Who's with you against the world?

Today I cried. I cried because I lost my best friend.

No she didn't die. No she didn't move away. Actually she's in the same place that she's always been...right down the street.


We actually haven't spoken in over a year over something that best friends should be able to get over. But because of our strong personalities, we both waited for the other to call and apologize, and obviously neither of us budged.

Until today.

I called her. I called her and asked how she was doing. I called her and I apologized. She apologized too.

Very rarely do I say I'm going to be the bigger person when I feel like someone did me wrong. But today I got sad. I thought of all the people I'm friends with, all the people that I've been friends with. I realized that she was always the one person that I could always rely on.

For a long time, it was me and her against the world. Even when we both were in relationships, it was me and her against the world. And today, I felt like I was against the world, and it killed me to know that it was just me, just me against the world.

I love my boyfriend, and I know he's always going to be there for me. But he can't offer me that best friend relationship I need because he's got his own best friend.

So I screwed up. A year ago I didn't think about how rude and crude this world could be. I didn't think how much I needed her. I was only thinking of how she hurt me at that moment. But I didn't think about how much other people hurt me and how often she was there.

We had a strong friendship. Although I've found people that I had more things in common with, they still didn't get me the way she did.

So today I called her. I called her and asked how she was doing. I called her and I apologized. She apologized too.

But at the end of the conversation, she still felt a million miles away. I lost my best friend.

So if you read this, I encourage you to tell that one person who is with you when you're against the world and the world is against you that you never want to lose them. Because when you don't have that person, its the most empty feeling in the world.

Who is new artist J Rab?

With the businessman mentality of Diddy, the work ethic of Jay-Z and the rawness of Tupac, up and coming rapper J-Rab is Determined.

J-Rab, born Jonathan Graham, started life in Chester, Pa. where he recalls it being dangerous and crazy.

“Every night gun shots, never knew who’s getting shot at,” said the young rapper who lived with his mother and sister at the time. 

His mother, who worked a 9-5 job, did everything she could to provide a good life for her children. It was also due to his mother that he was first introduced to music.

“Every time I went home it was nothing but WDAS,” he said. “I remember Saturday mornings with the Temptations. I remember being in the car, 70’s hits…I loved the emotion they brought to music, it felt good.”

At the age of 7, J Rab and his family moved to Wilmington, DE to live with his father whom his mother then married. The transition from one environment to another was tough for the young boy. His experience moving to a new location and making new friends is featured on a song called February 1^st which is on his first mixtape – Distracted.

“First it was a thrill song, just the emotion of what I’ve been through in Chester and childhood, the things I went through and the people I met. [The song] was my life story until now,” he said.

However, just as any child new to a neighborhood, he became close friends with his next door neighbor, a strong friendship that has lasted until this day.

Continuing to live life as a regular boy, there was a connection to music that while it was not strong at the time, it still persisted. Looking up to rappers LL Cool J and Biggie Smalls, the young Jonathan grooved to the sounds of rap, slowly growing a stronger appreciation for the content and artists.

“My favorite rapper was Will Smith. He was just fun and fearless. He took chances with music that a lot of people weren’t doing and that’s what hip-hop is about. That’s what makes icons.”

J Rab recalls the first time he heard Tupac’s “Keeping Your Head” and Jay-Z’s “Dynasty” as moments in his life that he realized the power of words.

Around the same time in his life Jonathan and his friend created a rap group called Baseline, where he acquired his rap name. 

“J Rab is that guy that shows the true emotion how Jonathan actually feels. J Rab is the spokesperson for myself and people around me. J Rab is the artist…Jon is the down to earth business guy that you can talk to about anything.”

While working with Baseline that’s when he realized “this is what I want to do every day.”

One of his first songs was called Romeo & Juliet. The amateur song was about the excitement of new relationships and young love.

“Did Romeo find his Juliet? Juliet replies with saying yes. And also Romeo your amazing and I just laugh and say Juliet you crazy,” were the words of the hook that reflected Jonathan’s relationship with a girl who you called Juliet and she called him Romeo.

The high school years were some of the most influential years for J Rab. During these years he gained his business sense, was introduced to dressing in business attire, met and acquired a tolerance and appreciation for people in other cultures.

When deciding to further his education, he enrolled at Lincoln University, the first Historically Black College/University. Although Lincoln is a predominately black institution, the experience allowed him to continue to meet people from different cultures and backgrounds. 

“It showed me diversity,” he said. “It was priceless, best memories of my life were going to Lincoln.”

Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties and family issues, he had to withdraw from Lincoln after freshmen year.

In the summer of 2010 J Rab relocated to Memphis, Tenn. with his grandmother, aunt and cousin on his mother’s side.

“I had Memphis and Atlanta as an option, and the mature decision was to go to Memphis…just to become a better man.”

Now fully focused on creating and promoting his music, J Rab is finishing his second Mixtape called Determined. 

“Determined is the everyday life story of people trying to reach success. This is more hard, more griddy,” he said when comparing to his last project.

Pulling inspiration from any and everything, J Rab admires and recently began researching one of the most powerful yet ruthless men in history – Hitler. 

“His moves were very strategic, like a chess player, always one step ahead. He just knew when it was his time to go,” said J Rab. “You have to be strategic in life…have to know when to make that right move and when to be two steps ahead.”

And that’s just what he is trying to do by using internet websites and social media networks to promote his music. He even created an event called Turn It Up Tuesdays, the weekly release of original tracks. 

“You can’t promote music like you live in the 90’s. If you do something that has been done in the past, people are not going to get with that.”

J Rab’s next move consists of relocation to Atlanta where he say’s the energy is unheard of and he believes is a great place to grow as a person and an artist.

The release date for Determined is undetermined but one thing is for sure, the album is guaranteed to cause some buzz.