ProfD

@Pioneer1, I torture myself by watching those political conventions on both sides of the aisle. I could only shake my head when I saw and heard Herschel Walker sounding like a an ex-slave or punch drunk boxer: Reminded me of this scene from Harlem Nights.🤣😎

Sh8t...I hope you're not working for Herschel Walker. That n8gglet is leading in the polls.🤣😎

@Delano, you're right...beliefs are harmless. It's when folks start acting on their beliefs that all h8ll breaks loose and they go broke or hurt themselves and others and/or enrich others too. 😎

@Pioneer1, AfroAmerican leadership was neutered when MLK Jr. was assassinated. The Civil Rights movement was the last thing resembling an agenda that a large number of AfroAmericans could rally around. Once they gave AfroAmericans affirmative action and a few trinkets making it easier to assimilate into society...folks breathed a sigh of relief and walked away as if the crime scene had been cleaned up. As mentioned here, there's no shortage of intelligent AfroAmericans. I believe we have been socially diluted and strategically dispersed and left to chase other sh8t that has little or nothing to do with building an AfroAmerican infrastructure. 😎

@Pioneer1, it really helps to know the history of Hip-Hop in order to understand sampling. Might help with perspective too. Hip-Hop was built on cats rhyming to records being spun by a DJ i.e. breakbeats. They didn't have a band. Musical instrument technology allowed DJs and music producers to record (sample) those breakbeats into a computer and loop them. The funny part is that the inventors of the sampling technology had no idea that it would be used that way. They just figured musicians would record drum sounds and other instrument sounds into a machine to program and play them. The creativity that is black folks took the original concept of that machine to another level. We turned a machine into a whole band and invented a whole new style of music (Hip-Hop) and influenced electronic music production. Of course, black folks do not get credit for it. 😎

As you all have probably gathered by now...music is a huge part of my life. 😁 I know enough about black music to write a book but I'm just a musician.🤭 Black music has always documented our plight...peace, joy, happiness, love, sorrow, sadness, despair, etc. Music reflects the environment and conditions in which it was created. Listen to black music from any period of time and you'll get an idea of how they were living and saw the world around them. Once music became a profitable form of entertainment, capitalists scoop it up and eventually dictate the narrative according to what they believe will sell. Every generation believes music is *worse* than the soundtrack of their lives. But, the reality is there's always been *good* and *bad* music. I remember when older folks thought 1990s Hip-Hop was a bunch of noise being made by n8gglets who couldn't sing or play real instruments.🤣 Today's music isn't any better or worse than the music of yesterday. It's just reflective of the environment in which it's being created. No shortage of talent either. For example, Kendrick Lamar is a throwback to early Hip-Hop lyricists. The older we get, the further removed we are from the folks creating music. The folks whose music we listened to have gotten older too. They have branched off into other aspects of entertainment. It's harder for Ice Cube to make gangsta records now that he's a multimillionaire. His environment and circumstances have changed as well.😎

@Pioneer1, surely, it would only take a few on code to bring more around and start a movement. The early Nation of Islam is an example of how it could work. They cleaned up lost and wayward brothas and sistas and taught then how to be men and women; husbands and wives and parents. Of course, like anything else, the Nation got corrupted, fractured and splintered to the point of less relevance but initially it was a step in the right direction. The remnants of the movement are still on a code. A movement and people in general need leadership. Regardless of whether that power is concentrated in one person (dictatorship) or several folks (democracy). Right now, there are too many cats to be herded. Imagine a classroom filled with kids doing everything except listening to their teacher. 😎

@Pioneer1, that's what black folks do almost effortlessly. We've been doing it for thousands of years. Innate creativity comes from a divine wisdom and spirituality that cannot be taught or trained. Hip-Hop lyricists do not have advanced degrees in art, literature, poetry and prose, etc., yet they're able to paint pictures with words over the music we produce. This is just one example of how black folks are supremely gifted and talented. We just take it for granted. 😎

How did Saudi Arabia brcome one of the wealthiest countries in the world? In the 1930s, for an initial investment of $177, 000, they allowed white folks to come over and drill for oil. The rest is history. The Saudis have been pumping out black gold for almost 100 years. White folks put them in charge of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). If OPEC is worth trillions of dollars, white folks are exponentially wealthier. Imagine if AfroAmericans were reimbursed for slavery and capitalized on everything else we've done for America and to the benefit of the world. AfroAmericans are not lazy or irresponsible. We're born with a form of PTSD. Still, many of us have figured out how to thrive and survive through various forms of medication.😎

@Pioneer1, America is quick to take up for victims and shame those who blame them for their condition except AfroAmericans. They want AfroAmericans to get over the by-products of slavery and existing within a system of white supremacy. They tell AfroAmericans to pull yourselves up by the bootstraps and everything will be fine. While plenty of us are successful, we still aren't *free*. We're reminded of it every day. That's why they will let a Kanye West be rich but he acts like a lost, batsh8t crazy man. That n8gglet knows he isn't free. He's confused. In the grand scheme of things, the same goes for AfroAmericans across the board. We're rudder-less. No code. Reminds me of the way ants run around when the colony gets f8cked up. 😁😎

*News* has become a mix of information and entertainment depending on the outlet. I saw the handwriting on the wall as a young person walking up to the checkout line of a store and seeing tabloids. I knew it was just a matter of time before the news featured personalities putting their one spin on real world events. Now, we have a 24/7/365 news cycle. Then, there's social media spreading disinformation. Thankfully, there is still objective news reporting. Gotta look beyond the McDonald's equivalent of it.😎

Folks do not love the flag. They're only enamored with the hope that it's supposed to represent. Historically, that flag carries a lot of baggage too.😎

@Pioneer1, no matter how he tried to clean it up...Kanye West was on his f'n head when he said antebellum slavery was a choice. That n8gglet should have gotten the sh8t slapped outta him like Will did Chris. 🤣 Otherwise, I agree that black folks should be closing ranks within their own communities to control the sociopolitical dynamics that affect them. The bottom line is black folks are peaceful and lack the aggression that it takes to dominate and control their own sh8t. It's not a choice. Maybe a biological synapse. The Supreme Being knows that if/when the black man really wakes up, life will be a lot different but better for everyone on the planet. 😎

It's no secret that white folks have been stealing ideas, knowledge and information from non-white folks forever. They didn't know sh8t when they stole America. Native Americans taught them how to survive in it. Slavery built the American economy. AfroAmericans through slavery taught white folks how to cook and build and make things. That's before we were allowed to read and write. White folks study, imitate and codify everything they steal from others and they capitalize on it. Black folks are divinely gifted and talented. We bring style and flava to everything we do. We are so creative and prolific that it's like a positive form of attention deficit disorder. We come up with stuff, enjoy it for a while and move on to the next episode. As a result, black folks don't get stuck on thing. Unfortunately, we do not commodify and capitalize on our gifts, talents and intellectual property. Lost generational wealth. Take music for example. Black folks created Blues, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Funk, Gospel, Hip-Hop, New Jack Swing, Neo-Soul, etc. White folks have Classical music which is hundreds of years old. They stole from black music to create Rock and Country. They've been recycling the same music for many decades. But, white folks know that it's important to own everything that non-white folks produce. So, white folks feel entitled to stealing the truth from non-white folks and peddling it . 😎

@Pioneer1, appreciate the compliment and vote of confidence bro. I dig this space brotha Troy has provided for us. It's not social media busy but there's enough substance to make it worth hanging out. Like a coffeeshop, I've just plopped into an easy chair to praise, motivate and encourage our people and give my opinions; calling balls and strikes on issues that relate to and/or affect us. Our generation was taught manners which carried over into how we dealt with real police officers. They were *friendly* back in the day. But, two things have happened over the past 30 years, 1) race soldiers have been deployed into black communities and 2) they have become more militarized. Nowadays, race soldiers are barking orders at citizens and beating them up. They've got tanks and other former military equipment. The worst of race soldier clowns are on some different sh8t now when it comes to extortion, drug dealing, selling illegal weapons and killing folks.😎

@Cynique, I could only shake my head when Uncle Ruckus/Clayton Bigsby made the dad and spoiled brat comments. Dude is clearly clueless across the board (pun intended) and ignorant on all fronts. I didn't bother to check or correct it because I knew you would come back and rotisserie his azz. 🤣😎

I didn't know sista Jenifer Lewis was a musician too. Black don't crack unless it's been rode real hard. 😁 Being able to identify fake news and staying informed requires reading multiple news sources.😎

Russian moms and dads too for that matter may not want their daughters looking up to sista Brittney but its going to happen especially if her media coverage continues. People from all over the world seek to imitate the style and flava AfroAmericans bring to the table. 😎

Inflation is making it harder for ALL Americans to survive. Neither side of the political aisle is doing much to stop it. Probably because most politicians are already rich.😎

White folks have been manufacturing diseases in labs for 50 years or more. Every now and then, they unleash them on certain populations. Biological warfare.😎

@Pioneer1, bro, you've been MIA long enough...its great to have you back in the seat. Handle your BI out there. The fat to chew on will be here whenever you return. I know you're old enough to stay away from the race soldiers. 😁😎

@Pioneer1, you're absolutely correct...protests haven't worked when it comes to race soldiers killing folks. They know the playbook...n8gglets gonna holler and slobber with signs and t-shirts. Celebrity civil rights activists and attorneys will show up. Rinse and repeat. As we've mentioned already, the effort should be placed on insuring the police force reflects the community. 😎

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jayland-walker-death-protest-breonna-taylor-jacob-blake-relatives-arrested/ Adding insult to injury, Akron police arrest protesters. They weren't being destructive or violent. Akron police have enough questions to answer considering how they mowed that young man down. Yet, they show no empathy. The police should be handing out bottled water and doing whatever it takes to make peace with the community they've sworn to protect and serve. 😎

Sista Brittney isn't really under duress in Russia. She's still a celebrity caught up in a political game.😎

Considering they have a 97% conviction rate in jury trials, plea bargains are the norm over there. Sista Brittney's case is purely political. She's been carrying that oil internationally for years. If that Russia/Ukraine conflict hadn't jumped off, Brittney would be running up and down the court in WNBA games right now.😎