Paris Hilton…

Since when does celebrity triumph over ethics? How is it that Isaiah Washington will get slaughtered for saying homophobic statements but Ms. Paris Hilton can drop n-words left and right without being challenged? Even rappers and producers continue to work with her despite the fact she thinks “black people steal shit” and are “whores who have sex for coke.” On many occasions, often on youtube video might I add does Paris share a little of her bigot wisdom and says something ignorant about Blacks, Jews, Japanese, you name it she’s said something offensive and down right racist yet still everyone is more concerned in throwing a party for her prison release. Why the double standard? Why the out right bullshit? I bet if all Paris fans saw every single video where Paris says some ignorant trash they’d still worship her like idiot lemmings.

If I was President. I’d get elected on Friday, Assasinated on Saturday, Buried on Sunday.

Election time is coming…..

If I was President
I’d get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
If I was president,
If I was president

An old man told me
Instead of spending
Billions on the war
We can use some of that money
In the ghetto
I know some so poor
When it rains that’s when they shower
Screaming fight the power
That’s when the vulture devours

If I was President
I’d get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
If I was president,
If I was president,
If I was president,
If I was president

But the radio won’t play this
They call it rebel music,
How can you refuse it?,
Children of Moses

If I was President
I’d get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
If I was president,
If I was president,

Tell the children the truth, the truth
Christopher Columbus didn’t discover America
Tell them the truth,
The truth, Yeah
Tell them about Marcus Garvey
Tell the children the truth, yeah
The Truth
Tell them about Martin Luther King
Tell them the truth
The truth
Tell them about JFK

If I was President,
If I was President
I’d get elected on Friday
Assassinate on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
If I was president,
If I was president

Gotta love Wyclef.

Values, stances and potentials aside, if elected who would get assasinated, Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton?

America has shown a history of assasinating anyone with even the slightest inclination of promoting positive change. I.e. Abe Lincoln, JFK, MLKJ, Malcolm X, etc so would Obama or Clinton be any different? They’re both minorities and arguably radical in their pursuit for presidency so would they too be at risk? Sadly Dave Chappelle was right in a hilariously twisted way when he said he’d never want to be the first Black president. As much as he’d like to see a Black president, America isn’t ready for one and the first would get assasinated. Instead he’d want to be the second Black president and have “a mexican” for a vice president and enemies would go for him instead. Honestly America isn’t ready for a female president either, quite frankly America isn’t ready for a president that actually gets things accomplished. It would mean that everyone would have to start getting involved in the electoral process and live up to the values and constitution of the United States and we’re much too lazy for that “nonsense.” Fuck an ideology, I want my six figures, house on the hill and that sexy ass iphone. 2008 is approaching and its apparent that no one is ready, its kind of scary, intimidating maybe but we’d be lying if we didn’t admit we’re on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens. Besides, it’d give the media a break from covering the illegitmate children of porn stars and forceful thursts of Senegalese falsetto vocalists.

You Know What It Is

What is up with T.I. and Wyclef’s video “You Know What It Is” ?!?! Last time I checked Wyclef is Haitian not Jamaican. It’s bad enough that in every movie involving Haitians the characters are given dreadlocks and Jamaican accents and speak broken creole but Wyclef was born in Haiti and should know better than some ignorant movie director! This video allegedly took place in Haiti but even the actors playing Haitians had a Jamaican accent. I know reggae and associated accents are hot right now but damn! Shame on Wyclef, Shame! Definitely lost a lot of respect. Hopefully the general public will call him out on this. Looks like the racism and profiling surrounding Haitians has got to the best of them.

Politricks

Is Hip Hop simply a scapegoat for a larger problem?

Since its creation Hip Hop, as well as other aspects of the Black Community such as Blaxploitation films have been scrutinized for what some consider “questionable content.” This content included vulgar, explicit sex and violence driven themes and even themes considered too political and therefore a “danger to society.” The largest attack has been on Rap music, and while warranted in some instances, the attack is often used to mask a larger issue.

It is thought that Rap music has a negative effect on society. The lewd content is allegedly influencing America’s youth to seek lives of crime, violence, and casual sex. Now while it is true that all forms of media and entertainment have an effect on the viewer, can music truly compel someone to alter their life’s course? Not at all. Such “questionable content” would have to be reinforced by other factors and without rebuttal by socializing agents such as education and family. As much as America would like to blame Rap for the youth’s problems, society needs to come to the realization that Rap alone just is not capable of such an influence. If Rap were somehow abolished from music the youth would not change. We live in a culture dripping of sex and violence. Everything from President Bush wanting to “smoke out” the troops in Iraq and having the “terminator” for a state governor to movies like James Bond 007 and sex soaked TV shows like “The Real World.” Rap is a small percentage of all entertainment and media being produced in America. Only in the U.S. can we have sexy Colgate toothpaste commercials and blame promiscuity on Rap music. Sex and Violence is in every aspect of popular culture, Rap is simply a scapegoat for a larger problem.

Rap blamed for several crimes however, Rock and Alternative Rock are not given the same treatment. Columbine and Virginia Tech Shootings both featured assailants who religiously listened to Rock music with “questionable content” but in neither situation has Rock been blamed for those viscous crimes. Note the discrepancy. The themes in Rap and Rock are equally blatant, curses and all but they are not equally discussed.

When Akon allegedly “dry raped” a young girl from Trinidad the media immediately began to criticize Rap although the only connection Akon has with Rap is being a loyal fan with a few music collaborations. Akon is a singer from Senegal whose music can be considered R&B by some standards but by no definition, Rap. Every news outlet, specifically The O’Riley Show named Akon a rapper with explicit content and urged sponsors to back out of any endorsements and deals with Akon. Rap was used as a scapegoat for Akon’s actions without any valid connections. Akon is no more connected with Rap than Maroon 5. Both have collaborated with Rap artists and are fans but are by no means rappers themselves. They both even have sexual content in their music but coincidently or not, artists like Akon are the only ones targeted. It is instances such as this one that lead many to believe that the attack is race related and that artists like Akon are labeled rappers and critics assume they have lewd content simply because they are Black. Why else would the connection be made? What differentiates Akon from Maroon 5 or Kid Rock? Note the discrepancy.

Ludacris is a popular rapper known for his animated style of rapping. Never has he claimed to be a gangster or drug dealer however he is prolific for sex themed music. When Ludacris was considered for the Pepsi endorsement Bill O’Riley had a fit. He claimed Ludacris had explicit content and cursed much too much to be in the endorsement and pressured Pepsi to drop Ludacris. While his reasoning is warranted he is not consistent. If Ludacris is too explicist for Pepsi, why replace him with the Osborne Family? The Osbornes, Ozzy specifically, are extremely explicit and Ozzy has music that can be considered more vulgar than that of Ludacris yet O’Riley approved of the endorsement. Note the discrepancy. The only difference one cal pull from Ludacris and The Osbornes is that Ludacris is Black and a member of the Hip Hop community. Is there really any reason for why Ozzy did not receive equal treatment?

While Rap does have an effect on society especially in regards to how Blacks are stereotyped and profiled, the music artists themselves cannot shoulder the entire blame. Rap’s greatest shift in content (1993-present) occurred when Hip Hop culture became a commercial commodity. Corporations used Hip Hop as a cash cow and used it in everything from clothing to cereal and successfully sold more products to consumers because of it. The corporate interest created an inbalance between the “baller” and the “backpacker,” the gangster and the activist. Ballers and thugs are more controversial and make more money in mainstream society so a handful of record labels monopolized distribution and produced uniform cookie cutter artist modeled after groups like NWA and Ice T. Similar to Black actors participating in minstrel shows, Black artist participated in the new industry tactic. For every artist who opposed the artist mold there was another who was so desperate for funds that they would play along. Rappers wanting to express any inference of individuality were ignored by record labels and the ignorant were embraced. Financially, the “conscious” artist was not a profitable endeavor so many artist foolishly and some for survival adapted to the twisted demand, ignoring Hip Hop’s true foundation of knowledge and originality. If you want an artist to stop their explicit lyrics then attack the CEOs of their record labels. Attack A&R. Attack Management and Artist Development. Attack those who are profiting the most from the lewd content and are majorly White and not concerned with the fate of the Black community and its images. For many artists a change in content would mean a loss of a record deal or breach in contract. For real change the corporations have to be attacked, they are the ones with all the creative and financial control, the rappers are mere pawns. So why has the media yet to set up a round table with heads of all these record labels and distributers? Why not go to the root of the problem? There is not right or wrong answer. There are many reasons but the main one would be financial loss and a threat to the economy. If rap changed, then all music would change. If music changed then so would radio, television, movies, advertisements, etc. Money would be lost and the lining of corporate exec’s fat pockets would begin to thin.

Rap is not the bane of America’s existence. Pop culture is. Society is it’s own enemy. The media is a reflection of society and society reflects the media. If a conscious change is to occur successfully the attackers should also become the attacked. Stop supporting sex and violence driven content if you feel it is inappropriate. Why focus coverage on the death of a porn star and insult a Rapper for disrespecting women. In America there lies a double standard with what some believe to have racial context. We need to stop scapegoating and examining the real issues. Let’s be real, a sound education and proper parenting can refute the strongest of entertainment and media forces but society doesn’t attack parenting or values, we attack the entertainers so we don’t have to deal with ourselves and our dwindling society.

FEMA’s Dirty Little Secret

I promised some students back in N.O. that I’d let everyone hear about what’s been going down in New Orleans so take 5 minutes out of your privileged lives and become aware.

For those who don’t know, Howard had sent 570 students (70 law students week 1 and 500 undergrad week 2) to New Orleans as part of an Alternative Spring Break program to rebuild and reestablish the New Orleans community making them the biggest group of students to ever volunteer in LA. There they were joined by a few other schools and well meaning individuals including myself and together they made a difference.

It’d be hard for anyone to argue with Kanye’s Bush allegations because after visiting all the wards, 9th and east in particularly, you could tell FEMA didn’t do SHIT! Two years after the hurricane and it looked like Katrina had just hit. Houses were laid barren and destroyed and every mile had big open fields where houses once stood. It was past depressing. It was disgusting. I don’t think anyone outside N.O. could understand or fathom how hard Katrina had hit the city and the extent that the government chose to ignore the devastation…Naw, scratch that, they didn’t ignore the White affluent areas, those areas were rebuilt. It was the areas where the poor and Black people lived that were consciously overlooked.

Can you imagine losing everything? Living in a trailer literally half the size of a dorm room with your entire family?!? Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced and many will not return. I mean how could they? Insurance companies have pulled every scam in the book to keep people from getting money to rebuild and the media got it twisted. Did anyone else find it disgustingly ironic that in identical pictures, each showing a Black or a White person swimming into abandoned stores searching for food and clothing, the captions differed greatly? Somehow Black people were “stealing and looting” and White people were “finding.” America has found everyway to trick its people into believing that some how the people of New Orleans, human beings mind you, deserved this. No one deserves this. No American should have to wait four days for help in their own country.

I don’t know how many stories I’ve heard about the police shooting down boys who “stole” boats and trucks in efforts to save people from flooded home or innocent people being shot down for trying to cross the bridge into predominantly White areas which ironically happened to be the least effected and driest.

Some of us did debris removal, others built homes. I got to work at a charter school and at St. Augustine High School. There I met some of the smartest; most mature, hilarious and just cool ass kids around. I can’t say in words how uplifting it was too see so many intelligent young Black men, all destined for college. Everyone wished they could have stayed longer. It was almost too much fun.

So for every student who went to Mexico for Spring Break or professional who sat idly in their office, just know that over 600 well meaning individuals went down to Nawlins and sacrificed their vacations and work wages for the benefit of those who needed it the most. Trust and believe much more needs to be done so whenever you can break away go down to New Orleans, I’ll see you there because I will go back without a doubt!