cop that shit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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