DID YOU REALLY WRITE IT FOR ME???

"I need you to understand something. I wrote this for you. I wrote this for you and only you. Everyone else who reads it, doesn't get it. They may think they get it, but they don't. This is the sign you've been looking for. You were meant to read these words."

These are the opening lines of the blog 'I Wrote This For You'... What exactly is this blog about? Search me, because according to it, I wouldn't understand.

The basic premise of the blog is to muse about an array of issues, in a pseudo-philosophical and poetic manner. This, the blog fulfils substantially. I find the blog quite appealing in it's ability to target only one person at a time and yet by the very act of being a blog, remain public. The blog allows you to carve your own meaning because the author (who is nameless) "wrote [it] for you and only you". At any one time when reading it, the only viewpoint that matters is your own.

What I don't like about the blog is that it focuses on the 'you' figure too much. Everything seems to revolve around it. Whether it is a means to motivate readers, to make them feel special or whatever - it gets quite irritating. Especially when some of the posts are as overused or cheesy as: "Forget the air. I'll breathe you instead". I can imagine a hero saying this to his love-interest, in a romantic black-and-white talkie, while jazz music plays in the background and they then proceed to kissing passionately - on the veranda... I could even take this image further but the point is it is too common.

But the blog makes up for it - USUALLY... Try it out. See what you think. It was written for you anyway. Who am I to judge?

UPSIDE WHAT? UPSIDE WHAT?!!!

WARNING!!!

ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION: BASICALLY AWAITING BLU-TOOTH TRANSFER OF PHOTO FROM CELLPHONE... BUT WHILE WE WAIT...

Let me tell you what I did to keep my DP... Something that I've never done before. Are you ready? Are you on the edge of your seat? Because I was! I WATCHED MY FAVOURITE MOVIE UPSIDE-DOWN!

"Wow... What a let-down," you think. I'm sure it is. You might have been expecting that I went bungee jumping. Or maybe I set myself on fire. But sadly, this is not "Jackass" or any of its sequels. I don't get paid millions to f*** myself up. I get paid in stitches and pain. So I gave it a pass...

Rather, I took the lame-ass, "I really don't wanna get hurt before the exams" route and watched "The Butterfly Efffect" upside-down. Obviously, it was unpleasant. It was VERY unpleasant. I felt dizzy for most of the hour; I kept on laughing because people look so different upside-down - You would swear Ashton Kutcher was never an underwear model the way he looks upside-down - and I think I fell asleep somewhere in the middle. So all in all, it was a waste of a night. I'm definitely not trying that again.

I would have loved to pull some Jackass-esque stunt. Still do... Will you be my sponsor???

The Legend Of The Fall Offs

Busta Rhymes
Legend Of The Fall Offs
The Big Bang 2006








The song is about the world of Entertainers and how they can be made and broken in an instant which makes one consider is the pursuit of being an entertainer a worthless ambition?



The song begins with a heart beating and the sounds of a grave being dug open. The voice of entertainment's grim reaper is heard, then the vocals begin (Do you ever think?/what life would be?/where you will go?/after you die)

Vanilla Ice,MC Hammer, Mr T,Mike Tyson,Shabba,Bobby Brown all these people were once adored by their fans,people used to actually go in crowds just to see them.Fast-forward to 2009 and no one but die-hard fans will even bother to ask them for an autograph or even look at them like they used to and this is the nature of entertainment(You know that time will come and nobody will check it/And everything you had is gone in the split of a second/That's when it starts hittin the fan and it gets real in this bitch/Just face the fact your shit's a wrap you gotta deal with the shit)

Imagine running from the grim reaper of fame... You know, like these people above, that the public has forgetten you for the sake of entertainment. And as the star you just keep lying to yourself as your number of friends grows smaller and you have to adjust your dreams to fit your current lot in life. (While all the people around you start to leave you in the same place/You overexert the litttle you have just to save face/You try to hide your expression from lookin worried /On what to do when your careers buried)

The dreams you had as a child begin to crumble as you are the entertainer. You remember those days when everyone gave a damn about you but now you are just a stranger in their world and it hurts.(You're only lyin to yourself it's evident in the proof/As your world continues to crumble, come to terms with the truth/You're still holdin on to them days when everything was about you/But Ni**gaz don't even remember enough to just shout you)

Is this a worthless ambition? The fact that one loses what one had; what one built - all lost in an instant! Because the greater public want to be entertained. The fact that an entertainer can experience extreme wealth and extreme poverty in one lifetime is mind boggling...

Is This really a WORTHLESS AMBITION?

Reader you can decide...

The song ends with the grim reaper catching the entertainer(Busta Rhymes) and then saying how he is there to lay the entertainer to rest. Sounds of the entertainer falling in the casket and the lid being sealed proceed then the song ends with the sound of the grim reaper burying the entertainer alive.The entertainer's pleas and screams for the casket to be opened are ignored while the digging continues accompanied by the heavy breathing of entertainment's grim reaper... And the song fades out...

TREVOR MANUEL IS A HYPOCRITE!

Trevor Manuel, the ex-financial minister of South Africa has set tongues wagging with his out-of-character purchase of a BMW 750i costing over a million rand. To add to this faux pas, he ordered that it be custom fit with some ‘standard extras’ costing R 99, 200.

Really? Really? Wow! Can Trevor Manuel not be more of a hypocrite?! After telling the people of South Africa to be prudent, he goes and does this? It would have been better were we not in the throes of recession or if he was not advocating things to which he does not adhere. Then, he would simply be labelled a big spender or this may even have applied as a mistake: the car could always be taken back. But that is not the real story. Politicsweb reports that Manuel has joined a growing list of ministers who are buying expensive cars at the cost of the tax payers. Were we to sit down and calculate the total bill for ministerial vehicles, we would apparently come up with the sum of R 42, 612, 406.00.

What is so special about these cars? The purpose of any vehicle should be to take the passenger from point A to point B, not to teleport them or fly – which, judging from the millions of rands spent – these cars are apparently able to do. The ministers should rather try public transport, since they are always on about “getting closer to the people”. My amazement buds like a gigantic flower in an eternal Spring.

The Rhodes We Travelled: The History of ICE

Caption Soundtrack:Jamie Foxx Ft T-Pain - Blame It

Jay-Z "The Blueprint For......."?!

POURING
The say the blueprint is the design for many other creations specifically buildings or in this case an empire. Picture an old vintage building,still elegant,still tall but in dire need of the modern touch a renovation.Would this renovation be the BLUEPRINT 3.

TEA STIRS
>First album off Def Jam and First Roc Nation Album
> 11th Number 1 album breaking the record held by Elvis
>Sold an estimated 476,000 copies in its first week
>2nd best selling Hip Hop Album of 09 behind Em's Relapse
> MTV's Hottest MC for 2009


TRACKLIST
1.What We Talkin About Ft Luke Steele Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
2.Thank You Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
3.D.O.A Produced by Kanye West
4.Run This Town Feat Kanye West & Rihanna Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
5.Empire State OF Mind Feat Alicia Keyz Produced by Al Shux
6.Real As It Gets Feat Young Jeezy Produced by The Inkredibles
7.On To The Next One Feat Swizz Beatz Produced by Swizz Beatz
8.Off That Feat Drake Produced by Timbaland
9. A Star is Born Feat J.Cole Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
10.Venus vs Mars Feat Beyonce Produced by Timbaland
11.Already Home Feat Kid Cudi Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
12.Hate Feat Kanye West Produced by Kanye West
13.Reminder Produced by Timbaland
14.So Ambitious Feat Pharrell Williams Produced by The Neptunes
15.Young Forever Feat Mr Hudson Produced by Kanye West
Tea's Picks = Red

DA SIP OF TEA

ICE went a little too hard on HOVE but that doesn't mean he is completely off.Looking at Jay-Z's legacy he has given you three classic albums that come to mind.Reasonable Doubt,The Blueprint & the Classic The Black Album.

In our Poll from the followers it seems the people are undecided with the half sayin "Crazy Old Fool Should Retire" 42% & the other half sayin Blueprint 3 "is da S.H.I.T" 42%; with the remainder say "Better Luck next time,Jigga"12%.

As Tea i find myself goin towards "Crazy Old Fool Should Retire" . Hove's album lacks the hunger of a young up & comer or an old dog tryin to learn new tricks it's just the same old HOVE.
I gotta say up to track 6 the album is a decent listen and would be for any Jigga fan out there and then 11 & 14 for me personally but one common thing i have noticed is nobody likes the whole album which is rare thing for a Jay-Z album.

The blueprint 3 is a good attempt at running with the big dogs in music but with so much money and business ventures what could JIGGA talk about. Other than Death's of Auto Tune(D.O.A) & New York(Empire State Of Mind) & Daddy's Goin Hard(Venus vs Mars) and that track where The Game thought Jigga dissed him (What We Talkin About) .Jay-Z has nothing else that he could contribute to the minds of our everlasting.To all his fans ride out with him he might prove me wrong but don't wait to long you might come back to reality on foot.

Jay-Z should consider writing self help books much like 50 Cent's 50th law or even LL Cool j's Training Regime book or even freestyle tips or somethin but Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 just proves one thing. "Should have Faded to Black!" Sorry Hove.

THE "BLUEPRINT 3": iN reTRosPEcT

#rublogs Jay-Z's "Blueprint 3". Da verdict is out from the ICE perpective. Peep dis: http://tinyurl.com/ycdyh2z

Before Sugar-Honey, Tea and I bombard you with our honest opinions, we believe that in the interests of objective and fair journalism we must at least represent Jigga fairly.

Track List:

1. What We Talkin' About
2. Thank You
3. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
4. Run This Town
5. Empire State of Mind
6. Real As It Gets
7. On To The Next One
8. Off That
9. A Star Is Born
10. Venus VS. Mars
11. Already Home
12. Hate
13. Reminder
14. Young Forever

So here are some stats from billboard.com (http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/search/blueprint):

• Jay-Z has recorded a total of 16 albums


• Many of them have reached the number 1 spot on the charts and stayed there for some time


• Currently, "The Blueprint 3" is chillin' comfortably at no. 2 on the Billboard 200, no. 1 on the Rap Albums chart and no. 13 on the European chart.


• The album has been on the charts for a total of 3 weeks.

Now... As a person, you should know that when a thing is good or bad, you're probably not the only one who can see that. So... Being the Ice-man, you not what opinion I'm going to have. All day, every day. But before I delve into the gunk that is "The Blueprint 3", some valued opinions from a few like-minded individuals:

From Culturebully (http://www.culturebully.com/jay-z-the-blueprint-3-review):

"So what does 'innovation' look like to one of the greatest emcees of all time? Pretty much the same ol' sh*t, except with more synthesizers..."

"In hip-hop, 'that next level shit' is almost always based around how the music sounds... Very rarely do artists try to be innovative by saying something new..."

From Prefixmag (http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/jay-z/the-blueprint-3/21904/):

"He's like a classic rock group (like, say, U2)... we expect him to keep delivering same-old, same-old new music.."

And finally, from rap.about.com (http://rap.about.com/od/reviews/fr/JayZBlueprint3Review.htm):

"[Timbaland] the man who once provided the ultimate backdrop for Jay's futuristic flow sounds stuck in an early millenium time warp..."

(RoLLInG mY eYES)

Here we go folks:

So, my initial listen of the album went sportingly. I listened. I held my tongue. I was as good as good can be. But something became all too obvious: THIS ALBUM LACKS COHESION!

Sure Jigga's beats are sick. Sure he has the right to call himself one of the best rappers of all time. I hand him all these freebies. (cHeEkY grIN) But to have an album whose tracks are not at all related to each other is not what I'd consider worthy of the self-proclaimed 'best rapper alive'. (HAHA - NOTE THE QUALIFIER 'ALIVE'). From songs about New York, to a song about reminding people that he's still got his street edge - IT ALL DOESN'T ADD UP. Jigga goes from electro, to hardcore, to pseudo-soul, back to electro. This in itself is not bad - it worked well for Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool". But even that had a central theme/focal point of reference. Jigga's attempt is just all over the show.

Other than that, I can't hate on the old man much. Joe Camel - as he's called by most hip-hop headz because he can go on and on and on - has made a fair attempt at reinforcing his (somewhat imaginary) position as King of hip-hop. This SHOULD BE HIS LAST ALBUM. Any more after this will just be a waste of time and money. And I doubt that as an audience we're stupid enough to keep buying the same ol' gimmicks.

What Kind of blogger am I (Tea - The Becoming)

g09n2920 sihle ntuli
Welcome to Da S.H.I.T(Sugar-Honey.Ice.Tea)name is Tea;Ice or hot however you come at me.Some of the most life changing conversations come over a cup(or can) of tea offering a quench of thirst ,change of body temperature and perspective.The life without different perspectives is dull and uninteresting hence why the perfect average is found lying on the corridors of uncertainty while we moonwalk through them. I'm here to make you think hard about what i'm saying. Im here to make these words either slap you around or massage your points. My point is enlightenment whether iced or hot but still tea. Salutations to you let's talk about things over a cup(or can) of tea as i am the enlightening one.

As a follower of this blog you will either be swayed by sugar-honey or ice or be enlightened by my convo's. I do accept defeat but i do not lie down for the floor is dirty;i say let the minds sweat from battle with oozing juices of intellect giving birth to the rose of unique perspectives.

The blog name is an acronym which in my eyes is a metaphor for not accepting things at face value hence our different perspectives. My counter parts are first year journalism students much like myself. Sugar-honey & Ice have their views and i have mine just because; If the world shared eyes we would have been better of blind.Viewing the world It is clear to see that an emotional rollercoaster is before us. Here at Da S.H.I.T we ask ourselves our views on this as we look with diverse eyes and pupils unique in becoming learners of sight as our readers learn with us. I've seen media masterstrokes and flops while i give props for the attempt I define the flaw in my way while ice is just ICE! and sugar honey is well...sugar honey. All I say is let the sweet and the bitter battle away the voice of reason always pulls through.

As our focus is entertainment commentary the reader is open to an experience of a pyramid while at the center they can accept what they wish. If our readers were to come out with unique perspectives we would have enlightened them thus giving them a voice to verbally dig themselves out of the standard state of mind.

In closing i say let the tea run down your throat with heat from your chest leading you in the journey of enlightenment. Readers should come through because this is the only place on the globe where three is not a crowd it's Da S.H.I.T.

What kind of blogger am I? (Not NICE, just ICE)

Bakhulule Maluleka 609M1417.

(Primal Scream) (Tongue Sticking Out) (Hearty Chuckle) – These are my asides. As a follower of this blog, you will get used to these, because they tend to communicate more than what is written down. In trying to overcome the imaginative barrier between words and gestures that print sometimes necessitates, the asides function as my ‘virtual face’. “Why the need for a ‘virtual face’?” you ask. Because my real face has a life of its own. The ‘virtual face’ has a ‘virtual body’, ‘virtual heart’ and ‘virtual mind’: his name is ICE. He says it’s nice to meet you. It’s seldom that he’s so nice – just as his name suggests, he tends to be icy. He’s the mean one.

The blog’s name is Sugar Honey Ice Tea (S.H.I.T) and it represents the avatars you will encounter on this blog. As first-year journalism students, Sugar-Honey, Tea and I have a unique outlook on the world. We think that some of the media we are exposed to is at times irrelevant, inappropriate or plain useless – while other media is well-written, clearly-defined and gives the reader a great deal of knowledge. What we seek to do is gather all the types of media we find interesting and comment on them. But our main concern is not going about it willy-nilly – we want to focus on entertainment news. Entertainment news is a broad category, so over time, we will try and narrow it down to specific media products – but for now, we’re more interested in defining our virtual avatars’ personalities. And this can only be achieved through audience interaction.

So WE ASK YOU AS OUR READERS TO COMMENT on anything that you find comment-worthy. Since all three of the avatars will have different viewpoints, this should not be too difficult. If you don’t agree with Sugar-Honey’s positive reviews (maybe they’re too sweet for your liking), you can disagree with Ice (he can take it) – or you can be neutral like Tea. Our aim: to begin an interactive exchange between most readers of our blog in order to get them to start viewing issues from more than one or two perspectives. If readers can start thinking of issues more critically and not just accept everything that’s handed to them, we will have done our jobs. Also, we believe that as journalism students it’s important that we develop ways to voice our opinions without feeling as if we will be punished or scrutinised. But as with all things, please keep the comments clean. Other than that, there are no rules!

I now leave you in the very capable (yet somewhat frigid) hands of ICE (and the team).