By Sha Stimuli

New York, NY (December 11, 2008) - Is it me or when we sagged our jeans in the 90’s, was it partly because it was in style and mostly because they were too big for us? I don’t know if it was the coolest thing in the world, and I’m sure adults shook their heads as a bunch of us youngsters walked by with our pants extremely lower than our waists, exposing our boxers while we periodically reached to pull them up only to have them fall to about the same spot.

But now I’m the adult walking the streets of NY, and I have to see the youthful dudes in the hood wearing their jeans low as all hell, and to tell you the honest truth, I’m not mad at that part. Sagging jeans not only shows the world your underwear game that may or may not be up to par, but if you have a cool belt, then it gets light as well. Hey, if you’re going to spend money on clothes, why not do what you can to show ‘em all?  I used to roll my pant leg up to show my socks when they matched my gear. I was younger and dumber at one point.  But maybe, and just maybe, I’m all alone when I see these same low height pantaloons hugging the legs in a manner that I can’t tell whether these guys have on jeans or tights and it makes my stomach hurt.

Straight leg jeans are one thing and they carry the implication that the person sporting this garment might be just that—straight! But “skinny” jeans? Skinny as in non-fat. Like slim-cut for a lady? Is that what’s cool now? How can having your pant leg closer to your genitalia be cool? It’s an oxymoron. There are some fads today that I can totally understand. As I get older there are others that I’m just not going to follow but I would say to myself, “If I was in high school I could see me wearing that.” A skinny jean just isn’t one of those trends.

Is it me or did this start with the Dipset? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I swear I heard Jim Jones or Juelz Santana talking about rocking pants like this with chains on the belt loops and skulls and crossbones on everything. I could be wrong but it seems folks took it to the extreme. Or maybe it was the “hipsters” with their loud colors and “skateboardy” outfits that have found their place in the hip-hop world. This is not about hate, because everything has its place and I think the stuff that people are doing that looks like everybody else leaves room for me to be who I am and win. I’m just trying to find out if I’m alone when I see some of this stuff that goes against the laws of nature. If you’re a straight man, why would you want to wear pants that make you look like a straight woman? Are men leaning towards showing their curves? Is that where fashion is going? Bring back throwbacks, I’ll rock Fubu or Guess jumpers or something before I have to wiggle into jeans 2 sizes too small for me. Maybe it’s me.

DOWNLOAD: Superstar Jay & Sha Stimuli - The Funeral

Did anyone see Obama on 60 minutes? I missed it but I got a lot of calls and text messages about it. Matter of fact I got a thousand emails in the last few months surrounding Obama alone and from people that I never even knew had a clue what month the election goes down until this year. Am I alone in noticing Obama pictures in Black people’s homes like the old Christ flicks more and more? Some people are putting so much weight on this man’s shoulders it’s like he’s the second coming. Is it me or has anyone else heard a few comments that sounded like Barack has been sent from heaven to save us? I can understand the generation before mine that lived thru the MLK era feeling like its happening all over again and there’s a resurgence for our people to really overcome but I swear I heard Obama in a few prayers lately in place of God’s son and it is a little bit hilarious to me.

What’s even funnier was how Black people were just so sure all the White people were upset on the streets the day after Election Day. People were sure they had extra work from their boss or got parking tickets or got an evil stare because of the country’s decision. “They wouldn’t have docked my pay if McCain won” said the employee as he went to work late again.

I watched Bill Maher interview Diddy and he made a comment about hip-hop being stuck on bravado and flossing for years and he suggested it may be time for a change. I instantly thought of the youtube clip I saw with Marcus Jordan, (Mike’s son) coming at Bow Wow about his Jordan sneaker collection. Now is it me or is Marcus’s last name not Jordan? I mean aren’t the sneakers he’s bragging about and claiming to have limited editions of designed by, patterned and named after his FATHER. That’s like Justin Combs getting free meals at his pops restaurant or having all the new Sean John and making a big deal about it. That would be like Jojo Simmons talking shit about having all the new Phat Farm, or Paris Hilton boasting about getting free rooms at daddy’s hotels.

I could understand if he had his own line but even that wouldn’t make much sense. See Marcus, Bow Wow isn’t related to Michael Jordan so it may take connections and $ to get exclusive kicks. I’m not a sneaker head but I know how serious the fetish is. What I don’t get is our culture’s thirst to show how much better we have it than the next man to a point where we’ll embarrass ourselves. Maybe that’s what Bill Maher was talking about with rap music. Maybe that’s what I do when I rap. Oh well. I guess it IS me.

For more on Sha Stimuli and his writings, click here.

New York, NY (November 16, 2008) - Spotted on that Nah Right Lite section.  This one comes from Unkut and asks the yearly question: Blogs or Magazines?

Portability - It’s kinda hard to read blogs on the can, unless you want to risk dropping your iPhone into the john.

Winner: Magazines.

Affordability - Free = the price is right. Although when you add up the cost of your laptop and internet connection, it’s a tough call.

Winner: Blogs.

Photography - Google image search stays losing.

Winner: Magazines.

Audio - A free CD tacked to the front is always nice, but it doesn’t exactly compare to being able to download the latest Blaq Poet banger.

Winner: Blogs.

I say yearly, because, as the number of magazines going under continues to climb, the validation of blogs and free media gains credibility.  But does it?  Personally, I’m always going to favor a magazine or newspaper’s opinion more than a bloggers.  Why?  Because writing is a craft that takes time to perfect and blogging merely takes time.  Perhaps it’s ingrained into my head from journalism school that hard copies offer a more authoritative opinion and tangible facts than a blog; but that of, course, begs the question: What if someone like Mike Lupica started his own Sports Blog and was no longer affiliated with The New York Times… would that make him any less credible?

No, it wouldn’t, but he’s established his credibility through years of toiling in newspaper ink, mixing it up with the people on the ground and field, asking the tough questions and being an asshole.  Bloggers, for the most part, are armchair reporters.  For me, unless your voice is as dirty as your hands, I can’t take your pristine keyboard for what it’s telling me.