The Bus Driver

For those of you who don't know me on a personal level, I also coach High School Lacrosse. Yesterday I was a little bummed because my guys lost their game. Got back on the bus, and started chatting with the driver (I'll refrain from using his name out of courtesy).

It was the usual chatter, "what other kinda work are you in to?" "you got any females in your life...etc." I explained to him that I had some interests here or there but nothing too serious at the moment. He asked me if I'd ever been in love. To be honest, I was a bit taken back by the question, as I am not typically one to converse about such topics, especially with someone I'd just met. But for some reason I replied, "Once. And ever since, I've had a new found appreciation for those who had been there for me in the past that I just wasn't available for... but even so, we always have that one 'Daisy Buchanan'."

He didn't catch the Gatsby reference, but replied that it took him 67 years to realize what I'd just said. He then went on to tell me about the girl he should have settled down with, but he was never quite ready for.

Eventually they faded apart, lost contact, but he never forgot about her - not for a day. 34 years past, but he still never forgot. 

About a year and a half ago, he bumped into her at a Whole Foods (I don't know why, but there's always something classic about reconnecting at a supermarket...). Anyways, she had gone on to work as a musician and coincidentally had a recital that night. She warmly invited him to come and he was beyond excited to show up and finally be there for her the way he wanted to for all those years. Only in all his excitement, he'd forgotten he had to drive a bus that night - not unlike the one he was driving as he was telling me this story: filled with kids, likely taking them to-and-from a game.

He couldn't make it.

He didn't even have her number to call her and let her know why he wasn't there. For whatever the reason, he decided not to reach out and find her. Time continued to turn and again he lost contact, but still never forgot. At this point I jumped in and asked, "So why not try to find her now?" He smiled and replied, "I turned 67 on March 10th, she passed away March 11th... and now all I can think about is 'what if' I had done it all differently." Everyday since she's passed, he writes to her and tells her all the things he wished he had when he'd had the chance.

.....and I was bummed about losing a lacrosse game.

I flipped on the TV when I got home and Gatsby was on. I watched it through... We all have that Daisy Buchanan.

Final Fraze:
Be cognizant and appreciative of the people who are there for you unconditionally, because at any moment - your time with them could be up. In life, love or any opportunities/endeavors you face, the worst question you could ever ask yourself is, "what if" ==> pick your feet up and find out.

Time is undefeated, but Love is Timeless.

Chael Sonnen "Just Shut Up" Take 2

-->

Anderson Silva makes good on promise to 

Chael Sonnen at UFC 148

I'm baaacckkkkkkk.

In lieu of this whole Chael Sonnen / Jonny"Bones" Jones feud on twitter, I've found my inspiration to blog again. 

If you recall a one of my previous posts, this is not my first effort to tell Chael Sonnen to "Just Shut Up!" However since the first time clearly didn't do the trick, I figured I'd take another run at it.

Now if you are familiar with the “class(less)-act” that is Chael Sonnen, you’d remember him from his previous feuds with the long-time, reigning “middle-weight” champion, Anderson “The Spider” Silva. In the first fight, there’s no doubt that Sonnen took it to Silva. It was a well-fought fight, but, as I’ve always said, in order to beat the champion, you have to BEAT him—nothing can be left to the judge’s table for decision. In the next fight… well, things didn’t go as well for ole’ Chael. He started off strong in the first round, but then, as promised, Anderson came out in the second and landed a hard body shot to Sonnen that ultimately led to a TKO.

That’ll do for the background check.

Moving onto the situation at hand with Jonny “Bones” Jones, the light heavyweight champ was scheduled to fight Dan Henderson at the Upcoming UFC 151, however Henderson had to pull out due to injury. With Henderson out of the picture, whom else does controversial UFC owner Dana White turn to, but his new favorite pupil Chael Sonnen.

It’s no shocker that White has been using Sonnen to bring in that “WWE” element into the UFC for sometime. He has that a$$hole, loud mouth mentality that people just want to see get shut – Cheers to Silva for already doing that TWICE. – With that said, to his credit, Sonnen is definitely a bad dude in the cage. The former Oregon wrestler has 27 wins in his 40 mixed martial arts fights and has won many of them in dominating fashion. Even the fights he has lost are typically absolute brawls. That’ll do for the Sonnen praise, as I’m already starting to get sick.

Refocusing back on UFC 151, Jones rejected the offer to fight Sonnen as Henderson’s replacement and as of this afternoon the championship title match has been canceled.

In response, Sonnen has lashed out at the “Light-Heavyweight” Champion via twitter in a series of spiteful and immature tweets. I’ll list a few:

Making up tweets from another fighter, Chael, really? I guess that’s what you can expect from Dana White’s puppet. I thought Dana’s pec’s were looking a bit larger than usual, but I wasn’t aware he was harvesting milk for the winless title fighter too. #TooMuch? #NotEnough.

Now before you go ragging on Jones for rejecting the fight and shelling out this whole “Fighters mentality ” BS that the vast majority of the public has zero experience or background to provide even a #BuschLeague perspective about, let’s look at this from the perspective of Jonny Bones:

1.    Jones has been training for months now to fight Dan Henderson, NOT Chael Sonnen. It takes months of preparation for a fight—would you ever see Floyd “Money” Mayweather jump into the boxing ring 8 DAYS before a fight with a top ranked contender? Absolutely not.

2.    Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson are Team Quest teammates. This means that Sonnen has undoubtedly trained for and/or altered his fighting style to act as Jones in the gym to aid Henderson in the preparation for his fight, giving him an unfair advantage— even if he is less talented.

3.    Sonnen literally just got his bell rung in his rematch with Anderson Silva for a belt a couple months ago. He does not deserve another shot at a belt in a DIFFERENT weight class right now—that $hit needs to be earned.

Final Fraze 

I could go on for hours on this topic, but to avoid dragging this on any further, I’ll leave it at that because even those three points are enough for any smart fighter to take a step back and say “Kindly, F*ck off.”

Chael, if you want to fight Jones, win your next fight against Forrest Griffin (no chance), fight your way up in the light-heavy division, train, and earn it—that’s the RIGHT thing to do. But then again, since when has Chael Sonnen or Dana White given two $hits about doing things the right way? #FoodForThought

Great to be back!

Til next time,

-Fraze

North Ave. -- First Look

What's good guys? My apologies again to those of you who actually look forward to reading my blog posts-- just been a bit preoccupied with this new tape and haven't gotten around to it. Anyways, we're dropping my new Summer Track, **North Ave.** today at noon so just wanted to check in with y'all and give ya the background on the song and what's to come in the next couple weeks.

So this new track, I'm actually pretty stoked about it. For those of you who know me best, you know that I'm never satisfied with any of my work. Well, for once (and you can quote me on this), I am thankful and humbled to admit that I am the closest I've ever been to being satisfied and can't wait to drop it for y'all. #BartScott.

To put shortly, North Ave. highlights "Summertime in the Chi." It's about kicking back and cruising down to the beach with your friends for some good old fashioned fun in the sun-- I know that sounds corny as f*ck, but deal with it. The beat has that Melo chill and is a remix of the popularized song, "Body On Me." Once we release the track this afternoon, we'll begin shooting clips all week to put together a fun little video. With that said, don't hesitate to get at me and/or send me any clips of you and your friends jamming to the song over the week and I'll try my best to work everyone in! Additionally, we're attempting to set up a show at Castaways on North Ave. to debut the song-- stay tuned for more info on that one.

Other than North Ave, we've also been working on a few other tracks with a completely different feel. I don't want to get into to much detail on those, but I can tell you that the other two tracks are called **Wings Clipped (Angels Gotta Fly)** and **Poetic Romance (How you do?).**  Heading back into the studio this Tuesday (July 3rd) to lay down a few more so definitely be looking for updates and sneak-peeks then!

So without further adieu,  I hope y'all like it and, once it drops at NOON, please PLEASE remember to post it up, share it and play it! Play it for your mother, your brother, your sister, your goldfish-- any and all! Let's get it out there together and I'll try my best to do the rest!

Much love and get at me to let me know whatcha think!

LYRICS

~North Ave.~

Summertime in the Chi, everybody lookin' fly, get a little high pass it to the next guy,
Grab ya girl n ya know what to do-- everybody's hittin' North Avenue

Summertime swingin' 'round, Everybody's gettin' down on some crown,
That I found on the ground, You can tell by the sound,
everybody's gettin' loud, all the boys are gettin' rowdy n' the hunnies let it out,

Yeh-- they let it out, while they scream n they shout,
Do a little hanky panky shake that booty all about,
Ain't no doubt-- gotcha mapped like a route,
Bout to explore ya every inch, look ya down from North to South

You know them Chi-Town girls are just ageless,
I love them slammin' bodies and they curves are outrageous,
Try to take 'em home, man that shit is courageous,
Spreadin' love like the flu, yeh it's true-- they contagious

Summertime in the Chi, everybody lookin' fly, get a little high pass it to the next guy,
Grab ya girl n ya know what to do-- everybody's hittin' North Avenue (2x)

We at that city beach-- North Avenue,
Lake Michigan-- shinin' cubby blue,

Hit up that Castaways-- grab another drink,
So many hunnies walkin' by you don't wanna blink,

You just wanna stare, and it isn't fair,
But then she catch you n' you know that she don't really care,

Yeh that's how it is-- up in Chi-city,
The winter's rough, but the summer's lookin' mighty pretty,

Ya tryin' to get tan girl so here's my notion
Forget the SPF-- let me cover ya with Flow-tion

Splashin' in the water, rollin' in the sand,
I'm gettin' lost in her buoys-- like it's Neverland.

Summertime in the Chi, everybody lookin' fly, get a little high pass it to the next guy,
Grab ya girl n ya know what to do-- everybody's hittin' North Avenue (2x)

Yeh we dryin' off-- in the summer rays,
Stooky rolls it up so we can get a little blaze,
When the sun sets-- it gon' get craze,
You'll see me beamin' while they screamin' out for B-Fraze

---So if you down then sing with it me,
cuz I do it for my boys n I do it for my biddy,
Pass the bottle round, let's just get a little shitty,
Sing it loud, sing it proud--throw it down for my city

Summertime in the Chi, everybody lookin' fly, get a little high pass it to the next guy,
Grab ya girl n ya know what to do-- everybody's hittin' North Avenue (2x)

Summertime in the Chi--- yeh, yeh, we reppin' Chi-Town
Summer time in the Chi--- yeh. yeh you know how it is

Summertime in the Chi, everybody lookin' fly, get a little high pass it to the next guy,

 Grab ya girl n ya know what to do-- everybody's hittin' North Avenue

The Final Fraze

As I watched the clock tick down in the fourth quarter of our playoff game Friday evening, it finally hit me that my four years as a student and a lacrosse player at the University of Kansas was coming to an end. I looked myself down, admired the crimson and blue colors on my uniform and knew that this would be the last time I would be standing between the pipes at a competitive level—well, as competitive as Division 1 “club” lacrosse can get, but I’m having a moment here so cut me some slack. 

Anyways, I circled the crease a couple times, tapped the pipes with my cleats, felt the turf and tried, for the first time in my athletic career, to soak in and appreciate the 5 minutes that I had left in cage.

That was the fastest 5 minutes of my life.

Time is a funny thing. It’s something we’re all short of, yet we cannot fully appreciate it until it has passed. Throughout the semester, a close friend would constantly text me to urge me to enjoy practice, enjoy playing and to leave happy. If there’s one thing I regret in my 4 seasons at KU, it’s that I never really listened to that advice. Until those final 5 minutes, I never really took a second to step back and smell the roses and I never really allowed myself to fully appreciate the opportunity and the gift that I was given.

For those of you who know me best, you know that I am, if anything, hyper-competitive. I hate losing more than anything on this earth, even more than salmon—and I hate salmon.  

Day after day, practice after practice I would return home angry about something I could have done better. I was never satisfied and was constantly critiquing my performance. In many ways, this quality has proved to be beneficial. I had undoubtedly my best season to date, and, more importantly, our team did too. This drive is also applicable to many other aspects in my life, whether it is with school work, music, videos…etc. I am by far my biggest critic. With that said, living a life with a constant hunger is to live a life knowing you will never be fully satisfied. And to live a life without satisfaction is one that will leave you a with constant feeling of emptiness—no matter how full your stomach is.

Now I’m not saying I’ve had a huge revelation and am going to change my mentality all together, but again, it all buckles down to this “time” thing. 

Growing up, I listened to all the crazy stories my dad would tell me about his college days and I always thought, “I can’t wait to get there.” The one thing he would reiterate to me was to enjoy my time there, because it goes quick— Well, Dad, I think I speak for myself, and every other graduating senior when I say you could not have been more right.

That $h!t flied.

There’s that old cliché saying that “time flies when you’re having fun” and it’s true. But I’m here today to challenge that a bit. I’m here to remind you all that “time flies—period.”

Sure, pulling an all-nighter to cram for that bull$h!t gen-ed course—knowing you’re bound to forget all the material by 5pm that day—seemed like it lasted a century at the time, but how about right now? A blur, right? Now #That$h!tCray, Kanye.

At halftime of our game, I urged my teammates to leave everything on the field. To give this final 30 minutes absolutely everything they had so at the end of the game, win or lose, we knew we gave it our all. Coming into this game, our team was bumped, bruised and beat up in every which way you could imagine. We were short on numbers and missing some key players, but I know that for at least those last 30 minutes, they gave it their all. Although we made a push at the end of the game, it just wasn’t enough and we came up short, thus, marking the end of my athletic career.

Maybe that’s why I’m writing today—to serve as a reminder that time just doesn’t fly when you’re having fun, but time flies—period.

In the 4 years I’ve spent at KU, I can’t recall every time I’ve gotten drunk. I can’t recall every time I’ve been to a basketball game. I can’t even recall every time I’ve gotten laid—sorry Ma. But what I can recall, are the people that have been right there with me from the start. I guess this ties into the whole “it’s not the memories you have, but who you share them with” idea. It’s about sharing your life and creating memories with the people you care about and with the people who care about you.

New friends are picked up and dropped in college like 3hr credits each semester. People come into your life when it’s relevant or convenient and disappear faster than a 4.0 GPA freshman year. And that’s okay. People have their own motives and intentions, as they should. But from my experiences, I’ve learned that it’s important to never hold anyone to your own expectations, if you do, then you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. It’s great to have a lot of friends, relationships…etc., all I’m saying is, find the people who you know in your heart of hearts will be there for you at the drop of a hat, and cherish them when they are.

Final Fraze: Graduating From The Golden Years

When I wrote my first single, “Golden Years” this past January, what I was thinking about was essentially the time leading up to graduation. The chorus plays, “This is the song that is gonna make you wanna shout, so let it flow—don’t hold it in, let it out. Time goes fast soon we gonna have to face our fears, but while we here let’s throw it down for the Golden Years.”

Now that the lacrosse season is officially over, graduation is approaching and me and my fellow seniors will soon be out in the real world, I guess my advice to those of you who still have time remaining in school or in any endeavors in life would be to not wait until half-time to realize the clock is ticking. Don’t wait until the final 5 minutes to appreciate the moment and the opportunity you’ve been given. And don’t wait until it’s too late to appreciate the people who have been at your side from the get-go. Appreciate them now, cherish them now and live for right now.

Finally, never leave yourself wondering, “what if?”—Get off your @$$, and go find out. After all, there’s no better time than now. Time flies—#period.

Much love and all the best,

-Fraze

New Release: The Voicemail

Thanks to everyone's effort to help me achieve my goal of reaching 1000 views for "Golden Years" on YouTube in just under a month, I am dropping my new single "The Voicemail" three days before its set release date of February 8!

Can't thank you guys enough for the support. One week ago, this track was just a thought in my head, now I'm all set and ready to bring it to you all-- crazy what we can do these days with technology and a little inspiration, isn't it?

With that said, let's get to the track... #1000thanks and enjoy.
-bfw

 

-The Voicemail-

Yo I'm scrolling through my phone- girl just starin' at your name,

Pullin' out my f*ckin' hair cuz I hate this f*ckin' game,

Yeh, I'm stressin' really hard and I'm fillin' up with blame,

Girl ya got me in a funk-- it's like I'm wakin' up with pain

I love ya laugh and I love ya little smile,

but thinkin' bout ya hurts cuz I ain't seen ya in awhile,

We could really make this work-- so let's just runna lil trial,

Instead ya toss me to the crocs-- yeh, I'm drownin' like the Nile

You see these other girls really ain't my style,

Take they daddy's card n they charge 'em like a rhino,

Hit the spray tan-- cuz they lookin' albino

But ladies do ya thing- yeh, what the hell do I know?

   

Ain't it sad though? That's how love go.

Finally find a Philly and the Philly f*cks with my flow?

Take my f*ckin' heart and ya string it like a Yoyo,

I'ma call ya Mrs. Claus-- b!tch ya actin' like a HoHo

"Even though you actin' wack, girl I always gotcha back, that's fact, yeh you are my one and only choice,
Wanna be there everyday, Put your message on replay, I know it's lame, but I only wanna hear your voice." (2x)

Give me the opportunity, for unity,

Girl I'm talkin' you and me, Can't ya see

This could be our destiny-- 

so I ain't gon' "Let It Be."

-- no disrespect to the Beatles,

I'm cravin' for your love-- lick my finga's like they cheetos,

That's one thing that's for sure-- just like Jersey with its Guido's

Ya cut me really deep-- it's like you like to watch me bleedo

--Gotta veto

--girl stop puttin' me on hold,

I'm tryin' to be supportive but this sh!t is gettin' old,

Ya dealin me some deuces-- I ain't eva gonna fold,

I'ma bet on me and you, I'll double-down-- I'm feelin' bold

-- Yeh

Gotta shape up-- go on getcha sh!t together,

This sh!t is gettin' Messi-- like we divin' for the header,

F*ck that other dude-- you should stick with me instead'er

Don't wanna hear excuses, cuz you know I'll do it better

You keep pushin' me away-- but I ain't eva gonna letcha

"Even though you actin' wack, girl I always gotcha back, that's fact, yeh you are my one and only choice,
Wanna be there everyday, Put your message on replay, I know it's lame, but I only wanna hear your voice." (2x)

FOR DOWNLOAD LINK, CLICK HERE

What do you guys think of the new track? Get at me on twitter (@BrianFraze) and let me know! Always love any and all feedback.

First Look: "The Voicemail"

So after the January 13 release of my first MixTape "Opening Fraze," I'm all set and ready to put out a new single this Wednesday, February 8th. The track is called, "The Voicemail" and it has a bit of a different feel to it than some of my work.

With The Voicemail, I tried to open up a bit and show a little more of the sensitive side-- yes, believe it or not I have one. The beat I sampled is a jazzy remix of "To Live and Die in L.A." by 2pac-- I know, bold move remixing one of pac's hits, but I think I gave this one a totally different feel with the lyrics/flow and was able to make this one my own.

On a side-note, I think I set a personal record with this track. I got the inspiration to write it at around 9pm on Sunday evening (January 29) and was finished by 9:45. Busted out the mic the next day and two takes later it was done. "#PatsSelfOnTheBack"

The Voicemail follows the storyline of a guy reaching out to his girl through a voice message to let her know that it's time for her to get her act together and "even though she's been acting wack, he'll always have her back,"-- chorus spoiler alert? Kinda sorta.

Also, keep your ears open for a vocal cameo from the lovely Ms. Chelsea Jacobson at the beginning of the track-- thanks Chels!

Final Fraze
As stated above, The Voicemail is set to be released Wednesday, February 8th. HOWEVER: If my first single, "Golden Years" hits 1000 views on YouTube before the 8th... I will drop The Voicemail right then and there! I'd love to get this out to you guys as quickly as possible so I'm counting on everyone to help spread the word! Can't do it by myself!

Much love and Keep it Cheaaal.

Golden Years

 Check out the single track "Golden Years" feat' Jocelyn Buchanan, off my upcoming mix-tape "Opening Fraze!"

Golden Years

Kickin' back with my boys-- get a little drunk,
Lay out some green-- n' Stooky rolls little blunt,
We Super Smash-- gonna hit 'em with the Falcon Punch,
We startin early-- man I'm eatin dinner with my lunch,

It settles in n' we start to get a little blaze,
I'm feelin dizzy-- yeh my life is foggy, in a haze,
Time is flyin, man what happened to our brighter days?
I was just Brian, now the shorty's scream for Mista Fraze.

I lay in bed, late at night and I wonder why,
How is it time, has just crept up on n' passed me by?

A couple months-- then we on our own to face our fears,
But while we here, let's throw one down for the Golden Years.
 

This is the song that is gonna make ya wanna shout,
So let it flow, don't hold it in-- let it out,
Time goes fast, soon we gonna have to face our fears,

But while we here, let's raise one up for the Golden Years.

But while we here, let's throw one down for the Golden Years.

Golden Years. These are our Golden Years. These are our Golden Years. These are our Golden Years.

A little later and the hunnies start to roll by,
Tilt my cap, shine my kicks-- lookin' real fly,
Clean up the crib-- cuz it's lookin' like a pig sty,
I grab a bottle-- all homies down throw five,

We rollin' out-- got the sober driver handy,
I'll take ya shot-- even though it taste like candy,
I don't mind-- cuz it makes us feel real dandy,
Name it Austin Powers, yeh we startin to get randy

Stumblin' home and we lookin' for the night cap,
Blast some tunes, find yer girl, play some booty tap,
--not too hard or yer bound to get a face slap,
but shake it off-- c'mon girl-- have a little laugh.

Life's too short, it'll all be gone before ya know,
Can't be stressed, filled with hate-- gotta let it go, 
Cuz Ya Only Live Once-- like YOLO
This is our time, it's our Golden Years-- so let it flow.
  

This is the song that is gonna make ya wanna shout,
So let it flow, don't hold it in-- let it out,
Time goes fast, soon we gonna have to face our fears,

But while we here, let's throw one for the Golden Years.

 But while we here, let's throw one down for the Golden Years.

Golden Years. These are our Golden Years. These are our Golden Years. These are our Golden Years.

This is the song that is gonna make ya wanna shout,
So let it flow, don't hold it in-- let it out,
Time goes fast, soon we gonna have to face our fears,

But while we here, let's throw one for the Golden Years.

 But while we here, let's raise it UP for the Golden Years. (3x)