BET Awards, Draft

see: Fifth Annual BET Awards

I see alot of other bloggers talking about this. I didn't even really focus in on it that much. I think the only thing that interests me about it would be the Destiny's Child performance, because I heard that Beyonce showed her big booty. But that's it.

see:D.R.A.F.T

Funny stuff! Check it out.

Dude survived Iraq, but not the mean streets of DC

see:Shooting Kills Man Near Club In Shaw

Ain't it messed up? Dude survives Iraq, but then comes to DC and gets shot and killed. Unbelievable.

Now, it's not that DC is a dangerous city. All the white folks moved in, and the niggas went out to like Maryland to purchase overpriced houses because they couldn't buy the super-overpriced cribs in the District any more. The white folks can move to the fancy flats and pay like $600,000 and shyt. So, when stuff like this happens, with an army brotha dying and whatnot, then the neighborhood folks cry foul. It's like, now they want to close the reggae club called Killi's, down.

DC has a long history of violent clubs. When I first got here, there was this club called the Clubhouse, and you knew not to go there if you weren't rolling deep in a crew of brothas. One classmate of mines in college got killed coming back from a party. There was the infamous Ibex Club on Georgia Avenue, a popular spot which was shut down because some cop got shot up outside the club. There was Tracks, the big warehouse nightclub where I saw a bunch of Latinos rumble one night. The Mirage was a club where all the street type brothers danced to go-go, and I remember this cross dressing dude got a critical beatdown one night. Every black strip club has had incidents of violence, like I remember this one club was shut down for a second because two guys got into a shouting match because one was blocking the other's view. So, in this city there's been club violence for generations. Its now just a problem because the white folks are moving into this city in droves, and they can't handle that.

It was hot here in the District area (I actually live in Takoma) and when it is hot, then niggas just get to acting crazy. There's stuff like this that happens every day, but an army nigga fell victim in this crazy city and not Baghdad, so now, all the clubs are going to closed up in this city. Maybe not so soon, but after the whole thing that happened with Club U, the city has good reason to do such an extreme act.

DC a club free city? Hey, if I brought a house for $600,000 in the hood, I'd want a place to hang out, but that's just me!

Oil Hits At $60 a Day

see: Oil Hits At $60 a Day

Since I don't really drive, I take the Metro here in DC to wherever I need to go. Im walking like everywhere I go, so I don't know, Im just not fazed by the whole idea of the Oil Hitting like $60 a day. I do feel it when I fill up my wife's car, and it gets to $20 and I stop whether or or not it fills up. And it get's to $20 really fast!

Anyway, I like this Latino brothas blog, it has a really good design, he's on point with the political issues and such, and I might be checking it out everyday! I like to check out as many sites as possible, but politics can be a frustrating thing, and I like to spend my time doing other shyt, I don't want to be on the damn computer all day.

Fakin' Like Gangstas?

see: Mopreme Shakur Releases Two Mixtapes


Got the image from Convict Radio

If you listen to Toni, Toni, Tone's song "Feels Good", you hear this really gay sounding rapping "Mercedes the mellow, rhyme acapello", and I don't remember any of the other lines, but he ends his rap by singing "Toni, Toni Tone has done it again!"

Then, he hooked up with Tupac's "Thug Life" clique, and I guess he went from being "Mercedes the Mellow" to Mopreme Shakur. With his last name you'd think he was one of the family or something!

Well, he actually is the son of the immortal Dr Mutulu Shakur,who was practically Tupac's father, so I guess I should give him some respect, but that whole "Mercedes the Mellow" routine? I dunno, Im gonna have to think on that one. Guess a nigga had to eat, right?

Russell Simmons Back In the Game?

see: News of Russell Simmons new venture on Ballaz Inc.

Good to see Russell Simmons is doing his thing with the establishment of the Russell Simmons Music Group. As far as I am concerned, Russell Simmons is the greatest hip hop business man of all time.

What can I say?

See:White "Patriots" (quotes mine) Torch Home where Illegal Alien Rapist Destroyed the Life of an Innocent 9-Year-Old White Girl

Sigh. Modern day lynching, different target.

See:Downing Street Memo

Sigh. No comment.

No more freedom?

See: Blue Law Makes Webmasters See Red

These Republicans are on a roll. In addition to taking away a citizens right to eminent domain, they are also trying to enforce new restrictions on the internet, in the form of so-called "Blue Laws". In a nutshell, purveyors of internet porn will have to do tons of paperwork to prove that the subjects in their flicks are over 18. So much for websites like "Exploited Black Teens". I'd feature a link but I might get arrested as an co-conspirator.

This is a trial run for bigger things. The Feds want to take the internet away from the people, make it non-threatening and safe. Pretty soon it will be like Iran. So, let's all enjoy the internet while we can before the U.S. government takes it away!

Eminent Domain (or get the hell out your house before we force you out!)

see:Court Upholds Eminent Domain: Justices say local governments can seize homes to clear the way for private developers.

See how they are? I bet you didn't see this in between all the bombings in Iraq or the oh-so-important story of what happened to that chick in Aruba. It looks now like the local governments of every city in AmeriKKKa will become the enemies of the people by seizing their property, maybe giving you a little money that wont go very far in today's housing market, and throwing them on the street.

The snakes in power are loving this; Mayor of Washington DC Anthony Williams made this very stupid statement:

Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams, who serves as president of the National League of Cities, issued a statement praising the court for upholding "one of the most powerful tools city officials have to rejuvenate their neighborhoods."

So, just as long as it's not his house that is about to be siezed, then it's okay. Imagine building a life in a house and then the government tears it down to build some shopping mall or worse yet, a Stadium (which in DC is an issue because they need that to house this stupid baseball team we got here), and they are on the rampage here in Washington DC.

Even worse is in New London CT where the greedy developers are trying to take some white folks homes to build some hotel. Now, when white folks are losing their homes you know that the black neighborhoods don't have a chance. In essence though, they have their eyes on the hoods of AmeriKKKa, forcing all the people out more aggresively, and big business has the politicians in their pocket, so all that can be done is well, not a damn thing.

Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika

see: Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika's website

I was just picking up the Source today and I saw a couple of items I didn't see the first time I read the magazine, including a write up of the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika. Apparently, they want "observer seats" in the United Nations. Given the state of affairs in Africa and some of the failures of the UN in regards to action on some things (ie Rwanda, Congo, and Sudan), I admire this group for stepping up. It's much more encouraging than America's great white hope for the UN, John Bolton.

Dean And Cheney Play the Dozens

see: Dean: I don't care if Cheney likes my mother

Wouldn't it be funny if Howard Dean and Dick Cheney played the dozens for real? Like if Howard Dean said to Cheney, "Your mother so stupid, she.....", well you get the idea. I just can't think of a good one.

Kinda reminds me of Menace II Society, when the Korean guy says, "I feel sorry for your momma!" and O Dog says, "What'd you say about my momma?" and shots the Korean.

Only thing is, I could imagine Howard Dean just screaming at Dick Cheney. That'd be funny.

Growing up too fast?

see: Are Black Girls Growing Up Too Fast?

Here in Washington DC there is no shortage of perverted men who just want to talk to little girls, kids even. To me it's just straight up sickening. Sometimes however, the way the girls be looking, who can blame them? No justifying their behavior. It's funny, though to hear some of these men say things like "Am I too old for you?"

Because of the onslaught of "booty" videos, lots of these teen girls see these images and as a result they be looking and dressing all seductively, and sometimes it is hard to tell what is what. I am married but I would hate to be out there kicking game because I know for sure I would probably get caught up!

Also, with no parents around, there is no questioning what some young girls are doing. Like a Union Station, here in Washington DC, the place is crawling with well developed, buxom young girls and perverted, oggling old men.

Back in the 80's, I know that where I was at, in Junior High School girls dressed fly, suggestively, with the tight jeans and mini skirts, but straight up, its nothing like what you have now. In DC, seeing these girls, you think, damn, is it something in the water?

Mixtape, mixtape

see SOHH: RIAA Cracks Down On Mixtapes, Police Bust Popular Peddlers

I've been collecting mix CD's for years. I collected them as far back as 1991, and I would buy street tapes from Mister Cee, DJ Clue and Tony Touch. For a couple of years I was buying DJ Rectangle; his CD mixes of rap from the years of 1994-1998 are straight up classics. I, and most hip hop fans understand that hip hop mixes let you know who the latest artists are and you can hear all the newest stuff. DJ's who put out mix CDs have juice, they got respect, they got prestige. Mix CD's are an art at best.

However, I can't get with piracy. The scratchy CD's that you get of the CD in the store are not worth it. Theres a dude from around the way who sells dusty, low quality pirated CDs for the same cost you could get them in the store! That type of thing I can't get with. However, now the government, filled with a bunch of old white farts running things, want to save the poor, poor, major record labels who are such "victims" of this activity. I say, screw the record companies.

All the record companies think that their A&R musical snobs and geeks can dig up the so called "next big thing". When will the major label cats realize that their sales have dropped because the music they put out sucks? What the major labels are doing is ruining hip hop, right along with the radio stations who all play the same crap, the record stores which overprice CD's, and the whole BET/MTV juggernaut which influences the music. Its all a bunch of nonsense.

So, all the old farts in Congress and in the RIAA need to leave the mix tape culture along, and some of these artists need to speak on behalf of the artists and the mix tape DJ's to distinguish mix tapes from pirated CDs. What does the government know? I don't care if some of these politicians say they like Outkast when asked by interviewers, they don't know a damn thing. And saving the artist and saving some industry prick are not the same thing; if anything, the artists need to be saved from industry a-holes!

Cassidy up the River w/no paddle & racist trash in the Senate


Too bad about Cassidy, he's about to be on lockdown. Even though I didn't like the direction he was going, making raps advocating drug selling on his latest, "Im A Hustla" due the 28th, I thought the boy was nice. Don't drop the soap, Cassidy!

More importantly, I've been interested in the apology the Senate made for failing to act against lynching in the past. However, in this day and age, there are some senators who didn't seem to agree that an apology needed to be made. Can you believe it? Here they are:

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)-big surprise there! LOL.
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
George Voinovich (R-OH)

These people:
1) Refused to co-sponsor the anti-lynching resolution (complete resolution below) and
2) Refused a roll-call vote so they'd have to put their name on the resolution

Thanks so much to "The Talking Drum Newsletter" for getting this information out.

Here Are the Reasons Lynchings were done. Some are downright stupid. In the backwoods of small town Amerikkka, it seems like justice was taken into the hands of mob rule. No matter the reason, this evil can never be justified. Never again.


Acting suspiciously
Gambling
Quarreling
Adultery
Grave robbing
Race hatred; Race troubles
Aiding murderer
Improper with white woman
Rape
Arguing with white man
Incest
Rape-murders
Arson Inciting to riot
Resisting mob
Assassination
Inciting trouble
Robbery
Attempted murder
Indolence
Running a bordello
Banditry
Inflammatory language
Sedition
Being disreputable
Informing
Slander
Being obnoxious
Injuring livestock
Spreading disease
Boasting about riot
Insulting white man
Stealing
Burglary
Insulting white woman
Suing white man
Child abuse
Insurrection
Swindling
Conjuring
Kidnapping
Terrorism
Courting white woman
Killing livestock
Testifying against white man
Criminal assault
Living with white woman
Throwing stones
Cutting levee
Looting
Train wrecking
Defending rapist
Making threats
Trying to colonize blacks
Demanding respect
Miscegenation
Trying to vote
Disorderly conduct
Mistaken identity
Unpopularity
Eloping with white woman
Molestation
Unruly remarks
Entered white woman's room
Murder
Using obscene language
Enticement
Non-sexual assault
Vagrancy
Extortion
Peeping Tom
Violated quarantine
Fraud
Pillage
Voodooism
Plotting to kill
Voting for wrong party
Frightening white woman
Poisoning well

Source: History of Lynching in the United States

Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) Presents:
Vancouver's First Ever...
HIPHOP Festival
AGAINST WAR & OCCUPATION!

JUNE 8-12
SONAR - EL COCAL - EDMONDS COMMUNITY CENTER - GRANDVIEW PARK - BRITANNIA COMMUNITY CENTER

ALL SHOWS FREE!!
ALL EVENTS (EXCEPT SONAR SHOW) ALL AGES!!!

WEDNESDAY, June 8th
VOICES of the WORLD AGAINST WAR & OCCUPATION!
OPENING NIGHT @ SONAR (66 Water St. - Vancouver)
Doors open at 8pm, Show begins at 9pm FREE!!

SIGNIA- Internationally renowned Punjabi-influenced hip-hop crew
NDIDI CASCADE - Local independent hip-hop sensation
SUNDAY SCHOOL DROPOUTZ- Manik, Os12, and Sichuan
SYCK SENSE- includes DJ Doolz, MC Practical, and CAP C
OSO and PABLUCCI – Local Latino hip-hop MCs!!
SPOKES, GROUNDBREAKERS
+ PLUS ...DJs Ted D and Dani B!

THURSDAY, June 9th
STOP THE WAR ABROAD and AT HOME!
Intimate Nite @ EL COCAL (1037 Commercial Dr. - East Van)
Doors open at 7pm, Show begins at 8pm FREE!! ALL AGES!!

OKALANI- Indigenous hip-hop and soul singer, performing solo
FREEDOM SUN - Local anti-imperialist MC
SUNDAY SCHOOL DROPOUTZ - Manik, Os12, and Sichuan
+ PLUS ... - DJ Exceed and special guests!

FRIDAY, June 10th
WE’RE YOUTH! WE’RE STUDENTS! -- WE’RE ANTI-WAR!!
@ Edmonds Community Center (7282 Kingsway St. - Burnaby)
Doors open at 6pm, Show begins at 7pm FREE!! ALL AGES!!

MAIN OFFENDERS - Notorious East Van Hip Hop!
PLATINO LATIN PRODUCTIONS (PLP) - Local Latino hip-hop crew!
GROUNDBREAKERS - Local indie conscious hip-hop - ALBUM RELEASE PARTY!
LADY SINCERE- Indigenous hip-hop artist and traditional singer
DJ Rhek One! - DJ Exceed!
+ PLUS ... - Breakdancing, spoken word, and door prizes!

SATURDAY, June 11th
ALL PEOPLES - ALL DAY - for the SELF-DETERMINATION of ALL OPPRESSED NATIONS! OUTDOOR SHOW @ Grandview Park (Commercial Dr - East Vancouver) - 12pm-6pm! FREE!! ALL AGES!!

THREAT FROM OUTER SPACE - Vancouver's hip-hop at its best
PLATINO LATIN PRODUCTIONS (PLP) - Local Latin hip-hop crew!
The MILKY WAY TRAVELERS – Live band backed indigenous soul
EMOTIONZ! - GENETICS!
PABLUCCI- Local Latino MC!
FREEDOM SUN - Local anti-imperialist MC!
SUNDAY SCHOOL DROPOUTZ - Manik, Os12, and Sichuan
DJs - Help Computer, Doolz, Kid Knowledge, and Hayze
+ PLUS ... - Check out the display for anti-war GRAFFITI!

SUNDAY, June 12th
"HIP-HOP as a WEAPON AGAINST WAR & OCCUPATION"
Free Public Forum @ The Britannia Community Center
3:30pm - 6pm, 1661 Napier St - East Vancouver FREE!! ALL AGES!!

* Final event and conclusion to HIPHOP Festival AGAINST WAR & OCCUPATION !
* Featuring speakers from Vancouver's music community, and anti-war activists!

Sunday School Dropoutz - Performing as part of the BEAR SPRAY MIX TAPE RELEASE TOUR !

Check out MAWO's website.

Exclusive Feature -Michael Eric Dyson no longer to use N word
(Stevie Wonder, Rev Jesse Jackson and Cornel West factors ? )

In February during the State of Race forum heated discussions took place among three featured speakers over the N word. The forum featured Emory Associate Professor in Theory and Jazz studies Dwight Andrews, University of Pennsylvania Professor of Humanities, Religious and African Studies Michael Eric Dyson and John McWhorter, a former Cornell University (N.Y.) professor. The evening’s most combative debate centered on the use of the “n-word.”

Dyson expressed a strong distinction between nigger and nigga, explaining that the former has been used as a stereotype and the latter as a term of endearment among blacks. After Andrews said that he didn’t use the word in public, Dyson emphatically replied, “That’s my nigga!”

McWhorter said it is inappropriate in all cases and displays a self-hatred that blacks harbor. In his opening statement, Andrews said the interdependence of “hip hop and commerce” has created stereotypical images of blacks that deeply concern him.

“Black music has always been racially informed,” he said. “But hip hop has some of the most retrogressive ideas, and blacks now support it.”

This forum was one of many in which Dyson had publicly used the N word but the displeasure seemed to reach a crescendo when early this year C -Span aired the latest Black America forum, when those concerned with pathologies facing the African American community were all tuned in. Since then syndicated national radio host Tom Joyner has announced that Dyson wont be using the N word anymore. Playahata.com asked Dyson if it this was true and wanted to find out why is contoversial regional DJ Star, of the Star and BucWild show always talking negative about him on the air and Dyson set the record straight on all the rumors.

Dyson told Playahata.com "I showed love to Star and Buckwild because despite the fact that they were hating on me, I chose to acknowledge the good work that they do. Even if I disagreed with their characterizations of me, I could forgo personal feelings of anger or hurt and embrace the need for healthy critical dialogue. I would love to appear on their show and engage in an open, honest examination of the problems that continue to confront the black poor in particular, and black communities at large.

Tom Joyner is right: I have decided to retire the use of the "N" word in public. Why? Not because I believe that it has lost its power as a term of endearment among black folk who use it with love and affection. Not because its meaning has become so bastardized that one may not recover its redemptive use by black folk who intend it to signify profound love and respect. I have decided to stop using it for two reasons: many black folk who otherwise supported my work and agreed with my perspectives were thrown off by my public identification with the downtrodden and the debased of our race through use of the term. Despite all the good they thought I did, they believed that the use of the word made it difficult for them to fully embrace me. [To paraphrase The Apostle Paul said in the Bible that "if meat offends my brother, I don't eat meat."] Finally, Rev.Jesse Jackson, after we both attended Johnnie Cochran's funeral, and after we engaged in a healthy political discussion with Stevie Wonder, asked me to refrain from publicly using the "N" word because it obscured what he termed the effectiveness of my intellectual witness. [As some of you may know, I've also had friendly debates with Cornel West on the subject, and even though we have disagreed about the subject, I have enormous respect for him and all my elders, including Rev. Jackson, who have different views]. So, I have decided to refrain from public use of the "N" word where I cannot explain the context of the word and its association with traditions of racial response to degradation. When I can explain it, I will feel free to engage in its use, although I realize those opportunities may be rarer than I'd like. In the end, the folk who know how I feel about the black oppressed, and all those who suffer regardless of race, creed, class, color or nationality, understand that I'm still riding for those whose backs are against the wall. But if those who otherwise feel me are offended by my use of the term, it makes little sense to continue its use. I have no problem with its use by hip-hoppers who continue to use it with verve, color, imagination, love and affection

From www.Playahata.com