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Breakdown FM-Professor X was Vanglorious

March 18, 2006 By

In Remembrance of Professor X

original article-March 18 2006
Check out this special Tribute Mix we did in Memory of the Late Professor X .
Special Shout out to Paradise the Architect of X-Clan

odeo.com/audio/904888/view

By now folks may have heard the news about the sudden passing of Professor X of X-Clan.. I got off the phone with Brother J who was the lead rapper of this legendary group who delivered the sad news. We believe he died from spinal menegitas.. Tonight there will be a special tribute to Professor X on Divine Forces Radio 90.7 KPFK starting at 10pm if you are in Los Angeles. Brother J will be on as well as Paris..

 The passing of Professor X is sad indeed.. For those who are unfamiliar with Professor X please read the statement released by Afrika Bambaataa… X was the guy who coined the phrase “Van Glorious This is Protected by the Red, The Black and The Green“…What’s so sad and crazy is that nowadays when you talk about Professor X to today’s younger Hip Hop audience, they immediately think of the guy from the comic X-men..

Professor X aka Lumumba Carson was a good cat..who will be missed…

Davey D

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Professor X Was Vanglorious
by Wendy Day

I received an email from Afrika Bambaataa and Yoda today saying that Professor X had passed. I rushed over to allhiphop.com to see what happened to him. They confirmed Lumumba Carson passed from Meningitis. I am devastated.

In 1992, I started Rap Coalition out of pure disgust after seeing how my favorite rappers were treated– specifically, Eric B and Rakim, and X-Clan. In the late 80s and early 90s, these were my favorite rappers.

Lamumba Carson was great because he stood for something. He had something to say and he said it. He was the son of New York based (now deceased) activist Sonny Carson (how difficult it must be to be the son of someone so driven, focused, and important to humanity). Lumumba always rose to the occasion.

I always avoided meeting Professor X and Brother J (who, together, comprised X-Clan and heavily promoted the organization Black Watch), out of fear that they may not be what their image portrayed. At that point, I had met so many of my rap heroes and been disappointed in the past because of the diachotomy between image and reality (a painful lesson for someone devoting a career and life to helping her heroes for free).

I found that J and Lumumba were serious about what they were accomplishing. And while I found Professor X to be human with all the human frailties (thank God!), over the years I have found both of them to be exactly who they portrayed themselves to be–strong Black men, loving and caring for a race of people often too tired to fight for themselves. They were not hypocrites like soooo many others.

Like most rappers, and certainly like the majority of rappers from their generation, they did not make much money from their art form. In fact, they had the further degradation of watching others become wealthy on what they built, and on their art form (a BIG @#%$ you to Lou Maglia and 4th and Broadway).

I just spoke with Lumumba for the first time last year. I had received an email that was making fun of him because he listed himself on eBay, and was auctioning off “a day with Professor X” to the highest bidder. How he must be struggling financially to do something like that, I thought to myself. I became the highest bidder. The fact that I could barely afford to pay my rent at the time did not enter my mind. I was determined to buy a day with Professor X.

He ended the auction before the final deadline (doesn’t matter, I would have won regardless) because of the hateful emails circulating on the web about him putting himself up for auction. I was disgusted by the reaction. It was a f*cking lunch date with Professor X. Had it been Justin Timberlake for a charity, no one would have said @#%$. But a hungry man was not supposed to eat this way, I guess.

Somehow others who have made a career from (read: pimped) Hip Hop had the right to say what was acceptable or not for one of the Legends. All of a sudden, people making money critiquing what others create had the power to say what was the proper way for Professor X to make income. It pissed me off beyond words. I received disrespectful, opinionated emails from self-appointed authorities asking me why I supported such a gimmick. I got emails from fake-ass Hip Hop “journalists” spewing negativity and condescention without having all of the facts. I was disgusted with our community for not supporting Professor X and everyone else like him who needed our support and got jeers instead.

Lumumba called me. He knew who I was. He was excited that I had been bidding on his post. I had the opportunity to tell him what he meant to me. I told him how he influenced me to go down the path I am on without ever having met me. Now THAT’S power. He shared with me some of his industry expereinces and his hopes and dreams.

The price for Lumumba was high on eBay. Not high financially, but high in negative reaction, high in lack of support, and high in the realization that this unforgiving industry has no love for those who have come before when the @#%$ VH-1 cameras aren’t running. I think my last bid was under $100. I would have bid $1,000.

We quietly disrespect our artists for not being Billionaires, and then we disrespect them if we perceive them to “sell out” (read: earn a living). They can’t win. We bemoan artists today for selling misogyny, crime, violence, and materialism, but we didn’t support the ones who had a positive message once they were no longer perceived to be “hot!”

And God forbid they try to earn a buck on eBay selling the opportunity to spend time with them before they pass.

I wanted to spend a day with Lumumba. He would not take my money. We spoke at length about the industry and Afrocentricity. We discussed his father and his legacy. We discussed a lot. It was the first, and last, time we spoke.

I never got my day with Professor X. But what I did get was far more priceless. I got the real Professor X, and he is and was what he always said he was. He was REAL. And he loved people. Especially Black people. He will sorely be missed!

Please understand if the next time you see me I am stomping in my big black boots.

http://www.wendyday.com

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Filed Under: Breakdown FM Interviews, Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, March '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

To the East Blackwards-The Story of X-Clan

March 1, 2006 By
dbanner1newparis
The story of  X-Clan
To The East, Blackwards
(1990, 4th & Bway)
by Brian Coleman
March 16 2006

 xclan

When a young New Yorker named Lumumba Carson became immersed in the hip-hop world of the mid-’80s to help bring the sound to even more of the masses, his family wasn’t happy about it. But it had nothing to do with fears that he was staying up too late, out partying. Lumumba’s situation was a different one, since his father was Brooklyn-based black nationalist leader Sonny Carson.

 The pro-black side of my world thought I was stumbling from my mission in life,’ says Lumumba, aka Professor X, today. ‘I wasn’t being appreciated by them. I was torn between two lives.’ Elder Sonny eventually came to realize the power of hip-hop in spreading black nationalist thought, after his son formed X-Clan, who released their funky, intelligent and powerful debut in 1990. Their Blackwatch crew (with Isis, Unique & Dashan, Queen Mother Rage and others) came before the X-Clan, and it was much more than a fan club. X explains: ‘I always watched how music groups became successful and I knew that fanbase was very important. My idea was to make our fan club base into a movement.’

The seeds for the four-member X-Clan ‘ rapper Brother J, DJ Sugar Shaft and producers/elders Professor X and Grand Architect Paradise ‘ were planted when X and Paradise met in the mid-’80s, introduced by Russell Simmons’ right-hand-woman Heidi Smith. At the time Paradise was working a computer job in Rush Management’s first offices on Broadway, and X was interviewing Rush clients there for a radio station in Detroit, also road-managing Whodini.

Eventually Paradise began managing the famed Latin Quarter club in midtown Manhattan and the two friends started a management company called Scratch Me Management, working with artists like Stetsasonic, King Sun, Just Ice and Positive K. Their touch spread over much of the New York hip-hop world during the years 1985 to 1987. ‘We were very serious when we did X-Clan,’ says Paradise. ‘We were really trying to do something new, after being instrumental in the careers of so many other cats. Back then we knew everybody in hip-hop, but once we focused on X-Clan we kind of became reclusive, because we wanted it to work.’

In 1985 Paradise and X had met two young men who would complete X-Clan as a foursome, although they didn’t know it at the time. ‘I first met Sugar Shaft at the Latin Quarter, and Brother J was his best friend,’ recalls Paradise. ‘But back then we hadn’t ever even heard J rap. His affiliation with us was just as one of the young brothers in the [black nationalist] Movement.’ Sugar Shaft was a DJ on the rise back in the early days, and a member of Red Alert’s Violators crew. Brother J soaked in the teaching of elder Black Nationalists and also continued to perfect his MC skills. But J’s skills got pushed to the side for a year or more, because of the fact that X and Paradise were working with so many other top-level MCs at the time. In 1987, Paradise recalls taking J and Shaft to Ced-Gee’s ‘Ultra Lab’ home studio in the Bronx, where they cut a demo for a song called ‘It’s a Black Thing.‘ With the beginning of Blackwatch, put in motion with Unique & Dashan’s debut album Black To The Future in early ’89, their plan to start X-Clan was about to hatch.

After many passes through the A & R maze of Island Records and its hip-hop subsidiary 4th & Bway, X-Clan were signed for a single deal, directly by Island founder Chris Blackwell. Releasing the powerful double a-sided single ‘Raise The Flag’ and ‘Heed The Word of the Brother’ in 1989, the group became actively involved in the much-publicized ‘Day of Outrage and Mourning’ to protest the killing of Yusuf Hawkins in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurt neighborhood in August of that year. 4th & Bway knew they had a firebrand group on their hands, in certain ways akin to the controversial and popular Public Enemy, and they signed them for a full album. To The East, Blackwards was recorded in one month’s time and put on a full-steam-ahead promo track by the label.

Perfectly described by the opening track’s title, ‘Funkin’ Lesson,’ the album mixed bouncing old-school funk samples with pro-black words of wisdom, perfectly and powerfully expressed by the muscularly-voiced Brother J. Professor X offers this distinction for those who grouped X-Clan and Public Enemy, two different sides of the same struggle, in the same boat: ‘Public Enemy should always be protected, so don’t misunderstand me. But their message, what it was and how it was delivered, just seemed so complicated. We felt that blackness was easier than that. If you were a brother or sister in Brownsville, it was right up under your nose. You only needed to talk to your grandmother to know how proud you were supposed to be and who you were.’

 Although it didn’t contain any crossover smash singles to push it into sales nirvana, the album put X-Clan at the front of the list of groups addressing black struggles in cities around the world, and for that they are still respected today. Professor X says, looking back: ‘I didn’t think the album would explode like that, right away. I had planned on a two-year development process, over probably two albums. But all we needed was one. Everything that happened back then was much more than we could have ever dreamed of.’X and Paradise lovingly drive their 1959 pink Caddy past selected tracks from their debut:

Funkin’ Lesson

Paradise: We definitely combined our message with some funky music. But that’s a pretty obvious thing, since people don’t respond to @#%$ if it ain’t hot, whether there’s a message or not. We were all about walking the walk, not just talkin’. We just really wanted to be funky and put the lesson in the funk. That’s what the song was about. We were trying to redefine something, and have more culture in the music.

Professor X: I was a funk-head from back in the day. That was my contribution to our earliest music. The George Clinton vibe we brought. I mean, who would have thought that the funk explosion in hip-hop started from a group in New York! At heart we were just some funky niggas, trying to connect anything we were saying politically, to funky music. It was just natural for us. It all fell into line, we all clicked into that George Clinton spirit.

Grand Verbalizer, What Time Is It’

X: The ‘crossroads’ I mention in that song, and in other places on the album, was very important to us. We wanted to give recognition to all those who didn’t know where they were at in life. It was the point in their lives where they were trying to get clear. We were drawing a picture where you were at so you could make decisions. And decisions start at the crossroads, and you’re protected there.

Tribal Jam

Paradise: A lot of people take Brother J for granted as a rapper. A lot of the things that he said were things that we or our elders lived personally. Everything we wrote came from the cultural experience of black people. It was all real. And we used the music to build a strong movement.

A Day Of Outrage, Operation Snatchback

X: The Day of Outrage was the day when the Brooklyn Bridge was taken by 20,000 or 30,000 people, with Reverend Al Sharpton. That song is about how we were there [in Bensonhurst], fighting for the right of recognition. We were also deeply involved in the protests in Crown Heights, later on [in 1991].

Verbal Milk

X: Ah yes, the Pink Cadillac! I mention that on that track, don’t I’ We wanted to tell people to celebrate themselves. When I think of a Pink Cadillac I think of my uncles, who were from South Carolina. Those guys had a Caddy every year. It meant something to them. We were talking about a 1959 pink Caddy because it represented a point in time. Once the elders saw that we were talking about that, they knew that we recognized the transition between a certain kind of negro into a certain kind of black man. We wanted to celebrate the Caddy, too, because we had a little pimp in our crown. We got style from that. It was a metaphor. We wanted to celebrate things that some black people wanted to hide. Corn bread, grits. In every video of ours, Sugar Shaft is eating something. Chicken or watermelon. We love that food and there’s no reason to be ashamed of it, in fact totally the opposite!

Shaft’s Big Score

Paradise: Shaft [who passed away in the mid-’90s] was my best friend. He was quiet and funny and an incredible DJ. Very quite and peaceful. A couple times when I was down he even bought pampers for my kids. Food, whatever. He was amazingly generous and we all really miss him.

X: Each person in the group was a piece of madness, that you’d never believe could get along with the other three [laughs very loudly]. You’d never think we could be in a room together. And that’s why it was magic together, too. Sugar Shaft had such an energy! We had to buy him new Technics turntables every two weeks because he destroyed them, just doing his cuts. They would literally be no good to anybody after he was through. He would sweat so much when he cut, too. He just had so much inward energy. He also cut with his left hand, so he’d have to cross one arm over the other. I think that Shaft’s influence is where the bounce in our music came from. We miss him. That particular track, which features Shaft’s DJ skills, was a very hard track to do, because back then there was no automation. We had to do it over many times to get the punches in there correctly. We heard Terminator X’s tracks and we wanted to counter them, on that level. Because we respected him so much. We all motivated each other in that way.

Raise The Flag

Paradise: That song was actually originally signed to Warlock Records, before 4th & Bway. They loved that demo we did so much that they gave us money right there on the spot with no contract. So we took that money and used it to record an album for the group Uneek & Dashan who we were managing at the time. Warlock ended up signing them and Isis, too, and then we went to 4th & Bway after paying Warlock back. Basically, once we started recording the first 6-7 tracks for X-Clan, we didn’t think that Warlock could do enough with it. We needed something bigger. That was the first studio song that we did. I got that sample from a neighbor of mine in Crown Heights. She heard Run-DMC blaring through my walls and instead of yelling, she wanted to hear more about them, and borrowed the album from me. Then one I day I heard that Roy Ayers ‘Red, Black and Green’ song blaring through * her * walls. She had a crazy loud system that put mine to shame. She was a jazz lover more than hip-hop. So I banged on her door and asked her what the hell that music was.

 X: That was our first single, the song we got signed to 4th & Bway for. When the single came out in 1989 it didn’t do good in New York, even though we had stuff like my father [Sonny Carson] putting us on a float during the David Dinkins campaign [for mayor of New York]. After two or three months there was nothing going on with the record. And we went to do a show in Detroit, with I think Kwame and Special Ed, in front of like 5,000 people. It was a talent show, I think. We went out on stage after those guys finished and the place went CRAZY, which was big news to us. So much so that they had to bring in the police to calm things down. I don’t even think that 4th and Bway knew we was that big in Detroit.

 

 Heed The Word Of The Brother

X: We had ‘Raise The Flag’ done and ready to go as a single but we felt that we needed something even stronger to go along with it. That was the beginning of me making enemies at the record company. They didn’t want a b-side and they just wouldn’t do it. So we financed ‘Heed The Word’ on our own, all the way through the mastering. I was right about it and the record company was wrong. It was a perfect example about how they didn’t even know what they had. On that track, other people, like Heavy D and De La Soul, had used that music already. So we made our song even stronger than what they had done. We called the 45 King and he put a string of horns at the end of the beat, and that’s why ours is different.

 

 

Paradise: That was the only song that anybody outside of X-Clan ever collaborated on with us, as an outside producer or artist. Mark the 45 King made the beat, and I produced the song. I put in the hook, and the ‘Flashlight’ stuff in the intro.

 

In The Ways of the Scales

X: That is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album, if not my #1 favorite.

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The Promised Land – Reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Hip Hop Nation

January 15, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

original article January 2006

The Promised Land – Reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Hip Hop Nation

by KRS ONE

krsone1smile-225PEACE AND MUCH LOVE TO ALL GENERATIONS OF HIP HOP KULTURE! We are truly a blessed nation! In these times of war, mass unemployment and social unrest let US become the changes that we would like to see in the world. We are an international culture of new people on the earth. So let US be the civilization that we expect others to be. Together (as a Hip Hop Nation) we truly have a great opportunity to establish peace, love, unity and safely having fun with our Hip Hop activity in the world. And NOT with our “hip-hop” activities in the world, but with our collective unified “Hip Hop” activity in the world we have an opportunity to establish a “True World Order”.

Yeah, I know that there are some that shall (and have already) unjustly criticize our efforts toward peace from “behind the screens”. But civilization building is NOT for everyone, nor can everyone even comprehend the importance of such an attempt. Nevertheless, such an attempt must be made for our own security as adults and as parents as well as for the security of our children and their children’s children’s children. No criticism, debate or unjust slander can ever move US from the fulfillment of our ancestor’s dreams.

Our Hip Hop preservation movement is NOT just about the preservation of Hip Hop as Breakin, Emceein, Graffiti Art, Deejayin, Beatboxin, Street Fashion, Street Language, Street Knowledge and Street Entrepreneurialism it is also and more importantly about continuing our ancestors dreams/visions of true freedom, justice and equality amongst ALL people; this is the world’s true order. WE MUST NEVER FORGET THE STRUGGLE! Our ancestors as well as our children and the future of Hip Hop are depending upon US! TODAY! Either, you ignore this fact or you engage this fact; either way, the choices that you make and the effects of such choices shall come to pass in YOUR own life and prove the character of who YOU really are.

There is never a reason, nor is there ever time, to criticize or debate the movements of others when you are busy working at the realization of your own movement. Its funny to me how some people have so much to say about KRS ONE and his attempts to establish Hip Hop as an international community of peace, love, unity and having fun yet they have made little or no progress at all in that which they espouse as the solution to the social ills of our time. My message is clear; “Rap is something we do, Hip Hop is something we live!” Therefore, how shall we live as Hiphoppas? Sure, we can sit around and brag about the greatness of our ancestors and recount their victories of the past, but when shall we rise to our own victories in the present?

How long shall we reminisce over the glory days of the Civil Rights Movement without continuing the struggles and maintaining the victories of such a movement today? How long shall we romanticize the fact that our ancestors were civilization builders without even attempting to build any such civilization for ourselves today? All of this is a disgrace to the very greatness of our elders and ancestors! By talking about our ancestor’s greatness and not continuing in the footsteps of such greatness do we not betray the very greatness that we are speaking of? It’s better to remain ignorant of your ancestor’s achievements than to know of your ancestor’s achievements and do nothing to continue their legacy! Is this not a traitor to their very ideas? A traitor to the movement? Is this not a true sell-out?

Say whatever you like about KRS ONE (good, bad or indifferent) but one thing is for sure, no amount of criticism shall ever remove or shake him from the continuation of what his ancestors and elders lived and died for. Call me whatever you like; from “a true prophet” to “a false prophet” none of it matters when compared to the real struggle of our people to gain their rightful place at the table of peace and prosperity. And who are “our” people? This begins our reflection on the “Promised Land”.

Ya know, as I see it, the world is not terrorized by religious fanaticism; it is more terrorized by religious apathy. Too many people in the world today are not taking their religion or spiritual practice seriously. Too many people have simply lost their faith. And why? Scandals? Inconsistencies? Poverty? Sickness? All of or some of these may be the cause of such mass faithlessness but from what I see, people loose their faith when they are distant from the knowledge of their God. They don’t really know if their God truly exists or not, and within such distance created by doubt people forget what God really looks and sounds like. So when God appears to them in the form of a man or woman (or other animal), the logic of the World tells them that such an appearance is just a person espousing some really good ideas. “Oh, he was a great man” or “oh, she was a great woman” but never do they assume that they were in the presence of their “lord” and “savior”. And this, I think is the main reason why many people are faithless today; they’re forever waiting on a savior that has already appeared!

Too many people are waiting for their savior to appear in the way that their oppressors have determined when a true savior will always be at odds with an oppressive government that chooses to enslave its own people and contradict its own laws. In fact, this is the reason for a savior; to free humanity from the restraints of ignorance and oppression. Too many people have been indoctrinated in the Jesus story without really knowing anything about the life of the Christ. This is why when their savior appears they don’t recognize him/her; they’re to busy looking for Jesus. Throughout most of recorded history men and women of God alike have appeared to their people with divine solutions and remedies to rid their people of their oppression. But in ignorance, the People themselves reject their OWN savior and even assist in his assassination. As Jesus pointed out; “thou killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent to thee” (Matthew 23: 37).

A savior is a person who saves or rescues. No bells, no whistles, no hype! Just a person who saves others. “Savior: a person who rescues another from harm, danger, or loss (American Heritage Dictionary). A “lord” (throughout history) is a person who has authority, control or power over others. “Lord: a man of renowned power and authority (American Heritage Dictionary). And yes, there are other definitions to “lord” however, when it comes to a spiritual teacher or “savior” this is what someone’s “lord” would be. A “lord” is your master, your chief; the one that you submit to, the one that you deeply respect. Different from “The Lord” which is usually ascribed to Jesus the Christ, “a lord” is someone that you have entrusted your life to. They lead you.

On January 15 th 1929, my “lord” and “savior” Michael King was born. He would adopt the name Martin Luther (named after the German theologian who challenged the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century which resulted in the establishment of the Protestant churches) and after attending Moore House College in Atlanta, Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and then Boston University were he received his doctorate, Martin Luther King Jr. became Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is my “lord” because I give him such authority over my life. He is my King! I respect him. I believe in him! He is my “savior” because the only reason I am freely doing what I am doing and freely going wherever I wish to go is because of him and his sacrifices. In all honesty, I could NOT be KRS ONE in the way that I am if it were not for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! He saved me from White racism! He liberated me from self-destruction! He stood up for me when I could not stand up for myself. And to him I am forever grateful.

His strength has given me strength. His courage has given me courage. His faith has given me faith. His vision has given me vision. In truth, I am living HIS dream! I don’t need to look at a 2000 year old Christian history for instruction when I can simply follow the instructions of MY lord and savior Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who laid his life down in 1968 so that I could live more comfortably today in 2006. Those who have benefited by Dr. King’s sacrifices yet prefer to honor Jesus as their lord and savior will be shocked when Jesus returns to them saying, “I never knew you.” For it was Jesus who said, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13).

mlkWe can talk all day about revolution and “what we gotta do” but if WE are not willing to exalt to sainthood those who lay down their lives for OUR freedom and comfort then we are truly lost! When are WE going to honor OUR own “lords” and “saviors?” Is this not the beginning of any effective revolution? Why put your faith in the sacrifices of foreign messiahs, saints and saviors when your own father has given HIS life for the advancement of YOUR well-being TODAY? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. IS THE CHRIST! He is the “savior” of all who believe in him and his words. And as Hiphoppas, we must pay very close attention to the instructions of OUR savior if we are to grow and develop as a truly righteous nation ourselves.

In his famous “I Have A Dream” decree Dr. King said; “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plain of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with Soul Force!”

This is the essence of any true Hip Hop movement. In fact, it is our belief that Hip Hop is the fulfillment of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. When studied closely one can see that Dr. King’s words were directed to his four children and all those of the younger generation of his time. When he said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”, most people assumed that the only nation Dr. King could have been talking about was the United States of America. That one day IT would live up to its creed of “all men” being “created equal” with the “unalienable rights” of “life, liberty” and the “pursuit of happiness”. Indeed Dr. King was talking about America as a nation, but it is clear that he was NOT talking about the America that he was protesting against. He saw a radically different America than even the one that exists today! In fact, after Dr. King’s assassination in 1968 things got worse!

Dr. King’s vision of true racial unity and equal citizenship under the Law never fully materialized for the people of the United States. As much as Americans love to hear about integration and the vision of ONE America with many shades and colors, in real life Americans are more segregated as a nation today than ever before. Despite the enormous advances made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall toward a totally integrated American school system (for example) today, schools that bear their names are known to be the most segregated schools in the United States!

You can limit your analysis of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” decree to just being the protest speech of the day if you like. But if you were one of the Black or White children that his speech was referring to then Dr. King’s Word is to be understood in the realm of prophesy, prediction and instruction not just (as the average American mind remembers it) as protest words for his time. On the contrary, Dr. King was not even speaking for his time; he was speaking for OUR TIME! Most of what he said in that famous decree was said in future tense. Dr. King said; “one day right there in Alabama, little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little White boys and White girls as sisters and brothers”.

Most people because of their own prejudices refer to the phrase “as brothers and sisters” figuratively. They doubt that “little Black boys and girls” and “little White boys and girls” can actually be real “brothers and sisters!” And they doubt this because for Black children and White children to become real blood brothers and sisters this means the creation of a new race, a new sect of people. And this concept goes way beyond what most people can actually handle today. As prophesy, Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech calls a new nation into existence. And because he was speaking to the future of those youths (us) born between 1960 and 1970 (generation X) who became the pioneers of modern Hip Hop and instinctively created the alternative multicultural, multiracial, omni-faithed community that Dr. King predicted, it is safe to say that WE are the true citizens of the nation Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed about. HIP HOP IS THE PROMISED LAND!

No where else on earth is there an international culture that is home to all races, classes, ethnicities and religious beliefs other than Hip Hop. No where else on earth is a person truly judged by the “content of their character” rather than by the “color of their skin” than within Hip Hop. Dr. King said, ” One day on red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood”. Nowhere has this happened in the world on a mainstream level except within the community of Hip Hop. As pimped-out, thugged-out and drugged-out as we appear to be, Hip Hop is NOT a racist culture. Our existence as a Hip Hop community fulfills Dr. King’s prophecy philosophically and historically. Within our Hip Hop community a person gains money, power and respect through a display of high skill in one or more of Hip Hop’s unique elements. Here, you are truly judged by the content of your character (your attributes, your abilities, your reputation, who you associate with) not by your race or ethnic origin. Hip Hop is beyond all that.

But just like the original vision of Hip Hop being about peace, love, unity and having fun was betrayed by the very people that it was designed to help, so was Dr. King’s dream also betrayed. Dr. King not only saved Black folks from years of segregation and forgave America and showed America true unconditional love but he also gave America a way out of sin and laid out the foundations for a truly civilized nation. In response, Black folks booed him, President Johnson would call him a “nigger preacher”, the N.A.A.C.P. disowned him and in the end White folks killed him! DAMN!

martinlutherkingpoint-225As a result, “The Dream” of Dr. King fell upon the ground and both Blacks and Whites trampled over it! Even those of his own “Southern Christian Leadership Conference” sought after the success of their own careers rather than continue the realization of “The Dream”. And let me say right here, that I am not be overly critical of anyone’s efforts. But after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death it seems that everything went back to the way it was. People from Dr. king’s own camp seem to have forgotten the “Dream”. Proof of this is the simple fact that many Americans especially Black Americans don’t even know who Dr. King is or what he was really all about. Is this the fault of “the White Man” or is this the fault Dr. King’s own Black People?

Why do WE allow illegal drugs to be sold on those streets named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Why doesn’t every Black home have a picture or a word of Dr. King hanging upon its walls? Why have Black scholars allowed Black children to learn of Dr. King as a man who “let the dogs bite him” as opposed to teaching them the deeper meanings and benefits to not using violence as a way to solve problems? Why aren’t ALL children taught about the strengths of non-violent passive resistance? Why are we more interested in Dr. King’s sex life than we are the realization of his “Dream?”

Even further, why hasn’t Dr. King’s final campaign for the relief of poverty and the redistribution of wealth for poor Black people not followed through on after his death? When Dr. King said in his famous last decree on April 3 rd 1968 at a Masonic Temple/Church in Memphis Tennessee; “And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn’t done, and in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed” did any one really hear him. Or is it just a coincidence that long years of “poverty” and “neglect” is also being said to be the cause of terrorism today?

Why is it that the only part of this last decree before his assassination that anyone gets to here is the very end of the decree where he says; “. I’ve been to the mountain top. And I don’t mind. Like anybody I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a People, will get to the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know that we as a People will get to the Promised Land”. Why haven’t we frequently heard the other parts of that famous decree where Dr. king also said; we are asking you not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. .not to buy Sealtest Milk. Tell them not to buy .Wonder Bread. .We are choosing these companies because they haven’t been fair in their hiring policies. .I call upon you to take your money out of the banks .we want a bank-in movement in Memphis”. Why we ain’t hearing these messages frequently. What if every MLK day we as a People withdrew our dollar from the companies Dr. King mentions as well as from those companies that advertise on B.E.T. and M.T.V. and on local radio stations that promote crime, lust, deceit and everything that Dr. King stood against and died for. What if we really listened to our lord and savior Martin the Christ? The true M.C.!

For if we really studied the Word of our savior we would also hear him saying to the Black Church in his same April 3 rd decree; “so often, preachers are not concerned about anything but themselves! And I’m always happy to see a relevant ministry. It’s all right to talk about ‘long white robes over yonder,’ in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It’s all right to talk about ‘streets flowing with milk and honey,’ but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three square meals a day. It’s all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God’s preacher must talk about the NEW York, the NEW Atlanta, the NEW Philadelphia, the New Los Angeles, the NEW Memphis Tennessee. This is what WE have to do.”

So why we ain’t doin’ it! Well, that answer also rests within that same April 3 rd 1968 decree. Dr. King, referring to Luke 10: 25-37 talked about the “Good Samaritan” and how we must “.develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” Pointing out how a priest and a Levite passed a beaten and robbed man on the road and how a Samaritan stopped to help, Dr. King made this point: “And so the first question that the Levite asked was, ‘if I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But then the good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: ‘if I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him? That’s the question before you tonight (referring to the sanitation workers then on strike in Memphis). If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office everyday and every week as a pastor?’ the question is not, ‘if I stop to help this man in need what will happen to me? If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?’ That’s the question!”

And that’s the answer, “dangerous unselfishness” we must develop this character again. People are “.not concerned with anything except themselves” and this is how crack cocaine can be sold on Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd and the police as well as Black leadership seem to be powerless to such blatantly illegal activity. As a Hip Hop nation we must not disgrace the blood of our ancestors and elders. As Dr. King said in Chicago; “We must make it clear, WE are going to live in dignity and honor, that WE are supposed to live there because WE are GOD’S CHILDREN and if WE are GOD’S CHILDREN he loves us (Hiphoppas) like he loves ALL of his children!”

This is Hip Hop! And either we are going to interpret Dr. King’s Word literally for OUR instruction today or we are going to interpret Dr. King’s words as historical protest poetry placed more in the realm of entertainment than in the realm of true nationalism.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s birthday is celebrated as a Federal holiday every third Monday in January. This year it rises on January 16 th 2006. This is an official Hip Hop holiday. Let us raise the awareness of OUR “lord” and “savior” Martin the Christ in the minds of OUR children. So, in recognition of MLK Day on January 16 th 2006.

Let us fast from spending money on things we really don’t need.
Let us tend to the needs of the poor; wherever and whoever they may be.
Let us watch any of the documentaries on Dr. King with our families.
Let us repent and stop disrespecting Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.
Let us support all museums and community centers bearing Dr. King’s name.

Let us abstain from illegal drug use as well as alcohol and junk foods.
Let us show mercy, love, care and forgiveness toward one another.
Let us honor our parents, elders and ancestors.
Let us share ideas, food, etc with someone from a different race or ethnicity.

LET US BEGIN TO ACT LIKE THE NATION THAT DR. KING SAW IN HIS DREAM!

To be continued.

Visit The Teacha KRS-ONE and The Temple of Hip Hop at www.templeofhiphop.org

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Jan '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

MC Lyte is Still Lyte as a Rock Our Intv w/ a True Pioneer (Breakdowm FM)

January 6, 2006 By

There aren’’t enough words to describe the importance of one of Hip Hip premier emcees MC Lyte. Nor is there enough space in this column to lay out the long list of accomplishments attributed to her. One thing is certain, if there’s a Hip Hop Hall of Fame, MC Lyte is definitely in it.

If there’’s an official list that lays out Hip Hop’s top 20 Greatest Emcees of All-time, MC Lyte is definitely on it. When we look back and ask ourselves who made a significant difference in Hip Hop? Who changed the game? Again MC Lyte’’s name will be front and center.

We caught up with Lyte not too long ago and spoke to her about all that she has accomplished. We talked to her about the early stages of her career when she introduced herself to the world while still a young teen with a landmark song called ‘I Cram To Understand’ which dealt with the crack epidemic’.

We talked to her about her evolution from rapper to actress to social activism to book author and to business owner. For those who don’’t know, long before P-Diddy, Jay-Z or any of today’s high profile mega-rich rap stars hit the scene opened up businesses, MC Lyte had her own including the Harlem Cafe restaurant and the Duke the Moon management company with former X-Clan rapper Linque.

Today Lyte now owns a female clothing boutique in North Hollywood California. Her social activism has just seen her launch a successful Hip Hop Week at Spelman College in Atlanta where she lead nightly discussions about negative images in Hip Hop and the ways in which women can change things.

She appears regularly on TV shows including on the WB network. She’’s gotten critical acclaim for her work in the movie Civil Brand which focuses on the nation’s increasing female prison population. But most important of all MC Lyte is back on the scene with new music including popular new joints like ‘Juke Joint’ and the popular DJ Premier produced track called ‘The Wonder Years’. A quick listen lets anybody who had any doubts that after rocking the mic for almost 20 years this Grammy nominated emcee still has all her skillz in tact and will put heads to bed if you step to her on the mic..

Here’s a brief rundown of our in-depth interview… We started out by laying out the long list of MC Lyte’’s accomplishments and we spoke about her new book which is aimed at improving the lives of teens called ‘Just My Take’. Lyte noted that it was important for her to set a good example and share words of inspiration with young people who are often overlooked and expected to somehow find answers to important problems on their own.

In part 2 we spoke to Lyte about the negative images found in rap and the way women are portrayed in videos. We spoke about the driving forces behind such imagery. Lyte noted that money is at the root of all this and that many executives are out to make a quick buck, while other decision makers are simply out to keep their jobs with little or no concern about the impact they are having on the community and the rest of the world.

She explained that the exploitation is such big business that when women who wish to show another side and express their intelligence it is somehow perceived as strange and out of the ordinary. She cited the behind the scenes struggles of fellow rap artist Eve who found that her songs which talked about dancing or sex would get highlighted and pushed by the record company while more meaningful songs which focused on important issues like domestic violence would be pushed to the back.

She speculated that such decision making led to Eve focusing her attention on acting. We ended this segment of our interview by asking about her song ‘Georgy Porgy’ which is considered a Hip Hop classic and whether or not the story she raps about was true. She said it wasn’’t, but she understood how one could come to that conclusion. Lyte explained that she came up in an era where it was critical for rappers to talk about something and that she learned to be a good story teller. We spoke about how that is a lost art in today’’s world of Hip Hop.

In part 3 of our interview we spoke about Lyte’’s decision to do the song ‘Ruff Neck’ which talks about her love for the ‘Boyz in the Hood’ and interestingly enough got nominated for her Grammy while her other songs which focused on drug addiction and sexism were by passed. She noted that she wanted to do a song that gave praise to the cats on the block, but she has no desire to actually kick it with Rough Necks. She noted that she hopes that maturity and change of heart and lifestyle has come upon those individuals who she would have applied that label when she first did the song. Lyte concluded that she had no regrets in doing the song even though she understands that it may have been a bit misleading in terms of what she values.

She went on to note that her one regret was releasing battle records like the landmark song ‘10% Dis’ that were directed at other female emcees. She regretted the fact that far too often these verbal conflicts were fueled by men who thought it would be financially viable and entertaining to pit the few females out on the scene up against one another.

We also talked about the tradition of artists causing controversy by releasing battle records when they first came on the scene as a way of getting known. She acknowledged that the battle records was a way that artists like Roxanne Shante and Salt-N-Pepa got their names out there,

Lyte pointed out that up to this day many record labels seem to have a problem putting more then one female on their rosters. She explained that Sylvia Rhone who headed up her record label was the only executive to have more then one female artists. She said YoYo, Missy Elliott and herself all shared the same label, but even in that case the label was careful to spread out the time in which their albums would be released thus ensuring that only one woman would be on the scene at a time.

In Part 4 of our interview we changed focus and spoke to MC Lyte about her acting career and her social/political activism. She went into detail about the movie Civil Brand and why she felt it was important to be part of an ensemble cast that focused on the raising prison population amongst females. She wanted to help change the false perception that being criminal and going to jail was a cool thing and a rite of passage.

She also explained that Civil Brand was produced on a shoe string budget and did not have all the expensive bells and whistles that is often attached to movies. She explained that good substance was driving force behind that movie’s success and that rappers should borrow a page from that philosophy. She noted that over the years the music industry has stopped looking for talent and started focusing image which is not a good thing.

In part 5 of our interview MC Lyte talked about her desire to forma coalition of women to work together within the industry. Currently her and YoYo are working on re-launching The IBWC ‘Intelligent Black Woman’s Coalition’. She also talked about being a role model and the challenges she has when the industry seems to be rewarding and enticing people to go in the opposite direction. She also talked about her new projects including the new albums as well as her businesses and how they came into being.

Below are pts1 and pt2 of our Breakdown FM intv w/ MC Lyte

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GxyhI-QyH0

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Breakdown FM Interviews, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Hip Hop Pioneers Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

FNV: King Sun Gets Served / M-1 vs Minister Ben over Voting

August 26, 2004 By

hip-hop-newsSo here we are in New York gearing up for all the activities surrounding next week’s GOP Convention. Lots of people are planning to descend upon New York from all over the country to show their displeasure to George Bush and his policies. There are estimates of up to one million people rolling into the Big Apple.

The powers that be are doing everything in their power to shut things down. Their weapon of choice is thus far to deny everybody a permit to protest. The other weapon is law enforcement has been going around undercover, infiltrating groups and gathering intelligence all in the name of fighting terrorism. It’s gotten to the point where law enforcement types from other cities are now in NY helping familiarize the NYPD and others on activists and protest groups from their respective cities..

While all this is going on and the struggle continues for a permit to be granted to accommodate all these people, a lot of New Yorkers especially within Hip Hop are leaving town. The first casualty is Russell Simmon‘s Hip Hop Summit Action Network. They were one of the few organizations to actually get a permit and even fronted the initial seed money… But they will be pulling out although they left the permits and money intact. Yesterday they issues a statement as to why.

Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons

Personally I think folks are being forced to bow out. The climate is such that all the stops are being pulled out to shut @#%$ down…This would include detaining folks at airports, looking for old warrants, jamming people up for past activities etc… Considering that Russell was one of the first to call for a demonstration to suddenly pull out suggests that there’s something more to the story. The fact that so many cats that were planning on being in town are now leaving for Miami and Vegas seems more then coincidental…

Many of the artists Simmons has access to are now leaving for Miami for the MTV video awards. Others are bouncing to Vegas for the Magic Convention. If that’s not enough on the day of the big protests many of the pioneers and old school cats are headed up town to the Bronx for the annual tribute to Hip Hop pioneer the late Disco King Mario…That’s expected top draw thousands.

Its hard to make sense of what’s going on, but everywhere I’ve been, the vibe seems to be ‘I’m leaving town and getting the heck out.. Its not so much that people think something bad is gonna happen, it just seems to be both confusing and hectic.. so a lot of folks are leaving the Big Apple as the Republicans and protest groups come in…

In the backdrop of all this have been a number of well attended events put on by the good folks over at Allhiphop.com. Last night (Wed) they had an unsigned artist show case that was off the hook.. Saigon who has made a lot of noise with his political song ‘Kiss the Babies’ held it down as host while a who of NY’s underground came through and got busy. Groups like Unos Dos, Mims, Stimuli and many more rolled through SOB’s to do their thing. Many of the artists had some sort of political commentary in their songs..

KING SUN GETS SERVED

King Sun

King Sun

The highlight of the event took place outside SOBs when the legendary King Sun came through and started flipping rhymes for the dozens of cameras filming the event. I’m not sure what happened but King Sun decided to turn his attention to a small bespectled white boy who said he was an emcee. King Sun wanted to drop some gems and let the kid know that he was a GOD and there were lessons for this young kid to learn. So King Sun in front of a few dozen people started rocking some choice rhymes… Moments later the little white kid had everyone hooting and hollering and making phone calls to friends who held up their phones so they could share in the witnessing of King Sun getting his ass seriously lyrically served.

Yep, you read it right here the white kid who broke him down was a cat name AM Boogie, a native New Yorker who would not let up on his relentless punch lines. His rhymes ranged from him thanking King Sun for comparing him to fellow white rapper Eminem.. because as he pointed out ‘We’re both nicer than you’. It was that line that had folks pulling out their tape recorders, telephone and cameras..

Other choice lines included AM Boogie talking about how he could walk a tight rope between the gaps of King Sun’s teeth. What knocked King Sun out the ring was when AM Boogie acknowledging that King Sun was a God and that AM was a short white boy serving Sun in front of all his brothers…He concluded the rhyme by talking about how he always screws King Sun’s girl…

There was no coming back after that..King Sun showed the kid some love, gave him a hug and a pound and promised he would be back with some harder stuff and that it wasn’t gonna be his night.. AM Boogie went on to battle a few other cats,and disposed of them quite quickly. Everyone was still buzzing because to see Sun get served was a rarity… The Battle made everyone night.. Don’t get me wrong Sun came with some heat…. But this other cat AM Boogie was on a mission to topple the 7 foot giant..

Hip Hop and Censorship

M1

M1

The other highlight of the week took place on Tuesday night when Allhiphop drew more then 700 people to SOBs for a social lounge discussion on Hip Hop and Politics. It was great to see a line out the door with folks from all over New York coming through to peep the discussion. The panelists included Ms Info of Hot 97..Some of y’all may know her as Minya Oh a well known Hip Hop writer for Vibe and other Hip Hop publications, Joe Budden, M-1 from dead prez, Minister Ben of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network, Amanda Diva from VH1 and the editor of Vibe Magazine..

The panelist started off with a discussion about censorship. Most were of the opinion that artists should not be censored because it would open the door to other types of censorship that would be hard to reverse. However, Ms Info raised a good point about Hip Hop defending indefensible lyrics and behavior from artists who want to use lines like Lil Jon’s ‘skeet skeet skeet’ (cumming over someone’s face).

Minister Ben and M-1 asserted that we need to exercise personal responsibility and the community itself plays a role in what they are willing to accept or not accept…He also opted that he was featured on Jim Jone’s newly released album and that it did have lyrics that one could question. He noted that part of our collective responsibility was not to be so quick to listen to outside forces that insist on setting standards for our community, but don’t know the community. He broke it down by saying we should not follow the ways of descendants of former slave owners who have long censored Black folks here in America. He spoke about the importance of us trying to understand why and an artist goes in the direction he does and dealing with the artists on that level. In short, there may be a lot more to them then you think..

M-1 also pointed out that some of these outlets are quick to censor artists when they have something political to say, but remain complicit when they say foul things. He noted the solution was to not bother chasing down radio and video play because those are mediums we don’t own or control. He noted that these outlets would ultimately define who we are as a people and that the best thing any artists could do would be to build directly with the community. Once that happens censorship would not be as much as an issue.

Joe Budden addressed the controversy that swirled around his song where he talked about kicking a pregnant woman in the stomach on the remix to Usher’s song Confessions. He noted that what he said was misinterpreted and that he was describing what some brothers who felt they had their back up against the wall would actually think. He noted that he himself would never dream of doing anything so foul, but as an artist he wanted to play a character and let you hear what that character who he admitted was irresponsible and foul was thinking. He also noted that the song despite the protests was very popular.

To Vote or Not to Vote: Dead Prez vs Minister Ben

Ben Chavis

Ben Chavis

The discussion quickly moved to a topic that really set off fireworks. This was on the issue of voting and politics. It was pointed out that there was a lot of activity going on designed to register people, but at the same time popular artists like Nas, Talib Kweli and Slick Rick have gone on record to tell people not to vote..

Minister Ben set it off by talking about the work he and the Hip Hop Summit Action Network had been doing. He noted that he was on a mission to get folks political involved and one way to do was getting them registered to vote. He pointed out that there were many within in Hip Hop who were afraid to step up and seize power and by not getting involved was a punk move..

M-1 countered by noting that he was one of those artists who encourages folks not to vote. He pointed out that voting in this corrupt system would not bring about any significant change and that ultimately we had more important work to do in the community then run around voting… He also said that he didn’t want to appear to be in opposition to Minister Ben and his work. He said he supported the efforts and if one felt like voting was the way to go then he would not stand in their way, but at the end of day when they discovered voting doesn’t work, he and his organization would still be in the hood ready to work with them to bring about change..M-1’s remarks drew lots of applause

Ms Info and Joe Budden were of the opinion that voting is what is needed. Joe Budden pointed that no matter what happens either Kerry or Bush are gonna be in office and that we should be in record to make a statement.. He noted that there were other issues connected to voting.. not just Kerry and Bush.. He concluded by noting that he didn’t see too much difference in the two..except that one would screw you with Vaseline while the other wouldn’t..

Ms Info pointed out that right now the only currency elected officials are dealing with is the vote.. so until that changes we’re gonna have to get out there and try and push the envelop. Like Joe Budden she agreed that we’re gonna have some one in the white house making laws no matter what we do so we can at least try to get on the record and be heard…

Minister Ben came back and noted that the vote was not the only thing for us to do. He said the vote had to be connected to a larger plan of action. This is just a small step that leads to many. He noted that when he was younger he was of the same mindset of M-1. He spoke about how he spent most of the 1970s in prison for fighting to bring about social change. Over the years he learned to use every weapon including the vote. He also told the crowd if they wanted more wars in Iraq, less healthcare services in the hood and relief from a variety of other ailments then ‘Don’t Vote.. He pointed out that its not just about Bush and Kerry.. Its about all the local election where we need to vote. He pointed out a few laws that were on the books around the country that people could vote on to help end mandatory minimums prison sentencing.

He said when he was in jail there was nothing romantic or cool about it. Prison was not a place to ‘go find yourself’ and all he wanted to do was get out. It was heartbreaking to hear folks say right on and not vote to help bring about change that would help get him and others out. He agreed with m-1 that it is crucial to do work in the community and to build up institutions.. but we need to vote to make sure our hard earned money and tax dollars are brought back to the community so we make that happen.. Ben’s remarks drew loud applause.

In the end Ben and M-1 came to the conclusion that they both wanted social justice and true freedom for the community and in many ways they were saying the same thing. They just had different methods in how to go about doing things.. The discussion despite the messed up microphones was riveting and left folks with a lot to think about..

Props to Allhiphop for pulling together this forum…

 

Filed Under: Hip Hop Articles 2006 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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