Randomness

So I haven't done one of these in a long time and figured I'd go ahead and hit you guys with some random things about me. I have no set number of items I'm just going to ramble on until I stop. So here we go:

1.) I want to learn Spanish. As much as it could have come in handy in my old job dealing with a 90% Hispanic customer base my reason is not for career advancement. Although it may benefit in that way, I have another reason. On the real I want to learn so that I can watch the Soap Operas that come on the Spanish Channel. Maybe it's just me but I turned past the channel all the time and sometimes stop. But I swear whatever goes on in those shows is deep as hell. And dramatic as all get out!

2.) I thought about it and I've had a very wide range of best friends going back to grade school. Let's just say no one can ever say that I discriminate. 1st Grade: My best friend was disabled. Yep he had only 3 fingers (or maybe 2) on each hand. But we hung like it wasn't nothing, and I still got play from the girls back then. LoL. 3rd grade my best friend was Indian. I mean for real Indian he wore a Turban and all. Shame that they hated on him though. Someone pulled his Turban off once. Although I was glad my curiosity was finally satisfied as to what was under there I felt bad to see him cry. His hair was long as hell though. From there I went to black, Hispanic, white and now a female. Like I said I don't discriminate. Good friends are hard to come by. LoL. Not to get too deep but isn't it funny how innocent we are as kids and how race, religion, creed, and gender don't matter. All we see is another kid.

3.) My closet as I've been told resembles that of a woman's closet. I admit that I do have a lot of clothes. However, I'm not like a female when it comes to shopping. I actually hate shopping. I blame my grandmother for that. As a shorty we would have to spend hours upon hours waiting in the store for her to finish shopping. And as boys we would play and get into stuff. And as soon as you did she would pinch the HELL out of us!!! But as for my shopping my problem lies with bargain shopping I tend to find great deals. Therefore when I do shop I buy a lot at once but get a great deal for the amount I spend. But yeah there you have it my closet, clothes, shoes, etc. Damn Shame! LoL. Unfortunately I didn't have time to provide a pic of my own closet.

4.) I don't know if it's partly with me being as suspicious as I am or what. However, I've noticed that I can not kiss entirely with my eyes closed. I've even tried to and I can't. Not all crazy staring like some lunatic. LoL. But at some point during the kiss I must take a little peek. Maybe it's me making sure she's enjoying as much as I am. Who knows exactly.

5.) I've done this ever since I was a kid. But I still fall asleep on any car trips over an hour long. If I'm not driving I'm sleeping. Bottom line and people who know me know that. I remember my bro and I being both drunk and sleepy leaving Vegas for L.A. I'm talking big stuff like yeah I'm gone stay up don't worry. Next thing I know I'm waking up and we're in Cali. My brother was like I knew your ass was going to fall asleep. Lol. I'm headed down to Atlanta, GA next week for my cousin's wedding. I'll be riding with my Mom and possibly brother. And I'm sure I'll be sleeping half of the trip at least. lol.

6.) As a black man it's in my DNA to love chicken. However, some would say that I don't eat it properly. You see it is impossible for me to clean a chicken bone. I just can't do it. As good as it tastes I just can't eat it all. My parents would eat after me as a kid. Now my mom just talks about me still. And my son has the same issue so far. Again, I have no clue as to why.

7.) I'm not a big sweater. Unlike the typical man I don't perspire that much. It will take some pretty strenuous activity and extreme heat for my sweat glands to go to work. Even some of the 'hardest' work one could put it may only produce a few drops of sweat from me. LoL. Now you man think I have the top line of anti-perspirant. However, that's not the case. Due to the fact that I don't really sweat I actually tend to purchase the cheapest deodorant there is. It may even say stick on the bottle or just deodorant. Lol. Not that I would ever attempt to go a day without it. But my money would be on if I did forget to use deodorant that no one would ever know I didn't.

8.) In the morning I must have a drink of juice. If there is no juice it must be something equivalent (kool-aid, tea, etc). I think I picked this up somewhere along the way from my father. He would open up anything in the fridge come the morning. He didn't care whose it was, if it was in there come morning it was subject to getting opened and drank. But for me it's almost like the morning just won't start off right without this beverage. Just like some need their morning coffee, I need my juice. Unfortunately, I haven't had any the last few days and it's not a good thing.

9.) Speaking of drinking. I discovered a long while ago that I have the weird ability to be able to drink while laying down. Yep I can lay down on my back and drink a cup of whatever without spilling or choking. People that have seen me do it wonder how I can do so without damn near choking. But I have no clue I have just always been able to do this. Weird I know. LoL.

10.) May 5th of this year I would have officially been married 8 years...if I had not gotten a divorce 4 years ago. LoL. If you are following me on twitter then you would have seen me dub that day my "Non-Iversary." LoL. It was also Cinco De Mayo so my BFF and I celebrated that as well. But I need to remember the date I got divorced and start to celebrate that day. Isn't that public record? I need to do some online searching and confirm that's in the public record before I discover my ass is still married or some garbage. Now wouldn't that be some s**t? LOL.

11.) Speaking of divorce. I have taken the opportunity of having gone through an event such as divorce at a young age and chosen to share my experiences with the world. Yep I have began drafting a book. Don't ask me when it will be done or what will take place once it is done. However, I have some stories (boy do I...) and I feel like they're so great that they must be told. In fact, I tend to tell myself just in everyday life that I must be living a movie cuz some of this stuff is purely cinematic. So stay tuned. Perhaps I'll leak some chapters for you guys feedback as I get the the chance to.

12.) My Birthday is coming up on May 30th. Although I don't look it I will be 29 years old. Hard to believe myself that I am only a year away from 30. But hey I look forward to it. Just another chapter in this book I call my life. Also, speaking of B-days. Shouts out to my best friend's 25th b-day is coming up next week on the 20th. Also, a special birthday shout out to KingsMomma who is also celebrating her 25th on Sunday. She threatened me from afar via twitter to finally post a blog. LoL .

13.) I miss my granny. I know I don't see her since she moved down to ATL and have been a bad grandson and not calling like I should have. But I talked to her on Mother's Day and I look forward to seeing her when I go down there for my cousin's wedding. My grandmother has some of the funniest quotes in the world. For instance. No matter who you're with or how long you've been with or married to that person she will refer to them a certain way. So to my cousin (her oldest granddaughter) your new husband will still always be "The Boy" when it comes to granny. Another great saying of my grandmother's are actually words of wisdom. She would always say. "The one thing I can't stand is a Liar and a Thief, because if you'll steal you'll lie, and if you lie you'll steal." Now I don't know about the latter part of that, because I know liars that don't steal. But the first part is dead on!! To this date I've known thieves that will lie they ass off. So shout out to all the thieves and liar out there. And speaking of, if anyone ever gets their hands on a book called "Purpose through Pain." I doubt if it ever will surface but if on the off chance someone sees it please inform me asap. LOL.

That's it for now lucky 13. Hope everyone has a great weekend and holiday weekend if I don't update the blog by then. Also, I seem to be a little addicted to this twitter thing. So feel free to follow me there twitter.com/crecks. It is probably the easiest way to check in with the latest and greatest of one half of Brothers' Blog. Especially since I've been able to update this so rarely.

--C-Recks--

Myspace Madness

When we first started this blog our cousin made a comment. She said "if you're not making a personal diary on this blog then won't you eventually run out of things to blog about?" Well Cuzzo we're 9 months in and still going strong. As much as we try to not make this a personal blog, there are often times when certain things just get thrown in your lap. Well at that point you have no choice but to blog about them. I have a song I wrote called "Walk in my Shoes" and part of the chorus states "If you take a walk in my shoes and lace em' up/ you'll see that I'm for real man I can't make this up." So here is one of those situations.

Here's the background info: I'm not going to go personally into all of the nitty gritty, but let's just say due to certain circumstances my brother and I aren't the closest with our father. Now in recent months he's made attempts to rebuild the relationship. But to be honest, let's just say as Jay-Z said "It's a slow process and I ain't got nothing but time."

So a few days ago I get a weird text message. After reading it I realize it's a text message sent via yahoo messenger. The message happened to be from my father. So I'm in my head like "who in the hell put him up on yahoo messenger?" Not that he's too old or anything because my mom uses yahoo messenger at times. But for some reason it was just weird coming from him. So the message is general so I go ahead and reply. Then he begins to ask me about my music and when my cd is coming out. So I tell him and give him my myspace link www.myspace.com/crecksinkrowd. I think nothing of this innocent gesture as I felt if he was really interested he would appreciate seeing the site. He said he would check it out and that was the end of the convo. At least so I thought.

Well I got another of these texts from him last night. I was actually online at the time, so I just went ahead and IM'd him directly through yahoo messenger. He was going on saying how much he liked my myspace page and how professional it looked. Also, he stated that he was looking forward to hearing my CD. Now my father was into music way back in the days. But just like all musicians I guess you just never give up on the dream. So, he was going on about how he wanted to collabo with me (LMAO), how he can help me, about this artist he's producing, and how he knows so and so he can give my cd to. Blah blah, Yada Yada. So in parting he makes this statement. "Who are the ladies on your myspace page?" I'm like I don't know it's a music page everyone gets approved so it could be anyone. Some of them I know some are just myspace friends. So, he closes saying "Well I don't know which were which but Wow!! had me thinking... Never mind talk to you later son." I shook my head as he signed out of messenger and again thought that was that.

So not too long after that I go on to my myspace page to check my messages and play that damn Mafia Game I'm addicted to. LoL. So I notice I have a new friend request and a new message. I get all kinds of friend requests, so I never really pay attention to nor ever visit the pages of some of the clowns that send me requests. As I said everyone gets approved! So when I looked at this latest request. The name first stuck out. But I'm like Oh Hell No this just couldn't be. So I go to my messages and see I have a message from this person as well. I read the message and immediately start to "crack" the hell up like Bobby and Whitney. I go to the person's page and see the main picture and just begin to shake my goddamn head. I begin to read the profile and let out a WTF aloud. Can this nigga be serious?

I'm sure you guessed it by now. But yes my damn father had created a myspace page. Now my father brings about all kinds of hilarity just for no damn reason some times. I've referred to him as dad and father here, but trust he gets called a lot of names by us and neither of those are often spoken. Trust if I got down and personal I would have endless blogs that would have you dying a slow death from laughter. However, this officially took the cake. I immediately got on the phone and called my brother. When I tell him the story we're both damn near in tears. But wait here's the kicker. You ready? The nigga listed his age as 40!! 40? Are you serious? My brother is 30 and I'll be 29 this year. So you were 10 and 11 when you had us? Get the hell outta here. This so reminded me of the episode of Boondocks where granddad was on myspace meeting women. See the clip below.



See this is why certain technologies are dangerous when they fall into the hands of either young children or older people. Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with older people being on myspace. So if any of your parents have myspace pages then more power to them. However, I do have a problem with MY parents being on there. In addition, I would have a problem with my parents frequenting the same club I hit up. I don't want to see pops trying to holler at young girls or mom's (not that she ever would) dropping it like it's hot. There just has to be certain boundaries that are set and respected.

So in an attempt to see if I was alone in this boat, I did some research and just did a quick browse on myspace for people ages 50 (my dad's real age) - 68 (the maximum age field myspace allows). Well apparently within a 250 mile radius of my zip code there were about 3000 people men and women that fit that search criteria. I clicked through a few pages and noticed the majority of them were white people. But I guess I felt a little better knowing that I'm not the only child being embarrassed by their parent.

I just find it funny that I just wrote a blog about being the cool dad to my son as he gets older. I mean I want to be up to date with slang and technology; however, at age 50 my son will be 26. By that time as cool as I would want to still be in his eye, I think I would have just embraced my old age.

I'm honestly still debating on whether to approve this friend request or not. The good thing with having over 1000 friends is that he would be buried in the pile. But there's absolutely no way in hell that he's going in my top friends. I'll keep a running update on how the new myspace adventures are going. I'm sure my brother will have to also state his take on the situation. So this definitely won't be the last you hear of this subject. All I know is if I get a friend request from my mom I'm closing that damn page down quicker than a buffet when a bus load of obese people pull up. LoL. Oh and to my cousin as long as I have gold like this I'll never run out of stuff to blog about. And by the way cuzzo you're in my top friends on myspace, so check your inbox. I'm sure that your uncle sent you a friend request too. So far he only has Tom and some unforsaken victim. LMAO!!

--C-Recks--

For the Cool in You

"Cause I am so cool, cool, cool..." Redman "SoopaMan Luva 3"

So last weekend I'm sitting with my son and we're playing video games. Then all of a sudden of the blue he says something that I didn't expect at all. He says and I quote "You know dad you're pretty cool." Well I couldn't help but to put on that Kanye smile as The Game said. well I guess I should say that C-Recks smile, check the picture below.

Don't laugh at me with my kool-aid smile. That pic was taken on election night and I had just used my same drink ticket for the 4th time in a row. I should sell this to Heineken for one of their advertisements. LoL.

Well after he made this statement I asked him why he thought I was so cool? He replied "because you play video games with me and stuff like that, so that makes me a cool dad." Well it is true we do sit around and play his race car video games for hours. So if that makes me cool I'll take it and bask in it for the moment. However, sometimes I wonder will I maintain be able this "cool" status in the years to come.

When I hear people (especially young people) say they want to have a baby or children for some reason my response is always "if you can help it...wait!" That's not to say that I don't love being a father, because it's one of my favorite things in the world. However, it is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Balancing being a parent, working, having social life, and hobbies seems to be a juggling act at times. I somehow by the grace of God am able to do it for the most part. But then there are times when my son reminds me that I'm definitely not 100% in balance. On my way to drop him back off this past Sunday he says "Dad I wish you got fired so you could be with me everyday not just weekends." After gasping, I had to correct what he said. "As much as I would love to be with you everyday dad can't get fired. So let's say I wish you could get a better job and have more free time." He agreed and repeated what I said. Although, I wanted to say no job = no child support which = dad in jail. Not to mention my slim frame is conducive with jail bids and the fact that soap is slippery. LoL.

When my ex was pregnant her and I thoroughly discussed how we wanted to raise our son. Of course we didn't stay together so certain things were altered, but as they said "best laid plans." But that didn't change what I needed to do as a father for my son. I know I'm old (getting old), but I still feel young, so my son confirmed how I feel. I feel like I'm cool as a fan or the other side of the pillow. You pick one of those Stewart Scott one liners. I think I'll always try to keep my ear to the street as my son gets older. I can't have him pulling one over on me because he thinks I'm too old and out of touch with slang and what's going on in his young world.

For example, a while back a friend of mines asked me about a slang word. Now she's older than I am, maybe in her mid to late 30's. She has 3 teenage sons. In the past she's come to me to ask me about different slang words. Well apparently her sons had been using this term around her and wouldn't tell her the meaning. So at one point she's talking with the kids and they used the term and since they wouldn't tell her what it meant she just started saying it too. "Well if that's the case I'm a "Blank" your brother is a "blank" and your dad is also a "blank." So, the kids simply laughed at her and she was still left in the dark. As she's telling me this story I'm like NO! you didn't say that did you? She's like yeah I did why? So I go ahead and explain to her what the term means. She was shocked and says "I'm gone get they asses!" LoL. I laughed but then I thought man I gotta stay on my slang game even when I get older.

Just in case you're trying to fill in the blank, the word she/the kids were saying was Bust Down! SMH!!

Now I realize that I won't always be the cool dad. So I need to bask in this coolness while I can. There will be a time when I will be replaced as his video game buddy by one of his boys. The same goes for when it comes to going out riding bikes, going to the mall, the arcade and all the other cool things we do together. Eventually, dear old dad will not be cool enough to hang out with Lil' C. I'll get the "I'll just call you when it's time to pick me up speech." Or the "Can you drop me down the block because I don't want anyone to see you dropping me off." So when that day comes I won't let my feelings get hurt. I'll just think back and say. "Hey there was a time when you thought I was cool. And trust in 5 or so more years when you're 18+ years old I'm sure I'll gain that status back again."

--C-Recks--

Any Given Son Day

November 28, 2008

Dear Son,

It was almost 5 Years ago to the day when your mom and I realized you were indeed on your way. It was November 29th 2003. It was around 1am in the morning. I was up late as always, but I can't recall what I was doing. I believe your mom was sleeping. However, something awoke her. I'm sure it had something to do with you moving around. She said she had to use the bathroom. So I helped her up and as she stood up she said I think I peed on myself. Well she then went to the bathroom to clean up. But she came out and said I don't think this is pee. After making a call to your grandmother and to the doctor she was able to determine that a portion of her water had broken.

So we packed up and drove to the hospital. Your mom did all the hard work I just tried to be supportive and not get on her nerves. But almost 22 hours later at about 10:50pm that night you were born. I remember when your head popped out, the doctor pulled you out, and your eyes were wide open and you looked right at me. In between tears I smiled, as the doctor wrapped you up and handed you to your mom. She quickly called me over to hold you as well.

It was hard to imagine that I had spent almost 9 months talking to you through a barrier of stomach that grew by the day. You used to kick whenever I talked to you. But then and there I was holding and talking to you in the flesh. I had overwhelming feelings of joy, happiness, nervousness and even fear. Yes me the self proclaimed fearless man was scared at that moment. The thought that your life was essentially in my hands had me scared to death. The thoughts of what kind of father I would be to you, and would I be able to do this job forever had me fearful. But I vowed to you even less than hours old that I would do any and everything to take care of you and be there for you.

Well it didn't take too long for me to get the hang of the parenting thing. However, there was trouble on the home front. I can and will explain to you the entire story as you get older and are curious as to what happen. But a long story short your mom and I ended up splitting up and eventually divorcing. I had to make some of the hardest decisions of my life during those rough times, but in the end I feel like I made the best decision when considering you. It was difficult to make such decisions and not want to be selfish. However, I had to take a look at a much bigger picture which went beyond just myself.

You may hear different variations of the story when you get older, but I have no problem being open and honest when you're able to handle it. You weren't old enough to remember your mom and I ever being together. Which in part I find a good thing most times. The way your life is now is how you have always known it to be. So you don't remember some of the back and forth and changes that took place back then. Regardless of what has taken place, just know it had nothing at all to do with you. And in many ways what took place forced me to be the man I needed to be. The man I needed to be for myself and for you.

When I think of you being five years old it is still hard to imagine. Time flies is all that I can say. I mean I can truly recall it all like it was yesterday. From your first words (which were da da don't let anyone tell you different), to your first steps, your first fall (I dropped you), and recently your first dentist trip (I took you, poor thing you shook like a leaf you were so scared). I've made sure that I have been there every step of the way. Not only financially, but also physically and emotionally there as an active father in your life. Besides a hand full of weekends out of town and when for whatever reason your mom had something else planned, I don't/didn't miss a weekend spending quality time with you. The same goes for calling and talking to you on a nightly basis.

Over these five years I've watched us begin a bond as father and son that is undeniable. I wouldn't give it up for anything or anyone in the world. It reminds me of how I was with my father when I was a kid. Unfortunately, that relationship slowly whithered away over the years due to some circumstances that I will reveal to you later as well. But I vow to you that I won't let anything get in between us remaining close and me being a constant in your life. In the next 5-10 years I'm sure you'll be experiencing many more firsts. Including, your first day of school (real school), first crush (Kim Possible doesn't count), first heart break (sad to say but it's going to come), first fight, etc. Just know that you will have me there for you and there to help guide you through each of those events and more.

I love you so much and I am so very proud of you. And even prouder to call myself your Dad. I wish you the happiest 5th birthday ever and so many more to come.

Love,

Your Dad.


--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--