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- Derek Walcott
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Monthly Archives: January 2008
So Ms. Jilly from Philly is on constant rotation in Lucky’s Joint. And why? Because her latest release is to me her slap to all the haters(including me) on her last release, Beautifully Human, Vol.2.
I remember when I first heard Ms. Scott on a bus in NYC. I think for the next year that cd stayed in constant rotation as it fed this empty space in my soul. At the time I was in love or somewhere around love and He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat) was where I was. (Just replace the he with a SHE, thanks!)
To me this body of work is similar to the first release because she takes us on a journey of where she is right now, right here and right in your face. The honesty here leaves me sometimes in an uncomfortable place. As I hear her aching on track 8, Insomnia, I can for the first time understand how a woman can just lose it. She made throwing a brick into a car window make sense. (ladies, put your bricks down!!!) The part that I could identify with the most is when she spoke of that moment when the alarm clock goes off but your pain is still going AND you have to go be around people that have no idea about it. There is nothing abstract about this song. It is right there. You feel it because we have all been there or somewhere around it.
I have to give her props for offsetting the pain with other perspectives of love, relationships and sex. Ahem, speaking of sex, if you listen to track 5, Crown Royal, you hear it and um, you feel it. (smile *exits my good angel*) Then she takes me to an optimistic place at the end with track 14, Wanna Be Loved. She acknowledges that it’s bad, it being life, but she’s not going to give up. She recognizes that basic need that we all have which is wanting to be love…wanting to find a place with a person where we can be free and safe. I think I have 14 on repeat at least twice a day. It is realistically optimisitc.
The only bad thing I can say about this album is the cover art. To Jill’s people, what’s with that purse?!?! We don’t believe you, you NEED more people! Seriously, where is she going looking like somebody’s momma? Nah. I blame her stylist. Yes, I blame you! She learned it from watching you! However, I must say that she is STILL as beautiful as ever.
So Jill comes back with The Real Thing and that it is! So go COP this. Here’s my rundown on the playlist. This cd requires a couple of listens—4 should get it. Then you’ll be hooked like me and the rest of my people. Jill I’m looking for royalties woman! I’m your walking one woman street team!
On repeat: 4. Come See Me 5. Crown Royal 6. Epiphany 8. Insomnia 14. Wanna Be Loved
I have been thinking about an on-going discussion I have had over the past couple of months with a few of people in regards to hip hop music and its responsibility to the community. As a die-hard liberal I have to be a champion and fighter for our freedom of speech, but as a partner of this Universe I have to also take into account my role and duty on this planet. So the questions are:
Should hip hop take the blame for the state of our community?
Or does hip hop reflect the state of our community?
Either way shouldn’t they get to say or do whatever they would like to do especially when there is a market for what they say and do?
How far is too far when it comes their freedoms and what are their responsibilities to our youth and other people who are not exposed to anything other than what they say and do?
I know, I know there are a lot of questions and trust me there are many more answers. I even find myself going back and forth. Is it the chicken or the egg? Egg or the chicken? I can defend the artists because they are doing what is in the best interest of them and the people on their payroll. I can defend the labels because they are giving the people(the market) what they want—supplying the demand, right? I can blame the community but then again 400 years of slavery and many more decades of Jim Crow and institutionalized racism can easily explain its current state. I can blame the parents because it is their responsibility to ensure their children are raised properly. I could blame the children because with some things they should just know better, right?
So there are many answers and plenty of fingers to point but I’ve decided to take a different approach to it this time. It comes down to this for me: The responsibility lies on ME. You ask why? Well, I believe the reason we are on earth is for the connection we have with other people. My sole purpose to be here is to manifest my Creator’s will by adding to and contributing to the universe which my Creator made. I look at the Universe as my home. Those who inhabit my home are my family. Yes, they are my family. So it is up to me on some level to ensure that those who inhabit my home are protected to have the freedom to say and do what is in the best interest of us all.
So does this mean I want to ban the hip hop industry as a whole? Absolutely not! However, I think it is my responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves. In my opinion the images and content of certain music should not be played just because there is a “market.” I cannot help but to return back to a bible verse that says something about gaining the world but losing your soul. What is the point of being rich and making a lot of money when your people are not doing so well? What is the price for the soul of others and more importantly–your soul?
I would suggest that we change the discussion from blame to what is the purpose?
What can we do to make things better? Hip hop is a movement of culture, race and class. The discussion should be how can we USE hip hop as a vehicle to achieve the betterment of us all. I would ask the rappers what good is all the bling and ice when you’re the only one with it? Capitalism is a necessary evil but it can be used for good. Hip hop gives us a voice and we should be in control of that voice. Like Mos Def said, “M.T.V. is running this rap shit!” It is the cruelest joke ever—Hip Hop: The New Slavery.
Maybe I’m a dreamer? I’ll give you that, but I’m passionate about being a good steward of this thing called life. It is a gift that I hold dear to me. I was not placed on this planet by mistake. I am here for a reason and whatever I can personally do to inspire and create change is what I want to do. I think we all need to think about why we are here. I’d challenge the rap stars to do that. Why did your Creator bless you with the access and talent to do what you do? What is your purpose? The discussion should start here…
I am officially endorsing Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States for 2008.
My original plan was to vote for Hilary Clinton but over the past two weeks I have been appalled and offended by the actions of Bill and Hilary. It seems that they will do ANYthing to win which makes me distrust that they will change the course of politics. They are resorting to the same fighting and dirty tricks as usual.
Dear Bilary,
The American people do not want fighting! We want resolutions. We want answers to the failing economy. We want to know how we are going to get out of this war of choice in Iraq (Fact: Obama opposed the war from day one!). We want to know how to make our schools better. We want someone to seriously address our energy crisis AND our environment issues. We want to know how to keep our jobs in the US. We want to know how to survive while everything is going up and our pay is still staying the same. We want to know how we can afford to seek health-care without going bankrupt. We want to be inspired. We want to know that this country can still be the leader for centuries to come. We want someone to believe in us so that we can work together to make this a more perfect nation.
Despite the low blows and the constant attack on Obama’s character, Barack has stayed above the fray. He has managed to answer his opponents and their henchmen without a punch that goes outside the lines of meaningful and polite discourse. Yes, it is obvious that the senator is a bit bothered and often times agitated by his opponent’s actions, however, he still refrains from joining her in the gutter where American politics has taken residence for the past 20+ years.
The manner in which he is running his campaign says to me that he will be able to handle the criticism from those who will oppose him while he is our commander in chief. He is consistently focused on rebutting and correcting all that is being said about him in firm, clear and concise way. This makes me confident that as president he will stand before the American people and say exactly what he believes to be the truth. Effective leadership requires honesty and most importantly integrity. He has proven himself in this department and my only hope is that he will continue this throughout his campaign.
What is love?
Baby don’t hurt me, dont hurt me
No more
What is love?
The question has been on mind a lot this week. Man, what IS love? And why do we fall for it, in it and go through it when the possibility of hurt is on the other side of the door? Like a good little child I obey my mother when I question the meaning of a word and head to the dictionary.
Webster defines the word as such,
v. intr.
To experience deep affection or intense desire for another.
Deep…affection…desire…mmmmm…Sounds good, huh? If nothing else at least it sounds a bit interesting, right? Riiiiiiiiiight? Now I’m hearing my granny say, “All that glitters ain’t gold remember?”
I can copy/paste a million and one definitions when it comes to love, but I have come to realize that love can be defined best by the one who is seeking love. Why? Well, because love is different for every single person. Love according to my father is tied to actions and tangible things. Love according to my mother is tied to affection. Some tie sex to love. Some tie money to love. I could go on, right?
We all know that love is strong but never enough. People can love each other and not be together. People can love each other but still not make a relationship work. However, love should be the motivating factor to make the compromise to making it work. I think when two people decide they want to love each other I think would be beneficial to ask what the other person what love is to them. Maybe before the clothes come off you should ask, “Yo, what is your love def?”
Today someone I love shared with me that she wants someone to hold her hand when times get hard and give up a little ass along the way. Basically, she needs safety, stability and security. I heard her before, but I missed it based on my own my past experiences with love. I attempted to give love in the way that I learned to give it before in previous relationships. The tricky part is that I was judging or grading myself based on someone else’s love def. Her needs are so simple that I simply missed it. I did not process what she was telling me all along. There were no requirements of perfection or for me to always be around. She was asking me to save her either. However, I fell back on what I knew how to do best or better yet, what I was familiar with more.
So it made me think what is love for me? How would I define what would make me feel loved?
Lucky’s love def: Accept my flaws. Check on me to see where my head is and be prepared to hear that it is all over the place. Learn me. Challenge me and every now and then plant a kiss on my lips for absolutely no reason.
Sometimes we get caught up in the cards, the candy and gifts…the external expressions of love that we learn from others around us. I think if we focused more on our own love def so that we can express that to the person who loves us, just maybe the glitter we see in the one we love will BE gold.
The Last Crack Supper! (courtesey of JDA)
Who? I say whooooo in the hell left the gate open? Ok, so Naomi looks like the delusional black barbie holding on to some old ass Ken doll like he’s her daddy. (Let me hush before she beats me in the head with a cell phone.) Then you have Gianni’s wacked out looking sister sitting next to the biggest Honeybaked HAM in the industry. Hmmm and lookie lookie…Heath Ledger…
Yo man, this party looks weird. The picture alone scares me. Remember Sesame Street’s someone is doing their own thing skit…yeah, something just ain’t right about this pic man.
This cd was written especially for me. I am not a hardcore gospel fan but I do make exceptions for Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams. Kirk is from my hometown (DFW stand up!) and Yolanda is from Houston so I have to always show love to my Texas peeps. However, I listen to their music because the message is never preachy but more inspirational. I appreciate their realness and how they address real life issues. They share their struggles thru their music and I have to respect them for that.
Anyway, this album is for those who just need to hear that life is tough sometimes but that is okay. I was rasied in a very spiritual home so at times I need to return to my roots to find my own form of salvation. It is so very easy to replace that connection with things, people and other distractions that this world has to offer. All those things are temporary and the connection between you and your Creator is everlasting.
So anyway, if you need a good pick me up this cd is definitely the one to get.
My favorites: How it used to be; Hide Me; Help Me Believe
Trust me when I say that I am NOT hating ok? Trust me. Also, trust me when I say that I accept that my judgments, philosophies and ideas are based upon my perspective of my own reality.
Ok, so now…Shaq is very good at slamming a round ball into a hole with a net attached to it. He is also very good at preventing others from doing the same. So I’ll agree that he is a pretty good basketball player. (Even though his free throw game is a bit retarded and not in a good way.) So because he was born big and with a little hand eye coordination he deserves $1.8 million dollars a month?!?!
Let’s do a little run down of Mr. O’Neill’s expenses:
$156k on mortgages (ok, ok at least this is ownership…an investment…)
$31k homeowners insurance (ok, ok)
$3k in phone bills (WTF? He needs a family plan!!!)
$2k lawn and pool maintenance
$13k food ($3k a week?)
$24k in gas (WTF?!?! He is driving a submarine?)
$7k in dry cleaning (Really Shaq? Really?)
$17k in clothing
$2k on pets(that is $24k a year on animals!!! He could feed an African village or five!)
$110k in vacations (where is he going?)
I have nothing left to say…
*drops mic*
In the illustrious words left on my voice mail at 2am in the morning by a dear friend of mine, “Don’t go to sleep! Don’t go to sleep!”
This whole Hillary and Obama drama is all an illusion. The Dems are falling in the trap again. I swear they are the poster children for the saying that the good guys always come in last. Yes, we believe their intentions are good but boy do they know how to lose! They so easily take the bait. Sad thing is that usually the bait is not a worm but more like dynamite. Then they explode! BOOM!
The fighting between two viable and capable candidates causes people like me, those who are really interested in politics, to tune out. Who cares about past quotes and who said what about Reagan? They are not fighting about issues. Instead they are fighting about who shot John. (I’m still trying to figure that one out grandma.) Anyway, I just wish they would rise above the traps of the media. I hope you don’t for a minute believe that this is all a coincidence. The media with its political pundits in hand have basically staged this fight. And why? Well, the GOP is running scared. They are the party that wants to convince us that everything in America is A-OKAY! In the last debates, only one GOP candidate even admitted that the economy is in trouble. They are still trying to run on family values and still trying to pimp the evangelical movement. They have nothing. Everything that this GOP administration has touched has basically turned to copper and they know this. Notice that George W. isn’t hitting the stump with any of them.
It is bigger than electing the first black president even though as a black person I have to admit that it’s tempting to go for the guy who looks like me. I would love to be a part of history but what good is that if my needs are not met? It is bigger than electing a woman even though as a woman it is exciting to know that it is a possibility. However, if she is going to continue politics as usual, then no thank you.
So what now? Ok, so we know that this country is going to the crapper faster than a fat kid who eats cake and we need to ensure that the person who we elect is able to provide the Pepto that we’ll need to stomach the next four years. With a war still going on, recession on the horizon, the education system is an on-going joke and most importantly hundreds of thousand Americans with no health insurance, we need to ensure that our choice for 08 is the right one.
I am saddened that the focus of the debates is on the fighting and not the issues. This is not reality TV people so wake up!
