Friday, July 31, 2020
John Lewis' Homecoming and Other Issues.
The funeral of John Lewis at the Ebenezer Baptist Church was a final homecoming ceremony. It was filled with emotion, passionate speeches, and an urgency for progressive change from start to finish. Rev. Bernice King gave an eloquent sermon on how a redistribution of wealth and the promotion of justice remain a prerequisite for redeeming the soul of America. Her voice has the same eloquent force as his late father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has shown on numerous occasions. His staff member and his niece gave inspiring speeches about his personality, his commitment to nonviolence, and his humble spirit. Bush and Clinton voiced the length of his life story in terms of giving the audience the pictures about how he changed the world for the better. Fearlessness consumed his life from his protests at the bridge at Selma, Alabama to his Freedom Rides activism.
Barack Obama gave a speech that not only celebrated his glorious life. It was Obama expressing a call for eliminating voter suppression laws, eliminating the filibuster, and giving encouragement for the younger generation to carry the torch for liberty. Rev. James Lawson was a mentor to the late John Lewis. Lawson said the truth that the movement consisted of men and women working together in eliminating structures of oppression like racism, sexism, and plantation capitalism. Now, John Lewis' body is buried in the Earth. Today, he is having his eternal rest, but we wont rest until black people are free from police brutality, and racial oppression. We won't rest until economic inequality is gone, and health care is accessible for all people. We won't rest until we witness justice and true tranquility in the Universe.
During the funeral of John Lewis, Bill Clinton was slick. He tried to divide John Lewis and Kwame Ture by saying that John Lewis prevailed over the ideologies of Kwame Ture. You notice that he won't say such words about Bush and Obama when Clinton had disagreements with both men on various issues. Clinton is silent on how George Washington and his general didn't use nonviolence to defeat the Redcoats. The truth is that we, as black people, are entitled to sincerely have diverse views on our tactics, but we are unified in our goal (which is freedom, justice, and equality for black people). John Lewis and Kwame Ture were allies of SNCC. Kwame Ture and John Lewis disagreed on nonviolence. Ture said that nonviolence was a tactic not a way of life, while Lewis said that nonviolence was a way of life. These 2 views are sincere, but their ideologies shouldn't be used to diminish any man's contributions to the overall black freedom struggle. Kwame Ture wanted black self determination, Pan-Africanism, and the end to imperialism. John Lewis opposed the Vietnam War from the beginning, used civil disobedience, and loved freedom just as much as Ture did. Just because both men disagreed on some issues doesn't mean that they didn't respect each other. They did. Bill Clinton wants black people to follow his interpretation of how a movement ought to be (filled with just nonviolence alone without challenging the capitalist system in general via overt resistance), but black people have every right to establish the parameters of our own freedom movement. Clinton's disrespect of Kwame Ture is not unusual. Clinton (who is a known neo-liberal moderate) said that the civil rights movement went too far towards Kwame Ture, but end in the John Lewis prevailed. That was a lie. The movement went too far in the eyes of some. When Dr. King was in 1968, most Americans didn't agree with his Poor People's Campaign, his opposition to the evil Vietnam War, or his promotion of reparations for black Americans. Yet, Dr. King continued onward courageously. The movement just evolved to address more complex issues of economic inequality, educational disparities, and police brutality. The movement needed nonviolence as promoted by Lewis and self-defense as promoted by Kwame Ture (who have been beaten, was put in jail, and sacrificed for our freedom just like John Lewis). Self-defense and nonviolence are never evil. What is evil is capitulation to the status quo. Isn't it ironic that the Democratic moderates like Clinton praise moderation, but black freedom is never tied to centrism. From the slave revolts to the Black Panthers, black folks wanted to end systems of oppression in order to have a system of justice. Kwame Ture was Afro-Caribbean, so Tariq hypocritical self tries to praise Kwame Ture when Tariq is known to make derogatory comments about our Afro-Caribbean Brothers and Sisters (like this coward Tariq saying the following words on Twitter: "...Here comes foreign flag, oxtails,and jollof twitter"). Docility, compromise to the status quo, and neoliberalism are evils that has harmed black people for decades. That is why you need both nonviolence and self defense to have true change in the world. There is nothing wrong with black empowerment as black freedom is key to human freedom. We see you slick Willie, but your arguments have no mustard. In the final analysis, we want black liberation.
Beyonce wants to reveal the Black is King video music series on July 31, 2020. It has been praised and criticized. Beyonce is one of the most influential and talented musicians of the 21st century. 50 years ago in America, many schools promoted lies and stereotypes about Africa. Beyonce does a have a sincere intention in trying to show the beauty of Africa and Blackness. Also, it is important to realize that Africa is not monolithic. Africa is beautiful and diverse at the same time. There are hundreds of languages spoken, tons of cultures flourishing, and tons of advanced technologies found in places from Nigeria to South Africa. I feel that the Black is King movement should encourage anybody to research the nuisance and pluralism found in the continent. We certainly all agree that Africa is the Mother of humanity. We, as black people, have shown the world so many gifts from STEM fields, art, music, athletics, literature, politics, and other aspects of human civilization.The truth is plainly clear that we don't desire to be the world's mules. We desire to live triumphantly in our freedom and honor our black identities without apology and without compromise.
In living life, you learn lessons. We know about the division of labor. Items like cars cost more than a box of milk, because more intensive labor plus resources go into the creation of a car than a box of milk. This is part of the law of labor value. We know that economic inequality exists by many factors. Exploitation of the worker increases, the lower cost of labor power continues, and the extraction of the resources that the workers produced increase the power of the capitalists. That is why wealthy capitalists extracts a mass of surplus value from the working class a whole. In other words, the profit and wealth of the super rich is not the result of his or her own labor, but the labor of others (who are the workers). Once again, we witness how for over 4 decades in America, more and more of the oligarchy get wealth into the financial markets and use other methods to benefit the accounts of the super rich. During this coronavirus alone, we see how the American wealthy class have turned over trillions of dollars to Wall Street, multinational corporations, and large banks. This comes when people in many numbers risk evictions because of the elimination of the federal economic benefits. This system requires further exploitation of workers by working long hours with little pay. In the final analysis, the time of the least income inequality in American history was during the post World War II boom (from 1945-1975). In that period of time, there were social movements that wanted racial equality, economic justice, and human labor being strengthened. Massive laws dealing with civil rights, voting rights, health care, and the environment flourished. Back then, there was a long way to go like today. Wealth should be shared fairly not centralized into the hands of the few.
By Timothy
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Truths about Society in Late July 2010.
The Interview of Attorney General Bill Barr has been contentious. The Republicans genuflected him and claimed that Antifa is having a conspiracy to harm American society. The Democrats claim that Barr is using bias to support the Trump administration unconditionally. Barr was slick in many of his language. He said that he wanted probable cause for anyone to be arrested, but he allowed many federal forces to arrest peaceful protesters. Barr said that he endorsed the trial of Roger Stone, but he went out of his way to support the Trump commutation Roger Stone's sentence. Barr said that Democrats must condemn violence against federal buildings and other places, but people from across the political spectrum have always condemned unjust violence against innocent people or against innocent property.
The deal is that we have to also confront police violence against protesters and other innocent people. Barr revealed that he doesn't believe in systematic racism in the police departments of America, when even a DOJ study described massive systems of racism and economic exploitation in the Ferguson Police Department years ago. Sociological studies for decades have documented systematic racism in American society in general. Barr has a tendency to not be adamantly passionate to target far right wing terrorism as he is dealing with Antifa. Barr hypocritically has not condemned far right extremists using semiautomatic weapons to state capitol locations (in trying to threaten and intimidate state legislatures). William Barr has disagreed with some of Mueller's conclusions, intervened in Stone's and Flynn's sentencing, and supported federal agents used to harm peaceful protesters at Washington, D.C. at Lafayette Park. Barr has still not massively condemn unidentified federal agents maiming peaceful activists, sent them to unmarked vans, and detain them without charges (in Portland).
The Republicans seeking to cut unemployment federal benefits to 200 dollars a week is cruel and disrespectful to suffering people. While trillions of dollars have been sent to the airline industry, large multinational corporations, etc., we have seen Trump using federal forces to violate the human rights of the citizens of Portland. Using paramilitary forces in cities nationwide is a violation of the Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution. When unidentified agents in military gear kidnapped unarmed protesters and thrown them in unmarked cars to be sent to uncertain locations without probable cause, then that is a serious problem. The pandemic has revealed that far right policies and centrist policies won't work to improve this nation. Only structural change will be necessary to make the Promised Land real for all. Pompeo has allowed U.S. aircraft carriers and strike groups to have conduct high end war games with Australian and Japanese ships in the South China Sea. Many people know the truth that the corporate financial oligarchy seeks division and the status quo.
Right now, the body of John Lewis was laying in state at the Capitol Hill rotunda, and then it will travel to the George State Capitol. Courage represented his life. John Lewis used his moral force in order to change society for the better. For over 55 years, he was a person on a mission to eliminate Jim Crow apartheid. Later, he has earnestly fought for the expansion of voting rights. His casket traveled on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., and John Lewis lived long enough to see the paint of the words of "Black Lives Matter" on the street of the plaza. Lewis faithfully believed in nonviolence as a way of life in developing social change. Lewis shed blood for our freedom, and we are in total gratitude for his glorious sacrifice for us all. Also, it is clear that we are opposed to the disrespect that the hip hop artist Megan has received on the Net by Camron and others. We can agree to disagree about music without disrespecting the womanhood of a woman. I feel like more people have to speak up to defend the human dignity of black women. Her being shot has no justification, and we are clear to stand up for the human dignity of black people while believing in accountability for those who do evil against a fellow human being.
There is always a tie to Philadelphia among my relatives of both sides of my family. Some of this information is information that I never revealed here before until now. A long time ago, the 2 Great Migrations of African Americans existed. Many of my maternal ancestors left Southampton County and came into Philadelphia. To put Philadelphia into perspective, Philly is the size land wise of Virginia Beach. Many months ago on ancestry.com, I communicated with a distant cousin named Rosa Barnes. She confirmed that many of her relatives came into Philadelphia. Many of them also came into New York. Rosa Barnes' mother was Sudie Odell Claud Barnes (who was my 3rd cousin). Sudie lived from 1927 to 2003. Sudie Claud's father was Guy Franklin Claud Sr., and Guy's father was Frank Thomas Claud (or the direct descendant of Zilphy Claud). Sudie's grandfather or Guy Franklin Claud Sr. had over 10 children. Some of them went into Philadelphia like Doris Claud, Naomi Claud, etc. Other members of Claud family came into Philadelphia like the descendants of Peter L. Claud and the children of Ella Mable Claud (one of her children is Michelle Artis. Michelle Artis' grandfather was Amos Columbus Claud). Numerous descendants of my 3rd great grandmother Susanna Field Hurst-Turner Claud came into Philadelphia. Susanna's son was Arthur Boss Claud. On my paternal side, tons of my cousins live in Philadelphia too like Ericka Walters who share my ancestor Effie Sarah Bryant. My paternal 1st cousin Shana McDaniel lives in Philadelphia too. Effie Sarah Bryant (1891-1977) was my great grandmother. Many of the Bryant family came to Philadelphia from the Eastern Shore, Virginia. Effie's mother was Esther Brickhouse Bailey (1862-1955). Esther's father was the Union black American soldier (from the U.S. Civil War) named Johnson Brickhouse. My late great uncle Levi (on my paternal side) have descendants with links to Philadelphia too. To be honest, we are connected as human beings. I found distant cousins found in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Delaware, New York City, Maryland, Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, and even in Arizona.
By Timothy
Monday, July 27, 2020
Remembering John Lewis and Other News.
John Lewis, who was a son of a sharecropping family, was a courageous black man who stood the test of time with his social activism. His homecoming took place on July 17, 2020. Always humble and an icon, he took blows without using violence. His valiant deeds helped to change the world for the better, and we have a long way to go. During this time, it is fitting to celebrate his life. His body was on a horse drawn carriage to cross the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama (on July 26, 2020) where he was assaulted by crooked police officers back in 1965 (many of cops were on horseback). John Lewis' body was taken to the U.S. Capitol Rotunda at Washington, D.C. on July 27, 2020 after passing through famous Washington locations like the Museum of African American History and Culture. He was born in the Deep South at Troy, Alabama. His mentor and friend was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was his hero. As an organizer, Lewis worked with the Nashville movement of the early 1960's (with Diana Nash and Rev. James Lawson), and he was the Chairman of SNCC. SNCC stands for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. SNCC was founded by Ella Baker, who wanted total grassroots organizing and civil disobedience in order for the people to eliminate Jim Crow apartheid. Ella Baker loved democratic participation on social justice movements. John Lewis was a Freedom Rider who wanted to enforce interstate travel on an integrated basis. SNCC was heavily egalitarian in its organization. Violence almost took Lewis' life during the Freedom Rides era. John Lewis gave an inspiring speech at the 1963 March on Washington where he didn't want patience for freedom. He wanted black people to experience total freedom, justice, and equality now. The whole 1963 march wasn't just about civil rights, but it promoted the progressive, legitimate aims of economic justice, labor rights, educational development, living wages, and an end to police brutality. Later, John Lewis and so many unsung legends like Bernard Lafayette, Amelia Boynton, etc. participated in the Selma movement for voting rights. John Lewis had a cracked skull during Bloody Sunday, so we could vote in any election. The Selma movement concluded with a victory. The Voting Rights Act was passed by August of 1965. The time of the end of 1965 was a time of transition, and civil rights leaders debated on what to do next for the movement. By 1966, the Black Power movement grew with the influence of Kwame Ture. Lewis was Chairman of SNCC from 1963 to 1966. John Lewis left SNCC in 1966, and Kwame Ture was the new Chairman of SNCC. John Lewis was later involved in registering voters, working on the 1968 Robert Kennedy campaign, and was involved more in politics. He won political office as a House member by 1986 after defeating his friend Julian Bond. He continued to advance progressive causes of being against the Iraq War, fighting for voting rights, opposing police brutality, and being one leader involved in causing the National African American Museum of History and Culture to be in existence. Congressman John Lewis was one of the last surviving members of the old school Civil Rights Movement. None of us are perfect, and Lewis wasn't perfect. We know of the neoliberal capitalist domination of the Democratic Party leadership. We know of the extremist, reactionary policies of the extremist, bigoted Donald Trump. We know that imperialism is wrong (as the assassination of American citizens overseas, the expansion of the military industrial complex, and the police state actions of some federal police in Portland represent reprehensible deeds). Yet, John Lewis' heroism in Congress and outside of Congress from protests to giving inspirational speeches about the world house motivate us to continue in his cause. Lewis mentored young people of the Black Lives Matter movement, and defended the human dignity of all people, regardless of one's background. John Lewis always condemned the Republican backed voter suppression laws in various states. Also, John Lewis would be the first to say that he didn't do these things alone. We have to honor Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Mahalia Jackson, and other heroes too. The best way to honor John Lewis is to promote voting rights by promoting a law to strengthen the Voting Rights Act, vote an extremist like Trump out of office, and treat our neighbors as ourselves. Also, we should honor John Lewis' memory by promoting environmental justice, by eliminating structural racism, by eliminating structural economic oppression, wanting social justice, and celebrating the beauty of our Blackness. John Lewis' great kindness and strength are always celebrated by us.
Rest in Power Brother John Lewis.
Complex mathematics has existed among the thousands of years of human history. Modern precalculus as we know it existed from Leonhard Euler's 1748 precalculus book entitled, "Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite." This book focused on a survey of concepts and methods in analysis and analytic geometry preliminary to the study of differential and integral calculus. His work dealt with the concepts of variables and functions. He used innovation for the use of exponentiation to introduce the transcendental functions. The general logarithm, to an arbitrary positive base, Euler presents as the inverse of an exponential function. Then the natural logarithm is obtained by taking as base "the number for which the hyperbolic logarithm is one", sometimes called Euler's number, and written e. This appropriation of the significant number from Gregoire de Saint-Vincent’s calculus suffices to establish the natural logarithm. This part of precalculus prepares the student for integration of the monomial xp in the instance of p = −1.Today's precalculus text computes e as the limit of (1 + 1/n)n as n approaches infinity. An exposition on compound interest in financial mathematics may motivate this limit. Another difference in the modern text is avoidance of complex numbers, except as they may arise as roots of a quadratic equation with a negative discriminant, or in Euler's formula as application of trigonometry. Euler used not only complex numbers but also infinite series in his precalculus. Today's course may cover arithmetic and geometric sequences and series, but not the application by Saint-Vincent to gain his hyperbolic logarithm, which Euler used to finesse his precalculus. There was studies of precalculus from the 17th century done by Sir Isacac Newton and Gottfried Liebniz. From that time onward, mathematicians, engineers, computer scientists, economists, statisticians, healthcare providers, and many other workers have used these math concepts in enriching the world society in general. Precalculus in general deal with algebra, trigonometry, and analytical geometry.
There are many concepts of precalculus. Many of the major concepts of precalculus include complex numbers, polynomials, composite functions, trigonmetry, vectors, matrices, conic sections, probability and combinatorics, and other forms of expression. The complex number is a number that be found in the form of a+bi where a and b are real number. The concept of i is a situation of the equation of x2=1. i is an imaginary number, because no real number can satisfy the answer. a is the real part and b is part of the imaginary part. For example since (x+1)2=-9 has no real answer, you have to use i to solve the equation. i is used to simplify the roots of negative numbers too. A polynomial is an expression made up of variables (or indeterminates) and coefficients that involve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and even at times division. A polynomial with a single variable is x2-4x+7. One example with 3 variables are x3+2xy2-yz+1. Polynominal equations are very common places. Many polynomial functions are found in chemistry, physics, economics, other social sciences, etc. One polynomial with 3 terms is the expression of 3x2-5x+4. Logrithm can exist in functions. Some exist in log2 (x). A logarithm is the inverse function to exponentiation. This means that the logarithm of a given number x is the exponent to which another fixed number, the base b must be raided to produce the number x. For example 10 to the 3rd power is 1000 or 10 x 10 X 10. The logarithm base of 10n of 1000 is log 10 (1000)=3. The logarith of x to base b is denoted as log b (x). You can add logarithms too. One is about how logb(xy) = logb(x) + logb (y). All of trigonometry is the study of angles of triangles and side lengths. The functions of sine, cosine, and tangent studies right triangles. In a tight triangle, you find the hypotenuse, the opposite, and the adjacent. The reciprocals of these functions are called the cosecant, secant, and cotangent. The unit circle deals with many trigonometric values. The sine or cosine of a degree in a unit uses functions dealing with square roots and pi. Astronomy, navigation, surveying, and optics plus acoustics use trigonometry. Electronics are constantly involved in the subject too.
Disco and funk are cousins. They are so powerful musical genres that they impact modern day music even in 2020. Both forms of music existed out of the lives of the oppressed in order to make humanity more inclusive. Today, more people from across backgrounds have a deeper appreciation for disco and funk. First, I will mention facts on disco and then funk. Disco has its predecessors. Disco music relates to music on the dance floor in clubs. Swing music had the first discotheques. There are uptempo rhythm and blues being popular in American clubs, northern soul, and glam rock of the UK. In October 1959 the owner of the Scotch Club in Aachen, West Germany chose to install a record player for the opening night instead of hiring a live band. The patrons were unimpressed until a young reporter, who happened to be covering the opening of the club, impulsively took control of the record player and introduced the records that he chose to play. Klaus Quirini later claimed to thus have been the world's first nightclub DJ. Modern disco is claimed to have been found in the private dance parties in NYC by DJ David Mancuso's home at the Loft. He made his first major party at his Manhattan home on Valentine's Day 1970. Mancuso made regular parties into the 1990's. He played soul, rhythmic and impart music. Disco came about after the start of the counterculture of the 1960's. The hippie movement was starting to fade. Economic prosperity declined. Rising unemployment, inflation, and other issues grew. The rightwing backlash developed. Some used disco to escape from the problems of everyday society. Black Americans have a huge role to play in disco. Also, it is no secret that the LGBTQ+ community aws involved in disco as DJs and artists plus participants. The common denominator was the music. During the 1960s, when the discotheque culture from Europe became popular in the United States, several music genres with dance-able rhythms rose to popularity and evolved into different sub-genres: rhythm and blues (originated in the 1940s), soul (late 1950s and 1960s), funk (mid-1960s) and go-go (mid-1960s and 1970s; more than "disco", the word "go-go" originally indicated a music club). Those genres, mainly African-American ones, would influence much of early disco music. Motown had many hits with early disco elements by acts like the Supremes (for instance "You Keep Me Hangin' On" in 1966), Stevie Wonder (for instance "Superstition" in 1972), The Jackson 5 and Eddie Kendricks ("Keep on Truckin'" in 1973). In the mid-1960s and early 1970s Philadelphia soul and New York soul developed as sub-genres that also had lavish percussion, lush string orchestra arrangements and expensive record production processes. Psychedelic soul tracks developed disco. Some believe that the theme from Shalt movie in 1971 was an early disco song. Producers Gamble and Huff from Philadelphia used baselines that influence proto-disco records like Love Train by the O'Jays, the Love I Lost by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, etc. Norman Whitfield and other producers used idsco in many creative ways. He was involved in the psychedelic soul track of Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.
Disco reached mainstream successful by 1974. Songs like The Hues Corporation's Rock the Boat in 1974 was a number one single and a million seller. Kung Fu Fighter sold a lot. By 1975, the rise of artists like Gloria Gaynor with her song I Will Survive captured the political goals of disco music.
Van McCoy's 1975 song of The Hustle was popular. One innovative group was KC and the Sunshine Band with many hits form 1975 to 1977 like Get Down Tonight, Keep it Comin' Love, etc. Italian composer Giorgio Moroder was a well known disco advocate. The greatest vocalist of disco was Donna Summer. She was born in the area of Massachusetts, came to Germany to be in theater, and came back to the states to continue to display disco sounds. Her song Love to Love You Baby in 1975 was controversial at the time. She made other songs like Could it Be Magic, I Feel Love, etc.
By 1975-1979, American disco was at its peak before the rightwing backlash the movie Saturday Night Fever popularized the genre more. The Bee Gees had many disco hits so popular that people from across backgrounds respected them. In 1978, Donna Summer's multi-million selling vinyl single disco version of "MacArthur Park" was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The recording, which was included as part of the "MacArthur Park Suite" on her double live album Live and More, was eight minutes and 40 seconds long on the album. The shorter seven-inch vinyl single version of MacArthur Park was Summer's first single to reach number one on the Hot 100; it does not include the balladic second movement of the song, however. Donna Summer was the Whitney Houston of her time. Summer was the Queen of Disco. Her songs like Last Dance, Dim All the Lights, On the Radio, etc. were successful. The band of Chic was decades ahead of its time. It had the guitarist Nile Rodgers. Their songs of Le Freak, Everybody Dance in 1979, and other songs were timeless. Sylvester was the famous LBGTQ+ disco artist with songs like You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real). It is said that his singing style influenced Prince. Disco was very diverse from the Village People to the Jacksons. Michael Jackson and his brothers made songs showing disco like Blame it on the Boogie (1978), Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) (1979), Lovely One (1980), and Can You Feel It (1981).
Artists like Cheryl Lynn, Evelyn Champagne King, Alicia Bridges, Anita Ward, and other legends have shown excellent disco music. Clubs like Studio 54 in NYC had disco music constantly. The backlash against disco came, because some viewed disco as consumerist, overproduced, and escapist. Some even criticized Rod Stewart and David Bowie as sellouts for using disco elements in their music. By the end of the 1970's, punk grew. Many far right people hated disco because of racist and other reasons. The Disco Sucks movement came into full force when haters of disco destroyed records at Comiskey Park in Chicago on July 12, 1979. This was Disco Demolition Night. In January 1979, rock critic Robert Christgau argued that homophobia, and most likely racism, were reasons behind the movement, a conclusion seconded by John Rockwell. Craig Werner said the same thing. You don't have to quote me. Legs McNeil or the founder of the fanzine Punk admitted that he wanted disco to end because it appealed to black people and others. By the end of 1979, disco sales dropped heavily. Country music grew in the early 1980's. Yet, disco would not die. Disco made many songs in the 1980's and had a huge comeback by the 1990's that continues to this day. The big irony is that disco influenced the development of house music. Disco songs like Irene Cara' Flashdance...What a Felling and Micahel Jackson's Wanna Be Startin's Somethin was on the charts. The 1980's house music and Chicago house grew up to be worldwide popular. Electronic dance music would be a descendant of disco music. This was part of a wave of 1970s nostalgia that was taking place in popular culture at the time of the 1990's. Examples of songs during this time that were influenced by disco included Deee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart" (1990), U2's "Lemon" (1993), Blur's "Girls & Boys" (1994) & "Entertain Me" (1995), Pulp's "Disco 2000" (1995), and Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat" (1999), while films such as Boogie Nights (1997) and The Last Days of Disco (1998) featured primarily disco soundtracks. From Robbie Williams, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Diana Ross (her songs I'm Coming Out, Upside Down, etc. were disco records) and other artists, disco influenced people from across generations. Disco helped to develop DJ culture. It helped music to grow its creativity and made people more inclusive of others. Even early hip hop had disco sounds like Good Times and Rapper's Delight. Disco used pianos, electric guitars, horns, the reflective light disco-ball, and lighted dance floors.
Funk came from African Americans during the mid 1960's. It was a new form of music that mixed soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues. It used melody and cord progressives. It also had a drummer, electric bassist, and a rhythmic groove. Funk bands include Rufus, The Meters, Parliament Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, etc. George Clinton made many sounds. The descendants of funk relate to many forms of dance music, electric music, funk metal, G-funk, Timba, etc. Funk records have been sampled by hip hop artists for decades. As late as the 1950s and early 1960s, when "funk" and "funky" were used increasingly in the context of jazz music, the terms still were considered indelicate and inappropriate for use in polite company. According to one source, New Orleans-born drummer Earl Palmer "was the first to use the word 'funky' to explain to other musicians that their music should be made more syncopated and danceable." Funk uses dance music. It uses the beat and notes to get the best effect. A great deal of funk is rhythmically based on a two-celled onbeat/offbeat structure, which originated in sub-Saharan African music traditions. New Orleans appropriated the bifurcated structure from the Afro-Cuban mambo and conga in the late 1940s, and made it its own. By the 1970's, many funk records were about the changes in society. By that time, society moved from an industrial working class economy to an information economy that harmed many working class black people. Funk songs by The Ohio Players, Earth, Wind & Fire, and James Brown raised issues faced by lower-income Blacks in their song lyrics, such as poor "economic conditions and themes of poor inner-city life in the black communities." The Funkadelic song "One Nation Under A Groove" (1978) is about the challenges that Blacks overcame during the 1960s civil rights movement, and it includes an exhortation for black people in the 1970s to capitalize on the new "social and political opportunities" that had become available in the 1970s. The Isley Brothers song "Fight the Power" (1975) has a political message. Parliament's song "Chocolate City" (1975) metaphorically refers to Washington D.C. and other US cities that have a mainly Black population, and it draws attention to the potential power that Black voters wield and suggests that a Black President be considered in the future. Political funk songs was found in Blaxploitation films. These films shown black men and black women as fighting for their own dignity and respect. The political themes of funk songs and the aiming of the messages to a Black audience echoed the new image of Blacks that was created in Blaxploitation films, which depicted "African-American men and women standing their ground and fighting for what was right." James Brown said that Little Richard's 1950's R&B road ban from New Orleans used the funk first in to the rhythm of rock and roll. James Brown was an early godfather of funk with songs like Out of Sight, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, and I Got You (I Feel Good). From the late 1960's to he 1970's, funk music developed into its modern formation. There was Jimmy McGriff, Tower of Power, Sly and the Family Stone, New Orleans' artists, and the Isley Brothers. Their producer, Norman Whitfield, became an innovator in the field of psychedelic soul, creating hits with a newer, funkier sound for many Motown acts, including "War" by Edwin Starr, "Smiling Faces Sometimes" by the Undisputed Truth and "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" by the Temptations. Motown producers Frank Wilson ("Keep On Truckin'") and Hal Davis ("Dancing Machine") followed suit. Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye also adopted funk beats for some of their biggest hits in the 1970s, such as "Superstition" and "You Haven't Done Nothin'", and "I Want You" and "Got To Give It Up", respectively. Parliament Fundaelic used a new funk sound influenced by jazz and psychedlic rock. George Clinton was the head who used costumes, sounds, and fun in their music.
Funk records had Barry White, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Commodores, and other people. Funk exists now. Many women were involved in funk like Labelle, Brides of Funkestein, Klymaxx, Mother's Finest, Lyn Collins, Betty Davis, and Teena Marie. Betty Mabry Davis was an unsung artist whose words and sounds were underrated. Today, more people appreciate her contributions to funk music. Betty Davis is free speech. She was once married to jazz artist Miles Davis. She was a friend to late Jimi Hendrix. She was so ahead of her time, that she made music that would make Millie Jackson blush. Millie Jackson was ahead of her time too. Betty Davis made it possibly for other women artists to express themselves like Missy Elliot and Erykah Badu. Funk today has been shown in clubs, theaters, and computers all of the time. Its music has influenced hip hop, rock, R&B, dance, punk, and other genres.
The prophet Daniel mentioned the legs of iron. Bible scholars are in consensus that this means the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire used iron on their shields to protect themselves from attacks. The 2 legs refers to the 2 section of the Roman Empire being the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire. From the time of Malachi to the Birth of Jesus Christ, the Middle East was in flux. In Christianity, Christians believed that the OT verses of Numbers 24:1719, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, etc. refer to the Messiah as God and as Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born during the time of the Roman Empire's domination of Israel. The Romans were sophisticated in their tyranny. They regulated religious services of the followers of Judaism. They used soldiers to occupy lands. They permitted slavery. People of many races from black people to white people lived in the Roman Empire's borders. Vicious persecutions of Christians existed during the early days of the Roman Empire. Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire. Later, the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine would have its capital on Constantinople. Daniel 2:33, 40 outlined this information about iron. The Roman Empire surpassed the power of the Babylonian and Greek Empires combines. The Roman Empire had weapons made of iron with bronze claws, they had an eagle as a symbol, and they conquered lands from Britain to Iran at its peak. Jewish people, during the Roman Empire, fought for their freedom. The First Jewish Revolt lasted from 66-70 A.D. After the revolt, the Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire as predicted by Jesus Christ in the book of Matthew. The destruction of Jerusalem by Nero and Vespasian was in 2 phrases. The first phrase was on Passover on Nisan 14 and the second one was on the 9th of Av (July/August). On the day of the 9th of Av, over 1 million Jewish people were killed and thousands were captured. 97,000 people were made prisoners. The Western Wall or the Wailing Wall only remained of the Temple to this day. Jewish people made their final rebellion in the Bar Kohaba revolt in 132-136 A.D. 586,000 Jewish people were killed. Hadrian remained the city of Jerusalem Aelia Capitolins, and many Jewish people fled to Babylon plus other places. Babylon was the land of refuge. Jerusalem remained under Gentile rule until 1948. Jesus was so hard on the Pharisees, because they embraced Oral Tradition. On many times, Oral Tradition contradicted the words of the Torah. After the end of the Western Roman Empire by 476 A.D., things massively changed in the world. Nothing would be the same again.
Black Musical Excellence during the 1960's was heavily abundant. Black Excellence isn't just found in the musicians of the 1960's. Many producers and other black people behind the scenes made 1960's music from Motown, Staxx, Columbia, and other record labels present black music to the world. Berry Gordy worked as clock work to promote talented artists. Motown artists made songs constantly all over the Hitsville studio in Detroit. One large part of Motown's success was the Holland-Dozier-Holland team. This was a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. They helped to create the Motown sound of the 1960's. They worked from 1962 to 1967 at Motown. Dozier and Brian Holland wrote and produce songs. Eddie Holland wrote lyrics and arranged the vocals. This team were involved in the 10 of 12 Supremes' 12 U.S. No. 1 singles like Baby Love, Stop! In the Name of Love, You Keep Hangin' On. They worked with The Four Tops and Michael Jackson. The Four Tops is an underrated group with the led single of Levi Stubbs. Levi Stubbs (1936-2008) was one of the greatest vocalists of all time. He was that great. The team also worked with the Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, and Marvin Gaye. Norman Whitfield was another great writer and producer of the 1960's too. Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2010. Norman Whitfield (1940-2008) was credited as one of the creators of the Motown Sound and of the late 1960's subgenre of psychedelic soul. Maxine Powell was the woman who helped Motown's musicians to develop their character, fashion, and other aspects of their performance. She told the Supremes about talking, dressing, and eating food. Maxine Powell said the truth that each person is beautiful. She lived to be 98 years old. She worked with Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Tammi Terrell, and Stevie Wonder. Powell wanted to show the black excellence in the world by presenting the best out of artists. That is her gift. Smokey Robinson helped Motown with writing hit records too. Cholly Atkins was involved in the artistic development department as a dance teacher. Back in the day, many Motown artists were too rigid in their dance moves, so Atkins came about to help many artists to be more fluid in how they performed or danced on stage. His lessons worked. Cholly Atkins worked with the Temptations and the Four Tops. He also worked with the Pips and the Supremes. Honi Coles also worked with Motown musicians to improve their dancing skills. Atkins choreographed for the Temptations until his passing in 2003.
By the time of 1966, American society was changing. Shows had more integrated audiences even in the South. Black music was the soundtrack of the lives of millions of Americans. Motown was already reaching new international acclaim. Yet, social justice activists continued to fight for change. By this time, the Civil Rights Movement at its core dealt with more complex issues of housing, education, police brutality, economic inequality, the Vietnam War, and other issues. The Black Power movement was reaching tons of young people. Music reflected this new reality in American society. In 1966, Norman Whitfield was producing the Temptations. Motown grossed $20 million. Motown signed many great artists like Gladys Knight and the Pips, Tammi Terrell, and the Isley Brothers. Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson were staff writers at Motown. Stark Trek was born. Color TV started to be popular. I Spy was there. The Freedom of Information Act was signed by LBJ. The Black Panthers were created in 1966 as well. By early 1966, James Brown had a record called I Got You (I Feel Good). Joe Tex had A Sweet Woman Like You. Singles form Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, the Four Tops, and The Temptations dominated the charts in 1966. The Temptations had 4 chart topping records of Get Ready, Aint Too Proud to Beg, Beauty is Only Skin Deep, and I'm Losing You. June was when James Brown had the song of "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" Wilson Pickett was showing music. The Supremes had recorded like You Can't Hurry Love and You Keep Me Hangin' On. Stevie Wonder had Uptight and Blowin' in the Wind. Percey Sledge's When a Man Loves a Woman was an anthem of 1966. Sam and Dave's Hold On! I'm a Comin' was popular. Ray Charles and Lou Rawls expressed themselves with music in 1966 as well. It was a very soulful year indeed. Maurice King was also part of the Motown's artist development department too.
By Timothy
Friday, July 24, 2020
Standing on Principles.
As we know, Tariq Nasheed is a character, a hypocrite, and a deceiver. Recently,he crossed the line and made derogatory comments about John Lewis. I'm not surprised. To disrespect an iconic black man like John Lewis, who has shown more courageousness than Tariq will ever do, is definitely offensive. Tariq said that John Lewis did nothing to help black people and his nonviolent activism was used to basically pacify himself with white society (along with other offensive nonsense that I won't mention here). Before Tariq was born, John Lewis was in the trenches fighting for our freedom. I don't agree with pacifism, but Lewis' nonviolent resistance was one way in how the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act (2 of the greatest legislation of the 1960's) were passed. John Lewis, just before his passing, wanted to extend voting rights, while Tariq wants black people to withdrawal from voting Trump out of office. When Tariq was promoting records about pimping women and promoting violence against black people in his hip hop songs (and he made hip hop songs degrading women, even having a woman on a cover in a disrespectful way), John Lewis was in Congress fighting for progressive change. Tariq admitted that he wanted to disrespect John Lewis.
This coward Tariq Nasheed has the nerve to say what has John Lewis done for black people? John Lewis fought for the right for Tariq to have an Internet platform to spew his garbage (he or Nasheed made a movie called 1804 about the Haitian Revolution when he slanders Afro-Caribbean people constantly on his radio shows plus on Twitter). This person Nasheed promoted pimping and manipulation with his books and criticizes women in interracial relationships, but his wife is a product of an interracial relationship. Years ago, this guy Tariq admitted to lusting after Brooke Logan, but he claims to be some black superhero. Tariq believes that single black mothers doesn't deserve reparations which is very wrong on his part. His family's surname is not Nasheed, but Sanders. He changed his name. There is so much stuff this guy does behind closed doors that I won't mention here, that it's incredible. To answer Tariq Nasheed's question, here is what John Lewis did to help black people: he helped to back the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. John Lewis fought against the Iraq War. John Lewis came out to help create the National African American Museum of History and Culture. John Lewis directed the Voter Education Project to help people with voting rights. He helped to register millions of black Americans voters. No one is perfect. Even John Lewis made mistakes, but to discount his legacy is very disrespectful. John Lewis spent his life to defend human rights.
There is the controversy about Sage Steele. She is the journalist and reporter from ESPN. I heard about her for years. She said that many of her ESPN colleagues didn't want her to talk with a panel on racism because of her political views. Sage Steele has a long history of making problematic remarks. For example, she blamed black people of being the most racist against her. She criticized Colin Kaepernick's protest, and she wanted ESPN to not delve into politics when the history of athletics are intertwined with politics (i.e. Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, etc.).
Steele made these allegations against Michael Eaves and Elle Duncan, who are 2 black journalists. The panel was called Time for Change: We Won't Be Defeated. Steele omits that Stephen A. Smith and Bomani Jones didn't participate in the program either. Steele doesn't want to be viewed as a monolith, but she has criticized the black community as a monolith on many issues. Like usual, Jason Whitlock believes that reforms are equivalent to far left views. In 2016, Sage Steele criticized NFL player Mike Evans for sitting during the anthem. She told a crowd in Florida that the worst racism she sees comes form black people.
That statement is not only offensive, but anti-black. The Holocaust, the Maafa, the Red Summer Massacres, and the epidemic of hate crimes aren't committed by mostly black people. Steele made the lie that African Americans can be hypocritical and not look at the mirror. Black people have a long history of self reflection and fighting evil. In black households, black people are always told to do the right thing with integrity. Steele said that ESPN should stick to sports, she didn't want to hear about Charlottesville on SportsCenter, and she defended NFL owners not signing Kaepernick. Steele rarely attended the National Association of Black Journalists' Sports Task Force. So, we know about Sage Steele. She shouldn't be disrespected. Yet, people have the right to peacefully disagree with her views. Hopefully, she can wake up.
By Timothy
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
The Crisis in Portland, Etc.
I believe that John Lewis is right to oppose injustice. Trump's police state attack in Portland, Oregon is not only a violation of democratic rights. It represents Trump's authoritarian mentality. When police authorities, with no insignia, come about to arrest peaceful protesters without just cause, then that is a total violation of human freedom. The police authorities are from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other federal agencies. These people acted as real thugs to use CS tear gas, rubber bullets, and sonic weapons on protesters. One protester was hit with an impact munition fired by a federal marshal that severely damaged the protester's head. This comes after the massive multi-generational, multiracial protests (made up of working class people and all freedom lovers in general) during the aftermath of the unjust murders of George Floyd & Breonna Taylor. Homeland Security Chad Wolf has demonized protesters as violent anarchists. The ACLU has filed suit in Oregon against the DHS and the federal Marshal's service for using indiscriminate tear gas, rubber bullets, and acoustic weapons (sound weapons). Trump wants a grip on power. That is why Trump told FOX News Sunday's host Chris Wallace that he don't know if he will support the results of the November 3, 2020 election. Therefore, Trump is not God. He is a man, and he should be opposed of his corrupt policies.
In this land, we witness the coronavirus pandemic. We witness some good news about many Confederate monuments coming down. Likewise, we have a long way to go. One of the evil pastimes embraced by some is that some folks would rather lecture poor and suffering people on respectability politics than confronting the military industrial complex & the corrupt policies from Wall Street banking institutions. Discriminatory sentencing practices harming many black and brown people is wrong, and police brutality plagues American society. The conservatives believe in the myth that us getting up by our own bootstraps alone will eliminate poverty, discrimination, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other evils. That myth ignores the fact that Americans historically have always worked extremely hard, yet income inequality remains high. It is not a problem of a work ethic. It is a problem of structural economic dislocation, structural racism, and the other systems of oppression in general harming people's lives.
The people want livable wages, affordable, up to date housing, medical resources, strong educational services, and liberation. Laissez faire capitalism never will eliminate employment discrimination, gentrification, and police abuses. The long legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, the neo-colonial atmosphere of ghetto life, and other evils remain in our land. The only solution is a radical redistribution of political and economic power to the people, not just the 1%. Most black Americans desire reparations. Are we as black Americans entitled to them? The answer is Yes. As the late democratic socialist Dr. Martin Luther King has accurately stated, we need a "radical reconstruction of society itself."
Many Republicans believe in the myth that JFK was a conservative and would be a conservative today. We have to look at the record. JFK in 1960 said that he was a liberal. That alone refutes the Republicans' argument. Also, JFK supported universal healthcare for the elderly which would be Medicare. Ronald Reagan opposed Medicare back then and claimed that it was a prelude to socialism. JFK supported unions, investments in Social Security, and a federal civil rights bill promoting racial equality. Back then, many conservatives opposed a federal civil rights bill like Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, and George H. W. Bush. They falsely thought that the Civil Rights Act was a federal overreach. JFK believed in the separation of church and state and said that the Catholic Church will never dictate to him anything on political policy. Today, the Republicans bash the separation of church and state when even Jesus Christ said Render what it is to God and Render what it is to Caesar. The separation of church and state has been embraced by strong spiritual people (like the Anabaptists, etc.) for thousands of years. JFK believed in taxing oil companies, and he rejected using nuclear war against the Soviet Union. JFK wanted an end to nuclear weapons tests, and he believe in the rights of immigrants (JFK even wrote a book describing the contributions of immigrants involving American society). The GOP is so far right that it is incredible. Therefore, JFK was a mainline liberal. JFK wasn't a far left progressive person, but he was far from conservative.
By Timothy
Monday, July 20, 2020
More on Music and Culture during Late July of 2020.
They made up one of the most influential groups in hip hop. They were based in Staten Island, New York with a global reach. They are the Wu Tang Clan. They were unique in having a lot of members with great lyrical talent and diverse content. They were birthed during the Golden Era of hip hop, and some call them the greatest hip hop group of all time. Famous members in the group are RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Cappadonna, and Masta Killa. The group have 4 gold and platinum studio albums. Roots of the group go back in the 1980's. The All in Together Now Crew existed. People like GZA made albums in 1991. The group merged Eastern philosophy, kung fu movies, and Five Percent Nation teachings in their group. By late 1992, Wu Tan Clan was born. RZA was the producer and one of the leaders of the groups. Many members are cousins. Their single Protect Ya Neck was recorded in 1992, and it was released on November 1993. Their debut album was Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). It was critically acclaimed. It caused a resurgence of East Coast Renaissance of hip hop after West Coast hip hop dominated the charts for years. It paved the pay for other East Coast artists to increase their popularity like Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, and Jay Z. The Wu Tang Clan album was underground. Its themes combined martial arts themes, street life, and had jazz influenced styles. Wu Tang Clan invented many large section of modern NYC hip hop. RZA and other members made separate albums throughout the 1990's too. Raekwon's debut album was Only Built 4 Cuban Linx on August 1995. This album revived the mafioso rap subgenre. By 1997 at June, Wu-Tang Forever was released. Its lead single, Triumph, was one of the most lyrical songs of all time. From that time onward, Wu Tang would continue in their hip hop journey of setting fashion trends and being part of overall hip hop culture.
Hip hop culture in the West Coast starts and ends with diversity. The West Coast is made up of many states like California, Oregon, California, Arizona, Utah, Washington state, etc. From old school sounds to the rise of G-funk, its music is never dull. Its music always used electronic sounds, funk, soul, and dance-hall. The Golden Era of Hip hop saw West Coast music filled with women, labels like Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob records, and the sounds of Eazy E. Eazy E was 100% West Coast in his voice and style. He was the one man that made N.W.A. what it is. Today, we see hyphy and mobb music. Cities like Los Angeles, Compton, Long Beach, Oakland, San Francisco, Vallejo, Sacramento, Portland, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, San Diego, and other places have legends of hip hop. Back in the day in 1967, Bud Schulberg made a creative space called the Watts Writers Workshop that allowed people of Watts to express their talents. The spoken word group of the Watts Prophets existed out of his movement. During the late 1970's, a young disc jockey from Compton was Alonzo Williams. He promoted hip hop music back in the West Coast. He worked with another DJ named Rodger Clayton from LA to form a promotion company called Unique Dreams that would hire Williams to DJ at local events. Williams made a group of World Class Wreckin' Cru. They hosted parties in the area. West Coast hip hop in Southern California back then was more fastpaced and were influenced by electronic devices. Los Angeles had breakdancing, popping, and locking. Mellow Man Ace, Eazy E, Ice T, Kid Frost, and Too Short were early West Coast artists. Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp made music in 1981. By the mid 1980's, what we call gangsta rap grew. The Batterram was a song in 1985 made by Toddy Tee and others. Dr. Dre and DJ Yella formed music. KDAY shown records all day. Eazy E with Jerry Heller worked with Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, Ice Cube, and MC Ren to form N.W.A. Women were in hip hop in the West Coast like J.J. Fad and Yo-Yo. N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton was released in 1988. Back in those days, it was controversial to show explicit language on music. The controversy caused N.W.A. ironically to gain a huge amount of success and popularity. The album was produce by Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince. Ice Cube and MC Ren were great writers on the lyrics of the album. The D.O.C. from Texas helped the group hugely on the music side too. Four songs that show what this group is about are Straight Outta Compton, Gangsta Gangsta, Express Yourself, and F___ the Police. The group N.W.A. caused gangsta rap to be more hardcore. The group had a contradicting dualism of being right to expose police brutality and promoting free expression while being wrong for glamorizing overt misogyny and violence for the sake of violence. Ice Cube left N.W.A. because of financial issues. He made his albums of AmeriKKKa' Most Wanted in 1990 and Death Certificate in 1991 that touched on race, culture, music, etc. Ice Cube has acted in some of the most well known movies of the 1990's like Boyz N the Hood, Higher Learning, Friday, etc. Tupac Shakur's 1991 album of 2Pacalypse Now talked about police brutality, social injustice, poverty, and the Black Panther philosophy.
Suge Knight's Death Row Records was formed in 1991. He received money from Harry O to get things running. The 1992 album of Dr. Dre's The Chronic came into America like a storm. His album had Snoop on it on many records. It has sounds inspired by George Clinton, other funk records, and g-funk. Nuthin' But a G Thang was its popular song. Later, Snoop released his debut album in 1993, The Dogg Pound's Dogg Food in 1995, and the Doggfather in 1996. Groups like The Pharcyde, Cypress Hill, and other people made their music for a diversity of folks. Yo-Yo is an American West Coast hip hop artist who made people respect her. Her songs deal with women empowerment, flows, life, and the honor to black women. She was born in Compton, California. Ice Cube supported her. Her 1991 first album was Make Way for the Motherlode. Also, her 2nd album of Black Peral in 1992 praised black women. In 1996, she made Total Control. To this day, she is a mother, an activist, and a businesswoman. She has been in the struggle for our freedom. Yo-Yo dated Tupac Shakur in he 1990's before marrying DeAndrew Windom at 2013 at the Cayman Islands. J.J. Fad was a woman group from Rialto, California. Their members are Juana Burns (MC J.B.), Dania Birks (Baby D), Michelle Franklin-Ferrens (Sassy C.), Anna Cash (Lady Ann), Fatima Shaheed (O.G. Rocker), and Juana Lee (Crazy J). They signed to Eazy E's Ruthless' Records in 1987. They were created in 1985 as a quintet. They made the song Supersonic.
Some have called this album one of the greatest, if not the greatest album in history. It certainly made future artists to have a hip hop career. It was product of years, producers, and one artist. This artist is Nas, and the album is Illmatic. This album was Nas' debut album on April 19, 1994. It was about the explanation of the experiences of black people in New York City's ghettos, especially in Queensbridge. It was a declaration of the joy, pain, and other emotions of the oppressed. Focused on lyricism like Rakim and with a jazz flow, Nas worked hard on this album. An all star cast of producers were involved in the project like DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, LE.S., and Nas. This group of people was like the Dream Team of producers back then. By 1996, the album was gold. It was a landmark album of hip hop music showing imagery and lyricism that expanded the genre. Nas was the son of a jazz musician. Since he was a teenager, he wanted a hip hop career. He dedicates his music to his late friend and DJ Willy "Ill Will" Graham. When he was 15, he worked with Queens producer Large Professor. In 1991, he has an cameo on the song Live at the Barbeque from the Main Source's Breaking Atoms album. His debut single was Halftime in 1992. This was for the soundtrack of Zebrahead. Also, people compared Nas to Rakim. Rakim was the teacher and the artist Nas was the student. After Ill Will was murdered and his brother shot on May 23, 1992, Nas was more focused on his career. He was on the song Back to the Grill for MC Serch (in Serch's 1992 solo debut album Return of the Product). Premier, Pete Rock, and Nas' further completed the album. The album Illmatic had internal half rhymes, assonance, multisyllabic rhymes, and enjambment. Nas was building on the work of legends like Kool G Rap, Kane, Rakim, and others. Songs like NY State of Mind, It Ain't Hard to Tell, One Love, One Time 4 Your Mind, etc. outline what hip hop is. Hip hop is a combination or a merging of joy, pain, competition, survival, and living life. The album of Illmatic expanded people's minds, and it further extended the depth of hip hop music.
1970's fashion and music go hand in hand. People wore Afros, hot-pants, and bell bottoms. Films showed black life in a super hero fashion along with other themes of expression. Shaft, Coffy, Foxy Brown, Cleopatra Jones, and other movies shown black men and black women representing many roles. These films were watched by me when I was a child during the 1990's. Miniskirts and disco culture dominated the time too. Fashion models back then include people like Iman, Beverly Johnson, Gia Carangi, Janice Dickinson, Lauren Hutton, etc. During the early 1970's, the hippie look did take shape until the mid to late 1970's when more diverse, defined clothing was very commonplace.
By the time of the rise of Lyndon Baines Johnson as President, we see the Cold War involved multiple blocs of power seeking control of the world's resources. Western Europe and Japan started to have massive economic growth. Their per capita GDP's were approaching those of the United States. The Eastern Bloc by the 1960's and beyond had stagnant economies. Capitalism was reaching its economic zenith for America. By the end of December 12, 1963, Kenya was independent from the UK. By January 23, 1964, the 24th Amendment was ratified to ban poll taxes. President Johnson would start his Presidency with a reactionary foreign policy. He support the military led coup d'etat against the progressive President Joao Goulart in Brazil. Goulart wanted land reform and a bigger control of the state in its economy. The CIA thought that was communist, when it is shame that extremists even demonize legitimate land reform. LBJ by April 20, 1964 said that he plans to cut back on the production of materials for making nuclear weapons. May 2, 1964 was when President Johnson gave his Great Society speech at the University of Michigan. This plan was created by the previous Kennedy administration. LBJ wanted to extend American prosperity to all citizens. By August of 1964, the Economic Opportunities Act was passed which started the Great Society programs officially. Decades later, the Great Society programs made great contributions to society, and it wasn't perfect. The problem wasn't that it went too far. It didn't go far enough, and many Great Society programs were cut by far right austerity programs. Jawaharal Nehru died on May 27, 1964. On July 4, 1964, The Rhodesian Bush War begins when African nationalist / Marxist insurgents rebel against colonial rule in Rhodesia (modern day Zimbabwe.) Malawi becomes independent from the UK. August 4, 1964 was when the US President Lyndon B. Johnson claimed that North Vietnamese naval vessels had fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Although there was a first attack, it was later shown that American vessels had entered North Vietnamese territory first, and that the claim of second attack had been unfounded. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident leads to the open involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War, after the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The expansion of the American involvement of the unjust Vietnam War had lasting consequences of the Cold War. By October 14, 1964, Leonid Brezhnev succeeds Khrushchev to become General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 2 days later, China tests its first atomic bomb. The test makes China the world's fifth nuclear power. Zambia becomes independent from the UK. The nation of Gambia becomes independent from the UK on February 1965. By this time, President Lyndon Johnson won his election of 1964 against Barry Goldwater, who would inspire the libertarian and conservative movements. Goldwater would also inspire Reagan. On April 24, 1965, the Dominican Civil War existed causing forces loyal to former President Juan Bosch to overthrow current leader Donald Reid Cabral. July 30, 1965 was when the Medicare and Medicaid health care services were signed into law. To this day, these laws have saved millions of lives. August 1965 saw the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. Six Indonesian generals are killed by the September 30 Movement during an abortive coup d'état later blamed on the Communist Party of Indonesia. Mass killings of suspected communists begin shortly after on October 1, 1965. In 1966, Barbados and Guyana, plus Botswana gained independence. Luna 9 landed on the Moon. Surveyor 1 from America landed on an extraterrestrial body too. France left NATO on February 21, 1966, because of American involvement in Vietnam and other reasons. President Charles de Gauille announced the decision.
By 1964, debates raged in the White House about what to do about Vietnam. The administration didn't want an immediate withdrawal, but LBJ admitted privately that the war would be very difficult for America to win. The Soviet Union aided North Vietnam including China. The war hawks in the administration wanted Lyndon Johnson to expand American military involvement in the civil war. After the North Vietnam raid of the U.S. base in the city of Pieiku and at a nearby Helicopter base at Camp Holloway, LBJ ordered the bombing of North Vietnam in Operation Flaming Dart on February 1965. March of 1965 was the time of Operation Rolling Thunder. This was a 3 year bombing campaign of North Vietnam targets. Later, U.S. Marines landed on the beaches near Da Nang, South Vietnam. This was the first American marines used in Vietnam for combat purposes. Nothing would be the same after that. On June 1965, General Nguyen Van Thieu of the Army of South Vietnam was the President of South Vietnam. LBJ called for 50,000 more ground troops to be sent to Vietnam. He expanded the draft to 35,000 a month. This was in July of 1965. Back then, it was taboo to criticize the Vietnam War in America. The anti-war movement was in its infancy. August 1965 was when Operation Starlite took place. U.S.Marines in about 5,000 men fought a Viet Cong Regimes in the first major ground offensive by U.S. forces in Vietnam. November 1965 was when Norman Morrison (a 31 year old pacifist Quaker from Baltimore) set himself on fire on the Pentagon's ground to protest the war. The Battle of Ia Drang Valley was on November 1965 where almost 300 Americans were killed. Both sides declared victory. Battles in Vietnam involved guarding military bases, the usage of helicopters, and total mayhem. By 1966, U.S. troop numbers would increase to 40,000. American aircraft attack Hanoi and Haiphong in raids on June of 1967. About 500,000 troops would be in Vietnam on 1967. Bombings in North Vietnam by U.S. aircraft continue. Napalm was used against Vietnamese people. Both sides committed torture against each other. 1967 saw massive anti-Vietnam protests in Washington, D.C. , New York City, and San Francisco Nguyen Van Thieu won the election with a newly enacted South Vietnamese constitution in September 1967. On November 1967, the Battle of Dak had U.S. and South Vietnamese forces resisted an offensive made by communist forces in the Central Highlands. The U.S. had about 1,800 casualties. By late 1967, the Vietnam War was very horrible. Anti-war voices were abundant, and the White House was stubborn to continue onward. LBJ could have ended the war years ago with a negotiated settlement, but he refused because he had a sick paranoia about losing the war. It's a shame. Millions of people among both sides died, because of Western imperialistic arrogance and destruction.
From 1965 to 1967, the American Civil Rights Movement expanded. 1965 was the peak of the unity among the Civil Rights Movement during the Selma voting rights movement. It was a movement where working class people (heavily of black people) led to fight for the voting rights of African Americans. The Selma movement's support included people of every color, every creed, and other human beings. SCLC, SNCC, and other groups were part of the organizing and demonstrations. There were costs made as a product of protests. Many black people were unjustly jailed by the police, some people were murdered by racists, and others were assaulted viciously. Yet, the cause of voting rights carried onward. On February 18, 1965, after a a peaceful protest march in Marion, Alabama, state troopers break it up and one shot Jimmie Lee Jackson. Jackson died on February 26. Though not prosecuted at the time, James Bonard Fowler is indicted for his murder in 2007. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in Manhattan, New York by many men. One man admitted his involvement, and he was a member of the NOI. Yet, we all know that the FBI and the NYPD had agents in the NOI and the OAAU. Malcolm X by 1965 was evolving rapidly intellectually to oppose imperialism, racism, misogyny, and other injustices. He was friends to revolutionaries, scholars, authors, and communists. Malcolm X opposed the Vietnam War and criticized capitalism in an interview on 1965 as well. The revolutionary Malcolm X inspired SNCC and us in our time of 2020. Involving the Selma movement, Bloody Sunday took place on March 7, 1965. This was when civil rights workers in Selma, Alabama, begin the Selma to Montgomery march but are attacked and stopped by a massive Alabama State trooper and police blockade as they cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge into the county. Many marchers are injured and nearly killed by crooked cops. This march, initiated and organized by James Bevel, becomes the visual symbol of the Selma Voting Rights Movement. International outrage came about against this form of police brutality. By March 9th, joined by clergy from all over the country who responded to his urgent appeals for reinforcements in Selma, King leads a second attempt to cross the Pettus Bridge. Although amassed law enforcement personnel are ordered to draw back when the protesters near the foot of the bridge on the other side, King responds by telling the marchers to turn around, and they return to Brown Chapel nearby. He thereby obeys a just-minted federal order prohibiting the group from walking the highway to Montgomery. This turnabout caused some SNCC members to criticize Dr. King. On March 11, 1965, Rev. James Reeb, a white Unitarian minister who had heeded King’s call for clergy to come to Selma, is beaten by Klansmen. Reeb died of his injuries. Reeb’s murder shocked the nation. President Lyndon Johnson used the phrase "We Shall Overcome" in a speech before Congress to urge passage of the voting rights bill on March 15. Participants in the third and successful Selma to Montgomery march stepped off on a five-day 54-mile march to Montgomery, Alabama's capitol. This was on March 21. By March 25, 1965, after Dr. King has delivered his "How Long, Not Long" speech on the steps of the state capitol, a white volunteer, Viola Liuzzo, is shot and killed by KKK members in Alabama, one of whom was an FBI informant. Even a black deputy was murdered in Varnado, Louisiana on June 2. His name was Sheriff Oneal Moore. John Lewis was beaten for fighting for the Voting Rights Act to be passed.
On August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed by President Johnson. It provides for federal oversight and enforcement of voter registration in states and individual voting districts with a history of discriminatory tests and underrepresented populations. It prohibits discriminatory practices preventing African Americans and other minorities from registering and voting, and electoral systems diluting their vote. 1965 was the peak of the old school Civil Rights Movement. Many white Americans thought that the movement was over, which was incorrect. After Selma, the black freedom struggle saw more revolutionized thinking and power to demand freedom plus justice. Another event would capture the nature and remind people that the problem of oppression was more complex. From August 11-15, 1965, the Watts, Los Angeles rebellion took place. It happened because of the long history of police brutality, economic devastation, racism, discrimination, and lax opportunities in general. Over 34 were killed, 1,032 injured, 3,438 arrested, and there was the cost of over $40 million in property damage. Dr. King was booed when he gave his speech in Los Angeles, which was rare back then. Dr. King said that they booed, because the promises of civil rights didn't bear fruit, and that the complex economic problems of the North and the West Coast must be addressed in order for freedom to come for all. September 1965 saw Raylawni Branch and Gwendolyn Elaine Armstrong become the first African-American students to attend the University of Southern Mississippi. On September 24, 1965, President Johnson signed Executive Order 11246 requiring Equal Employment Opportunity by federal contractors. By the end of 1965, civil rights leaders debated on where to go from here. Some wanted to travel North, some wanted voter registration, some wanted economic programs, and the debates were endless. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. started to look to Chicago. Chicago was developed by industrial power and a diversity of people. Black Southerners via both Great Migrations came to the city for economic opportunities from Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, etc. Chicago still had problems of discrimination, police brutality, lax housing, deprivation of economic power, and other issues while banning legal Jim Crow apartheid. Dr. King wanted change, so at the beginning of 1966, he traveled into Chicago to address slums. Dr. King had a hard time, because Richard Daley supported the Vietnam War and had black bourgeoisie advocates to strife Dr. King's efforts. On January 10, 1966, NAACP local chapter president Vernon Dahmer was injured by a bomb in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He died the next day. On June 5, 1966, James Meredith began a solitary March Against Fear from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. Shortly after starting, he was shot with birdshot and injured. Civil rights leaders and organizations rally and continue the march leading to, on June 16, Kwame Ture first using the slogan Black power in a speech. Twenty-five thousand marchers entered the capital. Black Power is one of the most debated concepts in human history. There are progressive and conservative factions of the Black Power movement. What unified them were their advocacy of Blackness, their call for self-determination, their resistance to imperialism, and their love of black community development. Many reactionaries and moderate civil rights leaders accused the Black Power movement of advocating racism. That is not true. Bayard Rustin opposed Black Power, because he felt that black people should form a coalition with the Democratic Party plus labor rights groups in getting solutions. He accused the Black Power advocates of lacking a political or economic program. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took a nuisance approach of praising Black Power's promoting black economic power and political power while rejecting separatism. The progressive faction of the Black Power movement included organizations like the Black Panther Party. The conservative, reformist faction of the Black Power movement was funded by Ford, Clairol, and other entities. The conservative faction (which would promote Black capitalism) included people like Roy Innis, Harold Cruse, and others. They believed in the myth that we must end militant mass struggle and just love the capitalist system for freedom. Still, black freedom fighters made real gains like the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Black Studies programs, and the end of Jim Crow apartheid.
Kwame Ture wanted Dr. King to align with Black Power, but Dr. King said to him that he wanted policy beyond a slogan. By this time, Kwame Ture ran SNCC. SNCC evolved to be more black nationalist by the year of 1966. John Lewis resigned. Kwame Ture allowed white people to leave SNCC, because he wanted white people to organize in their communities to fight racism. The irony is that many black nationalists claimed to be so more radical than Dr. King, but Dr. King became more radical than them by Dr. King opposing the Vietnam War, praising democratic socialism, believing in reparations, following nonviolent civil disobedience, and calling for a radical redistribution of economic plus political power. While CORE became more conservative by the end of the 1960's (i.e. the ruling class via foundation money funded CORE to act as a middle class buffer to try stop revolutionary class liberation) and even some members of other groups, Dr. King became more progressive. The Chicago Open Housing Movement was led by many people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Al Raby, James Bevel, Jesse Jackson, etc. It had large rallies marches , and demands to Mayor Richard J. Daley and the City of Chicago which are discussed in a movement-ending Summit Conference. The Chicago movement ended with little success, but it was a necessary experiment to witness how nonviolent resistance would work in the North and the Midwest. By October 1966, Black Panther Party founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. The Black Panther Party was a socialist organization that wanted power to the people, an end to police brutality, community control, an end to Western imperialism (as they were against the Vietnam War), and other progressive plans. The BPP had many women and men heroes. They openly carried guns being in favor of self defense. Some made mistakes like minimizing class struggle, some abused BPP members, etc. The Black Panther Party human beings were victims of infiltration by the FBI and outright police terrorism against their organization. This harassment by the FBI and local police forces along with future division contributed to end the Black Panther Party by the early 1980's. Yet, the Black Panther Party (which advocated self-defense and the usage of gun to protect black American communities) was a progressive out growth of the black freedom struggle. By January of 1967, Dr. King came out to overtly criticize the Vietnam War in hardcore terms. He knew that the colonialism in Vietnam was similar to the neo-colonialism of the ghettos of America by the super wealthy capitalist power structure. He knew that it was hypocritical for the U.S. government to lecture people to be nonviolent in America while using massive violence in the unjust war in Vietnam. On April 4, 1967, Dr. King delivered "Beyond Vietnam" speech, calling for defeat of "the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism." Despite Dr. King being criticized by LBJ, the moderate civil rights establishment, far right anti-communists, and others, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. courageously continued to express opposition to the Vietnam War. In Loving v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that prohibiting interracial marriage is unconstitutional on June 12, 1967. In the trial of accused killers in the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, the jury convicts 7 of 18 accused men. Conspirator Edgar Ray Killen is later convicted in 2005. June - August 1967 was when over 150 communities had rebellions. The media called these events the Long, Hot Summer of 1967. The largest and deadliest riots of the summer take place in Newark, New Jersey and Detroit with 26 fatalities reported in Newark and 43 people losing their lives in the Motor City. The common denominators of these rebellions involve economic oppression, deindustrialization, racism, austerity, police brutality, and other socioeconomic problems that plague many places (and harm the lives of human beings). On October 2, 1965, Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court.
By Timothy
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Friday, July 17, 2020
Friday News and Updates.
Mary Trump's new book revealed what we already know and suspected. It shows Trump as narcissistic, and it outlines how Trump's father modeled him to be the cruel person that he is. Mary is Trump's niece. Her tell all book sold 950,000 copies by the end of the first day on sale. Mary Trump said that Donald Trump has used anti-Semitic slurs and the n word. The lesson of the book shows us that real integrity ought to be promoted by anyone. When Trump uses habitual lying, we ought to be honest with our intentions. When Trump uses racial slurs to describe the coronvavirus, we should treat our neighbor as ourselves regardless of someone's background. When Trump promotes the Confederate flag and statues, we ought to believe in real history that presents the truth that those images are antithetical to black humanity.
Today, a new generation has grown to fight many injustices. Millions of Americans plus others globally have been involved in demonstrations to defend black human lives. That is unprecedented in world history. Now, some states have banned chokeholds. Mississippi legislators have finally ended the Confederate image on the Mississippi state flag. History and human experience teach us that change only comes by the people uniting and using action to demand transformative change against the agenda of oligarchy. It is immoral for some to want massive cuts to urban plus rural public services during this era of economic downturn and the coronavirus pandemic.
There are always a connection between us who are African Americans and West/Central Africans. I took a DNA test and found out that a large amount of my DNA is from Nigeria including the Congo. Nigeria is home to the Bantu people. The vast majority of African Americans are Bantu human beings. A very large percentage of African Americans came from Nigeria. Therefore, Bantu history is very important to me. A long time ago in ca. 1,000 B.C., there was the Bantu migration. This was when Bantu people found in West Africa migrated to Southern Africa and other places of Africa. Today, we know that the Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, and other Central and Western African peoples are the ancestors of us, who are African Americans. It is silly for the governor of Georgia in trying to sue Atlanta, because the mayor of Atlanta issued a mandatory mask order. The governor is wrong. Right now, Georgia is a battleground state. Georgia and Texas being battleground states is unheard of in my generation. That tells me that this isn't a regional thing. It's a right vs. wrong thing. The mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is 100 percent right to issue the mask order. Porsha Williams is right to want an independent investigation into the unjust murder of Breonna Taylor. She was a protester and was arrested for courageously standing up for the dignity of black human lives.
One of the biggest myths in the world is that we, as members of the black community, don't talk about "black on black crime." This talking point is not just shown by white racists. It has been talked about by some black people. They use the tactic of what about black on black crime as a tactic in trying to derail or deflect from the goals of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The truth is obvious. The vast majority of black people in the world aren't rapists, murderers, or vile criminals. Crime has nothing to do with color or ethnicity. Crime has to do with many socioeconomic factors, proximity, greed, opportunity, and other reasons not because of racial characteristics or the phenotype of a human being. For years and decades, black people have been involved in anti-gun violence programs, mentorships, education, and other activist projects to fight intraracial crime in our communities. Black people have always have a long culture of promoting righteousness, building up integrity, and embracing the Golden Rule in how we interact with each other and the rest of the human family. For some to assume that we lack the empathy to deal with intraracial crime is an old slander against all black people.
All black people should never be blamed for innocent black life being lost to murder or other evils. We can both condemn police brutality and other evil crimes that exist in our communities too. When black sellouts say stuff like "what about black on black crime" and "we are our own worst enemy," we should remind them that we are not enemies but allies. Also, we should tell them that why don't they talk about the many black heroes saving lives and building in our community. We know what works. What works will deal with investments to rebuild communities, growing economic opportunities with living wages, the development of businesses, allowing black youth to get the opportunity to have a great education, and other progressive plans including universal health care. We always condemn murder and any evil crime, but we don't deflect as a means to ignore the serious problem of the police extrajudicial murder of our Brothers and our Sisters. That is the truth.
By Timothy
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
The Pandemic Crisis in America and the rest of the World.
We face serious challenges in our nation's history. Other nations like Germany, Norway, South Korea, and Canada have declined numbers of those infected with the virus, while America's cases has rapidly increased. The leader of the executive branch of America has denied the seriousness of this situation, delayed plans, and distracted people from the reality of the problem. While FOX News and other far right engines slander peaceful protesters as looters, we realize that Wall Street bankers have looted America's wealth for a long time. No corrupt Wall Street executive has been prosecuted in a great level. During this pandemic in 2020, large corporations have gotten ca. 500 billion dollars in bailouts and 135 billion dollars in bailouts. JP Morgan Chase has been caught discriminating against black and brown customers. Many workers are denied overtime pay.
Loopholes readily benefit the largest corporations on Earth. Many of these corporate entities don't pay federal taxes. Predatory lenders have harmed black communities for years. The prison industrial complex and the failed War on Drugs have ravished communities for generations. That is why the 1 percent in the oligarchy seeks to promote division. They want to use rhetoric that seek to falsely blame immigrants, the poor, black people, other people of color, progressives, etc. in order to omit that the blame should be placed on the super wealthy benefiting from a corrupt, corporate system in the first place. Folks like McConnell and Trump follow the principle of capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich. We know what works. We know that living wages, an UBI, eliminating discriminatory policies, eliminating redlining, targeting payday lending, reparations for black people, and other actions will help tons of people. That is why unity and solidarity to fight for our human rights is a necessity in order for us to establish the Promised Land for real.
Donald Trump revealed more of his racism. Today, he said that he doesn't mind people waving the Confederate flag in public or at his rallies, because to him they represent the freedom of speech. This is like telling Jewish people that someone waving a swastika at them is fine and freedom of speech. The truth is that the Confederate flag is hate speech, and it was created to promote slavery and racism against black people. The Supreme Court is rather clear that the freedom of speech is not unlimited, and that the government can regulate it. Sports agencies and many places have every right to ban Confederate flags. Trump has publicly promoted racist Confederate statues. Trump said that mostly white people die of police killing. He omits that a disproportionate amount of black people die as a result of police killings. We have sociological studies documenting racial disparities involving health, education, and the justice system. Trump lectures others on free speech, but he supported police authorities in Washington, D.C. to use tear gas and other weapons to harm peaceful protesters exercising their free speech rights. Saagar defending Tucker Carlson after his legacy of reprehensible comments and his writer being caught making racist, sexist remarks is not unusual. It is no secret that Krystal Ball having a show with a reactionary extremist like Saagar (who demonizes progressive people like Ihan Omar) is just normal for them. The truth is that they hypocritically decry identity politics, but they ignore that racial oppression is not just a class issue. It is also an issue of structural racism too.
The racist Tucker Carlson had been exposed by having one of his writers making racist and sexist remarks for years. This writer resigned after he was caught. Therefore, unjust hatred is wicked. I can't cite everything that Carlson said, because they are so offensive. Tucker, as documented by Media Matters, was caught saying that white men created civilization. We know that's a lie as the first humans on Earth are black people. Black people are the fathers and mothers of human civilization. Carlson also called Iraqis semilliterate and primitive. He said the racist lie that Iraqis don't use forks, etc. Tucker falsely accused the Congressional Black Caucus of blaming the white men for everything. The truth is that many white racists falsely blame black people for everything.
Chuck Woolery claims that everyone is lying about the coronavirus. He criticized doctors, Democrats, and other health experts. Back in the day, he hosted a dating show. Even back in the day when I was a child, I had an intuition that this person was a stone cold racist. I always sense vibes about people. This guy had the vibes. With his recent tweets and defense of the racist Donald Trump, it is important to trust your instincts. Chuck is the same joker who said in a Tweet in 2019 that "Racism has nothing to do with race." Woolery also said in 2017 that the Republicans never lynched, beat up, or did any other nasty thing to black people. He's a liar. Republican Reagan opposed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the California Housing Act, and he joked about black Africans with a slur (in a private conversation with Nixon). Therefore, we know the truth. This guy Chuck is something else. Woolery has the nerve to say that Obama divided everyone by color when Obama went out of his way to give moderate speeches on race. The truth is that this virus is for real, and thousands of people have passed away from it. Some sad news is that there has been the recent passing away of many people. The daughter of Nelson and Winnie Mandela passed away at age 59. Her name was Zindzi Mandela. She was South Africa's Ambassador to Denmark. Zindzi was a heroine in her own right. Kelly Preston, or the wife of John Travolta, passed away of cancer recently. She was 57 years old, and John Travolta gave a passionate statement in celebrating the life of her wife. Authorities have found the body of Naya Rivera at a lake. She was famous for the show Glee. These stories show us how life is sacrosanct.
By Timothy
Monday, July 13, 2020
Music and Culture
He was an artist ahead of its time when he first came out in the industry. His wordplay is incredible, and he took lyricism to the next level in hip hop music. For decades, he has expressed words about poorer communities, romance, wars, spiritual topics, and other facets of the lives of especially black Americans. He is Rakim. He was born on January 28, 1968. In my opinion, he is the greatest overall MC of all time. He worked with Eric B to create some of the greatest albums of all time involving hip hop music. Rakim was born in Wyandanch, New York. He is the nephew of the late R&B singer and actress Ruth Brown. He grew up in Long Island. Later, he was involved in the New York City hip hop scene. Eric B. brought him to Marley Marl's home to record Eric B. is President in 1986. When he was 7, he wrote his first rhyme. Back in 1985, Rakim was known as Kid Wizard. He was called Rakim after he joined the NOI and then the 5 Percent Nation. Eric B. and Rakim were a rapping, DJ duo unprecedented in hip hop history. Eric B's friend was Marley Marl, and Marl was so influential in expanding the culture of hip hop. Hip hop wouldn't be what it is today without Marley Marl. The song of Eric B is President changed the game. It had wordplay, metaphors, and lyricism. Rakim was first signed to Island Records. Their debut album was Paid in Full from July 7, 1987. That song had many hit songs like I A'int No Joke, I know You Got Soul, Move the Crowd, and Paid in Full. Paid in Full was a benchmark album in the golden age of hip hop. Rakim pioneered internal rhymes in hip hop which is about rhymes being in the same bar plus complex rhyming. It ws one of the most influential albums of all time.
Rakim's 2nd album was Follow the Leader. It was influential and it was released in 1988. That album was highly praised. It used James Brown samples. One of the most lyrical songs in that albums were Microphone Fiend and Lyrics of Fury. The song Follow the Leader was a great song too. By 1990, Let the Rhythm Hit Em was Eric B. and Rakim's Third album. Rakim had a more aggressive tone. Its subject matter was diverse and more mature. It had a five mic rating from The Source. Their last album as a team was don't Sweat the Technique in 1992. It had a jazz influence and the song Casualties of War was an influential anti-war record. Know the Ledge was the song that was part of the Juice movie soundtrack too. Rakim had his solo career in early 1993 after breaking up with Eric B. Rakim made many songs and had his solo debut album of the 18th Letter on November of 1997. It went gold. The Master by Rakim came in 1999. He worked temporarily with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. He was on the single Addictive with the singer Truth Hurts. Rakim left Dr. Dre because of creative differences. Rakim's The Seventh Seal was created in 2009. One single of the album was the song Holy Are You. Since then, he worked with DMX on a song called Don't Call Me. Eric B. and Rakim finally reunited on October 20, 2016. Rakim's relaxed delivery made him unique from the high energy vocals of LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Rum D.M.C. The legacy of Rakim is his love of jazz as he played the saxophone and was a fan of John Coltrane. Hip hop is the modern representation of jazz in many ways. Rakim set a blueprint for a large part of hip hop music. He innovated lyricism into another level. Hip hop artists inspired by him include GZA, Rawkwon, Nas, Kool G. Rap, Tupac, Biggie, etc.
From 1986 to 1994, new forms of hip hop artistry were commonplace. In 1986, we saw Grandmaster Flash showed the Source album. Whodini, Kurtis Blow, Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew was very popular. 2 Live Crew had their debut album in 1986 too. The album had its controversy. This was the time when many Congress people and judges wanted to censor rap, rock, and other music with controversial language in it. Whether people like it or not (and I don't agree with all of the lyrics in music), Luther Campbell is the reason why artists of any genre say controversial words today. Without him, these artists wouldn't be saying the words that they are saying on records. MC Hammer made his first album of Feel My Power in 1986. LA Dream Team, Schoolly D, Stetsasonic, Warp 9, World Class Wrecking Cru (with Dr. Dre), and other groups were highly popular in the year too. 1987 was when DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Dana Dane, Too Short, LL Cool J, and other artists made albums. Public Enemy was popular with their album of Yo! bum Rush the Show. KRS One made his Criminal Minded album in 1987. McShan had his album in the year of 1987 along with Steady B., Heavy D & the Boyz, Kool Moe Dee, and other artists. N.W.A. made their debut alum of N.W.A. and the Posse. N.W.A. changed the culture of hip hop in many ways. They were right to express opposition to police brutality, standing up for their community of Compton, and standing up for self-expression. They were wrong in glamorizing misogyny, using the N word with the a at the end and claiming that is revolutionary, and having other lyrics that I don't agree with. Gangsta rap's problem was that while some of its artists claim to be of the people, the end result of their lyrics was the degradation of black people.
UTFO, Just Ice, and other men and women of hip hop expanded their voices. In 1988, KRS One, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run D.M.C., Geto Boys, Biz Markie, Sir Mix A Lot, Bid Daddy Kane, J.J. Fad, Stesasonic, Mc Lyte, Marley Marl, and other artists expressed albums. King T, Kurtis Blow, Busy Bee Starski, and tons of artists made noise. 1989 saw the growth of alternative hip hop. Today, we call this backpack rap or a soulful type of hip hop. Such groups like De La Soul, EPMD, TufF Crew, Young MC, Kane, Mc Lyte continued to prosper. Ice T, Freedie Foxx, Roxanne Shane, the Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, 3rd Bass, Willie D, LA Dream Team, Mac Dre, and other artists were diverse in content but unified in showing hip hop culture globally. By 1990, hip hop saw innovative songs and new styles. Finese made his music in the year along with MC Hammer (who responded to his critics with his album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em). Salt-n-Pepa, A Tribe Called Quest, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., Public Enemy, Mc Shan, Ice Cube, K-Solo, Poor Righteous Teachers, Antoinette, Kid Frost, D-Nice, Masta Ace, N.W.A., Vanilla Ice, King T, Brand Nubian, and other MCs either made debut albums or explored with their newer albums. 1991 saw soul, diversity and maturity in hip hop. Gang Starr made his jazz inspired album Step in the Arena. DJ Quik increased the power of the DJ component of music. Stetsasonic made their Blood, Sweat, and No tears album. Master P made his debut album in 1991 called Get Away Clean. Whodini, Craig G, Kool Moe Dee, Pete Rock and CL Smmoth, Heavy D and the Boyz, Slick Rick, P.M. Dawn, Tupac, Black Sheep, Del the Funky Homosapien, Kane, Tone Loc, Oaktown's 357 made albums that inspired society.
1992 was the year in my view that the 1990's especially itself as a different decade than the 1980's. It saw hip hop grow into a more 90's cultural force. Chubb Rock, Bushwick Bill, Willie D, JT the Bigga Figga, Redman, Compton's Most Wanted, Common, ICP, Grand Puba, Positive K, Cube, The Pharcyde, Dr. Dre, Easy E, Grandmaster Caz, UGK, DJ Quik, Too Short, MC Ren, Yo-Yo, Rakim, Twista, Breed, Esham, Spice 1, and other artists have shown their talents. 1993 was a year of balance. It saw hip hop have a hardcore section of music and the more conscious section of music. Arrested Development was popular. Brand Nubian was popular. The debut album of the group Digable Planets were out called Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space). Digable Planets had artists whose named are Ishmael Butler, Craig Irving, and Mariana Vieira (Ladybug Mecca). Butler was from Seattle, Irving was from Philadelphia, and Vieira was from Silver Springs, Maryland. K-Rino, Tim Dog, MC Breed, Run-D.MC. Masta Ace, The Beanuts, Mobb Deep, the Roots, Mac Dre, Bone, Scarfare, De La Soul, etc. had music that were expressed in 1993. By the end of the Golden Age of hip hop in 1994, hip hop music was global, many corporations funded it, and it wasn't in its infancy anymore. We're grown now, and hip hop in 1994 was 21 years old. It reached its adulthood. In 1994, the Fugees had their debut album. Nefertiti, Original Flavor, Kool G. Rap, The Roots, M.O.P, Nas, OutKast, Heavy D and the Boyz, Beastie Boyz, Warren G, Bone, Da Brat, Coolio, MC Euht, Organized Konfusion, Public Enemy, Kane, Biggie, Craig Mack, UGK, Tupac, Scarface, Willie D, Shaq, Method Man, and other musicians had their music shown all over the world in 1994.
Early 1970's R&B music during its beginning had a influence from the late 1960's. By the end of the early 1970's, disco-like music was starting to erupt. To understand this period, you have to look at things chronologically. On January 14, 1970, Diana Ross and the Supreme preformed for the last time together at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. Diana Ross soon expanded her solo career as a singer and actress. Miles Davis made an album in 1970 called Circle in the Round. 1970 was also a sad year for music as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin passed away at age 27 in 1970. Marvin Gaye with his album of That's the Way Love It had classic music along with Aretha Franklin's This Girl's In Love with You. Funkadelic is group with George Clinton that showed proto funk music during 1970. The Temptations' Psychedelic Shack was released in 1970. The Supremes showed music all over the early 1970's. Their album of Right On was released in 1970. Up the Ladder to the Roof was a classic Supremes song featuring Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson, and Cindy Birdsong. Many of the songs were recorded in mid 1969. McLemore Avenue was an album made by Booker T. & the M.G.s in 1970. Ray Charles, the 5th Dimension, James Brown, and the Jackson 5 exploded in 1970. The Jackson 5 was lead by a then young Michael Jackson who would go on to be one of the greatest entertainers in human history. ABC was a childhood anthem of the Jackson 5. Diana Ross made her solo album called Diana Ross in the same year too. Diana Ross is just Dianna Ross being one of the greatest artists of all time. 1970 saw great music from Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, Little Richard, The Four Tops, Sly and the Family Stone, Isaac Hayes, and the Chi-Lites. 1971 saw more conscious music in the R&B world. The Soul to Soul concert took place in Accra, Ghana headlined by Wilson Pickett. The 5th Dimension released more music. Earth, Wind, and Fire released their album in 1971. It was their first debut album. Miles Davis, The Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder continued to make classic music along with the Temptations. One of the great albums of 1971 was Marvin Gaye's What's Going on. It was an album after the death of Tammi Terrell. Marvin Gaye poured his heart and soul to talk about ecology, racism, the Vietnam War, romance, and urban conditions.
It was one of his best work. Curtis Mayfield, Ike and Tina Turner, Al Green, Jimi Henrix, The Stylistics, the Jackson 5, and other artists dominated music. 1972 saw international music grow. Hugh Maskela had his album. Michael Jackson made his solo album of Got to Be There. Aretha Franklin music of Young Black and Gifted was a classic. Al Green, Quincy Jones, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and other artists shown the world that R&B is here to stay. Stevie Wonder's Music of My Mind in 1972 was one of the greatest albums of all time. The Chi-Lites continued to amaze crowds with their alum of A Lonely Man. Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway had an amazing duet album. The Isley Brothes made a huge comeback. Bobby Womack and Funkadelic made soulful music. The Supremes and The Delfonics had songs that stirred up the human soul. Bill Withers inspired people. Music from Curtis Mayfield, Ella Fitzgerald, Gil Scott Heron, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, and Diana's Ross Lady Sings the Blues Soundtrack were filled with an all star array of talent. In 1973, rumbles of disco grew. Times have changed. The 1970's established itself culturally. James Brown made the soundtrack of Black Caesar in 1973. Herbie Hancock made an album. Gladys Knight and the Pips, Sylvester, Michael Jackson, Al Green, The Spinners, Earth Wind, and Fire, and other groups improved upon their sounds. Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin talked about more topics relevant to grown folks. Rufus was growing with Chaka Khan being a leading performer of the group. Labelle, Roberta Flack and Stevie Wonder's Innversions were just all-star creativity. Marvin Gaye wanted to touch on more romantic subjects with his album Let's Get It On. The Jackson 5, the Ch-Lites, Ike and Tina Turner, Kool and the Gang, Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Quincy Jones were popular. The O'Jays were on the scene in 1973. 1974 saw the growth of disco and powerful ballads come alive from Bobby Womack and other people. Donna Summer made her album Lady of the Night in 1974. She would be the Queen of disco. Aretha Franklin continued strong. Smokey Robinson's comeback album in 1974 was great. The Delfonics, Earth, Wind, and Fire were greatly respected. New groups like the Ohio Players, and others were shown. Ashford and Simpson promoted love and music in their album. Minnie Ripteron released Perfect Angel with some of the greatest sensitive voices of all time. Parliament, the Commodores, Sly and the family Stone, and Isaac Hayes were still on the scene. Tina Turner, the Isley Brothers, and the Jackson 5 rose to the occasion. By this time, the Jackson 5 popularized the robot dance routine. Disco saw its growth with Kool and the Gang and other people. By the end of 1974, the Ohio Players, Blue Magic, Rufus, and other bands like the Spinners dominated the music industry.
Her legacy is extensive. One part of her legacy is the love for her child. Also, Dorothy Dandridge sacrificed her life in order for future African American actresses to achieve their dreams. When she lived, sexism and racism harmed her life. Today, these same problems exist. Yet, Dandridge inspired our people to see that we have the right to show our greatness irrespective of obstacles. She helped to promote a non-stereotypical image of African Americans in film. Many actresses have praised Dorothy Dandridge's courage and inspiration like Cicely Tyson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Halle Berry, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine, Tasha Smith, and Angela Bassett. Halle Berry in 1999 produced and starred in the HBO movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. I have watched the movie before on VHS before. Halle Berry won the Prime time Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. It was an excellent movie. She later won an Academy Award for Best Actress. She praised Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, and Diahann Carroll after receiving her award. We celebrate Dorothy Dandridge's legacy and life as a way for us to do our part in making the world better.
By Timothy
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