"Can't Win for Losing: Should Dr. Dre Have Donated to an HBCU?"
Publish Date: May 27, 2013 #FAME Magazine My debut article with an Atlanta online publication, FAME Magazine.
"An Angle to Black Male Empowerment?" Publish Date: May 24, 2013 Been almost a year since you chose to walk away from me; Since then I’ve lost my way, Couldn’t even find the words to speak. But all I knew was, The feeling stayed, But I don’t want to feel this way; Ever again. Been almost a year since I asked how your day has been; Stuck with you through your ups and your downs, But now there’s nothing. But all I knew was, The feeling stayed, But I don’t want to feel this way; Ever again. I’ll never form a bond the way I did with you; No I won’t, Cause I won’t, Swear I won’t, I don’t even want to try to; Because she won’t be you. I see you in my dreams at night; Turn over in the morning wanting to see your smile, My heart still yearns for you. Can you hear me? The feeling stayed, But I don’t want to feel this way; Ever again. Not to see you smile; Ever again. Not to hear you laugh; Ever again. Not to feel your touch; Ever again. The feeling stayed, But I don’t want to feel this way; Ever again. Not to hold you dear; Ever again. Not wipe away a tear; Ever again. Not be best of friends; Ever again. We never knew how much real love could bloom; This is true, We never knew, What we got into, This struggle, Still not easy, You left imprints in me. I think of you from day to day; Affected each other the most sacred way, My soul is calling out to you. Can’t you hear me? The feeling stayed, But I don’t want to feel this way; Ever again. Not to see you smile; Ever again. Not to hear you laugh; Ever again. Not to feel your touch; Ever again. The feeling stayed, But I don’t want to feel this way; Ever again. Not be who you want; Ever again. Not be who you need; Ever again. Not be who you love; Ever again. The feeling stayed, But I don’t want to feel this way; Ever again. May 2012. Will Carter, Jr
Too old for these crushes; Too young for the ring, Wake up from the dream; All is not as it seems, It's a give and take thing; But most people just thieve, A false sense of ease; Just to steal the air you breathe, Get at you, Get at me; Just a daily routine. Nights in and nights out; I thought I heard you scream, Its not what you expected; Things can’t be as they seem, Present myself in best of lights; And try as you might, The opportunity’s not sealed; So stop being locked tight, People say one thing; But do the damn difference, So go and play the field; If it means you’ll stay committed, Its what I’m waiting for; What you waiting for, This décor behind closed doors; Can open up your world, Don’t confess that you’re in love; That suffocates and chokes, Can’t give with begging hands; B*tch Thi Gamma Broke. Whose Now making you smile; On days you wear a frown, Whose arms are holding you now, And You; The precious diamond found, Discarded love away; What more can I say Get at you, Get at me; Sh*t the hell with the routine. Can’t you tell, Can’t you feel; Defense is at a hundred, Converse over Moscato; Then the hunter is the hunted, No lie stays hidden; And nobody is perfect, Remain at my lowest; Refrain being broken hearted, People say one thing; But do the damn difference, So go and play the field; If it means you’ll stay committed, Its what I’m waiting for; What you waiting for, This décor behind closed doors; Can open up your world, If we ever share those words; Still won’t get excited, Had foundations set up; But still nothing solid. Whose Now making you smile; On days you wear a frown, Whose arms are holding you now, And You; The precious diamond found, Discarded love away; What more can I say Get at you, Get at me; Sh*t the hell with the routine. December 2011. - Will Carter, Jr.
Starting position…Trying position…Fiendin’ position…Loving position… Fleeting position…Scheming position…Hating position…Fetal position… Committing the perfect sacrifice; Witness all you’ve done for me And would die to know your love is meant unconditionally, Through the hate & through the pain; The simple yearning still remains What is lost can be reclaimed; Step back in our domain, Isn’t something missing; There is someone missing. Minds of the wounded declare practice of better judgment; But their hearts wreath with the crowns of essence, When it did feel right & the times felt wrong; Enduring emotional storms’ laced encipher message, Our was sacred, lovely, benevolent, and serene; Loss of sentiments dissipates like a dream, Accept our title’s flaws as much as the perfections; Answer with true affection, Is there something missing; There is someone missing. Your words rang loud and clear; Options laid bare Forbid the most obvious choice; The passion is still there, Relinquish the pain; Been miserable since we’re through Yet the loneliness cleanses; Enough to want to start over with you, Cannot resist the temptation of regaining your blessing; Striving to receive what has been devoid, No longer annoyed with the incorrect decision. Identified as the fool; Portraying that entity Because still ILY; This empty slate be gone, Confessed what we knew all along, Is there something missing; There is someone missing. Committing the perfect sacrifice; Witness all you’ve done for me And would die to know your love is meant unconditionally, Through the hate & through the pain; The simple yearning still remains What is lost can be reclaimed; Step back in our domain, Isn’t something missing; There is someone missing. November 2011. - Will Carter, Jr.
As the year quickly draws towards its end, we all usually reflect on the things done this year and look forward to our New Year full of resolution, supposedly. With all the things that may or may not have happened to each of us, there are definitely a few experiences that we could have done without.
Being specific, the Mayan Doomsday prediction of December 21, 2012 had some people carelessly throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars into preparation, others had the urge to become overnight bible scholars, and some were just being flat out stupid with no sense of consequence. Then finally, on December 21st, 2012 at 12:00am, nothing happened. And, on December 21st, 2012 at 11:59pm, nothing happened. Like any other day, it had come and gone. Fortunately, since the world was supposed to have ended by now, there aren’t any doomsday predictions beyond 2012. However, the un-necessities brought by this prophecy can be left in 2012. With that being said, I got to thinking about what else should be left behind in 2012 and thus, this little vent was born. Molly, Lean, & Bath Salts We all know that recreational drugs are illegal, but that isn’t the main point here. Obviously, every street cred rapper and their mother have an unofficial endorsement deal promoting molly or lean; it seems to be the most trending topic in all the mainstream rap songs. Honestly, we don’t even know if these guys are actually doing the drug or speaking of someone else they know on these drugs. But, when undergrads on break are coming home asking where to find the stuff, say what you will, but something should be done. If you really think about it, the two prominent rappers who speak of either drug have suffered from multiple seizures this year. Why would you want to hop on this fad? And Bath Salts, apparently, has people eating the faces off other people and acting straight f*cked. There is even news of a new emerging drug containing Xylazine. Xylazine is a horse tranquilizer. People, we got to leave this sh*t in 2012; keep to what comes from the earth instead of what is being synthesized. Self Pity of Not Being in a Relationship It can’t even be quantified how many times I’ve looked on my social network walls or timelines and see the same people who are in their piss poor feelings about not being in a relationship. It’s not like it’s brought up every once in awhile, but every single day; can’t even be thankful that they are alive, got a place to sleep, food to eat, and money to their name. Life could have been a lot more unforgiving. Most of the time, love is going to happen when you least expect it so please, stop expecting to have found love already. Stay focused on your money, education, or whatever your legacy may be and everything else will fall into place. Enjoy the love of your family and close friends and leave that self pity sh*t in 2012. Slang Terms “thirsty” & “ratchet” The most overly used words of the year depicting forms of desperateness and flat out ignorance. Even I will admit that these words have flown from my mouth more times than I care to remember. But, in order not to carry these words with us into 2013, we have to change our own personal perception of how we see ourselves as well as each other. Ladies, every man that compliments you, whether in person or social network, does not have a thirst to sleep with you. Actually, it would also depend on the picture commented on. But anyway, Lord forbids that you actually look exceptionally well in the outfit or hairstyle you’ve posted fifty million times and it catches the eye of an honest guy who pays a compliment. Fellas, every woman that gives you a decent conversation doesn’t “want the D.” Honestly, if she wants it from you, she will get it from you. They may have some elaborate equation or method to determine that is oblivious to us, but, for right now, just enjoy the conversation. Now, I’m all for individuality and believe that no one should conform to something that makes them unhappy. However, that does not mean be all-in-your-face outrageous or ignorant. If you’re doing things in your own specific way that makes achieving a goal more understandable or attainable to you, that’s being a unique individual. However, if you’re doing things in your own specific way that is clearly a desperate cry for attention, then, unfortunately, it is going to be seen as ratchet. It literally goes back to what type of photos garnish thirst comments. We all know the type of photos, anyway, its time to leave this sh*t in 2012. Misspelling on Social Networks For those of you doing this on purpose, just STOP it. Honestly, its not f*cking cute. As for those who absolutely think they spelled a word correctly when its actually incorrect, here’s my advice to you: If there is ever a split second decision to decide whether your word is spelled right or used in its correct context, please just take the extra moments and visit Dictionary.com to search the word. Seriously, you’re already on the internet, the keyboard is conveniently under your fingers, just double check the word and be sure. Misspelling and incorrect context can be a bit understandable through cellphones and that weird auto-correct, but when you type “ARE” when you really mean “OUR,” or “DISGUISE” when you mean “DISGUST,” that’s just unforgivable. Like, how the hell did you get past grade school? Please, leave this sh*t in 2012. 106 & Park Black Entertainment Television, it is time to pull the plug. We all forgave you after the loss of hosts AJ and Free and just as we were finally becoming more acceptable of Terrance J and Rocsi, you cut the legs from under us again. To add insult to injury, you held a ridiculously public stunt of a contest to find new hosts in which you broke your own tradition of two and hired four, one of which is a has-been novelty act who should’ve known his career was going to dry up eventually. The show is nothing more than a joke now and probably a constant spit in the face of its original hosts. One of the best things MTV ever did was to allow TRL to gracefully bow down and fade into yesteryear. It’s understandable that 106 & Park is the network’s highest rated show, but, in order to achieve even greater possibilities, you got to step out of your comfort zone BET. Clearly, 106 & Park needs to be left in 2012. Reality TV Being realistic, reality television isn’t going anywhere; it’s just the way of the world. However, I do believe that we deserve a better quality of reality shows; Honey Boo Boo Child is not that show. And to think, Romney actually proposed to cut funding to public broadcast stations with Honey Boo Boo still on the air. I also watched an episode of a different reality show one night that featured a camera crew filming another camera crew who were filming guys digging for gold. Come on, really? If you’re not going to try, then just don’t do anything at all. There are even upcoming shows faking to be reality and another upcoming reality show that features a rapper, his 10 baby mamas, and his 11 children. STOP. Stop. Leave this sh*t in 2012. Chicago Shootings/Chief Keef If you have a Twitter account and happen to be following Russell Simmons @UncleRUSH, you’ll notice that often he retweets from Michael Skolnik @MichaelSkolnik; nothing really out of the ordinary with that. However, this year, many of these retweets have contained media coverage of shootings happening in Chicago. These retweets have become as common as twice a month, which means the violence in Chicago is occurring at an alarming, destructive rate. I don’t really know the exact situations going on in Chicago, but these shootings, killings, and violence has to stop. Whatever the bad blood may be, leave that in 2012. Now, I’m not attributing these shootings to the mainstream emergence of rapper Chief Keef, it’s just easier to touch upon his presence while speaking of Chicago. From the gang related tweets, lewd pictures on Instagram, beef with other rappers, and a less than basic album, it would be beneficial to just leave this sh*t in 2012. Keef was able to get his foot in the door and was even able to produce an album; I’m interested to see where he goes from here. Like any other artists, there is a metamorphosis that eventually occurs; you can’t speak about the same thing repeatedly and you definitely can’t keep doing the same things over again. Leave it in 2012. 2012 Presidential Election Campaigns We really have no choice but to leave this behind simply because presidential elections happen every four years. However, that tactics used during this year should not carry on into a 2016 election. The campaigns this year literally went from plans and solutions to what a candidate did or didn’t say and do. There were more mudslinging than two small kids doped up on sugar playing in the rain. I’m sure a Jr. High Student Council election would have been more civil. And, the campaigns from this election totaled up to $2 billion dollars. All that money, yet we have a ridiculous national debt as well as hundreds of thousands homeless and hungry in just our nation alone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful President Obama won a second term; it just wasn’t the most graceful victory in United States history. Simply put, a great deal of the 2012 presidential election should not see the light of day beyond 12/31/12. Same-Sex Relationship Debates It’s been past time to let this go. People, homosexuals are preparing our meals at restaurants, teaching our kids at school, singing in our church choirs, checking our vitals as registered nurses, and pretty much every other aspect of life. Let these people live. It may or may not be labeled as an abomination, portrayed as this, that, and the third, and you may just not accept it and that’s okay. However, there is never a reason to deny another human their constitutional rights. It is still sickening how North Carolina passed Amendment One this year under the guise that it was prohibiting same-sex marriages. Unfortunately, what most of the masses had failed to realize was that there was already a state law in place that outlawed marriages between same-sex couples. In reality, what Amendment One had granted was the right for the state of North Carolina to only recognize a domestic legal union as a marriage between one man and one woman. Meaning, if a dispute was brought before the state courts regarding any other type of domestic partnership such as family dependents, young couples who delay marriage, couples who have decided not to marry, those who choose not to remarry, and, of course, homosexual couples, then the courts can easily dismiss said dispute without any proper action taken. So, by denying one particular group of people their rights, North Carolina basically denied everyone their rights. Stuff like this has to come to an end because life is too precious for anyone to have to live in a dehumanizing way. Leave it in 2012. And that, is that people. If you have any other suggestions of what should be left in 2012, whether serious or comical, feel free to leave a comment below. All she cares about is feelings; In the heat of the moment, Fu*k tomorrow’s consequences; I’m all that she wants. I only feel loved from the girl that shows no love. Blissful attachment; Can get it but don’t have it ….you lost one, Hate that you lost one; When you on this one, It felt like you popped one; When you caught one. To be blunt; This is ‘Round 2,’ Unfortunately; This news ain’t new. Only physical, subliminal; Emotion testimonial ….delusional, Being honest; Confused and all. Don't grieve… Don’t say those things; I don’t want to hear. {But you do; But you do} Don’t come at me thinking I can’t predict. {But you did; But you did} Confess to you; It’s eternal, Tell me that we both are not lying….when we’re lying…. Don't grieve. August 2011. - Will Carter, Jr.
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