Saturday, February 19, 2005
Sunset Monologue 2
I Used to Love Her Today I got to thinking about Hip Hop and when I met 'her' and if she's had any influence on me. I grew up in Atlanta in a world that was black - I rarely interacted with the rest of the world. Black hoods, black people, black schools. Uptopia in a manner of speaking. I have memories of 'her' in passing - we met but it was nothing that made me want to meet 'her' again. The Sugar Hill Gang was catchy but it was seen more as this quirky 'song' that came from some place called New York. At least to my friends. My girlfriends and I couldn't figure out why? NOBODY was cute! She was that girl that stood on the wall and maybe one person asked her to dance..but Mike, Prince, El Debarge were the frivolities of choice.
Then I met my math teacher. He was from 'up north' as we liked to say and one day while we were acting a plum fool - he brought out a cassette player and popped in this tape and "She" came out sat down in front of the class and commanded our attention - 'she' had brought Grand Master Flash and they were telling us they were 'close to the edge'. We looked around at our trees and grass and southern charm and were blown away. Where is this place of urban decay and what is this form of talk/singing? 'She' had passed out party favors and alot of us kept them on our dresser - in sight but not touched.
I moved to Philadelphia and when I stepped out the car and my $10.00 sneakers hit that concrete I was....appalled. So this is urban squalor. Where are the trees, what is this 'accent', how come the homes are...connected?! I just couldn't get it. Then one day up in my older brothers room (and excuse if my chronological order is out of wack) he pulled out an LP and these three guys were on the front with these funny hats and huge glasses. He told us this was RUN DMC and listen to this. When he put the needle to that piece of plastic - 'She' was Carrie at the prom! We sat mesmerized by this music...but unlike Carrie 'she' won prom queen and went on to graduate w/honors.
So many memories of the beginning of the commercialization of rap. We were like the stepford kids - this music was making us act strange, we were moving with jerky movements and the music replaced our former passtime..the television. The first time we heard "Eric B for president" and then.....Public Enemy. We would sit in my brothers little car and I mean little; 2 doors put 5-6 of us in that car as he blasted this music and our heads bobbed in unison. For a voracious reader like myself - this was prose put to music and I could get with that. Hours and Hours on end we were instrumental in making Def Jam rich.
I moved to New York in 1989 - so I lived in the mecca and took part in the pilgrimage! My husband grew up in New York and used to be part of the Wrecking Crew a very popular breakdancin group. "She" had introduced me to her friends :) 'her' consciousness was mind boggling - KRS ONE etc. taught and preached and made us be so proud to be black...Ralph McDaniel became my second cousin, lol and slowly some 'cuteness' began to emerge as well as a reshaping of my personal choice landscape in the form of Big Daddy Kane...oooo la la.
Then one day - a shot rang out from far away..a place called Compton...there were black people in California?! It was intoxicating..mesmerizing...and addictive. Our cousin who we didn't speak about had come home and he was UPSET! Your psyche didn't want to embrace the violence, but it did and in doing so...we slowly self imploded.
Throughout the years 'she' has planted herself firmly in my life.
The Chronic,
Parents Just Don't Understand Doggie Style Hammer Don't Hurt Em - all parties I have joined in with 'her'.
At 38 however, she has alienated me for the most part. She's now naked, hungry and out of doors. She has lost her own respect and whored out so many of her bretheren. She sits at the grown folks table but the grown folks don't really respect her..anymore. We want to see her cousins from back in the day - sit back, play a little spades and remember when.....
It Takes a Nation of Millions!
Love....Exciting and New
Well my
earelationships are going fine. I've dubbed them
Italy and
Africa based on personality (and not color cause I don't do the swirl they are 100% Grade A Black. 'Italy' has informed me that he might be moving to Japan and so now I will need more minutes on my international calling card. I am fine with that though because 'Italy' is worth the minutes, lol
Feeding my TV Addiction
Hmmm 9 days left in Black History Month and
BET or as I like to call them Bubba, Eddie and Tyrone has YET to pump out ONE QUALITY BLACK HISTORY MOMENT of programming!!!! They are such a disappointment!
VH-1 has had a couple of nice moments and their 'Blacks in the 80's' was great. Some may say Viacom owns them both so it doesn't matter who says it but that it's said, but I disagree. BET has (whether it wants it or not) some culpability to our youth at minimum so the messenger should sometimes look like them. On Monday, they are supporting Michael Jackson (and I have my VCR tape ready, lol)and on Valentines Day they pulled out a funny look at love and relationships from a male point of view - but they fall short consistently on quality programming.
TV One also kinda fell short. I like the channel but they are in re-run hell. They have been showing some great old movies though. I want them to roll out yet some more original programming as well as some news Bring Generations back, lol I'm still waiting on another attempt at a Black Soap Opera.
Posted by Pamalicious ::
8:21 PM ::
0 comments
Speak Your Piece
---------------oOo---------------
