Eye Candy: Trey

&& Now a word from our sponsers....



...Ok, back to your regular scheduled programming.

(Pic from: Necole Bitchie)

R4NS: Phil Jackson in T-Mobile commercial

*R4NS: "Ready 4 NBA Season" ...that, I most definitely am :)

No, it's not really NBA related entirely but, Phil Jackson is still that dude!

KG: The Heart of 'The Game'

You gotta respect this man. KG bears the passion for this game like none other, and he is finally back in shape to prove it! I'm too excited already for this NBA season. Some great [of the BEST] trades went down this Summer, and I feel like Playoff season is gonna be really interesting.

Last year, I was disappointed in the Boston Celtics not advancing to the Finals. They really could've used KG for that extra push he never fails to bring to the court. Today was 'Media Day' for the Boston Celtics (as well as the entire NBA) and KG's media photos look vicious to say the least (BTW, that's not it above)! He's ready. Even if he's not where he used to be, KG will go on as if he's 110%. You know that, like I know that. Besides Rondo is good but, it's time for the big dawgs to run the court!!

[Celtics Training Camp Interview (Sept. 29) w/ KG]



"It went well today. I thought Doc was trying to kill me for a little bit, but first day of camp, being my 15th (year), it went well," Garnett said here.

...But seriously 15 years man!! Now, that's the definition of a TRUE veteran.

We missed you man. I know I did...

UPDATE: Here is one of KG's media pics for the 09'-10' season. (I forgot I saved it at 1st sight of seeing it.) Nice, right!?

Carol's Daughter

I was on my favorite blog, Concreteloop, the other day & spotted a picture that caught my eye.

Carol's Daughter is now selling products with Disney's new princess (Tiana) on her products!! This is too adorable. I remember announcing this movie to my Speech class in high school, and to see the movie scheduled for a December 11th release date is unbelievable!!!

More here on the movie, The Princess & The Frog.

["And when I'm no longer here, to shade her face from the glare, I'll give her my share of Carol's Daughter, and a new beach chair." - Jay-Z "Beach Chair"]

I think I'm onto something MAJOR! I never really knew what/who Carol's Daughter was but, I must say I'm so excited to try her products. Over the years, I wanted to be 'different' and cut my hair & colored it once [no biggie]. && Now it's not anywhere as healthy or as long as it used to be. I'm thinkin' I need something new. Pantene Pro-V (for women of color) isn't really working out like I expected. So Carol's Daughters might be the next thing.

From what I've seen, she uses natural products with a lot of herbs!
Just the names of some of the products alone make me eager to buy her collection:

["Hair Milk"] - $12(4 fl. oz.)/$18 (8 fl.oz.)


["Khoret Amen Hair Smoothie"] -$19

["Loc Butter"] -$15.50

She's so "big name" that Mary J. Blige, Jada Pinkett-Smith, && Oprah co-sign her collection. BTW, Jada uses her products and says "I attribute my long, beautiful hair to Lisa's Hair Elixir and Hair Balm." (*Both products are availabe for purchase.)

&& most products are under $20!! For her brand, I think that's amazing ;)

I'm on this NOW. Like seriously....

"Being Bobby Brown" Funny Clips

I loved this show when it aired. When it came on I watched it faithfully each week on Bravo. They were just two darn funny...

[Whitney & Bobby in a store singing about sun glasses.]
(The cashier & customers looked so confused!!)


[Whitney's funny rendition of BEP's "Shut Up". Check out Bobby too!!]


[Anthrax, Americans, & A--. Say what?!]


I doubt if this will ever come back to Bravo but, it was funny while it lasted!!

The Clipse: "They Whisperin' About Us..."

I like The Clipse. They are somethin' different for the ears. && they're always doing something real and organic, which I love.

//Pusha explains the correct way to promote The Clipse at In-store in Michigan/Live performance clip of "Kinda Like A Big Deal"

He's a funny dude...

Here's some excerpts from an interesting interview The Clipse did over at Complex.com:

[On their new album, Till The Casket Drops...]

Malice: "--This time around, everything is freer; we’re in a happier place. You can really hear the change in the music. Listen to “I’m Good.” You can feel it that we’re better. Definitely."

Pusha: "--We’re always about being different. I like to call this album hip-hop on steroids, because everything is to the third power. The flow, the sound, everything is just in your face, and driving. But I like rap where it is right now. I think everything is serving its purpose."

[The process of their albums...]

Malice: "Because we care about it, man. We can do everything they’re doing now. I mean, we can put out an album in a week. We can do that. But I wouldn’t be happy with it. I think our songs, our albums, singles, even the mixtapes, everything is handcrafted."

[The Destination...]

Pusha: "Being successful enough. Just having enough success to keep myself and everything around me happy. I don’t know if that comes in a number, I don’t know if that comes in a plaque, I don’t know what it is. If I can keep me and the crew around me happy, stable, and out of jail, then we good."

Malice: "For me it’s being able to look back at the body of work, and knowing that I stand behind it, being true to myself. The creativity that we have and the artistic value of our music, that’s what keeps us around."

//Reppin' their clothing line, Play Clothes/Live performance clip of "I'm Good"

"Im Good" is my song!! That's that flava' right there!!

Till the Casket Drops was pushed back from an early October release, to November 10th.

Ugh...

A Thousand Words: The Fugees Vs...

Something about this picture stood out to me.


I think it was this...

"Hey Hey Hey/Try to take the crew and we don't play play/
Say say say/ Like Paul McCartney, not hardly/
ODD-ly enough/ I can see right through your bluff/
Niggas huff and they puff but they can't handle us/ WE BUST." - Lauryn Hill ("Oh La-La-La")

They were definitely dope, when they had the spotlight.

Now, the spotlight has transitioned....

No more to be said.

Tupac Shakur, Your Legacy Lives On

By the time Pac had passed, I was too young. I didn't experience his music until I reached middle school. "Brenda's Got A Baby" struck a cord, needless to say. && every since then, in my mind, he is number one. Before Biggie, way before Jay & Nas, Tupac was the best. You felt his pain, his highs & lows. He spoke out, almost too much to his demise. He was the RAW, Eddie could've only dreamed to be. He was real to us. He was the voice of the people. && will be missed greatly. I still find myself imagining, what would Hip-Hop be like if Tupac was alive today??

You inspired me past the music phase but, got my heart. && though not in the physical, your legacy, your words, your spirit lives on forever.

["Keep Ya Head Up" - live performance]

["I Get Around" - live performance]

["To Live & Die In LA" - music video]

"I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world." - Tupac Shakur

June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996

Rest Peacefully.

Think Before You Speak Campaign

I saw this commercial on tv a couple weeks ago but, I'm just getting around to posting it. The message is simple, we need to stop insulting the gay community with insults such as "that's so gay". Its demeaning. Although, I'm not gay, I do respect everyone as the humans they are. You might not think that one small remark could be so hurtful but, in reality, it can.

[Think B4 You Speak Ad - this one got my attention quick]


Another [TBYS Ad w/ Wanda Sykes]...you know she had to represent :)


Just for thought: You ever realize how many times you question someone's sexuality? It's like its the Heterosexual vs. the Anti-heterosexual (Homosexual, Bisexual, or what have you). Everybody asks (& I have been guilty as well) whether so and so is "gay". You know, like this: "Is he gay? He looks & talks gay!". But, have you ever thought about how many times the gay community gossips whether or not someone is straight? They don't. Or if they do it's no where near the amount of times we question them to be homosexual.

In other words: Gay people don't sit around talking about straight people being heterosexual, so why should we carry on such childish behavior??

Just think on that.

Dirty Money - "Angels" (video clip)

Recall the post I did about Diddy's (now, Sean) new group, Dirty Money (here) & their song "Angels". [As stated before, the track is sampled from "Where I'm From" (Jay-Z) && features a verse from The Notorious B.I.G.] Well, now a preview of the actual video has been leaked on-line. Artistically, the video clip looks great! I've said it before & I will reiterate once again, that black & white is timeless. Although, the clip doesn't give away too much, it does look like it will be great in its entirety. I didn't think I would, but I'm starting to like Dirty Money. If this is a representation of the album, I might have to consider buying it.

DOPE--->Dirty Money - "Angels" video clip]

[Dirty Money - "Angels" in it's entirety]


The Last Train To Paris, might be the next big thing.

Are you on or off?

Shouts out to Stuff Fly People Like for the heads up!

(Pic from:Source)

Jay-Z's Innovative Rhapsody Commercial

Remember when I mentioned that I don't 'copy & paste' posts from other blogs. Unless, it's something like this. I've seen this Rhapsody commercial on tv but, only actually watched it on Sandrarose. Throughout the commercial, Jay-Z is on a photo shoot & "recreates all of his album covers" & it is dope! If I had paid attention to the commercial when it aired on tv, I probably would've noticed this myself. But, I didn't so...the credit is given.

Can you spot all of Jay's album covers?

[Here are a few to reference.]

* I never noticed until now that his album covers share the black & white trend (basic colors).

St. Ives For Dry Skin Issues

For the majority of my life, I've been dealing with dry skin issues, as well as my skin being greasy towards the end of the day. Being that I have both dry & oily skin (a combination skin type), It was hard to find a facial cream that worked for me. I used Proactiv, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear...anything that I could get my hands on to work. Unfortunately, these products didn't work for me. My skin was still just as dry as before until I used products by St. Ives.

St. Ives was indeed a 'savior' of my dry skin. My nose in particular tended to be the most driest part of my face && when I got my nose pierced back in May 2008, it got even worse. I don't know why but, the pores on my nose seemed to open more & sweat when I got it pierced causing it to get both greasy & dry. So, I wanted to just inform people out there that have issues with dry skin because, St. Ives really worked for me. My nose tends to still be greasy every now & then but, the dryness has been minimized. BTW, none of these products are medicated but, simply 'regular' facial creams that work well. && St. Ives is well known for being very effective.

Here is what I used:

1) [St. Ives Apricot Scrub (Invigorating)] It works extremely well as a cleanser. This one has the beads in the cream, which can be a little rough on other people, though I prefer them personally. IMO, it adds an extra "scrubber" in the cream & exfoliates better. [I believe you can get it w/o the beads too.] I do a dab on my nose and rub it in for a few secs & rinse it off. I usually use this about every two days or so.

2) [St. Ives Elements - Olive Scrub] Your probably thinking "Eww, Olive?". But seriously, this is the smoothest 'scrub' I've ever used. Your skin feels like silk as you rub it in, no lie. It doesn't even really feel like a 'scrub' & I don't really use it for that purpose anyway. Mainly, I use this if I need a quick cleanser. I love the 'Apricot Scrub' [above] but, all the beads can take a while to rinse off. Being that this Olive Scrub has no beads, it makes moisturizing skin a lot easier time wise. Also, generally anything with olive is usually good. 'Olive oil' is good for the moisture of hair as well, which I own and use too.

[I own the one on the left side but, the tube on the right is supposed to be the new & improved look. Just in case you wanted to purchase it, that's what I'm guessing it would look like now.]

[Extra]

3) [St. Ives - Oatmeal and Shea Butter (Body Wash)] Unlike the other products above, which I have used for a couple of years, I just started using this product about two weeks ago and so far, I have no complaints. In college, taking showers need to be as easy as possible and lugging around a wet bar of soap isn't the business, so body wash is a must!! I have realized that I have sensitive skin towards strong smelling soaps. Lever 2000, Dove, & Irish Spring bout tore me up! & I was raised on Ivory but, it's really a plain soap to me. So, I wanted something that could be used daily with a hint of smell that wouldn't leave my skin irritated after my shower. St. Ives was the 'go-to' product once again. It smells great but, it doesn't make me itch either, and that my friend is all I need.

That's it for now. Remember, what works for me may not work for other skin types as well.

Good luck in all your skin endeavors :)

August 2009 Updates

[Yea, yea. I know how it is.]---> You visit one week && then you skip out the next and miss a lot. But, I got you. No really. August has been a great month for me. I've never had this many posts in one month. August had 47 amazing posts!! No need to worry because [just for you guys], I have put together a list of some of my favorite/best posts of August.

Enjoy :)

::[GOOD Music]::
Introducing Wale
The Clipse (I'm Good) & Fabolous f/ Jay-Z (Money Goes, Honey Stay)
Mixtape About Nothing (Wale)

::[Celeb Fashion]::
The 'Fabolous' Life
Meet the Real 'Dawn' Diva
Fashion Reaches the Sky (Nina Sky)

::[Just Because]::
The Essence & Evolution of Jada Pinkett-Smith
Mr. Chi City Vs. Keri Hilson
Thinkfast: Pieces of Me

::[Movie Monday]::
He Got Game/ Love & Basketball

::[Nostalgic Saturday]::
The Cosby Show
My Brother & Me

::[A Thousand Words]::
The Story of Love & Hate
Reigning Ladies
NBA Edition

::[Spark The Mind]::
Three Types of Women
The Truth In Line

::[On a SERIOUS Note]::
Rocsi Speaks on Anorexia
If Your Happy, So Am I

::[Missing You]::
Tupac Shakur, Our Activist
We're All Still Missing You (Aaliyah)
Happy Birthday Michael Jackson

Finding My Niche

Though I haven't been posting as much as usual due to school. My blog has improved substantially since I started blogging early last year. Looking at earlier posts, prior to entering college, and comparing them to more recent posts shows a huge difference. I feel like I have my niche now. I know what works for me.

Even though I have my own blog, I love to read other blogs as well. My 'blog list' below has some of the sites I most frequently check. I love fashion, music, or even comedic related blogs. I love it all. But, honestly starting out is one of the hardest things to do b/c you get inspired && want to say, or in this case, write so much. Not everyone can have a blog like ConcreteLoop. So, finding my niche and understanding where I fit in was important.

Where do I fit in you ask? That's easy to answer because I simply do me. I don't go read blogs & purposefully take content. I've seen those types of blogs. It's boring && most importantly, it lacks creativity. You will never, NEVER, see a post like that over here. Unless it's some dope music or fashion related, you won't see a 'copy & paste' topic on here.

I try to input all of my favorite things ["my ingredients" so to speak] on here. I love music, so often you will see new songs or album reviews if I have the time. I also do a lot of fashion posts because I love that artistic/creative side of the fashion industry. && things like "Movie Monday", "Nostalgic Saturday", && "A Thousand Words" were some things I came up with to keep people interested, and to take you back to when you were little.

I just want everyone to enjoy my blog. A lot of work goes into a single post, you have no idea. && being a 'perfectionist' does NOT help at all. Details are very important. From the color font I use to GRAB [got you!] your attention, to the way I format the words on each post. It's very time consuming. Also, I don't want to post anything I'm not proud of, so I'm careful about my content as well.

Ok, enough here.

Thanks for reading [all of this], if you did. I appreciate ya' even if your just stopping by :)

"Feel It Comin In The Air--"

"Feel it comin' in the air, & the screams from everywhere---" (Run This Town)

It's coming. The final installment of the Blueprint. Though I [REFUSE] to listen, the entire album has been leaked, as you may know. Even MTV has leaked it. Surprisingly, Jay doesn't seem to be too upset about the leak saying that he may be "the most bootlegged artist in history" and wants everyone to simply enjoy his work [People are going crazy over this leak].

Click the album cover to preview the ENTIRE album before it hits September 11 [But, that's a Friday!?]. && Is it just me or does he have a lot of features on the album? I'm just sayin'.



Oh & if you're "loyal", you'll join me & wait! C'Mon!! :)

***You want more Jay-Z??***

Check these older posts to quench your fix:

1) Jay-Z - "44 Fours"
2) Sampled Tracks ("Can I Live" - Jay-Z)