Do Da Heizman on dat ho (www.myspace.com/demheizmanboyz)

Thanks to my buddy Nichi for turning me on to this. I'm speachless. I think I can actually do this dance!! Check out their myspace too.

THE TRUE KING OF R & B...

TEDDY RILEY!!!!!!!!!

Guy, Wrecks n Effect, Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Black Street and the list goes on. Teddy Riley has produced and sang on numerous R & B hits over the last twenty years. I may be biased because I think the New Jack Swing era was the last great era in R & B and the genre has been mediocre since. Riley shaped and molded the sounds of numerous R & B heavyweights, but he never ever gets the respect he deserves. Although he lacked the writing capabilities of Babyface and the crossover appeal of Dallas Austin, Riley's music extremely more cutting edge and dynamic. Riley's sound was both gritty and smooth and appealed to both R & B and hip hop junkies. One could even say that his sound influenced Babyface's and Dallas Austin's early 90s sound as exibited in their work with Toni Braxton and TLC respectively. He was even the mentor for current superproducers Timbaland and Pharell Williams. I think he's produced the majority of my favorite R & B songs and albums. Don't Sleep! Check his bio at one of my favorite sites, New Jack Swing Forever http://www.njs4ever.com/riley.html

Peace

Grafh - Myspace Jumpoff

Graph's Myspace Jumpoff

NEW NIGNORANCE!!!

Graph's "Myspace Jumpoff" is pure nignorance at its best Pure comedy. Please listen. I'm sure many can relate to this unfortunately. "you can logon to my balls/like my draws got a dot com".

Graph's been on the mixtape seen for years. He is currently signed to and president of Black Hand Entertainment, which is owned by the notorious Chaz Williams. Williams, was immortalized in Ethan Brown's Queens Reigns Surpreme, which details the criminal underworld of Queens New York and its influence on the rap industry. He has very interesting and credible opinions on some of the hottest rappers today. Check his bio http://www.blackhandent.com/pages/history.html. Check Graph's myspace page http://www.myspace.com/GrafhBlackHand.

Peace

Neo Ned

http://www.neoned.com/

Neo Ned is a new independent film starring some dude named Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union (who I can't stand). Aparently, Renner plays a n-word spewing, neo-nazi, racist white due and Union plays the Black girl who falls in love with him. All of this takes place in a mental institution.

I'm going to reserve judgement because I have not seen the movie. I am anxious to see it because I want to find out how Renner can call Union nigger and still end up sleeping with her. Sounds like an amazing feat. Maybe I'll watch this and Monsters Ball back to back because Bill Bob Thorton and Jeremy Renner perform magic. I may also throw in Something New.

I have nothing against interracial relationships. People that know me can certainly attest to this. I am more concerned about how these relationships are portrayed in the media. I cannot think of a movie besides Guess Who's Coming to dinner where a relationship between a Black man and a white woman was explored with great detail. Save the Last Dance and "O" were teen movies. The "Othello" remake starring Larry Fishburne is a centuries old story and ended very negatively. I don't think this is a relationship that the media wants to explore.

Furthermore, there is a continuous rhetoric about the lack of available Blackmen, sisters turning to white men, Black men on the down low, so on and so forth. Media images have a large effect on people of all races and I am worried that images like this could possibly expand the apparent disconnection between Black men and Black women.

But maybe I'm funkin' over nuthin'.

Langston Collin Wilkins

T.O.

Rumor has it that Terrell Owens committed suicide. Unfortunately, this does not surprise me at all. T.O. has been asking for help for many years, but people did not recognize it. Many Black men are taught not to express themselves emotionally and are not comfortable asking for help. Therefore, when we do have mental issues, we committ acts that are indirect pleas for help. Because of most people's characterization of us, are pleas are never answered, not even recognized. The reasons behind our high crime and incarceration rates are not simply economical, social, and political; they are also mental. Hopefully T.O.'s situation will bring this issue some attention. I doubt it, though.

Peace,

Langston Collin Wilkins

10 Years Later...

When I realized that the 10th anniversary of Tupac’s death was approaching, the first thought I had was “Man I’m getting old.” I was twelve years old when then Mad Hatta came over the 97.9 the Box airwaves and said that Tupac had passed away. Although I was in the car with my mother at time, I immediately cried like I never cried before.

Those that know me know that I am a huge hip hop head. Tupac’s death wasn’t simply a hip hop matter however. It was bigger than that. Up until his death, I read as much as I could about Tupac and I felt a real connection with him. He expressed all of the pain that I kept hidden as a child. The inability to trust, the desire to fit in, and the mental loneliness were all emotions that I shared with ‘Pac. He was my voice. When he died, I felt like he was defeated and I wondered if I could actually overcome my own issues.

Tupac spoke for many young Black males. I focus on young black males because, in his own words, they were the group he wanted to help the most. The young Black male of the inner city is one of the most forgotten groups in America. Tupac took it upon himself to be their voice. Through his music, he articulated the ills of inner city life unlike any artist or leader before. Tupac was the young Black males’ representative in a world where their existence was only marginally acknowledged.

Unfortunately, Tupac felt victim to the same problems that he tried to help alleviate. His need for a father figure, his desire to fit in, and his untrusting nature brought about his downfall. He went from being a hero to a statistic.

This is a memorial piece, but more so a call to action. Tupac’s death should not be in vain. His life represents what could be beautiful and ugly about the young black male’s experience in America. Tupac’s words so eloquently exposed the mental and social illness of the young black male and his death showed the world what the result of this illness can be. We know that these issues still exist very prevalently in our community. Instead of mourning Tupac’s death, honor his life by taking up the cause he cared so much about. Reach out to those who need it the most. As college students and professionals, I know we have little free time, but I ask that you volunteer some of it to our children. Donate more than your money, donate yourself. These kids are asking for our help not vocally, but through their actions. If you sincerely reach out your hand, you will truly make a difference. Don’t let Tupac’s death be meaningless, further his legacy by taking an ACTIVE role in your community.

R.I.P. Tupac

Star Jones

Now, I seriously do not like this woman. Most people that know me know that my shit list goes like this: 1. Oprah 2. Star Jones 3. Tyler Perry and then a few honorable mentions like Dr. Cos.

A couple of days ago, Star announced that she was leaving the View effective immediately. Read about it here: http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/27/tv.theview.reynolds.ap/index.html

It would seem as though something like this would make me happy, but I feel she got a raw deal. I also commend her for calling ABC out on national television. FU to Barbara Walters saying that Star "betrayed" her? How? She knew that Star was not coming back and basically lied to the viewing audience for a number of months. I think Star took the high road by keep that secret all that time.

Rosie O'Donnell sucks and she is gonna suck on the View. They already have Joy Behar, why hire an uglier version.

Anyways, as soon as Star gets back on her feet, I'll start hating her again. Peace.

Bullshit Article I Wrote Just to Post Something

I often here people complain about the current state of hip hop. People say it’s too violent, too misogynistic, and too negative. I do not disagree that hip hop is negative. Much of hip hop’s subject matter is negative. I disagree, however, with the contention that the subject matter is getting worse. In my opinion, I think hip hop music has cleaned up its act drastically over that last ten years.
I recently heard someone mention, when discuss the “sad” state of the music, that hip hop should return to the days of Slick Rick, Public Enemy, and Boogie Down Productions, the days that the overwhelming amount of today’s hip hop listeners feel were void of violence and misogyny. If people really paid attention the music of that era, they would here large amounts of violence, sexism, and misogyny. Slick Rick’s 1988 album “The Great Adventures Of…” opens with a song entitled “Treat Her Like a Prostitute” in which MC Ricky D advises men to treat their significant others like hookers until they were secure in the woman’s fidelity. Public Enemy’s “She Watch Channel Zero” characterizes women as mindless animals who do nothing but sit around and watch soap operas all day. Boogie Down Production’s first album “Criminal Minded” was littered with black on black angst and violence in songs such as “The P(ussy) is Free”, “Super Hoe”, and “9MM Goes Bang”

The early 90s was both the highest and the lowest point in terms of subject matter for hip hop. While the music addressed issues such as police brutality, racism, and AIDS, it also was the dominated by misogyny and violence. N.W.A was the poster child of this era. While their first album, “Straight Outta Compton” put a melody to the turmoil in the inner city, Niggaz4Life (their second album) was one of the most sinful recordings every created on a mainstream label. It included songs such as “To Kill A Hooker”, “Find’em F*ck’em & Flee”, “One Less B*tch”, and “I’d Rather F*ck You”. NWA not only features gang culture violence and misogyny, but they venture into the world of sexual violence. Along with N.W.A., other artists such as Too $hort, 2 Live Crew, Geto Boys, Spice 1, and Kool G. Rap help make the era in rap, the most “negative” in my opinion. Even a quote on quote “positive” rapper of this era such as Q-Tip of one of my favorite groups, A Tribe Called Quest, makes a contribution to misogyny in “Electric Relaxation”.

The late 1990s began the boom in exposure for hip hop and with it came a calculated move by labels and artists to clean up their music in order to make in accessible to wider audiences. The violence lessened, the misogyny lessened, and the music was sanitized. Pop rappers such as Ma$e, P. Diddy, and Jay-Z began dominating their charts as they mixed the lifestyles of the poor and the wealthy into a brand of music that was well received in both the hoods and the suburbs. This era continues to thrive.

If one compares the hip hop of today with that of yesterday, they would see how much cleaner the music has gotten. While I contend that the music itself is less negative, I do admit the visuals are drastically more negative. They are more negative and have more widespread. Fifteen years ago, there were very few hip hop videos being made and broadcast. Today, hip hop is in regular rotations on channels such as B.E.T. Hip hop videos are primarily used to promote a record. Sex sells and music videos are the tool in which to sell the sex. Artists such as Nelly, 50 Cent, and Ying Yang Twins are businessmen who employ sexual images to raise their profit margin. Today’s problem is not the music itself, but the images that accompany the music.

Whenever someone requests the return of “old school” rap, I hope they check out the artists I have mentioned and really listen to what is being said. If they do so, I guarantee their feelings about today’s hip hop will become more positive.