Check It Out, I'm Too Cocky

To stop me, you gotta kill me
And when I'm gone, you can still feel me
On the real, B.
The shit is eternal, I rock the Heavens well
Even if they won't let me in Heaven
I raise hell, till its Heaven

I’m back! Not a real post, cause I am not in the mood. Here’s the highlights. Spilled Sour Apple Martini on the Blackberry, (I mix a mean one, and proceeded to get my sister-in-law quite snookered. The key is Ketle One and ...Sonnyredd,) thus leaving me in the doghouse with everyone I know. Oh, well. “Sorry I ain’t get right back at y’all. I was a lil’ bit busy with this Dynasty shit.” I’ll holler at those deserving this week.

I went from Philly to DC and back again, a couple times, and a few times in the same day. I climbed Mt. Olympus-really K2, but who’s counting- enjoyed it, and lived to tell the tale (which I won't), and will probably climb again. I did all for my peoples, and would do it all again.

I rented a black man’s Bentley, it was either that or a Taurus, and I didn’t really care, but the girl at the rental spot was telling me, “You’d look like a Fed in the Taurus, and cats just shot up a Fed in Germantown.” You gotta love Philly. There is a genuine realness that doesn’t exist anywhere else.

So, because my Christmas was so good, I figured that I’d post pictures (Gasp!), and they may come down depending on how I’m feeling. Hustling resumes next year, for now, it’s “Burnt toast and commentary.” (My DC folks know what it is. May he R.I.P.) Enjoy!


Let's start with how it goes down in Philly. Dalessandros's in full effect! I'm hungry just looking at that.


Full, my hunger for Philly's finest cheesesteak satiated, I then linked up with the younger Redds, Cee-Redd and Bee-Redd, for a night of DC debauchery @ the K Street Lounge, Christmas night. (Guess which one is me? LOL. Also, because Poppa Redd keeps brews in the house, ya boy was already toasty. Peep the Corona's in the corner.)



After tearing it down, we return to Grandma Redd's for more holiday love. This is the Redd Brothers and Nephews. Good looking bunch of dudes! Yes, the Redds come in all sorts of colors and sizes. We're diverse that way. We get it from Poppa Redd. Just note, there is a whole lot of education in that picture. Every one of the Redd's is bonefied! (O' Brother Where Art Thou. Netflix it!)



That's it. I'm out.

Edit-4:51 pm. Randomly made comment about Your's Truly.

you'd have to be one hell of a negro to break my heart all the way from miami...

Guess she's not a reader, huh?

My soul is possessed by D'Evils ...

in the form of diamonds and lexuses
The Exorcist, got me doing skits like Homie
You don't know me, but the whole world owe me - strip!
Was thought to be a pleasant guy all my fucking life
So now I'm down for whatever, ain't nothing nice...


I know I'm supposed to be on vacation, but I couldn't resist. I am a very bad man. Shout out to this girl, who had the test on her site.
Which Biblical Villan am I? Hahahahaha!

The Antichrist You scored 75% Pride, 57% Envy, 95% Ambition, and 45% Deceitfulness!

You are the Antichrist, a member of the unholy trinity along with The False Prophet and Satan. In the Bible you are described as the beast with seven heads and ten horns. You have the appearance of a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion (you figure out the symbolism). You are an ambitious individual who is bent on world domination and it is prophesied that you will achieve this goal. You will eventually set up a mighty empire, the greatest empire that the world has ever seen. This empire will be in opposition to God and God’s chosen people (the Jews). Essentially, you will be like a Hitler who actually succeeds, for a time at least. Indeed, you have a lot of other Hitler-like qualities. You are a very prideful person and this probably stems from the fact that you possess real advantages over most other people. You have what it takes to get to the top and the drive to get there. You also possess Hitler’s potential for cruelty. You enjoy watching others suffer, especially your enemies. This is because you view life as a competition. May the strong survive and may they stand proudly on top of the bones of their vanquished enemies! Finally, you are very direct with your enemies and friends alike. You feel that it’s good to make your intents known to other people. Some may argue that Hitler was deceptive, but he really wasn’t. If people just read his book, they would have known his ultimate goals and how he felt about the people who stood in opposition to these goals.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 87% on Pride You scored higher than 73% on Envy You scored higher than 93% on Ambition You scored higher than 42% on Deceitfulness

Link: The Which Biblical Villain Are You Test written by MetalliScats on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

No Matter Where You Go, You Are What You Are Player

And you can try to change but that's just the top layer
Man, you was who you was 'fore you got here
Only God can judge me, so I'm gone
Either love me, or leave me alone

Let me say that this post is more for me than for the people. So if you don’t like it, so what? I am who I am. I am arrogant. I am conceited. I am opinionated. And I am a joker. That said, I ain’t going to change. I have no desire to change. I have changed, I lost some of my swagger for a time – a byproduct of attempting to please someone other than myself – regained it, and have moved on. It is about to be 2006, and as folks are apt to do, I reflect on the year that past. I am glad it is over, and I wouldn’t relive it for all the tea in China. Okay, that’s a lot of tea, and I think I would, cause it would further my ambitions, so let’s just say that; while professionally, 2005 was fly; personally, 2005 was some shit marinated in tarter sauce and served hot.

I am allergic to marinated shit, and as a result we won’t be having that. With that said, I can say that 2005, like the month of March, came in like a lion and has exited like a lamb. Things have simmered down, and I have rediscovered myself (yeah, that sounds like some ole’ ‘Lifetime Movie’ shit. Fuck being hard, Sonnyredd is complicated, damnit. (C) Pos Dunos) and found, surprise!, I like me. Just as I am.

I am a prick. I am a jerk. I am a sweet person who will house my friends in moments of catastrophe. I will go to bat, and back you to the wall. THEN, I will tell you where why and how you fucked up. I love God, yet am profane. I vent, complain, bitch and moan; then I try to fix the situation. I fear failure, yet can’t help but to compete. So, without further to do, lemme write this little open letter, to my true love.

Dear Ego
Man, you were really on the lookout in ’05. Remember when you said that I should let that thing go, and I said ‘no’, well, you weren’t wrong, and you stayed right there with me, even though I ain’t listen. I knew you and that person just didn’t like each other, and that it had been brewing for a minute. And you cooled down a little bit, outta respect for my feelings, and played the back – as much as you could, anyway. That was love, yo. Cause I knew you didn’t want to. Never again will I doubt your ability to protect the empire. I promise, no one shall come between you and I again. You were here before she was, and you will remain after she goes. When I speak in public, you wrap your warm arms around me and make me invincible. And that little situation with the Delta, oh, you were so right. Glad I listened to ya. We riding in ’06! Keep up the good work, yo. Don’t worry, I’m going to do right by you baby. I promise.

With all my love,

Sonnyredd

Now, it’s Christmas, and I am on a plane bound for the north. Hitting Philly, DC, Baltimore, and all points in between. I’ll be back in 06’, because the hustle continues. There are more lessons to learn, more thoughts to share, and more wares to sell, (yeah, I said it, ’06 is about COMMERCE!

To my folks, I love y’all. To my fans, y’all cool. To my foes, eh...I am foe-less in ’06. Let’s hustle! STACK CHIPS IN OH-SIX! Happy New Year!

I Say A "BIG" Verse, I'm Only Biggin' Up My Brother

Biggin up my borough, I'm big enough to do it
I'm that thorough, plus I know my own flow is foolish...

They say hip-hop is music without a message. Now, to be fair, I can’t really say who “they” are. (I had a professor who, everytime we would answer with a “They said...”, would interrupt us with “Who’s They?” It has been ingrained into me, and makes me insufferable at parties. Though to be fair, I was probably already insufferable at parties. End digression.) As my 4 faithful readers have come to appreciate, I am a student of hip-hop. Okay, I am a student of the writings of Shawn Carter, but so what? Anyhow, to showcase my appreciation for the art of hip-hop, and moreover, its application to the art of hustling, which does NOT need to involve the breaking of any laws (contrary to what my critics think), I offer Biggie Smalls’ 10 Crack Commandments, with critical analysis and application to buiness.

Rule nombre uno: never let no one know
how much, dough you hold, cause you know
The cheddar breed jealousy 'specially
if that man fucked up, get your ass stuck up

In business, it is imperative that you downplay your total asset valuation. The reasons for this are many, but among them are the fact that, should you wish to sell your assets, you can gain a premium. Additionally, a fat asset base is a ripe target for litigants. Keep your mouth shut. If you work in an office, don’t tell your co-workers about side bonuses, or other deals. Trust me, better to say nothing than to be hated.

Number two: never let em know your next move
Don't you know Bad Boys move in silence or violence
Take it from your highness (uh-huh)
I done squeezed mad clips at these cats for they bricks and chips

Strategic planning requires some level of secrecy. Whether you’re planning a career switch, have a new idea for a side hustle, or are planning a takeover of a competitor, better to surprise the world than to announce it in advance. After all, if it is a truly good idea, someone will beat you to it. All’s fair in love and war, and business my friends, is war.

Number three: never trust no-bo-dy
Your moms'll set that ass up, properly gassed up
Hoodie to mask up, shit, for that fast buck
she be layin in the bushes to light that ass up

Don’t trust anybody. “DTA”. If you don’t learn this lesson, you won’t be in business long. Like everyone, nobody like doing business with a prick, but trust...well, peep the archives.

Number four: know you heard this before
Never get high, on your own supply

This, at first blush, seems confusing when applying it to the business world. But it isn’t really. What is your supply? Coke? No. Crack? No. Your supply is your time. Don’t misuse or waste your time. You could be getting money for that time spent watching "Ulitimate Hustler", or reading "Fell Clutch." Okay, read "Fell Clutch", but cut out the rest.

Number five: never sell no crack where you rest at
I don't care if they want a ounce, tell em bounce

The rule is the same, even if the reasoning is different. Home should be a refuge from the pressures of the grind. Make it a sanctuary. Don’t work at home. Go to Starbucks, which is not a bad deal. All kinds of folks at Starbucks, never know who you might meet.

Number six: that god damn credit, dead it
You think a crackhead payin you back, shit forget it

Make sure that your customers know, even if they are your best friends, that you get PAID for your time. No credit. No hook-ups. No nada. You trying to make a million, not clothe your friends.

Seven: this rule is so underrated
Keep your family and business completely seperated
Money and blood don't mix like two dicks and no bitch
Find yourself in serious shit

You can’t fire Mom. You can’t dock your brother’s check if he’s got to feed your niece. And if you are partners, what happens if there is a disagreement. One lawsuit will ruin Christmas is the plaintiff and defendant are both at the table. (Personally, I break this rule. But, I know going in that I do so at my own peril.)

Number eight: never keep no weight on you
Them cats that squeeze your guns can hold jobs too

Delegate. Learn to spread the responsibility around. You can’t do everything.
Number nine shoulda been number one to me
If you ain't gettin bagged stay the fuck from police (uh-huh)
If niggaz think you snitchin ain't tryin listen
They be sittin in your kitchen, waitin to start hittin

Hanging with the enemy -- be it management or a competitor -- will make the natives -- be they co-workers or employees – restless. That restlessness leads to gossip, worry, rumor and speculation. Don’t give anybody a reason to talk or fear.

Number ten: a strong word called consignment
Strictly for live men, not for freshmen
If you ain't got the clientele say hell no
Cause they gon want they money rain sleet hail snow

Here, I disagree with Biggie. This should have been number 1. Leverage can be a great thing. You put up little cash, you reap great rewards. You can create economies of scale, you can buy better materials. But, be warned, if you don’t control your growth, you can find yourself bankrupted in no time. Leverage is a tool, not a windfall. Be careful with your borrowing, cause “they gonna want they money rain, sleet, hail, snow.” Take only what you can use. Use only what you have.

In closing, I can only say, “Follow these rules you'll have mad bread to break up.”

Hustle with me!

I'm Like Che Guevara With Bling On, I'm Complex

I never claimed to have wings on
Nigga I get my “by any means” on whenever there's a drought
Get your umbrellas out because, that's when I brainstorm.

What place does social conscience have to a hustler? There seems to be struggle that I confront from time to time, that to be a capitalist, essentially makes one NOT socially conscious. This is a very myopic view that misses the whole point of society. Society exists, primarily— and moreover instinctively – to protect the herd of humans that exist in its confines. With that said, the society must provide safety, stability and order; else it doesn’t serve its purpose.

Capitalism is order. Through capitalism, resources are doled out appropriately. More importantly, capitalism is the order of the modern world – the very ‘new world order’ that so many of the “socially conscious” fear – global markets have replaced empires. The most successful communist country of the day, China, has built itself into one of the major players in international business. In 2006, the watchword will be ‘commerce!’.

So, where does that leave my people; the least financially sophisticated group—as a group—that exists in this country? We had better think commerce quick, because while Adam Smith presupposed that a country’s true economic power lied in its labor force, our usefulness as laborers has come to an end. Countries like Mexico have ‘absolute advantages’ in this arena. Hell, Vicente Fox didn’t lie when he said that Mexicans do jobs that EVEN niggers wouldn’t do. As a matter of fact, he was just firing the first shot across the bow. Sort of an international, “What ‘chu gonna do now, nig-guh?!?”

So, my people, what are we going to do? Do we sit and fight with the Mexicans for the shitty jobs, or move forward? After all, it ain’t like the Mexicans want the jobs for good—oh, no. They are steadily climbing that ladder—next stop, “most favored minority status”. Then, when the socialists and the politicians no longer need us, what do we have to show for our “struggle” thus far?

We had better all get our financial “by any means” on, ‘cause the drought is coming. Earn, Hold, and Own. Earn your cash-hold on to it, such that payday is merely another day in the week, and own something this year. Then build on that. Instruct your children to do the same. Sacrifice for their educations. Sacrifice for your own education. Don’t live above your means, but strive beyond them. Self interest is in all our interests!

As Adam Smith wrote in Wealth of Nations:

It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.

Commerce ain’t evil, it is natural. We better stop treating it like a dirty word; else we’re in real trouble. For, we’ve a generation of “Kneeno Browns” (Kajuana 2005) who could have been Warren Buffet.