Silenced in Solitude: the sustenance of hegemony

This song strikes a deep chord that resonates in my mind, compelling all the thoughts that lurk in the shadows to elude their fear and bring themselves to light. Fear is a crippler, a useless emotion that I must rid myself of.

Fear of speaking the unspoken and sometimes, just giving rude motherfuckers a solid piece of my mind sans profanity or anger but full of dignity and sensibility.

Again, I thank you Lupe.

Anticipating: 'Lasers' by Lupe

Coming up with new and inovative ways of promoting upcoming releases - interessant!

Controversy Around Born-Free: My Take on It

Just finished watching the video for "Born Free", I see no reason why it should have been pulled off of Youtube a month ago. Yes there were graphic depictions of violence but here's an interesting comment I agree with which I found under the comments of this video:

so it's alright for music videos of girls dancing naked and exploiting themselves to be up on youtube rather than a video with actual substance and a message that's worth watching? idiots.

That's an excellent point to raise in the midst of all this. Vulgar depictions of misogyny - which is also hateful toward a certain demographic i.e. the female population is tolerable whilst violent imagery serving to make a statement about the insanity of war and ethnic genocide in this world should be banned.



It reminds me of several years ago when FCC fined Sarah Jones on indecency charges for the lyrics to her spoken word poem, "Your Revolution" which was an anti-sexism, anti-misogynistic war-cry. Funny the FCC chose to avoid all those rappers out there spitting vulgar lyrics about their sexual conquests with women when a woman who is simply speaking up against what she sees as derogatory should be charged. Interesting. The lawsuit was dropped eventually. Should have never been taken up in the first place. But it goes to show how selective censorship boards are. They don't really aim to censor what is considered immoral or indecent. They aim to censor instead what messages they do not want the public hearing because they're afraid of an enlightened masses, a know-better-than-that masses that begins to wake up from their government and media-induced coma. I am reminded of those stunning lyrics from Lupe's classic "Dumb it Down":

You've been shedding too much light Lu (Dumb it down)
You make'em wanna do right Lu (Dumb it down)
They're getting self-esteem Lu (Dumb it down)
These girls are trying to be queens Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to graduate from school Lu (Dumb it down)
They're starting to think that smart is cool Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to get up out the hood Lu (Dumb it down)
I'll tell you what you should do (Dumb it down)

What Could they Be Concocting?

Do I look forward to the finished product or should I find myself afraid, very afraid like after hearing that Lil' "weezy-baby" Wayne was going to record with Erykah Badu. Oh no! Yeah, exactly. And why, considering that this was George Jefferson's favourite thing to call his woman has Wayne adopted this as his catch-phrase?

Anybody else notice the connection?

Lupe: The Coolest

Yes I have hopped onto the bandwagon a little late but hey I'll be honest. Unless it's really cheap, I won't waste my money on a CD 'specially if I could just get it from a friend. But looking back on it, I really could have taken the money I spent on Ciara (eish: bad buy to be honest) and new edition (you know when you're feeling a little reminiscent and haven't heard a track in a while..but still...EISH!) put it together and bought this: one of the best hip hop albums that have been dropped in a long time. I'm impressed. When he first came out, I wasn't interested, then Kick Push grew on me. Then a couple of months ago, an online friend prescribed I listen to 'the cool', again I wasn't really concerned about listening to it right away. Until lately, a human friend asked me to convert the album for me at home so that it would be playable on his phone in the correct format. Yes, of course I jacked it too and from the day I starting listening I've been HOOKED. It's different which is what I like. There are rappers out there that you can hear try to emulate ones that have come before but with Lupe...its sheer originality. And the kid is so clever. I love the way he plays with words, smart guy. He's just completely legitimised being a nerd which hits close to home, maaan you know sometimes I just feel so uncool. So "Dumb It Down" puts it all into perspective and all of a sudden, I'm on the outside looking in, objectively yes but not alienated in solitude. There's Lupe and all the nerds of the world that wonder why being smart is so uncool standing right there with me. I have company! And I love it, and I love Lupe. "Gold Watch" sound Pharrellian but after doing some research I was surprised to find an unknown producer...Soundtrakk, who? what? when? where?...but the nigga is good I must say. Also, what did "Gold Watch" sample. Sounds like I've heard something similar to that before. I hear some music buffs talking about a curtis mayfield loop...thats probably it but I'm not too familiar with the Chicago Jazz legend, better go out and familiarise myself. Love the beats, so idiosyncratic you know I just love it when people shamelessly express themselves, it just inspires me! Then there's "Little Weapon" which is somewhat bizarre, stern subject material and the beat just sounds so damn jolly...nice touch, a juxtaposition of conflicting brain patterns...hehe! clever again, the kid is smart. I hate 'superstar' it's overplayed. So I skip it pronto. "Paris, Tokyo" is beautiful. Nice old school sounding beat. It's got a mellow "tribe called quest", "arrested development" sound from mid 90's which I like. And the lyrics are so cute. Don't you just find young lovin' so cute??? (this could be sarcastic considering my solitary black ass!!)
It's Thursday afternoon, Prison Break is on tonight. Hopefully I can revise over for the Math test tomorrow in peace and have a good night's rest.
Time to embark on my solitary walk to Bree in my red and blue apes. If I can dodge the xenophobic stares, block my nose in time not to smell the urine...uggghhhhhh and look serious enough for no criminals to feel compelled to rob me or some gross ma'f***er to say something vomit-inducing like "heey sweetie"...uuuggghhhh, even worse than the urine smell. I tell ya, its a love/hate relationship with this city. Then there's Breedom, LORD! I better just go on over there and get everything done.
The Wits server just blocked ninjacloak.com so I can't watch videos on youtube here anymore. DAAAAMN it, must find another free cloaking service pronto. Youtube sustains life of a solitary female nerd in bathing apes! Ya diggg!