Bay Area journalist Adisa Banjoko aka The Bishop who heads up the Hip Hop Chess Federation came to our SF State class yesterday and laced our students up with the important role Islam has played in Hip Hop culture. One of the main topics he touched upon was the strong presence of Malcolm X and what he meant to Hip Hop.. We discussed the songs he was sampled in. We talked about the rappers who referenced him.. Adisa definitely went in..
He closed out the discussion by talking about Cointel-pro and Black Pro– the government program that proceeded it. Adisa talked about how the government had gotten over 3000 people throughout the country to spy on Black organizations and report their activities back to the FBI. Many people wavered and sold us out. others stood strong. We talked integrity and never selling out. He brought forth this ‘secret recording’ that was made by the FBI when they approached Malcolm after he was suspended by Elijah Muhammad for mis-speaking after President Kennedy was assassinated.What we heard was absolutely riveting on a number of levels.
To start it was crazy to hear how bold and upfront our tax payer supported government agencies were in terms of going out and destroying our leaders and undermining the Black Liberation struggle. These guys were over the top bold in asking Malcolm to spy and sell out the Nation of Islam then known as the Black Muslims.
What was impressive was Malcolm’s resolve and his intelligence… he shut these FBI agents down.. This is definitely a MUST listen..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8CSQopxEf8
Here’s another link just in case
Well thank goodness our government is made up of holy saints now…certainly their are no views like that in Obamas white house….
After all, how can a government attack black people when the presidents black?
To quote Malcolm, it does appear that we have been “hoodwinked and bamboozled.”
Apparently, as long as the chains are being tightened by a black man, then everything’s ok.
Ya see, the only thing that has changed is appearance, and if thats not so, I’d like some proof, even evidence, showing that this sort of provocateuring of the people did indeed cease, because I’ll tell you right now, it didnt. But it sure did calm everyone down, didnt it!?
Is the rampant racism we now know today, all orchestrated by our government? After all, it wasn’t “the govt” attacking Malcolm, it was the “white devil”…very convenient for the government, for that is how you takeover nations, divide the people and then conquer them.
Let me just ask one question…Would Malcolm X be an Obama supporter?
Cheers Davey, great audio, thank you for that.
How’s the change going, huh? How’s that change? Looking out my window, don’t see any change. Got any spare change? Ha ha ha. Ha.
would malcolm x be an obama supporter? great question. i would say yes, with reservations. that’s not a simple question and there’s no simple answer. i think X would want Obama to make ending institutional racism a higher priority as part of a domestic policy agenda, and he would be against the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the same time, he would recognize that Obama’s administration is more progressive than those which proceeded it on a number of key issues. The real question is, would Obama be an X supporter?
If Malcolm was still Alive we wouldn’t have an Obama.
If our people embodied the kind of integrity that Malcolm displayed in this audio, we wouldn’t be caught up in the issue of Al Sharpton vs Tavis Smiley. A complete sideshow to the bread and butter issues.
It was an honor to be speaking at the class last night. Much respect and thanks. Stay strong Dave.
@e-scribblah,
“Obama’s administration is more progressive than those which proceeded it on a number of key issues”?
Except for their phenotype there hasn’t been much difference between George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama with respect to policy. To borrow an analogy from Malcolm X, just because Obama as opposed to Bush pulls the knife a few inches out of negroes backs don’t mistake that for progress. Malcolm was clear on who tthe enemy was regardless of their physical appearance.
I think Malcolm X evolved so fast, that really he’d be hard to recognize if he were alive in 2010. But he was quickly moving toward a global movement of racial unity and he was always focused on the politically oppressed and the poor. Not only would we not be able to recognize Malocolm, we would not be able to recognize ourselves. Thats how much change he would have brought.
“there hasn’t been much difference between George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama with respect to policy. ”
i can think of many issues on which Obama is markedly different from Bush. most of these differences are in domestic policy; maybe you werent paying attention.
for instance, the Obama administration is pro-Net Neutrality. that’s huge right there. And Obama’s MTC (metropolitan transportation committee) recently withheld over $100M in funding from BART because they hadnt completed a study showing the proposed impact of an airport connector on poor and minority residents. I doubt Obama would have been as callous to the people of New Orleans after Katrina, also. and Bush would probably have praised the cop who arrested Skip Gates. i could go on, but i think i’ve made my point.
if you think Obama is no different from Bush, i think you are buying into a mass media lie. also, feel free to cite relevant examples proving your point if you want your argument to be more than a one-line opinion, easily refuted.
Talib, you seem to be implying that Malcolm would be anti-Obama. i say unequivocably that would not be the case. He disagreed with MLK on a number of issues but had profound respect for the man. OTOH, i doubt Malcom would have approved of the high number of civilian casualties in afghanistan.
it’s hard to say what malcom’s stance on islamic terrorism would have been as that didnt really exist in his time. i think he would have put his faith before his country, though and been an outspoken proponent of ending racial discrimination against muslims and people of color.
as a matter of fact, we need more malcolms to speak out on this issue so Obama can take action against it.
You closed it good escribblah.
When I think of Malcom X, my mind takes me be back to his “Message to the grassroots” speech. What he laid down on that speech, is highly relevant even to this day, especially when we have a house-nigger sitting in the white-house. Black Power!
Escribblah,
You make valid points, but America is a Corporatized Facist State. It does matter if a monkey was in the White House, the people must organize and fight against this system and articulate a viable alternative. Even Susan Crawford , former member of President Obama’s National Economic Council, stated more market pressure was needed to keep net-neutrality in the hands of the people. Read the study, The Future of the Internet by the Pew Research Center, where the future of net-neutrality is raised. I voted for President Obama for cultural reasons and not politicial reasons. We can’t simply overlook the fact that President Obama accepted more money from Wallstreet than any other President in history. Politics follows money. As my granmother use to say you never bite the hand that feeds you. Center for Responsive Politics does excellent research on tracking campaign contributions. Lastly, as far as Talib buying into the mass media lie, we’ve all bought into mass media lie if we’re limited in our vision to Democrats and Republicans. Just because you don’t agree with Talib perspective doesn’t mean your sources are unadulterated either. President Obama never could have become President without that same lying media you mistrust. We first hear of President Obama during the 2004 Democratic National Convention via the media. Politicans are for something publicly only to fight against it behind close doors, where the real decisions are made. It’s the people behind the scenes that have the power. There is a shadow force to all systems of government , whether ancient or current governing bodies. Lastly, from the domestic front, please explain President Obama’s take on the FISA Reform Act & the Patriot Act?
Well said Adekunle! First with respect to e-scribblah, I’m not implying that Macolm X would have been anti-Obama and nor am I anti-Obama. Afterall, I voted for the man. However, I’m not soo blinded by “racial solidarity” to not see that President Obama supports too many of the same policies as the Bush administration,ie…No Child Left Behind, Faith Based Initiatives, The Patriot Act, The 787 billion dollar bailout of Wall St., and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, your use of the term “islamic terrorism” says to me that maybe it is YOU who has bought into the “mass media lie”. Seeing as how you’re regurgitating the “mass media” terminology and all.
Lastly, Bishop of Hip Hop you state that Malcolm was “quickly moving toward a global movement of racial unity”. That seems to be the “popular sentiment” but he also understood that Blacks in America and abroad had to come together and work out our differences FIRST before we could have unity with any other racial and ethnic groups. As a matter of fact he said as much upon announcing his departure from the NOI in 1964 “There can be no black, white unity until we FIRST have some black unity”. Malcolm did indeed “evolve” as all “living” things eventually do but I would offer that he “evolved” to the understanding that “white supremacy” didn’t just exist in the U.S. but that it was a global epidemic.
Marinate on this e-scribblah & Bishop of Hip Hop.
http://www.thecharlottepost.com/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=News&refno=2426
I was very happy to stumble upon this blog as I was looking for information on Malcolm X. I would like to share a new hip hop novel with everyone. It is entitled “A Rapper’s College.” It is an inspiring story about a young musician, a rap artist who struggles to overcome dyslexia while making it through the challenges of his personal life and those of the rap industry. In the end, his life and lyrics are changed forever by a phenomenal tutor. Please check it out at http://www.arapperscollege.weebly.com. Together, let’s keep the music positive and keep pushing forward a positive message to our communities.
May almighty Allah pardon the entire his shortcomings and grant late malcolm x the highest status in the jannat(paradise)amen. Yours in faith in Allah