Friday, October 30, 2009

FREE SHYNE!!

Many of you are familiar with the rapper Shyne whose raspy delivery catapulted him to the top of the charts during the mid 1990's. But the most important thing that you do remember about him is the fact he was sentenced to ten years in prison from an incident that occured in 1999 in Club New York. Shyne was charged with criminal possession of weapon and wreckless endangerment for the shooting that left several people injured. He was accompanied by Sean Combs during that time and apparently he was charged as well but his case was separated from Shyne's leaving Shyne to fend for his self. Shyne was the kind of person that rode for the people he rolled with and industry insiders claimed the incident was started by none other than Sean Combs. Out of desperation to save his friend from unruly patrons, Shyne did what he thought he had to do to back a friend. Only thing is he didnt get the same backing when his life was on the line. How many times have you heard of situations like this? His loyalty was put to the test and he showed his self worth. Its an unfortunate situation that happened and noone glorifies what transpired. I know he wished he used better judgment that night. I'm pretty sure he has a sour taste in his mouth after what occurred. Only the strong survive in a land where loyalty is no longer a priority out here. Loyalty is used very loosely these days where people are only looking out for themselves. But yet, so many people forget about what really transpired as if it never happened. Shyne has since been released from prison after serving a good portion of nine and a half years. Following his release, he was detained by Immigration pending his deportation status to his native land Belize. Teaming up with Professor Ogiltree from Harvard, Shyne awaits the United States decision of granting him citizenship. Although he was raised in the United States as a child, he is not considered a legal resident here. I never understood why the government uses our tax dollars to keep a man in prison only to deport them once their sentence is completed. Why couldn't they deal with this for the past nine years since he's been Suspended In Time? Why wait now? They had plenty of time to address this issue. I feel bad for him because now he has another battle to fight. There are alot of people who don't want to see him come back. I truly hope he gets another chance to become a citizen of the United States because Brooklyn is his home and we will always welcome his return. I hope he keeps his grass cut because when the grass is cut in the morning, only then will the snakes reveal themselves.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

THE INDUSTRY

I just wanted to share with you my experiences within the industry of what so many people long for and have yet to fully comprehend. There are alot of people that aspire to be superstars and pursue their dreams of becoming America's Next Great Talent. There's alot of hard work and dedication that comes along with the price of fame. Many people who rooted for you when you didnt have a dime in your pocket are the same ones who are just glad you can provide access to them to backstage. They're still groupies, then you have the ones that weren't there from day one and want to be around you now that you got something good going. I've never been the type of person to change on anyone and consider myself to be well grounded in all aspects of life. I've stood next to people who consider theirselves to be icons and I see the look on their eyes as if they wanted to trade places with me. You'd be suprized! Seventy five percent of the industry is nothing but a bunch of backstabbers, cutthroats, and people you would rather not associate with on a daily basis. When all the smoke clears, you see for people for who they truly are. I keep a small circle of friends around me that I know I can trust. I don't socialize with everyone and would rather not because everyone comes with baggage. It takes years to cultivate a meaningful relationship, but these days people forget about that opting to settle. They compromise personal beliefs because the person they're rolling with can get them in the All Access Parties or the VIP treatment. Now this person becomes their best friend all of a sudden. I don't believe in all that, my friendship can not be bought. If you ride with me then I'm down with you, its just that simple.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

ART IMITATING REAL LIFE

I wanted to speak on something which I find a little disturbing and has been becoming a trend in the past few years. Alot of rappers have fallen victim to weapons possession charges and being Suspended In Time for their actions. Alot of these rappers don't have any real reason to feel threatened and if so this why you hire security who has the right to carry weapons. You cant take it upon yourself or think that your above the law because your not. We've seen the same thing happen to T.I. who is currently behind bars for a year. Recently, Lil Wayne has been charged for an incident that occured in 2007 in New York. Cops raided his tour bus when he had a performance at the Beacon Theater and used a special DNA procedure to tie the gun to him. I guess he was under the impression that his gun license applies to all states like Plaxico Burress did. These dudes know damn well if they do have a gun license, it doesnt apply for other cities. Each city has its own rules and laws. What applies in Jersey doesn't apply in New York and what applies in New York doesn't apply in New Orleans. I guess their advisors didn't inform them of that little detail. I think alot of times these rappers try so hard to emulate this thug image that they allow their ignorance to supercede their intelligence. When art imitates real life then that's a serious problem. How can you be that neglectful and lack knowledge to the point where you put yourself in a predicament to be placed in prison for something that could've been avoided. If you need to carry a gun into a night club, then you probably don't need to frequent that club. If you need to bring a gun on your tour bus, then you need to hire real security. Its unfortunate all these talented young men have to sit behind bars for their actions, but hopefully they'll have time to reflect on their situation while they're there and come out a better person.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

COMPETITION IS NONE

Why is that everywhere you turn there's a competition? I find it strangely odd that the media perpetuates this behavior and most of us feed into it for our own selfish entertainment. We are entertained by rappers having beef with each other. We love to watch Maury and see two baby mothers compete over a man that's no longer in their lives. I can go on and on, but where does this competitive nature come from? Is this innate or something that is conditioned? I have never seen so much competition in a world where every man has the right to create a lane for themselves to be successful. I particularly see this becoming a trend within the hip hop community and now its trickling down to R&B artists. I mean theres competition in everything, from politics, church, to your local grocery store. I don't see the relevance in people hating on one another when they're trying to get ahead in life. I believe in the concept of "Do unto others as you want others to do unto you". Where does all this hate come from? Well, I'll tell you what my conclusion is and then you can add your own theories. I think it comes from mental slavery. I say that because back then you had the field slave and the house slave. There was always competition amongst them to prove to the master who was the best slave. The field slave was the outcast while the house slave got the better treatment by sleeping in the house. They ate better food and were clothed properly. Somehow this mentality has transcended into what I now call modern slavery. You have your own people hating on you for whatever purpose. How many times have you seen a new rapper attacking the next? Its becoming routine and the media capitalizes off this. Whatever happened to getting to the top on your own merit? Why do people feel the need to drag the next man down to get ahead? We're like the only race (I'm black) that doesn't take care of its own. We have more dissension than unity. We have more cutthroats within our community than those outside of it. We are blackballed by our own people for better jobs and to be in positions of power. People are motivated by their own personal agendas. They don't see the long term effect of how this mentality has stagnated our growth as a people on a whole. Its not about black and white anymore, although racism still exists in this society. Last year, we nominated our first black President in Barack Obama and that in itself was a major accomplishment. I cried that night. I felt like there was still hope for our people to do great things. We voted for change but if we don't change our way of thinking then everything we've accomplished up until this point goes in vain. I believe in the human race, I don't look at color because like I said earlier your own people can hold you back (if you allow them). I wish there wasn't so much competition out here and people learned to live life as neighbors, but that would be nirvana. The reason why so much catastrophe has occurred in the past is because we take life for granted and not doing the things we're supposed to be doing on Earth. I'm not going to get spiritual on you, but these things were written. If we can nominate our first black President, there's nothing we can't do. It all starts with you though. Love thy neighbor and everything else will fall in place--don't be an individual whose mind is Suspended In Time....

SOCIETY FAILING OUR YOUTH

I was sitting here thinking about what to write and it hit me at 2:34 am on a Monday morning. I wanted to discuss the mentality of the grown folks within our communities. Why is that you live in a community and are afraid to speak to the kids that reside in it? Are they that much of a threat to you or do you have the "That's not my child" syndrome? I read a response from a good friend of mine and she is the one that inspired me to share this with you today. Society as a whole has failed our youth. We sit around and point fingers at the bad kids that are terrorizing the neighborhoods and we are quick to disassociate ourselves from them. Just because he/she didn't come from your womb doesn't give you the right to cast them off. I believe in the concept "It takes a village to raise a child", but over the years people have been reluctant to step up and intervene when they know a child is out there doing things they have no business doing. We turn a blind eye to them because we feel its not our problem. I have a news flash for you. It is our problem, especially when this child lives within your community and you see them regularly on a day to day basis. Most of these kids are simply crying out for attention but we don't heed to the warning signs. Any child psychologist can confirm to you what I'm saying. I was once a child myself and I didn't plan to get into trouble. It just sort of happened since noone was paying attention to me when I was at a vulnerable state. Some kids don't get to be as fortunate. Most of them are rotting away in a state prison somewhere while others have been buried at a very young age. I'm ashamed of the way society chooses to deal with our youth. They think locking them up and throwing away the key is the answer but research has proven time and time again that this method does not work in the long term. I remember growing up I used to be scared to cut school because I was afraid that one of my parents friends would see me and report back to my mother what I was doing during school hours. One time, I actually got caught and got a major beating for my actions but I was more impressed than embarrased. That incident taught me to stay in school, because someone was always watching. Its our obligation to raise the kids within the community as your own because you never know when one of those kids could bring grief to your home. You have to cultivate a relationship with them from early on so they can have a chance when they get older. If they're not hearing that you care, what makes you think they're going to care? Its time for us to stop acting like we're scared of the youth because noone wants to be Suspended In Time over a child that clearly needed your love and affection to begin with. You have to blame yourself when these kids turn to the dark side and its your moral duty to show them right from wrong. Stop pointing fingers, because you know what they say about a person who throws stones but live in a glass house...

Friday, October 16, 2009

TELL A FRIEND

I feel a little guilty for not posting up anything in a few days but as you all know, I always post two to three blogs a week for your viewing pleasure. I'd like this blogsite to expand but I can't do it without you. So I'm asking everyone on this site to tell one friend to sign up and pass on the same message to them. I want this site to grow daily. I noticed people go to the site but they're not signing up which distorts the number of views this site gets. I got something very special planned in a few weeks but I can't talk about it right now. I just wanted to let you know that I truly appreciate each and everyone of you and I will continue to talk about pertinent subject matter on this site for you. Thanks again for your committment to this site and please pass the word on to your friends and family so that we can continue to grow and help shed light on topics which affects all of us and our communities.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

ANTI-SNITCH CAMPAIGN

There's been talk about this anti-snitching campaign for quite some time now. Alot of rappers endorses this idea which in a sense is a bit perplexing to me. For one, their ideology of what snitching is misconstrued and taken off face value. Especially for the youth that look up to them as their idols. First of all, let me be the first to say that those who talk about snitching are the same ones who be pointing fingers and telling on everyone to save their own asses. Real men don't gossip so when you have people concerned with what a person is doing, its disturbing. Everyone talks about keeping it real and the code of the streets, but I dont know what code they're living up to. If its for the glorifying of the same streets that costed me seven years of incarceration, I could care less about the streets. The streets don't make me! I may come from there but I'm not a by product of the streets. Aint nothing cute about that, but often times you have these fraudulent people trying to dictate to the young what their life should be about. Some of these dudes be grown ass men hanging out with kids half their age as if they're having a mid-life crisis of some sort. Instead of coaching them to do what's right like going to school and staying off the streets, these clowns infiltrate the young and steer them down a path of destruction. How honorable is that? On top of that, these same dudes don't have the discipline to sit down in a school setting but here they are training your kids on the code of the streets. Let me tell you this, half of what you hear from the media concerning rappers is not true. Its all a facade! These dudes are not as tough as they portray themselves to be on television. Its an act to draw attention and often times look like uncivilized beings. This is what your kid pays attention to and these are the images he/she praises. I know for a fact that ninety five percent of the people in the rap music industry could not survive the ordeal of being Suspended In Time for an extended period. They wouldn't know what to do. You have to have tough skin to survive so I don't buy into the anti-snitching thing because most of them would tell on me and you if the opportunity presented itself. Snitching is frowned upon in the inner city but alot of regular civilians think this rule applies to them. No its not! Its more so when two people do something together, one gets caught and tells on the next to save his own ass. Noone forced that person to do what he did, he had free will and knew the consequences but he still participated. Now he's on the witness stand testifying to lighten his sentence. On the other hand, you have a regular law abiding civilian whose been living in his apartment for the past twenty years and he witnesses a crime. Its their duty to say what they saw because they can be subpoenaed to court. Lying on the witness stand is perjury, you saw what can happen when you lie in the Lil Kim trail. If a person witnesses a family member brutally injured and testifies on their behalf, that is not the equivalent of snitching. That's caring for family. Everyone has their own concept of this word, but I just broke it down to you in the simplest form. Remember the first person to point a finger has three pointing back at them. Dont put yourself in a comprimising situation so you won't have to worry about all that. Remember the streets has no loyalty to noone so those advocating this whole anti-snitch thing are the same ones who maybe agents or police informants.

Monday, October 12, 2009

PRISON RAPE

I wanted to shed light on a topic that most of you have misconceptions on. The biggest misconception is that everyone who goes to prison is a victim of rape. I know I have your attention now. This statement is far from the truth, although rape does occur in prison in isolated incidents. I've never witnessed it myself but I did see some things which were strange when I went to court. I recall this kid who was heading upstate getting serviced from a gay kid while someone played lookout. There were always gay individuals in prison who had that lifestyle way before they came to prison. Prison doesnt turn anyone gay, unless they're a weak individual and they had those tendencies within themselves. There are alot of people that have this distorted perception of men being turned into homosexuals and I attribute that to "Oz". Everyone remembers that from HBO! It was a show which depicted the life of prisoners behind bars and the sadistic behaviors that came along with it. They perpetuated ideas which the mind could not fathom, but thats all a part of ratings. Its called entertainment, but some people viewed that show as if that was the blueprint to what actually transpires inside the walls. I'm here to tell you that show was far from the truth. There are no such people like an Adibise running a jail! Its not reality and that would never happen! Prison rape is prevalent and very much real but you are who you are way before you get where your going. I read an article about a gay kid who remains nameless here. He was the victim of rape for 18months in a Texas prison. He asserts prison officers deliberately ignored his protests when he asked for protective custody from his predators. This kid was the legal property of numerous gang members in prison and is now suing The Texas Department of Criminal Justice. This kid was involved in a burglary which he says his boyfriend influenced him. So for that he received 10 years probation. In 1997, he failed to report for probation and that lapse in judgment earned him his first stay in jail. Two years later, he violated parole again, this time by bouncing a check for $300. For a misdemeanor charge, he was placed in a low-security prison in Tennessee Colony, Tex. He soon ran afoul of the staff, having been caught hoarding extra prison whites. "It's all the same clothes, but with my background, you know, being gay, you like clothes," he says. This is the straw that broke the camels back because after being warned twice, he was transferred to a maximum state prison. He was befriended by a local gang banger who was the leader of the Black Gangster Disciples. He was offered protection and in exchange for that he was told he had to have sexual relations. Once he tried to break off the relationship, this is when the same person who vowed to protect him auctioned him off to other gang members within the facility. He was passed on to the Crips as well as the Bloods whether he was interested or not. He was forced and had no choice in the matter since his vulnerability allowed predators to prey on his incompetence. For 18 months, he became sole property of the Bloods, the Crips, the Mandingo Warriors, and the Mexican Mafia, all of whom forced him to have sex with their members. They also sold his services to other inmates, usually for between $5 and $10. (A cigarette in Allred goes for $1.50.) On several occasions, he received letters from gang leaders—now part of the evidence supporting his complaint—informing him that if he did not comply with their demands, the punishment would be even more severe than the rapes. One of the letters promised to "smash your bitch ass ASAP" if he resisted. A few years ago, Congress passed the Prison Rape Reduction Act, which allocates $60 million to support rape-prevention programs run by federal, state, and local corrections staff and to aid investigations and punishment of perpetrators. The bill, which enjoyed bipartisan support in the House and the Senate, also requires states to collect statistics on prison rape. Backers of the legislation hope federal oversight will make sexual assault prevention a priority for jail and prison systems across the nation. But $60 million can only go so far in addressing an alarming problem. These things do occur in prison, but only to those who allow it. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime because not everyone is cut from the same cloth as was the case with this individual.

COLUMBUS WHO?

I felt it was imperative to jog something down today since its Columbus Day and many people still believe til this day he discovered America. As a student I remember my teachers feeding us their version of History. We have been indoctrinated to take everything we learned from school off face value, but knowledge is infinite. I read alot of books while I was Suspended In Time for seven years and the things I learned blew my mind. I read powerful books that intrigued and stimulated the mind. I didnt limit myself with a specific genre, I was into books like "Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery" by Na'im Akbar to "Mis-education of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson. It was these books that developed my mind to be a thinker and challenged me to become a better person. While everyone was busy trying to glorify the thug image, I busied myself with self exploration which allowed me to be free mentally. I learned things in prison that I would have never been able to know through self indulgence. I discovered my ancestry and realized my people come from deep slave roots. It was the Haitians that freed the slaves from the hands of the French colonial rule in 1791. Light skin french people were in positions of power through government and utilized their education and military status to do more harm than good. The racial prejudice these people endured was the catalyst for the Haitians to revolt, which was successful. Their victory trickled down to other islands in the West Indies like Trinidad, Jamaica, as well as Dominican Republic. Although Haitians are not given the credit they deserve, I know the history of my people and thats all that matters. Native Americans occupied the land in America long before Columbus sailed so fact is fact and if you question this, then your still Suspended In Time...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

WHAT ARE YOU PROVING?

I wasnt going to post anything today, but after sending an email to a family member I felt compelled to write something. I wanted to talk about the young generation which is often referred to as Generation X. I've been doing alot of observations and I've come to the conclusion that these kids are all Suspended In Time. Respect is non-existent as these kids feel they can do whatever they want to do. When you speak to them, they think they have all the answers to everything. Whatever you say doesn't apply to them. I remember coming up in the eighties as a young teen in search of direction. I dont recall ever having an adult to put me up on game. Going to jail was something that was far fetched and nowadays its looked upon as an honor or rite of passage. This is a distorted perception of what life as a youngster should be. Kids aspire to get locked up as opposed to staying out of trouble and getting good grades. They try to outdo one another in hopes that they're recognized for their display of male bravado. Also alot of the young women around these impressional young men don't do anything to help out the situation. They encourage ignorance and violence so these young kids think thats what they need to do in order to get love from their peers. Young girls cheer them on by instigating and riling them up for after school fights, but when someone gets really hurt or dies thats when they wished they hadn't gotten involved. Instead of doing what's right, they do whats wrong. This is one of the main reasons Derrion Albert died in Chicago a few weeks back. Noone tried to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. They were right there cheering on the situation instead of protecting him from harm. Its sickening! I've done alot of bad in my life but beating a kid to death is not one of them. As a kid, I knew my boundaries, but these days theres no holds barred. Everything goes and it seems like everyone is trying to be badder than their counterparts. I dont know what they're trying to prove and to whom? They want people to remember who dealt the fatal blow as if they're competing for some kind of award. The only award you get out of being ignorant is a guaranteed spot in a state prison where your bravado will be tested on a much greater scale. I've seen so called gangsters in the streets turn to church mice once incarcerated. It doesn't matter what set you claim or how many people you hurt, its a brand new ball game once your in prison and your all by yourself. This is what these kids don't think about. I guess they'll think about that once they cross that bridge.

Monday, October 5, 2009

RAP MUSIC INFLUENCES VIOLENCE?

Do you think rap music influences violence? This question has been raised time and time again as media points rap music for fueling violence. Over the past few years, rap music has been blamed for random acts of violence amongst teens. The term "gansta rap" derived from a variety of rappers who talk about the harsh realities of growing up in the ghetto. Some of these artists include Tupac, N.W.A, Ice Cube, Ice T, Too Short, Scarface and a long list of others. These artist's utilize rap as a platform as most artists do to speak to people who identify with their vivid depictions of life as they see it. It doesn't matter if your a country singer, jazz, or into R&B. You have to separate art form from reality. Everyone has a story to tell so I find it a little odd to point fingers at Hip Hop for random acts of violence taking place all over the world. How can you honestly accuse Hip Hop for everything that happens and be content with your statement? Blaming the culture for society's wrongs is not right. Especially when there are movies out there that illustrate violence on a regular basis. Growing up, I did certain things which I'm not too fond of as an adult. I can't recall listening to a song and wanting to commit an act of violence. Music tames the savage beast. I can't speak for everyone else but when I listen to music whether its rap or reggae, it speaks to my soul. It makes me feel good. There's no correlation that Hip Hop directly affects people to do crime. I have yet to hear a study on this. This hypothesis has never been proven because I have yet to receive the memo. I just watched a vicious attack by several school kids in Chicago beating on a student recently. This kid lost his life, but I don't think its fair to say Hip Hop caused it. These kids have been having issues amongst one another for whatever reasons. The end result was a fatal blow to the head which took another young life. It saddens me to know that theres so much evilness in this world where parents are worried about sending their own kids off to school. This situation has gotten too far and these kids act like savages once let out from school. In order for a situation to turn out like that, there is clearly no school supervision and a lack of securtiy. No child should have to go to a school and be randomly attacked to the point where their life is taken. Raising kids start in the home so if the child isn't getting the proper home training and parents don't instill values, you have mayhem. Most parents rely on teachers to help in the rearing of their child since they spend a good amount of time with their children while their at work. If your one of those parents, your doing society a great disservice by thinking this way. And for those of you who believe rap music influences kids rage, your Suspended In Time for believing so. I don't believe it and I don't think I ever will support that ideology...

YOUTH KILLED IN QUEENS

How many times have you heard this story? The mother of a 13 year old boy greaves for her son pleading for witnesses to step up as her son was viciously shot and killed on his way to McDonalds Friday October 2, 2009. Kevin Miller was an astute student who kept his grades up and played basketball with friends in his backyard. No kid should have to die under these circumstances, but he did. At the ripeful age of 13, Miller was just getting to know what life is about as a freshman at Humanities and the Arts and Magnets School in Queens. He was given money for good grades and excelling in academics when he stumbled upon a fight on his way to McDonald's. As of today, the police have a 16 year old boy in custody as a person of interest, but he isn't being charged. I was a kid myself and I understand why my mother used to be so protective of me when I was coming up. Losing a child to the streets are every parent's worst nightmare. These things do happen and my heart goes out to the family but that will never compensate for their loss. "He was an innocent bystander, in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Donna Greaves, his mother, whose 35 fighting back tears as she recanted the story to reporters. In the thrill of watching a fight, Kevin Miller was shot in the head around 3 p.m. He was pronounced dead at Long Island Jewish Medical Center a short time after. Another kid was also shot in the leg during said incident and remained in stable condition yesterday. I dont condone violence nor do I tolerate it, especially when it comes to young kids. Its sad to know he will never get to experience his prom as his life came to an abrupt end at such a young age. I'm sick and tired of hearing these stories, because it just goes to show that no matter how much you try to instill values in these kids heads they still want to be gun toting thugs. I attended a rally with Al Sharpton not too long ago and T.I. was there along with several other guests. I remember Queen Pen stating to the crowd that we as adults need to take control of our children. We're afraid of our own kids so they run rampant on the streets causing mayhem and destroying families. If we don't give the kids something to look up to, there are gangs out there that will. It takes a village to raise a child, but these values are often lost and not enforced. The theme of the rally was "Responsibility is not a Choice, Its a Lifestyle". It was in response to two kids who were killed in Harlem in a span of a week last April. Christopher Owens was 13 years old as well and took a bullet to the head after a Lenox Ave. barbeque was interrupted by a hail of stray bullets. Taking a life doesn't make you powerful, in fact it renders you powerless since you have to go to those extremes to prove something. That mentality needs to change because when you end up in prison Suspended In Time for the rest of your life, you'll reflect back on what you did and kick yourself in the ass for something that could've been avoided. Life is precious, its not a game...

FRIEND OR FOE (HATERS)

I almost lost focus for a minute, because when your doing constructive things there are two forces in the universe. I represent the good side, I've done enough destruction in my past so by bettering myself I added balance to my life. But sometimes when your doing so good, people will come at you from all angles of the hemisphere. If its not positive, I'm blind to hate. I know how to detect phony people. I've stressed the importance of loyalty in previous blogs so you know how I feel in regards to that issue. Some people have ulterior motives and hidden agendas and will say anything in their power to try and assassinate your character. Who are you to judge me? Only God can judge me! I dont give people like that any importance so it baffles me to know that I'm the topic of their conversations. When miserable people don't have anything to talk about, they will dig deep in attempts to get underneath your skin. I acknowledge the publicity stunt so from now on, I vow to ignore people who don't have anything beneficial to talk about. The blind will always lead the blind. I don't need anybody to validate my existence, especially when they haven't accomplished half of the things I have in life. Hate comes in all forms, people hate on you for bettering yourself. They hate you for getting your degree, they hate for you to be in a position they wished they could be in. But these are the same people who are your biggest fans. They want to keep tabs on you to make sure your not doing better than them. I learned a long time ago "Dogs that bark don't bite". When your a threat to people, they will do anything in their power to drag you back in the bucket you worked hard to overcome. I dont associate with the crab in the bucket mentality so if your not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Friends can be your worst enemies so keep your eyes on the prize before you end up Suspended In Time.... --"You talkin' bout millions Or you talking bout mine/What we talkin' bout/Cuz I aint got time For what people be talkin' bout all the time.." Jay Z Blueprint 3--What We Talkin' About...