Kobe Bryant Keeps Proving That He's Great…and You're Still a Hater? Wow...

It's been about a week since the 2-time Finals MVP, Kobe Bryant took home his 5th championship. As a fan, I'm extremely proud of what Kobe has accomplished and I look forward to seeing what else he can conquer as his career continues. On the other hand, another part of being a Kobe Bryant fan is dealing with his haters.

And in all honesty, there's just too damn many of y'all.

I'll admit, some of the things that people say about Kobe are true. But the reasons that people have for not liking this man are some of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard in my life. And don't get me wrong, everyone is entitled to their own opinion about a person, but at what point does a hater decide that it is no longer appropriate to hate on someone?
I think this question has always ran across my mind with Kobe haters. Like…yea…you can't stand his personality, but at what point in this career that you're witnessing do you decide to respect this man for his contribution to the game of basketball?

I feel like at some point, somewhere, somehow, it became cool to not like Kobe Bryant. It seems some people don't like him because of what they heard somebody else say and didn't really take the time to figure it out for themselves. I only made this conclusion based on some of the reasons that people tell me that they don't like Kobe. So let's break this down…shall we?

Reason number 1: "I can't stand him…he's so arrogant!" I can't really argue with this one, but only because I've found that the perception of arrogance can vary. Personally, I like the sureness and confidence that Kobe has about himself and his game. If you think you're amazing, and you really are…then I don't feel like I can really argue with that…but I can see how that would annoy people and make them not want to support someone. BUT…these same people who say they "can't stand him…he's so arrogant" are the same people who wholeheartedly defend and support Lebron James. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Lebron James is so full of himself that he can't even go and shake hands with the opposing team if they beat him. I'm talking about a man who is so arrogant that he will refuse to do media interviews if he doesn't have a good game. Lebron is an amazing player but his sportsmanlike conduct is basically non-existent. So, if you love Lebron but don't like Kobe, don't act like arrogance is a factor in your decision. And Kanye West? (I'm moving away from basketball for a second just to prove a point…) Kanye might be one of the most arrogant celebrities that I have ever seen in my life. But you know what people say about him after they go and buy his album? "I don't like Kanye as a person, I just like his music." So, fine. Don't like Kobe. Respect his game and stop being a hater.
Reason number 2: "Kobe wouldn't be where he is without Shaq." Well, being that Kobe has won 2 championships without Shaq and now has more rings than Shaq…I don't really have to say much more about this, do I? Let's move on, hater.
Reason number 3: "Kobe is such a cry-baby. He's always complaining to the refs!" First of all, I don't know which game of basketball you're watching where star players don't complain about some of the calls they get. Wade, Carmelo, Duncan, Lebron, KG, Dirk,…anybody. In fact, it happens so often, that players and coaches are fined by the NBA for even talking about it in the media. Don't try to single Kobe out for something that everybody does. And if you think Kobe is a "cry-baby," you BETTER NOT even think about liking Rasheed Wallace. This man swears that he never touches anybody during any of the games. And we're not even going to talk about how he was escorted out of the Staples Center for camping outside of the referees' locker room after Game 7. C'mon, hater, on to the next.
Reason number 4 (and this is one of my favorites…) "I'm so tired of seeing the Lakers win." Wow. How stupid do you sound? You wouldn't be tired of seeing your favorite team win all the time. But let me ask you this, hater, if the Lakers are playing the Celtics, who are you going to cheer for? The Celtics??? But if you're tired of seeing the same team win, why would you root for the franchise that has won the most championships in NBA history. I'll tell you why…because you're a hater.

Reason number 5: "He's so overrated." I've even heard people say that they don't like watching Kobe play because they feel like the commentators give Kobe too much credit for what the Lakers accomplish. My response to them is always, "Have you seen them play without Kobe?" Are people missing all these game winning shots that he makes? Don't you hear people say that he's the best closer in the game? If you think that the Lakers would win championships without Kobe Bryant, you have got to be retarded. If you want to know what overrated looks like, go take a peep at the star of that Cleveland team. It must suck to THINK that you have to best player in league, as he repeatedly disappoints you every season. Even Skip Bayless from ESPN said, "At 6-9, 260, Lebron [is the] most spectacular attacker of [the] basket we've ever seen. We watch because of what [we] MIGHT see or what we SHOULD see …and don't." Kobe has proven that he's a champion..and you're just proving that you're a hater.
Reason number 6: "Kobe's a traitor. He doesn't represent Philly enough." Now this, ladies and gentlemen is hating at it's finest. I hadn't really heard this until I moved to Philly for a few years (where Kobe-hate is at its highest.) I have a message for all of you: Dear Philadelphians who hate Kobe because you think that he doesn't "rep his hood enough." You are ridiculous. Yes, Kobe is from Philly. But at the age of 6, he moved to Italy and lived there for about 8 years. He came back to Philly, went to high school for 4 years and then moved to LA to play for the Lakers. So, Philadelphians, do you ever hear Italians complaining that Kobe doesn't represent Italy enough? Do you ever hear ANYBODY else's hometown crying about how somebody doesn't shout them out enough. No. Grow up. And let's be honest, y'all weren't really saying none of that until Kobe came into Philly in 2001 and beat the 76ers in the Finals. Kobe mentions Philadelphia and Italy in any story that he tells about his childhood. He's a huge Eagles fan and his father played for the 76ers. If you weren't so busy hating, you'd be proud of what your city produced.

Reason number 7: "Why did he have to marry that mexican chick? He doesn't like black women." Does this have ANYTHING to do with the game of basketball? No, hater, it doesn't. And didn't Michael Jordan leave his black wife and is now dating a white chick? And we still consider him the greatest. Only a true hater searches for reasons not to like a person. Relax.


Reason number 8: "I just don't like him." I guess that I can respect that you didn't make up all of these other ridiculous reasons that other people have but really? Just shut up. You probably don't even watch basketball.

Reason number 9: " Kobe is so selfish. He's not a team player." I guess in the beginning of his career, this was a legitimate complaint. But now…not so much. You can look the stats up for yourself. Not only is he a team player, he's damn near an assistant coach. If you're really a basketball fan and watch the games, it's obvious that Kobe has realized that the team is more important than himself. Appreciate the growth.

And last, but not least, reason number 10. I have to say, this is the one that irritates me the most: "He's trying to be Jordan." The reality of the situation is that every time a good player enters the league, everybody is looking for "the next Jordan." Remember when everybody thought that it was going to be Penny Hardaway? Vince Carter? Tracy McGrady? The bottom-line is…Kobe catches flack for being the closest thing to it. But why does he have to be "the next Jordan"…why can't he just be "the first Kobe?" But, hater, I REALLY want you to think about this. If Jordan is the greatest, and Kobe is trying to be like Jordan, what's the problem? If Kobe was an activist and wanted to be like Martin Luther King, would that be an issue for you? Do people hate on Usher for being inspired by Michael Jackson? If Kobe was a comedian, and wanted to be like Richard Pryor, is there a problem with that? At the end of the day, Kobe is really just trying to be Kobe. If he was trying to be Jordan, he would have went to college. If he was trying to be Jordan, he wouldn't have scored 81 points in one game. If he was trying to be Jordan, he would have come into the league and put a #23 on his jersey (like Lebron did.) Yes, he sticks out his tongue and pulls up for jumpers like Jordan did, but is that reason to not appreciate his game? Did you stop appreciating Lil' Wayne's verses after he admitted to no longer writing his raps down because he heard that Jay-Z doesn't put his on paper? Probably not. After the Lakers won Game 7 against the Celtics, somebody tweeted, "Look at Kobe trying to be Jordan again. He put 5 fingers up just like Jordan did." Ummm…hello? How many fingers is Kobe supposed to put up when he gets 5 rings? I say all of this to say: when it comes to Kobe and Jordan, appreciate the similarities, recognize the differences and move on. Kobe Bryant will never be Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan will never be Kobe Bryant. And you, hater, will never be either or them.
Les is more than a hater.

Thank Drake Later...Or Now...Whichever You Prefer.

I feel like I need to start this review with a disclaimer. I'm a Drake fan. I love all the things about him that people don't. I don't get tired of his singing. I usually like his content. I love his flow. I think he's witty and I've grown to appreciate his swag and the energy he comes with on his tracks. With that said, I'm not sure that it was ever possible for me to not like something about this album. I mean...it's DRAKE.

Ok...so here we go.The unfortunate thing about Drake's career is that his success isn't based off of whether he's good or not. It's based off of whether or not he can live up to everyone's expectations after dropping that AMAZING...CLASSIC "So Far Gone" Mixtape. I'm not sure if "Thank Me Later" is better than that or not. Some of the songs are...some of them aren't. Some of them could have gone on the mixtape. LOL

I have to admit, there's WAYYYYYY more singing on this album than I thought it would be. It's hard for me to compare his music to other artists because nobody really does what he does. It would be stupid to categorize his album and compare it to Weezy's, Kanye's or Hov's. They don't make R&B songs. I appreciate Drake's vocals so all the singing is not a drawback to me. I like it. :)

Just in case you don't want to read my opinion of every song...I'll say it now: the album is good. Is it worth paying $9.99+tax on June 15th? Hell yes. Is it better than "So Far Gone"? Umm...I think it's worth a discussion. But I will say this: If you liked "So Far Gone"...I don't see why you wouldn't like this. It's quite a bit of singing on both. They're both really smooth with Drake singing his own hooks and guests appearances from some of the most respected dudes in the game. There's a few songs that will get played in the club, but most of it won't. I like 9 of the 14 songs and the other 5 still have potential. (I've only been listening to the album since yesterday so there's still time.) Some of the best songs on the album are: "Over", "Unforgettable", "The Resistance", "Karaoke", "Shut It Down" and "Miss Me."

I think the lyrical content is decent. I mean...he's never really been making earth-shattering statements in his music but his ability to stay true to his reality is always something that I've appreciated. The day that he starts rapping about struggling in the hood, selling drugs, and killing people, will be the day that I stop listening to him because that's obviously not his life. He makes songs that I can relate to; the story of a young person trying to manage relationships, friendships, family, and success. He's the he 23-year-old that's trying to work hard and play even harder. On some of his songs you can't help but think, "Damn...is he talking about his life or mine?"

One of my favorite things about Drake is his delivery. His flow is sick and his ability to spit a bunch of bars without breathing is impressive. He always knows when to start singing in the middle of rapping a verse. His vocal range is decent. I mean...obviously, he's no Marvin Gaye but I can't think of anyone else who has the versatility that he does. His success is based on the fact that there's really no one like him. And this album is further proof of that...whether you like it or not.

I just know that people are gonna listen to this album and say "This is wack. He's soft. I thought he was gon go harder than that." Stop lying. No you didn't. Go back and remind yourself of what you liked about "So Far Gone"...and realize that he did the same thing for this album. He's still telling the story of your life with catchy, melodic hooks and witty punchlines that either you appreciate or laugh at. Honestly, the Grammy-nominated Canadian kid hasn't changed a bit. This album could have been called "Still So Far Gone."
(Click on the picture above so that you can read Universal Records' Countdown for "Thank Me Later")

If he didn't live up to your expectations, I'm not really sure where your expectations came from or what you were listening to before the album came out. If nothing else, the kid was consistent. Go BUY the album. He deserves it. I'm not sure what other artist are supposed to drop this year, but I'm pretty sure that this is gonna be one of the best albums of 2010.

So let's start with the singles. "Over" goes hard. I only needed to hear that song once to know that I loved it. I mean, the chorus had the grow on me but he spit two hot verses over a phenomenal beat. That was an obvious choice for a first single. I can't think of anything negative to say about it.

"Find Your Love" is a good song too. Yes, it's sounds like a leftover track from Kanye's "808s and Heartbreak" ...but I liked that album too so...yea. The lyrics are great. His singing is good and the song is just catchy as hell. If you hear it, you'll find yourself singing it, and then you'll need to hear it again. Next thing you know, it'll be your shit. LOL (Oh...and the video for this track is his best thus far...)


"Miss Me" featuring Lil' Wayne is the third single off of the album. As soon as I heard him say that Drake stands for "Do Right And Kill Everything"...I liked it. But then I heard the chorus, and I loved it. Everything about the chorus is genius. And then Wayne spits a verse...what more can you ask for?

"Fireworks" is the first track on the album. I didn't love the song at first but I gotta say, it is kinda growing on me. I feel like it would have been better without Alicia Keys...or maybe if she was saying something else. I don't know, something about her part is annoying to me. On the other hand, I did a little research and noticed that the first line of the song is: “Money just changed everything” and Drake previously stated that the first song on "Thank Me Later" will be the continuation of "Fear" which ends with “It’s funny how money can change everything." That's not really important but I think it's clever. (And it supports my opinion that this album could be called "Still So Far Gone" lol) Either way, "Fireworks" is OK.

"Karaoke" is such a "Drake song" lol. I feel like if he would have been successful at getting Sade to be on this album, this was the song that she would have been on. It's real mellow. The whole Karaoke theme is cool...the singing is good. I like it.

"The Resistance" is one of my favorites. This is one of the songs where I thought, "Wait a minute. Did I write this song?" lol My favorite line is when he says, "The people I don't have the time to hang with always look around and say the same shit...'You promised me you would never change.'" I can empathize with that struggle of trying to maintain friendships with people who aren't trying to grow, while you're working your ass off to become the best. It's a genius concept for a song and of course his delivery is on point. The way this song starts lets you know that it's gonna be a problem.

"Show Me A Good Time", which is produced by Kanye West, is another good one. The beat is cool...the lyrics are decent. The song is a good time.

As I said on twitter, I really bang with "Up All Night", which features Nicki Minaj. Drake's verse is alright. The beat is good. The chorus is great. I love when he does that little southern accent thing with certain words. Nicki's verse is poppin! I don't like her all the time but I like her on this. "Man for Pete's sake, scratch that, sweep stakes!" LOL


"Fancy" (Feat. TI and Swizz Beatz) is an OK song. I think the chorus could have been better. TI's verse isn't amazing but come on, it's still TI. The song doesn't really get good until Drizzy starts shouting out the girls in different cities at the end and then spits that last verse.

"Shut It Down" (Feat. The Dream) is a great song. I think it would have been better without The-Dream's verse.

"Unforgettable" (Feat. Young Jeezy) is one of, if not THEE best song on this album. Drake's verse is classic. The beat is crazy. The Aaliyah sample is catchy. The chorus is great. Jeezy's verse is sick. I hope that this is the 4th single.


"Light Up" (Feat. Jay-Z) is gonna have to grow on me. I feel like Drake could have came harder on this track. Hov's verse was OK. I was just expecting more from a "Drake and Jay-Z" song. It's not terrible, just not one of my personal favorites from either of these great artists.

"Cece’s Interlude" also has to grow on me. I'm just not sure why there's an interlude so late in the album. The singing is OK. I don't really feel one way or another about this one...

I really like the chorus of "Thank Me Now." I think the concept of the song makes it a clever way to end the album. I'll have to spend a little bit more time with the verses to see how much I really like the whole song.

Last but not least, I heard that the "9AM in Dallas" freestyle is gonna be a bonus track on the album. He goes in and really spits on this song. I wish he would have taken the time to create a chorus/another verse and made this a legitimate song on the album.
So....there it is. I love the album. You could thank him now. Or you could thank him later...on June 15th, to be exact.

(I only downloaded the leaked version because I couldn't wait. I'll DEFINITELY be buying it in 2 weeks.)

Les Is More.