In Atlanta, Freaknik Will Never Truly Die

You can take Freaknik out of the A, but you can't spell Freaknik without the A, as in Atlanta.
While the notorious car-and-girl fest has been dead for more than a decade, the spirit of Freaknik continues to live on in various places around Atlanta (see "strip club" in the dictionary), usually in song and pictures. But this year is different because dueling Freaknik events have sprouted up in the city, not to mention the animated special that Adult Swim aired last week, "Freaknik - The Musical," starring T-Pain and a host of other rappers.
So, why is Freaknik getting all this love all of a sudden? And what exactly was Freaknik? Physically it was a car show with babes in them. Psychologically, it was a small-city country-boy takeover of a Black Metropolis. Well, maybe it's pent-up demand. Sometimes you just miss that freak. See, Atlanta, since the mayor that got the party started was sent to jail and back, has straightened its tie, so to speak, and given its soul to business interests. In doing so, there's been a groundswell of support for things to go back the way they were, for the good times of yesteryear to re-emerge.
Freaknik, call it want you want, symbolized Atlanta at its good-timey peak: The city was fresh from a tryst with the Olympics, millionaires and black people were moving in in droves, and most importantly, the City Too Busy to Hate had jobs. Tons of them.
But things have changed.
The city is no longer as hospitable to visitors as it once was. Unemployment is above the national average.
Jobs are scarce, good times are rare, and well, people miss that Freak.


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Lauren London shows off 'Baby Due' Look

You've heard of the Booty Do, but this is the Baby Due, as in the Baby Due Look. Pregnant celebrities Lauren "New New" London and Tisha Campbell were recently at events showing off their very pregnant selves.
London, pregnant from rapper Lil Wayne, is getting big in the belly as shown from the above pick taken from Diddy's White Party a few weeks ago.

Campbell, married to actor Duane Martin, is expecting her second child. Campbell has been chilling since her show with Damon Wayans, "My Wife and Kids," was cancelled (but you can see mad reruns on TV). She is reportedly working on a novel. The actress enjoyed acclaimed success opposite Martin Lawrence in the UPN hit "Martin" during the 1990s.
London registered on the radar with the film "ATL," in which she played T.I.'s love interest.

Are You Just Chillen Letting the Summer Pass You By?

As each day continues to swelter with anticipation with the promise of glorious possibilities, many of us, including me, have simply sat by, content to watch the tumultuous winds blow.
While just chilling can be therapeutic, why haven't we gone on vacation? Why are we so stagnant in 2009? Did anything change?
Is it the economy? More likely its our own personal economy.
Despite the traffic you see on the highway, many Americans are by and large broke.
The 5-day cruise, even the weekend getaway is simply not in the plans this year.
If you're like me sometimes we simply forego going "out," choosing to save the little change it takes to take advantage of the summer air. (Is that healthy?)
Of course, do we really need to travel to "get away"? Not really.
But it'd be nice.



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