Dedicated to the Black Experience
General Admission $75.
This year’s line-up includes:
Slim Thug recently participated in an interview with Vibe where he disclosed a bias he has towards black women. In this interview he states: “My girl is Black and White. I guess the half White in her is where she still cooks and do all the **** that I say, so we make it. She just takes care of me and I like that.” However despite this controversial comment he continues and manages to pick up the dirty laundry he threw on the floor by saying, “White women treat they man like a king and Black women feel like they ain’t gotta do that *****. Black women need to stand by their man more. Don’t always put the pressure of if I’m ******ing with you, you gotta buy me this and that. Black men are the ones that mother****ers need [but] I think a lot of them need to step it up too. A Black man who gets a little bread will go make it rain in the club and be broke the next day or instead of him going to invest in a business he gonna go buy new jewelry or a new car and still live in the hood. Black peoples’ mentality is real ****ed up in general [and] it’s affecting everything.”
On my first read, I couldn’t make out half of the argument because every other word was a curse word. He’s right: the world does NEED more black men however; we NEED black men with an extended vocabulary and proficient writing skills – in other words EDUCATED.
I am not here to degrade any ethnicity because that would be counterproductive; however I will say that certain people are born into wealth and therefore a job is not a requirement. Things mean a lot more to you once you have worked hard to get it and some people do not have to work at all to get what they are given in life. Also, black men and women need to start investing their money to gain wealth. Everyone wants to be rich, however wealth is where the money really is.
It’s shocking and a shame that black men think like this and to be honest, I am grateful that Slim Thug did have the balls to call it like it WAS. We need to change this negative idea society has of black women being loud, nosy, rude, aggressive and, for lack of a better word, “ghetto.” However the image of black men needs to change too. We need to change the gang banging, baby daddy, no job having, high school dropout image. Black women are slowly progressing to change this image and we need a strong black man beside us. Why would we bend over backwards for someone who won’t make the effort to bend? If you think looking for a black man with an education and a stable job, who can afford to not support but spoil their girlfriend or wife is too much, then you have some soul searching to do. If you tend to attract gold diggers then you need to be extra careful about the company you keep and the decisions you make.
For the culinary enthusiasts out there, here’s a recipe created by a Black man (yes, brothers can get down in the kitchen too) and my mouth is already watering at the ingredient list. Try pairing this dish with a salad and white wine for a quick midweek meal.
3 to 4 chicken pieces(preferably breast or thighs, boneless/skinless) cut into chunks
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. curry
½ tbsp thyme
1/2 tsp. powdered allspice
1 lemon
3 cloves garlic
3 stalks scallions (green onions)
1 med. onion, diced sm.
1/2 red pepper
2 red potatoes diced into 1/2″ pieces
1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, & corn) thawed
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. hot sauce (optional)
1 tbsp. soy sauce, (optional)
1 tube/can Pillsbury pastry puffs OR buttermilk biscuits
Ramekin bowls
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Wash chicken off with water and lemon and marinate with dry ingredients
Let it sit for about a hour(in the fridge). Place evoo in frying pan on high. Place the chicken, onions and garlic, and lightly brown, on med heat, for 20 minutes. Add veggies, potatoes, and a cup of water to mix and pour over chicken. Simmer on low for 1 hour. Taste it while it’s cooking and add more curry, salt, or pepper if you feel it needs more kick! Add a tbsp or so of flour to get it good and thick. Set aside to cool. Prepare the ramekin bowls by spraying them with cooking spray. Pour chicken mix into each bowl. Take the pastry puffs or biscuits and roll them out, but not too flat, just enough to cover the ramekin and overlap around the sides. Rub a little oil or cooking spray over the top. Place them on a sheet pan to keep from dripping on the inside of your stove and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Cover them with aluminum foil if they begin to brown too quickly.
Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool before devouring them. Enjoy!
-Chef CEO
It’s a proven fact that a person with a college degree will earn a million dollars more than a person who has a high school diploma over a lifetime. The higher a degree you have, statistically, the more you will earn. But, does more money equate success? What does success mean? The official definition of success is “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors”. A secondary definition states that success is “the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like” (www.dictionary.com).
So it seems that depending on what success means to you, determines how you measure your success. So if you can be prosperous or attain wealth without going to college, then the answer to my question is No! Can college help you to be successful, yes, but it is not the only way to be successful. Take a look at these famous people who did not earn college degrees (please note that I am NOT promoting dropping out of high school):
Tom Anderson, co-founder of MySpace. A high school dropout.
Mary Kay Ash attended college but dropped out after she got married. She started Mary Kay Cosmetics after being passed over for a promotion that was given to a man who she’d trained. The company started as a book Mary Kay intended to help women and turned into a business plan. With the help of her son and $5,000, Mary Kay Cosmetics was created. Mary Kay Inc. was named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America and one of the 10 best companies for women.
Halle Berry is an Oscar-winning actress who never went to college. Instead, she moved to Chicago immediately after high school to become a model and actress. She ranked #66 on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 in 2006 and reportedly made $16 million that year. Berry is also a spokeswoman for Revlon cosmetics and was able to command a higher advertising fee after winning an Academy Award.
Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell, Inc., dropped out of college at 19. He first started his computer company in his college dorm room, later using company’s earnings and family loans to expand. In 2008, Forbes ranked Michael Dell #11 in its 400 Richest Americans. As of 2009, he has an estimated net worth of $12.3 billion.
Henry Ford never graduated high school, but went on to start one of the largest automobile manufacturing companies in the world, Ford Motor Company. He’s also credited as being the first auto manufacturer to use an assembly line, completely revolutionizing the way cars were produced. The assembly line allowed Ford sell cars at a lower price but the company kept making higher profit because sales volumes continually increased. Time called Ford one of the most influential people of the 20th century.
Bill Gates, a college dropout, has been named the richest person in the world by Forbes magazine 27 times. Bill Gates, who was 10 points away from a perfect score on the SAT, enrolled at Harvard College in 1973 only to take a leave of absence two years later to form a partnership with classmate Paul Allen. The partnership became known as Microsoft. In 2007, Bill Gates received an honorary doctorate degree from Harvard University. In 2009, Forbes reports Gates’ net worth at $40 billion.
Rachel Ray hasn’t had any formal culinary training, including college, but has several cooking shows on the Food Network, a talk show on NBC, several New York Times bestselling cookbooks, and her own magazine. She got her start teaching cooking classes to customers at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in Albany, New York. The classes showed customers how to cook meals in 30 minutes or less. In 2008, Forbes.com ranked Rachel Ray #76 in Celebrity 100, reporting her earnings at $18 million a year.
Steven Spielberg, is a movie director and producer. Spielberg was denied acceptance to film school and dropped out of California State University in Long Beach. He co-founded DreamWorks, a major film studio that’s produced several of the highest grossing movie hits and Academy award winning films. Spielberg ranked #205 on Forbes 2009 list of world billionaires with a net worth of $3 billion. He was later granted an honorary degree by USC in 1994.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the social networking site Facebook #785 in the World’s Billionaires ranks #321 on Forbes’ list of 400 richest Americans. Born in 1984, Mark had an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion in 2008 and is the youngest person ever to appear on one of Forbes’ billionaire lists. He developed Facebook one year on summer vacation after borrowing money from Paypal’s co-founder Peter Theil. In 2008, Microsoft paid $240 million for 1.6% share of Facebook, leading us to believe the site is worth $15 billion.
Warren Buffett actually never planned to go to college; out of high school, he was already earning a solid salary delivering newspapers. However, Buffett’s father pressed the issue and convinced Buffett to attend Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Buffett was not satisifed with the quality of education at Wharton and transferred to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln he graduated in only three years, despite working full time.
And finally, the only famous black male who I could find that didn’t earn a degree, but is very “successful”…Sean Combs attended Howard University in Washington, DC where he majored in business. While at Howard, he became an intern at Uptown Records and eventually dropped out of Howard University in favor of a full time high-level position with the record label. Combs did not complete his education and still has not received his degree.
One common thread with these people is their drive and determination to make their dreams come true. In addition to their drive and determination, they also had a plan. They didn’t get to where they are today by sitting on the couch and playing video games, or sitting at home waiting for someone to call them to say, “You’ve won a million dollars!” They got out there, hustled, and did their thing to get to where they wanted to be in their industry.
Going to college definitely will open up doors for you, and it can make things easier, but it is not the only way to be successful. You can even talk to recent college graduates who get their shiny degree, but end up working in an entry level job; probably doing tasks that they could have done right out of high school. So the grad probably starts thinking, “Why did I go to college?” Well, that basic entry-level job probably required a college degree! And, if you’re smart, you take an entry-level job in the industry that you want to be in, so that you have opportunity to build your resume, do a little volunteer work on the side, and maybe after 18 months you start applying for other jobs in that company. Your dream job/career is not going to be handed to you, unless you inherit it from your daddy; but really how likely is that to happen? You gotta go out there and get it! I believe the real truth behind success is self-confidence and belief in yourself that you can take over the world.
Be prosperous!
This letter came across my Twitter page. I think the sister is pretty clear.
Brothers, how many of you are standing with arms wide open?
Open Letter to Black Men (click on this link)
[poll id=”4″]
A friend of mine and I got into a discussion the other day after Monday night’s airing of the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors. We found ourselves hovering over the topic of 2 Live Crew and whether or not their contribution to hip-hop was one worth celebrating. I flashed back to my junior high and high school dance days, grinding close to some boy as soon as I heard the unforgettable bass line and drums of I Wanna Rock (Doo Doo Brown). The memories were fond ones for me, and I immediately thought, “Of course they deserve to be honored – Luke and ‘nem been in the game since forever”. My friend, however, had a different perspective. As she expressed, “watching Kid Rock give Luke props for starting the booty shake phenomenon” was not something to be celebrated. I had to let that marinate.
It’s true – 2 Live Crew and their pornographic-style of rap set off a trend in hip-hop music, and more importantly in music videos. The images in those videos evolved into a decade-long parade of scantily-clad women of color, cars, and money, and giving directors like Hype Williams millions of dollars in business and a catalog of hip-hop porn videos. The beats grabbed our ears and the videos captured our attention, shouting the message, “this is the life.” Almost 15 years later, these images still resonate in all genres of music videos and the current generation is less sensitive to images of sex, and tend to express themselves sexually a lot quicker than the kids of my generation.
Nonetheless, 2 Live Crew and their brand of XXX hip-hop had it’s place in the industry, in spite of the negative effects it might have had on future generations. Luke, by his own admission, said they were surprised by their success because “they weren’t talking about shi*t “, but the music became extremely popular almost instantly. Bass and drum heavy beats coupled with pornographic lyrics equaled success for 2 Live Crew – and since they were the innovators of this type of music, an award is due.
Let’s face it: our generation is the reason a group like 2 Live Crew attained any success. Even if their lyrics were freaky, we all did what they rapped about, in spite of it’s impropriety. Like porn, kinky music has its appeal – and like in our youth, the visuals that accompany it should be relegated to “adults only”. Unfortunately, we’ve gone too far to place a cap on that imagery now, and thankfully, many of us had a balance of images to keep us from being scarred. But I wish media outlets like VH1 that are in the position to influence the current generation with their programming, gave more thought to what artists they put on a pedestal, or at least offered a balanced perspective. After all, I can think of many deserving hip-hop artists that VH1 continues to overlook.
But maybe, on VH1’s part, that would be too much like right…
Slim Thugs’ profound insight regarding what’s “wrong” with sistas initiated a conversation worth continuing. Basically sistas are too opinionated, independent , and self-righteous-shocker! Any woman of black descent who never heard that must not be from America. I’m certain sistas need to assume responsibility for their part, however they are not the problem in its entirety. So why are they often portrayed to have expectations that are too high as opposed to brothas having expectations that are too low?
If brothas choose women from other races because they’re more submissive, are sistas to blame for checking out on black love because they won’t play the submissive role? Or do brothas check out when they choose a submissive woman who aspires to do nothing more than cook, clean, and suck him raw? If brothas were really worried about preserving black love, wouldn’t they seek those successful and lonely sistas from the previous blog? If black really is black love… no one knows a brothas struggle like a sista. Where there are commonalities there are souls intertwined. Sistas can cook, clean, care for children, carry on an intellectual conversation AND contribute financially. So what’s the problem?
Perhaps brothas expectations for themselves are so low they are incapable of sustaining a relationship with a powerful, ambitious, well-rounded renaissance sista of the 21st century. Maybe because they know if their ducks aren’t in a row an independent sista may walk away before a woman who is entirely dependent on her husband. So brothas seem to choose women who are more docile, dependent and low-maintenance who require nothing more than for you to change your Myspace status to “In a Relationship” and get her some followers on Twitter.
He’s only the baddest man in show business, an inspiration to millions, a real professional when it comes to his craft, a true entertainer, and savvy enough in the entertainment business to maintain a veil of mystery – but you won’t find his personal business on any gossip blog.
Happy birthday Prince Rogers Nelson.
Los Angeles has some of the best food spots owned and operated by Black restaurateurs in the nation, and I was lucky enough to discover a new one. Toffee Sensations, located at the corner of Manchester Blvd. and Dalton Avenue, this small, green, hole-in-the-wall serves up mouth-watering dishes that will have you coming back for more. Although toffee candy and desserts are their specialty, Toffee Sensations’ menu boasts delicious sandwiches and wraps, salads, pasta, and hands-down one of the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had. However, you would be remiss to gloss over their desserts. The Toffee Pecan Cookies are addicting, but their greatest claim to fame is the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes! Need I say more?
From preparation to presentation, Toffee Sensations hits all senses with their palate-pleasing dishes. They are also available to cater your next event.
*Tip: Order the turkey burger, Toffee Sensations style, and have a mouth orgasm. Also, they usually have sample-sized cupcakes available for just $1!
1530 W Manchester Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90047
(323) 971-1727
Open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 – 2:30 (brunch/lunch only)
open Saturdays from 11:30 – 5pm
In an effort to let the Black dollar circulate, I try to keep an eye out for new Black businesses and products that hit the market. My aunt introduced me to a product called GumboBrick that has signed a Costco vendor contract, and is the brainchild of Carole Foster, a Black woman from Compton, CA.
The Gumbo Brick product is a pre-made roux for gumbo lovers that speeds up the preparation of gumbo. According to the site, it is called a brick because, “the roux is the foundation for great gumbo”. Each 16-ounce Brick is $11.59, makes eight servings and will be available at the Costco in Hawthorne on Friday, June 11th – Sunday, June 13th. Check the website for more details and support this business! Y’all know you love some gumbo….