Is anybody interested in taking this blog? If so, please post comment.

Massive Walk to Address Human Trafficking Problem in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eradicating modern-day slavery is an enormous undertaking that begins with small steps. One group of Washington abolitionists is asking the local community to join the action by taking steps toward creating a slavery-free district.

The group DC Stop Modern Slavery (DC SMS) will host its second annual DC walk on Saturday Oct. 23, 2010 on the National Mall from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. to raise awareness about human trafficking and how to end it.

This year's 5K (3.1 miles) walk will build on the success of last year's walk, which raised about $40,000 for the cause of abolition, and attracted more than 700 participants. The walk is expected to be the largest anti-human trafficking event in the District's history.

"The DC Metro area is unfortunately an active zone both for foreign nationals being trafficked to the United States, and for U.S. citizens being trafficked domestically," said Ray Lian, DC SMS lead organizer.

The DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk complements President Barack Obama's resolve to fight human trafficking both nationally and internationally. Earlier this year, he urged Americans to learn about all types of modern slavery and said that fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a "shared responsibility."

Excerpt from this press release.
For More information, check out DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk

US poverty level hits record



The US authorities has announced that 14 per cent of Americans are living in poverty, the highest level since 1994.

The government defines poverty as a family of four living on less than $22,000 a year.

The statistics cover President Barack Obama's first year in office, when the recession left millions of people out of work and unemployment climbed to more than 10 per cent.

The report's release comes just weeks before the economy takes centre stage in upcoming US elections.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

Dallas Police Dashboard Camera Shows Alleged Beating



In this case of police brutality, at least there was justice in the end. Still may not tip the scales, but it is good nontheless:

Dallas Police Chief David Brown has fired Officer Kevin Ray Randolph for for his involvement in beating motorcyclist Andrew Collins September 5th. Collins is African American. The officers are white. Brown is also recommending criminal charges.

SOURCE: KERA

I'm sorry but this dude is kinda out there....



The winner of the NY primary was on the Rick Sanchez show today and I'm wondering, how did this guy get elected. He says he will use "eminent domain" to stop the building of the Mosque. Seems like hes just off his rocker. Read more about him on
the Christian Science Monitor.

W.E.T. (WHITE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION)


Throughout the vast internet there are many arguments that I see. One of the biggest amongst the tea party and disgruntled whites is the idea of "W.E.T" or white entertainment television.

Most of these people think that if there is a BET, there should be a W.E.T. Their main argument is that it is not fair to have a BET if you don't have a W.E.T. They say that "why shouldn't there be a W.E.T?

I'm wondering, if there was a W.E.T, what would be televised on it? I guess white entertainment. But white entertainment is a broad thing. I'm sure that not every white person likes Seinfeld, Beavis and Butthead, NASCAR, Jackass, Glen Beck, and golf tournaments. Could W.E.T be a mix of all that? I don't think so. This is part of the problem of W.E.T.

There never is any insight as to what would be on this so called network. I don't think that nazi tv shows would be popular, like the neo nazis want. The tea party crowd already has Fox News. I figure that this network would also serve the neo nazis as well. The rednecks got FX, Spike and CMT. The yuppies got HGTV, VH1, and CNBC. Homosexuals have that gay network. How can W.E.T fill the needs of all these groups? Can W.E.T be something that can something for everybody? BET is for the young urban hip hop crowd, and doesn't apologize for that. Who will W.E.T truly represent?

I guess that most digruntled whites would think that W.E.T would level the playing field, but I don't think that it will ever be anything but alot of some bigots ideas. BET will still exist in it's present format as long as Viacom exists, and I think W.E.T will only be a talking point for disgruntled angry whites and nothing more. Unless they come up with a plan, it will never be.

A Time to Speak


I remember back in the days when rappers would address social issues. In the late 80s and early 90s the climate of hate was so bad, but back then you had artists and groups like Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Ice-T & Body Count, X Clan, Tragedy, KRS-1 who tackled issues and whether or not you agreed or disagreed, or liked there music, you had to respect that. The type of sentiment that fed so much hatred exists now in Fox News, the GOP, and like I had referred to earlier, Glen Beck.

Chuck D has a song out called "By the Time I Get To Arizona". From what I see, Chuck is really trying to get Public Enemy back out there, but is it the right time? In the present hip hop environment which is dominated by the likes of Soulja Boy and Lil Wayne, are they up for the task of dealing with these issues head on. How about "Jigga" Jay-Z, or Guccie Mane? Are they up for the task. Can Chuck D compete with those type of artists?

I'm not inclined to believe the videos on Youtube that explain that all the present day rappers are agents of the Illuminati, secret societies and such. Nah, I can't really buy into those ideas; interesting as they are and however on point they seem, I'd have to say that they do point to an interesting truth. When you consider how much the music has changed, and how it's not cool for the music, or the audience to be smart or about something, you start to realize that maybe KRS-One and Chuck D have went from leading a somewhat effective cultural revolution to being those old guys who, as Nelly would say to KRS-One, need to retire.

Not only that, along the way, the "revolution" of KRS-One and Chuck were compromised along the way. This is beyond the scope of one single journal entry; there is a whole story to that. It seems like all of us have been compromised or just don't care anymore. Where is the anti-war movement? Hello, we're still in Afghanistan! It seems like maybe people thought we arrived since Obama got elected, some are just trying to get that $, and trying to get ahead, or even survive!

Or maybe like rap and hip hop we've all just been dumbed down, and don't have anything to say.....

Glen Beck and Louis Farrakahn, Rock The Bells!


MLK made his classic "I Have A Dream" Speech 8/28/1963

As busy as I am, I don't get time to write and I am the only one writing this! Anyways, this is a pretty fascinating weekend.

Interesting was the whole Glen Beck thing that happened in DC. I saw him on FOX News (of course) this morning and listened to what he had to say.

Glen was talking about how the country is going down "the wrong path" and that he told like 600,000 people or so that people can't go to other people for solutions, that they need to find it within themselves to improve spiritually.

Then I thought, hmmm. Haven't I heard this before? Seems that this was the same thing that Louis Farrakahn said at the Million Man March back in '97. Though I am sure both parties would hate a comparison between the two, I really think that in a way, the two events were somewhat similar, but just aimed at two different crowds. The March attracted and went for more working class black people, whereas the Glen Beck thing was more for the working class, whites especially.

The messages of the two were similar; this country is messed up, our situation is bad, the US government is doing nothing to correct the situation, so we need to get our own individual houses in order before we can change the country or our communities situation. Today is the annual Rock The Bells show here in the DMV, the only rap concert that is now promoted. If you go to Rock the Bells, there's no need to check out any other show.

Just like before, can't go. Don't have ca$h to buy the ticket, no hook up, plus it's hot and not really feeling like going. Maybe next year, though....

Illmatic, Drake and classic albums


With all this Drake hype, what about MF Grimm?

I haven't heard the new Drake album. I heard snippets of it on Itunes, but I haven't really brought it. Will I buy it. I'm still not sure. For me, time will tell. I'd probably hold off and wait till the hype is over and buy it in like 2 years, the way I am.

I think that the good thing about Drake's success which you don't really hear about that much is the fact that he's from Canada. There have been a few exceptions, but on the real, Canada rapper's get no respect. They haven't got the attention that Drake has gotten. Usually they are marginal, and nobody expects them to sell all that well. Another cool thing about Drake is that he doesn't talk about what your average hip hop MC talks about. He's very introspective, and his music is like how he's feeling about what's going on in his life with the fame and all. I think that he's a good singer, also. Not a great singer. I wouldn't force comparisons between him and Luther Vandross or Frankie Beverly (of Maze), but he's better than Ray J, who can't sing at all, if you ask me.

There are things that I don't like about Drake though. I don't like how he seems to be all about Jay-Z. You'd think that their relationship is Drake is Luke Skywalker and Jay-Z is Ben Kenobi from the Star Wars series. I also don't like how he has been so over hyped. Up to now, he has been able to produce some good singles. However, putting together a whole album is a different story. Public Enemy's first album didn't have any great expectations, and it wasn't put out as being great. Their second album, "Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back" is a classic. Nobody can deny that Illmatic by Nas is a classic album. The hype surrounding that wasn't that great. Drake is a young artist who needs time to grow as an artist; so nobody should be expecting a classic from him. How can anybody expect a great album from him? Ice Cube grew into his greatness as an artist. Amerikkka's Most Wanted was good, then Death Certificate, he just kept on churning them out.

The industry has changed greatly, now it's hard for artists to even go platinum. People don't buy CD's anymore, more people are downloading, more albums are leaking, more people are disenchanted with crappy music being put out, and they just don't want to be bothered. Funniest thing about this is that alot of haters are waiting for the results of Drake's "Thank Me Later" record sales. More are waiting for the release of Eminem's record this week.

So, as for me, I'm going to go around the hype, save my money, and wait till later to buy Drake's record. Or maybe I'll buy that new record by MF Grimm instead.

Nicki Minaj-the truth or just fiction?


I don't know what it is, but Im not sure whether or not Im really feeling Nicki Minaj. After seeing her carrying on, making faces, and doing some so so rhyming in one of those dirty south videos (can't remember which one, they all the same), I couldn't really say, "Yeah, she tight".

Like, when I first heard Da Brat, Lil Kim, and even Trina, I was like, yeah, this female MC could be the truth, but with Nicki, I just haven't heard that.

I'm not sure for everybody else, but for me, the verdict's still out. Im not hating. However, it'll take more than her "big butt" to win me over, and I couldn't care less about her alleged nose job!

I haven't stopped this blogging thing, but right now I just don't really have the time to do it.

What I wanted to do was to mostly do music and mix tape reviews. However, I don't even have time to casually blog, let alone provide well thought out and insightful reviews of music or anything else for that matter.

I've gotten into the twitter thing, and I got a new site called Blog Urban News; check it out at http://twitter.com/BlogUrbanNews

A couple of things I want to do include doing at least one record review every other week, and even interview anybody who wants to be interviewed on the site.

So, there it is. Later!

Be the Change


This is dedicated to the kids I went to High School with.

Prodigy Says Jay-Z Sides With The ‘Evil Illuminati’

On the day of his release of his historic Blueprint 3 album release, its funny that I finally found out about this story!

Like he does in his monthly blog on Vibe.com, the incarcerated Prodigy recently spewed more of his conspiracy theories via a handwritten letter to URB. This time, he reveals the moment his eyes were opened to the sham he calls “the government, religions, politics, the Federal Reserve, and I.R.S.”

According to P, in 1996, after reading a book by Dr. Malichi Z. York titled Leviathan 666, he was moved so much, he cried, and that was his “moment of clarity.”

“I was crying for all of humanity, but mostly for my black people ’cause I then realized it was all a sham,” Prodigy writes in his letter to URB. “The government, religions, politics, the Federal Reserve, the I.R.S., and everything that we believe and live by is a joke.”

Check out the rest on Aftermath News!

A War For Your Soul-Birmingham version

A War For Your Soul-Birmingham version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.

A high school and college educator for nearly twenty years, Reginald Bullock, the visionary creator behind Erisai Films and the short video, “A War For Your Soul,” has always had an interest in working with the youth and getting young people to utilize their full potential. “A War For Your Soul,” is an independent, nonprofit, 15-minute film aimed at African-American youth. The Bronx native’s latest release infuses African-American history with today’s current events, and expresses how they relate, inspiring youth to look critically at themselves and, at the very least, facilitating meaningful discussion amongst our at-risk youth. In turn, this film has enabled him to work, at a larger scale, with at-risk youth regarding topics and interests that are relevant to them. “A War For Your Soul” is vastly sweeping the nation, as many African-American leaders and organizations have endorsed the film and given it great reviews; this includes various churches, multiple colleges and universities, as well as youth organizations. Reginald Bullock’s primary interest remains in helping out our youth. For more information about interviews, or to set up speaking engagements for Reginald Bullock, please feel free to contact Ms. Lee at nadine@speakthedream.org

"Whip it Like a Slave"


After hearing about this on here, I had to check it out.

It's your standard mindless Dirty South jam with a chopped up chorus; not as offensive as the original poster made it out to be.

After hearing it, I dont know if I can launch the same diatribe that the other guy did. If anything, it was more dumb than offensive. Better yet, its too dumb to be offensive. Thats it.

THE SCOTTISH INVENTED RAP? I DONT THINK SO!


According to this article, black people didn't invent rap? No, it was the Scottish!

Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel aren't going to be too pleased about this.

Professor Ferenc Szasz, of the University of New Mexico is arguing rap battles were invented by the Scots, and not, as many would believe, by African Americans. The battles, in which two or more performers trade elaborate insults, derive from the ancient Caledonian art of "flyting" says Szaz.

The UK Telegraph says according to the theory, Scottish slave owners took the tradition with them to the United States, where it was adopted and developed by slaves, emerging many years later as rap.

Now Im not going to get on any black nationalistic soapbox or nothing like that, but to me rap music, like every other popular form of American music, is the product of many cultures. No one group of people can lay claim to this. Its odd to say that one group (especially the Scottish, of all people?) can lay claim to this. Look, when I think of the Scottish, I think of that Groundskeeper Willie character from the Simpsons, and thats a long way off from hip hop, you know?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY B.I.G.!


VIDEO:Notorious B.I.G. Birthday 05/21/93 The Arena Brooklyn N.Y.
Today, it being Christopher Wallace’s birthday, I had the urge to see that movie Notorious from last year, and that movie had me speechless in the end. To see a lot of things acted out, like Big’s conflict with Lil’ Kim and the big confrontations between BIG and Tupac were awesome. I never truly liked BIGGIE’s music. When BIGGIE’s “Ready to Die” came out, I was still stuck on Ice Cube, PE, Rakim and Nas. I though PE’s “It Takes A Nation of Millions..” and Nas’s “Illmatic” were the only rap albums worth liking. Hearing “Ready to Die”, I was like “what the.?” As much as I liked Dre’s Chronic album, I was turned off by the similarities in “Ready To Die”. The blatant lifting of the G-Funk sound, the samples of Dre, all the preoccupation with “gangsta” just turned me off. I knew what Diddy was trying to do in taking rap to the mainstream, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Despite my bias, I still enjoyed “Notorious”. It was realistic and really caught the vibe of the mid 90s hip hop and all the drama that came with it. Like all movies there was a lot left out; and you have to wonder why certain people were left out or just seen as irrelevant. But then you realize that this movie was only 2 hours long, and that they can only put so much into the movie, but what they put in is just very fresh, engaging and entertaining. Seeing BIG’s childhood acted out by his son is genius on the part of the producers. Then there is BIG running the streets, becoming the boss of his street, then the jail sentence and his subsequent rise to rap stardom and fame. The movie does really good in painting a picture of BIGGIES dark side, while portraying him as still having a heart. I imagine that for BIGGIE’s mom, and Lil’ Kim, this movie was probably hard to make, but I’m sure Miss Wallace was satisfied with the end product. Gravy, the ex rapper who play’s BIGGIE looks so much like BIGGIE, that it is unsettling. Guaranteed to become a fixture once BET gets its hands on it, I’m sure you wont miss it.

Scipts N' Screwz "The New Noise"

Scripts and Screwz is a rap group coming from East Saint Louis, Illinois. Listening to their record called “The New Noise”, I felt I was drawn to their unique sound and flows. Unlike most artists who just talk about what is popular like street life and, well, just a lot of nonsense, rapper Scripts and Loose Screwz talk about the real world, and stuff that everybody can relate too.

This frankness gives them an air of realness which doesn’t need any kind of hype. The group just lets the music do the talking. What I like the most about the group are the tracks and the subjects that they talk about in their music. Songs such as “Bright City Lights”, “Hands High” and “My First Rhyme” have that common theme of their wanting to be successful artists, dreaming about doing it and being successful at it and getting fame. The good and bad side of love and relationships is a common theme in “Fairy Tale” and “Help” which are about falling in love and the drama of relationships.

The groups got its politics but it is related to its affects on people in the real world in “The War Outside”, a bangin rock track that deals with the question of if its really worth fighting in wars for lying politicians. Most interesting is the groups emphasis on addiction and death in such songs as “Brick”, “Eastwood”, “Lonely” “Eyes Wide Shut” and “Addiction”. Rather than glorify the darker realities of the streets and the city, they tell you like it is based on what realities they have experienced.

The songs have substance, but does the music bump? Scripts and Screwz got hot beats on all the songs. Though at times the mood of the music is a little dark, it is the type of music that will sound good in any car. They got songs that you can nod your head to (like “Proceed”), and some songs (like “Brick” and “Like This”) that you can dance to. This is a breath of fresh air and an alternative to all the crap that they got playing on the radio these days. If you want some serious head music you can rock to, check out Scripts and Screwz.

CHECK OUT SCRIPTS AND SCREWZ: THEIR SITE,THEIR BLOG, AND MYSPACE!!!!!!

The Wackness


Im watching this movie now, The Wackness. Not only is this the title of the movie, this is the right word to describe this movie.

The plot? Who cares. It is just like an hour and a half of muddling through the lives of two losers, one middle age, and one teen.

There is hardly a plot with an ending to spoil. The whole movie is spoiled. The only gimmick of this movie is that in the first half of the movie, they play alot of hip hop. The movie is set in '94, but some of the music they play to fit the time didn't come out until '95 and '96.

Even though they try to appeal (or pander to) the hip hop audience, there is very little that will appeal to them. The teen is a drug dealer, but he's probably the lamest drug dealer I've ever seen portrayed in a film. He does use a little slang, like "Word" and "Peace Out". But he's so boring.

Then there is the "love interest". She's kinda hot. Just kinda. I'd like to see the actress in a real movie. Method Man appears in the movie, as a Jamaican drug dealer. Hearing Meth talk in a Jamaican accent is too too funny. You just have to hear it.

When they get past the hip hop gimmick, and when the movie finally comes to an end to the tune of "All The Young Dudes", a rock song from the 70s, I start thinking that this movie would have been more interesting if it was about a white drug dealer in New York who graduates in like, 1974. If you replace the hip hop with rock music from the 70s (like Lou Reed and David Bowie), and change the main characters wardrobe to some 70s type style, you would've had a better movie. The movie as it is now sucks bad. Two thumbs down.

8th Grade Black History Month Rap - Young Majesty and La'Qua "Timeline"


Young Majesty and La'Qua perform an original rap entitled "Timeline" in honor of Black History Month.

Three Stooges Throw Pies at Bush

Classic. I hope this video is seen for years to come.