Author Archives: Anthony Hamilton

24 Hours…A Look Back

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Anthony Hamilton

The fun is over, and it was a really big night for those of us who participated in A&M’s Got Talent. The show was well thought out, and it was a first-class production all the way around. This story is about my 24 hours leading up to and performing in the talent show.
I must make light of the fact that being chosen 1 of the 10 was a very big deal for me. I’ve been involved with music for decades, singing, rapping, playing instruments, and writing songs. The opportunity to perform for an audience is a joy to me, and something that I’ve always been very serious about, and our talent show was no different.

My 24 hours obviously started with rehearsal the night before the talent show. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet some students that I didn’t know, and hang out and have fun with them. The rehearsal was the opportunity to do our sound checks, and “tweak” our performances so that on Friday we would be as professional as possible.

During the course of rehearsal everyone got a bird’s eye view of their competition. I (personally) ran into trouble as a result of my work-ethic, as I worked a tad bit too hard in rehearsal, and ultimately I would pay for it during the show. I became hoarse right after rehearsal, and the big thing after rehearsal was getting home, and getting a steady diet of hot tea, honey and lemon, in an attempt to clear my voice up.

After a good night of sleep, the next morning, it was more hot tea and lemon, the a couple of light rehearsals to ensure I remembered the lyrics to my song, before stepping out to take care of errands that I’ve heard many professional singers speak of on the day of their big shows. I know from experience that a major part of any performance is appearance. Many artists don’t get the full support of record labels because their appearance is not deemed profitable. My first stop was the barber shop, followed by a pre-show meal at KFC and a trip to the cleaners to pick up my outfit.

Upon returning home, another light rehearsal before heading to school, and going to the fourth floor to unwind a bit and reflect. Now I would be lying if I said I didn’t hope to win, but anytime I participate in a show, my first order of business is giving my best. Since I was closing the show, I had a lot of time to think about my performance. The audience was lively, and our Masters of Ceremonies were very entertaining. I enjoyed every minute of the show up to my time to go on stage.

When I began my performance, I ran into the trouble I spoke of earlier. I went hoarse upon singing my first line. I tried to be a trooper about it, but I was so disappointed because of all the hard work preparing, but in reflection, it was still a lot of fun.

In closing, I want to congratulate 3rd place winner Alana Briley, 2nd place winner Shalese Mitchell, both very talented singers, and 1st place winner Malik Tucker with his dance tribute to Michael Jackson. They brought the house down! I personally am proud of all our contestants. It takes a lot of courage to stand on that stage and perform in front of a large audience. I am hoping next year will be just as much fun.

Ambling to Grambling

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Anthony Hamilton

It was a rainy and gloomy day, yet the weather would not stand in the way of the Homecoming road trip to Grambling State University.

Those familiar with Black College Football know that the SWAC is one of the power conferences, and Grambling is one of the meccas. The Grambling State Tigers are (this year) the top team in the conference. Before the big game however, there was the 3 hour drive to GSU to attend the homecoming festivities.

I arrived in Grambling, Louisiana at about 10:30am. When I got there, the homecoming parade was already in full swing. There were floats, area high school marching bands as well as the world renown GSU Marching Tiger band, as music filled the streets of Grambling. There was also a bit of a car show mixed in, with music booming out of car systems as well. Despite the gloomy weather, a large number of people were on hand enjoying the festivities.

I’ve attended homecoming and normal games at Eddie Robinson stadium, and one of the great aspects of attending the Tigers’ games is tailgating beforehand. This day would be no different. While I didn’t partake in any grilling, I enjoyed the atmosphere provided by the music, and I was able to connect with family and friends from Northeast Louisiana that I hadn’t seen in years.

As game-time was approaching, I could imagine head-coach Broderick Fobbs worrying about his team having a letdown after last weekend’s game, a very exciting, emotional, comeback one-point victory over Alcorn State in overtime, courtesy of a blocked extra-point. That game was dubbed a preview of the SWAC championship game in December, and it lived up to all the pregame hype.

On this day, however, Coach Fobbs had nothing to worry about, as his team was razor-sharp from the opening kickoff. Grambling took a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, and then, courtesy of a 21-point second quarter, the game was out of reach by halftime as Grambling led 35-7. After taking a 42-7 lead into the fourth quarter, Coach Fobbs put his young players in to finish the game, which would be won by Grambling 49-14 on the strength of quarterback Johnathan Williams, son of former NFL quarterback Doug Williams. Williams passed for 225-yards and 2 TDs. Running back Jestin Kelly also had a big day, rushing for 159-yards on 18 carries.

For fans of GSU football, it was a great day from homecoming festivities all the way through the game, and we couldn’t have scripted a better ending.

The Century of Women

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Anthony Hamilton

It’s the Century of Women, and we have just the exhibit to pr20150929_131644ove it.

The Century of Women exhibit, on the third floor of the University Center is brought to us as part of the Victory Over Violence exhibit. The exhibit is being sponsored by Soka Gakkai International USA for World Peace. It contains women of all nationalities, and walks of life and celebrates their contributions to humanity.

One of the exhibit hosts, Mary Pegues, said that the exhibit was started by youth within their organization shortly after Columbine. Pegues said, “The actual Victory Over Violence exhibition was displayed at the University of Texas-Arlington two years ago.” The exhibit is a tribute to women who have made significant contributions to the world in ways ranging from Civil Rights, to Journalism, to fighting world hunger.

I found the exhibit interesting, as well as informative. There are women that I am familiar with, along with many that I am learning about for the first time. The two ladies that I am most informed about within the exhibit come from my studies of the Civil Rights movement. Coretta Scott-King, and Rosa Parks definitely made important contributions to humanity during that time.
We are graced with this exhibit at the request of the local Buddhist Organization. Pegues said that they tried to “piggyback the exhibit along with Homecoming, so more people would see it.” Pegues said she hopes everyone who visits the exhibit will leave understanding that women are a major source of power in this world, and they continue to make significant contributions to humanity.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about Victory Over Violence or Soka Gakkai International can contact Mary Pegues at mary.pegues50@gmail.com, or Jason Burg at (580) 280-0050.

Exhibit hosts Mary Mickens and Mary Pegues

Exhibit hosts Mary Mickens and Mary Pegues

Writing Friday Night Lights

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Anthony Hamilton

After spending a long day on one job, I have another job to go to, but this one, for me, is a whole lot of fun, at the Texarkana Gazette.

While most high school football fans are packed into the stadium, cheering on their favorite High School team I get the opportunity to report on these games after completion.

I’m an entry-level sportswriter at the Gazette. This past Friday was my second week on the job, and as expected, my learning curve, as well as what was expected of me, increased drastically.

I enjoyed every minute of it. There is a good bit of slow time early where we just follow the games on the internet and share a little bit of football talk. This time would be equivalent to the quiet before the storm, because when the games end, the phones begin to ring off the hook, and the game reports are coming really fast and furiously.

Two games I wrote about on Friday night really stood out for me. I actually wished I could have attended either one, because looking at the stat lines they both appeared to be extremely entertaining.

Hooks defeated DeKalb by virtue of a 4th quarter touchdown. DeKalb turned the ball over once, and I believe that did them in.

The other game was Nashville (Arkansas) at Watson Chapel in Pine Bluff. I’m sure both defensive coordinators were disgusted, as there was over a thousand yards of offense, and 117 total points scored in the game. I believe Watson Chapel’s coordinator should have been more upset, as they were torched by 1 player, I believe the quarterback who rushed for 362-yards, passed for 209 and had 7 touchdowns. The final score was 69-48.

I happened to receive this game right as deadline was approaching like a runaway freight train. I love the pressure though, and I got it done with a couple of minutes to spare. I got to see firsthand why deadlines are harped on in the classroom setting.

I’m happy to be able to work in my major, doing something I enjoy, and hope this is just the beginning of great things to come.

Mayweather 49 at the Cinemark 14

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Anthony Hamilton

It was fight night in Las Vegas on the big screen at Cinemark 14 right here in Texarkana, TX.

Saturday the 12th marked the last fight for pound for pound boxing King Floyd “Money” Mayweather. On the heels of a 19 year career in boxing, Mayweather insists that this will be his last fight.

Mayweather’s opponent, Andre Berto, was a former Olympic bronze medalist, and former welterweight champion, however, Berto comes into the fight in a bit of a slump, having lost 3 of his last 6 fights.

This Mayweather fight hadn’t drawn the same attention as previous Mayweather fights have, and it was evident by the atmosphere inside the theater, which was not nearly as exciting as for past Mayweather fights, but there was still a good deal of buzz.

In this fight, Mayweather was chasing boxing history, seeking to match Rocky Marciano’s undefeated record of 49 wins without ever losing a match.

However, despite Mayweather’s historical pursuit, there was not a lot of anticipation among boxing fans because the general consensus was that Berto will be easy work for Mayweather. Berto’s skill level inside the ring is not comparable according to ring insiders.

After watching a preliminary bout that saw Badou Jack win a 12-round split decision over George Groves in a super middleweight title fight, the Mayweather vs. Berto fight began at approximately 10:45 Central.

It was apparent from round 1 all the way to round 12 that the boxing purists had called this fight correctly. Mayweather was a far superior boxer with superior hand speed, accuracy as well as defense. The result, Mayweather won a unanimous decision.

If this was Mayweather’s last fight, he went out with a bang. After 19 years of perfection, love him or hate him, Mayweather’s undefeated 49-0 record will always get him mentioned in the conversations of boxing greats. He went out on top, and he did it his way.

Straight Outta Compton

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Anthony Hamilton

Beginning late last year, there was a buzz building about the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. N.W.A. came to prominence when I was younger and heavily into the club scene, so there was definitely a strong interest for me to dig deeper into their story, and REALLY find out what caused the “F**k tha Police” song. I must say, after having seen the movie it didn’t disappoint.

The story begins in 1986, set in Compton, CA, with a brief look into what each of the members were doing BEFORE the group was formed, as well as how they met and actually formed the group.

The founding members of the group were Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young. They came up with the group idea after listening to mutual friend O’Shay “Ice Cube” Jackson perform some lyrics he had written at a local club and seeing the reception he received from the crowd.

N.W.A. began to really take off after a chance meeting between Eazy-E. and Jerry Heller as Eazy was picking up a shipment of his records to distribute. Heller convinced Eazy that he could make them huge, and Eazy bought in, with Heller ultimately delivering on the promise to make them huge stars, but not without more than their share of problems.

The group caught fire quickly. Their songs about the climate at that time resonated well with their target audience, and they went on to being huge celebrities, with all the spoils that go with that. Although the media seemed to be focused on their seemingly violent persona, songs like “Express Yourself”, and “Dope Man” had strong underlying messages in them. “Express Yourself” spoke of never being afraid to speak your mind, even if it’s unpopular with the masses. “Dope Man” spoke on the many ways dope dealers end up exploiting the communities where they sell their product.

The boiling point of their existence, before beginning to crumble, was an incident outside the recording studio where they were brutalized by police while on a break from recording their album. The song “F**k tha Police” was born from that encounter. They will always be remembered for that song, and all the attention it garnered them from the F.B.I and the government, as well as the backlash from ordinary citizens who had never experienced that level of police brutality.

This was the height of their N.W.A. career. First Ice Cube, then Dr. Dre, figured out that Jerry Heller was ripping them off, and subsequently, they left the group and went on to form their own companies and ultimately become huge solo artists. By the time Eazy-E figured out the truth, it was too late for him. While in the planning stages for an N.W.A. reunion minus Heller, Eazy found out he had HIV. The movie ended on a sad note with his death from AIDS.

After all the buzz leading up to this movie, I found it very entertaining, and it brought back memories of my younger days, and the good times I had. It’s one of those movies that I could see again. It’s MUST see if you’re an N.W.A. fan, or just a fan of old school rap. As Gene Siskel used to say, I give it two thumbs up. I hadn’t been to the movies since I saw Notorious, and I must say it was an afternoon well spent.

Straight Outta Compton is playing at the Cinemark 14 theater in Texarkana, TX.