Did I ever say that we are in Real Trouble?

It appears that the Oprah versus HipHop story just will not die. Trust the media to perpetuate a story for the public's prurient interest. I just happened to log into my AOL account when the main story centering around Oprah is some misguided fan who insists on promoting Oprah for president via his website. Needless to say, Oprah and her capable legal team are not amused. But low and behold, the adjacent story dealt with Oprah's alleged disdain for hiphop. I'm sure you have heard the story before so I will not repeat it but....it truly amazes me how this woman(and others) are being forced to love hiphop. Many of the artists as well as their supporters are delusional as it relates to the current coon imagery of the commercial music idiom. The constant use of "nigga" in place of true lyricism, the bling and misogyny....oh yeah....what's not to love? Take a look at the link below and check out the comments....we really need divine intervention folks.

Oprah Winfrey, enemy of hip-hop

On second thought not much to say.....

....regarding the last post. I suspect that the post regarding the dismantling of the KKK was a farce but the point was made. The key is.....will anything be done to turn things around?

Is it a Joke?......a Proposal?....or Reality

One of my friends hipped me to this supposition earlier today....feel free to take a look. I will comment later.

The Klu Klux Klan Disbands: Leaves Their Job To TOP Selling Rap Artist

I'll Be Black....I Mean Back......I Mean Puerto Rican?

Well, we know how rare it is for a politician to put a foot in his/her mouth.....right? I guess California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger must have missed the memo. For reasons unknown, the gravity of this occurrence already appears to be losing some ground but it remains a wacky story nonetheless. A March 06' conference the governator had with advisors was recently leaked in which Arnold was taped having a discussion about the specific nationality of a Latin political rival. What makes the conversation especially disturbing is the governor pontificating about Latins from Cuba and Puerto Rico being "hot" because of the admixture of Black and latin bloodlines.

This can be dissected on many levels. Of course this is not the type of discourse a government official should be having but will Black folk protest when there are more obvious examples of disrespect (CBS, BET, MTV, Gangsta Rap, etc) that demand attention. And haven't we heard this before amongst Black folk themselves about the lineage of many Latin cultures. The amazing part is that you have a foreign White person that is aware of nuances that many people of color refuse to admit to. Only time will tell. Check out more on this story by clicking on the link below:

Schwarzenegger: Cubans, Puerto Ricans 'all very hot'

Let's See What Will Happen

Just keeping everyone informed.....I emailed (as well as sent regular mail) a letter requesting consideration for a Black Alternative Music channel on Sirius Satellite. Check out my letter and Sirius' response. Let's see if they will do the honorable thing.

Message: Dear Sirs:

This brief letter is in regards to a request that I think will be
beneficial to your current roster of music channels. I am a recent
Sirius subscriber and I am highly pleased with the variety that your
programming entails. What would make your service even more pleasurable
would entail more progressive music programming as it relates to
African-American music. Perhaps the greatest disservice to current
Black culture is the perception that hip-hop and commercial r & b are
the only styles of music that people of color (as well as others)
produce and listen to.

I hope that Sirius, in contrast to the current state of terrestrial
radio, would consider a Black or Urban alternative radio channel. There
are a number of Black artists that are beyond conventional
categorization and in my estimation, are deserving of airplay. Artists
such as Bad Brains, Prince, Fishbone, 24-7 Spyz, Vernon Reid, Res, The
Roots as well as many of the neo-soul artists have yet to really get
comparable airplay in comparison to their hip-hop/r&b counterparts. I
have yet to see something like this considered in terrestrial radio.
Please uphold your revolutionary stance and consider a broader scope for
Black music for all to enjoy.

And now their response:

Subject: Re: Music Programming (KMM5026418I6774L0KM)


Dear Desmond,

Thank you for writing to us here at SIRIUS. We appreciate your comments
about our music programming. SIRIUS remains dedicated to providing an
unparalleled variety of music programming on all of our commercial-free
music channels in virtually every genre. Our channels are designed to
provide listeners of every listening preference all the music they want
to hear.

We continually rely on customer feedback like yours and research to
enhance your entertainment experience. As we strive to create the most
diverse listening experience available, we find that the feedback we
receive is crucial to our success! We are forwarding your comments to
the appropriate programming team for consideration.

Please visit our website at www.sirius.com/WHATSONSIRIUS for our current
lineup, schedules and programming highlights. Thanks again for your
thoughts and for your continued support of SIRIUS.

We are committed to providing you with the best in customer care. If
you have any more questions, please feel free to contact SIRIUS Customer
Care. For your convenience, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week at:

1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474)

As well as by email at:

www.sirius.com/customercare

Sincerely,

Debra G
SIRIUS Customer Care

For those who care-Tom Cruise's Baby

I know this is not a usual Afronerd topic...but I will explain why later today.
Enjoy and try not to gag.

The Katrina Chronicles.....or Why Rap is the New Disco

I just wanted to rant about something else that I noticed with the Katrina tragedy. What happened to the artistic response from our (so-called)musicians? HipHop has been quoted ad infinitum(since Chuck D's infamous remark 15 years ago) as being the CNN for the Black community. Perhaps at one time this was true but how does one explain the absence of music detailing the event? The only hiphop artist of note that has a single coming out about Katrina is Mos Def. What about the countless other artists? This is why Juan Williams, Bill Cosby, Stanley Crouch and others have come out so strongly against the current state of hiphop. A devastating event has wrecked havoc against Black and poor people and all we get to encapsulate the tragedy is more glutes, grills and gangstas? Dead bodies floating in filthy water isn't enough? Please tell me an (internal)revolution is forthcoming.

911 vs. Katrina?.....is it a fair match-up?

I recently had a conversation with a colleague that felt personally offended by Mayor Ray Nagin's(New Orleans) ground zero "hole in the ground" remarks. For those unfamiliar with Nagin's comments, he essentially was responding to criticism (from New Yorkers in this instance) regarding the perceived stagnation of the rebuilding of New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina devastation. To paraphrase Nagin, he rebutted that New York is not in a position to criticize because it has been five years and they have not fixed ground zero(hence the hole in the ground assertion).

I, for one, agree with the intent of the Mayor's statement but felt that the wording was unwise considering that last week he was in New York asking for monetary aid. Sometimes you have to make concessions when you are seeking help from people. Anyway, this discourse with my coworker quickly sequed into a heated 911 vs Katrina discussion-which disaster was more tragic. The premise is really an unfair one. But sometimes I feel that Black and poor life just doesn't weigh in with some folks. As devastating as 911 was, New York City's infrastructure was minimally harmed. New Orleans is a city and not a building. I just could not convey this to the colleague in question.

A life is a life but there are no million dollar claim settlements going to the Katrina's victims and their families (as it was for the 911 victims). It also did not take 5 days to respond after September 11th as it did with the gulf coast. Whatever side of the fence you may be on with this subject, one thing that we all can agree on is.....the government severely dropped the ball in preparedness in both cases. Let's cross our fingers and hope that there are no immediate future debacles laying in wait for comparisons.....one can only hope.