Man...we've been on a grind, but I'm grinding to a halt tonight. For those that have followed us for a minute, you know we are extremely passionate about voicing our dissent shamelessly through our music. But we also recognize our limitations as musicians to simply communicate. Our action comes through creation, and through participation in movements we can get behind (which in the days of pop culture coalitions is tougher to do...an Anti-war protest quickly becomes a Super Value Meal of quasi-leftist idealism, saving the penguins, a virtual circus of conspiracy theory nut jobs, and liberals who will go off to their whine and cheese party when the parade...I mean protest is over).
Sometimes you put the 808 on the shelf, shut off the Digi 002 and speak directly... things can get lost at 130 bpm... If that makes us square...fuck it... just don't get snagged by the square's edge.
What am I ranting about? I came across something that really saddened me in a way that has me really reflecting on this new era of change we've collectively willed ourselves into believing exists. Now, I'm not saying to give up hope...but the statistics of self-destruction among young Black men in New York is wild. Slaughter. Dawn of the Dead. Taken in context with the homegrown violence directly related to racism and unemployment (hick Nazis...fathers killing their families because they're broke, families tossed on the strets) these stats are more troubling. When I walk through Harlem with our peoples still very much tied to the the streets, I can feel they are in an uneasy state which I've never seen. General consensus is that things are going to get worst (read: more violent). Our neighborhoods are hurting. And this isn't just a NY thing. Consider the implosion of Detroit and other centers of Black life in America.
In this era of hope, we still haven't tackled head-on the need to do something to address the needs of our underprivileged communities. Labor statistics indicate there is a grave disparity in unemployment between the races. Its simple...more opportunity...less violence. Education statistics show a nasty story too. Prison stats...hunger...you name it. In this fairy tale America of "no more racism" there still leaves much to be desired. It seems that the government, even with Obama at the helm can (or will) only do so much. That's not a direct shot on O. He's one man leading thousands of bureaucrats in a time of international crisis... but the swell of support for O from within his community was a plea for some answers...for some help. To ignore it is criminal.
After all, we're supposed to help home first, right? Even if you don't care about black on black violence, when we see the activity of violent home-grown terrorists Black and white on the rise...the need to heal the people seems evident. Instead we're trying to preserve our dominion over selling plastic trinkets to the world and the right to make and sell the bombs we don't want other countries making and selling...some bassackwards shit if ever there was some.
Obama put a hefty chunk of change in the wallets of prisons. It appears government is gearing up for a massive lock-down rather than a massive build up of opportunity. When nearly 17% of Black men are out of work...what are the alternatives? That's damn near one in five brothers you meet are out of a job, and on the edge (nearly double the unemployment rate for white men of the same demographic). With no economic relief in sight I smell fire.
I am simply hoping that we can stop focusing so much on trying to save the value of the American dollar and start trying to raise the value of American people. As the bail out tally for the rich fucks that made this mess rises...I know another statistic...guns and ammunition sales are skyrocketing (which means of course black market sales are also skyrocketing). You do the math. This country seems so desperately close to teetering towards Mad Max bedlam. Black on black violence has always been at a shamefully high rate. Violence times lack of opportunity is a recipe for disaster that speaks to our country's true priorities.
When the music dies down, the club turns on the lights and that asshole bouncer starts barking at you to leave...give some thought to after the dance. We still got a shit ton of work to do...or is our future, particularly as Black men to be the mass of disenfranchised (felons can't vote right) broke, violent, unorganized animals the media still loves to portray? I can't call it. I just make beats. But I'll be damned if I pretend I don't see what's up... And I'll be twice as damned if I didn't do the "un-cool" thing and open my mouth about it.
Big 'Phim
No Surrender
No comments:
Post a Comment