Remy Ma called into Hot 93.7 and chatted with Jenny Boom Boom and DJ Craig G about Nicki Minaj, the rap game, prison life, and more.
Remy’s observation on how the rap game only allows one female artist to be hot at any given time is so true….and DAMN! Fat Joe hasn’t reached out since she’s been incarcerated? Whats up with that, Joey Crack? At least Remy doesn’t sound bitter about it. Stay up, Ma!
FREE REMY!
Black hair has always been a political thing. Our hair defines us, and it doesn’t conform to mainstream standards of beauty. Black hair stands out no matter what.
I’ve recently decided to stop pressing my hair. I don’t wear a relaxer, but most of my adult life I’ve been a press + flatiron queen. Years of excessive heat usage began damaging my hair, so I’ve been experimenting with natural styling techniques from braid outs, to twist outs, to roller sets. Occasionally I hit my roots with the flatiron after a roller set, but I’m drastically reducing the amount of heat I use on my hair.
The results of my no-heat hair styling techniques have been pretty successful for the most part, but a few styles didn’t turn out so well. My family thinks I’m going through some weird phase because I refuse to press my hair. My grandma thinks I’m going through something, and my mom thinks I’m being anti-establishment. They’re right. I am going through something. I’m tired of damaging my hair to make other people comfortable. My hair goes back to its natural state anyway, so I’m working with it rather than against it.
I haven’t pressed my hair at all in 2010, and my hair is healthier and shinier. I’ve flat ironed the roots a couple of times after a roller set. The small amount of heat applied to the roots after a roller set doesn’t compare to the layers of heat I used to apply to my hair with blow drying, pressing, and flat ironing. I’ve traded mineral oil and petroleum based products for organic coconut oil and olive oil moisturizers. And my hair LOVES it. It drinks up the moisture, coils into beautiful curls, and dances in the wind.
Finding a natural style that works is a journey within itself, but it helps me to listen to my hair and work with it rather than against it. I think we need to have more respect for our hair, and not abuse it with heat and chemicals. We need to cherish what makes us unique.
Although Martin Luther King Jr. day is a national holiday, some companies don’t observe this day in its list of company holidays. Whatever their reason for this, some employees choose to use their personal time to observe the holiday.
Me, I’ll be at work. I’d love to have the day off, but since I don’t, I’ll be in the office bright and early at 9am. And no, I will not use my personal time to observe MLK Day. Why should I? It’s a national holiday that my company should have granted as a day off. I refuse to use my personal time on a day that should be granted as a national holiday.
Martin Luther King Jr. died so that I would have the opportunity to go to work everyday without harassment or segregation. So that I can work in an office side by side with White, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and Asian colleagues. I’d love nothing more to have a day off, especially a Monday, but the fact that I have the opportunity to work in my field without facing (too much) direct racism means that his dream is realized to a certain degree.
How can I realize King’s legacy while I’m at work? MLK day isn’t just about having a day off work. It’s about making the effort to respect and be of service to others. If I do this, I’m acting in furtherance of his dream.
So let me have it. Do you have Martin Luther King Jr. day off? Gotta work? How do you feel about it? What are you doing to commemorate King day?
Image: The Fader
Looks like Fantasia read the the Keyshia Cole manual for R&B singers to remain relevant. Fantasia’s reality series about her life airs on Jan 11, 2010 on VH1. Kudos to Fanny for getting herself together, looks like she’s trying to make it happen in 2010. I feel like 2010 will see many of us getting ourselves together, big things will be popping.
Gon head Fantasia, for working on that GED! Fanny is a hot mess most of the time, but I commend her for taking steps to complete her education. GED today, college degree tomorrow.
This is some ultimate hustler ish here…making food out the back of the car! The mobile food thing is super popular here in LA, with Korean taco trucks, Peruvian food trucks, breakfast-brunch trucks, and my homegirl running around town selling cupcakes and cookies around town (shouts out to Grufeete! Vandalizing your tastebuds!)
To be fair, mobile food isn’t new. It’s one of those things that’s come full circle and trendy again, like plaid shirts and color skinny jeans. I remember growing up in Compton, the ice cream truck would come around several times a day. We also had a donut truck make his rounds, along with the neighborhood hustle man selling meat out the back of his truck. Porterhouse steak, lobster, crab. Sure, you need a permit to sell food. And it’s probably more trustworthy (maybe, maybe not) if you buy it from the grocer. There was a sense of convenience and community involved in buying from an individual off the street. It’s almost like saying fuck you to the system and relying on your fellow man to help feed you and your fam. They came to you, you didn’t have to go to them. Back in the day we didn’t even have decent grocery stores in the hood, we had to go outside our immediate area to get fresh, quality food. Only in the past decade or so has the quality of grocers in Compton improved.
I went off on a tangent there; the whole point was to share this video where the Kogi truck dudes pimped out a Scion and made it into a mobile food unit. It’s killer when they hit a button and the grill pops out the back of the trunk. That shit is ingenious, they need to copyright it.
Hustling food on the streets like a rapper selling mixtapes is so hip hop. Follow the homies selling sweets on the streets! @Grufeete
Source: Huffington Post
The holidays make me feel like such a cow. It starts at Thanksgiving, with office potlucks and family dinners. It goes on until Christmas, and by New Year’s Day I’ve gained five extra unwanted pounds because I can’t avoid the extra calories from holiday food. This year, I refuse to be a cow by New Years. Since I know I’m going to be eating extra, I came up with a plan to counteract excess poundage by compensating for it in other areas.
Are you with me on this? I think we can do it if we keep the following tips in mind.
1. Step up those workouts. Fall/winter means it gets dark earlier and in some climates its just cold as hell, so its not ideal to go for an evening run after work. But that’s no excuse skimp out on a workout. If you’re like me and used to exercising outdoors, bring your exercising routine indoors. Since most of us are hood rich (read: broke) these days, I don’t advocate joining a gym. Instead, use workout DVDs. My recent favorite is the afro-latin dance workout, it’s fun (even though I kicked over my end table doing a few moves) and burns lots of calories.
2. Eat as healthy between holiday meals. If you know you’re going to gorge at that lunch potluck at work, eat a healthy breakfast beforehand and a light dinner later on. Save your calorie count for the big stuff and eat lighter for your other meals.
3. Just say no…to that 2nd or 3rd helping. I eat extra helpings just because they’re there. Food is meant to be eaten, but I don’t have to be the one doing the eating. And when your coworkers try to force feed you, stand your ground and tell them no thank you! Don’t let them sabotage your diet.
Nip those holidays pounds in the bud! Do you have any suggestions or ideas for preventing holiday weight gain? Leave a comment.
Image: About.com
This is my take on beef fried rice, inspired by my need to do something with leftover roast beef. I wouldn’t say this is the most authentic version of beef fried rice, it’s just one of those recipes where you take what you have in the fridge and create a masterpiece. Many of the meals we’ve come to enjoy in our respective cultures were born out of the need to clean out the fridge. Tweak this recipe to your liking.
Ingredients (Yields 2 servings):
1 healthy glass of wine for you to drink while cooking
1/2 cup leftover roast beef cut into small cubes
1/4 cup bell pepper (I used red bell peppers here, use whatever kind you have)
1/4 cup diced onion
Couple cloves of garlic
1 cup cooked rice
Few dashes worschestire sauce
Few dashes soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat vegetable or canola oil in non-stick skillet or wok until hot.
2. Add onion and bell pepper, sautee until almost translucent. Add garlic, continue cooking until the garlic becomes aromatic
4. Add roast beef to veggies, cooking until it starts to brown on the edges. You may want to start seasoning with a little salt and pepper here, to taste.
5. Add cooked rice to the meat and veggie mix. Turn your fire down a bit, and incorporate rice, meat, and veggies. Add soy sauce and worschestire sauce to taste. Add more salt and pepper to your liking. Serve hot.
The final product!
This is my first time making this particular dish, I think it would also be great with a little egg, maybe some chopped celery, and red pepper flakes. I hope you try and enjoy!
See, this shit right here is the exact reason why the swine flu vaccine gets the side eye.
I think flu vaccines aren’t worth the hassle, most of the time you end up getting sick anyway. And the potential side effects, though rare, scare the crap out of me. There are non-vaccine ways to protect yourself from viruses.
1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. This is the simplest way to avoid colds and flu.
2. Keep hand sanitizer on deck at all times.
3. Give others a pound rather than a handshake. Real talk. It’s not being rude, swine flu is going around. Who can argue against that?
4. Keep your hands off your face, specifically the eyes, nose, and mouth. You can potentially transmit germs from your hands to your respiratory system.
5. Keep your immune system strong by exercising, eating lots of fruits and veggies, and limiting dairy and meat. Drink lots of water and limit caffeine.
Are you getting vaccinated? How do you protect yourself from colds/flu?
We’ve all seen the movie “Coming To America” starring Eddie Murphy (one of my all time favorite flicks). A former nurse’s aide out of Maryland and Pennsylvania just so happens to be a real life incarnation of the film.
For years, Charles Wesley Mumbere worked as a nurse’s aide in Maryland and Pennsylvania, caring for the elderly and sick. No one there suspected that he had inherited a royal title in his African homeland when he was just 13.
That’s crazy, right? The article says he has a son and daughter, but there was no mention of a wife. So if you stumble across King Mumbere, you may want to holla. You may get to become the “Queeeeeeen to beeeeeeeeee!” It’s probably far fetching, but it goes to show you that it pays to give a blue collar guy consideration. He may turn out to be worldly, intelligent, respectful, and a king! Nurse’s aide or janitor today, CEO, lawyer, or Ugandan king tomorrow. I’m just saying.
Whether they admit it or not, some women have babies for the purported benefits – attention, child support payments, tax breaks. I’ve been hearing 50 Cent’s latest single “Baby By Me” on the radio a lot lately, and I began to wonder – how many women will admit that they would have a baby for the monetary benefits?
I personally believe children are precious (though bad as hell sometimes) and the cost of being a mother is astronomical. It’s a huge sacrifice for a woman and her body. And it’s perfectly natural for a woman to want to be a mother (or not, if that’s her choice). I don’t want to take away from that. But let’s keep it real – some chicks use babies as a meal ticket. Whether it’s manipulating the government welfare system, getting pregnant by a baller, or being a surrogate for a couple who is unable to conceive naturally for a few stacks, there are circumstances where women have babies solely for the dough. When all else fails and the money is funny, getting pregnant may seem like the only option at the time.
So if you fell upon hard times, the job prospects are looking dim, would you do it? Would you have a baby by a 50 Cent, Diddy, or random guy with money for the checks? If you prefer to leave an anonymous comment, that’s cool. But be honest and let me know your thoughts!
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