EYE OF THE STORM....

Growing up... all I wanted to ever do was play in the rain....

Fully Grown, now it seems... in life, I remain in the pain...


Ain't changing the game..driving a Range...damn... sometimes it 's sooo tuff..


In the eye of the storm...outside of da norm...why these winds be blowin' so ruff


This is no bluff.. lookin down at the hand I'm holdin'.... it's not great... Cuz I'm....poker faced in


dispair.... with a.... small pair, and the dealer just flopped a "nut straight"...


Damn !!!!!







That was just a freestyle that I made up for this blog.. Me and my boy, French, was flowing to J Dilla this past weekend, to one of the illest beats I've heard from the Late, Great, Producer... Glamour Sho(75)... and if he's reading this... which I'm sure he is... French knows that was was getting grimy on the beat like we already had a deal. I was reminded of how much I got love for my homeboys...seriously. We have been together as a crew since we was like 3-4 years old and that's all the way 100 honest. I mean, we all went to the same daycare together... We rep the same area of town we grew up in, MECHANICSVILLE, (OB, Baby)... we've been in fights together, we've been in fights with other people... we stood up to the neighborhood bullies who tried to pick on us, we laughed at the haters who were jealous of our bond...





We've experienced the death of my parents, the birth of my and Calvin, and Jon's and Mason's sons. The death of Jon's first son, the death of Mason's father...and a lot more. True Friends.... aren't easy to come by and while I type this listening to "BE ALRIGHT" by my favorite group, Foreign Exchange(yes, I'mma always plug these guys) I'm smiling. My favorite MC in the world currently, PHONTE, of Little Brother and lead vocalist and Spitta of Foreign Exchange, talks on the intro, and this is why I love Phonte and believe he is truly gifted as an artist... Everytime he spits... I feel exactly what he's saying... It's no wonder this album is called, "CONNECTED" because it connects to me... Super Producer, NICOLAY(Betta Man from the Netherlands) is the other half of the group and his creativity and amazing ear, and imagination on the boards, embraces Phonte's words with the strength of an old school box style Lincoln town car...( I used to drive one and it was like a tank...French, remember when I ran into the pole at Headliners when we was buttered off Jimmy Beam???).





I love that album, and when I first heard Be Alright.... It hit me like, "Oh Snap... I gotta hear that again, and again, and again.." I think I played it like 5 times in a row before I went to the next song...



On the intro, Phonte says.... "





I know, I know how it can be somtimes...youknowwhatImsayin??? When you feel like, youknowhwhatImsayin...like, you know when you feel like it's nobody you can turn to...or when it's, shyt starts getting real out here... I know how it is man... We can identify with that shyt for real....Since yall know it's going to be okay...yaknowImmean??? It's goin be alright.... TROUBLE DONT LAST ALWAYS...Ya Mean?"





SideBar-----Then he spits one of his classic verses... I mean... I am including the link to the video... WATCH IT. This is from like 2004 and it's so much better than the bullshyt out today...



It's that last part, the trouble don't last always, that perked my ears up the first time I heard it and it became stored away in my mental roledex to be contacted at a later date....The later date was today. It's something that people say, in many different forms and connotations, but the utter and simple truth is that it's exactly right... Trouble don't always last. However, knowing that the end of the storm will eventually come.... doesn't always comfort you when you are within those winds... Remember when the disciples were with Jesus on the boat and they were all of a sudden awakened by a massive storm..where the winds and water were crashing upon their small vessel and they were all afraid and worried..and Jesus was in sleepy land, thinking about feeding the 5,000 and cheesin' like he was going to get the last piece of chicken and cornbread from Grandma's house??? I'm sure you do...





Can you recall what Jesus said???? 5 seconds....I'm going to have to know if that's your final answer???? LOL... Well, I'm sure many of you do...at least you know the part of the statement which is what he said to the storm.... "Peace, Be still." It's something about what he said..AFTER he calmed the winds and the waves that is on my mind... "Why were you afraid... Where is your faith?" In virtually every aspect of our exsistence, and some point, we will have storms... Now, I know you remember the blog, OVER THE MOUNTAIN??? Yeah, I liked that one too... but this is a wee bit different. See, in OVER THE MOUNTAIN, I wanted to express the actual movement toward a goal... toward the completion of a task...Toward growth in both your mind and your spirit.





Over the mountain was about YOU moving..... Eye of the storm is written to remind you about GOD moving. My sister...man... She's incredible.... I love her so much...She's held me down since I was a small, big headed, nappy headed, buck tooth, lil boy to now that I've grown into a fine, sexy, piece of visual stimulation... (Don't hate...you lucky you ain't seen the new pics and videos of the workouts..) But back to my sister.... I wouldn't trade her for the entire world... and she knows how I am.... Brandon is a super duper thinker and she even tells me, "As smart as you are... how come you struggle to remember the simple lessons we was taught growing up..." She knows me... I always think within a storm... Worst case Scenario... and I try to cut things off at the pass, often to my own demise because I think that I'm talented enough, and smart enough to do it... Time and time again, she reminds me as well as life reminds me.... I am not.





I'm in a mini storm right now...dealing with some iddish that I'm sure many of you probably can relate to. Relationships with certain people, thoughts of financial comfort, future aspects of things...etc. But it's this verse that I awoke with on my heart after my sister was sending me a series of text messages last night reminding me not to be discouraged. I have to ask myself from time to time... Where is my faith? See, like the disciples, I rip and run and try to stop the water from coming into my own personal boat...



I attempt to keep the winds from blowing my sails away... but to no avail, my efforts go in vain... If you are like me, then it is within the storm that you have to seek the answer as to why.. It's because there are times where God wants you to move....and there are times where He wants you to "BE STILL." It's much easier, In my humble opinion, to move rather than be still. Because when you are still, it reminds you just how little control you really have over your own life in many situations.





I couldn't control the fact my Water Heater busted a few weeks ago... but it did. That's part of life... Things occur. Luckily, I had the money to get it repaired, even if it did set me back a little bit. The belt on my car broke...and now I'm without my ride until probably Friday...and at first I was pissed and agitated and angry because it seems like it's one thing after another. Like you only get ahead to shortly be kicked right back to where you were.... Like you just won a big hand at poker only to get caught in a bluff with a small pair and the dealer has a "nut straight" When it seems like the harder you push, the more you grind, the faster you sink into the quicksand...the more problems and pitfalls you accumulate...the more you wail and flap your arms in the water... the faster you sink... It's those times, where you have to know... It's not the season for you to go over the mountain.... It's time for you to Be Still.





To open your ears... To listen, to shut off your fear and worry and apprehension and remember to take God at His word. To remember who He is and that He is bigger than your storm. The Disciples, after Jesus spoke and calmed the winds, were amazed....and they whispered amongst each other... "Who is this man that even the winds obey him?" No matter how much you prepare, or how much you plan, or panic, Storms are going to come...and when they do, remember where to go and what to do... When you are in your storm....and your behind on your rent, and your car payment is late...or you are struggling to find a job, or struggling with your own inner issues, and you feel as if the winds are blowing too hard and that there is no end to the raging Waves that crash all around you, and your boat is rocking to and fro....take a deep breath. Remember, as a believer, who you belong to...





Remember the promises, and clutch onto them with all the life you have in you.... My friends, if the storm flattens you to the ground...remember... All you need is the strength to get to your knees...and once you are there... Remember... Peace is there for you, if you remember to Be Still. I know you have so much that relies on you, so many that depend on you, but remember... Be Still.... Your kids are having issues and you are struggling to find out what and why... Be still. People are turning their backs on you and hating on you.... Be Still. Bills are due and you may not know if you going to have all the money to pay them.... Be Still and let God do what He does...Return the raging waters of your life back into Calm seas.





This is the Middle Finger..... Being Still.... cuz actually, It's the only move I got left.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD0zoziotU0&feature=PlayList&p=E7A19862939DC265&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6