The Nickotine Tape

With my debut LP "Lanigiro" right around the corner, I figured now was the perfect time for me to reintroduce myself. So here's a collection of early freestyles and songs from back in the day. Really gives you a sense of the progress, so it's worth checking out. Download "The Nickotine Tape" here! http://www.mediafire.com/file/jy1bar1gu13kk23/The+Nickotine+Tape.zip

An Open Letter to the Trump Administration

Good day to you all. I write this letter to you today a deeply concerned black American. As I'm sure you all are aware (or perhaps not), this nation is currently more divided than it has been in a long time. Hate speech abounds on social media and there is no shortage of racially motivated crimes being committed; one would swear we were back in the 1940s. Let me be clear, I do not hate anyone based on the color of their skin. I understand and respect that we are all humans fighting the brave battle of existence on this earth; however, I will always fight for African-Americans first and foremost. That being said, I'd like to express my discontent at the way this administration has been handling certain issues regarding our community.

At this very moment, there are more than a dozen young black girls missing in Washington, D.C., some of whom have been missing for quite some time now. I'm curious as to why my brothers and sisters had to flood social media with this appalling news before mainstream media outlets deemed it worthy of reporting. Though I am grateful that this issue is finally being brought to light, I can't help but wonder why the recent kidnap of Elizabeth Thomas by her high school teacher has become national news while these missing girls in D.C. have been effectively pushed to the background. Don't get me wrong, I pray for Elizabeth's family and I hope she's found safe and sound. Her life is worth no less than any of the missing girls in D.C.; but at the same time, their lives are worth no less than hers. Elizabeth's kidnapping has been thoroughly documented. I've seen pictures, surveillance footage, and testimony from both her friends and those of her kidnapper broadcast on cable news; I even know Elizabeth's Instagram handle and the Twitter name of her kidnapper. However, the trail of potential evidence which could potentially lead to the return of the missing girls in D.C. remains for the most part nonexistent. I hope you all realize that these sort of occurrences send a message; it implies that black bodies are disposable. It implies that the endangerment of black lives, while unfortunate, does not constitute a national emergency in the same way the endangerment of white lives does. It would seem that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act is a much more urgent issue to you all than addressing this current epidemic of missing black girls in America. While I realize it is not the direct responsibility of the federal government to fix these situations, an acknowledgement of the issue by some member of the cabinet, as well as a detailed agenda/plan of action (posted online, perhaps) would at least let us know that you all are aware of the issue and are doing what you can to bring these girls home.

Mr. Trump, I'd like to speak directly to you for a moment. Prior to your election as president, you campaigned on the promise of "Making America Great Again." I recall your specific appeal to the black community as "what have you got to lose?" This was a valid question; after all, 8 years under a Democratic president had left many of us in the same condition as before his initial election, if not worse off. I'm sure your appeal to my community along with some of your other campaign promises succeeded in winning over a portion of African-Americans. I myself attempted to be optimistic after your victory, hoping that you'd keep at least some of the promises you made to my community. So far however, you seem less concerned with making America great than you are with silencing those who oppose you and your policies. Why is it, Mr. President, that you feel the need to get on twitter and publicly lambaste those who speak out against you? There's an adage that I base many of my decisions around that goes, "whoever angers you, controls you." That being said, whenever you get on twitter and lash out at people who have exercised their first amendment right to criticize you, you look like an incredibly weak, foolish, and ineffective leader. When you make claims of being wiretapped during the election with no proof, you look like a pathological liar. And when you get up in front of a crowd of Americans and say nothing of substance, instead opting to claim responsibility for Colin Kaepernick being blackballed by the NFL and patting yourself on the back for it, you look like an enemy of the black community. I warn you Mr. President, you are alienating yourself from the general population more and more each day. You are fostering a hostile environment for many Americans in this country, not just blacks. If you continue to behave this way, don't be surprised when even your fellow Republicans turn on you and commit to making your tenure in the White House the most difficult 4 years of your life. America is not a dictatorship. It is your responsibility to protect the rights of ALL Americans, including those who vehemently disagree with you.

I recall you posting a "New Deal for Black America" on your website, Mr. Trump. I recall reading it and liking some of the initiatives listed; but I think it's funny how more than 3 months into your presidency, I haven't heard it mentioned once by you or anyone in your cabinet, which leads me to suspect that its sole purpose was to help you gain votes. Honestly, I feel it is up to black people to solve our own problems, so you will never see me looking for sympathy or a handout. However, it often proves difficult for many of us to allot the necessary time and energy to bettering our condition between working 9-5 jobs and trying to provide for our families. Even I, as I type this, am preparing to go clock in at my job and give away precious hours of my life to a corporation that has no personal interest in the uplift of my people, save for ensuring we can continue to exist as customers. This is the tragic situation for so many of my brothers and sisters; we're all granted a finite number of hours on this earth and sadly we're forced to surrender a large portion of those hours to working jobs, toiling away day after day for minimal compensation; living "check-to-check," as we say. And the cycle continues. I believe the best way to break this cycle is to start building entrepreneurs, especially within the next generation. That being said, I hope you'll consider making entrepreneurship more prevalent in grade-school learning. If you choose not to, that's also fine; we're more than capable of teaching our children ourselves.

In closing, I am simply a concerned black man who wants better for my people. We do not need a president who is more concerned about getting the last word in a Twitter fight than he is with the welfare of the American people. This is what you signed up for, Mr. Trump. I hope you didn't think that people were going to stop slandering you once you became president. It's only going to get worse from here and it's best you learn to ignore it. I implore you, please stop embarrassing our country with your petty personal quarrels and for God's sake, start behaving like a president.

- Nick G.

Maybe we're not as fam as I thought.. (In Defense of Raven-Symone)

Hello everyone, I was going to write this post on Facebook, but I have waay too much to say regarding the recent comments Raven-Symone made regarding hiring someone with a "ghetto name." (Here if you haven't heard). I'm going to try to choose my words carefully because I want to make absolutely sure to get my point across so I won't have to repeat myself ever again. A few days ago, the ladies of "The View" showed THIS video of two young boys rattling off the top 60 "Ghetto Black names." The names are over-the-top and highly stereotypical, many of which are just random objects with suffixes like "-isha" and "-iqua," etc. attached. I guess the boys thought this was funny at the time; but frankly I'm shocked that the black community is so enraged at what Raven said and not the boys themselves. Surely, their neck rolls and other stereotypical "black girl" mannerisms should've offended someone, but I digress. After the video was done, the ladies all shared a chuckle and Raven, while still laughing, said something along the lines of "I wouldn't hire anyone named Watermelondrea" (which is said in the "names" video at 0:56). Needless to say, the black community LOST IT. In the days since, I have seen some of the cruelest, nastiest comments made about Raven for what appeared to me to be a jocular statement. Don't believe me? 

Just truly awful stuff. And the youtube responses haven't been much better (here. Warning, strong language). Calling her names, insulting her appearance, it's all really juvenile and completely uncalled for. Before I go any further, I'm going to say something; and I want you to think about it. 

STOP KEEPING BLACK GROUPTHINK ALIVE. IT'S DESTROYING US.

Black groupthink is a problem for us and has been for a long time. Black groupthink keeps us from expressing our own ideas and feelings for fear of becoming an outcast. Black groupthink is what keeps black people in a box and is the reason we have such trouble making progress in this country. It's black groupthink that made my classmates feel like being smart equaled "acting white" back in middle/high school. It's black groupthink that keeps us shackled to the Democratic party when 97% of us probably don't know the party's real history nor why we even continue to give them our votes. It's black groupthink that compels us to label a black Republican an "uncle Tom". It's black groupthink that breeds low self-esteem in people who can't afford designer clothes. It's black groupthink that has every inner-city kid wanting to be an NBA player or a rapper instead of a surgeon. Black groupthink is the reason the word "ghetto" is so closely associated with African-Americans and not other races.  And it's black groupthink that gives us the AUDACITY to try to "give away" Raven-Symone via THIS incredibly snarky and self-righteous "letter to white people" because she dared to say something that went against the grain. 

"Heard you disagreed with Obama the other day. Yeah, fix that." 

Raven-Symone never said she wouldn't hire anyone with a "ghetto sounding name," she said she's not hiring anyone named WATERMELONDREA; but the media took that statement and turned it into "Raven-Symone says she wouldn't hire people with 'black sounding' names"......HOW IS WATERMELONDREA A BLACK SOUNDING NAME?!! IS THIS WHERE WE ARE NOW? Instead of being mad at Raven, we should be worried about ourselves, because if adding "-drea" to the end of a dang fruit is how black names are created now, then we've got a WAAYY bigger issue on our hands than Raven-Symone Pearman. The name itself was obviously satirical; never in your life have you met anyone named Watermelondrea because THERE IS NO ONE NAMED Watermelondrea and there never has been. I don't have to look it up, I just know. I'm pretty sure that, as a businesswoman, Raven knows good and well that she needs to hire well-qualified people, regardless of their name; if you watch the video, it's clear that she thought the video was funny and was speaking jokingly about a girl named Watermelondrea who doesn't exist...but we just swear we know people and their lives based off of a single statement. A single tweet goes out, and we have the whole story figured out from top to bottom. Smh. 

"What? He hates hip-hop? He must wanna be a white boy!!" 

In closing, this post isn't solely about Raven; it's about an overarching, jacked-up attitude in my community that I'm honestly fed up with. I find it odd that, in this era of "black unity," we African-Americans still treat our own so cruelly. I for one find it disturbing that the same people who once loved Raven and watched her on Disney Channel faithfully are the same ones now spewing the most disgusting, hateful things about her on the internet. Regardless of how you feel about Raven, she's our sister at the end of the day; and as such she deserves our love and understanding, point blank. We all have family members who say things we disagree with and may even infuriate us, but do we go on social media and air them out to the world? Do we call them everything but a child of God and disown them? Do we enact the cyber equivalent of taking a brick and beating them down til there's no breath left in their body? No, eventually we talk it out and move forward. If you don't like Raven, fine; but don't be so brutal in your criticism of her because she's fighting the same fight as the rest of us. Everyone has a reason for feeling how they feel and saying what they say, and until you learn what that reason is, there's no reason for you to accuse anyone of being stupid or a race traitor; because truth be told, none of us have all the answers. It would behoove us all to talk less and listen more. 

-Nick G. 

Mad America (Part I)

Boy, oh boy....so much has happened in America since my last post, that I don't even know where to start. But here goes. As you all know, the social climate in this country is undergoing a drastic change. It seems that for the past few years, we've all been inundated with news stories of cops killing black people (see Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Michael Brown, etc), cops using excessive force against black people (see McKinney pool party and videos like this), people making racist comments about black people (see Donald Sterling, Paula Deen), and several other stories that seem to have only one goal; to divide and anger the nation. For the past few years, the black community has slowly become a powder keg of sorts; add to that the fact that the government seems largely apathetic about affecting any change or holding anyone accountable and one begins to get an idea of the sort of danger this country is headed towards. Then a few days ago, we have THIS.

We're all the guy on the left.

The coup de grace, the icing on the cake, the cherry on top of a hot, steamy scat sundae. Dylann "shoulda jumped off a" Roof decided that he was tired of watching black people "take over this country" and that he was gonna do something about it. So he got a gun and went to the historic Emmanuel A.M.E. church in Charleston, SC where he sat in on a Bible study attended by warm, loving, trusting black people only to brutally murder most of them hours later.

Dylann Roof is a coward in the purest, most textbook sense of the word. It takes a cowardly soul to shoot and kill people who are unarmed and pose absolutely no threat. Roof is obviously mentally ill, but he wasn't crazy enough to go to the hood and try that. He wouldn't last five seconds. He says himself in his manifesto:

"I have no choice. I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight."

thus he decided that instead of trying to kill a lot of blacks himself, he'd set off a chain reaction that would end in whites killing them in numbers that he couldn't. Probably fancied himself some sort of brilliant war strategist, the devil.

But here's the kicker, Roof's actions ended up having the opposite effect; Charleston showed its true colors and many of its citizens, black and white, joined together to honor the lives of the 9 victims.

Just beautiful. (source)

Like a rose that sprouts from the ashes of a forest fire, the beauty of the human spirit endured through Roof's devilish actions. At the funeral for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, I was reminded of that part in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" where the Grinch expected all the Whos to cry over their stolen presents, but instead they stood together, sang, and celebrated Christmas anyway.

Indeed.

It's worth noting that the tragedy in Charleston has sparked debate on several topics such as white supremacy, gun control, mental illness, and most notably, the Confederate flag. I'll save my opinions on the former subjects for another blog, but for now I'd like to focus on the flag that's got Americans standing on two sides. I was born and raised in North Carolina, so I'm quite familiar with the Confederate flag and its significance in history. Growing up, I'd see it displayed on pickup trucks, classmates would come to school with it emblazoned on their jackets (or on t-shirts reading "Heritage, not hate"), I'd see merchandise bearing it in store windows at Myrtle Beach; in essence, I grew pretty much desensitized to it. I never really thought about what the flag really meant until recent years; and in the wake of the tragedy in Charleston, I'm stating unabashedly that it has no place in America.

Many southerners will argue that they display the flag to honor their ancestors that fought in the Confederacy; they'll make the case that the South wouldn't tolerate unfair treatment from the rest of the country and that the flag is a proud reminder of that. That's fine. As Americans, people have a right to display whatever flag they'd like on their property. However, I am well aware that the desire to keep and expand slavery was a driving factor in the South's secession from the U.S. That being said, there is NO good moral argument for the Confederate flag to be flown in this country. None. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Hate, not heritage. Bondage, not bravery.

Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens said in his famous "Cornerstone Speech:"

"Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition."

If after reading that quote, you still have a desire to defend that flag, be my guest. But just know that to do so is to condone and accept Stephens' words, no matter how much you claim otherwise.

I still believe in people. I still believe that good trumps evil. I still believe that blacks and whites are not enemies. I'm so sick of talking about race in this country.

Part II coming soon..

-Nick G.

New Track Alert: Echo (Interlude)

Hello all, I'm just here to drop this track I just finished. Something I've been sitting on for a while so I figured it was time to make it public lol. Let me know what you think!



Yo, yo

(Chorus)
Said I went to outer space. Guess ya boy is a Sith
I found the Golden Voyager disc and cried when Blind Willie moaned
It made me feel so alone, made me feel so alone
Took a plunge in the sea just to swim with the fish
I sank into the darkest abyss and knew I couldn't go home
It made me feel so alone. Made me feel so alone..

(Verse)
Ladies and gents, I welcome yall to my mind
Now follow close behind and you will be fine
Don't wander off into the corridors of boarded doors
A buncha horror stories lurkin in the fourth ward. For real
Those type of memories, we all got some
Those type of demons man, we all got one
But we run and we hide. We keep em bottled inside
Til we livin like an agitated Fresca. We walkin under mad pressure
It's mad boring. Life is like a scratched record
It seems to repeat. It seems to repeat.
I try to escape to find some relief.
Cuz knowledge is great. Monotony's weak.
That's why I create, capische?
Sittin in the corner of a half-lit room
Half-sleep as I envision the moon
I make it my own. Put my flag in, make it my home
But what's the point? Cuz I'm still alone
Dag...

(Chorus)

Enough is Enough

Man, this is the third blog post I've written concerning a black man being shot and killed in some sort of scenario. I told myself I wouldn't write anymore on issues like this, but I just couldn't keep silent on this one. If you haven't heard by now, a South Carolina man named Walter Scott is the latest in a long line of black men who have been killed by the police, seemingly for no reason. I can't even say "seemingly" in this instance; Trayvon Martin? Ok, maybe he attacked Zimmerman and his murder was an act of self defense. Mike Brown? Ok, maayybe he did try to take Darren Wilson's gun and his murder was an act of self defense. Walter Scott? No. He was flat out murdered. Anyone who's seen the video cannot dispute that the officer had no justifiable reason for killing Scott. No reason at all (check it out here if you haven't yet. Be warned, it's graphic).

The media was dying to make him a thug, too..try again. 

Officer Michael Slager has been charged with murder and now faces 30 years in prison or the death penalty. I can say that this is one of the rare occasions that the justice system has worked and for that I am glad.

But I'm also angry. And scared. 

Officer Slager fired EIGHT shots into Walter Scott's back while he was RUNNING AWAY. The man was scared and running for his life; but he was shot down like a dog in the street. Officer Slager then filed a police report stating that Scott took his taser and that he acted in self defense; a claim that likely would have kept him a free man if some brave soul hadn't been recording the incident that day. I'm sorry but my faith in America's law enforcement has been severely shaken. This is a cop who shot a man dead in cold blood, cuffed his dead body, dropped his taser beside the body, then tried to convince the public that he deserved to die. I've always had a pretty good idea of how evil the human race can be, but this story has appalled me to no end. After watching the video, I had to stop and seriously ponder if this is the sort of country I want my kids living in. Would I in fact be guilty of child abuse and/or negligence to even bring a child into an environment that's obviously hostile towards them? 

Something has to be done about these policemen. Now. 

I see now what Huey Newton and the Black Panther Party were facing back in the day; black people in California were being brutalized by the policemen then also, but Huey discovered that if he knew the law, they couldn't touch him; thus, he made sure that every member of the Party carried a pocket version of the California law book at all times. This frustrated the police to no end, as Huey had figured out a way to beat them at their own game. I'm not saying that simply knowing the law will protect us from police brutality, but it's surely a great place to start.

People wonder why black people in America don't trust police...

It's hard to trust a police department that's overwhelmingly staffed by people who do not look like you nor share your interests (check out these statistics on how homogeneous police departments are across the nation). I've said for the longest that if the government wants to show that it cares about us, it needs to provide incentives for more minorities to attend police academies. As long as police departments are brimming with white men, there will be problems. I am not a racist; I'm simply aware of reality. Despite how people like Raven-Symone feel, we are different. I understand how Raven feels; yes we are all Americans, but we are DIFFERENT, and that is perfectly fine. America has long been known as a "melting pot" of people and cultures; well, you can't have a melting pot with a single ingredient, right? We are Black, we are White, we are Hispanic, we are Middle Eastern, WE. ARE. DIFFERENT. And I don't believe black people will ever truly feel protected in this country until we have people who look like us on patrol in our neighborhoods. 

Rest in peace, Walter Scott. 

-Nick G. 

80/20

Wrote this a while back and just been sitting on it for a while. Thought I might as well put it out lol. Hope yall enjoy it.


(Hook)
I'm protestin' the roach nest in ya mattress
All you ever wanna do is live life lavish
Neva went to get ya masters or bachelors
Only thing you eva maintained was ya badness (x2)

(Verse 1)
Don't judge a book by its cover
but common sense fails when the book
Has a beautiful look. The others paled in comparison
When she'd wander near to them. Homies tried to warn me
Daily but I wasn't hearin them
They were Bell Biv Devoe screamin
"She's poison." The type of woman who destroys men
I saw no malice of it. If she was poison, I wanted me
A chalice of it. So I could die me a beautiful death in
Her room. Carried from this life on a cloud of her perfume
My nose wide open. Woulda thought about proposin'
Plus a family. Yeah a lil me in her womb.
That's how she had me feelin. Her face was so appealin'
Plus she knew what she was doin, kept her nose to the ceilin'
Hard to believe I was so pressed, wow.
But after three months of talkin, I aint impressed now. Because

(Hook)

(Verse 2)
And in her mind, she's so far already.
A reality show star already. She strives hard for petty.
She loves the glam. But without a man
Yo she's barely holdin' things steady.
She got delusions of grandeur. Even got her a manager
Just to post for the Instagrammers. And speakin of cameras
She asked if I wanted to crash and I was at her front door in a flash
Soon as I walked in, I wish I hadn't. Her living room was ragged
And I'm sure that there were rats up in the cabinets
Even worse, the kitchen sink was stopped up with fake hair
Plus she said that she was late to pick her daughter up from daycare
WOAH you got kids? I aint know
Yes she replied, then start batting her eyes asking me for dough
Said she needed gas and some food for her child
I slid her a $20 and I was out.

(Hook)

New Freestyle

Check it out and let me know what you think!
 

And I'm unnervin' em. Hurtin em, how I'm servin em
Have the most heinous murderer lookin like Hamburglar
Lyrically, I'm a surgeon and spherically's how I circle em
Here at least I'm a third of what Siri would need to turn to us
Fantastic. I'm leadin a mass havoc. They wheezin like asthmatics
In need of a gas mask while I'm feedin em black ash
And I'm eatin they last apple
They oughta fear the wave like a sandcastle
I'm a street sweeper. Just ya neighborhood heat keeper
Disregard the weak, my YEET's ether
I produce power. Could illuminate the East beaches
Keep em lit for 92 hours
Guarantee I'm gonna hit em where the sun don't shine.
A lotta rappers now aint got no shine. That's why they pole climb
Live underground or be DEAD on the radio
A buncha corpses pushin Porsches. Spendin fortunes, yeah
It's quite ironic how we covet the lives of the lifeless, listless
I'm treating the game like Michael's mistress
She's not my lover and the kid, he's not my son. I aint the one
Not the two. Knock ya trunk. Like Badu "Mama's Gun"
Ground melts when I run cuz I'm the son of the Sun
You wanna catch me? Betta pick ya feet up.
You'll have a hard time tryna keep up.

Remaining Rational in Hard Times..

Hello, everyone. I've been meaning for a while to weigh in on what's happening between my people and law enforcement in this country; but finding the words has not been easy, so pardon me if I ramble here. As these events unfolded, I made sure to remember that whatever I saw on T.V. was not to be taken at face value. The media has a knack for making things seem much worse than they really are; I was not going to allow myself to become incensed and lose my train of thought (although it hasn't been easy). As you already know, our nation was just recently starting to heal from the slap in the face that was a certain grand jury's decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown. Tears were shed, expletives were hurled, small-scale riots broke out in the city, but things were just starting...JUST starting to cool off...when this happened.

The policeman who placed Eric Garner in a life-ending choke hold was not indicted. He walked free. Needless to say, the fresh wound of injustice created by Darren Wilson walking free was ripped back open. People are currently protesting in New York City--blocking streets, marching, and shouting their demands--and no one should be surprised. 

My barber said something a few months ago that I initially laughed off, but it seems less ludicrous as time goes on; he said that this recent string of black murders (Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, etc.) is the beginning stage of what will eventually explode into a race war in this country. And by "race war" he meant just that; blacks and whites arming themselves and taking one another out on U.S. soil until only one side is left standing. Pretty scary stuff....but it seems less crazy now than it did then. 

That's one reason I'm writing this post. This is my attempt, however small it may be, to restore some rationality in this crazy period. After much thinking about what's happened these past few months, I had to ask myself "what is this really about?" 

It's not about "Black vs. White" 

And it's not about "Black people vs. The Police"

Read the story HERE

No, it's silly to believe that all white people are racist; and despite what's happened in recent months, I still believe that we NEED law enforcement in this country. I guarantee that America's policemen have PREVENTED way more murders here than a couple of nutcases with badges have committed. To say that all policemen are bad is no better than for them to say that all black people are bad. Simple.

No, I've come to the conclusion that the problem we have is an overarching mentality in this country regarding people of color, black men in particular. We've been portrayed so negatively for so long in different forms of media, that we're now starting to see just how hard of a time some people are having separating us from those stereotypes. When we were first brought to this country, we were animals suited only for slavery, after that we were hedonists with no self-control, looking only to satisfy our lust for white women (Seriously. Watch this), after that we were second-class citizens who were allowed to live in this country so long as we "stayed in our place", and NOW we're thugs and hoodlums who may harm you or steal your belongings depending on what mood we're in. 

And that is what will have to change before any real progress can be made. I won't pretend to have all the answers. Because I don't. Not even. But I recently came across an interesting editorial which highlights the power of "art over argument." I urge you all to read it and share it (HERE). Basically it explains that art has much more influence on people's behavior than most might think. Slavery was not considered a national abomination until Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and threw the whole country into a rage. The year that Disney released "Bambi," deer hunting fell from a $5.7 million business to a $1 million business. Just that quickly. ART INFLUENCES PEOPLE. So one solution that I propose is that we, the black community, see to an increase of art that paints us as we really are--powerful, intelligent, compassionate human beings with hopes and dreams just like everybody else--so that the nation as a whole will see us as such and maybe one day stop being so afraid of us. I realize that not everyone is artistically inclined, and that's fine. But those of us who are must accept that we walk with a stigma, one that we must erase if we want to make this country better for ourselves and black youth. It's our responsibility. Let's get to work. 

P.S. Rest in Peace Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was shot and killed last month for walking down the street waving a toy gun. Sleep now. (Read here)

- Nick G.

Piano Roll

A little over a month ago, I released my first studio-produced track called "Same Moon" (you can hear that here). Today, I've decided to drop my second track called "Piano Roll." Yall enjoy it and let me know what you think!
   

(Chorus)
Hol' up! This aint ya typical hook.
Oh nooo and damn sho aint ya typical flow
Just a youngin from the South. No gold mouth,
But gold words til the whole Earth sold out.
And he got a prime time mind with ragtime soul.
You wanna take it to the hole? Let's go!
Shawty, you can bump it out ya Nano yo
But I'll just keep it comin out of my piano roll.

(Verse 1)
One time, two times, three and to the fo'
Nicky G's comin yeah I'm back fa mo'
Latch the do'. We don't want no one escapin the blast
Hand me the gas, watch a bastard blow.
Like Master P in '97 when he made em say uuhh
I'm just tryna make em wake up
Make em raise up with a new nation and new stations
Erase all straight fakeness from the equation
Minus Fendi socks. I'm tryna do for hip-hop
What Black folk did for Lindy hop
And that's wreck it. Throw on a record. Bet I'll spray it
I'll AK it. In one second. Now check it
It's the cliche slayer. The new-age mayor.
The leader of a legion with allegiance to the layers.
Young Scott Joplin Jr. of the future
With my 88 keys tuned up

(Chorus)

(Verse 2)
The second act is packed. With more curse than the first
So if you thought it was bad, it gets worse. Much worse.
So bad, if ya favorite rapper ever tried to beat me
Then you'd prolly neva see him again
Another dead bum with head lumps. I serve em Red Rum
On the mic, I flow nice and throw em breadcrumbs
If they ever come for me, it'll be a short story like
"Once upon a time, the end." (Check it out)
I wield words with the skill of a swordsman
It's more than might. I'm like a samurai mixed with a knight
I swing blades like "Sling Blade."
A sickle in my soft palate. All of my competition's tossed salad
And I'ma wild until a thousand islands bearin' my name
And I can view em from an airplane
But I'm feeling anxious cuz I'm up against so many trials
Walk a mile in these mud-stained Chucks. Ya can't!

(Chorus)

(Verse 3)
Act three, act three. I pound the black keys in anger
I'm workin on a club banger. So I hit a crescendo
And rattle windows til the whole town sense danger
I'm exhausted. Just by lookin, you would think that I lost it
I'm workin on a grand project. Notice how I'm focused
On dopness til every quote of his a magnum opus
And I'll be worth my weight in platinum tokens
I forego form for free-form. No music sheet for him
Like jazz man, it comes from the soul
Like Louis on the horn or a Monk and Coltrane session
I'll turn a Bic into the same weapon
When the music is good, you get respect from the hood,
Middle class, and the rich. Yo mama a fan of this
Young Black mastermind from the 9 Dime
Soon to be classified top five

(Chorus)

Same Moon

It is with GREAT pleasure that I bring you all my first professional single, "Same Moon."  A lot has gone into getting this track done so I ask that you all listen and share it with everyone you know. Trust there will be more to come.

It's crazy, ya know? Sometimes I just sit here and reminisce..wondering where the years have gone. Just looking back on my life and lessons learned. Sometimes it feels like I'm not even supposed to be here right now. Like I should be dead or in jail. But I'm still here. And I'm thankful...for everything this Carolina life has shown me. I aint done yet though..let's go!

(Chorus)
Lookin back on how these years made me
Coming up in Carolina. She's forever my lady
I tell my people now that we on. In this industry
It's '91 to infinity and beyond
From the Queen City to the 9 Dime
Home of the best, I'm guessin next that the world is mine
I really hope that I aint leavin too soon.
Every night of my life, I've been admiring the same moon

(Verse 1)
See it was back in '96
Had my first kiss in kindergarten
and I've been chasing waterfalls ever since
Wrote a poem for my teacher on some "roses are red"
She called me mannish. That went over my head
I wasn't trippin. I was livin every day like the first of summer
Outside in any weather. I thought it'd last forever
Playin with my cousins and them. My mama watched us race bikes
She was hustlin then, them late nights
I never realized we were up in the hood cuz I was five.
Mama watched me like a hawk in the sky
I gotta give it up cuz I know for a woman it aint EASY tryna raise a man
I understand. I got a plan, mama. On how to make a couple grand, mama
Couple pages per day. I'm nice with the wordplay
Gotta match you in the work put in. In terms of mothers, you a perfect 10
I'll hustle til you never have to work again

(Chorus)

(Verse 2)
See it was back in '02
Middle school I was dressin old school. Little dude tryna pose cool
Those were funny days. I was goin through my chubby phase
Had my pants saggin with the struggle braids
But effervescent adolescent I was,
Though it was tough tryna impress girls around the thugs
Tryna get attention, that's when I rebelled
Skippin class to get detention, like goin to jail cell
I remember all my boys playin basketball and
I was sittin writin raps and drawin
Hated the monotony. People shoot hoops every day.
I was droppin new jewels every page.
And they used to tease him.
Every day he would say that he'd make it but they didn't believe him
I aint mad though, cuz I don't know if I believed myself
I prayed to God cuz I needed help
now

(Chorus)

(Verse 3)
See it was back in '09
I was just a college boy
The freedom sweeter than an Almond Joy
That's when I met my boy Steve
And we both figured
We had to come together in the name of something bigger
We dropped the Validation. It was the foundation.
Tru Muzzik is the movement. This is OUR nation
Realist Undergrads....now we payin rent...
Staring at the same moon...as I plan my ascent...
Realist Undergrads...now we payin rent....
Rest in Peace, Deena....

Mike Brown vs. Robin Williams

Good day, everyone. As I sat here on my bed, listening to the new Ab-Soul album, scrolling through my IG timeline, I knew I'd have to hop on here and give my two cents on this whole Mike Brown/Robin Williams death situation.

What I see on my timeline today are a lot of posts criticizing

people for mourning Williams "more" than Brown, President Obama for acknowledging Williams' death and not Brown's, Williams for "choosing" to die, etc, etc, etc. 

I promise social media gives me a headache sometimes lawd.. 

Firstly, I'd like to go on record by saying that Mike Brown's death is a tragedy. From what I've read in the news, I imagine he was a fine young man who didn't cause trouble and dreamed of making something of himself. I can only imagine the pain his family is going through right now and I hope the police officer responsible is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In many ways, this is the Trayvon Martin situation all over again, only this time there's an actual police department being held accountable. While Brown's friends claim the policeman instigated the altercation by telling them to "get the f*ck onto the sidewalk," the police department claims that Brown initiated the struggle by trying to reach for the officer's gun (read about it here). Sound familiar? 

History has a funny way of repeating itself, so they say.... 

That being said, I hope that my black brothers and sisters really aren't sitting around waiting for Obama to say something about Mike Brown. Ok. Let's say today he finally acknowledges the situation, then what? Let's say he gets behind his presidential podium today and delivers some prepared remarks about how his thoughts and prayers are with Brown's family and the Ferguson community and how we have to work to prevent these sort of occurrences in the future. Then. What? I can see why some people are disheartened about Obama's silence on the issue, but I personally couldn't care less if he says something about it or not. I'm sorry, but Obama is not a sorcerer; his acknowledging Mike Brown's death will not bring him back, nor will it stop policemen from abusing their authority and shooting more black people in the future. The sad truth is, we're pretty much the only generation in America with the power to stop this sort of atrocity, but we've been pacified into believing that we're doing our part by prefacing our tweets with #RIPMikeBrown. Slacktivism runs rampant and it's a problem. 

Have yall ever heard of Leroy Powell? Probably not. He was 15 years old and gunned down in an alleyway last week after giving an eyewitness statement of a murder his friend committed. What about Jakari Pearson? He was an 8-year-old who was killed in his sleep last month by a stray bullet through his wall. Where's Powell's Twitter campaign? Where's Pearson's? Where's the demand for better witness protection and stricter gun regulations? Don't their deaths deserve just as much attention and mourning as Brown's? Don't they deserve acknowledgement from President Obama as well? Apparently not..

Cuz that's just boring, right? 

Nope, we didn't hear about their deaths because black-on-black crime doesn't benefit the media. I said long ago in a previous post that I believe the media purposely focuses on stories like Brown's because they'd love nothing more than for a riot to break out; that way they can send some bemused-looking reporter out to cover it acting as if they have no idea what sparked it in the first place.

Moving on to Robin Williams, Uncle Rob was an American treasure; his body of work spanned generations and he brought countless people joy. This is not to say that his life was "more important" than Brown's by any means...but one must understand his magnitude. I didn't cry when I heard he passed, but dammit if I didn't come close; Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin were both staples of my childhood. The fact that Williams apparently struggled with depression and committed suicide makes his situation that much sadder. Of course people are going to grieve extra hard knowing that the man that brought them so much joy was so sad and experienced so much angst. 

Tony Soprano sums it up best, I think. 

And SHAME on anyone who feels he shouldn't be mourned because he "chose" to die. Depression is real and if you don't understand it, you shouldn't speak. 

In closing, instead of griping over which individual is receiving more attention, let's take this time to honor BOTH their lives. They were both men fighting the brave battle of existence; it's up to us as a nation to learn from their deaths and become better. That's how we pay our respect.

-Nick G. 

Jada

Good evening, everyone. As I'm sure many of you are aware, a disturbing meme has recently surfaced relating to a photograph of a 16-year-old girl known only as "Jada" passed out on a floor. In the photo, Jada is naked from the waist down with one leg bent up behind her. It wasn't long before the picture went viral and people the world over were making fun of this nameless naked girl.

Now I will admit, when I first saw the picture, I didn't pay much attention to it. Social media has desensitized me to the point that the most profane images can pop up on my timeline and I won't bat an eye; I simply shook my head at this girl and kept scrolling. Yesterday however, I learned the full story. Jada was invited to a party by some of her high-school friends; once there, she was given a beverage, after which she passed out. The picture of her on the floor is allegedly what occurred afterwards; she was stripped of her clothing and raped, then photographed and placed on the internet for the whole world to see and ridicule. Here's a video of her giving her account of the story.

Besides Jada being violated and thrown to the internet wolves, what really angers me is the fact that someone, somewhere thought it'd be a good idea to capitalize on the photo's popularity and take pictures mimicking her pose. Of course, the idea quickly caught on and spread like wildfire throughout social media.

I was speaking with a friend about the rationale behind this trend; how could people mock someone who had been subject to such treatment? After pondering on the situation, I reached a sobering conclusion; the internet removes personal attachment from everything. Think about it, if you saw an elderly woman on fire running down your street, you'd probably try to help her or at least call someone, right? But if you saw a video of that same lady on fire, it'd probably have hundreds of retweets and comments ranging from "Lmao!!" to "Damn! Hahaa" Either way, the lady would have suffered the same burns and would probably need surgery afterwards; after you scrolled past the video, her personal situation would remain the same. The same goes for Jada. After everyone has had their laughs at her expense and moved on, SHE will still have to live with what's happened to her. Years after we've all forgotten about this, she'll still be saddled with the stigma of being the girl in THAT picture back in 2014. I think one of the graver effects of social media is that it makes us forget that the people in these videos and pictures aren't actors. They aren't television characters. They are human beings like you and I. Jada is a MINOR who is being subjected to some of the most despicable treatment mankind has to offer; and I for one, am sad. 

Fortunately, after searching the #JadaPose hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, I found that 99% of people had used it in protest of people making light of her situation. Thus, the little faith I have in my generation remains intact for now. Let us all keep Jada in our prayers. You think we all would have learned from the Steubenville incident a few years back, but apparently we haven't. I'm not naive enough to think that rape will ever completely go away, but surely we can each do our part to lessen how often it occurs in this country. It seems a shame to say that boys need to be TAUGHT to not rape; but men, it is our responsibility to make sure that this upcoming generation of males knows the importance of respecting and honoring women. Likewise ladies, it is up to you all to educate the upcoming generation of girls. Mentor them, teach them that a real man would never force himself on them, and PLEASE stress to them that they should never get into cars with strangers or take unidentified drinks. The future is in our hands, everyone. Yall be blessed.

-Nick G.

P.S. Peep this too. Let's pray for our young men also...for many of them are lost. 

Blink (Freestyle)

Well everyone, this is probably the last freestyle I'll put on here for a while (Check out the first two here and here). Anything after this, I'll be fighting to get on the radio. Just had to come on here one more good time and show you all that we're still workin out here! Enjoy. Carolina, let's go!!!




(Yeah!)
Ok I'm back, relax. I never left
I was chillin on the porch eatin Apple Jacks. I'm def.
And if the sample's wack,
I still give ya dope lines with the punch like Snapple Facts
Cuz I'ma dope militant under no ceiling
And my stuff is so pure, it's like I'm dope dealin
No feelin like cruising screamin "Ooh kill em!"
In my car bumpin Babyface like I was born in '88
But I'm a 90's kid. I got 90's swag.
Phat Farm with a Tommy Hat.
I got bars like Atari had
And yo I'm hardly mad like baby mamas on "Maury." I'm sorry
I'm out'chea.
Made it to the top of the mountain, now I'm thinkin that I'll build me a house here
Or better yet, a hotel. Charge 4 mil a night.
Unless you nice, then yo bill is hype.
Who's badder in the new game? That's what I ask you lames
Because I kick it like a black Liu Kang
I'm underground where they got Hussein.
Lookin back on days when I was crushing on this tattooed dame
With cherries on her rib cage. In 6th grade.
Walked with her nose high cuz she KNOW she a dime
Trophy or not, I was tryna be her Kofi Annan
If she was tryna be Nane. Boy was she fine
But back to the matter at hand. I'm daydreamin
Damn, it's like a law in this land to stay scheming
Funny how we run for the top. We race, even
But I'ma win it long as I remain breathin.
As I remain writin. They'll remember my name even
When I aint droppin the same type of
lyrical gems that make em think til the weak are extinct
But you might miss it if you blink.

Nardwuar Vs. Chief Keef interview (Parody)

Hello, everyone. I'm back with yet another one of my bored projects (or borejects for short). This time, I decided to have a little fun and give you all my impression of how a Nardwuar interview with Chief Keef would sound. If you don't know who Nardwuar is, click HERE and look at some of the interviews he's done. You'll thank me later. Those who are already familiar, enjoy...

The Sad Story of Elliot Rodger

Good afternoon, everyone. It's been a while since I've written a post on here; the reason for that is I usually only take time to write on things that are particularly interesting to me and that compel me to conduct research. Thus, today I'd like to talk to you all about the perpetrator of the recent Isla Vista murders, Elliot Rodger.

This guy. 

Now before I even start, I want to make it clear that I in no way condone killing innocent people. At all. Point blank period. The murders of those six people was a tragedy and my heart goes out to their families. However, reading Elliot Rodger's 140-page manifesto (available here if you haven't yet checked it out yourself), I found myself both fascinated and dismayed; fascinated at the gradual decline in Rodger's mental stability, and dismayed at how much of my own experiences I saw mirrored in the pages. 

 For those who have not read his manifesto, it's pretty much an autobiography detailing his life from childhood to days before he began his killing spree (on what he called "The Day of Retribution"). Rodger was born to an upper-class family and traveled to various countries throughout his childhood before settling in California once his parents decided to move to the United States. Even with the comfortable lifestyle he enjoyed, he reflects angrily in his manifesto on the one thing he desired above all others but never got, attention from beautiful girls. Rodger's anger and frustration is a recurring theme throughout the work, his inner hostility the result of what he feels is rejection at the hands of the women he desperately longed for. He writes about things that many males go through in life; trying to fit in with the "cool" kids, buying nice clothes in order to stand out, feeling jealous and inferior when girls overlooked him and gave their attention to other guys who were more athletic or better-looking. As I said, while reading I found myself thinking more than once, "wow, I've been there." 

Let me take this opportunity to say that while some of what Elliot Rodger writes about rings true for several men, it is also clear from reading his manifesto that he was a narcissist with a huge entitlement complex. He viewed himself as someone more deserving of girls than the "brutes" he often saw them with. This angered him to the point that he would spend a lot of time alone musing on the problem, eventually concluding that women are flawed, mentally ill, and need to be controlled. In his manifesto, he details this twisted philosophy, writing that women should not be allowed to choose who they mate with as they will always pick the "brutes" over the "supreme gentlemen" (such as himself). He even goes so far as to declare that sex itself should be outlawed, writing that it gives "too much pleasure to those who don't deserve it" and that if he can't have it, no one else should. We all know how the story ends (like this), so I won't spend much more time talking about it; just know the main reason Rodger carried out those attacks on May 24th was because he felt humanity had snubbed him and that the entire female gender had deemed him unworthy of sex and love. 

Now, I pray to God that the case of Elliot Rodger remains an isolated incident; it's horrifying to imagine that every sex-starved man in America would think it reasonable to wage a bloody war on women and the men who receive their affection. The guy was certainly mentally unstable.......but.....it's not like the time we live in helped curb the anguish he felt...at all. 

We, at this very moment in history, live in a country where we are exposed to sex Ad Nauseam. It saturates our culture. It's literally everywhere, on T.V., in the music we listen to, in school, at home, everywhere. And it doesn't help that sex sells. 

This'll probably be the premier ad for limes in 2020. Not limeade or anything. Just limes

Lately I've found myself thinking about that old Wu-Tang song C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me); I figure for the time we live in, S.C.R.E.A.M. (Sex Certainly Rules Everything Around Me) would be more appropriate (or S.T.R.E.A.M. for "totally rules," but people would be childish). It's a powerful thing and I've seen it both build and destroy. I recall an incident a few years ago where the pastor of my church was arrested for having sex with an underage girl. Now THAT will make you question some things; at that moment I truly realized how sexual desire can cause one to act irrationally. 

I've noticed that over the years, the archetype of the triumphant man has endured; he is tall, strong, and good looking. He's always wearing the latest clothes and driving the coolest car. He's cool and collected, sauntering through life with no worries about anything. And most importantly, he is flanked by beautiful women at all times. If you are a man...and you're not him...you're a LOSER. Most normal men accept their strengths and weaknesses early in life and live accordingly, but I can understand why Rodger, in his desperate attempts to garner female attention, stopped at nothing to be THAT guy. He tried numerous times to adjust himself to what society stipulated he should be and he failed each time, which eventually resulted in the deaths of innocent people. Again, while my heart goes out to the families of the victims, a small part of me can't help feeling bad for Rodger. If I could, I'd go back in time to meet him before he carried any of this out, take him to have a beer and explain to him that there's a better way. Sadly, that day will never come; I just hope no more people will have to be buried before America begins taking mental illness a lot more seriously. 

-Nick G.

Stand Up Freestyle

Feels like I've been posting nothing but my musical endeavors lately, but I promise to have another post up here soon. In the meantime, here's yet another freestyle I wrote lol. Yall enjoy.

Uh...yeah...TRU Muzzik
On sight, the ruler is back
Slick Rick with his pupil intact, we all night
And-a you can bet your medulla on that
I'm magic. I'm Siegfried on a 6-speed
Cuz I'm a rider. Tamed the white Tiger
Aimin my knife for lames in my cypher
Screamin "I was the prettiest dame in my prime"
Like aging white wives who bathe in White Diamonds
But I'm feeling more Hugo Boss. Or Cool Water
The haters, they pushed. I pulled harder, oh
Headline of the article, "Nicky ain't cool, he arctic-cold"
Are yall sold?
Future's lookin bright, so I'm feelin dandy
Sittin on my couch watchin Bill and Mandy
Plottin my revenge. Baby stealin candy
From a grown man. Still I remain my own man
I've been known to flip words like gymnastics
I've been known to melt a couple dudes like plastic
Still, people wanna claim he don't spit acid
They questioning the pH balance with no talent
Realest in the game, Carolina's my field
How many girls fit inside a de Ville? 
Six in the seats, two beside the wheel
And as long as the Goose don't splatter, it don't matter
(ha) Nah, I'm messin. My impression of yall fools
That flow's gettin old so I'll move along
Ya wrong if you don't think I'm feelin Erykah Badu
I swear I'm goin On & On.....

Boredom Pt. II

What's good everyone, I just wanted to share this cover of a classic I did since I was off today with nothing to do. Yall enjoy lol.

Next Episode Freestyle

Good day, everyone. Hope everyone's having a GREAT Wednesday thus far. Because I have little to do outside of work around here, I've had time to write several rap verses lately. I wanted to share one with you all here so let me know what you think iite??





Yeahh...Tru Muzzik, let's get it!
(Uh) Yo, it's the attack of the rapper. This what they've all been fiendin' after.
My company hard. I'm the type to steal ya luxury car from out ya yard, I'm a Jaguar Jacker.
I'm Jaffe Joffer. I rule in a land of rattlers. 
If you aint got ya game tight, they'll hit you with the snakebite. 
And put that venom in ya system and have you shakin and pissin in ya Beemer seats havin fever dreams
(Ha) See I was born in the Hornets' nest so anytime I'll bring a swarm of death. Ya way.
But the Nine Dime granted me my rhyme insanity so hip-hop hooray. All day. 
I'm a Maestro. Like Castro. I'm psycho. 
My raps oh-so-hot that you can taste em cuz I baste em in Tabasco
That's why I'm bolder than a bowl of beef stock. I'm A1 amongst weak sauce, feel me?
Crazy, what you know about me? That NC Mc with more drive than GMC?
I go live in abundance. The message on the radio is redundant. Nobody wants it. So stop frontin.
I'm somethin to see. I'm the black Edgar Allan Poe spittin flows at a talent show. 
And we lethal. Tru Muzzik do it for the people. You betta stick around for the sequel.
And I'm out...

Wanton

In the past, the majority of my postings on here have centered around a specific subject; however, I've felt compelled lately to write on many of the random things I read and see day-to-day, much of which is not at all related. That being said, you can feel free to read this post in its entirety or not. I write this for myself and whoever else wants to kill a few minutes.

Did you all know that Bethune-Cookman has the same motto as Winston-Salem State University? I was looking up HBCUs and came across the school's wikipedia page where I saw the school's logo sitting smugly upon MY school's motto. I had to check the school's founding date to make sure that we hadn't actually bit "Enter to learn, depart to serve" from them, but they were founded after us. So yeah, shame on them.

It's cool to me that the official website for Space Jam has remained untouched since 1996. Seriously, look at it. It's cool af to me to have that reminder of the past here in 2014, but that is some struggle HTML if ever I've seen any. Brings back to memory the days of screaming modems and turtle-speed dial up. Yeah, I'll gladly leave all of that in 1996.

I'm currently reading Revolutionary Suicide by Huey P. Newton and it's friggin awesome. I haven't been this engrossed in a book since I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I'd recommend everyone to check out Revolutionary Suicide if you haven't already; and if you haven't read Malcolm X's autobiography, wtf is wrong with you? Get off here right now and go find it.

I'm not saying the government is planning something very sinister, what with the fluoride in our drinking water and various chemicals in just about everything we own, but I'm not saying they aren't, either. I'm just saying, why is it that articles like these from credible sources like the Huffington Post go ignored, while our news channels circulate the same stories for weeks on end? And what's the deal with water fluoridation, anyway? Shouldn't we get a choice as to whether or not we want to drink that shid? Not in the government's opinion, we don't. Here is a map where you can check whether or not the water in your area is fluoridated. If it is, there's likely Fluorosilicic acid in it. Check this wikipedia article on the stuff and make the call on how you feel.

Did you all know that Thomas Jefferson called John Adams a hermaphrodite in 1800 when they ran against each other? He justified this by saying he had neither "the force and firmness of a man nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman." LMaaaao seriously, I'm not joking.

David Sarnoff was a prick.

Some guy--this so-called heir to the Dupont fortune--was recently tried and CONVICTED of raping his THREE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, but spared prison as the judge reasoned he wouldn't "fare well" there...

I really don't want to talk much about this, so here is the link. This guy pled GUILTY to the crime and was put into a rehabilitation program. He didn't break into the white house and sprinkle crack crumbs everywhere, he RAPED A LITTLE GIRL. What makes it so bad is that this actually happened years ago, but recently came to light because his wife is now suing him. But like I said, there's the article if you want to read it.

More coming whenever I feel like it, I guess.

-Nick G.