guerrilla intellectualism

cop that shit

2008-09-23T13:19:00.003-05:00

i have this theory about the music industry that if you are an artist trying to get exposure, you have to have somebody vouch for you, a "co-sign" so to speak. someone respected in the industry to convince people that you are worthy of listeners taking a chance on your music. okp does a lot of cosigning for new artists; wale, blu are the ones that pop into my head but think about it, with so many talented artists out there, and our laziness that keeps us from actively seeking out new hot shit, its just easier for our "icons" to tell us who to listen to. not saying that im any better than anyone *pause* yes i am. call me a lame but i spend hours daily just searching out for new artists; mostly through chasing the white rabbit via peoples "top friends" list. you know...go to one of your friends top friends (i have a lot of artist friends)...then pick random people on their "top friends" and if theyre artists...listen to their music. by doing that ive found...

algebra blessett

drake

miguel

raydar ellis

fresh daily

mateo

stef jones

and plenty others like jazmin sullivan.

maybe 2 years ago i read something about a new artist named jazmin sullivan and put in my mind and started looking her up and if found a youtube clip of her on the apollo when she was 11 and i was blown away; check it. she just seemed like a rising star

...enter need you bad earlier this year...missy produced, with the sick jamaican influenced beat, and jazmins crazy vocals...and it made an instant smash. now shes released her debut album and im definitely going to buy it because its our responsibility to support dope artists...

fittingly, in the words jazmin sullivan's cosigner missy elliot:

Dj in the mix shows/ you better go to the record store/and

COP THAT SHIT

and to the bootleggers dubbin the bootlegs/ we breakin off both of your legs

COP THAT SHIT

stop burnin cds from your friends/ im a say it again/ cmon

COP THAT SHIT

cause its the hottest shit out on the streets so when you hear the cd/go

COP THAT SHIT

the gentleman's club

2008-09-17T13:14:00.007-05:00

last night was the finale of the mtv reality show "from gs to gents," and congratulations goes to the man known as creepa for making the successful transition from a gooon to a gentleman. normally i am opposed to reality but i stuck this show out for many reasons. i noticed that mr. bentley was sincere in his mission of helping people change their lives. the show contained many "character" who would have insure for drama and high rating but those characters were QUICKLY eliminated so that the men who most needed the opportunities were allowed to have them. for those that may be unaware of the shows premise. it took young men who consider themselves "gs" of some kind and tried to help them transform into gentleman. when i say g i mean, thug, wiseguy, gangster, goon, criminal, womanizer, etc. i enjoyed watching the show because of seeing the transformation that the men, especially creepa were making. he came into the house a proclaimed goon from florida with braids, "hater blocker" shades, a gold grill and so much aggression that he scared off anybody who attempted to oppose him. as the show progressed he revealed his sincere desire to change because of his awareness of the desolate conditions of his environment and ultimately made the successful change from a goon to a gentleman.

(creepa)

(thaddius)

hearing creepa talk, i was reminded of a lot of the young men i grew up around who were forced to be men long before their childhood was over in order to support their families. i was in class last week and we were discussing the treatment of race verses the treatment of gender in the law. a classmate mentioned how a scholar we were reading catherine mackinnon asserted how the justice system should recognize that many women (white women) who become prostitutes are forced into their situations by povery that leaves them in dire economic circumstances and with limited to no educational opportunities. i brought up the idea that many young blacks who sell drugs (not the images of drug moguls we see in *coughs* bullshit rap videos) but real drug dealers, are pushed into the criminal underground for the very same reasons, but the law punishes them more harshly than any other drug offenders.

i think that is because society does not acknowledge that these young men are people. we assume they are heartless monsters who push destruction through their communities through drugs and violence with no regard for human lives; of others or themselves. watching creepa allowed people to see that although the man had most likely done viscous things, he felt they were necessary for survival AND he did not want to continue living that life, but did not see any other options and he expressed how, when he tried to make changes, circumstances pulled him back into the ways of a goon. in this country, we are so quick to separate people from ourselves and judge what we see of them without acknowledging that there is a complicated story. we do not acknowledge the horatio alger stories as myths so we believe that everyone can be a self made success and we condemn those who are not able to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and overcome all the obstacles they face.

we completely ignore that there are forces committed to keeping people from succeeding. call me a conspiracy theorist if you want but in this case it is the TRUTH. we cannot ignore the history of exclusion in this country. it was not even 50 years ago that blacks were not even LEGALLY viewed as equally, it was not even 100 years ago when women were not allowed to vote. our laws have succeeded in dehumanizing whole groups of people and the maintaining of those laws and the belief in the premise on which they were founded insures that they will never gain their humanity.

seeing transformations like creepa's show us many things, if we are willing to look:

1. creepa expressed to mr. bentley that all of his gooning was done to support his mother and his younger sibblings. he explained how he was in technical school but had to drop out to support them. a lot of the young men we criminalize and dehumanize do not want to be in the situations where they find themselves due to the forces of their environments but do not see any other way to take care of their responsibilities.

2. creepa divulged that, while on the show, 3 of his friends in his neighborhood were killed. considering the urgent situations of his environment, it may seem trivial for him to be "taking a vacation" when people are dying. he's losing friends and losing money. it is difficult to leave the only lifestyle you know to take a chance on being something else without being sure that it will be able to insure that you take care of the responsibilities that you have.

3. creepa was sent to the hospital because of the pressures of knowing what what going on back home and trying to continue his quest to be a gentleman; the man is in his early 20s and already has been diagnosed with high blood pressure. these young men are living in highly stressful situations, their health, physically but moreso mentally and psychologically is often not in good standing.

4. creepa transformed in a supportive environment, free of distractions over a 10 week period of time. if we invest the time and attention into developing these young men, they can become what we like to call "productive members of society"

all the while watching creepa and often when i think about my friends living similar lifestyles i am reminded of tis song "doin my job," especially the lyrics:

we got lives we wanna live nice too

we got moms dads wives kids just like you

but our options is few and its hell in high school

when you helpin with the rent lights and the gas bill too

so, before you go judgin us lovin us wont hurt

if you under 25 stayin alive is hard work

(click here to download)

id like to congratulate creepa and the rest of the young men on the show who transformed their lives, and everyone out there who is doing the same.

~charity

song of the day

2008-09-10T13:05:00.003-05:00

circulate - young jeezy

(click here to download)

i like jeezy, always have, cant say i always will but i like him now. even though the man can't vote he had been vocal about his support of president obama and even decided to give his new album the recession (cop that) some political undertones. if you listen to his music carefully there has always been social commentary but like hov asks, do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it. on the new album he even has a song with nas entitled my president is black which squashed any "beef" the two artists may have had. aaaanyway i chose circulate for a number of reasons

1. cannon puts his foot in the beat. the billy paul sample has been used by both dilla and 9th wonder and either of the greats do the magic with it that don cannon has done

2. i like the way jeezy flows over it and his content actually. it ties in nicely with the album concept of a recession and discusses how he plans to make money despite it

ill be playing this all day from my car so look for me

~charity

imam w. deen mohammed passes

2008-09-10T12:21:00.003-05:00

it came to my attention that imam w. deen mohammed passed away yesderday in his home at 74. imam mohammed was the son of nation of islam founder elijah muhammad and was groomed to be his successor but spoke out against his fathers misdeeds and was initally banished from the nation before reconciling with this father months before his death and succeeding him as the leader of the nation of islam briefly in 1974. he instead chose the path of orthodox islam along with the late malcolm x and began to educate african american muslims about living the deen of islam the best they could. as the leader of the amerian society of muslims he gave many lectures about life, not sermons on religion but messages to help us understand the world we live in, and always directed us to al-qu'ran or al-hadith for further guidance.

the news hit me deeply, but my father even moreso because my father admired the man and saw him as an example of what a man should be to his family and his community when my father had no one else to look towards. i remember as a child spending hours listening to his lectures with him and i was surprised because id actually sit and listen even with this adhd it was hard for me to focus for moments much less several minutes, but his lectures always used examples and stories so that even my juvenile mind of 8 could understand the message he was conveying. it is in part because of him i uses so many analogies when trying to explain things.

in islam we say that man (and when we say man we mean mankind) should be a mirror both for his brethren and himself. looking at the legacy of imam mohammed we see an example of a humble man who led through his service to his community not through his exploits in the public eye. although he has never been acknowledged by media outlets as one of the most influential black leaders in this country, he was recognized as the leader of the african american muslim community and served tirelessly

an announcement about his passing read:

he was a public servant who stood against racial oppression

and worked continuously for peace, unity and reconciliation.

he maintained his fathers legacy of economic

and political empowerment for the muslim community

through a dear friend of mine i had the opportunity to meet imam and hear him deliver a lecture in person while i was in chicago and though i tried not to put the man on a pedestal because idol worship is blasphemy, i had to acknowledge the blessing that allowed me to be in his presence. now that i am in texas it saddens me that i am unable to attend the memorial services for a man that has been so influential in my life. in islam we are taught to be our own leaders so i am convinced that his legacy will continue through all of us who strive to be good muslims. we say may allah for give him of his sins and grant him paradise

for any of you who may be interested in attending the services here is the information:

A Muslim prayer service for Imam W. Deen Mohammed is planned for this Thursday at 1:45 p.m. at the Islamic Foundation of Villa Park, 300 W Highridge Rd., Villa Park, IL 60181, followed by internment to Mt. Glennwood Cemetary, 18301 E Glenwood and Thornton Rd., Glenwood, IL 60425.

This Friday at 1 p.m. the Muslim community will hold a unity Jumah, Friday Muslim congregational prayer service, on the community's property across from 2979 W. 167th St. Markham, IL at 1 p.m.

The community memorial service is planned for this Saturday also on the community's property across from 2979 W. 167th St., Markham, IL at 1 p.m.

WHAT: Public Memorial Service for Imam W. Deen Mohammed

WHEN: Saturday September 13th beginning at 2 p.m. following afternoon prayer service

WHERE: Community property across from 2979 W. 167th St. Markham, IL

CONTACT: Ayesha K. Mustafaa, Muslim Journal or Sultan Muhammad, family member at (773) 540-6001 or sultan@mpdstudios. com sultan@mpdstudios. com

~charity

word of the day

2008-09-10T12:09:00.000-05:00

encomium (en-koh-mee-uhm)

noun

an often formal expression of warm or high praise

now use it in a sentence

~charity

...speaking of fela

2008-09-08T11:32:00.005-05:00

right now in nyc there is a musical running that is dedicated to the life and music of fela and from what i hear it is absolutely amazing. its playing at 37 arts which is located at 450 w.37th street between 9th and 10th avenue

the bad news is that the shows run will be very limited and it ends on september 21. (im trying so hard to get to nyc for it)

shows are offered at the following times

sept 4-sept 14: tuesday @ 7pm; wednesday-friday @ 8pm; saturday @ 2pm, 8pm

sept 16-21: tuesday @ 7pm; wednesday-friday @ 8pm; saturday @ 2pm, 8pm; sunday @2pm

tickets and parking will cost about $100 but cmon, thats less than a pair of jordans and if youre still not convinced that it is a well worth it experience, check out the promo video

~charity

song of the day

2008-09-08T11:03:00.004-05:00

water get no enemy - fela kuti

(click here to download)

i dont really know what i can say about fela except that his music is such an inspiration both musically and politically. i started listening to fela common paid tribute to him on the like water for chocolate album. i started listening to this music called afrobeat (a mix of jazz and funk horns and african percussion) and i loved it. the songs were super long but they just provided a nice groove. even though some of the songs had no words, or words in nigerian pidgin the titles were always political and it got me interested in reading about fela and his political efforts to end corruption in nigeria. he tried to run for president but was denied candidacy, he declared his band seperate from the nation of nigeria because of its corruption and he was a strong believer in black power, pan-africanism, socialism but mostly human rights and his music spoke to that. even though i could never understand the words, i could feel the sentiment by the music. his spirit and his legacy live on everytime his son takes the stage or somebody samples his music to make a dope ass beat.

~charity

song of the day

2008-09-08T11:03:00.001-05:00

word of the day

2008-09-08T10:55:00.002-05:00

cupidity (kyoo-pid-uh-tee)

noun

excessive or eager desire, especially for wealth; greed; avarice

now use it in a sentence!

~charity

song of the day

2008-09-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

little weapon ft. bishop g and nikki jean - lupe fiasco

(click here to download)

it is a rare occasion when lupe fiasco gets outshined on a verse but this is definitely a case. not saying that lupes 2 verses on this song arent amazing but bishop g taking the concept of a child soldier being a kid playing a video game is genius. i may be looking at it deeper than most but the comment it makes on how the youth today are desensitized to violence through video games that reduce it to "childs play" is definitely a point that should be investigated further.

~charity

word of the day

2008-09-05T08:30:00.001-05:00

crux (kruhks)

noun

1. the basic, central, or critical point or feature

2. anything that is difficult or puzzling to explain or solve

now use it in a sentence!

~charity

...you dont have to say a word

2008-09-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

did i hear senator mccains speech tonight...no. but i didnt hear senator obamas until the day after it aired either...but in both situations i did check the facebook status updates. in both cases i saw people claim that the senators respective speeches moved them to tears! tears, i guess im too cynical to be moved to tears by the rhetoric of career politicians, especially those who dont address the issues most important to me. i also saw facebook status about how horrible john mccains speech was, but none about how bad obamas was, only about how he failed to address certain issues (as is customary for all good politicians). point being that i realized that i have a large social network with bleeding hard liberals, ultra conservatives and everyone in between, as well as those beyond the spectrum of the two considered extreme positions. through these facebook status updates though, i am able to get some insight into the mentalities of these people. like the white male conservative who quotes 50 cent but considers it out of the question to even consider voting for barak obama. or the black feminist who has damn near nakked pictures next to quotes about women respecting their bodies and how men should stop objectifying them. tying it in to the recent events was a status message by a high school classmate of mine who is currently in the military and has served in the war whose status said that mccains speech brought him to tears...knowing what we (should) know about the iraq conflict and what mccain plans to do about it...and the impact it will have on not only him but many of his comrades...he still supports mccain and his plans for the country...people are complex. lot of megalomaniacs out there (see me using the word of the day) if you really

just watch the updates you can learn a lot....its written all over your face(book)

~charity

song of the day

2008-09-04T10:47:00.002-05:00

save ya ft. t3 - elzhi

(click here to download)

i love elzhi. honestly when i think about the emcees that influence the way i spit, hes in the top 10 and most people dont even know who he is...hes in the current installment of the detroit group known as slum village. i know i know its hard to call it slum village with out dilla *r.i.p* and bataan but elzhi is one of the illest spitting right now so id be doing yall a disservice not to give yall a taste of the mans gift...you should actually cop the album. no really, its worth the money

~charity

word of the day

2008-09-04T10:27:00.001-05:00

megalomania (meg-uh-lo-may-nee-ah)

noun

1. a mania for grandiose or extravagant things or actions

2. a mental disorder characterized by delusions of grander

now use it in a sentence!

~charity

song of the day

2008-09-03T07:25:00.001-05:00

nautilus - bob james

(click here to download)

just a little crate digging for the heads out there. if you arent familiar with bob james, dude was crazy ill on the keys and equally with the composition. even if you havent heard of him youve heard his work sampled. of the top of my head i can name some tracks that sampled different elements of this song...

*slick rick: childrens story

*eric b and rakim: let the rhythm hit em

*ghostface killah: daytona 5000

*wale: daytona squared

and my personal favorite use of the song in a sample

murs: murray's revenge...9th put his foot in that

im sure there are many others anybody know any i didnt name, feel free to hit me with em. i guess nas wasnt lying when he said in carry on tradition "i coulda made a double lp just by samplin different parts of nautilus" he wasnt lyin. this song is a producers dream and anybody who wants to chop it up and give it to me to spit over...i welcome it.

~charity

word of the day

2008-09-03T07:20:00.001-05:00

obsequious (ob-see-kwee-us)

adjective

servilely attentive; compliant to excess; fawning

now use it in a sentence!

~charity

minnesota nice

2008-09-02T10:03:00.006-05:00

i had somebody at my school ask me if i was from minnesota (its had for people to believe that there really are black people there even though the twin cities is 30% black). i replied yes but i knew the question was loaded. the person then went on to ask me how i feel about the republican national convention being held there and what it says about the area. remember now people...i am currently living in...texas. so i responded

it makes sense for the republicans to try to mobilize and get support in minnesota, it is only one of the most progressive states in the country. both the senate and the house have twice as many democrats than republicans. speaking specifically for minneapolis, its one of the best places to live...and not just because it's my hometown.

-it was recently ranked the most literate city; our school systems public and private are among the est in the country

-we headquarter tons of fortune 500 and fortune 1000 companies so the employment opportunities for young professionals is great

-we have one of the cleanest and healthiest cities in the country

-we have the best of all seasons; statistical fact that the twin cities has the greatest variation of temperatures in the world

-we have amazing facilities for entertainment; museums, restaurants, galleries, parks, theaters, blah blah blah

-the state fair; quite possibly the only state whose state fair is in the metropolitan area

-we have a progressive tax system, great healthcare benefits

-wonderful housing accommodations

-diversity; all jokes aside because i know how that word is thrown around so loosely

-ok our sports teams currently suck...but people still support them hahaha

i could go on and on and on but theres a point to be made and its trying to figure out why the republican party would want so badly to turn the state of minnesota red...simple as that. plus there was all this talk about mccain selecting minnesota governor tim pawlenty as his running mate...which wouldve really made sense

minnesota governor tim pawlenty

a little bit about pawlentys track racord

-since being governor in 2002 he took the $4.5 billion dollar deficit and turned it into a $2.2 billion surplus.

-he spent $800 million dollars to improve the school systems

-developed health care reforms with no increase in premiums and one of the best perscription drug plans in the nation

-increased the state's ethanol standards to increase the use of alternative fuels and lower the dependence on foreign oil

so he's done good things for the state...now mccain would choose him for his track record and the fact that he has the following positions

-pro-life

-protecting the traditional idea of marriage

-harsher sentencing for criminals (including a proposition to reinstate the death penalty in

minnesota)

-proposed an illegal immigration task force

-believes in faith based initiatives

-supports performance pay systems for both teachers and politicians

see! he would've been a great choice for republican vice president and it wouldve definitely went over well to have the convention in his home state, and possibly been a factor in turning minnesota into a red state; considering the great things that governor pawlenty has done for the state, many minnesotans (who arent convinced by senator obama, would definitely consider voting for pawelnty because of his history of improving conditions for the people he represents.

so there...that's why the republican national convention is being held in the twin cities...now somebody in texas tell me why our library is named after george bush and there are statues on campus erected to ku klux clan grand wizards!

~charity

song of the day

2008-09-02T09:46:00.004-05:00

cali sunshine ft. bilal - the game

(click here to download)

i like the game, i'm not ashamed to admit it. i don't condemn him to the fires of hip hop hel for all the name dropping and i dont take sides against him on any "beefs" he had. i like his music, i like his wordplay, his flow and his content. this track is dope, the sample, the beat, bilal kills it and it makes me wanna immediately hop a plane to cali

~charity

word of the day

2008-09-02T09:41:00.002-05:00

factotum (fak-toh-tuhm)

noun

a person employed to do all kinds of work or business

now use it in a sentence!

~charity

last week's reads

2008-09-01T08:42:00.004-05:00

this is the first year of my phd coursework and the reading load has increased to about 3 books a week so i figured to help me make sure i do the reading i would keep you all updated on my assignments so...i'll give you all a brief summary of what the texts and what i've gotten from them

american holocaust: the conquest of the new world by david e. stannard:

this book is about the destruction of indigenous people at the hands of european crusaders (thats my word). the book paints a picture of life for the indigenous people in the americas before columbus and discussed how europeans brought violence, disease and destruction to the societies there. stannard's purpose is to establish the roots of euro-american racism and genocidal behavior. with this text i focus specifically on the use of christian rhetoric to justify the rape, pillage and murder of innocent people.

been in the stome so long: the aftermath of slavery by leon f. litwack

admittedly i have not finished this book yet (600 pages in a week has been a bit of a challenge) but so far it is a detailed account of the relationships between black and whites and among blacks during the civil war and in the reconstruction period afterwards. it covers the range of attitudes surrounding the purpose of the civil war and the changes that occurred after its completion; focusing on the south. with this text i focus specifically focus on is what exactly freedom meant to the newly freed slaves in the south considering there were no conditions to integrate them equally into society.

i'll most likely be writing some reaction papers, journal articles or just reflections on these texts which i will make available as they are finished

~charity

song of the day

2008-09-01T08:38:00.004-05:00

liberation ft. cee-lo and erykah badu - outkast

(click here to download)

just some early morning inspiration for those going through this beautiful struggle...shake that load off, shake that load off, shake that load off, shake that load off...

~charity

word of the day

2008-09-01T08:33:00.002-05:00

melee (may-lay, may-ley)

noun

1. a fight or hand to hand struggle in which combatants are mingled in one confused conflict

2. a confused conflict or mingling

now use it in a sentence!

~charity

the return

2008-09-01T08:23:00.003-05:00

a quick apology to those who had been faithfully visiting this blog and were continually disappointed by the lack of posts for the month. when real life happens, cyberspace is put on the backburner...but things seem to be in order for the time being, so i have returned!

back to the blogging

word of the day

2008-07-29T09:01:00.001-05:00

aliment (al-uh-muhnt)

noun

1. something that nourishes or feeds; nourishment

2. something that sustains a state of mind or body; sustenance

song of the day

2008-07-29T08:38:00.003-05:00

somebody (love you) -plies

click here to download

now i know you might be thinkin...plies...oh no, charity must be having an off day, but i like plies; he's so hip hop. i think its a bit elitist of us to think that the hip hop that suits our pallets is the only authentic hip hop. hip hop is supposed to be the voice of the voiceless, the forgotten, the outcasts; what's more loathed than a goon, the way he portrays it. if you don't like it, it's likely that its not intended for your ears but i do know people who use his music as everyday motivation to survive when all odds are against them; and thats what hip hop is supposed to do. plus, don't believe how today's artists are packaged. all of his songs aren't about "buss it babies," if you listen with a critical ear, many of them point out the social ills of this country that puts a lot of young people in the position to do things they don't want to do, but they feel there are no other options. he reminds me a bit of tupac or ti or scarface because he sends that same message of knowing that the things he's doing are wrong, but also knowing that he has no other options. i always say that if you want to reach people, and not just preach to the choir, you have to speak their language. this song in particular speaks to a lot of people...me included

word of the day

2008-07-28T09:12:00.000-05:00

virago (vuh-ray-go)

noun

1. a woman of extraordinary status, strength and courage

2. a woman regarded as loud, scolding, ill-tempered, quarrelsome or overbearing

song of the day

2008-07-28T09:04:00.003-05:00

the pain - murs

click here to download

murs + 9th wonder = good music. they have a new album out, and 9th finally changed his drums. listening to it made me go back to the first project that the two did together and i remember how much i loved this song, the sample is crazy and i always love flows from regular guys about the problems they have finding women; it provides a nice balance to the bravado we hear most of the time in hip hop about getting all the women. maybe in the future i'll put up the version i did to the same.

word of the day

2008-07-27T09:29:00.000-05:00

scion (sy-uhn)

noun

a descendant; an heir

song of the day

2008-07-27T08:53:00.002-05:00

let it flow - grover washington jr.

click here to download

initially i was going to put summer madness, but everybody knows that song, so i went with this. i think i picked this because i'm in new orleans so i'm in the mood for a good saxaphone + a rhythm section + a funky baseline + a nice electric keyboard. i could've picked a lot of songs but i doubt many have heard this one that was inspired by dr. j (julius irving)

word of the day

2008-07-26T11:05:00.002-05:00

fop (fop)

noun

a man who is overly concerned with or vain about his dress and appearance; a dandy

song of the day

2008-07-26T10:56:00.003-05:00

pure - l.e.g.a.c.y.

click here to download

"pure, uncut raw" perfectly describes the sentiment of not only this song but the whole album from this north carolina emcee. ninth flips the curtis mayfield sample so drastically you almost forget that its even there. if you like the gritty shit, you gotta love legacy, and if you don't the phonte feature is enough to keep you listening

the bucks stops here (i couldn't help myself)

2008-07-25T07:22:00.006-05:00

so starbucks announced that it will be closing 600 of its underperforming stores, and the fiends went crazy. there is a comprehensive list for consumers to check and it has resulted in petitions and letter writing campaigns from patrons pretty much begging the corporation to keep their locations open. yo coffee, is a hell-uv-a-drug...no i mean really; its like cocaine lite, comes from the same plant and everything. i guess what strikes me the most about the starbucks closing response is how silly it is; it reeks of opulence and selfishness

1. there's a starbucks damn near few blocks/ miles or so; i've been in san francisco and seen two locations literally a block away from each other and i know specifically in a suburb of my hometown of minneapolis there is one on 55th and brooklyn blvd and another one on 69th. re route your schedule if its really that serious

2. how dare you support a corporation like starbucks with grassroots methods like petitioning and letter writing. the corporation has over 7000 locations nationwide and has been taking significant business away from many small coffee shops that serve breakfast, have better baked goods, play better music, have open mic nights and free wireless internet! (i wouldn't know if the coffee is better because i don't drink coffee)

3. if you want to protest something that has to do with starbucks closing, how bout considering the 12,000 employees that will lose their jobs in a time where a st

eady job is hard to find. if you think that you have some power as a starbucks consumer, how about demanding that they brew fair trade coffee

but then again, when's the last time you heard a crack head caring about the social responsibility of the pusher...

you know what i hate #2

2008-07-25T07:05:00.004-05:00

baggage claim!!

common sense is seldom used in airports; but its at its worst when its comes to the baggage claim. people act like its a concert staring...the bags. they rush the conveyor belt as if being closer will ensure that their bags come out more quickly. they all crowd the belt following bags that "look like" theirs, grabbing them to check the tags, only to throw them back on the belt, oooooor; they have their kids stand in the front knowing that they're not strong enough to pick up the bag if it were to appear right before them.

so during all this commotion i just sit back and then i see my bag come drop down and then i weave and bob between the onlookers as i swoop up my shit, chuck the deuces, and laugh at the losers looking at me like i magically made my bag appears while they wait for theirs.

so now, i try to stuff everything into 2 carryons

word of the day

2008-07-25T07:03:00.002-05:00

sapid (sap-id)

adjective

1. having taste or flavor, especially having a strong pleasant flavor

2. agreeable to the mind; to one's liking

song of the day

2008-07-25T06:22:00.004-05:00

miss you - harold melvin and the bluenotes ft. teddy pendergrass

click here to download

i decided to go oldschool today, anybody who's a serious jay-z fan will recognize it as the song sampled for the song can't be life.

word of the day

2008-07-24T09:09:00.001-05:00

osculation (os-kyuh-lay-shuhn)

noun

the act of kissing

song of the day

2008-07-24T09:06:00.002-05:00

the grown up - wale

click here to download

i'm a hip hop chick so i'm a sucker for a fly love song and this one is over a nice go-go beat. if the seinfeld clips through you off, download his mixtape about nothing and you'll get it, such a dope concept

the protestin' ethic

2008-07-23T09:12:00.004-05:00

apparently, chinese official have decided to "allow" protests at the 2008 olympics after getting permission from the government and police; after gaining permission, protestors will be allowed to stage rallies in three designated city parks.

now initially i thought, getting permission to protest would completely defeat the point, then i thought about the march on washington and then it hit me that, protests are nothing but symbols. if there is no work going on behind them to change the conditions being protested, they're nothing but events to be written about and filmed for journalists hoping to gain pulitzer awards if something crazy breaks out. because the designated protest areas are not in the olympic village, they will most likely go unseen and uncovered making it seem like any protests were small an insignificant at best. the real protests for the olympics would have to come from the athletes; circa 1968 mexico city. somewhere where there is international visibility and there can be no mistaking about the message being sent.

now i know many of you remember the photo of john carlos and tommie smith with the black fists on the medal stand and think, that was a symbol. true, but it was a symbol of a year long set of protests and possible boycotts arranged by the ophr (olympic project for human rights) which was founded by harry edward and martin luther king jr. the mission statement of the was to no longer allow the u.s. to use so called black athletes to point out to the world the progress that the country has made, when oppression against black is at an all time high. the group considered boycotting the olympics and had 3 major demands of the u.s.

1. restore muhammad ali's title

2. remove avery brundage as head of the u.s. olympic committee because brundage was a known white supremacist who helped aldolf hitler secure the olympic in berlin

3. divest fro south africa and rhodesia to show solidarity to african nations fighting against apartheid

the thing about the 1968 medal stand protest that separates it from anything that could possibly happen 40 years later at these games, is the socio/political climate of the world. since blacks were fresh out of civil rights, they weren't feeling patriotic, so expressing their feelings of oppression and solidarity with other nations fighting oppression didn't take a back seat to their feeling of patriotism. now in the wake of 9-11 (does anyone else think its more than ironic and coincidental that the date is 9-1-1) we here in the u.s. are all adorning the flag in some show of faux solidarity while police still brutalize minorities, the percentage of children living in poverty continues to increase, and we're losing thousands of our young men because our leaders are greedy (you know we don't even need iraqui oil, we just want to control it so other countries can't use it without our say so). sorry i digress, the point being that we've become comfortable in the benefits of being americans, and its not worth it to risk our position to help those with no power.

after seeing carlos and strong stripped of their medals, and muhammad ali stripped of his title for expressing their beliefs about the way the u.s. conduct its foreign affairs instead of being an "ambassador" for the nation through dominating in "friendly international competition," most black athletes have decided to remain silent; obeying the olympic game's cardinal rule to "not to display any political stances whatsoever."

in honesty though, politics is what the olympics is all about. countries flexing their muscle physically with super powersbolstering their claims to being superior to the rest of the world and third world countries, hoping that victory can help them to be seen as worthy of being treated humanely by the countries that control the world's resources.

word of the day

2008-07-23T08:55:00.000-05:00

vagary (vay-guh-ree); (vuh-ger-ee)

noun

an extravagant unpredictable or erratic notion, action or occurance

song of the day

2008-07-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

association - nas

click here to download

as i approach my birthday i've been doing a lot of reflection, thinking about the people in my circle and what kind of people should be in my circle because like the song says "association breeds similarity." this is one of the songs that DIDN'T make the untitled album, so maybe that's a nod at how good the album is

word of the day

2008-07-22T08:40:00.000-05:00

impregnable (im-preg-nuh-buhl)

adjective

1. not capable of being stormed or taken by assault; unconquerable

2. difficult or impossible to overcome or refute successfully; beyond question or criticism

song of the day

2008-07-22T08:36:00.002-05:00

killa lipstick -ghostface killah

click here to download

"killah lipstick, feme fatal with the biscuit...type a chick that love you to death and leave no witness" if you like a good story, you'll appreciate it. if not...the beat's nice

word of the day

2008-07-21T09:31:00.000-05:00

ineffable (in-eff-uh-buhl)

adjective

1. incapable of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable

2. not to be uttered; taboo

song of the day

2008-07-21T09:26:00.002-05:00

when they remember - freeway

click here to download

perfect motivation for the beginning of a new week...bang this shit...like fa real...early!!

word of the day

2008-07-20T10:42:00.000-05:00

malaproposim (mal-uh-prop-iz-uhm)

noun

the usually unintentional humorous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of a similar sound

song of the day

2008-07-20T08:16:00.001-05:00

if i was your girlfriend -tlc

click here to download

i was cleaning today, and this got stuck in my head, so now it will get stuck in your head...

you know what i hate #1

2008-07-19T23:08:00.002-05:00

obligatory return compliments!!

you know what i'm talking about. when you tell someone, hey nice shoes, watch, parfume, shirt, haircut blah blah blah, and you can just tell they're surveying you for an appropriate return compliment. 'cause it's like, you can see it in their eyes they're thinkin somethin like:

nah im not gonna say nice kicks, cause the niceness of the kicks surpasses the niceness of the item i got complemented on...but if i say nice shirt, they'll know its bullshit cause that shirt is wack.

and all the while you're standing there waiting for some kinda response and thinkin...yo just say thanks and keep it movin.

yea i hate that shit

or maybe we should wake up...

2008-07-19T11:29:00.007-05:00

tonight at 8 pm e.s.t (calculate it for your various time zones), i suggest you all to turn into cnn for their program "reclaiming the dream." it's a discussion in partnership with essence magazine to discuss issues facing african americans today like marriage, education, hiv/aids, incarceration and others. for the discussion, "influential" blacks like cornel west, juliane malveaux, t.d. jakes, hill harper and others have been chosen to weigh in on the various topics.

as always i think that these discussions are fun to watch, but often times the speakers end up preaching to the choir. the people who will watch it, are the people who are already aware of these issues.

one thing about this discussion that i do find very progressive is an opportunity provided by www.ireport.com. the site is allowing viewers to ask a question pertaining to one of these issues on video and they will play the video questions throughout the discussion. you know im cynical though, so i'm sure they're going to filter through the questions for those that fit into "direction" that they're heading with the show, but i still might submit the following questions

this show is called "reclaiming the dream" but what is the dream? and why does it need to be reclaimed? is it perhaps time to reformulate the dream, or how we conceptualize it?

i assume it is a reference to the famous speech by the late dr. martin luther king jr. but i think that over time it has lost its way and that this concept of this "dream" might be holding us back and be one source of the division among black people because after all it is...a dream, and a dream that we don't all share. it is a dream established by those in the civil rights movement so anyone who doesn't aspire to this "dream" runs the risk of being accused of not being about the business of improving life for blacks. i think that holding on to a specific idea of what is right and wrong for all blacks is very dangerous and shows a false sense of superiority associated with those who believe to be carrying on the legacy of dr. king.

as i was watching excerpts from the show, one of the speakers discussed the mentality of blacks towards the issue of teenage pregnancy and pregnancy out of wedlock, condemning the mentality of those today and favoring the methods during his time when young mothers were "sent down south if they got pregnant, to save their parents from embarrassment." i'm sure the speaker meant well but he is obviously romanticizing the way things were done in his time and condemning the way they're done now not recognizing that times have changed so methods have changed and the most productive thing to do is try to deal with conditions as they exist instead of comparing them to the way they were.

as always im interested to see how many people of my generation are even allowed "at the table" to speak on these issues, or if we are still sitting at the "kiddy table," not yet respected enough to join the adult discourse. at this point, i'll have the tivo cued up as to fast forward the bullshit.

honestly, dreaming is cool but i'm with the boy Dap on this one...waaaaaaaaake uuuuuuuup

word of the day

2008-07-19T10:11:00.001-05:00

philomath (fil-uh-math)

noun

a lover of learning; a scholar

song of the day

2008-07-19T09:30:00.001-05:00

beautiful day - u-n-i

click here to download

since cali hip hop is kinda killin the game right now, i feel it my responsibility to introduce you all to some of these artists. this is u-n-i, and this is feel good cali hip hop

happy birthday mandela

2008-07-18T15:12:00.004-05:00

today is nelson mandela's 90th birthday. this is amazing because revolutionaries normally don't get to live that long. mandela began fighting apartheid when it was first enacted in 1948 and actually lived to see it end in 1994 and after spending nearly 27 years in prison, he became the country's first elected president

i don't feel like giving all the background about mandela because we all have access to the same resources to learn about him, but i encourage those of you who don't know this man's legacy to learn it.

even at 90 he is still doing work to fight poverty and the hiv/aids epidemic with his organization 46664 (named after mandela's prison number). for his birthday wish he said that he'd like to see the rich share their riches with those not so fortunate so poverty can be conquered and many more people can live to be 90 years old

mandela, happy birthday, you life continues to be an inspiration to all of us fighting to change this world for the better

word of the day

2008-07-18T09:21:00.002-05:00

cupidity (kyoo-pid-uh-tee)

noun

eager or excessive desire, especially for wealth; greed; avarice

song of the day

2008-07-18T09:12:00.004-05:00

for the love - joy denalane

click here to download

i could've picked so many joy songs, but this one asks a question that i ask everyone involved in this hip hop shit.

its been a long time...

2008-07-17T19:12:00.004-05:00

i apologize to the readers for not posting for the past few days, but life in the real world has been hectic lately so i've been neglecting the blogsphere; deadlines for my thesis, other articles, work, family, working on this album, being a friend blah blah blah you know how life goes. but being back in my own crib has helped me to regain my balance which is good because i can get back to blogging. im currently putting together a format for this blog to keep it in a category that no other blogs can be in...

thanks for the support

solidarity

word of the day

2008-07-17T06:55:00.000-05:00

nefarious (nuh-fair-ee-uhs)

adjective

wicked in the extreme; iniquitous

song of the day

2008-07-17T06:43:00.002-05:00

respiration - mos def & talib kweli

click here to download

"so much on my mind i just can't recline/ blastin holes in the night 'til she bled sunshine"

im currently working on my thesis but took a break to put together something to submit for this publication highlighting the 10 year anniversary of the blackstar album. i should be finished with the brainstorming for my submission today. i'm sure there are going to be amazing submissions but i'm going to work on it tirelessly until the deadline because i'd really like to be a part of this opportunity, wish me well yall

word of the day

2008-07-16T06:27:00.000-05:00

apocryphal (uh-pok-ruh-fuhl)

adjective

1. (bible) pertaining to the apocrypha

2. not canonical. hence: of doubtful authority or authenticity; equivocal; fictitious; spurious; false

song of the day

2008-07-16T06:21:00.003-05:00

when we get by - d'angelo

click here to download

just something for the lovers to vibe out to; and when i say lovers, i mean those loving life, loving, themselves, loving love and all its beauty.

word of the day

2008-07-15T10:11:00.000-05:00

neoteric (nee-uh-ter-ik)

adjective

recent in origin; modern; new

song of the day

2008-07-15T06:59:00.000-05:00

show me the good life - blu & exile

click here to download

today is the official end of my chicago vacation, definitely a blessing to be in a position to just jump on a plane from time to time. i could've used kanye's song good life, but im sure less people have heard of blu, so hopefully i'll be able to give him some new fans

word of the day

2008-07-14T09:33:00.002-05:00

lacuna (luh-kyoo-nuh)

noun

1. a blank space; a missing part; a gap

2. (in biology) a small opening, depression or cavity in an an anatomical structure

song of the day

2008-07-14T09:29:00.002-05:00

provider - n*e*r*d

click here to download

the opening line...thats today, gotta love it!

word of the day

2008-07-13T13:29:00.001-05:00

myrmidon (mur-muh-don)

noun

a loyal follower, especially one who executes orders without question, protest or pity

song of the day

2008-07-13T12:55:00.002-05:00

block party - jean grae

click here to listen

since i'm going to leader's 1354 block party, the song fits. if you haven't heard jean grae, she gets my vote for best female emcee (ya know besides myself) hahaha...no but really

who run it?!

2008-07-12T09:48:00.007-05:00

both us and uk ambassadors expressed their disgust at russia's vote against the draft of a security resolution council to impose sanctions on zimbabwe's president robert mugabe at the g8 meeting in japan. there were 15 countries represented in the vote for sanctions, 9 countries voted for the sanctions (belguim, burkina faso, costa rica, croatia, france, italy, panama, uk, united states; 5 countries voted against the sanctions (china, libya, russia, south america, vietnam); 1 country abstained from the vote (indonesia). because of its position as a permanent council member, russia's vote against sanctions meant a veto of the proposal so their decision to not to vote in favor of the sanctions along with the other members of g-8 present at the council, russia received the most criticism and their position in the g8 has been questions to the point where they may be replaced...so who is this infamous g-8?

(from left to right: canadian prime minister stephen harper, uk prime minister tony blair,

european commission president jose barraso, french president nicholas sarkozy,

russian president vladimir putin, japanese prime minister shinzo abe,

german chancellor angela merkel, italian prime minister romano prodi and

us president george bush

the g-8 is a group of 8 countries and their leaders: france, germany, italy, britain, japan, canada, russia and the us. basically, this is the billionaire boys club of world leaders and they get together and meet on how the rest of the world should operate.

when asked why he decided to vote against the sanctions russian ambassador vitaly churkin said that in this case, sanctions went beyond the un mandate arguing that the conditions in zimbabwe were of no threat to international security. upon hearing this, it seemed like he was implying that what happened in zimbabwe was of no consequence to the rest of the world, but then south african representative for the african union dumisani kumalo bolstered churkin's reason by saying that sanctions would interfere with existing dialog going on to bring improvements to african countries in both the humanitarian and economic situations. in addition, the nations who voted against the sanctions never said that they supported mugabe, and some even went on record to call his actions deplorable (at the least), but they don't think that un sanctions are the proper way to being about change.

i agree with that, looking how sanctions have (not) worked in the past, right now they're just a way for the world's "superpowers" to show solidarity and flex their muscle on the rest of the world. they're lip service used to assuage the reality that there will be nothing done to improve the real problems in zimbabwe. as we've seen with many other countries; sanctions only make world leaders use more creative ways to further their agendas; oh you want to put us under an arms embargo; well...we'll just begin to develop our own arms industry and in no time we'll be exporting our own semiautomatic weapons.

in addition, i am opposed to the concept of the g8 because they are only going to look seriously at things that help them sustain or even increase their amount of power. protestors at the meeting in japan from all over the world have offered serious critiques of the g8 to even attempt to address the global food crisis. the g8 claims to be promoting globalization, but it will surely be for their benefit and at the cost of the rest of the world.

but what does that mean for me, a citizen of one of the most powerful of even the g8 nations? as stated before, it most likely means i will soon be moving to another country! people have told me to wait for obama, he'll change things. i doubt that very highly (c) q-tip.

word of the day

2008-07-12T09:25:00.002-05:00

privation (pry-vay-shun)

noun

1. an act or instance of depriving

2. the state of being deprived of something, especially something required, or desired; destitution; need

song of the day

2008-07-12T09:16:00.004-05:00

wanna be there - az

click here to download

too often we're too proud to tell the people we love, that we love them or how much we love them. in situations like that, the words of this song always play in my head "any love you hold inside, let me see...'cause it won't mean a thing when i leave." ~az.

iguess

2008-07-11T17:43:00.000-05:00

so, around midnight i drove past the apple store on michigan avenue in chicago to see if anyone was camped out for the release of the 3g iphone and low and behold...there the people were. now apparently this new iphone is better than the first released version for many reasons; its faster, cheaper, thinner, it has better applications and ITS NEW! although the g3 iphone will eventually be available in 170 countries, the initial release is limited to 17 countries, so those who get their hands on one will have some serious bragging rights.

so around 5pm i walked past the store again to see if there were still people waiting in line to get the 3g ihpones...

yup...you can't see it in the pic but the line is all the way down the block...

i suppose that camping out for something you really want is worth it. honestly though, i can't think of many thing's id camp out for. maybe because things i'm passionate about aren't generally that popular. as much of a sneakerhead i am, i couldn't imagine myself camping out to buy a pair. i already am trying to reconcile my material appetite with my abhorrence for american capitalism, i'll be damned if i wait in line for the latest (fill in "must have" consumer good) and give myself more time to think about it.

word of the day

2008-07-11T09:40:00.000-05:00

ininerant (eye-tin-uhr-uhnt)

adjective

passing or traveling from place to place; wandering

song of the day

2008-07-11T07:38:00.002-05:00

the o'jays - livin' for the weekend

click here to download

because it's the weekend!

word of the day

2008-07-10T10:09:00.002-05:00

adage (ad-ij)

noun

an old saying which obtained credit by long use; a proverb

song of the day

2008-07-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

rock steady - aretha franklin

click here to download

the first time i heard this song was in the movie crooklyn (one of my favorite movies), and its been a favorite of mine ever since.

summertime chi...

2008-07-09T21:54:00.003-05:00

so i'm here, in chicago to spend a week...of my summer. gotta love it. its gonna be a blast. so in true david letterman fashion i'm going to give you the top 10 reasons why i love chicago in the summer

10. the daytime events....hella festivals, live performances, block parties and what not

9. the cta...even without a whip i can get around pretty well

8. the shopping...2 words, magnificent mile

7. the skyline...depending on where you're coming from, it can cover the entire horizon, amazing!

6. the attractions...that bean is intriguing, then when you add things like the museums and zoos, the fountain and shit, its pretty fun

5. the night life...i dont really club but whenever i get the inkling to, there are places in the chi that i can go to get my fix

4. the landscape...maybe its because i got my undergrad degree here in public policy but i can see the city's history and future play out in the building and layout of the different neighborhoods

3. the lake...weather walking down the "beach" or drivin up lake shore drive, its an awesome compannion

2. the food....the food here is like nowhere else, the deep dish pizza is just the tip of the iceberg

and the number one reason i love chicago in the summer...

1. the people...c'mon, people make the world go round and my chi town folks...they're great

memin penguin = lil black sambo?

2008-07-09T12:23:00.004-05:00

while in the airport earlier i saw a news report about a wal-mart in houston pulling the famous mexican comic memin penguin from its shelves because of the outrage of some african americans. apparently they felt that the depiction of memin penguin was eerily similar to the character of lil black sambo...

memin penguin and his mother

lil black sambo and his mammy

i will not pretend to ignore the similarities in the two characters, but from what i've heard, memin's character is actually empowering and his comics are encouraging to some of mexico's poorest by giving children messages about how to deal with poverty, death, being tormented for their dark complexion, abandonment and many other issues. memin penguin is a staple of mexican comics and was even given a commemorative stamp.

if memin penguin is as positive as people say it is, that's beautiful but it still doesn't excuse the fact that they are using a depiction based on racist images of black people that were the dominant images in the 1940s when the comic first appeared. mickey mouse doesn't look the same way he did in 1928. i would suggest that they update memin so he actually looks like a child and not a monkey.

one surprising thing about the whole situation is how our culture of systemic racism here in the united states is exported to other countries. whites here in this country created the images of the sambo and the mammy, as well as the stereotypical images of latinos and asians as part of a white racial frame, and now we accept and even perpetuate them within our own communities and we also find examples of them being used in mexico and recall if you can the controversy of the image of the sambo being used to sell products in japan click here to see products. as a result, we have people of different cultures, who've often never had contact with blacks, who already perceive them as criminals, dirty, uneducated and other negative characteristics. that's a problem because it destroys attempts at solidarity between black americans and other minority or immigrant groups before we get the chance to acknowledge that we often have the same goals of asserting our humanity and be free from oppression

word of the day

2008-07-09T07:55:00.000-05:00

recidivism (rih-sid-uh-viz-uhm)

noun

a tendency to lapse into a previous condition or pattern of behavior; especially a falling back or lapse into prior criminal habits

song of the day

2008-07-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

what up man - the cool kids

click here to download

since i'll be in chicago tomorrow i figured the song fitting. plus i think the production is hella creative

word of the day

2008-07-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

coruscate (kor-uh-skayt)

intransitive verb

1. to give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle

2. to exhibit brilliant, sparkling technique or style

song of the day

2008-07-08T06:48:00.000-05:00

back @ it again - kenn starr ft. median

click here to download

i had to share this with yall. kenn starr is dope and most have never heard of him. his word play is dope...heres an example. "its a fine line between mediocre and dopeness/ so i chose to record this/ till im in the top 5 like oprah on the forbes list/ till i get my weight up like oprah on a fork lift/ competition get ate up like oprah on some pork ribs" ~kenn starr

toe-MAY-toe...toe-MAH-toe

2008-07-07T16:52:00.003-05:00

so for the last few days i've been in mississippi spending time with my family and now while sitting at the airport i see the latest news on the salmonella outbreak connected with tomatoes and it just hit me...i've been eating tomatoes the WHOLE time i've been down here, and never thought anything about it. wanna know why?! because my grandma grows her own tomatoes! she also grows her own beans, corn, peppers, and blah blah blah, if i didn't know better id think she had some marijuana growing back there somewhere! the situation got me to thinking about this food crisis.

if you do regular grocery shopping i'm sure you've noticed an increase in the price of everything from apples to zucchini. Some blame the price of oil. Since its up to 4 times more expensive to transport, the increased expenses for the farming industry are being passed on to us consumers. there's also been conversation on how the temperature changes that some are connecting to global warming are causing floods, droughts, hurricanes and other national occurrences that are destroying crops.

this rising cost crisis is coming at a time when people in countries like india and china, who have previously grown their own food, are now buying it due to the country becoming more "industrialized," and the laws of supply and demand say; consumption goes up, demand goes up...so does the price.

i noticed the increase in eggs from $.89 to $1.19, but the increase isn't going to send me force me to file for chapter 13, but for those in third world countries, the increases has caused rioting. as we've seen just last month, dictator mugabe has already used this crisis to his advantage by banning all foreign aid scheduled to be sent to zimbabwe leaving millions of his own citizens to die of starvation; all to scare them into voting for him. his recent reelection is a clear sign of how powerful of a political weapon food is becoming. dictators the world over and terrorists/revolutionaries the world over might soon be using food money to finance their activities the same way they used use drug money.

so, as i eat homegrown tomatoes in my grandma's kitchen i can't help but think a few things.

1. maybe if more of us grew our own fruit and veggies, we could avoid being dependent on the conglomerates that manipulate the prices of our sustenance

2. when it's time to slang them fruits and veggies...i can set up shop at grannys!

word of the day

2008-07-07T16:45:00.002-05:00

sciolism (sy-uh-liz-uhm)

noun

superficial knowledge; a superficial show of learning

song of the day

2008-07-07T07:39:00.002-05:00

friendly skies - missy ft. genuwine

click here to download

since today i'm flying the friendly skies, the song fits. if you dont like it whatevaman (whateva-watevea-wateva-wateva)

book review: all about the beat

2008-07-06T10:09:00.000-05:00

today was one of those days...when i realize how important my research is. i know i've spoken on it before. i've mentioned in previous blogs my disdain with the current body of hip hop scholarship because of its refusal to acknowledge the members of the culture and focus on song lyrics and music video images to understand the culture; after tireless work on my literature review and the interviews, sometimes i ask what's the purpose, then i read john mcwhorter's latest book.

for those unfamiliar with john mcwhorter and his position on hip hop click here.

i knew from the title "all about the beat: why hip hop can't save black america" that i wouldn't like the book but i felt the need to read the latest propaganda to know what i'm up against.

mcwhorter's biggest claim is that hip hop is really neither good or bad but that it's just music. empty lyrics that don't provide listeners with any solutions to the problems that we face in black america. to support his claims, mcwhorter carefully picks one line snippets from artists like ranging from young jeezy to the roots to show that they are promoting counterproductive perspectives about how to improve things in black america. he claims that the hip hop idea is that the white man is the problem and having no respect for authority and being destructive is somehow revolutionary.

through out the book, mcwhorter interprets the meaning of hip hop lines, which are rarely used with the context to pick up the full point that the emcee is trying to make. he quotes black though from the roots' game theory album sayin:

"false media seems to be the [song] everybody finds especially significant. the message? ' if i can't work to make it, i'll robe and take it' because i am ' a monster y'all done created."

now anyone who has listened to this album has to wonder how mcwhorter has come to this conclusion after hearing the song 'false media'. the song is about black thought's purpose of rhyming to educate. the song overall is a critique of how we buy into the things that the media tells us. well that's what i got from it but maybe i'm wrong. click here to listen/download the song.

the rest of the book continues the same way, with mcwhorter making assumptions about the meanings of song lyrics, and then showing how counterproductive those messages are to improving the conditions of blacks in america. he also speaks about "hip hop scholars" as if they are using the lure of hip hop to further their careers and are grabbing at straws to even make claims that hip hop has any political or revolutionary elements.

when he's not using rap lyrics to show the emptiness of hip hop's promise to be revolutionary, he's using statistics. in defense of the claims from many rappers about the problems with employment in the black community, he cites clinton's 1996 welfare reform that put a 5 year limit of time for single mothers receiving welfare benefits. he claims that as a result of that program, the welfare numbers have dropped 60% and that the former welfare recipients have been finding work in numbers not seen since the 1970s.

i have soooo many problems with this approach.

1. mcwhorter writes in such a tongue in cheek manner that it implies that anyone who doesn't understand and agree with his arguments can't be an educated or rational person.

2. his claims that he listens to and actually likes some hip hop seem like an insincere attempt to gain credibility with readers that he is not someone speaking about hip hop who is unfamiliar with it, but after reading only a few pages, it is obvious that he doesn't get it.

3. he assumes that the interpretations that he gets from the music are the representations that everyone gets; even after he acknowledges that he is not part of the hip hop community.

4. he takes lyrics out of context to prove his point. any position i have heard can be supported by SOMEBODY's lyrics, i honestly have the belief that i could look in the jay-z catalog and find a quote for ANY SITUATION (try me if you want and we can see where this goes).

5. by limiting hip hop to just rap music lyrics, he completely misses the purpose of the culture. forget the fact that he ignores the majority of the culture's members, he doesn't even TRY to consider the work that artists do to improve their communities.

6. not saying that i am in support of our current welfare system; but it seem obvious that if you take people's benefits away after 5 years, the number of those receiving it will dramatically decrease. that does NOT ignore the problem that many single mothers who are able to find jobs have problems finding living wages, the number of black men with criminal backgrounds that make it almost impossible to find gainful employment. rappers continue to point out these issues in our community because those like mcwhorter refuse to acknowledge that they exist

7. for someone who critiques scholars like michael eric dyson for capitalizing on the popularity of hip hop to advance their careers, he has done the same thing; taking the position of those like stanley crouch. the title is definitely one that will grab your attention while browsing through barnes and noble, and it seems to have been written quite quickly considering he makes reference to other texts written only a year before this book.

8. hip hop cannot save black america but then again, NOTHING can save black america. it would be the equivalent to me writing a book entitled "crown of thorns: why christianity can't save black america" the problems are as diverse as our community is and there is not one simple solution. i do know that people in my generation who are doctors, engineers, designers, lawyers are products of hip hop so his claims that it has no positive effect on its listeners is simply not true

like i said...it's experiences like this that drive me to do the research that i'm doing but honestly it's bigger than hip hop (c) dead prez. my overall purpose is to push for silenced populations to be able to speak in academia instead of being (mis)represented by outside scholars often with their own biases and ulterior motives. glad this book reminded me of my purpose.

FINAL WORD: don't wast time even reading this book

word of the day

2008-07-06T08:06:00.000-05:00

maudlin (maud-lin)

adjective

tearfully or excessively sentimental

song of the day

2008-07-06T07:50:00.001-05:00

mind sex - dead prez

click here to download

the most powerful sexual mechanism is ironically the most neglected. nothing heightens attraction for me more than stimulating conversation

sister sister

2008-07-05T07:41:00.003-05:00

with all the talk about serena (possibly) dating common, venus being engaged to a white guy and the fact that neither of them are participating in the 2008 presidential election because they're jehovah's witnesses, it seems as though the general public had forgotten that venus and serena williams are the best two american women's tennis players in the world; frequenting sites like mediatakeout and bossip will do that to you.

but tommorow at 2pm england time (thats 8 am for me here in central standard) the two will play for one of the biggest grand slam titles in the game of tennis; wimbeldon. this is going to be better than saturday morning cartoons! all i need is a big bowl of crunchberries or goldengrams...waaaaait how about i mix the two cereals together...hmmm i will call them golden-crunch-gram-berries. yes!

sorry, i digress

the beauty of this match up is that the sisters seem to be back to rare form where they are dominating the scene. not since 2002 2003 when the sisters met in the finals of the wimbeldon twice and the u.s., french and australian open tournaments, have we have the privilege of watching the two go at it. between the two they have 6 wimbeldon titles between them; venus have 4 and serena has 2 ill definitely be tuned in to see if venus can finally beat her younger sister, who she hasn't beaten in a final since 2001

i don't even care who wins, this is going to be the best tennis match of the season! somewhere up in heaven, althea gibson is smiling

word of the day

2008-07-05T07:33:00.001-05:00

sui generis (soo-eye-JEN-ur-us

adjective

being the only example of its kind; a class of its own; unique

song of the day

2008-07-05T07:25:00.001-05:00

tell me if you still care - s.o.s. band

click here to download

what can i say, i love the s.o.s. band, and the song fits my mood. sometimes its just that simple

what to the slave is the 4th of july?

2008-07-04T10:24:00.001-05:00

in 1852, frederick douglass asked this question in what has been called his greatest speech. here is an except:

"what, to the american slave, is your 4th of july? i answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. to him, you celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. there is not a nation on earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the united states, at this very hour" to read the speech in its entirety click here

today i ask the same thing. here in 2008 we are still slaves; most of us. we are slaves to our appetites for consumptions, to the expectations of our friends and family, to our insecurities, slave to the propaganda created by media spin, slaves to labels or race, class, gender, sexuality, education, political affiliation and many others. the difference in our enslavement though, and that of my ancestors is the acknowledgement of it.

we truly believe that the united states of america is the greatest country in the world. despite our failing education system, the depletion of social security, lack of health care, and poverty that seems unexplainable for a nation with our wealth; we can always point to countries in the third world and feel superior. and today is the day to do it with grand opulence with flags raised and steaks on the barbeque without really considering what we are celebrating. by participating, we are celebrating this nation's history of violent oppression and exploitation of all those not originally considered "american." for this nation to live up to its promise, we must acknowledge the ways that we have and continue to gain our position on the world stage; by brute force with no regard for those who may become collateral damage, even when they are our own citizens.

now some of you reading might be asking me why i'm here in the united states if i have so many problems with the way things are done here. don't worry, as soon as i finish school, learn dutch, and get a work visa, i'm off to the netherlands or maybe switzerland, or maybe london! but back to the point, i am not unpatriotic but i do want for this nation to live up to its claim to be the greatest nation in the world, but taking better care of its citizens and doing more to help those in other nations that are less fortunate, often because of some actions we've taken.

so for me, today is like any other friday, a day of work, trying to find a way to make things better in any small way that i can, because i'm sure that the agents of babylon aren't taking the day off, so neither will i

word of the day

2008-07-04T10:20:00.001-05:00

abstruse (ab-stroos)

adjective

difficult to comprehend or understand

song of the day

2008-07-04T10:08:00.002-05:00

move! - damian marley

click here to download

if you can understand the patois you'll definitely hear some quotables, and it gives a nod to his father's classic album title track exodus

where brooklyn at?

2008-07-03T11:15:00.001-05:00

i was on the phone with my dad when he told me about the atrocity that occurred at kings country hospital in flatbush brooklyn in their emergency psych unit. no words can describe the events the way this footage can:

this is one of the things that hurts my soul to the core. the level if indifference of the other patients, the security guards, and the hospital staff is devastating. not one person thought to call attention to the woman convulsing in front of them. there is no excuse for what happened and it is just another example of how bad the conditions are in health care facilities where the most care is needed and also how low morale of the american people has become. we need change

word of the day

2008-07-03T09:54:00.001-05:00

platitude (plat-uh-tood)

noun

1. staleness of ideas or language; triteness

2. a thought or remark that is banal, trite, or stale

song of the day

2008-07-03T09:45:00.001-05:00

what happened? - algebra

click here to download

i first heard algebra on a skit on the soulstar album and i had been waiting to hear her music since then. she has a beautiful voice and the live instrumentation on this one is amazing.

artistic intergrity

2008-07-02T19:20:00.002-05:00

cnn news reported a serious controversy in denver yesterday when acclaimed jazz singer rene marie performed that national anthem at the annual state of the city address. to everyone's surprise though, the melody was noticable but the words were foreign to most. what marie did was take the melody of the star spangled banner along with the words of lift every voice and sing (the black national anthem). take a listen:

the mayor, the councilman and most of the general public has been making comments about how disrespectful and unpatriotic her actions were. ive read comments about how that ceremony was not the place for her to make a political statement. i listened to the comments, (that got redundant very quickly and decided to weigh in)

1. there is no proper place to make a political statement; but they're best made unexpectedly in places of high visibility where nothing can be done about them. (think john carlos and tommy smith, 1968, in mexico city, on the summer olympic medal stand)

2. i don't think its unpatriotic of her to sing the black national anthem, i think its unpatriotic for it not to be recognized as a beautiful and patriotic song. i think that in this country we substitute assimilation for diversity with that mantra of "we're all the same." the truth is, we're not the same, we're different, but its those differences that should be celebrated not suppressed. people should know lift every voice and sing the same way they know the star spangled banner. for a significant number of this country's citizens; many of whose ancestors this country was built on the backs of, that acknowledgement doesn't seem like too much to ask. for those of you that don't know the lyrics:

Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered;
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.

honestly, it doesn't get more patriotic that that!

3. as an artist, and a jazz artist at that, it can't be unexpected that she would put a twist on it. improv is what jazz is all about. she did a magnificent job combining the two songs that are written in different keys and tempos. not to mention that she also sounded beautifully singing the song. things nobody seemed to recognize. she took on the challenge and did it with courage and excellence. whether you agree or not, her effort should be acknowledged and respected as provocative art

4. i applaud her bravery and am glad that her actions opened up dialog, but sad to see the overwhelming condemnation and lack of even an attempt to understand from her fellow citizens. we pick and chose the most arbitrary things to hang our patriotic hats on when there are always bigger things. the fact that the us is participating in the summer olympics despite china being guilty of violating numerous human rights violations was met with a shrug by most americans. considering that most americans couldn't pass a citizenship exam, we should examine our motivations for claiming patriotism because it is often just a guise for other more destructive isms and not about liberty and justice for all

5. i think she made a wonderful statement about the double conscious that still exists in black americans that needs to be revisited. many black americans in this country have competing identities of what it means to be black and what it means to be american; trying to reconcile them often leads to completely adopting perceptions of one and abandoning perceptions of the other which can cause serious psychological damage. this is not something we should continue to take lightly. anytime the issue can be brought to the forefront, i think it's a good thing, if we choose to actually address it, but i honestly don't think the majority of people know what double consciousness is

unfamiliar with double consciousness theory? read this

(never will i link you to wikipedia, i am no fan of shortcuts)

so because this country has proved again to be unprepared to really deal with race relations in this country i guess ms. marie should say "pardon my integrity" (c) wale

word of the day

2008-07-02T13:05:00.001-05:00

hubris (hyuu - bris)

noun

excessive pride or self confidence; arrogance

song of the day

2008-07-02T12:50:00.001-05:00

clock with no hands - the roots.

click here to download

After listening, you should just go purchase the roots album Game Theroy...and then you should look up what game theory actually is...

who am i...wu-tang?

2008-07-01T11:35:00.001-05:00

actually i am charity clay; thats the name my father gave me and i try to embody it. charity meaning love and clay meaning from the dirt; so i try to sincerely show love and stay grounded.

i have a lot of aliases, so many in fact i should be wearing pink and green. *pause*

i'm currently a phd student at texas a&m univers

ity in the sociology department. im finishing up my thesis on hip hop. the premise is on allowing members of the culture to establish the foundation for understanding it instead of letting outside researcher that are not a part of it use negative representations as the basis for their analyses of the culture (you can inquire about it), its going to be dope. i study hip hop because im a hip hop head. i honestly believe that hip hop has largely shaped me into the person i am, and i know other people who feel the sam

e. unfortunately, our voices have been silenced in academia because we haven't had our own scholars. I think that this generation of hip hop heads who are beginning their professional careers now are in the position to recapture show positive representations of our culture and redefine it on our own terms instead of accepting what we hear about us. i see our position not only as a wonderful opportunity but as a responsibility to the culture that has made us who we are.

i'm a lyricist extraordinaire. i make music because i love it and i have important things to say, that are articulated well over rhythms. my lyrical influences are (in no particular order):

elzhilauryn hill

black thought

rakim

jean grae

nas

blackstar

yo-yo

jay-z

common

i take influences from other singers and musicians and get inspiration from everything that the most high has blessed me to experience. i'm currently working on both a spoken word album and my rap album . badu said that being humble was 2007 so i will say that i am pretty good and by good i mean i think i can hold my own with anybody. but i'll let you check that out for yourself and be the judge. click here to experience my lyrical abilities i welcome all collaborations and you can contact my manager for booking hahaha

in a previous life; before a near fatal accident where i was a pedestrian struck by a car; i was one of the best basketball players in this country...my jump shot is still cash money for anyone who wants to go shot for shot. my phd research will be about black women and basketball. i've noticed that there is a lot done about black men and sports, but very little research about black women and sports so i'm hoping to fill that gap a bit

besides a little bit of everything, i don't do much (c) beanie sigel. hopefully you'll get bits and pieces of me through these posts

simply stated... charity is for the children...

...kinda like wu-tang

What is guerrilla intellectualism

2008-07-01T10:54:00.001-05:00

guerrilla intellectualism is a term i've used to describe the method of young people like myself. The current generation of budding leaders who respectfully challenge the way that our leaders have done things in the past. With no intention of re-creating the wheel we are able to critically look at the mistakes and successes made in the past by those with the same goals of liberating the minds, bodies and spirits of mankind.

the first time i used this term it was in an effort to explain why i considered stealing gunnar myrdal's book an american dilemma: the negro problem and modern democracy (a must read) from my university library; the justification was the acquisition of knowledge by any means necessary. although it was initially a joke, and the term seemed a bit oxymoronic initially (considering that intellectuals are considered people of thought and little action, and guerrillas are considered to be the opposite), i found it fitting for the way i approached my studies. i've never been the type to learn things just for the sake of knowing them, the purpose is to share knowledge and try to build with others. and that, is the purpose of this blog

solidarity