Setting the Mood for the Ladies, (A list of Rules on Date Night with the Special Lady)

If it's one thing I have learned about dating women since I've been a grown young man, it's: you have to set the mood. If the mood isn't set or if the setting isn't comfortable you will not be getting smiles and cake at the end of the night. This is an exert about how to maintain a comfortable setting for the ladies and keeping the mood steady and steamy.

1. When inviting the special lady over insure that your bathroom is clean. Some females ask to use your bathroom just to see how clean you are. I cannot stress this enough fellas, she may come from the bathroom and grab her keys all in one motion and you will be there looking clueless.

2. Fellas make sure you have a candle burning or some kind of Air Freshener scenting up your home. She does not want to smell old socks, Black n' Mild's , funky odor from the fellas or any of that stinky, smelly stuff that girls don't like.

3. Be in the driver's seat for the date. Women are indecisive by nature, so asking them what she wants to do or eat may become repetitive after while. She will give you the typical "it doesn't matter" or she will just answer your question with a question.  So catch on to her likes and dislikes so in the future you won't have to ask questions. You can just open her door and put the evening on cruise control.

4. An important thing to remember is if she is on a date with you, SHE LIKES YOU!! So don't do anything to mess the mood of the date up. Women sniff out confidence in a MAN, and as soon as you show a bit of insecurity or doubt, she will chew you up and spit you out. Always compliment her hair, the colors in her outfit, or anything you know she took time to work on making her self look nice.

5. By now you should have some knowledge of the basics in keeping the mood steamy and steady. What I say next is more important than anything that I have said above. MEN, make sure you are groomed well, women pay attention to detail like the FBI. You must keep your grooming versatile and consistent, A well groomed man who is dressed nice and looking good are key entities when setting the mood. And fellas, do not show your hand in the beginning of a little adversity. If you think she is giving up the goods that night, don't let her know what you're thinking, or don't act out or assume. Wait and see if she is bluffing, most of the time women don't bluff. And when they throw their hand out its normally for a reason. So be ready because she may call your bluff .

I hope the women and men who read this can both learn and relate and put these mood-setters to use. Thank You, God Bless, Good Night!

Do Reality Shows Portray Black Women and Men in a Wrong Way?

When I was growing up TV shows were TV shows, not reality shows . I remember watching things on TV like Living Single, and Different World.  They portrayed black women and men in great ways. On Living Single you had Maxine Shaw who was a Lawyer, Kadijah James who owned a Magazine , Overton was a Handy man, Kyle Barker was a Stock Broker. and Different World was no different. Now a Days, Love and Hip HOP , Basketball Wives  etc. has just shown our color of people (BLACK) the total opposite of how some of us really live. I'm glad TI the Family Hustle is airing on VH1 because he does a great job of showing black males how being a father is cool and important at the same time. I really think perception mean a lot and the way black men and women get demonized on Reality TV shows have really influenced the way some people think. You can log on any social website when these show are airing on TV, and see the feedback that is talked about regarding the show. There has been so many gaps of teaching and educating the black community for so long we have become numb or use to the fact that we are lacking what it is important to maintain success and build happy families. I just wish some of the Rich Suits that run TV would do a better job of show casing how people live, and act when targeting certain races or genres of life on  reality shows. Because the reality is Love and Hip Hop  and Basketball Wives are truly fictional.

Most Anticipated Games of 2013

-Madden NFL 25 (14) 08/27/2013
Celebrating 25 years of innovation, Madden 25 gives you 30 new moves, plus the ability to string together combo moves, through the precision modifier. This unlocks more power, precision and the creativity of a real NFL ball-carrier. As we found out back in April, former Detroit Lion (for the second year in a row, might I add) Barry Sanders will be gracing the cover. But in a twist, Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson will be on the cover for the next-gen consoles. Fair enough.

 

-Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag 10/29/13
Chase booty as a pirate captain in the 1715 seas of the Caribbean. Be stealthy like a ninja as you sneak onto other ships to take out the crew. Or get a party of pirates to attack and go aboard another ship to fight to the death. Explore more than 50 locations in this interactive world.

-Battlefield 4 10/29/2013

Access vehicles, explore huge, destructible environments, command your squad, more survival capabilities and improved weapons will make the new Battlefield quite the experience.

-Call of Duty Ghosts 11/05/2013 

Set in modern day U.S., you will be able to defend your country starting with your specially-trained military attack dog. Lean and slide to better help you confront your enemies. This Call of Duty is sure to have better graphics and more dynamic maps; that can change the terrain for you mid-game, such as an unexpected flood. You will be able to set up traps to further surprise the enemy. And if that's not enough, you will now be able to customize and avatar in multiplayer.

-Grand Theft Auto V 09/17/2013

With the ability to control 3 different main characters, you can experience the game in just more than one way. Playing in Rockstar's biggest open world, you will be able to do the normal stuff like drive, bike and walk, as well as dive, jet ski and fly. How will your GTA experience go?

-NBA 2K14 10/01/2013

2K has made it a point to let you know that they care about how you celebrate. How, do you ask? They brought in Kent Bazemore, of the Golden State Warriors, to bring fans a special celebratory move. LeBron holds this cover, and if that's not enough, he is also asking the fans to help complete the game's soundtrack. If you have your own music, some favorite tracks or know someone who deserves a shot, let LeBrow know. After research, I found that the best way to do this is through any form of social media and by directly contacting LeBron James. (Twitter & Instagram: @KingJames)

Other popular releases you may be interested in:

• NHL 14 09/10/2013
• Batman: Arkham Origins 10/25/2013
• Just Dance 2014 10/08/2013
• Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix 09/10/2013 (contains: Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts RE: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. All remastered in HD) 

Baseball in the Inner Cities of America...

Growing up baseball was my first love . I enjoyed playing the game and also enjoyed my teammates. I grew up in a small town so sports was a main entity in the community. My older brothers played as well as my close friends. But as we got older me and my friends chose different routes as far as sports goes.

I chose Football and my friends chose basketball and football.  When we played baseball as young fellas, coaches and Little League officials in my community played the Coaches son card and somewhat the race card. Playing time , respect on the field, and off, were key microcosms that played into the role of kids in the black community playing baseball. As me and my friends got older, playing baseball in  middle school and high school were after thoughts. See from little league on up coaches on the High school and Middle school level already have favorites and picks . Unless you are a standout that cant be denied. Even when you are talented these coaches would change your natural position and stick you somewhere, where you aren't necessarily comfortable at. Many black baseball players growing up in America probably can relate to this same sort of thing. Until we give everyone equal opportunity to be who they truly are in whatever it may be, Baseball players, CEO's,  Judges, we will all continue to go separate ways instead of joining and unifying. 7% of African American males represent Major League Baseball rosters at the beginning of the 2013 baseball season. YOU DO THE MATH!! But baseball is Americas great Past Time supposedly. But the rich suits that runs baseball don't care about those percentages. Just the percentages that equal $$$!

King Remembered In Time (KRIT)

Music has gotten off to a slow start in 2013 as far as good music and quality sound goes. But what I do know is that Justin Scott aka Big KRIT dropped King Remembered in Time. The 17 track mix tape/album dropped back in March. Once again he blessed the microphone and the control boards with his charismatic style and his Down Home Country SOul. The Meridan, Mississippi native resides in Atlanta, where he booms out his Melodic Soulful, HIGHS and lows Country Rap Tunes. To me Krit is picking up were Pimp C, OUtkast , 8 Ball n MJG , and any other Southern Rap Legend that you grew up on. I hope KRIT remains underground and stays Mute to the mainstream. Until Curren$y drops another Tape in 2013 I'm not sure who follows up KRIT's Tape!!

Potential Prospects: Prob

25below's first potential prospect is a young cat by the name of Angel Parrilla, who hails from Miami, Florida. Picking up the stage name "Prob" along the way, he's had his hands immersed in music since the young age of 9. To give you a better perspective, "That was 12 years ago...I wouldn't say I was consistently working on music since then but I've never stopped writing. Sometimes I'd go into a music making period for years a a time, stop, and repeat it again."
Prob, the multi-talented man, not only writes his own raps, he records and mixes his own songs as well as record and edit his own videos. Although at the time of our first interview he was only hoping to get into producing, he has since then acquired a professional music production tool and has already taken to sampling quite nicely. Now if I need to give you anymore reason to respect this emerging artist, besides the love for what he does, he tries to do what he can on his own as to decrease distractions and being slowed down by the less ambitious.
It's hard to respect a lot of artists these days because, as we all know, it's about the money, fame and groupies. Where's the true passion at these days? Who's doing this because it's simply what they love to do? Even though there are many, they are few and far between. When asking Prob why he makes music, I couldn't have found a better answer: "Actually...I ask myself this question all the time. Sometimes I can't even come up with a logical answer. I believe I make music and will continue to make music for the love of it. It's my way of expressing myself. Some people express themselves through drawing, painting, fashion design, tattooing, just endless ways of expressing yourself through art. My art form just happened to be music. I can't front, it's difficult to dedicate yourself to music these days because hip-hop is sooo "over-saturated", for lack of a better word. When it comes to things like planning on making it "big", I try not to focus on those type of things. It will drive you crazy."
When it comes down to what influences he has when it comes to writing his music, it is a simple yet complex answer: "everything in life". From personal situations to the situations of close ones around him, good or bad, Prob stays aware enough to properly re-tell it. Here's what he had to say, "While I'm out in the world I'm never on autopilot, I try to stay as conscious as I can and take in everything around me. I think there's stories and events going on around us all day, everyday, so I try to soak everything up. That way I could tell those stories & the feelings that I witnessed with them." Like any true artist, especially one who takes his influences from the world, Prob has a wide variety of musical influences too. Ranging from Q-Tip and 3 Stacks to Curtis Mayfield and Otis Redding to John Lennon and Led Zepplin, his list of influences goes on and on.
Although he is a solo artist, Prob has a bigger vision in mind..a Hippie vision to be exact. With plans to work with certain artists in the future, Prob has already dubbed his music and video editing group Hippie Vision. Why the hippie theme? Prob is about what hippies were about: free-spirited, loving and peaceful. "I feel like it sums up everything I do. I share the same vision, therefore, it's Hippie Vision."
After hearing his interesting lyrics and flow, one has to know where these lyrics come from. Prob says, "My lyrics come from my thoughts..sometimes I like to throw a couple fun flows and lyrics just to show creativity. Other times my verses are just a long play on words. For the most part my lyrics are just my everyday thoughts expressed poetically." With that being said, he tries to send a message of all-around positivity, good vibes and faith. "I prefer to make refreshing music that gives the feeling of hope. I want people to hear my music and for that moment feel some type of happiness no matter what they're going through at that time."

Here are two videos off of Prob's first mixtape, Indigo. With the exception of some help recording, "Dont Stop Believin" and "Bubblegum" were recorded, edited, mixed and mastered by Prob himself. If you like what you hear, check out the latest from Prob on Soundcloud, subscribe to him on YouTube or download his first mixtape, Indigo. Enjoy these visuals to some of his work.

Dont Stop Believin (sample from John Lennon's Don't Stop Believing)

Bubblegum

FKi

If you go back into the 25below archives you will see exactly who FKi is. Although the "FKi" meaning may have changed since then. Now meaning F*$@in Kickin It, Raye Rich and 1st Down are the duo from Atlanta that makes up this group. Like I've always thought, they are bringing a different aspect to Rap and I think it's something that needs to be heard. Although they've been coming up really strong as producers for your favorite rappers lately, they've dropped TNTH II (Transformers N The Hood 2) this year and it has been quite a surprising yet definitely great project. All about drugs, partying and having a good time, add their tapes to your summer playlist. Now follow me to AMDAM...

If you like what you've seen I most definitely recommend downloading the rest of their mixtapes, watching their other music videos and catching them on tour! If you're in Michigan like myself, FKi will be performing at the Crofoot in Pontiac on July 18th via the Keep Calm & Twerk Tour. Or go to their website (click on FKi above for the link) to see if they're coming to a city near you.

Remote Kontrol

At work one day, my coworker showed me some videos of the dance group Remote Kontrol. Three guys who are very talented, which made me wonder why I'd heard nothing about them before then. So I bring to you their talents. Enjoy.