Good Music: The Moon Man does it again...

Check out Kid Cudi's latest video below...although it is actually a collection of performance footage as opposed to the traditional music video, I can appreciate the behind the scenes look we get.

Also, this is the first song that sold me on the fact that he deserves to be part of this new rap movement.

If you haven't already, check out my post on why you should be a Kid Cudi fan here

Food for Thought: The Man in the Arena

The more I find out about former President Teddy Roosevelt, the more I realize that he was a pretty tough guy; this list alone paints a picture of what he was able to accomplish during his 60 years of life (read the full article here, courtesy of Art of Manliness):

1. Work as state legislator, police commissioner, and governor in New York

2. Own and work a ranch in the Dakotas

3. Serve as Assistant Secretary of the Navy

4. Fight as a Rough Rider in the Spanish-American War

5. Serve as President for two terms, then run for an unprecedented third term

6. Become the first President to leave the country during his term in order to see the building of the Panama Canal

7. Write 35 books

8. Read tens of thousands of books-several a day in multiple languages

9. Explore the Amazonian rainforests

10. Discover, navigate, and be named after a completely uncharted Amazonian river over 625 miles long

11. Volunteer to lead a voluntary infantry unit into WWI at age 59.

Based on this, it's no surprise that he is the author of the famous speech, "The Man in the Arena". It speaks of the toughness that Roosevelt embodied and the same toughness that we should embrace and try to bring out of ourselves each and every day.

I would attempt to highlight key points from the speech, but honestly the entire thing is worth not only reading, but also committing to memory. I hope you enjoy this and pass it on to others who can benefit from it:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Cheers to all of us being our own man in the arena,

JIP

BHM: Birth of Cool: 20 Black Style Pioneers

Happy Sunday!

So if you know me, you know that GQ is one of my favorite magazines/websites, so I was pleased to see their feature, in partnership with the guys of Street Etiquette (see my last post) entitled "Birth of Cool: 20 Black Style Pioneers". Many of the men featured are well-known figures such as Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, and Harry Belafonte, but I was even more impressed by some of the lesser known men that were part of this distinguished list, including Dick Gregory, Johnny Hodges, and Vivien Thomas.

Anyhow, check out the slideshow here and see how these men helped mold our history.

Cheers to style,

JIP

BHM: Street Etiquette

Hi All,

One of the new blogs that I have begun to follow on a regular basis is Street Etiquette (check it out here). The website is run by two friends who basically explore various clothing staples and not only explain why they are stylish, but also give a brief history of their origins, which I particularly enjoy. Anyway, they have a new feature entitled "Sewn From the Soul", which honors historical Black figures including Gordon Parks, Huey P. Newton, Miles Davis, Cornell West, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Nat King Cole. Check out the behind the scenes video of the photo shoot below:

Sewn From The Soul from Alejandro on Vimeo.

Also, see the finished product from all of their hard work here.

It's always a great feeling when you're proud of people that you don't even know.

Cheers to Street Etiquette,

JIP

I make Black History every day, I don't need a month!

As stated in the line above, courtesy of Kanye West, I don't feel that Black History should be restricted to a single month. All history should be valued, so I plan on treating it as such. Going forward, I will try to incorporate things that I feel add some sort of value to my blog, and I am open to any ideas that are out there.

Hope you all enjoy! :-)

Cheers,

JIP