Year In Review part 2

This is the conclusion to my year in review, check out part 1 also for more of my top 5 lists from 2006....

My Top 5 Movies Of The Year
5. ATL - Yeah I was skeptical of this movie at first site just like anyone else (especially since TI was the main character in his first movie) but after I saw it I damn near became a promoter for this joint. I actually left the theater in a state of shock like "damn, it wasn't even wack!" (to quote Dame Dash....LMAO.

4. Akeelah and The Bee - I was just happy about this movie. It was a story about someone coming from the "hood" in america and making something out of themselves other than a rapper, actor, athlete, or drug dealer...even if white america wouldn't promote it. And the best part about this movie is that it was based on a true story. Definitely something that I think anyone with preteens should have their kids watching.

3. The Prestige - This movie was just good. It was a phsychological thriller that made you think during the entire movie. I went to go see it not expecting much and ended up seeing one of the best movies that came out this year. Definitely one to see and talk about with others and somehow with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as the two main characters it was the 3rd most underrated movie to drop this year. LOL.

2. The Gridiron Gang - This movie is a true story about a teenage detention center (read juvenile prison camp) where the kids (coming out of the ghettos of Cali) were blessed enough to be placed in the care of a man who actually cared. Anyone who has a teen male in the household should probably own this...it's definitely a good movie and eye opener so they should be able to relate. And besides that this was the second most underrated movie this year and it was actually a really good acting job by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, which is something you may never hear again in this life...LOL.


1. The Departed - Scorcese came back in rare form this year with what I consider the best movie I have seen this year and maybe the best gangster flick since Goodfellas. The cast consists of Jack Nicholson (Nuff' Said!), Leo DeCaprio, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg and the story is great! It takes a look at the gangster life from the perspective of the cops dealing with it and has a lot of nice twists going on throughout the entire movie. Must see, must own, must be crazy if you doubt me (ask ANYONE who's seen it)! LOL.


(I haven't seen Blood Diamond or Dream Girls so they aren't under consideration during the making of this list. Honorable Mentions: V for Vendetta, Pursuit of HappYness, and Running Scared(the #1 most underrated movie))



My Top 5 Moments or Things I Hate/Dislike in 2006
5. The Redskins not starting Jason Campbell at quarter back and therefore f*cking up the entire season. Still pissed that this man has come in and won just as many games as Brunell and played half the time that Brunell played. Joe Gibbs is F*cking Up!!!! LOL.

4. All the stuff that comes with being a home owner that they never talk about. Those who have homes know what I mean. The repairs that never end, the months and/years you spend being "house-broke", flood insurance, the muphucking homeowners association!!! I swear it should be a crash course on all this stuff required before you even sign up with an agent to look at homes...might take some of that luster off of the process and make you think a bit more realistically about your money.

3. The death of so many black stars. I swear the last 2 years or so have been hard on black stars and this year was no different with us losing so legendary figures in black entertainment. R.I.P. to Luther Vandross, James Brown, Ed Bradley, Gerald Levert, Coretta Scott King, Lou Rawls, and Buck O'neal (negro league baseball player).

2. The emergence and at the same time decline of Lil Wayne. Wayne dropped what is probably his best album in December of 2005 and it has blazed the airwaves throughout the year and led to him dropping another album with him and "his pa" Baby. The thing is that now that Lil Wayne is older, he is maturing lyrically, and he is arguably one of the best rappers out there. The problem is now that he is older his content has gone to SH!T! I was a Lil Wayne fan back when he was 15 dropping his first album and you know what he talked about back then, making sure he didn't curse, talking about family, losing his real father, and basically proving that he had enough skill that he didn't have to talk about all the BullSh*t he talks about now....WTF happened? I really wish he took his current lyrical skill and went back to his old content.

1. DIPSET - especially Jim Jones and at this very moment "Fly High". I'm not even gonna disgrace my page with a picture of these dudes.


My Top 5 Blog Posts of 2006
5. Hello, my name is Dane and I'm an addict.... - This one was when I took the opportunity to share my love for comics with the world. LOL.

4. Black Men and Church (long article) - Probably the least read blog I have posted so far because I was dumb enough to warn you all that it was long....LOL. It is a really good article that was sent to me that addresses the lack of black men in church.

3. Can I get the white-collar with the blue trim??? - Me approach at getting some clarity on the issue of women wanting to date blue-collar brothers over white-collar brothers. Some good opinions were given on this one.

2. Color Struck - I bit of my comedy mixed in with a serious video about young black women and kids and their outlooks on race growing up in america. Really nothing to laugh at...this video almost brought me to tears when I first watched it.

1. Visiting My Space - A personal look at a piece I wrote for my grandmother who passed away this year.




I may have one more post this year but I'm sure you won't hear much else from me until my vacation coming up for New Year's.

I'm 'bout to be on a island some where.....word to my momma!!!! LOL

Year In Review part1

I just wanted to take some time to write up some of my favorite and some of my dislikes of 2006 just to get my opinion out there and hopefully piss off a couple of people or start some conversations...LOL. Some of it's personal and some of it general but remember these are my favorites and not what I would necessarily call the best of the best (specifically about albums and movies)....

My Top 5 Favorite Hip-Hop/Rap albums of the year
5. Idelwild Soudtrack - OutKast: At the beginning of the year I was still going thru my Little Brother craze and until I got this album over the summer I didnt' think there was anything that could brake me out of it. I especially liked this one because, unlike the previous Outkast album, Big Boi really held down the rap part even better than Andre' held down...whatever it is that he does these days. LOL.

4. Hip Hop Is Dead - Nas: I don't think it's the greatest thing for Nas since Illmatic like some of my friends seem to think but I do like the album. But the reason it makes the top 5 list for me this year is because it is sending a message to the other guys in the industry that they are killing Hip Hop and I agree with that.

3. - Ludacris: Finally I got a well rounded album from Luda where he doesn't talk about women and sex the entire time. I have been waiting for him to drop some content for a long time now and I am very happy to finally get the diversity that he needs to show more often.

2. Kingdome Come - Jay-z: This album does much of the same as "Hip Hop Is Dead" by letting the industry know that they have other ways to make hit songs and it's time to change up. I can't help but love what Jay was trying to do with this one. And besides that...IT'S THE RETURN OF JAY-Z!!!




1. Food and Liquor - Lupe Fiasco: Hands Down the best album of the year....period. I will argue that with anyone. This is real hip hop and it should be in your collection!





(honorable mention to Game for making #1 on Billboard his first week after going on his own and to Snoop for getting back to lyrics on Blue Carpet Treatment)


My Top Moments or things I loved/liked in 2006
5. Allen Iverson getting traded to the Denver Nuggets. You can read more on how I feel about that one on my last post, Thug Motivation.

4. Heroes - This NBC television show has made me a true television fan again. I used to be a couch potato as a child but grew out of it when TV got lame. But the last year and a half I have been finding more shows that actually make me want to come back next week and this season I have found my favorite of them all with the creation of Heroes. Competing with 24 and Lost as the best show onn Television.

3. My discovery of rap artists 'Lupe Fiasco', 'Murs' and 'Kidz In Tha Hall' - Just when I think Nas is right and hip hop is dead I find some artists that make me a true fan again (just like LB did in 2005).

2. My Lakers starting off the season looking like they are in rare form and ready for the playoffs. And the best part about this is that Kobe doesn't have to score all the points to do so...YES!!!!! I guess since he couldn't get the MVP for averaging 35.4 and taking them to the playoffs he figured maybe he can get it for dropping 25, 7, and 7....we'll see.






1. Kobe Bryant dropping 81 points on the Toronto Raptors! Yeah it was last season but it was this year and I actually had the honor of being one of the few to tune in and watch it as it took place (that God for The Season Ticket!). I still can't believe how crazy it was to watch that...the man brought them back from 19 points down, dropped 30 in the 3rd, 27 in the 4th, and shot just under 61% on the night.










My Top 5 Goals Accomplished This Year
5. Finally getting some real work experience instead of just sitting around waiting for my clearance. I was sitting around chilling for almost 2 years (not complaining because they paid my for it) and it was definitely time for me to get out and get my hands dirty so that I can build my career.

4. Taking my first cruise (or getting on any boat for that matter) and going to Miami for the first time EVER. I am actually doing these for new years but I put it together this year.

3. Started writing again. I put the pen and pad down for about 9 months and back in April/May I just got inspired to pick it back up and get some things off my chest and I am very happy I did so.

2. Joining my church. I finally took time out from making excuses and man-ed up and joined my church this summer. This is the first church I have ever been a member of and I am so glad I was able to find a home. I needed that in my life.

1. Becoming a home owner. I finally moved out of my families home after a 2.5 year stint and got my own place. On top of that I have had at least 4 friends who have stepped up and got there own place this year also...it's a beautiful thing!

This is getting long so I'll stop it here and conclude it later......

Thug Motivation

Now everyone who has ever talked to me about basketball for longer than 3 minutes knows that I am a true-blue, die-hard L.A. Lakers fan and have been since the day my grandfather put that starter jacket on my back when I was 10 years old and had me watching Kareem, Worthy, and Magic. And since I am from the Washington DC Metro area I can't help but have a place in my heart for them hometown Wizards (even if they did pick up MJ, but that's another blog right there). But I think I now have a 3rd team to add to my list of favorites....













Yep I think this team is about to be the next team that I make sure I watch every game. But not because I am gonna be loyal to this team...hell nah! I am happy to admit it's just for the players because thanks to the most recent acquisition made by the Nuggets this team is now possibly the largest and most talented group of degenerates I have ever seen try to work together as a cohesive unit and I can't wait to see the shit that happens along this ride. I won't even get into the recent brawl with the knicks on this one...I just wanna talk about the players. Allen Iverson is probably the most thugged out of the bunch and will definitely bring an aura to this team that I am not sure the NBA is expecting. Imagine the Detroit bad boys of 90'-91' with tattoos and cases pending but instead of Isiah Thomas running the point opponents will go against the most relentless, fearless, and intimidating 5 foot 11 inch man to ever touch an official NBA basketball. Allen Iverson is now the captain of this ship...oh I heard him say it's Melo's team and he will play second fiddle but A.I. is smart why set yourself up to take the blame for any failure when you have an out. Especially since we all know Melo' will fall inline with Iverson since he is basically preordained the prince of his legacy (LOL). I mean why would he buck him..he's scared of his ass too. And on top of this we are talking about A.I., the heart and hustle of the NBA(K.G. is the Soul and Struggle just for the record) , the symbol of a real worker in that league, the man that did to Cornrows what MJ did to the bald head a decade earlier. This man is what Melo wants to be. Sh*t I had cornrows TWICE in college and I ain't even pull for A.I. (LOL).
Since I am talking about Melo let me just say that he is currently one of my favorite players so by no means am I trying to clown him. In fact I am sure Melo probably loves this move as much as A.I. does cause his cred raises with A.I. giving him the reigns and now his team is even more hood. And being from the city that is now seen as the hardest place in America thanks to HBO he has to keep his rep up. So expect him and A.I.'s boys to get caught with more weed in his backpack, expect a couple of songs by A.I. on Carmelo's label (yes this bama has a label) and hell, we may just get a "Stop Snitchin' part 2"....LMMFAO! This dude is just so young and impressionable that A.I. controlling the puppet strings may work in his best interest as far as the hood is concerned. He will be thuggin', dropping 30 a night, and scaring the sh*t out of referees just like Iverson in no time. Don't let that innocent face fool you, he is the face of this gang...I bet this time next year you won't see ANYONE coming close to fighting this man's squad. Detroit fans may freeze up in the presence of Denver pretty soon.

But those two are just some of the figures that every crew has (the little hot head dude that everyone follows and the smart dude that is supossed to be in charge) no crew is complete without the enforcer and even though he is injured there isn't one much better than Kenyon Martin. I gaurantee that if he was on the court last week Jared Jeffries wouldn't have been trying to get at anyone as hard as he was. This dude is not only scary he is funny as hell too....I mean who gets a tattoo on there chest that says "bad ass yellow boy" LOL. Now he may not have all the charges of the others and he may not ever get tested by anyone but it's because he is the scary one. He's the one that no one will want to test! He's the dude that makes the other dudes you are facing punk out! Kenyon Martin is the only dude that I have ever seen make Alonzo Mourning curl up courtside in Miami like he was a white chick that got cornered in a scary movie. And after he made Alonzo jump like a cricket caught in a kitchen he pointed at him and bust out laughing on national television and 'Zo just walked away. WTF!!! I was awestruck and I have been following him ever since! LMAO! I wouldn't even make this bama play, I would just sit him on the sidelines in jeans, Tims, and a hoodie every game in the middle of their opponents bench and see if they can still consentrate on the game. LMAO!!!!

And then you also have the dude who is probably gonna be looked at as the softest bama on the squad but the truth is he probably has had more charges than all his teammates. The guy who had the tattoo on his neck before just about anyone in the league, including A.I., when no one was paying attention to those types of tatts. The guy who was the first person to skip out on practice and give his all in the game but wasn't popular enough to do a press conference about it so he made his college coach call his first NBA coach and tell him to cool out cause the dude will play his ass off during the game. And this reputation for being lackluster actually followed Marcus Camby around the NBA like a dark cloud leading to a lot of moves from Toronto to New York and now at Denver. Where they finally started listening to him and he ended up being one of the top shot blockers for the last 2-3 years. (Idiots!)

But that's the starting lineup for Denver along with either Earl Boykins (who would actually be a calming presence for these dudes) or JR Smith (who would be my choice because he is hooping, he tackled Nate Robinson into the crowd last week, and just seems to fit...LOL). Oh and as long as Kenyon is injured Nene will be getting a lot of burn.

But aside from all the jokes I am really feeling the squad. I believe that either these dudes will come together and prove the NBA wrong about all the bad perceptions they have or they will cause a lot of problems for a lot of people and be A LOT of fun to watch...either way I am making a point to tune in.

It was all a dream....or maybe it's a video...???

The setting:
Saturday Night!
DC nightlife!
Kickin' it with Mike, Randall, Mannie, Vinnie, and some other dude that Randall is cool with (Can't remember his name....LOL!)!


I decided this weekend it was time for me to go out on my monthly outing (I don't party much these days unless it's for an occasion) so I linked up with some friends. We had a full agenda of at least 3 spots to hit starting with Lucky Strike in China Town DC. We were there for the Birthday celebration of a friend of Mike's named Crystal so we got some drinks, mingled, and took some pics.



(me not knowing I was in the picture...LOL)





(me a little better prepared although I don't know what's up with my smile in this one)


So then we departed our friends at the bowling alley and headed out to Cafe Asia (which is the inspration for this blog) and this is where the story takes a turn.

First let me say that I hate dipset and all things related to such detriments to society.

Okay so we get to Cafe Asia and we are on "the list" so we are supposed to be getting in free but you know how we come out for free sh*t so the line for the people on "the list" was actually the only damn line there and the people who didn't get in that line seemed to be the only ones that actually made it in for free....ain't that a b*tch! But that's only the start of this night....we walk in the joint and these bama have some kind of theme going on which calls for them to use half of the dance floor as a beauty salon for the first 30 -45 minutes (WTF). I was so lost by this cause the DJ wasn't even talking about what was going on, they just had it there for us to see. Basically it was some useless sh*t! LOL.

So after they got done with that they cleared the dance floor and people got out there and tried there hand at partying. It was pretty hard for me at times because it's rare for me to hear more than 2 songs back to back that I actually like in the club these days (did I mention that I am disgusted by the degradation of rap music that has been spearheaded by people like dipset). So once the party gets going these 3 dudes and 3 girls get up on the stage and start dancing...pretty normal at first except that the women have on very sexy "outfits". After a few minutes the dudes come out of there shirts and all the girls on the dancefloor start squealing....which was actually pretty damn funny to me but really some bama sh*t for the dudes who were throwing the party to do. I mean who came up with this bright idea to take the girls attention off of the dudes who threw the party or are in the party....genius!

Well I guess they had plans of there own with the little stunt because the next thing I know they are playing 'Baaaliiiiiiin' by Jim Jones (did I mention I can't stand dipset) and everyone of them starts throwing money into the crowd for the next 20 - 25 minutes.....HUH? Yeah you heard me right. Everyone asks me if I got any of the money when I tell them this part but fortunately for my ego I wasn't near any of it...LOL. Oh I would have taken it but once I found out they were throwing back the 20's that we paid to get in there it just felt like a little slap in the face with a message that read "F*ck you and your crew we don't need you. Just look at how I toss around your money" It just didn't sit to well with me after I had that thought...you feel me?

Oh but this display of ignorance was not over at this point because the ring leader of the whole group throwing the party now has about 7 people come and pour $100 bottles of Moet on his hands so he can wash them in it over the dancefloor. Yeah go back and read that again....it doesn't sound any better no matter how many times I say it. Now at this point I was happy because everyone else in the party that I considered a friend expressed the same feelings that I was having so I knew I wasn't the only one in there that had some sense. (Thank Goodness!!!) You heard comments like "these dudes are the reason white people laugh at us" and "Why don't you invest some of that money you wasting you ignorant muthaphucka!" or my personal favorite "these niggas is some niggas!!!" LMMFAO!!!!

Needless to say there were quite a few of us that were disgusted by this charade and the bad part is that they will continue on doing this nonsense again and even worst...continue playing dipset music at parties. And how do I know this will happen again...because at the end of the party in comes Tabey Bonne`, Raheem DeVaughn, and a freakin' go-go band to peform an unscheduled mini concert which makes them feel like they must have had the hottest party this year and will undoubtedly lead them to try and duplicate it or maybe even come up with something worst. I still can't believe that sh*t wasn't a dream but I couldn't make this up if I wanted too....don't believe me just look at Mike's account of the same night.


Them bamas need some role models!

J. W. (Just Wrong)

I just found out yesterday that my younger cousin JW lost his newborn son that was only 3 months old and it took me to the pen and pad....

-Don't know what I can say to let you know I feel your pain
-I just hope you can find strength in what we share within our veins
-Still don't believe the news I got from answering the phone
-You had a 3 month old and God has come to take him home
-Can't imagine the way it feels to know the loss of your kid
-But my thoughts of you and your fam is causing pain behind my ribs
-Wish I knew words to say but I only feel painful thoughts
-Wish I had some answers for you but I can only support
-Wanting to have more for you got me feeling so helpless
-But thinking of what your going thru makes me feel like I'm selfish
-Cause your family still depends on every move that you make
-I only wonder about this pain you have to carry everyday
-Is it fair that I gain perspective, your facing your worst fears
-And the only thing I offer in return is my tears
-Don't even know what to pray, I feel like this was a mistake
-God let me help him bare this pain so he won't ever have to break

Just needed to share it. Feel free to comment or not.