World Star Chaos

 

In today’s world of captured on video fights and debauchery in the streets of America, there is one particular website that has not only cornered the market on videotaped fisticuffs in the urban community, but has become synonymous with the act of recording a fight via a cellphone: WORLDSTAR!!!  If you are in fight, and you hear someone shout out that clarion, you may want to step your game up; else you will find yourself yet another victim of internet ridicule.  For those not indoctrinated “Worldstar” refers to the website WorldStarHipHop.  The website itself features gossip in realm of hip-hop, release dates and other random social media entertainment, .however in the past few years it has become mostly known as the one stop for all things ratchet.  Men vs men, women vs women, men vs women, kids, kids vs. adults, cats vs. dogs & exotic fish…….if it can fight, it’s on Worldstar.   The website allows users to submit amateur videos that are then selected by the site's staff for publication. The videos fit into three neat categories: rap, sex or violence. And even more so, it’s 99.9% black people featured……..which brings me to my problem with the website and why I wish it would just die. 

I actually do remember WorldStar in the earlier days.  The internet was no longer new, but the advent of special interest sites were still growing in leaps day by day. Every other day you could find another website catering to a specific demographic or interest group.  At the time, like always, I was on a hip hop binge.  Anything I could find on my fav’rit artists, new artists, collabos etc., I consumed and at the time WSHH was one of the up & coming sites featuring hip hop news.  It was good shit too……very informative, touched all ranges of hip hop culture and music in every region. Positive stories, social commentary & cultural insight. Like any new toy though, after a while you lose touch.  It just doesn’t sparkle the same or something else has caught your eye…….so I lost touch with WSHH.  A few years ago, as the popularity of fight vids really started to pick up, I would get these mass emails or see them posted on Facebook, but what I began to notice was that a large majority of the links to these fights were coming from one site in particular. Worldstar?....is that you!?  It was almost unrecognizable now.  Just a barrage of weaves getting snatched, right crosses, uppercuts, low blows & sucker punches. Gone was the focus on the culture, but in its place is just pure ignorance.  Hmm…I guess one could draw a parallel between the climate of today’s music and the websites content, curious.  I doubt at this point if anyone even knows what the site used to be in its previous incarnation.  And in this new incarnation, I could only think about what once was.  I’m all for growth, and I understand that things evolve, but WSHH looked to have devolved. 

Yes, I have watched fight videos. In its early days, I would watch one on heartbeat…..but it wasn’t as prevalent then and even offered a degree of comic relief as the fights were usually exercises in futility from both parties involved or someone getting much deserved azz whipping for picking on someone else. Nor is it lost on me that WSHH is not the only site the features fights.  My problem is that there is nothing “hip hop” about WSHH anymore to me, it misrepresents the culture & only perpetuates a negative image.  All it does is show the worst of the black experience in America from coast to coast.  Nothing redeeming is to be found here, and it only reinforces the stereotype that black people are nothing but animals.  Honestly, when I watch the videos, that’s exactly what goes thru my mind……”nothing but animals….” 

 People being beaten by mobs or getting punched in the face just for living. The randomness of violence for entertainment. Such violent videos, shot by amateurs witnessing or participating in fights, have triggered at least six criminal investigations since April 2011 and highlighted what at least one sociologist calls the normalization of violence.  Fights being provoked for the sole purpose of being put on WSHH, watermarked by the battle cry “Worldstar!!” I’m sure the site is going nowhere anytime soon, but at least change the name to portray the reality of the content. How about World Star Niggarocity?...or World Star Coonery?! I think they both have a nice ring to it. Don’t you? Seems appropriate to me.  Does anyone at WSHH have any sense of responsibility? Lee O'Denat, CEO, said the sensibility of the "urban media" site and what gets picked to be featured on the home page each day are a matter of showing users what "really goes on the world." Then this dickhead goes on to add that he thinks it's stupid that viewers of his website would make or film a fight in order to get on the website, but can't be held responsible for those who do. Dude, are you serious right now?! Fuck you for even resorting to that half azz rationale for enabling that nonsense.  Granted you could make the argument, that if they don’t show it, someone else will. Okay fine,….but is that reason enough nowadays? Has shame gone so far out of style that we continually air dirty laundry for the world to see & identify with the black experience? How long is it gonna take before we see a murder taking place and we hear someone yell, “Worldstar!!”? Yeah, that may seem a bit farfetched……but at one point so was the idea of cell phones.

 Far be it for me to tell anyone what to do with their free time and web surfing, but I’m gonna pass on the buffoonery. I get no thrill seeing anyone beat up by bullies, mobs or psychopaths.  For now I will just keep scrolling by when I see it posted on my FB timeline, or delete the mass text I just got.  And I can’t even blame WSHH for the nonsense, however I recognize the hold they have on people’s eyes & minds, I would just hope that they would use that power a bit more responsibly.  Worldstar!

 

What's your thoughts on WorldStar Hip Hop and sites like it? Merely entertainment or encouraging violence? Leave your comments below.

Random Reviews- Captain America: The Winter Soldier

What could I possibly say about Captain America: TWS that hasn’t already been published?!  I’m sure the plethora of adjectives and superlatives from the thesaurus have been used ad nausea in the media, but forgive me while I throw a few of them around: Excellent. Tremendous. Superior. Elite.  Now that I have gotten that out of the way, let’s get into this review. TWS (The Winter Soldier acronym will be used to identify the movie) is not only a great starting point to Phase 2 of the Marvel cinematic universe, it is easily the best solo movie from Marvel studios thus far……and yes, better than the first Iron Man.  While it has not eclipsed Avengers, I can’t begrudge anyone that would want to make the argument. Avengers was definitely a dope movie, but more of an entertaining one. TWS was a great action thriller movie that went beyond just the super hero medium and leaves you walking away with a sense of fulfillment in this latest entry into the Marvel universe.  I’ve even heard one critic say that this was his fav’rit movie right up there with The Dark Knight. Now, that’s saying a lot, but given that I do respect that critics’ voice, if he feels that way about it, then there is something to be explored.  While it’s not a perfect movie, it manages to navigate a well balance between intrigue, plot & character development and action.

Now Captain America: The First Avenger, while not the blockbuster we would have liked, it was still a solid effort to introduce this character to the general audience. Even for us comic book fans, it did leave a lot to be desired, but it wasn’t lost on anyone that this was merely a set-up movie so we could get to The Avengers.  TFA had some great moments here and there, and set up the world nicely, but overall it seemed rushed in its resolution as it raced towards the finish line.  With that being said, the one good thing about sequels is that we can toss the origin story away and hit the ground running………and that’s exactly what TWS does. If you’re not familiar with the back story at this point, then shame on you because the movie goes right in and never stops to give you a recap.  But to its credit also, the movie plays in such a way that really don’t have to see TFA to enjoy or even be able to follow TWS…..and that’s all due to great writing.  Let’s start with the supporting cast. 

Supporting Cast

Falcon- Anthony Mackie is the newest addition to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), as Sam Wilson aka Falcon. I was a lil worried about Falcon coming across as a token, but the first seen immediately establishes him as a strong character.  There is an undeniable instant chemistry between him and Cap that is built upon a very real camaraderie between soldiers. The interaction was instantaneously natural as Falcon chastises the Captain for lapping him around the National Mall. I was never the biggest Falcon fan in the comics, but this version was done well and fit within the context of the movie. They did away with the feathery simulated wings and spandex of the original and went with the updated version of Falcon from the Marvel Ultimate line with more of a practical military application version.  The explanation for the wings, while steeped in hyper-reality, did not seem that farfetched at all.  Sam Wilson serves as a grounding element for Cap in this new world and doesn’t come across as anyone’s sidekick.

Black Widow- Scarlett Johanssen is back and we get to see a more fleshed out Natasha this time around. As the story unfolds, she is affected in a number of ways and by the end there is a growth in the character as she comes to terms with her past and uncertain future.  Her banter and rhythm with Cap is on point, as it plays out as a thru line in the movie. In the midst of taking down terrorists or interrogations, Widow is adamant about finding him a date.  It’s well placed wit without being too tongue in cheek.  The quieter moments between them gives a glimpse into Widow’s feelings about the life she has had to create to survive in the world of espionage. Widow no longer feels like a soulless killing machine in form fitting spandex (bless you Scarlett Johanssen…..haf’ mercy.) You can begin to sympathize with her a bit, as she is humanized. In a particular scene during a battle with the Winter Soldier, you see real fear in her eyes because she knows how deadly this guy is and her mortality feels very real. 

Nick Fury- Sam Jackson still personifies the Fury cool under pressure persona with an ease that comes from having the role practically handed to him when they first redesigned Fury years ago, changing him from white to black and using Jackson’s face as the inspiration.  But this is a different Nick from the Iron Man movies or Avengers. Fury is given his moment to shine in a break neck car chase thru the streets of Washington D.C. But not only do you get to see Fury be a bad azz, you also see conflict between him and Cap. The U.S. of A is doing some questionable things in the name of freedom that Cap does not agree with that has him questioning Fury in his methods and ideologies.  It’s hard for Cap to work in the black & white, when his employer deals mostly in the gray areas.

Winter Soldier- Menacing. When he is on the screen….you cannot take your eyes of him. Even the score that is played has more of a horror movie feel than action thriller.  This guy is all business, with no frills. No he doesn’t have the panache or flair for the dramatic quite like Loki, but that’s Loki’s lane. Granted we know how powerful Loki is, but he is never threatening in presence alone. WS has a presence on the screen that is more ominous than Shakespearean.  He presents not only a formidable foe for Cap, he also presents as a personal conflict that raises the stakes just a little bit more than just another run of the mill bruiser villain. He also becomes sympathetic as a character near the second half of the movie and Sebastian Stan does a great job in his portrayal, which feels very true to the canon. His fights with Cap are one of classic proportions, with a rhythm that while violent was still like watching a dance.  He doesn’t even have many lines in the movie, so it’s all just action for him, but those action sequences speak volumes when it’s WS time and he owns the screen. 

Now........for the star of our movie.......

Captain America
If there was any doubt about who the man was in Avengers……the question has been answered. For me anyway.  A few fanboys were less than happy with the choice of Chris Evans as Captain America, and admittedly while I had no problem with him in TFA or The Avengers, in TWS Chris Evan owns the role of Captain America.  He is able to embody that combination of earnestness, innocence, leadership and intensity.  Evans looks more comfortable in the role, more at ease and is able to let his natural talent for banter shine thru without coming off as campy.  To his detriment, in Avengers it was all about RDJ’s Iron Man and the Hulk…..more so Iron Man and his cool, hip characterization in contradiction to Cap’s stern, old school and stiff demeanor.  It seemed that the way the script was written, allowed for Captain America to be the butt of the joke most of the time.  He was given a few moments to shine, near the end of the movie during the alien invasion but you still felt like he was the old fogy boyscout of the clique.  When I was watching TWS, I felt like “okay……now I’m FINALLY watching Captain America!!” This is the Cap I knew from the books, that was not to be played with at all! He was kicking azz up and down that movie, and using the shield in a much more offensively dynamic way. The opening action sequence on the boat had my mouth open. Like….shit, Captain America is seriously dangerous. Even the scene in the elevator that they showed in the trailers when he asks “…before we get started…..does anyone want to get out?”….there was menacing confidence to his delivery letting everyone know, that he will put you in the ground if he has to.  I can’t wait for Avengers: Age of Ultron. It’s going to be interesting to see this now fully realized Cap, takes the reigns of leadership on. Despite the box office numbers and general audience fandom, Iron Man is not the leader of the Avengers……it is and always has been Captain America. Any man that can get a god (Thor) to follow him says a lot about the character and what he represents. 

 Overall, this movie has been a fantastic step in the right direction for Marvel movies and offers a new level of storytelling that isn’t just CGI fluff or cool sequences.  The action in this movie was top notch, with beautifully choreographed hand to hand combat.  Practical effects, with real car crashes add to the realism.  The plot hit a few snags here and there but nothing that takes you out of the movie.   The lighter moments of wit were well placed without being disruptive or resorting to frat boy humor or corny shtick….I’m looking at you Michael Bay!!  With the bar set so high not only for the other Marvel movies, but the Captain America franchise, I can only wonder just how they will top this with Captain America 3.  Either way, I’m eagerly along for the ride.   To quote a song……..Captain America, fcuk yeah!!

4.5 out of 5

The Break Up

There comes that time in every man’s life when he has to make a difficult decision. You weigh out the pros & cons as you come to grips with the harsh reality of a break up.  You try to think of the other person’s feelings but you have to also think about what’s best for you.  We never look forward to this day, but sometimes you have to face the inevitable…..and break up with your barber!  It’s a reality that is probably harder for a man to do more than breaking up with his woman, but it happens often…….all across the United States. Even as I type this, right now another relationship is falling apart.

A man and his barber is very special bond that spans years…decades even. You laugh together, share stories, even argue every now and then about how he cut it last time or an overdue tip, but it’s always with the foundation of love.  Most of these relationships start with two people searching for something. The barber is looking for a loyal customer and the man is looking for quality work with care.  A great haircut can not only dictate your day, but it can impact your life. It can determine whether you get that job or that girl. It makes you feel good about yourself and your chances in this world. Think about it for minute, how many times have you seen men fighting with fresh haircuts!? Most of the time, these fights occur in between a shape up or two, and you’re not feeling at your best.  So, when a man decides on a barber, that’s a big responsibility. He is handing over his present & future to a barber’s careful hands.

 It starts like any relationship. Both parties are putting their best foot forward. The barber is giving you that extra care with every swipe of clippers and razor. Making sure you’re comfortable, while still ready to experiment. Doing your part, you tip him and show appreciation for a job well done.  As time goes on you reach of level of comfort. There is an ease in the relationship because you both know what’s expected and that the other will take care of you.  You’re telling secrets, ambitions and fears….all in the span of 30-45mins you have formed a bond.  A wise barber once said…..”the same thing it took to get your customer, is gonna be the same thing it’s gonna take to keep your customer”. Well, that’s probably not true but I’m sure you get where I’m going. At some point the barber gets comfortable. You begin to notice missed areas here and there. All of the sudden your hairline creeps back a bit. You’re arguing more and more about how he cut your facial hair last time, even when you have pictures to the contrary. Haircuts are taking longer, as he is preoccupied with his phone, ordering  food or telling the latest story for the week.  Instead of that faith you had before, now you sit down with a sense of unease. Now the great haircuts are coming sporadically, and you begin to covet the clippers of others. You grow jealous of your friends and their barbers relationships.

 That hard reality hits when you have to terminate what was once a great union. There is never any real easy way to do this, and you would be hard pressed to find any man that has actually sat down with his barber and broken the news. It typically starts as a missed shape up or two. Nothing too drastic where he can notice, because most barbers lose track of the weeks between a full haircut and a shape up.  If you have a barber that can remember, we usually will just tell him that we shaped ourselves up and just followed the line he left from last time…..knowing damn well the shape up you have is of far superior nature than a mere novice could master.  The first time in the new barber’s chair, you feel a bit dirty but you look forward to see what he does.  When you finally get a look at the finished product, you almost fight back tears because you have finally found someone that gets you, as if “Everything I Miss At Home” by Cherrelle plays in the background. How could someone that you just met, know you so well?!  As you leave the barbershop, you look around for any familiar faces on the street that could get back to your old barber. I personally had the experience of running into one of my former Shopmates from my previous barber one day at the bar. At that point I hadn’t officially broken the news to my barber, so I was a bit apprehensive.  As our general conversation was ending, I turned to exit the store and he mentions to me “Hey….that don’t look like a (insert name) haircut! Nice lines!”  As I hesitantly turned to respond, I gave him the uncomfortable “Hhahah!!... (Pointing)”, but then I proceeded to get in close and uttered “not a fuckin’ word my dude….not a word!!” I felt like I just got caught by my wife’s co-worker while I was out with another woman.  Although we never had the conversation, my absence I was sure had been documented, but having someone else break the news to him just didn't seem right. 

Unfortunately life is an ever changing canvas, and often we never know where it may lead us.   You find jobs, you lose jobs…….you fall in love and you fall out of love…….and sometimes we lose barbers.  In the meantime, if you have a good barber, keep them close. But keep yours eyes open for the warning signs of a relationship going bad,........because everyone isn't fortunate enough to make it out before it's too late.

Choices

At some point,…….you WILL have to choose.

Often times we make decisions out of pride, fear and uncertainty.  We lose precious moments & opportunities because of the unknown.  But the fact is……there is no unknown, and we know exactly what those paths will bring us or where they will lead in life’s adventures.  It’s up to you alone to seize the moment. Choose your path.  No regrets or apprehension. Seize it with open arms, eyes open and optimism.  We control more of our destiny then we have been lead to believe.  Your happiness is in your hands & great things await you……….

….choose.