It's A One-derful Life

Chorus:

"I been looking for the One but she's so hard to find, so I guess I gotta grind, until the stars align, Don't mind, waiting if it's gone take some time, but I wish someone would just show me a sign..."

Verse 1:

"I searched the ends of the earth and still haven't found, someone to hold me down, and wear my crown, I need a queen is that too much to ask? Someone with class, that's gone erase my past? Cuz I done been through (been through) heartache and pain, and I'm getting too old to be trying to play games, and I done changed (changed), my ways a lot, but my heart kinda empty there's a vacant spot, I'm just looking for the one to fill, and come for real, if I'm broke with bills, or holding a mil, still, she gone be there, it's only fair, and I won't even lie it's getting lonely here, I need love like L, sometimes it might fail, and you gone get used like drugs that hypes sell, it's like hell, so I gotta see heaven quick, the rest irrelevant, I want someone that's heaven sent. I want the one..."

C-Recks - "The One"

The above song lyrics come from a song I wrote and produced entitled "The One" which appears on my upcoming album Ripped from the Headlines (Shameless plug I know). Well I have had this conversation with people in the past. But I still question, is there really a such thing as The One? I mean is there really that one soul mate that God created for each and every one of us somewhere out there in the world? Are they searching just like you and waiting for that opportunity for your paths to cross?

These are questions I often ask myself. If you've read anything on this blog that I've written in the past then you know that I often reference the fact I used to be married. Marrying and then divorcing will often cause one to lose their faith in the love and marriage area. So I often question the existence of "The One." Although I'm very content with my current situation, it doesn't mean that I don't have the same human characteristics as anyone else. You know what I mean. The wanting to be loved, and wanting to give your unconditional love to another.

Now I say that; however, I'm not the type that will just settle for any old relationship. Nor am I the type that yearns to be loved so much that I will accept the first or next person the comes along trying to give me their love. Truth be told if I just wanted any old relationship I could have had that by now. But maybe I'm too specific in what I want. Some may call it high standards I just say I'm waiting on "The One."

I mean there's someone for everyone right? At least that's what the advertisements for the Internet dating sites want us to believe. LoL. I recently saw an on-line article stating that world's heaviest man (700 lbs) just got married. Now I'm in no way trying to talk about him or hate on him. But if this man can find someone to love all 700 pounds of him, then there's got to be someone for my buck and some change frame. LoL. If nothing else, I think this guy getting married illustrates one of the greatest things about real love. It shows the fact that it's truly unconditional. When I love again I want someone that will accept me as I am. Flaws and all. Not someone that says "well I really like this about you, but you can stand to change this or that." As the saying goes if you can't accept me at my worst you don't deserve my best." Well who knows when that time will come when my One comes along. But I found some words I wanted to express to her now. Please continue to read on while Ruben Studdard helps co-sign on the previous point.

Ruben Studdard - "Change me"

Dear "The One, "

Where ever you are and who ever you are there are some things I want to say to you in advance. I have so much love to give to you that it's not even funny. And believe me when the time comes I will love you unconditionally as you are. I won't try to change the person that you are. All I ask is that you do me the same. Below I've listed some of the things that make me, well me. They are in no particular order of course.

1. Please accept the fact that I am slim in stature and no matter how much I eat I have never and probably will never be able to gain any significant weight. I've always been this way. Call it high metabolism, good genes, or whatever you want. But please feel free to cook all you want to try and fatten me up as I love to eat.

2. Accept that I drink. Nothing excessive of course. But I mainly drink beer. After a long hard day of work there is nothing better to come home to than you, a great meal and a nice cold beer (or 2 or 4). LoL. But I promise I would never let beer or alcohol affect me or us in any way. Hell I don't even have a beer belly (review #1).

3. I have a son and he is truly my world. We are a package deal. Therefore, if you accept me then you must in turn accept him. He is a lot like me so you should have no problem getting along with and eventually loving him too. But I warn you he gets attached to people fast. So if you don't get to meet him right away just know that's the parental instinct in me. Also, he's a little flirt too, so don't be surprised if he has a bigger crush on you than me. And don't worry me and his mom have absolutely no drama going on. So rest assured that you'll never be put in a drama type situation when it comes to my son.

4. I have a passion for music. I have been into music since a young boy. I really got deep into it when I started to write and perform. I would love to eventually turn my passion into a career. But at the same time I'm rational and know that the odds of that happening are slim to none. So, I still work my regular 9-5. However, being that this is my passion I will always be doing it regardless of whether a career ever begins. So accept that some nights I may be in the studio doing what you may even consider nothing or even a waste of time. But please don't ever say that. I'm just doing what I love. Don't worry I promise that I will never let it take away from the time we spend together. Besides I'm a little talented I even wrote and produced the song above [The One] about you before I even met you.

5. I tend to be like most men and hide and don't show my emotions too much. Well just know that the only reason for that is because I was probably the opposite a long time ago and was criticized by the person I was with for it. So now I'm this way. I know it may seem as if certain things don't move me emotionally, but know that is probably not the case. I have a heart and once I've allowed you in it I can't control certain emotions and feelings. Therefore, if you hurt I hurt, if you cry I cry even if it's not seen outwardly.

6. I am a man of few words the majority of the time. I know I write these blogs and can say and express so much. But on average I don't say too much. You may tell me about your day and have a million and one things to say about what took place. However, if you ask me how my day was, 9 times out of 10 I'm going to respond in one of a few different ways. "It was OK, aight, cool, or deeso." This doesn't mean that I don't want to let you know how my day was or that I'm hiding something. However, if it's not interesting to me I usually won't speak on it. My daily mundane activities at work don't thrill me and I wouldn't expect them to thrill you or anyone else. Every now and then I have something happen that's interesting, but those days are few and far between. However, I will listen intently to every detail of your day and respond accordingly.

7. I'm hard to read. You may never be able to tell what it is that I'm thinking at a particular time. However, please don't try to speculate or assume. If you want to know all you have to do is ask and I will share. Not much upsets me or gets to me, but I can't stand assumptions especially incorrect ones. I hate arguments and fights and avoid them at all costs, even if I have to apologize knowing I did nothing wrong. Most times I probably have something similar to the patience of Job. But making an incorrect assumption will for sure upset me, possibly prompt an argument and test my patience for sure.

8. I'm not ballin and I may never be. If this music thing never makes it to the majors or mainstream, I may be stuck working a typical 9-5 until retirement. I will always work my ass off for the man just to keep what we have stable and try to get more. I may not make 6 figures; however, I will always be striving to make more to provide for us. Even if that takes me going back to school (which I plan to do hopefully next year), starting my own business, or even working 2 and 3 jobs.

9. I know that after we make hot passionate love for an hour or more that you want me to cuddle with and hold you. However, that's rarely going to happen. I may start off that way but most likely I'll end up on my side with about a foot of space between you and I. Please don't think that I don't like holding you or that the sex we just had wasn't worthy of you being held afterward. Neither is the case. I just have a particular way of sleeping. I get hot in my sleep and my instinct is to move away from the heat source. I may move from you, then remove my blankets all in the middle of my sleep. But then I'll probably get cold, so don't be surprised if you find me snuggled up next to you again at some point in the middle of the night. Just know it still won't last long. LoL.

10. I like to dress a certain way. My clothes do not make me who I am. I am who I am regardless of how I dress. I'm not saying that I walk around in bummy clothes or anything. It's quite the opposite. However, my love of hip hop and music pretty much dictates my wardrobe. I know that I am close to 30 and some may say "you should dress your age." But I say I'm doing me. So if that means wearing a hoodie, a fitted hat, and some Air Force Ones, then that's how you'll find me most of the time. It doesn't mean that I'm a thug or hood, because I'm far from it. It's just how I dress. Now that doesn't mean that I don't know how to switch it up given the occasion. I have plenty of casual clothing that I can wear when I take you out on a date. Also, I have suits I can wear when we're going to so and so's wedding, graduation, etc. But please accept this and don't try to force me to wear what you want me to wear.

P.S. There are plenty more things about me, but I will end it with these 10. Just keep in mind that curse (kind of a lot), I look young (not at all like I'm about to be 30 soon), I may or may not want any more kids (I'm on the fence about this one), my credit is bad (divorce hurts more than your heart), I don't attend church (at this time at least), I'm not that handy, Etc.

If you can accept these things about me and not try to change me, then you will have a man that will love and do almost any and everything to make you happy. A man that will love, honor, respect, and cherish your very being. Because just by accepting me for me you will be making me happy. So I would want to return that type of love to you at almost any cost. And we will truly have a wonderful life.

I love you with all my heart.

Love,

Cory.

Now that I look at it all written out like that I guess those are a lot of things to accept. Perhaps that's why there can only be 1, One. Many are called but One is chosen as they say. Depending on the response to this I may post the second verse of the song which goes into a little more depth and reply to it as I did here. We'll see.

--C-Recks--

The Y-Files

Just like most of you I've come across quite a bit of content on the Internet whether it was by chance or some one forwarded me some e-mail. Of that content some is shocking, some funny, some stupid and well others simply make me want to just say WHY? Well this segment is nothing special but it's just some things that make me ask that question. So, I've decided create "The Y-Files" that will display some of the bizarre and some times ignorant things that make me ask the question WHY? Unfortunately, most of the content will have to do with some of the things my people (Black People) do. Some of these pictures and or videos you've perhaps seen before. But if nothing else you'll probably get a laugh, probably shake your head, and ask the same question as me WHY? Well honestly as you continue to read, you may start with why?, but you'll probably finish with who?, what?, where? and even how? before it's said and done. Stranger and more bizarre things have happened. Welcome to the Y-Files... (Cue eerie music).

Well we don't have any eerie music so here's the song "Why" by JadaKiss featuring Anthony Hamilton it still fits the subject at hand.

Why are are black people are so damn innovative but for the wrong reasons? I've never built a soap box racer or anything like that. But as a kid I'm sure I wanted to and I'm also sure that they take a lot of work and even some skill to create. So to this young man I give props for taking the time to create this contraption, very innovative. But my problem with it is why make it ghettofied? Why would you put sub woofers on the back of a make shift bike and ride down the block? No one wants to hear you you blasting Lil' Wayne The Carter 3 or Young Jeezy's The Recession. Now if you're into building cars then go and get into a school that will teach you to the fundamentals of the craft. You never know in the future you could be designing the 2015 Ford Mustang. But instead you have this contraption. I don't know why but every time I look at this I keep waiting for Xzibit to pop out hosting a hood version of pimp my bike.

Why oh Why would you do this to your hair? First off, since when did orange and blue match? When you presented this idea to your hair dresser I would just like to know what she said? But even worse than that when it was done who told you this was cute? Whatever friend talked convinced ya'll asses to make a damn fool of yourselves is truly not a friend. Then, who really loves Kool-Aid this much that they would advertise it in their hair? You are not receiving a cent of advertising revenue for this treacherous fashion statement, so why even go there? Now as for the hairdo below WHY? I can't even believe she got a hair stylist to do this crap. Why would you want a hair style shaped like a helicopter? Oh wait I got one. Maybe her nick name is Bird. Then she lives in the ghetto. So put the 2 together = "Ghetto Bird." Don't act like ya'll never heard Ice Cube say that back in the day. Well this almost makes me appreciate the Kool-Aid. Does the propeller spin? Does she sleep standing up or flying? I'm lost man. Lastly, Why didn't her momma whoop her ass for wearing this out?

Why on earth would someone want their toe nails to be this long? Please tell me. I mean finger nail extensions I get but toes? At first I thought that they were a pair of pink heels until I looked closer. Obviously these are acrylic nails, but how would you walk in these with out them breaking off? How do you wear anything other than open toed shoes? Again, I'm confused I just don't get it. Well next up we have yet another free advertisement. Now I know pop or soda as some call it is refreshing. But do you really love it this damn much that you have to advertise it on your nails? And even if you do why not stick to one product or at least parent company? Even if one of these soft drink companies wanted to pay you for advertising they couldn't because some of the soft drinks are rivals and have different parent companies.

Why man oh Why? I'm sure you may have seen these pics online before. But I have to speak on this. What ever happen to prom being like the precursor to a young lady's wedding? Meaning that they would get dressed up and look beautiful and elegant just as a bride to be would on her wedding day. And the guys would dress to compliment the ladies. However, over the recent years something has changed. I don't know what it is but this younger generation is just off the chain like an escaped slave. Take a look at exhibit A. Now why in the world would you one even go to prom being this pregnant? I'd guess she's at least 6-7 months. Okay perhaps she didn't want to miss it being senior year and all. But then why in the hell would you wear a dress with the stomach cut out? You couldn't find a nice classy maternity dress? I know they make them I've seen plenty celebrities wear them when they're pregnant. And lastly, I'm no OBGYN but it looks to me like this girl has the markings of a C-Section already. So you mean to tell me it's Senior year and you're on kid #2? Why oh why Lord? Okay on to Exhibit B. I'm kind of at a loss for words on this one. I've seen more clothing on strippers at the strip club than what this girl has on. Is there a pole in the picture that I cant see? And the guy. His whole out fit belongs on one of our Man Up Rules. Are those silk pajama pants and slippers? Who are you the black Hugh Hefner? Why is your hair red? Just to match the outfit? Real Talk his ass looks like a new age version of Leroy from Fame. Young people please get your act together.

Why even wear pants at all? I mean if you're this hot and feel like you need to slice up your pants to expose air pockets or whatever you call your self doing, then why not just wear shorts? No one want to see half of your ass cheeks hanging out of your jeans that look like someone ran them through a paper shredder. I just hope this was done on purpose and that you haven't been wearing these jeans daily for like the last 10 years. Because if so you're a few threads away from wearing a pair of daisy dukes.

I know this looks like an ordinary toy gun, or water pistol, however; believe it or not this is a bar of soap ladies and gentlemen. Why on earth you would want to wash your ass with a bar of soap shaped like a gun? I have no damn clue. Are you this damn hood or so much of a thug that even your soap has to be Gangsta? I guess if you're this hard you probably wipe your ass with sand paper instead of tissue.

Now who hasn't been stuck in a car without air conditioning before? I know I have in the dead heat of Los Angeles in the summer. But as much as an idea like this may have popped into my head I would have never thought to put that plan into action. Well not this person. They put an air conditioner in the passenger window and have it running off a generator that's some how attached to the trunk. My question is why? Now granted they may have had these items already (the generator and air conditioner), but even still the effort it took to make this work couldn't have been worth it. I'm sure going to get your AC fixed would have taken much less of an effort and it couldn't have been that expensive. Plus, a sharp turn could easily send this generator or the air conditioner flying to the ground. As for the second image, why would you even bother to put a lock on this car? It doesn't look to be in the best condition, so I'm not sure who would really attempt to break into it. But I guess there's nothing wrong with a little extra security measure.

Now I love a good burger from McDonalds just as much as the rest of the world. Hell, I even had them for dinner last night. And who doesn't love a bag of Flamin' Hots? However, why on earth would you advertise your love for McDonalds or Cheetos on your car? Now if this driver owned a chain of McDonalds or even stock in Frito Lay (which makes Cheetos) then none of us would be scratching our heads, but the likelihood of that being the case is the equivalent to a man fresh out of jail being able to vote on November 4th. The sad thing is that if these people were smart they probably could make money advertising for McDonalds, Cheetos or some other companies on their cars. If you click Here there are companies that pay $200-400 a month or more for just this type of vehicle advertising. But you go ahead and keep on advertising for free it makes a lot of sense. The same applies for the vehicles below. If there's a grown man driving the Sponge Bob car he needs his ass whooped. The Cool "Whip," I guess I get the play on words since "whip" is a slang term for car, it's a "Cool Car." But the Newport 100's car? Why man? Why?

Why do they keep giving ignorant black people reality shows? I mean besides the fact people watch to laugh and they bring in ratings. But not only that why don't they keep it "real" on these shows? Before "Flavor of Love" premiered some years ago most people probably didn't even know who Flavor Flav was. He was a washed up hype man that was in and out of jail and on and off of drugs and probably damn near broke. That was until an appearance on the VH-1 show "The Surreal Life," took him on a wild ride to stardom. Now he has probably surpassed the fame he ever had as a hype man for the rap group Public Enemy. Now that's great for Flav and his 8 or 9 kids I'm not mad at that at all. However, I am mad that the fact that prior to Flavor of Love he probably couldn't even buy a female that was dyme status. But now he's had 2 seasons of this show and is able to pull females that look like Hoops? What kind of Bizarro world do I disappear to when I turn on VH-1? I know the contestants stand to gain possible fortune and fame for going on these shows but damn! If the producers showed me a picture of a female version of Flav and said you are competing for the love of this woman, and that I may have to kiss and or sleep with her to win well let's just say I'd promptly take myself out of that competition. I'm Not hating by any means, but Flavor Flav is not a sex symbol so Why oh why ladies why?

I know this The Y-Files but I'm stuck asking myself what is this? I hope to God it's not a woman. But then again I'm damn near throwing up on myself thinking it's a man. What are they wearing? And I don't know what's in the bag. But if it's more clothes like the ones he/she's wearing I hope they're walking to the nearest trash can to throw them away or to the nearest incinerator to burn them. Why on earth would you dress like this in public? I promise if I was walking or driving down the street and saw this I'd be looking up in the sky for a UFO because clearly we're being invaded by beings from another planet.

Now does this even make any sense? I've heard of thinking "outside of the box" but come on. Why would you put a box on wheels and push a kid around in it like it's a stroller? This can't be safe. It doesn't even look as if the box is secured down. So the slightest bump and this kid is eating pavement. Is she this lazy? I don't see why she doesn't just pick the kid up and carry him. Or better yet he appears to be big enough to walk. I don't know how far she's walking but I'm sure that she could have found better means to transport the child. It looks like a pretty run down area. I know there's always a shopping cart abandonned somewhere in the ghetto. She could have pushed him in a shopping cart and it would have been safer. I don't know if she found that box or just bought a new TV. But if she bought a TV and used the box for the stroller then her priorities are way out of order.

I know that on hot summer days in the hood kids will do stuff like have water fights and open up fire hydrants to keep cool. They even have the little blow up swimming pools for the kids. However, I think they are taking this a little too far. Why on earth would you fill a boat up with water and turn it into a swimming pool? Although I appreciate him being a responsible adult, why is this guy up there like he's a life guard for real? Umbrella and all. What is this a hood version of Baywatch? Is there not a YMCA near by? And what did they do to that one kid sitting in the corner with his arms folded. Why is he mad? Or did they tell him we bought a new swimming pool and brought him outside in his swim trunks to this madness? I'd be quite pissed too.

Why Chris Brown why? I know that you probably have a weight lifting regiment as part of your daily work out routine. But you look to be struggling a little with this one. I'm not trying to talk about the young lady but he had no business trying to pull this move. When he throws out his back and has to cancel his tour he'll understand how bad of a move this was. This little episode must have been during his performance of the song "No Air" because he clearly looks to be struggling to breathe with the Vulcan death grip this girl has on him.

Alright that's all I got for now. I hope you were entertained and yet just as confused as I was by what you saw. But please stay tuned for another episode of the Y-Files. I'll be tackling some of You Tube's greatest. You don't want to miss that.

To Be Continued...

--C-Recks--

Back in the Day... Part 2

On part 1 of my "Back In the Day" blog I reminisced on some things I remembered as a child and compared them to my son and shared a few stories from my childhood. Don't forget I'm an 80's baby so my childhood years were during the 80's and 90's. Well I would like to again take a trip down memory lane. This time I've been reminiscing on the fashions and trends of the 80's and 90's. There are some that were good and remain and even more that were bad and should never again be attempted. Most of the things discussed only apply to men sorry I can only speak on what I know personally. But I'm sure whether you're male or female if you grew up in this era you'll have quite a few laughs as you continue to read. So sit back relax and take a ride with me down memory lane...

Hair Styles

Jheri Curl
The Jheri Curl actual began to surface in the late 70's and remained around throughout the 80's and early 90's. The Jheri Curl for some reason was more popular on the West Coast, which I never understood since it was usually hot. I'm sure brothers were going through plenty activator out west. LoL. I never wore a Jheri Curl but I remember wanting one after seeing rappers like Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Hi-C, and Dj Quik with them. Yep that would be Ice Cube, A.C. Slater, Stoney Jackson, and Mr. Soul Glo himself below with their versions of the Jheri Curl.

High Top Fade

Times were hard back in the day and a Haircut at the barber shop didn't come too often. I used to wear a simple bald hair cut that my father would perform himself with a pair of clippers. He was able to do that no problem. However, after watching a movie called "House Party" in 1990-91 starring rap group Kid N' Play my brother and I had to have a High Top Fade haircut along with the parts to match. However, my pops wasn't as skilled when it came to that and I had plenty of jacked up fades and parts prior to being able to finally go to the barber shop on a regular basis. I remember having one of the tallest high top fades in the 6th grade until another trend hit and I decided to braid it up. But the high top spawned all kinds of other creation including the Gumby and the stair step.

Braids
Guys have been wearing braids since the days of Afros. But in the 90's they came back in style full force. I know I wanted to get mines after the rap group Kris Kross came out. The summer of 93 my brother and I went to visit Chicago with high top fades and came back to California with Braids. Well with that my father's job of taking us to get hair cuts quickly left and my mom then became a part time hair braider.

Shoes

Puma
I think I owned one pair of pumas in my life that was in the mid 80s. They were one of the first pair of name brand shoes I ever owned. And I remember being excited when I got them. Don't act like my parents were the only ones that shopped at Payless.

L.A. Gear
Introduced in 1992 L.A. Gear (L.A. Lights) was the first to use the luminescent light on the heals of their shoes. The heal would light up with each step. I never had a pair of L.A. Lights but I had more than one pair of L.A. Gear shoes. I'm still reminded of the comedian Jamario. Back in the 90's on and episode of Comic View, he told a joke about him and a friend committing a crime and the friend insisting on wearing his L.A. Lights. Well needless to say, the friend got caught because of the damn lights on the back but Jamario didn't. As he would say they don't know nothing about no damn Jamario. LoL.

Converse Allstars aka Chuck Taylors
Although Chuck Taylors had been around for many years they gained new popularity in the early 90's not only with many young blacks on the West Coast but with a lot of rockers and the grundge culture. The fact that you could get them in almost any color you wanted made them fashionable as well. Chuck Taylors are still around and will be a long time from now.

The Reebok Pump
The Reebok Pump originally came out in 1989 and were worn by basketball player Domonique Wilkins. However, the shoes were much more expensive than competitors upon release. But these shoes really gained popularity when NBA player Dee Brown wore these shoes in the 1991 slam dunk contest. I remember him pumping the shoes right before performing a no-look slam dunk which he won the contest with. I didn't have any of these shoes but my brother did and I wore them plenty of times and despite popular belief the pump didn't help you ball any better. LoL. Also the popular rap group Das Efx used the shoe in a line from their song "Mic Checka" from the album "Dead Serious" released in 1992. "I piggity pump up like Reebok Pumps."

British Knights bka BKs
I remember getting a pair of BKs in the 4th grade. And I wore them out til I got a hole near my big toe. I also remember I wasn't due for a new pair of shoes for a while so I had to make due. Well in one incident I remember my sock coming out of the hole in the shoe and a classmate of mines pulled my sock all the way out and the other kids laughed. LoL. Also, living on the west coast I remember in the 6th grade having a pair of red BKs (similar to below) and put light blue fat shoe laces in them. Yeah I was kind of naive and didn't know that I was making a statement about gang affiliation (BK=Blood Killer). Luckily the shoes were red so people could recognize I was not affiliated only quite confused. LoL.

Adidas
Although Adidas had been out long before, when Run DMC made a song called "My Adidas" in 1987 that appeared on their "Raising Hell" album they became even more popular. Not to mention Run DMC had a unique way of rocking their Adidas with no shoe laces. Although I wanted Adidas I probably didn't get my first pair until the early 90's equipped with some fat shoe laces as depicted below.

Vans

Vans had actually been around for a while, but I don't know what made this shoe become very popular in the early 90's and even more than that I'm not sure how they are still around. But I personally never liked the shoes, but my dad for some reason loved them. There was an outlet near us and they were cheap in price so that's says it's no wonder he would buy them.

Air Jordans
Nike Air Jordans or Jordans (J's) as they are commonly referred to first came out in 1984. Since then Nike and Michael Jordan continued to drop at least one new pair of Air Jordans every year. Although, I and everyone else of course wanted a pair and wanted to "be like Mike" it never happened for me. I remember people were actually robbing and sticking up kids for their Jordans. So, that coupled with the fact they were so expensive and my parents could probably get me and my brother a pair of shoes for the cost of one pair of Jordans is why I never got a pair as a kid. However, so desperate to have a pair I remember one of my spoiled white friends that was an only child would get a new pair whenever they came out. So in 91-92 when the new Jordan's dropped I remember being over this friends house and he had his old pair of Jordans sitting around similar to the ones below. And basically I asked him for them and he gave them to me. They weren't in bad shape, however; they were a size too small so I had to squeeze my big foot in them. Needless to say, I was only able to wear them about a week before the pain was unbearable. But that is the only pair of Jordan's I have ever owned or wore. For some reason even though I could finally afford them myself, they have not had the same appeal to me as when I was younger.

Hats

Kangol Hat
No one was cooler than LL was rocking the Kangol hat in the mid 80's. And with my "Radio" cassette tape in hand who didn't want to be like LL? I know I did but sadly I was never able to get me a Kangol hat. I don't think I've ever worn or owned one to this day.

Malcolm X Hat

After Spike Lee made the Movie "X" in 1992 everyone was wearing X any and everything. I think I had an X hat myself at one point. I'm curious who had the merchandising rights though, and especially who had the trademark to the letter X? Maybe the Count from Sesame Street. LoL.

Rhinestone Hats

Who can forget the Rhinestone hats? In the early 90's everyone had one. I know I couldn't afford the ones in the store and I wasn't quite skilled or patient enough to put all those damn little rhinestones on the letters of my hat. So what did I do? I asked my grandmother to hook it up for me and she did just that. Thanks Granny for keeping your boy in style. LoL

The Fisherman Hat
The fisherman's hat was similar to a kangol but you could get your favorite team on them. In the early to mid 90's many rappers made the fisherman's hat popular. I remember having one of these.

The Beenie
Although it was mandatory in the cold Chicago winters, I never understood why in the early 90's the beenie was so popular in warm climates like California. But you could get a beanie with your favorite team on it. And there were a million and one ways to wear it.

Clothing Lines/Brands

Cross Colours
In the early 90's Cross Colours came out of no where with all sorts of bright colored pants, shirts and shorts. Most of the colors were similar to those in the African Flag. I know I was destined to get me an outfit. And eventually my parents gave in and spent the money to buy us some. I'm sure it was for a birthday or something like that.

Karl Kani

When Kani came out in the early 90's the clothing game was a fierce competition and he had to compete with big names like Cross Colours and Guess. But I don't recall owning a pair of Kani jeans until close to mid 90's and those were a hand me down pair from my brother.

Guess Jeans/Overalls
Guess Jeans had been out since the early 80's. However, I think they gained a lot more popularity when people began wearing overalls. Yes the look of the farmer became urban wear. So, I had to have a pair of Guess overalls. I remember my parents got me and my brother a pair he had black I had blue jean. Then later we both got the overall shorts in the same colors. The overall trend was big. However, you had to make sure you wore them the cool way. So both straps couldn't be up like the farmers wore them. You could wear them one of a few ways including: One strap up and the other down, or both straps down hanging to the ground, or my personal favorite both straps down but still hooked on.

Clothing Trends

Thriller Jacket

Michael Jackson released his "Thriller" Album in 1982. However, when the Thriller jackets were fashionable I was a little too young but of course when I was a little older Michael Jackson was still just as popular and I wanted me a thriller jacket too. Who didn't?

Hammer Pants
Don't ask me why or how these pants became a trend but for some reason in the early 90's they did. And in true kid fashion after seeing M.C. Hammer dance his ass of in them of course we wanted some. Thankfully we never got any I could only imagine how rediculous they would have looked. Holey Jeans
In the Mid to late 80's people began to wear jeans with holes in the knees. I'm not sure who started this trend but I'm sure that for the first person it was an accident but some how it caught on and people purposely put holes in their jeans.

The "Tre Shirt"

I have no clue what the name brand on this shirt is. However, actor Cuba Gooding Jr. wore it in 1991 when he played the role of "Tre" in John Singleton's first movie "Boyz N the Hood." I remember my brother having a very similar shirt to this. And not to put him on blast but just like Tre he thought he was "Mr. GQ Smooth."

Baggy Jeans
In the early 90's kids began to wear jeans that were looser fitting than ever before. They would do all kinds of things to their old jeans such as cut the bottoms so the ankles weren't as tight. Finally the fashion makers got with the trend and began making baggy jeans. But that wasn't enough for some reason the goal was to have the baggiest jeans in school. So you would see people that wore a size 30/30 buying jeans that were 48/48 or even bigger so much that 2-3 people could probably fit in the jeans. I know I owned plenty of baggy jeans in those days and would wear my brothers for an even baggier fit.

Looney Toons Shirts
In the early 90's Warner Bros. was introduced to the hood. That's the only way to describe these shirts. You were able to find any one of your favorite characters dressed head to toe in urban/hood gear. I think I had so many of these it wasn't even funny. But you couldn't tell me I wasn't the shit in them that was until I moved back to Chicag and got to highschool and realized they were no longer in style. LoL.

Hoodie Sweatshirt

Before hoodies came with all kind of fancy skulls and writing on them, back in the early 90's a simple solid color hoodie would suffice. I know I had at least a few of them in a few different colors.

Starter Coat
During the winter months in California it's not Chicago cold, however; it's cold enough to put on a jacket or coat. Well back in the early 90's while in the 6th grade the coat I had to have was a starter coat equipped with my favorite sports team on the back. Well when Christmas came I got just what I wanted well sort of. I wanted a starter coat like below but I got the trench coat version bright red in color with the UNLV Running Rebels logo on the back. Knowing I was dissatisfied my father took the coat back and got me the version I wanted. The only problem was that the one I wanted had a flaw to it. The San Jose Sharks emblem was upside down. Well it was my choice whether I wanted to get it or not. So I went for it even though it was flawed. But now that I think of it, I'm sure my father got a cheaper price for this flawed coat. So, I had the most unique starter coat out of anyone I knew. LoL.
Pull over Starter Jacket

This was mid to late 90's it was the 2nd coming of the Starter Jacket. These were more like wind breaker material and you simply pulled them over. Not so popular in Cali but by the time I move back to Chicago everyone in school had them. I don't think we could afford them.
Army Fatigues
In the mid 90's once again rappers made the army fatigues a popular fashion trend. Could have been a conspiracy by the Government to recruit more brothers in the army but who knows. I know I had a pair of pants myself and my brother had a bubble goose coat. Funny thing is most of the people that wore them including myself would probably go AWOL if we were ever drafted in the army. LoL.

Coveralls/Khaki Suit
The coveralls were made popular in the early 90's by rappers such as Snoop Dogg and Kris Kross. Although I wanted a pair, I never got the chance to get any. Also, the Khaki suit was really popular on the west coast. I wanted one as well. I finally got one but it wasn't brand new. During a visit to Chicago I noticed my grandfather John had plenty of them that he would wear all the time. So, let's just say I borrowed one of them. LoL.
Short Set
When Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince had their song "Summer Time" in the early 90's the video played on The Box (aka Juke Box) all the time. In one of the lines on the song he said "it's late in the day and I ain't been on the court yet hustle to the mall to get me a short set." Needless to say that summer of 1991-92 I had to have one. Eventually my brother and I convinced our grandmother to buy us one. We had the Chicago Bulls Logo on ours.


Air Brushed Clothing
So what's better than just having a pair of overalls? Well nothing except having your name or face airbrushed on them. In 1991 groups like ABC (Another Bad Creation), and Jodeci would airbrush their clothes and even their boots. Of course I wanted my clothing air brushed as well but for some reason I never did.

Inside-Out Jeans

When the group ABC (Another Bad Creation), which was formed by New Edition and BBD member Michael Bivins, came out in 1991 they had a unique style of dress. They would wear their jeans inside out for some reason. Well it didn't take too long before other kids were dressing the same. Unfortunately for ABC this trend was short lived because the next year another kid group was created. That group was Kris Kross and on their first single "Jump" they dissed ABC with the lines like "Don't try to compare us to another bad little fad," and "And everything is the back with a little slack And inside-out is wiggida wiggida wack." Well needless to say, ABC's next album was a flop and the group fell off.

Backwards Clothes
In 1992 when Jermaine Dupri introduced the world to his new found group Kris Kross they had a unique style of dress. In the video for their single "Jump" they wore their clothes backwards. Well the trend didn't really catch on until the group performed their single "Jump" on the popular show "In Living Color." After that performance I remember the very next day at school seeing people with their clothes on backwards. I know I was one of them even if it wasn't that very next day, I eventually adopted the style.

Accessories

The Gold Rope
These gold chains were popularized in the mid to late 80's by rappers such as Erick B. & Rakim, Run DMC, LL Cool J, and Slick Rick. I know I wanted to be "Paid in Full" just like Erick B & Rakim were on their album cover. Needless to say I never got me a Gold rope. But funny thing is that these chains have now become popular again and the next generation of rappers are wearing them.

The Herringbone Gold Chain

I'm not sure which came first but I believe the Herringbone came after the thick (dookie) rope gold chain. I remember wanting just a small one not like the rappers had, but just a small one. Well my mom told my brother and I she would start us with silver herringbones until she saw how we could take care of them and then maybe get us the gold. Well we got them for Christmas that year. However, no one ever told us not to wear them to sleep or in the shower. Man that chain kinked up so bad I was ashamed to even wear it. Needless to say we never graduated to the gold version. LoL.

4 Finger Rings:

When Spike Lee's movie "Do the Right Thing" came out in 1989 the style was just to have a ring on each finger. However, the style was to have 1 ring that covered all 4 fingers. And no one rocked the 4-finger ringer better than the character Radio Raheem portrayed by actor Bill Nunn in Do the Right Thing.

African Medallions

In the early 90's with the Cross Colour clothing line out and the Malcolm X movie out a lot of blacks became afrocentric and wanted to represent the mother land. So we wore clothing with the colors in the african flag and medallions with black fists and mother Africa on them. I never had a medallion but I had some clothing with African Colors on them.

Pager aka Beeper
The pager had been around for a while but for some reason gained popularity in the 90's as a method of communication. However, the draw back was that all you could do was return the person's page from a land line or pay phone. But sometimes people would try to send messages through the pager by spelling words using the numeric keys. For instance, 17 31707 1 turned upside down in the pager would spell "I Love U." Maybe this trend is why cell phone companies came up with the text message. But the reason I call this an accessory is because you could change the color of your case to match your outfit. Also you could have the chain to keep your page safely secured to your belt loop. Trust me it was not good security at all. LoL.

The Back Pack

If you've ever heard the term "back pack era" to describe a version of Hip Hop well this is what they meant. In the early 90's young kids were obsessed with wearing back packs. And they weren't just for carrying school books. A lot of kids were into "tagging" and "graffiti" so they kept their spray cans in them. Most had their name or crew names tagged all over them to identify who they represented. Also, for some reason the goal was to loosen the straps to the very bottom so the back pack hung way below your waist. I'm not sure why maybe it was to match how low your pants were as well. Rapper Rampage of the Flip Mode Squad's first ever single had a chorus that went "With my knapsack raps and my funky fly tracks Beware of the rampsack." Of course I had to have one but not just any one it had to be a Jansport back pack like the one on the right below. I eventually convinced my parents to get me one and I felt like I was cool.

Fat Shoe Laces

Fat laces had been around for a while and still were during the early and mid 80's people rocked them in their Adidas or Chuck Taylors. In the early 90's they kind of came back in style and I had to have some. As mentioned in the story about the BKs I had a pair of light blue fat laces.

Dwayne Wayne Glasses

When the show "A Different World" came out in 1987 there were many characters that appealed to viewers. One of them was Dwayne Wayne who was played by Kadeem Hardison. One of the unique things about his attire were the type of glasses that he wore. I never wanted a pair of these glasses but they were popular because of him.

Well by taking this little trip down memory lane I was able to conclude a couple of things. One I realized that Music (Rappers), TV and Movies had a big influence on the way we dressed back then. Also, I noticed that a lot of these styles of dress and trends were absolutely ridiculous by today's standards at least. I know that every era and generation has their own distinct fashion trends and that sometimes they tend to come back in style. But I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say that I hope to God that some of this stuff never makes a return. Thanks for taking a trip back with me.

--C-Recks--