Last night, for those that watched the NBA’s Miami Heat defeat an injury filled Chicago Bulls team, you may have had the opportunity to see another one of this superstar’s NBA fashion statements. This time Dwyane Wade was in the spotlight off the court with what has been coined as capri suit pants, yoga suit pants, etc… Now considering this is a men’s life and style blog, I may have a different take on his choice of dress for the night. Now, let’s look at the outfit and apply it not to your own sense of what you might wear, but to what maybe a person who…

• Lives in #MIAMI (one of the flashiest cities in the US)
• On his way to winning his third NBA title as the right hand man to the best player in the league
• Travels the globe and is aware of style and fashion trends from around the world
• Young Black Multi-Millionaire
• Has been known to try out different styles and trends
• World class athlete in great physical shape
• Shacking up with Gabriel Union

Now, I’m not saying I agree wholeheartedly with all of Dwyane Wades style choices, but overall I think he is definitely a trendsetter who can take the type of risk he took last night. I’m going to go ahead and give him the #SMUG stamp for the capri suit pants! As a grown ass man who is 100% secure in his manliness, I don’t think he crosses the #SMUG line with this fit. What do you think?

9TH WONDER’S JAMLA SHOWCASE AT THE HOWARD THEATRE

Check out my NC music brothers and sisters at The Howard Theatre on May 1st. You don’t want to miss this DC.

GET TICKETS HERE

Reebok Statement: “While we do not believe that Rick Ross condones sexual assault, we are very disappointed he has yet to display an understanding of the seriousness of this issue or an appropriate level of remorse.” “At this time, it is in everyone’s best interest for Reebok to end its partnership with Mr. Ross,…”

If you are unfamiliar with this story make sure you catch up with “Open Letter To Rick Ross“, which was pinned by @RayBakerMedia when the controversy started.

There is even a remix of Rocko’s song, U.O.E.N.O., with a Wiz Khalifa verse replacing Mr. Ross.

Well there you have it folks. Do you think Reebok made the right decision by dropping Rick Ross from the team? Let us know your thoughts.

Rum, rum, rum.

I am not a big fan of rum, but it does serve its purpose. Case and point – The Zombie. Sweet with a tart taste.

The Zombie

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz brown rum
3/4 oz Jamaican rum
3/4 oz light rum
1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz papaya juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
1 dash of Angostura bitters
1/4 oz 151 rum

Shake vigorously all of the ingredients except the 151. Strain into a glass or tumbler than has been chilled or filled with ice. Float 151 on top and garnish with a cherry and pineapple wedge.

via Mad Men Cocktail Guide

Brother Ross,

You have to know that black women and hip-hop have had a very tenuous relationship when it comes to mainstream hip-hop music. This is nothing new. In the last decade or so we’ve seen the women of Spelman keep the rapper Nelly off of their campus for his depiction of women in one of his adult music videos, we’ve seen prominent rappers Wale & Kendrick Lamar fight against colorism with diverse casting in their music videos, and now we have this. You and your “date rape” line.

“Put molly all in her champagne/ She ain’t even know it/ I took her home and I enjoyed that/ She ain’t even know it”

The song is entitled “You Don’t Even Know It” and the aforementioned quote is a line from rap superstar Ricky Rozay (formerly known as Rick Ross) who is featured on the song.

Perhaps this song (which was released in February) is just gaining traction because of the recent national attention stemming from the Stuebenville rape case, but now is as good as time as any, for us black men to have a conversation with one another about rape.

Brother you are a celebrity. No one can or will try to deny that, but lyrics such as these are detrimental to our young boys and girls. They are problematic because you say them and don’t even bat an eye. By doing that, there is an implicit suggestion that doing this is alright. Any and all sensible adults know this is a problem, but hopefully the recent case in Ohio has further ingrained in our collective conscious that a woman not sober enough to say yes, has said NO!

Some try to frame this conversation about women. What they should do, and how they should act. Jemele Hill & Zerlina Maxwell have already explained that the onus is on men to stop and prevent rape and honestly brother, you aren’t helping. Your lyrics give young men the idea that the type of behavior you rapped about is acceptable. I imagine at 35+ years of age you know this, but in case you didn’t… IT’S NOT.

The time has come where men need to tell one another about dangerous behavior that can ultimately threaten the health and well being of our sisters. Brother Ross, there are tons of people who enjoy your music. The women who do should not have to worry about subjugating themselves to date rape or any other type of rape to enjoy your music. Here you were advocating harm and ill will to countless number of women but let me guess “You Didn’t Even Know It”

Ray Baker is a political commentator and radio host who uses his vast knowledge of politics and government affairs to present and analyze today’s political horizon.

Spring is here and summer is near… I want to put you on to my favorite drink for this part of the year (that rhymes… I should be a rapper).  The Super Sprite aka the Gin and Tonic. It’s refreshing and easy to whip up. It’s also a low calorie cocktail for you people actively getting your body ready for beach and pool season. It falls in around 100 Calories using regular tonic and 35 calories using diet tonic

The Mix:

Gin: My favorite gins are Bombay Saphire and Hendricks, but there are plenty of other quality brands out there such as Tanqueray.

Tonic: I usually roll with Canada Dry but Schweppes works just as well.

Garnish: Wedge or Slice of lime… make sure you pound the juice out with your straw like your life depends on it. This is a requirement if you want to call it a Super Sprite… because I said so.

Ratio: The ratio of gin to tonic will vary according to your preferred taste, but today I will giving you that extra special ratio to create what I like to call the “Super Sprite” (no Sprite involved).

40% Gin 60% Tonic

Well there you have it. Drink Responsibly.

No. 1 Large City (city limit population of 500,000+) - Austin, TX

No. 1 Medium City (city limit population of 250,000 – 500,000) - Atlanta, GA

No. 1 Small City (city limit population of 100,00 – 250,000) - Chattanooga, TN

According to this list it looks like the south is on the rise! I’ve actually lived in or spent significant time visiting at least 10 of the cities on this list. I was a little surprised with a few but that just might mean I wasn’t up on game.  This list will surely have you doing your research if you are looking for new territory to plant some new seeds.

Click Here For The Full List Of Cities

Our brothers down in Durham, NC have officially launched their KickStarter campaign for Life Kit Lifestyle. If you’ve been rolling with The Smugger for a while you may already know who these guys are from our collabs and also their presence at our past events. If you don’t know them, now is your chance to check them out, cop some gear and support their movement if you feel inspired.

Last week, I joined with the rest of my family in the home-going services of my grandfather. He was a Baptist preacher who I spent so much of my childhood with. Before the age of eight I witnessed him deliver hundreds of sermons, eulogies, and keynote addresses. I learned many of the speaking techniques I use today in my public speaking career from him. As a child, I mimicked him pretending to preach, but now when speaking at college campuses and community forums across the nation I use the cadence, word choices, refrains, and vocal inflections I learned from observing him as a Baptist preacher.

But something special happened when I went back to Baltimore for his funeral. As with most funerals I saw family I hadn’t seen in a while, but I got a chance to visit two old friends. Two guys that I had grown up with that now have wives and children. I was in both of their weddings and I’ve known their wives for years even before they got married so that was nothing new. However, they both saw their families grow since the last time I saw each of them. Both now had children.

Full disclosure: I am no one’s father or husband (much to the dismay of my mother and some of my family) so the concept of having a family of my own is still in many ways foreign to me. I know guys at my age get married and have kids; I just wasn’t prepared for it to be my friends. Babies were so foreign to me that prior to visiting my friends I HAD NEVER HELD A BABY IN MY LIFE! Some people wanted to know how I went (Age Redacted) years without even holding a baby. It was quite simple whenever one was around I never volunteered to hold it. When offered I politely declined. When pressed, I flat out refused. All that changed when I went to Baltimore and sat with my friends and their families. Their wives looked amazing after having brought new life into the world, while each of the men had a glow and purpose I had never seen in the decade plus that I have known them. These children gave each of the new dads a never before seen energy and new life. The excitement that these babies had in their eyes was so contagious and infectious that even I couldn’t resist it. I held a baby.

This new epiphany isn’t going to inspire me to go have any children of my own just yet. I imagine that will come in due time. However what I did appreciate was the passing of energy and life. In my mind I thought I came to Baltimore to bury my grandfather. I knew I was committing to the ground the mere bones and flesh of the man and that it would be on me to find a way to keep his energy & charisma alive. Little did I know a visit to two babies, neither older than eight months, would remind me that the beauty of the human spirit isn’t solely contained in one person. It moves from the elder in the family, who with just a knowingly nod passes on culture and family knowledge to the young child who with just a smile, unknowingly is the foundation for generations to come. While I went home to bury the body of my grandfather, I unknowingly touched the spirit and energy of him and everyone else when I looked those beautiful brown babies in the eye and they smiled back at me. Is this the circle of life? Maybe, but in looking at those babies who were of no blood relation to me I knew my grandfather and all of our collective ancestors would live on forever. Rest in Peace Grandad. Welcome to the world Syd & Christian.

A julep with a bite.

Lemongrass-Ginger Julep

Ingredients

Fresh mint (2 sprigs)
1 1/2 ounces of Kentucky bourbon
3/4 ounces of Lemongrass-Ginger Simple Syrup
Club Soda
Lime
Ice

Add the mint and ice to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add bourbon and simple syrup and shake vigorously. Mixture goes into a Collins glass. Add club soda and lime to finish.

To make Lemongrass-Ginger Simple Syrup

6 stalks of lemongrass
2 cups of sugar
Slice of ginger

Cut lemongrass so you have the bases only. Combine lemongrass, sugar, 2 cups of water and ginger into a saucepan. Simmer on heat until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat afterward and let syrup sit for 30-40 minutes then strain.

via The Food Network