"No One On The Corner Has S_____r Like Us"

Swagger, swagger, swag, swagger. It seems to be the hype of 2008. In between Old Spice releasing a deodorant of the same name and the catchy T.I. song, many are left to wonder, what the hell is swagger?

My stand on it, if you have to ask, odds are you don't have it.

Well, let me tell you what swagger is NOT. Swagger is not an undeserved sense of accomplishment, it isn't necessarily all over-confidence or a cocky attitude, and last but not least, it isn't defined by how much you brag about yourself.

"Ok, Empathy, I was led to believe that this is what swagger is. What is swagger?"

Ok, young Padawan, let me address that first issue. Though, the only thing you hear from rappers who talk about their swag being about big dollars, being the best and et cetera, that is their swag, not yours.

Swagger is not something you gain or find, swagger exists within you from the first day you were born and will until you die. "What is it, E-M-P, I must know." Ok, ok.

A man with swagger finds it unnecessary to mention it, if you got it, you got it. First and foremost, your swagger doesn't radiate as much as it should if you don't have these down, Style, Hygiene, and Mood. What I found works with bringing your swagger out goes hand and hand with this quote I found by George Washington Carter, "When you do common things in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."

Now, many who know me, know, I'm all about fashion and bullshit. So, me and Ace used to do this thing at the beginning of the college year called "Formal Friday". What we would do is dress in either a really stylish business-esque manner or in just something really outlandish. We did the polos and slacks and sweater vest and khakis bit, we did suit jackets, and I was outshined both times, I was cool because I was me and he was he.

Now, one Friday came up and we decided to rock these Chinese silk robes, both owned by Ace. We stepped foot outside and shit was all good. All of a sudden, all the P.A.N.C.A.K.E.S started showing me mad love, complimenting my swagger and what not. This resulted in a heated Ace, but that's beside the point.

Excuse my French, but I learned in the Nigger Bible, a (excuse me again) Nigger must know what to wear AND how to wear it. I did a common thing, wear clothes, and did it in an uncommon way, wearing a silk Chinese robe, and I'll be damned, I commanded the attention of the world.

Hygiene. Possibly the number one thing they taught us in school. From what I've found (not from my personal experience), you don't have to have a good rap sheet in the bath, but that just tells you how nasty some women are. Anyway, find a signature haircut, that's part of the swagger. Don't go and rock Tapers and Fades because your favorite rapper or actor has one and it seems to get them attention, keep in mind, they're doing them. Stay well groomed, I find this one hard because razor bumps are a bitch to me, ha ha.

Mood, possibly the most important of my Swagger Trifectum. If you're always angry or always sad, nobody wants that in their lives, some Schizophrenic nut case. Peep game, the best thing you can do for yourself if you want your swagger to attract attention is to lay up in the cut, if you will. This is the tip most emcees give to readers during interviews, it's all about how you handle situations. It's all about how nothing affects your good mood, and it's about how you carry yourself, not an arrogant superior attitude.

There's a difference between self-confidence and arrogance. The key word is "self" in self-confidence, when you are on point about what you're doing, you know and if other people notice, that's fine. Arrogance is a feeling of superiority over others for no reason, badgering others with your irrelevant achievements.

"So, Empathy, if you know so much about swagger, whycome you don't run through chicks like draws?"

See, it's a dog-eat-dog world, and if I so chose, I'd be Cujo, but my ego is Todo, see me?

There are plenty of home skillets with mean swaggers, but a lot of these swaggers are fronts, protecting an undeveloped or unrespected self, that's why these cats run through women, heartbreaking and such to protect themselves from, well......themselves.

I could care less about the rat race, I shall join before it is too late, ya?

Oh yes, let me leave you with this:

"To be a gangster, swagger is not a must, it is a liability, a cliche, a bad suit, cut the bullshit!"

So all in all, stop hiding behind or chasing this "SWAGGER", be a gangster!

I dunno....

The E-M-P'll Say P.E.A.C.E