Happy Birthday Jahnabi!

Remember this Intercession trip from four years ago? Great times with great folks!

I'd just like to take a moment to wish a Happy Birthday to one of my favorite individuals in the entire world.

Happy Birthday Jahnabi: If I could send you a birthday package, it would be full of smiles, great memories, and even better moments to come. I am so happy and thankful to have you as a friend... and really, you're the most positive person I know.

Have a great day Jahnabi; you deserve it!

- Reg

5 Things to Consider when Selecting an Eating Club

It's that magical time of the year isn't it? The first semester is wrapping up and sophomores are deciding which eating clubs to join! I originally created this Facebook note last January, but the information here is still relevant; however, I would add three more items: (1) it's totally cool not to join an eating club, (2) If you're thinking about bickering, go for it! Don't overthink it, just be yourself!, and (3) don't sleep on Quad - I'll have more to say about that later on today.

Three years ago, I joined Quad because, I felt comfortable with it's senior class/officer corps, I had junior friends in the club, and my good buddy S from Forbes was signing-in as well... that was the best decision I made in the course of my Princeton career. I hope this note helps :)

1. Join the club in which you feel the most at home: As an upperclassman, the a significant portion of your time will be spent at the eating club that you decide to join - for the next two years, you will have most of your meals in one location. It is a good idea to make sure that you're comfortable with almost very aspect of the club, especially the membership and food. Additionally, be sure to consider the additional facilities - i.e. hangout spots, study locations, computer labs, etc. One more thing: your club is going to be the first place you come back to as an alumni...

2. There are pro and cons to joining the same club as your friends: A lot of people decide to join the same club as their friends (when I say friends, I'm talking about a group of 3-4 people) - there are both positives and negatives aspects to this process. Pros: joining the same club as your friends ensures that you'll regularly have a core group of people to eat with and (in my opinion) this is especially desirable in certain clubs. Con: Joining a different club than your core group forces you to interact with new people and thus make new friends. Keep this in mind, with meal exchanges as a junior or senior, you will be able to eat at any club in which your friends are members at almost any given meal.

3. Look out for the club's officer corps: An eating clubs' officer corps is responsible for taking care their members, i.e. you. Ideally, as a member, you'll want to join a club whose officers are friendly, visible in the club, accessible, and receptive to your concerns/criticisms. Ultimately, the officers are the individuals that are responsible for the operation and direction of the club, including the food, parties, formals, dues and a multitude of other factors - they are the people you'll need to go to if you'd like to see any change in your club.

4. Before you sign-in or bicker, do your best to learn about "sophomore status" within your club: In general, sophomore dues total up to be a few hundred dollars and a limited number of meals each week; however, the dues and sophomore membership benefits vary from club to club. For instance, certain clubs may allow sophomores to bring guests to houseparties whereas other may not. Just as a rule of thumb, I think it's a good thing to know what your getting for your money - you might even decide to delay your membership until junior year (which is practical for some clubs more than others).

5. It's cool to change your mind: In the world of eating clubs, nothing is permanent. It's cool to join a club sophomore year and reconsider your options come junior year. For instance, it is common for people who are rejected from a Bicker club to join a sign-in club for their sophomore spring and then participate in fall bicker next September/October. Another instance, is that individuals switch between sign-in clubs. Basically, there is no reason why you should remain a member of a club in which you're unhappy.

One last thing, it's not our clubs that define us, but rather who we define ourselves to be.

Quad 2011 Seniors! Wow, so many memories, so many stories... and you'll never read them on this blog because they are so not PG, lol. Seriously, I love these girls and guys!

The Bottom Line

Last night while having coffee with my friends, I said "By April, I'm going to be exactly where I want to be." - it's time to make that happen.

5 Little-Known Reggie Facts...

It seems as if my entire life is on Facebook (well, thanks to the new "Timeline" feature, it probably is, lol); however, there still exist interesting facts about me of which even my closest friends are unaware. Today, I'm going to reveal just 5 of them and if there is interest, I'll share some more.

1. I am still a big fan of professional wrestling:

Yesterday after work, I had dinner with two college friends in Dupont Circle and left right at 8:00 pm so that I wouldn't miss the opening for WWE Monday Night Raw at 9:00 pm. The truth of the matter is that I've been watching professional wrestling non-stop since 1999 or for 13 years straight. Do I know that it's fake and the outcomes are predetermined? Yes. Do I know that the current WWE product is marketed towards kids (I think the demographic is 18 and under)? Yes. So then, why do I still watch? I appreciate the details that go into wrestling in that the wrestlers have to be both superb athletes and actors. Moreover, there are nice subtle things to look out for when watching pro wrestling such as how the wrestlers "work the crowd" or "tell a story" in a match. Currently, my favorite wrestler is The Rock (since he's back) and I'm pumped for Wrestlemania 29 and his match against John Cena.

2. I don't eat bread... period.

Have you ever had a meal with me? What about multiple meals? If so and if you've paid close attention, you would know that I just don't eat bread. If I'm eating a burger, I will always take off the bun. If I'm eating tacos (which is one of my favorite dishes) I'll always request a corn shell. And, well, I just don't eat pizza. Although, my tongue itches when I eat bread, I do not think that I'm allergic to it per say. Rather, I would say that I'm "adverse" to gluten... I do like cornbread though :)

3. I was a letterman varsity athlete in high school! 

Yes, believe or not, I earned a letter while playing a varsity sport at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Interestingly enough, I played coed volleyball and it was quite the experience lol. Yes, in Montgomery County, Maryland each high school has a coed volleyball team and I played outside hitter I(primarily, also did a little digging) during my sophomore and junior years. Unfortunately, our team wasn't so great and we lost a lot, but I definitely had a fun time.

The best part about being on the team was the opportunity to take long bus rides and chill with my friends. We listened to a lot of music and told a lot of great jokes - special times.

4. One of my favorite movies is Gone With The Wind.

Those of you who are still reading this (I kindly thank you) might be wondering how can a dude who watches professional wrestling each week also like Gone With The Wind?

Well, for starters, this movie is a combination of two of my favorite genres: war movies and epics. I think the movie is at least over three hours long and the war/battle scenes are brutal. Of course, Gone With The Wind is truly a romantic, but the two main characters are so dynamic! Watching Scarlett (Viven Leight) and Rhett (Clark Gabel) together is just a treat. Their chemistry is amazing and something rare in Hollywood today.

The only thing that I don't like about the movie, of course, is its portrayals of black folk. The way black people, the slaves (and then servants) is cringe-worthy, especially Butterfly McQueen's performance as Prissy. I feel the same way that Malcolm X did  "when Butterfly McQueen went into her act, I felt like crawling under the rug."

5. My first song I really remember is Michael Jackson's "Remember The Time"

This is really the first song that I remember. I was two when this video first came out and (according to my folks) I emulated everything that MJ did... including the inappropriate grabbing lol.

Michael Jackson is the best ever!

Thanks so much for reading!

Thoughts on Yesterday's Football Happenings

A lot went down in the world of college football yesterday. Yesterday was the most action-packed, exciting, and thrilling NFL Championship Sunday in recent memory. The first title game, the AFC Championship Game, almost went into overtime and had all of the classic American sports archetypes including "the player with something to prove," "the grizzly, old veteran that we're cheering for," and of course "the goat." And boy, that second game - the NFC Championship Game - was the "Whole Freakin' Show!" That game was non-stop, action-packed as well, but here's the thing about that game: as a Redskins fan, I was asking myself, "why the heck could we not be in that position?" I mean, the Redskins beat the Giants twice in the regular season. Also, why did we get rid of Carlos Rogers (I'm happy for that dude and he really played the game of his life)? I'll get back to both of these games in a moment, but first I need to express my feelings on Joe Paterno's passing:

The Passing of Joe Paterno

I'll just say this regarding Joe Pa's role in the ongoing Penn State Child Abuse Scandal: Coach Paterno was in the wrong and he should have done more; he admitted this himself.

With that said, a person's entire life should not be defined by his or her worst moment. That's not to say one's missteps should not be dismissed, but rather they should not be all-encompassing when remembering a historic figure. And Joe Paterno is indeed a historic figure: two outright national championships, multiple coach of the year awards, 24 bowl wins (most all-time) 409 wins (most all-time in Division 1-A College Football). Joe Pa was on Penn State's coaching staff for 62 years - think about how many of young men he helped to mentor and develop... hundreds. Perhaps more importantly, this particular coach utilized football has a platform to promote education in that his players' four-year graduation rate regularly exceeded the national average and he often gave back to the Penn State community in the form of various donations, including helping to raise $13.5 million for the campus library.

My dad often tells me that before Joe Paterno, Penn State was just a "farm school." A lot of people say that Joe Paterno, was the reason that Penn State became a nationally recognized university - I'm not quite sure that this is the case. Instead, I'll just remember Joe Pa as a good coach and a good guy. My favorite Joe Paterno memory is the 2006 Orange Bowl: that game featured Joe Pa's Penn State Nittany Lions up against Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles and the Lions won in triple-overtime, 26-23.

Rest in Peace Coach.

The AFC Championship Game

"The agony of defeat" - Part 1: Billy "sorry-butt should be cut later today" Cundiff

If you haven't seen this EPIC FAIL yet click here.

Ray Lewis (the grizzly, old vet) is one of my all-time favorite players. The first Madden game I ever brought was Madden 2005 with Ray Lewis on the cover. Ray Lewis is best defensive player since L.T. Lawrence Taylor. It goes without saying that I wanted the Ravens to win this game so that Ray would have one more shot to win the big one.

Of course, everyone knows that the weak link for the Ravens is their offense. Before the game, I was thinking about whether or not their QB Joe Flacco would either hurt the team or be a non-factor. As it turns out, Flacco probably produced the performance of his career with 306 yards, two touchdowns, and only one interception. In fact, I thought the Ravens had it with Lee Evans' near touchdown catch (he really should have caught that ball, but the coverage was good). So on 4th down of that final Baltimore, we were probably all thinking that the Ravens would be able to send the game into overtime with a simple 32 yard field goal... boy, we're we wrong.

Billy Cundiff

In sports, there are certain cliches that have a strong possibility of occurring. In this case, this was an example of the "the kicker whose name we don't know (nor do we care) missing the most important field goal of his career, of the season, and in franchise history." I mean, how many of us were asking ourselves "how the (expletive) did he miss that?" Or saying to ourselves (or aloud) "what the (expletive)?" Now, we all know his name (Billy Cundiff) and have seen the clip a few times over. But the truth of the matter is that we all knew, it could happen and it did. For me, the worst part is that some great players, Torrey Smith, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Ray Rice, and especially Ray Lewis won't get the chance to play in the Big Game... what a shame.

Oh, and Tom Brady and the Patriots are going to their 5th Super Bowl. Yay for them (at least we get to see coverage of Gisele in the stands).

The NFC Championship Game

"The agony of defeat" - Part 2: Kyle "how did you drop that... I mean really how did you (expletive) drop that" Williams

Before yesterday's NFC Championship Game, I did not think that Ted Ginn Jr. had any real value as a football player. He didn't really work out in Miami has a wide receiver. I actually knew was a decent punt/kick returner, but nothing like Devin Hester. But after this EPIC FAIL (click here), I bet 49ers' fans were wishing it would have been Ted Ginn Jr. returning that punt instead of Kyle Williams here.

I feel bad for two groups of people here:

• The 49ers Fans: These guys have put up with a lot since the glory days of Montana, Rice, and Young including a bad QB in Alex Smith, a bad coach in Mike Singletary (I love the man as a former Bears lineback, but he went 18-22 in the NFC West), and an ownership that just didn't really care about winning. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Jim Harbaugh comes in, Alex Smith becomes a decent NFL QB, and the team goes 13-3 into the NFC Championship Game. For a season to end on that note is awful.

And...

• The 49ers' Defense: These guys did everything that they had to do in order to win. The 49ers' defensive players made every single stop that they needed to make at the end of the game. I would say that these dudes played winning football.

When watching the Williams' dropped punt, we once again collectively asked ourselves "what the (expletive)?" However, upon further review, this moment is a bit more forgivable for two reasons: (1) it was pouring down raining in San Francisco meaning that the ball was probably going to be more difficult to handle anyways and (2) even after the muffed fumble, with the way the 49ers defense was playing, there was a good chance that they could make one more big stop.

Also, I need to give credit where its due: the Giants are a good, balanced team. The Giants' defensive line is still dominant, Victor Cruz has become a true #1 receiver, and Eli Manning,,, Eli is one of the "elite" QBs in the game. Eli plays a tough, old-school, never-say-die type of game and that's rare in today's NFL; even though I can't stand him (being in the same division as my Redskins), I respect the man and his game.

I feel bad here for former Maryland Terrapin Vernon Davis and former Redskin Carlos Rogers. Both of these dudes really came into their own this past season and played their hearts out throughout. It would have been nice to see them in the Big Game as well.

With that said, it'll be cool to see a rematch of sorts from one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played - Super Bowl XLII (it definitely had the greatest Super Bowl Play of All Time). Super Bowl XLVI (46) will also be a rematch from Week 9 earlier this season, in which the Giants defeated the Patriots 24-20. Tom Brady versus Eli Manning should make for a great QB showdown and the Giant defensive line will be a great test for the Patriots offense. This time around I'll take the same score, from that Week 9 game, but with a different result: Patriots over the Giants 24-20.

Thanks for reading! And let's get in just one more Billy Cundiff photo for good measure:

The IamHere2Love 2011 Year-End Music Awards - Part 3: Top-Ten Albums

Yes! This is it! The moment we've all (ok, a few of us) have been waiting for! Welcome to Part 3 of the IamHere2Love 2011 Year-End Music Awards: Top-Ten Albums! And just in case you missed the last two parts, here you go: Part 1 and Part 2.

I noticed this morning that the previous entry was kind of long, so this time I'm going to be more direct and to-the-point. Also, like The Beatles, I had a little help from my friends who I'd like to recognize at this time: Arien, Briyana, Cesar, Chi, ChiChi, Cody, Elizabeth, Jerome, Maya, Stephan, and Terry - thank you all very much! You'll see some of their quotes on the albums in question towards the end.

The first thing I need to do is to share the criteria for my top-ten albums:

1. Can you listen to it all-the-way-through?
2. How many quality songs does it have?
3. When we look back on 2011, will we remember this album?

Based on those three criteria, we're ready to go! Here are my honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):

• Betty Wright: The Movie, Betty Wright and The Roots - A legendary singer and a legendary band team up to deliver a solid, old-school soul album. Check Out This Track: "Grapes On A Vine" (featuring Lil Wayne)
• Black And White America, Lenny Kravitz - More than two decades after his debut, Lenny Kravitz delivers a nice fusion of rock, funk, and soul music. Check Out This Track: "Black And White America"
• Ceremonials, Florence + The Machine - This is a beautiful album made possible by Florence's gracefulness. Check Out This Track: "What The Water Gave Me"
• Light Of The Sun, Jill Scott - Jill Scott's latest release is simply her best because she is creatively liberated! Check Out This Track: "So In Love" (featuring Anthony Hamilton)
• Stone Rollin', Raphael Saadiq - Mr. Saadiq proves here that no one does throwback R&B/soul music like he can! Check Out This Track: "Good Man"

The five honorable mention albums rank among the year's best. In particular, the last three albums listed above were very close to making the Top-Top list. Here's who made the party:

#10. Finally Famous, Big Sean

If I had an award for album of the summer, this would take the cake! I remember travelling down to South Carolina with my aunt, uncle, and cousin to my older cousin's wedding and the song that was most in-demand was Big Sean's "Marvin & Chardonnay." What I enjoyed so much about this album was that it was all feel-good music. There's nothing on this album that is too deep or too serious, but instead there are great comedic quips and inspirational moments. Full disclosure: "My Last" is probably my favorite track of the year because of Chris Brown's hook and how I can relate to it - nuff said.

Check Out These Tracks: "My Last" (featuring Chris Brown), "Marvin & Chardonnay" (featuring Kanye West and Roscoe Dash), "Dance (A$$) (Remix featuring Nicki Minaj)

#9. Wasting Light, Foo Fighters

Something a lot of people don't realize about me is that I love good-old fashion hard rock music as much as I love pop, R&B, and hip-hop music; the problem is that a lot of hard rock bands don't get mainstream attention these days. The Foo Fighters are one of my all-time favorite rock bands and I've enjoyed their music since I first heard "Learn To Fly" back in 2000. Wasting Light is 48 minutes of non-stop, throwdown rock music and the neat thing about this album is that it's for everybody. I appreciate how it is neither too "pop" or "mainstream," yet is accessible enough for novice rock fans to enjoy. Definitely give this one a listen-through!

Check Out These Tracks: "Rope", "Walk"

#8. Torches, Foster The People

Ok, where did these guys come from? Torches is both a big debut and big surprise and the only comparison I can really make is to Lady Gaga's The Fame back in 2008. Remember how "Just Dance" came out of nowhere and blew up? I would say that the same thing happened with "Pumped Up Kicks," albeit, at on a smaller scale. Also, similar to Gaga and The Fame, Foster The People is offering us something innovative and different - I just don't know how to describe it at the moment. Actually, all I can say about this album is that it's darn good music.

Check Out These Tracks: "Helena Beat", "Pumped Up Kicks", "Call It What You Want"

#7. Condensate, The Original 7ven

"What time is it?" This is really one of my favorite albums of the year because it features all seven original members of The Time reunited for the first time in 20 years. To put this in proper perspective, I was two years old when their previous album was released (obviously I wasn't listening to The Time back then). I am so happy to say that these gentlemen have not lost a step, nor skipped a beat. In fact, I would argue that Condensate is this group's best and most complete album: it is over an hour long and contains 16 cuts. Forget the fact that this is "grown-folks" music for a minute; if you like funk music (or rather a funky type of pop) and like to have a good time, then this is the album for you!

Check Out These Tracks: "#Trending", "If I Was Yo Man", "Hey Yo"

#6. F.A.M.E., Chris Brown

Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Brown is at the top of his game! To be honest, I was late to pick up this album due to my disdain for Chris Brown's past actions. I failed to see what the big deal was about this album or why its tracks were playing non-stop on D.C.'s urban radio stations, but once I brought the album I understood. F.A.M.E works primarily on two levels: (1) as a hip-hop/R&B album and (2) as a pop album. Here are the hits on F.A.M.E.: "Deuces," "No Bullshit," "Look At Me Now," "She Ain't You," "Yeah 3x," "Wet the Bed," and "Beautiful People" - Yep that's a lot for an album with 13 tracks.

Check Out These Tracks: "No Bullshit," "She Ain't You," "Say It With Me"

#5. 4, Beyonce

“When I play WTT i know instantly what year it is, even as it references the past with its Otis Redding and James Brown sampling.”

ChiChi: “bey's is awesomeness and a bag of chips... she's never put that much into an album that is timeless. 4 is better than dangerously in love!”

Terry: “Vocally, Beyonces best album. Too much joy and love in this album. Hit after hit.”

I have to agree with my cousin Terry, 4 is an album that packs hit after hit after hit. And furthermore, I also agree with ChiChi in that Beyonce has never put this much into an album before. In fact, this album is all Beyonce! Only one track on the entire album contains a guest spot and that track, "Party," features Kanye's best guest apperance of the year and a rare (but effectively employed) guest apperance from Andre 3000. Overall, Beyonce has never been better!

Check Out These Tracks: "Party" (this is the J.Cole version, a bit of a downgrade from Andre, but still good), "Rather Die Young", "Countdown"

#4. 21, Adele

Cesar: ”It is the best selling album of 2011 and it could be labeled a mix of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. That's huge for this day and age. Also we know that any artist can have a hot song but somehow rolling in the deep got people to buy entire albums.”

“However in terms of music business the Adele thing is monumental and it shows you can sell records on talent and soul. It was almost the anti gaga in its lack of theatricality”

Cesar is absolutely right, Adele's 21 is all about talent and soul. This is another album that I was hesistant to pick-up at first because of its overarching notion: the entire album is about her ex-boyfriend. Even while I was listening to Adele for the first time, I was asking myself "what in the world did this dude do to her?" Well, whatever this guy did pushed Adele to record a piece work that is a Tour de Force and, in all likeihood will win the Grammy for Album of the Year. Right from the beginning - "Rolling In The Deep" - Adele's voice is a force and she does not let up at all. More importantly, as Cesar points, this is all about talent. 21 is not about selling sex or a "name brand" - it's all about Adele's indisputable ability to blast a note. If you haven't listened to this album in its entirety yet, do so immediately.

Check Out These Tracks: "Rolling In The Deep", "Rumour Has It", "Someone Like You"

#3. Born This Way, Lady Gaga

Arien: “I would say that Born this Way did tackle social issues, which may be significant when future generations analyze the issues of this era. Gaga also branched out a bit more vocally.”

Ok, here's the deal: I believe that musically, Adele's 21 was better (and will have a bigger musical influence) than Born This Way; however, Lady Gaga's latest release is ranked higher on this list because of its social relevance as it relates to the events of 2011. First and foremost, the actual release of Born This Way was an event onto itself. How many of you brought this album for $.99 on Amazon? I know I did. I don't recall an artist as popular as Lady Gaga ever doing such a thing. Next, as Arien writes, Gaga tackles social issues here, including LGBT rights which something we will definitely remember from 2011. In 2011, we witnessed an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and gay marriage was legalized in New York (Gaga's home state). In many ways, the title track, "Born This Way," is a modern-day anthem for the LGBT movement and Gaga is one of its most prominent advocates.

Even taking all of this into consideration, I need to say that Born This Way is a fantastic album. Gaga stretches herself musically and creatively. Also, the theatricality in question is executed amazingly well! I'll admit, Born This Way may not be Gaga's best album to date, but it's definitely her most important!

Check Out These Tracks: "Marry The Night", "You and I", "The Edge of Glory

#2. undun, The Roots

If I could only listen to one album from this year, and no other albums from 2011 for the rest of my life, this is the one I would choose. Quick story: a few weeks ago, I went to go see The Roots perform in my hometown of Silver Spring, Maryland. I actually found myself preferring the undun studio album to The Roots live performance. I think the reason for this is that The Roots create such a personal and initmate listening experience on undun. This is The Roots first concept album in which they relate the tragedy of Redford Stevens in reverse-chronological order, i.e. the album begins with Redford moments away from the grave. The album is definitely rich musically (as expected from The Roots), but exceptionally rich lyrically as MC Black Thought gives the most outstanding performance of his legendary career. I'll say two more things about this album. First, this is a seamless album and although there are nice cuts, not one track in particular stands out. Second, in order to really understand this album, one must listen to it multiple times. I can honestly say that I've listened to this album all-the-way-through at least 15 times. Please, for me, listen to this awesome album!

Check Out These Tracks: Please try to listen to all of them together, but if you must check out a few: "Make My" (featuring Big K.R.I.T.) "One Time" (featuring Phonte and Dice Raw), "Lighthouse" (featuring Dice Raw)

#1. Watch The Throne, Jay-Z and Kanye West

Jerome:

When I play WTT I know instantly what year it is, even as it references the past with its Otis Redding and James Brown sampling.

If I had to choose an album it'd be WTT. There were moments here that were necessary for the culture (Niggas In Paris, No Church, Murder to Excellence, Otis, and New Day).

…and Ye is the closest thing we have to Stevie Wonder in the music world. WTT wins by sheer utility in my book.

Imagine, it's 1969 and The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have just released their new collaborative album in the same year that they came out with Abbey Road and Let It Bleed, respectively. Or, what if it's 1984 and Prince (who just released Purple Rain earlier that year) teamed up to create an entire album with Michael Jackson (who two years earlier released the highest selling album of all-time, Thriller)? Or even this one: In 2002, Nas and Jay-Z not only end their feud, but also decide to release a joint album after each artist produced arguably the best albums of their careers a year earlier (Stillmatic and The Blueprint, respectively). In any field, it's rare that the two best in the game collaborate; however, it's even rarer that their collaboration is successful and has a significant impact on the game itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, Watch The Throne is that rare collaboration in which the two best MCs in the game team-up at the top of their games!

If I may be so bold, I think that in 40 years we'll look at Watch The Throne as having a similar type of cultural significance as Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. I say this because both albums really give us a snapshot of their contemporary societal moment. In 1971, Marvin's album was one of the first to talk about the day's most controversial issues such as the environment, race relations, drug abuse, poverty, and of course Vietnam. 40 years later, Jay and Ye are also talking about America's controversial issues such as materialism, poverty, our 24/7 media culture, the decay of rules and boundaries ("No Church In The Wild"), power (this is actually a big one, because it speaks to a growing divide between the haves and have-nots), and Iraq. There is so much here in one album and it only has one small fault: although "Lift Off" (featuring Beyonce) is a great song, it feels out of place next to the album's weightier themes.

Watch The Throne is by no means an easy listen; it is a challenging listen that introduces new, complex beats and heavy themes. At the same time, it is also a rewarding listen for those who stick with it and re-listen to the album a few times. Aside from being the rare successful collaborative album, Watch The Throne is also the rare album that simultaneously entertains and educates (and illuminates) its listeners. I am pleased to say that Jay-Z's and Kanye West's Watch The Throne is my 2011 Album of the Year!

Check Out These Tracks: "Otis", "Niggas In Paris"

Thank you so much for reading and please feel free to post your thoughts on Facebook or Tweet me @ReggieGalloway - Peace.

The IamHere2Love 2011 Year-End Music Awards - Part 2: Top-Ten Songs

Yes! Welcome readers to Part 2 of my 2011 Year-End Music Awards: The Top-Ten Songs of 2011! Before we begin, I'd like to thank every person who took the time to check out Part 1: The Special Achievement Awards. If you have not read them yet just click here.

Although everything here is just my opinion (and I appreciate that value it), I do have a small criteria for my Top-Ten picks:

1. Is the song, one of the songs we'll remember from 2011?
2. How popular was the song? Was it a hit? For how long?
3. Does the song rank among that particular artist's best? (For example, even though Born This Way was a huge hit for Lady Gaga this year, it definitely was not one of her best songs - more on that shortly).

Ok, let's begin with six songs that I categorized as "Honorable Mention" - these songs only get a sentence each, lol (by the way, all of the song titles are bolded, italicized, underlined, and also hyperlinked so if you click on it, you'll be able to check out the song on YouTube). These are my honorable mentions, in alphabetical particular order:

• Born This Way, Lady Gaga - I definitely appreciate the message of this song and it's impact, but I am not sure there's anything particularly unique about this song and Lady Gaga definitely has better songs including "Bad Romance," "Just Dance," and "Mary The Night." 

• Countdown, Beyonce - Congratulations Beyonce! This song was just amazing and combines so many elements which we've seen from Beyonce before, but I'm a little surprised that it wasn't a bigger hit (71 on Billboard Top 100 and 21 on Hip-Hop/R&B).

• Give Me Everything, Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer - This was one of the biggest songs of the year, but there are too many guest artists on the track for my tastes.

• Party, Beyonce featuring Andre 3000 and Kanye West - This really should be on my list... the guest spots are perfect and the song is so chill (please feel free to call me out on this one).

• #Trending, The Original 7ven - If only this was 1981, lol. This song was so well performed and marks a nice comeback for the back formerly known as The Time. This one gets one more sentence: If Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, or Trey Songz had done this song, it would have been a bigger hit.

• We Found Love, Rihanna - It seems as though Rihanna is one of those artists who is able to move seamlessly through multiple genres and do it well, especially here with her techno-pop thing.

With the Honorable Mentions out of the way... wait I forgot one: The Show Goes On, Lupe Fiasco. Lupe gets a special recognition here because this song was originally in the Top-Ten. Not only did Lupe have the best use of a rock sample (Modest Mouse's "Float On") I've heard in a long time, he also turned his personal struggle with Atlantic Records into a hip-hop anthem and triumph! Unfortunately for Lupe, he was knocked off the list at #10 by two MCs with whom he has previously collaborated:

#10: Otis, Kanye West and Jay-Z

Watch The Throne had to be the most anticipated album of the year, bar none. This album's first single had to be something memorable and well... timeless. Mr. West and Mr. Carter make Otis an ultimately timeless track thanks to the contribution of the song's namesake, Mr. Otis Redding. Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" becomes the backdrop for an album that is incredibly deep and conscious concerning the materialistic aspects of hip-hop and ultimately American culture. Aside from that, there are two things that I appreciate about this track. First, it features three icons of black music in Otis Redding, Kanye West, and Jay-Z, the latter two of whom are on the top of their games. Second, the song itself is actually really catchy and grows on you due to Mr. Redding's vocals. As previously mentioned, I had Lupe's "The Show Goes On" in this spot, but realized that this song just needed to be on this list: it's just that important to 2011.

#9: Yeah 3x, Chris Brown

Can anyone please answer the following question for me: since when did Chris Brown become a techno-pop artist? Chris Brown is among a handful of musicians and Rihanna are the only two musicians in the game right now that are able to effectively perform in multiple genres. Chris Brown's "Yeah 3x" is by no means a R&B track even though it is one of the biggest hits on one of the best R&B albums of the year. Instead this song is all pop and a great one at that. When I first heard this track on D.C.'s Top-40 station Hot 99.5, I had no idea that this was Chris Brown and that first time I saw him perform this track was on NBC's Today Show (he also performed this on Dancing With The Stars). Despite his past, the success of "Yeah 3x" proves two things: (1) Chris Brown's crossover is complete (although his best songs, performances, and airplay are still in the realm of black or urban music) and (2) he is back and as viable as ever!

#8: Far Away, Marsha Ambrosius

This song ranks among the most beautiful I've ever heard. Ever though it was released as a single in December 2010, I first heard "Far Away" on Marsha's album Late Nights & Early Mornings which was released in March 2011; despite this technicality I needed to include this song on my Top-Ten list. First musically speaking, this Just Blaze's best work. I just spent the first few seconds focusing on the piano notes and then the snapping fingers... oh my goodness... they just work to emphasis the feeling of loneliness upon which Marsha is singing. And of course Marsha is the key component that makes "Far Away" so epic. She sings with such raw emotion and is so sensual, vulnerable, and powerful in the process. Moreover, Marsha is telling a heartbreaking story:

"I play by the rules
You play by the game
I couldn't of stayed
It's easier to say
Cause I was by your side
When you went through the pain
I guess it doesn't matter now that you're so far away" - Marsha Ambrosius

When I first heard this song, I thought that it was a love story that Marsha was sharing with us. When I saw the video (which is required viewing for readers of my blog), I realized that this song could mean so many things to so many people. It could be about losing a lover, or a friend, or a sibling - it's that powerful. "Far Away" may not have the commercial appeal of any of the other songs on this list, but it probably shines brighter than the rest of them for those who care to look.

#7. You & I, Lady Gaga

Did you know that Lady Gaga is actually the godmother of Sir Elton John's son - for real. The reason I mention that factoid is due to the way in which Gaga channels Sir Elton in "You & I." In a lot of ways, "You & I reminds me of "Bennie and the Jets" in that both songs are smooth and prominently feature the piano. Also, both tracks are old-school rock & roll songs, which is definitely something new for Lady Gaga. Back in August, I included this song in a list of my favorite slow jams and wrote the following:

"I love this track because it's about two people who have been together and together through a journey. This is also a great bar songs and example of storytelling in music."

I'm not one of those folks who tries to understand everything that Lady Gaga is trying to do with her music. Instead, I appreciate her work because it's just good and fun to enjoy. But for those of you care about everything Gaga says and does (I know you're out there), the inspiration for this song comes from the artist's relationship with her former boyfriend Luc Carl (you can read more about that here). I like the notion that for all of the theatricality that Gaga employs in her other songs and videos, it's refreshing to have a stripped down offering from her.

#6. Niggas In Paris, Kanye West and Jay-Z

I'm just going to go in: (1) before this track, I thought Lil' Wayne was the cleverest MC in the game - nope, not any more, (2) these are the best lyrics of the year - period, (3) there are references that we definitely get - Jackson, Tyson, Jordan - and those that we have to think about a bit like "No one knows what it means but it's provocative, (4) Jay-Z is really excited about the Nets moving to Brooklyn right? (5) Dirtiest lyric of the year: "Come and meet me in the bathroom stall, And show me why you deserve to have it all" (6) Lyric that Kate Middleton hates "Prince William's ain't do it right if you ask me, Cause if I was him I would have married Kate & Ashley,"

Seriously though, there is so much to love about this song. For me, it took a couple of listens for this track to really sink-in and build on me because there is so much happening on just about every level. For example, there are so many allusions and references present in so a record number of rhymes. And these words and ideas are being presented with a beat that is both memorizing and disorienting. Somehow all these elements mesh together to form an amazing piece of work. "Niggas In Paris" is the best produced track on the best produced album of the year. More importantly, it is truly Jay-Z and Kanye West at their both individual and collective best!

It's funny though... the two best MCs in the game did not crack my Top Five, but two relative newcomers did, lol

 #5. Black and Yellow, Wiz Khalifa

"Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow"

This song was another one that was released in as a single back in (September) 2010. There are three big reasons why "Black and Yellow" made my list: (1) In 2011, The Pittsburgh Steelers made the Super Bowl and this song became the team's unofficial anthem, upon which time (2) just about every other professional sports team made a version of this song (click here to view Princeton's - yep seriously during our NCAA Tourney appearance), and thus (3) this is probably the greatest sports-related song of all-time, definitely hip-hop sports-related song.

Ok, forget the sports implications for a moment. Excluding New York hip-hop, has any artist put-on a city with a single track (with just one song) the way Wiz Khalifa did for Pittsburgh with "Black and Yellow." Let's see: Will Smith w/ "Miami" - No, he's not even from there, Kanye with "Homecoming" - Nope, but a very good use of personification... I think Wiz takes it. And if hip-hop is about representing your roots, your city and where you're from, no one tops Wiz Khalifa this year!

And Wiz Khalifa gets bonus points for Amber Rose!

#4. Rolling In The Deep, Adele

Tour de Force - "a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment"

Tour de Force: that's the only way I can describe Adele's "Rolling In The Deep." Everything about this song screams strength. Adele's vocals are strong. Adele's emotions towards her ex-boyfriend are strong. And finally the song's instrumentation is strong. Wow. I keep on wondering what exactly did this ex do?

This song's cultural contribution to the music scene also needs to be discussed. I think "Rolling In The Deep" impacted the music scene in two important ways. First, Adele's appeal is based off her talent and not her sexuality. Since Britney Spears in 1999, the most popular female artists in pop music have marketed their sexuality including, Christina Augilera, Jessica Simpson, Pink, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry - Adele made it to the top primarily based on her talent alone. Second, this song is doing something that I didn't think was possible: Adele is reintroducing soul music - the type of gospel-based, from-the-deep-down-place, soul music - into the mainstream music scene. I honestly cannot recall the last time this was really done (maybe Jennifer Hudson, but her music was smoother than Adele's). It's nice to see an artist channel the music of Ms. Franklin or Mr. Otis. "Rolling In The Deep" is indeed quite the song.

#3. Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock

Yeah, I'm surprised too. I'm surprised that this song is even on my list, let alone #3. As Kanye would say "That ish cray," but sometimes things just don't make sense. Come to think of it, a lot of things in 2011 didn't make sense including Occupy Wall Street (where did that come from?), Lebron disappearing during the 4th quarters of the NBA Finals, the popularity of Herman Cain and 9-9-9 and the list continues. A lot of things that happened this year were just random and came out of nowhere and guess what? We just went with it. We just went with it. So "Party Rock Anthem" is ranked so high on this list because it reflects this year perfectly: two relatives of Berry Gordy come out of nowhere to deliver the biggest party song of the year and then another one that ranks right up there in "Sexy and I Know It" - only in America.

#2. Super Bass, Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj was the best individual MC of 2011. Yes, Kanye and Jay had the best hip-hop album overall, but no individual MC was as good as Nicki. Case in point, "Monster" on Kanye's Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (a 2010 album that easily transitions to 2011). On a track with Kanye, Jay, and Rick-Ross Nicki offers the best verse. Need more proof? Who had the most and best quality guest spots on hip-hop or R&B records in 2011? In 2010 it was Drake, but this past year? Nicki Minaj. For example, Ms. Minaj took Big Sean's "Dance (A$$) to another level  in the remix for the single/video. Nicki Minaj dominated hip-hop in 2011, but this wasn't enough; she dominated the pop charts with "Super Bass."

"Super Bass" contains three genres: pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Is there another track from 2011 that combines all three genres at all, let alone with the quality of "Super Bass?" What about this for crossover? Apparently, Taylor Swift knows all of the lyrics to the song - really she does. So goes Selena Gomes. Just watch this clip here. I really do think that this would be my top song of 2011, except for one song that EVERYONE liked...

Before we get to that song, a quick observation about deluxe versions of albums. Both Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday and the album that contains the top song were originally released in 2010. The top two songs were each featured on the deluxe version of the respective albums, which were released in 2011. Here's the point: deluxe versions of albums are annoying (and cheap), but are becoming more and more relevant moving forward... AND MY TOP SONG OF 2011 IS:

#1. Moves Like Jagger, Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera

It's very rare that a song comes out and has widespread appeal. I am talking about the type of song that is popular among kids and adults, men and women, black and white, and any other type of categorical group. The last song that I can think of that had this type of musical transcendence was Andre 3000's "Hey Ya" back in 2003. Eight years later, Maroon 5 has come out with a special type of song, a type of song whose brilliance lies in its simplicity. The song is so simple to follow, that any person can sing it, dance to it, or just enjoy it... that's a beautiful thing isn't it? Musically, "Moves Like Jagger" only has a few elements: whistling, "I got the moves like Jagger," and plain old catchiness.

Ultimately, the song plays homage to legendary Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger. The neat thing about Jagger and the Stones is that they regularly crossed the line between rock, blues, and R&B... remember "Gimme Shelter" or "Miss You?" Here Maroon 5, is funky. The guitar in this song is reminiscent of something from an Isley Brothers track back-in-the-day. And finally, Christina Aguilera, haha (a nice byproduct of  Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine's and Christina's partnership on NBC's The Voice). She provides that unique blast that only she can and that takes the song to another level.

Finally, "Moves Like Jagger" has sold over 4 million singles in the United States and over 8 million singles worldwide; that alone makes it Song of the Year worthy. That's only the 2nd criteria on the list though... what about the 1st and 3rd criteria? Well it well definitely be remembered more so than any other song on this list and it is by indisputably Maroon 5's best song!

Well that's a wrap for my Top-Ten Songs of 2011. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of "what was Reggie thinking" thoughts and I'd like to know what they are. Please let me know on Facebook or on Twitter @ReggieGalloway.

Thanks for reading and watch out for the last part tomorrow, Part 3:Top-Ten Songs!

The IamHere2Love 2011 Year-End Music Awards – Part 1: Special Achievement

For starters, thank you for reading this blog. It means a lot to me that you would take time out of your day to check out what I have to say.

Since the beginning of the year, I wanted to sum up my feelings on last year’s phenomenal music scene. 2011 played host to some big-time musical events: a heartbroken young British woman records an epic rant about her ex-boyfriend, a New York diva takes the time to tell us that we were all “born this way,” a king from Brooklyn and a king from Chicago unite to “take the throne,” and a “legendary” crew from Philadelphia tells us the tragic story of Redford Stevens. These four events will take center stage in Part 3 of this series (Top-Ten Albums); however, the first part entry in my Year-End Music Awards is dedicated to “special achievement” in music. By special achievement, I am referring to… who am I kidding – these are just fun awards, so let’s get started (by the way, all of the song titles are hyperlinked so you can check them out):

·         Most Listened To Song: My Last, Big Sean featuring Chris Brown

According to iTunes, I listened to this song 42 times. What is it about this song that I love? For starters, Big Sean’s flow is superb and his lyrics are some of the cleverest of the year (sorry, the big lyrics aren’t PG so I can’t post them here). Moreover, Chris Brown delivers what I consider to be the best R&B hook in a hip-hop song this year! “Like I never had it at all all all all, all all all all.” Most importantly, I feel as though this song reflects this period of my life so well. When I first heard this song, I was wrapping up my college career at Princeton and really took some time to celebrate and appreciate the moment with my friends and family – that’s what Big Sean is talking about in this song, boi!

·         Best Music Video: Far Away, Marsha Ambrosius

In my humble opinion, this is the most beautiful song I’ve heard all year; what Marsha Ambrosius does with the song’s music video greatly enhances the song’s emotional resonance. (Spoiler Alert, but if you haven’t seen the video please click the link and watch it right now) The video features tastefully, lovingly, and openly features a relationship between two black homosexual men one of whom tragically commits suicide after they are jumped in the park by a group of (presumably) heterosexual black males. That’s a lot to take in, but focus on the kids in this video. Aside from the love story, pay attention to how the kids embrace the couple and that’s where the irony lies: it’s the adults, not the children who are ignorant. Despite the tragedy at the end, every frame of the music video is beautiful, well-defined, and lines up perfectly with the song – well done!

·         Best Guest Spot: Andre 3000 in Beyoncé’s Party

“Kiddo says he looks up to me this just makes me feel old,

Never thought that we could become someone else's hero.

Man we were just in the food court eating guy gyros.

Yesterday that's the way,

Every single morning I try to pray!

Grandmama nem they never forgot, nothing else really means nothing to me.”
Wow, just wow. It is so rare that we actually here from Andre 3000 these days, but when we do, it’s totally worth it! By the way, Kanye West has a great part in this song too:

“You a bad girl and your friends bad too,

Oh, you got the swag sauce, you dripping swagu

You a bad girl and your friends bad too,

Oh, you got the swag sauce, you dripping swagu”

·         Guilty Pleasure Song: Cockiness (Love It), Rihanna

Just listen to the song… I’m PG now so can’t really go into this stuff, lol. Next please!

·         If I Could Choose One More Song: #Trending,  The Original 7ven

As previously discussed, the next entry in this series is going to be my Top-Ten Songs of 2011. If there is one more song that I could place on that list, it would be this hot record, #Trending, by The Original 7ven (aka The Time). The really neat thing about this track is that it combines the classic “Minneapolis Sound” and Time elements (Morris Day’s player character, Jerome, allusions to previous songs, and superb instrumentation) with a new and relevant topic: social media. It’s amusing to hear Morris Day, a performer who’s been around for 30 years, saying “Tweet it up y’all.” Also, for those of you who appreciate amazing guitarists, Jesse Johnson is on point here! In a year of such great songs, it is disappointing that I had to leave one of my favorites off the Top-Ten list.   

·         Best Comeback Album: Condensate, The Original 7ven

Some people would say that we’re waiting a long time for Dr. Dre’s Detox to come out. Well, imagine waiting for 21 years for a reunion album… that’s what Condensate is. For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Time, they were Prince’s most successful side-project band from the early 1980s. Although the group was composed of very talented musicians, Prince would write, produce, and play most of the instruments on The Time’s albums; the only thing that Prince did not do was sing on the records (Morris Day). Eventually, members of The Time became fed up with Prince’s controlling attitude and left the band (If you ever watch a copy of Purple Rain, you’ll notice that Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam are not in the movie – that’s because Prince fired them prior to shooting). In 1990, The Time reunited to release an awesome album entitled Pandemonium, which was significant because it marked the first time the members of the band were playing the instruments and writing the songs.

In 2011, this past year, the band felt that it was just “time” to reunite and give the fans what they’ve been waiting for. The one issue was that Prince still held the rights to “The Time’s” name amongst other things, so they had to reform as the Original 7ven, a reference to the reunion of the band’s original members. This album proved one thing: The Original 7ven had not lost a step or missed a beat. This is a fun, “grown-folk,” and well-done album that I feel that is hard not to enjoy. Additionally, it has something for everyone as evidenced by amount of up-tempo tracks, slow-jams, and Jesse Johnson’s awesome guitar riffs. Condensate was just something that was worth the 21 year wait!

·         Best Mixtape: House of Balloons, The Weeknd

Regrettably, I did not download this free mixtape from The Weekend until the last week of the year, but as they say “better late than never.” House of Balloons ranks right up there with the best R&B albums of the year including Beyoncé’s 4 and Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E., but it may have one advantage over those: it’s free. Unfortunately all I can say about it is this: it is a memorizing listen and an awesome effort. Download this mixtape right now here!  

·         Best Surprise (Part 1): Betty Wright: The Movie, Betty Wright and The Roots

In Part 3 of this series, I’m going to give almost unlimited praise to The Roots’ Undun. In this section, I need to mention that The Roots had another incredible album come out this year in collaboration with R&B singer Betty Wright. Betty Wright: The Movie works along the same lines as 2010’s Wake Up! – the album that The Roots released in collaboration with John Legend. The thing that actually made this album a wonderful listening experience for me was not necessarily The Roots, but rather an introduction to the amazing Ms. Betty Wright! Betty Wright is an old-school soul singer who someone my age has to seek out (due to lack of radio play) and reminds me a lot of Sharon Jones. It was just delightful and unexpected to find this album on Amazon Mp3’s “Deal of the Day” and enjoy it as much as I did!

·         Best Surprise (Part 2): Lasers, Lupe Fiasco

I’m not sure which one I’ll remember more: the actual Lasers album or the epic struggle to get Lasers released. When Lasers finally came out, I was happy for Lupe (and proud of him) in that he won greater creative control over his future projects, but I was hesitant to actually buy the album. I did not think that Lasers would actually be a good album because, in many ways, it did not reflect Lupe’s true creative vision; what I did not remember at the time was that Lupe Fiasco’s previous works (Food & Liquor and The Cool) were pretty great albums, if not classics. Here’s a comparison: Michael Jackson’s 2001 album Invincible was actually a pretty good “grown-folk” R&B album, but because it wasn’t as good his previous releases, people thought it was bad. The same thing happened to Lupe. Lasers was a pretty good hip-hop album and if anyone else came out with that album, it would have been a good release from that artist; but since it was Lupe, we were expecting something out-of-this-world. Lupe still has the same challenging and thought-provoking tracks such as “Words I Never Said” and “All Black Everything,” but he’s also added a club-banger in “Out Of My Head” and a hip-hop anthem in “The Show Goes On.” In fact the last song mentioned was Lupe’s biggest hit ever! Not bad!

·         If I Could Choose One More Album: The Light of The Sun, Jill Scott

First off, a big thanks goes out to my good friend Maya who convinced me to give this another listen. The Light of the Sun is Jill Scott’s best album, bar none. This was Jill’s first album since leaving her former label Hidden Beach and the results were something special and from the heart. Just read this quote about what went into this record:

“We call it 'going in'. You go inside yourself, inside your spirit, and you explore. It’s exhausting. When we were done, there was a lot of whooping and hugging and high-fiving. It’s that kind of record.” – Jill Scott

Wow! And “going in” is evident from opening of the album in which Jill tells us about what’s going on in her life. I appreciate how personal and well-put together this album is. Among the tracks my favorite is Jill Scott’s collaboration with Anthony Hamilton entitled “So In Love” – it’s a nice type of R&B duet that many artists don’t do anymore. Also, “So Gone (What My Mind Says)” is such a smooth track! I think that if I had more time to listen to this album, I would have appreciated it more. There might be a review on this one a little later…

Alright, that’s it for Part 1! I’m looking forward to your feedback here, on Facebook, and Twitter @ReggieGalloway. Look out for Part 2 very soon!