That Music Aint Free

RIAA says, 'GOTCHA'!

Okay, so what? I’ve download a couple of thousand songs off the internet. Who hasn’t? Who hasn’t?!

-Glen Whitmann, RIAA’s public enemy number 1, from Transformers

So recently it has hit the fan in terms of music downloads.  When I say recently I mean the last 4-5 years.  The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has won some large judgments against those sharing files across the internet.  To name a few Joel Tanenbaum, was hit with a $675,000 lawsuit (for 30 songs @ 22.500), and Jammie Thomas who was hit with a $1.9 MILLION (24 songs @ $80,000 per song) lawsuit.  I am not endorsing (by any means) file sharing over the internet but doesnt the RIAA think that is a little high for average citizens.  You get in less trouble for committing real crimes (murder, abuse, drunk driving, etc).

Here is my issue with the lawsuits.   The fine and attention is directed at the wrong person.  If the RIAA’s goal is the eradicated file sharing then the target should be the internet service provider or the actual file sharing program.  Last I heard most of file sharing sites are still in existence today.  As long as the sites are active the downloads will continue.

I did an impromtu interview with a person (a gentleman at a car wash) who told me that he never buys a cd because the internet is free.  While I don’t agree with never buying a cd , I had to agree with some of his comments about the lack of quality in a lot of music today.  Also he mentioned that technology leads to file sharing.  Why would someone need a hard drive that hold a terabyte of information?  Better yet an iPod that can hold over 30,000 songs?  A cell phone with 8GB of space?  Society always has us thinking bigger and better.  Same mentality hits us when we think of our technology needs.  I have almost my entire music collection on a 60GB iPod with over half empty even with hundreds of photos, home videos, and four movies.  He guaranteed me that if a cd exists he can find it on the internet in less than 5 minutes.  I laughed and thought it was impossible.  As I sat back I wrote the names of 7 albums on a piece of paper and handed them to him…they were;

Johnnie Taylor – Good Love

Kirk Franklin & The Family

Ludacris – The Red Light District

TLC – CrazySexyCool

Booby Brown – Don’t Be Cruel

Remy Shand – The Way I Feel

Juvenile -600 Degreez

As you can tell they are a little varied and one (600 Degreez) was never released in stores.  Guess what.  In less than a few minutes he had found all 7 and was starting to download the ENTIRE album for each.  I was flabbergasted…I knew albums were available online but not like this.  he downloaded Johnnie Taylor’s Good Love first and played each track…each one was flawless and in the order I remembered it.

I guess my question is this…How do we resist the temptation with the current generation of millennials and the “must have it now” mentality.  The RIAA has a point.  Money is being lost because of music downloads and there are some really interesting statistics.  I remember being in college and EVERYONE had a burned copy of thier favorite music.   Well nowadays if you want to live dangerously then download music.  I mean that new Maxwell jams, but its not worth $100,000.  Besides if you ask a few questions I am sure your favorite music is right under your nose.  Good luck and happy downloading.

I really wanted to like her…

Wow…Matt Damon.  But well said.  For some reason I wanted to like her.  She was different from the norm…but when you think about it so was Barack Obama.  So the republican counter was Sarah Palin.  I really wanted to like her…I really did.  but every time she showed up on television she just ruined it.  The Katie Couric Inteview, the Charles Gibson Interview (below), and others.

I am a fairly young African-American male and wanted her to be successful.  I don’t consider myself a liberal or conservative because I feel that there are things I am liberal on and other things I am conservative on.  My issue in the election was that the best and most qualified person should win.  How can McCain/Palin really hold a candle to Obama/Biden in terms of experience and qualification.  I know people will have arguments but when you look at the accomplishments of both there is really no comparison.

I look at states like California who have greater issues that Alaska and their Governor stands firm entrenched in the fallout around him…maybe its because the is THE TERMINATOR.  In her farewell speech; I was confused and after listing several times I am still trying to understand.

I do hope that Levi Johnston was incorrect and the reason you left was not for personal gain and other employment opportunities.  If you get to far from your roots…Alaska will turn their back on you just like you did to them.  Just think…she could have been one person away from President of the United States of America.  SCARY!

The “Battle” begins!!!!

Let the "Battle" begin...

The NFL is almost here.  An old friend of mine (we played together and yes he was ALOT better than me) is in the midst of a “Battle” for his spot on the depth chart…maybe even his spot on the roster.  Nez…they always seem to count you out…let ‘em have it this year!  Good luck.

-Go Niners…Go Saints…lets get the the season going.  Football is by far the best sport out there.  Oh how I have missed it!

A few predictions:

-Dallas–Cowboys will win 8-9 games…no playoff win this year although the defense will be dominant.  Sorry Wade…this is your last year.  Still not America’s team.

-San Fran–49ers will win at least 8 games.  They can compete for a division title considering the overall lack of strength in the NFC West.  If the offense gets it together…they will be a formidable opponent.

-New Orleans–Saints can go far if the defense can come alive.  Last year they were first in SCORING and TOTAL OFFENSE.  I am sure the defense was in the bottom third.  I remember sitting in the stands for many a Saints game and almost having a heart attack because of the defense…can we bring back Pat Swilling and Rickey Jackson?  Wild Card birth 8-10 wins.

-Terrell Owens–will have a quiet year in Buffalo off the field.  On the field he will be amazing and will score at least 9 touchdowns and have 1000 yards if healthy.

-I will dominate in my fantasy football league; although it is my first year playing.

Hall of Fame Ceremony/Game this weekend.  Congrats to Rod Woodson, Bruce Smith, Bob Hayes, Derrick Thomas, Randall McDaniel, and Ralph Wilson!

Where my Banana-Eating Jungle Monkeys at?

Banana-Eating Jungle Monkey...

So the “Beer Summitt” is now over.  I am going to move on and let that die as has Officer Crowley and Dr. Gates have said they can agree to disagree on some things but both seem positive and ready to move forward.  I applaud the President for putting both parties in front of each other to discuss this situation and not let it linger.  Of course all the media outlets are covering the story releasing photos and other words about it so it will be in our ears for another few weeks.  But hey gotta love the media…

As I was watching CNN’s Larry King Live last night an interesting interview took place which left me speechless.  Larry King brought an Officer Justin Barrett on the show for a public apology.  Barrett in his own words is a former English teacher, writer, current Boston Police Officer, and military veteran.  Hey sounds like an upstanding citizen and someone we can look up to and be proud of…and then the interview starts.

(To do it justice I have to link the video)

As I listened to this I was floored.  I was angry, disappointed, and a rush of other emotions.  This is after some have said there is no racism in America.  This officer is sorry…sorry he was caught expressing some serious inner issues.  He even mentions that he has never used these words before, but prior to that there is a slight pause from him.  Are we really supposed to believe this?  If you have the “balls” to send this email to people you do not know (including fellow officers, members of the national guard and the Boston Globe); then what do you say behind closed doors?!?!

He never apologizes to Dr. Gates at all…he apologizes to his colleagues only.  Also to note his colleagues are the ones who turned him in because obviously they were insulted by his “poor choice of words”.  He mentions his family and how he has never had any work  related discipline.  In his apology, he says that he “treats everyone with dignity and respect”.  Next time I am looking to respect someone, I will make sure to call them a Banana-Eating Jungle Monkey.

Officer Barrett, I understand you messed up and now you have to suffer the consequences…the Boston Mayor has deemed you a cancer and said you will be fired.  I forgive you, but hope one day you will truly understand the depth of your words and how a person of your position should never have these thoughts.  When are people going to stand up and admit their true feeling and not mask or hide those inner ghosts.   Things like his email (see below) are what contribute to the problems in society.  Sigh…we still have a long way to go…

The email that was sent to Yvonne Abraham, a writer for the Boston Globe.  He was reponding to this article. See his response below.

Oh Hip Hop…

The Birth of Hip Hop...

While at a recent speaking engagement I was asked a question that left me speechless for a few moments.  A 14 year old high school freshman simply asked “Who is MC Hammer?”  A my moment of silence I begin to talk about MC Hammer in detail while he blankly stared at me.  After I was done his friend nudged him and mumbled “Told you!”  As I drove back home this had my mind spinning…with a variety of thoughts.  The first one being how old I am and how the landscape of hip hop or rap music has changed in the last 20 years.  As I thought about it on my own time I did find a great article on yahoo that talks about the Rap Pioneers.  It was a great read and really but into perspective some of the major changes in hip hop.  I also wanted to make mention of the importance of some of the history…artists like Rakim, Ice Cube, Ice-T and many others.  I personally think Master P paved the way for many of the hip hop inspired entrepreneurs of today.  Read up on him…he did have the independent record label, clothing line, cell phones, shoes, rims, direct to video movies and other items that are common place today in mainstream hip hop.

Maybe not "Da Last Don" but an influence no doubt!

Some of the most influential names to ever grace album covers are largely forgotten by today’s standards where gangster/street cred have taken over.  The mentality of “keeping it real” has gone to a whole new level.  But really who keeps it real…am I supposed to believe all the lyrics of today’s hip hop artists?  Artists today are doing more drugs, killing more people, and getting with more hoes than we can shake a stick at.  The problem…the youth of today think it is the way of life and how things should be.  I know that many of the good that most do in the community does get the media attention but we can and should demand such things!

My challenge is for many of the entertainers in the spotlight to step out of the shallowness and help to mold the future generations.  Also to respect the history of the genre.  If you are a true fan of hip hop (and old enough) how can you honesty say you didn’t listen to MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, or Will Smith artists that many will say are “sell-outs”.  (Didn’t Will Smith win the first ever grammy for a rap artist?)  There are photos of N.W.A. wearing tight pants on their waist… a far cry from the gangsta image and the foolishness that is saggin!  LL Cool J had a model upbringing far from the image he has portrayed in the past.  The “rap god” in many people’s mind was 2Pac, who was a background dancer for Digital Underground before he got his chance to rap on a single.  Rick Ross was a correctional officer, 50 Cent getting rid of tattoos for movie deals, Lil Wayne was an honor student before he got his rap break, Ludacris, David Banner, Plies and more have some college and there are countless examples of those who are college educated who are in the entertainment game but that is never showcased.  Only the money, the cars, the girls seem to make the news or the media.

NWA 1987

I will contend that once you make a million the “real”, or “hood” in you has gone by the wayside.  You move to another neighborhood, drive a different car, experience life the way “the hood” never will.   There were no Bentley’s, Maybachs,  Range Rovers, or mansions where I grew up.  No one wearing 20,000 dollars worth of jewelry on their arm, around their neck,  or in their mouth.

Although I am not a fan of it the recent dance craze has brought some much needed entertainment into the rap game.  Heck…if I get a good beat my TBD single will be in stores in early 2010!

Race & Criminal Justice

A new advocate for civil rights?

Hmmmm…Does Racial Profiling still exist in Amercia?  One of the foremost thinkers and scholars in regards to race in culture in the United States  sure does think so.  A recent run-in with the Cambridge Police can help to mold these thought processes.

If you haven’t heard of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. you will as some of these things continue to unfold.  My appreciation for him stems from one of my true loves, the study of history.  Dr. Gates is the director of Harvard University’s W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research.  This in short means that he is very smart, articulate, and has access to unlimited resources when it comes to research and race.  As informaiton unfolded it was interesting to hear some of the facts.  Not only was he arrested in his own home after showing identification but it was in broad daylight.  I think most people can see the reason for anger from Gates in this situation.  Gates speaks about the entire ordeal his site www.theroot.com.

Now it is interesting that he mentions “I haven’t even come close to being arrested. I would have said it was impossible.” Maybe this will be a wake up call for the African American elite; and hopefully a call to action for many who may not have been compelled prior to this incident.

The questions I pose to all…How would you feel if the police showed up at your home and arrested you?  Was this all about race or is there more to it?

Amen…Mr. President!

My President is Black

I am surfing the net and run across some words from Barack Obama’s address to the NAACP for their 100th anniversary.  He has said it in only the way he can.  I applaud him for saying this and ask that everyone to echo the same sentiment to our youth.  WE HAVE TO DO BETTER FOR OUR YOUTH.

This is from allhiphop.com…

By Ismael AbduSalaam

President Barack Obama made an impassioned speech to the NAACP on the topics of education and personal responsibility.

The speech marked another milestone in the young presidency of Barack Obama whose address commemorated the NAACP’s 100th anniversary convention.

President Obama acknowledged that those born in the inner-city face stronger adversity in the realms of economics and violent crimes.

Still, he argued these elements were no excuses for students or parents to neglect their responsibilities.

“Yes, if you’re African American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher. Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that someone in a wealthy suburb does not,’ President Obama stated. “But that’s not a reason to get bad grades, that’s not a reason to cut class, that’s not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school. No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands – and don’t you forget that. To parents, we can’t tell our kids to do well in school and fail to support them when they get home. For our kids to excel, we must accept our own responsibilities. That means putting away the Xbox and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. It means attending those parent-teacher conferences, reading to our kids, and helping them with their homework.”

With the undeniable huge influence of Hip-Hop and sports on African-American youth culture, Obama noted that education should be utilized by parents to show children their potential extends beyond entertainment.

“They might think they’ve got a pretty good jump shot or a pretty good flow, but our kids can’t all aspire to be the next LeBron or Lil Wayne I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers,” The President detailed. “I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court Justice. I want them aspiring to be President of the United States. So, yes, government must be a force for opportunity. Yes, government must be a force for equality. But ultimately, if we are to be true to our past, then we also have to seize our own destiny, each and every day.”

The NAACP was founded in 1909 by the nation’s most influential African-Americans, including scholar W.E.B. DuBois, activist Ida B. Wells, and attorney Archibald Grimke.

Learning from Steve McNair…

Thank you for the lesson Steve...

Steve McNair…

I have followed your career and remember everyone saying that a product of an HBCU (Alcorn State) would not be able to produce at the NFL level.  I thank you for proving so many people wrong and having the type of career that many would have dreamed of.  I thank you for the tough character, and never say die attitude.  On the field you were a winner.

Now you have left the physical sense of the world.  There will be questions that will be asked and many of which we may never know the answer to.  You may have been a great football player, good man…but you did fail in regards to your commitment to your wife and kids.

I wonder when the mass media will address that aspect of the whole investigation.  Yes we know what Steve did on the field but I think this whole murder-suicide can be used to educate the men of the world on the possible dangers of infidelity.

Men…lets admire Steve for what he did on the field but most importantly lets learn from his mistakes and make our lives, marriages, and relationships with our kids better.  Now is the time to correct ourselves before it is too late.

-CB

A Pioneer in his own right…

Just like the title of one of your albums you were "Off The Wall".

So I am thinking about all the hoopla surrounding Michael Jackson and felt compelled to write.  I have a problem with the majority of this that have happened and will say what most will not. We (Black America) are getting a little carried away.  MJ was the greatest entertainer to ever live…HANDS DOWN.

I know he was the first African American artist on MTV in 1983.

I know that Thriller is the best selling album of all time.

I know that he with the Jacksons are one of the most influential musical families ever.

I know that Thriller won 8 (EIGHT) Grammys!

If it’s Michael for the most part I KNOW it…why because I am a fan of his music.  I grew up on Michael.  I remember performing the dances moves on Thriller; listening to my Dad’s Bad CD (one of our first CDs in the house), moon walking in shoes on the tile floor, wanting the him to be innocent in the trial.

But some things that I just don’t understand:

1. During the memorial Al Sharpton mentioned that he has helped but Barack Obama in the White House…My question would be was that by political contribution?  Was Michael even living in the United States?  Did he actually vote?
2. Today after plugging in my iPod to listen to Maxwell’s latest I click on iTunes.  I noticed that 3 MJ songs are in the top 10 singles (Man in the Mirror, Will You Be There, and Billie Jean) and 3 MJ albums are in the top 10 (Essential Collection, Number Ones, and Thriller).  Why after someone is gone that we start to appreciate them?  I have most every album since Off the Wall and the Jackson 5 Greatest Hits and have had them for years.  It shouldn’t take for someone to leave us for me to appreciate him.
3. Some are putting him in the same breath as Jesus Christ…just look at some comments across the internet, television media, or some of your friends.  Somewhere I read he is the King of Kings…after that I almost fell out of my chair.  There is only one King…let us all remember that.  I personally can’t remember any public instances of Michael mentioning his faith (aside from the random and very common award speech).  Did he attend a church, tithe, watch a service on television?  Brooke Shields mentioned him sitting on the tip of a crescent moon…I don’t think she made a heaven reference at all.
4. When Mike was on trial I don’t remember much public support of Michael.  I hoped it wasn’t true but the Martin Brashir interview didn’t help his cause when MJ mentioned the most loving thing to do is “Share your bed”.  Even when Michael came out and described having to take all of the photos for the investigation there was still no public outcry.
5. What happens to the debt?  I don’t understand how you, Michael Jackson have 400 MILLION in debt?!?!?
6. Vitiligo and the denials of plastic surgery…

I could go on and on.  The intriuge, the mystic, the magic is all there.  My only comment now is let the man rest…wherever he may be.  Michael RIP.

Black Presidents before Obama?!?!?!

Barack vs. Bill for FBP title!

Occasionally my love for  History takes over and I think of things that I either read about or have heard about that have caused me to question or do some “research” on my own.  This is all prompted recent actions by the wonderful republican governor of South Carlina Mark Sanford, which had me thinking of how everyone called Bill Clinton the “first Black President”.

I remember reading a little into the several other Presidents who had some “ethnic” in thier tank.  I then proceeded to find more information and came across a great article on DiversityInc’s website.

DiversityInc’s editioral staff states, “Presidents Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge all had Black ancestors they kept in their genealogical closets, according to historians.  Does African ancestry make these men Black? If the bar is the one-drop rule, then yes. The one-drop rule is a historical term used during the Jim Crow era that defines a person with one drop of sub-Saharan-African ancestry as not white and therefore must be Black. If that’s the bar, then there have already been other Black presidents, says historian Leroy Vaughn, author of Black People and Their Place in World History. Dr. Vaughn speaks to this throughout his book…check out this insert I found on Barack Obama’s community blog pages:

The Five Black Presidents of The United States Of America

“Joel A. Rogers and Dr. Auset Bakhufu have both written books documenting that at least five former presidents of the United States had Black people among their ancestors. If one considers the fact that European men far outnumbered European women during the founding of this country, and that the rape and impregnation of an African female slave was not considered a crime, it is even more surprising that these two authors could not document Black ancestors among an ever larger number of former presidents. The president’s names include Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge.

The best case for Black ancestry is against Warren G. Harding, our 29th president from 1921 until 1923. Harding himself never denied his ancestry. When Republican leaders called on Harding to deny the “Negro” history, he said, “How should I know whether or not one of my ancestors might have jumped the fence.” William Chancellor, a White professor of economics and politics at Wooster College in Ohio, wrote a book on the Harding family genealogy and identified Black ancestors among both parents of President Harding. Justice Department agents allegedly bought and destroyed all copies of this book. Chancellor also said that Harding’s only academic credentials included education at Iberia College, which was founded in order to educate fugitive slaves.

Andrew Jackson was our 7th president from 1829 to 1837. The Virginia Magazine of History Volume 29 says that Jackson was the son of a White woman from Ireland who had intermarried with a Negro. The magazine also said that his eldest brother had been sold as a slave in Carolina. Joel Rogers says that Andrew Jackson Sr. died long before President Andrew Jackson Jr. was born. He says the president’s mother then went to live on the Crawford farm where there were Negro slaves and that one of these men was Andrew Jr’s father. Another account of the “brother sold into slavery” story can be found in David Coyle’s book entitled “Ordeal of the Presidency” (1960).

Thomas Jefferson was our 3rd president from 1801 to 1809. The chief attack on Jefferson was in a book written by Thomas Hazard in 1867 called “The Johnny Cake Papers.” Hazard interviewed Paris Gardiner, who said he was present during the 1796 presidential campaign, when one speaker states that Thomas Jefferson was “a mean-spirited son of a half-breed Indian squaw and a Virginia mulatto father.” In his book entitled “The Slave Children of Thomas Jefferson,” Samuel Sloan wrote that Jefferson destroyed all of the papers, portraits, and personal effects of his mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, when she died on March 31, 1776. He even wrote letters to every person who had ever received a letter from his mother, asking them to return that letter. Sloan says, “There is something strange and even psychopathic about the lengths to which Thomas Jefferson went to destroy all remembrances of his mother, while saving over 18,000 copies of his own letters and other documents for posterity.” One must ask, “What is it he was trying to hide?”

Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president from 1861 to 1865. J. A. Rogers quotes Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks, as saying that Abraham Lincoln was the illegitimate son of an African man. William Herndon, Lincoln’s law partner, said that Lincoln had very dark skin and coarse hair and that his mother was from an Ethiopian tribe. In Herndon’s book entitled “The Hidden Lincoln” he says that Thomas Lincoln could not have been Abraham Lincoln’s father because he was sterile from childhood mumps and was later castrated. Lincoln’s presidential opponents made cartoon drawings depicting him as a Negro and nicknamed him “Abraham Africanus the First.”

Calvin Coolidge was our 30th president, and he succeeded Warren Harding. He proudly admitted that his mother was dark because of mixed Indian ancestry. However, Dr. Bakhufu says that by 1800 the New England Indian was hardly any longer pure Indian, because they had mixed so often with Blacks. Calvin Coolidge’s mother’s maiden name was “Moor.” In Europe the name “Moor” was given to all Black people just as the name Negro was used in America.

All of the presidents mentioned were able to pass for White and never acknowledged their Black ancestry. Millions of other children who were descendants of former slaves have also been able to pass for White. American society has had so much interracial mixing that books such as “The Bell Curve”, discussing IQ evaluations based solely on race, are totally unrealistic.