1 Yeezy Taught Me: 7 Things I Learned From Kanye West

By: Marvin DeBose Kanye West is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic, talented, yet misunderstood artists of our generation. Since his rise to stardom in 2003-2004, he has transcended the world of hip-hop music and become a cultural icon. At the same time, he has been the center of a great deal of controversy as well. This week, he drops his controversial, highly-anticipated (despite being leaked) album, Yeezus. Whether you're a fan of him or not, you've got to admit that there is something unique about him which distinguishes him from many musicians of not only his time, but musicians in general... and there are many things which...

2 7 Things I Learned From The Godfather

The classic 1972 film, The Godfather, is one of my favorite movies of all time. Aside from the great story and remarkable characters, one of the things which makes me such a huge fan of this movie is the abundance of life lessons and wisdom found in it. The movie is so inspirational for me that I felt the need to share some of the lessons that I learned from it such as... Lesson 1- Stay focused on your business One of the most brilliant scenes of the movie is when Michael Corleone goes to Vegas to meet with mafiosi Moe Greene, to get him to sell him his casino to the Corleone family. But when Michael arrives in Vegas for the meeting his brother...

2 Study the Greats, Become Greater

"Study the greats and become greater." -Michael Jackson Anyone who knows me well knows that I consider myself to be a bit of an impressionist. Since elementary school, I'd perform impressions of my friends, teachers, family members and even celebrities. Now I'm not saying that I'm the next Robin Williams or anything, but this skill has always fascinated many people. How I developed this was through years of studying people. I watch what they say, how they say it, their distinctive body language, how they walk, how they laugh, etc. Yet, as I grew older, I learned to study much more than people's body language and their idiosyncrasies. Whenever...

0 White Kid, Black Culture

Marvin's Note: I met Aaron at Edinboro University, where we were both journalism students. One of the things that struck me about Aaron was his intense love for hip-hop music. I mean, Aaron's the type of guy who could sit and discuss every track of every album of Biggie and 2Pac's career with you for hours. Yet, Aaron's interest in cultures which many people believe to be foreign to him has had its pros and cons throughout the years, here's his story... By: Aaron McKrell I consider myself a pretty cultured person, especially for a white kid who grew up in an affluent suburb of Erie, Pa. Particularly, I am familiar with black culture....

2 Why they Sag

By: Marvin DeBose "I just don't understand why they wear their pants like that." Well, that's the point. Many people don't understand it, they complain about it, they don't like the way it looks, and that's a big part of the reason why many young people are going to keep wearing their pants like that. It seems as if these days, sagging pants has become one of the most controversial issues in America. There has been discussion about the issue of people sagging their pants and there has even been laws enacted in some cities against the common practice. Many people talk about the origins of sagging.  "It started in the prisons,...