I went around the city and asked 4 homeless people to share stories about their first kiss. (Use headphones for best experience)

The stiff breeze of the cold October night has forced most of the people inhabiting the block between Nostrand Ave. and Lafayette Dr. to return back to the warm comforts of their apartments. The normally buzzing street corridor now appears eerily desolate, absent of any visible forms of life. So much so that if unfamiliar with the area a trespasser might easily mistaken the street as the setting of an abandoned inner city ghost-town. But as is often the case, what the eye is unable to detect can not escape the  inquisitive powers of that yet undefined sense that lets nothing evade its tightly knit net. Only from the triggering of this sense could one have noticed the young African-American boy standing between the hidden crevasse separating the neighborhood liquor store and St. Augustus funeral home. 

There stood the baby faced 16 year old, submerged in layers of clothing used to insulate his body heat. The pace of his breathing made visible from the pattern of steam escaping his moist nostrils in half second intervals. His awareness level on high alert as even the slightest movements cause his eyes to shift toward the indiscriminate noise.   The sweaty palms dug deep within his coat's chest pockets protecting the powdery white substance given to him by his Uncle. 

Uncle Fred, Jamal's one and only male influence has encouraged him to take on this occupation, convincing him that it was the only profession someone of his skill set could posses. Overcome with a sense of responsibility to support his struggling mother he agrees dropout of school and take the assignment. He rationalizes his decision by pointing to the value it adds to the community. "I basically act as the middle man. The bridge connecting the supplier of valued goods to its customer base." is the pitch he gives to his younger sister when she inquires about his late night outings. But even after convincing himself and those close to him that he played a valuable role in his small neighborhood a deep feeling of emptiness lingers long after a night out on the block.

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Before concrete becomes the hard, rock-solid substance used to build the sidewalks and streets we walk and drive on its a much more soluble material. Like clay its dimensions can be shaped, molded, and altered. This stage in cement's progression to becoming concrete is most interesting to the architect because he has the power to mold the material into the shape it will have for the rest of its life. Or at least until it breaks. Currently our society is at a place where many of systems we once relied on have in fact broken and what remains is a market environment much like the soft clay substance I speak of. 

As is often the case, the source of the problem is also the barer of the solution we seek. The culprit responsible for breaking our age old systems is the internet. More than the invention of written word, the press, radio, or television it has completely altered how humans share, consume, and communicate. Those that profited from our previous top-down mode of information dissemination have been hit the hardest by the internet revolution. 

Record labels, book publishers, and educational institutions were the former gate keepers of information. If you wanted to sing you had to talk to Columbia records to reach the ears of the masses. Want to write the next great American crime novel? HarperCollins has to approve first. What was once many people trying to gain the attention of a few has now turned into a system where the masses work to gain the attention of each other. Through tweets, status updates, blog posts, and flickr albums, regular people are writing their own narratives and stories instead of being at the will of what gatekeepers wish to say.

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In terms of broad appeal one could easily make the argument that that Nicki Minaj is the most recognizable face in all of hip-hop. I mean who else could get little white girls in their Sunday dresses to recite her overtly sexual hip-hop lyrics on national television while their parents sing along in the audience in tears? (Video Below). Her brand transcends culture and race. What's so fascinating to me about Nicki is how savvy she is as a business woman. She in my opinion is the model all A&R executives should pattern their artist development goals after. Today we take a deeper look into the phenomena that is Nicki Minaj.

1. Fill the Gaps

If asked for a word describing the antithesis of hip-hop I would say "gay". The culture is riddled with homophobia. To the point that if a rapper is even as associated with promoting a gay cause they fear potential back lash from the hip-hop community. As was covered in a story by Washington's Metro Weekly in 2010 where hometown artist Wale pulled out of D.C.'s  Black Pride Event, claiming that he "didn't know black-pride was a gay related event when he agreed to appear." I for one do not think Wale is homophobic but believe he made the decision in the best interest of his career. Which makes the situation even more disturbing considering that hip-hop's relationship with homosexuality is so fractured that it was best for him to keep an arms distance away from a specific type of people. Which sheds light on the fact the homophobia we hear in hip-hop music is not artist specific but an industry wide problem.

So what your left with is a group of people that might enjoy rap music but are constantly being attacked in songs. In comes Ms. Nicki Minaj who makes a deliberate attempt not to disclose her sexual orientation. Stating in an interview with Out Magazine that she does not have sex with women, but later adding, "I don't date men either." (Simply Genius)

By leaving her sexuality open, along with making several positive comments about homosexuals she gives those in the gay community something to look to and simultaneous taps into an attractive market elusive to the rap industry since its infancy. Not to mention her gaining the allegiance of the cult like attitude of the gay community. As with any oppressed people they will do all in there power to support those that acknowledge them. Look at what this acknowledgment has done for Gaga. Nicki Minaj acts as a similar symbol for the black gay community.

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Private vs. Public is a subject we struggle with often. On occasions where the distinction between the two blur society has adopted certain standards to follow involving private activities conducted in public spaces. These norms have been created as a way to devise a general understanding of how things are to operate in an open space where they are no concrete rules. For the most part these standards are not black and white but instead are like an unwritten code, passed down from generation to generation, patterned and rearranged from the experience of others and shared for the greater good of society.

Books and academic journals have been devoted to such matters. We know that when sneezing in a public space you cover your nose, in the the kitchen the public display of one's hair is shielded to afford shedding a piece in neighbor's food, and most are aware that headphones are to be employed so as to not disturb another in a public library.

But something struck me while on the toilet yesterday, there is no code for how one should conduct themselves while in a bathroom stall. I suspect it is because of the unglamorous nature of the matter. Inside the confines of our home, yes we all have the luxury of playing to our tune in regards to proper toilet edicate. But the question becomes what happens when private meets public? Where rules are non-existent. I have taken up the responsibility of putting together a how-to manual of sorts. Something tangible and tactile for those having to drop off the kids in a public pool, this is my 5 step guide to an enjoyable public bathroom experience.

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