Ideas & Reality
Peace,
Today's topic will initially appear to be a bit of a departure for the topics that I've been building on lately, b.u.t. I will that you see the connection as you continue to read. On the Knowledge Born day (the 19th for those who still gotta learn SM & SA), I had an insightful intellectual exchange with I Medina (www.imedinapeaceful.blogspot.com) regarding the relationship between ideas & reality. I Medina, being the pragmatist that she is, raised a point questioning the worth of an idea if it can't be manifested into something real and tangible. I countered with the point that there are a number of reasons that ideas don't come to fruition that may not have anything to do with the worth or relevance of said idea (timing, quality of work, process, etc).
As we continued to add on, it got me to thinking about a couple of points. Here we go:
- There are some ideas that need other idea/realities to make it work. For example, the idea that we need Black businesses in our communities is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago, b.u.t. Unity & trust are preconditions for that idea to be able to be manifested into reality
- Ideas create reality, and in turn, reality creates the context & environment for ideas. This dynamic can beg the questions "which came first/which is more important?"
- In the context of AWM, the 5 percent and the 10 percent live based upon ideas, while the 85 percent live based upon the reality that they see.
- The power of an idea is that you can see beyond your particular situation/environment. All of the great men & women of time immemorial (as well as many of the infamous characters of history) moved off of an idea
- When looking at the idea/reality relationship, it is important to have balance and understanding. People who live based on ideas alone can find themselves disconnected from reality, while those who live based only on their supposed “reality” often find themselves stuck in the doldrums of their environment, never seeing beyond their particular situation. It is imperative that we find the space where we are not only living in reality, b.u.t. Creating our own reality. Let’s see where we want to go, and create an action plan for making it manifest.
On another note,you know what? That Rick Ross album is bullshit. Simple and plain bullshit. If you're gonna talk about getting money, pull a Jeezy and have the decency to make it hardcore. If jay-z had any influence on that, shame on em!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Chemical Babies
Peace,
A couple of things that I'm pondering at the date of this writing (Allah U God, Knowledge Power, AWM 42):
- The DMX reality show is good for a laugh or two, b.u.t. I don't get anything deeper than you would get listening to his album. His relationship with the white man that lives next to him on the ranch is a tad bewildering, cause it infers that with all the people that X has met over his life, he didn't get any Wisdom or guidance until he went out to the desert. Another interesting aside is that X mentioned that his original rap name was Divine Master of the Unknown! Get outta here! (For those who may not know, that's DMX in the Supreme Alphabet) This is just a testament to the influence that the NGE has on Hip-Hop, and look where Hip-Hop has gone as our influence has waned.
- BET is wild as hell, and not in a good way. I saw a commercial where KFC was sponsoring the "Ultimate Family Reunion". Yeah, I said it: The Ultimate Family Reunion. The winner would receive enough chicken for hundreds of people. Extreme ethnic marketing and stereotyping for the '06. Check this out: I'm the Blackest man in the building, and I ain't had chicken since Biggie returned to the essence. I recognize that we do enjoy chicken, and that family reunions are big business, b.u.t. we are a diverse people.
- Today, while listening to a podcast, I heard a term that I would like to share with everyone: Chemical Babies. Reflect on that for a second while I give you some context. Walk w/me through the mind:
- I'm doing the knowledge to Yellow Bus Radio hosted by Mistah F.A.B. from the bay (Yes, I moves with Thizz & Hyphy, which I'll delve into in a second). He's interviewing San Quinn, and they begin to discuss the violence in San Francisco. San Quinn states that one of the reasons that the babies are tripping in the street is that they are "Chemical Babies", meaning that many of them were born addicted to crack, plus being addicted to sugar and flaming hot cheetos. Currently, the chemical babies are addicted to e-pills and blunt wrappers, and are wild as all outdoors. It's important to understand that we're dealing with a different generation: One raised on TV, Bullshit Hip-Hop & Violence. No wonder they're going dumb.
Two days ago, the Philly Daily News reported that the rate of gun violence in Philly is comparable to the deaths at the start of the Iraq war, and that most of the killers and victims are between 14-24. Family, we have a epidemic on our hands, and the younger generation looks worse.
So I Majestic, since you're presenting all of the problems, what are the solutions?
Detox.
We need a cultural detox. Not a hippie detox; not a Lailaa Afrika 30 day fast detox; not a put your head between your legs detox. This detox that I'm speaking on starts with identifying all the things that keep us addicted within our society. From porn to chocolate bars; High Fructose Corn Syrup to computer time.
Step 2: Identify how and why you're addicted to said element, and the positive and negative effects that it creates.
Step 3: After weighing the pros and cons on a personal and collective level, identify methods to disconnect from said element along with suitable alternative (if necessary).
Step 4: Live it out
Step 5: Identify how to succintly capture your experience and build with others
While it may look like i'm oversimplifying, I'm not. The above process may take years, b.u.t. we have to start with those who don't know anything else. This brings me to a point that might as well be my mantra: Create alternatives. If a young'n sells drugs because they don't want to be broke, and all of the people who tell them not to sell drugs are broke, it only reinforces why they should get the hell away from you and your sad-sack story. If I'm trying to build with a young person on why they should be a vegetarian, and all of my food tastes like alfalfa sprouts, do you really think that they're dropping the hamburger? If you're living a righteous life, stop making it look so damn boring! While I don't eat boca burgers and the like often, I recognize their utility in helping with some people's transition. Family, we are in a war of sort, and slingshot are not enough.
*Plug, Plug, Plug* Rebel Music Vol. 3 is out! Check www.classic1824.com or www.myspace.com/rebelmusic1824 for more details.
Also, be on the lookout for my "Get Money, Teach Kids" T-Shirt
Peace,
A couple of things that I'm pondering at the date of this writing (Allah U God, Knowledge Power, AWM 42):
- The DMX reality show is good for a laugh or two, b.u.t. I don't get anything deeper than you would get listening to his album. His relationship with the white man that lives next to him on the ranch is a tad bewildering, cause it infers that with all the people that X has met over his life, he didn't get any Wisdom or guidance until he went out to the desert. Another interesting aside is that X mentioned that his original rap name was Divine Master of the Unknown! Get outta here! (For those who may not know, that's DMX in the Supreme Alphabet) This is just a testament to the influence that the NGE has on Hip-Hop, and look where Hip-Hop has gone as our influence has waned.
- BET is wild as hell, and not in a good way. I saw a commercial where KFC was sponsoring the "Ultimate Family Reunion". Yeah, I said it: The Ultimate Family Reunion. The winner would receive enough chicken for hundreds of people. Extreme ethnic marketing and stereotyping for the '06. Check this out: I'm the Blackest man in the building, and I ain't had chicken since Biggie returned to the essence. I recognize that we do enjoy chicken, and that family reunions are big business, b.u.t. we are a diverse people.
- Today, while listening to a podcast, I heard a term that I would like to share with everyone: Chemical Babies. Reflect on that for a second while I give you some context. Walk w/me through the mind:
- I'm doing the knowledge to Yellow Bus Radio hosted by Mistah F.A.B. from the bay (Yes, I moves with Thizz & Hyphy, which I'll delve into in a second). He's interviewing San Quinn, and they begin to discuss the violence in San Francisco. San Quinn states that one of the reasons that the babies are tripping in the street is that they are "Chemical Babies", meaning that many of them were born addicted to crack, plus being addicted to sugar and flaming hot cheetos. Currently, the chemical babies are addicted to e-pills and blunt wrappers, and are wild as all outdoors. It's important to understand that we're dealing with a different generation: One raised on TV, Bullshit Hip-Hop & Violence. No wonder they're going dumb.
Two days ago, the Philly Daily News reported that the rate of gun violence in Philly is comparable to the deaths at the start of the Iraq war, and that most of the killers and victims are between 14-24. Family, we have a epidemic on our hands, and the younger generation looks worse.
So I Majestic, since you're presenting all of the problems, what are the solutions?
Detox.
We need a cultural detox. Not a hippie detox; not a Lailaa Afrika 30 day fast detox; not a put your head between your legs detox. This detox that I'm speaking on starts with identifying all the things that keep us addicted within our society. From porn to chocolate bars; High Fructose Corn Syrup to computer time.
Step 2: Identify how and why you're addicted to said element, and the positive and negative effects that it creates.
Step 3: After weighing the pros and cons on a personal and collective level, identify methods to disconnect from said element along with suitable alternative (if necessary).
Step 4: Live it out
Step 5: Identify how to succintly capture your experience and build with others
While it may look like i'm oversimplifying, I'm not. The above process may take years, b.u.t. we have to start with those who don't know anything else. This brings me to a point that might as well be my mantra: Create alternatives. If a young'n sells drugs because they don't want to be broke, and all of the people who tell them not to sell drugs are broke, it only reinforces why they should get the hell away from you and your sad-sack story. If I'm trying to build with a young person on why they should be a vegetarian, and all of my food tastes like alfalfa sprouts, do you really think that they're dropping the hamburger? If you're living a righteous life, stop making it look so damn boring! While I don't eat boca burgers and the like often, I recognize their utility in helping with some people's transition. Family, we are in a war of sort, and slingshot are not enough.
*Plug, Plug, Plug* Rebel Music Vol. 3 is out! Check www.classic1824.com or www.myspace.com/rebelmusic1824 for more details.
Also, be on the lookout for my "Get Money, Teach Kids" T-Shirt
Friday, August 04, 2006
Peace, Progress, & Power
Peace,
Todays Supreme Mathematics is Culture. Culture is a way of life that consists of your ways, words, actions, morals, ethics, intellectual positions, etc... Culture is what gives people a framework for how to interact and conduct themselves in their environment. Ultimately, Culture produces Knowledge, which is the foundation for one's life. I want to cover a couple of topics today that will be dealt with in more detail at a later date. Alright kids? Got your thinking caps on? Heeere we go:
- I took a trip back onto memory lane the other day, and stopped at my time of being infatuated with wrestling; you know, WWF, WCW, AWA, & all of the other alphabet associations from that time period. As I started to think about all of the characters and all of the different situations, a pattern of accultaration started to emerge. Do the Knowledge:
- Junkyard Dog: A slick talking, growling, uncontrollable Black Man from Detroit
- Tito Santana: A high-flying mexican who wears a sombrero and has a chicken with him at times
- Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat: A high-flying Asian who bears an uncanny resembelence to Bruce Lee
- Jimmy "Superfly" Snukka: A high-flying Pacific Islander who has "wild" hair and wears leopard-skin tights
- Kamala & Abdullah The Butcher - African Characters who were portrayed as maniacal dictators (Abdullah) and uncontrallable cannibals who could only be tamed by his white "handler"
- Slick - A pimp who handled various wrestlers
- Razor Ramon - A So - called Hispanic who was a dead-on impression of Scarface
- Whaoo Mcdaniel - A Native wrestler who finished people off with the "Wahoo Chop", and had moves like the "Indian Burn".
Get my drift? From a very early age, we are given a framework from which to look at different ethnicities based on very exaggerated stereotypes. Popular culture has to do this in order to maintain the status quo and keep the social order. In this case, social order is kept by giving everybody what they "need", and making it what they want.
- After pondering for a spell, I'm ready to build about the Hip-Hop Political Convention that took place in Chicago (C-Medina) two weeks ago. At some point, I'll do a larger piece for a project that is yet to come (In comes the sound of anticipation!) For now, I'll share some observations:
- Hip-Hop is not a culture. I repeat, Hip-Hop is not a culture. Hip Hop has some cultural implications, and Hip-Hop can impact and affect culture. If Hip-Hop is culture, what is the value system? The food? The financial framework? Hip-Hop came out of culture, b.u.t. it is not culture.
- With an umbrella as large as Hip-Hop, what kind of political platform could you hope to come up with? You have communists, liberals, conservatives, anarchists, and people who barely care about politics in the same room, and you're looking to come up with....? You'll have a good conference and you may even create some good networks, b.u.t. you won't have a movement. For example like Adisa Banjoko and others have noted, what is the Hip-Hop position on abortion? Foreign Policy? The Middle Eastern conflict? Until we're sophisticated enough to move to that place, it's smoke & mirrors.
- Chicago is on some shit. Gentrification in C-Medina is unlike anything I've ever seen. Community control must include economic self-sufficiency. Say what you will about the projects, b.u.t. it fostered a strong sense of community, and was a strong voting bloc.
More to come....
Peace,
Todays Supreme Mathematics is Culture. Culture is a way of life that consists of your ways, words, actions, morals, ethics, intellectual positions, etc... Culture is what gives people a framework for how to interact and conduct themselves in their environment. Ultimately, Culture produces Knowledge, which is the foundation for one's life. I want to cover a couple of topics today that will be dealt with in more detail at a later date. Alright kids? Got your thinking caps on? Heeere we go:
- I took a trip back onto memory lane the other day, and stopped at my time of being infatuated with wrestling; you know, WWF, WCW, AWA, & all of the other alphabet associations from that time period. As I started to think about all of the characters and all of the different situations, a pattern of accultaration started to emerge. Do the Knowledge:
- Junkyard Dog: A slick talking, growling, uncontrollable Black Man from Detroit
- Tito Santana: A high-flying mexican who wears a sombrero and has a chicken with him at times
- Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat: A high-flying Asian who bears an uncanny resembelence to Bruce Lee
- Jimmy "Superfly" Snukka: A high-flying Pacific Islander who has "wild" hair and wears leopard-skin tights
- Kamala & Abdullah The Butcher - African Characters who were portrayed as maniacal dictators (Abdullah) and uncontrallable cannibals who could only be tamed by his white "handler"
- Slick - A pimp who handled various wrestlers
- Razor Ramon - A So - called Hispanic who was a dead-on impression of Scarface
- Whaoo Mcdaniel - A Native wrestler who finished people off with the "Wahoo Chop", and had moves like the "Indian Burn".
Get my drift? From a very early age, we are given a framework from which to look at different ethnicities based on very exaggerated stereotypes. Popular culture has to do this in order to maintain the status quo and keep the social order. In this case, social order is kept by giving everybody what they "need", and making it what they want.
- After pondering for a spell, I'm ready to build about the Hip-Hop Political Convention that took place in Chicago (C-Medina) two weeks ago. At some point, I'll do a larger piece for a project that is yet to come (In comes the sound of anticipation!) For now, I'll share some observations:
- Hip-Hop is not a culture. I repeat, Hip-Hop is not a culture. Hip Hop has some cultural implications, and Hip-Hop can impact and affect culture. If Hip-Hop is culture, what is the value system? The food? The financial framework? Hip-Hop came out of culture, b.u.t. it is not culture.
- With an umbrella as large as Hip-Hop, what kind of political platform could you hope to come up with? You have communists, liberals, conservatives, anarchists, and people who barely care about politics in the same room, and you're looking to come up with....? You'll have a good conference and you may even create some good networks, b.u.t. you won't have a movement. For example like Adisa Banjoko and others have noted, what is the Hip-Hop position on abortion? Foreign Policy? The Middle Eastern conflict? Until we're sophisticated enough to move to that place, it's smoke & mirrors.
- Chicago is on some shit. Gentrification in C-Medina is unlike anything I've ever seen. Community control must include economic self-sufficiency. Say what you will about the projects, b.u.t. it fostered a strong sense of community, and was a strong voting bloc.
More to come....
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