Time for a music interlude

Just working a lot lately on the Wall That Heals Viet Nam Memorial in Binghamton and the Cindy Sheehan book signing, so I needed a break for a bit. Of course that means the following music videos might not be what you would expect.












OK, not really!







Ok, that's more than enough. Back to work.

Obvious facts in teen health study

Do you ever read an article, about some scientific study about this or that, and you just say to yourself – “Scientists are just so stupid. I knew that.”

Of course scientists aren’t stupid. But some of the studies they do have to make you wonder. Like a recent study on 20,000 young kids. The study sought to see how kids feel about surviving. Were they optimistic or not about living to 35, and what choices did they make based on that outlook.

Scientists are shocked that some 15% of those interviewed over 7 years believed they’d never live to 35. I’m shocked they didn’t realize how common a thought that was. I mean I was very sure that I probably wouldn’t make it past 25. And that’s considering I was a far better than average student, not into drugs, ghettofabulous did not exist, I never joined a gang, plus I was working since I was a young teen.

Today I can see even more reasons that a person of color in their late teens might think they won’t make it to 35. Gangs are worse, drugs are rampant across the nation, music videos and rap music directly state they should be violent, addicted, criminals. Fewer kids are getting the educations they deserve, and more sources in society are telling them to give up on higher learning. I mean there is a huge societal influence that says a person of color should only hope to be ghettofabulous. All of that is separate of the fact that if you are a criminal, or just a person of color, there are seriously great odds [comparatively] that a police officer will abuse and/or kill you.

"Nearly 25 percent of youth living in households that receive public assistance and more than 29 percent of American-Indian, 26 percent of African-American, 21 percent of Hispanic, and 15 percent of Asian youth reported believing they would die young—compared to just 10 percent of their Caucasian peers."

Is there any surprise then that this study came out and “revealed” the obvious thought among people of color that they won’t make it to 35. Personally I think the shock is that White kids are also feeling these same thoughts of impending death, most from the same sources as those for the kids of color.

Back when crack hit the streets in the 80’s, I recall the lack of concern by police and elected officials. No one was bothering to do anything about that drug or the addicts initially. Not until White kids started to get addicted and drop dead. A couple of elected officials kids got hooked, and overnight there was news of the epidemic of crack. Just about 5 years after the fact.

In a similar manner this report is the same thing to me. 20+ years ago I understood that the chances of me dying before 25 was 1 in 4. In fact about 25% of my friends from elementary school didn’t make it to 25. At that time 2 decades ago I understood that the chances of me going to jail were also about 1 in 4. Again, at least that many of the kids I grew up with were in or had been in jail. That was the reality in the Bronx, and a decent neighborhood of the Bronx.

Given the failures of elected officials and the campaigns to keep kids off of drugs – Nancy Regan saying no and a guy making breakfast vs. a criminal rapper on MTV surrounded by women, drugs, and money, guess which makes more of an impact to a teen – the growth of negative influences, and the promotion by the major media and entertainment industry of the “Ghettofabulous” and “Thug life”, I’m surprised the numbers are not worse.

If the scientists doing this study want to move things along, for a mere contribution to my site, I will give them my insight.

Change the music videos – no more mostly naked women jiggling, no more drug paraphinallia, no more violence. At least not until say 1 am.

Provide real funding to schools – no more books older than the students and teachers burnt out or incapable of teaching.

Ensure that when entertainers break the law they get convicted – No more multi-year delays, like R Kelly, or slaps on the wrist, like DMX and Snoop Dogg and so forth.

Convict corrupt police officers – Officers that kill innocent citizens need to get big press coverage and massive jailtime. Like ex-officer Johannes Merhserle who killed Oscar Grant – which the media has avoided like the plague.

Allow rap and hip hop to be more than the minstrel show – the genres were more diversified and positive when they started, but now are just cash cows of negative reinforcement

Actually spend money fighting drugs – it took 4 years for a crack house near my family members in the Bronx to be closed. Police rarely sweep known drug hangouts and locations (in my knowledge) daily. Major media rarely focuses on the death and destruction drug dealers are responsible for, instead highlighting the lifestyle and money. IE They talk about how much money and drugs were found, or the superficial material things a drug dealer may own, not that dealer X may have caused XXX people to die from drug overdoses and to live on the streets as prostitutes.

These are just a few ideas. But each is effective in its own way. Far more so than a study of the obvious or elected officials polispeak.

Drugs and punishment

It's just truly amazing how much sympathy and adoration is felt in the nation for drug dealers and addicts. I'm being serious.

We have Secretary of State Clinton rushing out to foreign nations, declaring that their problems are caused by our actions. While this is in part true for the nations that supply the vast drug culture of the United States, it is not the only reason many of those nations are impoverished. The degree of culpability of the U.S. aside, the fact that Secretary Clinton is airing our national dirty laundry to the world is a bit stinging. Especially as the Government fails to act.

That of course says nothing of the way Secretary Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, rode on the humor and prestige of his declared failure to inhale. Sort of a just say no after you've already done it campaign. Very effective in getting the youth of America to stop taking drugs.

Add to this the prestige given to ex-convicts, most for drug-related crimes, as they perform their minstrel acts. America buy tens of millions of dollars worth of adulation on rappers and hip hop - as they directly promote various aspects of getting high. Just watch most rapper music videos, and absolutely any movie that has a rapper in it.

Suffice to say the Government likes drugs, legal or not. Both by its actions and inaction.

But the actions get to be even bigger in some states. The NAACP recently sent out an email, requesting support in getting NY Gov. Patterson to change the Rockerfeller drug laws. Because they are not nice, in essence.

Now I agree that an addict on the corner does not need to be locked up for life. There is a better way to deter new drug users than locking up a kid instead of focusing on the dealer and the supplier. But in America, the end-user has been the focus of attention. Except if you lived in an inner city during the 1980's crack epidemic. That was basically left alone to run amuck.

So yes I think the Rockerfeller laws can be changed for the better. But not in the way Gov. Patterson or the NAACP believe. No, I think there is a lesson that we can learn form a nation trying to school America on math right now. China.

Not very long ago, China has a debilitating problem with opium. Addiction and dealers were rampant in the nation. Something had to be done. Something dramatic.

They took addicts , and drug dealers, put them in a square on live television on every channel and shot them dead. It was a very clear message. They did this for a few years. Rounding up a few hundred addicts and dealers, and then publicly executing them. In less than a decade or so, and with the majority of dealers and addicts still alive, they curbed the problem. Not that it does not exist today, but it is negligible.

Personally, I like this plan for drug dealers. They are effectively mass murderers. They are the ones that kill innocents in their turf wars. They are the ones who seek out children for new clientelle. They offer our communities poison for nothing more than monetary profit. I consider them scum.

And for those that are the most visible, the most visible punishment makes sense. A rapper in a movie or music video extolling the fun and/or wealth generated by drugs - and is a known drug offender, possibly even still being arrested for drug related offenses - deserves to have all their wealth removed and donated to recovery programs. They deserve to be put in a box on Hollywood Blvd, and left alone. Because how many millions of kids will eventually see that movie, and the music videos, and the MTV programs, and the various Award shows, and equate the grandeur of that entertainer with drug use? Especially when that entertainer glorifies their past actions in the drug trade at every opportunity (ie. 50 cent or Snoop Dogg).

Now I know that the NAACP thinks that the effect of laws in the nation like the Rockerfeller law is biased against African Americans, Hispanics, and the poor. Which is true. But that does not divert from the fact that inner cities are focal points of drug activity. Given that there are far more Whites that go unpunished in any manner; the real point of attack is the dealer and supplier. And the punishment to both should be extreme.

Just saying no is not effective. Just attacking the addicts is not effective. Logically we need to move up the chain. And we need to act in a manner that actively causes every criminal involved to question the worth of pursuing such a lifestyle.

It's really just that easy. When I was growing up in the Bronx I could have shown the police half a dozen crack houses. Not that they needed to be shown, they knew of them. But instead they focused on the addicts, effectively just opening a new spot for the next addict to take.

Yet when I had to actively threaten to murder a crack house near where my family lived, because one of the addicts pulled a gun on me and thus proved a threat to my entire family, I got results. Where the police ignored the situation for almost 5 years, I had results in 5 minutes. Because the absolute guarantee of death cuts into profits and risk/reward evaluations for everyone.

If America, New York State, or anywhere wants to be effective in ending the drug problem, we need action. Take a drug dealer, which are easy to find in any city or town, and publicly flog them to within an inch of their life. I guarantee they will give up the suppliers. Get the suppliers and publicly hang them. After a few dozen are killed, I guarantee that there will be fewer drugs, and thus fewer addicts.

But this has to be done across the board. It doesn't matter if the dealer is White, Black, Hispanic, male or female, owns a big company or whatever. Delorean, back in the day, was caught with kilos of cocaine and got treated with kid gloves. What do you think that said to the next CEO that wanted a quick cash infusion to their company? Don't get caught.

Yet if Delorean was placed on national television, and shot in a firing squad, I guarantee cocaine sales would have dropped. And today there would be far fewer celebrities touting their involvement in drugs (like Amy Winehouse).

This is an epidemic problem. It requires an even-handed iron fist resolution. Anything less, in my opinion, is just wasting time and money.

Remembering Eartha Kitt

There is no lack of people today discussing the death of Eartha Kitt. After 60 years of work in movies, television and as a singer she is remembered for so many things. She dared to question a President in the White House - and was exiled from the nation for a time. She grew up poor and unwanted yet became a star. And of course she was a Catwoman, in a time when few Blacks were ever seen in any roles in television (and with the best purr too).

But for a performer perhaps the best way to remember their passing is to take a look at how their work has endured over time. The greatest compliment has often been said to be imitation. For entertainers that can be most readily seen in covers of songs or re-enactments of their work. So in the spirit of the season, and to see the tribute of how enduring a performer she was, I present Eartha Kitt (and many others) singing Santa Baby which she first sang in 1953.



Kylie Minogue


Taylor Swift


Cynthia Basinet


Pussycat Dolls


Macy Gray


Laureta Meci


Everclear


Les Paul and Trio


And in a very odd take on the theme Willa Ford in a 'revisioning' of the song


and countless versions across the internet




Suffice to say Eartha Kitt inspired tens of thousands if not millions over the years. She was outspoken, trend setting, vibrant, unique, sexy, intelligent, and talented. And it is that combination of things that has endured for decades, just as her music has done.

Eartha Kitt, 81, was a class act. She will be missed.

Anime Music Videos

And just for those that enjoy anime and music videos, I found a collection of interesting items

Naruto


Rurouni Kenshin


Bleach


Trigun


Ghost in the Shell


Full Metal Alchemist

Black Entertainment Television loses Procter & Gamble, but is it enough?

Viacom must be proud. I really have to believe that they are in a great mood today. If they aren’t all the better because I feel better. Why? Because Procter & Gamble and GM have pulled their ads from the network – specifically those found on Rap City and 106 & Park.

Both of these cable network programs are found on the infamous Black Entertainment Television (BET) [No relation], created by Bob Johnson based on the same theory as that of Marie Antoinette. But whereas Marie Antoinette was beheaded by the starving masses, the intellectually starving made Bob Johnson a billionaire. And Viacom was more than happy to jump on the bandwagon that Johnson started.

If television can be called the opiate of the masses, then gangsta rap and hip hop music videos are its crack. Bob Johnson figured out the formula and how to spread sales when he started his infamous late-night music video line-up. Viacom simply figured out how to sell this crack to schoolchildren during the day. Reginald Hudlin must be proud, because Sumner Redstone surely is.

But many others in the Black community, and those concerned about the welfare of children, were not pleased. Thus when the later re-named Hot Ghetto Mess was first imagined, we spoke out. While the changes were minor (program title was quickly altered, and some of the content it’s rumored) advertisers acted lest they stir the ire of the $1 trillion African American community. And again the voices were raised and that attention has caused action.

As most would agree, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Rap City and 106&Park promoted videos to kids just out of school that focused on sex, violence and profane language. But for those, like the advertising executives at GM and Procter & Gamble, that obviously never actually watch the program an April Parent Television Council study found the following:

“…among other things, that Rap City featured on average 31.6 instances of sex, 25.3 instances of explicit language and 11.7 instances of violence per hour.”

And Bob Johnson had the balls to allege that Senator Obama was a drug dealer.

Don’t get too happy though. While these 2 companies are in the top 5 of advertisers in the nation they have not made the impact that really would have made a difference to Viacom. GM did take their ads from these BET programs, but it moved them to other programs on this troubled network. Thus the financial slap in the face has become a tap on the wrists and BET continues in silence.

And what about the advertisers that have not changed their position? That would be McDonald’s, YUM! Brands (ie. KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and A&W root beer), and Verizon. Not one of these companies seems to be fazed by children being spoon-fed sex and violence. Yet not one of these companies would dare advertise on a program targeting White children with the same reported numbers. Obviously their opinion matches that of Sumner Redstone and Viacom. What great company to associate with.

And the Black community must be admonished for supporting these kinds of actions. With so much money being spent on keeping up with the Jones’, so much importance placed on style over substance we effectively beg for more intellectual crack and they whip it up on demand.

But until we act in the same manner as the poor French with Marie Antoinette, expect to eat more cake and have children more damaged every year. I have to wonder how well Debra Lee, Reginald Hudlin, and Bob Johnson sleep? I’d guess as well as the crack dealer on the corner.

Bob Johnson of BET and Clinton supporter apologizes to Senator Obama - 1.17.2008.1

So Bob Johnson has apologized to Senator Barack Obama for attacking the Democratic Presidential candidates past, for the express benefit of Senator Hillary Clinton. Isn’t that nice.

I have no doubt that virtually everyone has heard the comments made on Sunday, but if for some reason you missed it here it is:

[NOTE - This video contains material that young readers should not see. It is the very same material that Bob Johnson promoted on BET daily.]



That’s what Bob Johnson said. The implication was clear and his denials were disingenuous. And as has been done repeatedly by the Clinton campaign, it was an attack on Senator Obama with several desired results.

It was meant to insist the thought and stereotype that Black men are drug users. That we are untrustworthy and dangerous. These themes are not new to Bob Johnson as he was critical in placing that portrayal front and center on national cable via Black Entertainment Television.

The second thought was to split Whites from Blacks in their voting. It was a direct play on the race card, issued by the Clinton campaign. He was speaking on her behalf, and given the Clinton’s penchant for micromanagement of every aspect of the campaign I would have to believe it was cleared before Johnson spoke. It was meant as a means to imply that White America should avoid an African American.

Third it was meant as a means to divert attention from any positive message Senator Obama might have and any new support he might have gained from Iowa. It was meant to distract from the fact that 40% of Michigan voters came out to vote with only one goal, to deny Hillary Clinton a sweeping unchallenged win. The implication being that she is weak and disliked.

It has succeeded in each point.

But I must ask, how important is it that a man responsible for damaging the image of Black men, and the value of Black women wants to attack an African American that has spent decades serving the public and has voluntarily admitted his own failures long before he ever had an aspiration for the Presidency.

Obviously very little since Bob Johnson has now apologized, though far less publicly, and in a vague manner.



At least he admits the attack was uncalled for and underhanded. Similar to the music videos that degraded Black women, especially popular at BET when Bob Johnson was at the helm. Similar to the Clinton staffer that was promoting a false and derogatory email about Obama being Islamic and an undercover terrorist. A dirty political attack that the Clinton campaign loves to use. Or so it would seem as the do this constantly.

Johnson goes on to mention that the comments were ‘inappropriate’. I disagree, they were perfect to weaken the chances of the first viable Black Presidential candidate. They were timed and planned, and he knew it. His apology, after the effect has taken hold, is hollow and pitiful.

But I expect no more from a man that has proliferated the worst images and commentary on African Americans in decades. He sought out music videos and programming, that no other cable network would dare play. And the reason he got away with it was because he is Black.

And his legacy continues to insult and inflame millions of African Americans. Hot Ghetto Mess (or whatever name has been given to it now), College Hill, Read-A-Book, and so much more are still spewing forth. This has even lead to equally offensive material like the various Flava of Love television shows and spin-offs. All justified by what Bob Johnson created and promoted.

I don’t know which is worse. The fact that the Clinton campaign must resort to personal attacks and lies, or that Bob Johnson would dare to try to take a moral stance above anyone.

So I say to Bob Johnson, your apology is as without merit as Read-A-Book was without class, good taste, or a message.

And I have to question Senator Clinton. If your campaign has taken for granted the support of Blacks, and neither you nor your husband can point to any actual law (that I can recall or an aware of) that directly and specifically benefited African Americans, what would make you think that gaining the support of the man responsible for more negative imagery and content against Blacks would improve your support? Perhaps this person, and his obvious venom-spitting proves one thing, that you may not have the best interest of African Americans in mind.

At least that is what I conclude, how about you?

The levity of Parody - 10.11.2007.1

Well after all the serious posts I wanted to take a bit of a break. Adding a bit of levity, and getting back to the entertainment core of the blog.

So I found this video at Video Gaming Blog That I thought was really good. Enjoy!

Congress discusses gangsta rap music Part 2 - 9.26.2007.4

Continued from Congress discusses gangsta rap music Part 1...

Perhaps the funniest part of the Congressional hearings is the arguments made by corporations. I don’t mean funny ha-ha. Executives constantly like to say that they don’t control the content that gets out their. ‘It’s the other guys fault.’ Yet they spend millions to promote this exclusive form of rap music. The spend tens of thousands to create music videos of a particular style only. They flood airwaves with this singular format since 1992, and they have reaped tens of billions of dollars if not hundreds.

The other common excuses are that this is no different than the outrage against Elvis in the 50’s and the Beatles in the 60’s. What crap. Elvis may have wiggled his hips (which they found suggestive and objectionable back then) but you never saw him smoking a crack pipe. Elvis had bodyguards, but you never heard of shoot-outs between him and say Frank Sinatra. For all the wives, women and possible affairs Elvis may have had, you never heard him speak disparagingly about any woman. The only similarity was that when Elvis started, like rap, he was shunned because he was different. 15 years later he was treated as the norm, and some considered him conservative. Rap started out being called a fad, and until the emergence of gansta rap stayed that way. 15 years after gansta rap started it is not a fad, but it is nothing like Elvis either.

Executives like to say they maintain standards and support the community. I say where? Philippe Dauman believes

“We have a responsibility to speak authentically to our viewers”

His manner of authentic speech? Read-a-Book. Music videos of the most graphic nature – shown on BET - that are so extreme the other music video cable channels his corporation owns would not play them. Programming of such a poor quality it’s insulting to think anyone would watch it. When was the last time you saw a movie by Lawrence Fishburne, Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman on BET? How many times have you seen a movie about rappers, drugs, violence and women barely clothed only seeking sex – like Soul Plane – on BET? I mean it’s not like BET own Paramount Pictures and has an entire movie library that they can access to provide quality movies with. It’s not like they are a multi-billion dollar international corporation that could afford to create original programming that stars or prominently features African Americans that are not drug dealers and rappers (Like the Blade series on Spike, Eureka on SciFi, or the Shield on FX).

Oh thank you Philippe Dauman and Viacom for deciding that the only original programming that should target African Americans are College Hill (laden with profanity and violence), Hot Ghetto Mess (I don’t care that they changed the name it’s still exploitative), and a never ending variations on ‘Flava Flav needs a ho.’ [I should apologize for calling some of the women involved in the various Flav programs ho’s – but I won’t.]

Continued in part 3...

Does rap / Hip Hop sellout the Black Community? - 9.14.2007.1

Yes men. Uncle Toms. Sellouts. What do all these have in common? In the case of Hip-hop and rap music, the argument can be made that they all refer to the artists and entertainers that perform in this genre. Perhaps not all of them, nor all that they perform/produce but enough to be somewhat generalized.

Why might this be said? Well there are a couple of reasons. First there is the weakest reason, sometimes said as ‘I think you protest too much’. Basically the more defensive an individual is, especially when faced with a simple question, the guiltier they seem. How this might apply to gangsta rap (the near exclusive format of modern rap and hip-hop) would be in the responses various performers have made to the question of the lyrics used in their songs. A recent case in point is Ja Rule,

"And if it is, then we need to go step to Paramount, and f--king MGM, and all of these other motherf--kers that's making all of these movies and we need to go step to MTV and Viacom, and lets talk about all these f--king shows that they have on MTV that is promoting homosexuality, that my kids can't watch this sh-t," he continued. "Dating shows that's showing two guys or two girls in mid-afternoon. Let's talk about s--t like that! If that's not f--king up America, I don't know what is."

The defense seems to be, ‘It’s not my fault, blame someone else. They are worse.’ The protest ignores the question of what Ja Rule has done, and thus his responsibility, and tries to blame others. Now I agree that the media does have culpability. I’ve long said that executives are laughing as they go to the bank to deposit the money accumulated from the work of Ja Rule and other rappers. They are making boatloads of money (literally) for words they would never use in public (as Don Imus learned) by having rappers say it for them. And all it costs them are pennies paid out to the performers. That by definition sounds like a sell-out to me.

But that is not the only reasoning given by rappers and hip hop artists these days. There are also those, such as the ever quotable and ‘high’-ly educated Snoop Dogg and Fatman Scoop, who seek to redefine the terms they are using. Creating a lexicon much like the one used by Don King, they claim that they have redefined the meaning of words that have existed for decades and centuries before they were ever born.

In essence the argument made by Scoop was that the meaning of the words used by rappers and the youth of the nation today [I believe he means specifically African American youth but that is a guess] is separate of the meaning that has endured for centuries of use and is still maintained today.

If we were to follow this logic, the world-wide meaning of words are all incorrect, and their barely educated ‘I think it means this, and you are stupid if you disagree’ mindset is the only answer. Take Snoop Dogg’s definition of ho –

"It's a completely different scenario," said Snoop, barking over the phone from a hotel room in L.A. "[Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC [which announced Wednesday it would drop its simulcast of Imus' radio show] going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha----as say we in the same league as him."

If his comment makes little sense I interpeted it as

But in looking at the comment made by Mr. Broadus I come to understand that he states that any Black woman that is not in or graduated from college, that is living in a predominantly African American neighborhood, that is not earning a middle class income is a ho. If these same African American (actually he does not limit this to only African Americans) women seek a successful Black man [though he does indicate their search is based solely on the economic status of the Black man] and have not achieved equal status on their own, then these women are ho’s.

Defending the livelihood of his superiors, the executives that run the record companies and pay him a portion of the money that his sales gererates, and following the path their corporate ad designers have laid out in the face of community disagreement likens itself to a Yes man to me.

In the cases I have pointed out, and many others, we see a systematic response. The medium that once held massive diversity (there were songs by Run-DMC out at the same time as Public Enemy, N.W.A., and Da La Soul) is focused on a highly destructive and profitable genre. A new crop of entertainers are ‘found’ and promoted heavily (read solely) in this format. When the genre is accused of inciting harm to the community it is targeted to, those same entertainers are used to defend it. What does that sound like to you?

I will not say that gangsta rap cannot be made. The First Amendment guarantees that. But I will say that the exclusion of any other stylesis wrong. I will say that those defending this music genre, denying any responsibility for what they have put out on the airwaves and how it will affect the children and community, are at the least short-sighted. They are making money off the backs of the community and that is wrong. Much like a drug dealer I see it as inflicting harm just to make some money for themselves and 10x as much for the big bosses. I feel its just not worth it.

Before Ja started talking out the left side of his mouth, he might have taken some time to come up with a better argument. Perhaps focusing on the film studios for the limited roles available to Black women, as in, why do Black female actors always end up playing roles of prostitutes, drug addicts, welfare mothers, etc?

Gays aren't the reason that many Black families live below the poverty line. Lesbians aren't the reason that our prisons are overflowing with young Black men and women. Can't blame gays for the senseless gang violence in the our neighborhoods that is and continues to take the lives of many Black men. And it's unfair to blame gays for the number of Blacks that are unemployed in America. Oh, and gays weren't the reason that in 2003, he punched a man in Toronto for shouting at him in a crowd because of the 50 Cent feud. Nor were they the reason that in 2004, police investigated whether a feud involving The Inc. led to fatal shooting outside a nightclub party hosted by Ja Rule. Now were they?

And I can’t lay all the blame on the entertainers. The harm being inflicted is partially their responsibility, but also that of the parents that allow their kids to be immersed in this cultural addiction. This auditory crack reaches children in part because, as Jasmyne Cannick correctly states:

Now if you ask me, that's what's contributing to bringing down Black America. Our kids are being taught from a young age, by the lyrics of rappers like Ja Rule and by parents who care more about bumpin' their song, than the effects that hearing those lyrics day after day have on their children.

Sellouts, Yes men, and Uncle Toms. Perhaps they are not the well spoken, well dressed, hard working people that are often persecuted by some in the Black community. Perhaps their individual voices are not the ones we should be concerned about but the ones that are promoted, televised in music videos, and propped up like minstrels before us.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Conservatives vs Rap, maybe Part 3 - 9.7.2007.3

Concluded from Conservatives vs Rap, maybe Part 2 - 9.7.2007.2

I think it's quite clear that the difference between the two is explicit. To try and justify a subgenre that promotes the very things that Malcolm X spent his life fighting against is unfathomable to me. To say that the difference between these two individuals is nearly misplaced rage and content is like saying the difference between oil and water is only the color of the liquids. I am angered and mystified how anyone could compare the civil rights leaders of the 60s (that actually lead the people) to the spoiled, materialistic, and predominantly convicted felons that comprise rap music today. I further believe that it doesn't take someone that has conservative or right-leaning political feelings to realize this conclusion.

Rap music is under attack today. There is no question on that. But to oversimplify the case by saying that it is merely the efforts of the conservative right to remove this form of music is to belittle the reason why rap, and by its connection hip-hop, is under attack. It is not only the conservative right that feel that the use, or perhaps I should say overuse and in some cases exclusive use, of four letter words in songs is inappropriate. It does not take someone right of center politically to recognize that lyrics supporting drug use and dealing, violent crime, disrespect of women, and lack of education are not something good for children to hear. It may be a fantastic marketing tool to have scantily clad women bouncing their rump, but it's far from fantastic to make it a common cultural activity to do such.

Min. Paul Scott ends his post with the thought that he hopes to give Mr. Bill O'Reilly nightmares of being abducted by gangsta rappers and being forced to watch BET continuously for two days. Perhaps it's my age, but I too would find such a situation a nightmare. I have to believe that it's the prevalence of music videos, and the marketing techniques of Viacom that make anyone find such an event troubling.

Rap music has long had the potential to be a positive force in the black community and the nation as a whole. Hip-hop has had the opportunity to allow young people, especially those that are African-American, to express themselves and take pride in their community. These are not new ideas. Conservatives did not try to stop that. The fact is rap music sold out; the cost was the improvement of the black community. The result is gangsta rap. If you disagree with that listen to any song by Public Enemy and tell me where they promote crime, degradation of women, or wasting money on frivolous baubles. Also consider this, how much money were Grandmaster Flash and Kurtis Blow and Public Enemy paid combined. Take that total, and compare it to how much Kanye West, 50 cent, NAS, or virtually any other top gangsta rapper makes today individually. Consider how much higher the dropout rate for African-Americans have become and how many more young black women become single parents.

Maybe it is conservative or right-leaning to not want children to grow up with a value system that places platinum teeth, above being a father. Perhaps it's unrealistic to expect kids to grow up without trying every drug they've seen in a music video. It may be non-liberal and anti-left to think that the children of today will go farther in their lives with a solid education than if they spend their time locked up in jail.

Perhaps.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Conservatives vs Rap, maybe - 9.7.2007.1

I recently read a post by Min. Paul Scott that deals with the conservative right and their reaction to hip-hop culture. There are parts of this post that I agree with, but there is far more that I disagree with. I agree that overall, there is a feeling in the conservative right that hip-hop is equivalent to gangsta rap. Such equivalence is unfair to some degree, as everything that is considered hip hop is not in fact gangsta rap, though everything that is gangsta rap is hip-hop. The difference is subtle, especially when considering the nature of mainstream rap today is so prevalent and so violent.

While I agree that at its best rap has had the potential to give a voice from the Black community to the world. Perhaps one of the best examples of that voice would be Chuck D. and Public Enemy. Political rap was a powerful genre of rap music that came onto the scene at the end of the 1980s and was quickly extinguished by 1992 with the birth of gangsta rap. The loss of such a powerful medium has never truly been addressed by the mainstream, and I believe not fully understood by most of the Black community.

Something that is to be understood is what happened from approximately 1992 forward as opposed to what happened prior. Prior to the birth of gangsta rap, the entire rap industry was considered to be a fad, though it had existed at that point for roughly 10 years. The influence, diversity, and attention being given to rap and its subgenres had been growing continuously, which bewildered many while it was described consistently as being a false form of music. This denial of what is now considered a valid music format, ended very shortly after the appearance of NWA and other similar groups. At the same time, corporations invested heavily in marketing, music videos and distribution for this new music format. As gangsta rap grew, all other forms of rap were minimized. Few groups of any other style were signed by the music corporations and existing artists were weeded out. With the recognition of gangsta rap as a form of music enormous amounts of money were made from the commercialization of this genre.

[It is my long-held and absolute belief that for all the comments people may make about what is selling out and "keeping it real," gangsta rap does not keep it real and is the most explicit form of selling out I have ever seen in four decades of life. Some may disagree, but that's what I feel.]

The post mentions the greatest fear of Senator Robert Wentworth being his young son getting in trouble for threatening to bust a cap in another student. I would have to believe that for every parent this would be a great fear. That is unless I missed the time when threatening to kill a person became a positive statement. That's not conservative thing, it is a human being thing. Anything that promotes such extreme violence is something that I would expect every parent would be against. I submit that only through the excellence of various corporations and their marketing programs, has such a concept become considered anything besides undesirable in any community of people.

Of course that isn't hip-hop. That's gangsta rap. But at the same time, the elements and identifiers of gangsta rap are hip-hop. The baggy clothing, baseball caps, gold chains, platinum teeth, overpriced speakers, and other forms of crunk or ghetto fabulous attire are part and parcel hip-hop and gangsta rap. It may be to the detriment of hip-hop that it is almost impossible for someone to not associate one with the other. I have yet to hear a solid explanation of where the line between one and the other exist. But given the fact that there is some fuzzy gray area dividing the two, I am not surprised that a parent seeing their child dressed in this manner and espouses such commentary would be concerned to say the least.

Continued in part 2...

Further thoughts on the Black Entertainment Television PSA Part 3 - 8.13.2007.4

Submitted from Further thoughts on the Black Entertainment Television PSA Part 2...

I want to mention something for Mr. Williams, it’s an old saying. A mind that must use a vulgarity to express something where words are common and available is a small mind. Words are merely the vocalization of thought, and those small words reflect a small closed mind.

I would also like to remind Mr. Williams something else. Being a bit older than I think he is I actually remember what rap music was when it first started, when it first got placed on albums (vinyl not a CD or cassette tape), and when MTV created the concept of a music video. I can say based on growing up and watching the phases rap music has gone through, that Mr. Williams seems to have no idea what rap music intended or was capable of.

If you want to know what rap music was about, listen to Grand Master Flash and the Furious 5. If you want to know what rap music is capable of being, listen to Public Enemy or KRS-One. To say that the mindless, money-grubbing, record company driven, commoditized, lateral sales targeted, repetitive, lyrical vomit that is gansta rap (originally a mere sub-genre of rap pre-1992) today is all that rap can attain is both narrow-minded and insulting.

But staying focused on my original point, this Public Service Announcement that Black Entertainment Television has on its cable network airwaves sickens me.

Now I know some may read this and say, ‘well you just don’t get it. You aren’t Black enough. You are too busy trying to be White.’

Time to wake up and stop hiding from the truth. I was born in the Bronx with a tan that never fades, summer or winter, in the sun or not. My color of skin is dark enough to have gotten me lynched in the 1600’s, the 1800’s, and in 1965. I have been called N-word too many times to count, and as recently as 2 weeks ago. That wasn’t the rose colored glasses view of a salutation some hope it is, but meant as the word is defined.

I’m Black enough to have been denied jobs, and have women held their purses tight in an elevator. I’m Black enough to have police draw guns on me for a simple traffic stop. I’m Black enough to watch some people smirk and deny that I own a business, just because they don’t.

If the fact that I earned my education instead of buying the latest overpriced sneaker offends, be offended. If the fact that I have never been to jail and prefer to wear suits as opposed to platinum teeth intimidates weaker minds, be intimidated. If I use a vocabulary that doesn’t include words found on a rap album, don’t feel bad because they are the same words that the executives that own the record company you are funding use everyday.

So perhaps someone who has been around long enough to know what things were like before the internet, and gangsta rap, can be Black. And that same person can see when a television network is using the people it claims to serve. It’s not a unique vision. But as long as some cow-tow and praise actions that degrade the people it supposedly represents, things won’t get better.

Here is perhaps the most obvious point on how “classic” or “ironically positive” this PSA may be. Every other network, especially the national broadcast television networks, will not play this PSA. Viacom, which owns BET, won’t play this PSA on any of its other channels. This isn’t quiet because it won’t be played; it isn’t being played because of the embarrassment and insult it is.

If that isn’t an example of exploitation and insult, I can’t wait to hear what is.

This is what I think; I want to hear what you think.

Further thoughts on the Black Entertainment Television PSA Part 2 - 8.13.2007.3

Continued from Further thoughts on the Black Entertainment Television PSA Part 1...

I’m surprised it’s a PSA; it looked like a viral video people look up on the internet when they are bored. I’m not surprised it’s on BET, but it wouldn’t get on regular television. No network would clear it.

41 year old White male-

I’m outraged. It’s an insult to the Black culture. At first it starts and looks like it’s for kids and then BOOM! Holy cow.

You know if I said that… someone would shoot me.

They are taking the wrong direction. Saying all that vulgarity for kids is setting a bad example. This should be protested and BET should be banned.

It looks like it’s targeted to 11-14 year old mentality, but I’d never let my kids see it. There needs to be a broader reach, a wider span. I mean it can be done with more class.

I think those responses say a lot about this PSA that BET has place on its cable network channel. Many see no upside. No one I know thinks there is a positive to this. But there are those that do think this is great.

CDBaby states –

An instant crunk classic available exclusively on itunes. You’ve seen the video, make sure you request it on the radio. Taking southern hip-hop places you never thought it would go.

A commenter states –
Reviewer: Eugene Williams, Jr.

Mr. Armah has cleverly given black American youth the positive message they need without sounding corny or preachy. He is telling our young people what they need to hear. Quiet as it’s kept, Mr. Armah is simply telling us to do all the things that Bill Cosby is trying to tell us to do, only in a different more "hood-palatable" format. If our church and community leaders can get past the explicit language and take time to listen to the timely and ironically positive message, this song will do for the black community what rap was originally intended to do!!!!

I’m just too old to know, or want to know, what exactly ‘crunk’ is. I get the general impression though. So CDBaby seems to feel BET has made a classic. Yes that’s great, 50 years from now people will remember the day when the illiterate, dirty, alcoholic Black masses where shown the light to a better life when Viacom stepped in and helped them out of their miserable lives.

If you are wondering, that was exactly what was said by European explorers, and slavers, that went to Africa some 400 years ago. I’m so happy we have moved so far forward that some can quote those words today ands would like to have them said in the future.

As for Mr. Williams, I must presume that speaking to the youth of this nation – directly at only the African American youth – without using expletives is being “corny or preachy”. How time has changed, because I remember back when speaking to a person was about giving respect to get it. Maybe that is why there has been so much angst about the words of Dr. Bill Cosby, he just needs to curse out the youth and they will all get it.

Continued in Part 3...

Further thoughts on the Black Entertainment Television PSA - 8.13.2007.2

‘You are an ignorant, smelly, toothless, drunk, Black person that is incapable of caring for your children. Thank you. – This has been a Public Service Announcement from Black Entertainment Television, because we care.’

That is not an actual PSA, and I will remind readers I have nothing to do with BET. Yet that is the feeling I think BET is trying to convey with its recent PSA Read A Book. I have already commented on the initial reactions I had from viewing the PSA, and time for reflection has not improved my outlook.

But I decided that perhaps I was too old to understand the PSA. I wondered if my friend who saw the PSA when I did was perhaps viewing the video with eyes of nearly my same age and also a mother of 3 children. So I have sought out a couple of different individuals of different ages and sex. I even made sure to ask non-Black people to see their thoughts. In each case I got the first thoughts right after viewing the supposed PSA.

In order of age:

16 year old Black male –

I was very insulted, and it sucks. I think that most regular people already do these things, and it was towards the negative. I don’t like rap anyway, it’s useless and annoying. It’s all about drugs or having sex.

19 year old Black male –

Before I knew it was a PSA I thought it was unique, but I thought it sucks. For anyone that’s ghettofabulous and not intelligent – it may mean something to them. You just can’t tell them [a person into ghettofabulous lifestyle] something. If you said ‘read a book’, they would say ‘Stop being so White’.

The PSA is targeting inner city Black people it looks like. I wouldn’t let my kid watch that, the language. But I know people with kids that have grown up listening to [gangsta] rap all the time, all day. I can see them letting their kid hear it.

19 year old White female –

I want to kill someone. It’s ridiculous and racist. It’s horrible. The swearing is the worst part, all the N-word. I would never let my son see this.

Continued in part 2...

Ramblings of Michael Vass Part 2 - 8.7.2007.4

Continued from Ramblings of Michael Vass Part 1...

Some say it’s because of racism. While it exists, I know that first hand and recently as well, there is no comparison to what existed in the 50’s and earlier. There were no television channels featuring Blacks, nor African American characters of note. There were no African American political candidates, or mayors. Being in the wrong place or looking at the wrong person easily led to attacks and in many cases lynchings. Even with the far too common police or mob actions of today, there is no comparison.

Some of the more dim say it’s because that is ‘being real’. First reality is real, to have to say that is both redundant and an indication of the limits of the mind that spoke such a statement. Secondly the reality is not what various marketing systems portray on a daily basis. Music videos, songs, television programs and that ilk are merely means by which to separate a consumer from their income. They are exaggerations and excerpts of reality and no more accurate than the world of JRR Tolkein or Issac Asimov.

The media, in all its forms including entertainment, may state that EVERY African American uses drugs, has 5 kids that they don’t see, never graduated high school, and is involved in some form of criminal activity but even casual observation in the worst of neighborhoods prove this wrong. The overwhelming average of African Americans are people that work, raise families, have sought and gained basic and the highest levels of education, without a single criminal incident (many without even so much as a parking ticket). But that reality just seems to escape the major media, and often the blogosphere.

Where are the posts celebrating the contributions being made every day? Celebrity donations are always decent news, but how often do you hear about something being done by a Black or Hispanic entertainer/celebrity? There are many of them, and more than just Ms. Oprah Winfrey is out there doing things. How about the efforts of Mr. Don Cheadle, or the work of Mr. Montel Williams in providing 4 million people with free or nearly free medication. Doesn’t that deserve a bit more than just the mere soundbites they get now?

So yes, I get tired. It’s hard to write to all the blogs everyday. But I do, and I look out for the positives. I’m not perfect; I miss stuff I should write about. I get caught up in an issue and don’t have the time to get to other issues. It happens.

But there are positives out there. There are alternatives. Leadership is the act of leading, and I like other bloggers are trying to lead to a better path than what is out there now. I just felt like mentioning that. Thank you for reading and your patronage.

This is what I think, what do you think?

E Entertainment joins in the negative portrayal of Blacks - 7.18.2007.3

Some might have missed this huge news, but I want to help those gangsta rap fans out there keep up to date with one of the ‘stars’ of that genre. E! Entertainment has confirmed that they will be doing an as-yet-unnamed reality television show. The joy must be overflowing.

My sheer enthusiasm is only outpaced by my desire to bludgeon myself with a hammer to my head.

I’ll tell you why. As long-time readers are aware, I think reality programming is the ultimate form of crack delivered of television. Reality television programs, all of them, take the now traditional role of shutting down brain cells and elevates it to the point of leaving viewers on the same level of a catatonic individual. Seriously, watch one of those shows and ask someone to question you on what you are watching during the commercial. I would bet that 95% of people couldn’t give an answer. [I will note that like all things in nature there is one exception. That was the Black.White. program that was created by Ice Cube. It was a rare gem in a sea of sewage.]

Beyond the loss of grey matter induced by reality tv, there is the added insult of Snoop Dogg, Calvin C. Broadus Jr. I mean this is a great example of African Americans and a music entertainer. Mr. Broadus came to fame in 1993, just as music executives decided that rap music was no longer a fad and that gangsta rap was the only format that needed to be on airwaves. The combination has made Mr. Broadus millions, and record industry companies billions.

Snoop Dogg is slightly more than just a lucky find in gangsta rap, depending on how you define more. He was a member of the Crips gang, know for its drive-by shootings and drug sales. Snoop was arrested on drug dealing charges during his high school years and spent 3 years in prison. Inspiring isn’t it. Also at the time of his rise to fame, he was charged with murder – which the great Mr. Johnny Cochrane was able to get him acquitted from. Since that time Snoop Dogg, Calvin Broadus Jr., has been accused of or charged with rape, violent disorderly conduct (fighting at an airport with police involved), 2 drug and firearm possession charges, a concealed weapons charge and has been banned from entering 2 countries. All before he has reached 36.

It gets better. Snoop is an entrepreneur. Not satisfied with just being a rapper he has produced 2 X-rated films and admitted to being a pimp (from 2003-2004) though he was married at the time to his wife for at least 3 years.

By the way, Snoop in 2002 swore off of drugs and women. So he has failed to live up to his word [A man’s word being the defining characteristic of how the world views a person – at least that is how I was raised] on both counts multiple times. And that says nothing to his deeply intellectual definition of who is and is not a ‘ho’.

I say all of this because we need to have a reality tv show featuring Snoop Dogg so he can represent the daily life of African Americans to the world. [That was sarcasm by the way.] Have no doubt, across the globe people base their opinion of American Blacks on the media we export. From Japanese commercials that include calling blacks the N-words, to Russia where African Americans are considered ignorant, violent criminals, the media we have is what the world assumes is true. Rap music, music videos, Flava Flav, BET, Hot Ghetto Mess, and now the daily life of a criminal, lying, porn producing, philandering, one time allegded rapist/murderer, chulo (or alfons if you prefer), dad and youth football founder will be seen. Aren’t you proud?

This is what I think, what do you think?

BET and it's new program line-up - 7.4.2007.1

I was speaking about the 2 faces of Black Entertainment Television (BET) the other day, and I mentioned that I wanted to go over their new television line up. This seems like a good time to discuss it.

BET is known for its late night music videos. I don’t mean the ones on MTV or VH1. No we are talking about serious booty shaking, barely clothed, derogatory images that even the MTV network won’t touch. This is kind of funny since I recall that MTV and VH1 are owned by the same company that owns BET.

Isn’t it odd that a channel that is supposed to provide programming to African Americans that targets the needs and desires of this community also leads the cable television industry in proliferating content that espouses violence, drug addition, misogyny or in other words the self-destruction of the people it ‘serves’. That’s something you just can’t get on any other channel. And people have to pay to get it. Nice trick.

But to say that is all the channel provides would be a lie. Of the wealth of information available on the internet, DVD’s, and the vaults of entertainment companies, Viacom believes that a steady diet of Soul Plane (possibly a step below the Toxic Avenger series of movies), the Wayans Brothers (that never worked for me), 106 and Park (discussing rap and hip hop predominantly), The Jamie Foxx Show, In Livin Color, interviews with rappers and hip hop entertainers (like 50 cent – the admitted drug dealer that was shot several times, nice role model), and gospel. That is essentially the best that can be provided for African Americans. Bunches of UPN reject shows and one of the worst films ever.

It’s not like there were ever shows staring black entertainers before UPN, you know like Fresh Prince of Bel Aire, A Different World, Cosby, Sanford & Son, The Jefferson’s, or I Spy. Not even any where an intelligent, important supporting character was on every week, like Mission Impossible. Nor any with women like say Star Trek.

Not like anyone at Viacom could go to Blockbuster or Amazon.com and get a DVD of a movie staring African American actors above the D-list. You know, if there were movies like Blade, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Tyler Perry’s Madea, or Malcolm X. Since this is the line up for the Fourth of July I wish there was a movie starring black actors that had to do with something heroic in American history, maybe like Glory, or The Tuskegee Airmen. Hell I’d even settle for a movie about African Americans in the military, like A Soldier’s Story or Platoon.

But Viacom knows there aren’t things like that available. Does it sound like there are no Black executives at Viacom?

Well if you were wondering, here is one of the highlights of the NEW line-up coming to BET this month. HOT GHETTO MESS. Doesn’t that title sound black? Just makes you want to get a 40 and watch the network with your stolen cable.

Continued in Part 2...

Comments on Stanley Crouch's Opinion Part 2 - 7.2.2007.2

Continued from Comments on Stanley Crouch's Opinion Part 1...

And we must recognize that this is not just something that is limited to rap. Far beyond the music entertainment industry, there is video and television and movies. They have all promoted and molded the culture to be a commodity that is sold daily. I recall Mr. Chris Rock saying in one of his stand-up shows, ‘Not one of you white people out there want to tade places with me. You could be a one-legger dishwasher, and you won’t change places with me. And I’m rich!’ I believe it went just like that. But that same person that wouldn’t change places with Mr. Rock, and definitely not with somone of more moderate means like yourself or I, is happy to purchase a piece of our lifestyle by owning some FUBU or Rockawear, listening to Snoop Dogg and watching a music video on BET. That’s not an example of a person selling out, it’s a culture as a commodity.

And I want to focus on BET for a second. A television network that is known for it’s singular targeting of African Americans. What does the Viacom corporation think we are interested in? Well loking at today’s line-up, music videos, the Wayan’s brothers show, In Livin Color and gospel. Oh I forgot the 3rd rate blaxploitation film, Leprauchan: Back 2 Tha Hood. Of all the movies, television programs and media that could be provided by Viacom, that’s the best we get.

BET has promoted the rapper image, and music video exploitation of women, more than any other cable channel. Under the guise of giving the community what it wants. Of course several of the shows by Mr. Bill Cosby (beyond the last 2 most are familiar with), Mr Will Smith and those with notable African American leads didn’t make the cut. Not even the original Mission Impossiblwe series, which was one of the first to have a permanent Black supporting character that had a purpose and intelligence. Thanks BET.

I have no comment on the Real World rip-off College Hill. I find the concept unfathomable. S.O.B. is a Candid Camera rip-off that seeks to add in a touch of Punk’d, just enough racial tension to get a laugh I suppose. And Hot Ghetto Mess I will have to dedicate an entire post to seperately.

BET may have sponsored the town hall meeting, but it has promoted and been a part of the problem as much as rappers themselves.

Mr. Crouch has a great point. The town hall meeting is a good step. The growing awareness is fantastic. But we cannot forget what has contributed to the state of the community today and the hurdles that need to be surmounted tomorrow.

This is what I think, what do you think?

The secret anti-ganst rap movement - 4.30.2007.3

I’ve noticed something lately. Since the well publicized departure of Mr. Don Imus the gansta rap genre has been the focus of a lot of attention. I can’t say that this intense review of the medium is unwarranted. Yet, part of the arguments being posed are completely unfair and disproportionate.

On the one hand we have the use of defamatory, derogatory words by multiple rap hip-hop artists for well over a decade now. There is no question, in my mind at least, that there is no excuse for this. I have yet to hear an argument that justifies the use of words like n-word, hoes, and their ilk. That is except one. The only thing that can justify the use of these words if the fact that the First Amendment allows any citizen to utter virtually any comment. Note that I said virtually any.

I do not believe in censorship. Artists should be able to express themselves. All music genres should have the opportunity to reach the portion of fans that exist for the genre. Even if part of it is objectionable. If a government can help fund an artist that hugs a dead pig as art, gansta rap can be made. But it’s exclusive existence, and the daily ramming of its objectionable material (to me) goes beyond mere protected speech. It’s widespread availability to minors is detrimental, and unnecessary. The argument can be made that it deserves to exist, but it can’t be said for proliferation like a virus without a thought to containment. In addition, just as a person does not have the right to yell fire in a crowded room for no reason, some words incite violence and should be limited if not worse.

Mr. Imus tried to state that his use of the now famous statement was inspired by rap music, and that it was no different than words found in music videos everyday. I’ve heard various pundits and regular people try to float that same thought. They are partially correct. Music videos today do convey words and images that portray ALL African Americans in the worst type of light. The emphasis on ignorance, drug addiction and criminal behavior is primary. The terminology used is no less insulting than that used by Mr. Imus. The difference is that Mr. Imus, without provocation and without comical context, attacked a group of unknown young women and compounded that act by making the attack racial while on national airwaves. I’ve spoken about this in depth in my posts Imus, Rutgers basketball, and Rev. Al Sharpton - 4.9.2007.1, Don Imus vs Rap music - 4.11.2007.1, Now that Imus is gone - 4.12.2007.1 among others.

But that does not excuse the language in rap today. Nor does it give Black Americans the opportunity to play both sides of the fence. The language and imagery is wrong. It does not become more or less appropriate depending on the color of the skin of the speaker.

Continued in Part 2...

Imus is gone part 2 - 4.12.2007.2

Continued from Part 1...

It’s time that such deragatory comments stop being uttered by anyone. The meaning doesn’t change when a person of color says it, nor when it is put to song. These oppresive words are a poison in the Black culture without regard to who the person stating them is. The fact that they have become somewhat commonplace is similar, to me, to an ebola-like virus eating away at it’s host without any attempt to end the destruction.

We cannot demand that Mr. Imus be held to a standard we do not hold ourselves to. The reason that Mr. Imus had to go is that as a figure of influence he espoused hatred and racism to millions across the country. Gansta rap music entertainers are figures of influence that attempt to entertain millions with the promotion of hatred, racism, drug addiction, and criminality. If we have anger with Mr. Imus, and obviously we have, then we can have no less anger at the current state of rap music.

This does not just end with rappers. They must accept the responsibility for their comments, as has Mr. Imus, and there should be a change. I will not demand that gansta rap should be removed, though I think that would be best, as I do not agree with censorship. Entertainers, as well as all people, deserve the right to the First Amendment, given that their use of this right does not inflict harm to other individuals. You cannot scream fire in a movie theater, you cannot call non-public individuals prostitues and racial slurs just because. Comedians and singers and entertainers deserve the right to ridicule and caricature the society in general and in its parts. But the blatant use of offensive, inflammatory words who’s only purpose is to lessen the humanity of an individual is hurtful in my mind.

But as I stated, rappers are not the final part of this equation. The record companies and radio station owners are equally at fault, if not more so. Before 1992, there were several sub-genres of rap music. Some were more political, some more playful, others with mixed meanings. All during this time rap was considered a fad, and was barely promoted or given significant radio airplay as well as being virtually non-existent in music video airplay. With the emergence of N.W.A. and other gansta rappers there was a decision made by executives that has affected millions since that day. Rap became an official music category, and promotion of this singluar sub-genre became all encompassing. Music videos glorifying violence, the de-humanizing of women, massive drug use, and criminal activity hit the masses in a volume never before seen.

I’ve mentioned before that there are words (particularly the N-word) that these executives could not say without losing everything, but they have made tens of millions promoting music that let others say this for them. The responsibility for morality that every media outlet maintains was thrown to the wind for the sake of money. That is insulting. That so many would do these things for mere money is also troubling and insulting. And this insult was compounded with the almost complete exclusion of any other form of rap. Because of that the record companies are responsible as much as those entertainers that utter these words.

Concluding in Part 3...

Entertainers - Fatherhood vs. Image

Tomorrow is the day in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be remembered. While that is an important thing, I noticed something else today. It has been reported that rap artist Juvenile was arrested related to child support. Of the many things entertainers do this is one that ranks at the top of the list in annoying me. There is nothing that riles me up like a father who abandon’s children and fails to live up to their obligation created by their actions.

Now let me clear a few things up. I do not want to pick on rappers, though they may be more high-profile in this matter, as I will discuss later. Entertainers and celebrities such as Damon Dash, Ice-T, Latrell Sprewell, Zab Judah, David Oakley and others fall into this category. Questions of paternity have fallen on Stephen Bing, and Mr. Bill Cosby among far to many others. While some have lived up to their obligations, others have not. Some, like Wil Smith, have children from previous relationships/marriages and are active in the lives of their children. To the fathers that are doing the right thing I think more needs to be said in acknowledgement. But I wouldn’t mind stoning those that aren’t.

I also don’t agree with some of the things that are done against some of the celebrity entertainer fathers, or fathers in general. While Puff Daddy, does and should pay for the well-being of his child, I can’t say that $35,000 a month or more is needed to raise a child. We are talking about monies that equal or exceed some of the real median household incomes of many Americans. I don’t know about others, but my friends and I grew up where the total annual family income may or may not have equaled the figure given to one child a month. Children deserve a good life, and when it can be afforded it should be given. A court should not be required to remind a father of what his obligations are. Given that, mothers should not seek to supplement their livelihoods based on the wealth of the child’s father.

But there is a bigger issue here, and this is why its on my Black Entertainment USA blog as opposed to my Vass blog. The issue is what does the existence of these high-profile cases do to our children? As we remember Dr. King, what can we say that has happened since the late 60's? Black African Americans, along with Hispanics and other minorities, have gotten a chance to live the American dream. Many have prospered and lead lives their grandparents could never have imagined. But as time has passed there has been an erosion that has occurred as well.

Two thirds of all black marriages end in divorce, and 2 of 3 black children will experience the dissolution of their parents' marriage by the time they reach age 16. In 1970, 68% of black families had both the husband and wife present. This number dropped to just 50% in 1990, a decrease of 18 percentage points over 20 years, compared with a 6-percentage-point decrease over the same time period for white families. When looking at this data, take a moment to also consider this fact. In a growing proportion as you go from 1970 to today, the amount of entertainers and entertainment that is targeted at the youth is oriented on little more than sex. That is not so say that Mr. Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, or Prince were not suggestive or risque. It is to say that O.P.P.[for those that don’t recall it stands for Other Peoples - the last one you can imagine for yourself, but that was the group’s name and lead song as I recall], 2 Live Crew, Sisko, Khia and a growing number are far more than suggestive or risque. Not only has the music that Black African American, Hispanic and other youth listen to become outrightly descriptive and declaratory on the issue of sex (particularly sex without marriage, attachments, responsibility, or respect); with the creation of music videos there has been a race to promote misogyny, and a lack of moral values.

I can’t say that all music videos are without charm, wit or attraction. I won’t deny that occasionally [I rarely watch television] I watch music videos of rappers and others and enjoy the titillation. Of course I am 38. Music videos of this nature were never available when I was in my mid-teens and few in my early 20's (though they never reached the type of actions/displays seen regularly today). Based on the proliferation of this entertainment, are we surprised that there are so many that decry the death of the Black African American family? How shocked can we be when the youth abandon children and applaud their status as a “baby mama,” or “baby daddy?”

Emulation of celebrities and entertainers is not a new thing. Whether it was the desire to be a home run hitter like Babe Ruth and Mr. Reggie Jackson, dunking baskets like Mr. Michael Jordan and Mr. Kareem adul Jabbar, or a star like Mr. Denzel Washington, Mr. Laurence Fishburne, or Mr. Sidney Poitier. It’s the American culture to desire to be the famous celebrity in the spotlight. It’s personal morality to put out a product that you can be proud of and reflects the ethics you hold. It’s an obligation to be responsible for your actions and the reasonable consequences from what you do, especially as an entertainer (Black African American, Hispanic or otherwise). If you can’t live by that, or worse yet actively chose not to, perhaps a rock to the head will help.

This is what I think, what do you think.