"I GOT THE KEYS" DJ KHALED X JAY-Z X FUTURE

RZA x Montreality

Montreality has the art of the interview down to a science or even better, mathematics.  Who better to represent those mathematics than the almighty RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.  It's no secret that he's probably my all time favorite artist, hence my moniker and the love for the W for the past almost twenty years.  This interview gives tremendous insight as to why I'm a fan and a student of the Abbott.  You can also see why and how the brand is as relevant today as it was when it started in the early 90's and has influenced even todays biggest musical stars.  Drake, who is arguably music's most popular artist, has the Wu flag representing all over his latest album.  Goes to show that RZA's values and dedication to his art and product is as genuine as anything else and will last the generations.  Education, hard work, humility, and leadership are all virtues that man should live by and he's proof of that.  Enjoy the interview and remember, Wu-Tang is for the children and is Forever.

GhostFace Killah x Montreality

     This is a fantastic interview from one of the most colorful entertainers and lyricists in hip-hop, GhostFace Killah.  As expected, he has a way with words and explanations that always amaze, but in reality, speaks more sense than most people would ever expect.  You have to be intelligent to stay relevant and successful in any genre of music and he's done more than that.  His lengthy catalog has solidified him as one of the best and probably has put out the most albums out of all of the members of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. 
     A lot of what Tony Starks speaks on can be applicable to almost every man, woman, and child.  Love is always the key to life and the fear of God to keep us disciplined.  Humanity is universal and regardless of whatever life or background you come from, we're all on the same journey and leave it to Ghost to remind us of that.  He's usually the flashy member of the group, known for his giant gold Eagle bracelet to the Versace robes and pendant as he created his own super hero comic persona, but this gives a candid look into the star's thoughts.
Let me not spoil the interview as it's an instant classic.  Be on the look for GFK's new album that should be out in a couple months and peep what he says about Wu's 20th Anniversary celebration.
Major Kudos to Montreality for doing the interview, more from them here.
#WuTangForever

Free Harvard X MIT

     Learning should be a life-long process that all humans should actively partake in every day in some fashion.  It's even better when two of the worlds best educational institutions provides an offering of education to the masses.  Harvard and MIT have come together and have agreed to offer select classes for free online.  Read this great article by Rebecca Rosen (@beccarosen), who writes for the Atlantic.  She goes into detail over the $30 million that each school has provided into this non-profit partnership called edX.  It's a leadership role that both view as a responsibility to society and a major advancement in education overall.  The video is hard to ignore in how it will shape the future of education for everyone across the globe and how technology can make that possible.  If you can access an internet connection, you have some of the best resources available on the planet at your fingertips.
     It might be a coincidence, but I also stumbled upon course offerings from Yale University on iTunes U.  Everything from the actual class audio to notes, books, etc. is available and includes subject offerings such as the Revolutionary War, Astronomy, Early Middle Ages and the list goes on.  Looking around on iTunes U, there seems to be a plethora of offerings from all kinds of institutions.  I'm sure it's been available for a while, but I think it's amazing how all of this information and knowledge is available to the masses and in many cases, for free.
     Nobody should ever be bored with these types of tools out there that can only enlighten you on pretty much anything you could possibly be interested in. You owe it to yourself to be better, so why not try...





Video streaming by Ustream

Coincidence…I Think Not

     The general population have been warned about the dangers of continuing practices of pumping carbon emissions into our planets atmosphere for decades now.  The constant debate of the effects of global warming have gone back and forth between scientists, researchers, governments, politicians and of course, commercial corporations.  As more and more information gets released as to the negative effects of human actions on our environment and climate, it's harder than ever to ignore the real consequences of these actions.  There aren't too many places in the globe that hasn't felt these negative climate impacts directly.  Many communities have experienced record breaking floods, snowfalls, droughts, forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes in recent years, it begs the question as to WHY this is happening.  At this point, I think we know why, but the bigger question becomes how do we make changes to slow down these effects.  Common sense says that we must pass legislation, increase awareness, and fund further research and development for alternative fuel sources and limit our carbon footprint.
     As I mentioned before, there is a constant debate…and that debate comes in the form of some of the largest companies in the world that have been taking in record-breaking profits based on humans consumptions of fossil fuels.  These fuels emit these dangerous carbon emissions.
The corporate opposition spends gobs of money with lobbyists to discredit and down play the effects of carbon emissions in our environment.  Some companies even try to act as if they're trying to help and want to be a part of the solution rather than be the main cause.  These corporations and lobbyists have a huge hand in influencing legislation and being major road blocks in environmental laws getting passed.  They simply make too much money to allow those profits to be compromised by bills that get passed that could affect their agenda and major sources of profits, which is selling fossil fuels.  If I sell gasoline as a major source of income, why would I support any initiative that promotes alternative fuels, even though it's for the better of the common good?  Because I make too much money and society as it is today, is completely dependent on these fuels so we can live our everyday lives.  It's a dilemma that needs to be addressed and its starts with the general public understanding the information, asking more questions, and forcing our government and corporations to be more socially responsible or else we won't have a viable world to sustain our future.
     What spawned my little rant was this sarcastic video done by Stephen Thomson that was based on a Washington Post editorial by Bill McKibben on connecting the facts from recent extreme weather conditions in the US as well as globally.  You can either be part of the solution, no matter how small the action, or we can continue to ignore the glaring problems at hand until a tornado or flood changes your life forever.  The full editorial article is here and the article discussing the piece and video by Lindsay E. Brown can be found here.


    

Just Do It Better

     At this point, a lot of people my age, have grown up with Nike pretty much being a staple in our lives in many ways.  First, the easiest being the sneakers and athletic apparel that we've worn since we knew how to tie shoes, then through the countless soccer games and practices, let alone every other sport kids play.  The marketing of Air Jordan, Bo "Knows", Nike Air to current day products and innovations has cemented Nike as a global company that is at the forefront of athletic performance equipment/apparel in a very fashion forward style.  They've masterfully combined function and performance with cutting edge style and design.  Couple that with marketing genius and a long history of continuing to innovate and improve and you have one of the most intriguing entities on our planet.  The founder of Nike, Phil Knight, along with Nike have released this short video of Nike's own self-awareness and their place on this planet.
The responsibilities that come with a company of this magnitude and balancing that with the ability to continue to grow and move forward as a successful corporation.  The recognition of the immense footprint that Nike leaves on all scales, from the creation of their products, to the people who design them and the ones who wear them, the consumer.
    It's unbelievable to see how far Nike has come and grown in the past 33 years since it started, but I'm also very inspired to see what the next 33 years will bring….enjoy the video.

Mr. Robinson

     Major League Baseball has set up a great site where numerous Major Leaguers and Hall of Famers share a moment of what Jackie Robinson means to them.  Today marks the 64th anniversary of when Mr. Robinson broke the color barrier as the first black player in Major League Baseball as a first basemen for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946.  The League retired his number 42 throughout the league in 1997 and have celebrated a Jackie Robinson day, April 15th, every year since 2004.  Each player in the league wears the #42 as their number on their jersey as well in respect.  It is pretty neat to see every player on both teams with the same number.  The public has no choice but to reflect and honor a true pioneer and symbol of strength and freedom in our country and as human beings.
     Go to the site www.iam42.com for the player video's and more great information on Jackie Robinson.

Spies Like Us

     Wanted to make sure everybody did see this and there are real life 007's.  We just caught a gaggle of Russian spies here in the States and we "traded" them back to Russia for some of our own jailed agents.  They said the end result was to keep relations between the US and Russia at peace.  Works for me as long as we realize that spies are still among us.  Watch em Jim!

Erykah's Walk of Thought

     This new Erykah Badu video has created a lot of buzz the past few weeks due to the revealing nature of  her taking her clothes off one by one as she walks in Dallas, TX, at the site of the Kennedy assassination.  She had the video planned but did it without any production or set up.  Pow! Badu getting out of a car walking, singing, and getting buck naked.  The public had no idea and someone actually filed a complaint and EB was fined $500 for disorderly conduct.  The revelation had a deeper meaning and had no intent on being graphic or obscene.  She's been discussing the topic of "Groupthink" and creating a lot of dialogue nationally about how the public is influenced blindly.  The video and epilogue questions the viewer to think.  Make of it as you will, but it's also a great song and it's great to see her in the spotlight creating true art.  See here.

~KR

Our Fallen Soldiers

     I saw this article from the New York Times and it made it very difficult to ignore the reality of the Iraq and Afghanistan war.  It's unbelievable to think it's been seven years and running, but more importantly I don't think we realize the actual impact it has to the families and friends.  These families and friends who lose their loved one have to go on every day going forward knowing they will never see their son or daughter, father, brother, sister, mother again.  This article are a collection of pictures by Ashley Gilbertson of the empty bedroom's left behind by our fallen.  I found it very moving and I'm sure you will too.  Please click here to see "The Shrine Down the Hall" by Ashely Gilbertson.

~KR