Do you ever get.. um.. selfish? I guess that’s the word.. Selfish with.. your favorite artists? I get that way.. often.

I’ve been a Lupe fan since sophomore/junior year of high school. My boy Chris first put me onto him + his Happy Industries track back then and I’ve been in love ever since. I tried to put people onto him back then and no one wanted to listen. Then soon enough he dropped Kick, Push + every one of my friends labeled him as the “skateboard guy” and kept it moving. Now all of a sudden everybody wants to hop on his scrotum. I don’t have a (big) problem with it, but it’s like I get that strange feeling like… “He was my favorite rapper first. Wtf do you REALLY know about Lupe (besides Superstar..)?”

So I felt that strange feeling again last night. My boy asked if I ever heard Wale’s track Nike Boots… You serious? Wale is definitely one of my favorite rappers + anyone who really knows me (or reads my blog enough) knows that for a fact. So he went on about how a mutual friend of ours wanted a ringtone made from that song and how the song is hot. He just heard it.. etc etc. I just looked at him, agreed, and then added that the song is extremely.. old. I know the video just dropped recently and he’s finally getting the shine he deserves, but I still feel this urge of selfishness. Like.. leave him alone. He’s mine lol. I own every mixtape. I listen to him on repeat for hours. Do you? Watch.. Drake is gonna be next =/

♥ April Rose

Well some of my friends performed and one of my favorite brothers of Phi Beta Sigma, Mr. DaShun Cathcart, read some of his work. Since I missed the showcase tonight, I asked him to send me over the poems he read. Now these jawns right here.. real talk lol. I know yall can relate. So sit back.. Read.. Enjoy =]

Fall in Like

It’s cold outside and everybody is looking for love
You know the Heaven sent type from God above
Well I must be a FULL FORCE
Because that ain’t my type of hype
I don’t wanna fall in love
I wanna fall in LIKE

Ladies,
Like gets you flowers and candy
Love gets you excuses
Love sometimes breaks your trust
But Like would NEVER abuse it
With Like comes excitement
Spontaneity and fun
But as soon as you fall in love,
All that good stuff is done
Love comes home late
With poor explanations
Love is late to pick you up from work
Love always keeps you waiting
Love stops giving you foot rubs
And asking about your day
Love doesn’t compromise anymore
Love always wants it done Love’s way.
Fellas,
Like respects your space
Love is ALWAYS in your face
Love wants to look through your phonebook
And have your password on Myspace.
But someone you’re in Like with
Gives you air to breathe
They don’t ask where you going
Where you been
And what time you plan to leave
Like believes in you
And supports your dreams
But tell someone you quote on quote Love
About your plans
And you get a “Negro please”
Love leaves feminine products in the shower
And hair in the sink
Like wants to know your opinion
Love can care less what you think.

I’ve been in both
And if I had to choose
I’d fall in Like
Love is for fools
Now don’t get me wrong
Love isn’t all bad
Love loves to make you happy
When you’re feeling sad
Love sticks with you through hard times
Love sees past all flaws and shortcomings
After all
Love IS blind
But love also hurts
Sometimes is sucks
Like when Love
Makes a mess
Or leaves the toilet seat up
Love eats the last slice of pizza
Knowing that you wanted it too
Whereas Like would have said let’s split it
Or would have just given it to you
Like likes to share
Like likes to help
Like doesn’t like for you to do everything yourself
Like likes to go out on dates
And apologizes for mistakes
Like LISTENS
Like has faith
So the next time I meet someone,
This is what I’ll do
To Hell with Love
Baby…I LIKE you…

I like this, but I don’t totally agree with it. Love isn’t as horrible as he makes it seem =/ lol. I think a lot of the things he says happens when you’re “in like” are stronger when you fall in love. I think love believes in you and supports your dreams. Love will listen. Love will have faith. Well… love from me at least =] lol. And I’ll tell yall like I told DaShun.. I don’t leave my feminine products in the shower =/.

And here goes the second one he read.

He hurt me so bad
Now I feel so sad
So I’m gonna write about
And sing about
How I hate every man

I fell in love with my heart
And he fell in love with his dick
I so tired of men
They all make me sick

SHUT UP!

Not every woman is a victim
Not every man plays games
We’re NOT all bad guys
We’re NOT all the same

How dare you make a good man?
Pay for the mistakes
Of some sorry fool you dealt with in the past
You remember my last message
Girl, KISS MY ASS…

A lot of females stand behind the mic
Using their poetry as an outlet to talk trash
And all six thousand three hundred and forty two women in the audience
Stand up cheering
That’s right girl, put his ass on blast
But let’s put you on blast
Ms. Fake Name at the Club
Ms. Let Me Give Him the Wrong Number
Ms. Let Me Drink His Pay Check Up

You give out fake numbers
Or real numbers with fake names
But then turn around and say that WE’RE playing games?
Well if men weren’t such dogs
We wouldn’t have to do that shit
You delusional ass females make me sick!
You don’t talk about the girls in the game who like to stunt
They use what they’ve got
To get what they want
And once they get what they want, the get out
And old boy got played
So if you say he deserved it
Then you deserve the same

I’m not up here to bash women
I’m here to save face
For all of the good man
Who pay for all of the bad guys’ mis
takes
I’ve seen it so many times
Women who choose the wrong man
And then act so surprised
When shit hits the fan
If you stop looking with your eyes and pockets
And using your heart and mind
You’ll save yourselves a lot of hurt,
A lot of stress and a lot of time

So when he hurts you so bad
And you feel so sad
When you sing your songs
And you hate every man
Every man didn’t do it
So don’t make the next guy pick up the slack
Treat him with love and respect
And he’ll respect you right back

Yes. I’m guilty of it. Yes, I know many females that are guilty of it (*ahem* Jachel and her fake name lol). My ex-boyfriend was so foul.. So wrong.. Such a liar and a cheater.. He shitted on me smh.. and yeah, I began to take it out on Mr. Man in my life now. BUT I’M CHANGING lol, for the better… My babe doesn’t deserve that =/

But some of things that we females do are justified. I’ll give a dude a fake name or number if he’s acting too pressed and won’t let me breathe. I know that in my case, when I’m upfront about the fact that I might not want to talk to a dude tryna get at me, he’ll either start acting like a bitch about it or he’ll follow me around =/. So what do you want me to do then?

Anyway.. Didn’t I tell yall DaShun speaks the truth? I think he has talent. Do you? I mean his line name is Poetic Justice for a reason. =]

K. Time to get ready for bed.

♥ April Rose

Since when is “diddy” a curse word? =/

Whatever.
Night people =]

♥ April Rose

♥ April Rose

Took FOREVER to upload. Blah..

♥ April Rose

No this has nothing to do with weddings or marriage. I’m talking about sampling music. I’m always on the hunt for “new” music to add to my collection, whether it be the latest Curren$y mixtape, a track from Phil Collins or a classic song from Ella Fitzgerald. In a way sampling gives me the best of both worlds. I could hear a track produced by 9th Wonder and look up the sample he used. Bong. New material (well new to me at least).

Let me give you some examples to clarify.

I’m kinda sorta halfway in love with the DC native, Wale. Going through his mixtapes, I heard a lot of familiar songs. From his use of Go Go music (which is growing on me) to Hov’s “Imaginary Player” to Camp Lo’s “Glow“, Wale’s music reminded me of so many songs I loved from back in the day, but probably would have never remembered to get if I hadn’t listened to his mixtapes.

And of course Kanye is always a good person to go to when looking for great samples. One of my absolute favorites from him has to be “Addiction”. He sampled Etta James’ version of “My Funny Valentine” (one of my favorite covers of the song if I might add). No one can ever say that Ye doesn’t have a knack for picking out great songs to sample.

There are those occasions when I feel like samples are a bit.. questionable.

Take T.I.’s song Live Your Life feat. Rihanna + produced by the JERSEY NATIVE (and former Rutgers student lol) Just Blaze. In the beginning you can hear the sample he used, Haiducii’s “Dragostea Din Tei” (shoutouts to Jaye for that info).

Alright.. I guess Just was watching the Numa Numa video when he thought to sample this song. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like Live Your Life, but the original track has to be one of the most annoying songs I’ve ever heard in my life. Did he really have to start the track off like that? I must admit, though, Live Your Life makes me kinda happy and Rih Rih did the damn thing on the song, so I can’t be completely mad at it.

I could go on for days about songs that I absolutely adore (and the songs they sampled that I equally adore lol). Eh, but maybe I’ll just leave you all with a little list.

• Mickey Factz: Good Money (Sampled Billy Paul: Let The Dollar Circulate)
• Cam’ron: Daydreaming (Aretha Franklin: Day Dreaming)
• Kidz In The Hall: Drivin’ Down The Block (Masta Ace: Born To Roll)
• Tupac: I Ain’t Mad At Cha + BLACKstreet: Don’t Leave Me (DeBarge: A Dream)
• Jay-Z: Fallin (The Dramatics: Fell For You)
• Kanye West: All Falls Down (Lauryn Hill: Mystery of Iniquity)
• Wale: I Will (Xscape: I Will)
• Nas: The World Is Yours (Ahmad Jamal: I Love Music–Ahh the way Pete Rock flipped this jawn.. man..)
• Usher: Throwback (Dionne Warwick: You’re Gonna Need Me)
• Maroon 5: Won’t Go Home Without You (The Police: Every Breath You Take — CLASSIC)
• Slum Village: Selfish (Aretha Franklin: Call Me)
• Common: The Light (Bobby Caldwell: Open Your Eyes)
• Fabolous: Breathe (Supertramp: Crime Of The Century–Don’t sleep on it lol)
• Kanye West: Roses (Bill Withers: Rosie–Makes me think of my mommy)
• Nas: Heaven (Eddie Holman: I Love You)
• Jay-Z: Party Life (Little Beaver: Get Into The Party Life)
• Common: They Say (Ahmad Jamal: Ghetto Child)
• Dipset: I Really Mean It (Major Harris: I Got Over Love)
• Nas: One Mic (Phil Collins: In The Air Tonight–My song! lol)
• Common: Break My Heart (George Duke: Someday ♥)

I guess that list wasn’t really little =/ Ah well. You’ll get over it. Shit, maybe even put it to use. Honestly, you should. I ain’t post all those songs for nothing lol.

♥ April Rose