What up Blog family! I just got back from Germany/France this week…and I had to go back to work soooo hence the delay in blogs. All I have to say is WOW! Germany is bananas(in the good hip hop sense) I had so much fun and I learned a lot as well. On the heels of the democratic debate last night which I watched, I have to say the world wants Obama. That was the question of the trip, Obama? Seriously at least from what I saw in Germany this election is huge! Oh! I have to shout out Georgia Me whom I met in the airport on my way back home. We chopped it up and she had just got back from South Africa and she added on to what I saw. She said when she stepped out of the airport the first thing she saw was a billboard of Obama and how much the South Africans she spoke with supported Obama.
I don’t pay attention to polls, pundits etc. I pay attention to the streets(no rapper adlib LOL) from what I’ve seen, who I’ve talked to, people are behind Obama. If I can take an 8 hour flight and travel 6 hours ahead of the Eastern standard time zone and have serious conversations with people from another country about an American Presidential candidate with whom they support…I mean come on. I’m gonna be real, That shit matters! Like Public Enemy said ‘Don’t believe the hype’. Last night during the debate John McCain went after Barack Obama for his statement accepting to meet with the leader of Iran. I say why not! Sen. McCain stressed the nuance of ‘meeting without preconditions’
Reverting back to my trip, people love the U.S.!! As an American I’m tired of our country dictating to other countries and so are many other Americans. Let’s talk to people, how about a pre-emptive talk as opposed to pre-emptive wars i.e. The current Iraq war. We have the right to protect ourselves and shout out the U.S. military especially those in Germany! But damn, I never thought Saddam Hussein was a threat. I shook my head when they tried to make the ‘Iraq, 911 connection’ but that’s so far outside the mainstream thought right? Maybe my voice doesn’t count because when I went to Germany I’ve never felt more American in my life and I received more love from Africans and Afro-Germans than the love I receive here. There is a lot we can learn from other countries but I loved Paris and didn’t feel the french were smug, that’s just my personal opinion.
Make sure you travel and leave the United States of America, if you don’t understand this country you will when you come back.
Amandla Awethu(if you don’t know what it means, look it up)
I really do not like the term ‘Underground’ because it’s really not accurate of what everybody says is ‘underground’ First off the whole ‘underground/mainstream’ distinction I don’t like it either. Underground heads act like underground is the only true thing and mainstream people act like underground is wack. That goes for ‘backpack’ or anything else. Underground to me is that dude on your college campus that rhymes, those girls on your block that do local talent shows. Basically people tryin’ to make it. If you have videos and albums, publicity, ummmmm I don’t think you’re underground, you’re just ‘lesser known’. Talib Kweli is not underground, neither is Common, Mos Def, dag gone sure not the roots etc. I could go on. So I will be ‘puttin’ yall on’ to a number of ‘lesser known’ artists that you may or may not have heard about. Props to Okayplayer for this. I love this name, these guys are like an edition to Little Brother, I don’t know what’s in the water down south but it’s fueling some good music. These brothers go by the name of Hueston Independent Spit District
You telling you don’t love that name! These brothers are NICE!(in every sense of the hip hop usage) They have a mixtape out entitled Summer Sessions Vol. 1 Trust, the mixtape is just what it says…summer sessions, like let me just chill on this porch, go wash my car etc. You want good hip hop, they got it.
Oh Speaking of Little Brother, get yo Plastic Cups out and vibe this joint by the other half of Little Brother, Rapper Big Pooh called what else…’Plastic Cups’ Yeah LB are ‘lesser known’ artists too. Peep the ‘Blowin’ up’ (definitely more of those to come) post
Props to onsmash(even though it’s a youtube vid) the blog admins gotta get up with onsmash so I can insert directly but anyway here’s the vid.
This is something I want to start and really push for the next two months. I am reading Davey D’s blog and watching CNN at the same time. I saw a poll posted saying that Obama was ahead by one percentage point. I think that is completely inaccurate. This as grassroots as it comes, for whoever visits this blog spread the word, tell everybody you know basically 18-35 to Vote!! Don’t just tell them ‘hey vote Obama’ but if they’re not up on him inform them. I feel like our voices need to be heard! This country has ignored as voices, dismissed the youth and young adults when are literally the future. This is the important election of our lives up till this point.
It’s important because this election is based off symbolism. It’s not just about Obama winning but the symbolism he represents. He is one person and it is up to us the people, the youth to make whatever we want happen. We are not involved in the discussions, polled, etc. We are the invisible voting block. Our voices can shape this election 100% It’s looked at as ‘oh, Obama has the youth’ and Yes he does we need to show the establishment what that truly means. If you’re not registered please register, tell people to register. People we’re energized in ‘04′ and four years later that energy has overflowed and touched everyone. We have the power to show the world our country is truly changing and is in line with the rest of the world. That people of color matter, to quote Frederick Douglass “Power never concedes anything without a demand. It never has and it never will.”
November 4, 2008 show up and let our voices be heard
*I had this saved and forgot to post it, it was late but here it is*
I can’t sleep for nada, Tropical storm/depression whatever the classification had me sleeping all day due to the fact, well I wasn’t leaving my house with rain looking like it coming at you sideways. Sooooooo this is a post I’ve entitled Power Impact! Why the title powerful impact? This quote right here “Watch, as I combine all the juice from the mind. Heel up, wheel up, bring it back,come rewind. Powerful impact BOOM! from the cannon…”-Busta Rhymes
I know you’re thinking WTF how at 1:30 in the morning you’re thinking of that. Because of the artist I am presenting in this first edition. Powerful Impact is just that, hip hop songs that have that Powerful Impact be it old or new. The first song/artist up to bat is None other than the Abstract himself Q-tip. He has a new album coming out in November entitled The Renaissance and I can’t wait for ths $hit to drop!! He did the song Getting up which is the song of the post. This joint sounds like straight ‘92′ Tribe! Peep the link for the impromptu video that was shot while on tour this summer at Rock the bells. I heard it live at the show and was sold! The song samples Black Ivory’s ‘you and I’
I’ll take back a little bit and let yall reminsce about late 90’s Q-tip.
Vibrant Thing *Shout out to all my class of 2000/1999 people*
Toussaint L’Ouverture…ok some of you all are probably saying who? Not surprising if you don’t know because that’s not common knowledge. It’s also not common knowledge that Danny Glover is doing/has done a film on the man who freed Haiti. The problem, his film is having a hard time seeing the light of day. Are you surprised because I’m shocked! Everybody would rush to support a movie that being funded by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. People would line up to see a movie about a black revolutionary leader who stood up to European oppression, hollywood is salivating to support this, this is going to be an Academy award winning picture just like ‘The Color Purple’ and ‘Malcolm X’. Oh! Wait they didn’t win Oscars.
I had to let you all know about this, I had a hard time finding info about this. A movie starring Angela Bassett and Don Cheadle and I saw more about Carlos Santana’s song ‘Toussaint L’Ouverture(which I didn’t know existed) when I googled this topic. Props to President Hugo Chavez for supporting this, The Haitain government helped Venezuela in it’s struggle for independence shortly after their long and hard fought rebellion. It’s sad that many people don’t know about L’Ouverture or the Haitain struggle for independence. That one event had a huge impact on the world and shaped the history of several nations especially our own.
A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people. Frederick Douglass
Welcome back, hope you all had a wonderful day off(let’s be honest that’s what it is) I went to one of the best places on earth New York City…can somebody say Junior’s!! If you have no idea what has been going like Laurence Fishbourne so eloquently stated in the classic movie ‘School daze’ ‘Wake UPPPPPPPPPPPPPP’. No seriously as John McCain’s newly appointed VP candidate Gov Sarah Palin(she’s the governor of Alaska) is going to give her big speech tonight. According to yahoo she might take the Obama route So make sure you tune into the major news networks, if not peep video online.
Okay now for the commentary…If John McCain wins off of this move I give up…literally this country has lost it’s dag gone mind! Canada is looking real good. I’m not saying that to down anybodies own personal choice but just based off the blatant emotional appeal…like ‘I’m gonna get those disgrutled Hillary women voters’ Come on, really? I’ve been watching a little bit of the RNC and quite frankly it’s BORING! There isn’t any diversity and if the republicans keep pushing this ‘war on terror’ Bull$hit I’m gonna scream. I’m really an independent spirit, I don’t hold allegence to one party or the other but honestly what have the republicans done for me lately? Yeah the democrats been chilin’ in congress since their ‘takeover’ in ‘06′ but let’s run down the recent GOP legacy; Reagan…ok, Iran Contra, Reaganomics, crack, movin’ on Bush Sr. was tolerable but he wasn’t in office long effort for people to get mad… well he didn’t get re-elected so ahhhhh movin’ on. Bush Jr. WTF. Let’s exam Bush Jr. Unfinished war in Afganistan. Wait, he was selected once and a extremely questionable election the second time around,senseless war in Iraq, abandons a major U.S. city/Region i.e. Katrina…I think that’s enough right? What about the scandals…damn it’s too many. Not just Monica Lewinsky stupid B.S. but serious ethical, possibly put you in jail stuff. Forget a tax cut, rebate check, how about universal healthcare? Subsidized higer education, or just make it free. I’m watching the RNC right now. They are speaking about the end of John McCain’s first term in 2013…Will we be out of Iraq by then? How about that question? I’m gonna be blunt this race comes down to race! Yep just like everything else in the U.S. it’s white vs. black(person of color whatever your description) If Obama wins it will really prove America is at least making a serious effort to mend our huge racial problems. People are going to vote on racial lines of course not everyone but just look at the RNC and the DNC. Grant it I would like a viable third party option but we have to get over our racial hump first. I’m out yall
