Loco Over Four Loko - Chris 'Preach' Smith

They always say there's no such thing as bad press. Phusion
Projects LLC, the makers of controversial malt liquor Four
Loko would tend to disagree with you.

The beverage, which combines caffeine and malt liquor for
a 12 proof rating has drawn the ire of lawmakers across the
country, especially here in NYC where a city councilman
downed two 24 ounce cans back to back live on TV. And
promptly threw up. Here and there on the Internet, I've seen
people decry the removal of Four Loko from shelves, even
having vigils in Union Square. I've got only one thing to say
about all of this. Dial the emotion back a notch.

While I can applaud officials for working so swiftly to get
this stuff off of the shelves and out of the hands of minors,
what about those who've sold it to minors? I know there's
more than a few deli owners and bodega owners who will
gladly look the other way if it means more cash. As we all
know, 'the rent is too damn high'. And they're trying to
survive. I guess nutcrackers and other illegal hooch isn't
a concern as long as it stays in the 'hood. What gets me is,
we can get swift action in the form of Charles Schumer
appealing directly to the President but we can't find a way
to stop the MTA in New York from hiking fares up twice a
year?

As for all of those people who got upset about Four Loko
being off the shelves for good, get a grip. There's always
going to be something more insane on the shelves. Who
out there remembers Crazy Horse? Steel Reserve? And of
course, Cisco(or 'Crack water')? Having a vigil for a drink
like Four Loko is the reason why NYC is getting over-run
by dazed and confused, half-assed hipsters who can't buy
class but can own lofts up on Edgecombe Avenue. Four
Loko is dead and it's for the best.

And for the record, I've never had it. Cisco was enough
for me. But that's another story.

The Four-Point Play: NBA 2010-11 Season Thoughts

Tonight, the new NBA season begins. I know a lot of
folks are excited given the past off-season we've all
witnessed.(no shots intended Bron Bron.) We've seen the
free agency market pretty much explode and dissipate like
a shaken bottle of soda, thanks in part to the trio I'm calling
Three The Hard Way: LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne
Wade. What started in 2008 in Beijing is now making its grand
opening tonight versus the Boston Celtics, a couple of years
older and now sitting with two O'Neals on the bench(Shaquille
and Jermaine, respectively.) So in honor of tonight, I thought
I'd hit you with four quick preseason observations. And I now
reserve the right to be wrong when June comes. Why four? In
honor of my man Larry Johnson and a select piece of New York
Knicks history.

1)Miami will make it to the Finals. But they won't win.
I'm getting this one out of the way because it is the most
obvious question. You can't deny the talent of Wade, James
and Bosh. But the main reason I call them Three The Hard
Way is this: their supporting cast. Pat Riley has stacked his
team with solid players, but those players are either at the
end of their career(Juwan Howard and Jerry Stackhouse)
or injury prone(Mike Miller and Zydrunas Ilgauskas). And
let's not forget that each member of the main trio has their
own fair share of injury issues. I think that given the fact
that the only team to make major additions close to what
they've done is the Boston Celtics, the East is tighter for
Miami to navigate than people would think but not that much.

2)This year may be the last year you see the Lakers as
   they are. That said, they narrowly get back to the Finals
   as well.
Kobe must've sat back in his jacuzzi filled with fresh Alaskan
spring water sipping champagne for all of five minutes once
he heard 'The Decision'. Then it was back to the gym. For all
of this is bound to drive him that much more. And the Lakers
will need it. Andrew Bynum is more than likely going to have
the situation with his knees go into December. And it means
that Kobe is going to have to go the extra mile because I'm
not sure Ron Artest will duplicate the success he had last
year. If Pau Gasol elevates his game to Dirk Nowitzki levels
like he did that last year in Memphis, it should be smooth
sailing for the Purple and Gold. But it won't be that easy of
a road, not with Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City as well as
Portland just waiting to cause an upset.

3)The New York Knicks will make the playoffs. By luck.
C'mon, this is not as big of a stretch as you would think.
Only because somehow, despite the bumbling of the owner
and his fixation on Isiah Thomas, they've assembled an okay
team. Which in New York City, is about as much hope as we
can ask for. Amar'e Stoudamire is a good addition even if
you choose(like me)not to put stock in the fact that his mere
presence is a lure for Carmelo Anthony and/or Chris Paul to
come to Madison Square Garden and join forces. They've
gotten younger, and have enough legs to win games they let
slip away a season ago. Given the state of other Eastern
Conference bottom dwellers, the Knicks could have a shot to
somehow grab that bottom spot in the playoffs behind the
Milwaukee Bucks.

4)There will be TWO major trades by the All Star Break.
The past free agency season has given us two major stories
in Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony. But there are lesser ones
to consider that could change everything. Consider Tony Parker's
future in San Antonio. Atlanta is a bit nervous given the fact that
their Sixth Man of the Year, Jamal Crawford was shafted out of
a contract hike. And Josh Smith could bolt on top of that. Plus
Gilbert 'Pop Shot' Arenas' tenure in DC isn't that solid. There's
still enough intrigue in the league for people to wonder just how
other teams could attempt to rise to the top.

And with that, let's get this season started!!!

Is Just Blaze the New Dr. Dre? - Chris 'Preach' Smith

First let me say, I do admire Just Blaze as a producer
and someone who has had his finger on the pulse of the
hip hop industry for some time. With that out of the way,
I make this statement...Just Blaze may wind up being the
new Dr. Dre to the untrained eye. And not in a good way.

I don't know what else to say given the fact that right now,
Just has an artist under his wing, Jay Electronica who could
potentially re-shape the landscape of hip hop with regards
to pure lyricism. And with two months left in a year that
has seen remarkable albums from all corners of music, all
we have out of Jay Elec are freestyles, guest spots and a
couple of ballyhooed singles. The debut album seems to be
on a distant horizon. And it's frustrating. Which begs the
question, why is that the case? From interviews, you can
tell that Jay wants everything to be perfect. This is where
Just has to step in and say, 'Bump that. We need to keep
the fire going. People want your music.' I don't see that
producer's nudge, visibly or in a subliminal sense. That
leaves Jay Electronica and Just Blaze in a dangerous spot.
MC's are artists, and they have a right to want to ensure
their work is great. But they also can't be allowed to get
in their own way. That's the path Electronica might be on,
and Just has to step in and make sure he doesn't squander
his limelight.

I think a lot of people remember the Saigon situation. An
MC with talent, who was hungry, who had a compelling
backstory. Unfortunately, he wound up with Atlantic Records
and that situation became ugly. Now Saigon is finally set
to release his new album in February and a new EP in the
next week five years after the fact. Just Blaze did step in
and work to get him released with ownership of all of his
masters which is a considerable victory. But it should have
never gone down like that. Just could wind up being placed
in the same category as Dre, who lately has been shilling
everything except Detox, years beyond schedule. And it
would be unfair to a point. This is where Just Blaze needs
to get Jay Electronica in the studio and keep him there
until there's enough material to have TWO albums debut
if they wanted. I know he's quiet about his movements,
but this isn't the time to lay back. You went to Nepal to
shoot a video trailer, dude. Falling back in the cut is NOT
an option. Jay Electronica has the talent to be a great MC,
but if there's no motivation, no push he could very well
wind up like Last Emperor and others like him. And it could
cast a bad light on Just Blaze's managerial skills. Not a good
look when weedcarriers are seen as platinum babies in
the record industry.

End of The Cotillion - Chris "Preach" Smith

Once again, Lindsay Lohan is big news.

And once again, I say...Big Fill-in-the-blank Deal.

I've long understood the media at large's obsession with Lindsay.
She's a cute girl, one we've all watched grow from an adorable
child model and actress to the train wreck in high heels she now
is. If you can make Courtney Love look clean and wholesome,
that's a problem. Her drug and alcohol abuse is extensive, and
now she's in and out of jail because of it. Funny enough, her last
movie role in Robert Rodriguez's 'Machete' seems to highlight
certain things about her situation we all might have picked up on
for a while now.

Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Taylor Momsen among others
with their behavior bring to mind a certain novel written by a
great and supremely underrated novelist, John Oliver Killens,
known as 'The Cotillion.' Killens was a highly regarded writer
who had a keen eye for the subtle hypocrisy in American society
as well as a strong sense of Blackness. 'The Cotillion' dealt
with a young woman from Harlem who at the insistence of her
mother was entering a cotillion or ball for young ladies of
color just like the young White girls did before they went to
high school. The prime scene of the novel is when the young
woman, Yoruba, witnesses firsthand exactly what a White
cotillion is all about, right down to the last bit of debauchery.
And whenever one of these young ladies has her face plastered
all over the news I can't help but think of that scene. It's as
if we need to see these young women at their worst, at their
most objectified. Lohan's role in 'Machete' seems to speak to
that need, and Rodriguez does touch on it even though it's in
the middle of an action flick.

These women seem to embody that motto that used to be
thrown around a lot in the old days, 'free, white and of age'.
That was the blank check that absolved a young woman no
matter what her transgressions were. But it falls flat when
you look at yet another miscue by Paris Hilton who is really
famous only for being an heiress who is easy and apparently
has no brain cells. Taylor Momsen is a Runaways wannabe
with about 1/16th of their talent who gets more fame for
her stripper chic than any of her music. I can't help but think
that in some households across this nation, people are
looking at these girls and thinking, 'if she was Black or Latina..'
and not finishing the thought because we know the end
result. That's not to say most White Americans aren't
disgusted by the actions of these young women either.

Ultimately, we know that the media at large loves to focus
on these stories because we have let them decide that
tabloid slants and heavy sensationalism is how we prefer
our news. We want to be told that these are bad girls.
Their actions can be seen as a reminder of the inherent
patriarchy that still exists. Nothing like the naughty, coked
up party girl to stimulate the fantasies of middle aged
men worrying about mortgages and rising recession. And
who cares if they give the wrong impression to young
girls out there? Sex has always been a seller, just look
at your local clothing store and count how many jeans
are made in low-rise fashion for grade-schoolers.

We should really be looking at these young women with
sadness. And we should be even more troubled about
those who exhibit the same behavior without all of the
notoriety. And ultimately, we should ask ourselves how
these stories have more value than the fact that we're
still in a recession and we're still knee deep in a conflict
in Afghanistan. Because the bottom line is, society has
enabled Lohan, Hilton and others to act a fool time and
time again with no real punishment. Name me someone
from the 'hood who has had as many failed sobriety tests
and parole violations and can get out of jail that same
night. I'll wait. It's this society that has by their misuse
of the law and need for entertainment that has let these
girls act wild with no real remorse. To our detriment.

A Note to Terry Jones - Chris 'Preach' Smith

Dear Pastor Terry Jones,

Let's begin this note with one simple, honest statement
that no one seems to have the onions to say to you in
countless news interviews and articles:

You could care less about God as long as the money
comes in.

Maybe the fact that your 'Burn a Koran Day' event which
you plan to have on 9-11 has stood out as so appalling
that few can sift through the profound ignorance wrapped
in your so-called 'Christian' faith. It's kind of like visiting
someone's little house and finding out they're a budding
hoarder with all kinds of clutter and trash piling up. Mr.
Jones, for someone who even claims to be Christian, you
should already know that one main tenet is to love your
enemies. This is all about publicity. You want the world's
eyes on you and your squalid group for a bunch of reasons.
The first reason is, money. You're more than likely envious
of all of these other churches who boast congregations in
the hundreds and get featured on television, even producing
their own shows. And in these days and times, shock sells
big. So why not get a big truck and put a giant sign on its
side that announces you burning a holy text sacred to ONE
BILLION PEOPLE worldwide and in this country? You and the
50 congregation members would really do some world outreach
as your church name states. And who's to say that you haven't
been mailed some money on the side from those good 'ol boys
and gals scattered across the Bible Belt? Few had even heard
of your country ass before this.

The second reason isn't hard to tell. You're a flat-out racist
hillbilly. Even calling you a hillbilly is an insult to respectable
sons of the soil. Proof lies in this video which actually came
out a few weeks ago(as if we needed more):



Guess what Terry Jones? It's the 21st Century. The Confederacy
lost. Little Rock happened. America has moved on and grown up
without you. And you figure that the only way for you to cope is
to hide behind the Bible, take a few swallows of Old Grandad and
caress that pistol hoping that your twisted version of God will come
and whitewash the United States again, all so you can not face
the fact that you're a cantankerous but decrepit relic in the
backwater swamps of Gainesville, Florida who's time is running
out. We've got a Black President. Muslims, whether you want to
believe it or not, whether you like it or not are not all terrorists.
Time has passed you by. Live with it.

Lastly, I think you just want to see what you can get away with
here. The laws of this country don't bar you from such a heinous
act. But you've already been blocked from having a permit to
even have such a bonfire take place so you risk arrest. And yet
you've sworn to go ahead with this plan. That's what comes with
being an American, these precious freedoms. But these freedoms
don't exist in a vacuum. There are and will be consequences as well
as benefits for every right we have. Your decision to burn the Q'uran
on a day that is still a deep wound in this nation's psyche is a sick and
morally deficient one. You've more than likely heard the comparisons
of your decision to those made to burn books in Berlin by the Nazi
regime. Jones, this is not the act of a Christian. It's not the act of
an American. It's not the act of a human being, period. Do this
and you not only spit in the face of all Muslims, but you belittle
each and every person who died on 9-11 and who have lost their
lives overseas defending this country. Patriotism born out of
extremism is nothing more than terrorism. You, sir will be no
different than an Al Qaeda operative.

I won't tell you to go to hell Pastor Jones. You've already created
one for yourself.

Signed,

A pissed off American.