Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off's advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, "funny, serious or unpredictable." Something on your mind? Ask Willie D!

Photo courtesy of Peter Beste

LONG DISTANCE LOVE FADING

Dear Willie D:

I'm in a long-distance relationship with a good man, but the miles are starting to wear on my patience -- not to mention my pocketbook -- from traveling back and forth. We met at a business seminar two years ago in Miami where he is an architect for a reputable firm. Since I live and work in L.A., we don't get to spend much time together.

I've been under a lot of stress lately with my job. When I come home it would be nice to actually see, touch and talk to the man I'm in love with about my issues and how my day went. I have wonderful friends, but it's depressing when I hang out with them and everybody but me are all snuggled up and smooching on their significant others. I don't want to break up with him and neither of us wants to move. Please advise?

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Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off's advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, "funny, serious or unpredictable." Something on your mind? Ask Willie D!

Photo courtesy of Peter Beste

BURNED BY THE RELATIVE I LOANED MONEY

Dear Willie D:

I loaned my cousin $500 more than six months ago. She promised to pay me back when she got paid two weeks from the time I gave her the money, but to this day I have yet to see one red cent. The puzzling thing is that we were so close until this incident happened. While growing up we did everything together: sleepovers, birthday parties, gymnastics, dance, you name it. Once we became adults the pattern continued with girls night out, shopping trips and get-togethers. I am also the godmother to her daughter.

It makes me sick to my stomach that I am in this position fighting with someone who I considered to be a best friend and sister. My cousin knows that I'm merely getting by with living expenses and really didn't have the money to give in the first place.

I have asked her several times for my money back. At first she gave me excuses like, "Oh I'll pay you next week. I had to use the money for car repairs." Then she started being evasive by not returning my calls. The other day I went over to her house to confront her and we got into a big altercation.

I still love my cousin but I want my money back. Do you know of a way I can get her to repay me and salvage our friendship?

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Fat Tony

Houston is home to many talented rappers, and one of the most appreciated things about local hip-hop is the unity among peers. But another great thing is that, after living in Houston for a while, the Southern hospitality engulfs you so much it becomes a second home.

Queens-born and raised Easy Yves Saint, MC of popular local crew the Niceguys, can attest to this. Recently he and Houston native Fat Tony, both of whom have new projects dropping this summer, sat down together to discuss a few things they like, a few things they don't, and what they have been working on lately.

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Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly, left, with Kris Kross

When Chris Kelly, one-half of the teen-rap duo Kris Kross, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose last week, it was a tremendously sad day for Southern hip-hop. Not just because it provided a tragic ending to another tale of a child star struggling with post-fame adulthood, but because his passing robbed the world of a talent that helped turn an entire generation -- black, white and brown-- onto a genre of music that was still finding its legs in the pop landscape of the early '90s.

Rewind:

A Few Houston Rappers Remember Kris Kross' Chris Kelly

Led by the infectious, platinum single "Jump," Kris Kross' music -- penned and produced by another young savant, Jermaine Dupri -- proved that mega-selling rap records needn't all come from New York or California, foreshadowing Atlanta's ascension to the center of the hip-hop universe in the decade to follow. Ultimately, that's how Kris Kross is likely to be remembered: as much for the music they helped to inspire as for the tunes they created.

A detail that may not be remembered quite so well is the profound contribution that the group made to Houston hip-hop. The song "Da Streets Ain't Right" from the group's third and final album, Young, Rich and Dangerous, provided the beat for DJ Screw's "June 27th," the freestyle track that would come to define the chopped and screwed sound for which Houston hip-hop is best known today.

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Most of the music world is still a little stunned this morning after Chris Kelly, one-half of '90s rap duo Kris Kross, was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Wednesday. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 34-year-old Kelly was found unresponsive and taken to the Atlanta Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Fulton County police Cpl. Kay Lester told the paper that Kelly's death was being investigated as a drug overdose.

Sparking an unlikely fashion trend by wearing their hats, jerseys and jeans backwards -- everything but their footwear -- Kris Kross gave an injection of pop energy and fun to a rap world then dominated by streetwise gangsta culture when their album Totally Krossed Out appeared in March 1992. Both Kelly, who rapped under the name "Mac Daddy," and his partner Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, were 13 years old at the time.

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Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off's advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, "funny, serious or unpredictable." Something on your mind? Ask Willie D!

Photo courtesy of Peter Beste

REPULSED BY A CO-WORKER'S BAD BREATH

Dear Willie D:

I am a female working at the same computer-repair company for three years with a guy who has the most awful breath ever. I do everything in my power to not get too close to him but it's difficult because he is my supervisor. He is the type who likes to get right up in your face when he speaks to you. Sometimes I turn my head to avoid being in his direct line of breathing fire but unless I'm at least four feet away from him it's just no use.

I like my job, but my co-worker's sewer stink breath is so bad that I'm at a point to where I'm considering new employment. What do you think is the best way to deal with this issue?

Repulsed:

Grown folks with bad breath have lived long enough to be told they have bad breath on more than one occasion. So believe me, this is a fact that your supervisor is well aware of. From here out, whenever he comes near you, start eating gum or mints and offer some to him. If not the first time, one day he will reply, "What, does my breath stink or something?"

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Photos by Marco Torres

Luisa Diaz and Nas

Think about your favorite musician for a minute. Do you remember the first time you heard his or her voice? Can you relate each album or song to a different stage or major occurrence in your life?

How many times have you seen him or her (or them) in concert, let alone met and engaged them in conversation? Can you recite lyrics off the top of your head and explain their meaning as if your life depended on it? Are you a true fan?

Luisa Diaz is a die-hard admirer of a certain Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, the New York City rapper known simply as Nas. She can not only answer "yes" to all of those questions, but also permanently carries that admiration on her skin. We spoke to this young lady and asked her about the origin of her fanaticism, her tattoos, and her favorite Nas songs.

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Easy Yves Saint

Feel that sweeping change? That's May upon us. Which means I'll officially consider myself old as hell, despite being a fresh 25. Yes, we're now one-third of the way through 2013, and Houston rap has never looked as beautiful as it does now. Okay, maybe when she was the darling of everyone's eye some seven years ago, but you know how many better-looking chicks come around? Plenty.

Digging in, there have been at least 3,120 rap songs released within the city and in the past four months, but these five have stood out as the best of the best. You know, like Chandler Parsons is the most consistent player on the Rockets during these playoffs.

Will they factor into the year-end listomania stuff? Probably, but you knew that already.

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Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off's advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, "funny, serious or unpredictable." Something on your mind? Ask Willie D!

Photo courtesy of Peter Beste

HANGING ON TO PHOTOS OF MY EXES

Dear Willie D:

I have several pictures of me with old boyfriends dating all the way back to my freshman year in high school. I haven't seen any of my exes in years, but that hasn't stopped my boyfriend of the past two years from being jealous.

He wants me to destroy the photos but I refuse to. Naturally, this has caused dissention in our relationship. I feel like the pictures are a part of my history and throwing them away would be like throwing a part of myself away. Am I wrong for wanting to hold on to old memories, or is my boyfriend being childish and overreacting?

Hanging On:

A lot of people keep photos of their exes because they're unsure if their new relationship will last. Healthy relationships are full of compromises.

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Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off's advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, "funny, serious or unpredictable." Something on your mind? Ask Willie D!

Photo courtesy of Peter Beste

I'M 15: I SMOKE, I DRINK AND I'M SEXUALLY ACTIVE

Willie D:

I have had sex with five different boys and a 22-year old man. I do it because my parents care about their jobs more than me. They are almost never home and when they are, they're either working or sleeping. I can hardly remember a time when they were there to help me with homework or answer a question about a pressing issue; they left that to babysitters and housekeepers.

Because I seldom spend quality time with them, I feel like I don't even know them and they certainly don't know me. For a long time I was Sweet Polly Purebred. I did everything their way without question. I was their perfect little angel.

But now I don't care anymore. We are always fighting and I'm always on punishment. But since they're never around to enforce punishment, it doesn't mean anything so I still do whatever I want.

My grades are falling off now. I went from a straight-A student to barely maintaining a C average. My personal life is a disaster.

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