All Entries in the "Commentary" Category
Open Letter to Tyler Perry
Dear Mr. Perry, I recently saw the news headline about you being the highest paid person in Hollywood this year. This news does not surprise me one bit. I’ve long known the power of catering to the Black consumer well. We spend almost $1 trillion a year. I don’t understand why companies aren’t doing a […]
Top Ten Things Barack Obama Must Do To Regain The Progressive Black Vote
Get out of Libya. C’mon son… Going to Libya was a George Bush move. We’re supposedly over there to protect their citizens from the big, bad, boogeyman that is Qaddafi (Gadhafi, Khaddafi, etc. depending on the media’s mood today). Before Barack and the Frenchies started dropping million dollar bombs, Libyans enjoyed a pretty damn high standard of living. I mean free education, housing, healthcare, access to clean drinking water, a 78% literacy rate, and life expectancy of 70.2 years doesn’t sound too bad. On the real, it sounds a lot better than Harlem, Compton, and Houston’s 3rd Ward to me. But let’s not forget thatLibya boasts the largest oil economy on the African continent… Real slick B.O.
How We Should Celebrate The 4th
Hey you with that BBQ in your hands…what are you doing? Have you lost your natural mind…yes, yes you have. I’m about to say some un-American sh*t so get ready. When I’m done you can tell me to go back to Africa if I don’t like it here, and I will reply, “First, I’m planning […]
Where Art Thou Hip Hop?
In the religious folklore that is Hip Hop, DJ Kool Herc is the Father, the author of Genesis. Every time you nod your head, admire the rhythmic marriage of two disparate beats, kick a drunken freestyle, or watch your favorite athlete hit The Dougie after scoring, you have Clive Campbell to thank. If Hip Hop made any sense, every culture junkie would adorn their home with a shiny, brass relief of the revolutionary DJ. Yet, despite Herc’s legacy, Hip Hop has tragically failed its founding father.
Assuming Problems are Problems
M.D. Turner In this political and economic environment the mainstream media loves to talk about all these problems we’re having. The hot buttons being unemployment, health care, failing school system, taxes, energy independence, etc. The major assumption is that people in political and social leadership are just as incompetent and clueless as the rest of […]
Victimization Slows Progress
by Tre B. While I’m usually the first to step out in defense of my African brothers and sisters in the motherland and at first this video upset me, I thought about it for a minute, and realized that this is just another example of the victim mentality inhibiting creative thinking and problem solving. Whether […]
$16 Billion Down the Drain
by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu This summer and throughout the year our largest 150 African American organizations will convene their national conferences. They include the NAACP, Urban League, Operation Push, National Baptist, Omegas, Alphas, Kappas, Sigmas, Deltas, AKAs, Sigma Gamma Rho, and many more. I am honored that I will be speaking at many of them. […]
Top 5 Dead or Alive
Ever since Pac and Big died, we’ve heard emcees constantly attempt to include themselves on the “Top 5 Dead or Alive” rapper list. Hip Hop fans have compared their personal Top 5 lists with those of their peers, debating about the merits and flaws on each others’ bill. While it’s definitely been fun to participate in the Great Hip Hop debate, I’ve found it more exciting to broaden the “Top 5 Dead or Alive” discussion to encompass history’s most revolutionary figures.
Why The N-Word, Saggy Pants, and Ignorant Rappers Won’t Die
If you’re a member of the Hip Hop Generation, three relentless fires have burned in your debate circle for the past two decades: the n-word, saggy pants, and ignorant ass rappers. For sure, you’ve been unable to escape the controversies surrounding these topics…
Between Martin, Malcolm, and Modern
Oftentimes I find myself pondering who I would have faithfully followed during the turbulent Civil Rights Era. Would I have been a loyal supporter of Dr. King’s nonviolent resistance? Or would I have sided with brother Malcolm X in his militant approach to Black Nationalism?
Thieving French & Haitian Reparations
by Tre B. I’ve been meaning to get around to learning about the history of Haiti for a good minute since it was the first independent African/Black republic in the Western hemisphere. I also want to predict what will happen to Haiti, from an international relations standpoint, due to the recent earthquake. The best way […]
Haiti and Apocalyptic Politics
Watching the current rally calls and pledges of aid to Haiti as a result of this unfathomable natural disaster, I can’t help but to feel proud that citizens across the world feel compassion for our wounded brothers and sisters. This makes me smile, only not too bright.
Finding Progression in Assimilation Nation
by Demetrius D. Walker Growing up in the United States, it is impossible to escape the implicit and explicit tenets of White Supremacy that embed themselves in the subconscious of every American. While the engine of this domineering machine is not as robust as it was in its heyday of slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow, […]
Slamming Sammy Sellout Teaches Us A Lesson
The perpetual optimist, I am ever so grateful to Sammy Sellout for giving me a platform to discuss the overarching problems that are indicative of his predicament. First, as a man of mixed Negro and Latino heritage I must address the problem of race misidentifcation in the Black and Hispanic community.
Tyler Perry: Cunning or Cooning?
Nobody in Hollywood can hold a candle to Tyler Perry’s meteoric rise to stardom in the last decade. From niche market gospel plays to Black blockbuster bravado, Perry is the American Dream realized – a rags to riches phenomenon. Despite Tyler Perry’s cinematic and syndicated success, anchored in applying Christian family values to modern day strife, there are those who choose to label the brother a sell-out.
