TI and Gucci Mane Celebrated, Mumia Abu Jamal Still Forgotten

It is easy to feel concern, compassion or apathy, about what people openly discuss and talk about frequently — especially in this age of social networking with regards to sights like Twitter and Facebook. I joined Twitter around 2007, but have yet to open a Facebook site. From my perspective, the main benefit is that one can easily share information as well as keep track of events that are provided by news outlets, mostly newspapers that I would otherwise not be able to via a regular medium. However, it does have its negative aspects as well.

Last night, via Twitter, I found out that Atlanta hip-hop artist Radric “Gucci Mane” Davis had been released from jail. Not that it was important, but the interest it attracted and the unexpected joy and veneration with respect to his release was. Personally I could not understand it, but next it dawned on me that these people have never to my knowledge used this medium to gather momentum with respect to another individual in a similar position, Mumia Abu-Jamal.Jamal was a journalist and the founder of the Philadelphia Black Panthers. In 1982, he was convicted and sentenced to death for the alleged killing of a white Philadelphia police officer.

He has been in prison since 1981 and on death row since 1983, for the aforementioned murder of Daniel Faulkner. Prior to that, he was best known for his award winning reporting on police brutality in the city of Philadelphia called “Voice of the Voiceless”.

It appears that our priorities are backwards, giving more attention to Gucci Mane and other rappers who are incarcerated inclusive of T.I., Lil Wayne, than people who actually contribute positively to our community. Neither Lil Wayne nor Gucci Mane could compare to Mumia Abu-Jamal in character, community development or integrity. Yet Mr. Davis, speaking to a group of reporters said "My time in jail was trying, but I grew from it and am now a stronger and better person. I want to continue on a positive track and truly focus on being a role model to my fans and my community."

It is a shame and maybe even a sign of the times when a former president of the Association of Black Journalists and the founding member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Black Panther Party, gets less attention than people who through their music, applaud greed, self-centeredness, materialism and violent self-destructive behavior. Someone please explain, I just cannot not comprehend it.

Is u a bich or what

Blessing: My home boy Issac Hayes just died. Dang. Grammy. Hats off folk. Lived up street from me. First home studio ever went in. my neighbor-shaft dang. folk

Point of order: 1] My crab apples are really blooming this year (see pic).

2] Thanks to BlackTVonline for the best black political blog and SJP for honoring me with the Emblem of the helping hand award.

In English class, we use to have to do explicative writing, where we take the stanzas and sections of a book and use the words to make a point. So I’m bout to try this shit with a recent song by TI. The name of this essay is “is u a bich or what.” Now being a south Parkway jones from Memphis , Ten, some of us got certain standards. The recent song by TI called “whatever you like” goes against this understanding. Take the chorus in the hook:

Stacks on deck Patrone on ice And we can pop bottles all night Baby you could have whatever you like (you like) I said you could have whatever you like (you like)

Now tricking, is only reserved for our kids and our women, but then that aint tricking. For if you have it or not, a real ni double g a gone do what needs to be done, within respect to life, liberty and others property for his kids and woman to have. We call that responsibility and it got nothing to do with getting loot nor having Patrone (which aint a good Tequila and got no worm) on ice or not, for it aint hard to tell.

In another verse in the song the author sings”

Anytime you want to pick up the telephone
You know it ain't nothing to drop a couple stacks on you
Wanted you could get it my dear
Five million dollar home, drop Bentley's I swear

Now from the understanding of a trill jones, it aint about stacks on deck unless they invested, in gold, or currency or the education of ones self or children. Now the unfortunate thing is that such dictates that a woman, or even worse all women are just merely objects like slaves to be bought, or purchased, and not enamored with gifts of love. For if love was unequivocally important, then a disclaimer of some sort would be in order. However, the reduced generalization is towards a woman, who think that she is only a form of value in terms of how much money is spent on her – at the crib we call this a ho.

Yeah I want'cho body, I need yo body
Long as you got me you won't need nobody
You want it I got it, go get it I buy it
Tellem other broke niggas be quiet

The aforementioned is a moot point for unless one is gay, they gone want to stick they horse inside a woman. Moreover, it is a reflection of low self-worth and value for the suggestion is that ones money makes the person, in this case man. This asserts that the ability to think, hold a descent conversation or what one can achieve with their mind is not important – to either what defines a man in his pursuit of a woman, or what a woman sees in a man of being of value.

This is repeated in the song again. Take the following lyrics for instance:

I'm talkin' big boy rides
And big boy ice
Let me put this big boy in yo life

For the sagacious, even if one had the ability to afford such, in a time when oil may be approaching $200.00 a barrel and fuel efficiency in the average car is virtually no existent, the suggestion that buying such vehicles and buying jewelry to match, when it may be the result of a miner in South Africa who is prevented from seeing his wife to mine such, or a young child maimed or killed in a war to obtain such “ice”, is merely a sign of selfishness traditionally reflective of western world belief orientation. There is nothing wrong with obtaining wealth, just letting such define what and who one is. This made more paramount in the following stanza:

Cause errbody know it ain't trickin if ya got it
Ya need to never ever gotta go to yo wallet

Even more problematic is that believing that a woman, or man doesn’t have to work to provide for themselves, or support themselves, may be more harmful to the community as a whole, creating a destitute populous of folks that would rather receive handouts, feel that they should be giving things with out hard work, or in encouraging the belief that I am entitled to things with out work just because I want them.

In summary, although a song and not a poem or piece of well written short fiction, this song seems to represent the suggestion that value can only be in what one is worth and that anything, even a meaningful relationship or another person can be had if the price is right. Moreover it offers the belief that working and providing for oneself moot for any person, especially a woman. From this perspective, the only difference between the aforementioned works is that it is played on radio’s continuously and is more prevelant than books or the written word. The general translation of the song could be literally, "is u a bich or what"; specific to both men and women who abide by such beliefs. The beat is funky and the hook is catchy however, it makes one think that if Kanye West was offered by the KKK to produce a song for them called “Hang that Nigga from a tree”, that many would listen to it, that it would be played on the radio incessantly, that we would say it is just a song and not find it offensive.

vote

Denouement

I first came across the word denouement in a 7^th grade honors English class. It was really part of a program in the Memphis Public Schools called CLUE (Creative Learning in a Unique Environment). Don’t know why they asked me to be in it, by the 8^th grade I got kicked out for playing paper football and reading comic books, but I think what got them was when I did a Book Report on Valley of the Dolls – any who.

The word is a French word meaning "unwinding," and supposedly refers to the outcome or result of a complex situation or sequence of events, an aftermath or resolution that usually occurs near the final stages of the plot of a novel and normally occurs or starts after the climax is over. For me, it occurs only after all the conflicts have been resolved.

I wanted to use this word to describe my present sentiments about me and mine, my community that is for it is almost reflective of a tragic story, like The Princess De Cleves by Madame de Lafayette or Rameau's Nephew by Denis Diderot or even my own A Matter of Attention, which is about a writer who tries to figure about what it is about writing that he loves so much when he makes no money from it. Such to the extent that he feels he has to select the Love of his life (Margarita) or his writing, which to him is more loving than any woman could be.

The way I see, many of us have lost our ways, whether it is the person who is too lazy to work hard for a small few and select to sell drugs for quick profits or the woman that wants to take off her clothes for men for a green piece of paper. Whether it is a teacher in our school system that spend more time on what she or he will wear and in Lennox Mall than the Library. Or even those that cannot abide by the adage of doing unto others as they would like other to do unto themselves. Regardless, we have a problem for in reality many of us fail to realize that a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush.

We have lost our way, and I aint no preacher nor am I a prognosticator, but just a regular man who cannot compass when we started to loose our way. It is as if the fortitude for lying is more acceptable than being honest and telling the truth. Or that fake images mean more than evincing a sever depiction for other to know or learn about us. I mean in music and movies, this is so vivid. We admire the oleaginous flow of a TI or as Lil Wayne but yet do not take them to task for glorifying infidelity, personal responsibility and having the common sense and decency to evaluate the impact of their messages under the guise of the beat being funky or they just making money. We don’t tolerate the same irresponsibility of George Bush, but we can from folks who in action are just as foul and dangerous to our understanding of communal value. No wonder the family and lack of respect for such is rampant. We expect our mates to love our children as we do after a failed relationship yet will not do the same, for if they are not our children we hold disdain. We expect for people to love us unconditionally yet we cant or don’t love ourselves enough to know or understand love. I see why the Native Americans could not come to agreements or treaties with the white men of the era for they did not practice what the preached and were dishonest. We say family is important but the truth is it is not. especially for us men who place running the streets over calling or being with or kids, or those women who would prefer to place their feelings over their children and use them as pawns.

So, I guess I will close and say. We need to look at how we contribute to dissonance in chaos in our own minds and hearts and stop blaming other for what we do and don’t practice ourselves. In this novel, the one we all are involved in, is at its Denouement, and one of a very crappy E Lynn Jerome Dickey Tyree Novel if you asked me – my 2 cents

PS: Bags are in. you Like?

side bar: KG deserves a ring.

Riddle me this….

In the honor of former vice president Dan Quayle and his speech to Fisk Graduates when he attempted to quote the UNCF motto and said “ A MIND IS A TERRBILE THING NOT TO HAVE” LOL

1] If I ask you to come and share my bed with me, hold me and exchange bodily fluids and u wont, why would one get mad and does one have the right to be mad at me if others or another will?


2] Why couldn’t I take lighters on the airplane but can take matches, when I can order two bottles of Absolute, get a napkin and make a Molotov cocktail?


3] why is so much emphasis based on voting in Amerikkka when it is not a democracy, but rather a republic, where land owners make decisions and not the voting populous?


4] How can one incessantly blame others for things, when they own up and take responsibility for their actions, when they themselves don’t accept the consequences and ownership of their actions?

5] What will it take for, and when will, balling, frontin', playing high post and flossing to go out of style?

6] Why did TI ask the prosecuter if he could have 95 family members over for Thanksgiving and did he realy think he would say yes?


…….Bat Man.

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.

bling 4 a king

I am not ashamed to say it but to me, most folk who seek fame over character have little or no integrity and low self-esteem. This is particularly true by my speculation for entertainers and athletes.

Many of us know that we are in a very different era in America. For the first time, a man that looked like me is being honored via a memorial in Washington, DC and his name is Martin King Jr. I look very highly at Dr. King, not only for his astuteness as a scholar, or the fact that he is like myself, an alumnus of Morehouse College, or even his letter from a Birmingham jail, but because with all of is faults, he was a man of character and integrity.

People say that we need to support the memorial to Dr. King and I agree. They are holding concerts and asking for loot left and right. I just don’t know why it is so hard for us to get the loot we need with all of this so-called new money in our community. So I just say this as a challenge. I Mean, I would like for folks to show me they aint fuck boys and want to be gangsters. So this is to you, TI, Lil Wayne, 50 cents, Nelly, Young Joc and Young Jeezy – represent like men do for what is great and what is right. Give up your chains and bracelets or at least one for the King. What’s the matter, are you to selfish to give up some bling for the king? So represent, or continue to risk nobody’s like me calling yawl fuck boys. And that’s what yawl are, if you don’t stand for the betterment of our historical legacy as opposed to being greedy and selfish.

Wild, Wild Mess

On the previous episodes of the ASMFAFBI, we discussed a shooting with some of Jeezy folks in Miami that resulted in an arrest, Corporate Thug member Slick Pulla getting popped at Slice in the ATL, and a Beef between Busta Rhymes' producer Swizz Beatz and G-Unit rap-group members Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks that resulted in the shooting death of a Body Guard. Today, we have two more incidents, unproductive that have resulted in two more unnecessary Deaths.

Last night in Cin – OH-Ten (Cincinnati, Oh), a member of T.I.’s entourage was killed and three others were wounded in a gun battle at a night club. Before the shooting, it is alleged according to eye-witnesses that it started as a fight in an after-hours club during a party for T.I. (Clifford Harris) and fellow College Park rapper Yung Joc after a show by the University of Cincinnati.

At Club Ritz, a group of men confronted T.I. and his entourage. Belive it or not I have been to the Club before back in the day when I did some consulting for a clinic up that camp. My boys, one of which was a mortgage broker and the other a Sports Management head, would take me there to get some relief outside of the Vernon Manor and its happy hours. It was wild back then as I recall with folks fighting and all. And I a certain that this has not changed and is likely not the first time someone has been shot or killed there nor will it be the last. From what I have heard so far, T.I.'s folk started making it rain money and some of then OH-10 wanna be gangasters tookit as an insult when the money landed on them, thus starting a fight. Twelve (police) say that T.I.’s folk were followed by men in two sport utility vehicles. They say T.I. and his folk tried to leave (good for them) but were followed onto the highway when their vans were shot –up, leaving his personal assistant and spokesman for T.I.'s Grand Hustle record label, Philant Johnson, dead.

Meanwhile in Houston, a few days before on May 1, 2006, rapper Big Hawk (born John Edward Hawkins) was shot multiple times and died. According to reports, he had gone to one of his folk’s house play dominos. They also think that he was shot by more than one person. Big Hawk was the brother of legendary Houston MC Fat Pat (born Patrick Hawkins) who was also shot and killed back in 1998. He was a member of the Screwed Up Click. DJ Screw died in 2000 and folks still have not resolved the cause of his death.

Somebody needs to get the message across that something is wrong. How many folks have to die because of greed, jealousy and personal insecurity? This is truly a wild, wild, mess.

Matri-Phoney

It seems that they don’t make people like they used to. I mean back in the day, it seemed as if when people spoke of marriage, it was sacred and meaningful. In current times however, such is not the case. I even had a friend , really several friends, all of which are women indicate that they believe that everybody cheats. I understand where they are coming from but I was kind of taken back. I can see cheating at the dating or boyfriend/girlfriend level, but not necessarily after a proposal, and engagement ring and the celebrated broom jumping.

I guess that in this age of being star struck and celebrity addictions, it can only be expected. Case in Point, Hoopz of Flava of Love allegedly is married and has a husband who plays professional basketball in Europe. Now check this out, over the past weekend, she was seen in Atlanta with the one T.I. Tip Harris at a club and restaurant – which I frequent often. Maybe I need to stop eating at the places I go too, but the strange thing was that a day or two before in the same joint, I saw T.I. with his woman, or what I thought was his Woman – Tiny, who is also his baby momma. And I admit the only reason I know such is via radio banter heard in the morning on the way to work in between the commercials on Sports Talk and NPR.

I just don’t understand why would someone take a vow of commitment to another and then and run off and cheat on them, if they are married, with a rapper. I guess she found a rapper she actually liked this time as opposed to Flav. Maybe all women in this new era see things the same, maybe it’s not cheating to them if it is a star and they are receiving gifts or money from that person. Whatever the case, men, these are some sure signs that marriage may not be for you, if your woman does the following: 1] Dreams of being an actress or dating someone famous – that means that if they get their chance, they will definitely sleep with them just to say they did – lol, 2] If you by her an engagement ring of two carets or more, yet she complains and ask for another engagement ring – that means that she just like rings and that marriage is secondary and marriage to you is even less important – lol. 3] She says she loves you all the time but in the same voice admits she is unhappy, for if one is unhappy regardless of what it is related to, they cannot love another and 4] she talks about being in video’s or wishes she was a video ho, even after reading Superheads book.

Now I’m not downing marriage or women. I believe in marriage and for me the commitment is a major one, for I have to make the commitment to myself first before my woman. In addition, I know that when a man digs out of his pocket for 4 or 5 stacks for a ring, there is not really much more he can do to show his intentions except jump the old broom. So ladies, please be reminded that marriage is sacred, and men, you remember the same, or else you may actually find out instead of a wife, you married a cheap trick.