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J. Cole Haters Should Take a Chill Pill and LIVE ABUNDANTLY!

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Photo: Kevin Mazur, Getty Images

Approaching life with the abundance mentality is the key to meaningful relationships and success.

When speaking with ESPN, Basketball Africa League player Terrell Stoglin provided his thoughts on J. Cole receiving the opportunity to play for the league’s Rwanda Patriots, suggesting that Cole took an opportunity away from other, more deserving players. Furthermore, he believes that given Cole’s privileged position as a hip-hop star, he doesn’t need the opportunity, and that his spot should have gone to other players who work hard to obtain a roster spot. This mentality is emblematic of our approach to life through the scarcity paradigm. If we want to be successful and live fulfilling lives, we have to stop thinking that one’s opportunity represents something being taken away from us. Success is contingent on approaching life through the abundance paradigm and seeking to establish meaningful relationships that can help to facilitate our own success.

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Bobby Shmurda and the Threat of a Black Man with Options

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Photo: Bennett Raglin, BET:Getty Images for BET

What’s with the animosity for black men who choose to explore their options?

The second that hip-hop star Bobby Shmurda became associated with a white woman, it was open season on his character and why it’s a crime against humanity for him as a black man to choose to date out. What’s the real issue with black men who choose to date out? Is it about foregoing our moral obligation to help uplift the race, or is this just an examination of how women need to lighten up and gain a better understanding of modern dating and where they fall in the pecking order with respect to men who have options? Women need to accept that they’re going to have to compete!

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Men Don’t Get It: Why Iggy Azalea’s DM Exposure and Thirst Culture is Our (Men) Fault

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Photo: Larry Marano, REX, Shutterstock

When are men going to stop complaining about the current state of the sexual marketplace, accept accountability, and do what needs to be done to change things?

The manosphere erupted with criticism towards hip-hop star Iggy Azalea when she put her high-profile DMs on blast, exposing how far men will go to get her attention on social media. Men generally have a problem with the current state of the sexual marketplace and the advent of things like OnlyFans and Instagram, but what we as men need to understand is that this dynamic is one that has been proliferated due to our actions and behaviors. If we want it to stop, we’re going to need to change our behavior.

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YFN Lucci’s Legal Troubles Represent a Larger Cultural Problem with Our Actions, Decisions, and Role Models

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Photo: Getty Images

YFN Lucci’s recent run-in with the law serves as a lens through which we can view our continued commitment to bad decisions and the need for us to become more culturally multi-faceted, and not be so tethered to hip-hop imagery and tropes.

Hip-hop star YFN Lucci is now in legal trouble after being arrested for his alleged participation in a shooting in Atlanta that left one man dead. The question isn’t whether he is innocent or not, but why he willfully made the decision to involve himself in this type of situation. This represents a greater societal issue with people of color making similar decisions and clinging to certain aspects of what we perceive to be our culture; decisions that lead to incarceration, and in more serious cases, death. We discuss that aspect of our culture, as well as our thoughts on how to incorporate more balance into our culture so that more of us can lead productive lives, make better decisions AND embrace who we are through cultural pride.

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Is T.I.’s Claim that Women Only Want a Man Who Has Options Valid?

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Photo: Charles Sykes, Invision, AP, File

Whether women prefer men who are wanted by other women shouldn’t be up for debate. Rather, we need to discuss how women being honest about that can help to foster better relationships for everyone.

During a recent episode of his podcast “ExpediTIously”, rapper and entrepreneur T.I. asserted that women are only attracted to men who keep other women and have options. We discuss whether this is valid, and the importance of women being honest with themselves so that we can try to retain some semblance of the notion of “relationships”.

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What to Learn from Kanye West’s Comments on the Music Industry and Modern-Day Slavery

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Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris 2016

Why are Kanye’s comments about modern-day slavery and the need for ownership so important?

Kanye West took to Twitter to tweet out several comments on the importance of ownership. He also likened the music industry to modern-day slavery. We discuss his comments, as well as how important it is that black and brown people prioritize the notion of ownership to attain true freedom.

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VIDEO: Tyler, the Creator Criticizes the Grammys – Our Thoughts

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Photo: Amanda Edwards, Getty Images

Tyler, the Creator speaks on the Grammys’ dismissiveness of hip-hop while accepting his award for Best Rap Album. Does he have a point?

When reflecting on his win for Best Rap Album, Tyler, the Creator commented on what he feels is a dismissive attitude towards black music and black artists at the Grammys, criticizing the ‘urban’ category distinction. Diddy also shared similar sentiments when he remarked that hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. We discuss the validity and possible counterpoints to those claims.

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VIDEO: Jesus is King: The Commentary of Kanye West

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Kanye West

Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV

Kanye West’s latest album release shows that we are still anti-Kanye, but what are the lessons that can be learned from him?

Kanye West has become a lighting rod in recent memory, both for his artistic inclinations as well as for his views on societal issues. Although he continues to march to the beat of his own drum, the combination of his musical choices and his opinions has often sparked debate and created controversy, with everyone weighing in on everything from his blackness to his sanity.

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VIDEO: Cam’ron & Mase, and Believing Hip-Hop Hype

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Photo: XXL

Cam’ron and Mase’s Beef Reminds Us that Hip-Hop is Entertainment. Love the Music. Don’t Believe Everything You Hear.

Two past-their-prime rappers in Mase and Cam’ron engaged in an entertaining beef stemming from old wounds and an overdue bid for New York hip-hop superiority. While nice while it lasted, it served as a reminder that hip-hop is an entertainment art-form that should be regarded as such.

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VIDEO: Friday on Elm Street Review

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Photo: Instagram/@karlfergusonjr

Our thoughts on Fabolous and Jadakiss’s long-awaited joint album, Friday on Elm Street.

After years of anticipation, heavyweights Fabolous and Jadakiss finally released their long-awaited joint album, Friday on Elm Street. What did we think of the project? Press play to find out!

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