Founding Fathers Documentary: Hip Hop Did Not Start in the Bronx

This is a throwback article from Feb 5 2009, penned by writer/historian Mark Skillz that talks about the clips that were circulating around about a documentary called Founding Fathers; The Untold Story of Hip Hop which chronicles the mobile deejay scene that existed in Brooklyn before and alongside what was cracking off in the Bronx in the late 60s, early 70s… Since this article was penned, we added some video clips to give the story more context..

Founding Fathers Disco Twinst 8.23.18 AMThis is a documentary coming out sometime next year, I don’t know who the producers of this film are, but they are on point in this joint. Some of the people I recognize off the bat are: DJ Divine of Infinity Machine, Sweety Gee and Pete DJ Jones.

One of the premises of this film is that hip-hop didn’t just start in the Bronx. One of the first people I remember is a guy who played all over Queens named King Charles. This was 1977 maybe early 1978, that I started seeing flyers all over the place featuring his jams, along with the Disco Twins and Cipher Sounds. At the top of the flyer it would say: Tiny Promotions, or something like that.

I hope Pete Jones says live on camera that he is NOT from Brooklyn! For years it has been reported that Pete DJ Jones was from Brooklyn – he isn’t, he lives in the Bronx and is originally from Durham, North Carolina.

I remember a couple of years back my home boy Davey D was on a panel somewhere in New York, when a brother in the audience got real heated up, when a Bronx cat, possibly Grandmaster Caz, said something to the effect of hip-hop starting in the Bronx with Kool Herc.

Founding Fathers King CharlesThis brother, who was the maintenance man or something like that in the venue where the panel was being held took real exception to the whole “hip-hop started in the Bronx” thing. He said, hip-hop started in Brooklyn with guys like Grandmaster Flowers and the Smith Brothers and he named off all kinds of streets and projects where the different deejays did their thing at. To top it off, he said the Bronx cats never came around there, so how would they know what they were doing?

To be sure, there were all kinds of mobile jocks in New York in the early 70’s. Hands down, no questions. I’ve always asked the Bronx cats that I’ve interviewed this one important question, “Yo, what impact did the Jamaican sound systems have on ya’ll?”

Everybody from Toney Tone to Kool Herc to Bambaataa said: “None, none at all. They weren’t a part of our thing. They did their own thing.”

Which is more than likely true, with one exception Grandmaster Flash’s sound system the Gladiator was built by some Jamaican brothers on Freeman Street. And in Brooklyn, there is no way in the world those dudes in Brooklyn could not have heard the different sound systems. Deejay culture in Jamaica goes back to the 50’s!

KoolhercflyerThe one time I interviewed Kool Herc I asked him about the Jamaican sound systems in the Bronx and he acknowledged knowing a few of them, but said that they had no influence or impact whatsoever.

What pisses alot of dudes from Queens and Brooklyn off is when the Bronx cats dismiss them (the early dudes that is) as being “disco”. That’s a diss, in the literal sense. It’s their way of dismissing those brothers as being something inauthentic. To be sure, yes, the brothers did play what was popular on the radio, but they also played breaks too! The real division between the Bronx and I’m gonna say the other four boroughs, is the fact that there was a heavier emphasis on breaks – rare breaks and scratching. Also the MC’ing was a little rawer too. But it was basically the same thing: Talking over funky ass beats on a sureshot sound system.

See the pic above for my personal opinion as to where hip-hop really comes from.

Here’s some clips from Founding fathers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GzRSvlF114 pt1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4LhmRBSvCM pt2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZtb25zbj3M pt3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5waJ7eZa6g pt4

Founding Fathers Part Two: My Disco Brother…

Because I want to be able to walk the streets of the Bronx in peace I better clarify my position on the last post.

Eh-hem.

Ok…the hip-hop of the Bronx was pioneered by Kool DJ Herc in 1973. Hands down no questions or arguments from me. What Kool Herc did back then inspired Afrika Bam, Flash, Theodore, AJ, Charlie Chase, Breakout and hundreds and hundreds of others.

Grandmaster Flowers (left)

Grandmaster Flowers (left)

However, in the other boroughs a similiar thing was going on. The differences weren’t major. Whereas, Kool Herc called his set the ‘merry go round’ (when he played break after break after break after break) cats in Brooklyn and Queens ie; Master D, the Smith Brothers, Grandmaster Flowers, King Charles, Disco Twins, Infinity Machine and many others were playing rhythm and blues and funk and soul records. They didn’t specialize in rare and obscure records with five second breaks like the Bronx cats did, but they did spin records like “Phenomenon Theme” and “Ashley’s Roachclip” and when the break came on they kept it going. Not by scratching or cuttin, but they extended the break.

At that time damn near everything in Black music was called disco as the producer (Ron Lawrence) of the documentary below asked me recently.

“Yo, what was Grandmaster Flash’s right hand mans name?” Disco Bee. He has a point there.

Lil Rodney Cee of the Funky Four used this line in one of his rhymes: “to be a dis-co sensation a rock rock yall.”

Or how bout this: (can’t remember the groups name but as the MC handed the mic off to the next MC he said) “My disco brother, get on the mic you undercover lover!”

There was an uptown group called the Disco Enforcers. There was another group (actually one of my favorite groups ) called the Disco Four.

All this to say, cats front on disco big time. But everything back then was called disco and there was no such thing or concept as hip-hop. Especially if we’re talking about 1975.

King Charles, Grandmaster Flowers and Pete DJ Jones had been doing their thing since the late 60’s! These guys mixed the hell out of records. What they did inspired cats in Brooklyn and Queens. At some point (don’t ask me when or where) the two different styles (the Bronx style and the BK/Queens style) started converging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7-8k6oiLO0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ869iY44Ds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6QcSajLWzc

written by Mark Skillz

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Mitt, Meg & Trump The New Age Firing Squad

So today Mitt Romney is coming to the Bay Area to meet w/ Meg Whitman..Y’all remember Meg? In 2010 she  ran for governor and promised to fire 40k state workers.. She’s now the CEO of HP where she is now firing 27k…This is what she does best…

Her buddy Mitt is on record saying he likes to fire people and his company Bain Capital has proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt..Ask the folks who work at Clear Channel, one of Bain’s companies..

Lastly Mitt is hanging out with Donald ‘Klansman’ Trump... What does Trump do every week? He has a TV show where he fires people..

So where’s all the job creation? Perhaps its overseas or perhaps its amongthe low wage/ minimum wage crowd

Mitt, Meg & Trump.. They’re the new age Firing Squad..

Our Interview w/ George Clinton Battling the Music Industry Sharks

We sat down with the Godfather of Funk George Clinton and talked about the state of music in 2012.. His relationship with Hip Hop.. We also went into great detail about his financial situation with respect who owns what when it comes to his catalogue.. Clinton talks about the shadiness of the industry and what he’s doing to fight back..Thus far there have been law suits and George working on a new project designed to make sure artist get their copyrights and the industry is flipped upside down.. Enjoy

George Clinton Interview

Trayvon Martin Tribute: Mos Def, Dead Prez & MikeFlo “Made You Die”

M-1 of dead prez always represents for the people

Mos Def and dead prez come together to do a song that pays tribute to Trayvon.. We had a great convo with M1 the other day about this.. He reminded us that Florida is also home to the Uhuru Movement an oragnization that helped shape and mold him.He said the spirit of resistance in the Sunshine State is strong and should not be overlooked or underplayed.. Here’s what they did..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz8-lEof–I

An Open Letter to Rick Ross & all of the so-called “Bosses” of Hip Hop by Gat Turner

This is an incredible an insightful letter penned by Gat Turner..He brings a lot of clarity and insight around the silence f many of our ‘Big Boss’ rappers… U can peep the original HERE -Davey D-

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.

May this letter find you in the best of health and spirit.

Peace,

I felt compelled to write this letter because it seems that everybody is screaming that they are a “Boss” in the rap game today, & some of the brothers (and sisters) have become quite clever & adept in their declaration of this title. Dons, Bosses, & Generals are just a few of the titles that these kinds of rappers claim, denoting their authority, leadership and ability to call shots and command allegiance by an untold amount of soldiers, both seen and unseen.

I am an admitted fan of gangsta movies like the Godfather Trilogy, Scarface, Goodfellas, Casino & even “hood” favorites like New Jack City, Paid In Full, and Belly. I study these films, not because I enjoy the sex, profanity, & violence, I am a fan of these films because I like to study the underlying principals in the movies.I like to analyze the principals behind of the rise and fall of the protagonists in these films.

In The Godfather I, it was fascinating to me identifying the intangibles that made Don Corleone powerful. It was not just his wealth that made his network viable, but it was also how he leveraged his money to work for not only himself, but also his “Family”. His power was also in his political contacts, his sacrifice and his charity. Interestingly, both Godfather I & II opened with a wedding scenes, that were also obscure invitations to those in the family, (or close to the Family) to petition the Don for a favor. These favors ranged from monetary loans to political accommodations. These scenes showed how when the Don bestowed his benevolence upon you, there was also an unspoken understanding that in the future, there was a possibility that you may be called upon to reciprocate his graciousness. The Don sacrificed for you, and because of this act of beneficence, you felt obligated to be at his disposal. Many people misinterpret this type of loyalty solely as fear.

With just minimal study of the Godfather Trilogy, I recognized all of the principals of Kwanzaa displayed throughout the stories. I could easily demonstrate how every boss/don commanded Unity (Umoja), had Self Determination (Kujichagulia), inspired Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima), pooled their resources for Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa), had a single driven Purpose (Nia), then demonstrated Creativity (Kuumba), & showed Faith (Imani) when pursuing that purpose. These principals are all active ingredients in the recipe of any Gangsters’ success story, and the violation of these principals is always the undoing of not only the protagonist, but also the entire Family.

Gat, why are you talking about this “gangsta shit”? I am talking about this because it is all that I hear on the radio stations, it is all that I see on the rap video shows, & this is all that I read about in the Hip Hop publications. It seems nowadays that as soon as we gets a cash advance, we are screaming that we’re a “Boss” & promoting this so called gangsta culture! Well it’s time for us to examine the people who are claiming to be “Bosses”, and see if they really are.

It is common knowledge that many rappers and record execs do live lavish lifestyles. As the late great Notorious B.I.G. once said, “Money, clothes and hoes is all a nigga knows…” It is also common knowledge that many of these so-called “Bosses” place hefty bets well into the 100’s of thousands of dollars on boxing bouts, Super Bowls, & NBA Championships. I’m sure that there will be some mind blowing wagers on this year’s Final Four, but before you place that bet let me have your attention for just a second. If it be the will of Allah, you may have a change of heart with what to do with your money, by the time that I’m finished this letter.

Trayvon Martin

On February 26, 2012 a young man named Trayvon Martin was murdered in cold blood and his known killer remains at large. There have been a number of substantial demonstrations in the streets across America in protest of this injustice. Our people are outraged at how this travesty has been handled. The New Black Panther Party even scraped up $10,000 and offered it to anybody who had knowledge of the killer’s whereabouts so that they could make a citizens’ arrest.

Well, most of the “Bosses” trick that measly amount of money off at the strip club in one a night “making it rain” or “buying the bar out”. Many underground artists have made songs, written poetry, used their cameras, pencils and paintbrushes in tribute to our slain brother. As much as we rap about killing each other in the mainstream, it seems that at least one of you would have had the courage to make a “Kill George Zimmerman” song. The fact that no one has done this, shows me that we aren’t as ignorant as we pretend to be.

Gat Turner, are you advocating that someone kill George Zimmerman?! All of you scared to death Negroes calm down. No, I’m not advocating the murder of George Zimmerman… not yet at least. My point is simply that we are very vocal, bold and careless with our speech when it comes to “Beef” with each other, but we are very cautious, fearful and reserved when it comes to “Real Issues” that affect our community, our people, and our fan base. I would like to see some of these “Bosses” or “Dons” offer some form of support to Trayvon Martin’s family, whether financial or even just a comforting word would mean a lot to a mourning family in their bereavement, & it would make a tremendous impact and statement to your fans. I will acknowledge that some of these so-called “Bosses” have donned hoodies in solidarity with Trayvon’s family and their supporters, but hell even babies & puppies have done that.

Gat, why are you calling out these so called “Bosses” in general, and Rick Ross in particular? I am calling them out because it’s time. I can’t say this for sure but I wouldn’t doubt that Trayvon has purchased at least one record by a so called “Boss”. I singled Rick Ross out in particular because he is actually from Florida, the state where Trayvon’s murder took place. He is probably the most successful of all the rappers that come from there, & many would argue that he is the most talented. He is also most known for being a “Boss”, or at least proclaiming to be one.

Gat, do you expect Rick Ross to become an activist? No I don’t. I wouldn’t expect to see Don Corleone holding a picket sign yelling, “No Justice, No Peace” either. Do I expect him to give a damn? Yes I do, if he’s indeed what he proclaims to be. A true “Boss” is always concerned with that which is not in order around him, because it affects him, it affects his family, and affects his business. There is no way that Don Corleone would allow some Blackman to wander into his neighborhood/territory and kill some Italian child for nothing & that crime go unpunished. He would be involved. (I will leave the level of his involvement to your own imagination.) If one is truly a “Boss”, everything that happens in his jurisdiction has to go through him. Any criminal activity taking place in his territory, he has knowledge of, because it first had to go through him. Any politician seeking office, first sought his endorsement. Even religious leaders and activists have to seek his blessing, in order to demonstrate or officiate in an area that he has carved out as his own.

If you are not garnering this type of respect from your followers, fans, and communities please stop false flagging, because you are confusing the people. Hell, even the poet/emcee/spoken word community in my hometown (Milwaukee, WI) can call on a hundred men for a worthy cause. How much more should a “Boss” be able to do with millions of dollars in his war chest, and millions of fans at his disposal?

To be a "true" Don or Boss requires tremendous sacrifice.

Before I continue, I think that this title does deserve a little clarity. It is important to note that just because one has sold dope before he/she made a record, doesn’t make him/her a “Boss”. It makes you a former dope peddler. Just because one has excess money that they choose to squander on loose women, expensive alcohol, & drugs, this doesn’t make you a “Boss”either. It makes you a trick, an alcoholic, &/or an addict. If you have killed someone that looks like you and gotten away with it, that doesn’t make you a “Boss”. It makes you a murderer and an agent in your own genocide. Finally, nice clothes, cars, homes or material possessions don’t make you a “BOSS”. It just makes you a nigga with a lot of expensive toys…

I am not disillusioned. I know that we have come a long way from the likes of a Nina Simone, Paul Robeson, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and a Tupac. There are indeed those of us who are out here striving to follow in there footsteps, but you may never hear us on your radio or see us on your television. The enemy has gotten much wiser in his efforts to keep the people focused on filth and indecency so that they remain ignorant. Perhaps it is not even fair for me to expect today’s “mainstream” artists to pick up the torch and carry on where the aforementioned artists left off. It is however fair for me to expect them to represent the Truth in their music, & to step up when the opportunity presents itself for them to be what they claim they are. In this case, many are claiming to be “Bosses”.

Though I admit to admiring some of you self-proclaimed “Bosses” for your lyrical creativity and swagger, there is one thing that history has made very clear and very evident…. YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME! This is the Smokin’ Gat! #justice4trayvonmartin

written by Gat Turner

original article: https://www.facebook.com/notes/gat-turner/youre-not-the-boss-of-me-an-open-letter-to-rick-ross-all-of-the-so-called-bosses/10150660740679858?notif_t=like

 

 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words-Where are the Women?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and nowhere is that more true than yesterday’s GOP Hearings on Birth Control for Women..The official name was the Oversight and Government Reform Committee..As you can see seated at the table are 5 Men..All telling the country and the rest of the world how women should handle their bodies… maybe it was an oversight or just plain ole arrogance.. In either case there’s simply no excuse for this.

The GOP is trying to spin this as religious freedom issue not a women’s issue which is just as bad.. Because again–‘Where are the women?’

As was noted in this recent article.. two delegates walked out of the hearings..

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Rep Mike Quigley walked out of the hearing.

They joined social liberals in a chorus of demands to know why women weren’t better represented among the ten-person panel organised by committee chairman Darrell Issa, R-California.

‘Where are the women?’ House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi asked when the hearing was brought up at a news conference.

‘The Republican leadership of this Congress thinks it’s appropriate to have a hearing on women’s health and purposely exclude women from the panel,’ she said.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2102411/Birth-control-hearing-Capitol-Hill-led-male-panel.html#ixzz1meVbcg3S

Breakdown FM: Checking the Crates for Educated Fools… Episode 66

 

We had a great set this past week on All Day Play FM..as we continued digging in the crates and playing some great jams spanning all types of soul and funk genres..   We went digging in the crates and kicked things off with a classic joint from Berkeley based Digital Underground affiliated Mod SquadI Want U 2 C‘. Its off the hard to find ‘People’s Park’ album…I wonder what ever happened to those guys, they were way ahead of their time.. They reminded me of Digable Planets keeping in mind I heard them b4 DP..  Rocked another crate digging classic ‘Educated Fool‘ by crooner Billy Storm of the Valiants..Don’t sleep on Mr Storm..

Bronx River Parkway, Ray Barretto and Sound Defects continue to be staples in my most recent playlists.. Nothing beats timeless music.

The highlight for this week was my remix of Jimmy Ruffins classic ‘What’s Become of the Broken Hearted‘.. In this remix we rocked the eulogy for Malcolm X as recited by the late great actor Ozzie Davis..

Finally found good digital copies of former Def Jam acts Downtown Science..featuring Sam Server and Boscoe.. It was a relief to finally rock a few songs of their one and only album that wasn’t on an overplayed, low sounding scratchy vinyl..

Here’s this weeks playlist and link to the show Enjoy

http://www.alldayplay.fm/episodes/episode-65-12

01-Mod Squad  ‘I Want U 2 C’
02- The Bamboos – The Witch
03-South Central Blues Band – Soul Of Bonnie And Clyde
04-The Braceros – Spanish Moss
05-Isaac Clark  – Do The Dog Funk
06-Willie Bobo – Spanish Grease
07-Busta Funk – Black Sugar (High Quality)
08-Bronx River Parkway – Bronx River Parkway El Resbalon
09-Billy storm – The educated fool
10-Ray Barretto – New York Soul (HQ Audio)
11-The Button Down Brass – French Connection
12-Soopasoul – Brand Nu
13-Global Deejays feat. Rozalla – Everybody s free-192
14-Quadrant Six – Body Mechanic
15-Crazy Elephant – Pam Remix
16-Young Holt Unlimited – Young Holt Unlimited – Pusherman
18-Parliaments – The Parliaments-Good Old Music
19-Jimmy Ruffin – What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (Malcolm X remix)
20-Soul Searchers – The Soul Searchers- If it Ain’t Funky (Original Version) .wmv
21-Sound Defects – The Sound Defects – Take Out
22-Black merda – Black Merda — Take A Little Time
23-Menahan Street Band – The Contender
24-Downtown Science – Out There But In There (Instrumental) 1991
25-Downtown Science – Radioactive
26-Immortal Technique – Ultimas Palabras
27-Sir Ibu-The Peacemaker

“I Got the Rap Game Singing At Last like Etta James”

In the wake of the passing of Etta James, my good friend and producer from London, England, Agent of Change, sent me a incredible beat sampling her unmatched voice for a dedication. The result is below. I pray it’s a worthy tribute a phenomenal woman.

Newt to Black People: Get off Food stamps Demand a Paycheck

Newt Gingrich

So today many of us woke up to the news of former House Speaker and Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich boldly stating that he was gonna address Black people at the upcoming NAACP Convention and tell us to Demand a Paycheck and Not Food Stamps...You can read the story of that HERE at the GRIO

We should be demanding that Newt Gingrich give back some of the Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac money he got and own up to any role he may have played in the collapse of this economy..

We should demand that Newt Gingrich get some damn sense..Theres an estimated 100 million folks on Food stamps.. Black folks comprise of 30 million in this nations population.. Do the math Newt.. Why are there 100 Million folks on Food stamps..How about we get some economic justice jumping off…

Black folks aint running around here all on food stamps.. People who are on food stamps are those who are poor and that includes folks of all races. We should all be demanding economic justice and a guarantee for basic needs, food, clothing and shelter.. so there’s no need for food stamps

Lastly Newt needs to stop worrying about Black folks with his fraudulent azz .. If he wants to make demands to Black people, Perhaps we should make demands of him.. We can start by telling him to step his marriage game up and give John McCain back his wife….

Are Newt Gingrich & John McCain married to the same woman?

Is that Callista or Cindy?

A Look back at Some of the Most Dubious & Outlandish Moments of 2011

2011 proved to be a year with some dubious, sometimes humourous, shocking and outlandish moments.

For example we had an outrageous moment when Barack Obama wound up showing his birth certificate the world to prove his American Citizenship. Thanks to constant public doubting by people dubbed birthers and led by then potential presidential hopeful and business mogul ‘Klansman’ Donald Trump, President Obama finally caved and showed us along form birth certificate. After doing so, one would think that would be the end-It wasn’t. Donald Trump and other still think the certificate is fake. The response to this incident from comedian political commentator Baratunde underscored how many felt .

In 2011 we had the situation where a Homeless Woman was Facing 20 Years for Sending Her Child to Better School. This was disturbing on so many levels. First you have someone who is trying their very best to make sure her child doesn’t get in the same economic predicament as she found herself in. The best way to do that is to make sure that child gets a darn good education.

The fact that we have wide disparities in public schools should be cause for alarm. This mother, Tanya McDowell obviously could not afford to move into the more affluent district so she basically lied about her address and sent her child to school. One would think we would applaud the effort and try to find ways to accommodate this woman and her child. Apparently she had enraged school officials in Norwalk, Connecticut who pressed charges and demanded she pay back the school district.What made this story even more outrageous was the fact that similar scenarios had gone down 4 other times this year, but only McDowell was being charged and fined

when she lied about her address in order to send her child to a school outside her assigned district

We had other scenarios like Public Enemy hypeman Flava Flav Opening a Chicken Spot in Iowa which closed down after four-months. There was a lot of controversy about employeee not being paid..Flav emphatically refuted the claim..In recent days he says he’ll be reopening the the chicken spot in Las Vegas.. Flav also introduced a line of flavored vodka (LeFlav) which included bubblegum..

V-Nasty

We had the controversy with white woman rapper from Oakland named Kreashwan who made alot of noise when she dropped the song ‘Gucci Gucci’.. The song was pretty good and people were with it, but raised eyebrows when she introduced her crew ‘The White Girl Mob‘. People began to sour when it became known that her partner V-Nasty routinely uses the N word and made no apologies. People really flipped out when fellow Oakland rapper Mister FAB offered up a ringing endorsement of the V-Nasty and defended her use of the word.. The video FAB put out was definitely an Outlandish Moment for 2011.

We had a dubious moment when it was revealed that longtime Hot 97 deejay and producer Mister Cee was arrested for lewd conduct. He was caught having sex in public and supposedly that wasn’t the first time.. That alone got everyone talking, but when word got out the person he was having sex with was another man, folks really got to talking.To Cee’s credit, he didn’t miss a beat literally with all the drama. The next day he was back on the air rocking the tables like nothing happen..

Rayvon Mcintosh

We were shocked and dismayed around the story of Rayon McIntosh. This was a brother who made headlines when he was shown beating two women with a metal club in McDonalds.

The back story to this went as follows: McIntosh was following company procedures when he inspected the large bill two unruly female patrons handed him. The pair verbally went off and one reached over and struck him. Emboldened, they then jumped over the counter and went after him..McIntosh responded by picking up an iron rod and whupped the two women, fracturing the skull of one and cutting the arm of another..Peep the video HERE

When it was discovered that McIntosh shad been incarcerated for 10 years prior to working at the franchise, folks went off.Many said he went too far, others argued the women got what they deserved. McIntosh was later fired and arrested, spending 7 weeks in Rikers Island. Charges were eventually dropped and he’s now suing McDonalds especially since it had been revealed he had been pushing the company to get security.

Disgraced presidential hopeful Herman Cain gave us lots of dubious moments in 2011. This loquacious pizza chain owner was the gift that would not stop giving. We recall him bragging about his woeful ignorance on foreign policy. We recall his over simplistic approach to solving the economy with his 9-9-9 plan. We cringed when he asked if it was ok to ban mosques. Cain seemed to take pride in sometimes being abrasive. He asserted he was just being frank and straight forward. We say Cain was a loudmouth and abrasive as away to distract from his ignorance. The best dubious moment for Cain was when he told those who are unemployed to Blame themselves..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHMEC8Xk9cg

One of the most Outlandish moment for 2011 came at the hands of Lt. John Pike. For those unfamiliar with Pike, he’s the douche bag police officer for UC Davis who decided the best way to disperse a group of peaceful protestors upset that their tuition which had already doubled was being increased again, would be to pepper spray them. His was the spray can heard and seen all around the world. He also gave us a glimpse of just how sadistic police officers can and usually are toward the folks they are suppose to protect and serve.

Pike was suspended and the chancellor of UC Davis has apologized. Some think that should resolve the issue. We found it disturbing that police agencies across the land didn’t come out and denounce Pike’s action. Talk about thin blue line..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdDLhPwpp4

There’s a long list we highlight a few…

Kim Kardashian: Yes this woman could’ve won this award for any number of violations. First she did a full court press blitz where she appeared on damn near every TV network news show and Late Nite show to encourage folks to tune in and watch her get married to NBA basketball player Kris Humphries. She was trying her best to match the hype of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Sadly the marriage lasted for less than 90 days..

But that wasn’t the worse of it..Folks got pissed at Kim because she was casted to star in Tyler Perry’s new movie ‘The Marriage Counselor‘. There was a backlash as folks petitioned Perry to get Kardashian canned.

Like I said those two incidents along get Kim a DUBIOUS AWARD, but what sealed it for me was when she was kicked off stage during a Prince Concert for not dancing… Y’all remember this right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKunZnUSl_s&feature=related

———————————————————–

Penny Chapman: This is a Philadelphia woman who gets on a crowded bus with her 4-year-old son.. Apparently he’s acting up and so she decides to swat him on the butt to discipline him.. Homegirl decides to calmly call her people.. who show up at the next step with assault rifles and start shooting into crowded bus..Whats scary here is seeing just how violent folks can get and how impervious someone like Chapman who is a mother could be in calling for retribution over something so minor. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/06/earlyshow/saturday/main20089055.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qR6HJrZUtU

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Governor Scott Walker: He’s the union busting Governor of Wisconsin who took advantage of lackluster turnout during the 2010 mid-term elections. Once in office he ran full tilt toward trying to strip away bargaining rights of public sector unions. His actions set off a fire storm of protests at the state capitol in Madison throughout the month of February. As many as 100 thousand folks were routinely showing up with people camping out and ‘Occupying’ the Rotunda building months before there was an actual Occupy Movement.

The thing that stood out about Walker was how he positioned himself as this free thinking independent type of guy. It was later discovered that he was beholden to the billionaire Koch Brothers, who are best known for founding the Tea Party. Someone did a prank call to Walker pretending to be David Koch, what emerged from that conversation was Walker’s willingness to do whatever it took to crush protests at hand. Among the tactics expressed was sending in folks to disrupt the proceedings. It was also scary to hear how subservient he was.. It made me wonder who was really the Governor of Wisconsin We encourage folks to listen to the exchange between Walker and the fake David Koch.

We also want people to look at how things unfolded and were ultimately handled in Madison to get a better understanding about some of the things that unfolded during the Occupy Movement. Again Madison and the fight over union rights was the Occupy before the Occupy.

Peep the tapes HERE

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One of the lewd pictures Wiener sent to twitter followers.

NY Congressman Anthony Weiner: Here’s a guy who seemed to have it all in 2011 only to lose it all in what many would describe as an Epic Fall from grace.. Wiener was a firebrand who was the pride and joy in many left leaning circles because of his willingness to take on his Republican colleagues and pretty much blow up their spot. He had garnered a reputation for being the man who would set it off anytime anywhere and with anyone … Time and time again Wiener would come out on top.

Adding to Wiener’s lure was the fact that this one time storied playboy bachelor had landed and married powerful a woman named Huma Abedin who is an aid to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton which means homeboy had access and was making his presence felt in high circles.

With all that in mind one has to wonder what would possess the outspoken Wiener to send lewd pictures of him and his private parts over the internet? What would possess a 46-year-old married man to act a fool with no regard for his wife who was pregnant at the time? Even more disturbing is what would possess Wiener to go on TV and hold press conferences where he would lie over and over after he was busted? At the time I penned a story suggesting that Wiener may have been influenced by the Ying Yang Twins.

What made Wiener’s fall so Dubious was it came at the hands of conservative commentator Andrew Breibart who runs the website Big Government. At the time Breibart had soured his reputation by stretching the truth and out right lying in some of the exposes he unleashed about his liberal rivals. Most notably was the case story around Shirley Sherrod

Unfortunately, for Wiener, Breibart had peeped some of the exchanges he was having on twitter with female followers. When Wiener accidentally tweeted a picture of an erect crotch shot Breibart grabbed it before it was deleted and the rest his history. You can peep the time Line of the Weiner scandal HERE

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Psychology Today: Who could forget the over the top insulting article put out by this supposed esteemed magazine titled: Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women?

In this piece which has since been pulled from the website they ran down all sorts of backwards pseudo science ranging from Black women having higher testosterone levels on down to sistas having mutant genes..Here’s some of the outlandish claims written by the author London School of Economics’ evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa

I can think of that might potentially explain the lower average level
of physical attractiveness among black women is testosterone .
Africans on average have higher levels of testosterone than other
races, and testosterone, being an androgen (male hormone), affects the
physical attractiveness of men and women differently. Men with higher
levels of testosterone have more masculine features and are therefore
more physically attractive. In contrast, women with higher levels of
testosterone also have more masculine features and are therefore less
physically attractive. The race differences in the level of
testosterone can therefore potentially explain why black women are less
physically attractive than women of other races, while (net of
intelligence) black men are more physically attractive than men of other
races.

The fallout from this article resulted in Psychology Today apologizing for the article and the author Kanazawa almost losing his job. He apologized to school officials, admitted some of his work was flawed and forbidden from publishing articles in non peer reviewed publications

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Superman Renounces His Citizenship: Everybody loves the Man of Steel Superman aka mild mannered reporter Clark Kent who has long used the tage ‘Truth , Justice and the American Way… Key words ‘The American Way..

Well in 2011, Superman noted that he was tired of having his actions construed as a instruments of US policy. As a result he renounced his citizenship to the US in a comic book plot. He says he’s tired of having his actions construed as a instruments of US policy-Oouch!

Maybe Superman looked out at and realized he was no longer working for the people but instead uber rich corporations who want to suppress the people. Maybe Superman looked out and saw the over the top antics of racist and sexist policies championed by the Tea Party…

Maybe Superman got tired of seeing that Justice is only for the Rich and Powerful and the American Way is increased imperialism at all costs.. Who knows..Maybe it was slow box office sales.. In any case its a reflection of how this country seems to fall out of favor with folks all over the world everyday..

All this took place last Spring in a what is now a collector’s item Action Comics #900

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Common Underfire for White House visit: Back in may of 2011 there was manufactured Fox News style ‘outrage’ over rap star Common‘s appearance at the White House for a Poetry event. At issue was Common standing up for exiled former political prisoner Assaata Shakur and current political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal

Dave Jones of the Fraternal Order of Police in New Jersey was upset that Common over his 20 year career, did a couple of songs/poems addressing police brutality…songs I should add, that most people if queried would be hard pressed to name…They were ‘Letters to the Law’ and ‘A Song for Assata’.

He raised a stink and in your tried and true typical scenario Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Bill O’reilly went reaching for an old standby tactic-Demonize a Black person or some or some sort of cultural expression to get ratings, bring attention or distract from an issue. That’s been done for decades and with each deployment there are scores of willing participants who are eager to engage these clowns in a feeble attempt to go toe for toe…

I’m not a big fan of folks going on Fox and engaging them over outlandish claims, but it was good to see TV host Jon Stewart defend Common and hold it down during this memorable exchange.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im8WhG-8FGw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7fIjufCPsg&feature=relmfu