Blog 8: It's My World...Ya'll Just Live In It

I'm Baaaaackkk! Ya'll Missed me didn't ya! Don't lie! All I gots to say is can a brother take a Vacation!! Geez! Anyways...Miss ya'll too! And this time I had to really think about what I was going to talk about! My blogs aren't exclusively writings about relationships or love but it seems like that's what Ya'll want to hear. Also, these are blogs ya'll not Novels which means I won't fully explore a topic, but I will give you just enough to think about and join in the discussion by commenting! It took me a minute to put together how this topic affected me and my actions in life. And with this topic and all my topics, by the time I start writing, there has been tons of similar conversations which gives me the base to right about it. So like Tiger Woods! I'm putting the pedal to the medal and sharing what I'm going to discuss today!(thought I was gonna say something nasty huh...Ya'll silly)

"Let Me Clear my Throat".....So without further adieu...today I'm going to talk about how Music has affected my life(as well as yours) and how we interact(Notice the song title in the Quotation marks).

Now before ya'll start chattering about how you waited this long for a blog and all I got to talk about is music...hear me out! Think about your life and how certain songs swayed the way you felt about a relationship or changed the mood of a party or even chose the drink you were drinking that night! For those of you that don't understand, let me go through the drinks that were decided by songs! I'm sure many of you at one time or another was "Rolling Down the Street Smoking endo, sippin on Gin and Juice," while the others were "Makin Luv in da Club" poppin bottles of Cristal. And while some of you turn your head at the last sentence, I guarantee Ya'll "Went down to the corner store, you know what I'm looking for...St.Ides!!"(in my best Nate Dogg voice). Oh and let's not forget downing bottles of that 8Ball..Ole E...Olde English(we all know that shit was nasty). Do I need to go on? Well how about drinking Alize or NUvo or those nasty ass Incredible Hulks? Ugh! So let me get to the meat of this blog and tell you how Music has affected my life and I'm certain as I discuss the topic, Ya'll may remember how music has affected yours!!

Now for Ya'll that don't know, I was born in August of 1975!(wild yeah I know...). That summer the billboard number one song(and still one of my favorites) was a song by Captain and Tennille called "Love will keep us Together." I can remember as a kid watching the hit TV show "Solid Gold" Rocking to this song! Actually I'm listening to it right now in my hotel room! Luvs it! This song in my eyes was the way I saw how relationships were supposed to work. I never knew anyone that got divorced growing up until I think my college years. Obviously that song would soon fade out as times changed and the songs changed!

For everyone that is within a certain age range, I'm sure you can probably remember grooving to Anita Baker on the Radio or Bobbing your head to Freddie Jackson, Keith Sweat, Luther Vandross or tuning in to Video Soul on BET to catch Rachel on Caribbean Rhythms! Then it all changed! Songs became not so innocent and Love was not described as a precious thing to hang on to! We entered the age of Raunchy R&B and Gangsta RAP! And so did I!

Now I'm from the country so although I enjoyed listening to folks in High School like the To Live Crew and "Heeeyyy we want some Pussay," I sure as hell wasn't getting any!! Remember I was still into "Popcorn Luv" Like New Edition! My mindset was to treat every woman as if I would treat my mom!(soon I realized every woman wasn't like my mother, nor to be treated like such)! Anyways, this was the 80's and early 90's! The time where thangs changed! These were the years where you had to "Push It" with Salt N' Pepa, "Do the Butt" with EU and you had to let everyone know that "I wanna Sex you Up" like Color me Bad! In other words, songs influence kids to do things they aren't ready for...hense the rise in teen pregnancies! So hold up for one sec! I know all of you are thinking to yourself and saying...Stacy...are you talking out of both sides of your mouth here? Nope...I gravitated to the other genre I talked about...Gangsta Rap! I used to sit and listen all night long to NWA! "Cuz the Boyz in da Hood are always hard, come talkin that trash we'll pull your card, knowin nothin in life but to be legit...don't quote me boy cuz I ain't said shit!" Man I loved that stuff! Still do! They were some crazy black brothas that just didn't give a fuck and that was me! I could relate...Hell we all got problems! Do I supposed to worry about yours issues more than mine...Hell naw! I was hurt when these guys broke up, they started putting out solo albums. I was pumpin the old Hardcore Ice Cube, and Bone Thugs N'Harmony(Easy E's group), and in Heavy Rotation was DR.DRE(The Chronic)! I can remember going to Howard University in DC for a Recruiting visit and everyone telling me about a guy named Sean Combs(they called him Puffy) that used to go to HU and a guy named Biggie Smalls he brought to Howard Homecoming! Biggie's music he taught the "10 crack commandments" and how you NEVER get high on your own supply! Hense I've never used Drugs! And if you didn't learn anything from that, he shared with you his "Dreams of fuckin and R&B Bitch." And all guys remember that one or had a similar thought.

By this time I had entered my college years and 93' was a classic year for songs! This was the year I learned how to Mix a strong drink of "Gin and Juice" like Snoop Dogg and why it just "Ain't no fun if my homies can't have none! And if that didn't get ya...I was rockin the remix of "Lodi Dodi" cuz I liked to Party! This was also the year of R Kelly and just like Biggie and the "10 Crack Commandments," R Kelly told you about "12 play"...and gave a tutorial of sex for the beginners! I mean how could a young brother not go crazy when you are in the party and "sex me" or "your body's callin" or "Bump N Grind" is playing?? And you know the "Summer Bunnies" were out! So believe me when I saw the Sun Dresses and all, oh yess...some of them "Reminded me of my Jeep"!! UGH...it was to much to resist! And If You didn't have your "Homie, Lover, Friend" you weren't doing to hot! However with all that tension going on...that same year there was an invasion of the WU TANG Clan!! These folks taught me about C.R.E.A.M. and for ya'll that don't know...CASH RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME! CREAM gets the Money! DOLLA DOLLA BILLS YA'LL! Still Pumps in my head! This was the year that Outkast was tellin us about that "Southernplayalisticcadillacfunkymusic" and made us feel good about being from the south! NAS was "Illmatic"and eventually "Stillmatic" and we learned new dances called the "Humpty Hump" the "Butterfly" and you had to "Ride that train" because "Whoomp or Whoop there it is" whichever you choose kept the party HOT! So in other words, wheter you were "Just Kickin it" with Excape or you letting someone get "Too Close" with Next, be careful because you may feel their nature rise and it's a possibility you will fill a bump on you!

There are tons of songs that has influenced my life and I'm sure I can go on and on but these are only a few of the ones that have stayed in my mind back in the day for whatever reason! It also shows the change in mindset that we have based on the songs that are out! I feel bad for the kids nowadays because I'm sure more folks will be doing interesting things with their "Videofone" and everyone will have a particular interest in "Lollipops." And with that being said i'm sure every lil boy will think "They invented sex!" Yea right!

So folks don't think that these songs are the only ones that has shaped my life, but these are the ones that I could THINK of that details the change in human thinking and how music affects our young lives! I'm sure you have your own songs or verses in songs that shaped what you chose to do or how you did things in life! I mean I remember it being cool for chicks to "Creep" because of TLC and "T-Shirt and Panties on" were the outfits of choice! So in other words don't Judge me! Make a comment on what songs influenced you!

And as always...if you like what I say, Hype it! If you don't, Hate on it...It doesn't really matter, because "It's My World...Ya'll Just Live In It!