I Have A Podcast Now. Go Check It Out!

I know some of you are wondering where I went, or better yet, why there's 4 new posts here today in the midst of the typical cavalcade of ads. Well, you'll be happy to know that I'm gonna try (keyword: try) to revive the blog, and I've also got a podcast that I started with the homies UppityNegro and RiPPa, both of whom have contributed to the blog in the past.

It's called Three Brothers And A Mic, and if I must say so myself, it's pretty darn good. You can catch it on Stitcher and iTunes. Subscribe, leave comments, and hit us up.

Mama, I'm In The Paper. (Again)

While the Washington Post usually grabs a quote here and there from this blog for their Express Newspaper, I'm actually pretty honored to say I was interviewed for a story that runs in today's print edition.

No, it has nothing to do with my blogging, but rather a Tweet I made after watching an amazing play during a baseball game the other night. Post writer Dan Steinberg, one of my favorite bloggers BTW, reached out to me for further comment. The rest, as they say, is fit for print. Or something like that.

My quotes aside, it's a pretty good article, BTW. Go have a look.

Washington Nationals fans begin to ask: Could this be our year? [WashPost]

The AverageBro Show™ - Episode Seven.

It's been a minute, but we're back at it again.

On this episode of The AverageBro Show™, Jay talks about George Zimmerman's poorly thought out interview with Sean Hannity, and two epic rants about people in low wage dead end jobs. Music by Dredd Scott, Charles Hamilton, and Dusty McFly.



As always, retweet and download responsibly.

The AverageBro Show™ - Episode Six.

In this episode, AB talks about his Justin Combs/UCLA story that went Reuters, his appearance on ESPN, and a crazy rant about Home Depot checkout folks. Music by Nas, Kaze, and Jay-Z.


As always, retweet and download responsibly.

My 15 Minutes Of Unexpected Infamy: Diddy's Kiddies, Reuters, And How Sensational News Stories Get Made.

Wow, what a day.

I'm still off the Day Job on paternity leave, but when my old AOL BlackVoices editor asked me to write a contrarian piece for The Grio about Diddy's son Justin Combs receiving a football scholarship to UCLA, I said, why not? Baby girl was sleeping. I can write snarky pieces about pop culture fluff in my sleep. The money was good. Sign me up.

The piece went up the next day and got a lot of comments, which I figured would bode well for my goal of getting more freelance work in the future. With 3 mouths to feed and a wife with a Master's Degree in Internet Shopping, I need the money. Let's get it!

A couple of days later, something really weird happened. I took a long nap after dropping my son off at school, and when I woke up, my Twitter timeline, email, and voicemail were blowin' up.

Strangely, my (admittedly fluff) piece had been picked up by Reuters and used as the basis for a larger story about the blowback UCLA was taking for giving the kid the scholarship. Mind you, my Grio piece wasn't saying the kid didn't deserve the scholarship, just that since his family can afford the scholarship, he should walk on, and free up the athletic scholarship for another player. Basically, take one for the team (since you can afford it) and make the team stronger since they get a 2-for-1 deal. Whatever. That's all, and honestly, I didn't even care that much about the issue.

But it goes without saying that when a major news organization picks up your opinion piece and uses it to prove a pointness point, then someone actually does care about the issue.

I don't typically quote news stories this heavily, but sheeeit, my name's in the damn story. I sorta feel entitled.

Justin Dior Combs, whose father topped a Forbes list of hip hop's wealthiest this year with a net worth estimated at $550 million, comes to the California school from the private, Catholic Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, New York.

The younger Combs' scholarship to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, and play on the football team will provide $54,000 a year toward his education, with that money coming from what the athletic program generates, not from taxpayers, the school said.

That has not stopped some critics from questioning whether the money might not be better spent.

The younger Combs, in response to a CNN story about his scholarship, took to Twitter on Tuesday to say that he earned the scholarship. "Regardless what the circumstances are, I put that work in!!!! PERIOD," he wrote.

"Regardless of what you do in life every1 is gonna have their own opinion," Combs, who played in nationwide high school all-star game in Arizona in January, said in a follow-up post.

UCLA said in a statement that unlike need-based scholarships for academics, the school's sports scholarships are awarded strictly on the basis of athletic ability.

"Athletic scholarships, such as those awarded to football or basketball players, do not rely on state funds," UCLA said. "Instead, these scholarships are entirely funded through UCLA Athletics ticket sales, corporate partnerships, media contracts and private donations from supporters."

UCLA hands out about 285 full athletic scholarships each year.

At the NBC News opinion website TheGrio.com, blogger Jay Anderson asked whether paying for his son's education should be the obligation of the elder Combs.

"By taking a scholarship that he earned, but could likely afford on his own, (Justin) Combs is taking a spot away from a player who might elect to go elsewhere ... which in theory would hurt the team as a whole," Anderson wrote.

Fast forward a bit. The story's been covered on CNN, ESPN, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and the Huffington Post. People as diverse as Russell Simmons, Dick Vitale, and Roland Martin all weighed in, all disagreeing with my point. Heck, even Diddy's Kid himself took to Twitter to (indirectly) bash me.

And then, I got asked to go on ESPN Radio Los Angeles to discuss my PoV on the Mason & Ireland Show, which I did. The appearance went well. I stuck to my central argument (2-for-1, makes the team better) and even referenced other examples where kids of means decided to walk-on, rather than take up a spot, for the good of the team. Of course, this being talk radio and all, as soon as I hung up the hosts sorta flipped the script on me, and accordingly, caller after caller dialed in and ripped me a new one for being "jealous" and "hating hip hop". I can't say I didn't know what I was getting into, so I'm not mad. It's whatever.

So, what did I learn from all this?

Be careful what you write, even when it's lighthearted, because you might have to defend it at some point.

It musta been a sloooow news day at Reuters.

News travels fast in cyberspace. Really fast.

People sure get worked up about that amounts to nothing. I mean, seriously, do a Google or Twitter search on this. It's pretty astounding.

My skin's much thicker than I thought.

Sports talk radio is all about sensationalism and keeping ears glued, even when the topic of convo isn't all that important. At all.

Man, am I glad don't go by my government name on the internets. Very glad.

All in all, a weird, weird day.

Question: What do you think? Did I hold my own on the radio? Does it bug you that a supposedly reputable news organization can take two lines from an opinion piece and turn it into a story "embroiled in a firestorm"?!?

Look Mama, I'm In The Paper!!! (Again)

The Washington Post Express newspaper seemed to like last week's post about the new Obama "Forward" campaign slogan.

Go peep that.

The AverageBro Show - Episode Five.

In this episode, AB talks about the Trayvon Martin case, Mitt Romney's strange appeal to win female voters, and takes some questions from the AverageBro Show MailBag. Music by Kanye West, Median, and Cash' Out.


As always, retweet and download responsibly.

AB On The Hip Hop Digest Show.

I had the opportunity this weekend to head to the studio and chop it up with my dudes Kurt G, DJ King Killa, and E. Green on The Hip Hop Digest Show. Also on this episode, my main man Leon X.

We shoot the breeze about Mary J. Blige's embarassing BK commerical, Diggy Simmons' strange beef with J. Cole, Young Jeezy's misguided comments on the Trayvon Martin case, and much much more. And oh yeah, there's some great hip hop too. The episode ends with one of my 10 favorite tracks of all time. Of all time.

As always, this show features (slightly boozy) adults using adult language, so cop the headphones already.

Hip-Hop Digest Show 214

The AverageBro Show - Episode Four.

It's been a minute, but we're back at it again.

On this episode of The AverageBro Show, AB talks about President Obama's Keystone Pipeline flip-flop, the Trayvon Martin case, and public officials who can't speak proper English. This episode features music by CrossRhodes, KMD, and A$AP Rocky.


As always, retweet and download responsibly.

Mama, I'm In The Paper (Again)!!!

This morning's Washington Post Express paper included a quote from yesterday's Breitbart piece. If you wanna check that out, go here.

Since I don't ride the Metro regularly, I always miss these, so extra special thanks to my main man Marrio P for sending this is.

The AverageBro Show - Episode Three.

And we're baaacck.

On this episode of The AverageBro Show, AB talks about Rick Santorum's ignorant remarks about college, Jaheim's hideous royal blue suit and the price of fame, and MTV's bogus "Hottest Emcees" List. Music by The Mountain Brothers, Little Brother, and E40.


Retweet and download responsibly.

The AverageBro Show - Episode Two

And we're baaacck.

On the this episode of The AverageBro Show, AB discusses the 2012 election, Jeremy Lin's surprising emergence in the NBA, and vents about lazy CVS pharmacy workers.[1] This episode includes music by Casual, Phonte, and Lil' Webbie.


Retweet and download responsibly.

[1] Somehow, this rant got cut short. I didn't realize it until I'd uploaded the podcast and deleted the original audio file. Anyways, it didn't end well, and by the time I was finally done, an hour later, the line was literally at the door. Cool story, bro.

The AverageBro Show - Episode One.

Okay, so I just said "eff it, let's do a podcast!"

On the first episode of The AverageBro Show, AB vents about Caucasian History Month in Arizona, The Annoyance Of Kiddie Birthday Parties, and LCD Rap Music's Purpose. The episode also features music by J. Cole, Sa-Ra, and Future. Retweet and download responsibly.



Enjoy.

Things I Strongly Dislike: Kiddie Birthday Parties.

Hey, have you ever had the insatiable urge to need to hear my voice?[1] Do you also dislike kiddie birthday parties? If you answered yes on both, or neither accounts, this is your lucky day.[2]

I'm now doing audio blogs via SoundCloud. Not really sure how often I'll do this, but if the response is favorable, I might make this a regular feature. Anyways, listen to my whiny rant below, and chime in you-know-where.



Question: Do you also find yourself largely annoyed with kiddie birthday parties? Should I keep audioblogging, or does my voice annoy you to no end?

[1] BTW, if you missed the relevance of the caption on the photo above, clearly you slept through 10th grade English. And yes, a pox upon YOUR house for that one.

[2] Yes, that is my son talking in the background. Yes, I realize I sound like a bit of a jerk for telling him to chill out. It happens. He had his earphones on and was watching a DVD in the backseat, so he was being a real trooper, all things considered. So, he really didn't hear much of Daddy's rant.

AB.com Open Mic Monday.

Busy day. Here's your open mic. Speak on it. Here's some stuff to chew on...

Obama's Tax-The-Rich Plan - Released this weekend. Has about a much a chance of passing as I do signing an NBA contract.

Money Mayweather - Got a drop on this on the site already. Redirect your comments there.

Syracuse and Pitt join the ACC - Don't see how this helps the conference's football profile. Basketball-wise, eventually having 16 teams is only going to muddy the waters.

NFL Sunday - Redskins eke out victory to go to 2-0. Vick loses in return to ATL. Is Cam Newton the real deal? Can the Patriots be stopped?!?

Mass Appeal - I got name-dropped in the Chicago Examiner. Thought that was sorta cool.

Question: What's on your mind today?

AB.com Hot Topics - 7.19.11

Here's the daily rundown.

Debt Ceiling Manuvering - At this point, who knows how this thing will be resolved? And who cares? What's increasingly obvious is that the GOP is willing to punt on working with Obama on a deal, simply because they want rich people to keep their hard-earned tax cuts, even if it means the country going into default. Call me nuts, but $3T in decreased spending in return for $1T in tax cuts seems like a fair deal where I come from. Then again, this clearly isn't about the deficit. Or tax cuts. Or spending. This is all about November 2012. If you had any doubts about the GOP's true motives, there you have it.

NFL Lockout - Looks like both sides have struck a deal, and the season will be spared. I guess this is good, since it means we'll have pro football in the Fall. On the flipside, it makes the NBA's labor strife look that much more pathetic.

News Corp Hacking Scandal - Maybe I'm the only one, but it's hard to feign interest in this scandal until I see some link to News Corp/Fox News in the US. As is, a bunch of Brits having their cell phones hacked by a tabloid simply isn't interesting on any level.

AB On The Hip Hip Digest Show - I was in studio for the taping of my favorite podcast over the weekend. Go have a listen.

Question: What do you think about these issues?

The Top 11 Most Ridiculous GOP Campaign Moments (So Far).

Go read my latest piece over at The Atlanta Post. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like.

Note: Please do not comment on this story here!!! Leave comments over there.

The Top 11 Most Ridiculous GOP Campaign Moments (So Far) [Atlanta Post]

I'm Taking My Talents To Bankhead.

As many of you know, I haven't been freelancing since the merger of the Huffington Post and AOL resulted in my fine editor Alexis Garrett Stodghill being let go. Thanks a lot, Arianna.

Anyways, you'll be happy to know that great editors always land on their feet, and Alexis is now at The Atlanta Post. You'll be happier to know that she decided to bring me along for the ride, so I'll be contributing pieces here and there on my usual topics of politics and sports. Since the Post has slightly higher (okay, much higher) journalistic standards than AB.com, you'll probably notice my writing voice is a lot less jokey jokey and a bit more serious in tone.

Anyways, my first story, a recap of last night's dreadfully boring CNN GOP Debate is up right now. You can follow my stories via that cool ATL Post icon on the left sidebar.

- Jay

AverageBro Does The Hip Hop Digest

As ya'll know, one of my favorite shows is The Hip Hop Digest, which I've plugged mercilessly here on the blog. It's an entertaining weekly show where relevant topics in the world of hip hop are discussed in a roundtable "Crossfire"-like format. It's also a great way to get turned on to new artists you might have never heard before.

Hosts E Green, King Killa B, and Curt G invited me on this weekend to discuss the Common vs Conservatives kerfuffle, why Jay-Z and Kanye's mega-album probably won't ever see the light of day, and whether or not Prodigy's manufactured persona is actually par for the course in hip-hop.

If you've never listened to this show, or had the pleasure of listening to my geeky voice, download this episode here. Be forewarned if you've got sensitive ears or work in a cubicle, you might wanna cop the headphones first. You're about to hear some grown men using unsavory language.

Kings of Comedy: The Republican Presidential Candidate Field of 2012.

After a brief hiatus, I've got a new piece over at TheLoop21 today about the prospects for 2012. Go have a look and leave some comments.

[Editor's Note: Just in case you were wondering, I'm not writing for AOL BlackVoices anymore. When the Hufffington Post/AOL merger finally took root, it resulted in a number of (hardworking, dedicated, and brilliant) staff editors being let go. While I'm sure Arianna is happy to use this money on a new yacht, unfortunately my main connect was a casualty of these layoffs, leaving me with no real person there to peddle my freelance pieces to. Obviously I'm much more concerned about her (she lost her Day Job, I just lost some extra walking-around money) than I am with my predicament. I'm still working on establishing a new contact at BV, but these things move slowly. If anyone (still) over there justsohappens to be reading this, get at me.]

-Jay