AZ's "Game of Life," Dope

By Amir Ali Said

One of my favorite rappers is AZ. I think that his best album was "The Format" released in 2006. One of my favorite, if not my favorite song off of "The Format" is "Game Of Life." I really like this song. The beat is real cool. A nice cool laid back beat. The song starts off with horns and AZ talking over the track. Then the song drops with a strong kick, followed by a sampled yell from a woman, and at some points the bass guitar comes in with a simple rhythm. Then for the hook the beat stays the same but AZ's vocal's are turned up. Plus, during the hook, he allows the beat to stop and the rides it again.

"NCAA Basketball 10," Sports Game Changer

By Amir Ali Said

"NCAA Basketball 10" is really cool. Plus, with the game you can play right along with the College Basketball season and March Madness. EA has included some new features into "NCAA Basketball 10," that I think are cool. With this game, EA may be changing sports video gaming. That's because of there "presentation." With the game, you can decide to play with the CBS broadcast system or the ESPN broadcast system. That's real cool. I'll breakdown how EA can use this new way of video gaming with all of their sports games.

With Madden Football, EA could choose CBS and FOX's broadcast system. With their MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) game they could use Spike TV's broadcast system. For NBA Live, EA could use TNT, ESPN, or ABC's broadcast system. For FIFA, EA could use ESPN, or the Fox Soccer Channel's broadcast system. And the list can go on and on. If I was EA, I would certainly take advantage of their "presentation" system, this could be huge, and they would be first.

Also, EA has a new motion system that allows you to put players in motion to get the open pass and score. That feature is cool too, but not nearly as cool as the presentation feature. Like Modern Warfare 2, I want to participate in history in the making. I really think this game will change sports video gaming for the future. So Pop, can we get "NCAA Basketball 10" for XBOX 360 as soon as possible?

Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones," Nice and Smooth

By Amir Ali Said

One of my favorite songs is "Me and Mrs Jones" sang by Singer Billy Paul. This is a nice cool slow jam. Its funny because I hadn't heard this song in awhile until last week. The first time I heard this song was while taking a drive with Pop. "Me and Mrs Jones" is a dope song. Before this song I never heard of Billy Paul which makes the song even more special. In fact, he was known as a Jazz Musician before "Me and Mrs. Jones." But this song placed him into the stratosphere of popular music.

As a cool, calm, and collected song, "Me and Mrs. Jones" takes you on a journey with Billy Paul's voice. The song has a slow cool melody. Until it's time for the epic hook. The song builds up to the hook with a nice piano stab, then silence and Billy Paul begins the hook. That whole sequence in the song is great. Then for the rest of the song Billy Paul rides this nice beautiful song titled, "Me and Mrs.Jones." Below is "Me and Mrs. Jones," enjoy.

My Picks For the Hectic Tournament

By Amir Ali Said

With the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament officially starting tonight I'd like to give my picks for the tournament. Actually, I'll give my temporary picks as of today. I won't finalize my bracket until Wednesday night. I'll start with the Midwest region. The Midwest is by far the toughest region. Unlike some sports analysts, I think Kansas won't make it to the final four. Instead, I've got Ohio St taking the Midwest region. I understand that Kansas is the number one overall seed but I don't think they'll make it to the final four. If Ohio St and Kansas don't make it to the final four, leave it up to Georgetown to make a run.

In the West region I have Syracuse going to the final four. I understand that Syracuse struggled heading into the last stages of the season. But I still believe Syracuse is a strong team and will be able to get through the teams in the South Region. But I think Syracuse is going to have to beat Gonzaga, Murray St. and Kansas St. Yes, I agree with ESPN analyst, Jay Bilas, who said that Murray St is going to Vanderbilt in the first round. Besides Syracuse, Kansas St or Butler could make it to the final four.

In the East Region I have Kentucky making it to the final four. I think they'll have to get through Texas, Cornell, and West Virginia. Kentucky should be a little happy though because of who they have to face until the Elite 8 matchup against West Virginia. West Virginia on the other hand doesn't have such a great deal; I think they'll face Missouri, Marquette and Kentucky. That's certainly not an easy lineup to make it to the final four. The deciding game will be in the Elite 8 when I think Kentucky will face West Virginia.

In the South region, I've got Villanova heading to the final four. For all those Duke fans, you don't deserve the number one seed, and I think Duke's going to lose in the 2nd round to Louisville. You can stop laughing now Pop. However, I think Louisville is going to lose the following game to Texas A & M after defeating Duke. I think Villanova has to go through Richmond, Baylor and Texas A & M. Then Villanova will be home free in the final four.

For the Championship game I've got Syracuse vs. Kentucky. I think that will be a tough and exiting game. With great guard and center play look forward to a shootout if this matchup comes true. Here are my picks, What are yours?

Arts & Design Or Arts & Graphics

By Amir Ali Said

Arts and Design...Or Arts and Graphics. To me, there is no difference. To others, it might be a big one. Arts is a very broad topic, it can span over many different forms of employment. Also, Art can span over many different ways of life. Art is a huge topic to discuss, which is why I am only going into the simple importance of it. Here, I'll break down each group.

For both groups, Arts can be described as painting, movie making, sports, writing etc. Design can be equal to painting, designing a scheme for a company, or creating a poster or piece of artwork using software. Software like adobe illustrator. There is my definition of Arts and Design, the arts + design = a piece of work, good or bad that can be used in the present or future. It's all math.

Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" Sets Them Apart From Other Groups

Amir Ali Said

Led Zeppelin is the best rock 'n' roll group. From the groups that I've listened to, I think that Led Zeppelin has the best combination of musicians. With Jimmy Page at lead guitar, John Paul Jones at bass, John Bonham at the drums, and Robert Plant with the vocals, this group's synchronized sound is better than all the other Rock 'n' Roll groups I've heard. One thing that I find in Led Zeppelin is the amount of soul music that is implemented into their sound. One song that sets Led Zeppelin apart is "Whole Lotta Love."

"Whole Lotta Love" is my favorite song from Led Zeppelin. In this song the drums are crazy, when John Bonham's solo comes up he kills it. This song really gets you into a hyped-up mood. In the beginning, the song is up-tempo with smooth vocals, and then come the drums and the hook. After this sequence Bonham gets his solo and the song goes into a slow groovy sequence. Then, Bonham takes the song back to the smooth up-tempo hook. Once the hook is finished, the song goes back to the slow groovy sequence, but this time it's different. After this sequence the song goes back to the up-tempo hook once last time to close out the song.

Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina' Engaging

Anna Karenina is a novel written by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. I've just started reading this classic novel for Literary Club. To say the least, I've been engaged. The first sentence in the book sent chills down my spine. After reading the first sentence it makes you wonder, is this statement true? The first sentence is, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." I had to think about that a couple times. But I believe that every Happy family is different in their own way, just like every unhappy family.

Tolstoy's writing is simple, yet effective. He splits his book into eight parts, of which I've only read half of one. From what I've read, Part one is about an aristocrat who is unfaithful to his wife; and how the family is in turmoil. I've read this sort of story before, but Tolstoy's execution is flawless. I look forward to reading the rest of the book.

Writing Tips For Teens: Writing Exercises

By Amir Ali Said

When you're writing, it's a good idea to have writing exercises. Writing exercises help you practice your writing on a consistent basis. Writing exercises can include note taking, short story writing, and even Blog posts. Also it’s important to read. Reading isn't writing, but it’s a great tool to help your writing. When you read books it helps your vocabulary. Reading will help you with structuring sentences.

Writing exercises should go into your writing routine. These exercises should be done every day. Usually, I do at least three writing exercises. I'll write a Blog post, a film log, and write short story. Or instead of a short story, I'll work on Out Of Order, my upcoming book. Sometimes I also read up to 50 pages of a book. Ideal writing exercises include reading, short story writing, and a Blog post. All of the aforementioned techniques that I use are recommended by me for all writers.

One-On-One Basketball With Pop

By Amir Ali Said

Tomorrow I plan on playing Pop one on one in basketball. This will be the first time we've played basketball together in more than 5 years. It will be a lot of fun. Plus, since now I'm taller, I look forward to giving Pop some problems in the paint. Just a tip to Pop, might want to force me to my left because if you give me my right you won't be happy. My jump-shot has gotten better and so has my handles. It's about time for us to have a one on one matchup.

I look forward to this matchup. I'll be taking it very seriously. When I was younger, Pop and I use to have shoot-around games but never one on one. And when Pop ever played around he would dominate. But now that I'm older, quicker, and stronger let's see how this game turns out.

Deniece Williams' "Silly" Could Teach My Generation Something About Music

By Amir Ali Said

Today's the first day that I heard "Silly" by Denise Williams. It's such a beautiful song. The way that Denise Williams sings engages the listener. Even how the song starts off, the vocals don't come in until around the 30 second mark; instead, it's a slow, up-tempo, cool melody to introduce the song. After 30 seconds in, Denise Williams comes in with the vocals in a low pitch tone. She sings her verse and then goes into the change during the hook.

"Silly" is a nice, mood-swinging song. Meaning, however you were just feeling the songs just takes you on a journey. Deniece Williams' singing helps the song move along. The way her voice moves in out of the beat engages the listener more than anything. She easily changes the pitch of her voice, both subtly and aggressively when she needs to.

Even though I'm 13 years old, music like this will always stick with me. Other kids in my generation will listen to Beyonce or Rihanna but I find refuge in listening to Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. I think that if kids in my generation were to listen to the music I listen to they would like it. I also think that would change the way other kids in my generation think, thereby creating offsprings of children who preserve this kind of music. But instead music like this isn't played in rotation over the radio or on Ipod's. Here's a song that could be used as well.
Below is "Silly" - Deniece Williams, enjoy.