Nicki Minaj Only Apologizes to Jews...

The title of the article that started this was - '

No Surprise here: Nicki Minaj apologizes to Jews for her most recent video'

It's just funny. This weekend it occurred to me to download the mixtapes Nicki Minaj put out before her studio album. It made me sad for her. A man with her talent may have also had to dumb down to get to her level of pop stardom. But he wouldn't have had to go through all that she has. (If you haven't listened to her early mixtapes, LISTEN before you respond.)




What the article (if you can call it that) missed was Nicki's history of being a provocateur. And we always fall for it. Or, that is, she always gets the appropriate amount of attention. [Sidenote : As long as ANYONE named Kardashian gets payed for being alive, I CERTAINLY support Nicki Minaj despite her hi-jinks] This generation has a ridiculously short attention span AND we have been seriously jaded. Add to that being a female artist fighting to be heard at even 70% the level of a male artist and you have Nicki Minaj. You have Looking Ass Nigga. You have Anaconda. And know you have 'Only'. These singles aren't the pop ballads that comprise 50% of her studio albums and 0% of her mixtapes. They are the solid hip hop tracks that wouldn't get a first listen without the surrounding controversies.

And now the serious stuff. The article that brought this song to my attention mentioned a preference for the sensitivities of Jews over African Americans. I will note that as I post this the video that is offensive to Jews is available online in its entirety and the album cover that was offensive to African Americans is only available in reference to the controversy on Wikipedia and within articles like mine. In this instance, I would consider that argument void.

In other instances however, the article brought up some valid points. The talking heads that represent the Jewish community do get a better response than other communities, especially ours. In fact, all lobbies from other communities get a better response than ours. And that is because we don't have a lobby. We don't have an ADL. We don't have a Rotary Club. We don't have a rainbow flag. All we have are separate individuals trying to be heard with no force behind our words.

Until we do, our artists will have to continue operating like Nicki Minaj and others if they want success and we have nothing to say about it.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Donald Sterling, Ferguson, MO and Bruce Levenson (The Non-Racist Racist)

My boy Mic Drop beat me to the punch and so did the founder of the ASU at UCLA. I finally got to read the email Bruce Levenson wrote and decided that he doesn't need to sell this team, although the rumors are that he was looking for a way out. Unfortunately for him, some other enterprising owner may see the business innovation that lies in Atlanta. It may be too late for Bruce Levenson but it is not too late for the black community.

This email demonstrates a huge problem in the African American community. We don't fully participate. That's the reason cities like Ferguson, with a vast Black majority, are not controlled by blacks. Too often, we depend on white Americans' morality and ethics, asking them for jobs and ceding leadership. Then we cry when they fail to satisfy our needs.

The black population in Atlanta is more than capable of purchasing season tickets. They, just like the black population in New Orleans, don't see the benefit of that type of expenditure. Those two chocolate cities often struggle to even get there games on air but it only takes a minute in either city to see they have a substantial fan base. Unfortunately, they also have high black populations who don't want to spend money on sports entertainment. The black population of these cities is maybe too used to their sports teams being dependent on the white fan base.

This letter's only failure is in seeing the solution. The solution is not as formulaic as getting more white fans. It is in changing the culture in chocolate cities. Although, from a business standpoint, that requires spending money on a new marketing campaign to encourage the citizens of cities like Atlanta to make investments in their cities and their teams, focusing on the black citizens. It is radical both socially, politically and economically. However, current events demand a radical change not just in America but in the chocolate cities and black communities all over world.

Hopefully, that enterprising and radical owner will use the services of a emerging black business owner who sees the opportunity to both stimulate and lead the black economy out of the dumps and into a much brighter future.

Donald Sterling and Black America's Responsibility

 I’m not happy because none of my questions were answered. And I have a ton. Unfortunately for Black America, they aren’t for Donald Sterling or the NBA. They are for the rest of America, the 99%. I like how every is scrambling to distance their selves from Donald Sterling. However, they cannot distance themselves from all the questions and revelations I’ve had since Friday. And they are legion. 

I've known that Donald Sterling was racist. I did forget about it because I don't think of him much. What I do remember is bringing his racism up in the 90's and being met with excuses to keep supporting the NBA and pro sports from some of the same people feigning outrage today. I've supported the Clippers despite Donald Sterling for a long time. I will continue to do so without him now. 

I don't know what makes people think their team's owner is any different. His friend Dr. Jerry Buss advised him to buy an NBA team so many years ago. What if their only difference was management styles? And even if no other NBA owner is as racist, elitist as Donald Sterling, aren't there some bigger economic issues with the structure of professional sports and their main feeder system, college athletics?

This thing got so big so quick that my economics professor had to make a connection as she was describing how the Confederacy convinced poor white men to fight and die for rich white men. "Americans have a tendency to connect with their betters" But why? Why does every black person believe they are the specific black people that he doesn't want in his seats? Does she have some special charity where she puts gold digging to the side and dates middle class black men? You, the middle class black people, are more than welcome in the Staples Center. Just don’t sit in his seat and don’t touch his gold digger.

Speaking of gold digging, who made the tapes? We now know it was the mistress. Who sold the tapes? TMZ admitted to paying someone for the tapes. Obviously it was also the mistress. Who stands to benefit the most from them being “leaked”? (Tearing another team down is of no benefit to any other team, so it's not the Lakers) Sterling is actually estranged from his wife who was supposed to have been given the Clippers as a gift. Maybe she wants her team…

Some questions for Black America:
The NAACP is hoping that no one will ever question them for obviously selling a lifetime achievement award. Something tells me Donald Sterling is not the only one. How many of these ‘leaders’ and organizations are complicit in selling out our community for the maintenance of the status quo. I listened to this woman who was 'active' in the community call in to Front Page with Dominique Duprima Monday morning call for a rally and a panel... Basically, she wanted to get paid to, once again, stand up and cry for change but never enact any change.

This constant begging for justice from outside our community is disheartening. Justice is always in our own hands. I’m reminded of the common saying, “There is no justice, it’s just us.” What’s wrong with it being just us? Why can’t we be responsible for our own destiny? Whenever we encounter an employer from outside our community mistreating us, it occurs to me that we could just employ ourselves. I am reminded of how quickly we abandoned the Negro Leagues after Jackie Robinson’s success. I am reminded of the decline of HBCUs in the years following Brown vs The Board of Education.

Why speak on boycotting the Clippers? Donald Sterling owns A LOT more than The Clippers. Why wasn't their initial reaction enough? Why can’t we ever wait for a proper response? Someone tried to compare the inside out jerseys to the 1968 Olympics.  Tommie Smith and John Carlos won and made their statement from the winners stand. Why can’t we support our players for 14 more wins and let Doc Rivers and Chris Paul make their statements with trophies in their hands?

Tony Muhammad made the statement, "This is a moment in history" and the problem is that we keep waiting on "moments in history". We keep waiting on jobs instead of creating jobs. Sometimes when people talk about us walking around with our hands out, they are not talking about welfare programs. They are talking our refusal to be responsible for ourselves. This is and always has been a country of owners. On that level, we refuse to participate. We’d rather be employees instead of employers.

I keep hearing people talk about eradicating racist ideas from everyone’s minds. None of that matters. There is this crazy idea that we can force everyone to be nice or, better yet, that someone being nice or not has any effect on our success. We can't and it doesn't. This event is a call to action for Black America. We can continue to keep our hands out for whatever scraps the rest or America sees fit to drops us. Or, we can build/rebuild/create strong businesses and institutions within our community that will withstand whatever name calling/bigotry others will try to distract us with.

I will not stand by and maintain the status quo. We cannot afford to let any of the traditional institutions stand. They have all failed to serve anyone but themselves. Jason Mitchell called for the pulling of the Los Angeles NAACP‘s charter. I call for a complete abandoning of the NAACP. They’ve been for sell to the highest bidder for over a century. We can start supporting and encouraging the building of black business. That is an immediate MUST.  The current black business leaders are fine but we need more. We need enough options so that Magic’s ownership group doesn’t have to include people from outside our community. 

What I Learned On My Way to Church

10/6/13

Milton called the "sideline hustlers" out when he said if you don't have a business licenses and aren't paying taxes, you don't have a business. Michael learned a hard lesson about trusts and pre-nups last year. And Lanisha just said I need a mission statement for my newest child, RuggeD Posterity. So, as I was writing my oldest nephew a letter, I had to reflect on my life, my hustles and my future. That meant meditating on what I will leave behind for my family and community. And then I pulled up the scriptures for church so I could read before I got there...

Habakkuk is three simple chapters with huge implications. Habakkuk looked around him and only saw disaster after disaster, war, famine (depression), corruption... He called to God. "Where are the miracles you are famous for?" God's answer - write down your prophesy in stone so you never forget where you are going. Never forget what you are doing. See, the bad times can distract you from your purpose. We must focus.

It's very timely that I was introduced to a man (Ja War) who insisted on reminding us to write letters to our children. Those letters become manifestos. Those manifestos become trusts. Those trusts are legacy so we can leave something more than debts and habits behind. That is real wealth. That's a true inheritance.

There was a boarding house in my family. Was!. There was no trust. And so, there is no legacy.

We don't have to be the most verbose people to deliver instructions to our proceeding generations. We can give a real testimony. Second Timothy minds us that we have God's spirit and that spirit ain't no punk. So why are we always afraid to be our best selves? Why are we afraid to declare what our futures will be? We don't have any reason to be.

Some of you are familiar with a practice in churches called giving a testimony. That's where members of the congregation stand up and talk about what has happened to them. They usually point out God's presence. The rest of the congregation claps and cheers for God. Some people reflect on their recent past and see God was there too.

How many times, if this is your type of church, has anyone stood up and proclaimed what WILL be? Let's change that. Let's only proclaim what will be. And let's write it in stone for all posterity. Let's leave a mission of prosperity just in case the bad times come again and/or our progeny get lost on their journeys.

I usually don't extend the gospel reading beyond the verses read in church but the beginning of Luke 17 is major. Two things. You all know we stumble. Sin is everywhere. But Jesus says, the one that makes you stumble has his/her issue coming... Woe unto them! But here is where we must be bigger and better.

We must forgive them if and when they repent. Each and every time. This ain't an easy road I'm walking but it’s going somewhere worth far more than the journey.

“9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"

This one is important, how many of yall do this - looking for the glory. "I go to church every day. Let me get a miracle God." “I pay my tithes. Let me have..." "I go to work, on time even, everyday. I need a raise." "I go to school..." "I take care of my children (AKA keep them alive)."

Someone is doing all those things and not asking for anything but more work. Who do you think is going to get their blessing first?

As the father said yesterday, "We don't do good deeds for the reward, we do it because of who God is" As we become more Christ like, we learn that God is in each of us and the connection with God is a connection with others. Jesus could drive out demons because he could see the light in the darkest of places. That power is in us. So we learn to Love without expectation, to give without return. That is the greatest commandment - to Love. And when we learn, we teach the people around us. We create a legacy and tradition to be handed down from generation to generation.

Our manifestos don’t have to be anywhere near as grand as Dr. King dream, but they should be in the same vein. Instead, or in addition to, the daily play by plays that are our journal entries, we can leave blueprints/treasure maps/unfinished puzzles to our descendants. We may not make it all the way to final goal but each generation should be closer to it than we were when we passed. THAT is the true wealth. That is what any and everyone has to give to their children. That is our mission. That is hope. That is faith. That is Love.

…for eternity…

Start writing…

Procrastination: It's Never Too Late to Start Now

When I was younger, I developed a bad habit of procrastination. I've always been gifted so, at first, working from behind went well for. However as time went by, it worked less and less. Now, I know if I want anything to happen, I must plan ahead.

Black America has been working from behind for far too long. AND we are not using all the gifts at our disposal. A rally and a petition is too little too late. I could go off on a long tangent about how we support (often financially) these organizations and all we get are rallies and petitions when we have the capability to write laws.

Others are making policy in America and we are just waiting to react to what's already done. This is not elementary school. This is life. Thirteenth-hour tactics will not accomplish anything. If we can't work ahead, if we can't work out and implement plans far ahead of time, we may as well not even bother.

I promised justice for Trayvon Martin and his family because God's justice is not dependent on American law. It's most likely too late for Trayvon's family to get justice in a worldly form. It's probably too late for Jordan Davis' family too. It's not too late for all the parents of young children who expressed such worry about their children's safety to get justice.

STOP being passive and reactionary. START planning and preparing to control your child's future. That means participating fully in the democratic process. No more rallies and petitions as a reaction. Instead, rally or sign a petition in support of a bill to protect our future. No more support for organizations that only offer reaction. Support (and build them it necessary) organizations that are proactive in the securing of our future.

This is not the time to let fear control our actions. This is the time to conquer fear, say 'never again' and mean it!

And the time is not now. It's RIGHT NOW! It may already be too late for some in Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans... We don't have to wait and see what's next, we can decide that our vision is what's next.

Staycation in Marietta

In the summer of 2008, I got the chance to revisit my second home, New Orleans, for the Essence Festival. THAT was a vacation that I needed a vacation from. In fact, between the increasing responsibilities at work and other travels, I may not have fully recovered by the time the next year’s Essence Festival arrived. By spring of 2009, I was answering my personal phone “Phipps Auto Sales.” My friends and family couldn’t talk to me on the phone without constant work interruptions no matter what time of day it was. A few of my friends thought I was paid far better than I actually was because I was so busy selling cars all the time. I definitely needed another vacation. The only problem was, business had slowed so much that my trip to New Orleans was in jeopardy. I was very low on cash.

I was already granted the time off, and I was determined to take it. I used my high power phone/internet networking skills to work any angle I could to get to New Orleans. Eventually, I just wanted to get away. By the time the Fourth of July weekend rolled around, I had gotten as far as Marietta Georgia. I would find out that was more than far enough away.

I lived and worked in the neighboring cities of Stone Mountain and Lithonia. Marietta might have been where I should have lived when I moved to the Atlanta Metro Area. It was 25 minutes northwest of Stone Mountain, which in the south was far enough to be another state. It would be perfect for my Staycation. It was quiet, clean, and home to one of the two Fatburger restaurants in the Atlanta area. I packed my bags, one small carryon. I told no one at work. Not even my cousin who both lived and worked with me knew I was staying in Georgia. Everyone believed I would be in New Orleans for the Fourth of July. I drove to the Extended Stay America and parked my car for the rest of the weekend. I set up my room and prepared to relax alone for the next three days.

Extended Stay was perfect. I was on a budget. The room was clean and had everything I would need for the weekend, a bed and a kitchenette to store my food and drink. Since the majority of the customers were staying a lot longer than I was, the staff had a more familiar vibe. The Extended Stay was within walking distance of Houstons, Fatburger, Panda Express, Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen, Fuddruckers, Sal Grosso and two local bars. For the purposes of this trip, all I needed was the Fatburgers. My mission was to not be spotted anywhere in Georgia. My Georgia friends were unfamiliar with Fatburger. Hell, even the Fatburger employees seemed unfamiliar with Fatburger.

Marrieta is small by big city standards but is a large part of one of the largest metropolitan areas in America and part of the third largest metro area in the southeast. At around 50,000 citizens Marietta is one of Georgia’s most populous cities. It was named one of the top 25 places in the United States to retire in 2011. It’s older than Atlanta and holds onto that distinction well. The city holds on to many of the battlefields from the Civil War.

It was just my luck that a couple of college friends, my true travel/drinking partners, were in town for a wedding. So my weekend began with a bachelor party in the city of Atlanta. The beauty of Marrieta is that it maintains its charm and heritage while remaining a large part of the Atlanta Metro Area. It was only a ten minute drive to Buckhead penthouse where the bachelor party was. I dared to go to the city. The risk would be minimal since nearly everyone was from out of town. Party on!

The bachelor party was as remarkable as any other; rooms were devoid of anything but chairs, mattresses and the kitchen bar. Aside from some men breaking their banks before the better looking dancers arrived, the night went off without a hitch. I took advantage of having a designated driver while I appreciated nighttime views of downtown Atlanta from the balcony of the apartment we were in. That was my lone foray into the city that weekend. I would stay local the rest of the time. As it turned out, I would be very local after losing my car keys.

Fortunately, I had made friends with the young lady at the front desk. Unfortunately, she liked to hang out on my side of town in Stone Mountain. So I was on my own. It didn’t take more than a day to unwind. I had to relearn sleeping in and staying the bed. I’m a fast learner.

The laying low aspect of my Staycation meant no internet, particularly no Facebook. I couldn’t have anyone in Lithonia catching on that I wasn’t in New Orleans. I have had my boss and co workers try to call me on other vacations. The legend of New Orleans was strong enough to hold them at bay for a weekend. Or, I could just not answer the phone and they would understand. So it was true relaxation. I read. I drank. I practiced a long forgotten travel pastime, hotel wandering. That’s when you walk the halls randomly, taking the elevator to each floor ending up at the front desk if you don’t encounter and new friends before that.

As I would learn from my wanderings, Marietta is an extremely quiet town. That belies its proximity to the lively Atlanta. A wild night out in Marietta resembles the scene from the movie Hallpass where the only place the men could come up with to meet women was Applebee’s/Chiles. In my area of Marietta, the option was Fridays. There is an Applebee’s. The rest of Marietta is a smattering of neighborhood bars. I had my own bottle.

My stay came to an end as I had to deal with my lost car key. That meant finally calling someone from the lot. My cover story was that I parked the car there and discovered that I lost my key upon returning from New Orleans. They may have bought it, until now.

My stay in Marietta was primarily about rest. I accomplished that. I channeled my inner “Office Space” and did absolutely nothing for once. And it turned out to be everything I thought it would be. A small misfortune turned into an opportunity to get what I really needed. I owe it all to the wonderful city of Marietta and Extended Stay America

Joan and Sisters

Gina, Brandi and I had just left church. Gina always wants to go on an adventure after church. I’m a little apprehensive, mostly because I don’t have much money. I cheer up a little when they say papusas. I cheer up a little more when Brandi mentions Belizean food.
I've had Caribbean. I haven’t had Belizean. I’m looking forward to it being similar and getting a lot for my money. Why not?
We had to double back on Western, as apparently we had passed it. I hadn't noticed a sign or storefront advertising a Belizean restaurant. I still didn't see it when we parked. I wasn't worried. That was typical of Central American demographic of the neighborhood.
I ignored the ‘A’ posted in the window. After 20 years in the restaurant industry, I know what really matters. What really matters was the restaurant was immaculate. It was so clean, I was little put off. I almost expected bad food.
I wanted Black Dinah. That is a distinctly Belizean meal separate from all the other interchangeable “Island Food.”  Unfortunately, the only item had never had was boil up. That’s a of combination Boiled Eggs, Fish and/or Pig tail, with a number of ground foods such as Cassava, Green Plantains, Yams, Sweet Potatoes, cocoa, and Tomato Sauce. I passed over the Oxtails. A friend of mine ordered those. I opted for the Red Snapper. It had been a while since I had any snapper. I figured I might as well get the whole fish.
The whole fish was what I got. I didn't have to ask to get escovich style. The only thing she asked me was gravy on my rice. Absolutely! It was a standard Caribbean dish. Joan & Sisters did an above average job. The potato salad was good. The fish was delicious. I even ate the head, eyes and all! And, in true Caribbean fashion, I got far more than enough rice and peas (beans). All in all, I got two meals for the price of one.
The décor was typical Caribbean, a few (understatement) announcements/flyers dedicated to Belizean events in Los Angeles, a Belizean flag and map, and a TV set to local broadcast television. I noticed as I was eating that the men (me included) got more attention. That may have been due to the Belizean dedication to patriarchy. It was much appreciated. It got me silverware instead of plastic and much more attention than the rest of my party (all females). Totally not complaining.
I told Gina, I hadn't been this deep in Caribbean culture since 4am at ‘The Bakery’ during Carnival some years ago. Joan & Sisters took me back. That is another story…