is the allure of Entourage. Although these dudes are living this unbelievably fast-paced (and at times vain) life, Ari, E, Vince, Turtle and Drama are all extremely well-rounded characters with a virtually unlimited range to each of them. Plus, the show is downright hilarious. Make sure you check the trailer and BTS for the new season of Entourage:

The Mailing List: July 2009 (#5)

5. The Blackberry 9630 Tour



Okay, I'll admit it. Being on Sprint sucks sometimes. In addition to NOBODY being on it (I'm always using up daytime minutes), Sprint seems to be in the Stone Age when it comes to phones. Every year when my friends are basking in new phones from Verizon or AT&T, I'm stuck with the same shit from last year; the same shit they had months earlier. No more. Sprint is releasing the Blackberry Tour on July 12th both in stores and online for those of us who have Blackberry fetishes with no Blackberries of their own. I for one will be picking one of these up promptly, so I can feel cool and join in with a fad. Peep some more news and specs for the new Blackberry Tour below...

Tour of the Blackberry Tour

The Census (7/6 - 7/13)

Hey people, sorry this week's Census is a little late. I had some birthday festivities to attend yesterday, so bear with me. Anyways, this week's Census is a go:



Two weeks ago, the illness, and subsequent death of Michael Jackson caused a huge uproar in the media world. While some heard of the incident via The Media Zone (TMZ), which quickly transferred to Twitter, others waited on the official word from media outlets such as CNN and the New York Times. Throughout the whole wait for official word, media purists touted the lack of validity that TMZ supposedly had, alluding to numerous stories on the website that may have been shunned by other outlets. However, TMZ dropped the story about an hour before the rest of the media even knew of the story, much less could confirm Jackson's death. That said, the question of the week is:

Are the traditional media outlets (print, news channel, radio) losing their ground to the new age of media (blogs, Twitter, etc)?

Hell yeah!!! Who reads the newspaper anymore? Better yet, who even watches CNN?
Nahh!!! You can't trust muckrakers, especially ones without Ivy League degrees.

Vote in this week's Census (it'll be up a little longer because of the delay) and let your voice be heard!!!

The Census: Debriefing Session (6/30 - 7/6)

The results from last week's Census are in!!! Check the suffrage:

Is Drake signing to Young Money a good or bad look?

GOOD!!! Drake wants the money, cars, clothes, and hoes, but better hyped to switch his name up to Drizzy F. Drake to honor his new CEO...
30%

BAD!!! He's going for the independent vibe, but he's signed. That has contract litigation written all over it...
69%

Well, it seems like you guys don't dig the whole signing to YM thing. I feel like at this point, it doesn't matter where Drake signs. Because he's gotten so far in the business by himself, he has a hefty amount of bargaining chips on the table, and a whole lot of pull in terms of where his career goes. While I commend him for trying to stay independent, I feel like major labels will always find a way to make the artist pay, whether by influencing its direction, pushing it back with litigation or logistics, or just not promoting it in the way it should. So really, he has a distinct set of challenges ahead of him as an 'independent' artist. He won't have to worry about distribution, but better make sure his shit is good or else both Universal and Young Money will have some words for Drizzy Drake...


Stick with me, and I'll make you almost as big as Memphis Bleek!!

Dear NBA

Sheed's bald spot and KG's foul mouth are gonna be a good look...

This is a general letter to the prominent teams in the NBA. I know what you guys are doing. First Shaq to the Cavs, then Vince to the Magic, then Jefferson to the Spurs during the draft. Now it's Hedo Turkgolu to the Raptors, Artest to the Lakers, and Rasheed to the Celtics?? It's as if the older stars (many of whom are on the decline) are banding together for their own devious purposes (ie: the 'Ship). I suppose all you veterans are realizing that the time is now to get your ring, which is a good move. I just find it funny that all of you guys decided to do it at the same time, which definitely makes your goal a lot easier (sarcasm) All of you attempted to do it yourselves (some successfully, others not so much) and now know how hard it is to reach the Finals much less win them. It's an uphill battle the whole way, and I suppose you need other capable players to help you carry the load at this point in your careers. You don't suppose David Stern is somewhere counting humongous sums of money? Because if he isn't, then fate is a really cool dude...

Amerie - Why R U

What's up readers!! Time for another Music Monday!!! This week we have the ever-so-sultry Amerie putting out the video for her song "Why R U." The song has one of the dopest beats that could be rapped on. I notice that for a lot of her videos. She kills the vocals on this track, not to mention looks like a complete angel in this video. Amerie's seriously underrated as a singer. I hope this next album puts her higher on the echelon of R&B singers...

Dear Prospective Partners

It's a rarity that I delve into the realm of the personal in any capacity, yet certain events in my life and those of my friends warrant such a foray. To some degree, success with women isn't so much the type of man you are, but the type of woman you want. Whether you enjoy black over white, or ugly over sexy, there's guaranteed to be a woman that digs you. Yet in your travels, it becomes evident that physical assets don't mean as much in the search for the perfect woman. Women that you might think the most of, might soon reveal themselves to be the vilest of the vile, no matter how good looking they are. As a disclaimer, I'd like to say not only that this is written from a single guy's perspective, but that the archetype of a calculating female could never pertain to EVERY girl in the world. As a matter of fact, if there were a girl that could have the grace to defy the idea of a beautiful woman with a devious spirit, I would promptly make my presence known to her. Regardless, these women do exist, and for that reason I write this letter to prospective girlfriends of the world.

Prospective girlfriends (not really feeling that word), I honestly enjoy the thought of you. It's the one most exciting parts of a relationship. It more or less sets the tone for any further dealings and familiarizes the partners with one another. It's at this point you learn about the dealings of that female. I ask of you, prospectives, that you stop shielding off parts of your being to achieve a facade, or better yet an air of flyness to yourselves. Not only will we as prospective partners find out about your treachery, whether sexual, moral or ideological, but also your status will drop off faster than Loon's career. Next, please don't be flaky. Nothing is worse than a person who goes back on their word, especially with no remorse for their Slytherin ways. Your word is your bond, so don't go saying one thing and doing the opposite. Finally, make the effort to see things from our side. Sex is a weapon and women carry the golden gun with the silver bullet. Men have a hard enough time understanding women without that. If empathy is had, a relationship has the potential to reach the stars.

Upon writing this, it was directed at women, but the letter really is pertinent to both sexes. Both could benefit from following those three rules. And more importantly, the terrible tragedy of relationships going sour from devious, dirty and Syltherin-esque ways will finally be done for...

Dreaming is fun...

Jin's Return to the Limelight

If you watched Freestyle Fridays on 106 and Park during its heyday, then this man will look quite familiar to you. In all honesty, I would have done it too considering the music industry today, though not in such a cheesy capacity. Then again, the Chinese government has an iron fist on their people, expatriates included. You never know, he could be rapping for a lot more than guap these days...

Dear Sarah Palin

"You look so much better in those pornos, Governer Palin!!"

via NY Times:

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska announced Friday that she would step down by the end of the month and not seek a second term as governor, fueling speculation that she is trying to position herself as a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Hey hey hey, I guess all good (and kinda whack) things have to come to an end. I just didn't think it would come months in advance and with a hailstorm of jokes. To what do we owe the end of your iron-fisted, man-bashing regime in Alaska. Is the pressure of being a mother (and grandmother) making that "special" time of month even more special? Or did your hubby finally admit that being the First Husband of Alaska sucks? Whatever the case, I'm glad to see your admitting that your sizzling is outshining your steak right now. It always seemed like your appeal wasn't because you were ever that good of a politician on the national stage, but because you were simply a woman. In all honesty, to any woman running for a national position, make sure your record is spot clean, your stances on everything are clear and that your not a running partner for a sinking ship. And also, make sure that a porn star doesn't bear an eerie resemblance to you...

Freestyle Friday

What's up people? You thought I was gonna leave you for this weekend with nothing to get on? NO no noooooooooooooo. Here's a new feature on Dear Whoever. It's clearly called Freestyle Friday and I'll post hot freestyles every Friday. There's really not much more to it. The one above is by J. Cole on Tony Touch's radio show (he's a lot more vicious / misogynistic than I thought). The second one is a really long Asher Roth freestyle on Hot 97 with Funk Flex (Asher really knows his music and keeps his flow going perfectly over beats). Check these joints, and keep posted for more Freestyle Fridays at Dear Whoever...

Wale's Hood Moment

This goes out to all you angry blog-readers who hate on new rappers because they aren't real enough. A stupid fan decided to try and test Wale, and found out just how D.C. the man is. Note to self: blog era rappers aren't as soft as they appear...