THE BAD!!!

A couple weeks ago I posted one part in a three part series called...HIP HOP The Good The Bad The Ugly. This is the second part and before you all leave comments in asking me why it took so long here's the answer. Cause I'm busy dammit. So here it is better late than never....THE BAD!!

Before Drugs, Hoes, Bitches and money were the picture of Hip Hop's present, turning any and everything that it touched UGLY. We were blessed to have some Hip Hop rappers that were so BAD they were good. If Hip Hop is nothing else it is and will always be a way for inner city youth, hood rats and ghetto babies to cry out and express their disdain, discomfort and disbelief concerning their lives and the environment that they inhabit. Although back in the day what was being said was probably the equivalent to what is being said now, if you think about the times and how Hip Hoppers broke the lines of the everyday norm. But something about it was so pure that you couldn't help but listen to it, buy it, sing along with it and love it. I remember the first time I heard fight the power (for real). I was very young and all I heard was there was this group that was saying bad stuff and talking negatively about white people and "the man". I didn't know what was going on. I was the product of a home that only played Al Green and Shirley Murdock. But once I got my hands on some of it I found that I would forever be changed. I loved it. I craved it and I did what I had to do to get it.

Back in those days F the Police was about as bad as it got. Hip Hop Beef was harmless and nobody got shot. Oh some egos were shattered and lives reps were left in the Hip Hop's lost and found but it was still so pure and natural. The envelope was pushed but it sounded so good. It was uplifting and powerful and there was a message besides "chains and money and girls with big butts." One of my favorite songs was I like Big Butts. Sir Mix A Lot got his point across without saying the words Bitch or Hoe one hundred times. I never turned off the radio feeling confused or bad about myself. I was proud to be in my skin and proud of the music we made. Now I am ashamed and dismayed. I wonder will we ever be able to go back to the pure, poetic, beautiful side of Hip Hop?

Slap Yo Mama...Beat Yo Kids

This had me ready to slap about three of the white people that sit around me. And I'm thinking about going home to whoop my sister's kids on GP (General Purposes). This is why I love Black People. This is why I am proud to be in the skin that I am in. This is why we must unite and take back everything that was stolen from us. Starting with our Pride and our ability to speak out and speak up for what we know is RIGHT!!!! Enjoy the Knowledge!

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PEACE

IAMNOTANIGGA (And never will be!!)

ALERT...Copy Cat On The Loose.

A few days ago I posted about this blog interview going around. Well I was interviewed and then I started to read other people's interviews and I saw that a certain person was interviewed twice...yes as in two times. And I said hey I want to get interviewed twice and so I asked and Cluizel (who happens to have an awesome Blog) to interview me and she graciously agreed. So here are the questions and answers of my copy cat endeavor.

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1. Poetry readings: Snapping or Clapping? Why?

Clapping. I think that most poets are slaves to praise. The worst thing that could happen to a poet is for them to recite something and all they get is a bunch of people snapping there fingers. They want loud thunderous applause, a standing ovation, a book deal. (Well that’s what I want.) And I also think that it is so cliché to snap at a poetry reading, this is not Love Jones and my name ain’t Nina.

2. Would you ever wear your hair natural? (You should know I would ask. lol)

I have the not so secret desire to go natural. I just don’t have the guts yet. I envy anyone that can say f it and do what makes them happy. I always say that I plan to go natural when I am thirty. Somehow I think that that’s an age when I would feel more stable. And hopefully with God’s Grace I will be doing what I really want to do and corporate America will have nothing to do with my hair choice. But for now the answer is a cowardly yes…someday.

3. If you could build a husband what would he look like? (Just physically)

Imagine a man about 6’3”, dark brown skin, a head full of beautiful hair, the face of Morris Chestnut, the body of LL Cool J, the package of a porn star, and a butt that wont quit. Yes I am a booty watcher. Now that is my Harlequin Romance Man. But in real life I am what some would call a chubby chaser. I like a man with some meat on his bones. I don’t mean grossly overweight. If I want to go jogging I want him to go as well. I want someone with just the right amount of belly and a nice booty. Flesh tone doesn’t really matter and I would prefer if he wasn’t bald. By choice or by nature. I am easy to please.

4. Favorite city and why?

My favorite City it Muskegon, MI. That my hometown and there is nothing there. Nothing to do, nothing to see, but all of my family is there. Right down to the family dog, Star. The nicest Chihuahua in the world, if you don’t have testicles. For some reason she hates men. My step dad was in the Military and we traveled a bit and no matter where we were I always wanted to go back to Muskegon. I am a little city girl.

5. Turn on the computer...what is the first website you usually go to besides checking email? Why?

My first web visit goes to GOCOMICS.Com I have to get my laugh on. It’s too early for CNN and all the war news. If it can’t make me laugh at 8 in the morning I don’t need it. Right after that I am in blog heaven for about an hour. And yes I am doing all of this while I am supposed to be working. Oops, my bad. LOL

Peace

IAMNOTANIGGA

My Day So Far...

Okay so far my mood for today has gone from good to bad to sad then to quite relaxed. Let me tell you what happened to me. This morning I woke up and thanked God for the day and drove to work. At this time I was okay. Then I looked at my checking account and my pay check was more than I thought it would be and I was happy and thankful. So I decided to take my lunch early so I could run some errands when I received a call from my sister telling me that she wants more money from me because I live with her, but I sleep on a couch and all of my crap is stuffed in a corner in the dining room for all who wants to look can. NE wayz I tell her I don't have it in my budget to give and she goes off and hangs up in my ear. BTW that is too rude and one of my pet peeves. So I go back to work highly pissed off and upset. Then my best friend sends me an email and I lighten up because I got to slap the hell out of this person until my heart was satisfied. Now you all know that I was picturing my sister's face while I was slapping the hell out of this white boy, right? Now I feel a little better and I choose not to worry about her and her unreasonable demands for more money. I will give her more money when she gives me a room. And for all of you all who have the urge to slap the hell out of someone every now and then click on the link below. It's fun and you won't go to jail for assualt.

http://www.counterfeitmini.com/main.swf

Peace.

Ranting Because I Can

IAMNOTANIGGA

The Interviewer!!!

Okay, so I am reading one of my favorite blogs, The Mindspill by Bygbaby (aka Tafari) and he is talking about this meme tag that is going around. At first I am like wtf is a meme tag because I am new to blogging. Then I click on the link and am guided to Wikipedia and I find out that its not a venereal disease like I thought. Its like a chain letter for blogs. The meme is a mock interview where you get to ask and be asked five questions that you must answer and post on your blog. The questions are never the same and depending on who asks can be quit funny. So here are my questions from Bygbaby.

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1. If you were a poem what would your first line be?
If I were a poem my first line would be, “Here I am in this not so typical package telling you that I am a Poet. Loud, proud and vibrant. A poet”

Okay so that was more than one line but it’s my poem and I can write what I want to.

2. What is the one song from the 90’s that always makes you shake yo thang when it comes on?
My all time favorite song to dance to from the nineties is Bel Biv Devoe “Poison” Every time that song came on I would get up and shake my little ass money maker. I do the running man, the Charleston, and all the other dances that they did in the video. “Never trust a big butt and a smile”. I love music from the 90’s. I think everything was so natural and fresh. Hip Hop was exciting and R&B was really producing babies without actually saying the words “dick” and “pussy”. I loved everything about my stint in the 90’s. SWV, TLC, Mokenstef, Bobby Brown, Zhane, CeCe Penniston. Its just too many to name. My second favorite dance song is Zhane “Hey Mr. DJ”.

3. What it is your fantasy vacation destination & if you could take one of the Jackson who would it be?
My fantasy vacation is buying a yacht and sailing around the world. I always imagined me and my husband getting busy in all the international waters of the world. I never imagined taking a Jackson with me though. I wouldn’t take Janet because I might throw her little ass overboard, Tido is weird and so is Latoya. I would take Jermaine if he hadn’t named his son Jermajesty (no I am not playing). Michael would drive me crazy so I would have to take the father Joseph. I would tie his ass up and beat him when I got bored.

4. When was the last time you wanted to slap the shit out of someone & why?
The last time I wanted to slap the shit out of someone was about a month ago. I had just met this guy named Jodi. Yes that’s his real name. I hope he’s reading this because I’m going to put all his shit on blast. Anyway, we went on a couple of dates. He seemed really nice and we had a lot in common. Until this fool lost his damn mind. He started talking all this mess about having sex with me….
Jodi: So Michelle what you doing…?
Michelle: Nothing what’s up?
Jodi: Why don’t you come over and jump on this?
Michelle: Jump on what?
Jodi: Girl you know what I’m talking about. I need some lovin’
Michelle: Boy I just met you, ain’t nothing going down. Besides you haven’t even been tested. This type of thing takes time.
Jodi: Yeah, but you slow as Christmas…
Michelle: “click” and the phone goes dead…
If I was face to face with that fool I would have put my foot up his ass. I should have known better than to date a man that still walked around with the wet head. Looking like Ice Cube in Boyz From the Hood. He was cute, but not that cute. Punk ass brotha.

5. If you were walking down the street & a guy yelled out, yo shorty, do you wanna be my boo, what would you most like do and or say.
I would ignore the hell out of him and keep on pushing. My name ain’t shorty and I am not a ghost so there is no need to call me boo. Now if he got indignant I would have to flip him the bird and tell him to take that ignorant mess home to his trifling mama and/or daddy that raised him to talk to women like that. Punk Ass

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The Rules are simple...

1. If you would like me to interview you leave me a comment saying, "Interview me.

2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions. (They probably won't be the same ones you see above!)

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

POET SPOTLIGHT

In honor of Black Music Month the Poet of the Month is Tupac Shakur

Check out this Classic Tupac Video

"Keep Your Head Up"

PEACE

Hip Hop Just Died This Morning...

In Honor of Black Music Month I have decided to pay a tribute to the most original form of music since the DAWN OF MAN!!! Okay I may be taking it a little over the top but you get my point. Hip Hop is something different to everyone who encounters it. To some it is everything and to some it's nothing at all. To me Hip Hop is a part of me that I don't think I could live without. When I was younger my mother would not allow us to listen to Hip Hop, rap, or house music. She was all about the Blues and some good 'ol Soul. I grew up on Al Green, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Shirley Murdock, Stephanie Mills(my Mom's absolute favorite) and you can't forget about Lenny Williams. Although my siblings and I were not allowed to listen to Hip Hop my mother worked two jobs and she did hair in her spare time so we would sneak in our Lil Kim Hardcore tape and Notorious BIG a little Tupac and artist like that. But my Hip Hopucation did not kick off until I became a teenager and decided to find myself. That is when I learned about True Hip Hop and where it came from. So in honor of Hip Hop and Black Music Month I am going to be writing a three part series entitled Hip Hop: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. And I am going to be starting with THE UGLY!!!

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Since the beginning of Hip Hop time this music has been something that portrays the lives and trials of the African American community. Despite what was said these artists had a way of telling a story that would depict something as ugly and gruesome as drug use into something beautiful. "Even as a crack fiend, Mama, you always was a black Queen Mama" Tupac Dear Mama.

That has been the glory of Hip Hop from the very start. It was all about having fun, telling true stories, educating the youth and maybe throwing some fly ass parties. But in the end no one got hurt. But the times oh how they do change. In a day where Rap stars with platinum chains, big cars and bullet proof vest masquerade as Hip Hop artist no one really knows what the hell is going on. I can't tell a Young Joc song from a Young Dro song and I don't think I really want to. And to me Young Jeezy sounds an awful lot like Lil Weezy. (Is anyone else wondering where the hell they got those ridiculous names from?) With Hip Hop being flooded with so many little ones and young'uns who haven't been potty trained yet our music is going right down the shitter. In the end what will be left? Nothing but a funky smell and a feeling of relief after the mourning. Although some have been able to capitalize and become successful businessmen instead of living a life of crime or spending the rest of their lives in prison others just fall short every time. In a day where most young Black men raised in the "ghetto" dream of becoming a rap star their role models are those they see on BET. A man who brags about getting shot nine times and another that glorifies selling drugs as a hobby and way of life. Our children are doomed. I remember thinking that I wanted to be just like Bahamadia. Not because she was famous or because she had money, but because she was beautiful and she had a message besides killing, stealing and just getting by. Do these rappers understand that they are doing way more than making a rap song and selling a few CDs. They are molding today's youth. What are we to do? With all the positive literature and music that I expose my niece to she still told me that she wants her first automobile to have "spinning rims" on it. Now she is only six years old but I thought to myself, are the things that she sees on television more influential than what I try so diligently to instill into her? Maybe. Maybe not. After all it is not the rappers responsibility to be role models, right. WRONG! As long as they expect us to buy what they are selling they should consider our side of view. Now in no way am I an advocate of censorship but I am one of boycotting and not buying their shit.

___________Problem & Solution____________

The Difference A Good Beat Can Make!!

Problem: Often times I turn on the radio to the "All Hip Hop, All the time" radio station and become entranced. It mostly plays out like this...I am in my car riding through Montgomery, AL rush hour traffic(the most horrible I have ever witnessed) and I hear this nice loud but somewhat soothing sound radiate from my speakers. I start to bob my head and shake my upper body. Than I start to tap my feet. All of a sudden I hear "I want to Fuck You, You already know" and I am like what the...who the hell is this? The song would have perfect if there were no words. With super producers like Kanye, Scott Storch, Juicy J, Lil Jon and Timbaland we find ourselves shaking our asses to some of the most degrading music ever created. And I think women especially should take it personally. I mean, every time I listen to a rap song or club song I walk away feeling like an empty hole waiting to be filled. Its ridiculous. Up beat Hip Hop has changed a lot since "I like Big Butts".

Solution: Don't buy that shit.

I Just Want to Kill Somebody!!!

Problem: Often times I am sitting at home listening to the "All Hip Hop, All the time" radio station and I become enraged. It mostly plays out like this...I am cleaning my kitchen and all of a sudden I hear this man and he's telling a really sad story. They stole his car, robbed his home, shot at his dog and rolled his mother down a steep hill in her wheelchair. (I'm serious) And just when you think it can't get any worse he loses his job, gets pulled over for no reason at all and savagely beaten by some racist cops. In my head all is lost until...He grabs a gun a knife and takes their lives, that will teach them to fuck with an OG like me. "I live the dangerous life", he says and I am like what the...who the hell is this? The song would have been perfect if there had been no ending and they had left that deranged man in jail instead of giving him a mic and a record deal. Story telling Hip Hop has changed a lot since "Broken glass everywhere, people pissing on the stairs you know they just don't care"

Solution: Don't buy that shit. (and maybe stop listening to the "All Hip Hop, All the time" radio station)

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THE UGLY END....

Stayed tuned for the GOOD and the BAD!!!

PEACE
IAMNOTANIGGA