Young, Rich & Dangerous (KD Engaged)

"I got this dawg! We'll I think. You like this shirt tho?"

“Young, Rich and Dangerous” was the title of the Final CD of my lil' homies from the "A", Kriss Kross in 1996 (R.I.P. Chris Kelly). It should however, be the soundtrack of Kevin Durant's life or any pro athlete in their prime for that matter. Sources have confirmed that KD has just gotten engaged to his girlfriend Monica Wright who is the point guard for the Minnesota Lynx. LeBron recently got engaged to his long time girl too. I guess congrats are in order but on some real talk the O.G. in me says, "Slow down young fellas, all young pro athletes! You ain't ready to be nobody's husband." Why? Well, sit in the cut and let me break it down for you playboy.

You’re a young 24 year old professional athlete, and you’ve just signed a brand new 5 year deal worth more than 80 million dollars and in some cases more than $100 million. The “Young and Rich” part you get, but “Dangerous” you don’t agree with, right?

 See, you’re not the one that’s necessarily dangerous, however the world that you’ve just been thrown into is. Look into my crystal ball young brothers. You still can’t wrap your mind around just how much $80 to $100 million is, but you have a pretty good idea of what you can do with it. Just about anything you’ve ever wanted to do.

See money is like alcohol it doesn’t change you, it just brings out what’s already inside of you. In 2007 B.M., that’s “Before Money”, you were the big man on campus (BMOC) with a girlfriend. However, the coeds just kept finding their way into your dorm room uninvited. That’s what happens when you’re the most popular guy on campus. Now that you’ve got the money and fame the campus just got bigger. You travel from coast to coast playing ball and in every night club you hit, every dun in the place wants to be you and every chick in the place wants be with you.

 That’s a drug all to itself and it’s easy to overdose on that combination playa. Now I’m not saying that all men cheat, what I am saying is that all men are human. So if you’re away from home 30 out of the 52 weeks in a year for sometimes weeks at a time, with women doing everything they can to get at you, that becomes a bit too much to handle. I’m not talking about your everyday women. I’m talking about cosmetic 10’s, the movie star types that follow you around like a puppy.

See we can’t compare a pro athlete to the normal working class cat. The normal guy has to typically initiate contact with a woman. So he has to at least be mischievous enough to play with the matches to start a fire. With a pro ball player… he’s running through the forest while it’s already burning playboy. Women are constantly following these guys from city to city and many times even making their way into hotel rooms uninvited. Sound familiar? Now I’m not saying that all women are groupies, I am saying that all of the women that are constantly in your face are. It’s like being a drug addict and saying that you’re going over to the drug house just to play dominos.

Let’s face it, some lifestyles aren’t conducive to having monogamous relationships. I don’t care if she was your college or high school sweetheart. When you guys met you were broke and women weren’t showing up at all hours of the night uninvited and undressed. Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! The woman that you decide to marry knows full well that she isn’t the only one. So who’s fooling who, especially if she met you in 2012 A.M., that’s “After Money” pimpin'.

 Even if you think that you love her you aren’t mature enough to handle what’s coming your way on a daily basis. I just think that you should wait until after you retire when you’re settled enough to be someone’s husband. Your lifestyle will have changed by then and you won’t be in the hot spots all over the country, nightly. By the time you’re in your late 30’s or early 40’s you’ll be ready homeboy.

There’s no rule to say that you have to marry young i.e. Tiger, Kobe etc. You’ll also meet women that should be well into their careers by then… ladies that have more to lose than some young groupie trying to get pregnant and paid at your expense. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s some old groupies out there too but when you’re older you’ll at least be able to recognize the game. That will keep you from getting caught up at the minimum.

 I strongly believe in the full sanctity of marriage because I've been in the game for eleven years and it should never be disrespected. So before you try to join my frat and cross these burning sands my brother think long and hard about what you're doing. You’ll have to get rid of all the girlfriends and be able to keep your butt at home. However, in the mist of being a professional athlete that’s virtually impossible. Stop me when I start lyin' playa!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
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The quote under the caption isn't real but its REAL talk!