Filed under: Echoes of William Lynch, Life....I wonder..., Uncategorized | Tags: Henry Louis Gates Jr, Officer Justin Barrett email, police brutality, race relations in America, Racism, Skip Gates arrest
I love when somebody slips up and let’s their true colors show in regards to race. I LOVE IT. I don’t know why. It’s like a personal, mmm hmmm I told you so moment. I’m often accused of being too into that “black girl shit” as one of my friends so eloquently described the content of some of my articles on this site. I’m sorry, I’m black, that’s the racial label I was given. Yes, I am into all things that have to do with black folks, especially when it comes to attacks, directly or indirectly, on my status as a human being in this society. In comes Officer Justin Barrett. You’ve probably heard of him by now if you keep up with the jones’s through CNN or if you’ve been following the soap opera-esque melodrama that is the Henry Louis Gates Jr. arrest. For clarification’s sake, Officer Justin Barrett is not the arresting officer, that was Sgt Joseph Crowley. Now we all know cops take care of thier own, and Officer Barrett went directly into ‘ride or die’ mode. He sent an e-mail to columnist Yvonne Abraham in which he referred to Mr. Gates as a “banana eating jungle monkey” and a “bumbling jungle monkey” and also refers to her writing as “jungle monkey gibberish”. After Mr. Barrett debunks Ms Abrahams skills as “as good as jungle monkey gibberish” he then goes on to state, ” I might as well AX you the question….” Hmmmmm. Why would a self-proclaimed former English teacher and writer use AX as if it was a proper word. Perhaps it was an attempt at jungle monkey speak? Even though I’ve never seen a photograph of Ms. Abraham, given some of the publications she’s written for, I am pretty that sure she’s a black woman, which makes his ignorant insinuations that much more provocative. You can view the original e-mail for yourself here. Now that Officer Barrett has been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation and a termination hearing, he wants to cry I am not a racist, which he also stated in his e-mail.
I sincerely apologize to fellow officers, soldiers and citizens, I did not intend any racial bigotry blah, blah, bleh, bleh, bleh. Come on dude! I could see if he came up with something along the lines of, ” You know what, I was angry and there’s just some things about this country/some people I just don’t understand/upset me…..” Perhaps I could relate if he stood up for himself like a man and spoke his truth instead of stumbling and fumbling through that pre-written, politically correct, apology speech that was fooling no one. You’ve got to love how his lawyer tried to take the viewers to church when Larry started poking. My favorite part of this whole interview;
Larry: What made you come up with that language though?
Officer Barrett: I don’t even know…
Oh you know buddy, you know. You may not consider yourself a full bigot but you’ve got a little bit of it up in there swimming around somewhere, don’t front. Language like that does not come from nowhere. Social conditioning, deep-seated prejudices and upbringing might bring about that kind of language, but it most certainly does not just pop into your head like some faerie visiting you in the night.
When I was little, whenever I got a cut or a scratch ,I was always told the fastest way to heal that sucka’ was to let the air get to it. You can cover it up and keep it clean, but to speed up the healing proces you have to air it out. I say that to say this, if you’re a bigot, put it in the air. Somebody just might come along and help you heal. Don’t hide behind the veil of being a decent citizen who always treats others with respect and dignity if you know damn well you’ll let a racial slur slip from your lips in a heartbeat if somebody of the wrong complexion tests you . Don’t be afraid to let you’re true colors show, everybody is not going to like you but at least they can respect you. Having open, honest and uncensored DIALOUGUE( more intelligent debate than verbal fisticuffs) about racial prejudices and biases is the only way we’re ever really going to move forward with race relations in this country. All things that are done in the dark will come to light. It’s better to put your beliefs on front street voluntarily then let them fester in your mind untill they blow up all over your “good name”.
White people, and anyone else who this may apply to, stop perpitrating. You know good and well referring to black folks as monkeys is as Jim Crow as ‘coloreds only’ signs
Filed under: Life....I wonder..., Uncategorized | Tags: blogging, blogs suck, blogs that are cool, blogs that suck, bossip, concreteloop, gangstarr girl, good writing, mediatakeout, naked with socks on, necole bitchie, original bloggers, original blogs, originality, the cynical ones
Why is it that the blogs that post the most irrelevant, retarded, guess who was spotted staring at a blank wall, you can read this at about 50 other sites articles get the most traffic? Call me what you want, but I really want to know. How do still shots of Rhianna sucking a lollipop manage to get over 200,000 views and 212 comments? How? I mean I can’t front like I don’t visit the sites my damn self at times, but I am rarely intrigued, enertained, persuaded or informed by what I find. For a while I was addicted to gossip mongers like Bossip, Mediatakeout, Necole Bitchie, Concreteloop and the like, that is, until I noticed they all posted the same shit more often than not on the same day. How does one make a name for themself when one does not stand out? It seems that the fall in line formula seems to work, because the blogs pull traffic, you can’t front on that one.
I got into this game because I am a WRITER and I was told that blogging was the new medium. Newspapers, out. Magazines, so 2000. Today it’s all about the blog. Writing is the only thing I’ve ever done exceptionally well, It’s like water for my parched soul, it resides nestled between the sacred spaces in my spirit reserved for free speech, spiritual rebellion , Spike Lee films and freak em boots. It’s more than frustrating to hit up these wack assed cookie-cutter websites and see they’ve gotten over 1 million hits for a picture of Cassie’s pre-teen titties or over 50 views for stalker style pictures of Halle Berry running errands . Are you kidding me? Alas it’s the cruel truth that fluff pieces and filler tend to attract the attention of the masses. I guess it’s true that the minds of America’s public like to be distracted not stimulated. My critique of Tameka Cottle’s (bka Tiny) looks got a whopping 28 views this week, and my critique of CNN’s Black in America 2? 1 view. My post about the breakdown of relations between men and women and the subsequent breakdown of the familial structure inspired by the Steve McNair case didn’t even see the light of day. Concerning Tiny, I’m pretty sure that her cousins or sisters or other family members were policing the web for negative press because something about that just doesn’t add up.
It’s statistics like this that can be quite discouraging to a sista, and lead me to the question; Is originality and substance respected in the realm of the blogging elite? Originality and substance in the context of what unique perspectives and diatribes do you bring to the table about the current happenings in the world. Writers are called to record this eclectic and hectic acid trip called life and all it’s hallucinations and sensations in ways that entice, engross, enrapture, and enrage. Instead this “new medium” for writers has become a cesspool of meaningless idol chatter. You won’t find none of that over here homie….. well today you will, here are five meaningless blog posts from the past couple days that got over 100 views :
Kim Kardashian leaving the club! Now that I’ve seen her in her silver and maroon jumpsuit my day is complete!
Lil Wayne’s ex wife Toya’s new boyfriend allegedly used to do what to his ex! And I care because I guess I don’t have no buisiness of my own to attend to!
Ciara didn’t pay her wig stylist! Get out!
Trey Songs had crabs and he likes porn! Well just make my day !
Look! You can see the outline of Chris Brown’s penis in his basketball shorts, kind of.
Flip it, reverse it, bring it back…..here’s 5 entertaining, interesting and diverse posts, that didn’t even hit 50
One blogger’s tale of going through and getting over recession depression
Remembering Shem Walker. You do know who that is right?
Fresh music from a dude you probably never heard of before
Bo Jangling for the dough?
Writing about more than Ciara’s wig piece, if you’re going to write abou a celebrity this is how you do it
Filed under: Cool ppl, Jamz, Uncategorized | Tags: exposed expressions, Hip Hop, live performances, music videos, rap, Slap City, the bay
Last month I traveled to lovely Sacramento, California and got in touch with an old friend who put me up on the Exposed Expressions movenment. I got to view the Slap City Mix Show dvd still in post production stages and it was fire. Fast forward, everything that needed to be tweaked has been tweaked and the finished product is ready for consumption. If you’re hungry for fresh hip hop then you need look no further. The show is going to be broadcasted on the internet, and you can watch it here
Show Times:
7/29- 4pm pdt/ 7pm edt, 7:30pm pdt/10:30 edt, 9:30pm pdt/12:30am
8/1- 5:30 pm pdt/8: 30pm edt
8/5- 4pm pdt/7pm edt
8/6- 9:30pm pdt/ 12:30am edt
8/8- 5:3opm pdt/ 8:30pm edt
For all other inquiries about the Exposed Expressions Network of how/where to purchase the dvd hit them up here
A lil taste for ya….
Alright, so about a week ago I posted another blogger’s post about the newest BET celebreality docu-drama Tiny & Toya. I dug the author’s sense of humor and it echoed things that I have heard from others who watched the show, so I posted it. I got some very “hearfelt” comments from two ladies in particular, going to bat like Jackie Robinson for someone you would think was a close personal friend of thiers. Funny thing is, not once did these broads click the link to read the post I was referring to in my post, they just read what I wrote, took it entirely out of context and got all indignant. Now I wasn’t going to write anything more about this subject but If you really want something to be angry with, I must appease the public. Yes 9 times out of 10 when I see a picture of Tiny, she looks a HOT MESS. Yes you heard me right a HOT MESS. Plastic surgery does not always equal perfection and botox lips are not fooling anybody these days. Now I didn’t come right out and say that because the intention of my post was not to diss her, but if readers want to get heated, let me get it toasty. Tiny was and is a beautiful lady, but as of lately she has been on the recieving end of some very cruel critiques about her looks. Is that my fault? I don’t think so. Tiny chose to beome part of a television show centered on her personal life. Camera’s don’t lie and they don’t love everybody. Is that my fault? No it is not. My post is not 1/10 as critical or as vicious as some of the the other things I have read about her posted by everyday folk like myself. I found this reader comment on the young black and fabulous website …..
Pedro4prez
OnJul 24, 2009 at 5:48 am | Reply |
“TI holds tiny down like a man loves his dog. Let me school you gals. This man is with this woman because she held him down when he had nothing. She has had his back in much the same way a dog protects his master. Half her ugly has been bought about because she has been through hell and back with this man. They have a past history of drug use among other things. He is with her because he owes her and she has been there for him in ways that most women would have said goodbye along time ago. When he was on Tyra show, he clearly wanted tyra. He stated he did not have a wife and could do as he wishes.(Who disrespects their woman on national tv?) She flaunts her ring because she knows that he has many other women besides her. Dont let the ring fool you. Aint nothing nice about this relationship. This woman has had a hard life of drugs, drinking and emotional turmoil. I counsel these type of women daily and she is no different because of the money.”
Now you want to get real. There’s some realness for you. I don’t know who this Pedro 4 Prez is but they made one of the best points that nobody can deny. Life affects looks. I’m not going to go as far as speculating on if her “going through” was specifically with TIP, but a woman’s face doesn’t look that haggard for nothing. We are a society that places high value on outward appearances, and I hate it, but women in the spotlight of the rich and famous are judged more harshly and publically than the average chick in the street. The bottom line is when you bring a product to the people, the people are going to give you an opinion. In the case of Ms.Tameka Cottle aka Tiny, she is the product and the public has formed opinions of her. Open and shut. The only thing negative I have to say, which I say about all female celebrities who choose to go this route, is perfectly good women need to stop jacking up the mathematics of thier faces with botox and the like. Vivica did it and took the heat, Kim did it and took the heat, hell Meg Ryan did it and took the heat so Tiny is just another in a long line. She was not the first and won’t be the last. At the end of the day it’s all about how you feel about yourself. If Tiny loves herself and the way she looks, then more power to her because I’m all about that. 
she looks real good in the above pics……
Notice how that top lip got all swole? Yeah I know you do. Again, plastic surgery is not a friend of everyone shoot anyone. I don’t wage war against any person, but I will go against this foolishness we do to ourselves in an attempt to “enhance”. Simply put the ladies of the entertainment industry usually have teams or at least one talented, caring, and truthful individual that makes sure they stay fly enough for the camera. I believe that everyone is beautiful, but not everyone knows how to naturally enhance what they have. In Tiny’s case I believe that is her biggest flaw, and I can say that because at one time it was my biggest flaw as well. All homegirl needs is someone to primp her into her own natural perfection. And one lady mentioned that she didn’t see any pictures of me so I can’t talk. Well www.myspace.com/taeh617, Ain’t no shame in this game hun, and on that note……I’m out
Filed under: Cool ppl, Jamz | Tags: Funkay Jams, little brother, little brother step my game up, live performance
Before we was twitterin and jitterin and all that shyt, you had to get on the phone and you had to TALK to that woman……..
Filed under: Jamz, Life....I wonder... | Tags: current music, hip hop is dead, hip hop is not dead, Life I wonder, Music Video, The Roots what they do
Lately, I’ve been trying to determine if I could be labeled a ” hater” because of my recent ramblings on the state of the music industry. I’m a Gemini so my thoughts often vascilate between the parallel sides of an issue, that being said, sometimes I do feel like a hater. There’s nothing wrong with an artist wanting to get paid for thier contributions to the world and there’s always been peak periods of different musical era’s that feature an abundance of similar material.
I was just watching The 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs special on VH1 and it got me the thinking on all this. More specifically the fact that they even have a special detailing the “greatest” songs in Hip Hop further suggests that an era has come and gone. Perhaps that’s the sense of death I’ve been feeling. The hip hop icons of my formative years are now middle aged men, who seem as dissapointed and unimpressed with the current trends in popular musical stylings as I am. Everybody from Nas to Jamie Foxx to Bobby Valentino are saying the same thing, what we got going on right now isn’t “real” music. So that leads one to the question…What exactly is “real” music?
Real is defined as being; genuine, not counterfeit or artificial or imitation, authentic, unfeigned or sincere. If these artists today are making music that comes from thier hearts, that comes from the essence of who they are is that not real? Apparently even if the music being made today is born out of genuine expression the public is not having it. According to a poll on Hiphopsnotdead.com, 63.5 percent of the 334 who voted say it is.
Meditating on this subject, I find myself being drawn to the conclusion that it all comes down to the matter of energy. The bulk of hip hop’s energy has shifted from realistically portryaing the collective urban experience in all it’s variations and complexities to a air-headed exploitation of the corrupted American dream. Where our people can’t think of anything better to do with 100 stacks but to scatter it on the floor of a strip club. Where songs have become more like rhythmic endorsements dropping names of high end designer labels, cars and liquor like adjectives, metaphors and similes. We like clothes, and shoes, and parties, and nice things, who doesn’t right? These things are all good, yet they are just small aspects of the full human experience. It is the increasing shift toward formulized materialism and consumerism that has slowly been killing hip hop. I find it ironic that urban populations are often the poorest, speaking in terms of per capita income, yet they are comprised of the most coveted consumers in big buisness, spending more money on average than consumers considered “non-urban”.
from Swag Surfin by F.L.Y
swaggin in the club you gon see me throwin money up
came here wit a bad chick and all her friends as fine as her
drinks we gon pour them up
exotic what we rollin up
Patron, Goose and Hennessy
they got it, ima drink it up
I’m always wearin Polo nigga
I’m Ralph Lauren’s mascot……
and this was 96………
Filed under: Jamz | Tags: Dead Prez, Funkay Jams, music videos, Pulse of the People, Summertime
So I just spent about two hours scouring the net looking for some exsclusive goodness to post up. I guess the word “exsclusive” really doesn’t have a place in our vocabulary these days, seeing as how as soon as something classified as new hits the atomsophere it’s snatched up into a of tweeting, streaming, e-mailing, posting, file-sharing, downloading frenzy. So you probably seen this video before but this song gives me a warm feeling on the inside so……..here it go
Pulse of the People: Turn off the Radio Vol 3 in stores now
Filed under: Jamz, Life....I wonder... | Tags: 311, deftones, Funkay Jams, Korn, Life I wonder, music, music videos, nada surf, POD
Yeah so I’ve written a couple posts about my “eclectic” taste in music and the hell I caught for it growing up. There is one memory that will forever stick out in my mind. I was in 7th grade I believe and it was during this time that I was chillin with a clique of all white girls because, they were into the same music I was and I had to get in where I fit in. So anyway there was this dude who looked like O Dog from Menage 2 Society, braids and everything, who always used to joke on me with his lil homeboys whenever they got the chance. On this day he came up and confessed something in my ear that would stay burned in my mind for the rest of my school days. He told me, “You know out of the group of girls you hang with your one of the coolest, and don’t tell nobody but I be likin some of that music yall listen to” Ya don’t say? I was shocked to say the least. The funny thing about it was he said don’t tell, like he was telling me he had herpes or something. That right there gave me a new confidence in myself and how I did my thing. It validated me in the sense that I was not “weird” . I was actually someone who had it a lot better than the rest because I had the courage to be myself with no fronts.
Now I grew up mostly listening to r&b and hip hop but I always had an ear for music and if I liked it, I liked it. I also was an TV baby, me and my pop used to sit and watch music videos all the time, so I was also exposed to everything MTV and BET had to offer, from Tupac to Marilyn Manson. I think alternative struck a harmonious chord with me because I connected with the angst. The raw emotion of being an outcast, being misunderstood, not being part of the “in” crowd and really not giving two fucks about it. So here’s to being young, wild, and free……..
Filed under: Life....I wonder..., Uncategorized | Tags: keep ya head up, Life I wonder, Music Video, phoenix arizona, rape, self-defense, tupac, young girls
This story is just one of the many reasons I believe it would be considered a proper security measure for parents to teach their little girls how to properly carry a firearm and discerningly use it. If you don’t believe in the use of guns then get your girl a tazer, stun gun, cattle prod or any other type of incapacitating weapon that can be used to fend off the depraved souls that this society houses in abundance. It’s real out here………
I wonder why we take from our women,
why we rape our women,
do we hate our women?
I think it’s time we kill for our women
time to heal our women
be real to our women
and if we don’t
we’ll have a race of babies
that will hate the ladies
that make the babies…….
Filed under: Life....I wonder..., Media Manipulation, Uncategorized | Tags: current music, envogue, moment of silence, music, music is dead, music sucks, music videos, xscape
Yes, I asked you to please take a moment of silence for my dear friend. In my feeble mind I believed that while my friend was ill, as good as dead some would say, they would undoubtedly pull through. That they would regain thier failing health and make a vibrant and triumphant return to the land of the living. But alas, not even the sheer will to fight, or tenacity or the prayers of loved ones could keep her alive. My good friend the music industry has lost her vibrant lifeforce and now sits rotting in the afterworld that is mediocrity and ineptitude.
I am over the mainstream. Not in some hip hop is dead, the kids aren’t alright, Miley Cyrus makes me upchuck type of way but in a damn this shit really don’t move me anymore type of way. It has become apparent the game is so starved for something fresh, something new, something organically soul shatteringly dope that they smother the goodness out of anything that shows any sign of promise no matter how miniscule, ahem Drake. They covet and overexpose pre-greatness before it has a chance to rightfully blossom. Those roses that do happen to grow in the concrete are plucked in all thier nubile glory and promptly glazed in plastic, preserving the beauty they have now all the while killing the beauty that was still yet to come. It seemed like back in the day an artist had to grind, prove themselves before they got the shine and adoration that these new artists get within a months time, and then keep that stuff that got them there coming and they brought it with a hunger and passion and soul that was remarkable, nothing short of divine. The average career span back in the day was like a decade or so, at least a good 5, 6, 7 year run.Hell artists like Teena Marie are still gettin in in and making quality music to this day, but these new cats? Washed up by thier sophmore album, third if they’re lucky.
I stopped listening to my radio a long time ago and just the other day while watching videos it hit me, music is not ruled by creative genius anymore. It’s ruled by what’s hot at the moment, what dude or homegirl already did but tweaked a little bit to the left or right. I know there’s been whispers and shouts about , this dumbing down of music, this death of true artistry, for a hot minute, but it’s only now just really really hit me, like a sucker punch to the left eye. Perhaps it’s the half-bladie craze sweeping the ladies of the industry or the fact that songs are now sampling songs that came out less than a year ago that you can still hear on the radio right after you hear the song that sampled it, ahem Kid Cudi, but the industry today is reminiscent of that one clique in high school. That one clique that got all the shine. Come hell or highwater you knew who the class president was going to be, who started the trends, who changed the trends, who set the rules that everybody who wanted to be down followed. Carbon copy individuality. Safe and socially acceptable exploration of the creative self. You wanna hit record? Add a lil auto-tune, make up a dance to go with it. You want to bring sexy back? Cut off your hair and wear ripped up clothes. Even non-urban music seems to have hit a slump, though nowadays r&b and hip hop are the main musical consumption of the masses. To be honest MTV lost me a loooong time ago during the Mandy Moore, N’Sync, O Town foolishness. I remember the golden age though when MTV was the spot for ear candy of all genres.
Lil Wayne is aight with me but about his much publicized and debated boasts of being the best rapper alive? For real? Really? Out of every MC in the game, the game of MUSIC in the larger sense, you’re making the best music. You’re the most lyrically astute, for real? Maybe he just has the highest popularity quotient, at the moment and, because of said popularity now every one that happens to run with dude is touted as being the next big thing, ahem Nicki Minaj. I remember a time when Lil Jon was everywhere, making joints with everybody, bringing out artists left and right and then…….
Beyonce, the hottest chick in the game. Really? Really like this game isn’t big enough for us to have at least a couple of vocally gifted, jiggling songbirds to choose from. Like there is only one throne in the vast kingdom of musicland and she is the only certifiable female around to sit on it’s golden cushion? Oh and the girl groups, what happened yo!!!!!!! I was watching old Xscape vids on youtube the other day and I would piss my pants if some chicks hit us with some harmonies like this right here
or this
In a nutshell what I’m getting at here is today popularity is confused with achieving artistic omnipotence. MUSIC is and should be represented as larger than a handful of artists who happen to dominate the air and radio waves and thier cheap perpetually one step below clones. Overkill is the name of the game and variety is a sorely missed asset folks. Armand Van Helden said it best when he answered the question what is your most missed memory. When art not money ruled.
