When the good die young mean the young die hood.

Ran across this article on a message board that expressed some sentiments similar to what I've been thinking lately. When the crew was down in DC last weekend, I was...ahem...forced...to finally listen to Kanye West's Late Registration in its entirety. Of course, it was a great album; yadda yadda yadda. But I did raise my eyebrow a few times when I heard Crack Music. yeah I know, who am i to be complaining when he's seemingly striving for a higher purpose, but I just feel as though he dumbs the music down too much for me to accept it at face value. It's kinda like how I fell about Jay-Z. He' s a gifted lyricist and great entertainer, but is essentially the Michael Jordan of hip-hop. There ain't no one better, but I'll be damned if he couldn't be wielding that power and influence in some more productive manners. Beyonce is a lovely woman, but really though...I don't give a fuq if the two of them are together or not. You feel me, B?

A thin line between the haters and the ones who love us
A thinner line from the freedom and the foul judges
In the streets where the snake n!ggas hold grudges
- Tragedy Khadafi, "Calm Down"

Being at the Retracing the Struggle march this past weekend brought a lot of things to the surface. You could hear the urgency in the baselines of the old-school cats (virgil woods, john lewis) who took the stage. You could almost see the aura beaming off of the heads of those new-schoolers in the middle of the struggle on the daily striving to do their part (ron bell, mariama white-hammond). You can feel the desperation in the pleas of the new-schoolers who will help lead the way tomorrow (the foundation, reflect & strengthen). Stop supporting that bullshT, son! Like they said in Sunset Park, "It's Time To Get Live. It's Time To Represent." Do your part and we'll work it out. Word.

My reputation alone should speak for itself
-Styles P, "We Gonna Make It"

Retracing The Struggle

Had a very down-to-earth Sunday, with the majoity of it completely immersed in the Retracing the Struggle march.

My girl Mari reminded me about the march on Saturday and I ran across several informational links online, so I made my way around the corner to Eliot Square to check it out. Needless to say, I didn't go back home for the next 5 hours. It started at the First Church in Roxbury and wound down Columbus Avenue to the Boston Common's bandstand.

It is also worth noting that I got to see and hear a LIVING LEGEND speak with such conviction that it truly was awe-inspiring. I'm talking about none other than John Lewis, current US Representative and former head of SNCC from back in the day.

As we made our way from Eliot Square onto Malcolm X Boulevard towards Roxbury Crosisng, we noticed we were at the tail end of the march. But the fun was just starting. Ran into my man Horace Small and finally cornered him enough to get a solid date for the next get-together; Friday, November 11th. It's on. More details to come on that one later. We also shot the shT on some other topics, including what the march was really all about. Because it sure did seem to be more of a publicity event for many of the politicians in atendance. Of course it may just have seemed that way, but there was definitely a thinly veiled air of bewilderment at just how many of them show up. It definitely piqued a lot of peoples' interest.

But anyways, I saw and met a lot of good people doing good things and heard some rousing remarks for a host of speakers at at both the church and the common. Apparently, Menino always call Mari a trouble-maker when he see her. Saw Lori Nelson, Howard Zinn, Jarrett Barrios, Diane W, Chuck T, Mike Capuano, Sam Yoon, Felix Arroyo, C Yancey, John Kerry, Shirley Owens-Hicks, Marie St-Fleur, Mel King (another living legend), Harold Zen, Ron Bell (who did his thing in putting the whole shebang together), my homegirl Afia from MIT (who is now at Harvard doing divinity & architecture), Rev Hammond and his moms, Rev Wilkerson, Ricky and Marvin and Cabral from Freedom House, Mukiya Baker-Gomez, Eroc and Optimus of The Foundation, Reflect and Strengthen (who blew me away with their performance), Mike Flaherty, Gloria Fox, Byron Rushing, Taylor Branch, Virgil Woods (who brought the house down with his call to action), Rodney Muhammad, and Michael Jacoby Brown. It was snowing on Saturday, but the gods blessed us with the perfect weather on Sunday given the time of the year for such an important and meaningful(?) event.

It Hurt Me More Than It Hurt You

At first sight, it's such a seemingly ridiculous phrase to say. But when you're the speaker, you can understand the situations when it is deemed necessary. But when you're the listener, even in the cases when it does make sense (somehow) it still can sting like a muthafuqa.

So basically, I think I made a kid cry Wednesday afternoon. We had our work session and this one kid - i mean student - has been coming in for the last two weeks. He came right when some other newcomers joined so I told them all about what my expectations would be and how I needed to test them out first. Now mind you, the big draw fo us is the money. The students have the opportunity to get paid and rake in some decent change doing stuff they enjoy.

But unfortunately, homeboy is just a bit too clueless on the whole process. I really appreciate his interest and so forth, but I can't get into the business of training them. That's what their classes and free time is for; to learn and hone their skills in graphic & web design/development. So after a rather unnervng puppy-dog faced, I had to let money know that I just am now comfortable assigning him to any real projects neither now nor in the next few months. I kdi you not when I say I think I heard him whimper. So now I feel like shT for tunring him away. I didn't tell him he couldn;t come back and tried to encourage him to immerse himself and parlay off everyone else as a resources by glancing over shoulders and taking notes.

So I guess I'll just have to wait until next week to see if he'll keep coming back. Because it would really suck a$$ to the nth degree I me saying something as simple as that ends up turning him off completely to technology or design, or worse yet, an interest in those types of careers or even school for that matter. I'd have to put a hit out on myself if I end up as the d!ckhead authority figure that doubted some youth full of potential. Awww fuq, man, I need to go and google some former teachers of mine and say thanks.

I'm livin through my son so daddy see it this way

I want him in the NFL; his brother in the NBA

I found myself listening to one of my favorite joints tonight. It's the remix to "Take You There" from Pete Rock & CL Smooth's dope album, 1994's The Main Ingredient. We can all shoot for the stars, right? Who's to say you aren't already making an impact in other people's lives? No matter the circumstance, someone is in your corner ready to hold you down.

Had a dumb busy day today, which actually started off with a wrestling match Tuesday night with El Nino, who refused to go down wthout a fight until he got himself some "jooshe". So after caving in like a little b!tch, I tried to get myself as prepared for Wed as possible, but alas the sleepsies smacked me upside the head and the next thing I know; it's 8am and time rush everything in order to get both of us ready, get him fed and dropped off, and skidaddle my non-morning-loving a$$ to the staff meeting.

Set it so I can make em all respect my fame
When brothers try to count all my chips in the game
Now let me civilize your foolish acts of gunplay
The plan of a stick man, the price in how to get away

So essentially, we need bodies. It's quite an awkward situation, but we are seriously short-staffed, but are currently interviewing for several full-time gigs. Again, take a gander and holla at the god if you or any of your peoples fit the bill. The day also involved a school visit and two client meetings, not to mention our weekly after-school work session. Luckily, lil sis looked out for the kid and relieved me temporarily so that I could essentially stay at the office unti 8pm. I tell ya...nothing is worse than being on the absolute verge of falling asleep in an important meeting convened by someone already pissed that you said you would try to make an appearance. But the highlight is that the culinary arts students at Madison are the shizznit (the food was VERY GOOD) and the Business Systems Networking Advisory Board came away with some great discussion and feedback that benefitted all who attended (and stayed awake).

So all in all, it's a step in the right direction. Plus, I ran into Chuck Turner and remembered that I need to reconnect with my man Horace so we can mesh ideas and get some ill shT poppin. So vicariously, I'm trying to leave this world a better place than I found it; albeit one day at a time. I'll try my best and hope for the best. Don't get no mo' realer than that. Word.

(in retrospect, this was one helluva divergent post. oh well....fuq it. this is my shT, son. ante up.)