checkpoint.

At this very moment, i feel theres something i must change in life. the process starts now. dont get lost within the crowd. for those who walk with me in this journey through life. welcome to another chapter. prepare for all ups and downs ahead, a lot of room to grow and improve. lets tackle this shit together. for those who dont, enjoy the show. none of yall can stand in the way of what i set to do. have yall lookin on the outside lookin in. hope you saved my autograph. lol TIME TO MAKE SOME MOVES.

from '10 til

First off I wanna give a shout out to everyone who greeted me, went to dinner, and showed face today. It really means a lot for you to take time outta your day to come kick it with ya boy.

Another year older. Two decades of experience. I'm just pretty much letting it soak in my brain: everything I've done, everything I've been through, the people I've affected as well as the people who've made me the person I am today. I'm thankful for everyone around me who I feel truly care about how everything in my life is going. I'm thankful for everyone that had my back when I needed the help. I'm thankful for my family, friends, and my life in its entirety. I've realized the fact that there are gonna be many peaks and many pitfalls in life and I feel I'm prepared for the best and worst of whats to come next. As I've matured, I've learned the importance of keeping track of your responsibilities and to exceed all expectations if you want to get anywhere in life. I'm wishing for the best when it comes to this next decade coming up, and we definitely plan to do it real big by the time I'm gonna have to write another decade blog.

Turning twenty usually isn't very significant at all, but it only means one thing:
the countdown starts: 364 days and counting.

20

Twenty. Wow, another decade has passed, another year onto my life. Although I'm not quite as excited as I should be on my birthday, I'm thankful for another year of life that he has blessed me with. It's crazy to say that I've gone through a lot in just twenty years of life. Its crazy to think of what is yet to come. I can only hope for the best.

I'll probably post something later on tonight.

Wordplay

First off, I'm gonna start making a habit of putting a video in the beginning of my blogs. Something to listen to, something funny to watch. Something to entertain you if my blog isn't interesting enough. I'm also gonna make it a habit of blogging not everyday but more often. I keep bsing but I just haven't found the time to. Even though I have all the time in the world.

People need to realize that freestyling is as easy as talking. You have to relate it to spoken word. It doesn't have to rhyme, it just has to make sense. [If you're not into that kind of thing, go on Youtube.com and type def poetry jam. If you can't find a single video you like, I can't say I could get along with a person like you. Sorry] Many people come into freestyling thinking that you have to keep pace with beat, same tempo, same flow, saying whatever it is relevant to say at the time. I find it more to be the rhythm that you deliver your words with and the way it flows and mends together with the beat. The art of flowing without a beat acapella is as amazing to me as some people consider presidential speeches. The words that come out of your mouth can move a room of people. If you add a rhythm to your words, whether poetic or hip hop-esque, compounds the power of the words by 100, i think. Words all flow out of our mouths the same way, its the manner in which we express our feelings that can affect the way other people perceive you. The tonality and confidence in your voice as well as the relevance of the words you say separate the people who sound like the can convince a whole room that the sky was falling successfully and the people who sound like remedial 4th graders. Unfortunately, you can't find this in all people, but most people that are comfortable speaking have a certain flow in their speech that usually sets them apart from the rest. (see politicians, rappers, musicians, businessmen, pimps, guys that spit game, lawyers, agents, etc)
It sounds funny to compare the politicians and businessmen to musicians, but they ironically have many similarities: both are usually chipped up, both use a certain flow with their words to "wow" a mass amount of people, both come up with punchlines that can get the house or house of representatives poppin, and they both probably drive nice whips. If there were ever a rapper who spit stuff that was government approved, he would be able to rule the world. That same rapper wouldn't be able to make it in the music industry. Damn, the world sure is unfair.
The way you communicate with people is way more important that our generation realizes. We're all used to talking behind computer monitors and cellphone screens to thoroughly practice speaking properly. It definitely gives you the advantage in life if you are able to speak eloquently amongst your peers, as well as the teachers and bosses that we seem to always need to impress. Read the dictionary and learn how to use properly. Read up on some information that interests you. That little bit of knowledge can probably make you stick out during the job interview you have coming up or impress that fine girl you've been trying to swag up on. Freestyling helps a little too hahah.

Hope you enjoyed my little rant.
RaeIl

Ps. i h8 ppl hoo typ lyk dis. i hope you all get sent to an island to annoy each other with your retarded typos.

so much room for improvement

It blows my mind how things are right now. Society has us at a constant hustle. If you're not hustlin', you're missing out. If you're not hustlin', you're falling behind. In our times right now compared to the times that came before us, we are pushed to hustle so hard to receive what seems like the bare minimum or barely enough to get us by. Sure, a lot of us like to live lavish lifestyles because we are affected by everything around us, plus rappers, everyone and their mommas have been telling us from the get-go to get our bills up. Who can blame em? Money is completely necessary right now. Since I got outta high school, I've experienced some real life stuff. Times where ends don't meet and times where it seems you give 110% only to receive back 5% looking back at your paycheck like, "I swear I put in more hours than that." Having to pay for bills, having to walk or find a ride to work because the whip is turning into a piece of crap. I'm not saying that there aren't a billion and one more people who feel my pain or feeling stomach pains and are far worse than the bs that I speak of right now. For that, I apologize. In that time, I've learned that you either complain and do it, or you just man up and do it. Not only do you do it, but you exceed all expectations. Stand out. Get your name out there. Get your connections up. Which leads me to believe that even though we have such a list of different criteria to accomplish, I'm hoping that many of us are either ready or finally realizing the task at hand. It's great for us to be knowledgeable about the obstacles that we might encounter in life, and the great thing about it is at least most of us (at least those who I feel are going to be reading this) have our whole lives ahead of us. I, myself, am just very soon getting out of my "teen" years. Our elders go nuts for young people like us who know what they're talking about. The best way to swag up on relatives, bosses, job interviews, older peers is to talk about the real shit we go through. Not your mischievous high school and college stories, but life experiences that they might relate to, and swagging up to show that you thoroughly handled it and then some is impressive enough. Imagine what a whole decade of experience can add on to your experience points and all the crazy stuff we would blog about ten years from now (not knowing if I'm gonna be blogging, but I wouldn't doubt it. Whatever your craft may be, whether your the future life savers of the world, musicians, rappers, actors, video game designers, tv personalities, whatever it might be, make sure you are on the right track and make your mistakes now. Do-overs are rarely given out in the game of life. If this 2012 thing is no joke, I'd rather not be a broke, Nex sales clerk. I'm the type who's making sure we don't gotta go to Mcdonalds girl. Haha

Keep your eyes on the prize and your dreams in the clouds.
RaeIl

Communication

I feel people dont communicate anymore, and i totally mean this in several different ways. First of all, i find a phone call a lot more sacred in this age that we live in. Most of the time, people would rather text than conversate with a person on the phone. Now, i find this to be a problem, but i totally understand the reason people might be hesistant to talk on the phone. Being on the phone is live. You say something stupid, you look like an idiot. By text, you have the comfort of reading the text, thinking of shit to say, the ability to go back when you realize your first thought was retarded, then eventually send it out. Dont lie, youve done it and if you still say no, your a bold faced liar and you know that shit. In my perspective, texting hinders us a little bit socially. You can text all day long, but when you come to a face to face interaction with someone, your tongue-tied. Cant get your words out. Too much going on in your head. Gather your thoughts and come with it, because in this life, whether its with your occupation or with your relationships, an articulate, confident speaker is the most believable.

Going off into a tangent, this also goes for anything musically or public. If you don't sound like you think your this shit, then your probably not. Be confident.

Anyways, going back to communication. Another thing I find very annoying is when people have conversations and it turns into a shouting match. We're conversing, we're not drill sergeants. Lower your voice. The only reason you raised your voice is because you find it offensive the way I'm coming at you and your not quick enough (or smart enough) to come up with a simply intellectual response to that. Learn how to speak to a person like a person. We're not little kids, so respect me and don't raise your voice bro.

I feel that a lot of people also lack substance in conversation. Cutting past the small talk, someone should have SOMETHING interesting to say. I know you have a million ideas in your head right now and you can't even tell me one. Elaborate on something that blew your mind today. Something that made you laugh. You converse with someone to get to know what they're about. I'm not tryna get at you, I'm tryna catch up. Calm down. Hopefully next time we talk you don't dissapear after the small talk.

Last but not least, do something nice for a friend. Seriously. Its worth it. Catch up with an old friend. Bring a sick friend soup. Ask someone how their day was. Let them vent out. If they're true friends, it shouldn't be awkward. It should be just like the old days. If not, then kick em to the curb.

ps. keep your good friends close, and your money closer.

Little things

If you think about it really, its the little things that can change a relationship to make it stronger or weaker. The little things like taking your friends to a movie because it felt like the thing to do at the time, lending a friend money to get him out of a jam, taking your girl out just for the hell of it just to stunt on her. Its really the little things that people remember and keep in the back of their minds that make a lasting impression.