CEDTalks

Hov for President...too soon? Earlier this morning, the world and Black Twitter stood on end as we received  4:44 , the 13th studio album release from hip-hop legend and business...man Jay Z. As done with his last release, "Hova" caused a stir with initial stipulations to obtain his album, requiring a subscription to Tidal and/or phone subscription to Sprint to stream immediately. This was of little concern, however, as fans turned into military strategists working to gain access to the album. As evidenced by the initial coverage by both social media and traditional media, 4:44 is a nother example of a conscious, thought-provoking album setting the music world ablaze. Following the recent leads of Kendrick Lamar's DAMN (and To Pimp a Butterfly ) and A Seat at the Table from sister in law Solange Knowles, Jay tackles socioeconomic, cultural, and even personal battles and creates what all initial signs show as a commercial and intellectual success. Whichever nick...

To stay in shape during my days off from the firehouse, I've decided to work my way back onto the basketball court. While my jumper needs work, I still have my handles, my Tim Duncan fundamentals, and actually, have learned a few new tricks. I felt like vintage D. Rose. Unfortunately, so did my knees the next morning. Asking my fiance for the Icy Hot was just another sign of my graduation to...lord..."Old Head" status. The true O.G. Upon the age of 26, we reach a qualifying age for the 4 tier chart of old head status, also known "O.G.". Ironically, the lower tiers appear to be young bucks to the higher members, but they are considered...more "mature" in the grand scheme of life. Like sports, age is a taboo point of discussion; experience is required to achieve the ultimate success, but we often attempt to cast away our elders at the first sign of Father Time. Despite this, growing old is a wonderful thing. If done strategically, we all ...

Sometimes it's the little things. When I was 11 or 12 years old, I played Little League baseball. Basketball and Football were my sports of choice, but Ken Griffey, Jr. truly had me believing I could earn this major league money. A few days before the start of our season, the coaching staff ended an afternoon practice by handing out our brand new uniforms. No problems , I thought, about to get this #24 jersey; this "finna be a BREEZE"! Unfortunately, another teammate overheard my excitement and sneakily claimed the jersey before me.   I broke down and cried. Cried like a little kid...a biatch, by any other standards. When that so-called teammate grabbed that jersey and no one stood up for me, the only defense available was shedding tears. My teammates and coaches stood there. No one consoled me; nobody prayed for me either, Kendrick . All of a sudden, my dad appeared. Just when I expected him to reign down with tough love and tell me to stop crying, he led...