JumpinJack AJ

This was definitely the right thing to do. Being a part of the Academy doesn't mean much.  One of my acquaintances is a member of the equivalent for the Grammy's. He's says it's good to be a part of it if you're in the industry, but overall it's not that important. This is the one thing Will could do in his power to show that he knows the wrong that he did.  His words are perfect. He's found his center again, at least to a certain degree.  I'm proud of him for the steps he's taking. 

I saw the news that the Academy wasn't honest about asking him to leave, or giving him mixed messages. I think it's important to get that straight. Let will pay the consequences for what he did. Not what he didn't do. The whole situation is bizarre, so I don't really blame anyone bystanders for how they handled it. 

I took a minute to process the incident and the night in general before posting on here, it hit home for personal reasons, that I’ll explain, and it also took me a while to try and understand what developed and why. 
After deliberation, obviously violence is never the answer. It’s inexcusable, but, it’s also understandable based on what has been revealed to us in recent months and years. I saw a broken man, at his breaking point, that’s lived pretty much flawlessly over nearly four decades in the public eye. 
After reading WILL, it opened my eyes to that lack of acceptance Will has always had, and his strive to ‘put right’ what he got wrong as a kid. Namely, his inaction when his father would abuse his mother, both physically and mentally. I believe this played a part in the spur of the moment decision to act when he felt his wife was attacked. 
Another thing that came to mind is his obsession to not fail, think back to when Sheree divorced Will, and he refused because ‘I don’t get divorced’. He was willing to stay in a marriage he wasn’t happy in because of his commitment to the decision he made. Fast forward to the ‘Entanglement’ and we have a carbon copy of the fight to save his marriage, that got turned into memes and internet trends, namely of Will crying when emotional speaking of his wife’s affair with someone he’d brought into his home to help. 
I also believe Will becomes so engrossed in roles that he wants to embody what Richard Williams stands for in terms of defence towards his wife and children, and with them all being women, it’s overlapped into Wills personal life. Not just with Jada and his kids, but with the cast and crew of the movie, also.  
Now, you’re Will Smith, you’ve made the decision to stand by your wife and forgive her sleeping with another man, almost having the acceptance because she was facing her own demons. I do have my opinion on Jada and what damage she may be causing to Will, but in this instance, you have to take it at face value that he chose to forgive and move on, so we should to. 
You get to a point when Jada opens up about her autoimmune disease that results in Alopecia, and in her darkest moments dealing with her hair loss, she had suicidal thoughts and intentions, but managed to pluck up the courage to eventually embrace the situation and use it as fuel to encourage other sufferers of the disease. It’s important to remember that it goes much further than just simple vanity. 
As a husband myself, and being married to a woman that suffers with mental health, namely Agoraphobia, I’ve witnessed the lows that nobody else sees, I’ve witnessed the brave face that everybody else thinks is natural, and I’ve also seen the small innocuous comments, that the majority would brush off, bring her entire world crashing down faster than what seems imaginable. But it happens. 
Now, put yourself in the shoes of Will, sweeping the awards season, a favourite to achieve his first Oscar, an award he’s been openly chasing for two decades since his first nomination. You’re on top of the world, embracing the moment. This is the best your career could ever be, the pinnacle. Someone then makes a joke in poor taste, about the women you love, on what’s supposed to be the biggest night of your career, and you glance over to your wife and she isn’t impressed. I believe Will unlocked some inner demons he’d buried writing WILL, I believe he’s reeling from being humiliated about the ‘Entanglement’, I believe he’s bitten his tongue on many occasion when the names of his wife and children got dragged through the dirt in front of millions. 
In that moment, I believe Will thought, it doesn’t matter what I do in my career, I’ll always be that scared little boy that didn’t stop his Mother from getting beat. And he said, no more. 
As a side note, it’s important to understand what triggers are when it comes to mental health, and what you’re husband may know will be damaging to you, even though it seemed an innocent off the cuff comment. I’m sure Chris Rock was unaware, and Will could have handled in a more calm and well matured manner than resorting to violence, especially as it’s completely overshadowed what was a richly deserved and overdue Oscar victory for what was a phenomenal performance. 
I congratulate Will on his Oscar win, and I really hope if he is struggling with his life and is overwhelmed by what’s being asked of him, or what he feels is being asked of him, that he seeks the help to recover and get back to being himself. It was difficult to watch someone I’ve admired for so long hit rock bottom on the same night he reached his highest point, but it was also a stark reminder that we expect superhuman actions out of people who are just as human as the people they entertain. 
Sorry it dragged on LOL

Don’t know what to think about this. I’m not surprised they are doing a Red Table talk about it, kinda saw it coming. I wonder how it will play out. The only way this could really work is if they invited Chris Rock, sit down and have a openminded conversation. But then again, is it really necessary to do that publicly? Maybe they should handle it in private. But I guess that’s what society has come to.

Will smith - Yall know.
 
That intro is still my hype track 

I dunno, maybe he should go into something slightly calmer... Watercolor painting maybe?

Might be coming a longer video on the topic.

We're accustomed to everything happening within five minutes these days... for no good reason. If it is like Puff Daddy or Piff Diddy - or whatever his name is - says, that they made up, then the vultures (us and the media) should just go take a chill pill because Will and Chris really dont owe us anything... Will/Jada were hurt by words, Chris by a slap, for us it was harmless.

"bob" here (haven't gone by that in a long, long time) - couldn't figure out my password from when I joined as a 17/18 year old, now as a 34 married father of one (with another on the way)....
I will say I'm heartened by the statements above - I think anyone wouldn't be surprised if a fan forum found a way to justify Will's actions, but I see a lot of wisdom in Hero1 and AJ's comments. (What else would I expect!)

I was just gutted by Will's actions. If he really wanted to make an impression on the right note, for the right reason, he would have left after that joke. It's easy for me to say "Oh, just let it go, and move on." His absence for an acceptance speech would have spoke louder than any sound of a smack or yelling obscenities from the crowd afterwards. He should have learned from his younger self when he didn't do the grammy's and won the first ever rap grammy.
Violence, demonstrations of might, belief you can take things into your own hands - all are hallmarks of lesser men, not representations of true honor.
 
 

Check out this new interview!
 
Audio only, starting at the 29 minute mark:
 

YEP YEP REAL HIP HOP IS BACK

Rest in Peace to Super Producer/Composer Carl "Chucky"Thompson, I used to play keys when I was in middle school and I think that it was his keys and lush arrangements that set him apart from the rest of "The Hitmen" on the scene in the late 90s. It was not only lush, it was live instrumentation, intricate background vocals, and literally this man helped to create "MY LIFE" (Mary J. Blige), timeless hits for The Notorious B.I.G. , introduced amazing new artists like: NONCHALANT, FRANKIE, EMILY KING and others. His music moved me then, and made me wanna take songwriting seriously. I'll miss this brother and praying peace for his remaining family.

I'm going to try and do a new one with @JumpinJack AJ !!

The trailer is here!
 

The trailer is here!
 

Unless you're referring to something I'm not recalling, I don't really fault him for not putting his business out in the street.  Some of the personal stuff that came out later wasn't really the public's business. I wouldn't consider him keeping some things private lying. 
I'm also hoping he focuses a lot on the early days and music, but I'm prepared for this to be aimed at the mainstream audience. 

As an optimist, I always thought he was going to pull out of his health issues. In recent years, Biz has lived about an hour from me and frequently DJ's at a venue I like, but I never made it out on the nights he was spinning. I'm really regretting that.  I did see him spin at the Will Smith & Friends event years ago. I also saw him at the recording for MTV's Back In Black, Men In Black special.  The last time I saw him was when I saw TLC in 2015, in which New Kids On The Block brought him out in the middle of their set to perform. 
Biz Markie is one of a kind. He is Hip-Hop's class clown. Few emcees are as fun-loving as him. I think because he can be so silly, we don't recognize him for the song writer that he is, the producer he is, and how much music knowledge he has. There have been some great tributes over the last couple days and they shed more light on that side of him. There's a reason he was tight with JJ+FP. 
We lost a legend. It's a shame that it took this loss for him to get some light shed on his music, but let's hope it's recognized the way it deserves to be.
 

This is one of the great discoveries I ever made. One of Jeff's best mixtapes.
 

I can not believe that I even remembered my password on here, after all these years. Omg. I talked to Jamie and was coming over here a while back but my sister died and my world turned upside down. How is everyone???????? 
 
I hope everyone is staying safe in this covid-19 situation. And hope this is in the right forum . 

Yeah I read about this. I respect their decision.

LL Cool J broke out the 1990 fan favorite with DJ Z-Trip.
 

New KRS-One!  The beat is nothing special, but he's got the lyrics, as usual.
 

DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Fresh Prince and a Grammy boycott that set the tone for three more decades of rap — and culture
https://theundefeated.com/features/dj-jazzy-jeff-the-fresh-prince-and-a-grammy-boycott-that-set-the-tone-for-three-more-decades-of-rap-and-culture/
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It's an older article but it's still interesting. I knew about the boycott but it's always great to read more about it. 

Here it is. A picture of FP, Janet, and Daphne together. 
https://thegrio.com/2020/11/15/fresh-prince-aunt-viv/?fbclid=IwAR3Q-YiOl72YR-Kpq1jeTBLeF9RCHh8EW0ln48QdyyC8Y6sWw4AcUR-Hv0U

Yeah, I love Volume 2. I posted it on my Facebook after I got the heads up for Speech and Eshe about it. I should have tagged you in it. I'm glad you posted the new R&B one here, because I've wanted to watch it, but haven't had the time yet.