The Key To A Happy Life

I know we are only responsible for today, you could not know what tomorrow holds. But hey we can still make tomorrow worth waiting by making today abetter day. How?
Remember it all starts within us.. Here are someways to do that:

Always try to keep apositive mind
    This helps you make positive decisions even in those trying times..
I remember afew years ago, in those angry moments..   My attitude used to affect my day that I would end up  hating on everything  and everyone around me.. This would go on for sometime. But Until afriend of mind told me about it  because clearly sometimes I wouldn’t realise that I was bringing that attitude on even innocent people.
Long story short ever since I worked on that, I live better now and this has  strengthened my relationships with my friends and family. So this can happen for you too..

Learn to Forgive
    I know this can be hard. I understand that but remember you have nothing to loose if You give it atry. Like I said before, I used to keep grauges for sometime, Do you know what this comes with ?  Working yourself out everytime you see this person, being uncomfortable everytime they are in your company(sometimes that can be unavoidable)..
But when You learn to forgive  this takes away all that effort you keep putting to make that attitude, sad face.. Its not an easy thing  to  do sometimes I  get that.. But keep trying to learn how to forgive along the way you will see the benefits..

Learn to share
yes Learn to share with your friends. We all have friends Don’t we ? Like the saying goes “aproblem shared is half solved”
Sharing Helps you get relieved to some extent. Yes it does. If you can’t find asolution. Share  with another friend. I believe the solution can be found..  Like I have friends Who if one annoys  the other instead of keeping grauges we sit down and  speak our minds and the problem is sorted. You can get such friends too,  one of them is here sharing this with you ha ha.. but thats it learn to share with your friends  that even builds trust and strengthens your relationship..

Be honest..
This is not common , I know but like I said before trying out something for agood cause doesn’t cost you athing.  Be honest with yourself first then later with the people around you. Don’t I repeat Don’t act up your life. Be yourself and let people love you for who you are. This also builds trust.. Try it out the results won’t come with any regrets..

Have Respect others
This doesn’t make you any less human.  You want to be respected? Well the solution is simple have respect for others whether young or old. We all have something to learn from each other whether young or old.

lastly
LOVE
Have love for one another. Love helps  break the walls that are usually built between us. So love love love even  when you think you can’t love anymore  Still love love more (Does that make sense? ) But you still get the picture I hope..

But before all this Put God first.

markmpirirwe

Markmpirirwe (facebook)

8 People that made it Big in HipHop 2013

2014 is almost upon us and it’s
time to reflect on the year that
was. Now is the time we look back
to see who accomplished what,
who had monster years, and who is
finishing off the year strong
heading into 2014. Below is a list
of 8 people in hip-hop who made
the most of the year 2013.

Charlamagne tha God

Charlamagne went from being just
another member of Power 105.1’s
“The Breakfast Club” to the biggest
name in hip-hop radio. Tha God’s
rise was solidified when Kanye West
went to the morning show, turned
to Charlamange, and said, “ask the
questions you want to ask because
that’s what the people really want
to see. They want to see you go up
against me”. Charlamagne has made
a name for himself for asking the
questions no one else wants to ask,
being brutally honest  being
over the top. When he’s not asking
the questions we all want the
answers to, he’s talking about how
he wants to suck a fart out of
someone’s butt and making people
laugh on their way to work. He’s
become known as the man who
made Lil Mama cry on air and
someone who’s outlandishness,
brashness, and disregard for
typical media questions has turned
him into a fan favorite. His
outspokenness landed him on MTV
2’s “Guy Code” as well as his own
show “Charlamagne and Friends”.

Ty Dolla $ign

The Atlantic Records signee
followed up his successful “Beach
House” mixtape with “Beach House
2” this year which produced the
smash single “Paranoid”. His ability
to sing allows him to create a
unique sound similar to that of a
Future or T-Pain but with different
content and more vocal range. Ty
landed the help of fellow Atlantic
Records lablemate Trey Songz on
this project and eventually
announced that Wiz Khalifa signed
him to Taylor Gang. Ty Dolla $ign
is currently promoting “Paranoid”
and given his uniqueness, he could
become a serious problem on
hooks. 2013 was his breakout year
and it will be interesting to see how
he follows up in 2014.

Justin Timberlake

Although some may not consider JT
hip-hop, I’m including him in the
conversation. Justin Timberlake
returned from a hiatus and
released the highly acclaimed “The
20/20 Experience”. He pulled a
genius move in getting Hov on “Suit
and Tie”. Timberlake knew he
would get the Top 40 and pop
stations, however getting the assist
from Hov ensured he would also be
played on stations like Hot 97 and
Power 105.1. The album was a
work of art, a combination of
melodies that seem to mesh and
breed new melodies to create a
unique sound we have not heard in
a while. Timberlake followed this
up with the sequel (Part 2) which
was also a strong project. In
addition, let’s not forget his
performance with N’Sync at the
VMAs. JT returned in full form in
2013, delivering two albums,
putting his name back on the map,
and throwing his name into the
conversation of “the greatest ever”.

Chance the Rapper

How many rappers that were
unknown last year toured with
Eminem, worked with Lil Wayne,
and landed a feature with Justin
Bieber this year? Uno. Chicago’s
own Chance the Rapper. After
releasing the introspective, drug
infused, and creative “Acid Rap”
mixtape, Chance saw his career
blow up. To say the least, Chance
the Rapper is refreshing. His voice
and rhyme scheme is unlike
anything else in hip-hop and the
young emcee has gotten co-signs
from almost everyone. Chance the
Rapper is proving he’s versatile
with features on songs for James
Blake and most recently Justin
Bieber. If Chance can use these
opportunities to connect with
people outside of his current fan
base and expose himself to a
broader market, the sky is the limit
for him.

Drake

Despite not putting out an album
until September, Drake made noise
throughout the entire year with
songs like “No New Friends”, “The
Motion”, and the remix to the
smash “Versace”. Drake than went
on to put out one of the best
albums of the year in “Nothing Was
the Same”. He also became the
global ambassador for the Toronto
Rappers, launched his OVO Sound
record label, and recently
announced a joint venture with
Jordan. Oh, and he’s involved in
charity, building a recording studio
in an underserved Philadelphia high
school. All in a year’s work.

Kendrick Lamar

This one is pretty simple. Control.
Control. Control. Kendrick changed
the hip-hop landscape with his
brash outspokenness on his
“Control” verse and kept his name
at the top of the hip-hop
conversation. He also just received
a Grammy nomination for “GKMC”
to top off the year. Kendrick found
a way to stay in people’s minds and
become one of the most talked
about artists of the year with most
of the attention coming from a
single verse.

The Game

Game stayed on top of his music
game (no pun intended) by signing
to Cash Money and releasing his
“OKC” mixtape. He also appeared
on his own reality show “Marrying
the Game” showcasing the family
life most fans don’t get a chance to
normally see. In addition, Game
founded The Robin Hood Project,
an incredible cause where he
donates to families and charities in
need with his own money. The
recipients have been families of
victims of violent crimes, tragic
accidents, and the homeless. Game
gave his fans the quality music he’s
become known for while also
inspiring and motivating others to
give back.

Jhene Aiko

Jhene went from being relatively
unknown, to being known just for
the chorus on Big Sean’s “Beware”,
to touring with Drake. Aiko finished
off 2013 as strong as she possibly
could have, touring with Drake on
his “Would You Like a Tour” across
the country and releasing her EP
“Sail Out” which has been met with
positive acclaim. Aiko’s
introspective, smooth, and serene
sound are not usually heard from
female singers and provides
something unique among female
singers.

Written by: Mike Epstein
(@michaelaepstein)

Is Life Living In You ?

Life for some is just a series of
daily routines.
For others, it is
seeking one thrill to the next.
And there are those who just
want to have fun in life like
there is no tomorrow.

Unfortunately, if you live life
like them, you will find yourself
drained in the end. Weariness
and the fading of your
intoxicating emotions will soon
over take you. You will either
give up out of fatigue, or seek
another emotional high like an
addict (and the vicious cycle
continues.) And it all leads to
one place, emptiness.

Like St. Peter we can all say “We
worked hard all last night and
didn’t catch a thing.” (Luke 5:5)
As much as we want to liven up
our lives, our efforts will always
be short-lived, for even we are
short-lived. Everything is passing
in this world, including us. So
every attempt to create our own
happiness, our own life, apart
from God, will always end in
vain.

“Unless the LORD builds the
house, its builders labor in
vain.” Psalm 127:1

So how do we live? I mean
really live?
For any creature to live, it needs
LIFE. Otherwise it is just a
zombie, walking around
aimlessly as life passes by.
Natural life is temporal and soon
dies. So we need a life that is
beyond natural, we need
supernatural life. Supernatural
life is always dynamic, it never
tires nor bores. Most importantly
it never gets empty

“But whoever drinks the water I
give him will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give him will
become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life.” (John
4:14)

So where do we find this
supernatural life? The life that
lives…
We shall not find it “where”, but
with “Whom.”
Jesus!

Jesus answered, “I am the way
and the truth and the life.” (John
14:6)

Only Jesus can liven up our lives.
Only He can give us supernatural
joy and peace, and ultimate
meaning for our existence. For
Jesus Himself is Peace, Joy and
Life. To have Jesus live in us is to
have all of them.
Only Jesus can lift our natural
life to supernatural, our
temporal life to eternal.
Anything else will fall short.
Anything else will pass away.
If Jesus dwells in us, we have the
same dynamic power that
created the universe living in us.
Just imagine that!

You have not known what life is
until you have known Jesus.

So don’t waste it

Come to Him.

What is Hooking Up ?

So what is hooking up anyway?
Hooking up typically means some
kind of casual sexual contact, up
to and including intercourse
itself. It is very “in” and rampant
in yuppiedom.
We live in a time where hooking
up is not scandalous anymore. As
long as you are both “consenting
adults” you can hook up. Even if
society has justified “using each
other”, the fact still remains that
a person has been used. And
people were never created to be
used, only to be loved.

To be used means that your
dignity has been lowered to an
object. Only objects are used. It
means that your partner or
yourself has disrespected the
dignity of the other. The other is
no longer a human being but an
object of my desire.

Speaking of such relationships,
Pope John Paul II said, “Deep
within yourself, listen to your
conscience which calls you to be
pure. . . . A home is not warmed
by the fire of pleasure which
burns quickly like a pile of
withered grass. Passing
encounters are only a caricature
of love; they injure hearts and
mock God’s plan.” In the long
run, no one benefits from these
kinds of relationships.

I read of one young husband who
said, “I would do anything,
anything, to forget the sexual
experiences I had before I met
my wife. . . . The pictures of the
past and the other women go
through my head, and it’s killing
any intimacy. The truth is, I
have been married to this
wonderful woman for eight years
and I have never been ‘alone’ in
the bedroom with her.”
When you “hook up” for fun,
physical intimacy begins to lose
its depth, greatness, sacredness,
and power to bond two people.

Sex creates a bond between
partners. That is how God
created it so husband and wife
will stay with each other. If you
are making having sex as casual
as a hand shake, you are like a
masking tape that has been stuck
from one skin to the next. Sooner
or later, the tape will lose its
bonding ability. So will you if
you go hooking up here and
there.

“Often this is nothing more than
two people agreeing to use each
other for mutual gratification.
They receive the physical
pleasure of being held and the
emotional pleasure of being
desired, and they remain
together so long as they are a
source of pleasure for each
other. This is not far from
prostitution.” – Jason Evert

All of us desire to be loved. But
as long as we are treating each
other as objects, we will never be
satisfied. Only real love can
satisfy us. It is a love that is
patient and pure.

We were never created to be
used, only to be loved.

To “hook up” is to get hooked
down. And you deserve better.

Once Again, Rihanna Goes Brá-less

She’s never been conservative
– preferring a revealing look
over a modest one.
But Rihanna’s love for the daring
nearly caused her to have a
wardrobe malfunction on Sunday
night as she headed to London’s
Boujis to watch her brother
Rorrey Fenty sing.
The 25-year-old singer opted to
go brá-less in a sparkling gold
cape top which highlighted her
slim figure, but nearly displayed a
bit too much as she bent over to
exit her car.
The top, which was split up the
back, fell open to reveal
Rihanna’s toned torso, and
numerous tattoos, as well as
almost flashing her cleavage.
However, Rihanna appeared
unconcerned about the near miss
as she headed into the nightspot
to watch her sibling, aka Gallest,
perform.

Rihanna teamed the top with a
pair of low-slung ripped jeans,
turned up at the cuff, and
holográphic silver sandals.

J. Cole’s BORN SINNER Album Review

It’s way darker this time around.
The first words uttered by Jermaine
Cole on sophomore effort “Born
Sinner” seem to encapsulate the
entire album. J. Cole’s “Born
Sinner” has been one of the more
highly anticipated albums of 2013.
Despite this, the Fayetteville rapper
finds himself in an interesting
situation – while many regard him
as one of the best lyricists in the
game and at one point the second
coming of Tupac, others are ready
to press “Skip” and write him off as
having fallen off.
Last year J. Cole released his debut
album “Cole World: The Sideline
Story” with an impressive first week
of 218,000 units sold despite his
label not feeling confident about
the project. Many wondered
whether he could take the next
step and solidify himself as not just
one of the greats in hip-hop, but as
an artist who’s here to stay with his
next album.
We now stand with the physical
product that is “Born Sinner”. A
dark, twisting maze of stories of
despair and sorrow intertwined
with glimpses of hope and the
future. Cole lets us into a dark
world many of us never expected
and really shows the struggles he
endured even after being signed by
Jay-Z.
The project starts off with
“Villuminati”, a record as
braggadocio as J. Cole has ever
been, as he repeats “Sometimes I
brag like Hov”. Cole sets the tone
of the album immediately,
acknowledging all those who
criticized him with no holds
barred. It’s evident his flow and
rhyme scheme didn’t get dusty in
his time off as he raps:

Couple more A’s I woulda been a
Summa Cum Laude/

Beyonce told me she wanted to buy
a new Bugatti/

That shit is worth more than me I
think she knew it probably/

Awkward…awkward…want to know
what else is really awkward?/

N****s buying rings for bitches I
had flings with/

I hope I don’t see em at the
Oscar’s

Another standout track is “Land of
the Snakes” as J. Cole raps about
the dark side of the dreamy
celebrity nightlife everyone wants
to be a part of. He turns you into a
fly on the wall as you listen to
stories of the temptation of
resisting women because he’s in a
relationship and how other friends
warn him of the evil that many
don’t see.
Then comes “Power Trip”, the
standout single featuring Miguel
which has been all over the radio.
J. Cole’s features are few and far
between on this project yet Miguel
couldn’t have done a better job on
the hook. “Power Trip” is not the
project’s biggest radio song, it also
served as a song for the females.
Following “Power Trip” arrives “Mo
Money”, an interlude that really
exemplifies the genius of J. Cole.
Instead of creating a typical skit or
talking as an interlude, J. Cole
created a story of the drive for
money and ended every line with
the same word: MONEY. Not only
was the interlude a humorous play
on society and money, J. Cole had
the skill to end every sentence with
the same word and still make the
words before it rhyme in a
cohesive manner.
Another standout track on the
project is the uptempo “She
knows”. The bass intertwined with
the catchy “Oh ahhh ahhh” makes
this a perfect choice for the car. J.
Cole raps about the temptations of
females despite having a girlfriend.
He explains that no matter how
secretive these other girls may be,
the girlfriend always knows:

“This is Martin Luther King in the
club/

Getting dubs, with a bad bitch in
his ear sayin that she down for
whatever/

But in the back of his min is
Coretta/

She knows…She knows… and I know
she knows…”

If this song doesn’t give you a clear
cut picture of how difficult it must
be to balance fame and all the
attention that comes with it, I
don’t know what will.
The next standout track is “Rich
Niggaz” where J. Cole describes his
attitude towards those with money.

“I hate rich niggaz, goddamnnit/

Cuz I ain’t ever had a lot dammnit/

Who you had to kill, who you had
to rob, who you had to fuck just to
make it to the top dammnit?”

He discusses those with “oil
money” and “coal money” and gives
insight into his jealousy of their
fortune. He discusses the hardships
he experienced during his
childhood and how many of those
could be solved with money.

Next comes “Forbidden Fruit”
featuring Kendrick Lamar with
Lamar providing the simple
unassuming hook as Cole raps
about the relationship between him
and women.

“Crooked Smile”, another standout
track, was released about a week
before the album leaked. This track
provides a rare moment of hope as
Cole utilizes a soulful sample to
shed light on a mostly dark
project. He raps that despite having
a “crooked smile”, him and those
like him are still worth the picture.
Those without money are not
inferior and are still just as good as
those with wealth.

Now, here comes the one
everyone’s talking about. “Let Nas
Down”. I could write a whole
article on this song, however I’ll
try and contain my enthusiasm.
This song does so many things on
so many levels. Rarely do we see
(or hear) about such a high profile
artist be so open about him letting
down one of their idols. J. Cole
raps about Nas hearing his single
and being disappointed in it and
how his whole world shattered. In
one of the listening sessions that
took place in NYC, Cole explained
the process he went through to
find his single. He tells the story of
how he kept going to Jay-Z with
“Who Dat”, “Can’t Get Enough”, and
then “Work Out” in an effort to find
his single. It wasn’t until “Work
Out” that Cole finally found it. The
brutal honesty of this song lets
everyone know that these artists
are just as vulnerable as we are and
suffer disappointment just like we
do.
While Born Sinner may have been a
bit darker than what everyone
expected, it certainly sheds light
onto a different side of Jermaine
Cole most of us have never seen
before. Now, with a successful first
album and a tremendous
sophomore effort that seems
poised to impact his legacy and his
place in hip-hop, maybe now we
can better answer the question of
whether J. Cole is here to stay.

by Mike

Drake On Chris Brown In New Interview: “I Don’t Want My Name To Be Synonymous With That Guy’s Name”

Drake will grace the cover of the
July 2013 issue of GQ, and the
rapper/singer gets pretty candid
about his Chris Brown beef in the
cover story. He also discusses his
thoughts on love, the “bottom” it
is that he started from, not
sleeping around and more. You’ll
have to cop the mag when it hits
newsstands later this month to
read those pieces, but you can
see what he said about Breezy
below!

Mark Mpirirwe

Speaking on the Chris Brown issue:

I hear he has everything
he could want now. I
don’t want my name to
be synonymous with that
guy’s name. I really
don’t. I wish we could sit
down just like you and
me are right now, and
talk it out man-to-man.
But that’s not going to
happen. I’m not
confrontational, but if
someone challenges, I’m
not going to back down.
If I think about it too
much, I feel it wrapping
around my foot, like I
get a feeling it could end
really badly…Like, it gets
really dark.

Chad Johnson Speaks On Judge Who Sent Him To Jail & Reveals First Place He Went He Got Out!

Chad Johnson has just been
released from jail in Florida for
slapping his attorney on the ass
last week — and get this … on his
way out, he called his judge a
“blessing in disguise” for throwing
him back in the slammer.
It’s pretty remarkable — Chad
says he’s THANKFUL for the time
he’s had in the pokey the last
week, telling reporters, “I had a
lot of time to reflect. A lot of
time to think about where I’ve
been, where I am now, and where
I’m going.”
But the craziest part … he says,
“A lot of people have tried to get
me to slow down in life. Coaches,
my agent, my lawyer. And there
was one person that was able to
do it. And that was my judge Ms.
McHugh.”
He added, “Little does she know,
I love her to death. Basically what
she’s been is a blessing in
disguise.”
Which is crazy because practically
everyone else on the planet felt
like she overreacted big time.

Chad Johnson Speaks On Judge Who Sent Him To Jail & Reveals First Place He Went He Got Out!

Chad Johnson has just been
released from jail in Florida for
slapping his attorney on the ass
last week — and get this … on his
way out, he called his judge a
“blessing in disguise” for throwing
him back in the slammer.
It’s pretty remarkable — Chad
says he’s THANKFUL for the time
he’s had in the pokey the last
week, telling reporters, “I had a
lot of time to reflect. A lot of
time to think about where I’ve
been, where I am now, and where
I’m going.”
But the craziest part … he says,
“A lot of people have tried to get
me to slow down in life. Coaches,
my agent, my lawyer. And there
was one person that was able to
do it. And that was my judge Ms.
McHugh.”
He added, “Little does she know,
I love her to death. Basically what
she’s been is a blessing in
disguise.”
Which is crazy because practically
everyone else on the planet felt
like she overreacted big time.

ADEBAYOR enjoying life with some of the stars

Life is indeed good for Togolese
international footballer,
Emmanuel Seyi Adebayor. Besides
his fleet of cars goes around the
world partying with the A-List
stars. Check him out in these
pictures with the likes of Shaggt,
Lil’ Wayne, Birdman, Busta
Rhymes, Neyo and more
k