Oh... You're Gay, Dawg?

Earlier today there was a small discussion about women and their whining and/or complaining being the reason why a follower [on twitter] corroborated that he refused to be with a woman.  I then countered his statement stating that I knew of men who possessed the same behaviors of those he expressed as purely of the female species.  The conversation lasted a few more tweets as the follower expressed that he too has been with women so he was speaking from experience.  I too have dabbled in the likes of the female species before venturing off to the male domain and another follower wanted me to share this.  I thought it was too much to get into on twitter, so I decided to blog about it.

Here we go...

In the last 90s, "gay" was discussed but it wasn't as openly discussed as it is nowadays.  I personally didn't know of any gay people, but I did know that gay was wrong and it was not of God; or so that is what I had been taught to believe.  But when I was in middle school, I found myself very fond of a guy [we'll call him Freddy] but I didn't understand what was going on.  It was more of a "best friend" vibe I was giving off.  You know that one guy in middle school who has the beard, goatee, and deep voice -- that was Freddy.  Like I always wanted to be around him.  Eating lunch together, always picking him on my team, altering my schedule so that we took some of the same classes together... but again, this was not gay to me.  It was just me wanting Freddy to be my "best friend".  Anywho, I was soon over that phase when I got to high school.  I went to private elementary and middle schools, so after practically begging my mother to allow me to enroll in the local public high school, I was open to a whole new world.  It was your typical urban high school, but I wasn't used to it at all.  So it was definitely a shocker for me, but I learned to adapt quickly. 

Throughout high school, I had "feelings" for guys but I submerged them all.  I continued dating girls, I played sports, I was somewhat of a bully and hung with all the jocks.  My little crew were known for eating pussy.  That was our thing.   It all started because we wanted to see what these girl's privates looked like and we would meet up and discuss like some mobsters.  Catching up with the fellas after football and baseball practice to watch a flick that someone stole from their pops or one of the many that circulated the halls at school.  Those were the days.  Anywho, so throughout high school, I was never approached about my sexuality or what my preference was when it came to sex.  Everyone assumed I was nasty because of the crew I ran with and all we did was have sex with girls and watch porn all day. 

[Oh, by this time I knew I was gay.  I figured it all out the beginning of my senior year but still never acted on these feelings with a guy.]

Then came college. Now, my college was small... very small.  We held about 2000 students [in total] and the ratio of women to men was nearly 23:1 [23 women for every guy].  I made friends quickly.  Still friends with a few.  We gay bashed, threw water balloons at the gays, and even shot them with water guns.  It was all in fun though, we never meant any harm... just something to do.  I had a few girlfriends my freshman and sophomore year.  I dated one of my then-best friend's homegirl, even a stripper that me and my then-best friend would flip [have sex with at the same time].  My then-best friend knows now, but he was the start of my voyeuristic behavior.  I would find more enjoyment in watching him fuck her than I would actually having sex with her myself.  It was a strange feeling at first, but with time it all began to make sense.  So sophomore year rolls around and here came the new batch of freshman.  They were a flamboyant bunch but I knew that I had to maintain.  I had been doing good.

Well... not long after midterms, I was approached by this guy who sat next to me on the couch of the lobby area in my dorm.  He sat RIGHT next to me and asked me about the [football] game.  Trying to make small talk, I later found out that he came to talk to me for his friend who came to feel me out to see if I were gay or not.  I was told that he told him [the friend] that I wasn't gay but dude still wanted to try me anyway.  Now, this part is a blur because I don't remember how he ended up in my dorm do remember my dick in his mouth.  So my sophomore year was the first time I got my dick sucked by a guy, fucked a guy, and really grasped the concept that "you're gay, dawg".  I was literally living a double life on campus and at home.  19 years old and wilding out. 
room or how it even came to play but I

My senior year of college is when I was like "fuck it" though.  I didn't care who knew I was gay then.  Rumors spread and I heard the laughing and giggles, but NO ONE, not ONE person every approached me and asked "are you gay?"  I guess it was just something understood.  I'll never forget coming downstairs and hearing this girl say, "he waited til senior year to come out."  I just laughed and kept walking.  She wanted me freshman year. LOL 

Now, in my late twenties and finally in a happy place with both my spiritual and sexuality, I think it's a understanding I have with people.  If you ask me, I'll tell you.  People always ask me, "does your mama know?" and I tell them "no, but if she does it's never discussed."    But that's a[whole]nother story. 

Understanding Kanye: 101

 

Lately, all throughout the media we have seen one name:  KANYE WEST.  But most of it hasn't been for his recent tour, or his impact on music, or even his lecture to architect students at Harvard  University.  Why is this?  It is simply because lately the modern-day poet has been viewed as a stubborn man who cannot break his way into the fashion industry; whose statements are being misconstrued by others as tirade.  I will admit that although his delivery is not taken well by the masses the best, his latest argument makes total sense. 

Recent interview showed the 36-year-old in a different light to some.  People focused more on his fascination with fashion and money than what he was trying to say as the big picture.  After watching his interview with the Breakfast Club (twice), looking at his interview with Sway on Shade 45, researching a few articles on what he was referring to in those interviews, and when I woke up this morning to a letter Russell Simmons wrote via Global Grind entitled "The Genius That Is Kanye West".  When you carefully dissect and interpret each interview, use Ye's latest album, Yeezus as the  soundtrack to the visual.  He understands that Yeezus was not perceived well and he is okay with that.  While Charlamagne kept trying to deliver that "you don't need money to do that", "that's not why we love you man.  We love you because of the music..." hoopla, it is because we are so commercialized as a people that we cannot see the bigger picture.  You DO need money to have control.  Everyone should own something, but niggas don't understand that.  This is NOT science.

What the Bound 2 rapper was basically trying to say is that you ain't shit, unless you own something.  In little to less, that is the bottom line.  It isn't science to me and others who have an open mind and looks beyond the screaming that Kanye delivers in his speech.  My uncles have instilled this same gospel in my family since we have jumped off the porch.  "Let me tell you something about George Bush and oil money and Obama and no money" he said explaining to the Breakfast Club during an interview earlier this week.  The world is all about connections.   It's who you know, not what you know; as the old heads would say.  He takes note that there are only seven Black billionaires in the world, but we're okay with that.  We have become so complacent with what we have and feel that since we are not legally called slaves anymore that we are not still enslaved.  "Can you guarantee that your daughter can get a job at this radio station, but if you owned this radio station you could guarantee that!"  Words from a god, right?

It is his generation that has this power. He knows it. He feels it. He tastes it. And he so badly wants it like mad. So, you may think he’s mad when he goes on his “Yeezy rants,” but it is a different kind of mad. It is a mad that keeps you up at night, knowing that if you fall asleep, you are wasting time. It is a mad that makes you go into the lab and work seven days with no sleep, cause you want to perfect your craft. It is a mad that sees the world still unfair for women and people of color, that makes you want to break down every door that they say is locked and can never be open. It is a mad-scientist kind of mad. One who wants to uplift his people to the top of the mountain, so in unison, they can chant from the top of their lungs, “No One Man Should All That Power!” He is fighting for his generation, his people, his country, his planet earth….like a motherfuckin’ monster! 

 

That passage is an excerpt from The Genius That Is Kanye West by Russell Simmons.  It best describes what Kanye is trying to say from another point-of-view.  The self-proclaimed genius realizes that although we are free as a people, we are still slaves; New Slaves to the corporations.  So what I want you to leave here with after reading this is listen to the interviews again, really listen to what Kanye is trying to say and listen to what he is really trying to say here. It is should be definitely an eye opener to many but of course the majority does not see it.  I see it, I receive it, and I am here for it.  God!  #teamYeezus!

-Reggie West



She's A What...?

courtesy of OOBMAG.com

 Today there was a spread posted on OOB's website [OOB is a French luxury magazine] showcasing the talents of the beautiful Tyson Beckford and a transgendered woman who goes by the name of Inès Rau.  The name of the layout is entitled On My Skin and features the two models in some pretty racy photos.  Photographer, Rodolfo Martinez, made a great effort to capture the rawness of the two with their beautifully contrasted bodies. 

Everybody knows I love me some Tyson Beckford.  He is amazing (both physically and mentally).  When I checked the discover tab of my twitter account today, I noticed that it was a rant going on about a recent shoot that he had done.  As I kept reading, I noticed that they were saying that the woman he had done the shoot with was transgendered, so I had to take a look.  I was just glad that it was not that transgender from America's Next Top Model, sir Isis. 

I think that this says a lot about, not only art or the direction modeling/photography is headed, but about how accepting beauty is no matter its original packaging.   I also think that it speaks great volumes for my boo Tyson as well, being a heterosexual male knowing the scrutiny he would receive once word was out.  It take a real man to be comfortable in his own skin, and he is doing a damn good job. 

A little more about Inès:  she went through with her transformation at the age of sixteen.  This is not her first major shoot neither.  She has posed for many other publications, such as Lurve and will be featured in an upcoming issue of Playboy's Art issue.  The bitch is bad though, so I won't even hate.  Actually, that picture at the top right, I want it in my bedroom over my bed -- beautiful.  Check the link for the full interview she had with models.com. 

 

 

courtesy of OOBMAG.com

 

Man Of God vs. Man

Before I start this post, I would just like to say that I am not or never have I claimed to be a religious person.  However, I do believe in God and have faith in the direction that He is leading me is a blessed one.  Whatsoever problems you may encounter reading this is always welcomed to start great discussion/debate, but if you feel personally attacked by the statements that will follow, you need to have that discussion with your God.  Thanks in advance.

I've been asked by numerous people to give an opinion on the little ordeal going on over this leaked sextape of gospel recording artist, Kevin Terry.  Maybe a week ago, there was a video that somehow leaked online and went viral within a matter of minutes.  The blogs and social media outlets blew up and all hell broke loose.  Initially, I honestly did not pay attention to any of it.  I thought okay, here's another gay man in the gospel industry -- and although I was a little intrigued by the video aspect of it, I still paid it no mind.  It was later brought to my attention by a good friend of mine, saying that he felt it were a publicity stunt to push the boundary between homosexuality and Christianity -- I viewed it as him saying Terry was trying to say that it is okay to be Christian and homosexual; also noting that Kevin Terry had an album that would be released soon. 

After a few days and seeing that the buzz kept going, I decided to see what all the hype was about.  Needless to say, after watching it I was neither impressed nor was I disappointed.  I viewed it as a couple who once were, but may have had a bad break-up and so damage had to be done -- and therefore it was.  From the sounds of it, Terry knew what he was doing there (but that's besides the point).  The heavily-moaned and explicit clip [thanks PopGlitz] clearly shows the artist performing oral favors for a gentleman who I am hoping sure of was his partner for quite some time.  There is no timestamp on the video, but you always have to be mindful of the skeletons in your closet.  You always have to be careful of putting your face on camera.  People will turn on you like *snaps* THAT!  Case-in-point... Will this tape have an impact on his career as a gospel artist?  I am more than sure it will.  As forgiving as Christians portray to be, he has been shunned. 

Most Christians are very judgmental.  Many of so, feel that homosexuality is a choice.  Like you wake up one day and say "I want to be a homo-" -- but it just does not happen that way.  Yet, the problem is not that Kevin Terry was giving head to some estranged man, the problem comes because he is supposed to be this sanctified man of God spreading the gospel of God through song and he is not able to act accordingly.  It is just unheard of.  I know one can say that this man can do whatever he feels, because he is grown.  No sin is greater than the other.  Pray for him.  Yeah, all of that sounds good, but when you are put in a certain light, there are certain things you have to stay away from. Cameras being one of them; especially in the era of social media.

If you read some of the comments that follow the video on these various sites, it is almost disheartening.  I have no problem with a grown man being and doing grown things, but others seem to.  Don't judge me, you hear everyone make reference to nowadays but what are we all doing?  Judging.  We do not know what the situation between that man and Mr. Terry was.  Hell, half of you all are shacking, stealing, having pre-marital intercourse, but who tells you you are disgusting?  The issue of homosexuality will always be an issue between the hetero-, homo-, and religious community simply because we do not understand each others worlds.  We have to learn to cohabitate on this earth and learn to accept things the way they are.  I know this is asking much, and I am pretty sure we will not get to see it happen in our lifetime; but there is always something bigger that we should spend time fighting over.  Keep that in mind.

Happy Birthday, Beyoncé

Why don't you love her... ?

Now I know you all did not think I was going to let this day go by and not wish my "Motha" a happy birthday... ha!  Today has been truly an honor to her.  Her name alone has flooded my Instagram feed, twitter timeline, and I noticed her a time a two on my facebook feed as well.  What can we say?  This lady's name has been plastered everywhere.

Celebrating her 32nd birthday [#bday], I can only imagine what her and the hubby, Hov, have planned.  I am sure Baby Blue is somewhere cuddled up with grandma Tina while Shawn has her flown out to some exotic location [may be that little island he bought her a few birthdays ago].  Either way it goes, I for one, am glad that she is apart of my world.  I know I have paid homage by playing all of her albums and DVD concerts today.  I started with "Live at Wembley" and ended with "Elements of 4".  I even snuck a little "Life Is But A Dream" in there, which I later heard was shown on HBO in her honor. 

Nonetheless, happy birthday, Beyoncé.  Love you dearly.

Sharing a birthday with her are my great aunt, Juanita; and a great college friend, Takara.  Join me in wishing these ladies a happy birthday, and many, many more.  

#MusicMonday - Cameron the Public

Today, I bring to you a band who calls themselves Cameron the Public.  

While listening to a few tracks on YouTube -- you know they play these ads nowadays before some of your videos play -- I saw this black and white video playing and when I would usually "skip ad", this time I listened to it completely.  It was a video for Cameron the Public's "Broken Door".  Instantly -- the reason I am bringing it to your attention -- I was drawn in.  The song along is so beautiful and the band is amazing.  The simple, yet powerful music video for this track was so good that I had to do more research.  

Denver, Colorado born, Salt Lake City, Utah bred, lead singer Cameron Rafati started out as a solo act.  Always having a passion for music, he decided to create himself a band to bring on the road with him.  This is where "the Public" comes in, I would assume.  Currently working with big names like Chad Hugo (of the Neptunes), Randy Jackson, and boxer Manny Pacquiao, the band has plans on releasing a new album later this year. [source] I, for one, cannot wait. 

Take a look at the video that caught my attention, and if interested, continue to listen to a few other tracks he has released.  Enjoy.

Ciara for Vice President.





Annex Magazine photo shoot

"I bought Fantasy Ride, how you gon tell me I ain't a fan?"

Those were the words I uttered to some angry tweeter after watching Ciara's 2013 BET Awards performance on Sunday.  I politely tweeted "Rihanna could NEVER!" and the Navy stood tall.  Most of you know I do not respond to half of my tweets as is, so you know those tweets in regards to Ciara and her "non-talent ass" received no reciprocation.  While I could not seem to figure out how anyone could dislike the performance aforementioned, it makes me want to root for CiCi harder.

Ciara is one of those artists where you either hate her or love her.  She doesn't give you a lot of variety in between to have a love/hate relationship with her.  The 27-year-old, Atlanta-representer, simply proved to me that she is in it to win it this go around.  Both songs, "Body Party" & "I'm Out" (featuring the incomparable Nicki Minaj -- this is a whole -nother story) are both club bangers.  You see, the don't call Ciara the princess of crunk & B for no reason. She may not be the best singer, but she is a performer.  The fact that her body has come a long way helps too.  She has always been slightly more muscular than I like women to look, but for her, it seemed to work out just fine. 

From the days of "Goodies" [please don't act like you didn't listen to "Goodies"], to "Promise", to "Work" (featuring Missy Elliot), to "Ride" (featuring Ludacris), Ciara continues to give you crunk

track, after crunk track, after crunk track, it is just never received well by the masses.  I rides with Ciara though.  I am actually a fan.

Someone asked me why do I feel Rihanna is more successful than Ciara, and the answer is simple:  Rihanna has more of an exotic look and sound [not saying that Ciara can't, it just is what it is], whereas Ciara is for the Southern region; she has a more "homie" look to her.  Would I buy a Rihanna album before I bought a Ciara one?  [if I were forced to chose] YES.  Whose concert would you rather attend: Rihanna or Ciara?  CIARA -- hands down.  Like I said before, Ciara is a performer.  She gets the crowd involved. 

Ciara will release her fifth studio album, Ciara, a week from today and I for one, cannot wait until its release -- July 9th.  I want her to succeed and do well with this album.  I guess we will have to see what the numbers are looking like two weeks from now.  In the meantime, peep the music video for "I'm Out" featuring Nicki Minaj below.