every now and then, there's a trend.
it could be wearing your hat backwards, masturbating in public parks, smoking crack, bombing the shit out of terrorist-harbouring nations, low-carb diets, pilates and Christian heavy metal. the majority of society follows these trends and therefore make them a part of popular culture, to be forever engraved in history. i admit, i, too, personally follow some trends..but most of the time, i dont...or at least would like believe i dont.
here are some things i hate you, but you, the average person, probably like:

*disclaimer* just cause i dont like them doesnt mean that it's shit. it just means i think it's shit..and really who am i to say what's shit and what's the shit? so before you get all worked up about my entitled opinion, know it's my opinion and not necessarily those expressed by the staff at blogger, anyone on my blogger links, anyone orginating from madagascar or anyone who used to fly a twin engine airplane over the gulf of mexico etc.etc. so please...lighten up. it's all shits and giggles.

kanye west
hip hop producer...'good'..yeah i'd say good. that's about it. he's no ?uestlove of the roots; he ain't no neptunes or dr. dre. shit, he ain't even hall or oates, if you wanna talk music in general. so yea, if we're talkin production..he's 'good'.
so now, let's talk about kanye west the rapper..the m.c. (that means master of ceremonies in the hip hop culture, children). he's shit. once again, not the shit, but shit. sure everyone's ranting and raving about mr. west and his production and his supreme rapping and writing skills, but really, as a self-proclaimed and 'PEERclaimed' aficionado of hip hop, i dont feel there's really anything spectacular about him. im sorry to all who love the guy or who bought or even burned the cd. through my ears, he's shit. his voice is flat, and his beats are wack. and what's his message, really? in the brilliant words taken from steve martin to john candy in one of my mom's favourite movies of all time - planes, trains and automobiles, "when you're talking and talking...how about this idea [kanye], have a point!". geez.
he talks about everything from Jesus to his jaw being fused shut after an accident THAT WAS HIS FAULT...to gap clothing to what his album is entitled - "college dropout". i mean it's cool that kanye came out into the mainstream and it's cool that he's touring with usher (is that really a good thing if youre a hip hop 'artist', though?), and it's cool that kids can have an alternative source of rap music that they can listen to besides 50 cent, his G-Unit retards, all their negativity along with any of the other baboons getting play on the radio and b.e.t. but really..what's his point?
in disagreement with me?...

let's discuss his album title and associated interlude. "college dropout". he's saying that there's really no point in studying; there's really no point in completing school; a degree means nothing - it's just paper; only rich, white kids will make it in the future. to me, that's fucking absurd! that's a cop-out.
no, not because im on the verge of getting my bachelor's and eventually more 'degreeage'..but because those are the words of a man who probably couldn't get by in college/univeristy in the first place. it's funny cause i come across people from highschool and who are now working their fulltime careers. these folks, try to justify their not going to post-secondary (highschool) institutions by telling me how much cash theyre making, how '[theyre] set for life' and how im wasting me time and effort in school.
well you know what?...these people are probably sharing the same mentality that kanye has.
and you know what else?....
[they should] shut the fuck up!
just because you cant get in..or make it thru...or complete university/college..or just because you got your one lucky shot in life to find a promising vocation, does not mean you have to disregard all of my and everyone's efforts in their study. cause really..regardless of what anyone says, a university degree and/or college diploma is not out of style. sure it's who you know and how you grow that lands a promising career, but looking deeper into the thick of things - for you to make it thru 4 years of study, at a scholarly level is honourable enough. that's discipline right there. and if you can handle that, then youre most likely prepared for anything. sure you have those genius motherfuckers every now and then, who read books without formal education but fuck'em...theyre one in a million. who does that? who really takes it upon themselves to do that? remember this, fellow scholars, only 10% of the world's population makes it to post-secondary studies. keep that in perspective. further..only 1% make it to post-graduate studies.
but enough from this passionate, could-be/might-be future teacher/professor about education and it's value..let's get back to kanye.

4 things an m.c. must have to be ill; to get props; to get the juice include:
1. lyrics 2. a voice 3. flow (i.e. their ability to flow naturally with their lyrics and not force them out) 4. a message (i.e. you gotta make sense thru what youre saying..otherwise, i rhyme, myself and say 'rat...bat..hat...spat' and the crowd would, in fascination go "ohhhhhhh, that kid is illlllll!!')
as for kanye, his lyrics are mediocre at best, his voice...let me tell you, i hate his voice, if we look at the greats such as biggie, busta, L.L., mos, kweli, com..they all have their own unique voices. as for kanye, if his gimmick is a voice with no voice, then he's a winner. otherwise, he's just that - a man with no voice. it's flat. his flow..i'll give him flow..he can keep a rhythm and the beat. his lyrics...suck balls. some things are funny..but after all the humour, at the end of the day..he doesnt make sense. my homie pointed out that he knocks education and institutions of education, yet he values teachers. what the fuck???..that's a contradiction in itself. how the fuck are you gonna learn from a teacher if there are no teachers; considering that most teachers are formally educated themselves in some way or another. really. and that whole 'in-sucurrrr' currr shit. i hate that. dont do that man, dont do that!
as for everyone and why they love him...for the kids, they love him cause he's on the all mighty jay-z label roc-a-fella.
for the semi-true heads and true heads who think theyre true heads they love kanye for his production and work with common, mos and talib. these are the reasons why you like him. it's like dating the ugly friend of the pretty girl in school. you only wanna bang her cause she does the pretty girl's homework (like it's the same as banging the pretty girl herself, cmon now)
these are the reasons why i dont...his album is nothing spectacular. if you want a real hip hop album check out common's ressurection, jeru the damaja's the wrath of the math, anything from blackstar, de la soul, gangstarr, hieroglyphics crew, quannum crew and tribe, to name a few. these are real, quality, credible hip hop albums. i hate to say it..theyre art! shit. theyre art! there i said it. check those out if youre curious on what an album representing real hip hop should sound like. as for kanye, like i briefly stated earlier, im glad he's here as an alternative..but don't make him the be-all end-all kids...check out those above and other albums in the hip hop world; kanye's not even the tip of the ice-berg..he's a snowflake on the tip of the iceberg. enjoy.


[and what's the deal with his jaw or cheek structure?
i know he was in an accident but for fuck's sake..i hate
his cheeks and teeth. crap.]

my school's filipino organization
i've been contemplating joining as of late. but i can't really say there's a reason to join. would i join to get to know a network and viable source of vagina that i can access? no. i know enough people and can do that on my own time thru my own will. will i join to get to fully understand my roots and culture by teaching others and learning from others? no..the only thing i see them doing is hanging out and playing football with the white guy who tried to get me to join two years ago. a white guy...trying to get me, a filipino guy, to join a filipino organization. that's crazy! that's like me trying to get a white guy to slavetrade. what the fuck would i know about that? theyre the source..theyre the pros..id have really no business in telling them about membership into that club. i know other universities and colleges, particularly all over the u.s., have filipino organizations that enforce everything that id desire a filipino organization to do (strengthen and create awareness within the community, discuss important current issues facing our community, our community's presence within our school's community, a little bit of culture and anecdote, some food, some film etc. all of this and partying..not just partying). dont believe me?..ask co-chair of UVA's flip org, toni. but sadly, the same cannot be said about the filipino organization at my school. and so you see, im very weary as to if i should join them or not..cause going into 4th year, i really dont have time for social tea parties anymore. then again..for all the reasons above, and for me being a senior, if anyone can make change...id be the one to have some pull - and that's exactly why i should join. to make change. that right there, would be and is the driving force for me seeking membership. stay tuned to see what happens, folks...


[i really should start my own adobo sampling/recipe sharing
organization to counteract
our school's supposed 'filipino' association.
even that would be more filipino than anything they currently
stand for]

quentin tarantino
sorry, but i can't respect him.
sure kill bill had good fight scenes..sure cursing is cool..sure violence is loved by any male, including me, sure his odd and subtle dialogue referencing to various pop-culture icons and symbolism is the shiznit at times..sure good soundtracks are dope, also. but fuck..if you all knew how this chicken hawk virtually rips off all previous great films before him, then you too, would be furious.
let's take a look at resevoir dogs...he totally rips off camera angles and stills from scorcese's works including good fellas and casino. let's take a look at jackie brown..here, he exploits black people and blaxploitation films of the 70s for his own success. i say, fuck that shit! and let's take his latest work, kill bill. when watching kill bill vol.1 in the theatre, motherfuckers of all races, but the asian race, were chuckling their asses off when legendary sonny chiba was talking with his japanese accent. that shit wasnt even intended to be funny. what the hell?
maybe im being too politcally charged here..but hey, how about his presentation of the movie hero that's currently number one. this movie was never supposed to come to american shores cause nobody wanted to put the funds up to bring it here. then came quentin..motherfucker puts his name on the film like it was his. you all should know he had nothing to do with the film but PRODUCE the cash to put the films in the theatre. know this next time you see some big heavy hitter name as the 'producer' of a movie. it's great that that film is getting exposure but i know the audience gets the wrong message.

to state a few things clearly...

to the untrained eye, jackie brown is about some money laundering and smuggling..and a few people dying.

to the untrained eye, resevoir dogs is a bunch of senseless killing and swearing.

to the untrained eye, kill bill is a martial arts movie modernized to fit the palette of young american audiences..which it probably did successfully.

to the untrained eye, mr. tarantino has everything to do with the masterpiece we now know as the blockbuster smash hit, hero.

to the trained eye mr. tarantino rips off everyone and is shit. yes, i said it.
he is shit...let me rephrase..he's bullshit. he's the shit of a bull. that's some stinky shit.
unless you've watched a handful of blaxploitation movies from the 70s and understand their roots and why they were put out; unless you follow scorcese's masterpieces and can, without hesitation, know his trademarks, know his refined skill and attention to detail; unless you've watched sonny chiba flicks, bruce lee movies, spaghetti westerns, read up on the japanese yakuza and samurai...then surely, youll agree that he totally exploits all of these things for his own benefit. and what's the end result?...it's cool?
he's not a great director.
he's not even a good director. from most interviews that i've seen, he acts like he's high as a kite.
if that's the case, then that's not art..that's you getting high and feeding me crap disguised as art, later explaining me youre position and what you were trying to invoke through your art.

when we start giving props to tarantino, whether it be for his 'unique', 'cutting edge' direction and his attached name and full 'control & power' over great films such as hero, we are forgetting the real people who made him quentin tarantino.
we're forgetting all the great actors, genres and directors who he bit off of.
we're forgetting the scripts he jacked off.
we're forgetting the stage crews and stunt doubles who were a part of the original films he stole his ideas from. when we admire mr. quentin for his work, we are in fact, applauding his ability to feed an otherwise blind audience something or somethings that have been done in the past, but seem cool now.
yes, that's what he does best folks..hope i could point that out.

he's feeding you what seems to be nourishing food and calling it his own - all the while while you had these same nourishing minerals and vitamins harvesting in your backyard.

go to the source folks...check out the original films that quentin loved to rip off of. then and only then, give him props if you still believe he's deserving of it.


"i ain't no chickenhawk!"

it's just regurgitated bullshit with his name on it.

(this was way too much writing on my part and reading on yours)
to be continued...