To Live and Die, in the City of Steel

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On Tuesday, July 26, 2011, at the Homewood Library at 7:00 p.m. Jasiri X will debut his newest video entitled “City of Steel” a montage set to introduce the viewer to the real Pittsburgh, a landscape not necessarily forged of skylines and reemerged economies, but instead the viewer will be introduced to the stark juxtaposition of a landscape wrought by violence and bereft of hope.  Jasiri X will also moderate a community based discussion surrounding the effects of a community plagued by violence, its negative impact, and possible solutions; with special guest speaker Arthur “Silky Slim” Reed, former gang leader turned acclaimed director who will host a free screening of “To Live and Die in Amerikkka”an honest study of the causes, effects, and results of urban youth violence on society, documented by “real life footage detailing the harsh realities of violence” documenting “the brutal nature of today’s youth in real time footage”.

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This is the third of the four video series entitled “The Pittsburgh Press” and forums planned; each subsequent presentation will include a discussion to specifically identify solutions to issues raised in each episodic study.  The Pittsburgh Press was made possible by a generous Seed Award from the Sprout Fund.

Emcee and community activist Jasiri X is the creative force and artist behind the ground breaking internet news series, This Week with Jasiri X, which has garnered close to one million internet views and thousands of subscribers.  His most recent and most popular video to date is What if the Tea Party was Black, has resulted in a variety of opportunities showcasing the singular ability of Jasiri X to adequately surmise a situation within a the confines of a verse.  Jasiri X continues to travel the world opening minds via multiple speaking engagements and performances.

Paradise “The Arkitech” Gray, founding member of legendary rap group X-Clan and the Blackwatch Movement, is the man behind the camera responsible for framing the images that make the Hip-Hop series so unique. Paradise’s work as a pioneer, photographer, writer and archivist in the Hip-Hop community, is rivaled only by his work as a dedicated activist in our community.

If you would like more information regarding this topic, or to schedule an interview with Jasiri X or Paradise Gray please contact us at 412-404-2347 or email jasirix@gmail.com.

SFPD Claims Kenneth harding Shot Himself to Death.. The Community Says BS!

Here’s an intense breakdown of the murder of Kenneth Harding, put together by Jazmayne.. It’s composed of witness accounts of the aftermath to the daytime shooting. Featuring the poetry of the late, great Gil Scott Heron.

http://vimeo.com/26708722

Kenneth Harding

Thus far we have few bewildering things going on.. Follow this if you can..We initially heard that SFPD shot an unarmed man when he ran for not having a $2 bus transfer..

Later that night we heard from Police Chief Suhr that the man (Kenneth Harding) had shot at the police but no gun was found..No cops were injured.. By the time 10 o’clock news came on..There were reports that someone had posted a video showing a gun..The police looked at this video and said they would be tracking down a man with a hoodie shown in the video picking up the gun.. Here’s the video…You tell us if this hooded gentleman picked up a gun. You see that about 1;20 minutes into the video.. Also explain to us how police shot a man shooting at them did not secure a weapon that was less than 10ft away from them when they are facing the crowd..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTbJEy7sj_4

Mysterious hooded man picking up gun

The police later tracked down the gun, but did not catch the man who supposedly took the gun. They said they know who he is.. and they will catch him later.. It was interesting that his name was not released so concerned citizens could help bring him to the police.. Up til a couple of days ago this video containing the gun was the main proof the police were offering-showing that Kenneth Harding was armed.

SF police Chief Suhr the day after the shooting announced they had recovered the gun and thanked witnesses for coming forth to letting them know that the man they shot was armed. The next day the police posted signs around the Bayview asking for additional witnesses.

SFPD also announced that the man that they shot was a person of interest in a murder case in Seattle.. This story was put out there as if the SFPD was on the hunt for Harding in conjunction w/ Seattle PD.That was not the case.. All SFPD knew was Harding was a guy who didnt have a $2 bus transfer…By floating this story out, many would be left feeling the police were justified in shooting Harding.. To this day he is still considred a person of interest.. not a person wanted for murder..

Also on Monday July 18th a rally was held where at least half a dozen eye witnesses came forth and talked to various reporters saying they did not see Kenneth Harding shoot at police. This included parents who had kids in the park just 4-5 ft away from where Harding was gunned down. This includes a number of people who were in the plaza which is always packed..We spoke with other reporters, none of them had tracked down witnesses supporting the police version of events.. Here’s a link to our HKR radio coverage

Below is OLM video of some of this coverage…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XYXEnsnZLg

After the Monday press conference.. SFPD claimed they did tests and that gun residue was found on the hands of the Kenneth Harding.. To my knowledge this was not independently verified. Considering that as 3 months ago SFPD had to jettison 57 felony cases for falsifying evidence, one wonders why they wouldn’t be more transparent? Why not go above board to ensure public confidence in the process? We do know on Tuesday there was private closed door meeting with Mayor Ed Lee, the police and a handful of community leaders.. At that meeting there was no independent verification. SF Commissioner La Mesha Irizarry has written about what went down at this meeting.

The most recent updates have SFPD saying that according the SF medical examiner Harding shot himself and thus killed himself.. Many find that outrageous. Harding was running from police and was shot in the back..The police are saying they found gun residue on his hand, but they had to backtrack on the gun story.. The gun they found does not match the residue.. and so now police are still looking for the gun..

We’ll keep you posted as this bizarre tale continues to unfold..

This is what Hip Hop is supposed to do.. Represent the real in a meaningful way

Pittsburgh artist Jasiri X deserves major major props for this incredible song and video that speaks about our collective pain and struggles..

Here Jasiri X tells the story of Jordan Miles, the 18 year old honor student who was brutally beaten by 3 undercover Pittsburgh Police officers while walking to his grandmother’s house. “Jordan Miles” was mixed by Diezel and directed by Paradise Gray.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONPo-wslB40

For more information go to http://justiceforjordanmiles.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONPo-wslB40

 

 

 

 

 

Wonder if Anthony Weiner was Inspired by the Ying Yang Twins?

With all the madness surrounding the salacious antics of NY Congressman Anthony Weiner, very few people are addressing the ‘real issue’ at hand.

What would possess an outspoken, political firebrand like Wiener to send lewd pictures of himself and talk reckless to strange women over the internet?  What would possess a 46 year old married man to act a fool with no regard for his pregnant wife?

No one wants to say it-so I’ll say it..The answer is simple-It had to be rap music. Weiner was out of pocket because he’s been influenced by the large numbers of uncouth, pimpafied rappers who routinely grab their crotch on stage and talk about pimping women in songs. You know that’s what many of y’all was thinking.

The minute we got wind of Anthony Weiner sending pictures of his dick around, how many of y’all said to yourself, that poor man took the lyrics of the hit song Wait  (The Whisper Song)‘ by the Ying Yang Twins from a few years back to heart. Perhaps Weiner was influenced by x-rated hook that goes  ‘Wait Till You See My Dick’ ?

Me thinks our distinguished Congressman during his bachelor days must’ve frequented a bunch of nightclubs, heard the song often and decided this was the way to go about pleasing women..he must’ve said to himself; ‘Yeah thats the ticket.. lemme  send them pictures of dick.’

You know dude had to be listening to that song when he took those nasty pictures. The smirk on his face says it all.. Wait Till You See My…

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

Anthony Weiner- As Nasty As He Wants to Be

And if not the Ying Yang Twins, perhaps Weiner was inspired by the raunchy explicit antics of the 2 Live Crew from back in the days.  At 46, Weiner came up in the era where their controversial  album ‘As Nasty As They Wanna Be was all the rage..I recall playing all sorts of cuts off that album for drunken frat boys back in the days. I wonder if Warner was one of those frat boys being exposed to nastiness.. I wonder how many others are sitting at home taking pictures of their genitalia thinking to themselves Uncle Luke would be proud as they reminisce about hey days of the 2 Live Crew..

Maybe Weiner saw Ice T in the documentary ‘American Pimp‘ and decided that’s the way to go. Maybe he thought to himself, Ice T is a real life pimp, yet plays a cop on TV and just renewed his vows with his curvaceous wife CoCo.. Weiner must’ve said to himself, I wanna be like Ice T and have it all.. wife, career, and continued freaky behavior.

Who knows?  Maybe Weiner was influenced by Snoop Dogg who once famously showed up at the MTV awards with women wearing see through clothing on dog leashes, talking about he’s a ‘real pimp’ even though he was married with kids. Maybe Weiner thought to himself, this how pimps do, send pictures

Here’s my point, first I’m being facetious by suggesting the over the top behavior of Anthony Weiner was influenced by rap artists, even though over the years their have been numerous campaigns launched from the now defunct PMRC to Fox News protesting explicit rap lyrics that might have led one to draw such a conclusion.

If anything, I think the debasing behavior of powerful men holding elected office is what may be influencing, not only the rappers, but the kids that many of these office holders claim to care about. They see or hear about a powerful Congressman like Weiner who may have held court with young malleable minds on occasion, sex-ting away like there’s no tomorrow and thought to themselves why not me? After all, its not like Weiner is going to be kicked out of office..

Its funny listening to how some people are upset that gay folks wanna get  married. They vehemently protest the notion stating that allowing gays to wed will somehow going to destroy the sanctity of marriage and set a bad example for future generations..

Family values man senator David Vitter

I say the the unsavory adulteress antics and  disturbing sexual tryst  displayed by guys like Weiner,  his ‘family values’  colleagues like Senator David Vitter, Robert Allen and Newt Gingrinch along with former president Bill Clinton (Monica Lewinsky scandal), former SF mayor Gavin Newsom (sex scandal with campaign managers wife) and Reverend Jesse Jackson (child out of wedlock) to name just a short few is what lays down shaky foundations for marriage and ultimately influences the kids and maybe even a few of these rappers who grew up watching them do dirt and still remain relatively unscathed. Not only are they unscathed, but in many instances they are handsomely applauded and praised.

It was just two days ago that a huge fundraiser was held for David Vitter . Him hanging out with hookers while preaching family values is apparently no big deal.

Newsom just got elected to Lt Governor of California.

Newt Gingrich is apopular commentator and is now running for President..

You don’t think young folks aren’t watching all this and taking notes?

We won’t even talk about the sexual deviant behavior of hypocritical TV pundits who routinely skewer the rappers like Bill  O’reilly (loofah sponge-gate) and Rush Limbaugh (Viagra/ Domican Republic scandal ) They paved the way in showing the world that being hypocritical is the way to go..

Should our kids stay away from the foul mouth rappers?  One thing I can say, to my knowledge I don’t think Snoop, Ice T or Luke from 2 Live Crew have been sending too many pictures of their gonads around.. I know Kanye did, but he’s always been out there… In any case the way things are going its these nasty ass politicians our kids need to stay away from..

Something to Ponder

Davey D

Cornel West, Liberal Sellouts and Critiques Agst President Obama

In recent days there’s been a lot of blow up about the criticisms levied at President Obama by Princeton Professor Cornel West.. Many have quickly circled the wagon and attacked West claiming his critique was more personal than principled. The end result has been West being dismissed and Obama being praised as if the critiques about him being a supporter of corporate and foreign policies that are harmful to poor people were not on point..Below are a two articles that excellently address all sides of this issue.. They weigh in on Cornel, look at Obama’s policies and offer up some solid points about Obamites.. Big shout out to Chris Hedges of Truthdig and Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report for these breakdowns..

-Davey D-

Why Liberal Sellouts Attack Prophets Like Cornel West

by Chris Hedges

Chris Hedges

The liberal class, which attempted last week to discredit the words my friend Cornel West spoke about Barack Obama and the Democratic Party, prefers comfort and privilege to justice, truth and confrontation. Its guiding ideological stance is determined by what is most expedient to the careers of its members. It refuses to challenge, in a meaningful way, the decaying structures of democracy or the ascendancy of the corporate state. It glosses over the relentless assault on working men and women and the imperial wars that are bankrupting the nation. It proclaims its adherence to traditional liberal values while defending and promoting systems of power that mock these values.The pillars of the liberal establishment—the press, the church, culture, the university, labor and the Democratic Party—all honor an unwritten quid pro quo with corporations and the power elite, as well as our masters of war, on whom they depend for money, access and positions of influence. Those who expose this moral cowardice and collaboration with corporate power are always ruthlessly thrust aside.

The capitulation of the liberal class to corporate capitalism, as Irving Howe once noted, has “bleached out all political tendencies.” The liberal class has become, Howe wrote, “a loose shelter, a poncho rather than a program; to call oneself a liberal one doesn’t really have to believe in anything.” The decision to subordinate ethics to political expediency has led liberals to steadily surrender their moral autonomy, voice and beliefs to the dictates of the corporate state. As Dwight Macdonald wrote in “The Root Is Man,” those who do not make human beings the center of their concern soon lose the capacity to make any ethical choices, for they willingly sacrifice others in the name of the politically expedient and practical.

By extolling the power of the state as an agent of change, as well as measuring human progress through the advances of science, technology and consumption, liberals abetted the cult of the self and the ascendancy of the corporate state. The liberal class placed its faith in the inevitability of human progress and abandoned the human values that should have remained at the core of its activism. The state, now the repository of the hopes and dreams of the liberal class, should always have been seen as the enemy. The destruction of the old radical and militant movements—the communists, socialists and anarchists—has left liberals without a source of new ideas. The link between an effective liberal class and a more radical left was always essential to the health of the former. The liberal class, by allowing radical movements to be dismembered through Red baiting and by banishing those within its ranks who had moral autonomy, gradually deformed basic liberal tenets to support unfettered capitalism, the national security state, globalization and permanent war. Liberalism, cut off from the radical roots of creative and bold thought, merged completely with the corporate power elite. The liberal class at once was betrayed and betrayed itself. And it now functions like a commercial brand, giving a different flavor, face or spin to the ruthless mechanisms of corporate power. This, indeed, is the primary function of Barack Obama.

continue reading article at Truth Dig

How Cornel West Did the Obamites a Favor

by BAR Executive editor Glen Ford

It is a shame that Princeton professor Cornel West did not stick to a disciplined critique of the corporatist policies that have made Barack Obama richly deserving of the label, a “Black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs.” Instead, the Princeton professor slipped into psycho-babble, musing on the president’s supposed “fear of free Black men” and associated personality deformities. The particularities of Obama’s racial background may, or may not, have contributed to his malignant neglect of the African American condition, but we will not forge a movement to defeat Obama and his Wall Street masters by putting the president on the couch.

There is no need to inject racial psychoanalysis into the (public) conversation when straightforward political analysis is more than sufficient to the task. In two and a half years, the Obama administration has expanded George Bush’s wars and national security infrastructure and budget, added a new theater of combat in North Africa, and proclaimed a presidential prerogative to assassinate and invade at will. He has out-Bushed Bush.

Obama engineered by far the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind, funneling at least $12 trillion to Wall Street. At the height of his popularity, still riding the crests of post-election euphoria, and under no real pressure from a demoralized Republican Party, Obama eagerly placed Social Security and other entitlements “on the table” for chopping. He endorsed the corporate/Republican line that deficits were the nation’s biggest problem, effectively sentencing the unemployed to damnation and inviting the austerity reign of terror that has descended. And these are just the highlights of Obama’s tenure.

The resulting catastrophe in Black America had rendered Black Obamites all but mute on issues of policy; they could not defend the indefensible. In an MSNBC debate with West, Al Sharpton, the administration’s Black pit bull, was reduced to inane sputtering. The rationale for continued Black and progressive support of the Obama administration has been reduced to one factor: a primal fear of the Tea Party boogeyman. Yet, the sheer economic and political devastation wrought under Obama’s brief tenure has made it plausible to make the case – as we do at Black Agenda Report – that the First Black President is not the lesser of two evils, but the more effective evil, having facilitated more of the right-wing agenda at home and abroad than George Bush ever attempted or envisioned. What does it matter that Obama is not a white Republican, if he can tear down the social safety net, privatize education and wage aggressive war more effectively than the GOP?

Of course, Obama is empowered to act as Wall Street’s Trojan Horse by the acquiescence of the Left’s core constituencies – chiefly, Black America, without whose consent and active participation progressive politics is reduced to the fringes. For reasons that have everything to do with race, Black people have clung to Obama even as he has consistently pushed them away. But the agonzing facts of a community in historical free-fall can no longer be denied. The “Black Wall” that the African American mis-leadership class attempts to erect around Obama is cracking, if not crumbling, especially among left activists and intellectuals. Cornel West is a celebrity example.

The First Black President is not the lesser of two evils, but the more effective evil, having facilitated more of the right-wing agenda at home and abroad than George Bush ever attempted or envisioned.”

Melissa Harris-Perry

Unable to mount a coherent defense of Obama’s policy decisions, especially after his further, dramatic lurch to the right following last year’s midterm elections, Obama’s unrepentant Black politicos seethed in relative silence. It had become impossible to speak in policy terms without indicting the presidential icon. Cornel West’s foray into Obamanalysis gave them the opportunity to explode in reams of outraged words that had little or nothing to do with policy. Prof. Melissa Harris-Perry managed to write almost 1,500 words forThe Nation on West’s “personal attack” on Obama, offering only 130 words about her own position on Obama’s tenure at the end of the piece.TheRoot.com, a Black Obamite corporate hangout, gleefully reported that West had “’stepped in it’ with his controversial comments about President Obama,” with “Google News listing more than 100 stories.”

This is the kind of “controversy” in which Obamites revel, precisely because it allows them to avoid confrontation with Obama’s indefensible policies. If they can resurrect another version of the phony, diversionary arguments of 2007 and 2008 about whether Obama is “Black enough” to deserve African American support, then they can hope to coast through the 2012 campaign without having to justify support for the “Black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs.”

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted atGlen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

Superman Says He’s Tired of Being an Instrument to US Policies…Renounces Citizenship

Say what you will, but while many of us have been distracted by racist shenanigans ala Donald Trump or the obsession our esteemed media had with the around the clock coverage of the Royal Wedding, we been ignoring the developing story lines around one of our oldest and most beloved comic books and heroes-Superman.

Superman who has long used the tage ‘Truth , Justice and the American Way… is set to renounce his citizenship to the US in an upcoming 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 imperilism 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 is going down in the upcoming addition  in Action Comics #900 According to Comic Alliance

…Superman announces that he is going to give up his U.S. citizenship. Despite very literally being an alien immigrant, Superman has long been seen as a patriotic symbol of “truth, justice, and the American way,” from his embrace of traditional American ideals to the iconic red and blue of his costume. What it means to stand for the “American way” is an increasingly complicated thing, however, both in the real world and in superhero comics, whose storylines have increasingly seemed to mirrorcurrent events and deal with moral and political complexities rather than simple black and white morality.

The key scene takes place in “The Incident,” a short story in Action Comics #900 written by David S. Goyer with art by Miguel Sepulveda. In it, Superman consults with the President’s national security advisor, who is incensed that Superman appeared in Tehran to non-violently support the protesters demonstrating against the Iranian regime, no doubt an analogue for the recent real-life protests in the Middle East. However, since Superman is viewed as an American icon in the DC Universe as well as our own, the Iranian government has construed his actions as the will of the American President, and indeed, an act of war.

Superman replies that it was foolish to think that his actions would not reflect politically on the American government, and that he therefore plans to renounce his American citizenship at the United Nations the next day — and to continue working as a superhero from a more global than national perspective. From a “realistic” standpoint it makes sense; it would indeed be impossible for a nigh-omnipotent being ideologically aligned with America to intercede against injustice beyond American borders without creating enormous political fallout for the U.S. government.

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/27/superman-renounces-us-citizenship/#ixzz1KvZp3Gvg

Study Shows Saggy Pants Linked Erectile Dsyfunction & Other Health Issues

Pull Your Pants Up and poverty will end and institutional racism will cease in Don lemon's world

LOS ANGELES: In recent weeks the controversial urban/ Hip Hop inspired practice of sagging pants has come under fire.  Two weeks ago Dallas Cowboy wide receiver Dez Bryant was kicked out of a shopping mall along with several of his friends for wearing sagging pants.

In the state of Florida an anti-sagging bill was passed deeming the practice as vulgar. The bill which was the brainchild of  Rep. Hazelle Rogers was passed unanimously by the committee.

In the state of Arkansas Governor Mike Bebe recently signed a bill banning sagging pants in public schools.

“We feel the bill can improve the learning environment in schools,” said Donna Morey, president of the Arkansas Education Association.

One concern of the Arkansas General Assembly was that “student competition over the manner in which clothing is worn could lead to violence and injuries during school hours,” according to the legislation. Lawmakers also said that students should learn to dress in a way that is acceptable in the workplace as they prepare to enter it.

Along with this wave of anti-sagging legislative being proposed or enacted around the country comes a brand new study from the National American Medical Association that shows the health risks of prolonged ‘sagging’.

According to posture and vitality expert Aaron Parnell, one of the biggest health problems is severe bad posture. Parnell who treats over a dozen young people a year with problems directly related to wearing baggy pants or sagging pants without a belt says many fail to realize is that to keep their pants from falling down, young people are forced to walk in an awkward manner. They rotate their legs inwardly at the knees and turn their feet outward to keep balance. This creates bad posture.

He noted, walking this way can also lead to hip degeneration and low back problems. Further, rotating your legs like this everyday can lead to life-long knee misalignments and bunions.

A two year study by the NAMA set to be released on Monday April 5th builds off the ‘bad posture’ findings of Parnell. Dr Mark Oliver Mansbach explains that the continuous wearing of sagging pants severely impacts sexual performance.

“In our study we discovered that sagging pants wearers are 70% more likely to prematurely ejaculate during intercourse. There is a 78% likelihood that sagging pants wearers have erectile dysfunction”, Mansbach noted.

“We are finding increasing number of cases where men as young as 23 are having severe cases of ED. The cause is traced back to the constant mis-aligning of their hips and lower torso from the gait (people’s walking patterns) which are symptomatic to sagging pants.”

Mansbach estimates that 75-82% of the men who wear saggy pants have some sort of sexual dysfunction. Because of the machismo associated with Hip Hop, gang and urban culture most men will keep the problem hidden. They mask their sexual inadequacy by displaying fits of anger and nihilistic behavior toward each other and toward women who they can not please.

“It’s the dirty little secret in urban communities that no one wants to talk about”, Mansbach said.

He points to the huge jump in sales for online Viagra and sexual enhancement drugs. Many urban males who lack health insurance for expensive erectile dysfunction remedies have turned to over the counter solutions which contain sildenafil or vardenafil the ingredients found in Viagra and Levitra, two of the most commonly used ED medicines.

The problem with over the counter ED remedies is that they cause the an over flow of blood to rush leading to early onsets of high blood pressure and other dibiletating side effects. Others have turned to excessive drinking or taking ecstasy bills.

Popular rapper Kim Sharpton says sagging in his early days caused all sorts of problems

We spoke with rapper Kim Sharpton of Staten Island, NY who has been on a crusade of sorts warning young men to stop sagging.

“When I was younger I was constantly getting it in and running the town. I was sagging hard B. The problem was I couldn’t get hard when the time counted”, Sharpton explained.

“At first I thought it was my diet or lack of exercise. Later I thought it was psychological because I was getting stressed out. It’s not like I could share my problem with the homeboys. Women wanted to know what the deal was and so I had to come up with all sorts of excuses as to why I wasn’t capable of delivering a nice package ya dig?”

Sharpton noted that he became so angry that he started writing songs targeting other rappers who wore sagging pants. At one point he even threatened to lynch them.

“It was bad B.. real bad, but I’m doing better now. Exercise, good diet, a strong belt and counseling to get my confidence back, help get me on track ” Sharpton said.

“You wont catch me sagging ever again, luckily we diagnosed my problem early on so the conditions could be reversed, but most young brothers aren’t so lucky”.

Sharpton concluded, “This NAMA study is serious and should come as a dire warning to young men everywhere. ‘If your sagging your lagging’… in the bedroom..Now that’s one to grow on..

For more information on the soon to be released NAMA study click HERE

US Bombs Libya: Where’s Obama the Peacemaker?

As we enter into our third war, one has to wonder what’s the ultimate motivation? Many will try to fool themselves and say its needed to save lives.. The question is who’s lives exactly? In Libya is this a popular uprising or a civil war?

Are we on the side of those fighting oppression or are we giving lip service and using that as a good excuse while we aim for other things..In this case oil?

Is Ghadafy a detestable figure who is ruthless with his people? If so where’s our consistency around him? One minute we hating him ala Ronald Reagan.. the next minute we trying to do business with him under George W Bush.. Have we forgotten the US-Libya Business Association who have since took down their site but not before everyone from Haliburton to Chevron broke bread with a man we are now bombing..

Meanwhile all over the planet we have human rights violations being levied on all sorts of countries we consider friends with no talk of Regime Change.. We friendly with China in spite of their of their dastardly deeds.. We’re cool with Saudi Arabia inspite of their shoddy human rights track record. . We ain’t invading Yemen and it was there where we had a ship blown up USS Cole.  We could go on and on.. Hell lets talk about the drama with Israel and how they smash on their Palestinian neighbors..

What’s sad is the role President Obama has been playing. He came out the box saying he opposed the wars but as you can see over the years he’s ‘re-calibrated’ himself and seems as hawkish as any right wing war monger. How does a son of Africa bomb Africa?

I guess its when that Son of Africa sees himself as a politicians more interested in positioning himself and playing the game vs doing what is right. With all our collective brain trust there was no diplomatic solution?  We have a military that has no qualms applying pys-ops techniques on Senators to keep us at war.. But seemingly none to help nations be at peace..

What seems to be at play is those pys-op techniques being used to keep our anti-war movement silent.. Look most people would agree that folks fighting for liberation against oppressive regimes should be supported. But we can’t be selective and hwe have to stand on principal about being about peace.. We’re over in Libya demanding Ghadafiy bounce but we’ve yet to bring our own violators of human rights to justice. Can you say George W Bush? Dick Cheney? Or the soldier shown in the video below..

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

Peep the videos below outlining President Obama’s stance on the wars over the years.  As you watch ask yourself will there be consequences to our actions. Ghadafy has threatened to take down commercial airlines. he may not have the weaponry but he does have the money .. The US is fighting 3 Muslim countries is not good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhpKmQCCwB8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAwQRsaD6KI

Below is the link to Obama speaking on us bombing Libya …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unD7NJYuEDE

Chillin’ w/PE pt1 Flav Set to Open Chicken Spot

Flava Flav of Public Enemy is always colorful and never a dull moment… On a recent trip to San Francisco we caught up with Hip Hop’s number 1 Hype Man to get the low down on his upcoming ventures.. He’s opening a Chicken spot in Iowa and introducing a line of beverages.. He explains where, why and how. He also is set to release a book.. Here’s our interview

http://vimeo.com/20676886

Good Bye Nate Dogg-He Marked an Important Era in Hip Hop

So much has been going on over the past few days that I never got a chance and properly reflect on the untimely passing of Nate Dogg.. Gone is a cat who was the cornerstone of an era..He was the soul of West coast Hip Hop. Nate was the ace in the hole, the clean up batter who you called to take your record over the top and make it a hit..He represented one of Hip Hop’s golden eras.. The G Funk Era

Nate Dogg was the constant  soundtrack for a whole lot of folks who are now looking back and saying to themselves.. Homie put it down for us...He helped give voice to a generation. His smooth vocals and catchy hooks were such that he could make dog shyt sound nice..I don’t say that to be funny, but if you stop and think for a minute Nate said some hard stuff in some of his songs, but you hardly noticed because he was so seductive with his sound…Take the song Regulate..I was playing it yesterday for my class and pointed out the irony of Nate singing about killing someone, but he did it so smooth, that we smiled and didn’t give it a second thought

Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole
Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold
now they droppin and yellin
it’s a tad bit late
Nate Dogg and Warren G had to regulate

I laid all them busters down
I let my gat explode
now I’m switching my mind back into freak mode
if you want skirts sit back and observe
I just left a gang of those over there on the curb

What was interesting about was Nate was he came on the scene at a time when people would frown and consider you a sell out for having singing on the hook. That sort of approach was most associated with R&B singers. Sure you had a few songs with Ki-Ci and JoJo, who were seen as legit,  but for most part singers on rap songs was not fully embraced until Nate Dogg came along and showed us how it should be done..

You listen to cuts off Nate’s album ‘Music and Me‘ and its clear that he was under rated… Cuts like ‘Another Short Story’ and ‘Nobody Does it Better’ which I think was his best song, bare that assertion out..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9CLYk7J3OU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY8UD-eLIfw

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

Seems like everyone has a Nate Dogg story to tell…myself included. .I met dude on several occasions and he was always chill. He was accessible, not hiding behind 50 bodyguards..and even though he was from gang infested Southern Cali, you didn’t get a menacing energy when he was around.. Nate Dogg was cool..

I recall when the landmark ‘Up in Smoke Tour’ came to the Bay Area. Nate had some legal issues and wasn’t gonna show. Tyrese was scheduled to take his place. People like Tyrese and agree he’s talented, but Nate was the cat singing damn near half the hooks so him not being there was a bit of a let down..

When Dr Dre took the stage, he ripped into the song ‘Next Episode‘. At the part when the song says ‘hold Up‘.. Instead of Tyrese, we heard Nate’s voice who suddenly appeared from behind the curtain. He had made it after all and upon hearing his voice, the crowd went nuts.. Everyone cheered and gave high fives and the show was on for real.. It was an incredible show and Nate being classy shared his singing duties with Tyrese who adlibed and added to what Nate was doing.. Dude will certainly be missed..RIP Nate.

written by Davey D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCOK206_Q8k