Would You Like to Dance? (Bring Back the Love)

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 mate, or companion, but many have lost hope and in turn settle for physical gratification.

In my talks with Charles Perry, he tells me about the days where yes, there were hoochies, but guys wanted a good girl. In addition, girls were girls, and weren't trying to be so tough and cold. As I say to him, everything in life is cause and effect. For many guys, commitment is not stressed during the formulative years. Women are tired of being treated a certain way by dirty men, and as a result have created a strategy to protect their heart from the bad (and unfortunately, sometimes the good).

The lack of love could also be due to the shift in media from simply referencing sex to broadcasting it from each and every angle. It's in our news, our videos, all our songs; EVERYTHING is about sex nowadays, and you start to think about it in places when you shouldn't. I can't front; I was in church like two weeks ago, and I started daydreaming about the booty. Lord (aka Real Jeezy) please forgive me.

Despite my slip, it's deeper than drawers (Sounds like a Rick Ross album) for me. Sex is a wonderful thing, but just like many things in life (crack not included), it can be even better when done the right way. Excuse my frank language here, but if "the drawers" are on the menu, I like to season mine with chemistry. It makes for an "enhanced" experience if we care about each other, can share a great conversation, and don't mind talking to each other the next day (It's always good to look back and reflect on the freakiness.) For me, those additives were learned from romantic songs like "My Girl", "Love on My Mind", and "My Cherie Amor"; 90s classics like "Stay" (Ooh Yeah!) and SWV's "Weak"; and modern jams such as "Differences" and "There Goes My Baby".

The romance is not for everybody; I can accept that. For me though, it's a cool thing and I hope people get the chance to at least experience one person they want to be romantic for and with. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to ask this pretty lady to dance.

Reminiscing over my days as the 6th Temptation.

"What's Up, Youngblood?": A Deeper Look At The Old School Player

They are found pretty much everywhere: at the supermarket, on the second floor at your job, and especially at family reunions. Though conspicuous in nature, this species is easy to spot. No I'm not talking about roaches, you heathen; I'm talking about the "Old School Player", aka a "piiimmmmp". Now it is important to differentiate between an Old School Player and a man who is simply "old school". My father, known affectionately as Charles Perry (please say the full name), is old school; he has traditional values, rough hands, and watches westerns like "Gunsmoke". An Old School Player (O.S.P) is different; they are commonly outlandish, shifty, and laugh really weird. These well-tenured romeos carry great influence on the youth of America, specifically young males. Coming into contact with old school playas brings guys to a critical transition in life: the older men become an example for their younger counterparts. Gentlemen decide f...

The Nice Guy Rules

"Nice guys finish last." What a hogwash statement. Seriously; it's baloney, maybe even pastrami. Through entertainment, business, and romance, the belief is that a man with etiquette and morals is one with diseases, like the measles or swine flu. When you turn on your television or read your news...kindle, you witness arrogant, womanizing egomaniacs praised as charismatic men with undeniable "swagger". Men who are interested in helping others and making people enjoy themselves are undervalued. The result is young men trying too hard. These men, known as "Nice Guys", are seen as sweet people who are great to know and make you laugh, but are OFTEN over looked for men who...use less effort to receive approval. As a teen and in my early college years, I played into this. It's such a weird feeling; you become enamored with doing right by people, as if it determines whether people will like you. Half the time, if you are "too" nice, peo...

I'm a Hater (Acknowledging Your Faults and Using to Reach Prosperity)

I, Cedric Charles Perry, am a hater. Whew...though it's tough to say, admission is the first step to recovery. It's a gene that has traveled throughout my family tree; my great-grandmother has been recognized as one of the more influential haters during the civil rights movement. My sister Dee actually holds the Pennsylvania state record for most consecutive statements using the word "corny", with 46. It appears that there are numerous types of haters; my type is called "Conditional Hater", where in attempts to create humor, I will break out in uncontrollable hating. Recognizing that this trait runs in my family, I was bound to be a hater and it's better for me to acknowledge this now and help others who share this condition. To better address this addiction, which currently affect approximately 3.6 million people in America (I made that number up), let's identify what hating is. Rapper LL Cool J once stated that hating is "identifying a perso...

CEDTalks

Search This Blog