Scribbler's Wrap-Up: NFL Playoffs, Divisional Round

What if I told you that you may have just watched the last best weekend of NFL playoff football until the 2015 season begins?  Coming into this weekend, there were so many compelling storylines with each game.  The Ravens always seem to have the Patriots' number in Foxboro.  It's always a defensive dogfight between the Panthers and Seahawks.  An injured Mr. Discount Double Check might appear mortal after all in the "Ice Bowl II".  Peyton faces his replacement for the first time in the playoffs.  Some things turned out as expected while there were a few surprises and controversies along the way.  Nevertheless, if you're a true fan of the sport like I am, none of these games disappointed.  Instead of regurgitating statistics, I'll give you my biggest takeaways from this weekend.

How Kendrick Lamar Didn't Get Robbed at the Grammys

Last year, I posted an in-depth summary of the 55th Grammy Awards.  Yeah...totally not going on and on about Pharrell's faux pas with those ranger hats; Jay-Z's "I wanna thank God, but only a little bit" statement taken way out of proportion; or Katy Perry becoming the newest member of the Illuminati.  In the illustrious words of Chester Cheetah, "Yasss, we know."  However, a bigger topic that jumped out at me is the whole issue of Kendrick Lamar getting shut out of winning any awards.  Many people have turned this into a "battle" between him and Macklemore--which is silly because the two artists are actually in contact with and respect each other.  Now I can't speak too much on the Seattle rap artist or proclaim to be a fan of his because I've only heard like three of his songs--I do like "Same Love" a lot--but I do plan on listening toThe Heist to make a more sound judgment and, if necessary, comparison.  Nevertheless, I've come to four major conclusions about this whole situation--none of which lean toward Kendrick getting "robbed".

SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: Mac & G, "Real Recognize Real"

It gives me no greater pleasure than to return to blogging after a lengthy hiatus and be able to help promote folks that I fool with personally and professionally.  Thus, I bring you a new addition to "The Angry Musings": the Shameless Plug Alert.  This month's featured artists are Rated R The Mac (IG: RatedRTheMac) & Gladiator (IG: langston_huge) aka Mac & G and their long-awaited album, Real Recognize Real--which hit the streets today.

Album Review: Jay-Z, "Magna Carta...Holy Grail"

As I have matured in the way that I listen to music, I have become one of those people that doesn't rush to declare an album's greatness until I've had ample time to sit with and study the product in its entirety.  Thus, you can imagine how annoyed I became at seeing so many people gawk at my favorite rapper's twelfth studio album, Magna Carta... Holy Grail.  Granted, Jay-Z flexed his hustler's muscle once again by selling a million records well before his much-anticipated album even hit the market, so you know this only fueled the frenzy.  What built the anticipation even more was that a lot of his core fans had been disappointed with his product as of late--some since American Gangster and many since as far back as The Black Album.  However, I knew there was trouble afoot for our beloved superhero (or beloved villain depending on who you ask)...

Scribbler's Highlights of the Week: The NBA Finals Triple Play

Huge congratulations to the Miami Heat for winning their second straight NBA championship.  Truth be told, I was cheering for the San Antonio Spurs because I am a Tim Duncan fan and wanted to see "The Big Fundamental" get another ring before leaving the game.  However, I knew from the beginning that the Heat would win this series.  Although the Spurs came in healthy, rested and with momentum off of a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, I knew the defending champs would need every bit of seven games to beat the four-time champion Spurs and could beat them because they had LeBron James.  It is clear that he has vowed not to disappear from an NBA Finals like he did against Dallas in 2011 and to carry the team on his back if it means winning as many Larry O'Brien trophies as possible.  It took more than just James to win this series because, as we saw in 2007, even he couldn't topple the Spurs by himself as he and his "team" in the Cleveland Cavaliers were swept.  However, as Finals MVP for the second consecutive year, he was the major contributor for four out of the seven games--three of those being victories.  Thus, that's why I am giving you not one...not two...but THREE (see what I did there) of the greatest highlights of the week because they were three of the deciding factors in the franchise's third NBA championship and second in Miami's "Big 3" Era.