Okay, I've just created this new trading card game called SYNDICATE (think Yu-Gi-Oh! + Monopoly + Mafia wars). I'm lacking the resources to try to get this game published, but I still want to put the game out and try to make some money off of it. I've been thinking about making all the cards downloadable at a website explaining the game, rules and backstory, and just having a donate button, but i know that when you give people something (especially a download) and then give them the option of paying for it or not, they will almost always choose not to pay for it. I'd like to just produce the game myself and have people order it (or put it in some of these gaming shops), but that requires capital and I'd have to get a massive amount of preorders to be able to afford something like that. Any ideas?

I've got good news, everybody:

My second book just got picked up by a publisher!

Red Rose Publishing just picked up "Double Entry" for E-publishing and is currently editing the book as you read this.

Much thanks to Pam Griffin, Anne Mallory, Natasha Nesbitt, Amy Aumick and Carmen Clemons for the proofreads and advice. You've all been a great help.

But now that I have two published novels in the pipeline, I want to take the next step.

I want a movie deal.

Problem is, I don't know how to go about getting my stories optioned for stage and screen. I know that best-sellers get optioned a lot, but often times books are optiond that haven't even been published yet, or it's the movie that makes the book a bestseller, not the other way around.

So here's what I'm going to do.

I'm putting the movie rights for "The Leopard Man", "Double Entry," and any other intellectual property I own (i.e. my comic strip "Unbeatable Heroes" and my upcoming crime novel "Bad Meets Evil") up for sale. You can get more information on my stories at my website, www.jqw.biz.
If you read my stories and can see them as movies or TV shows or plays, I want to talk to you. I'm offering 5-year options for my properties, and all reasonable offers will be considered. Email me at quannage@gmail.com and let's talk.

I've got good news, everybody:

My second book just got picked up by a publisher!

Red Rose Publishing just picked up "Double Entry" for E-publishing and is currently editing the book as you read this.

Much thanks to Pam Griffin, Anne Mallory, Natasha Nesbitt, Amy Aumick and Carmen Clemons for the proofreads and advice. You've all been a great help.

But now that I have two published novels in the pipeline, I want to take the next step.

I want a movie deal.

Problem is, I don't know how to go about getting my stories optioned for stage and screen. I know that best-sellers get optioned a lot, but often times books are optiond that haven't even been published yet, or it's the movie that makes the book a bestseller, not the other way around.

So here's what I'm going to do.

I'm putting the movie rights for "The Leopard Man", "Double Entry," and any other intellectual property I own (i.e. my comic strip "Unbeatable Heroes" and my upcoming crime novel "Bad Meets Evil") up for sale. You can get more information on my stories at my website, www.jqw.biz.
If you read my stories and can see them as movies or TV shows or plays, I want to talk to you. I'm offering 5-year options for my properties, and all reasonable offers will be considered. Email me at quannage@gmail.com and let's talk.

When the Chris Benoit tragedy happened, I was initially pretty shocked. I’m a sports entertainment watcher and a fan of Benoit’s work. He never seemed to be capable of something like that when I watched him. I had a conversation about the matter with my lovely wife, and I said I was saddened by the whole ordeal, especially since in my opinion Benoit was obviously a lost soul who would be condemned for eternity for his actions. She must have thought I was saying a knee-jerk "You’re going to burn in Hell!" like anyone who is outraged by a crime would blurt out. She rebutted by saying that none of us really know what’s waiting for us after we die. I didn’t pay that comment much mind at the time, but over the next few days, it began to gnaw at me.
See, I can’t agree with her sentiment. In fact, I think she is dead wrong. My statement about Benoit going to Hell was not a knee-jerk moment of outrage. It’s biblical fact if you’re a Christian (and she had better be one for me to marry her). If you truly believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible Word of God (like every good Christian should) then you HAVE to believe that there is an objective definition of good, and that everything that doesn’t coincide with that definition is by default evil. And you HAVE to believe that there is an absolute heaven and an absolute hell (or lake of fire, or whatever constitutes ultimate separation from God).
A truly good and just God MUST punish evil. His timetable may be a bit slower than ours, but rest assured, the punishment IS coming, if not in this world then certainly on the day of judgment. Those who follow His rules get rewarded, those who don’t…won’t.
What are the rules? The commandments and laws of the Old testament and the teachings of the New testament point to two: 1. love God, and 2. love God’s creations. This includes loving your neighbor, loving your enemies, loving yourself, not abusing your environment (for God created the Earth and Adam’s original job was to be the caretaker of it). And in Benoit’s case, it certainly meant loving your wife and child.
Murder, however you try to justify or explain it, is NOT an act of love.
Short-sightedness? Yes.
Selfishness? Definitely.
Spite? Certainly.
Jealousy? Maybe.
Wanting to take the easy way out of a bad situation? Possibly.
But Love? NO WAY.
You ask "but what about the slave mothers who smothered their children so they wouldn’t have to live as slaves? Isn’t that love?" But consider this: what if Frederick Douglas’s mother took that attitude? Harriet Tubman’s mother? Nat Turner’s mother? Your Great, Great, Great grandmother (if you’re black)? To take your child’s life amidst a bad situation denies your child the opportunity to be the person that helps change that bad situation for the better, for his or her generation and for generations beyond. That’s not love. That’s fear.
And I’m not saying this out of any contempt for Benoit or his family. I didn’t know the guy. I find what he did utterly despicable, but I still consider myself an admirer of his work as a pro wrestler. He did his job well, however his character behind the scenes was. It’s like when Bubba Clinton had an affair in the Oval Office and lied about it, and yet people gave him a pass because the country was prospering under his watch. Benoit was an electrifying entertainer and a consummate professional who helped launch a lot of careers, so I can separate his work from his life. But what he did is still despicable, and he will still be condemned for it.
To add to that note: anyone who truly believes in the Bible must also believe that Human Nature is inherently evil. Anyone who tells you that people are born good is feeding you a bunch of pie-in-the-sky fantasy. From the time man was created, he has rebelled against God, and that’s a genetic trait that is within every human being. You see this all of the time in children, who are really the purest form of human being.
Look at your average 3 to 10 year old child.
Now look at your average sociopath.
See any similarities? I do.
Like a sociopath, a child will stop at NOTHING to satisfy his or her selfish desires, whether it be lying, cheating, stealing, disobedience, or hurting others. And like sociopaths, children care very little about who they hurt in the process – in fact, some children seem amused by hurting others. Like sociopaths, the concepts of right and wrong or good and evil truly only apply when they are the ones being personally wronged. There is always a justification for what they do, always an excuse, always a rationale, but no real remorse.
And this is how all of us would behave if we thought we could get away with it. Human Nature.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love children, but I’m looking at the bigger picture.
We have ALL sinned and come short of the glory of God.
And the wages of sin is death.
But YHWH (Yahweh, a Hebrew name for God) in his mercy has set up a system for us to avoid that. If we believe in the price our redeemer (that would be Mr. Jeshua Bin Joseph, BKA Jesus Christ) paid for this system to be possible, if we confess our sins and make a sincere vow to try to avoid that behavior again, if we try to find a better way to handle ourselves when in those situations whenever they occur, then God will spare us from our eternal punishment, and we might even get a little leniency in this world…unless, of course, you getting What’s Coming To You is part of God’s master plan. But that’s for Him to decide, not us.
So, while I’m on the topic, how about you? If your life ended right now, understanding what I just told you, what do you think would happen to you after you die? You may think you lived a "good" life, but human righteousness is as filthy rags to Him. His law is absolute, and can you honestly say you have gone your entire life without breaking ANY of His commandments? Are you a slave to your own Human Nature, or do you feel like you were drafted into the life you live, instead of enlisting for it? Do you need a way out, a way to change your life, or a way to be that better person that you know you’re capable of being? If this applies to you, I want to invite you to join us in the body of Christ. YHWH is waiting for you with open arms, and Jesus is itching for a chance to usher you into a new life and a new way of thinking that will forever alter the way you see the world. Join the winning team! Visit my buddy Jarvis’s site for more information:
www.duesznministries.org
or just hit his myspace page up at myspace.com/dueseason


Song of the week: "You Will Know" by either Stevie Wonder or Mary Mary. This kind of illustrates what I’m talking about. I personally like Stevie’s version better, but Mary Mary’s is a good listen, too.

Here’s a little tidbit for all of you fledgeling writers out there. This is something that I fell is essential to any good story, and something that you must be able to master for your stories to reach their full potential. I personally use it quite a bit.

I call it "The OSH moment."

What is the OSH moment, you may ask?

The OSH moment is, simply put, the moment where the feces hit the fan. This is the one moment where everything is either going wrong or is about to go wrong, and your protagonist is wondering "what the hell am I going to do now?"

If you look at basically any movie – let’s say a love story – you’ll see this principle in action. You have your boy meets girl moment, but there’s always some twist to the meeting, some secret or tidbit of information that the protagonist has that his or her love interest isn’t privy to. The two have their ups and downs throughout the movie, but everything seems to be progressing along. Then that little tidbit becomes public knowledge, and the truth comes out, and this moment puts the whole relationship in jeopardy. That is the OSH moment, the crossroads where things can go either way.
And it doesn’t just work in romance stories. You have it in your spy novels where the spy’s cover is blown, or in action movies where the hero meets the foe he can’t beat. All of those "wanna get away?" airline commercials are based on the OSH moment.
You especially get this moment in real life. For instance, I was working at the plant a while back, and the machine I was working on was acting snarky. The maintenance guy comes around to try to fix the durned thing, but can’t quite figure out what’s wrong with it. So he goes out to get some more tools. I’m standing there waiting for him, and I don’t like standing around when I’m getting paid to work. So I pick up one f the components he was looking at, thinking "Well, maybe he missed something." Yeah, like I’m going to find something a trained mechanic missed. Complete brainfart on my part, but I digress. Almost as soon as I pick the thing up, little bitty parts of the component fall out, bounce off of the machine, and roll over the floor. And when maintenance guy comes back, I just knew he was going to be livid that somebody messed with the part while he was gone.

This is the OSH moment; the moment where you’re most likely to yell
"O’SH!"

get it now?

As a writer, you want to have as many of these in your story as possible, especially at the end of chapters or acts or commercial breaks. It’s a crucial element to help ramp up the tension in your story. And you want to have at least one big OSH moment towards the end. Give it a try, and I guarantee your stories will be that much more fun to read.


Song you should be listening to right now; Pretty obviously, "Oh Sh*t," by the Pharcyde. The song illustrates my point perfectly, and it’s even named after my new term. Check it out.

While working at an assembly plant in Brighton, MI, we listen to various stations on XM radio. It's a wide variety of stations, covering everything from country to today's urban music to soul/R&B, not to mention pop music from every decade since the 1960's and some stuff that's just flat-out uncategorizeable. One station played nothing but songs across genres that happened to have the word "water" in the chorus! Weird stuff. In any case, one day I'm trying to work, while at the same time trying to tune out the all-southern rock station that's blaring in the background. Now mind you, I have absolutely nothing against southern rock. I grew up on 1980's MTV, so I'm familiar with the works of ZZ Top, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and…uh…well….those guys. And, of course, Kid Rock claims southern rock.
But here is the thing that caught my ear. At one stretch, the station played three songs back to back to back, which all mentioned the phrase "little girl" in the chorus. I don't know the actual names of the songs, but I'm sure all you southern rock afficionadoes know what songs I'm talking about. But hearing these songs back to back disturbs me on a few levels, and here's why.
First of all, I want to know what the fascination is with little girls. In our musical culture, whether it be rock or pop or R&B, there has always been this preference to refer to our women as girls. I'm not sure I like that, especially when there are so many songs about "having a man" or "wanting to be your man" and such. Why are men allowed to be men, but a desirable woman is called a girl? I've heard theories about it: like how men in general have a preference for younger women because a younger woman is more likely to be fertile, or that younger women can be "trained" and taught how to properly treat a man than a more mature woman. Stuff like that. But if I were a grown woman, I'd feel pretty disrespected if "my man" or any man, for that matter, referred to me as a girl. And I would never disrespect my lovely wife – the number one WOMAN in my life – by calling her my girl. And honestly, I don't think I'd enjoy being with a woman who sees herself as a girl. Girls can be selfish, short-sighted, petty, manipulative, vindictive, dishonest and mean-spirited. Women can be like that, too, but it's more likely from a girl. And before any of you women get on my back, yes, men and boys can be like that, too. But my point is that when a female singer refers to getting "a boy" in a song, there is a very distinct difference between that and when she refers to getting "a man." There are two totally different connotations. She wants a boy to just have fun with, but when she's ready to settle down she wants a man. That's cool, but on the flip side, whether you're looking for Ms. Right or Ms. Right Now (and yes, I said "Ms." Because a lot of songs about getting a girl are really about getting someone else's girl, but that's a whole nother topic for a whole nother blog), either way she's still a girl.
I think the big reason why this stuff bothers me is that I have known (and I'm not naming names) some men who at some point in their lives have…and maybe still do…prefer little girls – literally. These are guys who really don't care how old a female is, so long as she looks cute and has a big bootie. Some of these men specifically target girls who aren't legal, usually in the age 15 to 17 range (their favorite phrase: if she's old enough to bleed, she's old enough to breed). From working at a juvenile detention center, I've seen what happens to "little girls" who have been raped or sexually abused or exploited or taken advantage of by grown men in their lives whom they've trusted. A 14-yar old girl once told me while I was there that I was more of a father to her than her real father…who also happened to be her baby-daddy. And yes, once while I was in college (I was abut 20) I was propositioned by a 12-year old girl who told me she prefers to date grown men. And mind you, NOTHING makes your skin crawl quite like being hit on by somebody almost young enough to be your daughter.
I personally think there is nothing more despicable than to violate a child. That is probably the one thing I totally and wholeheartedly agree with Bill O' Reilly about. People convicted of that need to be locked up and kept the hell away from any children and families. My wife and I debate about that because she feels a lot of innocent men are getting framed and sent to jail and labeled as child predators because kids are lying about them. I don't care. If a prosecutor can prove you did it in a fair trial (I will concede that a lot of trials…especially for black men…aren't exactly "fair") then that's good enough for me. Lock em all up, and when they get their second chance, put them all in their own community somewhere far away from places where families and children would likely be. Heck, let's give them their own city. We can call it "PedoPhilly" and have that be the place where all the convicted sex offenders live after they do their time. But I digress.
I guess it's really just a respect issue. The words "woman' and "lady" command a certain level of reverence and respect. A lady is a queen without the crown: it is the highest level of character a female can aspire to. It implies class, dignity, reservation, intelligence, confidence and virtue. The word woman implies strength, compassion, unconditional love, vision, leadership, wisdom, mental toughness and maturity.
Your mother is a woman.
Your wife (and/or the mother of your children) should be a lady.
I think a lot of men are intimidated by these ideals. A woman or a lady cannot be intimidated, she cannot be bullied, she will not be manipulated, she refuses to be exploited, abused and taken advantage of. Many men don't want to deal with that. They don't want to deal with a female with that much power, someone who might actually be their true equal. And that's why I think these men would rather go after little girls.

Song of the week: "Little Girl," by Mary Mary. This is probably the only song referring to little girls that I can stomach, if only because it is the type of song I'd want my own daughter to hear.

Okay, if you haven't guessed by now, I like to write stories. In fact, I have so many story ideas in the pipeline, there is no way I will ever get to writing them all in my lifetime (unless of course, I'm writing full time, and that won't happen unless you guys start buying my book. wink, wink hint hint). One of the reasons I like to tell stories is to create those "cool" moments that you as an audience love to witness, whether it be reading, watching, or participating in.
I guess this is why most people who know my writing consider me more a "plot" emphasizer than a "character" emphasizer. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to create deep, complex, interesting characters and follow them around. Heck, the real action of my debut novel "The Leopard Man" (which is available right now at Amazon.com) doesn't start until halfway through, after I've introduced you to Ashlynn, the heroine of the story and one of the coolest, most likeable characters I've ever created. But when I get a story idea, it's usually before I have characters to fit into the story, so I have to create a story outline that interests me enough to want to write the darned thing in the first place. That means I spend a lot of time coming up with plots that have gripping twists and turns, and plenty of moments where the audience will experience it and be like "whoa. That was pretty intense." And, of course, everything has to build to that BIG moment at the climax of the story.
Basically, this is something I call "movie trailer storytelling." When I plot out a story, I'm already envisioning the film version (whether the story is a screenplay or not), and every good film (even a lot of bad ones) has a good, enticing movie trailer. I've learned that the best trailers are like ultra-condensed versions of the actual movie, where the first part of the trailer establishes the problem the movie addresses, then crams in a ton of the cooler moments in the movie, throws in some establishing shots putting the stars in an enticing light, and ends with a cliffhanger and/or memorable quote that will stick in your head forever until you go see the movie and find out what happens next. (note to all film makers: your movie will not be considered classic unless it has at least one memorable quote. And "say hello to my little friend" is already taken).
This is what I have in mind when I create my story plots. I want those character-establishing moments which would be the equivalent of the hero shot in film (you know, the shot where the star of the movie walks in and the camera makes him or her look larger than life and all eyes are on him or her). I want those tense, dramatic moments where you don't know which way things will go next. I want those big action sequences and the inspiring moments where the central character is doing the impossible. And I damned sure want that memorable quote.
I already have it mapped out. I write that quiet moment right before all hell breaks loose, and I progress the story from that. I develop the plot and at every opportunity in the story I add a cool plot point, thinking always of where it would be positioned in the movie trailer. Of course, the ultratense background orchestra music is playing in my head as I write this. And when I have the rough outline of the plot done, I go in and refine the big moments for even more tension, and I have to have that one cliffhanger moment where it looks like the proverbial feces is really about to hit the fan (I call it the OSH moment, but I'll talk about that in another blog)
For instance, when I wrote The Leopard Man, I knew the main action was going to be my teenage heroine Ashlynn running for her life from the book's main villain, her English teacher Mr. Barter. But when I'm writing the plot in Movie trailer mode I had it set up like this:

Quiet moment: Ashlynn goes to school and in a key scene, meets Mr. Barter for the first time.
Moment to change things: Ashlynn's dream where somebody warns her of the Leopard Man.

(here you go into your emotional soundtrack music)

Key moment 1: Ashlynn is shown befriending Mr. Barter afterschool.
Key Moment 2: Ashlynn gets her first warning from her brother about getting too close to her teacher.
Key Moment 3: Ashlynn nearly runs somebody over in the hallway trying to get to Barter.
Key Moment 4: Barter says something ominous while meeting Ashlynn's parents for dinner.
Key moment 5: Ashlynn and her mother get into a big argument over Barter.
Key moment 6: Ashlynn kisses Barter passionately.

(here the music changes into the overdramatic, somebody's-about-to-die music that builds to a crescendo)

Key moment 7: Ashlynn gets an ominous warning from her track coach about using her running to save her own life.
Key moment 8: A man in Ashlynn's dream turns into a leopard before her eyes.
Key moment 9: Ashlynn's father reels off statistics about kidnapped children and how many of them die.
Key moment 10: Ashlynn and her friend run for their lives, but her friend trips, and Ashlynn watches her friend get grabbed by a dangerous-looking man with a very sharp knife.
Key Moment 11: Barter is seen on the phone with some harsh words for whoever is at the other end.
Key Moment 12: While running, Ashlynn narrowly avoids getting her head bitten off by an angry pit bull.
Key Moment 13: Ashlynn's mother screams at her while driving on the highway, forcing the car to swerve.
Key Moment 14: in her dream, Ashlynn is cornered by the leopard when she reaches a river.
Key moment 15: A dangerous-looking man startles Ashlynn from behind while she is hiding in a church.

(music stops. Only silence)

Cliffhanger/memorable quote: Ashlynn and Mr. Barter are alone together near a deep forest, when Barter looks down at Ashlynn and asks her "Ashlynn, have you ever been double-crossed?"


Now, does that make you interested in reading my book? If it does, then movie trailer-styled plotting works! Because all of these key moments are in the book. Want to know what happens next? Go to Amazon.com and buy your copy RIGHT NOW.

Song of the week: any movie soundtrack that has some of the aforementioned overdramatic music that builds into a crescendo. If you're a writer, try plotting out a story idea to this music. It will definitely change the way you write.

BRAND EVIL

Okay, here's a new addition to the whole "do we watch it or does it watch us?" debate. As a culture that grew up worshipping the old boob tube, a lot of the older folk complain about the lost morality of modern society. TV is often blamed for this, with its nonstop barrage of sex, violence, materialism and amorality saturating the minds of its viewers. We as a culture have desensitized ourselves to all of this to the point where we think a lot less of our entertainment if it doesn't pander to our most base instincts. In this way we are no more civilized or advanced than the ancient Romans clamoring for bloodshed in the arenas over 2000 years ago, which is pretty damned sad, when you think about it.
But my observation comes from something more subtle. In the hours upon hours of Television you have seen, you have probably not paid attention to this. But I think this overlooked element may actually have a worse affect on you and your children's behavior more than the most raunchy, violent or disturbing episodes of Sopranos or Sex in the City or the softcore porn they show on most music videos. At least you can choose not to watch those shows: this is unavoidable.
I'm talking about your TV commercials.
Those incessant, annoying but oftentimes funny-as-heck short spots that you actually see more than your programming. Didn't realize that, did you? In the time it took you to watch one hour of your favorite show, you've seen about three or four different commercials trying to sell you stuff, all at least twice. And that's not counting the ads you've seen on other shows, between shows and product placement during shows.
Why is that important? Because the behavior shown on most TV commercials is actually worse than on most TV shows, because bad behavior is actually rewarded.
Think about it: your average commercial is about a given product. The ads will often show people going through great lengths and/or doing something outrageous to obtain said product. This creates value for the product. Or the ad shows said product in such a light that it makes life supposedly meaningless if you do not own said product. I have a book in storage which talks about that very phenomenon, but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. And in the time it takes you to watch that episode of American Idol you are blitzed with these ads showing this behavior. The subliminal message that gets drilled into your head: it's okay to lie, steal, cheat, fight and behave in an obnoxious way to get this product, because this product is worth it.
These ads also go for shock value or comedic value, so while we're permeated with this stuff we are actually amused and entertained by it. We think "oh, that's silly. I'd never do anything that mean, underhanded or stupid just for a beer." But would you? Really? You've seen people do worse for less. Where do you think this behavior comes from? Parents? Peers? Remember when you saw your first Road Runner Cartoon and your mother had to explain to you that you can't jump off a cliff like Wile E. Coyote and expect to survive like he does? We absorb the stuff we watch and whether you admit it or not, this stuff does affect how you behave in society. And as risqué as most TV programming is, for the most part it still depicts the triumph of good over evil.
But Only in TV commercials does the biggest reward go to he who shows the worst behavior.
Whether it be the amoral behavior of people using whatever dishonest means to get their hands on the latest hot product,
Or the cynical, sarcastic and elitist tone of the Mac vs. PC commercials (which I admit I love to watch),
Or the fast-food commercial making you feel guilty for actually wanting to cook your own dinner for a change,
Or the stereotype-reinforcing beer and sports commercials reducing women to nothing more than body parts to be lusted over.
These commercials are constantly sending messages to you and your children about what is and isn't acceptable behavior. And whether you ignore or "block" certain shows, those commercials are on EVERY show, in between shows and during shows broadcasting their message that anything goes, do whatever you feel you have to do, whatever you feel you want to do. The only sin is not giving us all of your money.
Think about that the next time you're watching the Superbowl "just for the ads."

Song of the moment: that one song on the Geico commercial where the caveman is walking through the airport and sees the sign with him on it. I don't know who did that song or what it's called, but it's pretty schweet.

MAJOR KRUSH KREW ANNOUNCEMENT:

I want to inform all you you that I will not be posting any more chapters of krush krew on my blog.

this is because I am making MAJOR revisions to the story, and plan on publishing it in its entirety, at my website: http://www.jqw.biz

for those who want the hip-hop epic in print, it will also be available as the first novel in a new imprint I'm starting up: Expectus Publishing. i have about three other books i have lined up to publish through the imprint, but Krush krew is the first.

i will keep you posted on developments, and on when the book is compeltely available.

in the meantime, I have a few rants I've aways wanted to post, but never got the chance. You'll be seeing those very soon.

thanks for all your support!

Quan Williams,
Author, "The leopard man" and "The Rise and Fall of the Krush krew"

Writer's note: Hey, if you like my story, be sure to check out the official Krush Krew website at http://www.jqw.biz/krushkrew for more in-depth info, and a few contests!


THE RISE AND FALL OF THE KRUSH KREW: CHAPTER FIVE


In Chicago, a smoky, dimly-lit apartment concealed two shadowy figures as they stared into the glowing box. The scent of cherry incense filled the air, serving to mask the stench of the heavily soiled, shoeless socks of Skillfactor. At first it bothered his roommate and close friend DJ Scavenger, but at that particular moment he was too entranced by the basketball game on the television to care anymore.
"Watch Jordan, watch Jordan, watch Jordan..." emphatically repeated Skillfactor as the crimson-clad athlete on the television shot and made a turn-around jumper over his defender, to which Skillfactor let out a banshee-like howl.
"Did you see what he just did to Strickland?" He said, "I mean damn, what can you do against that?" At that moment, a telephone behind the area of the teal futon that the two were on near Skillfactor cut through the noise of the television, as well as Skillfactor's ranting, with a piercing ring. Expecting Scavenger- who paid sixty percent of the rent and who's name the apartment was in- to answer the phone, Skillfactor reclined back in the couch and said,
"Hey, man, you really need to turn that ringer down. It be startling me, you know what I'm saying? Get a new phone, or something." The pine-colored phone had reached its fourth ring, and Scavenger hadn't budged, instead choosing to sit still and stare down Skillfactor. Knowing he couldn't win a staring match against Scavenger, Skillfactor sighed and reached back and picked up the phone, complaining heavily as he did it.
"Alright, man," he said, "you win, but I'm tired of being your damn secretary. Every time I pick up this damn phone it's for you. Next time you'd better pick up your own damn phone." Putting the receiver close to his mouth and ears, he nonchalantly spoke down to the person on the other end of the phone line, saying,
"It's your dime", to which the distorted voice on the other end replied,
"After all this time, you still answer the phone like that?"
"Des?" Scavenger asked as he tried to recognize the voice. Confirming that it was indeed DMD on the other end, he exclaimed, "Des! What's up? Hey, Scavenger, it's DMD!" Turning his attention back to the phone, he said, "What's going down, sun?"
"Nothing much," replied DMD in his usual calm tone, "nothing much at all."
"Hey," said Scavenger, "I didn't even know that much, seeing that some people don't know how to keep in touch with a brother anymore." DMD chuckled and answered,
"Sorry, man, but you know how it is with school and all. In any case, I got a proposition for you."
"Lay it on me, sun."
"Well, me and Jazz..." upon hearing Jasmine's name, Skillfactor rolled his eyes upward.
"You still with her?" he asked in an irritated fashion.
"Yeah," concurred DMD, "and what's up with that vocal tone?"
"Nothing man, I'm just saying..." DMD fully understood what Scavenger was "saying", and laughingly said,
"You still mad at what happened between you and her sister?" Skillfactor sighed, and said,
"Man, Sheena could have told me something, know what I'm saying? She didn't even have to let a brother go on like that. That's trivial though. What y'all got cooking over there?"
"Two words," answered DMD, "record deal."
"WORD?"
"Word is bond. Jazz just set it up."
By then Skillfactor had beckoned Scavenger over to hear the news better. He said, "Yo, what do you want me and Scavenger to do?"
"I need both of you over here, pronto." replied DMD, "We got two months to organize and audition, so we got to get our stuff together."
"Word," said an ecstatic Skillfactor, "Hey, you ring up Macho and DL yet?"
"I'm on it as soon as I hang up with you."
"Well, don't let me hold you up. Handle yours, and get back to me. Fac out." Upon hanging up the phone, he turned around to notice Scavenger glaring at him with bated breath, to which Skillfactor said,
"Hey, you don't have to say a word." As Scavenger slapped Skillfactor's outstretched palm, he continued, "That was DMD, and as of now, The Krush Krew is officially back in business!"

About two hours later in Ann Arbor, DMD put his pencil down from a marathon session of studying for math 110, and picked up his telephone. After dialing a phone number, he connected in California with his cousin, Down-Lo.
"Sup, Des?" asked Down-Lo, who's Southern drawl had gotten even thicker.
"Yo," replied DMD, "I'm just calling to let you know that we got a possible record deal, if you can find a way back up here to Detroit." Completely opposite of Skillfactor, Down-Lo's attitude only gave his usual response to such news:
"Cool."
"Hey," said DMD, "How is the left coast treating my cousin?"
"It's cool over here." Down-Lo replied, "I've been holding down a nice little job over here, you know, just trying to maintain, and save up a little sum'-sum', know what I'm saying?"
"I hear you. Where were you working at?"
"This hip-hop club over here in downtown Long Beach. All I do is usher the joint, and accommodate some of the more famous guests. I get paid well for it, though." Something Down-Lo said piqued DMD's interest.
"Hey," he said, "who comes through there?" with a hint of showmanship, Down-Lo replied,
"Aw, just a few hip-hop artists from here and there. You know: Too $hort, Eazy-E, Digital Underground, Sir Mix-a-lot, and peeps like that." DMD noticed slight enthusiasm creeping into Down-Lo's voice as he began relating one of his favorite memories from his job.
"Hey, one time MC Smooth came by, and my manager dared me to try to mack her. Now you know I ain't gonna turn down a macking dare, so when I showed her to her seat, I told her how fly she was and all that...you know how I do it. Anyway, she was reacting like she done heard all that kind of stuff before, so I had to put some English on my game.
"I told her 'hey, I know you got mike skills and all, but I bet I can beat you.' She was taken by surprise, and she was like 'Are you saying that you want to battle me?' I was like 'Yeah. You and me, on the mike right now, and if I win, I get to sleep with you.' Then she asked me what she would get if she won, so I said that if she won, then she'd get to sleep with me. I mean, it's only fair, right? Anyway, she thought it was cute, so she said 'oh, it's like that...', and I told her, 'Hey, if you don't think you can handle, just tell me straight up, and I'll understand.' She fell for that, and said, 'I can't believe you're calling me out like this. Okay, I accept your challenge.' I asked her which one, and she said both. So, I said 'you mean, you want me to whip you on the mike and in the bed?' and she said, 'Just grab a mike, okay?'
"So, we get up on the stage, and my manager announces that we were gonna battle. Before we started, she said, 'let's do this, but I'm telling you, you have no idea what you're getting into.' I answered with 'Oh, I know pretty well what I'm getting into...too bad you don't have any idea what's about to get into you.' After that, we started up with the battle."
"Well," interrupted DMD, "who won?" Down-Lo, mildly shocked that DMD would dare ask a question like that, frankly said,
"I did. Come on, cuz, you know how I do it. There was no way I was gonna let her beat me." Still curious, DMD asked another question.
"So," he said, "What happened after the battle?"
"Well," answered Down-Lo, "We kept to the agreement, and she held up her end..."
"...of the bargain, right?" interjected DMD.
"Yeah, of the bargain!" answered a mildly indignant Down-Lo, "What are you talking about...Oh! Well, she held up that end, too."
"How did that turn out?" After hearing that, Down-Lo paused before saying,
"Let's just say this: You heard that she was gonna be singing on her next album?"
"Yeah."
"Well, now you know why." A wide smile flashed across DMD's face, as he laughingly answered him.
"You've got to be lying!" DMD said, but reconsidered and said, "Naw, knowing your style, it probably did go down like that. Hey, can you arrange to get back over here in a week?"
"Hey, don't worry," Down-Lo said. "I got it covered. I'll buy a round-tripper, and be over there before you know it. I got to get to work, so I'll see you in the D."

DMD had a harder time reaching Machoman. After not being able to reach him at his summer internship in Oakland, Macho finally answered the phone at an apartment he had there.
"Yeah, I got all your messages," he said, "I know what's up. Look, Des, I'm going through some things over here right now..."
"What's up?" asked DMD, "Hey, man, you know I'm your boy, if there's anything I can do..."
"Naw, man," replied Macho, "There ain't nothing you can do. It's like...forget it. You wouldn't understand."
"Try me." After DMD said this, Macho paused, considering whether or not to tell him about what has happened since the last time DMD called him. He chose to change the subject.
"Des, I'm only going to tell you this once," he stated, "Things change...people change. We ain't the same five kids that got together and said 'hey, let's be a rap group'. We got new problems, new responsibilities. We can't be trying to bring back the past, because that's behind us, and we've grown past all of that. If we tried this, it just wouldn't work."
"But Macho," answered the distorted voice of DMD, "we can make it work. All you got to do is have some faith..." Macho cut him off.
"I left my faith in Detroit when I moved out," he blurted. Pausing in a futile attempt to regroup himself, he said "just count me out of it, okay?"
"Okay, man, but the Krew was more than just a rap group, and you know that. I still can't imagine us doing this without you. I...I guess I'll just talk to you later, then." The sound of the phone hanging up echoed through Macho's house, and a few seconds later the sound of a baby's crying resonated in his ear. Bowing his head and whispering the word "Damn" to himself, he slowly got out of his bed and waded through the piles of unpaid bills and unwashed clothes to tend to his baby daughter.