Category Archives: Popular Culture

Popular Culture: Style, Swag, Trends

El ‘Nerbano’

June 9, 2008 d dot b 1 Comment

El Nerbano
The Nerban (nerd + urban) … best of both worlds

The Nerban is the hybrid guy that has carefully meshed the two worlds of hip-hop/urban culture and nerd/geek isms. The Nerban can run in the streets, hang on the block, be affiliated with ‘gangstas’, and at the same time be abreast with technology, have a diverse investment portfolio, and have B.A.’s and Masters.

The Nerban is respected by hip-hop culture because of his nerdy-knowledge of technology and such; in the same breath, the nerds respect the Nerban because of his knowledge of hip-hop culture. Each group lives vicariously through the Nerban to get a glimpse into ‘the other side’; the gangsta’s get to learn about what’s poppin’ with the nerds, and the nerds get to see some urban swag and style.

With the ladies, the Nerban is the prime choice for the lady that is not looking for a gangsta, not looking for ‘poindexter’, but is looking for someone with a little bit of edge & style mixed with knowledge & ambition. Most ladies will experience a Nerban at some point in their life, but will have a tendency to disregard the Nerban because he isn’t too ‘street’ enough, and usually these ladies end up where the Nerban was lacking (i.e. the Street – out on their own, lost).

The Nerban has always lived throughout history, from:

The Goofy Nerban

Will Smith a.k.a. ‘The Fresh Prince’
~ His goofy style of rap lauded him to a Grammy and a hit TV show, he then used that to develop a successful movie career – All this from “parents just don’t understand”.

The Conscious Nerban

Common
~ The type of brother to school you with spiritual thoughts, but isn’t scared to go into battle, remember the battle with Ice Cube anyone??

The Arrogant Nerban

Kanye West

~ Do I really need to explain this???????

The Righteous Nerban

A Tribe Called Quest
~ These nerbans are about having a good time, dancing, chilling, but can get grimey when need be.

The “Odd, but can’t hate on him” Nerban

Pharell
~ Clothing and style has funky colors and patterns, social activities divert from the norm, but this Nerban can deliver in the streets or the boardroom.

.:: d.b ::.

Economics, Popular Culture, Social

You’re a Yuppie when …

April 29, 2008 d dot b Leave a comment

You’re a Yuppie when …
Virtues: business, entrepreneurs, revolt against the system, technology

The term yuppie (short for “young urban professional” or “young upwardly-mobile professional”) refers to a market segment whose consumers are characterized as self-reliant, financially secure individualists. So this is an interesting list of some signs of a yuppie.

You know when you’re a yuppie when …

– you go to the club to do more networking than ‘picking up’

– you save gas & meal receipts so that you can file them for your income tax ‘business expenses’

– you have a smartphone w/ an accompanying over-priced data plan

– you switch from hotmail to gmail

– sleep starts to become a luxury

– T.V viewing is a luxury

– Starbucks becomes a place for business

– you’re at work, and all you can think about is the amount of work you have to do after work

– economics and financial markets are suddenly more interesting

– Social networking sites are more for networking and promoting your business than hooking up w/ old friends & finding new ones

– you stopped putting songs as your voice mail message

– you do your work @ work, while still doing your employers work

– you use a sick day not because your sick or to hook up with your partner, but to do work

– you feel guilty when you are doing nothing

– your only ‘downtime’ is during your commute

– your mind is always racing with new ideas and business ventures

– you consult your blackberry/PDA before you make time with your significant other, friends, and family

If you have one or multiple attributes from this list, then you may be a Young Urban Professional that is taking a detour on the trail of life that the system provides and creating your own path.

Go on young trailblazer, blackberry in hand.

.:: d.b

Popular Culture, Social

Silly Monkeys! Part 3: The Bouncer

April 22, 2008 d dot b Leave a comment

Silly Monkeys! Part 3: The Bouncer
Virtues: deceit, honor, code, ethics
Read Part 0, the Abstract & Get familiar

The Bouncer has a very important job at the club. In the club world, they are the ‘authority’ that regulate the patrons & uphold the club’s policies. The Bouncer is a ‘cool’ name for Security; I wonder how it started – must have been when someone working security in a club developed a reputation, better yet, an attitude, for physically &/or verbally denying people admittance to a club. That sounds like an accurate etiology of the word ‘Bouncer’; the bouncer enjoys the power he has – and administers such power to his advantage. The Bouncer gets to select which ladies get ‘preferential treatment’ into the club – though the lucky ladies may have to give something up in return (a number, dignity, etc.) , the Bouncer is content irregardless as it is just another act, and a benefit of his power.

Across the board – whether in a grimey or posh club, the Bouncer has the alpha male macho tough guy attitude. But even with all the power, respect, and perks, the Bouncer wants more. You see, on the ‘club hierarchy’ or ‘food chain’, the Bouncer is just above the people that do coat check & admittance. Yes, that is super ugly. The bar staff even makes more than the Bouncer. So the ‘muscle’ uses its ‘brain’, some cortical regions of it I suppose, and has learned extortion – or what people in the entertainment/club world call ‘greasing’ or ‘to grease’. Which is the act of paying a Bouncer a fee to his liking, in order for the Bouncer to overlook or bend some of the club’s rules. Greasing gives the Bouncer a new dimension of being Judge, Jury, and even sentencing board. For example, the dress code is a grey area – if you don’t meet the specifics there is hope that you will get in, and it probably will cost you $20 to the bouncer. And at Posh spots (L.A. especially!), your clothing may be on point, but if you don’t know anyone that works at the club, then you may also have to pay the Bouncer a fee that I like to call a ‘privelige fee’ – this is a fee that covers the Bouncer giving you the privilege to STILL pay the club admission fee, and party with the club patrons.

L.A. is notorious for that.

How do I know so much about the Bouncer, I know some, and I have experienced their tactics – and no longer will I be a ‘Silly Monkey’ to their foolery.

.:: d.b
Read more Silly Monkeys! sagas:
Part 0, the Abstract , Part 1, Strong-Arm Mike the Banker Part 2: The Fly Designer ‘Jart’

Popular Culture, Social

Starblocks

January 7, 2008 d dot b 1 Comment

StarBlocks
“The culture of the coffee-stop empire.”
This is just an observatory piece of being at a Starbucks on a Friday night in the T Dot. My unorthodox biz partners & I, decked in modern hip-hop attire; hoodies, loose fitting jeans, and portable mp3 players walk into a Starbucks in one of the moderate-to-affluent parts of our city (* Note, I don’t know about your city, but there are no Starbucks in our hoods). Naturally, when 3 big black guys walk into such an establishment, there are the usual quick glances away from us, and awkward pauses in their conversations with each other. Which I understand, sadly, because you know, we are out of our element – however I’m not writing about that … been there, done that, ya dig?

So after getting hot beverages that were obtained/stolen/exploited from Africa (topic for another day), we sat down & got to business. After getting work done & cracking jokes, it hit me that this Starbucks was jumping: big line-ups & the cash register, friends coming in rocking the Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, and American Eagle, and dudes rocking the California Beach Boy look that Starbucks is into a bit more than selling coffee. Some patrons were studying amidst elevator & jazz rhythmics, while other patrons were discussing the previous week’s events with their friends. What was interesting, besides the fact that they were predominantly white, is that they dressed similar, represented the “Millennial” generation – cohort 1 & 2, and all embraced & understood (consciously or not) the point of this piece. Starbucks is not about selling coffee, Starbucks sells social experiences. People literally were dressing up, pulling up in upscale vehicles, and not just to order marked-up coffee, but to meet friends, gossip, engage each other, pretty much to ‘connect’.

This is just my logic of the $7.8 billion dollar a year coffee shop, and why they nicely decorate their interior with earth tone colors, play non-popular music, and use distinct language (grandé, tall).

So now I guess I know why they looked @ us the way they did; its not the usual racial prejudice mixed with a dash of stereotyping.

We did not fit in with their social experience & the cultural norms that come with it.

But F*** ’em anyway, I’m about re-defining the box, not assimilating to it, bitches!

Popular Culture

V~ick~ed

December 14, 2007 d dot b 1 Comment

V~ick~ed
Virtues: Responsibility, control, logic

Its sort of wicked what happened to Michal Vick, but he is a victim of his own ignorance.

Michael Vick was on top of the world, he was an all-star Quarterback with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, with the right team chemistry, Vick could have gone on to win several NFL championships as he is a unique quarterback that can throw, run, and get out of the ‘pocket’ (football term).

However, it is unfortunate that Vick felt the need to engage in Dog fights which resulted in a 23-month jail sentence conviction. As details emerged about Vick’s dog fighting events that happened in his estate, it became apparent that Vick would do some jail time for his crimes, but I never thought he would have gotten so much time – 2 years is a lot for dog fighting. Dog fighting is inhumane, violent, and barbaric – I get that, but in the case of Michael Vick, does the ‘punishment fit the crime’? Would someone without his status receive the same sentence? Probably not, and what is even more disturbing is that there have been sport celebrities that have committed more violent crimes against humanity that have received lesser & lenient sentences. For example, NHL hockey player Dany Heatley received 3 years probation for vehicular homicide after a drunk driving incident. In comparison, a drunk driving incident that results in death deserves 3 years probation (no jail time), but a victimless human crime results in 2 years in solitary confinement? Something doesn’t seem right about that.

Now, I’m not excusing Vick’s behavior because dog fighting is against the law, and he should be punished for his actions, but what is probably the most disturbing aspect of this story that is not receiving any light, is the fact that many sport athletes and celebrities foolishly spend their money and engage in activities that are problematic. I guess its the fact that many of these athlete’s come from marginalized backgrounds, and when they are doused with a whole bunch of money; they simply act-out irresponsibly. It happened to Mike Tyson, which is really sad, because he had millions of dollars, but spent his money on foolish items and lavish luxuries; with no regard for ‘saving for a rainy day’. And with Vick, he was making millions of dollars a year, and yet he felt the need to earn extra money with dog fighting; which was only pulling in thousands of dollars a year.

Its sad, because Vick had so much potential, but threw it all away because he simply didn’t ‘grow up’; which is the problem with most celebrities (i.e. Britney, and so on), and know the system is showing him that just as much as they can bring you up, they can bring you down.

Style

Deja vu?

August 19, 2007 d dot b Leave a comment

Deja vu
When remembering the past is inappropriate I guess …

Is this wrong? I’ll explain a little story about being thoughtful and showing good memory. One time at a club I saw a good lady friend, lets label her ‘Stacy’. The last time I saw Stacy was at a fashion show that she was performing in. At that time, Stacy was wearing a smashing outfit that was very radiant; I commented on it as I give respect and adulation.
Now at this lounge, which was around 2-3 months after the fashion show, I saw Stacy with the same outfit. My memory clicked and remembered where I had seen the outfit. Thus, I approached Stacy in the lounge and commented on her outfit again, and referenced that I LIKED her outfit, and I commented that she had worn the same outfit at the fashion show – in a non-disrespectful way.
Apparently, this was a NO-NO. As I came to find out later that Stacy was extremely upset about my remarks and she called me all kinds of foul-mouthed names. Stacy’s friends were shocked, appalled, and disgusted that I said such things as apparently, women take things like that seriously …. ah, well as B.I.G. said it:

“If I said it I meant it, bite my tongue for no one!”

– peace

Social, Style

Stay Fly Baby

April 16, 2007 d dot b Leave a comment

Stay Fly
Virtues: Responsibility, Life, Logic

A quick and interesting story about the current state of life.

To paraphrase, basically, a 22 young black woman decided to have a baby shower. Her first one, the ‘baby daddy’ is out of the picture. Now, from what I know, when you have a baby shower, you ask for necessity items: diapers, clothing, food, wipes, and things of that nature. And you usually create a registry, so that people are not buying duplicate items. However, this young scholar did not have a registry, but requested her friends to buy everything from Rocawear sheets, a pair of Jordan’s, Sean John pyjamas, jewelery, and other foolery items – in all, she only received one package of diapers for her newborn. And this already single mother believed that she had a good shower, because her baby will look ‘fly’ – and I guess, you can’t really dispute that. But, the baby has no necessities coming into the world. To me, if I was about to have a baby, I would put items that the baby needs, in abundance, on the registry: diapers, wipes, baby food, clothing (regular). I would make sure that I have like 20 boxes of diapers; I would desire for that more than making sure my baby is iced-out. And the people who came bearing gifts, they did not think that maybe they should by necessities – but instead, they brought name brand clothes and jewellery. I strongly hope that this is an isolated incidence, and this is not the norm amongst our people.

Share your stories if you can relate.

Peace.

Popular Culture, Social

Obama this, Obama that

April 8, 2007 d dot b Leave a comment

Obama This, and Obama That

I’m all for the notion that it would be ‘nice’ to finally have a black U.S. President. To even be talking about a black U.S. president shows that society has grown enormously in the past 50 years; because not so long ago, blacks were still being lynched and according to funnyman Kramer “stuck with pitch forks up their asses”. It is quite amazing actually when you really think about it. However, Obama seems to have a very legitimate chance of getting the U.S. Democratic nomination for the 2008 election, and then, he may have a chance to get into the White House.

No more rudimentary jokes about a black president can be made, however, I feel that one must ask the question, what will really change if there is a black president? Really? Will all the ghetto black youths suddenly move to the suburbs, causing the white kids to move to farm lands? Will there be more social programs? Social welfare assistance? I hear a lot of talk that if elected, a black president will ‘look’ out for black people, but I find a fallacy in such logic. If Obama gets in, doesn’t mean that the current socio-economic status of black americans will change; one thing that we gotta understand is that even if the president is Black, the Senate still is predominately white – correlating that the senate actually passes any bills and/or spending. Further, any president has to ‘play’ to his party and their ideals; thus if one’s party is still predominately white, the likelihood that a dramatic bill will be passed that will ‘magically’ elevate the socio-economic status of blacks is bleak.

So unfortunately, I remain pessimistic that a black president will have any strong effect – except for the symbolism aspect that society has changed dramatically, but as the saying says:
“The more things change, the more they stay the same”

… but it would be nice if he got in office

— Peace

Life in B Major

Category Archives: Popular Culture

El ‘Nerbano’

V~ick~ed

Deja vu?

Producer of Things