The Garbage we Call Urban Media and radio

My uncle once told me “sometimes what we don’t do is just as important as what we do.” I have taken this axiom to heart for most of my adolescent and adult life. I take it to mean that opportunity is a two-sided street of either seizing the moment versus being blinded by myopia and ignorance.

I am reminded of this often. As I read the Turkish daily News, the New York Times, the the Jerusalem Post and even the Atlanta Journal Constitution, information of a worldly nature is flowing. Writers write in tune with the global nature of both our world and being. But when I scan the topics provided by urban media and radio, I do not see such and only seem to scroll through mundane subject matter that can only be manifested w a concern with celebrity and entertainment.

I say this because it is day 7 of the protest occurring in Egypt against the autocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak and if one reads the Urban Grind, Bossip, Concret Loop, or watch BET or listen to any radio station with the mantra of “hot”, you will be lucky to see one article or hear one news brief on this historical event. Not one single article or discussion on what is occurring right now in North Africa, or insight concerning its relations to past revolt in Africa or what impact or meaning it has for African Americans. This is a completely different urban media than in the past. Now it is more interested in promoting the snake oil and chicanery of gossip and celebrity idolization – go figure.

Although urban by definition comes from the Latin word urbanus referring to cities, it has been reduced to a catch all for minority inhabited areas – mainly African American. And those that claim the mantel of being urban media outlets proclaim the delusive semblance of representing and well-being of said communities actually do not and impose more harm than good.

The sad reality is that these organizations have other interest as their priority and have mutated to something caustic, failing the standards of information outlets of past that lived and promoted social responsibility with passion and duty.

True, I write for a living and times have changed but the same struggle and needs of the past still remain. Unfortunately, many of my peers see avarice, greed and denseness as what is paramount and important more so than self determination and or collective social accountability. Supposedly astute in letters, most likely they could not delineate Henry Dumas for Alexander Dumas, Samori Toure from Sekou Toure, and Euclid’s theory from Maxwell’s theory (electromagnetism), a future from an option or a debt from a deficit.

This is just an example for topics as what is occurring in Egypt, or anything worldly is considered “outside” of their demographic. They do however, write incessantly on topics ranging from how many times Gucci Mane has been arrested, Basketball wives and how many baby momma’s Lil Wayne has but nothing on Mumia Abu Jamal in contrast or what China/US talks mean for African Americans. But what is to be expected reading E.Lynn Harris has been replaced with reading Richard Wright or a Letter from a Birmingham jail. I guess it should be anticipated. Today, many of us have never lived outside the US, let alone Africa or speak multiple languages.

Yes, I know, why read Condoleezza Rice’s latest book when we can attend to gossip, celebrity, fame and watching BET is more important. BET, that’s another story, claiming to be a television station but doesn’t have a morning or evening news program – they say such is not their demographic. People who desire to be informed are not in their demographic. I cannot answer my question but I can say that such is garbage when you think of that in comparison the proportion of Africa Americans living in poverty, infants dying before the age of one, incarceration rates, school dropout rates and illiteracy, unemployment figures or rates of HIV/AIDS among us.

Today unlike the past, nonsense is given predicate over value. Again, I guess it is to be expected. The inaction of urban media and radio gives definition to Harriet Tubman’s statement. “I freed thousands of slaves. I could have freed thousands more if they had known they were slaves.”

For me it means I (Information) before E) Entertainment except after C (consciousness.)

Blinded by the lights

I was on the grind yesterday, so I aint get to see the BET awards. Let me rephrase that, I didn’t want to see them and dint give a hopper grass that they were on and even if I did I would not have manifested a desire to see such.

But I became aware that this dumb shit was on when I made my blog rounds today. Seems a lot of mutha fucas think this shit, or such a spectacle is essential and even important. Although I couldn’t figure out its importance, I did not judge or relegate those that did as dumb fucks (I mean u complain about gas prices, but will look at the BET awards as opposed to writing a letter to your congressman about high gas prices). No just lost folks who prefer to live vicariously through the lives of those that don’t know hard work, but do know persistence.

I figure they had a few singers and a few rappers on. Maybe a lil wayne, or a young Jeezy or a TI or some jones like that. Maybe, I mean i'm just speculating. I know when I was at school, folks like them were hatters. They hated me for clout, and having a pool in my back yard, and hated me because I gave fi’e ass parties. And don’t forget the ubiquitous beat they boy down with an ax or a hammer. It was folk like them that wanted to fight me because of what my folks had worked hard for. That wanted to fight me because they said I was smart or was going to college. But it was just talk, cause they knew in my eyes and heart Id house they bitch azzes , with brain cells or fist, or hammers or bricks and take they woman – they bought when I would just talk,

But what do I know. I Mean women know what up, they like these pseudo thugs, rough necks. But strange to me, cant be to rough if you bitch ass can’t read a whole book or pass a class. But I’m through. Cause if yawl read this, some gone get they feeling hurt if the shoe fit for women, and others gone be mad cause i’m calling them fuc boy bitch azz n I double g a’s. That is if the shoe fit. But I aint blind, nor am I blinded by the lights - i love this song.

Even Stevie wonder, Ray Charles, and Helen Keller learned something in the dark, but we, nope, nada; sun every and each day and we can’t learn shit.

foul

Wonder how much Money Bill and Hillary Paid him. Read 4 yourself. I would add my perspective but i would just say "hatters everywhere we go." and if that dont work for her, just make his plane run into another plane.


any who back to the game and beveraging

Nothing soft about that

I often spend the precious pages of cyberville talking and pointing fingers at my folk and myself. It even pains me to do such. But this weekend in Atlanta, from Thursday until Saturday, I have been paid by stupidity once again. Not just because I hate how some folks promote nonsense, but also because the reality is that these folks are still my brothers and sisters.

This past weekend in Atlanta, BET hosted their annual hip-hop awards show. It wasn’t a troubled weekend with al the folks in tow but there were two events that caught m attention and the attention of the community as a whole. On Thursday night, it was alleged that J. T. Money (originally of the Poison Klan) was wanted for his possible role in a shooting at a Club in midtown called Opera. This event resulted in the death of a young man. I still can’t figure why a person who is going to a club, would take a gat. I mean it is not like one is expecting an old fashion meet me at sun down shot out.

The second occurred Saturday evening before he awards show. Atlanta’s own Clifford T.I. (T.I.P) Harris was arrested at a Walgreen’s parking lot at the corner of North and Piedmont Avenue. Not just a simple arrest but one involving two felonies including the possession of three unregistered machine guns and 2 silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Now what gives here? According to eyewitnesses, the ATF and local police swarmed the parking lot, forced TIP and his folks to the ground and did their due. I am just troubled because back in the day, a brother would never purchase a silencer. Instead we used potatoes.

Now I love my guns too, and may or ma not have some of the weapons that he was charged with having – but I ain't no convicted felon. Is it the fame, or is it down right stupidity that brings the even to the fore? I cannot figure it out. With all that loot, you think that people could move beyond that type of dumb shit. Isn’t one machine gun enough? I guess now, like cars and watches, greed and big headedness makes folks, at least some figure they have to stunt and show out and front like they are what the are not. And say stupid, because according to reports, he bought the weapons from his body guard of seven months, who was a cooperating witness in an ATF who had been caught trying to purchase guns from a under cover federal agent a few days before.

If anything can come out of this it is a message documenting the importance of education. Young boys, education is the key, Books is the key, they allow you to see the world and learn about others as well as one’s own self. Ain’t nothing weak or soft about education, books and learning. We need to get of that dumb shit and value what is really our divine right – being free, sovereign and thinking beings, or else we will never learn and will only increase the populations of prisons. So pick up a book and take your education seriously, because that’s what’s really real, and ain’t nothing soft about that. Cause now Mr. Harris faces the serious possibility of serving Federal time and may have wasted an extremely prosperous career.

BET that

Jones, truth be told, there is a lot of merit in the adage “we are our own worse enemy.” Lets look at us and avarice and limited if any control in forms of economic production – that is when we do. All of the radio stations in the US that represent the culture of hip-hop in some form or fashion are owned by people outside of the culture. They mainly wear pin-stripped suits and have straight hair with some form of abberant color.

Taking that a step farther, the same can be stated for the music and movie industries, in particular those with any for of mass cable presence. When we do have similar economic presences and power, what do we do, when emasculate ourselves in love of the dollar. BET to me has a tremendous opportunity, and opportunity to put in places the laudable exaltations of folks like Marcus Garvey, Martin King and Malcolm X. They have amassed a major proportion of the viewer ship of all interested in looking at African American lifestyles. Yet at the same time, they are not holding up to the same standards we often accuse major white media for doing – degrading and stereotyping African Americans, especially males.

The way I see it, they do just as much damage to perpetuating the fat ass shaking in the background and brothers talking about crime images of our women and men as Clear Channel does. Is it realy that hard, as a human being, as a man, as a man representing the gate and best interest in our community to say “no we won’t do that!” It must be since BET and others are assisting in the commodization of African American Men. Seems, if you are not a thug, drug dealer, pimp, or criminal, you can’t be accepted as a real Black man. Damn, bet that.