You got your hands up and I ain't even stick y'all up

Three cuts in your eyebrows trying to wild out
The game is ours, we'll never foul out
Y'all just better hope we gracefully bow out
-Jay-Z, Amil, Beanie Siegel, "Do It Again"

if you have a drink in your hand right now, please put it down. and swallow. because if you don't you run the risk of spewing whatever it is that you are drinking onto your monitor. you have been warned....

I gotta give props to the heads at OhWord because this is classic stuff right here. You can peep their original post, but I decided to go ahead and keep the party going by downloading the images myself and sharing them with you. No further explanation necessary. Enjoy.

The Official Rhyme Book of Killa Cam’ron Giles

We be taking them chances while we search for the answers

But yet we always romance the street
And fall in love with the hood 'til somebody come blast the heat
Always up to no good, so all of my fam could eat
See in the hood we hungry ... we playing for keeps

since this spot is called Pops' Thoughts, I figured I'd get back into the swing of things by letting you know what's on my mind as of late. in no specific order...

I don't even watch TV or even check for any alternative comedy, but I think I'm going to try and peep the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie. I think the urban legend has rendered it a cult classic already. I'll be sure to bump my MF Doom mixtape on the way there.

Speaking of brouhaha, the Duke case is in the news but very under the radar compared to its media heyday. All charges got dropped and the dust has settled. So was justice served or not? Will we ever know if homegirl cried wolf or if those dudes really ill out on her? We'll never know, but it just goes to show you that no matter the new season, the legacy of Jim Crow still remains. That case - and many other recent ones like it - were indicative of the pervasive history of discrimination, bias, and inequity in this country. The same type of behavior and sentiment that Don Imus has shared with us all for many years, yet for which he is only now getting in hot water.

Imus is a douchebag. I'd be a bit more descriptive and demeaning, but why waste my breath. MSNBC dropped the simulcast. CBS is suspending him (but only after he does some fundraising). Mad sponsors are bouncing. Next! However, I did pose a question on a message board today whether Lil Wayne should get a pass for saying just about the same thing. Food for thought. When will people realize the power of their words?

Mitt Romney is a moron and Mayor earned a big-up from me for sticking it to him. I understand you gotta do what you gotta do to drum up support, but don't sell your soul, fam. Just because the guy had an NRA hat on, you mean to tell me you're going to all-of-a-sudden switch up your story and claim to be a lifelong hunter and avid gun proponent? Especially in light of the plain and painful reality that the capitol city of the state you used to "govern" (from afar) is awash in bloodshed? And has been so for the past three years! And on top of it all, you actually bragged that you used a fucking semiautomatic gun to shoot a muthafuqing rabbit?! Get a life, duke.

My man A sent along this article entitled, Abandoned Homefront, to the crew yesterday and it struck a chord. On one hand, it appears that more and more people are catching on to Chuck Turner's reasoning behind the impact the Iraq occupation has had on municipal budgets. It did make Menino out to be more of a patron saint than I think he deserves, but it does spell out some interesting facts and figures regarding comparative dollar values. Talk about stretch your money. But I'm going to need homeboy to write about walking in these neighborhoods without the mayor. Just sounds like a written photo-op to me.

I see the way we rep the hood, gotta love me
You can take me out the ghetto, but you can't take it from me
-Busta Rhymes, "In The Ghetto"

a bullet a day...

just got back from Columbus and caught up on my daily reads. And tears well in my eyes.

five shootings since Wednesday.

it's almost like a video game. the boston edition of grand theft auto with bodies pilling up like sand bags in advance of a hurricane.

on tuesday, i went to visit a potential client. 3 days later as i ate shrimp cocktails in the confines of hospitality suites, another black male teen lost his life to these streets of no remorse, nor discourse. how do you just shoot someone in the head on a crowded bus and look at yourself in the mirror? back in my slim pocket days, i used to ride the #23 bus route from my crib to school daily. that eerie feeling of numbness keeps lingering.

people say don't talk about it; be about it. but what more marching is going to help. what else is a pep rally going to do? it's approaching a point where even the cats around the way who hold it down and keep it moving are becoming more hesitant and cautious of their surroundings. makes me want to almost pack it up myself and move back home. take the midget away from this land of opportunity, because there's no telling when he gets older if someone will think it is opportune to take his life as well. it's a thought i'd rather not ever have to consider. but i cannot help it. and it is starting to consume my daily thoughts; affecting everything else.

the hood is a tragedy. and the remedy has yet to be figured out.

i'll just try to continue doing the little things i think might help.

If you lack the will to step up then please chill

When I bug out you bound to get snuffed out for fronting
Busy deceiving, achieving nothing

If only I could keep re-using the so much on my mind that I can't recline refrain, life would that much easier. It's been a tough week, fam. Even amidst good cheer and decent daily happenings, I sometimes find myself end up looking back on the past week like what the hell was that about.

It kind of sneaked up on me and kept a low profile until ready to strike. And then - BLAOHW! I caught a cold one on the chin.

On one hand, I got a lot accomplished and conversely, I didn't really do a damn thing this week. Who knows. What I do know is that innate contradictions of mankind have always puzzled me. Naturally, I have my own myriad array of paradoxes and peculiar habits that make me, me. Plus, I have some likes, loves, and lusts, that are definitely in complete contrast to some of my beliefs, values, morals, and sensibilities.

Yet, I like my vices. I bet we all do to some extent. But sometimes, buttons get pushed beyond acceptable terrain.

So recline like a passenger seat Son, relax
As I take you to the max, homeboy you faking jax

Take, for instance, the album cover for Termanology latest mix CD. Yes, you are an ill lyricist. A vivid story-teller. A multisyllabic wordsmith who can concoct some very clever rhyme schemes to match all kinds of beats. Yet, I cannot keep ignoring the gun rap and giving it a pass. I once attended a banquet at the Four Season downtown where Al Sharpton said something akin to the tune of "you can't keep saying you are reflecting reality if that is not your everyday ritual. And if so, also talk about the crust i your eyes and the steps you take to brush your teeth."

Ok, so maybe I embellished the quote a bit but you should get the gist of what I am saying. Stop fronting. And I mean this many ways. There are plenty of a$$hole criminals doing bad, busting their shT, and generally up to no good on a daily basis. Yet, even they have a quote-unquote regular life, where they buy food, play video games, and take a shT just like you and I.

And then there are those who do not tote their (insert gun analog here) on the daily, yet still find it to be a display of their cunning wit when they make-up a new word and accompanying metaphor for shooting someone.

So let's go back to mister packing the mac. With two recent shootings in my city that literally occurred across the street from schools, I see it as unconscionable for this album cover to not only show him toting some steel, but to be hovering over a sprawled out body while he stands in the middle of the street in front of a School Crossing marker. I do think it is a great cover design, yet you be the judge. I usually get annoyed when I read a journalist's misinformed diatribe against my music. They usually miss the point. But there are times when not only do they do get it right, but the hip-hop community also has to flush its own toilet and check itself from within. This is my small part.



You never succeed or progress
Searching for peace through material objects
You go to extremes in the process
Accuse others, when it's you showing your true colors
Busy selling your dreams, but all your cream
Contributes to your lack of self-esteem
-INI & Pete Rock, "Fakin Jax"