So I’m out in Atlanta, the capitol of tricking, and I decide to go out with this chick since I had nothing to do during the day. Starts off normal, she picks me up, takes me to a spot to eat. She comes off as a genuine girl, not caught up in facades and going to school. Of course I take everything she says with a grain of salt but it was a cool lunch. She then talks about how her phone is about to get cut off and and calls her dad for money but gets nada. She jokingly says I should pay the 100+ bill which I of course laugh off. We take forever to get to a Sprint store and its closed and she asks me again. At this point I did this..

Now I know this chick is serious and tell her, “no I don’t even know you like that.” She tries to make me feel guilty for saying no and says how she would do it, blah blah. We go to the movies and after she still yapping about the bill and says she’s mad at me so I’m ready to just go home. We text after I get home and she is like she is not mad since its my money but if I really cared I would have paid it :-/(trick I don’t know you like that and I could pay it and never see you again). If she really wanted the money she would of gave some head or something first lol. She call me in the morning the next day saying the phone is cut off can I help her, I hit her with the,” umm we will discuss it when you get back,” line.

Time goes by, we exchange some text and she still stuck on the bill even though her phone is back on. She is on some you can come see me if you reimburse me the money like you said you would(never said I was paying sh!t). She says its just a phone bill and guys have put stacks in her account with out smelling the pu$$y lol. I said I’m not coming unless we doing something, she said, “something like what,” then I ignored her. Gets to the point where she says, “I usually make genuine guys wait months, but since you want to go this route you got to pay $700.” So a genuine guy will probably spend weeks, taking her on dates and paying her bills when he could of just tapped from the jump for cheaper lol.

This chick wasn’t bad enough to be asking for rent money. She might as of well showed up with a price tag to keep it real, what’s the point of dating, get straight to the money. Seems like a lot of females in ATL(not all) want you emptying out your bank account either directly or indirectly to get some @ss. No wonder the song, “It Ain’t Trickin If You Got It,” was big out there. All that glitters is not gold and too many of these chicks out here are gold diggin hoes smh.

If you got any similar stories feel free to share. How would you react to a chick asking to to pay a bill on a first date?

Too Many Bitches Wanna Be Ladies So If You A Hoe I’ma Call You A Hoe Too Many Bitches Are Shady
- Jay-Z

“This is Jim Jones,” chronicles Jim Jones’ preparation for his new album while looking at his entire life. Damon Dash plays a prominent role in the documentary, showing Jim Jones right from wrong and trying his best to guide him to success. In one of the funnier moments of the film Damon Dash takes Jim Jones to an upscale art exhibition, where Jim looks completely out of place. Dame wants to expand Jones’ horizons and get him into acting.

Check the rest below

Written By Nigel D.

Jim Jones – Blow The Bank

The documentary is broken down in chapters in chronological order. Chapter 1 and 2 discusses Jim Jones’ growing up in Harlem, the drug use, HIV in the family, blood affiliation, and reckless behavior are shown to depict how rough Jim had it growing up. At the same time Damon Dash mentions Cam’ron should be here while Jim is working on his latest album.

Jim Jones speaks candidly about his relationship with Cam’ron and how the whole Dipset movement got successful. We see Jim Jones evolve from a hype man to an actual artist, producer and executive. Chapter 4 is about the Dipset’s problems at Def Jam. Damon Dash says he told Cam’ron and Beanie Sigel he would make them Vice president but Cam’ron went on the radio first and told it to the public. Of course as we all know Jay-Z wasn’t too pleased.

The problems with Dipset and Jay-Z only got worse. Kanye had sold Dipset the, “H to the Izzo,” beat but Jay-Z took it and they didn’t find out until he performed it on the BET awards. So in return Cam’ron strong armed the, “Oh Boy,” beat from Just Blaze even though it was suppose to be for Jay-Z. Jay-Z refused to be in the video for, “Oh Boy,” and to add insult to injury Cam’ron rejected Jay-Z’s remix verse for the song. Damon Dash says he can’t believe Jay-Z messed his plans up. Jim Jones later comments on Jay-Z,” he is too old to be doing what he doing and he dress horrible.”

As the documentary continues we see Jim directing videos, becoming an A&R and starting to make music. The documentary shows the good and the bad, depicting all the drama Jim Jones gets involved in such as the Hot 97 Summer Jam incident and problems with bouncers. Jim Jones talks about Stack Bundles passing away and losing friends to the streets. Damon Dash through out the movie wonders why Cam’ron isn’t in the picture and is clearly upset by it. Jim Jones says it was part of the plan for him and Cam’ron to separate but it is also part of the plan for them to get back together. Jim Jones states he is waiting for them to get back together. The documentary is very interesting and I think everyone should check it out. It may change some opinions on Jim Jones or at least help people understand him more.

RealTalkNY was one of the few selected media outlets given an opportunity to sit with T.I. and watch the first episode to his new MTV series. The eight part mini-series titled, “Road To Redemption,” is set to debut February 10th @ 9pm on MTV. Following episodes will come on at 9:30 on Tuesdays.

Before the first episode was played T.I. took part in a small Q&A. He stated he is currently recording and will be shooting a video for Dead & Gone during the weekend of the Grammy Awards. He stated he has enough songs to release an album but didn’t mention if he wold in fact drop an album in the near future. His first film as a producer, “Takers,” is currently being in the editing process and he may be working on another TV series with MTV. He says he puts his input into every piece of AKOO clothing and is also venturing into sports management and opening a restaurant. He goes on to say he wants to shoot a, “Swagga Like Us,” video but everyone is busy. They all agreed they would only do a video if all of them were in it together. Grand Hustle is currently working on the new albums for, B.o.B., 8Ball and MJG, Young Dro, and Killer Mike.

A recap of the 1st episode is below.

The first episode first gives us a recap of T.I.’s life and what lead to his arrest. T.I. states, “No amount of jail time will teach me more than the lesson from that moment.” T.I. talks about the night his best friend got killed and how that played a part in him obtaining guns. T.I. was released on 3 million dollars bond, has an ankle bracelet on 24 hrs a day and must complete 1000 hours of community service in order to get a his jail time reduced. If he breaks any law the deal is off.

The show gives you a chance to see the real T.I. with his fiancee and children. He is shown at home with his six children. T.I. says it wasn’t difficult explaining to his children that he is going away but also mentioned they might not fully grasp he will be gone for a long time.

In the series T.I. will help 7 youths at a crossroads in life. These 7 young adults are heading in the wrong direction in life, from gang violence to drug dealing. In the first episode T.I. hopes to change the life of a young man he first met at a gas station while he was selling crack. The young man has had a very hard life and does whatever he can to survive.

In MTV fashion, the young man is not told what is about to happen and is shocked to see T.I. walk into the room. T.I. first shows him where his lifestyle can lead him to. He is first given a taste of prison and then shown a morgue. T.I. then sees what youth would like to do with his life and proceeds to take steps to help him.

Basically the show aims to change the lives of 7 youths for the better by showing them the cons of their life. After there are shown the reality of where they might end up T.I. helps them pursue their dream career. The show will also chronicle the countdown until T.I.’s court date. The show had its serious moments and also made you laugh. I found the show interesting for the fact they show you the background of the troubled youths so you understand what they are going though. T.I. doesn’t sugar coat his life and admits to all the mistakes he has made. As for what T.I. thought of the series, he states, “I’m proud of it, I want it to impact the lives of the millions of young people that will watch.”
Hopefully T.I. can influence these young people to change their lives for the best.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Notorious B.I.G. are two of the biggest cultural figures in American history.  Dr. King is renowned for his political, theological, and civic work. Biggie Smalls is celebrated for his exceptional musical ability as a rapper. And both men were vital in two of the 20^th century’s greatest social, political, and cultural phenomenons: the Civil Rights Movement, and Hip-Hop.

Yet, we do not think of these men simultaneously. In fact, many might say it is blasphemous to even mention them in the same breath. But as we commemorate Dr. King’s birthday and holiday, and anticipate the release of Notorious (the first major studio film about the life of Biggie), we are afforded a unique opportunity: the chance to bridge generations by carefully looking at two icons. Looking at each man’s life allows us to revisit our relationship to them; and to critically think about their virtues and their flaws. Most important though is this question: can we find mutuality and commonality with B.I.G. and King?

Without doubt, the differences between King and Biggie are stark and vast. (Continue below)

Article By Michael Partis(Not Nigel D., Michael Partis will respond to thoughts on the article in the comments)

Before becoming B.I.G., Christopher Wallace was the son of immigrants and grew up in the urban metropolis of Brooklyn, NY. Thanks to the struggle of his single mother, he did not grow up in abject poverty. Still, Christopher deals with the United States’ harsh truth: educated, poor, affluent, determined, resistant, hard-working, or humble—no matter what your make-up, racism still negatively affects your life-choices. Confronted with this reality, Biggie does was many before, after, and in his generation do: he chooses a life of selling drugs, violence, and crime. It is a life-choice that blurs the line of survival and necessity; of desire and force; of good and bad. To many it is a destructive force that tears apart communities of color. But to Biggie, he was “just trying to make some money to feed my daughter.”

While Dr. King was not able to see the stress, strife, and trauma of the crack epidemic that molded Biggie and the members of his generation, he was intimately familiar with the anger, hostility, and frustration of many in the Black community.

1964-1968 is noted as one of the most tumultuous periods in United States history. While the Civil Rights Movement continued to press on with the hope that faith, civil disobedience, and fortitude would bring equality to America, the racism that produced poverty persisted. These conditions brought many Blacks to “a boiling point.” The frustration turned into two things: political organizing and violence. This was challenging for King and other Civil Rights leaders. They wrestled with how to address the poverty, how to channel the anger, and how to join these new political struggles.

While rebellions in cities emerged and violence ensued, King dedicated what would be the final years of his life to the issue that dogged so many Blacks: poverty. He also strove to understand the sentiment of deep anger in many Black young people; and tried to empathize with their hurt while re-orientating them away from violence. This would become the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. until the moment of his tragic passing.

The Notorious B.I.G. certainly did not engage in the same work that Dr. King did. He did not live in King’s time. He was no political leader, no community organizer. Yet what ties him to King is Biggie’s place in the historical progression of African-American life. Biggie is apart of Bakari Kitwana’s “Hip-Hop Generation:” the one’s who come after the Civil Rights/Black Power struggle and inherit the world those movements left behind. What Biggie becomes, is this generation’s artistic icon; he ascends into a cultural hero.

As King represents the best in humanity and the quintessential symbol for a generation, B.I.G. serves as one generation’s definition of what a rapper should be and its most poignant example of success. And like W.E.B DuBois is forever linked with Booker T. Washington, or Martin Luther King with Malcolm X, Biggie is forever tied with the other defining luminary of his time—Tupac Shakur.

B.I.G.’s discussion of urban narratives, his poetic creations of imagined situations, and his story’s unique ability to resonate with the sentiments and conditions of a time, mirrors what we love and adore with so many of our artistic figures: the Odetta’s, Bob Marleys, Chuck D’s, Richard Wright’s, and Zora Neale Hurston’s of our culture.

There is no doubt that many of the stories which come forth from Biggie are disturbing, horrifying, and troubling. The “bitches,” “hoes,” guns, robberies, “stick-up kids,” misogyny, crack sales, and patriarchy which these stories detail indeed are…difficult. Nor are the sentiments of “keeping it real,” “I write about what I see,” or “if she acts like a hoe then and Imma call her a hoe” valid—a culture that presents these explanations must be challenged, critiqued, and pushed.

But this is not the totality of Biggie’s work. The descriptions he provided indeed had truth in them. No doubt the behavior it associated with is problematic, but the presence of it is nothing new. No question violence, sexism, and drugs take a drastically different tone in present society. But pimping, hustling, and guns are not new. They certainly existed in Dr. King’s time.  “Come on people,” they even existed in Bill Cosby movies.  Wallace took the alias of “Biggie Smalls” from the name of a gangster/hustler in Cosby and Sidney Poitier’s 1975 movie Let’s Do It Again.

The brilliance of the Notorious B.I.G., and of the Hip-Hop culture, is the point of view it provides. As Biggie put it, “from a young G’s perspective.”

The fact that Biggie could turned this perspective into a tool which enables him to reach financial success, this is what stands out to the Hip-Hop culture. Yes, it is absolutely steeped in capitalism’s excess, exploitation, and materialism. But for many people of color, it speaks to a truth and a desire. The work of changing what we desire, what we value, and what we want certainly is needed. If “money, hoes, and clothes is all a nigga knows,” then we have to expose that view to other ideas.

But it does not change the fact that it speaks to a generation, to a culture. Biggie Smalls speaks to the generation which lived through the crack epidemic, and to Hip-Hop culture. And what makes him their symbol is that… he is from it.

That is why Dr. King and The Notorious B.I.G. are celebrated. They represent something. They are of and apart of a community. The tie people have to them is not just marketed or mass-produced; the ability, talent, and work of these men tie us to them.

Their failures, flaws, and downsides are plentiful. They are problematic and complex. But such is life.

Regardless, these are our heroes.

R.I.P.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Christopher Wallace

Michael Partis

michaelpartis@gmail.com

www.michaelpartis.blogspot.com

myspace.com/hiphopthought

http://my.rawkus.com/profile/ForeThought

You hear it all of the time in the hip hop community, “death before dishonor.” Some people even have it tattooed on their body parts, “death before dishonor.” Some artists have named albums and books “death before dishonor.” Many letters from prison end with the words “death before dishonor.” I even hear children saying “death before dishonor.” Then I ponder the question, what do you actually honor that you’ll be willing to die for before bringing shame to it?

Written by Cornell Dews

Alright, let me ask you and please be honest, all of you who have ever uttered the words “death before dishonor,” please finish this statement: I’d rather die before I…

Now the quote in itself is nothing new. Warriors, combatants, and military forces have been saying “death before dishonor” forever. Meaning, they’d rather die before dishonoring their country. They’d rather die before being captured by their enemy then being abused and tortured and forced to divulge information which would bring shame to the same country they were fighting for. The commonality was, they were in wars, combat fighting for something. I ask, what kind of wars are we in? Drug wars? Gang wars? Turf wars? Rap beefs? Are you serious? How is this statement applicable to us in our community nowadays other then when it’s applied to “snitching”?

I know how we could apply “death before dishonor” for the betterment of our community: what if we were willing to die before we let someone disgrace our neighborhoods by dealing drugs or committing any of the other reckless acts that have left dilapidated, trash strewn, graffiti drawn vacated dwellings? What if we were willing to die before we let someone disrespect our elders, our women or our children in our community in any form? What if we were willing to die before we let others financially rape our communities? What if we were willing to die for the same things Dr. King, Brother Malcolm, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Minister Louis Farrakhan and countless others committed themselves to? What if we were willing to die for something other then dishonoring the street code of “snitching”? Besides, even when you say that you’re willing to die before “snitching,” I question it very seriously because if everybody was willing to die before “snitching” there would have never been a reason to have a “stop snitching” campaign. Death before dishonor.

Written by Cornell Dews

Mr. Carter’s Coming of Age?

The End of An Empire: The Rise & Fall of The G-Unit Reign

Almost Famous: Top 5 Underground MC’s Who Should Of Been Superstars

If Heaven’s Got A Ghetto, Tell B.I.G. Things Done Changed: The Legacy of The Notorious B.I.G. and Today’s Urban America

The 7 Day Theory: Remembering Why Tupac is Important

I’m The Illest Alive, Watch Me Prove It!

Trying to close a $15.4 billion budget gap, Paterson called for 88 new fees and a host of other taxes, including an “iPod tax” that taxes the sale of downloaded music and other “digitally delivered entertainment services.”

Movie tickets, taxi rides, soda, beer, wine, cigars and massages would be taxed under Paterson’s proposal. It also extends sales taxes to cable and satellite TV services and removes the tax exemption for clothes costing less than $110.
Full Story: NY Daily News

It looks like New York has gone crazy with taxes to make up for budget gaps and the slow economy. Along with the various new fees and taxes there will be a 3.3%, or $698 million, reduction in school aid. The school system is already a mess and now your taking away money from the budget? Then you increase the cost of tution to take out the recession on students. It just seems when things are going good the rich profit the most and when things are going bad the middle class and poor people feel it the most. Don’t Jock Jay-Z, tax him and all the rich people in NY.

Don’t worry there won’t be a RealTalkNY tax in 09.

In your opinion, what was the best hip hop battle related quotable or statement ever made? I immediately thought about it a few weeks ago after viewing a video that’s probably one of the illest, (yeah I know I’m dating myself) hip hop moves in recent years. It was a stance and I mean that literally, taken by the only rapper who now has two songs in Billboards top 5. And what I’m referencing is just hip hop, which used to be bold, braggadocios, nut grabbing, chest thumping, declarations of “I’m nicer than you with this rap shit and no matter what, you can’t fuck with me!”

- Cornell Dews

Continue below for Cornell Dew’s latest editorial.

With that in mind, let me ask: Did TI stand on top of the Bowen Homes projects sign in Bankhead? Is that the same Bowen Homes that my man Shawty Lo canvassed asking people “is Tip from Bankhead?” Did he began the video sitting in a lawn chair in front of Bowen Homes? Man, I don’t know what yall thought, but when I saw the What’s Up, What’s Happening video, I said “Oh My God!” That was bold (check), braggadocios (check), I think he grabbed his nuts (no homo)check and thumped his chest. And he definitely made a declaration to Shawty Lo that he’s nicer than him with this rap shit, no matter what. To me, that was hip hop. Which led me to think about some other “hip hop” moves over the years. I’m going to present those moves and hip hop quotable’s that I thought were cool, in no particular order. I’d like for you to do the same and join me as we reminisce about acts that ethered some, motivated others and utterly destroyed careers.

KRS One once rapped that “Manhattan keeps on making it, Brooklyn keeps on taking it, Bronx keeps creating it and Queens keeps on faking it!” That was a dis to MC Shan and his DJ Marley Marl, but he included the whole borough. That was hip hop!

Kool Moe Dee said, “I’m just gonna splatter and shatter his pipe dream. Make him feel the wrath, beat him and laugh. Then when I finish ‘em, I’m gonna ask him who’s the best? And if he don’t say Moe Dee, I’ll take my whip and make him call himself Toby.” That was tough, he even referenced Roots. But did you hear the rebuttal.

Uncle L a.k.a. LL Cool J a.k.a. Jack The Ripper started the song by saying, “milky and I’m back. My ace in the hole was this brand new track.” Which meant that he bated Moe Dee, he toyed with him like a young Cassius Clay. L went on to say, “here’s what my game is, kill is what my aim. A washed up rapper needs a wash up. My name is Jack The Ripper, King Hercules. Back for the payback, I must say that, I heard your new jam, I don’t play that. It aint loud enough punk, it aint hitting. This year you tried, next year you quitting.” He even used the title of Kool Moe Dee’s dis song How Ya Like Me Now in his own dis when he said, “how ya like me now, I’m getting busier, I’m double platinum watching you get dizzier.” He continued it with, “don’t let me hear you say I aint debonair. I’m better than any emcee out there!” Shots fired. That was hip hop!

And we can’t mention Uncle L and the battle without talking about Can-I-Bus. Do you remember when he said, “Well lemme tell you something, you might got more cash than me, but you aint got the skills to eat a nigga’s ass like me. And if you really want to show off, we can get it on. Live in front of the camera’s on your own sitcom. I’ll let you kick a verse, fuck it, I’ll let you kick ‘em all. I’ll even wait for the studio audience to applaud. Now watch me rip the tat from your arm, kick you in the groin, stick you for your Vanguard award in front of your mom, your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd born. Make your wife get on the horn and call Minister Farakahn. So he could persuade me to squash it. I say naw he started it. He forgot what a hardcore artist is.” Woo Wee!

Then the discord was deaded when L said, “you don’t want to borrow that, you want to idolize. And you don’t want to make me mad, nigga you wanna socialize.” Hey, hands down, the J on the back, behind the Cool without the A-Y is one of the best whoever done it! He is Hip Hop!

One of my favorites was when Pac said, “Mobb Deep wonder why nigga blowed them out. Next time grown folks talking nigga close your mouth” Whew! I don’t know what the Mobb did to Pac directly, if anything, but whatever they did, they shouldn’t of done it.

Whether you was riding with the West Coast or the East Coast at the time, you must admit that when Snoop kicked over the World Trade Center in the New York, New York video that the DPG shot on site, was hip hop at it’s best! Now those real gun shots that were reportedly fired at their trailers on the video shoot while on location in New York wasn’t hip hop at all. Instead, that was some ignorant street shit that could have cost someone their life. Shit like that is actually the detriment of hip hop, unfortunately. But let me not digress.

50 Cent entered the game locked, cocked and loaded with his song How To Rob in which he adamantly said, “the only excuse for being broke is being in jail.” He dissed everybody in the game. You’d have to pick your own favorite lines. However, for me, two of the most memorable and entertaining quotes was when he said, “I’d rob ODB, but that’d be a waste of time. Probably have to clap him, run and toss the nine.” He also said, “tell Sticky gimme the cash before I empty three. I’ll beat your ass like that white boy on MTV.” That whole song, line for line, was hip hop!

“I’m about a dollar. What the fuck is 50 Cent?”

“Nigga, you aint live it, you witnessed it from your folks pad. You scribbled in your notepad and created your life.”

“So yeah, I sampled your voice, you was using it wrong. You made it a hot line. I made it a hot song.”

“How’s niggas dissing me? I made it possible for niggas to make history. How is this possible? Please explain this shit to me? How is this logical? Have we forgot our history? Lets open our bibles. It’s like the disciples dissing Jesus becoming his rivals. Shunning the one thing that they owe their life to. You let that man hype you to go against your idol. Knowing good and goddamn well this what I do! Think I’m in the office, I lost my grind? That’s how kids become orphans. You lost your mind?”

“The only time you went plat, my chain was around your neck and that’s an actual fact.”

For the love of hip hop, I would have paid anything to witness a young L in his prime versus Jay. But since that’s impossible, I had to “settle” for Jay versus Nas. Please understand that I used the term “settle” facetiously.

First of all, in the song Ether, Nas returned the favor to Jay by using his own words and slogan, “I Will Not Lose.” And he meant it!

“My child, I’ve watched you grow up to be famous and now I smile like a proud dad, watching his only son that made it. Were you abused as a child, scared to smile, they called you ugly? Well, life is harsh, hug me, don’t reject me. Or make records to disrespect me, blatant or indirectly. In ‘88 you was getting chased to your building. Calling my crib and I aint even give you my number. All I did was gave you a style for you to run with. Smiling in my face, glad to break bread with the God.” Though there were certainly some personal underlying issues to ignite the rival, the result was definitely hip hop at its finest.

There are countless others and I know that I just scratched the surface. So I’d like for you to help me finish writing this piece by including your favorites in the comment section below. As I stated earlier, lets reminisce about the true essence of this artistic form, our beloved hip hop. What were some of your favorite battle related hip hop quotable’s or actions?

Written by Cornell Dews

I put on the news and the first 5 minutes was non stop bad news about the economy. In New York we may have a new train/bus fare between $2.50 to $3! All I hear about is the stock market doing bad, people getting fired and women getting their purses snatched. Clearly I’m not poppin champagne or trickin if I had it. If your wifey/man/family ask for anything expensive this Christmas hit them with the, “It’s a recession,” line. These are the times where you stop trying to be flashy and build that bank account up. How are things going for everyone out there?

Editorial By Michael Partis

What is Hov talking about on his new track “History” ?  Is it about more than “History” and “Victory?”

There is always the tendency to feel as if we are thinking too much; that we are taking it too far.  It becomes a feeling we have when looking at all forms of art: music, paintings, poetry, dance, etc.

But the great artist is the one that legitimates our search for something more.  They make you see further, think longer, listen closer—they make you believe there is meaning to their work; beyond the surface; beyond the first encounter; beyond the first layer.

Jay-Z – History

This ability is what makes Jay-Z one of the greatest rappers in Hip-Hop history: because his music makes us listen beyond the obvious.

“Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?” Jay-Z-”Renegade”

In his new song entitled “History” Hov chronicles the search for “Victory.”  The “Victory” though is spoken of in a context that, if captured, would become “History.”  There is a historical element to the win he seeks.

The lyrics are filled with personification and symbolism.  “Defeat,” “Death,” and “Success” are people that you encounter on the journey to meet “Victory” and  “History.”  When listened to closely it feels as if every adjective, every noun, every word could be understood in more than one way; that it could mean more than how we normally use it.  Every usage of “agony” or “dreams” seems like… feels like… it could mean more than what it appears to be.

So what does it mean?  That is our job as listeners, to form an understanding of the message.

Given the recent events, and the timing of the leak, the song seems to be a strong metaphor for the election of Barack Obama and the journey that the Black community has traveled to reach this achievement.

We can easily see how the “Victory” being sought is equal to Obama’s winning the 2008 Election.  And that with this “Victory” accomplished history is made: the first Black person to become President of the United States of America.

By no means was this journey easy.  “Defeat” and “Success” certainly exemplify the bitter, and the sweet, of the African-American experience.

The defeats have been trying, hurtful, and protracted: whether they be the failed Presidential campaigns of Black politicians like Shirley Chisholm or Jesse Jackson; the assassinations of Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, or other Black leaders; or the longer legislative battles to eliminate racist laws, end race-based discrimination, and obtain civil rights.  It is an inescapable pain that accompanies Black life in America.

“her name is Defeat
She give me agony, so much agony
She bring me so much pain so much misery
Like missing ya last shot, and falling to ya knees
As the crowd screams, for the other team“

The successes have been fulfilling, joyful, and tantalizing: the largest Black middle-class in American history; breakthroughs in fields, careers, and positions that barred Blacks for so long; more Blacks with access to higher education.

The beauty of Jay’s message is that yes success is certainly better than defeat, and definitely a gain in the struggle.  But success lacks longevity.  It is not a victory, but only a gain.  And while gains are historic in nature, victory is the end goal—victory is that which cannot be taken away, and so it lives in history forever:

“Ain’t in it for the fame, that dies within weeks
Ain’t in it for the money, cant take it when you leave
I wanna be remembered, long after you breathe
Long after I’m gone, long after i breathe
I leave all i am, in the hands of History
That’s my last will, testimony“

But is Obama’s win “Victory?”

Jay speaks of “Victory” as if it is in a relationship with “History;” they work together, to create something new:  “Now Victory is mine, tastes so sweet/ She’s my trophy wife, coming with me/ We’ll have a baby, who stutters repeatedly/ We’ll name him History, he’ll repeat after me/ He’s my legacy, son of my hard work/ Future of my past, he’ll explain who I be…This is much more than a song, its a baby shower“

In using the metaphor of marriage and birth, we can understand that victory creates history but also create something new—something that continues through time.  The birth of something new allows for the potential for remembrance, for legacy, but most importantly…to continue.

The 1st Black President of the United States is a tremendous victory of historic proportions that fulfills something many thought could never happen.  It is victory because it can never be taken away.  But it is not “Victory,”  because the final victory has yet to be won.

There is still an economic inequality pervasively present along racial lines.  There is still a criminal justice system that disproportionately incarcerates Blacks, Latinos, and people of color at exceedingly higher rates.  Where’s fuller life for the victims of Hurricane Katrina?  How can we help the under-told story of  those heavily hit by Hurricane Ike?  How can we fix the outrageous number of failing schools in Detroit, Atlanta, and cities across the U.S.?  How the hell we will deal with the growing magnitude of the ever-growing current economic crisis?

We can look across the African Diaspora and see problems as well: in Puerto Rico, The Congo, Sudan, South African, Haiti—as a nation with a large immigrant population, and a huge global influence (as problematic as that is), these are things we can not take lightly.  They absolutely affect us.

Liberation; equality; justice; that is the “Victory” we must seek.

The remarkable power of Barack Obama’s election to the highest office in the world, is that it fills us with the strength, belief, and joy that change is possible.  Despite all the problems named above,  Obama’s victory symbolized that we can do better.  It drives you to say, “Yes We Can.”

Obama has often spoken about and built his campaign around this generation of hope, belief, and possibility.   He’s calls us the “Joshua Generation:”

“Moses told the Joshua generation; don’t forget where you came from. I worry sometimes, that the Joshua generation in its success forgets where it came from. Thinks it doesn’t have to make as many sacrifices. Thinks that the very height of ambition is to make as much money as you can, to drive the biggest car and have the biggest house and wear a Rolex watch and get your own private jet, get some of that Oprah money. And I think that’s a good thing. There’s nothing wrong with making money, but if you know your history, then you know that there is a certain poverty of ambition involved in simply striving just for money. Materialism alone will not fulfill the possibilities of your existence. You have to fill that with something else. You have to fill it with the golden rule. You’ve got to fill it with thinking about others. And if we know our history, then we will understand that that is the highest mark of service…”

Jay-Z’s greatest is that he could convey the ideas of one of the greatest politicians in history using Hip-Hop’s voice.  He poetically, skillfully, and thoughtfully has depicted the same message in a way that only Hip-Hop could; through Hip-Hop music.  It is indicative of the power within this Hip-Hop community to seize this moment and turn it into our moment of history.

And just as Barack has fulfilled, and as Jay-Z has expressed, the Hip-Hop community and people from all over the world have been sharing what this moment means to them; to our history; and to our future.  ColorOfChange.org has been gathering these stories since Election Night.  The most poignant, and the strongest, came from Bronx rapper CATALYST:

“Martin’s Dream is now Reality, Malcolm’s By any means Came through Democracy, Rosa’s Bravery showed a Young African American that he could also Sit where ever he wanted to including the White House. Medgar Evers, Harriett Tubman, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Steven Biko, Frederick Douglas, and the Countless others that fought for Equality, Justice, Freedom, and Human Rights can rest easy knowing that what they all fought for was worth every sacrifice because in the end the reward was a divine Victory.”

What a political figure like Barack Obama expressed in speech; what a world-renowned artist like Jay-Z expressed in music; was just as articulately, just as knowledgeably, and just as eloquently shared by a little-known rapper from the Bronx.

That is our power.  That is why we must seize this moment.

Michael Partis

michaelpartis@gmail.com

www.michaelpartis.blogspot.com

www.myspace.com/hiphopthought

http://my.rawkus.com/profile/ForeThought