After thoroughly enjoying Django (twice), I started reading critic and movie-goer reviews. Some folks seemed to be “outraged” by the use of the N-word or so they said on twitter and in the comments of blogs. I immediately dismissed it as fashionable disapproval of a controversial topic, but began thinking about the films that actually had a negative impact on the ever-changing direction of African American Culture. Here’s my top ten list: Continue reading
The film begins asking passersby, “Name a positive stereotype about Black people?” Needless to say, they (including Howard University students) were stumped. The next question he asks sets the tone and reveals the premise for the documentary. Are there more Black men in college or in prison? Continue reading
Drake’s line in Rick Ross’s “Stay Schemin’” has sparked somewhat of a viral cultural phenomenon.
B!%@#, you wasn’t with me shootin’ in the gym.
For those of you who aren’t a fan of Drake or Ross, the line refers to Kobe Bryant losing $50 million in his divorce. But more importantly, the line alludes to those who envy but don’t understand or respect the process and sacrifice one makes to achieve greatness. Continue reading
Yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with a friend from Detroit about the declining humanity of the American poor. Close living quarters, lack of resources, and an inability to maneuver the legal system disproportionately devastates low income communities. With murder, robberies and vicious assaults on the rise, it seems the respect for life has been replaced with the respect for status and material possessions.
My friend asked, “Why are so many young men so eager to throw their life and their neighbor’s life away? My answer: For some people, a thug’s life is the path of least resistance. Continue reading
This is me on my soapbox, screaming at the top of my lungs to the descendant of African slaves. WE ARE LOSING; WE ARE DYING; WE ARE DOING IT TO OURSELVES. We have become drunk with shortsightedness and willful ignorance. We have forgotten the sole point of religion, mythology, technology, history, economics, and life on this earth. TO SURVIVE AND THEN THRIVE.
Last weekend it hit me. I was driving home from my niece’s birthday party through a part of town that I haven’t been in since I moved away ten years ago. Since then, Indians (from India) slowly bought a town. This town was full of thriving small businesses like the America that our parents grew up in. While driving past miles of Indian laundromats, jewelers, accountant firms, grocery stores, electronic repair shops, clothing stores, etc… Continue reading
Spike Lee’s ‘School Daze.’ Let’s touch on the deeper issue driving this conversation.If you’re a conspiracy theory buff or just like watching random videos on youtube, You might have seen the countless videos alleging that hip hop is “a tool of Satan”or a plot by the “illuminati.” I even saw a video alleging that rappers are agents employed by the U.S. government to keep young minorities pacified. If you haven’t seen them. I added some at the end of the post.
I don’t know about all that… but I was recently reading the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu text written in 1500 B.C.. A verse in this sacred book shocked me. It speaks of the characteristics of a Demonic Personality. When I read the verse, it sounded like it was describing the characteristics of… (Pick your favorite mainstream rapper.)
Please read the short verse and let me know if you see some alarming similarities. Continue reading
