Tonight I lay before you the wisdom of Nasir Jones, a 36-year-old rapper hailing from Queensbridge projects, NYC. Ever since the 1994 release of his critically acclaimed album Illmatic, Nas, as he’s more commonly known, has continued to foster the “synthesis of well-crafted rhetoric and street-glamorous imagery,” earning him the title of a modern-day poet & prophet known simply as Nastradamus.
Nas’s unorthodox albeit extraordinary philosophies stem in part from the teachings of his father, renowned jazz musician Olu Dara. By bridging the gap between his father’s old-school ideology and his own new-school perceptions, Nas has devised a form of hiphop that can be universally understood across all boundaries—regardless of age, gender, race, or religion. Nas is, in essence, the quintessential definition of what hiphop truly is: the voice of the world.
Sources (1 2)
The lyrics I’ve chosen today derive from Nas’s 2008 classic “The Slave and the Master.” My interpretation of the song is that although others may hate and even try to destroy me, they have no power because I, and only I, control the blueprint to my life. It is my own choice whether to wallow in filth as a slave or pursue my destiny as a master of my own life.
“They say we N – I - Double G – E – R
We - are - much more,
Still we choose to ignore,
The obvious.
Man this history don't acknowledge us,
We was scholars long before colleges.
They say we N – I - Double G – E – R
We - are - much more,
But still we choose to ignore,
The obvious.
We are the slave and the master,
What you looking for?
You the question and the answer.”
The beauty of this song is that it’s geared towards anybody. If you don’t believe me, then view the last 4 minutes (from 6:00 and on) of Nas’s video ‘Be a Ni*ger Too.’ Watch as troubled faces—African, Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian—line the screen. Look into their eyes and see the turmoil within as they struggle to find their own meaning. Pay special attention around 7:00, as you may be surprised at the face you see.
Black History Month Finale | Part 2
I hate talking about inventions and I’m not interested in facts and figures because I can’t remember them for the life of me. That reminds me, when did Columbus sail the ocean blue!? Seriously though, what I do like are words, which makes sense since I’m a writer. Ergo, I’m ending my ‘portrait of black history’ with a quote that I especially like.
“There is no negro problem. The problem is whether the American people have loyalty enough, honor enough, patriotism enough, to live up to their own constitution...”
-- Frederick Douglass
This leads me to my next topic.
’The Black Agenda’
The black community was torn asunder this week when a disagreement between two of its most prolific media personalities—Reverend Al Sharpton and Tavis Smiley—erupted into a full-fledged, on-air feud over what has been dubbed the ‘black agenda.’ Tavis, who has a track record for trying to undermine President Obama’s political progress, accused Sharpton and other notable black figures (NAACP President Ben Jealous, Urban League President Marc Morial, Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree, and American civil and women's rights activist Dr. Dorothy Height) of “suggesting publicly in the media that this president doesn’t need to have a black American agenda.”
He spoke in particular of a recent New York Times article wherein Reverend Sharpton was quoted as saying that the president is wise not to ballyhoo a ‘black agenda,’ and Professor Ogletree was quoted as saying he “finds puzzling the idea that a president who happens to be black has to focus on black issues.”
In a separate New York Times article, Dr. Dorothy Height later chimed in on the subject, stating, “I am not one to think that he should do more for his people than for other people. I want him to be free to be himself.”
Basically, Mr. Frowney—COUGH; I mean Smiley—believes that Sharpton, Ogletree, Height, and others like them are not adequately catering to the black community. He feels as if they should pressure Obama into spending more time addressing black issues, instead of focusing on universal equality for all. Sighs…
I don’t want to offend anybody, so I’m merely going to quote my homeboy Lionel, who summed up my feelings on the matter to a tea:
“Recession, Poverty, Foreclosure, Unemployment, Illiteracy, Crime, Predatory Lending, Welfare, Homelessness, School Dropout, Teen Pregnancy, Police Brutality, Injustice, Sexism, Domestics Violence, Single Parenting, Incarceration, Recidivism, Addiction etc… Is a LACK thing and not a BLACK thing. Some of us are in the habit or business of isolating crisis to African American culture. We have to take the focus off the color of our skin and keep our eyes on the causes within."
Sources (1 2 3)
Goal Models, Role Models, and Heroes
This week Mr. Michael Baisden pointed out the differences between a goal model, a role model, and a hero. A hero, in his opinion, should be someone in the child’s life that he or she can emulate. A role model, on the other hand, is an authority figure worthy of imitation. As for a goal model, that’s somebody who has accomplished a feat that the child also seeks to one-day do.
For instance, my role model is Michael Baisden, my goal model is Roland Martin (Daps to Barry Saunders as well), and my hero (who shall remained unnamed) is a man who too, like Olu Dara, has been to Mozambique. In fact, my hero once taught there.
By the way, I came to a realization today. When we are young, our parents are our heroes. But as we mature into successful adults, we slowly become our parents’ hero!
Entitlement Seekers
I disapprove of Heartless Type-A (HTA) personalities who base their status in life strictly on their accomplishments, material wealth, and social standing. Note that I italicized heartless, as not all Type-A people fit into this category. The HTA’s attitude is that nobody deserves sympathy and compassion because: “I funded my own self through school and worked hard at my job. Look at me now. I have 3 cars, 3 kids, and 3 bank accounts.” They basically believe that people who ‘complain’ or ‘whine’ about their misfortune are entitlement seekers who refuse to put forth any genuine effort. WRONG.
Everybody occasionally has a bad day—or even a bad year. And when you have a bad day, you might just feel like pouring your soul out to somebody with a heart. But try that on a heartless Type-A personality and you’ll get nothing in return. The HTA could careless about you or anybody else who doesn’t revolve around their world. Mind you, they volunteer at the homeless shelter, donate money to some reputable charity, and have many friends with whom they associate. But you know what—an exciting social life, impressive achievements, and good deeds and do not make up for a wicked heart.
Plus the fact is that the benefits of showing compassion far outweigh anything that can be gained from turning a cold shoulder. And being compassionate doesn’t necessarily mean just babying the individual with comforting words. Providing constructive criticism is, in my opinion, as compassionate, if not more so, than acting like a nanny. By providing a troubled individual with useful advise, such as Chef Ramsay does on the reality-show ‘Kitchen Nightmares,’ you are empowering the person with the tools needed to overcome their situation.
Look. You can leave someone in misery and allow them to ‘wallow in filth,’ or you can take a little time out of your day to pick them up, wipe them off, and help them on their way. It’s their choice whether they want to keep bitching and stay in the shithole they’re in, or move along with you by their side. See, if more people made an effort to help others, then everybody could one day potentially be successful! But instead the HTA personality prefers to sit back and complain about the entitlement-seeking complainers. Irony at its very best.
Narcissism
Somebody said to me, “You are a narcissist."
Yes, I admit that I’m somewhat of a narcissist, which is why I love staring at myself in the mirror. However, we are all narcissists to some extent. But true unhindered and unfiltered narcissism involves much more than appreciation of self. It’s an overabundance of ego and pretentiousness in which the individual in question sees naught but him- or herself. And that is certainly not the type of person that I am.
In my opinion, the true narcissists are cynics. They are so sure of themselves that they assume anyone who doesn’t share their beliefs is a stupid and useless sheep. Furthermore, they claim that reality television, untethered creativity, and celebrity charity telethons represent everything that’s wrong with America. Oh PLEASE! Pull your head out your ass and take a whiff of reality, you ass. We as Americans do have our faults, but our ability as Americans to just let go and be ourselves without limitation is not one of them!
I’m a Toys-R-Us Kid 4 Life
I get a lot of slack from some people for being too silly and immature. To them I say, excuse me for being unafraid to stay forever in touch with the child within me. Actually, BUCK THAT! Kiss my butt-cheeks and listen to my diarrhea, you uptight snobs! I’m sure everybody acts silly sometimes, but apparently some forms of silliness are just too childish for others to endure. What a load of crap!
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Alright. Unless something interesting occurs, I will be taking the next week off to focus on other projects, such as my first-ever short story. In the meantime, I will do as Wanda Sykes indirectly suggested and SHUT UP! (Love you too, you chocha-licking cabrona!)
PS – And NO, there’s nothing racist about the NAACP Image Awards!
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