Notes from the B26

-this quote from Common's 'Nag Champa' sums it up for me:

I'm sittin wit descendants of Abraham
Who say the jam is "Money, Cash, Hoes"
I went from bashful to asshole to international
Lover-self, word to the mother on my last record cover it's felt
Now deal wit it

You not gon' respect self, at least respect the heritage
Affecting lives is where the wealth and the merit is
I realize what I portray day to day, I gotta carry this
And beats, rhymes and life is where the marriage is

-listening to Black Star on the way in. Mos is the star no doubt but I still maintain Kweli dominated that album. Black Star is more accurately defined as Reflection Eternal feat Mos Def. Kweli and Tek were peaking on this one.

-see the story about the Homeland Security Haloween party where a cat came dressed in dreads, a jail suit, and blackface? I believe the quote was 'some felt the costume was offensive.' Some. For sure. The number of people who feel that costume was funny will make your skin crawl.

-F@ck Don Imus. Even the coach is cool. I ain't.

-Evil lurks everywhere, my youth. Be wary

-Love Ray Lewis' comments about that ass whooping last night. He'll be a great analyst or better yet a coach

-who is gonna be next year's Hip-Hop rookie of the year?

Backlash

The anti-backlash (cool double negative)rhetoric has come quicker than I
expected in regards to the Va Tech massacre. I am glad it's on people's mind
but still it hit the airwaves quicker than I would have thought.

I wonder if people will get as nervous when an asian cat walks into the
student as they do/did when a Middle Eastern brother gets on a plane.
(Asking people to make the Korean distinction gives them too much credit -
these are the same people who beat up Sikhs in anti-muslim rage after 9/11.
That's like beating up Knick fans because the Sixers beat the Celtics. sorry
that probably made the comparison more confusing. Basically Sikhs have more
beef with Muslims than Christians.)

Probably not since Asian Americans enjoy preferred miniority status in the
American country club. However, I do hope what comes out of this is that
one kid out there realizes that evil and mental illness came in all colors.
Columbine and OK bombing was done by white cats. 9/11 - Saudi. The Columbia
grad student was raped by a Black dude.

Race simply does not answer the questions we ask of it.

One more thing. Has the Va Tech shooting been linked to violence in the
media cum Imus cum Hip-Hop yet?

IMUS IS NOT A HIP-HOP ARTIST. STOP DRAGGING MY CULTURE INTO HIS MESS. HE HAS
FOOLED YOU ALL.

word to Snoop

Those damn rappers

Imus has done a great job rallying his supporters around an misinformed attack on hip-hop.
I find it presporous that a 66 year old white, male shock jock is so overwhelmed by the negative language in Hip-Hop that it is to blame for his degrading comments.

Did I miss the I-Man (as pseudo journalist Joe Scarborough lovingly called him) down on Fulton Street shopping for mixtapes. Is Don Imus parked in front of 106th and Park after his show? Does he bump the Drama King while commuting back and forth to work.
I highly doubt it.

So how can he blaim the misogyny in Hip-Hop for HIS comments?

and please can one reporter cite a lyric, artist, or song that corrupted poor I-Man's precious psyche. Stop grouping Hip-Hop as one monolithic voice. What Jeezy feels and says is not what Consequence feels. Nor do Three Six speak with the same voice as Common.
And while you're at it stop speaking about 'civil rights leaders.' Be specific. Call out Al and Jesse. Let's deal with their track record for standing up against misogyny. And let's also look at Imus's record of bigotry (Gwen Ifill).

Also recognize that there are people in the industy who condemn those pesky rappers for their overwhelming negativity. Some of thise people are in this very office.
but bottom line stop it. Be an adult you cannot pin your demons on T.I., Cam or Jay Z. Be a man Imus. You wilded out and got called out. Take your licking like a man and call Kramer over to the crib. Y'all can pop some popcorn, snuggle and watch a marathon of Tarantino flicks.