CEDTalks

Hey family, With the Super Bowl just a week away, I'm looking forward to great commercials. My frat brother has informed me Ferris Buehler may make an appearance, and I'm sure the big boys like Coca-Cola and Doritos will give us something. This led me to reminisce over commercials both past and present that are all time classics. So here are 6 of my favorite listed below (Please note that some of these commercials are NOT from the Super Bowl): Terry Tate "Office Linebacker"- The Felcher Group reaches out to Reebok to improve production in the work place. Mountain Dew "Bohemian Rhapsody"- The brother in the back never gets his proper due. RBK A5 Commercial/Nike Battle (Tie)- The "Hood" stood up when rap star Jadakiss and legendary producers The Neptunes made their way to basketball commercials for Reebok and Nike, respectively. Pepsi- "Michael Jackson: Pepsi Generation"- A young Alfonso Ribiero performing the dances from Th...

Hello ladies and brosephs; I hope your weekend and Monday were fly. This weekend was very productive; I completed my Daniel Fast  (which was really invigorating), spent time with my family, and saw a movie that provided insight to African American history... the documentary of A Tribe Called Quest . Yes I saw "Red Tails", and I did enjoy the movie and the inspirational story that inspired it. I am disappointed, however, by the movie's eagerness to highlight the most successful and talented Tuskegee Airman as a man smitten, head over heels, INFATUATED with a Caucasian women. It served as a distraction for me, and while it's good to see an all-black cast on the screen, I cannot be as adamant in my promotion of the movie as others. It won't get you everything on Valentine's Day, but it will put you in the right direction. As most of you know we are nearing the end of January, which means Valentine's Day is right around the corner. To maximize both your ...

(Continued from Part 1) While there are indeed brothers who...just like it bright, many Black men are truly enamored with God greatest creation, the black woman. So why is there such a disconnect between us and our counterparts? At times, both sides play into the stereotypes. For men, we generalize Black women into two categories, the "independent woman" and the "groupie" aka "Future VH1 Reality Star". In regards to the independent woman, fellas, we've been spoiled. Not necessarily you, the actual reader, but us as a faction! In previous generations, many women of color played a secondary role to their mate, appearing passive, submissive, and any other "ives" you can think of. In this time of the "Independent Woman", you would be hard pressed to find a Black female in this era who is willing to downplay her talents, abilities, and her feelings. This is not a trait so common in other races. The minority female has overcome many str...

" So, stick by his side I know it's dudes balling and yeah that's nice And they gone keep calling and trying But you stay right girl And when you get on he leave your *ss for a white girl" Kanye West, "Gold Digger" Kanye's 2005 hit "Gold Digger" still resonates with  men and women of color. Thanks, Kanye.  We had it hard enough with "Daddy issues", past relationships with jerks, and "Act Like a Man (...I mean Lady), Think Like a Man", then you give the sisters more ammo. While I don't completely agree with the notion Black men openly seek interracial dating, it's definitely a common theory. Whispers of brothers undervaluing our own females stretch from Trenton to Tinseltown. On the season premiere of BET's "The Game" , retired football player Jason Pitts (played by actor Coby Bell) was confronted on the issue of dating White women by a attractive female bartender named...Chardonnay. Yeah...Char...

As the record player croons the hits of Smokey Robinson, I sit in my chair and travel through the annals of history to the 60s, a classic era of soul music. It creates a beautiful image of house parties, slow dancing with the girl you like, and $.50 Coca-colas. Aaahhh ....refreshing. While we cannot forget the trials and tribulations of the Civil Rights Movement, use this moment to remember the music: The Supremes, James Brown, The Four Tops, and don't forget the Temptations. (Ed. Note: You know I was on tour with the Temptations; Eddie Kendricks didn't like all the attention I was getting from the original version of "My Girl", so they booted me.) President Obama administering one of my signature moves, "The Schmooze".  One of the things I would have enjoyed the most about that era was the essence of love that appears dormant in our culture. If I can be real y'all, our generation seems to lack a heart. There are people seeking a partner, a soul mat...

I had the "Grow Up" moment earlier this week. Have you ever felt that before? It's humorous in retrospect, but when it happens you feel terrible. As it occurred, I remember feeling like Martin Lawrence, on the episode when he couldn't hang with Gina and Pam exercising. The "Grow Up" moment is interesting because it catches you SO off guard and when it comes, it attacks in stages. After a long day at work, I lied in my bed attempting to relax as the weirdest thoughts popped in my head: With everyone from my college crew on the "up and up", it forced me to do some soul-searching. "Look at Derrick Rose...he all rich! Can't believe he's only 23. I need to get my paper right...Oh snap, text message from Ray. Dang, Bibs is getting married, Dev and Jeff will have their master's degree soon. Garvin still fronting about his ladies, but he at least has one....I'm tripping right now." One after another, random ideas formulate ...

Yesterday was my first time watching the Vh-1 hit reality show, "Love and Hip-Hop". As evidenced by the flood of comments on my timeline and news feed, the show is beloved by African Americans both young and old. While reality shows are not necessarily my M.O., I see the attraction: drama, fighting, attractive women, and/or ignorance carries a certain appeal to people. Mix these features with hip hop personalities from our generation including Jim Jones, Juelz Santana (who my cousin swore she knew; "That's my name in the 'Shoutout' section!"), Fabolous and more, and you have a hit on your hands.  Duh-duh-duh-duh...Duh-duh-duh-duh-dayum. I watched the show with Dashiki so she could quickly fill me in; I picked up the plot just in time as the light-skinned girl and the other light-skinned girl started fighting IMMEDIATELY. Wait...y'all want me to say names? Dag; alright. I think it was Erica and Kimbella (Folks, please don't name your daughters...