Puzzled, Amused then again, why am I not surprised by...

the usual attention seeking narcissistic behaviour from none other than Jay-Hova himself...



A dedication to the Obama Presidency. A very original, never-conceptualised-before song called History...yawn, what else you got Mr Carter?



Then his woman (another yawn) with a mediocre rendition of the repetitive theme song from a flop performance - Cadillac Records.



Not hating, just had enough of them but certainly most certainly won't get fed up of the 1st couple for a long time to come.

Hit this up for pics of Inaugural Ball

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Neighborhood-Inaugural-Ball/ss/events/en/012109neighborhoodba;_ylt=AkVhe3KxxwZ1RN8Mczx7.BnCw5R4

Slumdog Millionare OST Makes Right Choice

O...Saya - A.R. Rahman & M.I.A.

She's come through again. Collaborating with A.R. Rahman to bring forth this Eastern-infused, techno/electronica beauty of a track for the motion picture Slumdog Millionaire. Love the sound, her rap verse and the distorted vocals are lovely to listen to. She can never go wrong in my books. Her creative power is immense and even more so when she collaborates. Tapping into her Tamil roots on this one, she represents so well on this one, the Academy Awards had to offer her some recognition. Love it.

Inauguration Chuckles...

George W. and the temporarily wheelchair-boudn Dick Cheney were jeered as their walk-off procession took place. Why people? It's meant to be a celebration. Obama in, Bush out.

"On Monday, Vice President Dick Cheney pulled a muscle in his back, leaving him in a wheelchair for the inauguration."

...or perhaps he staged the damn thing so that he wouldn't have to take the walk of shame. Hee hee.



Why oh why did Yahoo! find it necessary to report that the Obama's may have taken to briefly using African time at some point during the event. Okay, I'm reading to much into it but 5 minutes, seriously. I can't help but feel some unconscious innuendo here...oh whatever!

"Culminating four days of celebration, the nation's 56th inauguration day began for Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden with a traditional morning worship service at St. John's Episcopal Church, across Lafayette Park from the White House. Bells pealed from the historic church's tower as Obama and his wife, Michelle, arrived five minutes behind schedule."

The entire article if you find interest in getting a brief summing as well as a couple of good quotes from that historical speech.

'Nauguration Commentaire (j'ai besoin de plus d'images!)

So, she's been criticised once before for her fashion misteps. But hey, you've got to give it to her for this golden number. Looking good, Michelle.



On the other hand I must ask, although it wouldn't seem right to question a man who has for three decades combed his hair in one direction and one direction alone. Who told Don King that wearing a denim acid wash graffiti-stained jacket of circa 1981 to a Presidential Inauguration is remotely okay?



How pretty are these two? Gosh.



That's right, move it ooooon out baby! There's a new family in town. Ah, I'm loving it!



Yes, I cried...again! What the heck. Tears of joy nonetheless. Guess alot of people see this as a new beginning. A day of new beginnings. Taking on a new approach to life. Working harder than ever at achieving goals. What an inspiration this man is!

Oh my Gooood! I Just Can't Contain Myself!!

Barack Hussein Obama has officially become the 44th President of the United States!!! Whooooah! I just cannot get over this. He even stumbled over the words prepared for his swearing in of oath. Can you blame him? Michelle standing beside her man smiling humbly in the moment. Yes, yes, yes. Today is unforgettable. How glad I am to be alive!

Inauguration Moments in Procession

Beautiful delivery from the man who wrote "Purpose Driven Life". Thank you for not being ashamed to mention the name of Jesus at an event as this. His words were wonderfully chosen. Not forgetting to mention the joy it is to see a "son of an African immigrant" take ownership of the highest office in the land.

So wonderful to see another ode to the Almighty with Ms Aretha Franklin singing so amazingly on a cold winter morning in Washington DC. She is the original soul diva. This is so religious, I'm loving it!

Man, I have goosebumps all over my body watching history being made. His speech is coming up soon, need to watch this...

Get Crackin', Get Get Crackin'

From the 2005 Offering - Arular. Nice mix of electronic syntheizin' ragga slang and early-nineties-esque mceeing.


Bucky Done Gun - M.I.A.

When I start to feel like missing link in the chain of evolution and nobody wants to reply to my emails which I sent on a Friday morning because they're busy in their offices. This is the type of shit I need to hear (and see) to uplift my spirits. Thank you M.I.A. I would worship at your alter if I wasn't afraid of blaspheming!

The One Thing I Am Not Looking Forward To...

Oh hey there, Happy New Year by the way. I know it's long overdue but whatever. No things did not turn out the way I planned but that is life and I have to deal with it. What I cannot seem to handle is the news that Jay-Z's woman (she made herself a trophy by marrying him, I'm not being a female male chauvinist here!) is performing at Obama's Inauguration. Could you have found anyone worse? Not that she's not a good performer but we've seen her stage shows. That is not the kind of effort one would expect to see presented at a classy and historical event such as the Inauguration of the first Black American President. Okay so here's the brief about who'll perform. Still looking foward to the main event though. Ah. History shall unfold. 'Aint it just beautiful!

Holiday Cheer, Seasons Greetings

Going to head off to the Church for proper reminder of the real reason we celebrate this day. Then eat and drink because that seems the only way to be merry around this here family of mine. Haha. Kiddin. Grab a book to read try not to be too antisocial. Watch Christmas movie reruns on telly. What not. It'll be over in about 13 hours why not make the most of it. My gift to everybody. A little affection- a smile, a hug, a cheer. I should try and radiate some loving vibes for a change. After all - tip the season to be jolly. For some reason I'm just feeling really positive and good today. Fresh beginnings next week. So excited to just put this crumby year behind!

Black Female Celibacy...an Oxymoron?? Beg to Differ!

Reading this article from the 'New Black Magazine' brought to light and quantified in a concise format some thoughts I often have on the topic of why the stereotypical view of blacks maintains that we are sexually deviant, promiscuous and simply out-of-control in a kind of animalistic way. Also the sense of entitlement and claiming that seems to be made when it comes to women's bodies in general. If this were not the case why would sexual harassment in public be such a common place thing. I just wonder what gives a complete stranger the right to try and meddle with private parts of your body, in public for that matter so here comes a misogynistic aspect of this kind of behaviour - a need to humiliate a woman for no valid reason. It's a shame, a complete and utter shame yet when the complaints erupt, they are seldom taken seriously. In fact they are laughed upon, further perpetuation of the humiliation.

The treatment and portrayal of the female form in mainstream media seems to always boil down to this irrational notion that women do not have claim to their own bodies and what happens to them thereafter. That we see so many numerous cases of rape victims becoming the accused while their perpetrators are viewed with sympathy as the poor guy who got seduced by a women dressed raunchily who sought to use her sex to take a wealthy or powerful or publicly well-known figure down such as the case of Crystal Mangum. Now nobody seems to know what went down the night of the alleged incident but one cannot turn their eyes away from the fact that if she was raped, there is no way she would be able to have her attackers punished for their crimes. They bask in the glory of male privilege, the general public is completely favourable to sportsmen in most cases and as a figure that is commonly viewed in society as completely lascivious and sexually immoral, it is no wonder she is the one to take the blame for the assault.

Now perhaps one can understand why a complaint about the sexualization of the female form in mainstream media is not just a bunch of old tannies and oupas with overly traditionalist values and world-views frowning upon any kind of indecency or even perhaps overly religious members of the public who dismiss sexual immorality in fear of God's condemnation. Rather the problem lies in the fact that these images infiltrate the unconscious mind's of our young men and feed them with the notion that they are entitled to do as they will with women's bodies, that the female form exists to gratify the sexual hunger of the species and this in turn leads to an outward expression of these underlying beliefs: sexual harassments, rape and other sex-crimes.

Why Chauvinists Should Take Rape Seriously (will the poor things ever)

I could not have said it any better myself. The light-hearted way in which chauvinists treat the issue of rape. If I could write a constitution for the world it would entail a law that sends men who laugh at, mock or even blame rape victims to jail for a little experience of their own. See how they'll like that. Either way here's the post that struck my interest.

Tell me after reading this that women should just "sit back and enjoy the ride" when being forced to endure an event that will leave them emotional scarred for an immensely long time thereafter. It's not even about sex, it's about a heinous theft of power. But when "you're just a boy" how can you understand anything remotely close that level of insight and below-the-surface thinking.

A Pariah's High School Musical...

...Would be a miserable, melancholy song of miscomprehension, silly fights, medals for academic achievement, prize-giving night, dealing with foolish social epithets, suicidal thoughts (yes ashamed as I am to admit it) and all sorts. But ohhh my am I glad it's over. With two full years experience into the real world, I'm feeling a little retrospective and this article perfectly highlighted some of the qualms plenty of losers, nerds, freaks, pariahs and outcasts experienced in high school. That ridiculous little environment where you spend five years either conforming to the popular traditions of people pleasing or choose to join the minority of kids who actually study. Lessons learned and a lot of laughable memories. Whether we like to accept it or not our adolescent years do a deal of a job shaping what types of adults we choose to become in future.
Paul Graham's thesis on Why Nerds are Unpopular was a fun read and clarified for me what I have always pondered in secret as the reason for the constant dislike of nerds. Of course, it doesn't end at high school. There are anti-intellectual adults in the real world. I have claims on head-on experiences with a couple and it was nothing more than repulsive not to mention disapointing because you thought you really thought that the foolish game was over once you were handed your Matric-certificate. You still get a weird look for carrying a copy of the Mail and Guardian, for admitting that you'd rather chill home with a good book some weekends than go to a club and wear yourself out on the dance floor (not to say that that isn't good fun every now and then because it is but three times a week is just lame straight up and down. Then there are 30-somethings (how i detest thereof) who see you as "self-focused", "apathetic" and only concerned with matters of popularity and maintaining an incredible social life by a mere statement of age. Forget those oldies, what do they know anyway. But again how can you blame them when the majority of the youth are out there on some strong I mean STRONG anti-intellectual tip. Sounding statements that intellectual issues are boring, that there is something "wrong" with young people concerned with these issues and continuing to label us losers, nerds, geeks and freaks. If that's what it means to read extensively, have an immense thirst for knowledge, use big words because you can, refuse to subscribe to the mainstream musicians vacuous philosophies, stay home watching cult movies on a Friday night, quote Shakespeare maybe because he was just the epitome of literary dopeness, not conform, be an eccentric or become subject to endless demoralizing social epithets and straight-up disses all for the sake of choosing the path of the intellectual then yes, yes I am a nerd and I am heck proud of it!


The telling rewards of slogging through school and maybe even college (depending on where you attend) with a nerdy status.





Now he wouldn't go down as a quintessential nerd but he's reading that's a massive deviation from the unfortunate "black male norm" (not that I ever agreed with it, please don't get it twisted) so yes he qualifies!



Women can be nerds too but for some reason I can't really think of a prominent example of one. Why is that. Even when I refer to myself as a nerd, it's somewhat strange. Perhaps the defintion should not only apply to those that take interest in computers/technology but any individual who undertakes extensive intellectual reading in any topic for that matter. Music nerds, theatre nerds, wikipedia nerds, political nerds, physics nerds, geology nerds etc etc The list goes on.

Obama Magic

Ladies and gentlemen I think we could just have a replacement for our beloved Madiba because although we hail him as some sort of superhuman, he too will one day become captive to the natural human process of 'passing on'. But not to worry, we have a replacement. A man who has siezed the affection, admiration and utter respect of almost the entire world. The world's newly elected president. You've gotta see this. There is some sort of magic around this guy for real. He even had to make the remark himself, "I was not born in manger". Perhaps people should be careful not to view him as a type of Messaih because he is not and what a job the man has ahead of him. On top of that a pile of expectations from his country and the world beyond.

But what is it that has made a whole planet fall in love with him. For me, it's what his achievement represents - HOPE! That one can beat circumstance, beat the odds, stomp through all the obstacles that stood in your way and become something great. Make history. Considering the fact that most of this planet's inhabitants are people of colour living poorly, Obama's presidency represents a great deal for most of us who understand the sting of racial oppression, have ever dismissed a dream on the basis of economic position or ethnic background. We know we truly can't do that any longer after something this incredible has happened to one of our own. A man of colour becoming the most powerful man in the world. Nothing is impossible and I can truly 100% believe that this time round.

Analysis: influences on M.I.A.'s style

Her video graphics are deliberately low budget looking (reminds me of videos from DRC by Werrason, Fally Ipupa etc etc) which is very reflective of what she represents - her background and where she comes from. The 'birdflu' video looks as though it was shot in village situations somewhere in rural Pakistan. Then you have the 'boyz' video with its dancehall/ragga theme probably shot somewhere in Jamaica. This is what I appreciate most about her vids that she's bringing something from the 3rd World and that's unusual considering her mainstream appeal.

Jimmy with the Eastern/Bollywood vibe





Boyz taking it all the way down to Kingston



She's 33 which means she was a teen during the late eighties and early nineties so she probably remembers the time when hip hop was just gaining speed and music videos were colourful and looked similar to what she's bringing in the 'boyz' video. So retrospective. The early nineties was a great time for rap and hip hop. I was only a tot but I remember some of it.

L'introduction

This is certainly because I just love the girl's music and persona so much that I was only going to flood my usual blog with posts about her new music, videos, interviews, comments or antithesis' of critics reviews and what not so I decided to be wise and set aside an entire blog dedicated to the woman herself. Maya Arulpragasam.
Just caught a view of a new vid she's got with Blaqqstar. Great beat, dope lyrics. She couldn't miss the mark in my books. Not at all.





Way Down in the Hole is Tom Waits cover for the series The Wire. It's morbid and beastly with the black and white which suits the sound completely. Showing multiple windows of streaming is clever too, just reflects the times we're living in. The youtube generation mood shown nicely here.

MTV EMA 2008: Horrors and Humours

So I was really looking forward to watching the EMA's this year a) because I never have sat down to watch it in full ever and b) MTV hyped the whole thing up to a very large degree. So I sat down to watch two hours of the thing and felt alright about it. Wasn't great but wasn't bad either. But I need to remark about one or two or maybe three things I found ridiculous, silly or just plain shocking. Excuse the intense cynicism, I just don't have friends these days it's turning me a little icy!

So the show opens with the most annoying song of 2008, wide-eyed Katy Perry with her troop of tarty cheerleaders. Unfocussed singing and eyes like that of someone strung out on cocaine. Thank goodness the horrendous scene only lasted a minute. But guess what, the chic was hosting the damn show. Oh yeepie.

But there was more to laugh at at that. Beyonce comes out wearing a futuristic grey and black outfit with fabric mimicking the texture and appearance of corrugated iron. All this to match the hard, feminist mood she's obtained for her new album and persona "Sasha Fierce". There is nothing hardcore about, "If I Were a Boy" - murmurings of a finishing diva who married a big-lipped rapper for money and power and probably (this is purely speculative) cheated on her. What else would've inspired such lyrics. She must have been cheated on - shameless - Hova the adulterer.

Pink took the award for "Most Addictive Song" - another angry lady but at least she was strong enough to just bounce and then write a jolly song about it which is so catchy you could just sing along anytime of the day and so empowering, you just wanna sing it to all the hateful people in your life.

Britney Spears beating Colplay to "Album of the Year" is ridiculous, nuff said.

The Killers had a killer performance for lack of a better word. The pyrotechnics and lighting was just incredible in it, I was dumbfounded it looked so good.
Speaking of things that look good. Jared Leto mmm mm mm! Even Grace Jones was flirting with him at one point. Hell I would to, ahaha.

Kanye West's biggest err was deciding to sing "Love Lockdown" and using distortion techniques to mask the fact that he cannot sing to save his life. At one point you could hear him straining his voice trying to belt in the final parts of the song. I would've loved to see him cough on stage after the way he was hurting his vocal cords like that. What saved the performance was the stage of course, a crisp white lake of illuminated milk - visually stunning with projections of the two "alien" women from the video.
Then Ms Estelle came out wearing a royal blue sequinned dress shaped like a triangle or something it looked wierd that's all I'm going to say.
They both sounded bad but to a crowd of drunken, oversexed young Europeans anything will sound good so they cheered on.

Funny that both parties hosting the show win awards. Match-fixing maybe? Whatever. Who cares anyway?

Some tips on making music for European audiences, construct extremely basic sentences in English and repeat them numerously over a drum arrangement, some keyboard chords and what not like The Ting Tings. There you go, a hit song in Europe...oh they're so easy!

The show ended with Duffy singing "Mercy" so badly you would beg for mercy yourself to make her stop. Studios really make people sound talented. They're all getting lazy with their live performances. Telling you these singers of nowadays need some lectures from the greats on how to give live performances. I saw nothing impressive last night. Nothing, all the hype was for nothing. Perhaps we'll see better next year.

The Audacity of Hope Realised!! Yes We Can!

I watched in tears as the Obama Family alongside the Bidens walked the stage in Chicago, Illinois in front a cheering crowd of thousands of American civilians willing to embrace and welcome the change that the USA so desperately needed at such a time as this.

I love technology, news coverage happens at lightning speed!

USA Today Article on the Win.

Some ABC News Coverage on the Win.

At 5.50am this morning I shot myself out of bed and tuned into CNN for Election Night America to see a dream that many thought would never be realised so soon come to life. Barack Hussein Obama has been elected as the 44th President of the United States of America. A man born from a Kenyan father - Barack Obama I and a Jewish American mother - Ann Dunham, a BLACK MAN has become the president of the United States. Who would have thought, who would have ever thought.

Yes he was met with immense doubt at the begin of the campaign, immense doubt and opposition throughout the campaign, villifications and all sorts and he has conquered and opened the floodgates for opportunity for millions all over the world that have ever seen their social standing, their race, or their nationality as a setback or limitation in their ambition to have their goals attained.
Nothing is impossible and "Yes we can" regardless of circumstance! What an inspiration, I feel so proud to be alive at such a time to be alive to see this happen. It's amazing beyond words. Congratulations to this incredible human being. I have all the faith and belief that he will serve his sentence bearing in close mind the needs of his people, that he will govern with grace and continue to inspire the people of America and the world to be the change that they wish to see in the world.
Let the celebrations continue, what a day, what a day!

Also, let me just mention that Senator John McCain accepted his defeat with such eloquence and grace, his words and spirit were wonderful in stark contrast to the dissapointed Republican crowds jeering in Phoenix. In expressing his promise to support Obama in his future governance of the nation, he displayed much wisdom and strength. A graceful and sophisticated acceptance of loss. I take my hat off to him, he ran a good campaign despite his loss.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the 44th President of the United States of America.

Trip Hop making a Massive Attack on my playlists

This is shocking I know but I have only come full circle to discovering this beautiful genre of music this year!! I'd heard about it before - trip hop and I'd seen Tricky make a guest appearance on Girlfriends in 2005 as Lynn's philandering love interest who of course was a trip hop artist/producer helping Lynn make waves in her up and coming career as a singer. But that was it, didn't know much about the music itself until this year when I was scanning the DMX Audio channel bouqet on DSTV and came across a track on the "Subterranean" station called Black Steel by Tricky himself. I loved it instantly and found the root sample line that Phraroah Monche uses in The Book of Judges - "They wanna send to the army of whatever, picture me giving a damn I said Never". That line is so loaded with attitude man it's a classic in itself. So back to the topic of conversation. So got the song and been listening to it nonstop for the past week. Love it, last night I heard a track from Massive Attack called Protection and fell in love with it instantly. After checking all these artists on wikipedia and finding that they all have the same genre tag of trip hop attached to them, I'm starting to realise that this is a genre I definitely love in its wholeness. Just like neo-soul and alternative rock, it's a music I'm coming to love. New discoveries everyday. How great to mature this way!


Timeless tracks:

"If Obama Doesn't Win, It's Over"

A quote I heard on CNN from an African-American sounding lady that got me laughing a bit but just conveyed a lot of the same sentiments I'm sure a lot of young Americans, minorities and other Obama supporters may have at this time. Only four days before America rocks the vote and the anticipation is high as Everest. Just think of it. President Barack Obama. Gosh, it sounds so good. His stance and just his overall attitide during this election has been inspirational. With all the bashing and slandering and the Republican campaign - need I say more. He's kept his focus and now it's all about to be realised. But wait, let's not get too excited. The fat lady must sing first and anything could happen. It might even end up being a dissapointment for Democratic supporters. That's something we should be wary about, if Obama loses the masses might take it to the streets like somebody got assassinated. Haha. No, but I have a feeling it won't be or is that just me trying to remain as positive as possible??
Well.









Half-African for real for real. But above the fact of his ethnicity, he's just got this undeniable intelligence, this cool presidential swagger about him. C'mon you gotta see what I'm seeing here. There is not a man more worthy of the oval office.












These two just warm my heart, they're so in love. Wow, what a couple. I'm loving it.







The love he shows for his little girls. My heart is just bursting right now man I can't help it.

Twenty Years and Waiting

The diva is back. The wild, outrageous, abominable Grace Jones is back to sieze back her crown. She may never have sold millions to the mainstream market or even won a ton of Grammy's but she's still legendary nevertheless and her fierceness has spilled down right down to even our "little sweet" Rihanna who insists on black lipstick, making out with male mannequins, and distorting action in "Disturbia" - a lucid throwback to the one and only queen of abstract - Black Panther. Uh huh!

Grace Jones - Corporate Cannibal


A Really Entertaining Read Here! An Interview she had done in her present residing place in London. Sounds like a funny lady, well um go figure. You're not eaxctly mundane if you're posing for shoots like this at 60!!

Deepest Condolensces to the Hudson Family

This week I was terribly shocked by the news of Jennifer Hudson's family tragedy. My heart just bled for the whole situation and even more so for a woman who has had to deal with three deaths in one weekend, one of them being the sweet little life of a beautiful little boy. I cannot imagine the anguish she must be experiencing right now, it's some tough stuff. They remain in my prayers, for healing. And also for the proper persecution of this violent maniac. Let him get the sentence he so richly deserves!









Though I must say that it is good that events like this put issues of domestic violence under magnified scrutiny. It's easy to go through life and if you're a young woman, get on with dating and looking for the right mate without remembering how important it is to observe a man's character.

An abuser does not have a specific look, or face or body size or any way by which you could physically identify him. ANY man has potential to be a psycho. I trust my intuition i.e. The Holy Spirit to inform me in such a way that I don't end up getting blinded by looks or "charm" or any of that of what would masquerade the lunacy of a true psychopath. The most sexy, hot or good-looking guy could be just the one who will kill you out of rage one day and that's a scary thing. That tells me that I should have my head screwed on right at all times and be wise and aware and look beyond the surface of a man's behaviour towards me.

"The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker gave an insightful list of PINS - pre-incident indicators. Man, how true those are. A very harmless but revealing interaction I had with a member of the species one day in a taxi revealed it all to me. Going through the PINS in my head. I noticed that he struck every single one with what he was saying, how he was saying it and what he was doing. For the record, nothing happened to me and I don't know for sure what his motives were but I got the hell away after the taxi came to a halt, I'm alright but it was for the most part a wonderful real-life indication of how a potential perpetrator will operate in order to coast in close enough to pounce. Awareness. Of course, if you're a member of the species reading this, you have no idea what the hell I am on about and probably will never know because that's just how little men understand the plight and day-today struggles of women in the world. I thank God for all the protection I have had that I have never fallen prey to any such madness but I bear in mind and keep close to my heart the experiences of women all over this world. The rape, the domestic violence, the sexual harrassment, the killing, the trafficking - how men with diseased minds continue to perpetuate terror in the lives of my sisters. Protests and Awareness months are not enough. This situation changes when women's attitudes begin to change. When women stop thinking in terms of docility, submissiveness and tolerance of male hegemony. As your tolerance weakens, your strength begins to proliferate. Whether it's strength to face your family with a "failed" marriage, strength to be single and walk alone, strength to rough it out on your own financially until things get better. Sisters have to get strong and stop tolerating the madness.

M.I.A. !!!

Rebellious, unique, creative, outspoken, feminist, politically conscious...so we'll be fine afterall. There is still hope for artistry in music.























This is something I need to listen to pronto. Only heard "Paper Planes" man, the tragedy of resource lack!





So here's someone to pay attention to, she's definitely caught my attention and truste me it's not just the colourful apparel. It's the boldness and that there's something, something to actually say that has meaning. I have fights with my sister about it all day. She doesn't get that this lovey-dovey shit is just too much sometimes (not to say that there's anything wrong with it). The other day I almost puked watching a new video by New Kids on the Block (making a comeback with Ne-Yo!). The song is not bad, it's just that there is so much more going on in the world to sing about.

Back to the topic of conversation, M.I.A. is my new favourite for real. Love the art, the sound everything. She's got it down.





Mad energy in this video. Lot of dancehall boys doing their thing. It's crazy nonsense and I LOVE IT!!! M.I.A. is the truth and the future!

Seriously, when did this happen??

I did not know these two went together. This is the price you pay for not having DSTV! Had to see this on E! a while ago and apparently they've been together for ages. See, this channel is bringing out the gossiper in me again.





Awkward couple. You know what they say, "in the eye of the beholder" not that neither of them is but...together? Another Jay-Z and Beyonce...mismatch!

Black Self-Hatred alias "You see me? hi hater, hi hater, hi hater.."

This is a topic that saturates alot of my blogging because aside from the fact that I am a member of this ethnic group which also means I have direct exposure to the different forms in which this motif manifests, it's something so baffling I can't seem to wrap my head around it enough to try and delve deep into what it's real root cause is.


In an M&G Article recently this issue was highlighted from the perspective of the financial workplace. It's all really silly. I've yet to read "Capitalist Nigger" by Chika Onyeani but I will get on to doing that. That is some essential literature. Still blaming the "WHITE MAN" for our own folly. Really.





Let's push things forward baby...
(trip down memory lane)

• The Streets
• New Music

But what I can ask is what the f*** is wrong with black people?? Why wreak havoc amongst each other? Why get mad when you see one of your own succeed instead of being happy that hey presto! it's not another white guy at the top as it always seems to be.
My sister seems so pissed off about the reality of Barack Obama becoming president, all she can say to counter all the positive press he's been receiving is "Aaah, he won't win, he won't win" - massive hate! It's not just Barack that receives her scorn, it's pretty much every successful black out there. She stands as an example to me of black-on-black racism. Black people really are each other's worst enemies. Sad but true.
But I'll say this, I'm glad Oprah is a billionaire, I love her to death and I'm not one of those many hateful people out there that express their dismay at her success by constantly dissing how she looks. No, she is not Tina Turner but she is talented and an enormous success nevertheless.

Maino - Hi Hater

By the way this song is dope and like T.I. says at the beginning of the remix, "Hating is a disease". Sure it is, perhaps some psychologists need to get together and pen a name for this pathology.

Props to Feminist Lyrics

Now, let me say this first - these two do not even pitch close when it comes to my top 50 list of favourite artists but lately they've caught my attention.
The latest from Ms Beyonce and Britney both having a nice little bash at men and their problems with them. I'd like to see more of this but for once, there's less sex and more addressing of feminist issues in Beyonce and Britney. Plus the men in the videos are very yummy I must say.

Beyonce - If I Were A Boy




Britney - Womanizer




Speaking of videos, I'm loving the new one from Kanye - "Love Lockdown". It is visually and artistically astounding not to mention original. She just excels above the boundaries of the norm and brings us something fresh everytime. It's good to see when you have the likes of Lil' Wayne and 50 with the same old redundant shit that just bores and bores and bores. Here it is.

Racism in the US Elections

At the playback of Sarah Palin's speech on Obama's involvement with terrorists, there was a lot of repulse and shock I went through initially. Just her tone and address were enough to make me feel compelled to pummel her down with a ceramic pot. I was disgusted. The Republicans have resorted (just as Hillary tried to during the Democratic Caucuses) to racism in bringing Obama's campaign down. How sleazy. Watching the debates, I've also noticed how McCain must re-inforce his credibility by showing Obama's lack of support for or involvement in a cause or plan of action he wishes to proliferate during his hypothetical future presidency. Sleaze. The death threat was just typical. But what was most outrageous was how she continued her delivery as though the comment had not been yelled. As if to say, racism is completely allowed here and yes we don't mind you making death threats to the running mate. Somehow it's not really all that surprising. We know what kind of individuals roll as Republicans. Not exactly the open-minded, unprejudiced, educated individuals who would cringe at the mere mention of anything racially bigoted.




Then there was a McCain supporter telling the black cameraman to "Sit down, boy!" Oh wow, where have we heard that one before.

Frankly, I just pray that the sleazy game the Republicans are playing will turn right back on them and lose them the election. Do crooks ever win in the end? Well, the verdict is soon to emerge. Let them reap what they continue to sow.

Colonized Mentalities: Skin Bleach and that...

Let me just say that the subject matter alone of skin bleach horrifies, repulses and enrages me. There is no better way to see right into the core of colonized mentality in the black female's mind than to observe this trend. Lighter is better huh? That is what the one's with their mind's on the white patriarchal savage's leash will say.
I have family members that have bleached and probably still bleach. One of them happens to be my very own mother who know that she has of course accumulated the wisdom of experience regrets ever having done so. There is something else too that she has accumulated...permanent black discoloration marks from years of high dosage hydroquinone. Marks that serve as a reminder not only to her but to me of how dangerous it becomes for a black female to carry the racist colonial mindset.




How do you begin to express the tragedy of skin bleaching. Like the woman in the above insert said, it begins with self-acceptance. Love yourself and the confidence will shine through. It is an attitude that begins in the mind and there is nothing more inhibited of self-love than the deep hurts and gashes of black inferiority which are almost inevitable considering the social structure of the mad world we live in.

So, conclusions...fuck the media again!

One Step at a Time

I remember getting a really saccharine e-mail from Gardner Rich last year after e-mailing them with fanmail for Mr Gardner himself. "Remember...baby steps" it said. After not making it for the Fall Quarter this year due to circumstance. I've come to realise the importance of good timing. Often times, this timing is not even our decision to make but rather that of the Higher Power. God. Even though I find this song a little cheesy melodically, the words apply to my predicament. Unlike I've done in the past, I shall value every moment this time and not waste it on unproductivity. No rush folks...one step at a time. Final months in the motherland. I cross over the threshold in the new year. Excited, without the nervousness this time somehow...interesting.