Someone Else Died Today

Who is going to do the things Someone Else did?

No Days Off.

When The Morning Comes

This is actually how my brain works. I did a science project/book report on Rube Goldberg and his book "Inventions" when I was in elementary school and have wanted to do one of these ever since.

I'm on an indie rock kick lately and this isn't bad. Rap wise, wait for Dom Kennedy "From The Westside With Love" and George Young, "We Talkin' 'Bout Practice Vol. 2."

More coming soon.

Hi

We're still here. Hi.

Google Ads Objectify Blacks? Gays? Thugs?

When you see it, you'll...

You can't make this stuff up people. This was an actual exchange between a friend of mine and some friends of his. He e-mailed me the screen shot. You can see that he was actively responding to a message and the cursor stopped because he was taken aback when he noticed the ad. It's funny because it's outrageous, especially considering I know all the parties involved and the subject matter of the email (all identifiers have been redacted for public consumption, of course) and nothing connoting the circled portion, or the non-circled portion, is logically connected.

Oh, and I'm not lauding Google or anything of that nature, but it just gives me a timeout and a laugh for a genuine WTF moment. "Find Blackgay (one word) Thugs at Great Prices. www.Pronto.com."

Now, I didn't click the link to see what's at Pronto because, well, rest assured I don't see and signifiers that there could be anything remotely of interest for me, but let's go ahead and run through a checklist of what's off-base with the ad link.

1. Prostitution is illegal. I assume that's what they're selling? (Reaching)
2. Slavery is illegal. I assume that's what they're selling? (Reaching)
3. What's a "Blackgay"? (Dead-on)
4. What could possibly be Google Ads' algorithm for this?
        a) I Built A Solar Panel
        b) Free Beat Downloads
        c) Serbs Claim Independence
        d) Blackgay Thugs

I don't wanna hear any explanation about bots picking up on relevant topics, there's no possible conversation that could populate such randomness. I dare you to come up with one. Also, as mentioned above, the conversation from the email wasn't indicative of anything relating to those topics. (I hope you can derive that from the email clip posted. If I'm tripping, tell me.) Maybe it's time for some new programmers over there at Adsense. Maybe The King's English is a lot more nonsensical to robots. Maybe I'm reaching. One thing I know is that you guys over there at The Google are reading this so I hope you consider re-programming The Google Adsense algorithm because I have actually found legitmate, time-worthy investments through your ad placements. Now please excuse me while I investigate an urgent matter in the form of this link from a gmail ad, "Dead Broke to 50K a Week." Thanks, Google, I'm twenty weeks away from being a millionaire. Results typical.

*I bet my word cloud is going to look a week bit different after all of those keywords. 
**Despite whatever made you click on this entry today, no, this blog is not about that. Whatever that is.
*** Props to Cabby, who is neither black, nor gay, nor thug.

You Need To Work Hard...

I am a generation older than you. You need to focus on one word in your post. Entitled. You aren’t entitled to s***, and being smart doesn’t make you worth anything to anybody. You need to work hard. You need to love something and do whatever you can to make it happen. You need to stop whining. Nobody cares that you are self-aware or that you filled your head with ideas you can’t seem to find a use for. Except maybe your parents.

The world is full of people struggling just to survive. If you don’t understand the depth of that, stop reading blogs all day and go take a trip. And don’t just go shopping for skinny pants on that trip.

Go find your own path. You can’t hate on office drones for finding their own happiness between the lines. Because the reality is (coming from somebody who has never really had a normal job, and who has managed to support themself by one form or another of whoring out their creativity and thinking) all that is really important are the little things. The other s*** you think is so credible, important and worthwhile is just empty. Go be a hit BLOG house artist. You’ll see how quickly that demystifies and how full of s*** people are.

Find somebody and something to love beyond yourself.
-old person

I haven't looked at Hipster Runoff in probably a year or so, mainly because I don't identify with the core demographic ("alt bros", "hipsters", "blipsters", etc.) and my aversion to the lingo (look at the last parentheses), but today I came across this gem of a post entitled "My job/career does not align with my personal brand [Generation Y and the mainstream workplace]." Pun intended.

(More after the break)

Kind Of Like Mel Gibson And Danny Glover

Andre 3000: Simpsonized and Stigmatized

Usually this type of art is questionably offensive, but since Dre has been disputing these type of claims since the 90's, this piece gets filed away in the fuzzy (and subjective) realm of social commentary. At least take a minute and revisit a classic and remind yourself (read: myself) why 3000 is one of the most enlightening MC's to bless a microphone. New age preachers, anyone?

Lyrics below. Pardon the french, but it serves a purpose. Oh, and as far as dialects are concerned, southern vernacular is unparalleled.

[Dre]
It's the return of the gangsta. Thanks to...
Them n's that's on that blow
That run up in yo[ur] crib which contains your lady and an 8 month old child to raise,
Plus you['re] true blue [a]bout this music, but
They do not want to hear it because...
They'd rather be bouncing and shooting and killing and bouncing and s'.
Get down.

Return of the gangsta. Thanks to...
Them n's that thank [think] ya'll soft and say ya'll be gospel rapping,
But they be steady clapping
When you talk about
B's & switches & h's & clothes & weed.
Let's talk about time traveling; Rhyme javelin';
Something mind unraveling.
Get down.

Return of the gangsta. Thanks to...
Them n's that got them kids
That got enough to buy an ounce, but
Not enough to bounce them kids to the zoo or to the park
So they grow up in the dark never seeing light,
So they end up being like
Yo[ur] sorry a', robbing n's in broad a' daylight,
GET DOWN.

Return of the gangsta. Thanks to...
Them n's that get the wrong impression of expression
Then the question is, "Big Boi, what's up with Andre?
Is he in a cult? Is he on drugs? Is he gay?
When y'all gon' break up?"
When y'all gon' wake up, n'?
I'm feeling better than ever. What's wrong with you?
You get down!

More simpsonized "No Homer" posters (with less/more social commentary) here.
Format Mag's previously posted Classic Hip Hop CD covers recreated in LEGO here.

Previously: It Ain't Hard To Tell The World Is (Not) Yours

It Ain't Hard To Tell The World Is (Not) Yours

A classic is built at the juncture where music takes us to a place we can't take ourselves. It ain't hard to tell. The world is yours. Carpe Diem.

I keep falling, but never falling six feet deep.
I'm out for presidents to represent me.

Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian; half man, half amazing.
Cause in my physical I can't express through song
[I] delete stress like Motrin, then extend strong.