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May 20, 2010 | | Comments 30

Top 5 Dead or Alive

tupac5Ever 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.

Before I go any further let me define what I mean by “revolutionary.”  To me, a revolutionary is someone who has effectively changed the course of human existence.  With that said, I’ve compiled a list of 5 people who have permanently altered the direction of civilization; these are the 5 people I most wish I could sit down with to have an engaged conversation.  So without further ado I present to you…. [drum roll please]…. my Top 5 Dead or Alive revolutionaries – Mitochondrial Eve, Imhotep, Jesus, Einstein, and Malcolm X.

Imagine for a second that you could ask each of these figures any burning question that comes to mind.  What would you ask?  Given the opportunity to discard your What Would Jesus Do bracelet, (in exchange for talking to the man in the flesh), would you keep it real?   Would you ask Him if partaking in His Father’s “herbal” relaxation remedies are really more morally corrupt than drinking the fermented grapes that were the preference of His homies?   Would you ask Malcolm if he still has beef with the Nation of Islam and the modern day Louis Farrakhan? Would you ask Einstein what he imagined was on the other side of a worm hole or question Imhotep on what motivated him to build the first pyramid?  Was there anything that stressed Mitochondrial Eve out?  So many questions could be asked…

adam_and_eve_newsweek_coverInterviewing these folks would be so exciting because each of one them permanently changed the course of history as we know it.  For example, you, and every person you know, is a descendant of Mitochondrial Eve.  Holding the crown as everyone’s ancient African grandmother, we can all find traces of her mitochondrial DNA in our cells.  If I could travel back 170,000 years ago to meet this fine Ethiopian sister, I would be curious to know what she did to have such a strong influence on how we define human existence today.  Undoubtedly she was a head-turner, but there must have been something even more special about Eve that allowed her genetic stamp to be found in all present day people.  I have a hunch that she was more Michelle Obama than Nicki Minaj.

imhotep2When it comes to Imhotep, the real question is what didn’t this brother revolutionize?  He was the world’s first noted architect, doctor, and astrologer.  I’m inclined to believe he was also the world’s first West Indian because [In Living Color “Hey Mon” voice] him had like 10 job: “chancellor of the king of lower Egypt”, the “first one under the king”, the “administrator of the great mansion”, the “hereditary Noble”, the “high priest of Heliopolis“, the “chief sculptor”, and finally the “chief carpenter”.  Imhotep is the definition of human ambition.

No need for me to go into detail about Jesus, He’s only the foundation for Christianity as we know it.  I would venture to say that Christianity has had ummm…. quite a significant impact on World events for the past 2010 years.  To say major disagreements between billions of people have occurred through the interpretations (and misinterpretations) of this man’s teachings would be a gross understatement.

As for Albert Einstein, how could he not be your hero?  This dude died 55 years ago and most of his theories still form the basis for significant scientific discoveries.  As a matter of fact, Einstein was so ahead of his time that physics is still trying to catch up to the things he postulated almost 100 years ago.  I don’t know about you, but quantum teleportation, shifting space time, and black holes are some ill concepts!  einstein1This dude left us clues about how to get off this tiny rock called Earth so we can visit the great wonders of the universe one day. Even more, when considering the non-scientific books he wrote about the irrationality of war and the detriments of capitalism, I could go on for days about the dopeness of Einstein.

While he was no scientist in the vein of Albert Einstein, Malcolm X found the formula for Black self confidence.  His eloquence, intelligence, and charisma elevated him to the platform of true dangerousNEGRO status.  This self educated brother scared the ish malcolm-xout of America’s white patriarchal society.  No one could defeat Malcolm X in a debate except Malcolm X; truly unprecedented.  Malcolm gave the Black community pride on a level that has yet to be duplicated.  He empowered us to fight the power, start our own businesses, and improve the moral fabric of our community.  I wonder how Malcolm would grade Barack’s presidency thus far…

So there you have my Top 5 Dead or Alive revolutionaries and my reasons for picking them.  Who do you have in your Top 5?

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  1. Ezra says:

    Some good stuff… I think I would list Malcolm X, Phil Valentine, Delbert Blair, The Real King Tut, Nefertiti… Im not sure I believe in the whole Adam and Eve incestuous world population story but in theory I would like to talk to her and Adam… That would be interesting… I mean in an fairy tale kind of way… Sort of like talking to Little Ms RidingHood..

  2. dwalkerspeaking says:

    Ezra, you may not believe in the Biblical Eve, but there’s no denying that every human being on Earth carries the DNA signature of “Mitochondrial Eve.” Check out the highlighted link on her name in the article to read up on her.

  3. Eric says:

    1) Imhotep, the first genius in history.
    2) Jesus, and Muhammad, I group these two together because almost 2000 years ago these two formed the most influential groups in history, and still transform lives.
    3) Martin Luther King/ Gandhi, these two instilled a system of civil disobedience which had never been successful in recent history.
    4)Fidel Castro, almost single handedly protected his small country from the the most dangerous and powerful country in the world. He even loaned part of the island to them and still does and says whatever he wants.

  4. dwalkerspeaking says:

    Eric you cheated… that’s 6 people! I think you have to give Gandhi the upper hand in influencing MLK to consider civil disobedience as an option for obtaining civil rights.

  5. Alkhemy says:

    -I understand the notion of tracing man back to the “Mitochondrial Eve.” The biblical story of Adam and Eve has more to do with the law of opposites and the higher self than geneaology. As illustrated in the magazine cover above.
    -If it were not for Constantine and Paul, would Jesus still be a global figure?
    -There would be no Malcolm X, if it were not for Elijah Muhammad.
    – I would have to place Obama in my top five simply because he is the first black president of the most powerful nation on earth. Whether we agree with his policay or not.
    – A. Phillip Randolph is another Hero who could have easily made the top five, considering his fight for the rights of blacks.

  6. Fidel Castro would always be an icon of history evethough he is against the U.S.-“`

  7. Uhurube says:

    1. Jesus takes all 1-5 hands down he was not human. He was the Son of GODs There Nobody Else I could even begin to compare!!!

  8. Frye says:

    Very interesting top and article.

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  10. Fidel Castro still have some good legacies despite his not so good repuation.:’*

  11. Fidel Castro may not be a hero for western countries but he did a good job in providing subsidized medical care in Cuba,;’

  12. the us hates fidel castro but he has lots of achievements too in Cuba’,,

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  14. actually, Fidel Castro is not at all a bad man. Cuba has one of the best government medical care in the world `~-

  15. MissKriss says:

    What an interesting article. I’m not in the correct mental posture to respond, but I’m so glad that I stumbled across this. Well written and highly thought provoking.

  16. chuckiedos says:

    I don’t see how MLKJR doesn’t make this list. I realize that he may seem ‘too nice,’ he was all about love, and he has a holiday and all, but he’s dead(assassinated) for a reason. White folks LOVE him NOW, but no one was HATED more during his time. I recognize he doesn’t seem as radical as, say, Malcolm X, and therefore not as revolutionary, but I ask you to look at not only what he said, but what he did. He was talking shit, however eloquently, to white folks IN the SOUTH–not Harlem,going to JAIL in the SOUTH, and leading protest in the SOUTH…often at NIGHT. He was beaten,stabbed, bombed, and convinced people to–effectively–go to war WITHOUT weapons, and WITHOUT retaliating. SUBTRACT King(and the movement he led) from history and what do you have? If the civil rights movement was not a revolution, then what movement was? If King wasn’t a revolutionary then who was? C’mon, son!

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