Why Do Women Do It?

It's amazing what some women go through each and every day of their lives.  I don't mean the very task of being a woman and dealing with double standards an inequality each day.  I mean the optional struggles that some women have.

Makeup.

It's a billion dollar industry and I'm sure that it will be a trillion dollar industry by the time Millineals reach my age.  And don't get me wrong.  I won't be naive in acting as if I don't understand the concept.  I truly do.  Makeup is an enhancer for most people who use it.  But like most things in society these days, it's on another level and has reached the point of ridiculousness.  The cost for eye brow shaping, hair coloring, weave, lipstick, fake nails, nail polish, and more has reached astronomical proportions, but women seek these services more than ever these days.

Why do women do it?  It's very expensive and extremely time-consuming.  I've had multiple women tell me because it's the only way a man will look at them.  That's not quite true, but I can see how some women think that.  Men do tend to pay attention to shiny objects when we walk into a room.  That's only natural.  It doesn't mean we want those women though (at least not long term).

The best way for me to put this from a guy's perspective is like this: If I see a red Corvette driving down the highway at 70 mph, it's going to get my attention.  I will stare at it and want one.  Maybe even "rent" one some day just to say that I had it.  But, when it comes to what I park in my driveway, it will be something a lot more sensible.

Comparing women to cars may be a bad idea, but analogies are funny like that.  All I'm trying to say is that if you're looking for a guy who only likes fast cars, then by all means primp away.  But, there are many reasons that very few guys own Corvettes: they are expensive to acquire, the maintenance is even more costly, they will always draw attention (good or bad), your mom won't think it's safe, and it's not practical for kids.

So many of you ladies are beautiful as you are.  Stop letting makeup companies trick you into thinking that spending hundreds of dollars to look like someone else is the only way to get a man.  And no, I'm not anti-makeup by any means.  I just hate when pampering becomes tampering.  Where you draw the lines is subject to debate, but some sort of stance needs to be taken.

Look at it this way: you may get him, but you won't keep him.  Not on false pretenses.  Because at some point the cosmetics have to come off. 

All I'm asking for ladies to do is be original.  Stop looking like everyone else.  I've always come down on guys for buying Jordans and certain designer clothes because it makes all of those guys look like clones.  I want the same individually for women, too.  Find something and make it yours!

Get Ready for Kimye!



Move over, Bey/Jay... there's a new baby coming to town!

What better way to close out 2012 and enter into 2013 than the announcement of a royal pregnancy!  No, not those people overseas, but our local royalty here in the states!  We don't do the fancy titles and pompous stuff here.  A sex tape and a rap album will put you on Mount Rushmore in the states these days!  So, without further ado, I present to you: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian!

Now, now, just wait.  Hold on.  I know some of you are frowned up and you think that I'm being facetious.  And in a way, I am mostly, but also in a way, I'm not.  You see, royalty is in the eye of the beholder idiot fan.  Some of us treat athletes as royalty.  Some of us treat actors as royalty.  So, why can't a socialite and rapper be included as well?  After all, all of the above walk on red carpets like kings and queens, don't they?  They have high-level security and have people following them, 24/7, looking for a photo op.  Sounds like royalty to me!

Kim is rumored to be 3 months pregnant with Kanye's seed.  So, I'm guessing that she's known about the pregnancy for a while.  But, what better time to release the news than when everyone in the world, who isnt' partying or drunk (and some who are), will be tuned into TV to see the "ball drop" for the New Year?  And what story will lead each show tonight?

"Get Ready for Kimye in 2013!"

This is marketing gold!  This is bigger than the season finale of "Scandal" and it will be much bigger than anything Jay-Z and Beyonce' could have ever imagined for their child.

Wait, wait, wait.  Okay, there you go giving me the side-eye again.  You're thinking, "Q, you act as if these people planned this."

Uh, yeah, pretty much.  Look, I'm skeptical by nature.  The reason is: a majority of the people that are on TV or radio are trying to pull the wool over my eyes.  Shows are passing themselves off as reality when it's a known fact that many are scripted (yeah, I'm talking to you, Tru TV).  "News" media outlets are passing opinions and assumptions as facts.  So, why should I believe that a rapper at the top of his game along with the hottest body in America (who's still legally married) isn't doing the same with this announcement?

Personally, I don't care that Kim is pregnant.  I hope that she has a happy and healthy, bouncing baby boy or girl, but it has no bearing on my life.  In fact, I'm not coming down on her or Kanye at all.  I think they're geniuses, or at least surround themselves with them.  We'll hear potential, stupid baby names all night on New Year's Eve and a few months from now, people will be guessing the baby's gender.  Maybe that can be centered around some upcoming awards show in the Spring or something.  You know it just won't be revealed on a Tuesday afternoon on some peron's Tumblr site.  Some huge event will be going on when that's revealed, I'm sure.

So, congratulations to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on their child!  Maybe you come up with a creative name, trademark it and add millions to your millions!  I do hope that he or she will at least get their talent from their dad's side of the family. 

So, Kim and Kanye sitting in a tree... Business decision or just a couple in love who coincidentally revealed it around New Year's?



"That's a nice blog post Q made for us, huh?  Just look at it!"

Hip-Hop Sell Outs

Hip-hop has always been about creating trends, but they've taken it to an entirely new level now.  In fact, it's not trending, it's advertising.

Back in the day, Run-DMC had a song called "My Adidas" and they professed their love for the shoes they wore without laces.  It was very rare that an actual product was marketed in most rap back then because rap was in a different place at the time.  Rap was about self-promotion of talent and / or provoking thought.

Today's rap is about the promotion of materialistic things than anything else.  CNN reported that out of the top 30 hip hop songs on the Billboard charts, 27 of them mention the name of a vehicle, 22 mention miscellaneous products from clothing to rims and 19 of them mention a brand of liquor.  The liquor companies stated that they don't market products to minors, but that they do reward hip-hop stars with endorsements for promoting their products.  That appears to be half of the problems in our inner cities today.  A focus on materialistic things and alcohol is being pounded into their ears on mainstream radio to our kids.

In contrast, the top 30 country songs on the Billboard charts revealed 7 miscellaneous products (mostly blue jeans and power tools), 4 mentions of liquor and 4 mentions of vehicles. Check out this article for more info on rap's influence on our youth through their brand promoting. Here's an excerpt from that article:

Alcohol companies, of course, are happy to get the recognition, but it seems that many singers are also tangentially involved in the alcohol business. Jay-Z, for instance, owns a percentage of Armadale Vodka while Snoop Dogg was the face for Landy Cognac in 2008 and, not coincidentally, sang a song about it called Luv Drunk.

Now, studies are saying that US teens hear three brand names for every hour of rap music they listen to. Given that the average teen listens to 2.5 hours of music per day, your average kid is hearing 8 alcohol brand names daily.

Some people say American teens are listening to a lot more than simply 2.5 hours of music, suggesting that they hear up to 34 alcohol brand names every day while they listen to music that promotes a "luxury lifestyle characterized by degrading sexual activity, wealth, partying, violence and the use of drugs."

It is no coincidence that the brand names that are most frequently mentioned are also the ones the teenage drinkers seem to prefer.

Today's rap deserves its own genre.  Something to separate it from the artists who came along over 25 years ago and made it mainstream.  We have Conscious Rap (Public Enemy, KRS-1), Booty Music (95 South, 2 Live Crew), Gangsta Rap (NWA, Eazy-E) and Mainstream Rap (MC Hammer and Fresh Prince). Don't get me wrong. People in the 80's wore gold ropes and drove nice cars, but that wasn't the focus of their lyrics. They told stories of life in the hood, exposed racism and political loopholes or bragged about how lyrically talented they were.

Also, I don't want to lump all of today's rappers into this materialistic corner I'm painting. There are some rappers who are truly talented in today's rap game despite what they're rapping about: Paul Wall, Lil' Wayne, Eminem, Kanye among a few others whose names escape me right now. But a majority of the people I'm referring to who aren't all that talented and / or push products every chance they get: P-Diddy, Soulja Boy, Gucci Mane and Rick Ross. Some of the songs may be catchy, but they're really not saying anything when it's all said and done.

I'm wearing a lot of jewelry, so therefore, I must be talented.

Now everything is about what I'm drinking/smoking/wearing/driving and how many women I'm banging. Music videos with rented women, homes and cars (you don't think these guys really own mansions and Lamborghinis, do you?). I don't know if we'll ever see again a powerful video like P.E.'s "Fight the Power," a collaboration of artists to perform a modern day "Self-Destruction" or even come across a mainstream group similar to the X-Clan.

Is this what rap has become?  No.  At least not to me. If this is what these artists want to do, then so be it. But, don't allow it to be on mainstream radio where anyone of any age can gain access to listen. Even HBO won't show a Rated: R movie until after 8 PM when kids are supposed to be in bed. Put restrictions on this music so I don't have to worry about my eight year old god son singing songs about Ciroc.

I refuse to call today's hip-hop "rap."  Call it "commercial hip-hop" or "ad rap," but don't call it rap. Contributing to the destruction of our youth all for the sake of a buck?

A bunch of hip-hop sell outs.




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Marketing Wisdom (Grow Your Business)

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