“You’re so familiarized with what having to swallow this pill is like
It happens all the time, they take your heart and steal your life
And it’s as though you feel you’ve died, cause you’ve been killed inside
But yet you’re still alive, which means you will survive”
– Eminem on “Beautiful Pain“
I thought when I got older, things would become more clear. Instead, there are more question marks than ever before. One thing I do know is, if I wanna get to where I wanna get, I gotta change my mentality. There’s gotta be a sense of urgency that takes over. Often times, I get bogged down by trivial issues that I lose sight of the main goal. Moving forward, I gotta change that. I gotta start thinking that the pressure’s on.
Whatup world! Welcome one and all to the December 2013 Opinions Column (holy crap, where did the year go?). For those that’re new to the site, this is the one place where you can dig deep within the crevices of my brain to find out what’s going on. Here, I’ll talk about music, movies, sports…anything that is on my mind really. For those that’re returning to the site and those that’re regulars, welcome back! And thank you! With the formalities outta the way, let me talk about…pressure.
The other day I was thinking to myself…damn, is the end of the year already upon us? Yup, it seems that way. I don’t know where 2013 exactly went but it flew by. And when I look back on the year, I wish I could’ve done more. Now I’ll talk more about this in the End of the Year wrapup that I always do, but it definitely hit me that I haven’t done enough. And well, maybe that’s because I don’t put enough pressure on myself. Now don’t get me wrong, don’t think that I’m not thinking about music everyday…because I am. It’s just…there have been too many obstacles that continue to discourage me that it’s hard to press on. I’ve still pushed forward despite that…but maybe not hard enough. I think what needs to change is how hard I push forward. In order to really progress, I gotta start putting more pressure on myself. Is that the healthy thing to do? Who knows. All I know is, I gotta do more.
I’ve got so many songs and ideas and videos to release…and in order to put everything out, I gotta have a higher sense of urgency. Now there are variables to everything, yes…but ain’t nobody tryna hear about all that. People wanna see results, myself included, so I gotta make it happen. No excuses, right ‘Jaxxx?
In the words of Kobe Bryant: “Everyting negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.” Wise words Kobe…wise words indeed.
So the next thing on my agenda is upgrading my computer. It’s been about four years since I’ve done this, so I’m pretty much building a new machine. With a new computer, I’ll be able to increase my productivity which will improve my efficiency. If I can’t do enough, then I gotta take steps to do more. I can get into more of the behind-the-scenes music stuff, along with some of the more creative things I’ve wanted to get back into (including video editing and animation). I long for the days when I can just be creative all the time. Again, more on this in the upcoming Year-in-Review LoL.
Elsewhere in November, I celebrated Thanksgiving, saw Thor, copped the new Eminem. My thoughts on all below:
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is perhaps one of my most favorite holidays of the year. It’s a time for friends and family to get together to celebrate what we’re thankful for. Now, it’s one thing that my family doesn’t get together as much as we used to so it’s always great to see them. It’s another thing to come together just to show thanks. When I look around, I can’t help but marvel at all that I’ve got…a family, my health, food, a house, a car, a talent to rap, and so much more. I mean, the fact that I’m even able to RECOGNIZE that is huge in itself. So I mean, it’s awesome to take a step back and just say hey…look at all you’ve got Ajaxxx. And it’s awesome to say thank you for it. In regards to the event itself, we all got together and had a big dinner and had a lot of fun.
Thor: The Dark World
So Marvel released their latest film in Thor: The Dark World. My thoughts? I loved it. Now let me be clear, I was very skeptical going into this movie after what they did with Ironman 3. I was like “has Marvel really lost their step? Has Disney changed the way they do movies? Are Marvel movies on the way down?” Well, Thor quickly quieted all my worries with this new movie. It was funny, action-packed, and extremely entertaining. I mean, I was engaged for the entire movie. There were a few things I might’ve changed (really small things I might add), but that’s just me being nitpicky. Overall, it was an awesome movie. It also reminded me that Marvel really knows what they’re doing and DC should realize…you don’t need to make every movie dark (ehem Man of Steel) in order to work with today’s generation. We just want to be entertained…not see Batman 25. So yes, props to Marvel on doing it again!
Eminem – MMLP2
Okayyyyy, so now…my thoughts on the new Eminem CD. This one has been a long time coming and I waited til now to talk about it. I wanted to take the last few weeks and really listen to it before reviewing it (plus at the time of the last Opinions Column, it hadn’t officially dropped). So after really digesting it, I think it’s HOT. Now when I first got it, I wasn’t that impressed with it. It kinda left me with the same vibe as his last few albums. Good, but not Eminem good. However, I think a lot of that had to do with how much there was to take in. This CD is very lyric-heavy and it’s not something that you can just review after one listen. In fact, I have a lot of issues with people reviewing it on their blogs/websites after like one day or one listen. You have to really absorb the CD to get a quality understanding of it…at least for me. After letting it grow on me, it’s a pretty amazing CD. His lyrics and style have evolved again (which is amazing because what artist gets BETTER at this stage of his career?), and he’s much more focused on the technical aspects of the lyricism more than ever before. If there was one issue, I’d say there are times where he let his technical detail overpower the actual song itself…which left me desiring more. But this is the first time in awhile where I’ve felt like Marshall was really comfortable on the mic. A more-than-solid effort from our generation’s best emcee.
December
Looking forward, I’m excited. I’m gonna be upgrading my computer which will change the game up. I’m gonna be celebrating Christmas and seeing family. Andddddd I’m gonna gear up for an extra eventful 2014. Lots on the horizon and you can’t help but feel optimistic.
That’ll do it for this edition of the Opinions Column. And like I said, I’ll be posting a Year-in-Review later this month. Til then, stay up, stay safe, and hold ya head…Ajaxxx signin’ out, PEACEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
