Eminem vs. Suge Knight

In a recent XXL interview, Suge Knight has come out against Eminem over some mix tales that were released 2 years ago by The Source, were Eminem blurted that black women "bitches" and "gold diggers". I remember when this came out & I was pissed. Although Eminem moves in a Black circle, this was too much for me. Eminem later apologized for this & said this is not how he really feels & that he was just being really stupid. Apparently Suge is just finding out about this (stay out of jail Suge), here is an excerpt:

Suge: Don’t get me wrong, I support anyone who come together as a unit and make good music. But hip-hop supposed to be about ghetto politics, about the culture of the inner city. And you got a lot of these artists dissing on record—whether it’s ’Pac and Biggie, Jay-Z and Nas, 50 and Game. A lot of ’em talking about keeping it real, how they off the block and all that bullshit. They’ll talk about every artist in the business and they mama. Except Eminem.

XXL: What’s your problem with Eminem?

Suge: This is a guy who as an artist comes out and says all Black women is nigga bitches and gold diggers. Now, I never had a problem with him before. When Eminem came out, I liked him. I thought he could rap, and I thought he was funny. He’s the “Weird Al” Yankovic of the day. But when you start saying Black women is nigga bitches and gold diggers, then I got a problem ’cause I got a mother, I got daughters.

XXL: Understood. And not to excuse Eminem, but haven’t you put out your share of records, Doggystyle, etc., that don’t exactly exalt Black women?

Suge: First of all, we paid the price for that with women’s groups and shit. And it’s different. People can call themselves niggas and bitches, but you cross a line when you start stereotyping a race. Eminem be making his money off Black people and Black culture, then turning ’round and degrading Black women. He’s a racist.

Link to full story

BTW, Suge is one Nigga not to phuck wit' & what about Paul Wall

Absolutely Not!

I heard about the ridiculous comment early today & just about flipped. Radio Host William Bennett undeniably stated "But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down." He then attempted to sweeten this up by adding that this plot could not be accomplished because or moral standards. What the hell was he thinking or smoking? Latter Bennett said that his critics took his comment out of context. But when you back it up by saying "That would be an impossibly ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down," he said on his call-in program "Morning in America.", what do you expect.

No surprise the White House commented that Bennett was inappropriate, I am sure they were quick to jump on this after the Kanye West comment a few weeks ago. If abortions were offered to whites, the what would the country be like, certainly less racism but why go there, maybe Bennett's mom should have got an abortion when she found out she was pregnant with his ass.!.

Quick Abortion Facts: (based on 2000 CDC data)

• 850,293 Abortions performed in 2000
• 32.8% of abortions were performed on women 20-24 years of age
• 36.3% of abortions were perfomed on Black Women
• 81.3% of aborted babies belonged to unwed mothers

Link to full story

On the Road w/D'Angelo

I heard about this story 1st on the Incognito message board. Stay off the durgs & wear your seat belt kids...

R&B crooner D'Angelo, who is known for his "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" video where he let it all hang out, was critically injured last week in car crash, while

traveling along Route 711 in Virginia, according to published reports.

The accident happened just before 8 p.m. on Monday (September 19), when the singer collided with another vehicle, ran off the road and slammed into a fence before overturning.

According to MTV, the singer was flown to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in nearby Richmond by helicopter, where he is currently being treated for injuries.

Apparently, D'Angelo was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle. Lynne Sellers was also in his 2003 Hummer, and sustained significant injuries.

MTV reports that the crash is still being investigated by local police and it is still unclear where D'Angelo or Sellers was driving the SUV at the time of the accident.

Link to story

Primetime Music Playlist

Now that one of my favorite "Nip/Tuck" show is back with a new season (3), my Tuesday evenings will not be packed with racy/raunchy story lines & plots, but most of all great music. One of the best thing about "Nip/Tuck" is the music & last weeks episode “Momma Boone” was no exception. During a, what some would call a hot Menage Trois between Kimber, Christian, & Kit McGraw (played by Rhona Mitra of The Practice/Boston Legal), the song Inside & Out was played (how appropriate). I later found out that this was a cover of the Bee Gee's "Love You Inside Out" performed by the Pop Rocker Leslie Feist however, her version is titled "Inside & Out".

Feist's album titled "Let it Die" was released Apr 06 (wish I knew about it then) is very good especially for not being a big rock/pop rock fan. Since I got the album a few days ago & have been stuck on:

• Inside Out
• One Evening
• Mushaboom
• When I Was a Young Girl

"Let it Die" has great flow, vibing energy, & mellow beats, so basically a worthy purchase & addition to my collection. Doing some bootleg, research I found that Feist (Canadian Born & Rasied) performed so much over a 5 year period in the 90's, that she lost her voice & was told that she would never sing again. She then picked up the guitar & used it as her voice while training with a voice specialist for years. By 1999 she was able to release her 1st solo album "Monarch"

"Nip/Tuck" is mos def a place to get hip to some alternative music choices.

Weekend Attitudes

Last weekend (09/17/05) I was so excited about going to the Urban Organic Music festival to see my girl Leela James. I have been jamming to here CD "A Change is Gonna Come" for the past few months so a live performance in a small venue (Detroit Club Escape). The evening started off good, because Cousin Dee was able to get 15$ tickets upon arrival so that was a savings there & fuck Ticket Master. I had never been to Escape & was impressed by the décor, very calm eclectic atmosphere.

Things started to go wrong when I found out that they did not have Bombay Sapphire stocked at the bar & to make it worse, they did not even have the ingredients to make a B52. Shit I have all that @ home & this club did not even have any of it. Anyway Cousin Dee & I were able to snag some good seats to set up for her big photo shoot. As the night went on the crown really started to thicken, a diverse mixture from the Dreadlocked bag lady to the phony posers (fake Bourgies). There were 2 acts before Leela Gordon Cyrus Baty (his band was great but the vocals???) and Gordon Chambers who just flat out sucked like I don't know what. Although Gordon may be a Grammy winner, he needs to stay behind the scenes because his ass cannot sing. I think he lost most of the crowds when he started to shouting out parts of town that did not exist in Detroit i.e. North & South Woodward (what the!!!).

By the time Leela came on, I was so turned off & disgusted with the opening acts I could not enjoy her performance at all. As a matter of fact I was only a foot or 2 from the stage I know I was frowned up during the entire show with my arms folded most of the time. She noticed my bad body language but oh well, shit, I was not enjoying myself & too far gone to come back. I really tried to enjoy myself but it just did not happen. One thing for certain is that Leela can through down & give one hell of a performance, so next time she is in town I will have to see her again with a better attitude. After her set was over she signed autographs & I forgot to bring my CD cover so that added fuel to an existing combustible attitude, when I approached her, you could definitely tell she picked up on my vibe during her show, she quickly signed a posted I snatched off the wall & dismissed me, my bad!

This was the first time I knew I had a big attitude & let it go on for the entire evening, I was in rare form but I just could not turn it off. I think if the 1st 2 acts were better & I had at least 2 drinks, things could have been much better (of course). The next day I had to apologize to Cousin Dee for bringing her night down & put an IOU out there for a fun attitude free outing. One good thing that came out of this evening is the fact that Cousin Dee may have made some business connects for her business VMPhotography, well 2 things; I got home without falling asleep (maybe because I was still kinda turned off).

The night before, I attended the Dwele CD release party at Detroit Club Icon, which a whole different story, I was having such a good time I did not want to leave. The music was great, the crown was cool, there was free food & they were serving free Martel XO all night (why did they do that). I got tore up from the floor up & I was not the only one. I even scored some Veuve Clicquot (thanks Dee). Dwele did perform but Suite Suzy & I beacause we "turned into pumpkins @ midnight", her mom was babysitting & we had a curfew. Friday was a much better night!

Until White America ‘Gets It,’ Racial and Class Divisions Will Continue

I found this very poingnat story today on BAW (Black America Web) dealing with what we (Blacks, Afro Americans, Negro, Whatever) already know to be true. Why are we the only ones that see it?!?!

Every so often, something in America happens that reminds the general population that white and black Americans are reading different pages in very different books. In the 1990s, the L.A. riots and the O.J. Simpson “not guilty” verdict proved that this country’s race problem didn’t go away post-integration, but was merely swept under the rug. In this decade, the Hurricane Katrina disaster or, more appropriately, it’s handling, is our wake up call.

A recent USA TODAY/CNN Gallop Poll reveals the races are sharply divided on the subject of the victims themselves, President Bush’s handling of the situation and the reasons the government was so slow to respond. According to the poll, six in 10 blacks say that the government responded slowly because the majority of the victims were poor and black, while nearly nine in 10 whites say race and class were not a factor. Even more mind-boggling is the reality that 71 percent of blacks said the disaster response strengthened their belief that racial bias is still a problem in the U.S. Only 32 percent of whites agreed. Link to full Story

No More Sunday Brunch

I just heard that one of my favorite brunch spots Sweet Georgia Brown has closed as of today. When I 1st heard I was so hoping it was because of health reason, so I was relieved but saddened to hear that it was because they were not paying their taxes. The restaurant was recently in negotiations for sale by Frank Taylor former & former Detroit Lion Robert Porcher after things started to fall apart with the business. The overweight lover La-Van Hawkins was the owner & had his own very serious legal issues convicted of fraud and perjury charges this year.

Suite Suzy & I knew that it would be a matter of time before SGB closed a) very poor, b) last time we went, there were no waffles. While our reasons are superficial, we were right & have to figure out a new Detroit brunch spot. I feel for all of there employees, right now Michigan has the one of nation’s highest unemployment rate. Good thing Seldom Blues is right around the corner.

I will miss the cheap Champagne (MIMOSA!!!), waffles, cheesy grits & awesome omelets but not miss the annoying/wannabe saxophonist. SGB opened it doors 1st in 2002.

A Day Late & a Dollar Short

I was wondering if this day would come & here it is 2+ weeks later.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said Tuesday that "I take responsibility" for failures in dealing with Hurricane Katrina and said the disaster raised broader questions about the government's ability to respond to natural disasters as well as terror attacks.

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at joint White House news conference with the president of Iraq.

"To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility," Bush said.

The president was asked whether people should be worried about the government's ability to handle another terrorist attack given failures in responding to Katrina. Link to Full Story

Also Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director, Michael Brown, has resigned yesterday citing it would be "in the best interest of the agency and the best interest of the president". Brown was replace by R. David Paulison, the former head of FEMA's emergency preparedness force & best of all days ago. Paulison actually has credentials backing him unlike Brown. Link to full Story

Music @ Detroit

This weekend in Detroit, there are some great music events going on starting with the Dwele listening party @ The Icon Lounge 09/16 @ 9. This is free with a RSVP to World Famous Media (they need a website). I just checked out Dwele's website & it has been updated & looks great, anyway you can check out his new single "I Think I love U" in full.

Leela James is playing Saturday 09/17 (my baby Olivia's b-day) @ Club Escape, tickets are only 20 bucks at the door, which is cheaper than buying from Ticketmaster. I am a big Leela James fan & am looking forward to hearing her perform live. If you are not up on Leela, check out this brief post for her online concert.

Still Discovering Detroit

Living in & around Detroit for the last 26 years, I still find new things to do that are hidden in the city. This past weekend was no exception, starting with having a late lunch @ Vicente's Cuban Cuisine w/Cousin Dee. I found out about Vicente’s last week while at the 2005 Detroit Jazz Festival, which I still prefer to call the Montreux Detroit jazz (because it sounds better). I am very excited to see that there is starting to be more options for ethnic dinning in Detroit + I love Cuban food & addicted to any delicious Mojito.The service that we received was excellent but the food & drink were even better. I had the Croquetas Preparadas & Arroz Con Pollo, which proved to be too much food for even me. The prices are good & the Art Deco décor is exciting & warm. They feature several Latin theme nights from Salsa to Flamenco dancing, that draw a pretty large crown according to Mary (our server).

Several Mojitos later we wound up & Spectacles on of my favorite boutiques for urban wear making yet more unnecessary purchases, but having fun kicking it with Zana (owner) while possible striking up some business. Zana put us up on to the Dally in the Alley which I never heard of, some sort festival held in the alleys of Wayne State.

After leaving my uncle's wack birthday party we drove past to check it out & wow was it past our expectations. People were everywhere & the music was so loud, I could not believe the police were not trying to shut it down. After all the “Dally” is held within a residential neighborhood. We first entered at the Urban Electronica Stage, which was off the hook with dancing fiends of all kinds, men, women, transsexuals, metrosexuals, crack heads, homeless people, they were all out!

Making our way through thousands & thousands people, we encountered vendors from all over, 3 more sounds stages & plenty of cheap eats.I was really shocked with the massive amount of people there, especially since I had never heard of this. As a matter fact, this year marked the 28 th “Dally” WOW! I found out that from on of the organizers that a large portion of the funds from the event go right back into the community & outreach programs, how cool is that. The great thing I noticed from the vendors or most was the amount & variety of Detroit pride wear, t-shirts, beats, hats, pins, you name it & they had it. The one thing that turned me off was all of the African vendors had massive amounts of Shea Butter. There had to be at least 2 tons of Shea Butter present throughout the festival & it means one of2 things, a) Black people really love it or b) there are some ashy Black people in Detroit, because they were buying it up. Supply and demand sums it all up on this.Here are some Dally in the Alley facts:

• Began as an inner city art fair in 1977 & Held the Saturday after Labor Day
• Renamed in 1982 to “DALLY IN THE ALLEY”, the title of a medieval drinking song
• The Dally expanded beyond its original alley to include Forest Avenue in 1997 and added the Urban Electronica stage on Second Avenue in 1999
• Dally proceeds to fund the environmental lawsuit against the City of Detroit trash incinerator, provide roaming security during the nighttime hours, and grant scholarships to enable neighborhood children to attend the Art Center Music School
• A portion of the 2005 art auction proceeds to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
  
• Provides music scholarships for neighborhood children
  
• Supports neighborhood soup kitchens

@ The Movies: The Exorcism of Emily Rose

One word: PHENOMENAL, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" was the ultimate in movie in regards to the shroud of secrecy within the Catholic Church. Based on a true story of Anneliese Michel of Germany who died in 1976 after being "possessed" for 9 years Her parents and priests were put on trial for negligent manslaughter (full story) following her controversial death. This true case was the last time the Catholic Church officially recognized a case of demonic possession and sanctioned an Exorcism rite.

This depiction takes place in America & of course has elements that deviate from the real story for Hollywood sex appeal reasons, which worked for me. The movie got off to a running start with the official announcement of death by the medial examiner which lights the fuse for the movie. Emily's story was told in parallel in retroactive dream states with Jennifer Carpenter playing the role of Emily Rose. One side of the dream state explored a religious belief in demonic possession & the other a whipped up diagnosis of Epilepsy with Psychosis exacerbating the situation.

This movie for me added more realism in the concept of being possessed by unknown forces. This genre of movie always involved the Catholic Church, so I find much comfort in not being catholic. Why is there so much secrecy & paranormal shit fueling these stories, something has to be true somewhere down the line.

"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" was a much better movie than any of the Exorcist movies, more suspense, more substance, better story focus, less gore. Some of the acting was the the best but I definitely got my monies worth (actually I had a free movie pass). The one character that I really liked in the movie was Dr. Adani, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, whose purpose in the story was to support the defense's claim of possession. This is/was based primitive and undeveloped cultures believe in evil and the demonic possession. Her character was sexy & mysterious & I loved her body language. She made me believe.

Before the credits rolled, there was a caption that basically stated that Emil's/Anneliese's grave site is visited by many because of here visions of seeing the Virgin Mary before her death who told her that if she continued to suffer, she would become a symbol for others to believe in a higher being blah, blah, blah.

You Are Not the Father

I do not know why I watch the Maury show because it is always the same either Transsexuals, Make-overs, or Baby Mamma/Daddy drama (paternity tests). 9 times out of ten I see Baby Mamma/Daddy drama & I ask myself, why are all of these people having unprotected sex. If you are in a relationship with some one, why are you having 6 other guys tested to see it they are you baby's(s) father. I do not know who is worse, the men or the women. My sentiment is if
you have all this time to get busy, you have the time to a) get a job, b) get educated on safe sex practices c) be smart enough to know why you are going to be a guest on the Maury show.

Embarrassingly enough the majority of the guest are black & have been on the show multiple times, like Chakka & Georgetta who have been on the show a combined 18 times (guestimate). This feeds the myth of the welfare lazy ass black mother. Theses people need to wake up & get tested for more than paternity, there has to more going on in them drawers!

In Canadian Words

Spending the weekend in Toronto with the family, I thought I would escape the ubiquitous coverage of Hurricane Katrina. It is almost as bad as being at home, the one thing different about being Canada and hearing about it made it more embarrassing than anything. At home I get pissed off a) because it is always on, b) the complex/obvious racial issues, &, c) why the hold up in relief.

The headline in today’s Canadian Globe & Mail newspaper was "Katrina's unequal toll: Disaster bares divisions of race & class across the Gulf States". Quotes also included "U.S. government and their agencies appear to have failed badly so far on Katrina," "Many of those who refused to leave the city had no place to go, no way to get out, & no money. It was the end of the month, & they were afraid of missing their next welfare check." ”You can do everything for other countries but you can't do nothing for your own people." With this all said America is exposed in all of her racial glory.

Leaving my hotel room today & walking downtown Toronto in the Yonge-Dundas square, I saw Kraft food giving away an ass load of microwave pizzas on the street & it thought what if... On the evening news I heard that Canada has pledged 2 million dollars & will be sending over 200 relief workers to help with recovery

I heard that Harvey Jackson, who lost his wife in the hurricane has received a house in Atlanta from an anonymous benefactor, per ABC news. He stated that he would keep his promise to keep their kids and grandkids safe. Link to full story

As I am writing this blog, I am hearing more that needs to get out there specifically how Kanye West jumped off during a benefit 09/03/05. West said "I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food.", "They've given them permission to go down and most off the hook," George Bush doesn't care about black people." I sure hope there are no career implications based on that last statement but the truth hurts!!! Link to full story

Celebrity pledges so far:

• Puff Daddy aka Diddy 1 mil
• Jay-Z 1 mil
• Celine Dion 1 mil
• Nicolas Cage 1 mil
• Jenny Craig 1 mil
• Jerry Lewis & MDA fund 1 mil
• Ellen DeGeneres 500k
• Hilary Duff 250k
• Kobe Bryant 100k

Mother natures has proven again that she can be a real bitch but humanity is looking worse with the handling of this incident.

@ the Movies: 4 Different Movies in One Week

Over the last week, I spent approximately 8 hours at the damn movies & at least 4 of those hours were a total waste. I have seen "Four Brothers", "Red Eye", "The Brothers Grimm", & "The Constant Gardener". From this diverse & multi genre list "Four Brothers", "Red Eye" were the wasted time. I was expecting so much from "Red Eye", because I love Wes Craven movies, but he completely dropped the ball on this one. The characters were wack, the story line was shallow/cliché-ic (I just made this word up), and after it was all over I wanted my money back.

"Four Brothers" was a little bit better, but not b much, the rapper/baller wanne be actors did decent job but I just was not sold on the movie. The plot was thought out but could have been executed better. What I disliked most about this movie is that it was filmed in Detroit & showed the most absolute horrible spots they could have shown. Detroit just was not served any justice with this movie; I know it's just a movie but... Per CNN "Four Brothers" is a dark and brooding drama about revenge and retribution. Set on the dirty streets of Detroit", how fucked up is this to say.

Although "The Brothers Grimm" received horrible reviews, it looked so interesting, I had to see it. I was pleased with it overall but was a little embarrassed to learn that most the stories in this movie were related to Grimm's Fables, I never made the connection. I would recommend this movie but would not take any kids; it was a little gruesome like the rabbit skinning scene (Yuk). I was happy to see my girl Persephone (The Matrix Revolutions) who played the Mirror Queen here,

"The Constant Gardener" was a definite pleaser; it had my favorite elements, twists, deep plot, well developed characters, violence, intrigue... Based on the best-selling John le Carré novel, this moves appeared to be to real to me when dealing with the attitude of the worlds SUPER-POWERS in regards to Africa(ns). The story is set in northern Kenya & deals with an international plot to test an experimental TB (Tuberculosis) drug on unsuspecting people as they die from side effects. There is a serious cover up from the British government, a fabricated forbidden love affair shape shifting agendas that will keep anyone’s mind going until the movie has a tragic but yet poignant end.

I left feeling satisfied from an entertainment perspective but wandered if the plot of this movie has any truth to it. Hopefully not! I 1st heard about this movie on NPR, there was like some big push from them, as always NPR steered my in the right direction. I sometimes am broke because of NPR.

In Those Boot Cut Jeans

Early this summer, I was pressed to find the perfect jeans to wear to the Jill Scott & Common concert in Detroit @ the Fox Theater. I searched high & low at the major retailers & at several malls, local stores: you name it & I went there, looking to the perfect designer jeans. Bottom line is, I came up empty handed & was pissed, because what I found was either too long or not big enough for my legs.

So now I was desperate & was ready to resort to the GAP, some Levi’s or Old Navy. So I went to Old Navy 1st & there I found them, the Old Navy Boot Cut jeans, perfect jeans & in my size. I like my jeans to fit loose but yet snug the right way, so I was in heaven. I winded up snatching 2 pairs for less than 60 bucks, which was ½ of what I was willing to pay. I went to the concert in my new jean blazer & new Old Navy boot cut jeans & had a great time & looked good while doing so.

Anyway I was driving past Old Navy the other day & saw a sign for jeans 2 FOR 40, so I almost broke my neck looking & decided to get 2 more pairs (different color/washes of course). I went & the jean section was like a war zone an Old Navy Iraq, and I could not find my size anywhere so now I am desperate yet again, for these perfect & inexpensive jeans. I am too cheap to go to another store because of gas & the fuckn' Old Navy website is down.

I am thinking that it pays to not be a big boy, because the big sizes go 1st, but does this mean that the big boys shop more the average size guys or what. Hopefully more jeans come in before the sale ends Monday, If I luck out, I might say fuck it & buy 2 pairs anyway........