My Flow So Tight - a request that should be fulfilled

Speaking of music videos, have you seen the song by Jump Smokers? You may have some trouble with the name as the song (My Flow So Tight) was originally done with a group by the name of Smoke Jumpers. It's the same group, just that another group had the original name first.

Actually there is a big hubub about the name. The group in Texas with the original name finds the song - that is gaining attention internationally - and/or the mixup in names has caused

"their name has been hurt "in the minds of music listeners everywhere."

Right. Because absolutely everyone has heard of the Texas band. They need to get off the high horse and appreciate the fact that now someone knows who the hell they are.

But beyond all the minor squabbles of names is the song itself. I find it to be a perfect prose on the emotions that acts of brutality against women, and specifically this act against Rihanna, conjure. In fact I would enjoy someone acting on this songs request.



For those wondering about the wording, here are the lyrics:

My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
Chris Brown should get his ass kicked,
Chris Brown should get his ass kicked,
(kicked) x6
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
Chris Brown should get his ass kicked,

Ass kicked 5x

My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
Chris Brown should get his ass kicked,

Boy hits girl,
Boy should be taken down,
No matter whos around,
The more I searched yo the more I found,
That there's a curse to this last name brown,
Dude can dance and yo dude gets loose,
Dude should come clean and tell the truth,
All the money in the world but there's no excuse,
Career suicide yo heres the noose,

Boy hits girl,
Boy should be taken down,
No matter whos around,
The more I searched yo the more I found,
That there's a curse to this last name brown,
Dude can dance and yo dude gets loose,
Dude should come clean and tell the truth,
All the money in the world but there's no excuse,
Career suicide yo heres the noose,

(muffled)My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,(muffled)
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
Chris Brown should get his ass kicked,

Ass kicked x5

Boy hits girl,
Boy should be taken down,
No matter whos around,
The more I searched yo the more I found,
That there's a curse to this last name brown,
Dude can dance and yo dude gets loose,
Dude should come clean and tell the truth,
All the money in the world but there's no excuse,
Career suicide yo heres the noose,

Boy hits girl,
Boy should be taken down,
No matter whos around,
The more I searched yo the more I found,
That there's a curse to this last name brown,
Dude can dance and yo dude gets loose,
Dude should come clean and tell the truth,
All the money in the world but there's no excuse,
Career suicide yo heres the noose,

(muffled)My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,(muffled)
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
My flow so tight and the beats so sick,
Chris Brown should get his ass kicked.

This may not be the best song in the world, but the lyrics and mentality behind it deserves to get airplay. Unless we want to promote domestic violence as much as R Kelly has done for pedophiles with the fiasco that was his trial.

Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards tainted with Phelps and Brown

Ok, so maybe it’s just me. Perhaps I am one of the few people that have a problem with Nickelodeon’s decision making abilities. Rather I should say the apparent lack thereof. Though it could just be a lack of balls.

Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Awards are the subject of contention. Specifically the issue is with Chris Brown, and Michael Phelps. I believe neither should be in the competition for the categories they were nominated for. In fact I believe both should be publicly and vociferously pulled.

Michael Phelps does not deserve to be recognized, or available as a choice because he smokes marijuana. Pictures and his own admission to the fact are proof enough. It’s an illegal act, and detrimental to the health of children. The picture was taken after he won his gold medals in the Olympics – when it was clear that he had become a media figure and instant role model to children around the world.

Phelps had no problem accepting all that his instant fame provided, except when it came to a bit of self-discipline and an illegal drug. No matter what an individual may feel, as an adult, about illegal drug use I believe we all can agree that minors should be protected from such promotion. Phelps felt no such need, though he was happy to accept money from all sources, including those promoting him to children.

With every action is a consequence. With lack of self-discipline comes negative ramifications. Removing him from the Kid’s Choice Awards is the least that should happen to him.

In much the same reasoning is Chris Brown. While he is still only alleged to have battered and assaulted Rihanna, he has all but admitted his actions to the public. There is no question of his guilt. Which means he is a criminal of the worst sort.

Now I realize that when both men were nominated they had not committed the criminal acts yet. But once they did do so, and then publicly acknowledged their wrong-headed actions (actually let me get it right, criminal is the key word), they forfeited their place in this competition.

Are we saying to the youth of America that to break the law is without consequence? That drugs are in fact ok to use? That the vicious and unwarranted brutality against women is condoned? Because if that is what Nickelodeon believes they should just state that to us all.

If Nickelodeon does not believe those acts to be decent or lawfully then they must remove Chris Brown and Michael Phelps. There really is no other choice. And inaction in this matter makes one thing very clear. Nickelodeon would pimp children in any manner necessary to gain more ratings, and therefore money. Given they are a television networks and seeking a profit. But most would draw a line on profit at the potential expense of children. The longer Nickelodeon fails to act, the more they seem to admit that children are just an expendable means to get the dollars of parents everywhere.

The last thing about this that I want to note is the inclusion of Rihanna in a petition, signed by 4,655 so far, to have Chris Brown removed from the Kid’s Choice Awards. Rihanna is a victim. The fact that she is apparently forgiving the illegal, brutal, cowardly actions of Chris Brown are beyond anyone’s ability to know. Perhaps she is suffering from Battered Women’s Syndrome, Perhaps she is planning for the opportunity to get him to relax and sleep in her presence so she can smack him around with a frying pan. A really heavy one I would hope (as I would hope that is her reasoning).

But whatever the reason it does not change the fact that Rihanna is a victim. As such she does not need to be further penalized for actions she did not request or deserve. To remove her name is to add to the brutality she has already suffered.

Is it just me? Am I too sensitive to the thought of promoting criminals to children? Is it too much to ask a business to have a moral backbone and ignore profits when the potential damage is only the future abilities and actions of the most innocent and easily influenced group in America. Our children.

I really can’t believe it’s just me.

Mekhi Phifer - excusing the inexcusable

Sometimes celebrities and entertainers just need to shut their mouths. They need to stop speaking and think of what they are saying. This isn’t personal, but I think that Mekhi Phifer just had one of those moments.



Phifer was at the World Poker Tour Invitational tournament, to raise money for Vine Group USA – a charity that provides funds for educational programs in Africa. I always admire when entertainers do things for good causes, helping people in need. But I wish he just stopped at that.

Of course being a Black celebrity, plus having been in a film with Chris Brown, there had to be a question asked about what he thinks of Chris Brown allegedly beating Rihanna (possibly with a gun). Phifer could have said nothing. He could have said he was unaware of the details. He could have said that he deplores violence against women, though he was not present at the incident in question.

Instead he said,

“People make mistakes—and while I don't condone what happened that night, you know, what Chris did to her—I remember being young, 19, and at that age it seemed like everything was so over-the-top, and everyone's so passionate about things at the age.”

He may not condone what happened, but he sure as hell seems willing to excuse it.

A mistake is when you write the wrong date on a check. A mistake is when you take a left turn instead of a right. A mistake is even telling the nation that “I did not have sex with that woman” though a blue dress exists to prove otherwise.

But to actively lift your arm, with or without anything in your hand, and to bring down your fist with force against the face and body of a woman is an active conscious thought. He did not trip and beat her face. He did not walk past her and his arm convulsed repeatedly striking her. Chris Brown made a decision to abuse Rihanna (allegedly), there was no mistake about his actions.

I too was 19 once. I too have had volatile relationships. And life was difficult at 19 for me as well, perhaps more so as I did not have the money or resources of a Chris Brown. Yet there has never been a day in my 40 years of life where I had a need to beat a woman. Neither has any true man.

Chris Brown made a stupid, violent, reprehensible decision. Were I the D.A. I would be looking for any way in which I could arrest Chris Brown for this action. Because Chris Brown is a symbol, whether he likes it or not. Young fans are aware of what he has done, and if he walks away without consequence what are we telling those kids?

If Mekhi Phifer does not want to publicly chastise Chris Brown, fine I can respect that. But don’t excuse his alleged actions. Make a statement that a man would make. State clearly that this was wrong, that the concept of abusing a woman is wrong. Because I truly doubt if this was his mother, (sister, and/or daughter if he had them) he would be stating this was a mistake.

I don’t know Phifer, nor what he was thinking at that moment. But as I said at the beginning, sometimes celebrities and entertainers need to understand when to just shut up.

Chris Brown vs. Rihanna: Domestic Violence is inexcusable

I normally do not like to delve into the sorid tabloid scheme of invading the privacy of entertainers and celebrities. There are better ways to make money or gain an audience. But I will take up the issue of Chris Brown's alleged domestic violence against Rihanna.

Domestic violence, and all violence against women is abominable. No true man ever has a need of placing his hands on a woman. It is a sign of cowardice and inferiority, in my opinion.



Domestic violence, and any violence against women, is inexcusable. This is not love. It is not an accident. It is not something that is the blame of anyone except the child that wants to be viewed as a man. No woman should ever have to expereince this.

If there is anything that the Chris Brown / Rihanna case can do, it is to make it clear that ANY woman can be a victim of such abuse. It makes clear that neither money nor fame make a man, and violence even less so. Real men do not need money, fame, violence to be strong or respected. Real men do not abuse women, but instead defend them from what I feel are worse criminals than almost any other, those that hurt women.

If you are a woman, if you are the victim of domestic abuse, or any violent crime, get help. Go to the authorities. It's not something to hide. Rihanna has taken action, and her fame makes this a spotlight that few could imagine. Yet the more important thing is her life and ability to live without such abuse. She made a brave choice, and so can you.

There is help out there. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (www.ndvh.com) at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) is available 24/7, every day of the year. And they speak 170 languages. All calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline are anonymous and confidential.

Beyond this I will not discuss the case, as I feel to do so would be exploitative.

Is your mom/sister/girlfriend/wife/daughter ok? Are you sure

Not long ago I interviewed Cynthia Basinet. In that interview the topic of humanitarian aide came up. In particular were comments about the needs of Africa. Shortly after that I posted about an event that was targeting aid to women around the world and in Africa that have been victims of violence and rape.

And few paid attention, sadly.

But just days ago Chris Brown was arrested in connection to charges about violence against Rihanna. And the internet is abuzz. And I have to wonder.

Is it only when a celebrity endures a hardship that we care as a nation. Are we so cold-hearted as to ignore the suffering of millions of women simply because we don’t know their name or country. Has the media so blinded the masses that unless something happens to someone famous we don’t think it happens at all?

I despise the thought of what Chris Brown has been accused of doing. There is no justification, and I believe punishment is in order if the facts are as have been blasted across the media. Yet there is a bigger issue.

The odds are that 1 in 3 women, across the globe, will be the victim of a rape or violence. That means out of you mother, wife/girlfriend, sister, daughter 1 will definitely be a victim and more than a chance of another as well. That’s not something that I would wish upon even my enemy.

This is not just an issue of what celebrities do. It’s not just something that happens in movies, or to “those people” whoever you wish to define it. It’s happening in every part of the globe, every day. And the chance of you knowing a woman that this has happened to is better than you remembering what will be on TV tonight.

We should never let this pass without thought. We should never allow this to be a secret. This needs to be addressed and confronted.

No man ever needs to place a hand against a woman. It’s just not needed. There is no justification unless you are in a pool of your own blood. It is the act of a coward and a small child to lash out in such a manner. It is the action of a weak and pitiful boy, never a man regardless of age.

I am glad that Cynthia Basinet brought up the issue of violence against women in Africa. I am happy to heard of women like Jessica Alba, Kerry Washington, Charlize Theron, Camryn Manheim, Anne Archer and Sherry Lansing among many others are making this a reality to the millions of Americans that have turned a blind eye and deaf ear.

I hope that before I die I never need to read about the atrocities that Dr. Denis Mukwege tries to heal each day. Because they don’t happen any more. I hope that before I die I never have to fear for my sisters, mother, and every woman I have ever known.

But that means that you have to act, and not forget this post or the articles in the news. Because tomorrow it could be a woman you love.