Hottentot Venus

Rarely do I totally bite a post from other blogs but after I seen't this video over on Concrete Loop & just had to bite. Yes, I do read Concrete Loop! Most often I read shaking my head in disgust sighing oh hell no; what is wrong with some of these damn Negro celebs, who the hell are these "new" singers/actors, & am I the only person in the world sick of hearing about B-yon-say, that Um-ba-rell-a girl & other no count talents??? Occasionally the Concrete Loop put me up on something that I am talkin' bout, which I guess gives it some balance after all they are one of the most popular Black blogs ever.

So I officially got me some black history this week.

Thx Concrete Loop!
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Hottentot Venus: The Story

“Je est an autre” – I is another – A. Rimbaud

Saartjie Baartman was a Quena (or Hottentot) woman who was brought to Europe in 1810, to be exhibited for public inspection as an example of her tribe. Like many African tribes, the Hottentots were a significant part of ethnographic study during the 19th century. Indigenous tribes around the world provided cultural and intellectual challenges to European notions of civilisation, spiritual belief, and human body ideals – beauty and health.

The Hottentots were particularly interesting to Europeans not only because of the unpronounceable click in their language but also the physical characteristics of their women. The most significant of these were their external hanging genitalia and their large, pronounced bottoms – both of which posed a significant contrast to the bodies of women in Europe.

When she arrived in Britain and later France, Saartjie was confronted with the astonishment, curiousity and cruel heckling of a public that had limited contact with native Africans, but already had preconceived notions about them. In London Saartjie was displayed as a freak show display piece amidst the hairy women, vitiligo sufferers and obese people of the time. Since the freak shows were established on the premise of exhibiting difference, Saartjie was a marketable attraction.

Georges Cuvier, an anatomist who was familiar with the Hottentot natives, noted his astonishment about Saartjie in particular:

“What is striking about her shape is the enormous size of her hips, wider than 18 inches, and the protuberance of her buttocks, which was more than half a foot” – Georges Cuvier, 1817 Extraits dobservations

African women in particular were viewed as exotic and represented a ‘native’ eroticism, relative to ‘forbidden’ sexual life. In France, black women were used to promote brothels and their visual presence amidst white prostitutes on postcards and later in photographs, usually ensured successful patronage. Saartjie’s extreme physical difference to the established black prostitutes in Paris made her an instant target for lurid sexual advances.

Saartjie died of an infection in 1816 after prostitution and excessive alcohol abuse had consumed her body. Following her death, Cuvier made a cast of her body and dissected her brain and genitalia to be pickled in jars for ethnographic display at the Musee de l’homme in Paris. The jars remained on public display there until 1985, when they were finally put into storage.

The subject of Saartjie’s remains highlights the problematic history of acquisition and display in museums. Since Europe had a complex power relationship with Africa, it stands to reason that the development of ethnographic collections was driven by beliefs about Africans as savage peoples from a dark and uncivilised continent – notions which colonialism help to quantify.

‘Rare things or beautiful things here learnedly assembled to educate the eye of the beholder like never before seen all things there are in the world’ – Inscription Musee de L’Homme, Paris

Worldwide collections continue to grapple with the legacy of this history, and the foundations of the Musee de L’Homme were shaken when the Khoisan people (descendants of the Hottentots and Bushmen) officially asked for Saartjie’s remains to be taken back home. Since 1994, the museum has battled with the politics of her display and continued to stake their claim to her remains.

In a significant and historic feat, human rights activists, the South African government and the Khoisan people ensured that in 2002 her remains were taken back to South Africa where she was given a traditional burial. (Source: The Image of Black)
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Quench Essentials @ the Shop-n-Sip

If you are in Metro Detroit or just looking for a road trip with a mission to shop, come check Quench Essentials out next Saturday at Spectacles for the annual Shop-n-Sip. This will be a shopping experience to remember!

New York City: I Don't Know Why I Love You

My post title is inspired by Gil Scott-Heron's "New York City" cut from his "It's Your World" album 1976.

“New York City, I don’t know why I love you
Maybe it’s because you're mine

Like so many others, I found it all to easy to stand off at a distance & criticize

But there ain’t nothing wrong with the city
Just some people been wrong there like every where else

New York City, I don’t know why I love you
Could be that you remind me of myself”

So I have been away for a few days on but now I am back up in this bitch with a vengeance & fully energized.

While I was out, I was in NYC on a lover’s getaway with my boo & now wife of 8 damn years. My 8th anniversary was last Thursday (07/12) & it was the best ever!

Suite Suzy & I always vacation for our anniversary & for the last 5 years we have been doing it in NYC. Yes I know, I know every year the same ole thing, right? Wrong! Each trip that we have had to NYC has been different from the others as we always discover new places, try different hotels, restaurants & neighborhoods, so it’s like we go on a different adventure in NYC every year.

This year we decided to go at a very slow & relaxed pace just kinda doing whatever happened & that is exactly what we did & it was fun being there without any concrete plans. Actually we had one plan that was confirmed & that was to hang out with Cluizel but everything else was up for grabs.

To spare you from all of the boring details, I’m just going to touch on trip highlights which made this trip one to remember.

Before I get into any of this I want to note that this year’s anniversary trip theme song was “Funkanova” (click to listen) by Wood, Brass & Steel. Every trip has to have a theme song!

The Highlights:

Meeting Friends:

• Daniel Marie – On our 1st night in the city we decided to go out for a few mojitos before dinner at the Bar in Victor’s Cuban Café (If you love mojitos, you have not had one until you had one @ Victor’s). So we perch at the bar near this seemingly quiet guy but soon as we placed out order, we found out that his ass was not quiet at all. The local bar fly introduced himself as Daniel Marie, who had a heavy European accent. He later revealed that he was from Geneva, CH & explained his fondness of yodeling.
  
  We actually sat and talked with Daniel Marie for over an hour & had some fun discussions on politics, the world cup (which I knew nothing about) & men pissing on toilet seats. We usually do not meet to many New Yorkers who engage in conversations especially in Manhattan so kicking it with Daniel Marie was really cool.
  
  
• Michelle aKa Cluizel – A little over a month ago we agreed to meet on my trip & I am so happy that we did! Cluizel is just as much fun in person as she is online. At first I was nervous cuz I never meet any online friends so to help present a clean image of myself, I decided not to be as ghetto as I am online, but that all went down the tubes after my 1st drink at the Negril Village, which is where we met for dinner. Cluizel, Suite Suzy & I turned that bitch out, laughing & talking more shit than a little bit.
  
  After dinner we hit the Village where the outing took a somewhat strange twist just before 9pm. We went to the village because the day before I purchased a new bead for my nipple ring & was having a hard time getting the new one in so I needed to go back the piercing parlor to have it put in. We get to the parlor, explain my dilemma & the weird sista working there hooked me up & minutes later my red new nipple bead was in place & I was happy. Once it was in Suite Suzy put me on the spot & requested that I show everyone my large nipple & nipple ring to which I was like no, because I was not sure if NYC was ready to see my nipple but the next thing I know, my shit was up & the nipple was out! The only thing running through my mind as my nipple was on display was OMG, Cluizel must think I am really out of my mind.
  
  Once all of the nipple drama was over, we all decided to get a genital piercing because they had a special & Cluizel demanded to go first, we were like ok! Just kidding, what of kind of people do you think we are??? After all of the nipple-based fun we decided to head to Times Square for some desert at Cold Stone Creamery one of my favorite places to be gluttonous. Shortly afterward we parted ways until the next time. Cluizel thanks for being you!!!
  
  Cluizel if you are reading, click here: mmmmmmmmm

Hotel, Leisure & Relaxation:

• Dream - Somehow I found out about this hotel and after I saw the website, I knew this would be the hotel to help make this trip over the top. Suite Suzy read a few reviews and they were not that great and I almost changed my mind but I said fuck it, let’s just do it.
  
  The Dream hotel had me hooked as soon as I hit the lobby and saw this huge saltwater fish tank, floor to ceiling & larger than life bronze statue of an Asian warrior with 2 bitches attached to him, one on either side. Unfortunately out room was not read yet so we had to kill like 4 hours so we had a little breakfast & ran a few errands to pass the time.
  
  It’s now about 130pm & we are walking into our room & it looked just like it did online. The bed was like floating on this blue light, there was a massive flat panel TV on the wall & bottom line is I was just like yes! This is what I am talking about! Because we had to get up at the ass crack of dawn to get our flight we were pretty tired especially when you factor in we got very little sleep the night before, so we decided to take a nap. Next thing you know, it was almost 4 hours later, then about 2 hours after that we get a ring at the door. I look out the peep hole & see a cleaning lady so I opened the door. She explained that she was there for turn down service & asked if we needed anything so we got a few extra towels & before she left, she gave us 2 big apples & wished us a good night.
  
  I had never been to a hotel that did turn down service before so it was a real treat especially on days we stayed gone for pretty much the entire day. The staff were all extra courteous & professional, with all this said, we will mos def stay at the Dream again!!!
  
  
• Washington Square Park - This is our park & a must do each time we go. WSP is always jumping with activity and I must say that the people watching some of the best if you are into people watching. It was just nice to be there sipping on a cold bottle of water, sitting under that shade having fun telling stories with my boo as life was happening around us.
  
  
• Chelsea Market - We found out about this place watching the Food Network & come to find out, this is where the Food Network is located. The Chelsea Market was busier that a beehive & filled with wonderful sights & smells. If you like baked goods, you would think that you died and went to heaven & if you are a diabetic, I caution you!
  
  This place almost has everything from a few grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries & little exotic boutiques to name a few. The Chelsea Market is the type of place that makes you want to live in NYC so you can go there everyday to get fresh foods.
  


• NYC Botanical Garden - OMG, you know I love flowers & all things botanical so this was a must do. Suite Suzy & I decided to visit Saturday morning & spend the afternoon there. This outing was soooooo beautiful not only because the flowers were breathtaking but also because Suite Suzy & I were slowly strolling through gardens spending some real time, which is hard to do any other day in our normal lives. Visiting NYC’s botanical garden seems like it is a real treat no matter what time of year you go because there is so much there.
  
  Shit we were there for about 4 hours and still did not see everything. So guess what, we have to put this on the agenda for a future trip.
  
  
• Central Park – When I walk through Central Park, I can hear Roberta Flack singing "That's The Time" in my head. Just something about that song makes me thing she is talking abot Central PArk in spring. Anyway, we took a little stroll through the park before we left Sunday & it again was beautiful! The only thing I do not like about areas of the park is the horses. I mean they are funky as hell almost so bad that if a gust of winds starts up, you can taste the smell.

Arts & Entertainment:

• Guggenheim - Our visit to the Guggenheim means that we have officially visited all of the “major” museums in NYC & I guess we saved the one of the best for last. The Guggenheim is featuring “The Shape of Space” exhibit, which is a pure orgy for the visual sense. The exhibit is very progressive & really seems like something that would be at the Museum of Modern Art, nevertheless it was awesome.
  
  Fortunately for the museum but unfortunately it is under massive exterior repair so we cold not get a good look at the legendary exterior façade designed by celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright
  

• Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix – It’s awesome, nuff said!
  
  
• Platanos & Collard Greens – OK, if you live in NYC r nearby & have not seen this yet, go get some damn tickets now & fuck seeing the Color Purple for now! Platanos & Collard Greens was off the chain it was so refreshing to see something that actually deals with real life scenarios that deals with the relationships of Africans in the Diaspora with a specific focus on Afro-Latinos & Afro-Americans. I will tell you, I am happy that I read the 5 part piece that the Miami Herald did recently on Afro-Latinos because it P&CG dealt with some of the issues presented in the MH.
  
  The one thing that turned me off at this event was some of the crowd. The play started @ 8pm & niggas were still walking in at 830 & someone in my row actually walked in 20 minutes into the 2nd act; OK why did they even bother even coming at all. Why come niggas can’t get no place on time???? Even people in the very 1st row were showing up late as hell. I will not even get into all of these grown assed men wearing hats in-doors!?!?!?!
  

  Hat Etiquette: Indoors, a man should always remove his hat, (particularly in a home, church, courtroom or restaurant) except:
  
  - in some public buildings or public places such as railroad stations or post offices
  - in the main parlor area of a saloon or general store
  - or while seated at the "lunch counter" of a diner or cafe
  - in entrance halls and corridors of office buildings, or hotels
  - in elevators of public or office buildings, unless a woman is present
  - if carrying packages, parcels or bags and both hands are occupied upon entry
  - if the man is an actor or performer and the hat is being worn as a part of a costume or performance

  
  From the website: “Platanos & Collard Greens is the hit romantic comedic play that tells the story of Freeman, an African-American man, and Angelita, a Latino woman, who are both forced to confront and overcome cultural and racial prejudices, while defending their bond from family and friends.
  
  Platanos will remind you of your family, your love and your life. Platanos is guaranteed to make you laugh, inspire you, and make you think!
  

Platanos has enchanted audiences of over 40,000 both Off Broadway in New York City and at over 100 colleges and universities in more than 17 states around the country.”

If it was not for Cluiziel, I would have not known about this production, so thanks again. Luckily, we were able to get like the last 2 tickets available for the Saturday night’s performance!

Good Eats:

• Chevy’s - If you like junk food TexMex, this is the spot. We love it & were bummed out when the closed the restaurant near is at home so we make it a point to go here whenever we are in NYC.
  


• Victors Café - This is some real Cuban & has never disappointed. They have the best pork chops on the damn planet! The pork chops are so good, we made 2 visits for dinner during out trip. These pork chops are so good, they will make you wanna bitch slap your great grand mother. Did I mention that they have phenomenal mojotos???
  


• Frank's Butcher Shop & Steakhouse - This was good little find for lunch while visiting the Chelsea. The portions were good & the prices were just right! I got a chicken club & Suite Suzy got a burger. Although the service was not the best, we do have this on our list to a spot to hit in the future.
  


• Negril Village - OMFG!!! This is one of the best restaurants in NYC. Again thanks to Cluizel, this was a great outing because a) the food was damn good b) the drinks were slamming b) the crowd was hip & chilled & c) the company was great.
  
  I ate like way too much but fuck it you only live once. Here is what I ate Codfish Fritters (app), Collard Green Wontons (app), Jerk Chicken (ent) & 3 caipirinhas; this is just my food. The bill was off the hook but so fucking worth it.
  
  This is mos def on the must visit again list!!!
  
  
• Norma’s - If you love breakfast, this is a must do. This shit ain’t cheap so you can’t go up in hear broke, shit French toast is 17 bucks! I feel bad saying that we go here so much on our visits that the staff fucking remembers us, maybe this is because when I go, I always show a little nipple for a discount. (ask to be seating in Kimberly's area, this sista is on top of her game & is always very nice to Suite Suizy & I!)
  

On our 5 day trip it may seem like we did a lot but we really did not do much for us. Anyway, I took many pictures but too tired now to sort through them all so stay tuned for some snapshots.

For our anniversary next year we decided to go somewhere else & right now we are considering Montreal, The Bahamas, LA/San Fran, San Antonio & Miami. We have a few months to make a final decision & I already excited! But we did decide to do NYC for one of our little side trips.

Peace,
Bygbaby

Term of the Week: Chitlins(+)

While on the way home from work Tuesday I got call from Suite Suzy who was home cooking dinner. Tuesday's dinner menu was Cuban black beans over jasmine rice served with sautéed lemon garlic chicken & a wonderful avocado & onion salad. Sounds good right?

Well the reason why Suite Suzy called me was because she was out of fresh green peppers & needed me to stop @ the store. Because I was looking forward to dinner like a mutha I took my ass to the store to get the necessary ingredients.

Side note: I hate going to the grocery store with a passion.

So I make it to the store, get the peppers & wind up getting a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos (my favorite chips) & a Snickers bar. While making my way to the check-out I passed the meat area & saw a freezer full of 10lbs buckets of chitlins. I mean they had so many chitlin buckets I thought is was like some chitlin festival scheduled for Mother’s day.

Seeing chitlin buckets brings all sorta flash backs to me:I remember smelling the foul odor during holiday seasons when I lived with my mother.,I recall being hit in the face with a raw chitlin because I pissed my mom off while she was cleaning them the night before Thanksgiving 1987, and lastly, I think about how I had to sit at the dinner table & watch/listen my mom, brother & sister splurp on hot sauce soaked chitlins with shit juice dripping off of their chitlin starved faces (I really do love my family).

So I guess by now you have realized that I do not eat piggy dookie shoots (as Suite Suzy calls them)!

One thing that really discusses me during the holidays is when I call my mom usually the night before & she picks up the phone while she is elbow deep cleaning 20lbs of chitlins.

Anyway the bottom line is my little chitlin sighting the other day inspired the term(s) of the week; 1) Chitlins & 2) The Chitlin Circuit cuz you can’t have one without the other.
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History of Chitlins:

Let us consider what chitlins are - they are hog intestines or guts. Some people turn up their noses at the mention of chitlins; other leave the house while they are cooking, driven away by their odor. However, the volume sold for New Year's dinners, with Christmas and Thanksgiving not far behind, attests to chitlins popularity in the United States. Chitterlings is the more formal name, but most people call them chitlins. They are usually part of a larger meal that includes collard greens, fried chicken, and other traditional Southern foods. Chitlins are not for the faint of palate or smell, which is why traditionally they were cooked outdoors at backyard hog killings in winter. They are a food that you either love or hate!

Chitlins take a lot of time and effort to clean. They are partially cleaned when they are sold, but require additional hand cleaning before they are ready to eat. The secret to good and safe chitlins is in the cleaning, not in the cooking. They are available in supermarkets in African-American neighborhoods, especially during the holiday season. they can also be ordered from a butcher, but be prepared to buy 10 pounds of chitlins to get 5 pounds to cook.

Animal innards have long been treasured foods around the world. Scotland's national dish is haggis (sheep's stomach stuffed with the animal's minced heart, liver, and lungs). Throughout Europe, tripe (cow or ox stomach) is popular, and French chefs in upscale restaurants serve dishes based on cow's brains and kidneys.

In 1996, the town of Salley, South Carolina, inaugurated the annual Chitlin' Strut. The first festival attracted about a hundred people. Today the festival draws about 70,000 people. It is estimated that more than 128,000 pounds of chitlins have been eaten during the festival's history.

Eating chitlins in the rural South is not as common as it once was. In colonial times, hogs were slaughtered in December, and how maws or ears, pigs feet, and neck bones were given to the slaves. Until emancipation, African-American food choices were restricted by the dictates of their owners, and slave owners often fed their slaves little more than the scraps of animal meat that the owners deemed unacceptable for themselves. Because of the West African tradition of cooking all edible parts of plants and animals, these foods helped the slaves survive in the United States. (Read More | Source | What’s Cooking in America)

It came in 10-pound container from the meat section
next to the hog jaws and hog maws and cow’s tongue and scrapple.

Mom used to clean them mid-day when I wasn't home
and when I was, I tried to get out. The acrid mustardy smell
of intestines boiling coated the house. I wondered
if our neighbors thought we were re-enacting a tribal ritual
with animal sacrifices, maybe we were.

Dad just liked the fleshy taste and mom was indifferent.
It was something they did out of habit rather than tradition.

I watched her from the front yard as she’d take
a hunk like rope and scrape the fat, let the froth
simmer to the top of the pot like wet paper.

She’d boil a pan of water with vanilla flavoring
next to the chitlins to fool us but who was she kidding?
Nothing covered the stench of that pork mush.

I imagined that this smell was evil, like boiled human entrails,
and I’d get sick from my own thoughts;
thoughts conjured from a time before me,
of never having enough but using every part what remained.

Pasty as wet paper, I thought this is what it came down to:
choice—my father eating the viscera,
and my mother poised to offer me a bowl,
the off-ramp of a swine’s innards,
knowing that this was all a part of me.

Chitlins ~ January O'Neil aKa Poet Mom

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What is the Chitlin Circuit?

A circuit of nightclubs and theaters that feature African-American performers and cater especially to African-American audiences.

When Jim Crow and segregation were even more prominent in the United States, the Negro race, freed through emancipation, did not have equal access to public “White Only” places. The Chitlin’ Circuit - a connected string of music venues, diners, juke joints, and theaters throughout the eastern and southern United States that catered primarily to African American audiences was created.

The Chitlin’ Circit was the only option for touring Black entertainers such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Ike and Tina Turner, B. B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, T.D. Bell and the Blues Specialists, Roosevelt "Gray Ghost" Williams, Eubie Blake, Robert Shaw, Big Joe Williams and many others begin touring in an effort to “eek” out a living when Jim Crow and segregation was even more prominent in the United States.

Historically, Baltimore was the first city on the Chitlin' Circuit. The Chitlin’ Circuit stretched through the South, bending westward throughout Texas, extending Eastward on through Chicago, offering continuous opportunities for black entertainers.

Many clubs were opened specifically for the Chitlin' Circuit, such as the Historic Victory Grill in Austin, Texas. Opened in 1945, The Victory Grill’s history is an integral component to the prospering of the legendary “Chitlin' Circuit”. A juke joint offering food, beer, jazz and rhythm and blues music and dancing, the club soon became a hot spot for locals to listen to touring Black entertainers. The Historic Victory Grill is alive and well presenting blues and jazz entertainment. (Source | Urban Dictionary)
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Back to Me:

Do you eat chitlins and or do you have any interesting chitlin stories. Also have you seen any notable acts on the Chitlin Circuit.

I have seen a few Chitlin Circuit plays; most notably, Mama I Want to Sing. My dad took me to see it one summer during my visit with him in Birmingham, AL in the late 80's. I remember having fun with him.

Shit! I better stop because I am getting teary-eyed thinking about the good times with my dad.

Nappy Headed Hoes Reprise

Last week one of my frequent guests & online comrades Michelle W. posted (“VENTING (Because I can Damn it)”) on her blog last week, her frustrations on the Imus issue & touched on Black racial & sexist double standards. The issues she raised all over the Afrospear but she put a cherry on top with her poetry piece.

Side note: In her post, Michelle mentions that while writing she was listening to a little Mos Def & when I was re-reading her words I just happened to be listening to A tribe Called Quests “Luck of Lucien”.

So anyway while reading her post, I was excited to see her poem dedication to me. I am both honored, humbled & so felling each stanza.

Her poem “Nappy Headed Ho's” is/was right on time & very poignant!

Without further adieu (snapping fingers in rapid succession).
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Nappy Headed Ho's

They sang with ropes around their necks, welts on their backs, blood in their mouths.

They sang and they danced with chains on their ankles, no shoes on their feet, couldn't escape the rocks thorns and debris.

They danced and they prayed with hope in their hearts, faith in their pockets, and strength on their sides they prayed.

They prayed and they cried with never ending tears that washed the pain off of their faces.

They caught those tears in calloused hands and saved them for a rainy day and fed them to their children so they would never forget.

Never forget what they could survive.

Tell the story they said.

Pass it on, so these marks on my back mean something.
Lord.

Tell my story; how we birthed this Nation we were forced to plow.

We are not cattle. You are not animals.

You are a King strong and powerful.

You are not uneducated.

You are a Queen lively and beautiful.

Lord.

Pass it on.

Let them know that this blood in you is the same blood in them.

The milk that I fed you is the same that I gave them.

Let them know that it was more than a joy ride.

No, it was not a pleasure cruise.

It was hell on wheels.

But we made it through.

Rough times and rocky roads.

No shoes and little clothes.

Nothing fancy we just jumped over the broom.

Strong family united from the womb to the tomb.

Tell them baby, tell my story.

Pass on your heritage of Oshun and Yemenya.

Tell of your roots of Hannibal and Shaka Zulu.

Tell them.

Let them know that they will never possess the power to steal your glow.

Lord.

Tell them my story.

Feed it to them forcibly and hold it down for them.

Make it known around the world who I am so these welts on my back and scars on my hands mean something.

Let them know, so the next time they want to call Black Women “Nappy headed Hos” they will think twice.

Michelle W.

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On a light note:
The last time I had a something dedicated to me was in 1992 on Detroit radio when a former girlfriend dedicated “Beat That Bitch with a Bat” to me. The next day I got jumped & it was not pretty.

Searching for Haircuts in Paris

When I was in high school I took an Afro Lit class that was so-so. The only thing I can remember from the class was this one poem we read & I am hardly remembering it now. I believe it was called “Haircuts in Paris”. The poem compared the dangers of a Black man going into a white barbershop in the south facing certain death from the barbers blade in comparison to the freedom and safety that Black men found in Paris.

I believe it was penned by Nikki Giovanni but again I am not sure. I have tried searching for such a poem & I have come up empty (again) well almost. During my search tonight, I stumbled across “Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)”. After reading I felt pretty good & empowered and not as hungry to find “Haircuts in Paris”

If you can help a Brotha’ out by offering me the correct title/author or when I can find this, I would be most appreciative.

Peace & Enjoy,
Bygbaby
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Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)
Nikki Giovanni

I was born in the Congo I walked to the Fertile Crescent and built the sphinx

I designed a pyramid so tough that a star that only glows every one hundred years falls into the center giving divine perfect light I am bad

I sat on the throne drinking nectar with Allah

I got hot and sent an ice age to Europe to cool my thirst

My oldest daughter is Nefertiti the tears from my birth pains created the Nile I am a beautiful woman

I gazed on the forest and burned out the Sahara desert with a packet of goat's meat and a change of clothes

I crossed it in two hours I am a gazelle so swift so swift you can't catch me

For a birthday present when he was three I gave my son Hannibal an elephant

He gave me Rome for mother's day my strength flows ever on

My son Noah built new/ark and I stood proudly at the helm as we sailed on a soft summer day

I turned myself into myself and was Jesus men intone my loving name
All praises all praises I am the one who would save

I sowed diamonds in my back yard

My bowels deliver uranium the filings from my fingernails are semi-precious jewels

On a trip north I caught a cold and blew my nose giving oil to the Arab world

I am so hip even my errors are correct I sailed west to reach east and had to round off the earth as I went

The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid across three continents

I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal I cannot be comprehended except by my permission

I mean...I...can fly like a bird in the sky...

See Nikki read this peice online

Home Movies with Madea

Tonight I was watching “Madea’s Family Reunion” & I absolutely loved it. We got the DVD a little over a month ago & I am just getting around to watching.

There were so many stories going on that were just intense like the abusive relationship, bas assed teenage child, childhood abuse skeletons, a fucked up mother & finding love again to name most.

Anyway, my point in this post is to point out a soul stirring speech given by
Cicely Tyson when she broke everyone down at the family reunion and a beautiful poem performed by Maya Angelou named “In and Out of Time”.

Cicely Tyson – Breakin’ Down the Family
Family reunions are about uniting the family… bringing together the young and the old. singing and dancing and thanking God, giving Him the glory. Thanking Him for getting us over. As we marched up the road this afternoon what we saw were young men gambling, fighting, cussing. Women with no clothes on gyrating all over on this land.

Do you see this shack? The man and woman who were born here gave birth to this generation. They were slaves. They worked this ground. But they bought it from the widow of the slave owner. And that’s the kind of blood we have running through our veins. That’s the stock we are made of. What happened to us? What happened to us?! I mean, who are you? Do you know who you are? What happened to the pride and the dignity and the love and respect that we had for one another???
Where did it go? And how, How do we get it back?

Young black men take your place. We need you! Your sons and daughters need you. Did you understand what I just said? You were sold off and had no choice, yes, but now it’s time to stay. TAKE YOUR PLACE. Now! Starting now! Starting now!

Young black women, you are more than your thighs and your hips. You are beautiful, strong, powerful. I want more from you. Take your place. I want every single one of you, young man, young woman, turn to the next person standing alongside of you, grab them and hug’em and tell’em that you love’em. Tell them “If you need anything, come to me.” “If you need someone to talk to come to me.” “I’ll give you the shoulder, the hug. I’ll feed you. I’ll clothe you if you need it.”
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Back to me: This is deep & I was like damn, more if my peeples need to hear and live this. HEELER!
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Maya Angelou - In and Out of Time
The sun has come
The mist has gone
We see in the distance...
our long way home
I was always yours to have
You were always mine
We have loved each other in and out of time
When the first stone looked up at the blazing sun
and the first tree struggled up from the forest floor
I had always loved you more
You freed your braids...
gave your hair to the breeze
It hummed like a hive of honey bees
I reached in the mass for the sweet honey comb there....
Mmmm...God how I love your hair
You saw me bludgeoned by circumstance
Lost, injured, hurt by chance
I screamed to the heavens....loudly screamed....
Trying to change our nightmares to dreams...
The sun has come
The mist has gone
We see in the distance our long way home
I was always yours to have
You were always mine
We have loved each other in and out
in and out
in and out
of time
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Back to me: My favorite staza is "You freed your braids... gave your hair to the breeze It hummed like a hive of honey bees I reached in the mass for the sweet honey comb there....
Mmmm...God how I love your hair"

OK, I am out, I’m bouts to watch “Madea Goes to Jail” with Suite Suzy.
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Rosa Parks Obituary

If you are interested in seeing Rosa Parks Obituary here is a link. I am not a big funeral/obituary fan but this obituary is very interesting. The funeral was 7 hrs long I am just not going to go there with any comments! I would however, like to share with you a different P.O.V. with you I read on the NoirAmerica @ Yahoo discussion forum by Aurora Harris .

The last time I saw a horse drawn carriage at a
funeral... it was in the movie "Imitation of Life"

and it did not have the name of the funeral home
plastered all over the side of the carriage.

So when I saw Ms Rosas carriage, I suddenly turned
into the black woman that was passing as white in the
moveie, and

in flipped up curled hair, my tight black funeral
dress and black stilletto heeled pumps, I ran through
my living room and jumped

through the t.v and ran to Rosa's carriage weeping
and wailing:

"Momma! Momma! I'm sorry they put this advertisement
on your carriage! Momma! Momma! Pleeeze forgive me
Momma Rosa!" Mahalia Jackson while singing catches
me as I faint...

Channels 2, 4 and 7 switch over to "the woman who has
fainted at the hearse" which gives the viewers a break
from the political madness and exploitation...

Jesse Jackson and Bill Clinton run to assist me... to
touch the satin hem of my funeral dress and try to
adjust my gartered stockings...

I am still shaking my head in disgust from seeing
those large white letters plastered on that
carriage...

tacky, tacky, tacky... and den

when da horses wa n't moobin fast nuf fuh da mastahs
dey moobed da chile's body inta da hearse dat

broke down...

Lawd, Lawd... n den da big menz waz puttin' dey

X marks (dey say dem was autograph's) on da chile's

Bichu-aries when dey waz in da parking lot... so

how far have we really come?

I'm surprised someone didn't buy Ms Rosa 91 pairs of
Gator Shoes to hang around the horses necks or tie
'round the rearview mirrrors of the limos to commerate
91 years of her life;

where if she were to get on a bus today, most people
would look at her like she crazy while eating
McDonalds and not offer her a seat...

I done pulled my fake bushy moustache out, whitened up
instead of "corked up" my face, pasted the moustache
to my upper lip, put on an oversized tuxedo jacket so
I can minstralize jewish humor while the politician's
marketing agencies rack up bucks...

I'm bent over like Groucho Marx with my cigar running
around screaming: Where's my vote! Where's my vote!
where's my Civil Rights ...its six evils on one hand n
20 on the other!

click... i've changed the channel

remember: the channel cannot not be changed until we
decide to change it.

Spoken Word with Afro-French Fusion

If you like Afro-French rhythms, Poetry/Spoken Word, & Techno music, then you will love Les Nubians presents Echos * Chapter One: Nubian Voyager (the perfect fusion of art & passion) which dropped 10/04/05. I heard about the album on Giant Step & had to get is ASAP & could only find it on iTune to download, I knew that it would not be in my local stores. While driving to Detroit tonight I fell in love (well not love for real) with poets Queen GodIS, Jamarhl Crawford, & Nazeelah Jameson. The shit that they all had to say was deep & soulful, & relevant to anyone.

Anything that has the name Les Nubians on it has to be good, so that is why I did not hesitate buying it event though I am 2 weeks late getting it. I am also very pleased with the Les Nubians remixes of Embrasse moi & Demain both from Les Nubians 1st album Princesses Nubiennes.

While I speak no French at all, I sing along & become entranced in thought pondering what the hell I am saying; that's how good Les Nubians is. All of the Poetry is in English which is a plus/bonus. The best pieces hands down are:

• Freedom-Live Version by Queen GodIs
• Fire by Queen GodIs
• To the Queen by Jamarhl Crawford
• Untitled Rhapsody - Live version by Nazeelah Jameson
• The Death and the Living by Kasema Kalifah

To poets, this is a must have: FLAT OUT!!!

Here is the release description (found on Giant Step)

"They say that the scales of justice lean towards those who carry weight." -Introduction to "Solide"

The natural beauties Helene and Celia Faussart of the Grammy-nominated French duo Les Nubians are embarking on a new chapter in their musical legacy with a remarkable project: 'Echos, Chapter One: Nubian Voyager,' a collection of poetic tales wrapped in Afro-soul and jazzy nuances. Along the way you will be introduced to local slam talents, French wordsmiths and the ancient tradition of the Griot, the sacred African storyteller and oral historian. As if that wasn't enough, the album also features three new tracks including "Rendezvous" with John Banzai and previously unreleased live versions and remixes from their groundbreaking debut album, 'Princesses Nubiennes.'

Conceived while on a boat journey to Nubia (a region of southern Egypt and Sudan in Africa), the poems all come together to form one narrative - the story of the "Nubian Voyager." On songs like "NYC," "Fire" and "Heaven" relevant themes of our times like race and poverty are raised. The album features passionate words and vocals in both French and English. Well known local US poets include Kasema Kalifah (Atlanta), Queen GodIs (New York/Brooklyn), Jamarhl Crawford (Boston), Chuma & Fisiwe (Atlanta/Brooklyn) and Nazelah Jameson (Oakland). Whether or not you speak French, the flow of songs convey the passion and soul of this unique project that is rooted in native African musical tradition and will undoubtedly become a part of the fabric of your life too.

I hope that one day I can catch Les Nubians live!!!

Link to NPR Interview