...when I kill kids they say shame on me...
...who the fuq told you to put their names on me?...
Some art transcends fantasy. The homie Pharoahe Monche has done it again. Peep the video for his song, When The Gun Draws [website], on his latest album. If you know son, then you may recall his Organized Konfusion days. Otherwise, you'll proably remember the Simon Says song at the very least. The video's style reminds me of the Eminem song he did with Dre back when he first really broke out. But the song itself immediately makes me flashback to Nas' I Gave You Power. Spoken in the first-person, it is a gun that tells the story and narrates its own tale of woe and worry. I remember when Guru spit, "instead of preaching death in my songs, I breathe life." I need more of that. Inhale.....
Without becoming inundated with all of the local woe and worry over gun violence, let's just say it [the video & song] makes a very strong point and leave it at that...for now. I believe I read something (somewhere) this week that said something like, Boston is a relatively safe place if you are white. And while an overwhelmingly large percentage of the homicide victims are Black males, it still affects us all. Psychologically, emotionally, and mentally. Mind, body, and soul all play a role in making the whole person. Yet, we are a people woven from many strands. Our diversity makes us beautiful. Our integrity and resilience makes us shine.
Yesterday, I sat and observed a group of women plan a performance and brainstorm the various angles from which they thought of addressing the many issues that affect their community. And through it all, it was clearly evident that street violence and the mental toll that is has on inner-city youth is a numbing reality. Our governor got sworn in and hours afterwards, he held a Youth Inaugural at the Shubert Theater. The same sentiments were echoed repeatedly just like they were last year; "Don't Wait Til We're Dead." Just like all of our societal ills (homelessness, global warming) and issues (education, healthcare) that need fixing, it is up to this generation to inform, prepare, and act...so that we do not continue the ever-revolving cycle of the next generation cleaning up the prior generation's mess. Exhale...Word.
8 comments:
I literally got chills when I read "Don't wait 'til we're dead." I know that's right. Great post and thanks for the heads-up on Monche's ish.
Only true hip hop heads remember Organized Konfusion. They were ahead of thier time, and on top of that had the best team with PMonche and Prince Poetry. Fudge Pudge and Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken? Classics and thanks for the update.
I think of the gun violence and the domestic violence (the guy who set his house and family on fire in Dorchester this weekend, including his one year old baby) in Boston. All of us are in danger...
But I also think of the seven murders in seven days in NOLA. They are thinking of imposing a curfew, but I think them crooked a$$ NOPD are the ones who need a curfew.
Oooh, I was gonna comment on one thing...but uhh something else caught my attn...sorry Pops
"But I also think of the seven murders in seven days in NOLA. They are thinking of imposing a curfew, but I think them crooked a$$ NOPD are the ones who need a curfew."
Eh, if you know me, you know i'm not the type of person who'd side with da po-pos. It's just more complex than blaming crooked cops. New Orleans pre-katrina held the title "murda capital of da world”) or at least the continental united states) on a number of occasions. Where was the curfew then? Why did we hold this title for a couple years in a row?
New Orleans thrives on the tourism industry. Understaffed, overpopulated, LEAP/GEE testing, little to no funding public schools serve as a pipeline to the hospitality industry that perpetuates that tourism industry.
frustrated, broke, hopeless, are the real citizens of the "city that care forgot"
all this foolishness was going on before trini hit.
little to no work was being done about murders in n.o. pre-trini. why???? people that didn't count were canceling themselves out...one half as the victim of a murder and the other now in the p.i.c.
so we get a little water, return to the city and what happens...
ish is still the same...sorta.
school system got its pipes fixed...check
some cops back to being crooked...check
jefferson parish sheriff harry lee (who is one of the people being held accountable for not letting people cross over the crescent city connection bridge to dry land during the storm) is back to making openly racist statements and is not being held accountable for that...check
only 15% of All churches in the gulf REGION are open
after school programs, ymca, youth activities in lower income neighborhoods have yet to reopen
rent has doubled in all types of units
entergy prices have nearly doubled
the cost of living in new orleans has nearly doubled
some parents are still allowing bet, mtv, da streets, etc to raise their children
some parents don't have time enough to raise their children because they are dealing with rebuilding homes which include: dealing with no good, thieving contractors, red tape from the gov't over rebuilding, workers whom you have to watch the entire time they're there, just to make sure they don't bullish the day you've already paid them for
personal responsibility is lacking
social responsibility is lacking
it's not just the cops fault. it's ours as a community. we've allowed this to happen in the past and are allowing it back into our community. And No I'm not on some us vs them bill "jello puddin" cosby dish the ish but can't take it stuff. i'm on some "i know it's hard out here for us, and institutionalized racism don't make it no easier...but uh let's try raising our children...personal responsibility could change a whole lot...if we let it.”what u expect from one who smoke a joint with his mother" and i know we all know the mama/daddy who ain't know no better...but do YOU!!! what part are you playing? are you enhancing the life of self by blessing others with time, love, etc?
i didn't set out to write all this but now i can't get my party on my last weekend before school beats me a$$ cause of checkpoints??!?!?!? naw, for real, new orleans can/has seem real hopeless at times, esp. going through what we all did. i feel like huey on the finale of boondocks when he says "maybe i'm too young to know what the world is suppose to be like, but i know it's not this" i love my city...but i know, this ain't it. i keep looking outside that window at the cops, drug dealers, kids cutting schools, etc. but sometimes you gotta back up and look in that mirror and hold yourself accountable for what you not doing too.
wow. thanks for the comments folks. i almost got used to just writing to write without feedback. but it is much appreciated. and i feel your sentiments, it is about more than use casting blame, but rolling up our sleeves (figuratively or literally) and doing whatever we can in our own little way. you don't have to over-volunteer yourself if you have a child, yet that may even help you to practice even better parenting skills in your own home. we all play a part in the world, why not try impacting it in baby steps. trust me, you never know how even the most seemingly insiginificant comment or action can go a LONG way.
Hey Pops, boy do I miss reading your blog! I'm back in commission on Cyber space, with months and months worth of blogs scribbled in a notebook. My PC has been MIA since November and I just got it back! Feels good to read you...
Since this blog (& it's comments) I've completely denounced the word insiginificant from my vocabulary. I will explain after my 9pm break...Time management!!!
"you never know how even the most seemingly insignificant comment or action can go a LONG way."
that's just it! Anything you do will perpetuate something else...whether it be for the negative or positive is up to you. I went to one of the neighborhood bookstores the other day (I can spend hours upon dollars at any given time in a bookstore) anyways...the owner and I started a conversation regarding a collection of locally written books (The Neighborhood Story Project) The most recent book was published and partially written after Katrina. In short we began to speak on the recent "violence" in the city, the right to return and rebuild, and just basically living in a post-katrina New Orleans.
See that violence gets me, because it's one part medial portrayal of the image of certain story that you are trying to get across to a certain audience. Yet, i digress on that point and on to the one i was attempting to make. one thing. one child. asking questions. being concerned for those children in your village. giving a child an encouraging word. all of these factors contribute directly to the violence (or lack of) in the city.
One word/act does Indeed go a long way. I was telling someone the other day that love is a verb. it requires action, for without action, love would yield to its own definition.
oooh i am tired so let me close this out. there's no such thing as insignificant love. either you doing it or you not. i love my city. i know i can't go out and fix it like i have oprah or brad pitt's resources...but i have my own and the same goes for the rest of ya'll. everything you do (big and small, the same) will in turn be reflected on your life, your community, your family, etc. no small things exist.
i can't proof this now, though i know when i look back at this tomorrow i will prob ask you to remove it because i was under the influence of deprivation of sleep.
peace
Post a Comment