Archive for July 2008
Blacks and AIDS
Posted on: July 30, 2008
Yeah Roland S. Martin tried to place the responsibility of AIDS awareness on McCain and Barrack. He also suggested that the clergy get involved. Now where it really gets interesting is a view of the responses to that commentary; one respondent said that no parishoner is honestly going to use a condom because his preacher said so when he wouldn’t listen to his preacher’s advice not to have extramarial sex. Another went further to suggest that if you’re having extramarital sex you don’t attend church to begin with.
Well this is and isn’t true. Now you all know I’ve put my two cents in “What Used to Be an AIDS Epidemic Amongst African-American Women is Now a Nuisance Instead of a Catastrophe” back in September of last year. I was pretty upset but now I wonder if it is all for nothing. How about we stop having sex in the first place in fact if we’re lost in these “sexual networks”, men on the down low, women out in the open because their boyfriends want them to be involved with another woman is some of this deserving to us?
I’m not an idiot; in fact the overwhelming majority of us want our woman to have a girlfriend because we want a taste of the said girlfriend for ourselves, let’s be totally honest here. Some of us are already enjoying the fruits of our labor. I mean a grown man is only going to watch for so long, and thus the inclusion into the sexual network begins.
So are we hypocritical at best? Because if we use protection with every other girl but not with our own girlfriend in the name of intimacy then turn around and accuse her of infidelity because she wants us to use protection and we refuse what good is that? Your girl, really, really, doesn’t trust you so she just goes ahead and protects herself anyway, and you’re upset about that because you feel that she has been hiding something from you where does that leave you?
Insisting on going raw, what are we children what are we like in 5th grade here I mean give me a break. We need to figure out if we really have a mature relationship or if the whole thing isn’t just sophisticated layers of communication built atop of the house of cards that sex often provides. AIDS is just the half of it, in fact if every other person has AIDS where does that leave us with the other diseases like herpes that a third of the population has. I mean really you’ve opened that door, you honestly think that she won’t get something from the girlfriend or that, 6 degrees of seperation, she won’t cheat on you with a guy for a change I mean get real already wake up.
Listen there is no differentiation about what it meant to you once someone gets sick. Stop inviting complete strangers over to your house for the two of you to party with and get out of harms way. What happened to us that we can’t have a normal interpersonal relationship without all of the deviancy and perverseness, least of which the promiscuity. What are we really running away from, and why can’t we deal with ourselves for a change?
We hate to be lonely; so we move from one person to the next, to the next, and always find a way to convince ourselves that we have something real with them simply because we put ourselves out there in that way. Rarely is that the case. Then the right person comes along and we’re stuck because of our prior engagements.
The only ones that can save African-Americans from dying of AIDS in a fashion similiar to what is happening over in Africa is ourselves. There are these unhealthy, unrealistic fantasies about doing what you want, with whom you want, with no consequences or repercussions until we’re good and ready to settle down and be with one person like when we’re 42 or something. That never works, so do something for yourself now before it’s too late. Why compromise yourself; if he wants someone else let him, if everyone else is doing it you don’t have to don’t devalue what you have to offer as a black woman for men that don’t respect you anyway. He thinks it’s better with some other races women, some other cultures then so be it that’s a hard lesson he has to learn by himself why enable him, just stick with what you know to work for yourself bottom line; the more you’re willing to compromise your sexual health for relationships that aren’t working out, the worse off you are at the end of the day.
Old School hip-hop
Posted on: July 29, 2008
- In: hip-hop | opinion
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Black like Noah”, lol.
”
Good times, though Trech sort of watered down hip-hop with all the sex talk it’s preferable to a lot of the stuff we have today.
I just caught on to this one a few months back. One of his best songs actually a true classic. A lot of songs about Pac was just people trying to capitalize off of his fame but this was a true piece of art.
It was downhill after this record.
A commercial record if I ever knew one, lol. I sort of hated them for that track but it eventually grew on me.
A commercial record that everyone loved, lol. This is what really brought them out there.
But there were other great records at the time. Check out this Pharcyde, one of my favorite records of the 90s.
If you’re a fan of Pharcyde this is some of their new s*
Of course this is some of my favorite s* right here!
People are going to sleep on this s* for a minute though. This song is actually quite good but doesn’t take itself seriously so it’ll be overlooked.
Some s* you can ride to. That’s it for today I’m out
Finally this is real hip-hop if I ever heard it, lol.
The Dark Side of Comedy
Posted on: July 29, 2008
Feminist Writings Reviewed
Posted on: July 29, 2008
Ways men can handle flirting
Posted on: July 29, 2008
Approaching out of towners …
Posted on: July 28, 2008
What is the first thing you do when you finally have some visitors to your city? The answer may have something to do with whether or not the city they’re visiting is one you’re born and raised in because a native would have a different insight than someone who has moved there and calls it home but it may also have something to do with one’s own personal aspirations. For years anyone who came to visit me I would immediately take them on a tour and talk about the different downtowns, particularly Norfolk and Virginia Beach giving my own two cents about the differences between them. I would wax poetic about the ever widening roads, how spread out the metro is, the fact that they are putting in a train, how every other person there seems to be from New York and so on and so forth.
But is any of this a reflection of my own issues with the city I’m from or my own aspirations as to where I want to be. The metro snuck up on me I didn’t particularly care for it for at first as I thought it too suburban for my tastes. But then there was a contrast in studies between different cities and a change of opinion on what the term urban really means, how that aesthetic is defined. I grew to love the quirks and contradictions of the area and turned into an evangelist for the area, for reasons still unknown to me.
Why is it I could never do that back home, or any of the other cities I’ve lived in? When waxing poetic am I obnoxious or coming across as desperate, or am I simply in denial or disbelief about the true reality of Hampton Roads. Perhaps I’m just stuck or torn; in fact I found amusement when I was living in a different part of the state and someone tried to preach to me about the merits and virtues of the area and was quick to defend my own hometown. Amazing how things have changed.
In fact do I really have that much of a problem with the hometown to begin with? I often think about it and how things must have changed, imagine what it could be but then realize that there are cities in that region of the country that could give me some of what I have here. You can’t really move a Midwesterner; I mean there are things about them that will never change regardless of how long they live on any of the coasts. They’ll try to bite their tongue, but there is something deep inside that wants you to tell it exactly how it is (or at least how you see it despite how wrong you may be). An appreciation for a honest day of hard work (regardless of how foolish you are and how you could better yourself doing what everyone else is doing). Simple values, like extremely short sighted materialism and conspicuous consumerism regardless of how ridiculous it is in comparison to true accomplishments.
At the end of the day the sophistication and cosmopolitan nature at best most likely eludes me. But I like to try. I grew up in a Black and White town where Blacks and Whites were pretty much all you ran into with the usual communication issues and misunderstandings between Blacks and Whites as though little else mattered. I wanted something different and found a way out of that situation but why haven’t I actually changed, despite my aspirations? Is it still those same bad habits, ignorant at best, that typifies a Northern city dweller; comparisons in size and stature, measured a hundred different ways but all pointing to the same reasons I think that my city is better than yours?
Because if I think I have arrived and I’ve just found more sophisticated ways to be as brilliantly ignorant as I was growing up I’ve got some soul searching to do. Or perhaps I should get out more often and do something other than drive around and stare at the ever changing skyline or watch the construction of the roads. Because if someone asks you what to do you’re like “uh, um, I don’t know … ” and you talk about shopping at MacArthur Mall or visiting Jamestown, like an idiot.
What I’ve found is that people are actually intrigued by stuff I rarely consider, like the shipyards or the historical neighborhoods in cities like Portsmouth. These are things that are actually different from what they have at home. In fact the East Coast is one of those few places that, first off actually existed when a lot of the Midwest wasn’t built or in it’s infancy, and secondly has actually made some real attempts to truly preserve it’s history. Yeah Norfolk tore a lot of it down and that’s unfortunate, sure in Virginia Beach the Boardwalk and the Oceanfront sort of is that history I get that point. Norfolk could have done what they’re doing now further out in the neighborhoods but then people would have had even more of an issue because they were using eminent domain to gut the soul out of yet a different part of the city; you would have had a bigger downtown but a more controversial one.
Tough decisions to make. So as my infatuation with the area starts to fade away so are my obvious ploys for attention. Just come here and see for yourself. Love or hate it, because about as many do on either side of the coin. Quite honestly that is exactly the way that it should be, there should be an honesty and an authenticity as to why you like that place, not that you feel that you should because everyone else thinks it is the only metro on earth and not because you think that being in love with it is the only way to prosper there. In fact many people that absolutely hate where they’re at not only do fine, but rise to excellence just to better themselves to get out of the place.
That’s all it’s really about. But in fact if your really want to visit I think here are some things that I think you should know ….
- In: opinion | writing
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A dillemma faces freelance writers in today’s publishing scene. Whether or not to blog exclusively and raise revenue through advertising, blog in someone else’s network and contribute to a larger brain trust or use a service like Helium or Associated Content to promote their work. In many ways these sites are built off content management systems in a more sophisticated and professional way that most blogs are and recieve their revenue in quite the same way.
But there are distinct advantages. First off these sites can monetize advertising a lot better than you can at home. Secondly they offer hold contests and encourage writers to either network with each other or with publishers they have a business relationship with and can push a writer a lot further than they would have went with their own blog. Any seasoned blogger will tell you that writing is a small part of what is needed to actually monetize their content. At the same time larger writing communities can be very competitive and weaker writers will get lost in the shuffle and could benefit from pushing their own work a lot harder through the blogs.
Another thing about pushing your own blog though; it’s easy to either get kicked off of, or fail to gain acceptance in, a good advertising network. Some networks want you to have tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of impressions or page views before they even allow you to sign up. Google Adsense is the easiest one to sign up for and coincidentally the easiest one to get kicked off of. Yahoo! and Microsoft have systems that are either in beta or invitation only; assuming that they are ready for prime time. Communities like WordPress discourage blogging for profit and aren’t allowing ads or pay for post writing, the latter of which tends to dillute the integrity of the blog and leaves amatuer bloggers as being perceived as desperate for revenue at best.
If a writer really wants to be a copywriter he can pursue that as a career, but shouldn’t digress to thinly veiled attempts at doing so on his own platform when there are a considerable amount of products and services he finds himself selling. It is almost as if there is no real, honest relationship with any one advertiser, so he suffers from an image problem. It is one thing to be a corporate shill, but a cheap trick is something quite different entirely.
If you are looking to make a career in writing do not focus all of your efforts on any one area in particular because they all can cross promote your work. Many times your best promotional efforts are in reading other blogs or visiting other sites and commenting on the work pointing it back to your own site or work elsewhere so that visitors can get a better sense of who you are. One day those visitors can be your visitors. Network, and stop writing so much and focus on quality work instead of trying to force yourself to put out something throughout the day with the same publication.
A reader should be able to visit your site without being bombarded by your attempts to sell them your book or visit your other sites. Give them a reason to actually stay on the page they’re on and gain a better appreciation of what you’re offering for free. There are many indivivduals that are good at monetizing blogs offering at best transparent articles that are written cleverly to generate revenue, but you do not want your aspirations as a writer to get lumped in with those money making efforts.
A slow but steady rise in traffic and revenue is a lot better than the crash and burn a lot of writers with really good intentions go through. I’ve had a shill of a blog. There is no reason to respond to every comment that is left on your blog and do not digress to arguing with people who do not necessarily agree with or understand the perspective of your articles. You should be able to allow people to leave comments in which they vehemently disagree with in the more vitrolic way and be able to walk away and write that next article. What do you think happens at more prestigious blogs than yours where literally hundreds if not thousands of people are leaving comments?
Writing is a two way street, and the fact that it is that much easier for people to reach you means you have to shoulder even more responsibility with how you address your fans and your critics. If you only have the same 10 readers that have all subscribed to your content that’s fine, but if that 10 turns to 9 then 8 you have something to worry about, even if other new faces are coming through. Chances are there is a fundamental shift in the voice and tone of your articles that you are not even aware of because you are self consumed.
Freelance writing online is no longer a game; the novelty of blogging is behind us and it is time that we start taking this thing seriously. The amatuers from those with serious potential are being weeded out and a lot of them are going on to write articles elsewhere. The bottom line is that we can’t change the world; say your peace and move on from it because there is something else to talk about tommorrow do not continue to revisit that same topic just to watch your readers drift away for no particular reason. Hard lessons to learn as a writer, but necessary in order to grow …
- In: hip-hop | opinion
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A local artist got in some hot water for swearing at the Boogaloo festival in Town Point Park, Norfolk. In his own defense, he is from California and was probably ignorant to the anti-profanity laws in the region. But it got to me wondering, as some of the respondents to the article suggested that profanity was necessary in rap to sell the music. I’ve heard plenty of rap where profanity, if it existed at all, was to a minimum. In fact you almost have to wonder if it is 1992 all over again or if hip-hop itself hasn’t matured at all whatsoever.
Many of our so called “positive” and “conscientious” artists aren’t above using profanity here or there. In fact it falls off of the lips so easily it is almost as if it were merely part of their everyday speech, just like the word n* is. Speaking of which, Nas wasn’t helping with the battered image of hip-hop by attempting to name an album N* but that is neither here nor there. I think we can all agree that profanity was never the key selling point of Nas’ rhymes.
But does everyone else know that? I sit and watch MTV Jams and they were showing old videos of songs in which Timberland produced and I had to wonder, what type of s* was he really trying to sell us because this is just plain out rediculous? In particular his videos with Jay Z, in which literally hundreds of women are degraded and dancing for no particular reason. The videos that caught my eye were “Hey Papi” and “Big Pimpin”, indicative of the mindless consumerism and hedonosm that typified Jay’s rhymes at that time. In fact for Jay to be considered such a strong fixture in hip-hop, his videos could at times be quite rediculous.
The irony of which is that the video for “N* What” is actually rather artistic. This when he was first starting to break through from those devoted fans that were there in the beginning. These days us old heads complain about the lyrical skills of artists like Lil’ Wayne, which is a complete departure of the old way of writing in which hip-hop takes on a fun quality full of contradictions, non sequitor, and a caricature of rhyme that is focused on wordplay and absent of any real instrinsic or tangible qualities.
Ms. Elliot tried to do this years back with “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”, which typified the stream of conscious style we would come to expect from her. But she wasn’t seen as a serious artist outside of her visual presentation, and was easily dismissed as a cinematographer in hiding that just wanted to rap. She was actually years ahead of the curve because that type of rapping is commonplace in hip-hop right now. In some ways it sort of hearkens back to the days of De-La-Soul.
That’s why we shouldn’t dismiss Lil’ Wayne quite yet, because he is trying to put a gangsta approach to something that was done by backpackers and flower children almost 20 years ago in hip-hop. Yet Wayne is known to be vulgar, with lewd references to sexual deviancy, pill popping and other hidden treasures in his rhymes. In fact if you aren’t listening they often go over your head, as they should.
But are audiences that were never really acculturated to rap focusing on artists like Soulja Boy who may say b*, but is really talking about a place, not a female? In this day and age is there that much of a disparity between the ghetto and the mainstream culture and suburbia? This shouldn’t surprise anyone if there is but why haven’t we moved on culturally?
I rarely use the word n* in regular conversation, if at all. I don’t really feel the need to call a woman out of her name at all, just not really there anymore. Not to say that I didn’t as an adolescent though. In fact swearing doesn’t really align with my lifestyle at all anymore so why would I listen to music that promotes it?
So perhaps I’m out of touch, because I rarely hear that much profanity in rap anymore. Then again perhaps what I listen to these days has changed and that is the real point. The only thing that I can offer, is that swearing in hip-hop is a phase at best. You get over it, you use the words selectively or think it through, if you will use them at all. But it isn’t a necessary ingredient in hip-hop, in fact I think that most of your better hip-hop you won’t see much of it if at all. Hate the beats if you want to, but the profanity just isn’t what it used to be.
okay so the skinny jeans didn't work out for me so well ... 
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