Word of the Week ~ Negritude
Meaning: A consciousness of and pride in one's African heritage.
Sentence: Negritude will be an intricate part of my work here at Overdue Exposure Mag-- Please Believe!
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Sunday, February 12, 2006 10:01PM
Hellos & Goodbyes, Black History Month, Mother May I?, The Frontlinerz: Join me will you?
Two Thursdays ago, 1/26, we said "So Long" to our friend and press agent, A.S. Cobb. He said Goodbye to L.A. and Hello to The Bay but there is a bright side here: When he said "Hello to The Bay" so did Overdue Exposure Magazine (OEM). Thank God it's not really goodbye because he's still working with OEM in our efforts to expand our West Coast coverage. Aside from his normal hard work as PR rep, he'll be writing a monthly newsletter strictly about Bay area happenings, including Hip Hop artist interviews, events & mixtape reviews--it's all good! But as excited as we are to be embarking on this new chapter with Cobb, we are sad that he can't kick it with us anymore, the way only we can. Dayum, we're already missing you Cobb! But we are so excited about this new chapter of OEM that we can't justifiably complain out loud. Not yet, at least. We'll wait until we get that newsletter in-hand, then we'll decide;0 LOL! We love you Cobb! You can run but you can't hide. Holla!
So, it's February, and you know what that means. Yes, that's right, it's Black History Month! It is the month that we see more dedications to Black-ness (or African American-ness) than any other month during the calendar year, specifically in the media. PBS is particularly good about representing the history and struggles of the African American. Just the other night they aired a program called "Negroes with Guns" named after the book written by a Black man named Robert F. Williams. Have you heard of him? If so, then you're on your shit. Because as dedicated as I am to revolutionary Black literature, I hadn't heard of him until I watched this program. Robert F. Williams is one of the forefathers of the Civil Rights movement. He was highly intelligent and very active against the overwhelming racism, which ran rampant in Monroe, NC where he resided with his family. When it came to his attention that the law (which he at one time believed in wholeheartedly) was not on the side of Blacks no matter how victimized they became, he became a proponent of Blacks arming themselves for protection and protecting themselves "by any means necessary". Because he stood up and stood strong I his beliefs, he became a heroic figure during the Civil Rights Movement, even though he never wanted to be a leader. He used his voice to right as many wrongs and when things really came to a head, he used gunfire. Not even Dr. Martin Luther King could convince him otherwise. He was determined that fighting fire with fire was the only way. It is said that his book, Negroes with Guns, was the doctrine that became the blueprint for the Black Panther Party which formed years after its publication. He started a movement which was responsible for change and awakening the consciousness of many who were sleepwalking through the nightmare that was Jim Crow. I highly suggest that you read this book Negroes with Guns (please use our Amazon.com link to order!) to read more about Williams' fight to right the wrongs of racism in his small town using armed resistance. It's enlightening, empowering, and certainly well-worth reading. Williams risked his life (and that of his families') for our democracy and freedom, it's the least we can do.
Speaking of racism, if you didn't already know, I'm a Senior at Loyola Marymount University. If you are unfamiliar, it's a highly reputable, private, Catholic University here in L.A., Westchester to be exact. Its student body is also mostly white and wealthy causing an obvious imbalance in diversity on campus. I transferred to LMU in the Spring of '04 and have managed to maintain a fairly high GPA. But that doesn't matter when it comes down to socialization in the classrooms and on campus grounds when you don't look or act like the seemingly mass majority: Wealthy, white and if female, blonde haired and a size 3. Thank God I graduate in May! I have felt the heat of discrimination more on this campus than in all my years here in L.A.! The issue of diversity is just now being brought to the surface thanks to a student body senator named Cornelius Burke. He's intelligent, black and fearless, and I love him for what he's doing in order to create much needed change. The bright side of this is that there are organizations on campus, such as the Black Student Union, that shed light us smaller groups whose existence deserves recognition. Last Thursday (2/09) was a good example of this with an event called Rhyme & Reason. It was a classic rap battle well-represented, I thought, by the rappers (some who were students) and the students who showed up to support. I was truly there to specifically check out a group called R2K6. They're hot and you'll be seeing more of them on the site, so Stay Connected!
Ok, so, my mom didn't like my last editorial. She felt that it was too harsh and the content was too, well, raw. She never did approve of my cursing in my editorials, (after reading the first one she asked, "Why'd you drop the "f" bomb? Now I can't tell my friends to read it") but she especially hates confrontation in general, with which the last one was full. As I have tried to explain to her from the beginning, as much as I love her, she needs to understand that she is not my audience. She is not the mag's target demographic. She is jazz, not Hip Hop. And, of course she knows this, but she knows more that I am her daughter. I guess she feels that, in a way, I represent her, so I need to put on my politically correct face and write from its perspective. You know, the face that I wear in Kkkorporate Amerikkka, Akkkademic Amerikkka, and around my elders (whom I truly do appreciate and respect). Again, I stress, they're not my audience. I mean, Hip Hop is about being real and being raw--and this is my voice. Shouldn't I be true to that? Both the Game and my Voice in it? Or, should I cater to my mother's feelings? If I wasn't it would be hypocritical. People would read write through me and my credibility as someone that Hip Hop practically raised would be shot. Nah. Fuck that. I just can't do it. Sorry Mom! I Gotta do Me! I love you but maybe you should just skip over reading the Editorials, k?
Well, anyway, I'm gonna end this here, but before I do, I have to shout out rap group, The Frontlinerz, for missing their album release party at Club Ice on Saturday night. Man! I laid down for a "catnap" at about 6:00PM and didn't wake back up until 12:30AM! I guess I really needed that sleep! Why didn't somebody call my ass?! Send me pics if possible though, please! I know it was the bomb and all the New West Fam was there. And, I am sick over the missin' it all. I will be sure to be at the next gig though, just holla at me! And, lastly, another special shout out to rapper, Kila Krock, for hollerin' at me about my last Editorial. It really meant a lot to me. Much Respect.
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