Hip-Hop on Repeat

Do you know why Hip-Hop is the way it is? Why it seems to just be a marketable gimmick that lacks the talent and art it had in the previous generation 20-36 years ago? Most people will say that it's due in part to the corporate world taking hold of it and ruling it with an iron fist starting with the tempting of the artist with the riches they always longed for. Then, hooking the listener to want to follow in their footsteps, thus creating watered down carbon copies that further distorts an already bland message until all that's left is a hook and 2-3 verses that literally had no meaning to it beyond recycled braggadocio rights. Lastly there's the broadcasting of all these elements to an almost religious level by almost all major mainstream hip-hop entertainment outlets so as to give the illusion that no brand of hip-hop is greater than it, even in past generations. Also, it's a given that a heightened level of ignorance is encouraged so that you can have just as fun as those kids wearing shades and pants that look like tights who literally became famous because they made up some weird cheerleading dance. It's like elementary hypemen going around the school to prove who's the greatest class clown with the greatest sex appeal with a given that they have the greatest phallus of maximum pleasure to every female that catches their eye for the night. And the lady's role is supposedly the quiet concubine that dances 'round in the videos like a good/bad girl.

That's a summation of what I consider the main points that everyone talks about when they bring up the question "Do you know why Hip-Hop is the way it is?". But I'm not here to comment on that specifically.Instead I'm asking another question that I think should now be more important.

Do you know why Hip-Hop is STILL the way it is? It is now the year 2010. As Early as 2001, I heard a song that MC Pigeon John did called "The Heartbeat" on his album "Pigeon John is Clueless" where he talked about the state of Hip-Hop and its unbalanced commercialization with a line that said "...I wish Hip-Hop would die, like disco and supply a seed for something new to multiply." In 2006 Nas made a declaration with the album "Hip-Hop is Dead" that Hip-Hop has died for that same reason that Pigeon John mentioned. The following year, KRS-One and Marley Marl dropped the album "Hip-Hop Lives" to state its resurrection had begun. Also around this time, The debate known as "Hip-Hop vs. America" was broadcast on B.E.T. that showcased Rappers, Black Scholars, parents who's children listen to hip-Hop music regularly. In late 2008, Author Tricia Rose released her book "The Hip-Hop Wars" and it discussed what we talk about when we talk about Hip-Hop and why it matters.

The reason I bring up all these references is to say, we all knowe what the problem is in Hip-Hop. We all know why so much garbage is continually being spoonfed to us like it were the only source of music and existance. I'm sure this argument probably began when artists in the late 80s decided to establish themselves against the fast growing market of gangsta rap, but judging by the topics and debates from just the last 10 years, it's apparant that something is wrong with Hip-Hop and something needs to be done.

So I once again ask, Do you know why Hip-Hop is STILL the way it is? My answer: because, we continue to talk about it's a brand new discovery.

If I gave the average Hip-Hop listener that I know my iPod, they would most likely not come across any artist they recognize (with the acception of JJFP) and that being simply because I like to search for music not so widely advertised because, I enjoy it more. But one major petpeeve that I'm coming to find is the way people comment on my music. This goes for people who enjoy it or people who don't enjoy it. People who don't enjoy my taste in music will stereotype me and say something like "You're not from around here are you?" or something like that. But I can handle that because usually they'll just say that only with the first listen, any other time they'll either be evasive, cautious, or open-minded. The people who do enjoy my music selection however will give me the same comment every single time. It goes along the lines of "That's what I'm talking about, that real Hip-Hop music, not all that radio crap." And they can say that every single time as if it never gets old.

You don't need to constantly express your vehement hatred for commercialized Hip-Hop. Just enjoy the music that's been placed in front of you and not make it a platform for a roasting session for Lil Wayne just because he didn't write this song that you enjoy so much.

Sometimes I feel alot of these "Real Hip-Hop" lovers are almost in denial for liking the music they claim they hate so much. Out of their mouth, you'll hear them say a name of a rapper they say they don't respect more than any MC that they'd blast on their stereo. It's almost as if they always have that radio on, waiting for the latest song to drop, just so they can talk down on it. In all honesty you're adding to the hype that the song gets which inevitably makes you the hater that we thought only existed in the commercial world.

If you want to get rid of something, why make it the topic of interest? I can understand your passion to exterminate it, but don't make it immune to your extermination process. You're going to mess around and catch a conniption drowning yourself in what you want no part of. Instead let's continue to search. I have a wide selection of Hip-Hop that none of my peers have heard of. I'm not bashing they're music, only inviting them to hear with open ears at talent that wasn't picked up on the 106th and Park Hip-Hop radar. Approach them like that and who knows, perhaps they'll come to an epiphany and say "what in the world have I been listening to?" lol (wishful thinking.)

So, to sum up, I say that Hip-Hop is alive, it's been alive, but the shock value of the more popular stuff drowns it out when even the avid Hip-Hop listener doesn't acknowledge its existence.

"...if you don’t like what you see in the Hip-hop glass/ know the future is a present from the Hip-hop past/ and if you don’t like the gift it’s giving than don’t rip the ribbon and tip your glass as if this is living/ demand more/ let them know you won’t stand for it/ we gonna have to change if there’s no fans for it/"

- lyrics from "Hip-Hop Music" by The Phanatik on the album "The Incredible Walk"

Smacked!!! Lol

So for a while now I've been hearing the phrase that people have the ability to achieve a "natural high". It's like an inebriation without the usage of drugs. But really, I wonder is there any specific attribute that defines that quality? Because if there is, I believe I felt it the other day. And it wasn't through music or anything. It had nothing to do with some fancy aesthetic that can grasp an purge your emotions through manipulative persuasion, No I believe I got high off moving.

This past Saturday I was moving furniture for the entire course of the day, and by the time it was all said and done, I felt like I was in paradise. I simply just compared all my side effects to that of a weed smoker, I know a few.

Man I was dazed and out of it, couldn't think straight, I was moving slower than normal, plus I was unmatchably hungry. I ate myself a personal pizza, a Full Deli Sandwich, and a Bowl of some good ole' Cap'n Crunch, it was pure bliss.

And when I hit the bed that night I was knocked out quickly, probably the best sleep I've had in a long time.

When I woke up the next day, I was back to my normal self, yet with more energy.

So y'know what that tells me? Working is good for the soul. And ofcourse activity beats being sedentary any day.

And that dazed mindstate was beauty. Had I had the strength to pick up a pen that night, a dope piece couldn't been written. Hmm, hopefully next time around.

Until then, just know a new piece is being brewed as we speak. I started it last night, I'll keep you all updated.

Also, Super Mario Galaxy 2 released!!! That's the Gamer in me talking

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I think Mario might be a metaphor for drugs also, but I won't get into that now.

Capturing a Certain... Bliss!

Okay, so this has been a long time coming (Partly due to the fact it was released before my father was even born, making it out of the mind of the average person of my generation) but, yesterday for the first time in my life, I saw the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird". It was genius. I don't believe I've ever seen anything like it.

It held indepth morals throughout the entire film, but the one that caught me the most was the attitude and adventures of the two children, Scout and Jem. I learned, don't ever pick a fight with Scout, but still be as brave as Jem lol.

All in All, The mind of a child is amazing. Taking small CivILL Steps into a larger world teaches you things. It builds character in a way that you couldn't find it from just being institutionalized. You have to explore with a type of inspiration that the average person doesn't have. That's truly something this film taught me.

Yknow what, that's what I search for in poetry. As a matter of fact, I search for that in all Art I come across. Because I got tired of the pieces that just document everyday life. I want to see what else is beyond life.

Everybody does really, that's why we dream.

My "Breaking Ours Ribs" Comment

I find myself engrossed in a discussion that indeed all of us should be conscious about and of. This is from the note that Rasheed Copeland posted the other day:

Ok so yesterday the lovely B.Sharise Moore posted a status that went as follows:

"B.Sharise Moore would like to challenge more male poets to write POSITIVE poems about black women. This excludes sexualizing black women in erotic poetry. That just doesn't fly as a positive piece, sorry. I don't believe I'm alone in thinking that many of you hate us based on your subject matter. I am sad to say that spoken word is be...coming hip-hop: male dominated, largely misogynistic, and overrun with sensationalism."

Now me being a male who agrees commented with the following:

"I was definitely going to write a note about this issue and I probably still will because as of late I think there's been an excessive amount of this. As a man, its hard to respect a poet who continues to portray females as naïve, bitter, whore-like rape and molestation victims who should've known better. Especially when there's nothing conveyed about the accountability and the role s that Men have played in destroying these females...its borderline Chauvinistic and it pisses me off to think that in a males mind the only way they can portay a female is by making her over sexual whether through erotica or molestation or whatever...where are the poems about your mother, sister, etc..????More importantly Where are the poems about the MEN who've played the MAJOR roles in Theses so called "women with no respect" as it relates to the unfavorable behavior? Males we have to do better."

Now given the strong conviction I have behind this opinion, I charge male poets to take heed. I also would like to gain feedback from both male poets and female poets ( but ESPECIALLY MALES) on whether or not you think this is even a valid point to be made. PLEASE lets not make this a battle of the sexes, because society as a whol ALWAYS loses that way.


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Now, I didn't comment in on the discussion, but I read and took in all the comments posted by various people. Alot of interesting points were mentioned. What I want to talk about is this:

You have to ask yourself, "where did we get this from"? Based on the comments I read, I could assume that It is obvious that the cold-hearted, demoralizing pieces towards black women seem to be showing up everywhere nowadays and coming in by the boatload. Poems are getting crafted to these similar subjects in almost the same vein as the average mainstream hip-hop song that you'd hear on the radio today in the year 2010. And ofcourse someone's getting mad because it just doesn't sit well with them. That's one of the main points I heard through the discussion. With that being said, It makes me really want to know where we got it from? My guess is "conditioning".

Rasheed stated in one of his comments that his next note would be about Willie Lynch. I'd say THAT indeed is a fundamental source, because when you read his plan, you can still see that heinous blueprint standing prominent within the social community of us black folk even today, running victory laps around us like its grip was too strong to be broken. So if remnants of the Willie Lynch letter happen to have a broad influence on us even today, then it very may well be the fuel for alot of our poetry without us even knowing it. A question was asked "Why does it seem that noone is inspired to write more uplifting messages?" as it may be that all the controversial pieces may have been written under "inspiration". With that, I believe inspiration and being the norm/popular can be mistaken for each other as I believe the answer to that question can be "Because sex is what sells." Exploitation, that's a conditioning mechanism used for exposure on an uncomfortable level so that one may control who is being exposed. And that's a deep rooted plan that needs to be uprooted from the source immediately, for you can see how detrimental its been.

There's also been a talk of a lack of creativity in this area as it seems that the showcase for vulgar sexual poetry is being mass produced and starting to look more and more identical. We may all be saying the same thing with the same shock value and over time have a limp message if the pleasure just resembles something somewhat short of pornographic. Surely there's plenty of other stuff to talk about right? That's definitely a side of the conversation I'd love to talk about, maybe in the context of it's own debate. Now poets in my eyes are word warriors. We can take what we think and what we feel and and craft the words in a way that touches the listener in some sort of way. Poetry in my eyes is the evolution of conversation. I have a friend who told me "A person has written a great piece to me if, when after the piece I'm inspired to hold a conversation about it." He's not talking about the piece itself, hyping the poet, but he means the message delivered. Can I connect to it in that sense with my own motor skills of communication, would I be inspired to do so. Now, ofcourse no one is obligated to agree with this statement, but it's a very interesting point. As far as creativity goes, when we hear these dudes go up and do these pieces, over and over again, is it inspiring anyone in anyway besides arousal or, is it just plucking emotions in the same way that last lemon-dropper did with that sour line that sent a shockwave through you the moment your ears tasted it? That's something we have to factor in in order to realize and determine how much we may or may not at all need these kinds of pieces. But in all fairness let's not rule out anything here. Ofcourse there's a way to write a sensual piece and come off as genuine as opposed to generic, but it becomes a thinline between the two when the debate splits with those who wish to justify it and those who wish to demolish it which in someway may appear unfair to the poet reciting it.

Erotic pieces ofcourse aren't the only pieces being talked about, for it's the mindstate we're really focusing on. As I stated before "where did we get this from"? And where also does it belong that a male poet may empathize by writing a piece from a female's standpoint. I'm not saying it should be done nor it shouldn't be done but, in what fashion are we doing that? Let's not write just to gain the approval of someone, for that's just a tactic used to keep oneself out of hot water. It was also spoken on this subject by quite a few folk that it's just like a white man writing about the struggle of black folk. It would be out of place and their voice holds no power in that matter, thus making the attempts seem feeble with a possible resemblance of mockery if the poet is not careful. I for one would just simply say that I wouldn't rule out the "empathy" part. So if I were to write from the perspective of a female, I'd pray that it'd never be out of vein attempts to appear big headed while using the piece as a "paid dues" ticket to showing that I could be poetically philanthropic. It takes honesty, open-mindedness, and open-heartedness for me to access this vibe. Especially with pieces that portray the female as a victim, I noticed the biggest topic is indeed rape. Pieces like that shouldn't be written carelessly, for in the situation itself, the only person who acted carelessly would be the person who took the female's innocence, why act like him?

This is an on going debate still being observed and discussed now, but those were the main points I wanted to comment on. so with that being said, if we know what the problem to be, then how are we going to stop it? In the midst of all of this, just remember that unity separates us from separation. Now I'm a Christian and I follow the principles of the Bible, and what I feel this conditioned mindstate is is truly a work of evil. And the bible tells us that Love is the strongest force there is, infact YHWH embodies himself to be Love itself, as he practices it on us all and unconditionally. That's the mindstate we need to be having if we are to destroy this yoke. It takes that love and with it comes the rest of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5: 22). But I digress.

Lastly, I just want to leave with a quote I live by, and I say "Art humanizes people." And poetry is an artform, so why not use this artform in more humanizing ways? It'll relieve the stress from all of us.

The First Impression Game!!!

Leave the first impression you had of these riddles... :) after you read them. Can they be deciphered or do you still inquire?

Riddle 1:

Full batteries full bars
This radiance radiates
With a signal from outerspace
1 through 9 on its radius
radius, radius
The center of its circumference
A stylus for you to touch with
And navigate on the subject

Riddle 2:

What's that?
Broadcasted on the air waves
Nonchalant hi-jacked airplanes
boring info for airplay
Another bullet in the mullet of the
Skulls of it that pull the grip
To fool the men that witnessed it
And became victims to it

Riddle 3:

They're more helpless than people raped for retail
Then repackaged for resale
Now unable to sleep well
Plus too frightened to seek help
Fearing exposure of their deeds to all the people
Whom believe hell'll break loose from all the evil

Riddle 4:

Superstitious stereotypical politicals
Their rabbits foot hops away with the karats to their living room.
Shining, Mesmerizing what media's bitten into
Mistaking living proof of criminals for urban mythicals

I'm sorry, is that too cynical?

Riddle 5:

Well if I am, excuse my syntax RAM
For lack of vintage galm
And not complying to the simple plan
And for fallin' short like a jacked up dental plan
Or shabby rental van that totaled
Due to whacky simpletons
I'm just a, middleman

Riddle 6:

A bridge from silence to alliance
Like a riot leads to violence
So does power leads to quiet
And the quiet's unacquired
Unobtained by those unhired
Unless they divert from liars
To the genuine reminders

Riddle 7:

Reminder,
Note to self
All the things we jotted down gets focused well
Until it swells into the blur in which we make it dwell
Then we slur it into a conscious call for help
Not receiving a word of it because our reception fails.


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Proper Intros and Invites

Now,
if you smile today,
or laugh
giggle
chuckle
not necessarily out loud
it may be muffled
& subtle
humbled to some off-hand rebuttal
in this house-like jungle
just to pretend you're in a car with a sunroof
so as to not feelbested by the chain reaction of:
fumble
stumble
plummet
off the summit
where you were summoned
tumble
'til you feel done'ished
little
small
1-inch
unlevelheaded with a bum stick

Just, The grimmest grimace
with his image diminished
from a vision depiction
to a scribblet's pixel
And,
it's description's just a sentence
with thin tenses, bland and skinless
inspiration lost in a nomad's persistence
'til it gets old and nonexistent
Deserted...

A flow of sand christens it

...

I write so that doesn't happen.
It's the maze a composer engraves
on a music stave for the band to play
'til the folk are perplexed
trying to figure out its ways
even after he leaves off stage
just to get a taste from a nice gourmet
And then...
he hops back on the train
goes home and it's back to the page.
Unless ofcourse his improv mood is engaged
in which case
before he goes to perform he's pacing the place
thinking of what to say
Challenging his nerves
for, it keeps him sane
...Or, so he claims

Plain and simple

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I figure the best way to kick things off is through introduction. I went around serving about a nice handful of listeners, and I asked them how they would define me as a poet. What effect do they receive from my work when they read them and, How would they define my style. Some wonderful answers came about. But altogether, throughout all this time escribing and constantly inking thoughts to paper, I'd realized that I never really asked myself those questions specifically.

You can say, I write for childishness. A naivete/curiosity towards my surroundings, with a longing to explore what's around the corner so as to bring it back to the table and share it.

Also, I've learned that I'm not really a "poet's poet". I find I'm a tad bit too much a wanderer to consider myself as such. I would instead call myself a "scholar's poet" because, the one thing I want to expand upon is the mind, and I know scholars think highly of the mind. I've found fellow poets to have interest in more opposing factors, such as the heart, and I've seemed to have develop this sort of nonchalant shell. My mind wanders, so much so that, I wouldn't even call myself a "scholar's scholar" but, a "poet's scholar". Lol I know, twist of words, that's the language manipulation talking lol. I say "poet's scholar" because, I'm fascinated greatly by other poets in that I study them, and I'm wondering, "how is their mind/heart operating"? Read the defining piece by a number of poets and it'll speak to you in ways beyond the message. My thoughts are "who are they."

There's a reason I write for childishness though. There's a part in us that makes us most "rejuvenated" and I do believe it's that child in us. I see alot of folks may have abandoned that side, and it proves detrimental as they look and act as though someone has sucked the soul out of them and replaced it with a quick package of all the social essentials that helps keeps us up to par to someone elses standards.

With a child, boredom isn't a factor. They can get occupied with almost anything placed in front of them. They go on missions using the imagination that was blessed to them, so as to have a good time. A fun time. Adults seem afraid in what it doesn't understand, yet a child is entangled in what it doesn't understand, then they're on a mission to find out what this thing is that they don't understand, so that they may understand it. That's inspiration through alert eyes. And with a child's thoughts, no two days are routine. It's just adventure after adventure narrated by a small yet growing mind in a larger than life world. How did we lose that? Somewhere between adolescence and adulthood we "grew-up" and made being a kid not cool anymore. And yknow why it wasnt cool? Because we all began to understand that no one else around us was this carefree. But I know, that's something we should cherish and keep, even as we grow older and older with each passing second.

So if there were no other time in the world where you couldn't feel that hit of joy in the day the way a child feels it, then may it be with me, and the stuff that I write. I'm writing rhyme puzzles and verbal coloring books, so that you may have fun solving them, with a smile.