Stepping up to the bully...

"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers."- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spirit of Independence... Dame Dash

 "If I had to describe myself in 3 words.... "A" "D" "D" - Damon Dash

Its an honor to watch Damon Dash grow from a young hip hop innovator to a diversified mogul entrepreneur.  We all have our, "Rise and Falls", but in the game we call life....its the last man standing that wins.  This is a great video and short documentary created by DD172. TV that gives us a short look at the constant life of a modern day Entrepreneur. 

DD172.TV PRESENTS : "SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE" : Episode 1 - Starring Damon Dash  (Source)

You must choose...

"I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies. I have not got one who is a fool. They are all men of some intellectual power, and consequently they all appreciate me." -Henry Wotton, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Freedom is not free...

LET ME POINT OUT TO YOU THAT FREEDOM IS NOT SOMETHING THAT ANYBODY CAN BE GIVEN; FREEDOM IS SOMETHING PEOPLE TAKE AND PEOPLE ARE AS FREE AS THEY WANT TO BE. – James Baldwin

 

*The 50th Law* 50 Cent & Robert Greene [ComicBook] PDF...

“Every negative situation contains the possiblity for something positive, an opportunity. It is how you look at it that matters. Your lack of resources can be an advantage, forcing you to be more inventive with the little that you have. Losing a battle can allow you to frame yourself as the sympathetic underdog. Do not let fears make you wait for a better moment or become conservative. If there are cirumstances you cannot control, make the best of them. It is the ultimate alchemy to transform all such negatives into advantages and power.” – (Excerpt from the book The 50th Law)
 

Download “50 Cent’s Comic Book” –>  Click Here!

Check out Robert Greene and 50 Cent’s first comic book. It’s a brilliant combination of graphic memoire and self-help guide. The Digital Release for 50 Cent’s comic book is now available. You can download 50 Cent’s first chapter, and see how the “Hustler’s Power” transformed 50 Cent from a prison inmate into the Entrepreneur that he is today.

50 Cent wrote the book with Robert Greene, a bestselling author on strategy whose work “The 48 Laws of Power” has garnered praise from both business consultants and several leading stars of hip-hop. Robert Greene grew up on the other side of the country in Los Angeles. 

 He was born in 1959 and went to college at UC Berkeley and the University of Madison, Wisconsin. Afterwards, he returned to Los Angeles and started writing for Hollywood and magazines like “Esquire” before composing “The 48 Laws of Power” in 1998. Both Kanye West and Jay-Z have name-dropped Greene in their songs, while the book itself has sold over 1 million copies. DJ Calvin Harris and DJ Premier both have laws from the book tattooed on their arms.

After its initial publication in 2009,”The 50th Law” became a bestseller. SmarterComics is pleased to be able to offer this illustrated, no-holds-barred version of 50 Cent’s hard-earned wisdom with a foreword from the man himself.

Download “50 Cent’s Comic Book” –>  Click Here!

The man behind the beats... AraabMuzik [Video]

Araab discusses his inspirations along with what it takes to make in the new era of hop hop. Great inspiration along with some great beats. A must watch for those on the come up...

 Abraham Orellana, better known as AraabMuzik is an American hip hop record producer of Dominican and Guatemalan descent. From Providence, Rhode Island, he first rose to fame after showcasing his skills of making live beats and instrumentals on a MPC drum machine on the internet. Being known to use MPC, he has the ability to produce rapid, rhythmic drum patterns as well as making melodies using various samples and other sounds all at once. He has worked with artists including Cam'ron and Vado, The Diplomats, Hell Rell, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and Fabolous amongst many others.  (Source)

Truth #101...

Believe in your flyness...

In a world of constant changing dynamics, it takes a tough soul to endure the pains of trending against norm.  Overtime, one's own self belief and will power becomes so powerful that the norm no longer measures to the principles and standards that one has set for himself.  Again and again, one must have the internal self reliant belief to test and destroy the criterions set by the bureaucratic architects of judgment.  This is the paradigm of life, and this is how you play the game.....    

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.  If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened.  But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."  ~Friedrich Nietzsche

On automatic pilot...

‘I was on automatic pilot; ideas for gadgets kept coming, fed by a force of energy flowing through me and around me. I wasn’t really conscious of pausing to eat or sleep, I was caught up in a flurry of activity. I must have been experiencing the same sort or rapture of creation I imagine composers or poets get carried away by when they lose themselves in their work. I forgot about everything else to concentrate on what I was doing. I’d work eighteen-hour stretches and fall asleep in my clothes. Then I’d wake up in the middle of the night, brew a pot of tea, and start work again. I was tired, but work had become pure enjoyment.’ — Trevor Baylis

No Church In The Wild...

Music video by Jay-Z & Kanye West performing No Church In The Wild feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream. © 2012 Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC

The more you sweat in times of peace, the less you bleed in times of war...

In a world full of chaos and duress, it is estimated that only 10% of animals are true predators. Lions and tigers and such, hunting other animals for survival.  Now if we extrapolate this to humans, that means 10% of us are predators, and the rest among us…..are prey.    This is a very intriguing concept to think about... 

Which leads me to my next memoir, “Excuses are what you give when you got nothing, because you didn’t try everything!”  

Through the years, I have been blessed to be mentored by some very notable men and woman, whom I consider to be renowned in their fields.  Amongst their many preachings, beatings, and epilogues, one of the many correlations noted, happens to be on the execution of patience and practice.  As it is said that, “The more you sweat in times of peace, the less you bleed in times of war!”  

From a Hard Core Philosophy perspective, One must take the time to master oneself, before he/she can even have the privilege to lead others.  There is an old Eastern Philosophy Mindset that concentrates on the art of penetrating and execution, known as Gancui. This simple art concentrates on the discipline of penetrating neatly and completely.  

As there is an old story told by Dr. Lung of a man that was so determined to kill his enemy, that he first practiced thrusting his sword into the wall of his home for almost a decade, practicing his thrust, until he knew his arm and mind were firm enough to do the deed upon battle.  Until one day, after many years of practicing on the wall, his arm and most importantly mind were congruent.   Than the time came upon battle, when the two met eye to eye.  Upon the dual, and with one single strike, the power emitted by the single thrust transcended through the sword and cut through the enemy like a hot knife through butter.  This is the way of the Gancui, the art of execution through practice and patience.

Furthermore, I will end this Hard Core Philosophy perspective with a more serene conclusion.  As the brain always chooses the easiest and quickest path to rationalize on life. One must take note that sometimes the easiest and quickest path is not the felicitous way to go.  In the end, all victory depends on the skill of the single warrior, yourself!  So take the time to master your crafts, before your crafts, and most importantly enemies, master you!   

Ie…check yourself..before your wreck yourself!! , its like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder why we keep from going under. Hahahahaha

Wise words...

The Pursuit Of Cool...

It all started with one quote...

"There is no algorithm to define cool, you just know it when you see it".

From the schoolyard kids to the marketers everybody wants to get close to the cool guy…so what defines cool? R+I Creative presents "The Pursuit Of Cool", a short series about hedonism, sharing and meeting cool people with stories. (Source)

The Art of Parkour... Bombs on the street.. (VIDEO)

Parkour (French pronunciation: [paʁˈkuʁ]) (abbreviated PK) is a physical discipline and non-competitive activity which focuses on efficient movement around obstacles. Developed in France by David Belle, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing, and leaping. Parkour practitioners are known as "traceurs", with their female counterpart referred to as "traceuses". (source)

A group of chaps that do Parkour... (Source)

Pharrell Williams... 10 Quotes on Music, Inspiration, Life...

"I'm a student. There's no real way [we do anything]. I'll never say I do it this way or I do it that way because I'm always learning new ways of doing it."

“If you are not curious, that's when your brain is starting to die. And discovering, I think, that's what separates us from the rest of the other species. It's that we discover and pioneer.”

"I would advise them that the world is yours, go out there and get it.  once you get it, watch what you do with it.  everyday is a hurdle.  the fact that God gives me motivation to jump and keep jumping is key.  i believe that education and exposure are important.  you have these kids who aren't exposed to anything.  they set limits.  i say the world does not revolve around you, but it does revolve around the sun.  do you want to be part of the revolution?"

"I'm a nice dude, with some nice dreams."

"In and out of dimensions I walk through walls, just saying you can't put me in a box that's all."

"You treat the air as a canvas and the paint is the chords that come through your fingers, out of the keyboard. So when I'm playing, I'm sort of painting a feeling in the air. I know that might sound corny, but--And when you know it's done, you know it's done. It's like painting or sculpting. When you let it go it's because you know that it's finished. It's completed. And vice versa-it tells you, "Hey, I'm not done."

"So my brain is bursting inside me. Ideas are leaking all over the place. You come on the bus I'm on now, and you might slip on one. "I'm dying right now. Dying, dying, dying."

"I'm kicking ass, shaking ass, breaking ass. I'm watching as they take my ideas and manifest them into something beyond my wildest dreams."

"I love what I do, I love my job. There's no better feeling than just going in and just working with someone and what comes out is something that the world knows about. I can't believe it, still to this day. You never get used to that. You get used to it when you feel like you're an artist. I don't know, the artist thing is not me. I love making music, though. I love playing. The keyboard is my journal."

"I think all music is a gift from God."

10 success tips for young entrepreneurs...

An interesting read for those young moguls on the come up...  (Source)

 
1. Do what you love.

All successful teen businesses have one factor in common: Their owners love what they do - so choose a small business idea that aligns with your interests, no matter what they are.

2. Know what you want.

Are you willing to leave school if your business takes off? Or do you envision your business as a side project? Being able to answer questions like these will help you organize your time and priorities.

3. Be radical...

In your late teens and early 20s, your thinking is fresh, original and full of energy. Don't be afraid to try something no one's ever done, create an off-the-wall product or shake up an existing market by changing factors (such as a service or delivery model) that established companies take for granted.

4. ... but follow the rules.
Being a young entrepreneur doesn't exempt you from registering your business, keeping records and paying taxes. Following these simple rules now will save you from legal and administrative headaches later.

5. Manage your time.

Running a business while going to school is stressful and difficult. Understand what is required of you in your separate roles as a student and a business owner, and employ planning and organizational tools - for example, a well-maintained appointment book, Microsoft Outlook or an online time/project management system - to make the most of your time.

6. Use school resources.

Being a student isn't a handicap in business; on the contrary, it can be an advantage. Your campus offers free computers and Internet connectivity, a host of potential employees and/or volunteers and the expertise of professors who would be happy to share their knowledge and experience with you. You're literally surrounded by people and resources, so make the most of your situation.

7. Find a mentor.

Buddy up with a local entrepreneur or business leader with a record of achievement to be your small business mentor. Your mentor will help you understand the risks and challenges of business, provide a sounding board for your ideas and help you find investors for your company.

8. Exploit online resources.

Your computer can connect you to hundreds of online resources for young entrepreneurs. Immerse yourself in these resources; they'll help to inspire, direct and motivate you.

9. Be good to yourself.

Regardless of how organized and enthusiastic you are, some days will overwhelm you. Don't be afraid to step back from work and do whatever relaxes you. Whether it's the endorphin rush of exercise, the lively company of good friends or a quiet day of meditation on the beach, take advantage of opportunities to invigorate yourself and balance your responsibilities with relaxation.

10. Check your mentality.

One of the problems that can afflict young entrepreneurs is a mental block against, as Nike might say, just doing it. We've all been raised on stories of Internet billionaires, wealthy young actors and other tales of spectacular overnight success. Knowing how well other people have done in business and how quickly they've scaled the mountain is demotivating. It can make some young entrepreneurs lose confidence and feel as if they don't want to get started on a business unless it's going to be the next YouTube.

This is a self-defeating mentality. Combat it by reminding yourself that you're not competing against anyone but yourself. Do whatever it is that you can do today, whether that means tutoring, designing T-shirts or building online communities. The important thing is to get your feet wet - not to take over the business world.

The bottom line is that your student days are ripe with entrepreneurship opportunities. You may never again have the energy, resources or motivation to start your business, so get to work.

It’s much more important to write than to be written about...

“One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. Something more will arise for later, something better.” ~Annie Dillard