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I was immediately offended by its title. |
We're the only race who take pride in looking for any Goddamn reason in the world to internally self-segregate. |
OBVIOUSLY...the other sites didn't speak for all whites or all Asians, but we had to make it a point to take pride in the cultural stratification of our community. We couldn't wait to say..."we're not like those bad ones." |
Just as white people separated us between house and field, so too do we keep it up. |
(Jack & Jill, I'm looking in your direction.) |
LOOK, I get it. The idea of a "black community" is a tough sell nowadays as anyone would be hard pressed to define the parameters of said community. And I get it that there are legitimate socio-economic differences that play themselves out in our preferences. |
And yet, in my family, and in yours I bet, education and opportunity run the gamut. In my family we have rich and we have scraping by. We have light and dark and all shades in between. And we have those who start their day with a blunt and those who end their day by closing a multi-million dollar deal. |
And we are all black. |
Our internal stratification is why intersections like Crenshaw and King in LA or 118th and Cottage Grove in Chicago are so different from Fort Greene in Brooklyn. |
Some of us got a little money and just broke the fuck out, WHICH IS FINE, I'd never begrudge a woman or man from living in a great location... |
...but we also broke the fuck out MENTALLY as well. |
Chris Rock's description of the difference between "blacks" and "niggers", while hilarious, is itself a problem in that it furthers the abdication of our responsibility. |
YES...we have a responsibility. Historically, those more fortunate GAVE BACK...yet my generation is spotty about this. And I don't care if you were born and raised in a rich some point, if you're a black American, someone in your family is better off because of the SACRIFICES of our shared ancestors. |
Thank God this guy doesn't think like we do. |
I know we are all different. And I know we all lead different lives. |
I just WISH we didn't care so little about how much we SHOULD be connected to each other. |
Frankly, sometimes I'm shocked Barack has 90% of our support. |
(thanks, David) |
Breathtakingly Depressing |
Saw this on Daily Kos. |
Holy crap. |
I guess if it gets young people to vote that's a good thing. |
Flashback Friday: Producers on the Mic |
This week I got a new CD in the mail that made me think about the great hip-hop producers that are, or were, strong on the mic. |
That CD was from this dude... |
Classic material. |
But you can't have a discussion of dope producers on the microphone without mentioning Diamond D... |
Gotta love a skinny Anthony Mason having what was likely his only hip-hop video cameo. |
Other than Pete Rock and Jay Dee, who are some other beatmakers who've held their own with the verbage? |
Thursday, October 9, 2008 |
Something I Haven't Been Able To Get Out Of My Head |
My early teens occurred prior to me having the Web access I now enjoy. I grew up in the boondocks without the critical mass necessary to demand BET from our cable supplier so, therefore, MTV was my doorway into the popular black culture of the time. |
I used to record episodes of "Fade to Black" and whatever other black program they had. Every once and awhile I'll pull out one of the VHS tapes and take a trip back to the early '90s. |
This is one of the videos that appeared on a tape and it's been stuck in my head ever since. |
After watching this, I'm glad, in a way, that present-day BET and MTV won't show anything this deep. I know we all tend to berate the current state of urban music but there's something to be said for brain candy. Should we really be asked to comptemplate social inequities at every turn and confront them in every medium... |
Who here is with me on the need for mind numbing goodness? |
I Will Never Get Tired Of This (p. 4) |
What Hussein Really Means... |
I read Bashir's post below and it made me think. Barack's middle name isn't the issue in and of itself. It's how said middle name enables the myth. The problem's with myths is that for many people, they ultimately become real in spite of all evidence to the contrary. See example: |
A myth is difficult to kill...especially when your using said myth to mask your racism. |
When can we stop pretending that this Presidential race is one of ideas? |
Just asking... |
P.S. You know what I would love. Is that on the evening of November 4th, when Barack gives his speech...oh nevermind. |
What Am I Missing? |
You guys know I'm a STAUNCH supporter of Barry "the big dog" O. |
And I GET IT...that McCain/Palin wanna use his middle name to make him sound foreign. |
But why is that off limits? |
Why do Campbell Brown and other pundits feel this is unfair race baiting. I mean, even if it IS race baiting (by the way it IS race baiting) I just don't see how one can argue: |
"don't use his middle name, that's not fair". |
W T F? |
(and I also KNOW that Obama has NEVER argued as much and is much too classy and civilized to do so) |
A small part of me thinks it's a slippery slope if it's off limits to say his middle name. It's his heritage and, by avoiding say it, we're saying that: |
a. The implication is that Muslims are evil. |
(I was raised Muslim. I'm not evil. Well...okay, I fu*king HATE small if you try to strike up small talk with me I might dismiss you. Also, something in my heart died a few years back in that I used to give pan-handlers money every single time I saw them and now I don't any more...I dunno why either, I just don't. But ... |
b. The other implication is that White people are so damn stupid they will change their vote cuz they'll think he's secretly a terrorist. |
Is there ANY OBAMA VOTER IN THE LAND who doesn't know his middle name? Is there ANYONE currently planning to vote for Obama because of a litany of good reasons, that don't know his middle name? |
Swing Voter: "Hussein?!? Awwww, hell no. Are you serious. Well to screw the health care and economic stability...I can't vote for him now that I just found that out...also, dad, you wanna play catch?" |
People know his middle name and he still has a ridiculous lead in every poll. |
What am I missing? |
And is this PC gone too far... |
...or am I talking when I should be shutting up because, even if Campbell Brown is wrong, her statement helps Obama and that's what I want and I need to be big picture the way Republicans are so we can finally win one of these. |
ps - Campbell Brown is right about one thing...The only net negative I see is that, just like some Hillary voters still plan on giving McCain support because Hillary whipped them into such a frenzy, so too can whipping up people by saying his middle name could endanger his actual life...not that racists/evil people nee... |
However, I think that whipping the crowd into a frenzy starts on the web before the candidates even the time people show up in a McCain/Palin rally, they don't need any incentive to get crazy. |
New Music - The Foreign Exchange |
A new album this week from friend of The Message Phonte (also of Little Brother) and Dutch producer Nicolay, aka The Foreign Exchange. |
"Leave It All Behind." Cop it, if you haven't already. Definitely worth it. |
My fave tracks so far? "Take Off the Blues" and "House of Cards." |
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 |
"What the hell happened to Jennifer!?!?" |
Damn, calm down, people. |
She's Right Here: |
Phoenix (The Amazing Flight Of Lone Star). |
Now go show her blog some love. |
Beyonce, W T F? |
I've been a staunch defender of Beyonce for many years when friends said she couldn't sing, or wasn't that talented. |
But BOSSIP posted her latest song "Single Ladies"...and I've had enough. |
Check out this "new"'s hot. (right?) |
Craig can probably tell you better than I who her producer is or why her label thinks she needs to release the same damn song over and over and over...but I don't get it. |
I still think she has singing talent, but her work is becoming repetitive. And boring. And, worst of all, predictable. |
Say what you will about Mary J. Blige (her only LEGIT* contemporary competition) but at least she TRIES to re-invent herself and her art on every album. I KNOW Mary will be doing tours til she's in her late 60's BECAUSE her music, while not at exciting as Beyonce, is certainly more diverse and reaches more types of lis... |
I was at the Mary J (sold out) concert with Jay Z at Madison Square Garden. A group of like 15 year old girls were in the sky box next to mine...I figured they were there for Jay. They KNEW and SANG all of Mary's OLD stuff from when I was in high school. |
You can pre-order tickets for my "No More Polar Ice Caps" tour in 2032. |
Mary J has staying power... |
...While Beyonce keeps doing the same song. And at a time when music is more disposable than ever, sooner or later that's gonna catch up with her. |
Am I right? |
Yeah I said it. Let's look at the competition: (I like these singers, but let's keep it real) |
CIARA - Glorified one hit wonder. |
ALICIA KEYS - Not on Beyonce's level. She couldn't sell out Gothenburg, Sweden. |
RIHANNA - Decent voice and great international appeal. But I'm not sure she even LIKES singing. She's always doing other shit. Let's see if she decides to do another album. |
JANET JACKSON - Officially in the doldrums. I still think she can pull off another winning album, but it hasn't happened in a while |
ASHANTI - See Ciara. |
KEYSHIA COLE - potential, but has terrible singing form. With the way she strains, she will be permanently hoarse by summer 2009. |
THE OTHER LADIES OF DESTINY'S CHILD - waiting patiently for Beyonce to return their text messages. |
...nuff said... |
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 |
Finally! A campaign ad for "thinking" adults! |
Where Our Time Goes |
Wonder why our blogging has been sparse of late? |
We've been writing on this: |
October 15, premiere. |
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