Version 2.0

Culture, healing, politics and bullshit - Not necessarily in that order

The general, socio-political and very personal rantings and ravings of a hip hop head from the hood hustling for change... Of himself.

You all know me and are aware that I am unable to remain silent. At times to be silent is to lie. For silence can be interpreted as acquiescence.
—Miguel de Unamuno



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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Ain't I Chistmassy?

So I'm hosting this joint tonight and I'm sure it'll be a stone gas...




Thursday, November 20, 2008

Hi Jack!




I know, I know... Missing in action.

But not really. I actually hijacked my wife and we're on the road traveling all over the damn place. Today we hit Louisville, Kentucky and then later on this evening we're back in Chicago.

For now.

I'm having too much fun out on the highways and byways of America right now pre-holiday.

No conversations about so-called 'House Negro' presidents and Prop 8 an black folks, please.

I'm not going there, but I will let the window down as we speed down I-65 on our way to Louie...

Know that I said a prayer for the St Louis Duo and the DoD.
Know that I know that my Georgia Peach of a sister is in the right place right now.
Know that I tries to Keep It Trill on a regular basis.
And know that Ep... You're already there dude.
I still check in with Purple, Oldgirl and I got the best available spot in the Cheap Seats.

And the Zediniah family has my best wishes.

Oh, and to CZC... Blu Phi, GoMob and all that good ish on your ventures with the chilluns... You still shining light in dark places.

Back to the open road.


Hassan

Monday, November 17, 2008

Nope.

I am not having that conversation right now.

Seems pointless.


Maybe tomorrow, okay?

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The More Things Change...

Joe Madison reminds us:

In America, our cultural conditioning infers to us that all things Black in nature are inferior, and things White in nature are superior and based on our conditioning African-Americans are undervalued, underestimated or marginalized.

We here in America practice this by choice and as of the past 40 or so years have not objected to this type of treatment based on our desire to bee seen and accepted as equals in society.

A lot of us have been misinformed, undereducated and are willing to turn a blind eye to the misfortune of this situation because perceived value has more meaning than actual value, thus forcing us to consider the aesthetic before fulfillment.

My wife were fortunate enough to attend the election nigh event and we were right there at ground zero when the election was called, when people celebrated and when he spoke. I only reveled in that moment because reality didn't have to hit me to know that the President-Elect has done nothing yet. We did.

Even those who voted for the other folk on the ballot participated, and according to this morning's numbers, five million more or so voted Obama than McCain. That means that there is damn near a 50-50 divide on ideology and philosophy. It also means that huge blocs of each electorate voted based on race. That's a conversation we seem to never have.

The marginalization of the President-Elect started the moment he threw his hat into the fray. From being a graduate of Columbia and Harvard Law, to becoming president of the Harvard Law Review to choosing to be a community organizer, to his first GOTV campaign on the south side of Chicago that helped put William Jefferson Clinton in office (which I was a part of, right out of the Army), to him teaching constitutional law for 12 years to him being a state senator and his rise to the US senate and his management and execution of the most successful, engaging and effective campaign in history as well as being a husband and father.

All the way down to his personal beliefs and his faith...

Even where he was born was marginalized, undervalued and underestimated to the point where his skin color didn't take a back seat, it rode shotgun with every other form of doubt, ism and negative opinion there could possibly be because some folks cannot wrap their heads around the fact that this man could be leader of the free white world.

And what type of global influence is that?

White privilege taking a backseat to the son of a Kenyan man and a White woman from middle America. I guess the Dunham family jacked out of that matrix from day one.

And you wondered why Jesse and Roland cried?

They lived something a lot of you haven't. That's where the call of change came from. Some of you will never know about what really happened yesterday. Some of you will never understand why there is no celebration in my house as well.

An old professor in undergrad used to always say: "Do the work, the answers will come."

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Go To Work


I got a job for you... Get out and vote. TODAY. Your paycheck depends on it.

Get R Done. I did a few weeks ago. Go cop that sticker.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Ho-Hum...

Hey folk...

Nothing new here. It was cool having a week of silence. I really have nothing to say about the election tomorrow so why waste time? With the exception the racial labyrinth we're about to run through due to the politics of the electorate in this election all I can I say is be careful and protect yourself.

I think both senators can win this election fairly. I'm thinking McCain can win big based on his base not wanting Obama to take office and rallying bunches of undecided voters to make that so based on so-called uncertainty. I also feel that Obama can win big as well if the science experiment called the black vote actually comes out and votes in record numbers, that blended with a majority white electorate voting democrat actually doing what they say they'll do in voting could put Obama over in record numbers. It looks like if we are to actually make history we'll need about 130 million voters to do so.

One thing.

It's only historical in the numbers of the thing. In all actuality, we're supposed to have been here years ago.

We just never had that convo on race.

And now we must deal with the outcome tomorrow, whatever that is. I'm holding my tongue to speak on that. I almost let a presidential election distract me from the real issues.

And then I woke up and walked down my block, saw and felt what was really going on.

The revolution has already kicked off. The wife and I got tickets to the Obamaration tomorrow. I'll be reporting from ground zero with intel from the front lines.