Real people love what is real. In 2021, we live in another new era of our time. The media now is multifaceted. Some media is dominated by Internet streaming services from Amazon Prime to Disney Plus. Cable and satellite TV has hundreds of channels now. Music has been more internationalized, and we witness an explosion of political movements in the world. Likewise, everything is not perfect. There are debates about cancel culture and certain social issues. There is still the pandemic in the world that has cost the lives of so many men, women, and children. In this year alone, many of our legends have passed away like Mary Wilson, Marvin Hagler, and Cicely Tyson. Still, we have the dream. The Dream has persisted throughout the thousands of years of human history. It was the dream of our ancestors and those who are living in this generation. That Dream means that all people are deserving of equality, justice, and happiness without oppression of any sort. We are clear to condemn oppression in any manifestation whether it's black people being unjustly murdered by some crooked police and the serious problem of anti-Asian hate crimes all over the United States of America. Once again, we're grown now. To view another human beings as inferior on the basis of color, race, sex, or background is repugnant and wrong in any place of the Universe. It has been a while since I have delved into popular culture on this forum, but now is the best time to show social commentaries on this issue. Nothing is new under the sun. It is a pastime of many of us researchers and truthseekers to talk about the modern day occult symbolism and various motiff found in popular culture. We already know that the mainstream entertainment media is controlled by the powers that be (while real issues are ignored like radiation damage, environmental damage, voter suppression, racism, police terrorism, colorism, imperialism, gentrification, poverty, and hedonism that all must be opposed). Many celebrity performances at award shows are scripted, monitored, and controlled by corporate interests.
It is important to note that old school Hollywood had occult symbolism, and even Hollywood stars back then were involved in seances, psychics, and other forms of the esoteric atmosphere. It is not a secret that many people in Hollywood have a hostile attitude towards traditional Christianity. That is why many producers, directors, actors, and actress in that industry push the occult, Gnosticism, witchcraft, and other concepts in movies and TV shows. Many of those types think that they being cutting edge and sticking it to the "man," but the establishment have endorsed Gnosticism, witchcraft, and the occult in many ways for centuries plus beyond. For example, the Bohemian Grove have elitists having a Care ceremony with a large owl statue next to it (the owl representing the Goddess wisdom). Dr. Dee and Edward Kelley promoted occultism in claiming to have contacted "spirits" over in the United Kingdom. Old school Hollywood stars like Greto Garbo, Mae West, and others admit to seeing psychics, following the occult, and believing in spiritualism. The Skulls and Bones celebrate death in their initiation ritual. Freemasons like Manly P. Hall and Albert Pike celebrate pagan gods and goddesses. Manly P. Hall believes that humans can be a godlike beings along with other Masons that I can quote. To many musicians and pop culture figures, the anti-religious, sick extremist and O.T.O. member Aleister Crowley is some "patron saint." So, this is not new.
The deal is that we have the responsibility to reject these false New Age doctrines (like the lie that man is a god or can become God when man has limitations biologically and spiritually) and live righteous lives. Books and other research have documented how some CIA interests consult many prominent Hollywood directors as found in the book, "The CIA in Hollywood: How the Agency Shapes Film and Television" by Tricia Jenkins. We know that many managers of celebrities have links to the intelligence community or large corporate interests. We know that a select few of large corporations (with ties to the Pilgrim Society, the Bilderberg Group, the CFR, etc.) own a large part of the mainstream entertainment industry in general. Not everyone in Hollywood is involved in many evils, but we have every right to show the truth that some people in the industry have a known track record of corruption. It is important to note that not every celebrity is monolithic. Even some sincere researchers believe in the myth that every celebrity is some evil, devil worshiper which obviously isn't the case. Many celebrities are evil, and many celebrities are more humble, righteous human beings. Getting that distinction clear makes the difference in showing wisdom. A lot of people are afraid of talking about these issues, but people will respect you more if you tell the truth unapologetically. For over 10 years now, I have started on this journey of knowing about the industry and revealing facts to the public. That journey won't end. At the end of the day, the truth will always prevail.
As we all know, the 50th year anniversary of hip hop will come about in 2023. In the span of almost 50 years, hip hop has amazed crowds and grown in popularity. Talent is found in many artists like Antionette's lyricism and Nas' poetry. It has reached many backgrounds, and hip hop helped to bring down tensions in many places of the world. Also, there are debates in hip hop. We know that some hip hop musicians use the art-form for positive purposes. Other musicians exploit hip hop as an excuse for them to glorify many evils like murder, hatred of women, colorism, disrespect of elders, mocking parents, celebrating materialism (in mocking the poor), and celebrating wickedness in general. Musicians, who promote evil in their music, are people that I obviously don't respect at all. We know many of the very talented people in modern day hip hop from Rapsody to Kendrick Lamar. Also, it is important to analyze the debates and controversies in hip and to understand the culture of hip hop. Hip Hop is not just a musical genre. Hip hop is a culture that deals with fashion, DJing, dancing (as old school hip hop artists readily danced all of the time), graffiti, poetry, political activism, and other facets of human endeavors. In previous parts of this series, hip hop has been explained chronologically to designate its evolution or changes. Now, this part of the series will focus on the inner workings of hip hop, its international artists, and its global impact. Hip Hop being here for almost 50 years have certainly proven the doubters (who viewed hip hop as just as a fad) wrong in large measure. Changes to make hip hop improve is another necessity. For example, America obviously is not a perfect nation, but many Americans see it their duties to improve upon America justly. Therefore, the future of hip hop certainly will reflect the new generation's intentions, and the musical soul of black music in general will remain forever and ever. In essence, black music must always be honored and celebrated.
Involving culture today, you have to discuss about Dave Chappelle. People salute Dave Chappelle because of many reasons. Many us (who are black people) salute Dave Chappelle for his sociopolitical, introspective views on fighting racism and injustice. Many people salute Dave Khari Webber Chappelle for being politically incorrect. One thing is true. Right now, he is the greatest stand up comedian of the 21st century and one of the greatest comedians of all time. He is an unique American. Dave Chappelle is a black Muslim from the Washington, D.C. area. He loves his wife and children, and he loves to smoke cigarettes constantly. He once was part of The Chappelle Show (2003-2006), which was one of the most hilarious, controversial comedy shows of all time. He also won 4 Emmy Awards, 3 Grammy Awards, and the Mark Twain Prize. His parents are William David Chappelle III (who was once a professor of vocal performance and the Dean of Students at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio). His mother is Yvonne Seon, who worked for the Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. She has been a professor and administrator at several institutions including Wright State University and Prince George's Community College. Dave Chappelle's great-grandfather was William David Chappelle, who was born into enslavement and led a delegation of African Americans who met President Woodrow Wilson at the White House. David Chappelle grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and he attended Woodlin Elementary School. His parents were politically active. Johnny Hartman predicted that Chappelle would be a comedian. Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor inspired Dave Chappelle to do his comedy routine. He studied theater arts at Washington D.C.'s Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 1991. He worked hard to be at the Apollo Theater, at Def Comedy Jam, and being in movies. He was on Home Improvement and on the movie of The Nutty Professor with Eddie Murphy and Jada Pinkett Smith. He went into another level of comedy with his hour long HBO Special of Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Soflty at Washington, D.C. He played Conspiracy Brother in the 2002 racial satire film of Undercover Brother. The Chappelle's Show's intention from 2003 to 2006 was to use parody and humor at confronting racial stereotypes, politics, pop culture, etc. in order to try to make changes in society. The show featured hip hop and soul artists. It also gave homage to the legendary black comedians of Paul Mooney and Charlie Murphy. Skits on Rick James, Prince, and other people were very popular. The problem was that later on Dave Chappelle saw some of his later shows reinforcing stereotypes instead of confronting racial stereotypes. Chappelle recorded his second comedy special, this time airing on Showtime, Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth, at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium, where Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Robin Williams had performed. May 2005 was when he went into South Africa to relax and to eliminate stress. Chappelle was demonized with false claims about drug addiction, mental health issues, etc.
Dave Chappelle's decision to quit the show meant walking away from his $50 million contract with Comedy Central and forming a rift with longtime collaborator Neal Brennan. Chappelle's Block Party was a free concert in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn on September 18, 2004. He allowed many musical artists to perform like Kanye West, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Dead Prez and Jill Scott. These musicians are featured in the movie both performing in the concert and in conversation off-stage; Chappelle brought Yellow Springs residents to Brooklyn at his own expense. Another highlight of the event was the temporary reunion of 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees. The concert was part of a movie. From 2005 to 2013, he relaxed in his farm in Ohio. He spoke out against the exploitation of black actors in films. He started to tour to show his comedy in 2013 and in 2014. On November 12, 2016, Chappelle made his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live the weekend of Donald Trump winning the 2016 presidential election. The show also featured A Tribe Called Quest as the musical guest. The third special, Equanimity, was filmed in September 2017 at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C., and then on November 20, 2017, Chappelle filmed a fourth special, The Bird Revelation, at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He worked with Netflix on other projects too. In January 2018 at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, Chappelle received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for his first two 2017 specials The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas. In September 2018, Chappelle's Equanimity special received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).
In 2019, Chappelle was chosen to receive the annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presented by The Kennedy Center. President of the Kennedy Center Deborah Rutter stated "Dave is the embodiment of Mark Twain's observation that 'against the assault of humor, nothing can stand'... and for three decades, Dave has challenged us to see hot-button issues from his entirely original yet relatable experience." The set of people honoring Chappelle included Jon Stewart, Bradley Cooper, Morgan Freeman, Lorne Michaels, Tiffany Haddish, Aziz Ansari, Sarah Silverman, Neal Brennan, Q-Tip, Mos Def, John Legend, Frederic Yonnet, Erykah Badu, Common, SNL cast members Kenan Thompson, Michael Che and Colin Jost, as well as Eddie Murphy. The Prize was awarded at the Kennedy Center gala on October 27, 2019. The ceremony was broadcast on PBS January 7, 2020. The Mayor of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, declared the day of the award ceremony "Dave Chappelle Day" in Washington, D.C. On August 26, 2019, Chappelle's fifth Netflix special, Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones, was released. Sticks and Stones is probably his most controversial work. We know the elephant in the room. Do I agree with all of the jokes in it? No. Do I agree with Dave Chappelle's commentaries on race, the double standards of drug addiction, on free speech, and on other issues? Yes, I do. In 2020, Sticks and Stones won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. Dave Chappelle made the Netflix special of 8:46 to honor the life of the late George Floyd. He criticized Don Lemon, Laura Ingraham, and Candace Owens. In 2021, Dave Chappelle made the special of Redemption Song tackling race, the 2021 Capitol insurrection by terrorists, and other matters. The legacy of Dave Chappelle is that he is a genius satirist who uses his experiences to make people think. He does make some people laugh and be angry. This is the job of comedian. A comedian isn't supposed to make you be placed in a permanent confront zone. A comedian is supposed to make you laugh, think, and feel emotions in making sure that real change comes to help the masses of the people. If it takes a joke to wake a person up, so be it. Also, comedy is a too way street. Comedians should know that they have free speech rights, but if they show controversial material, then they have to be man enough or woman enough to deal with the consequences of their actions. Comedians and any human being are not immune from accountability or critique. We are all have accountability to our community, to our peers, to our families, and to God on what we do, say, and think. Dave Chappelle admits his imperfections, as we are all not perfect. Likewise, we don't use our imperfections as an excuse for us to feel naive about the world. Dave Chappelle was never insane. He just wanted boundaries in his life, and not cross any lines that would violate his morals. We live to understand the world in order to change the world in a positive direction.
R&B Music of the modern age has existed in the 2010's and the 2020's. During out time, we see R&B music having massive influence from soundcloud music, emo vibes, and a sense of talking about love from the perspective of introspection. Many songs now want to question love, see if love is real, or cherish love. Many examples of these melodic flow in music are shown by songs like Blinding Lights from the The Weeknd, Doja Cat's Say So, and H.E.R.'s Slide ft. YG. R&B has now new people in it like Jhene Aiko, SZA, Summer Walker, Ari Lennox, Makaela, Shelley FKA DRAM, Khalid, Jacquees, Sonia Stein, Tiana Major9, EARTHGANG, and other artists. Other artists of the younger generation are Leon Bridges, Kali Uchis, Normani, Tinashe, Chloe X Bailey, Bryson Tiller, Ella Mai, Koffee, Victoria Monet, Lianne La Havas. Typical of the these times, see the mix of hip hop and R&B along with the legendary R&B singers making a huge impact on the culture like Toni Braxton, Brandy, Faith Evans, Erykah Badu, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and other legends. Music is unique at times. For over 80 years now, R&B music has been in existence in the world. We have seen its changes from The Supremes to Whitney Houston. The soulful sounds of Stevie Wonder have inspired our minds. The sounds of Aaliyah and En Vogue made us see the views and souls of women. The voices of Boyz II Men and Zhane made people realize the diversity of living life. Now, we are in the 3rd decade of the 21st century with its technological advances and social changes. Yet, the power of R&B music is still very strong. With these political times that deals with fights against police brutality (and awareness about climate change, economic situations, social changes, immigration issues, reparations, etc.), many singers are talking about conscious message involving Blackness, etc. The drum never stops, and we will continue to listen to great music in the years ahead.
Judas and the Black Messiah is a rare movie with a lot of emotion and action. Unlike other films, this movie mostly sticks by the facts. It shows the emotion of the late 1960's, and it has a talented cast of actors and actresses. Likewise, a critical analysis is needed to show people more about the Black Panther Party's legacy. The film has been critically acclaimed. The film described the last moments of Fred Hampton's life being betrayed by the sellout and FBI informant William O'Neal. The trailer of the film is one of the most powerful trailers that I have seen in the 21st century and one of the most powerful trailers in human history. It showed the emotion of Fred Hampton and the skepticism plus low behavior of the informant including FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The film is directed by Shaka King. It was produced by Charles D. King, Shaka King, and Ryan Coogler. Fred Hampton is played by the Afro-British actor Daniel Kaluuya. Fred Hampton was the socialist chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. The Black Panthers believed in socialism, and that point should be emphasized in any discussion about that heroic organization. Other actors and actresses in the film are Lakeith Stanfield (playing the informant William O'Neal), Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, and Martin Sheen (playing Hoover). It was released in Sundance on February 1, 2021, and it was released in America on February 12, 2021.
For his performance, Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Award, and was nominated at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and BAFTA Awards. The film comes in the midst of protests and activism against racial injustice and against police brutality in our generation. The movie shows William O'Neal working with the FBI Special Agent Roy Mitchell in order to prevent him from serving prison time. O'Neal infiltrated the BPP in Chicago. Fred Hampton works with alliances with rival gangs, the Young Lords, and progressive white activists (i.e. the Young Patriots) in a Rainbow Coalition to fight oppression. Hampton goes to help children in the BPPs Breakfast for Children Program. The Rainbow Coalition is multiracial. The opening moments of the film are particularly important, with Hampton declaring, “We’re going to fight racism not with racism, but we’re going to fight with solidarity. We say we’re not going to fight capitalism with black capitalism, we’re going to fight it with socialism.” Hampton has great oratory ability and falls in love with fellow BPP member Deborah Johnson. O'Neal reveals things to Mitchell, and Mitchell gives O'Neal money. Fugitive BPP member George Sams is portrayed in the movie as another informant who helps the police to get search warrants. Fred Hampton is later arrested and imprisoned. The agent O'Neal becomes security captain. The film shows a shootout between the Chicago Police and the BPP at the chapter office. O'Neal sneaks out as the police bombs the place. He tries to quit being an informant, but Mitchell stops that from happening. Fred Hampton is out of prison to appeal his charges. Hampton's appeal is rejected. Deborah is now pregnant with his child. A BPP member, Jimmy Palmer, who was hospitalized after being shot by a police officer, is killed while being transferred to another hospital. Enraged upon learning of Jimmy's death, fellow member Jake Winters engages in a shootout with police, killing several officers before being gunned down himself. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover ordered Hampton be "neutralized" before he returns to prison. Mitchell cornered O'Neal into helping with the plan by warning him that the BPP will retaliate against him if they find out he's an informant, and O'Neal reluctantly agrees to help. O'Neal is later handed a vial of sedatives and ordered to drug Hampton's drink with it. The next evening, BPP members gather at Hampton's apartment before he departs for prison. An allied gang leader offers Hampton money for him to flee the country with, but he turned it down and instead orders a trust to be established with the money under Jake's name. As the evening progresses, O'Neal reluctantly drugs Hampton's drink and departs soon after. Hours later, officers and agents raid the apartment and shoot Hampton dead. Later, O'Neal meets with Mitchell, who gives him money and a pair of keys to a gas station he now owns. O'Neal wants to quit again, but Mitchell gives him money and a keys to a gas station that he now owns. Fred Hampton was a real warrior for our people. O'Neal gave an interview featured in the Eyes on the Prize series. He later committed suicide on January of 1990. Fred Hampton and Mark Clark's death was so unjust that the victims' families settled for $1.85 million (in 1982). Fred Hampton Jr. and his mother are chairman and board member of the Black Panther Party Cubs. The movie has its own soundtrack and another album celebrates the movie in a separate albums filled with hip hop and R&B music. Fred Hampton was clear to criticize the Weathermen Underground for its opportunism, and it placed people in risky situations that has nothing to do with revolutionary change. Judas and the Black Messiah without question is one of the greatest movies of the 2020's and of our generation. Fred Hampton and Mark Clark passed away on December 4, 1969.
Their assassinations were overly criminal on the direction of the U.S. ruling class and its state apparatus (via the FBI and the Chicago police). The police fired 99 shots, and Clark only shot one in a human reflect. Hampton was only 21 and Mark Clark was only 22. It is no secret that the FBI's COINTELPRO plan used infiltration and provocation to try to stop progressive, civil rights, and anti-war groups. Fred Hampton was a life long activist. His family came from Louisiana to Illinois via the Great Migration. The movie showed information on "The Crowns" which is based on the Blackstone Rangers (a Chicago gang that deal with social activism during the 1960's. Hampton reduced tensions with the Rangers and had more success with the Black Disciples). Class struggle influenced the development of the Panthers. That Black Panthers was right that imperialism is wrong. They used Maoish views mixed with other philosophies. Also, it is important to note that many Panthers excluded certain sections of the working class when working class internationalism solidarity is needed to defeat capitalist exploitation. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (before he died) supported and was in solidarity with Memphis sanitation workers in order for these workers to have a union, just living wages, and live life with dignity and respect. Dr. King wanted a working class movement in order to advance social change in the atmosphere. Today, we still face fascism that exploits the pandemic to prevent services to help the people, police murdering people, economic devastation in many places, and the fascist, terrorist insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. That insurrection could have ruined our democracy. Also, the movie did omits some things too. The movie didn't mention the BPP newspaper or other BPP services that helped with health care and transportation. It had a brief reference to the BPP's Ten Point program. The movie did show very little on the Black Panther Party's social and internationalist political ideologies (as the movie downplays his anti-capitalist, Marxist-Leninist politics. Fred Hampton wanted the poorest of the poor to organize for justice). For the record, I have more respect for Lenin than Marx as Marx was a racist and self hating anti-Semite. In real life, Winters was killed by the Chicago police in an ambush just weeks before Hampton's assassination. The Black Panthers wanted to unite with anti-colonialist, anti-imperialism movements overseas. Police occupation and brutal violence against black human beings that inspired the creation of the BPP in the first place isn't show in the film. Cook County State's Attorney Edward Hanrahan hated Fred Hampton. What the film does show is the nefarious history of many FBI agents, the state terror against the Panthers, revolutionary views are important, exploiters and oppression can be among every color, bold leadership is important in a grassroots fashion, and black revolutionaries courageously stood up against injustice.
Fred Hampton's revolutionary life should inspire us to not only promote justice here but justice abroad too. We certainly believe in black liberation, Pan-African unity, justice, and black self-determination.
Many years ago, when I was in college, a great teacher taught me a whole lot of information on Caribbean history and culture. Today, tons of people have a great appreciation of the courage, creativity, and intellectual strength of Caribbean people. As an African American, I do realize the sacrifice of so many Afro-Caribbeans who supported us from Shirley Chisholm to Kwame Ture. Caribbean people represent a large section of the revolutionaries who desire an end to injustice Like Touissant, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and Nanny of the Maroons. Caribbean culture helped to create hip hop, ska, reggae, and other genres of music. Years ago, I wrote about this subject before. Now, we witness a new generation in a new decade, so it is time to show information on this important subject once again. Caribbean culture is very diverse. Caribbean people include black people, Latino people, those of Indian descent, other Asian people, Javanese human beings, biracial people, and multiracial people. Caribbean people are Christians, Hindus, Muslims, followers of Judaism, Rastafari, Buddhists, followers of traditional African religions, Sikhs, etc. The Caribbean stretches from South America to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Over 43 million people live in the Caribbean. Caribbean culture has diffused globally too. The Caribbean is more than about tourism. Caribbean people include a wide cultural reality of love of family, celebrations, and a realization that we are all this together. The Caribbean human beings always represents us basically.
By Timothy