Wednesday, October 26, 2011

12 Radio



Tune in to 12 RADIO tonight at 9PM EST.

12 RADIO is the BEST and most interactive show on BlogTalkRadio.

TOPIC - Sports Wrap Up...co-hosted by DivaDee & OJ from In The Clutch

(347)215-7162

show link...http://tobtr.com/s/2455689

Don't miss it!!!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

12 RADIO



Tune in to 12 RADIO tonight at 9PM EST.

12 RADIO is the BEST and most interactive show on BlogTalkRadio.

TOPIC- The Black Family...Past & Present...

co-hosted by K Rock...don't miss it! Pass the word!

(347) 215-7162

http://tobtr.com/s/2338021

We'll discuss topics like...

1. Is the education system better now than it was when you were a kid? Why or why not?

2. In the 70s & 80s, what do you think were the major issues that black families faced?

3. Will you raise your children differently from the way that you were raised?

Monday, October 17, 2011

Charity Starts At Home



Charity Starts at Home

released 9-27-11


To say that that the solo debut album, Charity Starts at Home, was high anticipated...would be an understatement. One reason is because everyone wanted to see what Phonte Coleman would bring to the table. Many people knew Phonte from his rhyme spitting days as a member of the North Carolina bred hip hop trio, Little Brother. Others knew Phonte as a soulful singer from his musical wizardry as a member of The Foreign Exchange. Most people weren't really sure exactly what to expect from Phonte. But for those who are familiar with Phonte they knew one thing...expect the unexpected


1. Dance In The Reign (featuring Sy Smith) - produced by Swift D

Phonte begins the song by proclaiming sarcastically saying "Thank y'all so much, thank y'all for listening. It's Phontigga, and I do this all for HIP-HOP!" Then comically admits..."I'm lyin like shit, I do this shit for my goddamn mortgage, n*gga. My bills, fuck am I foolin?" Phonte proceeds to ride the Swift D produced track like the true rap veteran that he is. 'Tay then reminds us of who he is with...

This rap shit is not the life I live. It's a tool that I use, that's it
No great fortune to show for it but fortunate
that no one can say his life ain't his
Some might even say underachiever, 'cause they are not believers
That I don't want the world, but I done SEEN the world
And if you ever saw it, hell, you wouldn't want it either

2. The Good Fight - produced by 9th Wonder

Hip hop fans get a treat because this is one of four tracks that were produced by Phonte's former Little Brother group member, 9th Wonder. Although it has been years since we've heard the two together, we quickly learn that nothing has changed. Phonte still flows well over 9th Wonder's soulful sampled beats. Phonte addresses dealing with unemployment and struggling with today's issues...

Everybody prays for the day they see the light
but the light at the end of the tunnel is a train
$5 gas, and poverty rates
are rising much higher than your hourly rates
So if you thinkin 'bout quittin, you should probably wait
'cause err'ybody gotta do a fuckin job that they hate

And he also gets personal...

My single friends say "Tay, your family's beautiful"
I'm like, "If y'all n*ggas only knew what it cost me"
This shit don't come with no blueprints
and with every change it seems more like a game you could never win
I tell my peoples I ain't rich
but this harvest is the farthest from broke a n*gga ever been


3. Everything Is Falling Down featuring Jeanne Jolly - produced by Khrysis

Tigallo steps to the mic and rips this track to shreds. Great punchlines over a banging beat from Khrysis. Listening to this track reminds me of when he rhymed on Little Brother's first cd, The Listening...

He told me to peel, broke free of my deal
and left shackles, racin like Petty in the stock
Now he heavy on the block like guards and left tackles
See where I come from and, you and yours are up in arms
like gunrunners, and you are confronted
with, 99 problems and can't keep it 100
Then at the day's end you ain't really done nothin
I made a new lane for myself and said, "Fuck it"
Why Rage Against the Machine when you can just unplug it?

4. Not Here Anymore featuring Elzhi - produced by 9th Wonder

Another banger from 9th Wonder with a great sample from the song "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". This track features great verses by Phonte and Elzhi from Slum Village. While 'Tay & 'El aren't battling each other on the track, it is clear they bring out the best in each other.

Phonte

That's how I was gettin it, I don't need the limelight
That's young n*gga shit, I'm a O.G. and the G is for gentleman
Yes, Phontigga spit Amazon flame, watch 9th re-Kindle it
'cause I pad verses with the wisdom of my innocence lost
Two brothers, two peas in a pod
Two comeback seasons apart, take it back to when I be in the park
then rhyme 'til I couldn't see in the dark

Elzhi

I'm poetic while they po-thetic
I play they life like a movie and in the end, give 'em no credit
I was told to run it, so I grip the baton
and spit magic like it's pourin out the tip of a wand

5. Eternally featuring Median - produced by 9th Wonder

Another gem from Phonte. I slept on this track the first time that I heard it. Good to hear Phonte and Median go back and forth over another banger from 9th Wonder

New bread, new heat, n*gga toast up
No such thing as Tay without bars
That's like Pixar with no Cars
or seein a dark-skinned DeBarge, Helter Skelter
I'm suited for the game, y'all dressed for failure


6. Sending My Love - produced by Stro Eliot

This song begins with Phontigallo speaking wisdom to us...

Look... You know that so many people be askin me like,
"Man, how do you do it? How do you stay happy in love?"
Ehehe, I think it's really just a state of mind
I mean, I know single men that would kill for a home-cooked meal
I know, married men that'll kill for a quiet house
Haha shit it's just, it's just all depend on your perspective
Youknahmean? Ain't nothin' perfect

Tigallo uses this track to drop jewels on what men go through in relationships and that point we get to when we begin to look outside of the relationship...

Yo, my mind in another zone, and voice in another tone
Arguin about some shit rooted in some other shit
Long story short, it was a night that I ain't feel like comin home
So I hit the streets, to a couple places I ain't hit for weeks
Saw a pretty girl, kissed her cheek - mwah, say magnifique
She favored my ex, some harmless flirtin
A total diversion, but sometimes that's all
a nigga need to get from one day to the next
She's placin her bets, and payin respect
Next thing, we walkin out and I'm payin the check

Verse 2 gets a little deeper...

Here she goes again, I can feel her eyes closin in
It's like a rigged game, but how the fuck am I supposed to win?
The O.G. say, "Cheer up"
But wifey wants a scholar and a traveler
Hunter and a gatherer, and after I capture her
Now I gotta put MY spear up?
Man, I don't fear much
But the thought of losing her hits me in the tear ducts
Too much honesty ahead, get earplugs
Something in the way society rears us
Commitment wears us, out it tears us, apart
and makes us feel we don't need to
and that turns into "I don't need you"
People want what grandma and granddaddy had
But they ain't have options, n*gga, we do

Tigallo ends the song by having that subconscious moment that EVERY man has had when he's trying to decide if he should head home or stay in the streets...

Lemme just take it on, take it on to the house
C'mon, c'mon Tigallo, be strong
Be strong, Tigallo! Be strong, just take it home
I know she get on your nerves sometimes
But man, you got a good woman at home, man
Just go home, it-it-it's 'bout 4:30
Ain't nothin open this time of night but legs and hospitals




7. Ball And Chain - produced by Swift D

This is the track where Phonte answers the question..."Will he sing on this album?" Not only does he sing on this track...but the next 2 tracks after this. He shows his versatility on this cd. Not only can Phonte sing...but he SINGS. I don't think people truly understand how much effort it takes to rap on tracks and then to sing on others. Phonte has no problems balancing the two. He sings about the trials and tribulations of relationships...

She holds me down
She holds me up
She licks my wounds
then cuts me deep
She tells me stay
then plans to leave
She is my cure
and my disease

And it's all complicated
'cause I hate myself for feeling this way
These walls is to protect me, now they're closing in, yeah

[Chorus]
She keeps me so secure
Until I can't escape
So unpredictable
but it's all the same
So many nights I wish
I knew the moment when
your anchor turned into a ball and chain, baby


8. To Be Yours - produced by Zo & Phonte

Another soulful track that gives you a vision of Phonte sitting behind a piano...singing his heart away. This short interlude sounds like it could be on this album or a Foreign Exchange album. Good track, nonetheless.

9. Gonna Be A Beautiful Night featuring Carlita Durand - produced by S1 and Caleb

Brillant track. Very refreshing to hear songs that speak about love that show how people can communicate their true feelings.

10. We Go Off featuring Pharoah Monch - produced by Fatin

On this one, rappin 'Tay reappears. The first thing that jumps out is the beat. The pulsating beat had me thinking that it was done by 9th Wonder but it was done by Fatin. Great beat. Phonte and Pharoah Monch trade some hot verses on this track...

Yo, we go off
Say who go off? N*gga we go off
Flow fitted to a tee, dog I might go golf
On stage in all black, dog I might go goth
Say I might go floss, 'cause we go hard
I mean macro-hard, not Microsoft
Party time excellent, n*gga I might go Garth

11. The Life of Kings featuring Evidence & Big K.R.I.T - produced by 9th Wonder

Another gem. Phonte spits first and reminds folks..."It's a bad time to be a emcee if you ain't rhymin right". The song features a good verse from Evidence. Then Big K.R.I.T closes it with his verse...

Got a vision to be veteran
with a future brighter than a writer decifering light, by Thomas Edison
Plus you remind me of a derelict, relishin on relishments
Too busy throwin rocks at my thrown to find a chair to sit
I'm the type of King you'll probably see Coretta with
Country-bred, country-raised, and intelligent
Rose bud lifestyle and yours is petalless

12. Who Loves You More featuring Eric Roberson - produced by E Jones

Classic and insightful track. The first verse finds 'Tay rhyming about a man who's woman goes through his phone and finds text messages from his ex(s). 'Tay reminds the fellas...

The allure of new pussy is cool but when it's over what the fuck you got to talk about?

Verse 2 finds Tigallo getting deep and personal...

My cousin hit me up and said he had to post bail again
‘Cuz my brother back in jail again
Back in that slave ship ‘cuz he tried to sell again
And all that’s going through my mind is ‘how the fuck am I failing him?’
These young’ns want all of the spoils but none of the toils
Got me climbing the walls
Too good to press olives but’ll be the first squeaky wheel asking for oil
I’ve been at it for 10 years, ‘what the fuck is you on?’
Had me frustrated like, ‘what the fuck do you want?’
He come to me for answers but I don’t know what to tell ‘em
Part bad parenting, part youthful rebellion
He wanna buy a dream but I don’t know what to sell him, shit
They say the streets turn n*ggas into sinners
But them jail cells be turning n*ggas into dinner
So they sing in the summer, be home by the winter
Interrogation room be turning n*ggas into tenors
And he’s no singer, but put him on the block, he got that perfect pitch
I just want him to understand that you work for this
You can win or you lose
But it’s either me or the streets and brother you gotta choose
Love

Verse 3...Tay finishes the masterpiece

Gotta room with a microphone and all this time
I just sat by the window and looked inside
Didn't like what I found. But you win or you lose
Make a living or have a life...guess that I gotta choose
One...


I got a room and a microphone
And a family I ain't seen in months
And I played this record a million times
Just hoping you'd play it once
Break bread with your fellow man
Show love but look out for your heart
And always take care of home, because home is where charity starts



For 43 minutes, this album captures you and takes you on a journey. Phonte shows that he could rap and sing...or sing and rap...for as long as he wants. He has created some great music. Charity Starts At Home is a album that doesn't give you stories of mafia drug tales, shootouts, nor shoutouts to every clothing and liquor companies. It gives you a man...and emcee...who bears his soul. He offers words, thoughts, and opinions that most can relate to. I heard Phonte say in an interview that this album "wasn't for everybody". His words really didn't make sense until I heard this album. It's not for the average rap listeners who are watching thrones and are consumed with who is dissing who. Instead of telling you this is "grown folks rap", I'll tell you that this IS hip hop. This album won't sell a million records. And it probably won't win any "pseudo awards". This album reminds us all that every has a place at hip hop's table. Fortunately, Phonte is one of the few emcees who have a solidified spot at the table

4.5 mics (out of 5)











Thursday, October 13, 2011

the father/daughter bond


Never underestimate a strong bond.

I am fully aware of the strong bond between parents and their children.

More specifically, the bond between a mother and her son. I don't have to look far to take note of it because I can see it in the bond that I have with my mother. The bond between a man and his mother is a special one. I've seen it develop in my own house as my wife has a strong bond with each of our 3 sons.





Now there is a new bond in my life. Three weeks ago today, my daughter was born. I had been told by my friends about how I should prepare myself to have my world turned upside down. And it has. As I look at her, I daydream. I understand that this bond must grow and our relationship must be cultivated. I am the first man that will ever love her. I am the man who has to show her what a REAL MAN is. I will always be Superman in Skyler's eyes. I am the measuring stick by which ALL men will be measured. If she saw me sloppy drunk, high, or smacking around her mother...what kind of impact would that have on her life? I have to give her...LOVE, DISCIPLINE, & an EXAMPLE to follow.



I can't help but look at her little face and wonder about what she'll be talking about 5 yrs from now. I wonder about how she'll handle her first day of kindergarten. I think about her painting a picture of me as a "stick figure". I can also see her becoming a young woman. I envision that moment when she has her first menstrual cycle. I see the awkward moment when she'd rather hang out at the mall with her friends instead of watching the football game with her dad. Then, there will be the moment when some lil snot nosed punk calls my house and wants to talk to her. I see it all. Clothing trends. Hairdos. Nails getting done. I see the day that I drop her off at college. Then I see day that I walk her down the aisle.I have envisioned it all

It's a new journey for me. The girls who I dated and the ones with whom I was friends with didn't really have fathers around. I mean, there was a few...but not many. I never remember going to a girl's house and being grilled by her father. Growing up, I remember having a female friend who has the perfect daughter/father relationship. Her father would take her on dates! In a sense, he laid the blueprint for her as to how she's supposed to be treated by a man. I had another friend who worshipped the ground that her DADDY walked on. She told me that she would often say to herself "I can't do that...my DADDY would kill me". I used to tease her about her DADDY but deep down I loved their relationship. I want Skyler to feel the same way about me one day. I want her to grow to be self sufficient and independent. She will not want for anything...me and her brothers will see to that. I want her to be a strong black woman. I call her the princess because one day she will be a queen...not a baby momma.

Children are a gift from God that are loaned to us. I pray that I have Skyler for 100 yrs. She hasn't been here long and I've already been planning her life! LOL.

More importantly, I can never lose sight of how strong our bond is and I must do whatever I can to keep it that way.






Wednesday, October 12, 2011

12 RADIO


Tune in to 12 RADIO tonight at 9PM EST.

12 RADIO is the BEST and most interactive show on BlogTalkRadio.

TOPIC- Dating 107...The Good & The Bad...

co-hosted by ShellyShell & Diggame...don't miss it! Pass the word!

(347) 215-7162


show link...http://tobtr.com/s/2312401

We'll cover topics such as...

1. What are some postives about today's dating scene?

2. Should the person that you're dating ever meet your ex? Why or why not?

3. Do you think your past dating experiences hinder or help you as you date now?

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

off tha dome


random thoughts...

guess who has jury duty this month but doesn't want to go??? *sigh*

i was almost selected once for jury duty but i wasn't selected. wonder what i can do to get out of it? maybe i'll yell..."he's guilty, son!"

Prez O has a whoooole lotta gray hair in his head. but his hair is kinda wavy. you think he rocks a stocking cap at night before he goes to bed?

i hear people talking about how much they hate the "new" facebook but i haven't heard ONE person say that they are gonna delete their facecbook acct.

remember the first time you were in church and saw someone "catch the Holy Ghost"? i didn't know if i should run or smack that lady

george lopez ain't funny

went to church the other day & a dude was BLASTING 2Pac in the parking lot. *blank stare*

Ask B Nice who he came to see at the Eagles/Falcons game???





first tv crushes...Tootie & Penny Gordon/Charlene Jackson

Troy Davis death will not go in vain. let's make sure that this never happens again

remember when we used to "pencil fight" in school?

raise ya hand if you had to come in the house when the street lights came on! *raises hand*

please stop calling him Matty Ice. until he wins a big game and a playoff game...his name is Matthew T. Ryan

funny to see ESPN work a Lebron clip into the highlights. let it go

i hate when people hit "reply all" to an email that was forwarded to you

there was always that one kid in your class in school who never got into trouble. not because he was good. it was because he didn't want his momma to come up to school and show out & embarrass him!

fellas...always wear an undershirt...especially with a dress shirt

ladies...never tell your friends what your man does behind closed doors...one day they will want to see for themselves.

The Eagles "dream" season is now a nightmare

follow me on twitter @12kyle

Sarah Pale-Lynn is smarter than i thought she was...she decided not to run for president. i wouldn't let her lead the Girls Scouts

Steve Jobs...thank you for your innovations!

tell the truth...you thought all HBCUs were like Hillman College (A Different World)





that new Phonte cd is coooooooold

ladies...can you go back to being "just friends" after sleeping with a guy?

fellas...why do you call a chick a "b*tch or h*e" AFTER she doesn't give you her number? was she a "b*tch or h*e" when you asked her for the digits

twitter gets news faster to you than cnn does

i don't wobble. don't electric slide. don't cha cha slide. but i've got a meaaaaaan 2step!

shout out to one of the 1st cats to bling on tv...Sweet Daddy Williams












Thursday, October 6, 2011

how sweet it is to be single


Religion

It's something that I've RARELY mention in the 4 yrs that I've had this blog. I don't talk about religion for my own personal reasons. I am a spiritual person and I see no need to impose my beliefs on you. These are mine. And you have yours.

Today will be different. Kinda...

I want to share with you some exerpts from a FUNNY sermon that I heard this past Sunday at my church. The title of the sermon was...HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE SINGLE

One thing that the pastor made clear that is universal...everybody has been or is single. Some have been single...married...then single. Others have been single...married...single...then married again. He tied the sermon to the bible verses, I Corinthians 7:27,28 ,32-35. One thing that I learned from the sermon is that it's ok to be single. Enjoy being single and you'll have no regrets.

HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE SINGLE

1. The ability to serve the Lord without marital FRUSTRATION makes being single sweet. (verses 27 & 28)

"Art thou bound unto a wide? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin (meaning someone who has not been married) marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you."

TRANSLATION

Are you married? Stay married. Are you unmarried? Don't get married. But there's certainly no sin in getting married, whether you're a virgin or not. All I am saying is that when you marry, you take on additional stress in an already stressful time, and I want to spare you if possible

2. The ablilty to serve the Lord without marital OBLIGATIONS makes being single sweet (verses 32-24)

"But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how many he please the Lord. But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy in both body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband"

TRANSLATION

I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you're unmarried, you're free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all of the nuts and bolts of domestic life and wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands of your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God.

3. The ability to serve the Lord without marital DISTRACTIONS makes being single sweet (verse 35)

"And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction."

TRANSLATION

I'm trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.

So you could avoid FRUSTRATION, OBLIGATION, and DISTRACTIONS by staying single?!!?

Hmm...

Now who wants to get married????

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

12 RADIO



Tune in to 12 RADIO tonight at 9PM EST.

12 RADIO is the BEST and most interactive show on BlogTalkRadio.

TOPIC- Hip Hop 104...cohosted by CRecks & Eclectik...

Don't miss it!

show link...http://tobtr.com/s/2286573