*Editor's note: One of the post in the 10 for 10 has been taken down and moved towards another list. This list will be updated as soon as possible!* The AD Report is back with its 10 for 10! Last time, Hip Hop was featured in the top 10 favorite songs of the year. This time, I go over to the R&B genre where there was a strong outing from a solid amount of artist this year. I’m not the biggest R&B fan in the world but I appreciate the melodies, cadences, and themes which range from love, solitude, peace, and good old dirty-macking. Let’s start off with the man who returned in grand fashion. Nikes – Frank Ocean (Blonde) I really enjoyed Nikes. The pitched-up voice of Frank Ocean to start off the song was bit of a surprise but overall I like how his voice meshed with the melody of the instrumental. Frank is one of those artists who tends to slow things down and that usually isn’t a part of my taste. However, he succeeded in pulling me in. Ocean also had a few quotable lines that stuck with me. One of them being “She said she need a ring like Carmeloooooo” or “Pour up for A$AP, RIP Pimp C, RIP Trayvon, that nigga look just like meeee.” Yeah that last line kind of hit home. Borderline (An Ode To Self Care) – Solange x Q-Tip (A Seat at the Table) Solange’s vocals on this song were soothing and calm. The song opens up with about a couple of instruments (I’m thinking a piano and some variation of a violin family instrument) playing. Once the you hear her start off with, “we been lovers on a mission”, the beat drops and then you feel like ascending to the sky peacefully. The song is well put together and has an interesting purpose behind it. The song seems to cover the topic of safe spaces between two people who love each other. Appreciating the space around them that isn’t full of negative energy in a world that has a lot of it. If I’m wrong on that one, then at least I can go to the grave saying it was my favorite song because Solange’s voice and pen are great. 1990x – Maxwell (blackSUMMERS’ night) Maxwell sings in a few different ranges and they all work well alongside the melody, beat, and instruments. I tried to sing the hook a few times in the car and felt the power, boy I’ll tell you. And while I failed in sounding well, it was a nice song to follow along with. It’s very catchy to the ear. Speaking of the hook, it’s money. It discusses the intimacy between two people. An Intimacy so close that no other outside forces should interfere or influence it. This could be a good song to just play around your significant other during a late calm night to set the tone/mood. Now do I plan on doing exactly that? No but you should! Blended Family (What You Do for Love) – Alicia Keys x A$AP Rocky (Here) Alicia Keys & A$AP Rocky did a good job on the song sharing memories on an area in life that remains personal to them, which is their families. Anytime an artist come up with a song that remains near and dear to them such as involving family, it may not stick with as many people in general. And it isn’t shade to those people. It is just how it is. I can appreciate the song from that angle. People who talk about what’s going on in certain/current angles of their life. Alicia has some pleasing vocals on this one and Rocky delivers a solid verse in a pinch. The sounds on this song are relaxing and peaceful. It has got to be a relief to hear this song from start to finish. The guitar playing within the song is also a nice touch. WIFI – D.R.A.M. x Erykah Badu (Big Baby D.R.A.M.) This song is so goofy, so ridiculous, so out there, and it does not matter because that’s what makes this song so great to me. D.R.A.M. & Erykah havd a dual ability of being able to sing and rap (and do it considerably well). Having these two on a track together helps in giving 2016 some justice. This song has mostly singing on it and I have no issues with that at all because their vocals, is what takes the song home. The funk influenced beat is nice but once you hear the two sing the bridge and outro on the song in the form of a duet, you can tell they had fun making the song together. And at the end of the day, that’s what it is all about. One thing to also note, I have not heard a bad song from D.R.A.M. yet and I’m not sure we ever will. Penthouse Floor – John Legend x Chance The Rapper (DARKNESS AND LIGHT) I’m currently listening to this song and it’s making me bop my head back and forth. John Legend is a legend and don’t you forget about that. The guy can do no wrong. He’s a very good musician, an intelligent man, accomplished, and has a stable family life. On this track, he does no wrong either. His vocals are on point and the background vocals on the track are on point as well. Chance also throws in his two cents with what comes off as late-night spoken word. I think Chance and Legend should work together more. They seem to have good chemistry and I’d look forward to hearing groovy-like tracks similar to this in the future. Scales – Solange x Kelela (A Seat at the Table) I mainly like this song for its cadence and the heavenly voices involved. Solange and Kelela did a good job of putting some soul and gentleness on the track with their voices. The sound of the song feels intimate and their voices go hand in hand with it. This song explores how others like to determine the self-worth of other individuals and how it can be a danger. Once I found out the true meaning of this song, I sported a Wee-Bay face. No seriously, the writing in this song is great and deserves that praise. Aside from the song, it is nice to see Solange get her due and carve her own path. Her and Beyoncé are kind of on separate ends of the spectrum in terms of style but both are in an elite class. Solange especially. I’m glad I decided to hop on her wave now and I look to stay on it for a while. Too Good To Last – Kandace Springs x Terrence Blanchard (Soul Eyes) When I attended school at Rutgers University-Camden, I did a profile on Kandace for the school newspaper. So, it is nice to see that she’s continuing with her music career and excelling at it. This song is the opposite of the song I just listed to. It’s not full of high energy nor is it fast paced. It is slow, smooth, and soothing. Kandace is a very good singer and you can feel the emotion and effort in her heavenly voice. Kandace says, that Terrence Blanchard smashed his trumpet solo and I’m not a huge music critic but I’ll gladly co-sign on that comment. He did his thing on the song. Trumpets have a unique touch to them and in R&B songs they usually work. This is a type of song I want to play in the background while I’m out on a dinner for two. I’ll attempt to make the request if I ever get the chance. Nights – Frank Ocean (Blonde)
I dig the drums and acoustic guitars on the first half of the song. The production on this song feels adventurous and it feels like I’m flying through clouds during a sunset. There is a short list of artists who can sing and rap well. Frank is one of those artists on the list and it is highlighted on this song. Frank is unpredictable in the sense that you don’t know how his pitches, flows, and speed are going to sound like from one track to the next (or throughout the song for that matter). As soon as the beat switches on this song, Frank floats. Opposite from the first half on the song, this time you feel like flying through clouds during clear-star filled skies. This song is very chill and helps me stay cool and collected. Thanks Mr. Ocean.
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2016 is a lot of things in different aspects. One thing I think many of us can agree on is that this year was a great year for music. For the most part everyone delivered and there was a lot to look forward to. The AD Report would like to end the year right by giving you my 10 favorite songs of the year from a few of the genre’s. These will be short and sweet. It was hard to come up with ten especially for Hip Hop/Rap. However, like a sports team, there are cuts. The first artist to make the team is none other than Young Thug (please save the overstated critiques for another day). Bread Winners – Young Thug x Young Butta (I’m Up) I was never a believer in Thugger from the get-go. I could understand why people would like him but his music was never really for me. It didn’t hit me like it would for someone else. I’ve slowly but surely warmed up to him now and this song is partially responsible. Young Butta opened the song with his verse and he came out swinging. Followed by Thugger who followed up with jabs and hook with high energy on an energetic beat. This song is perfect in the aspect that their flows throughout the song matched with the instrumental and that is something I can appreciate. Seems simple but the praise is warranted. The word play on this track good too. You can tell these two LOVE money and for good reason. This is just two guys make a energetic song just for the hell of it and it paid off. Neva CHange – Schoolboy Q x SZA (Blank Face LP) Moving to something a little slower, this song from Groovy Q is as smooth and sailing as it gets. The drums that kick in at the beginning of the song is one of the key pieces to the puzzle. It gives sort of a mellow song like this a bit of juice. Q touches up on a few topics in the song where from afar you’d think it would probably be in some way a love song telling from the instrumental. Q can rap very well and it’s evident in this song. SZA was also a star on this track. Her hook was money, soft, and sweet. I should dive into her music more. A matter a fact, I’m doing it as we speak! My favorite song from what’s perhaps one of the best hip hop albums of the year. Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 – Kanye West (The Life Of Pablo) The beginning of this song is heavenly. There is a gospel sample included and then once you hear the Metro Boomin tag followed by the hook by Kid Cudi then that’s when you feel like stepping outside in the rain, closing your eyes and letting yourself go. Letting the power of the song get you charged up and feel…liberated! (see what I did there?) It’s all good until Kanye starts rapping about bleached butt holes. Other than that, I enjoy the song for what it is. A good executed use of samples, instrumentals, and vocals. Kanye can bring out the best in artists. Seriously, when was the last time Kid Cudi was on a level like this? Blessings (Reprise) - Chance The Rapper (Coloring Book) Chance is one artist everyone can root for. He’s a good guy, makes people feel good in many ways, and works hard. “The People’s champ must be everything the people can’t be.”, so he says. Chance showcases some of his talents in this song. He gets off a nice verse and does a little singing. After his work is done, a slew of vocalist come in on the outro and bring it home. This is my favorite part of the song. A bunch of people singing in harmony as if the sun is coming out from an awful storm. It’s obvious Chance holds religion to a high standard and I don’t know how to describe it but it’s nice that he weaves in those ties into his music. Do What I Want – Lil Uzi Vert (The Perfect LUV Tape) This song will forever be tied to Russell Westbrook. The triple double specialist of basketball. Say what you want about Lil Uzi Vert and the rest of these 2016 XXL Freshmen but the thing you can’t take away from them is that they seem like they’re having fun with making music. And it’s obvious Uzi is having fun on this. From the catchy hook, to the catchy beat, and the cool adlibs, I have fun listening to this song and you should too. Uzi isn’t necessarily a good rapper yet in my eyes at least but for what he is, he’s good. I bet this song would be fun to hear live as I hear he’s good live. And if after reading this you disagree emphatically and say I don’t like “real hip hop”, I don’t care because NOW I DO WANT, NOW I DO WANT. Find a Topic (homies begged) – Isaiah Rashad (The Suns’s Tirade) Like Young Thug, I’m just now coming around to one of TDE’s top prospects. This is the type of song you just ride off into the sunset with the windows down. Maybe not have the song on blast but at a moderate rate. Rashad’s voice on this track is soothing and I didn’t know his ear for beats are very solid. This song is short and sweet to the point. The chords and bounce on the song are what I like the most. A good way to close out a good album. An underrated album a that. Coordiante – Travis Scott x Black Youngsta (Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight) Maybe I like this song because it sounds…so familiar…ah never mind! Anyway, this song has major punch to it. The intro immediately captures your attention and Travis comes through with the hook and the use of auto-tune. I’m kind of surprised this song isn’t as big as it is considering this would jump off in clubs. I also feel like auto-tune should be firmly apart of him from here on out since he uses it so much. His timing of adlibs is also something I enjoy. He uses only three of them “Yeah!”, “Straight Up!”, and “It’s Lit!”. Overall, this song gets me going in the gym so I had to give the track its due. Leg day goes by quickly when this song is in the rotation. Real Friends – Kanye West x Ty Dolla $ign (The Life Of Pablo) Yeezy makes his return on the list. This song feels nostalgic. I don’t want to get into this “Old Kanye” talk because it’s futile. Artist should evolve, experiment, not remain stale and the new Kanye (artistically, I repeat, artistically) is fine (in some ways though, he's always been like that). With that said, Real Friends is a good song and reminds you how versatile he is/can be. His delivery in this song was solid, he did a good job of trying to tell you a story, and gives you a hook which is as real as it gets. Ty Dolla compliments Ye well on this song with some signing. He knows how deliver on those notes. Add in the melodic, slow, memorizing beat, and you get one of my favorite songs of the year. Get Bigger/Do U Luv – NxWorries (Yes Lawd!)
NxWorries consist of rapper/singer Anderson. Paak & producer Knxwledge. Together they make very good music. Paak is a hook smith. He doesn’t miss when it comes to that and I’m not sure he ever will. He also gives a pair of verses that are cool to follow along with. He’s not the best rapper I’ve ever heard but he does well enough for me to take notice. He’s smooth on delivery and is someone who thinks about the past often. Knwledge on the other hand is cold on those boards. The soul feel in this song is dope and the beat switch is dope. Other artists need to start hitting this guy up because chances are he won’t disappoint. We The People…. – A Tribe Called Quest (We Got it From Here) A song that came out at the right time. The song tackles issues facing America consisting from police brutality, racial/religious discrimination, lack of equality for women, deportation threats, and conflictions from the media. Q-Tip is still as good as ever when it comes to being a lyricist. His hook on the song is straight forward. Even our president-elect would agree. Phife Dawg has a posthumous verse after Tip’s first hook. It was sharp and direct. He was something special back in the day. I had the opportunity to go back to some of their early albums and I can say he had some HEAT. Everything about this song is in your face and straight forward. Combine these two with Ali Shaheed Muhammed and there is a reason why Tribe is considered one of the best. This song just reinforces it. They are for the people. Rest in peace, Phife Dawg. Shoutout to the 2nd ever contributor to the AD Report! My man Brandon (@phenombc3) decided to give his take on two of the greatest NBA teams to ever walk on the court! Check out his piece below, follow him, on Twitter, and engage with him on your thoughts!
Need another great sports debate that will be sure to heat any conversation up? Try this one… Who’s better: 1996 Chicago Bulls or the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers? Now, before you cast any preconceived notions because out of the millions of Michael Jordan stans you feel you’re the biggest of them all, hear me out on this one. It’s not as crazy as you think! This is a conversation that needs to be had and debated by the experts, but in the meantime, I will give you my humble opinion. Hate it or love it, but understand this… I will make you think twice about how much of a fan you really are. So let’s get to it, shall we? First of all, I’m going to break this dilemma down into various parts and dissect each legendary team for what they’re worth. The easiest thing to start with some common denominators for each team. Common Denominators Phil Jackson (Coach), Tex Winter (Assistant Coach, creator of the triangle offense), Ron Harper (Guard), Championship Rings Now that we got that established, let’s get into some facts! Let’s take a look at team record to start. Record (Regular Season/Playoff) Bulls: 72-10/15-3 Lakers: 56-26/15-1 To start off, any sports fan knows that the ’96 Bulls boasted what we thought was an untouchable record of 72 regular season wins until the Warriors topped that this past season. To this fact, even though the Lakers had an incredible regular season versus what was and still is an incredibly deep Western Conference, 72 wins is 72 wins. Unless you are the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors, you’re not comparing to that stat. The part where the record conversation gets really interesting is when it's playoff time. The 2001 Lakers were arguably the greatest playoff team in NBA HISTORY! Remove an all-time upset by MY 76ers squad and a legendary 48 point performance by MY G.O.A.T. Allen Iverson, the Lakers would(and really should) have completed an undefeated playoff run. Why does this matter? This matters because where are every great player and team ultimately judged by… how they do in the playoffs. The playoffs, a time where all of the best teams each year battle it out in hard fought series’ after enduring a grueling 82 game schedule, a myriad of injuries, and ups and downs throughout the season, ultimately looking to hoist up that NBA Finals trophy. During this most important period spanning from May- June 2001, the Lakers nearly went unblemished given that one legendary game by the 76ers. Although the Bulls went a stellar 15-3, I will take the Lakers playoff run over any in history. Let me explain further. Not only did they go 15-1, but they also boasted the highest average margin of victory during any playoffs in history, beating teams by an average of 14 points per game. Let’s figure in the fact that the teams they were playing were no slouches by any stretch. They started off with a Portland Trailblazers team that had just took them to seven games the year prior in the Western Conference Finals… Sweep. In the semifinal round, they took on arch rival the Sacramento Kings. You know one of the best teams to never win a championship with players in their prime like Chris Webber, Jason Williams, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, etc…. Another sweep! Western Conference Finals time baby! You know these series are always highly contested down the wir…. Nope! Another sweep of a little known team called the San Antonio Spurs with little known players like David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Derek Anderson and a pretty good coach by the name of Gregg Popovich. In the NBA Finals, again if not for a miraculous game by league MVP Allen Iverson and 76ers (who won 56 games), that would’ve been another sweep. Overall, record wise, the Bulls had the second greatest regular season ever while the Lakers had THE greatest postseason ever… I’m giving this category to the Lake show! Key players/duo Bulls: Michael Jordan: 30.4 PPG, 4.3 AST/G, 6.6 REB/G – 30.7, 4.5, 4.9 (Playoffs) Scottie Pippen: 19.1 PPG, 5.8 AST/G, 6.3 REB/G – 16.9, 5.9, 8.5 (Playoffs) Lakers: Shaquille O’Neal: 28.7 PPG, 3.7 AST/G, 12.7 REB/G- 30.4, 3.2, 15.4 (Playoffs) Kobe Bryant: 28.5 PPG, 5 AST/G, 5.5 REB/G- 29.4, 6.1, 7.3 (Playoffs) Which duo would you prefer? Now you can’t argue six championships with MJ and Scottie. An undeniable chemistry that wasn’t met with rumors of them not getting along and hating each other’s guts. Both got the job done on both ends of the floor. A true Batman and Robin tandem that combined for a lot of production stat wise and win wise most importantly. However, we’re comparing individual seasons here and combined point total of nearly 50 points per game is daunting for any opponent to overcome from a duo, but does it measure up to the ’01 Lakers duo? On the other side of the coin, Kobe and Shaq are one the most controversial duo of all-time, but also arguably the most dominant. Numbers don’t lie for these two. Each nearly averaged 30 points per game in regular season and it only got darker for opponents during the playoffs where both damn near hit 30 a game combined with 15 rebounds a game for The Big Diesel and Kobe with six rebounds and seven assists per game. This is the definition of dominance by two players within one complete season. A dominance that hasn’t been matched since and wasn’t matched before. Again, we’re comparing individual seasons and teams with this one. MJ and Scottie have six rings compared to Shaq and Kobe’s three, but in 2001 Kobe and Shaq were easily the two best players in the game, especially in the playoffs and they showed it in a major way. So they take this one in my book. Cagey Point Guard Play Steve Kerr (Bulls) vs. Derek Fisher (Lakers) Although these players at the point guard position seemed like after thoughts, in a team concept, they were each important and each pretty much played the same role, the question is: Who would you prefer? Each player hit timely three pointers. Best examples: Steve Kerr hits the famous clutch three versus the Utah Jazz in game 6 of the ’97 finals to seal the championship when Michael Jordan put all the pressure in the world on him the timeout before. Derek Fisher hits an also famous clutch three vs. the Spurs with 0.4 seconds left to play in San Antonio and runs off of the court. Each player also limited turnovers and were feisty defensively. Each did their respective jobs and were pretty good at it. We have to break the tie here though, so here it is: God forbid, if any of the aforementioned duos are off at the same time and I needed my point guard to take control of the game and take up the slack, I’m going with D- Fish all day. I’m taking a confident, knock down three point shooter who wasn’t afraid to put it up and assert himself on the offensive end while also mixing it up defensively, causing turnovers and fast break opportunities for his team. Fisher gave the Lakers an edge mentally and physically and I believe that his impact was felt more than Kerr’s was. Edge to the Lakers on this one. Skilled Wingplay: Toni Kukoc (Bulls) vs. Rick Fox (Lakers) Now this is a classic example of offense vs defense. On the one hand, you have a European prodigy in Toni Kukoc who was a great scorer and playmaker with a smooth left handed touch that gave defenses nightmares, especially as the third scoring option, On the other hand, you have a cagey all- around player in Rick Fox who made his presence felt defensively for the Lakers while also rebounding at a good rate, making team plays consistently through is great passing ability and ability to lay his body on the line and occasionally heating up from the three point line, giving the Lakers a much needed push when they needed it. Each meant a lot to the success of their team. I believe Rick Fox was the perfect mesh guy for this dominant team while Kukoc had to take a reduced role in my opinion, especially offensively while making the most of his chances and being a legitimate threat to opponents. This one was tough, but for me personally, I’d rather have the legit third scoring option so this one goes to the Bulls. Big men Play Bulls: Luc Longley, Dennis Rodman, John Salley Lakers: Shaq, Robert Horry, Horace Grant Big man play was key for each team, but I didn’t think this was much of a competition. Anytime you have Shaq, one of if not the most dominant big man ever, on your front line, you’re automatically ahead of the game and you have a huge advantage over anybody you’re facing. Throw in players like Robert Horry or “Big Shot Bob” who notably has hit some of the most clutch three pointers in playoff history, while also being able to put the ball on the floor effectively, rebound well, provide some type of defensive presence and most importantly bring prior championship experience to any team. Not to mention Horace Grant, former Bulls great, who also brought a championship pedigree as well as a legitimate post up big who could score around the basket and hit the 15 foot midrange shot with ease. This three man combination was very deadly for teams in 2001. The Bulls came with the likes of Dennis Rodman, one of the fiercest rebounders and defensive players in league history who would go entire games without scoring but would give you 20 rebounds 5 blocks and 5 steals. Luc Longley, an average big man who was pretty decent offensively, but served as a big body down low that would rebound, give you some good offense here and there as well as providing shot blocking. John Salley, who had become a journeyman after his glory days with the Bad Boy Pistons, could still give you some production on the boards, but most importantly, a championship mentality and a great locker room presence. Like I said, not much of a competition, Lakers take this one again. So…. I’m tallying up the totals and it looks like the Lakers won 4-1 in my book. Now again, this is my take so don’t blow your mind up trying to convince me how I could ever take anyone over Michael Jordan and the ’96 Bulls. We’re comparing teams in their respective best SEASONS ever. This isn’t a lifetime achievement award, this is mono y mono, ’01 Lakers vs ’96 bulls, who’s going to win. In my mind, the Lakers would take a 7 game series and win 4-2. Blasphemy, I know, but objectively really think about this one people… Consider the facts and really make a rational decision without letting fandom takeover. After you’ve done all of that and prayed on it, I’ll let you decide for yourself… My man Francis ( @FrancisAduJr ) decided to be the honorary first contributor to the AD Report. Check out his piece below, follow him on Twitter, and let him know how you feel!
The United States is a country that can only “respect” a black person if that blackness is ignored. It knows blackness exists, of course. There are too many resources to mine out of blackness to truly hope the concept goes away. But, especially after the passing of the Civil Rights Act, the United States can’t have blackness openly colored on its red, white, and blue lips anymore. It’s just a bit uncouth, you see. So replace the blackness with a sneaker logo if possible. Hide the blackness with Caucasian proxies if possible. Restrict the blackness to the traditions of other cultures if possible. Dilute the blackness out into a sea of amorphously colored soldiers with helmets if possible. Anything to avoid the discomfort of confronting the indifference of the United States’ own continuing history of immoral subjugation of the black body or to avoid admitting having a preference for that unceasing subjugation. Only this way can the United States console itself with the dissonance of exalting the U.S. military as the ultimate symbol of American valor, power, and integrity while muffling the screams of black veterans campaigning for racial justice or begging for police to not shoot them. No matter their equivalent valor and integrity to their military peers, those black veterans get their honors stripped and replaced with the titles of “someone who just happened to work for us”. No longer American heroes, but just folks with jobs, according to the national rhetoric. The American rhetoric, the most powerful tool of influence the United States has in its belt, cannot acknowledge the black American. The survival of that rhetoric depends on the ignorance. So any celebrity that insinuates the existence of the black American quickly gets vilified as a treasonous one. WNBA players wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts on the platform of a WNBA basketball court becomes an act of smuggling contraband across the WNBA organization’s borders. Beyonce letting 100 million Americans know she loves the black features that America loves to mock and turn into minstrels becomes an inappropriate display of sexuality in front of impressionable young minds. If the celebrity insurrects black advocacy too fervent to quell, the United States will be swift reframe and adjust the celebrity’s pro-black activism into benign race-neutral platitudes that future generations forever falsely divorce blackness. With first chance, the incendiary black traitorous coward Muhammad Ali becomes just a funny entertainer who valued hard work. It’s the only version of Ali many Americans can accept in order to accept Ali as a fellow American. Because “American” equals “good” and equating blackness with good is the United States’ oldest taboo. So when Colin Kaepernick gets asked of his disorderly decision to stay seated during the renditions of the Star Spangled regaled before every NFL game, most Americans ask Kaepernick the inquiry in the ever-present hopes Kaepernick continues the pattern of leaving “blackness” blank on the script of American discourse. Surely, Colin just made an error of attentiveness, right? Unfortunately for their wishes, Kaepernick directly equates his lack of participation in the deification of the United States with the hell the United States refuses to stop implementing on “blackness” and its bearers. The hell of socially enabled police brutality onto black bodies in municipalities throughout the country. The hell of exhausting black people’s spirits and minds with the cat-and-mouse chase of opportunity for comfortable livelihoods, a chase through an obstacle course of prejudices and discriminations that often leaves the prize denied anyway when the course is actually completed. And the special hell of black people knowing there is little they can personally do to alleviate the oppression. Colin Kaepernick decided to scoop as much as he can from his pool of possible progress to make this impassioned plea for all black Americans to the rest of America. And the reply back? “There is no black American.” Ryan Lochte and Colin Kaepernick. Two tales. Two situations. Two Americas. For Ryan Lochte, it has been his fabricated story on how he along with fellow U.S. Swimmers Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz, and Jack Congar got robbed at a gas station in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil during the 2016 Olympics. When in fact, they were taking place in an act of hooliganry. As for Colin Kaepernick, he decided to sit out during the National Anthem in protest before the 49ers preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. The reason for his protest? In short here are two of his quotes. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." The reactions from the general public on each situation have been interesting. I’d go as far as to say, it has been disparaging. First, let’s quickly analyze each situation. Ryan Lochte acted like a hooligan. He was the ringleader of foolishness. Vandalizing property, disturbing the peace, and lying about what happened. Also, he’s a terrible friend and teammate for leaving Congar, Bentz, and Feigen high and dry in Rio while he sits around and makes Vines all day. He is 32 years old hanging out with guys who are nearly a decade younger than him. You have Carmelo Anthony who is the same age kicking it with people who live in favelas. Meanwhile, Lochte is out here lying to everyone (including his mom) because “he didn’t want to get in trouble.” That’s something my 10 year old brother would say. It’s kind of funny to be honest. It feels like a WWE mid-card storyline that ends up being laughably bad to the point where it needs to be ended with little explanation. Colin Kaepernick acted pretty…bold. The national anthem is something that most Americans are passionate about along with the American flag and our U.S. veterans. He feels as though the concept of the Star Spangled Banner does not apply to people like him who are Black or POC. He will also continue to sit during the anthem until things change involving issues such as police brutality (or institutional racism as a whole). That’s HIS way of making a stand for change. Not being afraid to use his platform in order to start some type of conversation or being a voice for the “voiceless” (word to CM Punk). Now you don’t have to agree with how he did it (I don't know if I would have done the same), but in a country where we preach the idea to speak our minds or do whatever it takes to fight for justice and freedom, you should respect that effort. And to be clear, he’s not lying about how race relations have been (I’ll also note that making millions has nothing to do with experiencing racism and he’s not doing it for HIMSELF). If you look at the reactions from these two situations, what do you get? For Lochte you get “kids are being kids” from IOC reps. For Kaep you get videos of his jersey being burned. Lochte? You’ll get a Sporting News article where the capes are on tighter than Superman’s. Kaep? You have guys like Clay Travis burying him. Not many Olympians called out Lochte for his foolishness but you have New York Giants players call out Kaep for his actions as opposed to calling out their own teammate for domestic violence issues (note; majority of NFL players are in support of Kaep). Lochte will continue on life as he pleases, even though he could get indicted by the court in Brazil. Kaep may get cut from the 49ers for football reasons and may never play again for the same reasons in addition to teams potentially not wanting backlash. Lochte lost endorsements and already picked up a few. Kaep might lose them all period. See. I honestly wanted to keep the Lochte situation as jokes only because it was simply a story on how three dummies followed big dummy (word to Redd Foxx). However, my hand was forced to look at this case of privilege. White privilege. Jeah! I said it. Jeah! I activated the “race card” from my deck! Well news flash, in comparing this situation we have to talk about race and the obvious privilege in this scenario. We can’t be coy, “politically correct”, quiet, or play “we got to hear from both sides” esque type of shenanigans. It’s the type of privilege that allows us to say Lochte and the kids were just joshing around with little to no clear explanation for their actions. While Kaep is being vilified for thoroughly explained actions. Actions which many believe is disrespect towards the Veterans who fight for this country (remember that sentence). We’re so caught up in policing patriotism that we’re blind to the fact that during the greatest worldwide sporting period, one of our best athletes made a mockery of a country which had already fell under hard times and an organization in the IOC that had already been scrutinize. We’re the United States of America. Aren’t we supposed to uphold some type of class and respect? Why aren’t we getting on Lochte more for this buffoonery but we’re ready to police and riot against Gabby Douglass for not putting her hand over her heart during the anthem? Lochte gets a soft pass because he’s a white male. The most powerful being on the planet. White men can nearly do whatever they want because it’s been that way for hundreds of years. And this isn’t to shade to anyone I personally know. It just needs to be known that White men have freer reign over any anyone in the world. I’m not saying for example, “your hard work in whatever you do is discounted because you’re a White male”, I’m saying you need to recognize that most of the time, the world isn’t equal to everyone as one may think and that White men are likely to get ahead than say someone who looks like any of the Final Five gymnastics team from the Olympics. Before I conclude, there are some questions I have for people in regards to these two situations. I’d like to hear some thought out and honest answers. I don’t want nonsense. How did Kaepernick disrespect the vets by sitting out during the national anthem? Does the anthem, flag, and vets coincide with each other? I can argue that what Lochte did was more disrespectful to the Vets. If you disagree with how Kaepernick decided to make a stand that’s fine, but what would be a better suggestion? Some say Michael Jordan, Michael Bennett, and the Brotherhood did it the “right way” and I applaud them for what they’re doing. However, how much of a stand are they really taking if they won’t face ramifications for their actions like Kaepernick or even Ethiopian Silver medalist Feyisa Lilesa will? They don’t spark as much dialog or thought provoking as the latter two either. Do you believe politics/sports are separate entities or are they one in the same and why? I believe they are one in the same. And there are plenty of examples out there. Like the setup of the Olympics itself. Speaking of the Olympics, how would you feel if you were one of those citizens in Brazil and you heard about some “stupid American” trying indirectly throw more dirt on your name as a country? Lastly, if Kaep and Lochte reversed roles would your feelings change on the situations? The trick here is, if you still feel volatile on the subject if Lochte were Kaep, then you failed to miss the point or even listen to the explanation on why it’s being done. With that said, I was just like many of you stanning during the Olympics when our country dominated. And the ideals/values of what this country is supposed to stand for and what we try to advertise is a great thing. One day, I hope we can get to the point where freedom, liberty, and justice is for ALL. Not just half-assing it. This isn’t about someone making “headlines,” or trying to riot on another, this is about taking a look at the different situations while noting the hypocrisy. With everything that’s going on, you can even say it feels like the 60s again in some cases. Specifically 1968, like Bryan Curtis eloquently stated in his piece. The points and questions are all laid out for you. Either take in everything you’ve heard or read and join in the conversation with me from time to time or just tell me straight up, you don’t care. Seriously, because I’d rather hear that and we go from there then you continuing to justify nonsense. With that said, at the end of the day, there will be a price to pay. It’s just less likely that someone like Lochte will as opposed to someone like Kaepernick. |
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March 2017
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