“So I live by a real simple philosophy
If you stay grounded watch God keep giving you reasons not to be”

– Joe Budden on “Get Up“

Sometimes, you have to really persevere to get where you wanna go. As you grow older, obstacles pop up more and more and try to get in your way. It’s amazing how your goals seems so simple, yet all these other factors in life turn it into something so complicated. From working with difficult people to meeting other commitments to simply being too tired, it’s so easy to succumb to life’s difficulties. But I assure you, if you keep on…if you persevere…if you look the obstacles in their face and continue on with your journey, amazing things will happen. I speak from experience.

What is up my peoples? Happy Labor Day! Welcome to the September 2012 Opinions Column. Indeed, this is the place to go to dig within the chambers on my brain to explore my thoughts. In other words, this is where I talk about anything and everything going on. Thank you to everyone that’s reading this! It’s a new month and there’s lots to talk about, so let’s jump right in.

I titled this post “Keep Going” for a reason. I don’t know why, but I always seem to encounter the craziest challenges (and when I say crazy, I really mean it). There are things that discourage me, that upset me, and that set me back all the time. It might be something simple like getting home late, or something worse like getting a flat tire which prevents me from getting somewhere. Whatever it is, there are unavoidable things in life that everyone encounters that have to be embraced. The key thing I’ve learned is regardless of what happens, it’s your attitude that determines how bad it really is.

Music-wise, I’ve been in some super stagnant places where it was so easy to lose hope. I’ve had issues upon issues that have really discouraged me (and I’m sure you can relate), but I always kept on no matter what. It was difficult to say the least, but it was worth it. With this mindset, my new CD is REALLY picking up steam again and I can only attribute that to persistence. Working with a new group of people, songs are getting finished faster than ever before. No lie, I’ve sat on some songs for over a year just waiting for them to get completed. Anyway, I pivoted to some other producers and engineers which was a really good decision. Sometimes when people aren’t on the same page as you, you have no choice but to move on. You gotta’ look out for yourself first before anybody else. The result? Well…

I will FINALLY release my newest single this September. Yes, after months and months (and months) of talkin’ trash, it’s finally here. This will be my next solo single for my upcoming CD “Something to Prove.” The song is called “One of a Kind” and was produced by longtime friend and producer TyPeNyCe (wow, that’s the first time I’ve publicly announced the title of the song, how liberating lol). I’m really looking forward to dropping this song and sharing it with all my fans. As you’ll soon see (and hear), this song is definitely “me.” It’s been a longgg road but we’re almost there. Stay tuned folks, new music IS on the way.

With us being on the heels of the new single release, rest assured there’s more music too. Like I mentioned, songs that I’ve had for the longest are finally getting mixed and mastered which means I’m coming closer to releasing this CD. So yes, there’s gonna be a LOT more Ajaxxx coming soon. I feel like I’ve turned a corner and things are really starting to pick up. It’s funny too, because I would’ve been happy with just finishing the CD. At the same time, I’ve started getting new projects from other directions too which make it feel like there’s a certain momentum pushing me forward. All I can say is, I have lots to look forward to in the future. Again, I had to keep going to get here.

Outside of music for justtt a second, August has been a krazy month. Not krazy in a bad way, just krazy in a difficult-gotta-use-my-willpower kinda’ way. Ever since my birthday, I’ve made some new lifestyle decisions that have NOT been easy. I’m eating differently and exercising a lot more than usual, and *brace yourself* I’ve stopped drinking coffee. For those that don’t know, I’ve had a serious coffee addiction for a hot minute now. I realized that a lot of my sugar intake comes from coffee, so I had to let it go. The first week was the hardest because I kept getting these really intense headaches at different times of the day which was very abnormal. I was taking a lot of Advil to help with that, and after about the first week I was back to normal. I won’t lie, the smell of coffee still tempts me…but I gotta keep going if I wanna reach my goal.

Like I mentioned too, I’ve been exercising more frequently (and more intensely) than before too. I’ve tried to go six days a week, although there always seems to be something that keeps me from that. So now, I’m just doing as many days as I can…which is usually 4-5, which isn’t bad. Anyway, the hardest part has been the eating because I’ve had to sacrifice things like cheese, coffee (as I mentioned above), and even pizza (gasp!). I don’t plan on living like this forever…I just wanna reach my goal, and then I’ll ease up a little. Let’s see how it goes.

In terms of newness I’ve been jamming to, it’s none other than Slaughterhouse! So what’re my thoughts on the new Shady-influenced album? Welllllll, the first time I listened to it straight through I was kinda’ ehh about the whole thing. I just wasn’t impressed with their beat selection. Anyway, after listening to it another 2-3 times, I’ve grown to like it a lot more. It’s a lot of lyrics to digest, but if you’re a lyric-junkie like me then you’ll be fine. The album has a variety of topics and styles, and they’ve got a lot of standout tracks on there too. When I see artists like SH succeed, it helps remind me that there is an audience out there that appreciates quality hip hop. So much props to the SH crew for droppin’ a dope CD.

Anyway, I’ve rambled enough. It’s been a good August and with the release of my new single, I’m confident it’ll be a great September as well. THANK YOU to everyone that read through this, and much thanks for all your continued support. KEEP GOING! Stay up, stay safe, and hold ya’ head…Ajaxxx signin’ out, PEACEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo credits: taraburner.com
http://emmanuelarivera.blogspot.com
http://www.healthyrevelations.com

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