Category: Music for Thought
Female MCs Get No Shine and I’m Part of the Problem
| April 28, 2013 | Posted by admin under Music for Thought, Musings |
The biggest irony of the Rick Ross “date rape” controversy was that everyone saw a rise in their profile except female MCs. Everyone from Rosa Clemente to Crunk Feminist to Talib Kweli to Jasiri X made their presence felt in the conversation. I even read an article today interviewing children. With everyone talking about what…
Freedom
| March 30, 2013 | Posted by admin under Music for Thought, Musings |
Awhile back, while attending a lecture by Immortal Technique, someone in the audience asked him about the Seattle WTO protests and what his thoughts were on the necessity of violent tactics in demonstrations. I’ll never forget his response. To paraphrase, he said that anyone can go out in a blaze of glory. What is truly…
Believe it or Not, Your Least Favorite Artist Really Isn’t Destroying the Community
| March 22, 2013 | Posted by admin under Music for Thought, Musings |
No week goes by without someone talking about how negative rap music is destroying the Black community. Apparently, not just are these ignorant rappers not “real,” but they are killing our children’s minds. This line of thought always bothered me. I’d be lying if I said emcees don’t have an influence, especially on impressionable young…
Don’t Ignore the Substance of Kwanzaa
| December 27, 2011 | Posted by admin under Music for Thought, Musings |
An Angolan friend once laughed when my family brought up Kwanzaa. She said it’s a term for currency where she’s from. While Kwanzaa is not an African holiday, dismissing it as another makeshift black creation ignores the positives of the celebration. Kwanzaa is a week long celebration from December 26 to January 1 that puts…
The 66 Percent
| October 18, 2011 | Posted by brucepoinsette under Music for Thought, Musings |
Protesters in the Occupy movement have chanted they are the “99%” but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the majority of protesters are white. Many wonder why more people of color aren’t showing up to the protests, considering the disproportionate effect the financial crisis has had on them. In the case of Portland, look…
The War vs. Us All
| October 4, 2011 | Posted by brucepoinsette under Music for Thought |
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwMknGllKaw&w=420&h=315] Andy Rooney left “60 Minutes” this past Sunday. The nation is in need of a seasoned journalist to provide a weekly dose of context. What an opportune time to free award winning journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, the most famous death row inmate in the world. Abu-Jamal symbolizes the struggle of the under served in…
Don’t Need Your Love
| August 26, 2011 | Posted by brucepoinsette under Music for Thought, Musings |
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyO02uNGo38&w=420&h=345] I’ve had way too many conversations that ended with, “We could change things if all oppressed people just came together.” While it’s a nice thought, the opposite has actually happened. Races have unified against blacks even though blacks have the least resources globally. Nonetheless, black people have been the first to embrace multicultural…
Mr. Nigga
| August 16, 2011 | Posted by brucepoinsette under Music for Thought |
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZxmuMmPLUU&w=560&h=349] You ever get hit with the “nice” racism? Call it offensive with a smile. I was visiting a meeting for a group in Lake Oswego, which I won’t name, and I introduced myself to one member who, ironically, was named Bruce. He was white. We shared a quick laugh about the coincidence and…
Against All Odds
| August 15, 2011 | Posted by brucepoinsette under Music for Thought, Musings |
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAs9AVKkG5w&w=425&h=349] “You said don’t go to war unless I got my money behind me Aight, I got my money right here, now I want war” -Tupac Shakur When we discuss populist movements, it’s always important to take history into account. The American political system may be broken but even if it was “fixed”, it…
I’ma Teach Ya How to Sell Dope
| July 30, 2011 | Posted by brucepoinsette under Music for Thought, Musings |
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf7WrWOCKCc&w=425&h=349] Before college I thought of Adderall as something kids used to spice up their nose candy collection rather than an ADHD medicine. One evening my sophomore year, a friend hit me up saying she needed to get Adderall but didn’t want to walk to get it alone. It was around 2 am and…
