Hands steady so the lines in the mental illustration is straight

Kujichagulia - Self-Determination

To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

Black Star has a song called KOS on its first album that I quoted over a year ago. Every time I listen to it, it gets me motivated to look forward to a new day and give thanks every morning that i wake up. Since self-determination, kujichagulia, is the 2nd Nguzo Saba principle of Kwanzaa, I could not think of a more appropriate topic to write about. Music does have the power to change the world even if it's in small strides. There are many whose voices will never be heard. There are people who will appreciate creativity and effort no matter the weather. If you speak for yourself, others will listen. Yet, the merit they give your words is up to you.

That quick cash'll get your a$$ quick fast in houses of detention
Inner-city concentration camps where no one pays attention
or mentions the ascension of death, til nothing's left
The young, gifted and Black are sprung addicted to crack
All my people where y'all at cause, y'all ain't here
And your hero's using your mind as a canvas to paint fear
With, broad brush strokes and tales of incarceration
-Black Star, KOS

let it rain and clear it out

holiday time observations

it's fifty degrees outside and overcast. cold, but not too cold. whatever.

i like how governor-elect Patrick is holding steady on his stance that state troopers should not be immigration officers. i just read that a Dallas suburb passed law preventing landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. the lawsuit has been filed already. definitely want to see how that one turns out.

i came across this column and found it to be quite an interesting read. it is entitled, "A Locked Cabinet," and it reads almost like a synopsis of the Bush administration's shortfalls. It is truly a masterful piece of writing. And this is a powerful visual tribute to New England's fallen soldiers.

Speaking of good writing and summarization skillz, the homie droppe wrap-up as usual and it had laughing away heartily. It's really a shame he has that Canibus disease and cannot come correct with a dope album Such a pity.

it's not rapping, if you just saying the same thing twice

And speaking of saying the same thing twice, I think I may have mentioned before my dislike of that Angelina Jolie chick's upcoming stint as a black woman in a movie. She may look a little ethnic or whatever, but I just cannot stomach it. Plus, the broad is everywhere. Give me a break. No really, please. No more sausages, mom, PLEASE. This all came back to my mind lately because I finally watched Carlito's Way, which was a pretty damn good movie. However, am I the only one who is disturbed when Al Pacino is portraying the illest Spanish cats. I mean really though. And imagine the uproar of rebuttal from people who will assert that the emergence of the new crop of Black actresses are "stealing" away white women's roles? It's a can of worms I'm not really going to cover in depth right now. But like Arsenio used to say, it is something to make you hmmmmm.

But sometimess going hmmmm is therapeutic too, nahmean. Like how I left the ER last week and picked up a copy of the hospital's newsletter and noticed that none of the doctors who were pictured looked like the predominantly black and brown patients. Like how watching Dreamgirls can put you in a trance and hearing Effie sing her life's tale can bring you to cheers and tears. And how watching Eddie Party All The Time Murphy do his thing and go into James Brown mode on the same day that the godfather departed this world felt like a fitting tribute in that hushed and humbled theater.

Hope you Christmas was better than mine.

Merry Christmas

Any Given Sunday

Nowhere is where I came from

As I sat in church this morning/afternoon, something the pastor said stuck in my mind. It was something along the lines of God's word being legit and binding; having blind faith in someone who you know will not choke when confronted with adversity.

Broke many tackles but I'm trapped in myself

Immediately, I thought of the phrase, word is bond. I actually like to use the word, word, in my everyday conversation. As in, word up, oh word, say word, etc. But sometimes, it is eye-opening to think about the little things we say and do in life that have a cumulative effect on our psyche. Someone even pointed out to me how today's sermon was more generic than any given sunday. It was those life jewels that got dropped and thrown his way on the regular that mattered more than the special occasion messages.

On "Any Given Sunday" I got to play my best

The things we hear and feel cause us to speak and react in ways that are sometimes beyond our control and yet - we involuntarily allow the spirit to hit us as it sees fit. I have been feeling extremely overwhelmed with a lot of stress lately and I absolutely despise being stressed. It just doesn't fit my bones. I'm annoyed when I'm aggravated and then from there it's just a downward spiral. So I did some praying, mapped out a few resolutions in advance, and now sit here figuratively and literally cleaning up my life and throwing out a few things, dusting off a few things, and making room for a few things. However, I do wonder how much paper I will be able to throw away though. And who's to say that my winter cleaning will result in any goodwill or favor? All I know is that when all is said and done (life-wise, not this cleaning ish), I would like to be able to say that I gave it my all and put my best foot forward. Nahmean? If I can't write and cash that check, then I need to bounce, son. Word up.

Don't want to be just a commodity
-Common, Guru, Jamie Foxx, "Any Given Sunday"