The year was 1999. 2 young freshman, Drew Carter and Emeka Onyejekwe aka Mekka Don were living out a dream held by every young boy growing up in Ohio, playing football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Both had only played one year of organized football at the high school level, but both were blessed with speed, a talent that can't be coached.Buckeye football is a true fraternity and the two developed a close friendship. Their lives took different paths, as Drew went on to get drafted by The Carolina Panthers of the NFL, and Mekka pursuing a career as a lawyer/rapper. Drew recently made a trip out to NY, and a friendly discussion turned into a heated debate about who was the better athlete. There was only one way to settle the debate, by putting on some pads and a helmet and going toe to toe.
TALE OF THE TAPE DREW CARTER HEIGHT: 6'4" (even tall people lie about their height he's listed at 6'3") WEIGHT: 200 OHIO STATE FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE: 1999-2004 NFL EXPERIENCE: 6 YEARS ATTRIBUTES: HEIGHT, SPEED, VERTICAL, REACH TRASH TALK: "EVERY RAPPER SECRETLY WISHES HE WAS AN ATHLETE. I'M GOING TO PERMANENTLY DESTROY HIS DREAMS OF BECOMING THE BO JACKSON OF HIP HOP."
EMEKA ONYEJEKWE AKA MEKKA DON HEIGHT: 6'0" (again I think he's closer to 5'11") WEIGHT: 188 OHIO STATE FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE: 1999-2001 NFL EXPERIENCE: 0 ATTRIBUTES: STRENGTH, SPEED, DETERMINATION TRASH TALK: "EVERY ATHLETE WISHES THEY COULD BE A RAPPER. AFTER I EMBARRASS HIM, DREW WILL BE LOOKING FOR WORK AS DRAKE'S BODY DOUBLE."
Cleveland Is The City Where We Come From So Run! Bone Thugs and Harmony have reunited and Bizzy Bone is BACK!!! Check out Mekka Don and Bizzy Bone's Latest Anthem0 "IV THE LOVE REMIX!" It's starting to feel like an Ohio takeover is coming soon.
"That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." BIOGRAPHY (TEXT FROM NASA.COM) Those are the famous words uttered by the first man to walk on the moon as he made his first step. That man of course is Wapakoneta, Ohio's own Neil Armstrong. Check his bio and the following clips.
Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. He began his NASA career in Ohio.
After serving as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955. His first assignment was with the NACA Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn) in Cleveland. Over the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
As a research pilot at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., he was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known, 4000-mph X-15. He has flown over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.
Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.
As spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its surface.
Armstrong subsequently held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to aeronautics.
He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979. During the years 1982-1992, Armstrong was chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc., Charlottesville, Va.
He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California. He holds honorary doctorates from a number of universities.
Armstrong is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society; Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the International Astronautics Federation.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. He served as a member of the National Commission on Space (1985-1986), as Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (1986), and as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Peace Corps (1971-1973).
Armstrong has been decorated by 17 countries. He is the recipient of many special honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Congressional Space Medal of Honor; the Explorers Club Medal; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Harmon International Aviation Trophy; the Royal Geographic Society's Gold Medal; the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Space Medal; the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award; the Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA Astronautics Award; the Octave Chanute Award; and the John J. Montgomery Award. FIRST MOON LANDING VIDEO
He's the biggest sports star in America, the future of the NBA, and a star amongst stars. Where does he come from ? A little town called Akron. Check out Lebron express his love for his hometown and how it made him who he is.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have landed Shaquille O'Neal in a 3 player deal for Sasha Pavlovic And Ben Wallace. Shaq's arrival is going to really give the city a much needed boost and a much needed pr rep. Shaq will definitely increase the spotlight on the rustiest of the rust belt cities. I personally am excited at the prospect of Lebron finally having a real center. For years I've complained about the fact that we need a new center. Z has been a loyal Cavalier but he's a center who can't play in the post. I was down after the loss to the Magic but it seems they acknowledged their issues and made an attempt to maek the team better. That's all you can ask for as a fan. Although it is a gamble considering shaq is 37 and who knows how long those knees can continue to hold that weight. However, it is only a one year gamble that gives the Cavaliers a lot of options in the free agent market if it doesn't work out.
Chukwuemeka Nnamdi Onyejekwe , also known as Mekka Don, is an American rapper, actor, model, lawyer, and entrepreneur. His projects include collaborations with Bizzy Bone, D.J. Mick Boogie, Sixth Sense, and The Kickdrums. Most recently, his decision to leave his job as a New York attorney for a career as a rapper drew a mixture of praise and criticism on the law blog Above the Law following a feature on him that appeared in the ABA Journal. This decision was also profiled in the July 2008 issue of the hip-hop magazine XXL.
Background and Education
Mekka Don was born Chukwuemeka ("Emeka") N. Onyejekwe was born on September 6, 1981 in Columbus, OH. He graduated from St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, OH where he was a two-sport star and member of DeSales’ State Champion soccer team as a junior and football team as a senior. He was invited to walk on The Ohio State University football team where he played wide-receiver and defensive back from 1999-2001.
Following his graduation from Ohio State, Mekka Don attended New York University School of Law, graduating in 2006 and passing the New York State Bar Exam that same year. He worked as an associate attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP briefly before leaving to pursue a music career.
Career and Music
Mekka Don began rapping and performing as early as 1999, but did not take to rapping professionally until he left his job as a lawyer in 2006. He has been quoted as saying that rapping is his "passion". He has enjoyed early success with his single "U Know Mekka Don" reaching #2 on the college radio site www.rapattacklives.com surpassing singles from the likes of Lupe Fiasco, The Rza, and other well known artists He recently released a mix-tape with D.J. Mick Boogie entitled "Law and Order."in late 2008 mekka don released "For The Love" feat. machine gun kelly, and "I Wanna Play For The Angels". both produced by indiana producer brian "tails" harris. He has generated a large following on www.myspace.com where many of his songs can be found and on www.youtube.com which contains pilots of his reality show The Legal Hustler.[11] Mekka Don' unusual career path was written up in the July 2008 issue of XXL Magazine in a story entitled Keep Pushin. Mekka Don has also played a lead role in the critically-acclaimed film, Sweeter Without Sugar (featured as "Wes") which was a Best Feature nominee in the 2006 African American Women In Cinema Film Festival.
Mekka Don has become most notable for the release of an album with DJ Mick Boogie on January 13th, 2009 entitled "The All Eyes On Me EP." The album was written through the eyes of Barack Obama and showcased the difficulties he will face as President of the United States. The album received critical acclaim with URB.com calling it "a beautiful stage show."The New York Daily News believes Mekka Don is "bringing change to rap." The Source Magazine called the album, "Your Inauguration Day Soundtrack." [15] The album is available for free download on URB.com and on mekkadon.blogspot.com. Controversy
Mekka Don's decision to leave his lucrative job as a New York City attorney to pursue a career in hip-hop has been met with extreme criticism. Though the popular law blog Above the Law did not opine on the merits of his decision in its story, several of the blog's readers were harshly critical of his decision.[16] Mekka Don later stated that he is "trying to show that you can still make money, have swagger, have fun, and be young – all while doing things positively" and that "you only live once, so GO FOR YOUR DREAMS".
MEKKA DON THE "LEGAL" HUSTLER
MEKKA DON "DEAR OBAMA"
MEKKA DON PERFORMING WITH 6th Sense at the Knitting Factory NYC
"Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it and you'll start believing it."
Jesse Owens, the son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave, achieved what no Olympian before him had accomplished. His stunning achievement of four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin has made him the best remembered athlete in Olympic history.
The seventh child of Henry and Emma Alexander Owens was named James Cleveland when he was born in Alabama on September 12, 1913. "J.C.", as he was called, was nine when the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where his new schoolteacher gave him the name that was to become known around the world. The teacher was told "J.C." when she asked his name to enter in her roll book, but she thought he said "Jesse". The name stuck and he would be known as Jesse Owens for the rest of his life.
His promising athletic career began in 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio where he set Junior High School records by clearing 6 feet in the high jump, and leaping 22 feet 11 3/4 inches in the broad jump. During his high school days, he won all of the major track events, including the Ohio state championship three consecutive years. At the National Interscholastic meet in Chicago, during his senior year, he set a new high school world record by running the 100 yard dash in 9.4 seconds to tie the accepted world record, and he created a new high school world record in the 220 yard dash by running the distance in 20.7 seconds. A week earlier he had set a new world record in the broad jump by jumping 24 feet 11 3/4 inches. Owens' sensational high school track career resulted in him being recruited by dozens of colleges. Owens chose the Ohio State University, even though OSU could not offer a track scholarship at the time. He worked a number of jobs to support himself and his young wife, Ruth. He worked as a night elevator operator, a waiter, he pumped gas, worked in the library stacks, and served a stint as a page in the Ohio Statehouse, all of this in between practice and record setting on the field in intercollegiate competition. READ MORE FROM JESSE OWENS.COM HERE
QUICK SUMMARY OF THE BUCKEYE BULLET Birth name: James Cleveland Owens Name change: Jesse Owens Nickname: The Buckeye Bullet Born: September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama Died: March 31, 1980 in Tucson, Arizona Buried in Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
Height: 5'10" Weight: 165 lbs. Hair color: Black Eye color: Brown
High school: Cleveland East Technical High School College: Ohio State University
Parents: Henry and Emma Owens Siblings: Six brothers and sisters Spouse: Ruth Children: Gloria, Beverly and Marlene
Accomplishments & Awards * Jesse set or tied national high school records in the 100 yard dash, 200-yard dash, and the long jump * After a stellar high school career, he attended Ohio State University * On May 25, 1935, at the Big Ten Conference Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Owens broke three world records (long jump, 220-yard dash and 220-yard low hurdles) and tied a fourth (100-yard dash), all in a 45 minute span * In his junior year at Ohio State, Owens competed in 42 events and won them all, including four in the Big Ten Championships, four in the NCAA Championships, two in the AAU Championships and three at the Olympic Trials * In 1936, Jesse became the first American in Olympic Track and Field history to win four gold medals in a single Olympiad by winning four gold medals: 100 meter dash in 10.3 seconds (tying the world record), long jump with a jump of 26' 5 1/4" (Olympic record), 200 meter dash in 20.7 seconds (Olympic record), and 400 meter relay (first leg) in 39.8 seconds (Olympic and world record) * In 1976, Jesse was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award bestowed upon a civilian, by Gerald R. Ford * Owens was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush.
EMEKA ONYEJEKWE AKA MEKKA DON
